Henry VI I Am I am
“His premature death should be mourned by
the German people and by all men throughout the empire. For he increased their
glory by the wealth of foreign countries, struck terror into the surrounding
nations by his bravery and proved that they (the Germans) would certainly have
surpassed all other nations had not death cut him short.”-St. Blasien’s
Chronicle.
“Will thou hold
and guard by all proper means the sacred faith as handed down to Catholic men?”
”Will thou be the faithful shield and protector of Holy Church and her
servants?”
”Will though uphold and recover those rights of the realm and possessions of
the Empire which have been unlawfully usurped”
”Wilt thou protect the poor, the fatherless, and the widowed?” [1]-Questions to
the Emperor at his coronation
What Happened: In the Holy Roman Empire, the
Hohenstaufens saw it reach its apogee. Under Barbarossa, the Empire added
Burgundy to its domain, and tried to restore order over the Lombard Leagues,
while centralizing his nation. Barbarossa did a decent job, but his son Henry
VI did it one step better.
Henry VI was the true father of
Frederick II. When Richard traveled through the empire on his way back from the
crusade, Henry VI imprisoned him, got a king’s ransom that bankrupted England,
and made England a vassal.
He then used that money to conquer
Sicily, and tried to consolidate the empire under his dynasty. His effort to
set up a hereditary monarchy failed OTL, and he died in 1197 from disease. Here
he succeeds, as the Archbishop of Cologne dies (a strong opponent of his) and
butterflies keep him alive.
Thus, Henry VI, the man who wanted
to conquer Byzantium, sets off on a crusade.
The Diet was, at long last, coming to a close. The
princes were finally coming around to agreeing to Henry’s proposal. Succession
in the head of the empire would now be hereditary in the Hohenstaufen lineage.
Hermann, Landgrave of Thuringia, was still
complaining. “This is not the foundation upon which the Empire is based! This
is a grave disservice to the Empire!” Henry sighed. Hermann had been
complaining throughout. IT was a perfectly fair arrangement, really. The
vassals of the Emperor could pass land through their female lines as well, and
their estates were hereditary, yet so was the crown.
“Why not? The Empire of Augustus passed down dynastic
lines, and are we not his heirs? “[2.
Hermann sighed, and nodded. If only the Archbishop of
Cologne hadn’t passed away before the Emperor had proposed this in Wurzburg.
Now he and the Welfs were the only opponents, and everyone knew the Welfs would
put themselves above the Empire. As the debate concluded, Hermann nodded his
assent.
Frederick II would be the first king to inherit the
throne of the Empire in hundreds of years.
Celestine sighed. Couldn’t they let an old
man rest? So the Germans had declared Frederick II to be the heir to Henry. Was
that so surprising? If Henry died, it wouldn’t last; and if he didn’t, well,
they would deal with it [3]. He would give support to the revived Lombard
League.
But there was
more to it than that. Henry had taken the cross in 1195, and was coming south
with an army. He was using his new possession as territory to free Jerusalem.
How could a just Pope punish an Emperor devoted to freeing Christendom for
preparing for his son’s future?
But the two kingdoms could not be kept together. He nodded. “Send the message
to Henry. Frederick II can only inherit the Empire or Sicily, not both. “
Henry looked off
in the distance, and picked his son up. “Those ships are setting off for the
Holy Land, to free Jerusalem.” Frederick nodded. A very quiet child, thought
Henry. Must take after his father.
“Are you going
with them?” asked Frederick. Already Henry could tell his child was going to do
marvelous things.
“Perhaps,
Frederick. The rebellion by the Saracens in Sicily has been suppressed, and
Markwood and your mother are in charge.”
Well, Markwood was also going to keep an eye on Constance, but no sense
worrying the boy. He would worry enough, when he grew up.
“The banner of
the chieftain marches in the strength of the Holy Spirit”- Crusader song.
Egypt,
November, 1197.
“The Franks are
back,” said one of the servants. Al-Adel nodded. With his brother’s empire
falling apart, it wasn’t surprising that they’d try to restore their Kingdom.
And already Beirut and Sidon had fallen.
They’d even sent a message.
“I, Henry VI,
Emperor of the Romans, King of Sicily, and ruler of Christendom, come thee now
with a warning. You have taken from us the most Holy City of Jerusalem, and
parts of the sacred true cross. Return to us the Kingdom and the Cross, and we
shall leave in peace. If you do not, then pray to your idols, for you shall
meet them shortly.”
And on and on. He
was almost as bad as Malik Ric had been. Then again, his army was just as
large.
Tibnine,
January, 1198
The defeated
Saracens walked out of the gates, defeated and forlorn. The Saracens were weary
and demoralized, he could tell; there’d apparently been a civil war in their
lands when Saladin died. He thanked God that nothing like that would happen
when his son took the throne. In fact, it was beginning to look like hi son
would be the king of Jerusalem. Princess Maria was a few years older than
Frederick, but what of it? He could always remarry if she died giving birth.
“Rise and shine O
Jerusalem, for the Prince of Peace is come”-The Coronation Mass of the Emperor
With the fall of
Tibnine (Tiberias), the Imperial army garrisoned the city and prepared to march
south. Although the casualties were great, there was little opposition. God had
smiled upon them, weakening the infidel in his civil wars. True, they had
suffered; there had been dysentery, and there had been little water, but that
was in the past.
Henry, at this
point, decided that, having the Sicilian navy in tow, he may as well get some
use out of it, and they advanced down the coast towards Jaffa, from which point
they would head east to Jaffa, a key Saracen seaport. Taking it, as the local
magnates told Henry, would mean that Al-Adel would not be able to communicate
properly with his lands in the Kingdom. It was, however, a mighty city, with
two walls, fifty-three towers, and strong ramparts.
Al-Adel,
meanwhile, facing opposition in his own ranks, decided that he had to defeat
the Franks quickly. The Battle of Ascalon would be the largest battle of what
would be known as the Imperial Crusade.
At the battle of
Ascalon, the sea protected the rear of the Christians, and Al-Adel decided to
use his numerical superiority to smash them from all sides. The army was
gradually pushed closer and closer together, and the Archbishop of Mainz wrote
that “Our people, so few in numbers, were hemmed in by the hordes of the Arabs.
They were shut in, like a flock of sheep in the jaws of wolves.”
Word was sent to
Henry that the lines could not hold, and they implored for a breakout. Henry
refused. His left flank bore the brunt of the attack, compressing towards the
center. Finally, in the battle that would earn him the name “The Wise” .
