Holy Roman Emperor vs King of Bosnia
The Kings burst through the front doors and rolled down the hill in desperate measures against each other. They crashed into some trees and some of the wildlife escaped in panic. There was a dining table between the trees there. Beaten badly and bleeding heavily, clothes torn and weapons shattered, the tired kings came to rest. They sat at either side of the small table, falling into their seats haggardly, where there were already glasses of wine. The light here was very bright and golden. They drank the wine in a desperate fury to quench their thirst. Then servants came by and placed white robes over their bloody bodies. They refilled the wine and then placed two plates on the table. This first meal was Crni rižot, squid-ink risotto. The risotto is covered in such ink and mixed in with some shellfish. Wenzel picked up his fork with confusion but then Tvrtko quickly started swallowing his food. Wenzel took his first bite and enjoyed it.
The servants went away. Wenzel said, “so we have exhausted ourselves,”
Tvrtko responded, “and can’t find an edge against each other.”
“Well, you’re very offensive so I can hardly find time to make my own attack.”
“And your defense is impeccable, I’m surprised I broke through any time.”
“It seems as if we should’ve brought any random troop to give more support.”
“And if we kept the guards here, we would’ve won by now.”
“Well then, let’s discuss. Why do you ally with the Horvats in this kidnapping of your own family?”
“It’s better to actually answer why the Horvats are doing this. It’s not some Croat coup of the Hungarian state but a test of power. Ivan was displeased by the Angevin policy of centralizing this state, removing some authority of the provinces. He wants more freedoms and a more conservative use of Hungary’s state power on the nobles. With the same motive, I will make Bosnia a fully functioning and independent kingdom, especially since the Serbian state failed. Eventually, another Balkan Union.”
“So just a Croat coup. I do know Carlo Durrazo was once ban here under Lajos and so maybe then you guys had free reign to do whatever you want with your peasants and merchants.”
“Carlo of Croatia only, not Bosnia.”
“It was my understanding that Hungary quelled the Balkans. I know the Serb state exploded but how much would Carlo truly help you there?”
“Nothing at all I hope. In fact, maybe he would’ve been a completely useless king both domestically and in foreign matters. So if I reconquered Serbia, he wouldn’t have intervened. It doesn’t ruin Hungary’s standing anyways.”
“And Bulgaria?”
“I can’t fight them right now, my wife is Bulgarian.”
“And Greece?”
“Nothing to be afraid of there.”
“I see. I know one special thing about Bosnia. You have your own Church. The Durazzo’s would commit heresy by letting it live. What is the Bosnian Church anyway?”
Tvrtko covered part of his face as if he were blushing. Then he shrugged, “some sect, you know. I can’t tell you much. I interact with them under the ancient policy of Universal Tolerance. They have as much favor as the both the Western and Eastern Churches.”
“Oh? What for? What makes them legitimate?”
“…they control the central area of the country. Then we have Schismatic in the south and the Catholic Church in the north. Each of these churches control a good bit of land and have favor of a good bit of people from both the peasantry and nobility. So it might be bad to go against 1, even if 1 sides with me. That leaves the third to side with my opponent and a total civil war. Right?? So this is the problem some ancient empires found themselves dealing with back when people were polytheistic. But these three Churches believe in the same one true God as do I. You know I’m Catholic, correct?”
“Yes. You don’t have to speak with such anxiety.”
“Well, I’m even fully Roman Catholic, I don’t like the Avignon Pope. But see, my hands are tied for the good of the people. Look at it this way, Bosnia is an example of harmony between faiths.”
“Harmony?? Well I think this is the problem, why the two previous crusades failed in Bosnia. The Schismatic and Bosnians defended each other.”
“My Emperor, you lie.”
“Huh?”
“You said there was no reason I should have anxiety speaking to you about this subject. But the Imperial Luxembourg family could find themselves a home in Hungary and start a third Bosnian Crusade. But you mustn’t, the situation favors everyone anyways. Harmony works out in the long run.”
“Yes, if you are worried about the wellbeing of the peasants then harmony is a good short term solution. But you need to also save their souls. Conversion is the true long term solution.”
“Can you convert a stone, dear Emperor?”
“And furthermore, harmony is a thing you’re saying based on feelings. You are saying there is an atmosphere of harmony but I would say these three sects don’t even interact with each other. The merchants go between them because money doesn’t ever care about the soul. These different slavs won’t ever see each other as they don’t even go to the same cathedral. So despite one language, it is like you are ruling three countries. And for the Love of Jesus Christ, two shouldn’t exist. You risk them suffering Hell.”
