Imperial Diet III

[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.

[TinCow]

Esteemed Electors, it is with great consternation that I note the horrendous deterioration in our foreign relations that has resulted from Prinz Jobst's actions. Our previous two Chancellors have done much to repair our relations with our Christian neighbors and all of that has been shattered in a single day. I fully support Edict 9.2 and hereby second it. In a situation as serious as this, failure to punish to perpetrator of the crime is no different than condoning the crime itself. If we do not inflict a serious reprimand on Prinz Jobst, all of Christendom will believe that we agree with his actions.

Yet I do not believe that even this is enough. While such an act may keep our reputation from slipping further, it will not redeem ourselves in the eyes of our allies. Our relationships can be repaired over time with monetary assistance, but our reputation as a treacherous and dishonorable nation will always continue unless we prove ourselves to our Allies on the field of battle.

We are currently allied with England, Sicily, Byzantium, and Portugal. All of these nations have enemies and we must show our worth by lending actual military support to our allies. There are numerous places where we could do just that. I have heard rumors that the English fortress at Oslo is under siege by the Danes. The English are also engaged in a war of conquest against Scotland and there are further rumors that a large English army is trapped outside Antwerp by both the Danes and the Scots. We all know that the Hungarians lurk outside Constantinople and threaten to retake the capital of our Byzantine allies. Our Portuguese allies have lost territory in their war against France, with whom they share borders. Furthermore, Spain is rumored to be invading the Portuguese homeland and is threatening to besiege Lisbon itself.

In short, Electors, our allies are involved in great struggles and have need of our military aid. Let us give them that aid and show the entire world that the men of the Holy Roman Empire are true to their word and are allies in deed as well as name. Therefore I propose the following Edict:

Edict 9.3: The Chancellor must dispatch armies and/or fleets to aid our Allies in battle. By the end of his term, the Chancellor must have somehow managed to lend military assistance to an ally that is attacking or being attacked by a foe. (At least one army or fleet of the HRE must act as reinforcements to an ally where the battle was not initiated by the HRE.)

[gibsonsg91921]

I second Edict 9.3 as it is a better wording of 9.1

[Northnovas]

The Austrian Elector takes the floor to address the members ....

Electors, I wish to follow up on the current CA and Edict being presented to the floor. There has been great consternation of the loss Thorn and the treachery of the Russians. We are also aware of pitiful relations with our Catholic brothers and even though we share the same faith they would not hesitate to strike at us if they saw a weak point in our defence.

What I would like to propose is a homeland defence to support the Household Armies assigned to the Reich's defence. My CA would be the creation of a new army controlled by the Chancellor's Office to aid in the defence of the Reich. The legislation follows the fine draft designed for the Household Army under CA 5.1.
I therefore submit CA 5.2

Army of the Chancellor's Office

The member in who is elected Chancellor will have a special Army assigned to his office and will only be in charge of that Army till his term in office ends and a new Chancellor is elected.

1) The Chancellor’s Army may not be removed from the HRE proper without the permission of the Emperor.
2) The Chancellor will determine where the Army is to be garrisoned. This location can be changed at any time in accordance with the needs of defense of the Empire.
3) The Chancellor will command the Army but at this discretion may assign a noble to lead that army. An example being if the Chancellor is not physical in HRE Europe he may have a noble in charge but movements would be that of the Chancellor.
4) At the beginning of each Diet session the Chancellor may assign general orders to the Army. The Chancellor may select one of the following Orders: (1) attack any rebel force in House territory, (2) attack any hostile force in House territory, including other factions, (3) attack any foreign or rebel army in House territory, including neutral (but not allied or crusading) factions, (4) temporary assignment to another House to defend. If Order (4) is chosen, the Chancellor may determine the time limit of the temporary assignment. When the time limit expires, the Chancellor Army must be immediately returned to homeland defence duties, no matter what other circumstances occur.
5) The Chancellor Army will consist of a minimum of 3 infantry regiments, 2 ranged regiments, and 2 cavalry regiment. The Chancellor Army will ideally consist of 4 infantry regiments, 3 ranged regiments, and 2 cavalry regiments. For the purposes of this rule, Generals’ bodyguard units do not count as cavalry regiments. All regiments must be professional soldiers, not militia.
6) If a Chancellor Army falls below the minimum strength level, Imperial military recruitment must be allocated to restoring the Chancellor Army to minimum strength before forces can be sent elsewhere.
7) The Chancellor will attempt to maintain the Army’s full strength, with the highest quality regiments available.
8) In emergencies, the Chancellor may detach any units in excess of the minimum strength level for use elsewhere. The Chancellor may not reduce a Chancellor Army below the minimum strength level without the permission of the Emperor.
9) If the Imperial Treasury cannot support all Chancellor Armies at minimum strength, the Chancellor must consult with the Emperor and receive their permission to reduce the Chancellor Army in such a way as to eliminate the deficit.
10) The Imperial Diet may temporarily remove any or all of these rules by a simple majority vote. The temporary period will last no longer than 10 turns.

