The Elector of Munich

Inside the Worms City Hall, Laszlo convened the second and final assembly, attended by all the princes who had been invited to Worms.

His purpose for this trip had largely been achieved, and now he couldn't wait to return to Vienna to enjoy some rare peaceful time with his family.

Thanks to his unremitting efforts, a hard-won peace had finally been achieved on the land between the English Channel and the Black Sea.

Although hidden beneath this fragile peace was another brewing war, at this moment, the subjects of the Empire could undoubtedly breathe a sigh of relief.

Such peace was precious, both for the Holy Roman Empire and for the Habsburg Empire.

Laszlo still needed some time to consolidate his vast territories, so as to extract more wealth from various countries and invest it in his ongoing endeavors.

At the meeting, the atmosphere was solemn.

The Electors, and several other powerful princes, now all stood before the Emperor.

People divided into factions according to their allegiances, maintaining vigilance towards each other.

"Gentlemen, regarding the deprivation of the Palatinate Elector's seat, I have already made a decision."

Laszlo first dropped this bombshell.

Although he had expressed such an idea during the first meeting, the Emperor was still wavering at that time.

How could the Emperor have made a decision in just two days?

The Elector of Saxony and his son-in-law, Duke of Landshut Louis, exchanged glances, both seeing shock and anxiety in each other's eyes.

Then, they simultaneously turned their heads to look at the Count of Munich, who stood on the other side with a joyful expression.

Undoubtedly, this fellow had struck a deal with the Emperor as soon as he arrived in Worms.

"That was quick."

Louis said in a low voice, his clenched fists showing that his heart was not as calm as it appeared on the surface.

The Elector of Saxony gave him a look, reassuring his son-in-law that they were not entirely without a chance.

"Your Majesty, your decision is…

31

"Due to inciting rebellion against the Emperor, the Elector Palatine's electoral seat will be revoked and then transferred to the Count of Munich."

As soon as these words were uttered, the meeting hall erupted in an uproar.

People began to quietly exchange opinions with friends or political allies beside them.

The Elector of Saxony showed a knowing expression; he hadn't given up yet, but he wouldn't speak first, because there was someone else who was certainly more anxious than him.

"Your Majesty, please consider this matter carefully!"

Archbishop of Cologne Ruprecht, standing next to young Philip, immediately stepped out from the crowd; he could not accept the fact that his nephew was being deprived of his Elector status.

"You must know that the one who incited the rebellion was Frederick, who illegally seized power; all of this has nothing to do with Philip, he is an innocent victim.

Your Majesty, you cannot deprive a legitimate Elector of his rights because of the rebellious actions of an illegal Elector!"

Laszlo scoffed contemptuously. He wanted to ask if this Archbishop of Cologne had a divine artifact called "Holy Separator" on him.

"Archbishop Ruprecht, I have ample and conclusive evidence that you were a participant in Frederick's conspiracy to seize power.

Before you became Archbishop of Cologne, you had a deep brotherly bond with him.

How can you now say that he usurped power illegally?"

"This:

The Emperor's sarcasm made the Archbishop of Cologne's face flush red. He desperately wanted to argue, but due to his past actions, he found himself unable to refute the Emperor.

"Your Majesty, the seven Electors established by the golden bull have served to maintain the stability of the Empire for centuries. Are you going to violate the rules set by Emperor Charles IV?"

"Charles IV was my great-grandfather; he was an Emperor, and I am also an Emperor!" Laszlo displayed his authoritative side. "He could make rules for the Empire, and I can naturally change those rules for the Empire.

As for what you said about maintaining the stability of the Empire, I do not deny the merits of your grandfather Ruprecht III to the Empire; he was a qualified King of Rome—except for his military adventure in the Duchy of Milan, he almost made no mistakes in governing the Empire.

But times have changed; Palatinate has become a destroyer of imperial order and must therefore be punished."

Everyone reacted differently to the Emperor's words.

Most princes believed this was the Emperor trying to establish his authority, but the Elector of Saxony heard something unusual in it.

