Uniting Austria

To celebrate the victory of the Crusade and the birth of his newborn son, Laszlo held a small court banquet in Vienna, or more precisely, a family dinner.

Even Sigismund von Habsburg, the former Duke of Outer Austria and Count of Tyrol from the Tyrol branch, who had been exiled to Aargau by the late Emperor Albrecht II to guard his ancestors' tombs after instigating the Tyrol rebellion, and his wife, Princess Eleanor of Scotland, received invitations.

All descendants of the Albrecht branch and Leopold branch within Austria were invited to Vienna to attend the Emperor's dinner.

The Albrecht branch now only had Laszlo and the newborn Christopher, but the Leopold branch was flourishing, with many members of the Habsburg Family possessing fiefdoms.

These Habsburg Family members, through a series of intermarriages, had established a vast network of diplomatic relations for Austria, and many countries' friendly attitudes towards Austria stemmed from these political marriages.

Considering their important role for the Habsburg Dynasty, Laszlo entertained them warmly. These family members offered beautiful blessings and generous gifts to Prince Christopher, and also praised the Emperor for leading the Crusade to victory.

Laszlo found himself starting to like these "relatives"; they were all friendly and spoke pleasantly.

After eating and drinking to their fill, the family members bid farewell to the Emperor, but Frederick was asked to stay by Laszlo.

"Your Majesty, it's so late, is there anything else?" Frederick asked curiously.

"Uncle Frederick, take a look at these two things."

Laszlo handed him two papers: one looked very old, written on parchment, and the other appeared to be an agreement.

Frederick first began to read the parchment. The content was not extensive; it was a decree, signed by Archduke of Austria Albrecht II "the Lame," concerning the "Austrian Law of Succession."

Note, the Albrecht II here is not Laszlo's father. Laszlo's father was Holy Roman Emperor Albrecht II "the Noble," whose other title was Archduke of Austria Albrecht V.

In other words, this Archduke of Austria Albrecht II was actually the common ancestor of Laszlo and Frederick, the father of Albrecht III and Leopold III, who had divided the family.

The crucial point was the content of this law of succession: it stated that the territory of Austria was indivisible and should be inherited by the eldest among the sons.

Evidently, in the hundred years after his death, this law was not followed by his descendants.

His eldest son Rudolf and second son Frederick co-ruled the Duchy of Austria, and then both passed away successively, neither leaving descendants.

Thereafter, his third son Albrecht III and fourth son Leopold III continued to co-rule Austria. Soon after, these two unfilial sons directly divided Austria: Albrecht III received the Archducal title and Lower Austria near Vienna, founding the Albrecht branch, while Leopold III received Inner Austria, Upper Austria, and Outer Austria, establishing the Leopold branch.

The Albrecht branch passed down through single heirs for generations, experiencing Albrecht IV and Albrecht V (Laszlo's father), until it reached Laszlo.

The Leopold branch, however, was quite prolific, dividing into the Styria branch, which controlled the core region of Inner Austria, and the Tyrol branch, which controlled Upper Austria and Outer Austria, in the generation of Leopold III's sons.

One generation further down, it reached the era of Frederick and Albrecht, who divided the lands of the Tyrol branch. Frederick (Laszlo's cousin) became Duke of Inner Austria, and Albrecht (Laszlo's father) became Archduke of Austria, lord of Upper, Outer, and Lower Austria.

Now, these territories have passed into Laszlo's hands; the entire territory of Austria, except for the Inner Austria region, is his.

According to this law of succession, the division of territory by Albrecht III and Leopold III was illegal. All Austrian territory should have been inherited by the elder Albrecht III, which means Frederick's title as Duke of Inner Austria is also illegal, and Inner Austria should also be Laszlo's territory.

The shrewd Frederick immediately understood the crux of the matter. His expression turned somewhat grim. Laszlo had just returned victorious, and now he was going to target him?

Honestly, Frederick felt disheartened. He had diligently governed the Austrian territories for Laszlo and handled Imperial affairs, only to receive such a result. He found it unacceptable.