Al-Adel would,
according to chronicles, realize what was going on, but too late. The spark
came from Frederick of Austria, who rushed through the infantry and at the
attackers. Instantly, so did the rest of the army. As if on cue, the infantry
line parted in the center, and the cavalry charge became general.
The Muslim ranks
collapsed in general confusion and terror. Many of the Muslim attackers had
dismounted to press their advantage, and were cut down. Henry, declaring
“Adjuva nos, Deus!” [4] joined the fray. As the Muslim retreat turned into a
rout, Al-Adel attempted to berate and stop his soldiers from fleeing.
By nightfall, the
route was complete. Al-Adel lost over seven thousand dead and two dozen emirs,
and Henry had lost only a few more than five hundred.
The road to
Ascalon was open.
At Rome I heard lying and the betrayal of two kings. From that arose the greatest strifethat ever was or will be.-Walter Von Vogelweide.
As usual, the
Cardinals were arguing. Innocent III was getting rather tired of this, and it
was important to focus on the crux of the matter.
“Henry VI is a
threat to the Church. Bad enough dealing with an Emperor, when we could play
off the Normans against him, and vice versa. Now we have an Emperor who’s also
the king of Sicily. And in the Holy Land, where he’s been given the title “Defender of Jerusalem” by the Queen. And
who has gotten the German nobles to declare the Hohenstaufens the dynastic
rulers of the Empire.”
Innocent’s
nephew, the count of Segni [5] picked up a letter. “It’s been clear for some
time that a few of the German nobles have begun to realize that they are now
landlords for the Emperor and are, quite frankly, not happy.”
“Now, it’s quite
obvious that it should be possible to incite the Welfs to revolt ncle Richard,
who had just defeated Phillip Augustus in Normandy again. He knew he could count on Ottokar’s support
as well. The Pope was encouraging him;
Innocent was the one who had sent word of Henry’s death, and why would a Pope
lie?
The entrance of a
Crusader army into Jerusalem, almost ten years after the city fell, was not to
be a sack. It could not be, for, after all, Henry had taken the city without a
struggle.
With the fall of
Ascalon, Al-Adel was trapped in the Levant, away from his lands in Egypt. His
lands to the east, Henry had heard, were ruined and trampled underfoot.
Al-Adel’s reinforcements came from Egypt, as did most of his supplies.
Therefore, as Henry had guessed, Al-Adel had given up. In return for the
Kingdom of Jerusalem to the Jordan River, Ascalon would be an unfortified city
in Christian hands. A tough bargain, to be sure, but when the alternative was
losing your throne and having rebels take what belonged to you, there wasn’t
much of a choice.
Pondering on
that, Henry felt sympathy for Adel, something that he would have never thought
would happen. He too, had troubles at home. But the sight of the Holy City
repaid it all.
December,
Palermo, 1198.
"This other radiance that shows itself to you at my right hand, a brightness kindled by all the light that fills our heaven… This is the splendor of the great Costanza, who from the Swabians' second gust engendered the one who was their third and final power.”- Dante’s Paradise
Constance was
dying. Oh, the doctors, even the Jewish ones, still thought she might live, but
she could tell. Her time was drawing nigh.
In her lucid
moments, she wondered what would happen to her kingdom. Constantine (Frederick
would always be Constantine to her) was now the King of the Romans. Sicily was
swarming with Germans, and her husband was away in Jerusalem. What could the
future hold for her son?
It was then that
Constance had her vision of her son’s future. She would die, as the legends
say, with a smile, and uttering the word, “Constantine, Imperium, Rome.”
February,
Ascalon, 1199.
Henry stood on a
galley off of Ascalon, at long last ready to return to Germany. He had much to
deal with; maintaining order in Sicily, removing the Welfs, and ensuring the
defense of Jerusalem. He should really discuss that with the pope. Surely
innocent would agree that it was just to take a portion of the Church’s
imperial revenues to defend the Holy Sepulchre?
And, had not the
Pope promised to defend the lands of crusaders? Surely he would no doubt
condemn. Otto’s action, and excommunicate the rebels against the emperor[9]. By
the time Frederick was Emperor, Germany would be as centralized as England,
hopefully.
The mention of
Frederick turned the Emperor’s mind to Constance. (The Emperor’s true feelings
towards her are never recorded, but his foundation of a hospital in Jerusalem
was made in her memory, and the name of his second son, give an impression of
his feelings towards her)
As he waited for
the ship to leave, Henry looked across the water. Ascalon would be a new thing.
It would not have a Pisan quarter, or a Genoese, but an imperial one. Venice,
which boasted of being independent, was not permitted, but the great maritime
cities would find access to the greatest port in the east contingent upon
loyalty to their Emperor.
How long Henry
gazed at the port he could not say, for he was startled when Isabella came up
behind him. He really had to treat her with more respect, for she mourned
too. Her husband had died recently as
well.
“Do no worry, my
Empress. Together we shall make a new beginning.” Henry looked to the
northwest, where Byzantium still lay.
“For all of
Christendom.”
“The Lord Jesus
Christ has set up one ruler over all things as His universal vicar, and as all
things in heaven, earth and hell bow the knee to Christ, so should all obey
Christ's vicar, that there be one flock and one shepherd”-Innocent III.
Markward von
Anweiler laughed at the two legates. “The Pope feels that I am on Papal lands?
Since when has he had been the lord of Spoleto or Romagna? I hold these lands
as a servant of the Emperor! Perhaps you wish to dispute this with the Defender
of Jerusalem?”
“If he will
agree, then I will of course obey the Emperor. But until then, I shall defend
these lands with my life.”
Henry was not
normally a nervous man. After all, you couldn’t defend Christendom if you were
a coward! He was no Greek, to run from
danger.
But Joachim of
Fiore was in many ways more scary than
all the armies of the Infidel. He had be en summoned before the Emperor to
explain the fate of the world.
“They say you are
a prophet,” said Henry.
Joachim bowed
before the Emperor. “In no way. I merely see what God wishes to show me. I am
just a messenger. He has given me the insight to understand the revelations.”
“And what does he
tell you?”
Joachim gestured.
“The Holy Virgin, basking in the glow of the faith, supported by the Church,
stands against the seven-headed dragon, Satan. The seven heads represent the
persecutors of the faith, from Herod to Saladin. Six of the seven persecutors
are dead, but one, the antichrist, still lives.”
Henry shuddered.
“Where?”