As you see by this CA and please scribe correct me on the numbering I only wish to reinforce the House Armies defences and to assist in policing the interior. I am most willing to hear your opinions and admendments to this motion.

[OverKnight]

Gunther has been kind enough to keep a list of the proposed legislation:

https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showp...06&postcount=7

[OverKnight]

After reviewing the list of the proposed legislation, Otto speaks again:

I will second Charter Amendment 9.2. All parties involved have agreed to this, and I do not see any difficulties.

I will second Edict 9.3. This furthers the Kaiser's concept of a new Pax Romana. It will also serve to preserve our remaining alliances.

I admire Karl Zirn's intent in CA 9.3 for addressing the defense of the Reich. An army is needed to move from Duchy to Duchy depending on strategic concerns. The Army of the Interior already exists however, and the Chancellor already has the right to appoint a leader, recruit forces and give it movement orders. The Household Army legislation was meant to give a voice to the Duchies in planning their defense and provide armies to do so. Enacting the legislation again for a Chancellor is redundant and possibly restrictive. With all due respect, I will not support this amendment.

I oppose Edict 9.2. To impose punishment without trial or before the facts are known is unwise. I have found some of Prinz Jobst's comments concerning the Danish incident alarming, but I have yet any proof before me that he has acted illegally. As far as I know, the two forces stumbled into each other and battle was met. Such are the perils of foreign armies marching through our territories without permission, even if they are on Crusade. Until we know more, I will not support any sanctions against the Prinz.

Edit: To get to the heart of the matter, I propose we send an agent to investigate:

Edict 9.4: A spy will be dispatched to Denmark to investigate the causes of the Danish incident. The battlefield will also be examined for possible clues and the Prinz and his commanders will be questioned as to the events of that day.

[Warluster]

Prinz Jobst stands

I shall second CHarter Ammendmant 9.2

Why is everyone so hostile towards the actions of the battle? We have repaired the problems with the Pope. And sure we damaged relations with other nations, but we are basiclly at war with every nation near us anyway!

And I repeat for the last and final time, it was self dfesne! They attacked us first! They swarmed over our otuer defenses, and tried to sneak up and kill us! It was all self defense!

And edict 9.2 is absurd! Completley absurd! I only defended myself! How am I supposed to know a Danish Army is coming through oru territory! Sir Salier, if at 5 o'clock in the morning, a siege tower approached the walls of Rome with a full army behind intent on killing you, you wouldn't fight back!? Would you let them pour over you and kill you!? No! I think not, worse things have happened, and the punishment has not been so severe! If you want, I shall open the gates of Frankfurt next time they come, is that what you are suggesting?



Prinz Jobst sits,shaking his head

[Dutch_guy]

Last session of this Diet the Franconian House wished to put forward a charter amendment. At the last moment, we decided to postpone it for the next session for reasons our own. Now, however, would be the ideal time to propose it. Especially with the now northern frontier breaking open; both the Russians and the Danes have shown their true face, and not to our liking.

Charter Amendment 9.4:

Charter Amendment: Each Duke may designate a Second Household Army during a Diet session. The military formation that can be designated as a Second Household Army is subject to the following conditions:

1. The formation must be within the territory of the Duchy.
2. The formation must be commanded by an Army Commander belonging to the Duchy.
3. The formation must be at least 6 regiments in strength at the time of designation.

The Franconian House finds that additional protection is needed to hold or retake our current possessions. We believe that a second army would have prevented the loss of Thorn, and would have also given a strong signal to the Danes. Not taking into account our esteemed Prince's ambush of course...
Do note that this Amendment counts for all the Houses, not merely the Franconian one.

EDIT: I shall voice my opinions on the other already proposed motions and amendments when I have given them some more thought.

Duke von Kastillien.

