Barbarossa; An Historical Novel of the XII Century.

by Conrad von Bolanden

  _CHAPTER XXI_.

  _THE EMPEROR'S POLICY_.

  Barbarossa continued the execution of his vast projects. As it may beseen, he wished, like Augustus, to be the Emperor of the world, andthat every potentate, spiritual or temporal, should acknowledge hissway. But first of all, he was striving to destroy the Papacy. TheRoman Caesar was _pontifex maximus_; and to be this was the summit ofFrederic's ambition. But the only chance of success for this giganticplan lay in the overthrow of all existing institutions. Frederic knewthis well, but his energetic character never faltered an instant, forhe cared little, provided his empire were founded, even were thosefoundations built upon the ruins of the world.

  He saw clearly that mere brute force would be insufficient, and that hemust employ all the resources of diplomacy. His ambassadors weredispatched to the different courts of Europe, bearing to the reigningmonarchs the assurances of his consideration and esteem; on everyoccasion they were instructed to deplore the unhappy condition of theChurch and the obstinacy of Alexander; for Frederic was particularly atvariance with Rome, where he maintained a powerful faction, which, byits violence, had finally driven the Pope from the Eternal City.Matters had finally assumed so dangerous an aspect that there wasscarcely a city in all Christendom which dared offer an asylum to thelegitimate Head of the Church. Barbarossa then convened a generalcouncil, in order to give a coloring of legality to his projects. TheFrench and English sovereigns were represented by plenipotentiaries;for both, and particularly the bloody Henry of England, consideredthemselves to have been wronged by Alexander III.

  The approaching Council occasioned no little movement in the Imperialcamp, and the crafty statesman Rinaldo was busily engaged in arrangingmatters, in order that everything might proceed harmoniously.

  After some days of feasting and amusement of all kinds, Barbarossadecided to give a solemn audience to the ambassadors. They were invitedinto the _hall of the throne_, and after a brief delay, the rich silkenhangings were drawn aside and the brilliant retinue of the Emperorappeared. The nobles, clothed in costly robes, entered first, followedby the Emperor, wearing all the insignia of royalty. The crown alonewas wanting:--he respected the vow which he had made before Milan.

  The monarch ascended the throne; every word, every gesture indicatedunmistakably that he felt his importance, and that he consideredhimself the most powerful sovereign of the world. The nobles surroundedhim, shining like brilliant planets around the Imperial sun. The CountPalatine Otho and the Counts of Andechs and Bogen, were on guard,before the doors of the hall, where, clad in complete armor, with theirhands resting on their sword-hilts, they resembled so many statues ofbronze.

  The ambassadors, followed by their suites, then approached the throne,and the Count of Guyenne, French ambassador, commenced in pompous termsan harangue, in which he assured the Emperor of the friendship of hisroyal master. He deplored and regretted in a diplomatic manner thediscord and dissension prevalent in the Church, using terms so vagueand meaningless that the Count Otho became impatient and let his swordfall. The loud ring of the weapon had a calming effect upon the orator;he concluded with a brief and high-sounding phrase, bowed respectfully,and withdrew.

  The English ambassador, on the other hand, was stiff and sententious,his face retained a grave and stern expression, and Frederic's presencealone gave some appearance of animation to the features of thisphlegmatic son of Albion. Frederic was neither excited by theflatteries of the Frenchman, nor wounded by the Englishman's assumptionof importance. He knew Louis's crafty policy, as well as the ambitionand cruelty of the English King. Henry possessed certain territorialrights in France which he was desirous of aggrandizing, and theconstant quarrels, resulting from these pretensions, rendered eachsovereign desirous of cultivating exclusively for himself the Emperor'sfriendship and favor. Frederic knew all this, and he meant to profit byhis knowledge. The maxim, "Divide and conquer," was always present tohis mind. Alexander had used every effort to reconcile the twosovereigns; Barbarossa, on the contrary, did everything in his power towiden the breach between them. An alliance between the two nationsmight have been fatal to his projects, and the end to which he nowlooked was to detach both France and England from the Holy Father,deprive him of his strongest support, and then gain over each,separately, to the recognition of his schism.

  The Emperor's answer, unlike the harangue of the French envoy, wasclear and decided. He expressed, delicately, the consciousness which hepossessed of his own power, and the importance which he attached to it;at times, indeed, his words sounded almost like threats. Basing hisrights upon the old Roman law, Barbarossa claimed that the Imperialpower was supreme, and that the sovereignty of the Emperor extendeddespotically to all the countries immediately bordering upon it.Perhaps even Frederic himself had not yet foreseen whither his ambitionmight lead him; but he knew, by heart, all the texts of the digestwhich could be cited in support of his prerogatives.

  "We hope," said he, "that the bonds of friendship which already bindyour country with the Empire, will be drawn closer. The duty of theheir of Charlemagne is to maintain law and order, to respect the lawsof all men, and to assure the peace and tranquillity of Christendom. Wedo not make war for the sake of glory and renown; we are forced to itby necessity, for we will always direct the powerful arm of the Empireagainst whoever opposes our supremacy. It is important for us, thedefender of the Faith, never to lose sight of this point; and toenforce our rights, we count upon the aid of both France and England.But as this is rather a question within the jurisdiction of a council,we have requested the presence of plenipotentiaries from yourrespective governments; and the decisions of this illustrious assemblyshall be supported and enforced by every means at our command."

