The Rise of the European Emperor

In the past two days, the notice of the Imperial Council has also come down - on July 30, the Imperial Council will be held again in Worms. Although it was a regular meeting, this time it became a battlefield where the princes forced Marin and Maximilian I to draw a line.

Although Marin was happy in his heart, on the surface, he still had to sell his grievances. For example, Marin wrote to Maximilian I privately, expressing his grievances - boss, it's not that the brother doesn't want to help, it's that the brother is threatened...

When Maximilian I received Marin's letter, he was also furious. You know, he really had the idea of ​​unifying Germany with the help of Marin's Beihai team. Even recently, due to the unfavorable situation in Switzerland, he planned to borrow troops from Marin. However, the princes of the Imperial Council are better, directly plugging this loophole, can they not make him angry?

Fortunately, this time, Marin used the method of killing people with a knife to eliminate the Gedes company, a huge threat to the Habsburg family's Dutch territory, but the Habsburg family can now concentrate their forces on Switzerland and the French. Fight each other. Otherwise, it would be a lot of fun if you were stabbed in the Netherlands by the Guedes while fighting with the French.

In addition, after Marin returned, he also took advantage of Albert's wedding to release Schwartz from prison. However, in order to silence the princes, Marin finally announced the punishment for Schwartz - revoking all military positions, halving the fief, but retaining the viscount title. In addition, Schwartz himself will follow Marin's side as an ordinary bodyguard...

In fact, it is clear to anyone with a discerning eye that Schwartz is the one who took the blame for Marin. After all, only Marin has the right to deploy troops in Beihai Kingdom. But Marin insisted that Schwartz acted without permission and that no one else could do anything about it. The most important thing is that Schwartz did not send troops in the name of Beihai Kingdom in this operation, but in the name of the "Blackwater Mercenary Company" established by Marin that year. People are mercenaries in the first place. Is there anything wrong with accepting employment from others? There's nothing wrong with it at all... So, Marin's treatment of Schwartz is really hard for outsiders to say...

Inside Beihai Kingdom, this is even more well known. Therefore, although Schwartz was downgraded to a bodyguard, everyone still respected him as "Shi Dashuai". Because everyone understands that when the limelight passes, Dashuai Shi will still be back to a high position.

...

Since the regular meeting of the Imperial Parliament was still some time away, Marin decided to do something. Spreading out the map, Marin suddenly found out that although he got the Earl of Mark, he only got part of the Ruhr area, which is far from his previous goal...

The future Ruhr industrial area is not just the area between the Ruhr and the Lippe. It also includes parts of the west bank of the Rhine, as well as the south bank of the Ruhr, Duisburg on the east bank of the Rhine, and parts of the north bank of the Lippe. In total, the Ruhr industrial area has an area of ​​4,593 square kilometers.

However, when it comes to coal mining areas, it is mainly in the area between the Ruhr and the Lippe. As for the west bank of the Rhine, and near Duisburg, there are indeed some coal mines. However, that is only a small part. The north bank of the Lippe River is currently divided into two parts - one part belongs to the South Münster area of ​​Marin; the other part belongs to the Recklinghausen area.

In the area on the west bank of the Rhine, Marin does not need to think about it. There is the main part of the Archbishopric of Cologne, as well as the territory of the Duchy of Clifford. Both of these countries are untouchable by Marin. Moreover, the coal resources on the west bank of the Rhine only account for a small part of the Ruhr area. Therefore, there is no need to turn against the two countries for so little resources.

However, the land between the Ruhr and the Lippe, Marin is bound to gain. Although the Earl of Mark looks like 3,000 square kilometers, only about half of the land is between the Ruhr and the Lippe. The other half of the territory is mainly located south of the Ruhr River.

(Note: Regarding the map of the situation at that time, Lao Niu will put a map on Du Niang’s Post-One Bar,

And make a mark, so that everyone has an intuitive impression. )

That is to say, even leaving aside parts of the west of the Rhine, the area near Duisburg, and the area north of the Lippe, the area occupied by the Earl of Mark between the Ruhr and the Lippe is only the local About half of it (the place east of Soest is not mentioned because there are no coal mines).

This is something that Marlin cannot tolerate. He took the great risk of being beaten up by a group of princes from all over Germany, not just for half of the two rivers in the Ruhr, but for all of it.

So Marin decided to get all the land between the Ruhr and the Lippe...

The problem, however, is that the ownership of the land between the Ruhr and the Lippe is very complicated. In addition to the Earl of Mark, which accounts for about half of it, there is also the Principality of Westphalia to which the Archbishopric of Cologne belongs to the east, and the Principality of Clifford to the west near the Rhine. In addition, there is the Recklinghausen area to the north, as well as the two imperial cities of Dortmund and Essen and the areas around them. And, of course, there is the small enclave of the Principality of Berg deep into the north of the Ruhr.

The Principality of Westphalia, which belongs to the Archbishopric of Cologne to the east, is not to be mentioned, because there are very few coal mines there. In addition, the Archbishop of Cologne is one of the seven great emperors, so there is no need for Marin to turn his face over the pitiful coal resources and the Archbishop of Cologne.