Noticing Frederick's emotional fluctuation, Laszlo, of course, knew what his uncle was thinking and quickly reminded him, "There's another paper below, Uncle Frederick."

Frederick's brows were tightly furrowed as he turned his gaze to the other paper. It was an agreement, stating:

Duke Frederick of Inner Austria voluntarily transfers the title and territory of Duke of Inner Austria to Archduke of Austria Laszlo. Laszlo will grant Frederick the title of Prince of Tarnovo of the Kingdom of Bulgaria and the territory of the Duchy of Tarnovo as compensation.

The territory of this duchy accounts for one-third of the Bulgarian royal domain, extending from Nicopolis all the way to the Black Sea coast. The value of the territory is not inferior to Inner Austria, though it is currently quite desolate and borders Wallachia, Moldavia, and Constantinople.

This was a "good place" Laszlo had specifically carved out from the Bulgarian royal domain for Frederick.

"This…" Frederick's tightly furrowed brows suddenly relaxed. He looked at Laszlo in surprise, finding the other man smiling at him.

"Uncle, Bulgaria is a new land for the Dynasty. I don't think there's anyone in the entire family more capable or suitable to serve as Regent of Bulgaria than you. As for me, I merely wish to follow ancient law and reclaim what rightfully belongs to me. What do you think of this deal?"

Frederick pondered in his heart at this moment: if he clung to Inner Austria, he would inevitably face threats and suppression from Laszlo, and it might even trigger a family civil war.

Bulgaria, however, was different. Far from the Emperor, he had every hope of uniting with the local new nobles to establish a firm rule in Bulgaria. By then, his prestige and authority would naturally increase significantly.

This was a win-win deal. Laszlo ended the territorial division of Austria, eliminating the hidden danger of internal strife, while Frederick also received satisfactory compensation.

There was nothing more to hesitate about. Frederick nodded and said, "I agree to this deal."

Laszlo smiled confidently and said with satisfaction, "I knew you would make a wise choice, Uncle Frederick."

The two immediately signed the agreement for the exchange of land, and Laszlo then made another request to Frederick.

"Uncle, I heard that you have an excellent merchant in your advisory group. His businesses are mainly concentrated within the Empire. I don't think he would be willing to go to Bulgaria with you, so…"

"Are you talking about Jacob? Did he, like Eyczing, secretly approach you?"

Frederick's expression became somewhat displeased again. All his advisors were secretly contacting the Emperor behind his back, making him feel like a pitiful maiden abandoned by a heartless lover.

Laszlo quickly waved his hand: "That's not the case. I simply admire his talent. Wouldn't it be more suitable for him to continue exercising his talent in my court?"

"Laszlo, you…" Frederick wanted to curse a bit, but considering he was speaking to the Emperor, he ultimately maintained restraint: "I will explain this matter to him, and then have him report to you. Is that acceptable?"

"Thank you, my dear uncle," Laszlo said with a smile. "You'll have to trouble yourself with matters in Bulgaria. The Ottomans have temporarily retreated, but the threat from Venice is gradually increasing. Additionally, Moldavia's affairs need intervention. If we can find a suitable opportunity to make Moldavia our vassal as well, dealing with Poland will be much easier. Of course, the most important thing is the reconstruction and development of Bulgaria. I will send some missionaries there to convert the people to Catholicism. Now that the position of the Orthodox Patriarch is vacant, it is an excellent opportunity to heal the religious schism. For all the more detailed matters, I leave them entirely to you, Uncle Frederick."

"Please rest assured, Your Majesty."

Laszlo's instructions indeed reminded Frederick. Bulgaria had just been ravaged by the Crusade, leaving it devastated and its people suffering. To restore Bulgaria's vitality, it would be a long and arduous journey.

Fortunately, he was still relatively young and had plenty of time.

Frederick, full of ambition, walked with a light step as he left Hofburg Palace, like an eagle released from its cage.

Before, his vision was too narrow, always fixated on this small plot of land in Austria.

Now, a vast and expansive world awaited him outside, for him to dominate and rule!

As soon as he thought of this, all of Frederick's unhappiness vanished into thin air.