Hidden Worries

"What about the nobles of South Germany?"

"You will personally go to the Imperial Diet in Nuremberg and convene a meeting of the noble estates of Bavaria and Swabia.

Negotiate with them properly, try to get their consent, and decide the extent of the concessions yourself."

"Yes, Emperor." Eyczing suddenly thought of something and added, "Recently, the Duke of Landshut of Bavaria, Louis IX the Rich, seems to be restless."

"What does he want to do?"

Laszlo was a bit annoyed; it was only the beginning of the year, and a heap of troubles had already arrived.

He truly worried that he would overwork himself at such a young age and collapse from exhaustion.

"There are rumors that Duke Louis intends to reclaim the autonomy of two cities within his territory, Donauwörth and Nördlingen."

"These two cities… aren't they Imperial Free Cities?"

"Yes, Emperor, both cities were personally authorized as Imperial Free Cities by Emperor Frederick II."

Laszlo pondered, propping his chin.

Among all the South German nobles, the Duke of Landshut of Bavaria was the most powerful.

It could even be said that, excluding Switzerland, his influence in the South German region was second only to Austria.

The Landshut branch of Bavaria gained almost nothing when the Straubing branch of Bavaria was partitioned.

The Straubing branch's territory was divided by the Count of Munich and the Duke of Burgundy; this happened sixty years ago.

And a little over a decade ago, the last Duke of the Ingolstadt branch of Bavaria was imprisoned and died by the Duke of Landshut.

Most of the Duke of Ingolstadt's territory fell into the hands of the Duke of Landshut, which immediately made Landshut's power surpass that of the Munich branch of Bavaria.

The Duke of Landshut thus became the strongest branch among the Bavarian lines, even slightly stronger than the Elector Palatine, another major branch of the family.

Recently, news of the Count of Munich's serious illness has also spread, and people speculate that his three sons might divide the Munich territory into three parts according to the old tradition of the Wittelsbach family.

If that were the case, the Duke of Landshut would have a strong chance to reunify the entire Duchy of Bavaria.

Laszlo had originally thought of making some concessions to the Duke of Landshut on the issue of the free cities in exchange for his support for the immigration decree.

Now, it seems that the Duke of Landshut's power cannot be allowed to continue to grow.

Laszlo immediately thought of Marshal Albrecht von Hohenzollern, the Margrave of Ansbach, his golden enforcer stationed in the heart of the Empire, specifically to restrain various princes.

After the Italian War, to commend Albrecht's loyalty to the Emperor and reward his military achievements, Laszlo granted him high judicial authority in the Franconia and Bavaria regions.

Now is the time to use this power!

Laszlo turned to Eyczing: "Let Marshal Albrecht mediate the conflict between the Duke of Landshut and the free cities; this is the task I've given him."

Eyczing said with some concern, "Emperor, although the Margrave of Ansbach is exceptionally brave, it might be difficult for Ansbach and Bayreuth to contend with the powerful Duke of Landshut."

"Whether Albrecht wins or not is not important," Laszlo said, shaking his head. "I know it will be hard for him to defeat the Duke of Landshut.

I'm having him act primarily to show the Duke of Landshut my firm stance.

If he is sensible, I will not pursue his crime of encroaching on Imperial Free Cities.

If he insists on going his own way, then don't blame me for imposing an Imperial Ban."

"Your Majesty is wise."

The conversation ended there, and Eyczing soon departed for Nuremberg, while Laszlo had to prepare well for the upcoming eastern tour.

Now the Ottoman, France, and Poland have all retreated.

The heretics of Bohemia have been completely eradicated after several years of the Inquisition movement, and now the three regional governments of Bohemia are all obedient to the Emperor.

The nobles and clergy of Austria continue to support the Emperor as always—after all, they don't have to pay taxes,

and enjoy privileges in various parts of the Empire.

Many nobles simultaneously own property in Austria, Bohemia, Hungary, and even Italy.

The great nobles have abundant wealth, their descendants receive the best education, have more choices, and can easily find suitable positions in the bureaucracy created by the Emperor.

The upward mobility for minor nobles has not been completely closed; they can still expand their family's influence by serving in the military and achieving military merits.

Generals who followed the Emperor on campaigns north and south received generous rewards.

For example, Marshal Adolf, whose family was originally a small noble family near Kuttenberg, now controls a large area of East Bohemia centered around Kuttenberg, and a portion of the Kuttenberg silver mine's income flows directly into their pockets.

Like Marshal Rosenberg, he was initially the largest noble in the Bohemia region; now, the Rosenberg family's territory spans Austria and Bohemia, becoming a behemoth.

And foreign generals such as Karl, imperial relatives like Gunter, and mercenary generals like Werner who joined the ranks midway, all received generous rewards.

With the institutionalization of the standing mercenary army, continuous wars, and constantly expanding territories, the military nobles entered the Habsburg Dynasty's political system as a new and important political force.

At this stage, they are Laszlo's most loyal supporters.

After Laszlo implemented administrative reforms, the emerging bureaucratic group also became increasingly important, with technocrats and lower nobles almost completely dependent on him as Emperor.

Regarding the reforms of the army and government, they were only implemented in Bohemia and Austria. Laszlo, of course, did not forget that the vast Habsburg Empire is composed of three core parts.

The Kingdom of Hungary is the largest, most populous, and most powerful part of all the territories under Laszlo's rule, and also the most difficult to govern.

During the time of Andrew II of the Arpad Dynasty in Hungary, the Hungarian monarchy's power declined due to continuous partitioning of royal lands.

In 1222, the nobles of the Kingdom of Hungary united and coerced Andrew II into issuing the famous golden bull of 1222.

This golden bull confirmed the hereditary nature of noble lands, tax exemptions, self-election of local officials, the privilege of nobles to refuse foreign military service, and granted nobles the legal right to resist the King.

Moreover, this law in Hungary is completely equivalent to a constitution, serving as the foundation of all laws.

The army led by Andrew II's son, Bela IV, was completely annihilated by the Mongol Western expeditionary army commanded by Batu, and fled in panic to Vienna.

Later, Ögedei died, and the Mongol army stopped at the gates of Vienna, soon completely withdrawing from Hungary.

The Hungarian, still fearful, built many castles in their territories.

These castles did not serve to defend against further Mongol invasions but rather contributed to the de facto fragmentation of Hungarian nobles.

By now, this situation has persisted for over two hundred years, with the power of Hungarian nobles continuously increasing, reaching its peak during the time of Sigismund.

The Ottoman threat temporarily united them under the King's banner.

Now, with the Ottoman repelled, some great nobles who can influence Hungarian politics have begun to find ways to further weaken the King's power.

They are the opponents Laszlo must face this time.