Molotov

As Governor-General of His Majesty King Charles' Pomeranian lands -and in this capacity acting as his deputy to any and all functions within the Imperial Diet or court itself- I must voice that my master is...pleased to hear that the Emperor has chosen not to involve himself in a war caused by Danish and Russian aggression. He is, however, concerned about his obligations as Duke of Pomerania and Bremen-Verden, and his Privy Council has therefore tasked me with...advising against this newest act of diplomacy, the Treaty of Prague.

As His Imperial Majesty has just concluded his intervention in the Spanish conflict, I feel comfortable surmising that he is indeed familiar with the precarious balance of power within Europe, and the importance of maintaining it as such. What His Imperial Majesty appears to have forgotten, however, is that the nature of the Peace of Westphalia -a peace that many Swedes and Finns died for whilst leading a coalition of states who wished to preserve their rights against Papal hegemony- provides only for the security of Protestant and Catholic states against each other. It does not -for indeed it would be a violation of its core purpose to do so- provide for the intervention of a large, unaccountable foreign state with hitherto no stake in the security of the continent.

It is not that the Emperor has chosen to ally with the Tsar -although the Tatar mannerisms and curious religious customs of his people speaks volume as to my intrigue at this alliance, for if it is the wish of this court, there are few of my station apart from my Finnish counterparts who can give as thorough of an accounting as to why one might not wish a Russian army on the doorstep of the Empire- but that he has chosen to ally with any power that might destabilize the balance of power within Germany. If the Turks were on the doorstep of Vienna, His Imperial Majesty would be calling for aid from all corners of Christendom. What precisely makes the Tsardom of Russia any different is only an academic distinction: the Hapsburgs are now threatening to bring in foreign powers against the nature of an established peace between Protestant and Catholic, and the King of Sweden begs the Emperor reconsider this treaty as pertains to Germany, lest the nations of Europe who do not answer to Rome be forced to reconsider Hapsburg intentions as regards the present situation in Germany.

Gesar wrote:

Johan August Meijerfeldt
Governor-General of Pomerania

As Governor-General of His Majesty King Charles' Pomeranian lands -and in this capacity acting as his deputy to any and all functions within the Imperial Diet or court itself- I must voice that my master is...pleased to hear that the Emperor has chosen not to involve himself in a war caused by Danish and Russian aggression. He is, however, concerned about his obligations as Duke of Pomerania and Bremen-Verden, and his Privy Council has therefore tasked me with...advising against this newest act of diplomacy, the Treaty of Prague.

As His Imperial Majesty has just concluded his intervention in the Spanish conflict, I feel comfortable surmising that he is indeed familiar with the precarious balance of power within Europe, and the importance of maintaining it as such. What His Imperial Majesty appears to have forgotten, however, is that the nature of the Peace of Westphalia -a peace that many Swedes and Finns died for whilst leading a coalition of states who wished to preserve their rights against Papal hegemony- provides only for the security of Protestant and Catholic states against each other. It does not -for indeed it would be a violation of its core purpose to do so- provide for the intervention of a large, unaccountable foreign state with hitherto no stake in the security of the continent.

It is not that the Emperor has chosen to ally with the Tsar -although the Tatar mannerisms and curious religious customs of his people speaks volume as to my intrigue at this alliance, for if it is the wish of this court, there are few of my station apart from my Finnish counterparts who can give as thorough of an accounting as to why one might not wish a Russian army on the doorstep of the Empire- but that he has chosen to ally with any power that might destabilize the balance of power within Germany. If the Turks were on the doorstep of Vienna, His Imperial Majesty would be calling for aid from all corners of Christendom. What precisely makes the Tsardom of Russia any different is only an academic distinction: the Hapsburgs are now threatening to bring in foreign powers against the nature of an established peace between Protestant and Catholic, and the King of Sweden begs the Emperor reconsider this treaty as pertains to Germany, lest the nations of Europe who do not answer to Rome be forced to reconsider Hapsburg intentions as regards the present situation in Germany.

To The most noble representative of the Kingdom of Sweden,

Firstly, we of the Court of Vienna are happy to know you recognise our wise choice of remaining out of conflict in the North of Europe, for we truly believe, that at the moment, there is no business in such confrontation that Austria is Interested in. We are also concerned about your own call for us to end the Treaty.

