Being an Archbishop is a Business

Inside the Mainz City Hall, bishops from various regions gathered.

Some bishops from the Mainz Diocese traveled to Italy to participate in the Grand Duke Conference, but the remaining bishops still constituted a majority, allowing for a legitimate election.

Therefore, after the former Archbishop of Mainz, Dietrich, passed away, they immediately came to Mainz to begin the election process according to his will.

It turned out that Laszlo's concerns were not unfounded; Dietrich had no intention of waiting for the Emperor's representative to arrive.

After he died, the electoral body he authorized immediately began summoning Electors from various parts of the Mainz Diocese.

Now, almost all bishops and abbots with voting rights had arrived, and people first held a memorial service for the former Archbishop.

Afterward, in the city hall of the free city of Mainz, the election process officially began.

Bishops in clerical robes sat around a long table, led by the Auxiliary Bishop of Mainz, Dieter von Isenburg, in a devout prayer.

Everyone was grieving the Archbishop's passing, but another bishop sitting opposite Dieter, Adolf von Nassau, seemed somewhat distracted.

He was the Count of Nassau's brother and a strong contender for the Archbishop's position.

To secure the position of Archbishop of Mainz, he not only received substantial assistance from his family but also borrowed a huge sum of five thousand rhineland thalers from the Imperial Bank.

The Count of Nassau's territory bordered Trier and Mainz, exerting significant influence over both areas, and historically, several Archbishops of Trier and Archbishops of Mainz had come from his family.

Incidentally, after the Great Interregnum, the princes, fearing Rudolf I's excessive expansion of Habsburg power, once nominated the Count of Nassau as Emperor.

In a battle in Mainz, the Count of Nassau was slain by Rudolf I's son, Albrecht I von Habsburg, and the Habsburg Family thereby regained the imperial throne.

As for the subsequent tragedy within the Habsburg Family, that is another story.

To this day, the House of Nassau, which should have had a blood feud with the Habsburg Family, is utterly incapable of harboring any hatred towards the Habsburg Family, who are firmly seated on the throne.

After all, one person can hate another, but how can an ant hate an elephant?

Adolf now even had to try every means to curry favor with Emperor Laszlo; family feuds were mere illusions, but the Archbishopic of Mainz was a tangible reality.

Normally, Adolf would not have been so nervous, as there were only two generally recognized candidates qualified to succeed as Archbishop of Mainz.

One was Dieter, the Auxiliary Bishop meticulously cultivated by the former Archbishop, and the other was he, a bishop from the House of Nassau.

But who knew that the former Archbishop Dietrich had a trick up his sleeve: in his will, he guaranteed with his faith and honor, recommending Dieter as his successor.

And the twenty-four-member council of the city of Mainz also expressed strong support for Dieter.

This move directly led to a significant reduction in the effectiveness of the bribery tactics commonly used by the House of Nassau.

Some bishops flatly refused his bribes, while others who had already accepted gifts returned the money in full after learning the contents of Dietrich's will.

Adolf was surprised to find that after spending a lot of money on bribes, his chances of winning were still pitifully small. Dieter had served as Auxiliary Bishop of Mainz for many years, known for being incorruptible, fair, benevolent, and kind, earning the affection of many commoners and clergy.

Archbishop Dietrich also meticulously cultivated him, regarding him as an excellent successor.

Under these circumstances, Adolf had virtually no chance of winning.

But Adolf knew he still had one last hope for victory: support from the Emperor.

While Dieter was very popular in Mainz, the situation was quite different with the Emperor.

Because he often attended Imperial Conferences as the Archbishop's representative, some of his views, especially on imperial and church reforms, were deeply influenced by Archbishop Dietrich.

This would undoubtedly lead the Emperor to have a negative opinion of Dieter, and this was precisely the opportunity Adolf had been hoping for.

As long as he could gain the Emperor's support, no matter how capable Dieter was, he wouldn't be able to make any waves.

As the prayer ended, Adolf immediately cast aside the jumbled thoughts in his mind and focused on the Archbishop election before him.

The election committee, composed of several church deacons, announced the list of candidates.

"By the Lord's will, our Archbishop has returned to the embrace of Heaven, and now this important vacancy awaits filling.

Today, we gather here to elect a worthy representative of the Lord on earth, to guide the faithful of Germania on the path to the Kingdom of Heaven.

May the Holy Spirit bless us to make the right choice.

After rigorous scrutiny, we have selected two candidates for the Archbishopic.