He stared intently at the serious-faced Laszlo, pondering to himself: Why would the Emperor specifically mention Ruprecht III? And that title "King of Rome" just now was clearly emphasized.

Ruprecht III was known as the restorer of Palatinate. In 1400, he led the deposition of the incompetent Emperor Wenceslaus IV, and then was almost unanimously elected "King of the Romans."

After the death of the Wittelsbach family's previous Emperor, Louis IV, it had been 60 years since the family had once again received the honor of "Emperor."

However, because Wenceslaus stubbornly refused to abdicate, and Ruprecht was defeated in the Duchy of Milan on his way to Rome for his coronation, he ultimately failed to wear the crown in Rome and could only use the title "King of the Romans" throughout his life.

He received papal recognition in 1403, truly becoming an "Emperor."

During his ten-year reign, the Empire achieved basic peace.

Especially in the Rhineland, before Laszlo initiated the war, the political landscape here had maintained peace for nearly 60 years, and Ruprecht was the founder of all this.

Except for Bohemia under Wenceslaus being in chaos, and the Habsburg and Switzerland fighting fiercely in Swabia, no wars broke out in other regions.

Strictly speaking, he was an excellent monarch, but Emperor Laszlo clearly held hostility towards Ruprecht III.

The reason was self-evident: Ruprecht had once deposed an Emperor.

Although Wenceslaus was deposed due to incompetence, the advantage of the Elector Palatine as an opposing Emperor was fully demonstrated in this matter.

The Emperor was intentionally preventing the birth of an opposing Emperor who might threaten him, which is why he insisted on depriving the Elector Palatine of his seat.

It seems the Emperor has realized how much fear he has stirred up within the Empire.

The Elector of Saxony thought this, only it seemed he was being underestimated.

Among the three secular Electors other than the King of Bohemia, the Emperor seemed to consider Palatinate the greatest threat.

This was not surprising, as this Elector of Saxony couldn't even control his own brother.

Now the division between Saxony and Thuringia was increasingly severe, and he was helpless about it.

The only thing to be happy about was that his brother, already in his forties, still had no offspring, while his own sons...

If only one of those good-for-nothing boys could be as brave and energetic as the Emperor.

The old Elector Palatine came back to his senses; the problem now was that he had to find a way to help his son-in-law, the Duke of Landshut, secure this position.

However, given the Emperor's hostility towards the Wittelsbach family, achieving this goal was almost impossible.

"Your Majesty, the Elector Palatine does need to pay the price for his rebellion, but is the Count of Munich strong enough to bear the responsibilities of an Elector?"

The Elector of Saxony hinted, "Are you trying to say that this Count Louis standing next to you is more suitable to be the new Elector? Is that it?"

Before the Elector of Saxony could answer, Louis had already stepped forward to face the Emperor directly.

"Your Majesty, I apologize for my previous rebellious actions, and I have deeply repented for them.

Whether in military strength, financial resources, lineage, or prestige within the Empire, I believe I am no less than my cousin, Count Sigismund.

I am willing to comply with all your demands and compete fairly with him to decide who will ultimately obtain this Electorate.

Please, Your Majesty, give me this opportunity; I will prove my loyalty and strength."

Looking at the Duke of Landshut, who spoke of repenting his rebellious actions with an earnest expression, Laszlo's smile widened, but a dangerous glint flashed in his eyes.

If I hadn't had my 'divine sight' and seen that your attitude was still 'hatred,' I almost would have believed your nonsense.

Laszlo thought this, shaking his head and refusing, "My ears and eyes are everywhere in the Empire.

I had previously suspected that you were secretly funding the Palatinate rebels through merchants in Nuremberg.

Fortunately, you later stopped this dangerous act, and I did not pursue the matter.

However, it's not that simple to gain my trust; you need to prove your loyalty in more places, not just when vying for an Electorate here."

Louis's heart tightened; the Emperor knew too much, and his eyes seemed to possess a magic that could see into people's hearts.

"Your Majesty, I—"

"My mind is made up; the Count of Munich is the most suitable candidate."

