The Hohenzollern Family

Before the envoys from Brandenburg and Wolgast arrived in Vienna, small-scale conflicts had already begun to occur frequently.

The armies of Erick II and Elector Frederick II were fighting each other in the villages and towns of Stettin, giving no quarter.

Most of the conflicts were instigated by the Brandenburg army, which was not unexpected by Laszlo.

Compared to Erick II, who was in a weaker position, Frederick II, who held the advantage, hoped to resolve the conflict quickly.

Since the time of his father, Frederick I, the Hohenzollern Family had regarded Pomerania as their family's private domain.

To annex Pomerania, Frederick I, the first Elector of the Hohenzollern Family, made considerable efforts.

On the eve of the Hussite Wars, Sigismund, who was in urgent need of money, sold the Margraviate of Brandenburg and the Elector seat to Frederick I for 400,000 florins.

In the subsequent Hussite Wars, Frederick I also provided him with some assistance.

However, Sigismund's poor performance in the early stages of the Hussite Wars led Frederick I to decide to seek another powerful ally.

The Hohenzollern Family quickly intermarried with the Polish royal family, and Brandenburg formed an alliance with Poland.

This move was undoubtedly seen as betrayal by Emperor Sigismund, so he incited the four Dukes of Pomerania at the time to unite with Mecklenburg, the Teutonic Order, and other forces to jointly besiege Brandenburg.

As a result, Frederick I withstood the pressure and fought a major battle with the allied forces, personally beheading the enemy's main general.

The utterly defeated allied forces quickly dispersed, and Frederick I, having suffered heavy losses, was unable to pursue, so both sides reached an unconditional peace.

Afterward, Frederick I used various methods to force the Dukes of Pomerania to recognize Brandenburg's suzerainty.

By the time his son, Frederick II, ascended the throne, after another major battle, Brandenburg's suzerainty over Pomerania was finally established through a treaty.

The only pity was that this treaty had not been recognized by any Emperor, and therefore lacked the highest legal validity.

Even so, Frederick II still regarded himself as the liege of the Dukes of Pomerania.

In view of this, he believed that inheriting Stettin was a matter of course and an internal affair of Brandenburg.

If he could not quickly resolve this trouble, once the Emperor intervened, things would become very unfavorable for him.

Frederick II knew that once the Emperor intervened in this matter, Brandenburg's internal affairs would become an Imperial affair.

By then, it would be impossible to get the Emperor to make a fair ruling without paying a price.

Impoverished Brandenburg could not withstand the Emperor's repeated extortion.

Even if the hope of quickly defeating Erick II was slim, Frederick II could only go all out.

If he waited for the Teutonic Order's reinforcements to arrive from Prussia, the war would surely be dragged into a prolonged war of attrition.

By that time, the Emperor could leisurely extort money from all parties involved.

The person who paid the most money in the end would get Stettin.

This situation was not unacceptable, but for Frederick II, who was in poor financial condition, it was the worst possible outcome.

The beacon fires in Pomerania broke the facade of Imperial peace.

However, the war in the north had little impact on other parts of the Empire.

After the Mainz War in the center of the Empire subsided, the princes all became exceptionally well-behaved.

Even the princes far in the west had now temporarily ceased their conflicts due to the threat from Burgundy.

Now, the magnates within the Empire were all eagerly looking to the Emperor, wanting to see how he intended to handle this War of the Stettin Succession.

Laszlo waited for some days in Vienna; the envoy from Wolgast had not yet arrived, but the envoy from the Brandenburg Elector arrived first.

"I didn't expect that you would personally come as Frederick II's envoy to negotiate with me."

In the reception room of Hofburg Palace, Laszlo stared intently at the Imperial Marshal and Margrave of Ansbach, Albrecht [Achilles], who sat before him, with a meaningful gaze.

"My main purpose in coming to Vienna this time is to discuss Imperial affairs with you, as well as the inheritance of family territories.

Regarding the matter of Stettin, I am merely here on behalf of my elder brother to inquire about His Majesty the Emperor's opinion."

Marshal Albrecht adopted a very cautious posture, but his heart was filled with bitterness.

If it weren't for the dying entrustment of his elder brother John, he would never have risked losing the Emperor's trust to get involved in this murky business.

"The inheritance of family territories... Oh, you recently inherited Bayreuth from your deceased elder brother [the Alchemist] John.

Regarding John, please accept my condolences; he was undoubtedly an excellent vassal."

