Chapter 1556: Rome, Here Comes Another One!

The throne of the Holy Roman Empire had unexpectedly become a hot potato. Especially after news of the Ottoman Empire's great army marching into Vienna reached Cologne, the entire city fell into panic. The German princes gathered there seemed to see the end of days. The Pope spent the whole day in the cathedral praying for the residents of Vienna — though in fact no one had died in the Battle of Vienna, because the city had been abandoned before the Ottoman army arrived.

All the residents had fled in panic, leaving behind an empty city whose walls still stood firm, allowing Mehmed IV's army to strut about in triumph.

But Vienna was, after all, Vienna!

After the fall of Constantinople, Vienna had become the holy ground of European Christendom's resistance against the Muslim invasion.

It was this stronghold in the heart of Europe that had blocked the attack of the 100,000-strong Ottoman army led by Suleiman I in 1529, thereby checking the Ottoman Empire's momentum of expansion across the European continent.

And now, the unexpected fall of this fortress city — which had once withstood the Ottoman army and served as the Shield of Christ — had plunged all of Germany, and indeed the entire Christian world of Europe, into despair.

But amid their despair, the people still had one last thread of hope!

That thread of hope was France — it was Louis XIV.

In Cologne, outside the palace formerly belonging to the Archbishop of Cologne where Louis XIV was staying, these days, day and night, it was packed with citizens of Cologne full of expectation for this King of France. Most of them, not long before, had thoroughly detested this French king who held absolute power and cast covetous eyes on the Rhineland.

But now, they were terrified that Louis would abandon them.

Louis's 100,000-strong army was right there in Lorraine and Alsace! And under Louis XIV there was a whole group of exceptionally capable fighters — the Prince of Condé, the Grand Duke of Luxembourg, Marshal Turenne, the Marquis de Marin — each one more formidable than the last!

If there was anyone now who could still save the Holy Roman Empire, save the Rhineland, save Bavaria, save Austria and Upper Hungary, which had already fallen into enemy hands, it seemed that only Louis XIV could do it.

Yet this Louis XIV showed not the slightest interest in the throne of the Holy Roman Empire. After attending the funeral and canonization ceremony of Leopold I, he prepared to leave Cologne and return to France.

The moment the news got out, all of Cologne refused to accept it. At a time like this, you, Louis XIV, still want to run? The people of Cologne would absolutely not allow it!

This Emperor — you'll take the title whether you want to or not!

So the people of Cologne poured into the streets and surrounded Louis XIV's residence. It looked a bit like they were about to start a revolution!

Other people start revolutions to take the Emperor's life; these people, on the contrary, wanted to find themselves an Emperor!

But Louis XIV remained resolute — he simply would not become this Emperor! They could make whatever fuss they liked; in any case, Emperor was a title he could not take.

This put the six Prince-Electors and the old Pope in an impossible bind. Louis XIV would not become Emperor, yet the people of Cologne outside insisted that Louis must become Emperor. What was to be done?

If the situation were reversed, the people of Cologne could rise up, charge in, drag Louis out, and cut off his head. But how were they supposed to handle it now? Drag him out to make him Emperor? Prepare a purple robe, drape it over him, and then have the crowd shout "Long live His Majesty"?

Who in the world ever became Emperor like that? Never heard of such a thing!

"Your Majesty, why will you not take one step further and become Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire? This is not only the demand of all the nobles and commoners of the Holy Roman Empire, but also the will of God! Are you not a devout Catholic? Do you not feel God's calling in your heart?"

The one pleading so earnestly with Louis XIV was Pope Clement X, who had once again brought the six Prince-Electors of the Holy Roman Empire to urge him to take the throne.

To persuade Louis XIV to become Emperor, the old man had even dragged God himself into it.

But the problem was that Louis XIV simply would not nod or relent, leaving the old man and the six Prince-Electors so anxious they were on the verge of tears.

Louis looked at the seven men before him and said unhurriedly, "I will not become Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire of the German people. Go back and elect someone else!"

"Why?" the Pope asked. "Would you even refuse God's calling?"

Louis XIV shook his head and said, "First, I am not a German; second, I do not consider the Holy Roman Empire to be in any way holy. Therefore, I cannot become Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire of the German people!"

What did that mean?

The old Pope was advanced in years and slow to react; he did not catch on at once. But Frederick William, the Prince-Elector of Brandenburg, understood a little, and immediately said, "Then let us drop 'German' and 'Holy.'"

The Pope was taken aback. "Drop 'German' and 'Holy'? Then wouldn't that leave just the Roman Empire?"

So what Louis XIV wanted was to be Emperor of the Roman Empire!

Louis XIV's Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Hugues de Lionne, was also present at today's meeting, and at this point he spoke up and laid the matter completely bare.

"His Majesty the King of France possesses Gaul, and moreover, Carlos of Spain, the heir of the House of Habsburg, is unable to produce an heir. Therefore the King of France is also the heir to Spain, Austria, Bohemia, Naples, Milan, and other territories. Taken together, these regions are practically the old Western Roman Empire!

Therefore, His Majesty the King of France must be called Roman Emperor, and cannot be called Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire of the German people!

Moreover, His Majesty the King of France is an absolute monarch with unrestricted power, not bound by any Senate or Imperial Diet!"

So Louis XIV wanted only the title of Roman Emperor, and did not want a Senate or Imperial Diet that could restrain him.

This was also the reason he would not accept the six Prince-Electors' election of him as Holy Roman Emperor — he was unwilling to hand power over to a parliament, but wanted to hold it firmly in his own hands.

Now it was the Pope's and the six Prince-Electors' turn to be struck speechless!

What they wanted was not an all-powerful Roman Emperor, but merely a Holy Roman Emperor capable of driving the Ottomans out of the territory of the Holy Roman Empire.

But did they still have a choice? The Ottoman Empire had already won a complete victory! The entire Rhineland was in a panic, and regarded Louis as their only hope. If the Pope and the six Prince-Electors could not persuade Louis, then the Rhineland, to protect itself, might well secede from the Holy Roman Empire and join France. By then, the six Prince-Electors would have even less choice.

So accepting a Roman Emperor who could truly lead Europe seemed to be the only option!

But this Roman Empire... it seemed it ought to adopt a provincial system!

Frederick William, the Prince-Elector of Brandenburg, asked in a low voice, "Your Majesty, do you intend to rebuild an empire in which all glory and power belong to Rome?"

Louis XIV looked at this Prince-Elector and said with a smile, "The Roman Empire I have in mind should take the Ming Empire as its teacher..."

"Take Ming as your teacher? Learn what?" The Pope was very wary!

This Louis XIV wasn't thinking of abandoning God and studying the Principle of Heaven, was he?

Louis XIV said, "Naturally, to learn from the Ming Empire's pluralistic system of government.

Under the Ming Empire, there are provinces directly governed by the Emperor, military regions administered by Governors-General, and vassal states that are essentially autonomous. Moreover, the forms of government of the vassal states are highly diverse — there are kingdoms, duchies, united states, republics, and even a united kingdom.

Are the Ming Empire's methods not worthy of our study and imitation? After all, their empire is incomparably vast, and the people they govern number more than two hundred million! Compared with the Ming Empire, Rome can hardly be called vast and boundless!"

So Louis XIV did not intend to turn all the feudal lords below him into provincial governors of the empire at one stroke... but rather wanted to learn from Great Ming and establish a state with pluralistic methods of governance.

He planned to establish provinces in certain places where conditions allowed direct rule, while in other places, preserving the feudal lords' domains.