Chapter 525 Changes in Western European Countries

Estrada sent someone to inform the nobles to come to the meeting immediately.

He looked at each general with a serious expression, and then said in a deep voice: "I just received a war report... Yesterday... Cordoba fell! It was occupied by the Romanians!"

"Sir, is this... is this news true?!" Sampes, whose fiefdom is also in Cordoba, asked in a trembling voice.

Estrada nodded.

The noble generals in the south clenched their fists at this moment, and shock, suspicion, pain, anger... all kinds of extreme emotions were conveyed from their faces.

"We must take back Cordoba immediately!" Sampes tried his best to lower his voice, so much so that his fists were bleeding.

The religious situation in Bohemia was more intense than expected. Catholicism, Orthodoxy, and Hussites fought for Bohemia. Wenzel was inclined to the Hussite movement and Orthodoxy, while the Bohemian nobles supported Catholicism. Fights between religions rose sharply. After the Roman Empire occupied Rome, the Orthodox Church centered in Brno preached everywhere, and the ideas it promoted were approved by many people.

At the same time as the Great Council, Sigismund began to concentrate the power of the Holy Roman Empire. He saw the benefits of Rome mobilizing resources for a huge war and decided to follow the other side to make changes.

In Berlin, there were already Orthodox bishops serving Vlad, and some people in the north converted to Orthodoxy, which became the basis for the existence of the Berlin Alliance.

John, Duke of Burgundy, fought back and forth with the Duke of Orleans in France, but soon the two sides compromised. For the Duke of Orleans to obtain the recognition of John in Gascony, he also had to make changes.

Gregory XII, one of the popes, sent representatives to Constance, and he granted the power to convene, hold and preside over the meeting; he also submitted his resignation to the conference and resigned from the position of Pope. This will pave the way for the end of the church split.

Of course, the Battle of Munich and the subsequent wars were not without benefits. Some lords died on the battlefield, and they were religious princes. Sigismund took the opportunity to occupy a large piece of land and connected the land through exchange and other means. It enhanced the strength of the Luxembourg family.

But Sigismund directly talked to the Bishop of Mainz for three days and three nights. You know, the archbishop is over 70 years old, and he can't stand such a late-night tactic. He can only try to persuade those bishops.

After thinking about it, he decided to go see his brother. The two discussed this issue carefully.

For Friesland, John planned to follow the example of France to set up a three-level meeting. Temporarily meet the requirements of these merchants, and then continue to expand the territory and strive to connect the land as soon as possible.

The king's order made the bishops start discussing, and the religious electors were furious. They were the most supportive of Sigismund. Now they are crossing the river and demolishing the bridge, right?

Moreover, of the 1.5 million lei indemnity, Burgundy shared 200,000, the Habsburgs and the Solon family shared 300,000, and the Frisian merchants loaned 300,000. The remaining 700,000 was paid by their religious princes.

"Of course we have to take it back, and quickly." Estrada said.

However, other things still need to be done. The members of the Grand Council, including many doctors of theology, canon law and civil law, bishop prosecutors, university representatives, cathedral chapters, deans, etc., and representatives of the electors, all support the abdication of the three popes. They have had enough of the church split.

As for diplomacy, John decided to consult with Stefan, the King of England and Duke of Normandy. He knew that giving up Gascony was a helpless move, but Stefan was by no means a person who would settle down in England. He would definitely have ideas about France.

Moreover, without the support of their religious princes, it was a joke that Sigismund could still use secular princes.

Now that the Hussites have occupied the majority in Bohemia, if they make any move that will cause a reaction from the people, it will be a question whether he, the heir, can inherit the throne.

In Constance, Sigismund ordered the bishops to give up the trial of Hus, at least not now.

This is not only for their fiefdoms, but also for strategic reasons. The Roman army can rely on the Guadalquivir River and the Andalusian Mountains for defense, and Cordoba is only 500 kilometers away from Madrid and Toledo. If they set out to the north, they don’t know what the parliament will say about them.

However, another Pope, John XXIII, did not cooperate. Although a large number of Italian bishops who accompanied John XXIII to the conference supported his legitimacy, he gradually lost trust in the conference. A few days later, he promised to resign as Pope, partly in response to the fierce attacks on him personally by anonymous Italian sources.

But for now, local princes are still needed to continue to promote reforms. Wittelsbach and Habsburg became the main forces supporting Sigismund.

"I must ask you to release Hus. Now is not the time for trial."

Not long after, news came from Scotland in the north. Henry IV forced the Scottish nobles to recognize him as the King of England, and the previous Scottish king and the entire Stuart royal family were imprisoned in the northernmost monastery. No one could see them without Henry's order.

However, if they want to continue to expand, they have to take Bohemia. But the other opponent Vlad is not a weakling either. If a war breaks out, I am afraid that I will not get what I have accumulated even if I give it out.

————Dividing line————

Sigismund discussed the reform of the empire with his confidants in the palace of Constance. The most important thing was to establish a system of the Holy Roman Empire that obeyed the emperor. But direct discussion would definitely not work, so it was decided to make centralized changes in the southern region first.

Now that the country was in ruins, Sigismund needed to accumulate strength again to ensure the safety of the Holy Roman Empire and pave the way for the Habsburg family he favored.

Hus was released from prison, but was placed under house arrest. All activities were monitored. During his days in prison, he understood that Sigismund and his confidants would not give him a chance to debate. If he died, he hoped that his partners in Prague would inherit his will; if he was still alive, he would definitely return to Prague.

————Dividing line————

Originally, it was easy for the Scottish nobles to expel Henry IV, but when they fled north, they also brought a large number of English nobles and troops, who severely squeezed the living space of the local nobles. They were soon captured by Henry IV's army and obtained their own fiefdoms.

Since his eldest son had already fallen in England, Henry had to arrange his second son, Thomas, Duke of Clarence, as his heir. And let the Duke of York assist in the administration.