[Northnovas]

I see the issue of the Reich's defence is a concern amongst our Electors. There are now 2 proposals put forward to raise armies in the Reich's defence. The concern would be cost and upkeep but the "restriction" is whatever Army is created is for defence; not to be send to fight in foreign lands.
We Electros must come up with a viable solution to resolve the issue of the Reich's defences and keeping the interior secured.

[Stig]

Ansehelm von Kastilien, former count of Thorn stands

I wish to propose Edict 9.5:
More effort shall be put into the defense of the Reich's home borders. At the moment we have the Hungarians, the Poles and the Rus at our Eastern Borders and due to the mistake by the Prinz we got into trouble with the Danes in the North and West. Next to that we also have our French enemies in the West. In order to secure home security the following will be done:
1. More effort shall be put into fighting the Eastern Barbarians. This is done by allowing the Franconian and Austrian Household Armies to open the attack to the East.
2. If Edict 9.2 doesn't get through the Prinz will move his army to the East to fight the Rus. The addition of his army on our Eastern Front will easely tip the balance in our favour.
3. We shall start a Teutonic Crusade against the Barbarians and drive them back to their steps. The Steppes are open and big. Once there our Eastern Border will be more then well secured and we won't have to worry about the Barbarians anymore.
4. The Teutonic Crusade does not have to be an official Crusade sponsored by the Pope, we are more then capable to do it on our own.The Prinz's army could act as the Crusade army. He ofcourse will get additional units of Teutonic Knights.

Once our Eastern Borders are secured by taking the settlements of Krakow, Halych, Thorn, Vilnius and Riga we can put most effort in the West. The armies proposed in CA 9.4 will be more then enough to protect those borders.

[AussieGiant]

After reading intently for some time Arnold stands to speak

I will second CA 9.4, and edict 9.4.

I would just like to add that, it is quite clear how agitated my adviser the Count of Venice is regarding the incident with Prinz Jobst. While I agree with him on a number of issues, and I surely understand the strain it has caused our economy, we can't sanction Prinz Jobst until we find out what happened.

It might be wise to take a middle path on the matter until it is resolved.

While we determine what happened Prinz Jobst is not to lead any of the Reich's armies until which time an investigation has determined what happened. This could be a more appropriate edict gentlemen.

It does disturb me that Prinz Jobst seem to have a fairly reckless attitude towards the incident and that is more concerning to me than anything.

[Ituralde]

I second Charter Amendment 9.2 and will bestow the title of Count of Prague upon Ehrhart von Mahren should this Amendment come to pass. Austria is in need of young nobles and this should statisfy everybody's needs.

With our recent reconciliation I believe the Crusade towards Damascus can go ahead as planned. I will support my nephew Hans in his bid for Chancellorsip if he can ensure that the Crusade reaches Damascus swiftly.
To make this goal absolutely mandatory I propose the following legislation:

Edict 9.6
From the men assembled in Ragusa a Crusade for Damascus will be created as soon as possible. Any general wishing to join the Crusade shall be able to particpate. The Crusade will take the fastest possible route towards Outremere.

This should ensure that the Crusade won't be further delayed by any unfortunate encounters.

He looks at Prince Jobst.

Finally you shed some light on the events. If it is like you said, that you were indeed attacked by the Danish Crusade, this would be ample justification for our actions. Although as King von Kassel I find it intruiging to know why exactly a Crusade decided to attack us, the protectors of Christendom? I therefor second Edict 9.4.

I see there are many Edicts forthcoming considering the defense of our Reich. Indeed I must say that I was surprised to hear of the Emperors reform activities. While I agree that our armies must contain the best level of troops available to disband obsolete troops when there are no replacements available severly threatens our security. I agree with the intent of the Charter Amendments adressing this situation, but like King Otto von Kassel I believe that no further legislation should be possible to provide an adequate defense. During my term of Chancellorship I had to defend multiple invasions, and responded by having two standing armies for each House.
All future Chancellors should remind themselves that the Household Armies are a minimum that has to be there. If the situation calls for more defenses then by all means they should go ahead and do this.

Who leads this army and how large it is, should remain the responsibility of the Chancellor and I'm sure a capable Chancellor can prevent future losses in our defensive efforts.

Before I close let me make some final announcements:
My son Arnold shall become Count of Budapest and as soon as I join the Crusade he will become the Steward of Austria to make him accquainted with the matters of state before he follows me as Duke of Austria.
My son Karl Zirn will follow his father as Count of Zagreb, as I believe his health does not allow him to fill out this office.

Edit: Renamed Edicts, I type too slowly it seems.

