Pomeranian Succession

In the spring of 1464, inside Hofburg Palace in Vienna, Laszlo was anxiously pacing outside the delivery room.

Christopher, Maximilian, Empress Dowager Elizabeth, and the maid Helena, holding little Helena, were all by his side.

As soon as his journey to southern Italy concluded, Laszlo rushed back to Vienna without delay.

On the third day after his return to the capital, the day of Empress Leonor's delivery arrived.

After a series of muffled cries of anguish, the room gradually fell silent.

The entire family outside held their breath, listening carefully to the sounds from within, continuously praying for Leonor.

"Waaah!" A baby's cry emerged, and the midwife opened the door, carrying out a healthy child.

"Your Majesty, congratulations, it's a princess."

"How is Leonor?"

"Her Majesty the Empress is fine."

Laszlo let out a long sigh of relief, reached out to take his second daughter, and carefully examined the newborn.

Then, he carried his daughter into the room and went to Leonor's side to accompany her.

"It's a daughter, Leonor. Do you remember the name we chose earlier?"

"Kunigunde, is that the name?"

Leonor's voice was weak, but a smile graced her face.

Laszlo nodded, publicly announcing the newborn's name.

Kunigunde, meaning "Goddess of War," symbolized strength, resilience, and courage.

Furthermore, this name was also to commemorate Saint Kunigunde of the Luxembourg family.

She married Holy Roman Emperor Henry II, becoming the Empress of the Empire, which elevated the status of the Luxembourg family.

More than a hundred years after her death, Pope Innocent III canonized her.

Laszlo would not forget the great contributions the Luxembourg family made to the rise of his Habsburg Family, which is why he chose this name.

Empress Dowager Elizabeth was quite moved by this.

Just as the family was immersed in joy, Laszlo's attendant, Eyczing, stood at the door and knocked.

Laszlo's expression darkened, but immediately returned to normal.

He placed the daughter he was holding into the Empress Dowager's arms, then softly told his family, "Excuse me, I'll be right back."

Then, Laszlo went to the door, his eyes sharp as he stared at Eyczing and asked, "What is it?"

A drop of cold sweat trickled down the young Eyczing's forehead as he quickly whispered, "Your Majesty, Lord Eyczing has arrived and said he has an important matter to report."

Upon hearing this, Laszlo, filled with frustration, let out a helpless sigh, now with nowhere to vent his anger.

Since Eyczing said it was an important matter, it was likely quite significant.

Laszlo could only temporarily leave his recently delivered wife and follow Eyczing to the reception room.

His chief minister, Eyczing, was anxiously waiting there, holding a letter.

"What exactly happened?"

As soon as Laszlo saw Eyczing, he immediately asked with urgency.

"Your Majesty, our spy in Berlin has sent back news that Otto III, Duke of Pomerania-Stettin, has passed away without leaving any heirs.

Now, Frederick II, Brandenburg Elector, claims that according to the agreement he signed with the Dukes of Pomerania, he has the right to inherit the territory of Stettin.

However, the Lords of Pomerania from the Griffin Family believe that the territory of Stettin should be divided among their family members."

Eyczing handed the letter to Laszlo, who quickly read its contents after taking it.

Many years ago, the Brandenburg Elector and the Dukes of Pomerania fought a great war.

The victorious Elector annexed a part of Pomeranian territory and established a treaty making the remaining Pomeranian lands a fief of Brandenburg.

Since then, the Pomeranian Lords of the Griffin Family had become nominal vassals of the Brandenburg Elector.

Despite this, the Dukes of Pomerania still retained a high degree of autonomy, and rebellions often broke out in the lands occupied by the Brandenburg Elector.

Now, Otto III, the most powerful of the Dukes of Pomerania, also the leader of the Griffin Family, and holding the highest ducal title, died without an heir.

Frederick II, Brandenburg Elector, seized this opportune moment to emphasize his suzerainty over Pomerania and declared that the titles of Stettin and Duke of Pomerania would be inherited by him.

"Hmph, this Brandenburg Elector certainly knows how to seize an opportunity."

Laszlo snorted coldly, somewhat displeased.

The Elector from the Hohenzollern Family had not attended the previous assembly in Worms, and now he was doing something like this; he clearly did not put the Emperor in his eyes.