"Thank you for your comfort, Your Majesty."

Now, only Frederick II and Albrecht remained of the three Hohenzollern brothers.

Albrecht was now promoted to Margrave of Ansbach-Bayreuth, but his strength had not significantly increased.

His eldest brother John had been too mentally ill to govern his territory many years ago, and had consequently been deprived of his right to inherit the Electorate, which was then given to the second brother, Frederick, to inherit Brandenburg.

Over these years, Albrecht had been helping to govern Bayreuth, and now he was officially appointed.

Although John was eccentric and left no legitimate heirs, his daughters were quite good.

His eldest daughter, Barbara, was the wife of the Marquis of Mantua; Laszlo had met her a few times and found her to be a very courageous and decisive woman.

His youngest daughter, Dorothea, first married Christopher III, and then Christian I, becoming Queen of Denmark twice.

She had strong political influence in the Kalmar Union and was still doing her best to secure benefits for the Hohenzollern Family.

Now that the eldest of the three brothers was dead, the second brother, Frederick, also had only two daughters, and suffered from severe depression in addition to marital discord, making it unlikely he would have male heirs in the future.

Once Frederick passed away, the Hohenzollern Family's territories would once again revert to one person's control.

This made Laszlo's gaze towards the Imperial Marshal before him somewhat subtle.

Although based on his current performance, Albrecht could certainly be called a model of a loyal subject and capable general.

At 17, he followed Emperor Sigismund to decisively defeat the Hussite rebels, and later represented his father in casting a crucial vote for Albrecht II, enabling his successful election as Emperor.

During Albrecht II's reign, he again led troops to assist the Emperor in twice defeating Polish invaders, defending the precarious Bohemia.

Due to his astonishing natural vigilance, Laszlo's teacher, Aeneas, even compared him to the great hero [Achilles] in his poems, which is the origin of his nickname.

During Laszlo's reign, he commanded the Imperial allied forces in the Crusade, campaigned in Italy against France, helped Laszlo suppress the Duke of Landshut, and strongly supported Imperial reforms, even at the cost of quarreling with his brothers.

From this perspective, Albrecht could indeed be called an "Imperial loyalist."

However, he also had a dark history of warring with the Free City of Nuremberg, which shows that he was not without ambition, but merely temporarily concealed it.

The cause of that Ansbach-Nuremberg War was rather absurd.

The Hohenzollern Family's ancestral lands were around Nuremberg, and Elector Frederick I, in order to alleviate financial pressure, sold large tracts of land and a comital castle around Nuremberg to the Free City of Nuremberg.

After Frederick I's death, Albrecht was allotted the Ansbach territory next to Nuremberg.

This territory was the smallest among the three brothers.

He hoped to expand his territory, so he raised the banner of reclaiming lost lands, hoping to recover the sold lands, and incidentally control the Free City of Nuremberg.

If possible, rebuilding the Duchy of Franconia was also an important goal of his.

Soon, the young and impetuous Albrecht was soundly defeated by the Nuremberg army, gaining nothing.

Since then, he realized his shortcomings in strength and cunning, and began to seek ways to increase his power within the Empire.

Evidently, in the days that followed, he successfully found the correct path to advancement—clinging tightly to the Emperor's leg.

Now, he held judicial power over Franconia and Bavaria, exercising authority on behalf of the Emperor in the central Empire.

Furthermore, he also held the title of Imperial Marshal, being the only Marshal from outside Austria and Hungary.

According to the Emperor's wishes, when the Imperial allied forces were organized again, he would be the preferred candidate for military commander.

The Emperor granted him such great power, and coupled with being the first in line to the Brandenburg Electorate, his power was now gradually approaching that of the Electors.

This already satisfied Albrecht; now he only hoped to maintain his power and continue to win the Emperor's trust.

But precisely at this moment, war broke out in Pomerania.

Ultimately, for the sake of the Hohenzollern Family's interests, he had no choice but to personally rush to Vienna, hoping to secure some favorable terms for Brandenburg from the Emperor.

"Recently, have Franconia and Bavaria been peaceful?"

"To my knowledge, there have been no unusual situations in the central Empire recently.

If there's anything noteworthy, it's probably that the Elector of Saxony is gravely ill and likely won't last much longer."

The old Elector of Saxony was Albrecht's father-in-law, yet he spoke with an unchanged expression.

It seemed that even multiple intermarriages could not erase the enmity between the Hohenzollern Family and the Saxon-Wettin Family.

