The return of the fallen king

Chapter 34: Strike against God and the Church

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― Meister Eckhart, Sermons of Meister Eckhart

Charles was going to commit the sin of sequestering monastery property. This would be a significant violation of church law, and it would undoubtedly enrage the Pope. However, he believed that doing so was important in order to bring in desperately needed gold for the treasury and safeguard the kingdom's finances. He was aware that it would be a terrible offense against the church, but hoped that the pope would understand his reasoning and be willing to overlook this one infraction.

The archbishop of Cosenza was a dedicated servant of the church, and he disapproved of Charles' acts against the house of God. As a result, he decided to travel to Rome and warn the Pope of Charles' heretical deed, hoping that the Pope would put a stop to such heinous acts against the church and restore the integrity of its institutions. The archbishop organized a caravan and traveled to Rome, expecting to speak with the pope and persuade him to act against Charles' breach. After all, he was prey in the presence of a predator. What you want to chastise the wolf ? That's fine, but first seek the hunter's protection.

Politics has been played in this manner since the dawn of time: the weak hug the thighs of the powerful in order to survive, and in exchange, the weak supports the strong with as little as he can when his boss requests it. These were simply the ways of the world. Every individual and nation strove to navigate and develop within the political environment in order to achieve as much power and influence as possible. The strong always wanted to surround themselves with the weak in order to increase their chances of success, whilst the weak had to do whatever they could to live and get by in a world filled with tremendous forces.

It can feel unjust and brutal at times, but it is an unchangeable fact. All one could do was play the cards dealt to them.

While this was going on, Charles was busy composing a letter to the Pope asking for pardon and explaining why he had committed such actions.

*In honor of his sanctity, Clement IV

It must have come to your attention, 'nel Regno,' what had happened.I am humiliated that I have committed such atrocities, but I beseech your holiness to be patient and enable me to explain why I did so.The communes in north Italy that supported our holy and noble cause have informed me that the last remaining member of the devil-influenced house of Hohenstaufen has descended to north Italy from his holdings in Swabia, with the goal of conquering the kingdom that your holiness gave to me. And here I am, your holiness, writing you a letter. I implore you to write to the other members of the Holy League, imploring them to take up arms against Conradin and come to the Church's rescue. Please directe them to enroll as many men and ships as possible, knowing that every man count in this battle.

After hearing such awful news, I had no alternative but to commit a heinous act in order to obtain enough gold to ascend in the North of this land and defend the communes and the sacred city of God. I only grabbed the monastic gold after I quadrupled my subjects' taxes; this, however, did not accomplish much to fill my coffers, so I turned my gaze to the monasteries with trepidation.

I'm still grimacing as I write these sentences. It was not an easy decision to seize the coins from churches and monasteries, but they contained immense wealth, and it was an essential step to assure triumph over the heretics.

Still, I vow over my heart and God that it hurts my soul to do so, but I am sure you understand that it was vital to complete my duty to the lord.

I implore your holiness to forgive me for such deeds, and in order to demonstrate my repentance, I will do everything in my power to halt the devil's offspring and save God's house from the devil's clutches. I swear in God's name that I will no longer commit such heretical deeds, and that this will be the first and last time I desecrate God's home in this manner.

Charles, God's faithful servant*

Charles thought that by writing this letter, the pope would understand the harsh measures he took to put gold in the coffers; after all, both of them need this money: the pope for protection, and Charles for campaigning.

It was reported to Charles that they had received an account of what he obtained after profaning God's house, he managed to acquire 350,000 gold coins.

Charles' eyes threatened to pop out of his head at hearing the figure. "I now understand why many rulers turned against the pope and laid their hungry paws on such facilities full of God; after all, wars are expensive, and undefended gold is always an alluring prey' Charles thought in his mind.

Charles had a clear understanding of the political dynamics at play, and he understood that the pope was dependent upon him for protection from Conradin. This gave him a certain degree of influence in their connection, and he knew that the pope would be ready to turn a blind eye to his sin in order to protect their partnership, which was so vital for both of them. It was a pragmatic and calculated move on Charles' part, and it was likely that the pope understood Charles' reasoning and would forgive him despite his transgression.

In truth, Charles saw that the pope needed him to defend him from the looming threat of Conradin, and he knew that he required the pope's support for his legitimacy.

This was a delicate balance, and it was clear that both sides had a lot at stake. Charles knew that the pope would need to make compromises and turn a blind eye to some sins in order to retain the alliance that was necessary for both of them, but that in that moment was far more needed by the pope.

Indeed, there was a delicate dance that was being played between the Pope and the newly established king. They both needed one another to battle against the menace of Conradin, which they considered as the influence of the Devil in the world, but they also had to be careful not to lose trust in one another, since that would spell the end of both of them