"Your Majesty, this is also a rare good opportunity for us."

Eyczing was all too familiar with such disputes between princes over succession rights.

He knew how to use such conflicts to secure the most benefits for Austria, and it was clear that the Emperor was equally skilled in this art.

Hearing Eyczing's reminder, Laszlo nodded in deep agreement.

"I remember the last time we forced the Brandenburg Elector to send troops to support the Crusade was also due to a dispute over Pomerania."

"Yes, Your Majesty.

However, last time we only tacitly allowed the Brandenburg Elector to occupy a portion of Pomeranian territory, and the vassalage clause was not recognized.

As long as you wish, you can always declare the Brandenburg Elector's vassalage over the Dukes of Pomerania illegal.

Of course, you can also exchange the Pomeranian succession rights for something from the Brandenburg Elector, just like before."

Laszlo rested his chin on his hand, pondering.

What could he extort from the Brandenburg Elector this time?

Money?

The succession rights to Stettin could fetch at least sixty to seventy thousand florins, but whether the Brandenburg Elector would be willing to pay that sum was another matter.

Moreover, Laszlo, who had recently received financial reports from Austria, Bohemia, and Hungary, knew that he was not in urgent need of money at the moment.

His financial situation was already superior to most monarchs of his time.

What if he used the succession rights to Stettin as a condition to gain the Brandenburg Elector's support for Imperial reform?

He could now secure four votes, holding the upper hand in the Elector's College, so it seemed unnecessary to sell Stettin to Brandenburg for this.

Keeping the Dukes of the Griffin Family alive could still occasionally annoy the Brandenburg Elector, which was a good thing.

"First, tell me about the current situation of the Griffin Family."

"After the death of Otto III, Lord of Stettin, Erick II, Duke of Pomerania-Wolgast, demanded to inherit Stettin and the ducal title.

He is also the Duke of Pomerania-Stolp-Rügenwalde.

This title came from his father-in-law, Erick of Pomerania, who died in 1459, leaving only one daughter.

Erick II, as his son-in-law, inherited the territories of Stolp and Rügenwalde."

"Wait, this Erick of Pomerania, could it be that…

"Yes, Your Majesty, it is the deposed monarch of the Kalmar Union, who ruled Denmark, Norway, and Sweden for 40 years.

After being expelled, he lived in seclusion in Gotland for several years, and then returned to Pomerania in 1449 to rule his family's territory until his death."

No wonder they say the Holy Roman Empire is a land of outstanding people.

After Erick's deposition, the Kalmar Union chose Christopher III of Bavaria to be their joint monarch.

Christopher III came from the Wittelsbach family of Palatinate.

He nearly secured three crowns for his family, but he died prematurely in 1448 without leaving a legitimate heir.

After much deliberation, the Danes found Christian, the son of the Count of Oldenburg, who is now Christian I, still ruling the three Nordic countries.

It's as if the Empire is Denmark's talent pool.

Once the Kalmar Union's succession was broken, the Danes would come to the Empire to scout for suitable nobles to be the joint monarch of the three kingdoms.

This was almost becoming a tradition, but perhaps it was a good tradition.

"Besides Erick II, who else is there?"

"Another is Wartislaw X, Duke of Pomerania-Rügen, who is Erick II's younger brother and inherited the territory of Wolgast-Rügen.

Erick II did not respect his brother's right to co-rule the Duchy, which led Wartislaw to ally with the Brandenburg Elector.

Besides these two brothers, and including Otto III who just died without an heir, all other branches of the Griffin Family have become extinct.

Now, Elector Frederick II von Hohenzollern, Erick II, and Wartislaw X all claim the right to inherit Stettin."

Laszlo fell silent; this Griffin Family also seemed to be the type that couldn't be helped.

The Brandenburg Elector had already pushed Pomerania to this extent, yet these two brothers were still engaged in internal strife?

And there was even one who defected...

Truly, blood brothers are not as good as sworn enemies, it seems.

But this was not without reason.

Wartislaw might fare better by serving as the Brandenburg Elector's dog.

After all, the Elector, no matter what, did not have the legal right to rule Pomerania, while his brother Erick II could truly consume him entirely.

"So, after two hundred years of division, Pomerania is now showing signs of unification?"

