The funeral of Sigismund der Stolze
Metz, 1144
The entire Imperial Diet was assembled in the church to send off one of their own. It was a rather small, modest building, but it had its own personality and probably suited Sigismund best. Kaiser Heinrich, in charge of funeral arrangements, had purposely decided to bury Sigismund in this city that he had poured so much into rather than the Imperial Capital, Frankfurt.
There had been a great exodus from the Imperial frontier and its cities by its nobles. Deputies had been left in charge of armies, advisors cities. Everyone important in the policy-making process of the Reich was present at the service. Even Cardinal Peter Scherer, himself aged and suffering from a horrible cough, turned out to preside over the event. However, he got no respite from the Kaiser, who demanded that eulogies be allowed even though they were contrary to Catholic doctrine.
Once the congregation took their seats, Scherer began speaking out in his deep, powerful voice. It was clear that this was hurting him beyond belief, but still he continued.
"A reading from the Gospel of Matthew."
The Electors wondered what passage Scherer had in mind.
"Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:
That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly. And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him. After this manner therefore pray ye:
Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.
Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!
No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?
And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?
Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof."
Scherer paused at the conclusion of this passage, then bent over in a violent fit of hacking that lasted for over a minute. When a deacon rushed up to see if the Cardinal was in need of medical attention, Scherer waved him away and finished up his coughing. As he made his way back to the pulpit, the deacon brought him water, which Scherer thankfully sipped. He then continued.
"This was of course part of Jesus's Sermon on the Mount, in which he preached his values and teachings to a massive amount of followers. This section is known as the Discourse on Ostentation, in which Jesus condemns fasting, alms, and prayer that is done only for show. It then focuses on, as do I, the dangers of *cough* materialism."
Scherer took another sip, and continued.
"Materialism, or the want of earthly possessions, is numerous times referenced in the Holy Book as a sin, and should be avoided. Most notably, it is done so in Exodus, where the 9th and 10th Commandments, and to a lesser extent, the 7th, deal with it. It is closely tied with several of the cardinal vices, such as greed, gluttony, and pride, which is the sin that caused Lucifer to fall from grace. It is to be avoided at all costs, for not doing so plants a seed in our minds that this is the only world that we are to look for. We sometimes tend to forget that The Lord God and His Son are waiting for us with a much better kingdom when the time has come to depart. When we pass on, He will be waiting for us, and He will be smiling, beckoning us on, saying 'Welcome my son, here is your salvation.' The eternal company of friends and angels is a far better reward than any palace, jewelry, or fine clothing."
The Diet was transfixed at Scherer's sermon. The man was clearly on his last legs, but continued to wax poetic with the wisdom and oratory skill of a higher power. The only thing that reminded the Electors of his mortality was the persistent clearing of his throat.
"Sigismund der Stolze exemplified many of the qualities that Jesus spoke of in that Sermon and Discourse. He was a very humble, chivalrous man who lived a noble life. He always downplayed his many accomplishments, whether they be in his personal life, military career, or Chancellorship. He did not seek to bask in the moment and enjoy life, rather, he simply moved onto the next objective and tackled it head-on. Observe his comments to the Diet after returning from his courageous sally from Bern. Nothing is said about the actual conflict or his gallant performance. As a matter of fact, he only mentions the city once - when describing how the Milanese fight."
In the front pew, Heinrich chuckled at the memories. He would never admit it, but if he had run for Chancellor after pulling off that victory, he would have woven it into his manifesto quite a few times.
"He continued this righteous style throughout his Chancellorship. In his first report, he addressed the Diet using the following words:
"Again, no mention of his heroic efforts at that battle or overly elaborate descriptions of his wedding. Instead, he simply mentions it and moves on. Such was the character of Sigismund, whom we should all seek to emulate in our actions and our words."Due to a good defensible position and good fortune, the Milanese were unable to attack my meagre force. My object, was therefore gained - I had prevented the Milanese from entering Lombardy.
On a personal note, I have finally married.
On the other side of the aisle, Sigismund's wife Syele, and daughter Judda were crying. The Kaiser's daughter Elsebeth, sitting next to Otto von Kassel, also had tears in her eyes. At the news of Sigismund's death Heinrich had put off the wedding between the two. Meanwhile, Scherer, after coughing some more and finishing his water, continued.
"Alas, the only truly despicable part of Sigismund was his manner of death. Such a noble and holy man should have been destined to die saving the lives of others or defending Christendom against those who would seek it harm. Nevertheless, things are better for him now. We must remember that good Sigismund has entered the House of the Lord and will be an honored guest there for all eternity."
Scherer, pale as a ghost, could by now say no more. He yielded the pulpit to Kaiser Heinrich, who gave his eulogy.
"Gentlemen, this is not my forte. My limited oratorial skills are much better applied when inspiring troops before a battle or attempting to persuade you in the Diet. Also, nothing can be said that has not already been addressed by Cardinal Scherer, whom I wish a speedy recovery to and also offer my thanks for presiding over this mass."
He motioned to Scherer, who nodded his acknowledgement and stepped out of the church to cough some more.
"Sigismund, if a little aloof, was nevertheless a great man and a huge benefit to the Reich. I had the pleasure of conversing with him many times, and he was a wise man who wished nothing more than the betterment of the Empire. The people who did this to him are cowards and unholy. I, as well as Chancellor Mandorf, assure his family that they will be hunted down and brought to justice. The coming days ahead will be difficult for us all, and Sigismund's wisdom and chivalry will be sorely missed."
The Kaiser took his seat, a little embarassed, and there was an eerie silence in the church that lasted over a minute. Scherer was absent, still coughing, and the church's deacon was still attending to him. Finally, in an impromptu manner, the six pallbearers rose as one, picked up the closed coffin, and began to carry it outside, followed by the rest of the congregation.
Kaiser Heinrich, Prinz Henry, Dukes Leopold and Dietrich von Saxony, Steward/Chancellor Maximillian Mandorf, and Sigismund's adopted son Jobst von Salza slowly and laboriously lowered the coffin into Sigismund's final resting place, a freshly-dug grave in the church's cemetary. Once again the simplicity of it reflected the character of the deceased.
With no priest present, the 5th Elector of Bavaria, who had some experience with these matters, led the Diet in the saying of the final prayer.
"Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord.
And let perpetual light shine upon him.
May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.
Amen."
With that, the Electors departed, heads bowed, lost in their own thoughts. It was back to their duties, and to some, their plannings.
Originally Posted by TosaInu
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