Tyranny of Steel

Deep within the Vatican, a meeting was held between the Holy Father and the Holy Roman Emperor. Pope Julius and Emperor Balsamo discussed their difficulties over the past year and how to proceed forward. Emperor Balsamo was the first to voice his discontent with the rapid growth that Austria had been blessed with since Berengar had seized control of the Duchy.

"Berengar's power grows by the day; I have received concerning reports about a visit to Granada. Supposedly the heretic is consulting with the Moorish Sultan, we do not know what objective Berengar had or what form of agreement the two men came to, but there is little doubt in my mind that it does not bode well for our faith."

When Pope Julius heard this, he sneered in disdain as he cursed Berengar for his actions.

"Fucking heretic! Of course, he would lie with the Moorish dogs! May Berengar's soul be cast into the furthest pit of hell for his treason against Christendom!"

While Julius continued to throw out profanity regarding Berengar's association with the Emirate of Granada, Balsamo had more pressing concerns about the issue and interrupted the Pope and his vile behavior.

"Your Holiness, we have bigger concerns. If Austria and Granada are to ally, it threatens the Church's position in Iberia. If Berengar chooses to arm the Moors like he has done the Byzantines, it means we might see a new Caliphate form in Iberia; the rebirth of Al-Andalus is not something we can afford, not after the progress we have made over the centuries!"

This notion immediately snapped Julius from his rant and calmed his senses; he gazed at Emperor Balsamo with a vicious glare in his eyes as he coldly stated his intentions regarding Iberia.

"I will contact the Iberian Kings and pressure them into unifying against the Moorish Menace. Suppose the Emirate of Granada is to receive military aid by Bernegar the Accursed and his Grand Austrian Army. In that case, it means that Reconquista is going to become very bloody real soon."

After hearing this, Balsamo nodded at the Pope's statement. It was certainly in Portugal, Castille, and Aragon's best interest to unite against the new threat that had presented itself. As such, not only would the pope pressure Iberian unification but so too would the Holy Roman Emperor.

As for the other issues the Church was facing, Balsamo began to complain about what was transpiring within his borders.

"Your Holiness, the Berengar Heresy has spread from Southern Germany into the Rhineland and the East German states. The heretic known as Ludolf has personally taken up a mission to convert the locals of the Rhineland, and he has fallen under the protection of the local lords who tolerate his beliefs.

If left unchecked, Germany as a whole will soon fall to the Berengar Heresy, and we will see ourselves without one of the pillars of the Catholic world!"

Pope Julius frowned when he heard this news. Whether it was Iberia or Germany, things were looking grim for the Catholic faith in those regions, and as such, the Pope decided to intervene on this matter.

"I will send in the inquisition to exterminate these heretics. I don't care if entire villages have to be massacred; the situation in Germany is now beyond redemption. As for you, as Emperor, you need to declare the Berengar Heresy unlawful and that all adherents will face the penalty of death upon discovery. Use your forces to suppress them if need be!"

Upon hearing this, the Holy Roman Emperor smiled wickedly before responding; there was a murderous glint in his eye as he did so.

"Yes, your holiness! The blood of every last Heretic in Germany shall be spilled in the name of God!"

With the plans established to deal with the difficulties the Church was facing in both Iberia and Germany, another critical issue had begun to surface as Julius started to discuss how to deal with the Hussites.

"The Hussites have entrenched themselves in their territory; they are no longer fighting an offensive war. Instead, they seek to defend what they have gained and desire to drag out this conflict as long as possible. Despite the intervention of the Hospitallers, the war has only become more bloody, and our side continues to suffer casualties.

Though we can't prove that Berengar is providing the Hussites with their weapons, it is becoming increasingly apparent that Austria is supporting them. There is not much we can do to cut Austrian support since the Hussites and the Austrians share a border.

In response to this, I intend to rally support from Hungary and the Polish-Lithuanian commonwealth. I will send word to the Hungarian and Polish Kings and request their assistance in the war for Bohemia. We have to end this war quickly; the more time we spend fighting in Bohemia, the more Berengar has time to prepare himself for the upcoming crusade against him!"

