The Rise of the European Emperor

Although the Spanish-Portuguese issue of colonial division was quickly resolved, Marin did not intend to go back. Because the army on George's side has been assembled and is planning to attack West Frisland.

Although Maximilian I himself did not send troops from Austria, he had his son, the handsome king Philip, send 4,000 soldiers of the lowland elite, the Flemish Legion, to participate in the battle.

In the final analysis, it is Burgundy, the lowland region, that owes the Duchy of Saxony. Since the large inland territory of Burgundy was taken away by France, the Duchy of Burgundy is inland, leaving only a few areas such as Franche-Comté. The core area of ​​Burgundy, mainly the administrative center, was also relocated to Ghent, the capital of Flanders, the most developed region of the Netherlands. And Prince Philip, who grew up in Ghent, surrounded by those Dutch parliamentarians.

The rebellion in Flanders in 1492 was suppressed by the army led by the last Duke of Saxony, Albrecht. Although, in the end, Maximilian I was generous to others and gave the aristocratic republic of West Frisian to Duke Albrecht. However, the loan of 300,000 gulden gold coins provided by the Duchy of Saxony to Maximilian I did not need to be repaid. Essentially, that's a deal. The specific content is - the Duchy of Saxony paid 300,000 gold coins to the poor emperor Maximilian I, and Maximilian I therefore sentenced West Frisland, an independent country that did not belong to him, to the Duchy of Saxony... …

Of course, this did not pay off the favor of the Duchy of Saxony. After all, they also gave 300,000 gold coins. This time, the Saxons came to ask for the favor. Therefore, Maximilian I needed to send troops to help. Of course, Maximilian I directly sent his son to the army. After all, favors are owed by things in the Netherlands. Naturally low, the Netherlands should also be responsible for sending troops.

Although Prince Philip is ruthless, he is still a law-abiding nobleman. So he recruited 4,000 men from the most elite Flemish army in the Lowlands to help Duke George and attack West Frisian together.

In this regard, although Marin avoided joining the coalition, because of the emperor's sake, he had to provide convenience for the army to pass.

Although he left East Frisian, before leaving, Marin instructed Schwartz to provide convenience for the passing army. But at the same time, Marin also asked Schwartz to provide specific information to the Ged Corporation.

In this regard, Malin specially sent someone to greet Charles II, Duke of Geddes - it is not that the brother is unwilling to help, but that the brother's eldest emperor, His Majesty, actually wants the brother to attack you together. In order to take care of the loyalty of allies and loyalty to the emperor at the same time, the brothers can only run away...

Of course, for the army of the Principality of Gedes, Marin supported a large number of French standard weapons and armors, which looked like they were supported by the French.

In fact, the French did support the Principality of Gede. Maximilian I was hostile to the growth of France and hindered their expansion in Italy. Why are the French not hostile to Shinra?

You know, Shinra is currently the only empire in Europe. Maximilian I, as long as he was crowned, was the only legitimate emperor in Europe. As for the Eastern Roman throne that Andres Pariologos sold to Maximilian I, the French firmly refused to recognize it. You must know that the last crown of the Eastern Roman Empire is still in the hands of the French (bought by Charles VIII in those years). How could they admit the identity of Maximilian I as the Eastern Roman Emperor?

Moreover, the French believe that the national strength of France is no less than that of Shinra.

The title of Emperor of the Roman Empire can also be fought for by the French.

Therefore, the French desperately wanted to participate in the Italian War. In addition to coveting the richness of the Italian region, "occupying the homeland of Rome and seizing the throne of the Roman Empire from the Germans" is also one of the ultimate pursuits of the French.

After all, from a legal point of view, the king is the first rank than the emperor. When the king sees the emperor, he must bow. For example, among the four secular electors among the seven great princes of the Holy Roman Empire, the one with the highest status is the King of Bohemia. But even the king of Bohemia was only a subject of the emperor.

Strictly speaking, the Roman emperor is the highest secular monarch in Europe, while the Pope is the highest religious leader in Europe. One of them is in charge of secular affairs and the other is in charge of religious affairs. In theory, they have the same status. And the king, seeing the Pope, sometimes even kisses his boots.

Of course, the emperor of Shinra, under the hindrance of the princes, is relatively weak. Therefore, the Holy Roman Emperor, who is nominally equal to the Pope, is actually headed by the Dwarf Pope. This became more and more apparent after the "Kanosha Penance" incident by Emperor Henry IV of Shinra.

Therefore, the actual situation in Europe is that the Pope is the most honorable. Next came the Holy Roman Emperor, and then the King. The next is the elector, and the duke is inferior.

However, France is particularly powerful because of its centralization of power. The strength of the king of France has surpassed that of the Holy Roman Emperor. This made the French ambitions inflate, and they were dissatisfied with the status of Emperor Shinra being higher than their own.

As long as they occupy Italy, the French king will not only have more fertile and fertile land, but will also directly surround Rome, where the Holy See is located.

In this way, France not only won the "lizi", but also took the opportunity to compete for the position of the Roman emperor and gain "face".

Once all of Italy is taken, France will be able to force the Holy See, abolish the title of Holy Roman Empire, and give the position of Roman Emperor to the King of France. After all, the throne of Shinra was also given to the Germans by the Pope.

Obviously, the French just wanted to conquer Italy, not only to gain land, but also to gain the throne. Once acquired the lands of Italy and the title of Roman Emperor, the French would be unstoppable.

On the contrary, the Holy Roman Empire, which has lost the position of emperor, that is, Germany, will completely fall. Of course, the worst sinking is definitely the Habsburg dynasty.

Maximilian I was clearly a wise monarch who saw the great ambition of the French and felt the great crisis.

Therefore, although Maximilian I had no ability (mainly no financial resources) to participate in the Italian war, he did not hesitate to join the camp against the French. Even if he can't compete for hegemony in Italy, he must not let the French succeed - this is the idea of ​​Maximilian I.

However, within Germany, the confrontation between the princes and Maximilian I was irreconcilable. Moreover, those foolish princes did not understand the terrible consequences for Germany if the French took Italy.

Moreover, Maximilian I was actually somewhat uncertain about the idea of ​​the French wanting to compete for the throne. He just instinctively felt that if France captured Italy, there would be a great threat to Germany.

However, this reason was not sufficient to make the German princes support him against the French expansion in Italy. Only Marin, a transmigrator from later generations, from the perspective of a bystander, can carefully analyze the thoughts of the French.

In fact, when Charles VIII purchased the Byzantine crown from Andres Pariologos, the last emperor of Eastern Rome, he vaguely expressed the French's ambition to covet the throne.

Therefore, the Italian War was not only for Italian territory, but also for control of the Holy See. Once you control the Holy See and get the title of Emperor, it is no longer a dream.

All in all, the heart of the Italian wars was the land and the throne...

In this era, people more often think that the French are only coveting the fertile land in Italy, while ignoring the French coveting the title of Roman emperor...8)