The Duke of Burgundy's Ambition

The Duke of Armagnac's sister was sent to a convent near the Imperial Palace for treatment and successfully recovered her health.

However, she could not step out of the convent again until she received the Emperor's permission.

The Duke's son was kept in the Imperial Palace by Laszlo to serve as a page for Imperial Prince Christopher and to receive education alongside him.

The Duke of Armagnac tearfully confessed his crimes in St. Stephen's Cathedral and received forgiveness from Cardinal Georg.

The messenger Laszlo sent to the Italian War also quickly brought back the Pope's reply.

Pope Pius II did not make things difficult for the Emperor regarding this minor matter, but he hoped the Emperor could provide more support for church reforms.

Laszlo, however, was unable to help with this.

His views and those of Pope Pius II had gradually diverged, and the reforms clearly touched upon the core interests of the church, making it difficult to proceed deeply.

Two years of the Grand Duke Conference yielded no more results than passing some insignificant prohibitions and regulations, and revising some interpretations of biblical passages.

Laszlo hoped to further restrict the Imperial Church under royal authority.

Albrecht II, in the edict of mainz, demanded that the Imperial Church reduce its tribute payments to Rome and that secular princes supervise church finances.

Neither of these measures was effectively implemented.

And now, reform measures such as the "Bishop Election Ordinance" — which limited papal interference in the appointment of imperial bishops, promoted church financial transparency, and prohibited clergy from holding multiple positions — were equally difficult to implement.

However, Laszlo was not without gains; by establishing Austria's own archdiocese, Laszlo strengthened his control over the church within Austria.

As for the church in Bohemia, it had been at his disposal since the end of the second Hussite Wars, and he personally selected the Archbishop of Prague.

At least in the lands controlled by the Habsburg Family, the church did, to some extent, submit to royal authority and undergo some reforms.

Although Laszlo initially supported the Grand Duke Conference to resolve the major issue of the Imperial Church, it now seemed that moderate reforms would be difficult to achieve the desired effect.

Therefore, he decided to meet the Pope again during his upcoming tour of the Italian War to discuss future matters.

During this waiting period, Anthony finally rushed back to Vienna from Burgundy, bringing Laszlo the replies from Philip the Good and "Bold" Charles.

"Your Majesty, my father and elder brother have seriously considered your marriage proposal."

Anthony, sitting opposite Laszlo, tried to maintain outward composure, though he felt a slight apprehension inside.

Thinking of the bold conditions proposed by his father, the Duke of Burgundy, he was somewhat worried that this might ignite the Emperor's wrath.

Since things had come to this, he could only brace himself and have a good talk with the Emperor.

"They agree to the engagement between Imperial Prince Christopher and Mary, but regarding the dowry conditions you proposed, my father hopes to discuss them further."

Laszlo frowned slightly, tapping his fingers on the table, and asked in confusion, "Ten thousand florin, plus part of the territory of Outer Austria as a dowry—are these conditions not enough?"

His greatest concern was that Philip and Charles would take this opportunity to make exorbitant demands.

Although Charles and his eldest sister Anne were still very young, Mary was, after all, Charles's only offspring, and to be honest, a larger dowry was a form of security.

Laszlo agreed to pay money and could even give a portion of Outer Austria to Burgundy; for him, these were inconsequential.

Because in the aristocratic marriages of this era in Europe, the bride's dowry was often much more substantial than the groom's dowry.

If one did not want their daughter to be looked down upon or bullied after marriage, then a larger dowry had to be given.

No matter how it was calculated, Laszlo would not lose money in this marriage alliance.

However, Philip being unsatisfied with even these conditions made Laszlo slightly displeased.

As allies, they couldn't possibly make both sides lose face, could they?

Seeing that the Emperor seemed to have misunderstood, Anthony immediately explained, "It's not like that, Your Majesty.

My father has already felt your sincerity, but he is unwilling to receive land from Austria; rather, he hopes you can help him resolve some small troubles."

Laszlo showed an understanding expression; the "small troubles" Anthony spoke of were probably not simple matters.

"Tell me, what does the Duke of Burgundy want?"

"Well, are you aware of the situation in Utrecht and Liège?"

Utrecht? Liège?

Laszlo stroked his chin, pondering.

He had some impression of these two bishoprics; they were two bishoprics in the Empire bordering Burgundy.

The aftermath of the Crusade had also affected these two important Low Countries bishoprics.

Philip had reached a secret agreement with the former Pope Callixtus III, and after the Crusade, a papal envoy specifically traveled to the Low Countries to intervene in two episcopal elections.

At that time, Laszlo was locked in a bitter struggle with the Hussite rebels outside Prague, and by the time he received the news, everything was already settled.

