Imperial Diet

[GeneralHankerchief]

Kaiser Heinrich:

This is not the time to make use of tactical maneuvering or diplomacy. This may shock the Diet, I know, but now is the time for something different.

In the twilight of my Chancellorship, the Pope had the audacity to twice -twice! - violate the Empire's borders and instruct me on how to conduct diplomacy. He flaunts his power and authority openly. He knows that we have not the resources to seriously challenge him, so he prances through Imperial territory with the largest army he can find, knowing we can do nothing. The Milanese, our former subjects, seek to now make us their subjects. They have brazenly besieged Bern, which we at the time had just conquered.

Now is the time to show the world our power.

I admit, good Electors, that I am to blame for the reason that we have had to reclaim our glory in the first place. I have made some errors in the past, if you will. The Investiture Controversy threatened to shatter our Reich and change the way Europe has worked forever - in a way the second scenario has already happened. However, I do believe that the actions that this Diet and I have taken in my just-concluded Chancellorship have prevented the gradual crumbling of this great nation.

What we have accomplished in the previous years is no small feat. Under my Chancellorship, we have doubled in size. We have grown in power, and we have financially stabilized ourselves. Why should we still be taking orders from Pope Gregory and fighting passively against the Milanese? These people had the nerve to attack us, to publicly humiliate us! We must strike back with a fury. We do this so that all the world knows that they are subservient to us!

I remind the Diet that we have been given an oppurtunity to shine on the world's stage with the Milan and Papal situation. I beg to them that we do not squander it.

If we properly make a statement now, then I assure you, we will have to worry about very little for quite a long time.

Edict 3.8: Milan is to be crushed by an offensive campaign, one that does not wait for Papal opinion or any other outside factor to strike. Kaiser Heinrich is to have a major role in this campaign.

Edict 3.9: Edict 1.1 is hereby repealed.

I second Edict 3.5 and Charter Amendments 3.1 and 3.3.

I also support good Sigismund der Stolze in his bid for Chancellorship. May he lead this Reich into a golden age more golden than the world has ever seen.

[TinCow]

Maximillian Mandorf jerks to his feet with a gleem in his eye, his arm snapping into a stern military salute.

Mein Kaiser! I can walk!

Mandorf pauses and shakes his head from side to side, as if he had walked into a spiderweb.

...my...apologies... gentlemen. I do not know what came over me.

Mandorf regains his composure and continues.

Kaiser Heinrich shows the courage of a true Emperor! We must seize the opportunity presented to us and strike deeply into the hearts of our enemies. We must, of course, despose of the rebellious Milanese, but if we do so and leave the Usurper intact, he will send another one of his subjugated Kings against us. If the Reich is ever to be truly secure, we must ensure that the Papal throne is fully within Imperial control.

Some of you propose restraining our assault, fearing the Usurper's power. Some of you want immediate action. I believe there may yet be a way to assail Rome without provoking severe retaliation from those Catholics who have bent knee to the false Pope. I have heard rumors that the Pope is considering calling a great Crusade to return the eastern lands to Catholic control. I feel as if this event is over-due and may well be called soon. Once the Pope calls for this mass campaign, he will be unable to assemble sufficient resources to ask for a second one against us!

We should move against the Milanese now, restraining our wrath only on the threat of immediate excommunication. Yet, once Gregory's Crusade is launched, we should strike at all remaining Milanese forces and then take on Rome itself. We will certainly be excommunicated by the false Pope, but with all of his followers responding to his first call to arms, no friendly nation will raise arms against us. Perhaps some may take advantage of our disfavor to attack, but any who would do so would likely strike soon anyway.

Let us destroy the Milanese and return Rome to the Empire! As a final measure, it would be my dying wish to see the Kaiser himself cross the floor of the holy basilica in Rome. Let us send a message to all Christendom that the laws of God cannot be violated!

Edict 3.10: If Rome is assaulted and Kaiser Heinrich is alive, he must lead the attack.

[GeneralHankerchief]

Kaiser Heinrich:

Naturally, I second Edict 3.10. I would be honored to fully redeem myself.

I remind the Electors that if they agree with Edicts it is not enough that they vocally support them, but officially second them. Otherwise the scribes could get confused.

[AussieGiant]

Standing slowly the 4th Elector of House Austria composes himself for a moment:

Kaiser Heinrich, Prinz Henry, Dukes of the Realm, fellow electors,

Gazing out the great window above the heads of the assembled nobles, the 4th elector says absently

Attack Rome you say...

Very few things in life are absolute gentlemen, however, if we attack Rome, then this course of action will provide for some absolutes in our life time.

Raising his voice and beginning to pace in front of the Austrian benches the 4th Elector continues

First, WE WILL BE EXCOMMUNICATED...fact!