“In Rome. He is
about twenty-five. He will seduce the church, focusing it upon worldly matters
over its true calling. It will be corrupted by avarice and ambition, and its
greed will cause many to lose the faith, seduced by heresies that ensure their
damnation.”
“And the Empire?”
“That,” said
Joachim, “depends on you. But I can tell you this. The Antichrist shall face an
Emperor who rules Jerusalem.”
Assisi, April,
1199
The city of
Assisi had never been a bastion of Imperial support, despite its German
overlords. Which, thought Innocent, made its celebration rather disturbing.
Throughout his
procession through Italy, the Emperor had been treated to tournaments, prayers
of thanks, offers of homage, and feats. Palermo had been festooned with silken
banners with the Hohenstaufen heraldry, and that was a city the Hohenstaufens had
conquered! Assisi had declared forty days of rejoicing for the victory, and the
fact that the Emperor had returned with
a piece of the True Cross made it all the more remarkable[11]. Even
Alessandria, built to oppose the Emperors, was sending him offers of praise.
What was next? Would Milan ask for a German podesta?
Innocent noticed
a change in the crowd. Even where he was sitting, on a stand above the street,
he could feel the ripple of excitement. The parade was finally finishing up,
and Henry was stepping off of his horse.
The crowd went
wild for the Emperor of Rome.
Two days later,
after the inevitable prayers of thanks, in which Innocent stressed God’s part
in the salvation of the Holy Sepulcher, he and Henry finally met [11].
It was Henry who began
the talks. “Ironic, is it not, that when the Kings of France and England
crusade, the infidel keeps Jerusalem, yet when the /emperor does so, he
succeeds? Would you not agree that it is a sign of God’s favor for the Empire?”
“I think,” said
Innocent, “that it is a sign of his favor towards all of Christendom. Which is
led by the Pope, who guards the souls of man.”
“But is not the
Empire necessary? Who can defend the Church but the Emperor?”
“The church, of
course. The emperor only derives his
power from the splendor and dignity of the Pope, just as the moon derives its
light from the sun. The church made the Empire.” And, thought Innocent, could break it, if it came to that.
Henry nodded. “So
you would agree, then, that the salvation of men’s souls is of great important
to the church?”
Innocent began to suspect a trap.” Of course, mankind’s salvation is of immense
importance, as any village priest will tell you.”
Henry banged a
fist on the table. “Then do the obvious! Renounce Rome and control of Central
Italy. The revenues of the Imperial churches will more than make up for it. The
church will be freed from worldly concerns to focus on what you view as more
important, the salvation of our souls.”
“Consider,
Innocent, the dangers to Christendom. The Greeks are still schismatic, the
Saracens ravage Spain, and heresy spreads throughout Europe. In Toulouse, men
openly boast that the Earth is the realm of Satan. And yet we quarrel over a
few cities, over the rights of the Empire and of the Pope. I beseech you,
accept this offer, for the sake of our immortal souls [12].”
Innocent shook
his head. “It cannot be. Constantine’s Donation was made for a reason. It is a
demonstration that the Papacy possesses temporal as well as spiritual concerns,
establishing that the Church is of this world as well as the next. You,
however, are only of this world. Spiritual matters are beyond your grasp.
Moreover, it would make the pope dependent upon the Emperor’s good will, and
the church will never whore itself for money. The Papal lands cannot be given
up.”
Henry nodded.
“Fair enough. I hope that, with time, you shall understand and repent of your
decision. But I do have one other favor to ask. As you are well aware, the
Church will grant lords the revenues of churches on their lands if they are on
the crusade. As Emperor, and the King of Jerusalem, it is my duty to defend the
Holy Sepulcher.”
Henry raised his
voice higher so all could hear. “ I therefore ask that, as Emperor, you
acknowledge me as an eternal crusader, for by my very nature, I must always
defend the Holy Land. Therefore, I ask that I receive the revenues of the
Imperial church, so that I might end the grave threats to Christendom. As you
have refused, it would only be fair to use that money to defend the Faith.”
Innocent was
taken aback momentarily. This he had not expected. ”You have made a mistake in
your theology. Although crusading is, by its nature voluntary, there is a moral
imperative to do so. Those who refuse to take the Cross will have to answer on
judgment day.”
“Then is it not
necessary for the Church to help Crusaders? Even a tithe of the church’s
imperial revenues will suffice.”
Innocent was
caught in a trap. If he said no, he could not raise money for the Crusade he
was planning. If he said yes… well, he didn’t really have a choice. “We shall
consider it.”
Henry bowed, and
made to leave. “There is one more thing I ask of you. I regret to inform you
that princes, led by Ottokar, who claims to be the king of Bohemia, of Bohemia
and Otto, the Welf have risen against me. And,” said Henry, “ now that you are
aware of this tragic fact, and their assault upon the lands and rights of a
Crusader, breaking the Truce of God, I ask you to excommunicate them and their
followers.”’
Innocent, by this
point, was getting angry. Who was he, to tell the Pope whom to excommunicate?
“We must give them time to reconsider, the forty days that custom demands.”
“If they had
forty years they would not reconsider!” Henry and his retinue left the room in
which the negotiations were conducted.
Before walking
out, Henry called out one last sentence. “You may have qualms about unleashing
the Sword of St. Peters, but I have no qualms about using the Sword of Christ.
We shall see which proves its mettle.”
Byzantium, July,
1199
“We are the sole
two universal forces. The only Roman church and the only Roman empire of the
successors of Justinian and therefore we should unite and try to stop a new
increase of the power of our opponent the emperor of the west,” said Alexius
III, Emperor of Byzantium, Rightful Sovereign of Mankind.
The pope’s
delegate nodded. “The Emperor is too powerful. If we cannot stop him, he will
end the freedom of the Papacy and break Byzantium.”
Alexius refrained
from rolling his eyes. Yes, the German was a threat, but the idea that anyone
could take Byzantium was absurd. Still, the Pope’s offer could be interesting.
“What do you propose?”
“A council, to
end the schism, for one.” The legate paused, as if unsure, and continued, “it
is the pope’s duty to anoint the Emperor, as we all know. Therefore, if the
Emperor is deemed unworthy, it is the Pope’s duty to find a new one, for the
Church is in need of a defender. And if the Papacy could transfer the dignity
from the Greeks, it could always transfer it back.”
Alexius smiled.
It was about time that the barbarians acknowledged who their ruler was.