Earlier, Philip had returned the occupied Liège land to the bishop, which made Laszlo believe that Philip had abandoned his ambitions for Imperial territory.

Unexpectedly, in 1456, Philip, through bribery, coercion of local religious nobles, and a secret agreement with the Pope, directly acquired two bishoprics.

The new Bishop of Liège was Philip's confidant, Louis de Bourbon, a cousin of the Duke of Bourbon and a member of the Order of the Golden Fleece.

The new Bishop of Utrecht was another of Philip's illegitimate sons, David de Bourgogne, who was another half-brother to Charles and Anthony.

The election of these two directly meant that both bishoprics became vassals of the Duke of Burgundy.

Laszlo received this news in his military camp after the election results were announced.

Since both elections were won by a majority vote, everything proceeded according to normal procedures, and with the Pope's support, Laszlo did not intervene too forcefully.

He had indeed sensed the Duke of Burgundy's ambition at the time, but he could not lack Burgundy's strength in confronting France.

This matter was thus directly glossed over.

However, after that, Laszlo often heard news of rebellions breaking out in the Low Countries.

Just before the prelude to the Italian War—the Burgundy-Savoy War—"Bold" Charles had just led his army to quell the long-standing unrest in the Liège region.

Philip was not merely focused on expansion; during the Mainz War, he sent a large sum of money to the Archbishop of Trier and formed a military alliance with Trier.

Among the Archbishop of Trier's troops attacking Palatinate were Burgundian Flemish mercenaries.

Philip continuously appeased the frightened princes in the western Empire with promises and gifts, preventing Burgundy's expansion from forming a large-scale resistance wave within the Empire.

Laszlo was also happy to let this matter cool down, as Philip had secured the Pope's support behind his back, and he didn't want to sour relations with Burgundy.

Therefore, in the end, only the Imperial princes had to suffer, with Philip bearing the blame, and Laszlo simply turned a blind eye.

Originally, it would have been fine for everything to remain peaceful, but what was Philip's purpose in bringing up Liège and Utrecht again now?

"I know, those two bishoprics are probably under the Duke of Burgundy's sway now, aren't they?"

Laszlo's expression was somewhat grim; he hadn't even sought to hold Philip and Charles accountable yet, and who would have thought they would bring it up themselves first.

"Your Majesty, my father is merely concerned about the stability of the Low Countries," Anthony's forehead beaded with cold sweat, "Recently, the citizens of Liège have again shown signs of unrest, and there seems to be a French presence behind it; my father suspects this might be a conspiracy orchestrated by Louis XI.

"In addition, the opposition nobles in Utrecht have also started to stir, which deeply worries my father."

Riots against Burgundy's rule are about to break out in Liège and Utrecht?

Laszlo suddenly felt a bit conflicted.

According to what Anthony just said, this matter is mostly inseparable from Louis XI, and it does seem like something he would do.

He is skilled at schemes and manipulating opponents.

This time, Laszlo was quite inclined to support the King of France.

Liège and Utrecht are, after all, genuine Imperial territories. Now that they have fallen into Burgundy's hands, it is undoubtedly a challenge to Laszlo's authority.

Philip was gambling that Laszlo would not want to fall out with him at this time. Of course, he also made corresponding efforts to minimize the impact of the aggressive expansion.

It is ultimately not a good thing for Imperial territory to fall into the hands of foreigners.

Although Laszlo wanted to reclaim the Imperial territories held by Burgundy, confronting the King of France was the top priority at the moment.

So he could only silently choose to support the Duke of Burgundy for now.

"The unrest in Liège and Utrecht shouldn't be difficult for the Duke of Burgundy to handle, right? Let Charles lead the troops there, and the rebellion can be quickly suppressed."

"That's true, but if rebellions keep occurring in the Low Countries, it might give the King of France an opportunity to exploit the situation, which is what my father is worried about."

"So what kind of help does the Duke of Burgundy hope to get from me?"

"He hopes that Your Majesty can dispatch an Imperial envoy to Liège and Utrecht to appease the restless people there."

Anthony noticed that the Emperor's expression instantly became very interesting—it was a half-smile, half-frown—but he still bravely continued to relay the conditions proposed by his father and brother.

"If Your Majesty could issue an edict supporting the rule of Louis de Bourbon and David de Bron, that would be even better."

In return, Mary will be betrothed to Prince Christopher, and Burgundy is willing to pay two hundred thousand florins and half of Franche-Comté as dowry."

Laszlo, whose heart had originally sunk to the bottom, suddenly regained his composure.

If things were truly like this, then Laszlo felt that this condition was not excessive.

Even if Christopher marrying Mary ultimately failed to bring Burgundy to the Habsburg Family, it would still be a surefire profitable deal.