Seeing that the Emperor gave no opportunity, Louis's face visibly darkened.

He took a deep breath and bowed slightly to the Emperor, "I understand, Your Majesty."

The Count of Munich stepped out from the crowd at this moment, thanking the Emperor with a triumphant air, a sight that made Louis's eyelids twitch wildly.

However, this newly appointed Count of Munich still felt a pang of pain in his heart.

That was 140,000 florins; he would need to take out a very large loan, and he would probably have to tighten his belt for the next few years.

However, thinking about his brother's comforting words last night, he felt a little better.

Gian Galeazzo Visconti only spent 100,000 florins to purchase the title of Duke of Milan.

Frederick I, the Elector from the Hohenzollern, even scraped together 400,000 florins by selling everything he owned to buy the poor region of Brandenburg and an Electorate.

This 140,000 florins to purchase an Electorate was completely worth it; an Electorate was much more honorable than a ducal title.

It came with a series of privileges such as the right to elect the Emperor, territorial sovereignty, judicial immunity, and military autonomy, as well as a noble status second only to the Emperor within the Empire.

Compared to so many benefits, they only spent 140,000, which was simply a huge bargain.

The Emperor, out of political considerations, also gave them sufficient concessions; there had never been such a cost-effective deal in history.

As for Laszlo, his main intention was to weaken the resistance of Palatinate and Landshut; the sale of the Electorate was an unexpected windfall.

This money was just enough to resolve the short-term economic difficulties he faced due to leading a large army to quell the rebellion.

All in all, it was a win-win deal.

The Archbishop of Trier and the Archbishop of Mainz, who had a deep feud with Palatinate, both expressed support for this decision.

They were now very happy to see Palatinate's influence further weakened, so they would not suffer retaliation in the future.

The Margrave of Baden and the Count of Württemberg were equally delighted about this.

Having lost his status as an Elector, the Elector Palatine's threat to them was almost completely eliminated.

The great mountain that had been pressing down on the two Swabian princes had finally disappeared.

However, the two now began to look at each other with animosity.

The Margrave of Baden had recently obtained the long-desired position of Governor of Swabia.

And the Count of Württemberg's acting governor position was canceled; as compensation, he was granted the position of Deputy Governor.

Laszlo's original intention was to have the two princes, who had once fought side by side, work together to manage the Swabian Administrative Region.

However, they seemed not to have understood the Emperor's painstaking efforts; the two were forming factions and engaging in party struggles in the Swabian Imperial Circle assembly.

As for this situation, Laszlo did not interfere, and even seemed somewhat pleased to see it happen.

The Habsburg Family, by virtue of its own territories in Swabia, already held considerable influence; his representative in the Swabian assembly could even overshadow these two princes.

With them fighting each other, Laszlo had even more opportunities to control this Swabian Administrative Region, which was composed of more than seventy large and small imperial estates.

Finally, everyone's gaze turned to the bewildered young Philip.

Laszlo then ordered another agreement to be brought, stating that the Elector Palatine acknowledged transferring the Electorate to the Count of Munich.

Philip, as before, signed his name under Laszlo's gaze.

Did this teenage boy truly not know what he had lost?

Everyone thought this to themselves; no one knew what Philip was truly thinking, and he himself had no right to decide. "Gentlemen, at the latest by next year, we need to convene another large-scale Imperial Conference.

Those miscellaneous matters have consumed too much of my energy; it is time to return to the Empire, lest the German forget who their monarch is."

Laszlo, holding his scepter, walked out of the conference hall, and wherever he passed, those unruly Imperial princes who had once been defiant now bowed their heads, expressing their respect to the Emperor.

After a lavish banquet, the Imperial assembly in Worms concluded.

Everyone returned to their homes, and the news of the new Elector's ascension spread in all directions via messengers.

This was undoubtedly a shocking political event, and many astute princes realized that the matter was not as simple as it appeared on the surface.

The emergence of the new Elector might be a signal, foreshadowing an impending political storm that would sweep across the entire Empire.