They are deeply accomplished in the study of doctrine, exemplary in the cultivation of virtue, and wholeheartedly devoted to the work of the Church.

Dieter von Isenburg and Adolf von Nassau, the next Archbishop will be chosen from among them."

The deacon then began to introduce the life experiences, achievements, and contributions to the Church of the two candidates.

Compared to Dieter's achievements and accolades, Adolf's resume was pitifully thin; he himself had only managed to reach the position of bishop after decades, relying solely on family support.

In contrast, the younger Dieter was clearly more outstanding.

By the time the deacon presiding over the ceremony finished introducing the candidates, Adolf's face had turned ashen.

Every single one of these deacons was an unyielding old stick-in-the-mud; they hadn't given him any opportunity to bribe them.

They clearly favored Dieter, who was recommended by the former Archbishop.

Subsequently, the deacons produced a ballot box and gave the Electors a short time to communicate and discuss.

Dieter was very confident about this election; his prestige in the Elector Palatine of Mainz was second only to the Archbishop, something Adolf could not compare to.

Therefore, he appeared composed, conversing gently with the Archbishop of Worms, who sat beside him as a supporter.

Adolf, on the other hand, was extremely nervous; the hand hidden in his sleeve was already clenched into a fist, his palm slick with sweat.

His gaze wandered, sometimes looking at Dieter, sometimes staring at the ground, trying to catch a glimmer of hope from the words and actions of those around him.

When he heard Dieter's pleasant conversations with his supporters, his heart tightened abruptly, his throat felt constricted, and his breathing became rapid.

Every minute and every second of the election felt incredibly long to him, as if he were awaiting an unknown judgment.

This election should have been a successful transaction, but it was all because of the damned Archbishop Dietrich, and this damned Dieter.

Adolf would rather believe that Dieter had offered a higher price than him, which was why he gained the support of most people.

However, in reality, Dieter came from a declining minor noble family and his financial resources were far inferior to his own.

Adolf's torment finally ended as the deacon distributed two ballots to the Electors one by one.

Before the voting officially began, a deacon displayed one ballot to everyone, then placed it into the ballot box: "This vote is from Archbishop Dietrich, cast for Dieter.

Now, the crucial moment of the election has arrived.

The ballots in your hands not only concern the future of the Mainz Diocese but also carry the Lord's expectations.

May everyone cast aside worldly distractions and make a fair and selfless choice with devotion to the Lord."

The voting phase quickly concluded. The deacons took the ballots out of the ballot box one by one, announcing each vote's recipient: "This vote goes to Dieter; this vote also belongs to Dieter; this vote goes to Adolf..."

Each ballot the deacon read out felt like a heavy blow to Adolf's heart.

The final result was a bit unexpected for the deacons; Dieter did not gain a decisive advantage over Adolf, leading by only a single-digit margin.

However, this was enough to confirm the outcome. According to the principle of absolute majority, Dieter's votes exceeded half, and he was successfully elected as the new Archbishop of Mainz.

The Electoral Committee was about to formally announce the election results when Adolf suddenly interrupted them.

"I protest!" Adolf's gaze sharpened towards Dieter, who was rejoicing over his victory, and he sternly accused him, "Look at this election, everyone. There is no representative from Your Majesty, nor is there a representative from the Emperor.

Fellow believers, if people knew we held such an election behind closed doors, they might think we elected a minor bishop from a remote, unimportant border region!

But we are electing the Grand Chancellor of Germania, the Head of the Imperial Electorate, the Imperial Grand Chancellor, and Your Majesty's representative north of the Alps!

Have you forgotten?

According to the Edict of Mainz issued here twenty years ago, the final election result for the Archbishop of Mainz must be decided by the Emperor and then approved by Your Majesty to become a legitimate Archbishop.

There is neither the Emperor nor Your Majesty's representative here. The legitimacy of this election is fundamentally lacking!

You have no right to announce who will assume the Archbishopric and become an Elector!"

Everyone looked at Adolf, who had a righteous expression, with astonishment. If they hadn't known he had just lost the election, they might have believed Adolf's current rhetoric.

Dieter frowned slightly, and his tone gradually turned cold: "You don't need to make trouble here, Mr. Adolf of Nassau.

No one has stipulated that the position of Archbishop must be a sure thing for your family, nor do you need to go mad here because of your failure.

In German, the tradition of electing bishops originated from the Concordat of Worms over three hundred years ago. The Emperor only has the right to arbitrate in case of disputes.