However, selling Imperial territory was still quite a psychological burden for Laszlo.

Although he was now very skilled and willing to extract benefits from the Empire to strengthen himself, openly selling Imperial interests like this might have a negative impact.

Whether sending an envoy or issuing an edict, it was essentially acknowledging Burgundy's control over the bishoprics of Liège and Utrecht.

Philip hoped to use this to suppress the rebellious tendencies in both regions and solidify his rule over these new territories.

The issues involved were too numerous and complex, and Laszlo couldn't help but fall into deep thought.

If he sold Liège and Utrecht, what would the Imperial Electors think? What would other countries think?

Originally, Laszlo's next phase of his plan was to continue pushing for Imperial reform.

If he were to sell off Imperial territory again at this time, the Electors might have reservations about him, and the idea of Imperial reform would face significant obstacles.

However, the situation was not so absolute, as Philip's actions were impeccable, completely unlike his hot-headed son, Charles.

He was very adept at financial offensives and diplomatic means.

From the very beginning, he had obtained legitimacy for controlling Liège and Utrecht from the former Pope Callixtus III.

Subsequently, Laszlo's tacit consent further ensured that his control over the two regions was no longer an issue of legitimacy.

But merely the Emperor's tacit consent was not enough to quell the resistance of the people of Liège and Utrecht to Burgundian rule.

He had to personally acknowledge it, issue an edict, and send an envoy to establish the ruling authority of Burgundy's two representatives over these two bishoprics.

Since the Pope did it first, it seemed there was no harm in him, the Emperor, doing it again.

Even if he refused this proposal, the resistance forces in Liège and Utrecht would ultimately not be able to defeat the powerful Burgundy.

When Charles's troops arrived in Liège, he would probably burn it to the ground.

To avoid such a terrible scene of devastation, Laszlo was inclined to send his own envoy to resolve the matter through diplomatic means.

If he insisted on reclaiming the two bishoprics, there was a way.

He just needed to use diplomatic pressure and military threats against Burgundy itself to force Philip to relinquish these two territories.

But in that case, his alliance with the Duke of Burgundy, even if it didn't completely break due to the need to confront the King of France, would definitely harbor resentment, and Burgundy might secretly cause trouble and stab him in the back in the future.

At the risk of losing an important ally, all Laszlo would gain was the gratitude of the two small principalities of Liège and Utrecht, and a good reputation among the Imperial Electors.

This was not worth it. The Empire, after all, was merely his tool, and he could not severely damage the dynasty's own interests for the sake of a tool.

"Is it possible to substitute other conditions?"

Laszlo had already made up his mind, but he still wanted to ask first.

Anthony shook his head helplessly and said, "Your Majesty, Lady Mary is my brother's only child and may become the heir to the entire Duchy in the future!

There are countless people who wish to marry her, and Prince Christopher is the one my father is most satisfied with. Nevertheless, he is unwilling to give his granddaughter away for a low price, because that would be an insult to the Burgundy family."

Upon hearing this, Laszlo nodded slightly. The logic was indeed sound; until Charles truly had a male heir, no one could estimate Mary's value.

"Alright, I agree to this proposal."

Laszlo sighed lightly. Sell it, sell it. Anyway, this wasn't the first time he had sold off Imperial territory; he was already quite skilled at it.

Holstein could be sold, Savoy could be sold, and he had even sold an Elector seat. To be honest, selling Liège and Utrecht was nothing.

The Empire was tattered, and he kept patching it up, but never mind how the Empire kept getting more tattered.

"Your Majesty, I will take your answer to Burgundy and finalize the marriage contract there. Is that acceptable?"

"Yes, tell the Duke of Burgundy that this marriage contract must not be broken, otherwise I will personally lead an army to Burgundy to seek an explanation from him."

"I understand, Your Majesty."

Anthony let out a long sigh of relief. If this matter could be settled, then the rest would be easy.

"Hmm, besides formally establishing the marriage contract, you have another important task on this trip to Burgundy."

Laszlo fully disclosed his plan to build a public welfare alliance and jointly confront Louis XI, and gave Anthony a new task: to assist the Duke of Armagnac in promoting the formation of the alliance.

Anthony was slightly shocked by this, because the Emperor's plan was almost identical to the schemes his father and brother were currently undertaking.

However, when he learned that the Duke of Armagnac had come to Vienna to seek refuge with the Emperor, he understood everything.

He gladly accepted the task and soon left Vienna with the Duke of Armagnac.

After a detailed discussion with Eyczing, Laszlo dispatched an excellent diplomat, carrying Laszlo's edict, to the Low Countries.

Laszlo did not know whether this would quell the unrest in Liège and Utrecht, but the marriage alliance with Burgundy was thus confirmed, which was a cause for celebration.