Chapter 1273: Consequences for Picking the Wrong Side
Almost overnight, news of Archbishop Friedrich's arrest by the Holy See spread throughout Osnabrück.
Soon, countless pamphlets, tens of thousands of them, appeared out of nowhere.
They detailed how the Protestant Friedrich had bribed the Vienna authorities to gain control of the Osnabrück diocese, how he had then oppressed Catholic priests, amassed a fortune, and simultaneously kept eight mistresses.
Of course, the pamphlets had been printed by Security Bureau agents working overtime. As for the content, such scandalous rumors were always rampant in aristocratic circles; a few inquiries, embellished with some creative exaggeration, were all it took.
By that afternoon, angry speakers had appeared on the streets, denouncing "heretic" Friedrich's sinful desecration of the holy Osnabrück diocese.
In their accounts, it seemed the entire congregation of the diocese might be barred from Heaven after death, their souls having been tainted by the heretic.
This organized propaganda spread rapidly, igniting outrage among the city's populace.
The following morning, over a thousand people gathered before Osnabrück Cathedral, shouting slogans demanding severe punishment for Friedrich.
Many priests seized the opportunity to join their ranks, leading people in religious ceremonies. During Friedrich's tenure, these legitimate Catholic priests had found few opportunities for advancement, so how could they not now kick him while he was down?
Next, a reputable Catholic priest, supported by Security Bureau agents, led a group into the cathedral, expelled the clergy loyal to Friedrich, and announced that a new archbishop, approved by the Holy See, would be elected.
Two days later, all of Cologne had heard of the religious riots erupting in Osnabrück and the archbishop's disappearance.
Archbishop Maximilian hastily dispatched 700 Münster garrison troops to quell the unrest, while also sending people to search for Friedrich's whereabouts across the region.
However, shortly after his troops set out, Archbishop Franz Egon of Paderborn arrived in Osnabrück with over 400 soldiers. Accompanying him was Bishop Campanella, representing the Roman Curia.
Before more than two thousand protesting citizens, Franz Egon first lauded their actions against the heretic and expressed support for a new archiepiscopal election.
He then dropped a bombshell, claiming that Friedrich had been able to control Osnabrück precisely because he had Archbishop Maximilian's backing.
When Maximilian's troops reached Osnabrück, they were met by over two thousand enraged faithful, many of whom were armed — weapons Franz Egon had provided.
Behind them stood the Paderborn army.
As the two sides faced off, Nassau, Mainz, Bavaria, Baden, and other states publicly condemned Maximilian for allowing a "heretic" to become archbishop in Cologne, as if they had been completely unaware of Cologne's political structure before.
The next day, even Cologne's capital, Münster, began to see unrest, with large numbers of Catholics taking to the streets, demanding their archbishop distance himself from Friedrich.
Maximilian was greatly alarmed and hurriedly withdrew his troops to stabilize the situation, while simultaneously ordering the lords of Lippe and Schaumburg-Lippe in northern Cologne to send soldiers to Osnabrück.
However, no one paid him any heed.
The current "heresy incident" was creating a huge stir, and getting involved now would easily make one an enemy of all Catholics in Cologne.
Just as all of North Germany fixed its gaze on Cologne, Baron von Schlieben of Hesse-Darmstadt led over 5,000 soldiers from Giessen, heading directly for Kassel.
The day after they departed, Louis X officially declared war on Hesse-Kassel, ostensibly to "reclaim the ancestral lands of Rheinfels and Marburg."
William IX had never expected Darmstadt to suddenly attack; he had less than two days to prepare. Meanwhile, Hesse-Kassel's army was still in French prisoner-of-war camps.
He could only hastily order General Knyphausen to gather over 1,200 soldiers and deploy them south of Kassel, while also appealing to Brunswick, Thuringia, and other states for aid.
The Darmstadt army possessed an absolute advantage in both manpower and equipment, and Marmont's command abilities far outstripped Knyphausen's.
The battle lasted only about three hours before Marmont's vanguard broke into Kassel.
William IX had no choice but to flee the city that very night, seeking refuge in Brunswick to the north.
However, hundreds of Brunswick soldiers intercepted him at the border, stating that he could only enter with the Duke's permission.
Before Brunswick's messenger could return, Hesse-Darmstadt's cavalry had already caught up.
After William IX was brought back to Kassel, he initially tried to bargain, demanding to retain Göttingen in the north as his territory. Darmstadt's actions clearly violated the customary practices among the North German states and would undoubtedly draw immense pressure from surrounding nations.
But just one day later, Bavaria and Nassau were the first to declare recognition of Louis X's sovereignty over Hesse-Kassel — as a member of the House of Hesse, his claim was entirely justifiable in legal terms.
Then came Mainz, Würzburg, Prussia... Apart from Cologne, which was embroiled in chaos, all other North German states made similar declarations in succession.
Indeed, even before Louis X's army had set out, Talleyrand had already completed diplomatic mediation on the matter among the various states.
Having lost all hope, William IX reluctantly signed the Treaty of Kassel, renouncing all rights to Hessian territories in exchange for his entire family's exile to Prussia.
Half a month later, Louis X personally welcomed an army of over ten thousand men in the southern Hessian city of Marburg.
Though their uniforms were tattered and they carried no weapons, the soldiers' faces were alight with excited smiles.
Yes, this was precisely the Hesse-Kassel army that had been captured by the French. Previously, they had been under British command, fighting in the Swiss region.
However, the narrative these prisoners had heard was that William IX had sold them to Britain for 340,000 Pound Sterling — this sum being London's aid to Kassel. Subsequently, His Majesty Louis X, to rescue them, had engaged in fierce battle with William IX's forces, driven out the tyrant, and then paid a hefty ransom to allow them to return home.
His Majesty Louis X even gave each of them 20 Florin for living expenses. This money, of course, came from the 340,000 Pound Sterling provided by the British, most of which was in the Kassel royal palace treasury.
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