The two quieted although they had more to say. The servants came in again, removed the old empty plates, and placed new plates. Now it was a fish stew using sea bass. The monarchs licked their black lips clean and began to eat their second meal. The servants also placed some water on the table and refilled the wine again before leaving.
Tvrtko started, “you are still young and maybe a bit spoiled. I shouldn’t say too much, I don’t know anything about Germany. And of course you present your argument this way, you have a closer relationship with the Pope. But it is the Pope and all of his ecclesiastical subordinates that protect the heart and soul of the people. Is this not what they do in the Empire? What do you even do as Emperor?”
“Then I’ll assume that you do not know of the Holy Roman Empire. It is like your situation, 3 countries in 1 but that’s because the peoples are different. We have the same 1 faith that gives real unity. The Kingdom of Italy where the Lombards are, the Kingdom of Bohemia where the Czechs are, and the Kingdom of Germany where the Saxons and other tribes are. As emperor, I administer each of the princes in each kingdom but like my father told me, it is more of intervening in their local feuds between landowners. Among the princes are both secular dynastic lords such as the Habsburgs of Austria and then there are the ecclesiastical lords such as the Bishop of Mainz. But they both submit to the emperor which is elected anyway. There are also free cities which have much more autonomy and can thusly be more democratic if they like. So I must juggle all of these powers beneath me without overextending my limited resources.”
“I see. What happens if the Bishop of Mainz preaches a heresy? How quickly can you respond?”
“There would be some time of course. But it would be a conversation at first and then a crusade, especially when he disagrees with the Pope. The Bishop has two supervisors in that way.”
“There’s no good in a crusade there. People are a fickle thing. They will go on way based on trends, the crown, and the trendsetter. But as much as someone is fickle, they will also be stubborn. They might want to go and stay against a larger crowd, creating a counter-culture that way.”
“Ah, I’ve never heard this word.”
“Well it is something important. Basically, it’s a rebellion. But what are you to do with a crusade but make them martyrs? Those who will survive will feel grief for those who believed in the same unique idea they had and believe in them harder. They will hide and and find more followers. Instead, you will be dealing with an infestation like roaches. And I’m murdering these people, murdering my own soldiers, when we could’ve been living in harmony otherwise. Bosnia’s economy has grown multiple times because the merchants go between my people. The people do not hate each other and there’s no tension for civil war as I continue to act as a uniter. If my son wants to convert them, that’s his problem but hopefully he will take my lessons.”
“This is nearly just your own sin.”
“I think murder is a mortal sin. If I make an attempt to convert but the person remains sinful then I have not sinned. I failed sure but God shan’t damn me for this. Failure is not sin. With all His power, He will find someone to convert them another way. If He finds a way for me to convert them then I’ll let His will be done.”
Wenzel was silenced from this response. This was now beyond his understanding, coming from a man with decades more experience than him. “But you’re a king for the people!”
Tvrtko finished his drink, “Do you know why the Holy Roman Empire has those designations you listed earlier? ‘Secular princes’ and ‘ecclesiastical princes’. I know for the election, there is 4 of the former and 3 of the latter.”
“Well, it is to give respect to both powers of course.”
“Right. Which powers?”
“The secular and ecclesiastical.”
“Okay to help you out, it is dividing Heaven and Earth as they have been divided since the time of Adam and Eve. Secular powers like swords and arrows, money and land, love and war. They belong to Earth. And we humans have found ourselves here on Earth. So we can make laws based on these things, based on our feelings and our natural experiences. These are Mandates of Earth. Democracy, choices of the people. For example, an Earthly mandate I know in Germany is disallowing women to inherit land and to learn magic. We also usually have punishments because we can enforce such laws. Such as?”
“….oh! For the inheritance thing well usually it should go to any male relative no matter how distant. Basically a woman would be last in line. But if it has to go to her, no one could get mad. The magic part, we treat them as a witch. Women really shouldn’t be handling magic, I don’t know why other countries don’t adopt this.”
“My niece simply learned it from her father same as me. So even if it was a law here, we nobility would get away with it. But anyways. There is God and there is Heaven. There is His resources in all of the supernatural and mystical powers He could have far beyond our imagination. Here, He planted this dining scene on a hill nobody ever passes by. And if we ask God to burn something, by our faith, He burns something out of nothing! No coal or any oil! That is magic! And with this magic only He can change hearts, changes fates, and change the very matter between all things. He could forget us and start a new universe, we wouldn’t know. Instead He wants us to join him and so to guide us he made Mandates of Heaven.”