Second, our Reich and the people WE lead will question us and our actions...we will need to spend far more resources controlling our own population than we currently do....fact!!

Third, we will be surrounded by 7 Catholic nations of which only 1 is not able to attack us with the Pope’s backing. The military options open to our enemies will be unlimited. Are we really in a position to conduct a potential war on such a scale?

Fourth, our trade and current financial status will drop sharply.

The pacing continues, however his voice lowers to a normal level again

Without try to sound like a bore my lords, WHY are we considering attacking the Pope?

Forgive me if I am not overly impressed by the words of outrage and such. Whether we like it or not, the POPE is the POPE. Spitting in his face, taking his city, slapping his arse will not change that!!

To openly defy him has never brought ANY nation ANY benefits. Are we not able to learn from the past? Is anyone able to outline ONE benefit to this Diet?

I think it`s time gentlemen, to put aside our personal ambitions, our hidden agendas, our outrage and our egos and keep in mind the normal people of our realm, and THEIR condemnation of US if we were to take this course.

Stopping for the moment and standing quite still, the 4th Elector smiles to the gathered nobles

I personally think it's time we cease drinking the Absinth Duke Leopold has brought back from Prague...go outside and do one of the following things...or, both if they really take your fancy...

...strip yourselves naked, and have each of your page man throw a bucket of cold water on you from the battlements...or, go to the jousting range and have Helmut, our local jousting champion, slam his lance once or twice against your Great Helms, and NOOO, that’s NOT the great helm on your head gentlemen...I mean the OTHER great helm we all have!!

I say this my lords, because it’s that level of pain and suffering the people of our nation will surely feel if we allow our secular ambitions to convince us, that attacking Rome is in the best interests of this Reich and the people we have the privilege to govern.

I therefore second edicts 3.4, 3.6, 3.7 and Charter Amendment 3.3

My God rest our souls!!!

[OverKnight]

Otto looks tired. Over the course of the speeches calling for an assault on Rome he has sunk lower and lower in his chair. After hearing the speech of the newest member of the Diet, Otto seems to come to a decision. Clenching his jaw he rises to speak:

My lords, before I return to the topic that seems to have dominated this session let me propose a somewhat unrelated edict:

Edict 3.11: The Chancellor will endeavor to construct naval forces capable of blockades and transport of mid-sized armies in the Baltic and especially the Mediterranean. Dukes and Counts are encouraged by the Diet to build port facilities in their domains, if applicable.

What ever course we choose fellow electors, we are no longer an inland Empire. Our current and future foes will posses navies, and we must build one of our own for both offensive and defensive actions.


As much as I would like to leave this topic behind me forever, I must return to this Rome adventure.

Otto pauses, a picture of confliction, he takes a deep breath and speaks again:

I hope you understand, my fellow electors, that my opposition to seizing Rome and our subsequent excommunication stems from my opinion of what is best for the Reich at this time, and not any sort of regard for Pope Gregory himself. I respect the power of the office, not the occupant.

This reckless scheme would perhaps not fill me with so much dread if those who proposed it had a specific plan in mind for the aftermath. My Steward's thoughts on using a Crusade as cover for our actions are clever, but we do not know when this will occur. How long will we wait under Interdiction Maximillian?

What would we do after taking Rome and "deposing" the current Pope? We would still be excommunicated, we would still be at war with the Papal States and most likely a few other Catholic nations. We have no Cardinals among the Preferati, so we cannot guarantee a friendly replacement. What do you think would happen if a Milanese Cardinal was elevated to the throne of Peter!?

The next Pope would most likely still oppose our war with Milan and we would find ourselves back in a similar situation. So the way I see it is, we invade Rome, suffer excommunication, and possibly bring the combined forces of the Catholic world down on our Empire, and for what? Revenge against one man. . .one man. This is hubris.

So I ask you Kaiser Heinrich, Count Sigismund, and Steward Mandorf what do we do after you have had your vengeance? How will we restore our relations with the Church and our fellow Catholic nations? What will be the final price for your pound of flesh?

I await your answers.

But know this, no matter the outcome, I serve the Empire!

Otto sits, miserable and clearly drained.

[Ituralde]

Duke Leopold has been shaking his head to the speeches following his and now finally, after Otto von Kassel has spoken, a thin smile creeps on his features. His hand steepled in front of his face, his gaze travels to the mentioned persons, awaiting a response.

[econ21]

Prinz Henry: Thanks to the sterling efforts of Gunther of Eichstadt (dlain), a list of current edicts and ammendments has been posted at the front of the Diet:

https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showp...92&postcount=1

(I also note that I second Edicts 3.6 and 3.11).

The closing time for seconding edicts will be Thursday 9am UK time. There will then be a 24 hours period of voting.