OBS Chapter 899 Clear rewards and punishments
Chapter 899 Clear rewards and punishments
Chapter 899 Clear rewards and punishments
Before, although Lothar already had two crowns, the political situation of the Kingdom of Jerusalem remained the same. At most, the king's authority was rebuilt, and there was no so-called regent to control the government.
In the final analysis, these are still two countries, but both have Lothar as their king.
Just like the dualistic Austro-Hungarian Empire, each country had its own leadership team, and the central government had no chance of interfering in Hungarian affairs.
As the two witnesses with the highest status present, many nobles cast their eyes over to try to find some clues from their faces, but to their surprise, both of them looked very calm, and the noisy voices became much quieter for a moment.
Richard lowered his voice and said, "As the eldest daughter of God, don't you want to say something? I remember that when Emperor Henry wanted to go south to conquer the Apennine states, you were the first to respond to the call of the Holy See."
Philip said indifferently, "The ones who should be anxious are Henry and the Queen of the Greeks."
It was a different time at that time. As a neighbor of Gaul, Henry of Hohenstaufen was already powerful enough. If he were to bring the wealthy Apennine states under his rule, the balance of power between the two would immediately be broken.
He is a pragmatist. When the situation is in his favor, he is the eldest daughter of God and the guardian of the Holy See. When the situation is not in his favor, let alone just standing by and watching, if he is really forced into a corner, he would rather form an alliance with the pagans.
Anyway, when Lothar proclaimed himself emperor overseas, the first to bear the brunt of the attack were the Pope and Emperor Henry of Hohenstaufen. Philip did not recognize that there was any authority higher than him in this world. In Gaul, no matter if you were the emperor, king, or pope, none of them would work - the last sentence was currently just Philip's own vision.
Richard sneered, "I guess the Greek queen wouldn't care about her lover proclaiming himself emperor, otherwise she wouldn't have given all the legal rights of these territories to Lothar. After all, she is a woman, and she is much more generous than the Greek emperors in this regard. But the one from the Hohenstaufen family, haha, watching his minister climb to the same level as him, I'm afraid he must feel very uncomfortable."
Philip couldn't help but roll his eyes: "Anyway, it won't be more uncomfortable than me seeing you."
Although Lothar is from the Swabian noble family and is a direct vassal of the Hohenstaufen family, he has no territory in Europe. But you, Richard, now occupy half of the legal territory of Gaul!
Richard thought for a moment, "So, His Holiness is the only one who cannot accept Lothar's claim to the throne overseas?"
When Richard first saw this incident, he felt that Lothar was extremely audacious, but after thinking about it for a while, he felt that Lothar's move would at most bring him some harmless criticism. The only thing that would hurt him most was the destruction of the dignity of the Holy See. But what could he do?
Is this a new round of crusades? Not to mention how many people would be willing to respond, the key is that they can't win.
Seeing Richard remained silent for a long time, Philip chuckled and said, "Why, seeing Lothar proclaim himself emperor, are you tempted too? Aren't there many people who call the territory under your rule the Angevin Empire? Why not give it a try too? I promise to support you."
Richard glanced at the guy and resisted the urge to punch him.
He was a daring man at heart, who loved adventure and was keen on pursuing fame. The idea of the Angevin Empire made him feel excited even at the thought of it.
But liking adventure doesn't mean you like seeking death.
"If your bones are tight, we can find a place to loosen them up for you."
Philip smiled awkwardly and said no more. Although he often claimed that wisdom was the greatest virtue of a king and Richard was just a brave but reckless man, the problem was that this guy was really powerful!
The two kings did not express their opinions, and the nobles below did not dare to speak out against it, so they could only discuss it in private.
This group of people kept silent, and it was the turn of Losa's die-hard fans to cheer loudly. In their eyes, although the Pope was the supreme shepherd of all believers and the spokesperson appointed by God, he pales in comparison to Losa, the "Son of God".
As the most sacred monarch in Christianity, why does he need to be crowned by others?
Some Jerusalem nobles whispered to each other, "How audacious! I knew that Lothar's generosity, justice, and kindness were all fake. Once his power was uncontrollable, he immediately revealed his tyranny and arrogance."
"First, he brutally murdered Raymond, and then he usurped the throne of the Holy See. I dare not imagine what kind of audacious things he will do in the future."
A noble from the Holy Land could not help but pull a Gallic noble over and ask, "Do you think His Holiness will issue him an excommunication order?"
The Gallic noble saw it clearly and sneered, "Who do you think is more effective in the East, the Pope or His Majesty Lothar? What if His Majesty Lothar directly turns to the Eastern Orthodox Patriarch or the Eastern Orthodox Church after the excommunication order is issued?"
On the side, a supporter of Losa could not help but say: "In my opinion, with your Majesty's achievements, it is only natural for you to be crowned emperor. If the Holy See opposes it, it only means that the Holy See is wrong."
Someone else said sarcastically, "Even if His Majesty the Holy See issued an excommunication order and called on all Christians to join the Crusade to conquer Lothar, who would join? The Crusaders who attacked Constantinople have already brought the Crusade to a bad name!"
"Indeed, I definitely won't go!"
"It is dishonorable and unholy to fight against our Christian brothers."
They tacitly concealed the fact that they did not dare to stand against Losa, and just kept making excuses, completely ignoring the public outrage when they fought against the Cathar heresy in Arles, Gaul a few years ago.
"Didn't Charlemagne conquer the east and the west and be crowned as the emperor of the Western Empire?"
"Charlemagne was crowned and recognized by His Holiness the Pope!"
"Her Majesty Lothar is also recognized by the Empress of the Eastern Empire. She is the supreme leader of the Eastern Orthodox Church and her status is equal to that of His Majesty the Holy See."
Many people gradually came to their senses and realized that there seemed to be some truth to Lothar's claim to emperorship.
These people are talking a lot, but it cannot affect the overall situation.
Lothar's supporters had the upper hand in terms of numbers, and this was because Lothar's supporters included a large number of lower nobles and landless knights, and many people simply could not enter the square to attend the ceremony.
"Praise be to Saint Losa, King of Kings, the protector of all Christians abroad!"
"Everyone, I have said before that those who make mistakes while fighting under me will be punished. Reynald has already paid the price for his sins. Now, it is time for those who have made contributions to be rewarded!"
Losa raised his hand and pressed it lightly to stop people from cheering.
Jeanne on the side handed over a long list of rewards, which included castles, manors, properties, workshops, and even gold and silver utensils, armor, and weapons.
The person whose name was called was surprised and hurried forward.
Listening to what Lothar was reading, the expressions of many Crusader nobles changed. Lothar rewarded people regardless of their background or origin; everything was calculated according to merit. Many of those who were rewarded were even followers of Philip and Richard.
"Everyone, I know that many of you are going back to Europe. You can convert the real estate you have been granted into money and goods and take them away. For those whose names were not read out, don't be discouraged. The quartermaster will give each of you the rewards you deserve."
"Long live!"
"Praise Lothar, praise His Majesty the Emperor!"
The generous reward surprised these peasants from Europe.
Resistance to Lothar's usurpation of the throne was quickly eliminated due to his wealth and prestige.