"The Consul of Venice and the Consul of Genoa are both in the city. Why don't you ask their opinions first?"

The Florentine ambassador said helplessly that he did not want to face the Papal State alone, as this would not help his country at all.

For this coronation, both the Venetian and Genean governors came in person. As commercial republics, Venice and Genoa's international influence is second to none. This period is also the period when the two peoples are most proud.

Genoa, together with Venice and Milan, directly isolates Italy from France and Germany geographically. Most of the borders of the Principality of Milan are high mountains in the Alps, and next to it is Switzerland, the home of the Habsburg family. Think about it.

To easily enter Italy, you have to rely on Genoa and Venice, so the status of these two countries in Italy is very important.

"Of course, the two countries' governance has always been our goal. We are already in contact with the two countries' governance, and the progress is very fast."

The French ambassador remained calm, which made the Florentine ambassador hesitate. Compared to the previous two countries, Florence was closer to the Papal State, and the pressure from the Pope was greater.

After thinking carefully for a while, the Florentine ambassador decided not to offend the French. After the Hundred Years' War, France's rise was unstoppable, and everyone could see this.

The main geographical location of the French is too good. To the south is the Pyrenees Mountains, which is difficult for the Spaniards to get over. To the north is the English Channel, to the southeast is the Alps, and to the east are large tracts of forests and plains. This is

The reason why France always wants to fight in the territory of Shinra.

"Well, if Venice and Genoa are willing to take the lead, Florence can join the French camp. At this point, I think the entire northern Italian state will not refuse."

"You will be glad for your decision today. I wish you good luck, Your Excellency."

Having achieved the goal, the French ambassador smiled and indicated that this was already the third Italian state. Their conditions were similar. They all required Venice and Genoa to take the lead. Under necessary conditions, they were even willing to form a North.

Italian allied forces to resist the Pope's orders.

The only problem now is how to get Venice and Genoa to take the lead. Of course, before that, we need to ask the Holy Roman Empire for its opinion.

The northern Italian states are still nominally members of the Holy Roman Empire. The conditions for joining this loose political alliance are not very demanding. In addition to Venice, several northern Italian states such as the Principality of Milan and the Republic of Genoa are also members of the empire.

There is a reason for this. Genoa is close to France, so he joined the HRE because he was afraid that France would be interested in him. There are no big forces around Venice, so he is not very enthusiastic about joining the Empire, and joining the Empire does not mean that he is interested in the emperor.

How loyal it is, it's just a repeated horizontal jump used by small countries. Although it is old-fashioned, it does not prevent it from being useful.

Under the deliberate pursuit of the French ambassador, he soon met Frederick III, who was so obsessed with etiquette that he came to watch the ceremony in person.

The French ambassador performed the ceremony meticulously, which satisfied Frederick III.

"Your Majesty, is there anything I can help you with?"

"Your Majesty, please issue an edict to let Genoa take the lead and form an alliance among the northern Italian states to jointly fight against the ambitions of the Papal States."

"oh?"

Frederick III inadvertently adjusted his cuffs,

"Fighting the Pope? Isn't the Pope your man?"

The pope at this time was still Marl I. Logically speaking, France's request should be allowed.

"Pope Mar I knew justice and was willing to vindicate Joan of Arc, but many bishops in the papacy and elsewhere were opposed, especially the Holy See. They believed that the conflict with the Church of England might lead to the independence of the Church of England, and threatened Pope Mar once he signed

If the decree of vindication is obtained, the rule of Pope Mar will be overthrown.”

The French ambassador reluctantly explained the whole story. In this way, the matter became very clear. It was nothing more than a conflict between the Central Holy See and the local churches. Both sides refused to back down, so there was a stalemate.

"Northern Italian League? For the French? Do you think they will agree?"

Frederick III was very interested in the French plan of action.

"Your Majesty, please rest assured. As long as your Majesty agrees, we will naturally have a way to get them to agree."

The French ambassador was neither humble nor arrogant. He hoped that the edict issued by Frederick III was just an insurance policy to prevent the HRE countries from misunderstanding that France was about to expand again. In fact, if the Northern Italian countries were willing, even if Philip

It was useless for King Trey III to stop him. The worst he could do was to withdraw from the Holy Roman Empire. If he wanted to fight across the Alps, the logistics would not be able to keep up.

Frederick III turned the ring on his hand and his eyes rolled around.