Nuremberg,
July, 1199
“princeps
legibus solutus”
The Leader is not bound by law.
Henry stared, Who
was this child before him? Frederick was not yet five, but already he seemed,
to his father who had not seen him for two years, to be the wonder of the world
[14].
Frederick, for
his part, was unsure how to react. He knew who this was, but to him Phillip had
played a bigger role. “Hello, father,” said Frederick. “Did you bring me
anything back from the Crusade?”
For the first
time in months, Henry laughed.
“Yes, I have.”
Isabelle entered
the room, and Frederick stared at her and her child. “This is your new mother,
Empress Isabelle, and your brother, Constantine.”
Upon returning
from the East, Henry’s first necessity was to call a Diet, to establish who
were loyal to the Emperor. The result was better than expected. The lords from
the Crusade, including the bishops of Mainz and Bremen, were there. Oddly, the
towns were his enthusiastic supporters [15, which was a welcome change from
Italy.
It was more
noticeable, really, who was not there, really. Richard had not sent a delegate,
nor had the Wittelsbachs. Henry of the Palatinate was supporting his brother,
but just as well. Let them know he meant business. Henry raised his voice and began to speak.
“I must admit,
when I hear the false claims of the Welfs and their allies, I wonder if they
have me confused with someone else. They call me a tyrant who has taken over
the Empire; yet was I not elected? Did you not decide to make my son, and his
sons, the heirs of the Empire? Of course, then, their claim is a lie by
deceitful wretches. They claim that I am unholy, and mock God. One would think
I am a Commeni.”
“Let me tell you
who I am, then. And let the traitors to God know as well. I am the August
Emperor of Rome, the Defender of the Faith. I am the King of Germany, of
Burgundy, of Italy, of Sicily, and of Jerusalem. I am the Sword of Christ, used
against heretics and traitors. It was used on Saphadin, and shall soon be used
on you.”
The assembled
nobles cheered. “Sieg un Heil! Sieg und Heil!”
The next day was
a tournament, to celebrate the Emperor’s success on the crusade. It was also a
day for Henry to plan his strategy. According to Phillip, the rebels were
hemmed in the north and in Bohemia.
“How do you think
we should deal with them?” asked Phillip, as they walked through the fields
where the tournament was being held.
Henry laughed,
and drew his sword. “Like this.” With a swipe, he cut the grass in half.
Eisenach,
August, 1199
Otto dodged the
blade and killed the knight attacking him with one blow. Despite the fact that
he had just avoided a rather unpleasant death, he swore. Where were his reinforcements? Where were the other princes Innocent had
promised?
The battle had
been a disaster. Otto’s supporters had been defeated or joined the Emperor. No
one could stand against the Defender of Jerusalem, and so no one would. He had
tried, but Henry’s cavalry had been too much. There was still a chance, though.
If he could escape to England..
He heard a great
cry behind him, as the Imperial forces cut off the rebels. He was trapped, and
now all hope was lost.
Fulda, March,
1200
“Lord Emperor,
are you sure you wish to see this?” asked Henry’s guard.
“I want to be
there for it.” The guard nodded and led
Henry down into the dungeon. There lay one of the most pitiable sights he had
ever seen.
Otto was broken,
that much was plain. “To think you once led armies against me.”
Otto turned and
looked up. “it was not me! The Pope-“
Henry cut him
off. “Yes, Innocent is not quite innocent here. But, I do not have him. ” Yet,
thought Henry.
“Otto will merely
suffer a fine and lose Prague. But you have tried to usurp the Empire while I
was on the holy crusade. If you wish to wear a crown that much, so be it.”
Otto looked up.
What could Henry possibly mean? It took Otto, deprived of food and sleep, a few
seconds to realize what was about to happen. It was not until he felt the pain that he realized what
was going on. A red-hot crown of iron, Henry’s favorite way of dealing with
rebels, was placed upon his head.
The screams, it
would be said, were heard in Augsburg.
Ottokar stood
kneeling before the Emperor, begging forgiveness. Behind the Emperor, the True
Cross was mounted. A nice touch, that.
“Ottokar, I
forgive you for what you have done. You were led astray by the traitor against
God, Otto of Saxony. He has been judged by a higher power than even I, but you
have time to amend your errors.”
Henry smiled. Now
Germany was his at last! In the
aftermath of victory, he had expanded his rights over Germany. He had inherited the fiefs of the Welfs,
with the death of their line; he had declared that his main court in Germany
would be in Nuremberg; he had confirmed his taxation of the peasantry; and he
had showered the towns with privileges. The Hohenstaufen Demesne now covered
much of Western Germany, and who would dare argue with the Prince of Peace, the
King of Jerusalem, the Augustus, about what was his?
“Know that I have
never set out for personal ambition. I merely hope to restore the grandeur of
the Roman Empire. There is but one step
before us, and that task will be complete. I ask you, Ottokar, to join me in
this noble endeavour.”
The messengers
had crossed the Alps as quick as they could. Innocent was rather amused by the
Emperor’s actions. He was altering the Empire’s structure without the Pope’s
consent. Wasn’t he aware that Saxony was actually a Papal fief going back to
Charlemagne [15]? And to torture and kill a vassal of the Pope without his
consent… well, those were not the actions of a true Emperor. Which meant, of
course, that a new one would have to be found.
“He has committed
very grave offences, which cannot be covered up by any subterfuge...he has
abjured God on many occasions; he has wantonly broken the peace which had been
established between the Church and the Empire…he is also accused of heresy...”-
Innocent’s Letter to the Archbishops of Germany.
The rolling
fields of Burgundy were, yet again, covered with a sea of tents and arms.
Despite meeting together during a peace treaty which was inspired by the Pope,
neither Philip nor Richard trusted each other enough to be near each other
without a small army. But despite having met for only a few days, Richard was
already tired of this.
He and Philip had
met in a central tent, donated by the Pope himself, because there had been an
argument over royal precedence. Phillip had suggested he was superior because
his Kingdom was not a fief of the Emperor; Richard responded by suggesting his
because his was bigger, which, he had said, was something Philip already knew.
Richard had been
tempted to leave, but the Legates had convinced him that it would be to his
best interest, and Henry’s worst, to stay. Therefore, two days after their
first meeting, they met.
“The Pope, I
hear, wishes for a marriage,” said Phillip.
Richard looked
towards the door. “Oh, is Alais finding her bed lonely? [17].