There is clearly no dispute now, and you don't need to display your loyalty to the Emperor here.

If you insist on causing trouble here, I can only ask the city guards to escort you out of the city."

"You… you just wait!"

Adolf saw Dieter's displeased expression, and his previously strong attitude only lasted a few seconds before softening. He could only leave with a harsh remark, storming out of the city hall.

There was nothing he could do. Dieter was the resident Bishop of Mainz. He would always be at a disadvantage fighting on someone else's turf.

But to make him give up so easily? That was impossible!

The Archbishop of Mainz—this was the only clergyman in the entire Christian world, besides Your Majesty, who could be called a "Holy See," not to mention the other honors that came with being the Archbishop of Mainz.

Aside from his desire for the Archbishopric, there was an even stronger motivation driving Adolf—debt!

For this campaign, he borrowed a large sum of money from his family and from the Emperor's bank.

But now he had lost the election. If he were to just admit defeat and give up, everything would be over.

Although the interest rate of the Imperial Bank was much lower than that of those unscrupulous Jews, and on par with banks in the Italian states, at an annual interest rate of about 5%.

But he borrowed so much! If he couldn't become the Archbishop of Mainz, where would he get the money to repay these loans?

Thinking of this, Adolf finally decided to take a gamble—he would go to Vienna to appeal to the Emperor!

Without delay, Adolf immediately took his two attendant priests back to the inn to pack their luggage and boarded a carriage bound for Vienna.

Inside the Mainz City Hall, the electors congratulated the successfully elected Dieter.

The Mainz City Council of Twenty-Four also presented gifts and blessings to the new Archbishop. They were very welcoming of this Archbishop, who had a good relationship with the Mainz city government.

Immersed in joy and glory, Dieter had no idea what crazy decisions Adolf would make to turn the tide.

In Vienna, inside Hofburg Palace, Laszlo, who had rushed back, couldn't even bother with the All Austria Conference that was about to be held in Vienna.

Almost immediately upon returning to the palace, he summoned the empire's ministers to the palace to hold an emergency Privy Council meeting.

In the familiar meeting hall, the ministers from various departments were rarely gathered together, discussing the succession of the Archbishop of Mainz with the Emperor.

"Eyczing, tell me what the situation is now." Laszlo's fingers tapped rhythmically on the round conference table, considering how to utilize this rare opportunity.

Eyczing held a detailed report in his hand. As the President of the Privy Council, responsible for foreign affairs and imperial matters, his work was always meticulous and thorough.

He stood up and introduced to the Emperor and the other ministers: "According to the intelligence we gathered in the Mainz Diocese, the Archbishop of Mainz had recommended a successor before his death and requested the immediate establishment of an electoral committee.

Before the intelligence was relayed back, almost all the bishops and abbots of the Mainz Diocese were summoned by this electoral committee to Mainz for the election."

"No messenger came to Vienna?"

Laszlo asked with a frown. This concerned whether the election procedure was legal. As long as the bishops of Mainz weren't insane, they shouldn't ignore the Emperor.

Eyczing shook his head and regretfully said, "They seem to be convinced that you are indifferent to imperial affairs, which is why they took it upon themselves to hold the election for the Archbishop of Mainz."

Aeneas was somewhat puzzled: "According to imperial law, when bishops in the German region assume office, they must first obtain secular power granted by the Emperor, and then religious power granted by Your Majesty.

How dare they hold an election without the Emperor's representative present?"

"Hmph, what other reason could there be?" Marshal Adolf's tone was cold, "They are simply disregarding the Emperor's authority!"

Laszlo was not as angry as Marshal Adolf. In reality, many bishop elections within the empire had not strictly adhered to the provisions of imperial law.

This was even true in the German region, where the law strictly limited the Emperor's authority to be prior to Your Majesty's authority.

And in Burgundy and the Italian regions, where Your Majesty's authority was even stronger, the bishops did not believe they had any direct or indirect connection with the Emperor.

What Laszlo didn't expect was that Dietrich, the Archbishop of Mainz, who had gone to great lengths to force his centralized reforms to fail, would make such a foolish move on his deathbed.

Indeed, who doesn't make mistakes?

Dietrich probably thought that as long as he first ensured his chosen successor became the next Archbishop, the Emperor would have no choice but to accept this established fact.

But he forgot that rules are made and interpreted by those with bigger and harder fists.

Since the Archbishop of Mainz chose to disregard the Emperor's authority when Laszlo's power was at its peak, he must be prepared to face the Emperor's wrath.