Imperial Diet III

[econ21]

Imperial Speaker: It is with a mixture of sadness and relief that I inform my Lords that the crisis over the Danish crusade has been contained due to the passing of the Pope. Cardinal Sigismund Uttenheim has been elected as his successor and has ended our excommunication. Our relations with the Papacy are once again very good. Duke Leopold will be able to join the crusade on Damascus. However, our relations with our Catholic allies have worsened considerably (before the debacle, they had risen to reasonable and amiable during Henry's term of office).

Now that Kaiser Henry's term of office has ended, it is time to open the Ninth full Diet session. There will be a three day period for the proposal of edicts and Charter Ammendments. Candidates for the post of Chancellor are asked to submit their manifestoes. On Wednesday, 10.45am (UK time) the deadline will expire.

As the Kaiser is still en route home from Edessa to participate in this Diet, and given the charges made against his normal deputy, the Prinz, he requests that King Otto would chair the Diet in his absence. He also gives notice that Duke Otto will be re-affirmed as King of Outremer, if the proposed constitution for Outremer passes. (The Kaiser hopes to formally propose that constitution in the next day or so.)

I yield the floor to King Otto.

[OverKnight]

Otto looks up and is very surprised at being yielded the floor, or perhaps its shock at the sudden reconciliation. He mutters something under his breath, "Should have stayed in Acre." He stands again and speaks:

Ah. . .well. . .the Session is open as the Diet Speaker mentioned. Have at it. . .I would remind everyone that I will enforce decorum in this body if needed. All the facts concerning our battle with the Danes, despite the Prinz's theories, are not in. We are here to propose and vote on edicts, let's focus on the task at hand.

Edit: I would ask that any candidates for the position of Chancellor come forward and present their manifestoes. The next term should be interesting, to say the least.

Otto sits and looks warily around the Diet.

[econ21]

[An emissary of Kaiser Henry]:

My Lords, the Kaiser wishes to formally propose as a Charter Amendment, the constitution for Outremer that he drafted at the last Diet. The only change is to include Edessa among Outremer's provinces. Neither Edessa nor Damascus currently are in our hands, however.

Charter Amendment 9.1:

The Charter of the Kingdom of Outremer

1. The Kingdom of Outremer will consist of Antioch, Acre, Adana, Aleppo, Edessa 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. Edessa will also be an Imperial province, governed by a Count chosen 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.

[AussieGiant]

Duke Leopold's son Arnold stands

I second CA 9.1

[gibsonsg91921]

A messenger and close friend of Maximillian von Tyrolia stands.

"My master seconds CA 9.1.

He also believes strongly in the economic and military value of driving the Moors out of Iberia to save the Portuguese, as well as to show our good faith. The Portuguese have nearly the strongest navy in the world, and we must grant them Granada or Valencia so they have access to the Mediterranean and can help us achieve our goals and purify the waters of infidels. Such a venture would also increase our interest in the West and open up a second front on the powerful French to help ease the Swabian borders. Thus, I propose Edict 9.1:
The Reich shall create a Grand Army of Iberia under the same minimum troop levels and limitations as Household Armies. The army shall sail to Iberia and make landfall on Moorish or Spanish land, where they can conquer all non-Portuguese cities. As a token of our good will and for economic safety, at least one city or castle bordering the Mediterranean shall be granted back to Portugal. These lands shall not be granted to any house until Iberia is cleansed of Moors or Spaniards, and thus will remain under direct Imperial control.

My master also thought of possibly establishing a Kingdom of Iberia out west, but I feel that the Chancellor or some other more powerful lord will have better plans than that, so I did not include it in the Edict."

Messenger sits down.

[FactionHeir]

*After speaking a few words with his servant, who subsequently leaves the chamber, Hans rises to address the diet*

Friends, Germans, I wish to formally announce my intention to stand for the office of chancellor. *He pauses and looks at the congregation before continuing*
You may certainly ask yourself why you would want to vote for me and what I could possibly have to offer. Well, then your questions shall be answered.

As you are all aware, the recent events, such as the loss of Thorn and the impending invasion of the Mongol hordes, have made us, the Holy Roman Empire, look weak in the eyes of the known world. Our recent, yet shortlived, excommunication, has left us with abysmal relations to not only to our allies, but also the rest of Christendom.