Philip Augustus,
King of France, silently wished he hadn’t agreed to this to have the Pope end
his interdict. Why should the Pope be able to tell him who to wed? There were
times, really, when Philip wished that he could send troops to kidnap the Pope.
But who could
ever imagine a French King doing that? Therefore, he had little choice but to
go along with this.
“What do you
think of a marriage between Eleanor and Louis?” [18]
Richard pretended
to think about it. “On one condition. You must give support to John. He will
march to rally the Welf allies in northern Germany, to support him as the new
Emperor.”
Phillip nearly
spat out his wine. A Plantagenet Emperor? Brilliant. How long would it take
before they all marched on Paris? On the other hand, he knew John. The poor
fool couldn’t even rule England! He would distract Henry from doing something
foolish, surely? He could then gain influence in Flanders, and then turn the
tables on Richard.
“Well, now, it
depends. Perhaps a campaign in 1202 might be doable….”
Richard laughed.
“Yes, yes. We must wait until after the crusade! The Pope has called for his
own crusade to free Egypt! Of course we will be under his leadership, to avoid,
ah the difficulties of the last Crusade of ours, but it will prove that no
Germans can upstage the Kings of England and France!”
Phillip glared at
the Legate. Yes, he definitely could sympathize with Henry.
Nuremberg,
May, 1200
Irene looked out
the window of the castle, as she was wont to do at night. Far to the south and
east, beyond what she could ever hope of seeing, lay her home She had been here
in Germany for years. Oh, she loved her husband, and the Germans had their
endearing qualities. But how could a castle compare to the City? How could she be happy knowing her poor
father was blinded and rotting in some dungeon?
Her husband
Phillip came up behind her, and held her.
He smiled. “I know you miss your home, dear. But I promise you you’ll
return, and this time, you’ll stay.”
Markward paced
back and forth. The Emperor’s orders were tiresome. He had made him build an
ever fleet before traveling back across the Alps, and for what? He’d only made
some vague comments about Egypt or the Almohads. But a fleet wasn’t cheap, and
he’d been able to make depressingly little money off of the island.
What use did the
Emperor have for this massive fleet, and why was he in negotiations with Pisa?
Really, thought Markward, as he listened to the Jews going over the state of
the Kingdom, it made no sense.
Just then, a
messenger ran into the throne room. Clearly the poor man was tired; it was a
long journey from Germany, and he wore the Hohenstaufen livery. Henry must not
have trusted anyone else with it.
“My Duke! There
is a message from the Lord Emperor, for your eyes only!” Henry grabbed the
letter, and tore it open. After a few
lines, he started laughing. “That does explain it all!”
German halls were
interesting places. A lord’s duties included making sure that everyone had
plenty to drink. A German lord’s duties involved making sure everyone was
drunk. Which, combined with Papal delegates and the fact that many of those men
were armed, could be a problem. For they had made the mistake of announcing
their superior’s policy during one of the feasts to celebrate the Empire’s
triumphs.
It was really
their fault, thought Henry. They shouldn’t have declared an interdiction. “Put
the swords down. These are men of the cloth, and they have come here in peace.”
“I will say this,
though. I pray for the soul of their lord. He claims suddenly that Saxony is a
papal fief. But when did we hear of this? Was it when Henry the Lion ruled
Saxony? Was it during the reign of Lothar?”
He waited for the German nobles to realize where this was going.
“No! He says this
now that I have taken Saxony from a rebel against God! After I have taken lands
from a man who attacked me while I was on the Crusade, who, indeed, threatened
my son [19].” The Papal delegates,
still somewhat stunned, listened to the roar which echoed in the castle.
“What does it
mean if Saxony is suddenly a Papal fief? Will Austria be? Or Bohemia? Or
perhaps he will decide the entire world is a fief of the Papacy, and threaten
us with damnation if we do not jump when he says. Is that becoming of Imperial
subjects?”
Henry turned back
to the delegates. “Return to Innocent, and tell him that I protest. I demand an
ecumenical council to discover the truth of the matter at hand, and I spurn his
protest. I shall call a Diet to discover the intent of the Empire, and we shall
see what my loyal subjects think.”
Henry sighed. No
matter what, it would all be decided by March.
Phillip looked at
the receding shoreline. The Pisan fleet had rendezvoused with the Sicilian
fleet off of Palermo, and all was set for the expedition. The island itself was covered in a security
blockade, with no ships allowed to set sail for a month. Now, at long last, the
men could know their true target. He looked across the decks, which were
crowded with the men of Germany and Sicily, still getting used to the sea.
“We are not going
to Egypt. We are off to Byzantium!”
The ramparts
towered above the Imperial fleet. The sight of the high walls and strong towers
which encircled the splendid palaces ands oaring churches, in numbers beyond
count, was enough to take a man’s breath away. There was not, Phillip knew, a
place as rich and powerful on Earth, nor a place so beautiful. Phillip’s
gaze hardened. All the more incentive
to take it.
Phillip had
landed his army near the palace of Chalcedon to replenish their strength. Even
the land was rich; it was a dark, rich earth that smelled of vitality. A man
could do great things, here. Great and wonderful things. They had already
repulsed a charge of Byzantine cavalry, and now they were awaiting a delegate
from Alexius.
The delegate
arrived shortly. To insult the Imperial
army, the Byzantines sent a delegate who did not even speak Latin fluently.
“You don't frighten us, German pig-dog!
Go and soil your bottom, son of a baboon. I blow my nose on you, so-called
Phillip-king, you and your silly German kinglets. I don't want to talk to you,
no more, you empty-headed animal, food trough wiper. I fart in your general
direction!”
Phillip looked at
the delegate, and, in perfect Greek, said, “Let me explain this to you. Tell
your king that if he will surrender now, I shall be merciful to him. If not,
tell him to send no more emissaries, but look to his defense. “ The Byzantine
emissary then decided that it was time to leave, posthaste.
The next day, on
the morning of May 8, the army crossed the Bosphorus and landed below Galata.
Galata was unwalled, but its tower contained the windlass that raised and
lowered the chain that could block the Golden Horn. The Byzantines had drawn up
a considerable force, but Phillip was ready.
“To me, men of
Germany!” roared Phillip, leading the charge against the Byzantines. “Sieg und
Heil!”
“Sieg und Heil!
Sieg und Heil!”
Enrico Dandolo
swore. He didn’t like the Byzantines, but Venice did excellent business with
the Emperor. A German King would not be their ally. But so many Venetians
didn’t see past the war they had had with Byzantium! Which was why it was
necessary that he give a speech to the people of Venice. In the Cathedral of St. Marks, Dandolo would
try to convince Venice to save Byzantium.