  Rinaldo, who had listened with great attention to the Emperor's speech,could not conceal his surprise. Each word seemed a reproach whosebitterness he disguised with difficulty under a diplomatic smile; andthe closing words produced a similar effect upon the ambassadors. TheFrench envoy looked towards the Englishman as if to ask: What has beenadvised?--what has been approved?--what has been promised? TheEnglishman remained calm and unmoved, although the expression of hiscountenance was that of one who had trodden upon a viper.

  "As we have the pleasure of entertaining at our court the illustriousenvoys of England and France, we beg them to carry to their noblesovereigns the renewed assurance of our friendship and consideration."

  The Emperor rose: the ambassadors made a profound obeisance, and leftthe hall accompanied by Otho of Wittelsbach, the Counts of Andechs andof Bogen, and their suites.

  "My imperial cousin," said Henry the Lion, "knows marvellously well howto sow dissension between France and England."

  "You are right," replied Barbarossa; "Louis will never be able to getrid of the English, if he undertakes to protect Alexander; and, on theother hand, the Englishman will lose every foot of soil which he nowholds in France, should he presume to oppose the organization of theImperial Church."

  At this juncture, the Chancellor Palatine Ulrich, upon a sign from theEmperor, left the room.

  "We have yet an act of justice to perform," said he, "at which werequest your presence. A complaint has been made to us of a gross abuseof authority. Those whom we honor with our confidence should be carefulnot to be guilty of acts which will disgrace it. Therefore, withoutregard to rank or position, we are determined that vigorous and sternjustice shall be meted out to all."

  Whilst Barbarossa was speaking, Rechberg entered the room on one side,while on the other appeared Herman, the prefect of Staufenberg. He wasfollowed by Hesso the chief of police, a sufficient evidence that hewas the accused party. He approached the throne boldly and with headerect, and threw himself upon his knees, where he remained in theposture of a suppliant.

  "Stand up!" said the Emperor, "and let the chancellor do his duty!"

  Ulrich advanced between Herman and the Barons; his stern and flushedface showing that he was about to exerc
ise one of the most importantfunctions of his office.

  "In the name of the Holy and Undivided Trinity!" he cried, in a loudvoice.

  At these words the Emperor and his nobles rose from their seats andbowed profoundly.

  "The noble Count Erwin of Rechberg, here present, accuses the knightHerman, prefect and Imperial Castellan of Staufenberg, of havingexacted illegal tolls, and of having in this abused the name of theEmperor, to the intent of prejudicing him in the esteem of the public."

  "What answer have you to make?" demanded Barbarossa.

  "I have never," replied Herman, insolently, "abused the name of theEmperor, and have never violated the law. I maintain that theaccusation is false and lying, and will prove it so in the lists, swordin hand."

  "Perhaps you had not the intention of violating the law," saidFrederic; "still it is none the less positive that such has been theresult of your illegal conduct."

  "If I had not the intention to act illegally, Sire, I can scarcely beconsidered criminal. A second time I spurn this accusation as false. Iwill prove my innocence with my lance and with my sword."

  "We cannot accord you this privilege."

  "But the right which I claim belongs to every freeman."

  Frederic glanced angrily at the bold knight, but his calm demeanor wasunshaken. The Bishop of Munster immediately spoke out:

  "In the name of the Holy Church," said the prelate, "I must correctyour mistake. The canons expressly forbid the practice of trial bybattle. In truth, there is nothing more censurable than this mode ofattempting to establish one's innocence. Admitting that you defeat youradversary, does that prove in any way that you are not guilty?"

  These remarks had not been at all prompted by a sentiment of duty, butinfluenced solely by a desire of doing the Emperor a service; and asthe speaker resumed his seat, he glanced towards him to observe theeffect which his words had produced.

  "Count Rechberg," resumed the monarch, turning towards Erwin, "whattoll was demanded of you by Herman?"

  "Four gold pieces for myself, and eight others for Bonello and hisdaughter."

  "Do you admit this, sir?"

  Herman looked around anxiously, as if seeking a loophole of escape.

  "Knight Herman," said Barbarossa, menacingly, "take care to make nomistake! A denial will avail you nothing, but will only increase theseverity of your punishment."

  "Under the impression that I had traitors before me, I did demandtwelve gold pieces; but as God is my judge, I had no intention ofeither violating the law, or abusing the Emperor's name."

  "However," said Barbarossa, "you have abused your position; you haverobbed our subjects; listen then to your sentence: We deprive you ofyour office and your arms, and declare you degraded from the rank ofnoble. Your escutcheon shall be broken by the executioner, and a mangydog shall drag the pieces around the walls of the city of Milan."

  Herman heard the first words of his sentence with a contemptuous smileupon his face; but when the Emperor spoke of ordering his escutcheon tobe dragged in the mire, he shuddered, changed color, and fell on hisknees before the throne.

  "Mercy! Pity!" he cried. "Condemn me to death if you will, but do notdishonor the escutcheon of my family."

  "Silence! Your sentence has been pronounced, and it shall be executed,"said Frederic.

  "Sire," resumed Herman, dragging himself like a worm to the foot of thethrone, "gracious lord, kill me, but in pity do not inflict thisoutrage. See these scars," (and tearing open his doublet, he bared hisbreast;) "I received them fighting in your cause, and yet now you woulddoom me to eternal ignominy!"

  "Lead him away," said the stern lawgiver, unmoved by the prayers of theabject wretch.

  The captain and his aids dragged off the condemned man, who mingledthreats and maledictions with his entreaties.