The Partition of Palatinate

In the Hofburg Palace conference room, a map lay on the long table, surrounded by a thick stack of documents serving as references and supplements for territorial ownership.

The map was crisscrossed with messy markings, and imaginary dividing lines fragmented Palatinate into pieces.

Not long ago, intense discussions were taking place in this very conference room, with everyone eager to gain more benefits.

However, Laszlo had no intention of destroying an Elector with a single war.

Although the land of Palatinate was divided among many princes, in the eyes of the world, these princes were all his imperial pawns, the Emperor's confidants.

As a result, the impact of aggression and expansion would mostly fall on him.

If he truly divided the entire not-insignificant territory of Palatinate, the Imperial princes would certainly not remain indifferent.

Moreover, keeping the Palatinate Count Palatine had an advantage: it could be used to check the religious Electors in the Rhineland region, especially the Archbishop of Mainz.

Now, the complacent Archbishop Adolf II had fully revealed his true nature.

After completely controlling Mainz, he did not diligently appease the territory that had been scorched by war; instead, he intensified his efforts to accumulate wealth for himself.

He did not look like someone who would obediently follow orders.

Therefore, Laszlo could not allow the Archbishop of Mainz to truly dominate the Rhineland.

Even though Mainz and Palatinate had always formed a close political alliance against the Emperor in the past, the situation was different now. After this war, Adolf and the Palatinate lord had formed a mortal enmity—although he had as well, at least the chances of Mainz and Palatinate uniting were greatly reduced.

This way, Laszlo could more easily manipulate the Archbishop of Mainz, as well as the Palatinate Count Palatine.

After several hours of intense discussion, the scribe handed a freshly drafted peace treaty to Laszlo.

The princes gathered around him, meticulously examining the clauses, fearing even the slightest damage to their interests.

Many enclaves of Palatinate, as well as some southern territories, were ceded to the Margrave of Baden.

The Archbishop of Trier received several towns in northwestern Palatinate, while the Archbishop of Mainz and the Count of Nassau carved out a large piece of land in northeastern Palatinate.

The Count of Württemberg acquired some territories south of Heidelberg.

Although Laszlo did not claim Rhineland territory, he was not modest.

He intended to directly annex most of Upper Palatinate, leaving only a territory near Landshut for Palatinate.

Besides territory, the war reparations were also substantial; the people of Palatinate would likely have to tighten their belts for the next ten years.

(Diagram of partitioned territories, only showing the partition of Rhineland territories. Red in the diagram represents Palatinate territory, yellow is partially Palatinate and partially not.)

Once this peace agreement was signed, Palatinate would lose half of its territory, its strength greatly diminished, making it difficult to pose a threat to Laszlo again.

Another point worth noting was the issue of territorial changes for religious princes.

According to Charles IV's golden bull, changes to the territories of religious princes required a ruling by the Imperial Diet or the Emperor himself.

This legal power was almost meaningless during periods of weakened imperial authority, such as during the religious wars in later centuries when Protestant princes arbitrarily secularized church lands.

However, Laszlo's current prestige and power compelled people to acknowledge that most of the fringe powers granted to the Emperor in the golden bull were legitimate and effective.

Thus, the Emperor assumed the obligation to protect the territorial integrity of the Empire's religious princes, while also enjoying the power to rule on the expansion of religious princes' territories.

Obtaining the Emperor's approval was actually not difficult; money would suffice.

The Archbishop of Trier and the Archbishop of Mainz therefore ceded some economic benefits to Laszlo.

They bought the Emperor's permission for their territorial expansion with some glittering trinkets.

Once all the exchanges of interests were completed, it was time to invite the main character to appear.

Thinking of the deposed young Elector, Laszlo showed a slight smile.

He had a rather good impression of Philip; he was a shrewd and handsome young man.

Don't misunderstand, Laszlo did not have the hobbies of Sultans.

He was merely thinking that if Philip were properly cultivated, he might one day become a qualified puppet or subordinate.