“Our ships have
seen Pisans and Sicilians under the banner of Henry sailing to the East. What
is in the East? Constantinople. Now, I am not fond of that city; but it has
been our ally before, and has always been our partner in trade. Now a German
seeks to subdue it, and tie it by blood to the Western Emperor. We will find
our selves between the Devil and the Sea, in that case.”
“Signors, I
myself am old and feeble, I need rest. My body is infirm. But I know, and you
know, that no man can lead you and govern you as I, your Lord, can do. If you
will allow me to direct and defend you by sailing to Constantinople while my
son remains in my place, I am ready to live and die with you.”
Constantinople,
May 10, 1201
Galata had
fallen; the Byzantine navy, such as it was, was destroyed; But Constantinople
still did not surrender. Awakened now
to the threat, the city was going to resist.
To that end,
Phillip had directed his assault against the sea wall in front f the Palace of
Blachernae. Pisan ships, low in the
water from the weight of siege engine, bombarded the wall, while the Sicilians
and Germans attacked via the land. The
Varangians were trying to hold the Germans back, but they could do no more than
stem the tide.
Before many hours
had passed, almost thirty towers were in Imperial hands. Men were pouring
through the ramparts into the city itself. Which was, actually, a problem.
This was his
city. It wasn’t some infidel’s city, or a Lombard town that needed to be razed.
It was now the property of the King of the Greeks [20], Phillip I. His brother
wanted tribute and signs of triumph, but burning down the city wouldn’t do.
Looters would have to be brought into line. Remembering that, Henry thought of
his wife’s comments on the horses at the hippodrome. Those would look nice in
Nuremberg, and should satisfy Henry. But he was not about to carve apart his
Kingdom to make some former Welf allies happy.
“Scire te
volumnus quod in spiritualibus et temporalibus nobis subes”
We wish thee
to know that thou are our subject in all spiritual and temporal
matters-Innocent III.
Yet again, the
nobles and representatives of the towns of Germany arrived in Nuremberg. Many
of them were no doubt tired of this, and were getting rather annoyed at the
Pope for keeping up this sham. A representative of Frankfurt stood up.
“We forbid the
export of precious metals; we forbid the export of weapons; we expel foreign
merchants [21]; we stand against his claims to be our overlords. We shall shed
our blood so that we remain free of Roman tyranny. We support you, Lord
Emperor!”
Henry smiled. It
was nice to know that despite the Pope’s lies, the People of the Empire
remained loyal to him. Perhaps this council would have a chance after all.
Constantinople,
May 28, 1201
Philip sighed. He
could get used to the Bucoleon. Silk sheets, incense, marble, gold, silver… the
Greek kings certainly knew how to live. Of course, maybe they had too much. He
couldn’t imagine a German Emperor fleeing the fall of his empire. Henry got up and went back to work.
The spoils of the
city had already been arranged. In addition to tribute, the horses, and an
acknowledgement of Henry as the true Emperor, Henry had had one more odd
demand. Books, and lots of them.
Henry had come to
realize that England had a university, France had universities, and even the
Spaniards had a university. But there was no German university; only south of
the Alps were there such places of learning. How could the Emperor be the ruler
of the world if a single city had more knowledge?
Therefore, the
great libraries of Constantinople were to be examined by Germans and Italians,
translated, and used to form the nucleus of the University of Frankfurt. He
still wondered who these Cynics were, though.
The Imperial
armies were spreading throughout the Empire, promising a return to the good days
of yore under the daughter of Isaac.
There were pretenders in Asia Minor, under a Lascaris, but he should
prove easy to deal with.
Even the
Patriarch was accepting the new situation. He’d finally left his refuge in
Dydmotichum and had attended the coronation, once Philip made it perfectly
clear he would accept the Greek rites, while making some vague noises about a
council. The Byzantine theory of the Emperor was rather appropriate, actually.
Phillip was
finally getting down to writing orders to the army in Thrace when a messenger
ran in. Apparently the Venetians wanted to take the city now, and their fleet
had been spotted in the Aegean.
Some one really
had to do something about them. Henry smiled as he dispatched the orders to
send the fleets back to sea.
Pietro Ziani,
Doge of Venice, looked across the lagoon. Why, he thought, could he have not
been Doge in a happier time. The mighty armada that Dandolo had set sail with
was reduced to flotsam and jetsam in the Aegean; the old windbag himself was on
the bottom of the Marmara. What had
possessed the old fool to think that the Venetians would have a chance of
taking Constantinople? Why hadn’t he sailed to Anatolia? [22]
Pietro had been
elected with surprising speed, perhaps because the Venetians were aware that
they would need new leadership. For the capture of Constantinople left a very
difficult problem. Venice had always been, nominally, a vassal of
Constantinople; it had used that to play itself off against the Western Emperors. With Constantinople and Germany under the
same rulers, though…
Pietro crossed
himself. If he did not do something, the day might very well come when an
Imperial armada was in the lagoon itself. Already he knew that Venice’s
privileges were going to be given to Pisa, and the city would face perhaps its
greatest challenge.
The question was,
what could he do?
“The fateful moment is at hand when the tunic of Christ shall be rent again, when the bonds of Saint Peter shall be broken, the catholic unity dissolved”-Archbishop of Worms.
God, thought
Theodore Lascaris, could work in mysterious ways. After the installation of the
Hohenstaufens in the City, he had tried to set up a state in Nicaea from which
to oppose the Germans. It had, it would seem, turned out to be futile.
For one thing,
the Emperor’s pledge to restore the Empire’s finances by confiscating the
estates of nobles in Anatolia and Thrace, and cutting down on imperial
expenditures, had won him favor in the city. But even while doing that, he had
dispatched an army to Asia Minor, to subdue Theodore’s “band of rebels”. Not even pausing to sop, Phillip’s army had
continued to Nicaea, and Theodore’s hopes were dashed.
It was then that
Phillip had offered him an interesting position. He could be the sebastocrator
of Thessalonica; away from his center
of power, Theodore would serve the Emperor by defeating the Bulgar
hordes, who had been sent by Kalojan against the Empire. Theodore looked over his Sicilian and Greek
troops. Good men. Better than the Bulgars, for certain. And if he won, well,
who knew what the future held for a victorious general of Byzantium?
