Deutsches Historisches Museum, Berlin, 2007

Researchers have released further translations from a cache of documents found in the city of Frankfurt during routine utility work on underground pipes. Further excavation of the site revealed ruins dating back to the 12th century. Archaeologists are speculating that this might be the location of the long lost Imperial Archives. Historians hope that these new translations will lend further insight into the momentous events of the time. The following is an exchange of letters between Maximillian Mandorf, Chancellor of the Reich, and Otto von Kassel, future Duke of Bavaria. Surprisingly enough for that era, both noblemen were literate.

Bologna 1142

Maximillian,

Congratulations on your election to Chancellor! I would have written sooner, but the last Diet was a troubling affair for me. I admit, I made a hash of it. You won an overwhelming victory and I feared that the Kaiser would cancel my betrothal. Not to mention my blunder on trying to dictate occupation policy on Venice, a fruitless gesture in hindsight.

Yet, I have good news, the engagement will continue and I am to be Duke! The Kaiser and I have reached an understanding that will benefit Bavaria. Nor have I forgotten you, my friend. Bavaria might lose a Steward, but she will gain a Count. It would be cruel of me to take Nuremberg from you, you have made clear your desire to stay there. I plan to move the capital of Bavaria to Innsbruck, my current domain, and you will keep yours. Also, as recognition of your service, you will keep the title of First Elector. Moving the capital south makes sense anyway, as I must always keep one eye on Italy.

So how does it feel to be Chancellor? I've heard the braying of the Diet has already reached your ears, even though your term has just begun. Very few people want the job, but they all think they can do it. Do not lose hope, there are some of us who still value your acumen.

Have you considered coming south in your travels as Chancellor? The Italian front is still the most active. The Milanese will be dispatched, but we could use your assistance with Venice and in other matters. For example, the Pope and his army still haunt our lands. How long are we to allow this? The first year of his "tour" of northern Italy could be seen as an aberration, but the man has yet to return to Rome. Venice, Milan and Sicily are all excommunicated and the only nation in Italy that remains in the Church, ours, bears the weight of a massive Papal army. Why is that?

I am confused as to why you have changed your mind about Gregory. You may be a man reborn, Saul on the road to Damascus, but surely he is still the same man who upended the traditional balance between Church and Empire, fostered dissent throughout the Reich, and caused the loss of much of our territory. And for what? All that so the Papacy could be free of a Kaiser's right to aid in the selection of a Pontiff. Only now have we recovered from the investiture crisis, and yet he still gets to choose who receives the crown of the Roman Empire. Is that fair?

A time may come Maximillian, and I hope it doesn't, when you will have to choose between service to the Reich and Bavaria and service to this man. I do not begrudge you your rebirth, but I question your choice of mid-wife.

Think on what I have written, and on who your true friends are.

Otto

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Otto,

It warms my heart to hear that your engagement to Elsebeth will continue. Though I have taken a vow of celibacy myself, much joy can come from a Holy Union. I wish you the utmost success with your wife in the years to come. I fervently wish I could attend the wedding, but it seems likely that it will occur in Bologna or Florence. With the Bavarian roads cleared of brigands and the new war with France, I have decided to journey westwards to give whatever aid I can to the Swabians. Unfortunately, this means I shall not be close enough to attend the wedding. Know that I will pray for God to bless your union and give you happiness and success for many years.

I do not fault you for voting for the Kaiser in the election. You must look to your own interests and ensure a prosperous future, especially now that you will have a family and a noble House dependant upon your success. It is true that I once desired to be Duke of Bavaria, but in my heart I knew it would never come to pass. I am too stubborn and sinful to bear such a responsibility. Some may mock my reform, but Hildegard has made my life joyful for the first time in many years. My soul is at peace and I have let go of most of my earthly ambitions.

You are a good man and you will be a good Duke for Bavaria. It will certainly be strange to kneel before you in the years to come, but Hildegard says it will be a good lesson in Pride. Apparently I have not yet rid myself of all of my sins.

Your words about Gregory ring true and I admit that I no longer know where he stands. His actions baffle me and I see no earthly or Heavenly reason for them. I am still convinced that he incited the Milanese and Venetians to war against us, but why did he then excommunicate them? If they displeased him in some way, then surely he would have decided to aid us. Yet all reports indicate that he still seethes at the very mention of the Reich.

Surely our people are as righteous and holy as any in Christendom. How can the Pope harbor such hatred for us and yet aid us at the same time? Is it Christian charity or Satanic duplicity? Hildegard tells me to trust in the Pope and abide by his words. She says that the Church cannot exist without a Pope, and if Gregory is false, then we are adrift and disconnected from God. She has proven herself to be a righteous woman and if she claims this to be true, I must believe it. Those who insult her and say that I am her pawn simply do not know her. She is a great and holy woman; a band of knights from the Teutonic Order even arrived in Nuremburg recently to pay homage to her!

The truth is that the question of Pope Gregory is beyond my grasp. With the situation so unclear, I must simply wait and see what the future brings. For now my life is dedicated to protecting the Reich and her people. Wars spoil our lands and good Christian blood is spilled every year. Perhaps when these battles are done with I will know better what to do.

May the Word of God guide your path.

Maximillian