There was just one drawback: he was too close to his uncle.

Even though Frederick I had taken his Elector Palatine title and a large portion of his territory, the young fellow still regarded him as a father.

The still-young Philip was completely unaware of the hidden dark side of Frederick I.

His father, Louis IV, was the former Elector Palatine.

Louis IV had married Margaret, the sister of the Duke of Savoy.

Margaret had given birth to his heir, Philip, a year before Louis's sudden death.

After the death of Louis IV, according to the golden bull, the Palatinate Elector Palatine duties and territory were to be managed by Louis's brother, Frederick, on his behalf.

However, Margaret perceived Frederick's wolfish ambition and therefore tried to seek aid to preserve her son's status and safety.

Unfortunately, Frederick I was well-versed in the art of bullying orphans and widows.

He placed the mother and son under house arrest, first reclaiming Philip's guardianship and custody, and then, two years after his brother's death, stripping his nephew of his Elector title and territory.

Soon after, Margaret mysteriously died in the Elector's palace in Heidelberg.

Thus, Philip fell completely under Frederick's control.

Frederick had always played the role of a "father" in front of Philip, thereby winning Philip's dependence and trust.

To silence the murmurs of the Empire, Frederick feigned an announcement that he would remain unmarried for life and would return the Elector title after his death.

But Laszlo knew that Frederick had a lover who was already at the age of marriage, and they also had an illegitimate son.

The girl's name was Clara, and it was said she was a rare beauty, and also a wealthy woman.

Even more sensational, Clara was not of noble birth but the daughter of a wealthy merchant from Augsburg.

Frederick had interacted with this merchant to raise military funds, and it was probably then that he became smitten with this beautiful and wealthy young lady.

There were rumors that Frederick even intended to risk offending the Emperor and all the Electors to marry Clara, but he clearly no longer had that opportunity.

Laszlo had also tried to tell Philip the truth.

However, his words as the "great villain" did not sway Philip's attitude; instead, they were perceived as an attempt to sow discord.

In resignation, Laszlo could only abandon the idea of turning the uncle and nephew against each other.

Anyway, both of them were now in his grasp, and there would be plenty of opportunities to educate the naive young man in the future.

As for now, Laszlo gently placed the peace treaty on the table and turned to look at the chamberlain standing beside him.

"Matthias, go bring Philip over."

"Yes, Emperor. And his uncle...?"

Laszlo pondered for a moment, then replied, "Bring him along too. Let him witness firsthand what his misdeeds have brought upon Palatinate.

It'll save me from future rumors about bullying a child."

Hearing this, everyone present laughed, and the air was filled with a joyous atmosphere.

On the other side, Philip and Frederick, who were held separately, were not in such good spirits.

Philip was under house arrest in the imperial palace, receiving preferential treatment from the Emperor, while his uncle, due to the strong insistence of the Margrave of Baden,

was confined deep within the Emperor's dungeon.

At this moment, with nothing to do, Philip was tossing and turning on his bed, worried about his uncle and his own fate.

His mind kept replaying the scene of the Emperor meeting him a few days ago.

The Emperor spoke many words to him, finally telling him sincerely, "I swear to guarantee your safety and the rights that rightfully belong to you."

At that time, the Emperor's tone was extremely sincere, which somewhat alleviated his worries.

He was no longer a child, so he could understand the Emperor's meaning.

The rights that rightfully belonged to him were probably the title of Elector Palatine of Palatinate, the territory, wealth, and status, right?

One of the seven most powerful individuals within the Empire, second only to the Emperor.

To say he had no thoughts at all would be a lie.

But his uncle, was he truly a traitor who usurped power and killed his mother?

Such a thought emerged in Philip's mind.

Just as he was still lost in thought, the door suddenly opened, and Matthias walked into the room.

"Lord Philip, Emperor asks you to come to the meeting room."

Hearing the summons, Philip immediately got out of bed, nervously tidied his attire, his thoughts a chaotic mess.