Some of you may ask why we should worry about looking weak, if we can conquer them all and force our rule upon everyone. I say that while this may be possible, history has taught us that no one nation can rule over all others without eventually falling. We may be the strongest of all Roman Empires so far, but we certainly are not gods and the people we rule over certainly not saints. As such, we can only hope to stand out as the strongest nation of all, whose words carry weight, and have the rulers of the other nations worry about keeping their subjects in line, while we can devote our resources to strengthening our borders, crush those who openly oppose us and bring the light of Christ to the many heathens that this world still harbors.

To further these goals my lords, let me outline to you the goals that I have set myself and will fulfill, if you find me worthy.

Firstly, it is imperative that we show our strength and not back off from any invader. This means that Thorn must be retaken at all costs and Russia be punished for their boldness.

Secondly, to prevent any further invasions into our lands, watchtowers shall be erected so we may have a complete surveillance over every single parcel of land that is ruled by us. Further, forts shall be erected to deter and stall any invading force so we can prepare our defences and strike forces in advance.

Thirdly, contact shall be made with the horsemen on the eastern front of outremer to determine what they have planned. At the same time, garrisons in the outremer will be reinforced to dter both the heathens and the Mongols. If they dare attack us, we will send them back to whence they came.

Fourthly, I will send emissaries to all Christian nations to improve our relations with them and seal alliances. As the guardian and leader of Christendom, it is upon us to be the strong consolidating force in forging an alliances in the name of Christ.

Fifthly, I will endeavor to have the crusading army reinforced and dispatched to outremer to take Damascus before any other nation can. If required, I will make certain more ships are built to ferry our fearless warriors.

Sixth, I will endevaor to rid our lands of rebels, heretics, witches and any intruding inquisitor as well as bolster the garrisons of all border regions.

Lastly, you will have noticed that contrary to my father's plans, our Byzantine allies have retaken Constantinople due to a plan that I have forged with them during my visit to Smyrna. I have arranged for messengers to spread word of my coming and diverted their attention southwards which allowed our allies to strike from the mountains to the east. As a show of good faith, I will engage the large Hungarian force that I have lured to the coast of Constantinople and send them back to their godless steppes and thus improve our relations with our eastern brothers.

I hope that you will honor these plans by casting your vote for me, and I certainly am open to further discussion of these goals and any edicts that you may wish to have fulfilled.

*Hans bows to each of the Houses and returns to the Swabian benches*

[gibsonsg91921]

Tyrolia's aide stands, addressing Hans:

"My lord, let me start by saying the Reich would be honored to have you reign as Chancellor.

You mentioned in your manifesto that you would like to improve our relations with our allies as well as show our power to our enemies. Let me inquire, where do you stand on Edict 9.1? For if passed, this Edict would appease Portugal as well as show that we are not an Empire to toy with."

[GeneralHankerchief]

Conrad Salier:

First of all, Tyrolia, I believe that the proper numbering of your proposed edict is 9.1, not 9.2. Charter Amendments and Edicts can have the same numbers.

Count Hans, your plans sound rather admirable and unless you make a serious gaffe, I believe that you can count me among your supporters.

Finally, I believe that in light of certain events, the following edict is unfortunately necessary:

Edict 9.2: Prinz Jobst is hereby barred from having any military command for the entirety of the upcoming Chancellor's term.

[gibsonsg91921]

I am terribly sorry my lord, I shall make amends for my failure in counting. I am not a counter like my master is.

In regards to Edict 9.2, I believe such sanctions against Prinz Jobst are unnecessary. Jobst's actions may have been more far-sighted than we can tell. If the Danes and their Crusaders came near to Damascus they would have a large army in Outremer once the Crusade ended with nothing to do but strike at our cities.

[Stig]

The "Count" of Thorns messenger walks in

My master wishes to second Edict 9.2

[econ21]

Emissary of Kaiser Henry: Duke Leopold has petitioned that the von Mahren family be allowed to join the House of Austria. Although this is essentially a private matter, it would violate article 1.1 of our Charter. Therefore the Kaiser proposes an amendment:

Charter Amendment 9.2: Add to article 1.1:

In view of exceptional circumstances, the von Mahren family is allowed to join the House of Austria.