It would be said,
after the battle, that the Pope called Kalojan King of the Bulgars. After the
battle of Adrianople, Kalojan would be known as King of the dead[ 23].
Richard laughed.
“Henry thinks he can upstage me, can he? He may claim Byzantium and Jerusalem,
but I shall lead the Christian armies against the capital of the Saracens, and
sack their idolatrous cities of Mecca and Medina.”
Blondel,
Richard’s favorite minstrel since his youth, refrained from rolling his eyes.
Richard’s obsession was getting to be a bit much. Granted, Henry’s conquest of the Holy Land and Constantinople, and
Sicily, was due in part to Richard’s ransom, but if he didn’t start paying more
attention to things, he would end up with an arrow through his chest and a
grave in desert.
Phillip also
agreed. “I’ll grant you that Damietta seems ripe to fall within five months
[24], but what then? Who will rule Egypt?”
Richard paused. That was, actually, a
very good question. He’d be damned if he gave it to Henry. Quite literally, given the Pope’s new
edicts.
As usual with
Henry, everything had come together rather nicely. The Council had not met in
Rome or Constantinople, but rather in the Ghilbelline city of Cremona. It’s
goals were nothing short of world shaking; the removal of Innocent and the
reunion of Faith.
Unfortunately for
Henry, they wouldn’t shut up about the Filioque. It wasn’t a question of
whether or no the Holy Ghost proceeded from the Father and the Son as whether
or not its use was legitimate. The Greeks cited the Council of Ephesus which
said that no one could compose a face other than that defined at Nicaea, but
the Latins held it was a clarification, and that the Greeks had already changed
the doctrine.
It had taken
three months and the placement of troops outside their chambers to have them
agree that the Latin formula meant the same thing as the Greek where it was now
agreed to proceed from the Father through the Son.
Then the issue of
the Pope had come up. Henry, this time, had favored the Greek position. The
Pope was first among equals in the patriarch’s ranks, and the Emperor was above
them all. The Greeks would recognize Latin liturgy in the west; the Latins
would recognize Greek liturgy in the Holy Land, but there Latin Liturgy would
be used by the Kingdom. It was, thought Henry, a rather effective solution. The
Council also considered the Donation of Constantine to be a sham, and declared
that Sicily was part of the Kingdom of Italy.
The other issue
was that of Innocent. The problem was that there was no procedure for ousting a
Pope for unfitness; the ground used, then, was that Innocent had been found
guilty of blasphemy, murder , simony, sorcery, failure to fats on fast days,
heresy, and collusion with the infidel in supporting revolts in Sicily and the
Kingdom of Jerusalem. Some of those charges were even true.
The Council, then, decreed that the Pope was
deposed. The new Pope was to be chosen within a year; Henry was hoping for a
French candidate, so as to woo Phillip to his side. Phillip, actually, was the only serious king who had sent
delegates outside the Empire, although as observers only.
Not everyone
agreed, of course. One of the French ones, from Paris, was especially
annoying.*But what,” said the Bishop, “will you do with Innocent?”
Henry smiled. “I leave it to men of God to decide what must be done in the
service of God.” Henry thought of the Byzantine practice of eye gouging. Yes, that would do it.
The Lombards
might prove difficult, but they could wait. He would offer them concessions to
make them at least remain neutral, and deal with them when the time was ripe.
Rome was not built in a day, after all. Rebuilding it would be Henry’s task
until the day he died.
“Octavian, by
what aberration,
Do you seek to
bring Rome to damnation?
How were you ever
enticed
So to sever the
tunic of Christ?”
The words of a
Roman propagandist were running through Innocent’s mind. What could he do?
Henry’s excommunication had failed; he’d merely joined the Greeks to his new
Church under its Pope.
It was all
Celestine’s fault, clearly. If he hadn’t sat by while Henry had surrounded
Rome, there might have been a way out. As things were, what could Innocent do.
He knew that there were those who whispered for accommodation with Henry, but
there could be none. Henry would not be happy until the entire world was his.
And the damned Romans didn’t care; they knew that Henry had promised to ensure
their liberties and essentially give them free sway. How could they be so
foolish? Did they not see why he would want them strong against the Pope? Innocent
knew that he would not be safe in Italy.
There was,
however, one place where he might find sanctuary. It was better, after all, to
be the Pope in Rouen than Bishop in Nuremberg.
Rome, July,
1203
Henry laughed.
“Pope Honorius III [25} should be pleased. The city of God shall soon be
returned to the Empire.”
Henry’s army,
massing in Sicily and Lombardy for much of 1202, had finally set out in
1203. He had relived his father’s
triumph at Tusculum, shattering a force of twenty thousand. Rome itself lay
exposed, and it had already been besieged by a Sicilian force in March. Now the
Emperor had come for the final blow against the Antichrist. He’d even brought
Frederick with him. A boy needed to learn how to campaign, even if he was a bit
young, and these Italians should get used to seeing their future Emperor.
To the Imperial
war cry, German troops had smashed the gates of the Leonine City, only to find
that St. Peter’s basilica itself was ringed with strong points. It had held out for two weeks, but had
finally fallen, and Henry VI walked unopposed towards St. Peter’s throne. The
Pope had fled, true, but who would believe him? Henry was angry that a Venetian
galley had spirited him away, but to a man who had traveled from Hamburg to
Jerusalem, nowhere was too far.
The altar of the
basilica was charred and stained; the marble floors were sticky from the blood
of the dying. He walked through the Basilica, and smiled. It would be said by
chroniclers that, as he walked through the Basilica, Henry could be heard
saying, softly, “Omnes possessions mundi mei mee sunt”.
All the
possessions in the world are mine.
August,
Alexandria, 1203.
William of
Norfolk looked around, shaking. He was, after all, only seventeen, a young age
to be going on the crusades. He was on the top of the walls of Alexandria, and
so far the Saracens didn’t realize that this part was undefended. But if they
caught on, he would die a painful death, far from home, in an unmarked grave.
William silently
scolded himself. It was not fitting for a warrior of Christ to be afraid at
such a time as this. He ran towards the tower, while behind him more crusaders
scaled up the wall. It was fortunate that the sentries had noticed that this
part of the wall was undefended, but that was, William supposed, another sign
of God’s favor.
He unsheathed his
blade, and led his men forward. The conquest of Alexandria had begun.
June, Cairo,
1204
Philip thanked
God that the crusade was over. He would build a Cathedral when he got home to
celebrate the fact that he could now leave. And, he supposed, that Egypt was
freed.
