The Republic Reborn

[Nomadic]

[ic=Before the Senate]
Friends this is good news and indeed I had expected more serious demands from the pope. He indeed expects of us some things that I'm sure some amongst us may find difficult. Nevertheless for our part we are getting much good out of this for the Romans.

*Senator Sismondii ticks off points on his fingers*

First and most critically he has agreed to recognize us as the sole legitimate administrators of Rome and has agreed not to interfere with the senate or its duties, even permitting the raising and maintaining of defensive militia as necessary. Secondly, something that our esteemed Senator Basile has greatly desired, law. While it is put forth as a demand it is more a gift, the establishment of a solid body of law in Rome is something that we should all greatly desire. On the note of giving the jurisdiction of ecclesiastic members over to the church I do not think we could have that any other way regardless and thus it is a moot point. Additionally the Pope has promised to the city a quite generous salary which we can put towards civic projects such as our consul's continued work on the walls as well as future work on the aqueducts and eventually a proper Roman port.

In return the Pope asks that we pay for the restoration of the Lateran, that the nobles amongst us pay a fine, and that we accept the appointment of a Prefect. To the first I have no qualms, the Lateran should not have been plundered in the first place and if we are to have peace with the papacy we should do our part to make right that wrong. Regarding the fine, I understand that for the nobles here such a thing may sour the stomach but you must think of what will happen and the great suffering of the Romans. We must all put aside our pride and acquiesce to such demands lest we in our pride neglect our duty to their protection. [2 wp] is a small personal price to pay for the protection of Rome. The last demand is perhaps the most difficult to accept. I do not see the Romans accepting such an appointment with good grace. I accept it because I must for the long term peace of the city. I do not think all of the people will see it such. There will be riots I am almost sure. Yet if the Pope lay siege it will be the same, and in the end I believe worse.

I vote that we accept these terms.
[/ic]

[Polycarp]

[ic=To Senator Basile]Senator,

If I were in your position, I would accept those demands.  Many are fair, and as for those that are not, what is done now can be undone once the Emperor has gone back over the mountains.

If the Senate is set against such a reconciliation, however, there is a possible alternative, suggested by my brother, that I have been mulling over since the day of the stirrup incident.  The Emperors before Frederick have been crowned at the Basilica of St. Peter, which is here in the Leonine City; while Emperors have sometimes followed this with a procession through Rome proper, it has never been a part of the coronation ritual itself.  I wonder, once Frederick receives his crown, will he feel any further compulsion to remain at Rome?  Once the greatest prize is his, will he be willing to waste more time and men fighting with us?  To get to the point - if I were to open the gates of the Leonine City to him and Adrian, and allow them their coronation, would he remain to subdue us as the Pope desires, or would he, having gained all he wants from our city, move on to deal with the Sicilians or whatever else he has planned?  I cannot say, and for this reason it is a great gamble; if my brother is right, and Frederick does not actually wish to waste any time struggling against us in Adrian's name, then we may well parry away the Pope's greatest advantage and confound these one-sided negotiations.  On the other hand, if the Pope refuses to crown him even when the Vatican is open to them, or prevails upon him afterwards to destroy us even though he has his coveted crown, we will have given our strongest defensive position to the enemy, and no fortifications of any kind will lie between him and the city's center.

I leave this possibility in the hands of the Senate.

Patrician Giordano Pierleone[/ic]

[LD]

[ic=To the Senate]The terms are not altogether oppressive. I would vote to accept them. But there is one great negative in the rules- the Pope insists that the ecclesiastical courts have control over contracts. He who controls contracts controls trade, and controls the wealth of Rome. Were we to carry through on that issue, what issues would the courts of Rome decide- the Senate would be reduced to only presiding over criminal matters--while the Clergy grows fat. Why did we enact legal reforms if not to allow Romans to establish command over rome and to grow the city? Did you see any opening, any chance to negotiate on that term? If there is, as you state, truly no room to negotiate, then I vote we accept the terms. Rome beseiged would be far worse for trade. [/ic]

[ic=To the inner council]
I suspect that all here intend to abrogate the terms as soon as the germans depart, if we are in need of defense from our enemies who make war against us in the Papal States? I ask you then though, how will Rome prosper and grow if the contracts are decided by clergymen? Do we intend to ignore that provision? We are in a weak negotiating position, I know. But what is the Consuls long term plan regarding the Contracts issue if not to dispute it now?
[/ic]

[Nomadic]

[ic=At the inner council]
I think perhaps senator that we should not be looking too far ahead at this time. Better to permit the church to have its chance to be fair regarding contracts. If they abuse our trust in this matter... well much as I dislike the thought, Rome has thrown the papacy out once before and can do so again if we must. For the time being however, let us give this pope the benefit of the doubt.

I however, do stand by my earlier statement. The Pope and Frederick must not be allowed to bring their army wholesale into Rome. I am uncomfortable with such a threat to Rome's peace and stability within its own walls.
[/ic]

[Magnus Pym]

[ic=At the Senate]It does seem like there is little choice in this matter, and I agree that, at the present time, we should agree to those demands. However I'm not sure I consider all of the aforementioned terms... well, just.
The Pope would have control over matters dear to the Senate of Rome, such as the handling of important figures like Arnold; the handling of lucrative contracts like the edification or renovation of holy places; and the collection of certain tolls and revenues that, for the time being, are crucial to the prosperity of Rome. The Romans will not take kindly to these demands.

