Imperial Diet II

[AussieGiant]

So...that's it gentlemen, the votes are in, the Kaiser will be next Chancellor.

Thanks for everyone's time, the speeches were wonderful and lobbying for my vote was greatly appreciated along with all the fine dinning and gifts.

That's got to be the most inexpensive Diet election we've had in decades.

I LIKE IT!!

[OverKnight]

Gunther coughs and looks a bit exasperated at the Count of Venice:

Duke von Kassel is still Chancellor until he gives his final report in 1200 and the new Diet session opens. But yes, then the Kaiser will assume the Chancellorship.

Still, I am glad that I will not have to campaign for my master again. I found it to be very taxing.

[AussieGiant]

For just a moment the Count of Venice looks a little embarrassed but quickly continues in his usual manner

Ahh, yes, Gunther, well spotted...I do seemed to have jumped the gun a bit on that topic haven't I?

Yes, well, that's a rhetorical question, so never mind...I'm sure Duke von Kassel is going to do everyone proud as he rounds out this outstanding period under his excellent Chancellorship.

[Warluster]

Prinz Jobst stands

Several things to comment on...

Well done all noble Crusaders, you have reached your...goal. I hope you feel...re-established?

I also wish to congratulate Duke Von Kassel for what I think one of our best CHancellors. He has achieved all he promised.

And also I wish kaiser Henry a...happy term.

Prinz Jobst sits

[OverKnight]

Gunther unfurls a scroll and presents the last report of Chancellor von Kassel:

Prinz Jobst and my fellow Electors, my term as Chancellor has come to an end and I wish to give my last report to Diet.

I have fulfilled all the goals I laid out twenty years ago for my term.

https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showp...&postcount=375

I have also fulfilled all of the Edicts passed by the Diet except one. The lone exception is 7.7, I provided only 5 holks to the "Holy Fleet". My apologies to the Diet and the Count of Venice.

https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showthread.php?t=84133

Let me quickly address the changes that have occured in the Reich during my term in certain areas and how I believe we should proceed in the future.

First the Church, in the past twenty years we have reconciled to the Papacy, ending our excommunication. Our crusade was then sanctioned by the Church, and with the transfer of Jerusalem to the Papal States we have gained another ally. Our standing with the Church has never been higher and we now have four Priests in the College of Cardinals, the most of any nation. I hope our missionary work in the Holy Land will provide more.

Yet we must not take this for granted. In order to ensure our continued good standing and an Imperial Pope in the future, we must respect the wishes of the Church, and only defy them with good reason. Pope Pisanus has taken to the seas again, no doubt to make his way to Jerusalem, and will be out of reach of our diplomats for some time. We should keep this in mind.

Second, the Crusade has been succesfully completed. Not only did we liberate Jeruslam from the infidels, we crushed three Jihad armies on their way to Constantinople.

The Crusade may be over, but our work has just begun in Outremer. With the seizure of Adana and Acre we have established a presence in the Holy Land so that we may protect the new Papal States and return Christianity to the area. We must continue our efforts in Outremer and I again call on the Reich and its nobles to support this holy cause.

Third, as promised, I made the financial growth of the Reich a priority of my term. Merchant Guilds have been added to many cities, seven skilled merchants have been recruited and trade revenue has increased by 90% since 1180, from 12,000 florins annually to 20,000. Tax revenue has nearly doubled from 15,000 to 28,000, and projected profits have gone from 9,500 florins a year to 20,000. This is due in some part to our reconciliation and the ability the post-crusade euphoria gave me to tax at a higher level. We will lose some of this contentment in the next few years, but most of the growth in revenue is permanent.

I urge the Kaiser, the Duke and Counts to make economic development a continued priority in what they choose to build. Not to sound like a Venetian, but we need florins to fight, to build and to bribe. . .I mean negotiate.