This news was quite good for Laszlo.

Once the Elector of Saxony died, the older generation of Electors would have largely completed a reshuffle—the Brandenburg Elector, who disliked participating in Imperial affairs, was automatically ignored by Laszlo.

After the Elector of Saxony died, when he convened the Imperial Conference to promote Imperial reforms, he would face almost no significant resistance.

The Elector of Saxony's two heirs, Ernst and Albrecht, were both younger than Laszlo, and much easier to deal with than the cunning old Elector.

"What about Landshut?"

"After the Worms Conference, Ludwig IX has been indulging in drinking and hunting all day, with no other movements."

It sounded like the Duke of Landshut, having suffered repeated failures, had completely given up.

Now, the Elector of Munich, who was weaker than him, could instead ride on his neck, relying on his status and the Emperor's support.

Laszlo was very satisfied with this.

Dare to challenge the free city, offend him, the Emperor, and expect to have a good life?

"Good," Laszlo sat up straight, his tone becoming serious, "Now let's talk about the Stettin issue."

Upon hearing this, Albrecht's expression also became tense.

He himself would, of course, absolutely support the Emperor's judgment, but from the family's perspective, he still hoped the Emperor would assign Pomerania to Brandenburg.

He had personally witnessed the immense efforts his father, Frederick I, had made to annex Pomerania.

Now was undoubtedly the perfect opportunity to fulfill this long-cherished family wish.

Unfortunately, from the Emperor's perspective, allowing Brandenburg to annex Pomerania was not in his interest.

Albrecht, having matured over many years, clearly saw this point.

"Your Majesty, the Dukes of Pomerania have long ago pledged allegiance to my brother; you can examine this agreement."

Albrecht bit the bullet and handed the Emperor the agreement signed after the last Brandenburg-Pomerania War.

Laszlo took the agreement, but merely glanced at it before tossing it onto the table; he was already intimately familiar with its contents.

"The legal validity of this peace agreement is still subject to discussion; I only recognize the territorial aspects, as for the rest, that's another matter.

Furthermore, the Griffin Family has not yet died out, so by both sentiment and reason, this Pomerania-Stettin territory should be inherited by a collateral branch of the family.

However, things are not so absolute; regarding who should inherit Stettin, I think more research and discussion are needed."

"This.... Your Majesty speaks wisely, this matter indeed cannot be decided hastily."

Laszlo's words made Albrecht's emotions fluctuate, but fortunately, the Emperor did not make a definitive statement in the end.

But not making a statement is sometimes also a stance.

The Emperor, who was usually keen to intervene in internal Imperial disputes, surprisingly chose to remain neutral this time.

Was this not allowing the warring parties to resolve the issue through force?

The Emperor's choice surprised Albrecht, but it also seemed to have a traceable pattern.

Pomerania was, after all, far in the northern reaches of the Empire, and it might not be worth the Emperor's effort to intervene.

The Emperor was not incapable of intervening; perhaps he was only temporarily maintaining neutrality.

And what the Brandenburg Elector needed most right now was time; he had to establish the de facto annexation of Stettin before the Emperor made a final decision.

If he could get the Emperor to temporarily refrain from intervening, Albrecht could then account for it to his brother, Frederick II.

Thinking of this, Albrecht's mood lightened again.

"Are you going to stay in Vienna and wait for the envoy from Wolgast to arrive and confront him in court?"

Laszlo asked.

Albrecht shook his head and said, "I came with the Brandenburg envoy this time; he will take the Stettin inheritance dispute to the Imperial Court.

I must return now to govern my territory."

"That saves trouble; the first audience for inheriting territory and title, reporting on your work, and negotiating with me—you've done it all in one trip."

Laszlo said playfully, a smile on his face.

Albrecht's expression remained unchanged as he cautiously replied, "Assisting you in managing the Empire, maintaining order and stability, these are all my duties."

"Albrecht," Laszlo's eyes flickered, "Don't you think you are more like an Elector than your brother?"

"Your Majesty, this..."

"I often wonder, if you were the Brandenburg Elector, perhaps the Empire would be better off, don't you think?"

"Noble Emperor, your will shall guide my direction, and my sword shall swing for you."

Albrecht stood up and respectfully responded to the Emperor's expectation.

Laszlo smiled slightly, dismissed the trembling Albrecht, and ended the conversation.

His attitude would be conveyed to the ready Brandenburg Elector, and Frederick II would surely not remain indifferent upon receiving the news.