Palatinate

When Laszlo returned from his inspection in Graz, he received news that Archbishop Adolf had already set out with his army. This small army would pass through Bavaria and Swabia to attack the Archbishopric of Mainz.

Without the support of other powers, the strength of Dieter, an illegitimate Archbishop, would not be enough to withstand the attack of the battle-hardened Imperial Army.

But herein lies the problem: the Emperor, after all, was beyond the reach of the central part of the Empire.

The Duke of Landshut temporarily ceased his activities after being warned, while the Elector Palatine continued to support Dieter's rebellion without any scruples.

Inside the Emperor's study, Laszlo was bent over his desk, writing furiously. He was drafting a letter to the Elector Palatine.

There were also several crumpled pieces of paper on the desk, which were Laszlo's unsatisfactory drafts.

He was carefully weighing his words.

In fact, he really wanted to write a stern letter directly accusing the Elector Palatine of supporting the Empire's enemies, but this would undoubtedly escalate the conflict.

He could, of course, strike at the Elector Palatine as well, but that would require deploying more military forces.

The logistical supply and military expenses of a long-distance expedition would bring immense financial pressure, and in the end, he would gain almost nothing.

If he truly attempted to annex the Elector Palatine, the entire Empire would immediately unite against him.

And if he only inflicted some punishment on the Elector Palatine, it would be entirely insufficient to compensate for the losses brought by the war.

Sometimes he also felt quite helpless; reality truly gave him a feeling that the stronger he became, the weaker he felt.

It wasn't that his strength had truly weakened, but rather that as his enemies increased, his strength would appear relatively insufficient.

For example, right now, he did not yet have the ability to take on the entire Holy Roman Empire alone, so he had to exercise sufficient restraint when dealing with the princes.

Attacking the Archbishop of Mainz was already pushing the princes' bottom line; directly attacking both the Palatinate and Mainz Electors simultaneously would certainly not be a wise move.

Laszlo pondered for a long time, then picked up his pen and wrote in the letter: "Recently, there have been continuous disputes regarding the succession of the Archbishop of Mainz.

Many of Dieter's actions are contrary to relevant laws and traditions, making it difficult for him to gain widespread recognition, and he can be regarded as illegally occupying the position of Archbishop.

I hear that you are still in close contact with him and are providing assistance for his rebellious actions against the Empire.

As an important Elector, you should always uphold justice. In this complex situation, I hope you can strictly maintain neutrality.

This is my final advice. If you are still unwilling to heed my persuasion, I will have no choice but to declare you an enemy of the Empire and impose an Imperial ban on you."

Laszlo sealed the letter and handed it to a messenger to be sent to the Elector Palatine.

However, events seemed to unfold faster than anyone expected.

Before this letter even reached the Elector Palatine, war had already broken out.

In the spring of 1461, border conflicts erupted between the Margrave of Baden and the Elector Palatine, with both sides accusing the other of illegally invading their territory and wantonly plundering.

Soon after, the conflict rapidly escalated. The Margrave of Baden swiftly plundered and occupied parts of the Palatinate's territory on the left bank of the Rhine River, and the Baden-Palatinate War subsequently broke out.

Around the same time, the three thousand Imperial Army led by Archbishop Adolf II of Mainz had already traveled through half the Empire and arrived in Stuttgart.

Here, Archbishop Adolf II's army joined forces with the army of Count Ulrich V of Württemberg-Stuttgart, totaling six thousand troops.

They were then preparing to head to the Diocese of Speyer, which supported Adolf, where another army of over a thousand men was waiting to join them.

Inside the Elector Palatine's palace in Heidelberg, the capital of the Palatinate, Elector Frederick I was reading the letter sent by the Emperor with a grim expression.

He had secretly returned to the Palatinate homeland not long ago, bringing with him reinforcements assembled from Upper Palatinate (Bavaria region) and Landshut.

In a conversation in Ingolstadt, he reached a secret agreement with Louis, the Duke of Landshut (the Rich), regarding resistance against the Emperor and his loyal supporter, the Margrave of Ansbach.

Once the Margrave of Ansbach intervened in the Mainz Archbishop succession war, the Duke of Landshut would join Dieter and the Elector Palatine's side against the enemy.

In exchange, the Elector Palatine would send troops to help the Duke of Landshut seize Donauwörth and Nördlingen, and attack the Margrave of Ansbach.

The entire Wittelsbach family, with the exception of the Count of Munich, once again united, preparing to launch another challenge against their old enemy, the Habsburg Family.

Laszlo never imagined that his goodwill, shown out of kindness and a desire not to expand the war, would, through a series of coincidences, be regarded by the Elector Palatine as the greatest insult and provocation.

"Uncle, what did Emperor say in his letter? You look so upset."

Philip, Frederick I's young nephew, looked at his dear uncle with a worried expression.

Frederick I forced a smile and gently said to Philip, "It's nothing, just some usual greetings. It's getting late, go rest, and grow up quickly, then I won't have to worry like this anymore."

Philip nodded, seemingly understanding but not quite, and turned to leave, led by a maid.

Frederick I watched his nephew's retreating figure, his thoughts drifting back twelve years.

Twelve years ago, his elder brother, the then Elector Palatine Louis IV, died young, leaving behind his one-year-old son Philip and the leaderless Palatinate Electorate.

Frederick quickly became the Regent of Palatinate. Two years later, Frederick announced that he had adopted Philip and declared that he would not marry in the future, and soon after, he declared himself the Elector Palatine.

This action severely violated Imperial law, and the then Emperor Albrecht II refused to recognize Frederick I's identity and status.

However, at that time, Albrecht II had to face the increasingly powerful Ottoman Empire and was unable to personally send troops to depose Frederick, this illegitimate Elector. Therefore, he only sent a mildly worded letter attempting to persuade him to obey Imperial law.

Coincidentally, the wording of that letter at the time was extremely similar to the letter he received from Laszlo today. Should one say they are truly father and son?

The phrase "Many of Dieter's actions are contrary to relevant laws and traditions, making it difficult for him to gain widespread recognition, and he can be regarded as illegally occupying the position of Archbishop" particularly aroused Frederick I's vigilance and fear.

Upon careful consideration, it's not difficult to grasp the "deeper meaning" within.

Laszlo was hinting at him, the Elector Palatine, who had gained his position illegitimately. This could even be seen as a threat from the Emperor to him.

Frederick I was not an incompetent monarch; on the contrary, his military and political talents were almost unrivaled throughout the entire Empire.

He understood the principle of 'if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold.' The Palatinate and Mainz were not only closely connected territorially but also almost always acted in concert politically.

Today, the Emperor dared to directly declare Dieter, the legitimately elected Archbishop of Mainz, as illegitimate and launch a war to overthrow Mainz.

Tomorrow, the Emperor would dare to act against the truly illegitimate Elector Palatine, that is, Frederick I himself. If he truly stood by and did nothing at this moment, and waited until Mainz fell and the Archbishop became the Emperor's lackey, then he would fall into a truly isolated and helpless situation.

By that time, no one would support him in resisting the powerful Emperor anymore.

Thinking of this, Frederick I, who had been somewhat wavering and unsure whether he should resist the Emperor, firmed his resolve - he would fight the Emperor to the end with Dieter.

If Laszlo knew his thoughts at this moment, he would surely cry out in injustice, because he had no idea about this matter concerning the Elector Palatine.

In fact, he genuinely only intended to kindly persuade the Elector Palatine not to interfere in Mainz's affairs.

However, is the current outcome good or bad for the Emperor? Perhaps only when everything settles will the answer be clear.