Imperial Diet II

[econ21]

Diet Speaker: On the matter of the allocation of settlements in Outremer, I would make a couple of observations to Lord Mandorf.

First, it has been the practice of the Reich that allocations of settlements to Houses are permanent. Even if a settlement falls to an enemy, it is returned to the House that owned it. What is being proposed in Outremer is no more than a continuation of this practice. The reason for this practice is to give Houses a degree of autonomy and avoid giving the Kaiser excessive leverage. Speaking purely hypothetically, and not based on recent history at all, one could say that the possibility of rogue Kaiser is at least as likely as that of a rogue Duke.

Second, the settlements in Outremer will formally remain Imperial provinces, even though administered by the relevant House. The Crusader Counts who govern the provinces will be selected by the King of Outremer, who in turn is picked by the Kaiser at each full Diet session. Therefore the Kaiser does retain some indirect influence over how these settlements are governed.

In practical terms, the Kaiser hopes that the equal and fair partition of Outremer between the Houses will ensure their continued support for our presence there. Far from home, the crusaders remain vulnerable and will rely on future Diets and Chancellors to ensure that their defence is well resourced. The Kaiser believes that this is most likely if each House has a stake in this defence.