In your point of view, it is most understandable for concern, however, we are glad to inform you that there is no Reason for fear, for the Austro-Russian Alliance established by our powers in the Treaty of Prague is nothing more than a official declaration of friendship between two, old natural allies. The main reason behind such an alliance is in order to keep the Turk menace in check, a plan that is most sensible in regards to the defense of the Western world.

Another Point that we agreed upon together with the Tsar, is in regard to the dominion of the Holy Roman Empire. The Tsar swore, before the sword and the cross, to not establish himself within the natural borders of the Holy Roman Empire, which was one of the original demands made by the Austrian Legation in Prague in the beginning of the year, that I once again add, was accepted and fully recognised by the Russian Tsar and his legation. Meaning that the territorial integrity of the Holy Roman Empire is to remain intact if depending in the Russian actions, an action that we hope will also be carried out by the Swedish Forces.

I thank the illustrious representative of the Imperial court for his kind words regarding the sanctity of the Holy Roman Empire's borders, and will bear this in mind when considering the multiple foreign armies that are ravaging Pomerania while maintaining designs on Bremen and Verden, territories all recognized as being a part of the Empire. As this is a stated goal of His Imperial Majesty, I would therefore recognize his intentions, but remind him that the Kingdom of Sweden has a long and ignoble history of receiving the goodwill promised by certain nations -including, one might note, your newfound allies- in treaties, only to find them revoked without pretext. Our suspicion, therefore, must be forgiven: Austria is not the only nation presently defending the borders of the Empire from foreigners from the East, they are merely doing so with more security.

Indeed, on the subject of repentance, you must pardon my King for being unable to accept your benevolent reassurances that such a treaty applies only to the Turks. Intentions are all well and good, sir, but there is no wording in the Treaty of Prague to guarantee the sanctity of Germany, or to state that the Ottoman Moslems are the sole enemy of an Austro-Russian alliance. Your wording, “If war should break out between either party and another great power, excluding that presently contested between the Tsardom of Russia and the Kingdom of Sweden, both shall make common cause of arms to bring about the end of such a conflict”, implies nothing of the sort, and if the Tsar has made promises, let him declare so not to those who have reason to trust him, but to those with reason to doubt.

For it is not the treaty itself that has proven the issue, as I myself have stated. It is the wording, and the potential for misuse, if not by the Emperor or even the Tsar, by their successors. If it is the aim of His Imperial Majesty, a man already seeking approval for the controversial Pragmatic Sanction, to provide for all states of the Holy Roman Empire, let him do so in terms that do not give them pause to worry. As of yet, Habsburg intentions may be clear, but their effect remains yet to be seen.

I therefore fear that, until such a time as the terms of the Treaty of Prague are expanded upon to legally prohibit Russian interference within the Holy Roman Empire or we ourselves are privy to an oath made by the Tsar or his representatives, I must convey my master the King's deepest regret that I must condemn in no uncertain terms this alliance. Likewise, I therefore call upon not just the electors of the Empire and representatives of the Imperial Diet, but all Christian states who cannot abide the uncertainty of this newest measure to do the same.

With the announcement of the Reichestag being summoned to Prague, a representative from Hesse-Darmstadt arrives in Vienna. He is Franz-Ernst, the thirdborn son of the Landgrave.

"Greetings your Imperial Majesty, I come by the ways of Darmstadt, bearing both my fathers pledge of fealty to your Imperial Majesty, and word of the developments in the West. It would appear that our Hessian cousins from Kassel have aligned themselves closely with those of the Swedes, so much so that there stands a very real threat that Landgrave Frederick might in the coming months become king of Sweden as well!"

"it is the belief of my father that such an act would be an affront to the very nature of the Empire itself, and would unduly destabilize the now uneasy peace in Hesse, where our three remaining Landgraviates are held in check only by the notion of shared blood. A change in the balance of power in the region could signal the start of a much greater trouble, as Hesse-Kassel already stands as the strongest of our lines, and them gaining a Kingly crown would no doubt only hasten their desire to subjugate their remaining cousins and integrate us all into a Swedish realm!"

"As such, my father would request Imperial Arbitration on the possible issue of succession. As a sign of good will, he would also offer to levy more Hessian Mercenaries into the Imperial Armies, so as the possible threats from north and south could be properly met with German steel!"