[Stig]

Ansehelm stands again

I forgot to say, I also second CA 9.4.

[FactionHeir]

*Hans reads through the list of proposed legislations and their supporters, studying the words intently before he rises to speak*

My lords, it seems there have been a great many legislations proposed, and if they come to pass, I will, given that I be elected, of course give them my utmost attention to fulfill the will of the diet.

I will however say that I will not second CA 9.3 and CA 9.4 at this time as firstly, the chancellor has control over the formation of any force already and the Imperial army recently formed by our esteemed emperor Henry is available for internal security. Similarly, there is a minimum strength limit on Ducal armies that can be expanded to up to 20 regiments if it is necessary. I certainly would do so if it becomes necessary or a hostile army moves close to our borders.

Edict 9.5 I would deem fairly expansionist and I do not know whether we have the funds necessary to upkeep several vast armies that this and our endeavors to aid our allies, create mroe armies, a current crusade to Damascus and bolster outremer against the possible mongol threat will cost us. I would suggest that you split this edict into several parts or lower the expectations on the number of targets, as the steppes are vast and taking 4 settlements within one term may not be doable. I shall say however that I would support retaliation against the Russians if we do not stretch our borders too far to the east that they become indefensible.

Now, as to legislation still lacking seconders, it seems that leaves only Edict 9.6, and I shall wholeheatedly support it as it is congruous to my own set goals.

[Stig]

Meine Herren, we should remember to also protect the Reich's own borders, still we want to go campaigning in the Orient, but are we forgetting that we are at war with Denmark, France, Russia, Poland and Hungary. We should focus on attacking them as well, what use do a couple of cities in the Middle East have if we have lost our Heimat?

I thus oppose Edict 9.6, the Heimat is more important then any crusade.

[OverKnight]

I will second Edict 9.6. If we don't commit troops now, the possibility exists that another Catholic realm might beat us to Damascus.

Also, Gunther, despite wondering how the Kaiser's staff keeps up, has updated the legislation list:

https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showp...06&postcount=7

I also must remind everyone that there are about 46 hours left for this session, then voting will begin.

[FactionHeir]

As Duke of Kassel has said, we are in a race to get to Damascus. The crusade will not be lasting long enough that we cannot strike back at our foes, and thus there is nothing to worry about.

Besides, all houses except Austria have control of their respective crusader regions as drafted by our emperor Henry. Abandoning one house's rights completely, even though it is already geared up to commence crusading, in order to spend slightly more funds on campaigning elsewhere certainly is most unwise.

[OverKnight]

The Diet Speaker whispers something to Otto. Otto slaps his forehead and speaks again:

I have been reminded that if another candidate does not come forward to oppose Count Hans, he will gain the Chancellorship by default at the end of this session.

It seems that there are those among the Diet that disagree with the Count. Will any come forward to run against him?

[Stig]

As Duke of Kassel has said, we are in a race to get to Damascus. The crusade will not be lasting long enough that we cannot strike back at our foes, and thus there is nothing to worry about.

We should remember that we have an Outremer Kingdom. We can be in Damascus in a single year, all other nations need more then 20 years.

[GeneralHankerchief]

Conrad Salier:

I fail to see the mystery in this situation. The facts are: Prinz Jobst ambushed a non-enemy army. That army was on Crusade, hence, we were not its target. He failed to show any regret or remorse for the situation. I think that's enough evidence for me.

[Stuperman]

A horse cough from the back signals Gerhard Steffen's intent to speak. He rises slowly, complaing under his breath of numerous ailments real or imagined.

See! that old dirtbag the pope even had the good sence to kick off before any real damage was done. Now we can use the church for our ends.

Prince Jobst was only acting in self defence of lands that have belonged to the Franconians for more than 100 years. The Danes hid under the banner of the Church as they raped and pillaged thier way through the heart of the Riech I ask my fellow electors, Is it right to let the slaughter of our people to go unanswered?

While some have questioned Prince Jobst's loyalty, He should be lauded for his tactical and strategic genius at defeating such a large and imposing invasion force. Given that the crusade will no doubt be completed by forces we already have in the outremer, that would leave A Massive Danish force somewhere in the eastern half of our empire without the restrictions placed on them by the pope. Do the rest of the electors think that this is a better situation? They ask for better defended boarders, but then criticize the prince for doing just that

We should strike back hard, and fast, Taking thier lands for ourselves.....we could even sell Stockholm to the English, which would no doubt improve our relations with them. Where others see a crisis, I see an opportunity, let us not waste it.