As the two walked out of the room where Philip was confined, Matthias glanced at Philip and reminded him in a low voice, "The buttons, Lord Philip."

Philip, flustered, looked down and found that the ties on his front placket were indeed crooked.

He thanked Matthias in a low voice, then re-buttoned his buttons.

When Matthias wasn't paying attention, Philip muttered softly, "Emperor seems to particularly like using buttons, but Father Lucas said buttons are a symbol of vanity."

That priest was a professor at Heidelberg University, a teacher Frederick had hired for Philip.

He then thought that what his teacher said seemed to be correct. Just as Philip was still lost in thought, he suddenly realized that he seemed to have been led to an extraordinary place.

Matthias stopped, turned back to instruct the soldiers guarding Philip, then walked into the dungeon alone.

After a short while, he emerged with Frederick I, who looked somewhat haggard.

"Uncle!"

Upon seeing his relative, Philip immediately cried out happily.

However, when he saw the shackles on Frederick's hands and feet, he showed a sad expression.

Frederick only glanced at Philip, then immediately averted his gaze.

He immediately realized that his meager concern for his nephew was completely superfluous.

As the sole and legitimate heir of Palatinate, Philip could not possibly be mistreated by the Emperor.

Instead, he, the usurper who openly rebelled, was the one most likely to be punished by the Emperor.

This time, the Emperor summoned both of them, most likely to discuss the conclusion of this war.

He lost, and he lost thoroughly.

Perhaps choosing to oppose the Emperor from the very beginning was a mistake, and he should not have coveted the petty gains promised by Dieter.

But it was too late to say anything now; the future of Palatinate might already be over.

Soon, the two were brought before the Emperor and the assembled princes.

Laszlo first looked at Philip, greeted him warmly, then turned to the disheveled Frederick, and said in a cold tone, "Lord Frederick, have you thoroughly reflected on your sins these past few days?"

Facing the Emperor's interrogation, and the sneering or resentful expressions on the faces of the princes beside him, Frederick remained silent.

Whatever he said now would only bring more humiliation.

Laszlo saw his defiant attitude and thought to himself, "Heh, quite spirited, but what a waste of such good attributes."

Frederick's military talent was outstanding, and he possessed the traits of [Victor] and [Strict Disciplinarian].

In terms of attributes alone, almost none of Laszlo's generals were better fighters than him.

However, seeing [Abhorrence] in the attitude column, Laszlo knew that he probably had no chance of subduing this highly capable prince.

In that case, let him stay in the dungeon until he dies.

Laszlo then beckoned to Philip, inviting him to come closer.

Philip timidly glanced at his uncle, then cautiously walked to the Emperor's side.

Laszlo put an arm around his shoulder, led him to the long table, and placed the already drafted peace treaty in front of the young man.

A servant had already brought the Emperor's imperial seal and the Elector Palatine's seal, and the princes had each brought their own seals. "Read it, then sign your name on it, and affix your seal.

From now on, you will be the Palatinate Count Palatine."

Although the Emperor's words were very gentle and tempting, Philip felt a chill run through him.

Although he didn't have a particularly clear concept of the territory of Palatinate, the clauses were densely written, listing so many towns and territories to be ceded that it made him tremble with fear.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the map on the table, vaguely seeing the lines these adults had drawn to divide the land of Palatinate.

Philip looked up at Laszlo; the Emperor's hand was still on his shoulder, and a gentle smile was on his face.

He then looked back at his dejected, disheartened uncle, who refused to meet his gaze.

A servant stood respectfully by, handing Philip a quill pen.

Should he sign? It seemed... there was no other choice.

Philip bit his lip, took the pen, and signed his name on the peace treaty, then affixed his seal.

He heard cheers, coming from the adults surrounding him.

Laszlo also showed a satisfied smile.

A war involving half the Empire thus ended.

However, regarding how to deal with Frederick and young Philip, an Elector assembly was still to be convened.

After discussions with the Electors, the core of imperial power, a decision would be made that was as acceptable as possible to the majority.