Eagle Byzantium

Pope Eugene accepted the first two items, but he rejected the third item, saying that it was a matter of Matilda's personal wishes and that he had no control over it.

When the stalemate continued, the Pope adopted an imperative tone and asked all the archbishops of the German lands present - Cologne, Bremen, Mainz, Trier, Magdeburg and Milan - to withdraw. Because they are all staunch nationalists and have always been at odds with the Holy See.

Then, the papal cardinals treated Henry Fifth, who was alone here, with both soft and hard tactics. "According to the laws that should be followed in a will, Matilda gave the entire Tuscany to Holy Rome twenty-five years ago. City. Honey, we can give you a crown, I don’t have to give it to you. In addition, you have to remember that it is impossible to win against us in a lawsuit, because everyone in the world knows that the Holy See can impose legal punishment on any secular king, but it does not. Any secular person can sue the Holy See."

"That's it. I'll hold a grand coronation ceremony for you and at the same time retain your secular rights in Germany. That's it. You can't ask for too much!"

"As the Bible says, both swords (spiritual and temporal) are in the hands of the Holy See. After his swords are unsheathed, will he still have yours?"

Throughout the hall, cardinals wearing cassocks were crowded, walking around Henry V, vying to be the first to speak, their voices noisy, sometimes intimidating, sometimes inducing.

Among the crowd, the bald Anselm, as a "palace deacon", did not come forward to argue. Instead, he stayed quietly next to the Holy See, squinting at the Holy See sitting on the gorgeous and noble armchair, thinking in his heart Full of eager desires.

He then looked at Henry Fifth, whose facial expression was a mixture of submission and resentment, and thought about a good time to attack.

In the end, Henry V was still unable to withstand this "wheel war". He turned around and surrendered to the Pope, saying that he could return the appointment power of all the archbishops in Germany to the city of Rome. From then on, the appointment of bishops in his empire must obey Rome. The city's canons, and the Holy See had the power to send "patriarchs" (similar to Anselm and Sambel) to govern the country's religious affairs and Henry the Fifth had no right to interfere with the other party.

But he still refused to give up his territorial claim to Tuscany.

The Holy See was also very generous, and he allowed the young man to "go back and have a good talk with your aunt." (Matilda's mother was Henry III's cousin)

But that understatement of arrogance floats above the water.

When Henry the Fifth walked out of the hall in embarrassment, he could almost hear the "trumpets" of the group of cardinals behind him celebrating victory. He mounted his horse, and then looked at the bell tower standing on a hill on the edge of Sutri City. , the spire was covered with a bit of beautiful snow, standing upright in the middle of the pure blue sky, the young king felt extremely depressed and uneasy in his chest.

He had to keep the secret agreement he had just reached secret from the bishop and his subordinates for the time being, because he knew that once he said it, it would inevitably lead to extremely violent reactions, and even those people would not hesitate to start a new war with the Holy See. He finally understood that no matter what he had done before, What is your position, but once you become a German The king of Deutschland has to shoulder everything that this position brings - he is torn between "securing the throne of Deutschland" and "getting crowned by the Pope". Who knows what these two two-sided things are? It has evolved to the point where you can only "choose one of two".

But Henry the Fifth still missed his aunt's territory.

He made some calculations and found out that he originally agreed with his aunt to unite the nobles to rebel against his father. Matilda promised him that "I will give you generous rewards when the matter is completed."

So Henry V planned to set off immediately to visit his aunt at Canosha Castle. After all, he still held on to a lot of hope that Tuscany could resolve the issue privately between him and Matilda: between nephew and aunt Sit down, enjoy a sumptuous and warm dinner, and reach a package agreement. After all, it is all for the Holy Roman Empire. It will be okay even if Welf inherits Tuscany in the future, as long as he can reintegrate into the empire's vassal system. That’s it.

The snow fell again, like reed catkins in the Po River Valley. Henry the Fifth, wearing a fur cloak, rode towards Canossa, escorted by a group of imperial soldiers.

On the gray rocks is the gray castle, which is the symbol of Canosha Castle. Henry V also saw the winding path and the stone walls built against the mountain.

In Germany, such stone castles are still rare. Many lords still live in wooden castles. Organizations such as guilds and chambers of commerce have just emerged in the city. Henry can't help but feel that Italy is really a developed and fertile place. How could a future empire lose control of it?

Henry the Fifth, who was stepping on the snow, suddenly thought of his father. He thought that his father had come to this castle humbly in snow similar to this, barefoot and wrapped in a torn blanket, begging to be with his predecessor Saint. The Reconciliation of His Majesty (Gregory VII).

Amidst the sound of the trumpet, Henry V suddenly realized that he had arrived at the small gate of the castle. There was an open two-story garden pavilion built behind the gate tower, with thick curtains hanging between the pillars. People inside could overlook the place. .

Henry the Fifth stretched out his hand and grabbed the pure copper animal head knocker. He needed to report. The knocker knocked on the iron-wood grille city gate. Henry the Fifth had another hallucination: he seemed to see his father in ragged clothes. Standing here, the wind blows on my father's skinny face, He shaved his head in apology, humiliatingly knocking on the same city gate again and again, being laughed at and begging the gatekeepers to open the passage, while his aunt and the former pope were sitting in the pavilion, looking at his father with a glass of wine in his hands. Embarrassment...

Sure enough, Matilda was waiting for him in the pavilion.

Henry the Fifth walked up the spiral staircase in the gate tower and finally saw his aunt.

Matilda is old, but her wrinkled face is still full of murderous aura and majesty. She received riding and weapons training when she was young. Ordinary men are no match for her. The Duchess wore a sapphire blue robe with gold trim, a dark purple blouse embroidered with gold, and a gray-white nun's headscarf.

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Next to her, there was a voluptuous and beautiful brown-haired woman, who was his father's ex-wife Placides. It was because of her divorce and accusations that the Pope was able to try his father for sexual insanity. crime.

There was also a man, little Welf from Bavaria, standing next to his aunt in a humble voice.

"You've come to ask me for Tuscany, isn't that right?"

Henry the Fifth bowed his head humbly and politely, not confirming but not denying either.

"Your wife is Elisa, the daughter of the Grand Earl of Sicily. If I give you Tuscany, can you unite with Sicily to deal with the present or future enemies of the Pope?" This is Matilda's third question. Two questions.