Imperial Diet II

[TinCow]

I do not believe Edict 6.6 is necessary in regards to the Ducal Houses. Rule 4.4 states:

Dukes can then grant a settlement to a player, making him Count of that settlement. The settlements remain nominally within the relevant Duchy. There are no Counts at the start of the game. Capitals of a House need no Counts and cannot be given to them - they belong to the Duke (or his Steward). The Emperor could allocate Bologna to a House at any time, but after that, it will permanently belong to that House. There is an expectation that Franconia will extend north, Swabia west, Bavaria south and Austria east but this should not be followed too rigidly - e.g. the Emperor does not have to give Bologna to Bavaria.

The word permanently clearly indicates that, at a minimum, it cannot be taken from the Ducal House without the consent of the Duke. I will note that I cannot find any language that would provide similar protection for the Kaiser's lands though. So, I believe this legislation would still be useful for him. At the same time though, I wish to point out that this should probably be a Charter Amendment. By law, Edicts lapse after 10 turns, unless stated otherwise. This legislation clearly needs to extend beyond that. I would suggest changing it to a Charter Amendment simply because I believe it would pass. It would be ungentlemanly to attempt to remove the Kaiser's lands from his control without his permission, even considering his past actions.

I also think there are some legal difficulties regarding Edict 6.4. As with the previous Edict, this one should likely be proposed as a Charter Amendment. I personally doubt whether we will find ourselves reconciled with the Pope within the next 10 turns, so this legislation would be totally useless if it did not extend for a longer period. Second, this Edict would violate Rule 3.3 and Charter Amendment 5.1, both of which specifically give Dukes the right to declare war on any neutral army that enters their territory. I do not believe that an Edict can violate an Imperial Law, so a Charter Amendment will be needed to achieve the desired effect. I agree with the sentiment behind this legislation though and will support it if it is changed in such a way as to make it useful. Perhaps the Austrians would consider changing their legislation to the following:

Charter Amedment 6.X: Any decision that would lead to the excommunication of the Reich has to be authorized by a Diet vote, requiring a 2/3 majority. In the event of a conflict, this Amendment supercedes Rule 3.3 and Charter Amendment 5.1.