They had even
decided who would rule it. Amaury, the King of Cyprus, seemed to be the man for
the job [26]. They’d been negotiating it for a while now, and it was merely a
question of finding some one to give him a crown.
Even Richard was
happy, although he had to be dissuaded from trying to sail into the red sea
against Mecca. He and Blondel were celebrating in their tent. The King of
France was more annoyed than anything else. Didn’t Richard have something
better to do than to carouse? There was the issue of the Papacy to deal with.
Phillip coughed.
Damn it all, anyway. He’d been having headaches and chills for the past few
days. It was this unhealthy climate, and as far as he was concerned, the damned Saracens were welcome to it. A
few days of rest, and he would be fine.
Jerusalem,
July, 1204
Hermann of
Thuringia, Viceroy for Henry, King of Jerusalem, wondered, on his bad days, if
the Lord Emperor hadn’t been punishing him by making Hermann his viceroy in
Jerusalem. An unholy thought, but he was far from the only person to have such
thoughts.
First there had
been the issue of Antioch. Both Raymond Roupen, an Armenian who was the son of
Raymond III. The merchants of Antioch had wanted to be ruled by Bohemond of
Tripoli. It had taken all of his efforts to make them acknowledge Raymond
Roupen as their lawful sovereign, and that in turn had angered Bohemond of Tripoli, who called in az-Zahir of Aleppo
and Suleiman of Rum to join him in attacking Cilicia. It wasn’t until 1202 that
he had gotten that mess under control.
And now this mess
in Egypt. Ah, God. Who would’ve thought that it would be Philip who would die
of plague? Why couldn’t it have been Richard? And now this mess with the Amaury.
He hadn’t accepted Egypt yet, but he was King in all but name. He was slapping
his overlord, the Lord Emperor, in the face, and something would have to be
done [27]. Eventually.
This is supposed
to be a joyous occasion, lets not sit down and argue about who killed who!
sumpffuchs
sevastocrators-Theodore.
Marschfuchs
[1] There’s also
a sixth question, asking if the Emperor will pay due submission to the Roman
pontiff, which I felt didn’t quite fit.
[2 Well, often
enough to suit Henry’s purposes anyway.
[3 I’m in the
camp that leans towards senility in Celestine more than the moderating voice.
[4] Essentially,
God help us.
[5] Dear readers
may know him as Gregory IX.
[6] This is
closely based on Gregory IX’s strategy in the 1220’s, when Frederick went to
save Jerusalem.
[7] This
doctrine, that the pope could transfer the Empire, was proposed in 119, 1200,
and 1203 by the Pope in an Empire wracked by civil war.
[8] A more
cynical generation would say sickness inspired delusion, but hers wouldn’t.
[9] Henry
suspects papal support for Otto, but can’t prove it.
[10] Or so the
Saracens say. Given that the Saracens don’t believe that Jesus was killed on
the Cross, future historians will wonder if it’s a forgery.
[11] Note that
Innocent is in a rather weak position. It wasn’t until Henry died that Innocent
received homage from the Prefect of Rome and the Senate. Much of Central Italy
is still under Imperial control as well.
Henry’s legal
argument is also rather sound, thanks to help from the lawyers of the Kingdom
of Jerusalem. (Although the fact that he brings attorneys to Europe does imply
that he’s evil).
[12] An Emperor
asking the Pope to give up Italy in exchange for money? Sound farfetched? Henry
proposed that to Celestine in 1194.
[14] Frederick
was taken to Germany to be coronated as King of the Romans in 1197 by Phillip.
[15] Frederick II
missed an opportunity to make a strong ally for the Hohenstaufens when he
handed control over the cities to various princes. Henry will be in Germany
more often, and will not make the same mistake.
(Which could be
interesting; his proclamation of 1220 makes reference to the cities taking
their hinterland like in Italy. I wonder how muc h farther that could go.
[16] The Church
did claim this, based upon donations to the Church done in Saxony. Apparently
donating land, if you believe the church, means your duchy is theirs.
[17] Alais is
Philip’s half sister, who was, at various times, to be wed to Richard and John,
and was bedded by Henry II. She was also imprisoned by Eleanor She’s married by
this point, but Richard just feels like giving Philip a hard time.
[18] Eleanor of
Brittany, not Eleanor, Richard’s mother . Louis is Philip’s son.
[19] Or so he
claims. It’s true that Frederick II was in danger in 1198, but there was never any definite connection
to Otto.
[20] Phillip is
the King so as to not conflict with his brother, the true Emperor of the world.
[21] This really
hurts the Pope, since the collectors of ecclesiastical revenue, and those who
transport it to Rome, fall into this category.
[22] Pietro isn’t
really being fair to Dandolo. Dandolo, (who died in a naval battle I’m not
going into the exact details of because I know I can’t do it without being
horribly dull) reasoned that with its
walls weakened and the new administration settling in, Venice would have a
reasonable chance of freeing the city, and then turning it over to whoever
offered Venice the best deal.
What Dandolo
failed to take into account was the size of the Pisan and Sicilian fleets, as
well as that the Sea of Marmara would
constrict the room to operate for the Venetians, who were already outnumbered
(not having, after all, a year to build a fleet).
The battle of
Constantinople will prove be a heavy blow for Venice, which has lost many of
its most able sailors. As a result, Venice’s place in the Mediterranean trade
will be weaker, with slack being picked up by Genoa and Pisa.
[23] Okay, a
brief digression. Three powers thought they had the right to create kings. The
Pope, the Emperor, and the Baesilus. The Baesilus and the Emperor are now the
same dynasty, and the Pope was hoping that Kalojan would be able to defeat
Phillip and unseat him, but Phillip, aware of the Pope’s negotiations (for,
after all, Henry had considered giving Kalojan a crown) is able to sic Theodore
on him. Demetrios is probably ecstatic that the Lascarids are in the game, but
hey.
[24] Damietta is
weaker than in the Fifth Crusade due in
part to the fact that the Ayuibids haven’t had time to prepare for war,
consolidate their holdings, and fortify the Nile. Having said that, the city is
still no walkover.
[25] This is
OTL’s Liupold, Bishop of Worms.
[26] In part
because everyone else is a vassal of Henry’s or one of his deputies.
[27] Cyprus received its crown, and hence its claim to a kingdom, from Henry. In return, Henry received the island of Cyprus as a vassal of the Empire; by supporting Innocent and grabbing what Henry feels should be the King of Jerusalem’s, he is slapping Henry in the face.