Although Frederick III did not seem to care much about the affairs of the empire, this was all superficial. The Habsburg family had monopolized the throne of the HRE only after Frederick III. Before that, Rudolf I and Albrecht

Hitler I passed by in a flash and was only elected emperor for one term. From this we can see that Frederick III was not without merit.

"If this is the opinion of the Northern Italian states, as the emperor, all I can do is support it."

Frederick III spoke seriously, and the ambassador understood that what came next was the key point. As expected, Frederick III did not pause.

"But does this mean that France will expand its influence to Italy? As the emperor, I don't want to see this situation arise."

The ambassador's smile froze. Of course Charles VII had such a wish. Now is the time of great strife. Charles VII is not willing to go to the grave like this. Expanding France is a necessary task for every French king.

However, this does not mean that Charles VII can ignore the opinions of Frederick III. Although Frederick III is not simply powerful, France is not much better. The Hundred Years War has just ended, and a generation in France is fast.

If the battle is empty, there will be no one willing to fight again.

"Of course... no, your Majesty can rest assured that His Majesty Charles is willing to reach an agreement with you on this matter, and France will not use this to interfere in the affairs of Italy."

After thinking about it, the ambassador decided to give up the idea of ​​​​confronting Frederick III. Italy is indeed a fat country. The main area in Italy does not have a strong country. It likes to ask foreign countries to intervene when things happen. It is rich but weak.

Who doesn't like this, but it's a bit too much to make enemies with Frederick III just for this. It's not too late to wait for France to recover before intervening in Italy, so there's no need to rush.

Now that he had received France's promise, Frederick III did not need to hold on. He readily agreed to the ambassador's request, so that the Imperial Parliament would be ready to issue an edict at any time to endorse the establishment of the Northern Italian League.

Later, after bribing the consuls of Genoa and Venice and promising various benefits, the two countries "reluctantly" agreed to France's request. As long as the Holy See disagreed, they could form a coalition at any time.

With the support of various countries, the ambassador wrote a letter to the Holy See without stopping. The letter expounded Joan of Arc's achievements with emotion and reason, and wanted to vindicate Joan of Arc and request the Holy See to overthrow her.

A resolution issued by the Church of England and requiring the excommunication of several English bishops who made the resolution, which is commonly known as "excommunication".

As soon as the letter reached the Holy See, it immediately caused an uproar. Soon, the Church of England also got the news and sent a letter as well, claiming that if the Holy See overturned the decision of the Church of England, the Church of England could consider that the Holy See had been seriously influenced by foreign countries.

The interference of powerful forces is not enough to become a model for churches everywhere.

Although the Church of England is not yet independent, the people in power in England all have this idea, but they can't find any good excuses for a while. Historically, as soon as the Reformation began, the Church of England broke away from the Holy See and established its own independent church.

The church is directly under the personal control of the king.

Although no action has been taken yet, the influence of the Holy See on the Church of England is much weaker than before. After all, the sky is high and the Emperor is far away. From Rome to London, one has to cross the sea and go through the mountains, and the transportation is inconvenient. Therefore, the Holy See’s influence on England

The church has always been in a free-range state.

But the key is to let go and let go. The Church of England’s annual donation to the Holy See is still quite large. We can’t just give up. Besides, if you are frightened by the French, you will tremble. Who will look up to the Holy See in the future? This is not to press the Holy See under your feet.

Lower friction?

Therefore, with the unanimous consent of the cardinals in Rome, the bishop sent by the Church of England was persuaded to leave. The cardinals deposed the papacy of Mar I and supported the restoration of the Polish bishop Pius II. Pius II once again ascended the throne.

the papal throne.

After receiving this news, Charles VII was furious. Who would have thought that the Holy See would do so cruelly this time without giving any time to react. But soon, Charles VII also took countermeasures.

A week after the deposing of Mar I, Charles VII re-established the Avignon See in Avignon. Mar I was still the pope. The scene of two curia and two popes reappeared. Each side declared that the other was illegitimate.

The pace of war is approaching again.

A month later, Milan, Venice, Genoa, Ferrara, Saluzzo, Bologna, Florence, Mantua, Lucca and other countries in northern Italy jointly issued a statement supporting the Holy See of Avignon and disapproving of Rome.

The Holy See, this made the Holy See very angry.

Wanting the support of others is not just words. After the joint statement was issued, Charles VII reached an agreement with the northern Italian states. The northern Italian states enjoyed trade privileges and the circulation of goods in cities in southern France such as Lyon.
Chapter completed!