Imperial Diet & Rules

[phonicsmonkey]

Ernst of Melk tuts disapprovingly at the young man's cheek.

[Ignoramus]

Andreas Hummel storms into the Diet, clearly angry.

Finally I have the chance to have some justice! I will have mein case heard!

Turning to Prinz Leopold, he thundered on.

Are you so omniscient, mein Prinz, that you so casually disregard the intentions of your father, the Kaiser, regarding the bestowal of his daughter's hand? Or are you simply interested in gaining a new crony to maintain some of your now diluted influence?

I was promised by your father the hand of Princess Agnes for mein faithful service in his cause. And this is how I am treated! I waited for years waiting for mein bride to arrive, and still no word came. Until last year word came to mein attention that without so much as a by-your-leave, she had been married off to the young upstart Duke of Bavaria! Is this how mein loyalty is to be repaid? By broken promises and insults?

I will have mein grievances addressed. I appeal to mein rightful liege, Heinrich, Kaiser of the Romans, to hear mein complaints and right the wrongs which I have suffered!"

[phonicsmonkey]

The Prinz is absent but his representative, Ernst of Melk, shifts uneasily in his seat and tries to avoid the Duke's gaze.

[GeneralHankerchief]

Kaiser Heinrich:

You there, Melk is it? Go now and summon your master, I require his presence at the Diet. There are things that need to be said and other points that I need to be absolutely clear on, and this requires the nobility, not just their representatives. I don't care what the Prinz is doing, bring him back here mid-piss if you have to.

[Ignoramus]

Following his interruption by the Kaiser, Hümmel continued.

I thank you, mein liege, for your concern in this matter. But that is not the only complaint I have against the Prinz.

I have just discovered the truth about the loss of Hamburg, and with it Saxony. When news reached me at Antwerp that Hamburg had fallen, I assumed that it had been stormed by the Danes. Seeing that I was busy defending Antwerp from the French, I could not spare the men to come to its aid and so planned to recover it later. But now I have been informed that Hamburg was bartered away to the Danes for money - without mein consent!

Such gross treachery is despicable, and I ask why your son hates me so to sell mein lands to enemy for gold, while I am off distracted fighting the Kaiser's enemies!

[phonicsmonkey]

After some considerable time the Prinz arrives. He does not look pleased to be here. He has not bothered to remove his riding gear and strides down the aisle to the Diet floor in his muddy boots, his riding crop still in hand.

With a flourish of his crop he turns to Hummel, eyes blazing.

You there, Hummel, I hear you have been bleating about injustice and unfairness and whatnot, in an insolent tone no less! You should learn to show more respect to your betters and not second guess their decisions, made in the best interests of the Reich!

Since your head appears full of that too-solid cheese you Dutchmen are so fond of, let me remind you of the situation when we made the deal with the Danish King.

Disregarding my calls for assistance, made here in this very Diet, you had left your lands undefended and at the mercy of the Reich's enemies, without so much as a word of explanation to your acting Kaiser. Those enemies, need I remind you, being both numerous and determined to bring about our destruction.

Save Antwerp which you claim to have 'defended' from the French. I strongly suspect there was not much fighting at all and such 'defence' was conducted at the sharp end of a wine glass. Perhaps you should have followed your friend Zirn into their service instead of bleating here about your 'rights'.

Well, at the time of the deal we were at war with Italians, Franks, Poles and Magyar as well as Danes.

I considered it a boon to be able to negotiate a peace with at least one of our foes, and at the small cost of Hamburg which I considered that you had abandoned to their mercy and thereby foresworn your claim on. I should point out that in return I received for the Reich's coffers a regular sum which doubled the yearly income from that city - a good deal for the Reich, by anyone's standards.

Indeed, if you had not approached the matter so churlishly I may have suggested to my father the Kaiser that the yearly stipend be assigned to you in compensation. I shall not do so now!

And as to the matter of my royal sister Agnes. Well, I confess I was unaware of any prior arrangement between the Kaiser and Holland. You see my father did not leave me a laundry list on his departure saying 'do this, do that' - I was obliged to think for myself and make decisions, as I have said, in the interest and for the glory of the Reich.

But I should tell you Hummel - when I broke the news to her that she was to marry Becker she was quite pleased. Indeed she blushed -and she raised no objection on the grounds of having been promised to a snub-nosed cloth merchant from the low lands!

The Prinz, having said his piece, takes off his riding glove and reaches for a nearby flagon, draining the contents before spitting on the floor in the direction of the Duke. He then leans back against a pillar, crosses his arms and fixes Hummel with a gaze, challenging him to respond.

Ernst of Melk sniggers in the background.

[Nightbringer]

Jens cannot help but let a bit of a grin show at his Lord's jest, and looks around expectantly to see if anyone else dares speak against the Prinz now