Fourth, over 50 battles great and small were fought over my term. Six territories were gained, Ragusa, Marseille, Breslau, Adana and Acre, while Jerusalem was seized and donated to the Church. Our frontiers are stronger, the French, the Milanese, the Venetians and the Hungarians have been expelled from our lands and are quiet. The Poles remain a thorn in our side, but are mostly contained. Military expenses rose from 20,000 florins a year in 1180 to 30,000 in the present but our economic growth has outpaced this.

While we must mantain a strong military to enforce the will of the Reich, we cannot let it grow to such a size that it outstrips our ability to support it and still build and trade. We must also consider our future expansion wisely, so as to not anger the Pope and to keep defensible borders.

Finally, in the diplomatic arena, we have gained two new allies, the English and the Papacy. No new nations have declared war on us, though besides the Church and England we have not been able to make peace with any of our current enemies. The Russian incursion into Thorn caused me some concern, but the small annuity I negotiated with them for their maps seems to have worked. Their force has left our territory on a flotilla of ships and has not returned for now.

It will be up to Kaiser Henry to seek further negotiations with our enemies. I wish him luck, for all I have met with is stubborness and a denial of the dire situations they face. It only takes one nation to declare war, but two to make peace, and I have had no luck with it.

I now lay down my imperium, as they would say in the old days. I have been grateful for the oppurtunity to serve the Reich. We have triumphed on every front, and I wish to thank all of you who made it possible, particularly our departed brother Duke von Saxony. He was a giant among men, and even though he perished before we reached Jerusalem, I know he was there in spirit. I wish Kaiser Henry the best in his term and I will continue to serve his Majesty and the Reich in whatever task I am given. May the new century bring us new victories and greater prosperity.

Glory to God, the Kaiser and the Reich.

Duke Otto von Kassel

http://www.totalwar.org/patrons/pbm/kotr1200.zip

[TinCow]

*The Bavarian lawyer stands.*

On behalf of the Count of Nuremburg, let me be the first to congratulate Duke von Kassel on his superbly administered term. My Lord was once a heavy critic of the Duke's, to put it mildly. Yet for many years now the letters he has sent me from the Crusade have been lavishing praise and esteem upon the Duke of Bavaria. On behalf of all the citizens of Nuremburg, I wish to thank Duke von Kassel for his unparalleled services to the Reich. This has been the most prosperous and successful Chancellorship that the Empire has ever seen.

*The Bavarian lawyer turns to Gunther and gives a deeply respectful bow.*

[econ21]

Diet Speaker: The Eighth Diet session is now open for the proposing of Edicts. The deadline for submission is 2pm Thursday, UK time, and there will then be a 24 hour period of voting.

[OverKnight]

Gunther speaks again:

My master has instructed me to forward this proposed edict:

Edict 8.1: The Milanese will be offered peace and trade rights with at most 5,000 florins as an incentive. If they refuse, they are to be destroyed expeditiously by taking Corsica and Sardinia, unless we are delayed from doing so by a Papal Bull. Once both islands are in our possession, Sardinia will be offered to the Sicilians in exchange for florins and/or their good will.

Proposed: Otto von Kassel
Seconded: Maximillian Mandorf, Gerhard Steffen

Our diplomat on Corsica has reported back about an army of cavalry and siege weapons on the island. Rather than wait for this axe to fall, we should make peace or finish them. Also, Sicily has stuck with us as allies through some dark times. They have shown that they desire Sardinia with their short lived attacks on the Milanese, so we should give it to them to improve our relations, and to prevent that island from causing a rift in our alliance.

Both islands are underdeveloped, so the goal here is to eliminate or neutralize the Milanese while improving our relations with the Sicilians, rather than just territorial acquisition. By doing both, we can secure Italy even further from attack or betrayal.

Please note that up to 5,000 florins is authorized. Personally I do not feel that the Milanese are worth that much, but we should give the Kaiser some latitude in this matter.

[econ21]

Diet Speaker: Although there will be no election for Chancellor this Diet, the Kaiser has sent me this message to the Diet to serve in lieu of a manifesto.

