Chapter 413 Banquet at Berlin Manor
The Archduke of Austria was able to spend so much money to finance the rebels, which was inseparable from the support of the Catholic Church. The Archbishop of Salzburg and several others reluctantly parted ways and spent part of their money to support Austria. After all, Habsburg was the biggest force within the HRE against Bartland.
Instead of blocking his actions, the Imperial Diet confirmed Vlad's sovereignty over Brandenburg. Now, it was Vlad's turn to counterattack.
In the manor in the new capital, Vlad invited many distinguished guests. The Mayor of Hamburg, Friedrich, and the Mayor of Lübeck, George, were the two most important members of the Hanseatic League, Duke Bogislaw V of Pomerania, and the King of Bohemia Wenzel were all important princes or city representatives in the northern region.
In order to entertain everyone, Vlad directly served 20 sheep, 15 cows, 90 chickens, 21 peacocks and 50 pigeons, as well as wines from Burgundy and Rome. They have never seen such a grand banquet, especially the spices, which are free of charge. It can only be said that it is still a bit bitter in the north.
"Thank you to the Elector for your hospitality. I have never been to such a fine banquet."
"Yes, such a luxurious banquet can only be held by the elector."
The two mayors praised Vlad's magnanimity, not only as a way of expressing gratitude for the banquet, but also as a way to keep the Hanseatic League alive for trade in the Roman Empire.
"You two are so ridiculous. These spices are just gifts given to me by the Roman emperor. There are many such things in Constantinople."
When they heard that there were still many spices in Constantinople, the eyes of the two mayors gleamed with gold. This is a spice. Once it is resold, the profit will be dozens of times. The spices previously sold in Königsberg directly increased the wealth of this alliance city. This made Lübeck, the boss, and Hamburg, the second boss, unable to sit still. You are the leader of the Hanseatic League, how can you let you come from behind?
Therefore, they must intervene in the entrepot trade with Rome. Taking advantage of this banquet, the two mayors also brought it up.
"Oh, the strength of the Hanseatic League is pretty good, especially Lübeck and Hamburg. Without these two cities, the entire alliance would be at the mercy of others."
Vlad thought for a moment and then said.
"I would like to invite Lübeck and Hamburg to participate in the trade between our country and Rome."
Hearing this, the two mayors were very excited. Now the trade between the Hanseatic League and Rome is mainly carried out through the Vistula River, passing through the cities of Warsaw, Königsberg, and Danzig, and they account for most of it. , only when they pass through the Oresund Strait can they gain a little. Although it’s a lot, who would think it’s too much money?
"The Elector is really a friend of the Hanseatic League and I hope we can continue to cooperate."
Mayor Friedrich praised Vlad as the best friend of the Hanseatic League, and said that the League would try its best to help Brandenburg as long as it was needed.
"Speaking of which, I do have one."
"How can we help the Elector?"
Seeing that the two of them were already interested, Vlad then said: "I heard that you are providing loans to Austria and Lower Luxembourg."
Austria, Lower Luxembourg, borrowing, even the slow-reacting people came to their senses. The Elector is about to take action against them.
In order to gain more allies, Sigismund and Albrecht heavily funded the Roman opposition. It finally seemed that there was hope, but the money was not enough.
There was no choice but to continue borrowing money from the Hanseatic League or Genoese bankers. Bankers in Hamburg, Bremen and Lübeck watched as Sigismund loaned him 150,000 florins, using the pie he had spent after being elected Emperor of the HRE plus part of the local taxes as collateral, while Austria The Archduke even increased his army for his own borders and unified Austria, and loaned 100,000 florins to the Hanseatic League.
The loan from the banker must be repaid in full. Sigismund lived a luxurious life and had to take care of himself. Except for Brandenburg and Bohemia, the other five electors all need money to maintain contact. Can such a situation be possible without money?
"I want to buy their debts from your lordship and pay for them with spices and other goods."
Vlad felt that he should be able to show off his affection to his father. After all, the Eastern fleet and the traveling caravans filled the warehouses of Constantinople. There is no problem in exchanging some money.
How can the two mayors still want to refuse? Isn't this a huge wealth? He agreed without saying a word, and also thoughtfully said that other electors and duke families had borrowed money from them to some extent. Vlad asked them to make a list so that he could choose from them.
As for the King of Bohemia, Vlad just discussed things with his father-in-law. The recent reform movement in Bohemia gave him an opportunity to seize power, so he also supported this movement. But it was limited to support, because the power was in the hands of the nobles.
There was also such action in Brandenburg. The elector directly supported their reforms and also conducted a thorough investigation of the Catholic Church's property in the country, which made the Pope angrily issue a warning that was not expected, but it seemed that it was It's of no use.
Wenzel was very willing to pave the way for his son-in-law. Sigismund could pave the way for his Austrian son-in-law, and he could also pave the way for his son-in-law.
The banquet ended happily, and the transaction involved could be said to be something that could affect the Eastern Shinra. The inequality between the output of the princes' own land and their increasingly expanded luxurious life gave Vlad an opportunity to start a counterattack.
Since the Imperial Parliament had been dissolved, Vlad turned to the northern princes for support. Imperial cities such as Hamburg, Lübeck, and Bremen, princes such as Pomerania and Bohemia, and some counts and knights also gathered in Brandenburg to form an alliance in the new capital Berlin. The main purpose was He wrote a letter to King Deok, hoping to move the emperor's administrative center to the north, including the Imperial Parliament, the imperial administrative agencies and King Deok's palace.
This is a big or small problem, because the southern region is usually where these institutions are located. Coupled with its proximity to Italy, the economy is more developed than the northern region. Southern German cities, represented by Augsburg and Munich, began to rise, which made the northern regions feel that they were being underestimated.
It happened that Vlad's arrival gave them hope, so this alliance came into being. Although not supported by the most important Danish king, its power cannot be underestimated. You must know that the last imperial parliament was very hurt by the princes who supported Sigismund, especially the religious representatives. Could they let this heretic enter? Naturally, the result was internal strife. Everyone said that the other party was not working hard and was in disarray.