As for the two imperial cities of Dortmund and Essen, Marin is also intentionally annexed. However, annexing the imperial city is not giving the emperor face. Because the imperial city is a city authorized by the emperor, to seize these two cities is equivalent to hitting Maximilian I in the face.

Moreover, Marin is now a political alliance with those Hanseatic cities and most of the imperial cities, and it is despised to attack members of the political alliance. Therefore, even if Marin is envious of the two cities of Dortmund and Essen, he has to stop temporarily.

But Marin knows that in the future, he certainly has a chance. Because, he remembered, in the war of religions, Dortmund and Essen were all Protestant cities. At that time, as long as Marin stands on the side of Catholicism, he can openly annex the two cities. Therefore, for these two cities, Marin is not in a hurry.

The rest, then, is only the east bank of the Rhine in the Duchy of Clifford, and a small enclave north of the Ruhr in the Duchy of Recklinghausen and Berg.

The Principality of Clifford is an ally, and Marin finds it a little tricky. And the Principality of Berg, and the Principality of Clifford are also allies, and it is not easy to start. Then, only the Recklinghausen area in the north is left to start...

...

Speaking of the Recklinghausen area, it's a bit weird. This piece of land is hundreds of square kilometers. Also, it contains part of the area north of the Lippe River.

The strange thing about this piece of land is that it was originally the territory of the Archbishopric of Cologne. However, it was mortgaged by the Archbishopric of Cologne, and mortgaged to the lord of Gomen and the count of Limburg.

The matter has to start decades ago, and the location is in the Duchy of Clifford... The protagonist... is the Duke of Clifford and his grandfather Adolf I...

Adolf I inherited the titles of Duke Clifford and Earl of Mark, but Adolf I's younger brother Gerhard refused to accept it. Gerhard believes that the benefits cannot be swallowed by Adolf I alone. For example, the country of Mark can be handed over to him, so that everyone will have meat to eat...

But the European tradition is that the eldest son takes all, and Adolf I refused to let it go. As a result, Gerhard raised his army and occupied most of the country of Mark. Moreover, Gerhard is not without a backstage. His backstage is the Archbishopric of Cologne...

Then, Adolf I and the Gerhard brothers started a war of persecution for the ownership of the Earl of Mark...

Even, with the support of the Archbishop Dietrich II of Cologne, Gerhard also besieged Duisburg, the most prosperous city on the south bank of the Ruhr River in the Duchy of Clifford. Of course, the siege failed in the end.

With the help of the Duchy of Ulich and other allies, Adolf I, Duke of Clifford withstood the attack of the Archbishopric of Cologne and his younger brother Gerhard. Of course, he couldn't get rid of his younger brother who had occupied Mark Country. It was not until his son John I succeeded to the throne that he recaptured the Earl of Mark.

However, although he failed to clean up his younger brother, he dragged the Archbishopric of Cologne into bankruptcy...

In order to support Gerhard, the Archbishopric of Cologne also went into battle shirtless and dispatched a large army to help. But in the end, because the desired result was not obtained, the economy of the Archbishopric of Cologne went bankrupt.

In the end, in desperation, in 1445, the Archbishop of Cologne, Dietrich II, mortgaged the Recklinghausen area, which originally belonged to the Archbishopric of Cologne, to William I, the rich lord of Gomen and the Count of Limburg. At that time, the price was 100,000 gold coins, but now, to redeem it, the Archbishop of Cologne needs to pay more than 200,000 gold coins.

In fact, it is not that the Archbishopric of Cologne cannot afford 200,000 gold coins. Rather, the bishops of the Archbishopric of Cologne are unwilling to pay...

The Recklinghausen area is not a prosperous area. The local coal mine resources are abundant, but the agriculture is not developed. In this era when coal is unremarkable and agriculture is very important, the Recklinghausen area is like a chicken rib, tasteless to eat, and a pity to abandon...

Moreover, if the Archbishop of Cologne has money, it must be divided up by the Archbishop of Cologne and the senior bishops. These bishops, who originally spent money to campaign for positions, have the opportunity to recoup their costs and even make more money, so why not reach out? As for redeeming Recklinghausen? They didn't mortgage it, it's none of their business?

In this way, the Recklinghausen area, which is hundreds of square kilometers of land, is so vaguely scattered. It is ironic that such a large piece of land is much larger than the Gormen and the Counties of Limburg combined... In short, the lords of Gomen and Limburg made a lot of money... Knowing that around 1576, Cologne The Archbishopric only took the opportunity of a religious war and recovered the land by force, without giving Gomen and Limburg any financial compensation...

The property rights of this piece of land are not clear at present, but because of this, Marin felt that he would have the opportunity to start. If the property rights are clear, he will not be able to make a move. After all, whether the Recklinghausen area clearly belongs to the Archbishopric of Cologne, or Gomen and Limburg, he is not very good at doing it.

Right now, as the ownership of the Recklinghausen area is unknown, Marin decided to use all means to try to take this land down...