Balsamo immediately began to interject on this matter and voice his concerns.

"The Polish-Lithuanian commonwealth is currently engaged in a war with the Teutonic-State, though the Teutonic Order is on the verge of collapse, they aren't likely to send aid to our forces in Bohemia so long as the Teutonic Order still draws breath."

When the Pope heard this, he sighed heavily before voicing his opinion.

"You are right, but it does not hurt to ask for their aid. At the very least, they can provide material support to the Bohemian Crown!"

After the two men thoroughly discussed this matter, they turned their attention to something of greater importance: the growing divide with the Eastern World. Despite abandoning the Teutonic Order in their time of need, the relationship between the Orthodox Church and the Vatican worsened.

Part of this was due to Berengar's interference. The Byzantine Emperor was growing more and more reliant on Austrian support when it came to his war for the reconquest of Egypt and Lybia. As such, the Orthodox Church had been crippled in terms of showing any form of support to their Catholic brothers to the west when it came to the subject of the Berengar Heresy.

Because of this lack of support, more than a few cardinals of the Catholic Church were condemning the Patriarch of Constantinople for doing nothing as the Berengar Heresy had begun to spread like wildfire across Germany. With the arrival of the Hussite Wars in Bohemia, Catholic influence began to wane across Europe.

There were even rumors of an English reformist movement starting to appear within the British Isles. Without the support of the other major branch of Christianity, the Catholics had grown bitter and had begun to lash out verbally at their Orthodox counterparts.

With this in mind, the Orthodox Church had sent a letter to Pope Julius requesting that he condemn his Cardinals and Bishops, who had begun referring to the Orthodox Church as the "devil's minions." This put Julius in a bind. If he condemned his supporters for criticizing the Orthodox's weak stance on the Berengar Heresy, he would only be furthering discontent in his ranks.

As such, the Pope wanted an opinion from the Holy Roman Emperor on the matter and thus asked the question on his mind.

"What should be done about the Orthodox Church?"

Balsamo was by no means a fan of the Orthodox Church or the Byzantine Empire for that matter. Since the formation of the Holy Roman Empire, the two Empires had fought for legitimacy in terms of who was the actual successor of ancient Rome.

Now that he had a chance to destabilize the relationship between the Byzantine Emperor and the Orthodox Church, the Holy Roman Emperor intended to take full advantage of it. As such, a cruel smirk appeared on the corners of his lips as he offered his advice to deal with the situation.

"The Patriarch of Constantinople is a coward who bows to the Byzantine Emperor, and the Emperor is a man already influenced by Berengar's wicked ways. You should never condemn the faithful for pointing out that our eastern brothers are tainted! There is only one reasonable response to the current predicament.

You must force the Patriarch of Constantinople to condemn the Byzantine Emperor for aiding and abetting a condemned Heretic! Inform them that they are committing a grave sin by sitting by and allowing the Byzantine Royal family to associate themselves with the Devil's personal representative on this Earth! If they refuse to do so, condemn the Patriarch as a Heretic as well!

After hearing this, the Pope thought about Balsamo's words for some time before he ultimately agreed with them.

"Very well, I will pressure the Patriarch of Constantinople to denounce the Byzantine Emperor for his crimes. If they refuse to do so, I will not hold back my discontent. Berengar's strength relies on his trade with the East; if the Byzantines continue engaging in such heresy, they must be condemned!"

With this said, the relations between the Catholic and Orthodox churches were about to take a turn for the worse, all because of Berengar's influence. Despite sticking together for centuries longer than in Berengar's previous life, the two pillars of the Christian world were on the edge of a full-scale schism.

After all, was said and done, the Vatican had come up with several ways to counteract Berengar's activities in Europe. It would not be long before more proxy wars between the Catholic Church, Berengar began to appear. The Hussite wars were just the beginning.

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