Even in retirement, the new Swedish ambassador to the Imperial Diet -a well-known figure, respected and recognized for fighting alongside Münster, Cologne, and the Hanoverians of Osnabrück as well as the French- cuts a quintessentially Carolean figure with his displeased expression and the immaculate maintenance of his gold and blue Skånska husarregementet uniform. The military nature of Herr Graf becomes even more obvious as the delegation behind him follows in near-lockstep, with the majority of the representatives being not Swedish, but German; a watchful eye might note attendees from Hesse-Kassel and Holstein-Gottorp, bishops from the Landeskirchen, and a half-dozen Imperial Princes of the Corpus Evangelicorum. As discussion turns to the imminent war, he takes a stand.

“So this is how the Holy Roman Emperor views the art of diplomacy and Christian governance: not as law of principle, but as a convenience, and one he can disregard at a moment's notice.

The influence of the Tatar despots of the east surely extends far, if such barbarism can be found in the halls of Schönbrunn. Blood from the Spanish conflict has scarcely dried in the fields in which it has been shed, and already the House of Habsburg calls for more, undoubtedly knowing that the destruction of Germany is the only way in which their sins of deceit and envy can be absolved. Ffor we have not forgotten the assurances made, that Austria would not intervene in the war against Dano-Russian aggression. More importantly, the rest of the Christian world has not forgotten the principles of religious and political balance established at Augsburg, Westphalia, and Utrecht. My king both rejoices and weeps at this state of affairs.

We in Sweden rejoice because we have at long last seen the truth, that the hand of the Devil himself must be plucking the heartstrings of the duplicitous Holy Roman Emperor. You who claimed that an alliance with the Russians solely existed against the Moslem Turks have revealed yourself a liar, and a poor one at that. You who have expressed a seemingly-sincere desire to defend the borders of the Holy Roman Empire have declared war upon an Elector and several Imperial Princes, and in doing so threaten not just Sweden, Prussia, Holstein-Gottorp, and Hesse-Kassel -a state, as point of fact, whose Landgrave is not Frederick, Prince of Sweden, who in turn is not a recognized heir to the Swedish throne- but every Elector, Protestant or Catholic.

Like a true Serpent of Eden, you who have claimed authority over a hundred different nations and three recognized faiths have finally proven yourself willing to lead them all into destruction at the behest of a foreign power, waving a false treaty as you stoke the fires that will burn Germany to ashes. We rejoice, because you have shown the world the depths to which men will sink, and now every Christian prince may make their own judgement.

And so we weep as well, not for our own cause. Every man of the King's army is prepared to die, for God is with us, the defenders of the Christian faith and protectors of the north. It is not just the north of the Empire that will suffer if the Habsburgs continue down this destructive path. I beseech this court, for I know there are good Christians yet among it who do not adhere to the diabolic intentions of the Kaiser, to consider the actions of the Stuart pretender in Scotland, whose rebellion raises animosity against Catholics in Great Britain, a nation who has long lived in fear of another Popish Plot. We weep for the suffering that has befallen the British. Think of the Camisards of France, the Waldensians of the Piedmont, and the religious minorities of the United Provinces, for the persecuted and unprotected are the first to fall in any great war.

And if that does not sway you, loyal Austrians, think to Germany. There are Catholics, too, that have no reason to side with Austria: the Electors of Cologne and Bavaria have only just been reinstated, and they have reason to fear a Habsburg resurgence. And why not, I ask the members of the Imperial Diet? Although he will defend the sacred rights of the Corpus Evangelicorum as the Kings of Sweden always have, King Charles has no wish for a holy war of Protestants against Catholics. Should Austrian aggression continue against an ally of his domain, however, retaliation will be swift. The Caroleans have no fear of numbers, and if we are to die for God and King, so it has been ordained.

Thus, what transpires will be up to the Emperor, should any hope of his return from this infernally-ordained course remain. I ask the court and the princes of the Imperial Diet only this: should the justice of our cause and the divine authority of King Charles prove insufficient, what then will stop the grasping tendrils of the House of Habsburg? Who will be betrayed next?”

(OOC: NPC involvement approved by GM)

Speaking solely as Electorate of Hanover, this turn towards Central Europe for Austria is very concerning to me. The alliance made between Austria & Russia had been officially announced, and re-assured as a treaty of friendship, or as means of a foundation for an alliance against the Muslim Turks and the threat they posed to a christian Europe. Alas, House Hapsburg has with a forked tongue said what was necessary in order to cement itself in a war where it would be able to gain European territory at the expense of protestant nations. As Electorate of Hanover, I condemn Austria's actions and your goal to establish Austrian domination over central Europe.