“Of course. Like the Ten Commandments and the Beatitudes?”
“Yes, you understand. Let’s discuss one of the Beatitudes, pick one.”
Wenzel covered his face to hide his blushing. “Ah, really? Maybe a Commandment instead.”
Tvrtko’s face dropped. “Kids these days. Yes let’s pick the Sixth Commandment. We have this in common with God.”
Wenzel kept his eyes low and twirled his spoon in the stew. Then he finally said, “To not kill.”
“….good job. We also don’t just let murderers run rampant. We have our own punishments but what does God do to punish?”
“Send them to Hell.”
“Right. Even after the man has already been to an Earthly prison, he must still go to Hell. He can get out of that journey by reconciling which is usually not in any Earthly law. The ability of Reconciliation. Sometimes there is some amnesty but anyways, for Reconciliation, God has another resource. His priests that which He called upon. And He commands them his bidding although much like our Earthly subordinates, it’s up to them to follow up to our policies. He may tell them to raise a king under the Mandate of Heaven or to start a new mission. Whichever happens is his will.”
It got quiet as Tvrtko seemed to focus on finishing his stew. Wenzel only had the liquid left so but he doesn’t like it as much. He drank some water and patiently waited for Tvrtko to stop chewing. Then he asked, “why doesn’t God command even the Catholic priests in your country to convert.”
“Well instead, God perhaps has commanded harmony between the Churches. I mean, even before me they had been living peacefully for a century with each other. I don’t think I single handedly united all Bosnians. I am the first king because it will be my policy to continue to do so.”
“For your own pride.”
“No. For the safety of the people that still live on Earth. Ultimately, my argument is that we have certain roles in our appointments. Appointed kings really only protect things here on Earth. Those heretics in my country should still be able to eat the food from the land I protected, use currency that I am protecting, and speak the language I am protecting. I protect with the resources I have for me, my army and my magic. That is my role as king.”
Wenzel sat back in his seat in awe.
Tvrtko continued, “If Hungary wants to be defeated by Bosnia a third time, even though we have nothing superior to them, then come. My Catholic Bosnians will still unite with the others to protect the whole country from foreign tyranny. That is all I can do. But if God comes to change their hearts on His own, firstly I theorize He does it without violence. War is for Earth. Divine Love is Heavenly. The soul and what the soul has faith in is Heavenly. And then I won’t resist it, as long as it doesn’t trouble the stability of the country. If the Pope sends a missionary as an act of God, they should be successful and if they aren’t, there’s nothing to truly cry about. These heretics don’t worship demons, don’t eat other flesh, don’t practice forbidden magic, don’t break the Commandments or ignore the Beatitudes. And when they die, they will have their own negotiation with God. He is not without forgiveness so Christians should not be as well.”
The servants came in again so they two stayed quiet. But Wenzel didn’t have much to say right now. He was simply amazed. The servants removed the previous plates and put a final one. They refilled the water and removed the empty glass bottles. The last meal was Međimurska gibanica, a cake made of puffy pasty and quark with apples, seeds, and nuts as toppings. They each got a small pie of it. Tvrtko ate it quickly. Wenzel ate his slice by slice.
Wenzel said, “this Universal Tolerance is truly good? Is it not annoying to lose money to three different tithes?”
“Three? It’s still just the Catholic one. The Schismatic don’t do any tithe, in any of the Balkan countries or even in Constantinople. And I’m telling you, there’s landowning nobles in the Bosnian Church. It’s a close-knit community so they fund themselves. But yes, the only issue with juggling the 3 are the usual arguments about land and jurisdiction. But every king has that issue.”
“Oh. Then I guess it’s not bad at all. To me. For right now. That’s what it sounds like.”
Tvrtko licked his plate. “Well now, I’m full. Thanks be to God. That was a gold class meal. Do you agree?”
Wenzel took his final bit of the cake. “Yes, quite delicious. Since no man can fight on a full stomach, I will let you go Tvrtko. You talked my ear off and I didn’t even want to kill you beforehand. Go and hide in Bosnia. But if the Pope tells Sigismund to attack, I can’t really promise that I will stop him. I can’t imagine convincing him with my voicing of your arguments. But you’ve taught me. Be happy with that at least.”
Tvrtko rose and removed the white blanket. “Thank you, dear Emperor. I’ll go straight away in good faith since you are saving my grand niece. I won’t betray your kindness.”
A servant brought him a horse and Tvrtko left on it. Wenzel found his own horse and returned to the castle. He looked back and that forest they fell into didn’t even exist anymore.
tdwriter 