I am grateful beyond words to Duke Otto for his achievements during the last Diet. The motherland in Europe is strong and secure with powerful armies protecting our borders. We are reconciled with the Pope and have achieved our objective of gifting him Jerusalem, in a sanctioned crusade no less. These are tremendous achievements.

My Chancellorship will consolidate these gains. I propose a threefold programme:

(1) Continue to guard our European homeland, aggressively challenging any enemy armies that menace them. Franconia is perhaps the most pressed of our Houses - I will ensure its generals are well resourced. Swabia will be given a freer reign to strike at the French. Austria will be provided with additional commanders (from other Houses until more of her own emerge) to guard its large border. Bavaria guards perhaps our most secure border, that with Sicily to the South, and so her generals will be given an outlet for their talents in southern France and in guarding the hinterland of the Reich. But I will not lie to you - I do not propose an expansion of our European borders at this time. Where possible, I will emphasise measures that contribute to the strength of our economy, so my successors will have a strong foundation to weather any future challenges.

(2) Support our allies and seek to impose a Pax Romana on our enemies. We are the mightiest power in Europe - our word should carry weight. The first action here will be to return Constantinople to our brother Romans, the Byzantines. I will launch a seaborne expedition to take the city from the Hungarians and return it to Byzantium. If our enemies continue to defy us, we will strike aggressively at them - routing their armies and sacking their settlements, not to conquer but to enforce peace.

(3) Establish a Kingdom of Outremer in the Levant. We have two provinces there at present - Acre and Adana. They are divided and unsustainable as permanent outposts on their own. Outremer will only be viable if the rich city of Antioch is taken, allowing Acre and Adana to be linked. Aleppo and Damascus must also be taken to screen Antioch and Jerusalem from the East. Together this five provinces will constitute Outremer. I envisage this Kingdom being formally established at the next Diet by a Charter Amendment. The following is a draft of the kind of Amendment I will propose. However, I ask you not to vote on it now, but to let us trial this arrangement under my Chancellorship. If all goes well, I hope the Amendment will achieve the 2/3 majority necessary to pass at the next Diet. If not, we will have time to learn from any failures and to draft a superior set of rules around which there can be a consensus.

The Charter of the Kingdom of Outremer

1. The Kingdom of Outremer will consist of Antioch, Acre, Adana, Aleppo and Damascus.
2. The Kingdom of Outremer is an integral part of the Reich. It is not a fifth House.
3. The function of the Kingdom is defensive: to safeguard Jerusalem and protect the gateway to Christendom
4. The Kingdom will be overseen by a King of Outremer, who will be appointed by the Emperor at each full Diet session. The King will temporarily renounce all loyalties to his House for the duration of his appointment (e.g. if Duke, must appoint a Steward).
5. The King will command a Household Army, both acting according to Charter Amendment 5.2 (with the King assuming the role of “Duke”). He may delegate the day to day command of the Army (assign other generals to lead it in battle). However, contrary to CA5.2, to be in accordance with article (1), the Army may not be used to permanently conquer neighbouring provinces (recapturing Christian settlements taken by non-Christians and returning them to their original owners would be allowed).
6. Outremer’s provinces will be governed by Crusading Counts. These will also be appointed at every Diet, by the new King. The King will set the build queue for any provinces without a Count.
7. Both the King and Crusading Counts must be physically located outside Europe for the duration of their appointments.
8. All four Houses of the Reich have a stake in the Kingdom. Damascus is assigned to Austria; Adana is assigned to Bavaria; Acre is assigned to Swabia; and Aleppo is assigned to Franconia. Antioch will be the capital of Outremer and an Imperial province governed by the King of Outremer. The Crusading Count for a settlement must come from the appropriate House. They will gain an additional +1 influence (over and above any influence for being a Count of a European settlement) but only for the Diet session that marks their appointment. The cap of 5 influence for all but the Emperor remains.