"That is indeed the case.

The Dukes initially divided their inheritance, then the branches died out one by one, finally returning to unity, and then entering the next cycle."

Such things were incredibly common in Europe during this era.

There were countless noble families whose bloodlines died out.

Looking at the current situation, until Pomerania is finally unified under one Duke, they will not be able to resist the aggression of the Brandenburg Elector.

"Eyczing, who do you think I should award Stettin to?"

"Your Majesty, I believe awarding Stettin to Erick II would best serve our interests.

Although he faces an alliance between the Brandenburg Elector and Wartislaw X, he has the support of the Teutonic Order behind him.

Moreover, we don't need to rush to finalize the outcome of this matter.

You can perfectly wait until they decide the final result, and then issue your judgment."

"What do you mean?"

Laszlo was confused by Eyczing's words.

Wasn't a dispute among Imperial princes the perfect opportunity for him to display his authority as Emperor?

If he allowed the conflict to escalate, what good would he be as Emperor?

"Your Majesty, acting as an arbiter is the easiest way to incur resentment.

If you directly award Stettin to Erick II, it will undoubtedly cause dissatisfaction from the Brandenburg Elector.

And if you sell the claim to Stettin to the Brandenburg Elector, then the Elector's power will further expand.

No matter what choice you make, it cannot fully align with your interests.

But if you can maintain appropriate neutrality in this dispute, they will start fighting among themselves first.

Once they are fighting tooth and nail over Pomerania, you can then make a just ruling based on the situation, and you will gain more respect."

"You want them to fight first?"

Laszlo was startled by Eyczing's idea.

Logically speaking, fighting over succession issues was a very normal occurrence.

However, he now had the ability to suppress the entire Empire, and relying on his prestige and military threat could largely ensure peace within the Empire.

"But I am currently planning to implement Imperial reforms.

Besides establishing the Imperial administrative districts and a permanent Imperial Diet, the most important law is the permanent prohibition of feuds.

From Electors down to Imperial knights, all disputes between Imperial ranks must ultimately be brought before the Imperial Supreme Court in Vienna, which is my court.

By controlling the highest judicial power of the entire Empire, I can further strengthen the centralization of the Empire."

"Your Majesty, reforms need to be gradual.

Before that, we can cleverly use the conflicts between the princes to weaken their power and deepen their animosity, which will reduce the resistance to reform."

Eyczing presented his viewpoint.

"In recent years, your multifaceted interference in Imperial affairs has undoubtedly deepened the anxieties of the Imperial princes.

Moreover, our participation in the Mainz War further intensified the princes' fear.

This time, by seizing the opportunity to stir up conflict between the Brandenburg Elector and the Duke of Pomerania, we don't need to act directly.

With the Teutonic Order present, the Brandenburg Elector will not easily succeed.

The Elector does not have overwhelming force to defeat the Duke of Pomerania.

Such a prolonged attrition will undoubtedly greatly weaken the Brandenburg Elector's power.

Even if he ultimately defeats the Duke of Pomerania and seizes Stettin, we only need to station troops in Lusatia, directly threatening Berlin, and he will have no choice but to obediently surrender it.

This way, we can gain the friendship of the Duke of Pomerania, weaken the Elector's power, and continue to suppress the restless Elector.

In short, no matter how they contend, the ultimate right of arbitration will always remain in your hands."

This analysis indeed made some sense.

If the Empire remained constantly at peace, the princes would focus all their efforts on strengthening their own power and opposing the Emperor's centralization.

This might not be a good thing for Laszlo.

Creating some conflicts within the Empire at opportune moments could actually reduce the obstacles to reform.

Originally, the Hohenzollern Family and the Habsburg Family had a very good relationship.

But later, the Brandenburg Elector seemed to feel threatened by Laszlo and began to oppose the Emperor's centralization policies,

and joined the so-called Elector's Alliance.

This alliance has now completely disappeared; the Electors can no longer unite to collectively resist the Emperor's authority.

However, the Brandenburg Elector, as a troublemaker, still needed to be dealt with.

"Alright, since the Brandenburg Elector is so greedy, we will use Pomerania to break his teeth."

Laszlo finally adopted Eyczing's suggestion and decided to wait and see how the situation in Pomerania would unfold.