If further negotiations may be pressed, discussing these points would be vital I think. Otherwise we will have to make do with what we have.[/ic]

[ic=At the Lesser Council]Consiliariis,
No doubt the demands of the Pope are harsh, but they are not life threatening for Rome. In fact it brings about the seed that will blossom our many desires.
As the Senate competes, if it might be said as such, with the Pope for ultimate control of Rome, it will have to go through some changes. Notably the diversifying of our economy.

The only barrier to furthering the goals of the Senate is his eventual grasp on certain aspects of the Law. To turn his demands into benefits for Rome, groups like Arnoldists need to be protected, and the Senate must be as well.[/ic]

[Polycarp]

As the negotiations have become a Senate discussion, I should probably set a deadline for a decision; that deadline will be Wednesday, July 18th.  By the end of the 18th, I'd like to have our negotiators return to the camp with some kind of conclusion (or not return to the camp, if that's their choice!).  Please let me know if additional time is needed.

[Nomadic]

[ic=Before the Lesser Council]
Time is of the essence, we must come to a decision

*Senator Sismondii Calls for a vote of yay or nay on the decision to accept the Pope's proposal*

*Sismondii votes yay*
[/ic]

[TheMeanestGuest]

[ic=Before the Lesser Council]I think I have made my position on this matter sufficiently clear. We have no recourse but to accept, lest countless Roman lives be lost. Furthermore, I have contacted the Patrician to hear his thoughts on this matter, and he is in concurrence. What we do now can of course always be undone if it proves intolerable, but only after the Germans are far and away from Rome.[/ic]

[LD]

[ic]Vote Yay.[/ic]

[ic=Lesser Council]
Good words spoken, Basile. *nods*[/ic]

[Llum]

[ic=To the Inner council]
I say we do not accept these terms if we are to simply renege on them later. That will cause more problems in the future than we are dealing with now.
[/ic]

[Magnus Pym]

[ic=At the Lesser Council]I'm incredibly worried about the clause in which the Pope will have control over judicial matters in regards to monks and priests. If negotiations on this issue can be pushed to benefit the Senate more than it does at the current time, it would be a boon indeed.

*sigh*

Either way, I vote we ratify the treaty.[/ic]

[TheMeanestGuest]

[ic=Before the Lesser Council]Negotiations can not be pushed in this regard, Consul. Adrian would never relinquish the right to the judgement of Ecclesiastes. In any case, why would we desire such a thing? Interfering in the internal affairs of the Church would only serve to distract us from our Civic duty.

To continue, I do not agree with Consul Calafatus's assessment that extracting ourselves from our coming relationship with the Pope would cause more problems than refusing his terms at this juncture - for he will not have two thousand foreign knights at his disposal. And of course, this is only should the Senate find the situation intolerable. Indeed, I suspect Adrian will be much more willing to re-open negotiations when he no longer has the power of the Germans to call upon.

I will reiterate, we have no choice but to accept this treaty unless we should wish to find ourselves engaged in a battle that will cost us dearly regardless of the outcome. At the least, it seems that we have nearly reached consensus on this matter. If you would but assent, Consul Calafatus, we can put this business behind us. The sun will be setting soon, and with it I must ride to bear forth our response.[/ic]

[ooc=Action]- Senator Basile will ride back to the encampment on the Field of Nero, bringing word of the Senate's assent to the terms of the Pope.[/ooc]

[Polycarp]

[ic=Event #4]As dusk approached, Senator Basile once again approached the Imperial camp.  This time he did not have to wait long at all before being received into the papal and royal presence, where he announced the accession of the Senate to the pope's conditions.  The agreement, as it turned out, had already been written out in Latin by the Pope's clerks; the Senator offered to sign his name to it, but pope Adrian responded that the validity of this document could later be contested if the Consuls themselves did not approve it personally.  What seemed to be another impasse was quickly bridged by the king, who interrupted the conversation to assure the pope that the Senator's word would be sufficient for the time being, and the document could always be affixed with the seals of the Consuls in the coming days.  The pope relented, and Senator Basile was dismissed.

On the morning of the 17th, Frederick sent a company of knights to the Leonine City to assume control of the gate and the city's walls.  Patrician Pierleone hesitated for some time, but eventually agreed to turn over the city's defenses save for the Castle St. Angelo itself.  When this was done, the greater part of the Imperial army proceeded with the papal party and the king himself into the Leonine City.  Once he was satisfied that the city was secure, the king wasted no more time in pursuing his imperial dream.

Unfortunately, none of the senatores consiliarii were present at the coronation itself.  A number of Roman noblemen were invited, including Patrician Pierleone and most of the noble equites, but Signore Calafatus was conspicuously absent from the list of guests; whether this was because of his indecorous outburst earlier or his previous conflicts with the church, none can be certain.

[spoiler=The Imperial Coronation]Frederick first came to the Oratory of Saint Mary in the Tower, part of the complex of Saint Peter's Basilica, accompanied by two of his German archbishops, and with his hand upon the gospels recited the Imperial oath.

"In the name of Christ, I, Fredericus, the Emperor, promise, pledge and guarantee in the sight of God and the blessed Apostle Peter that I will be the protector and defender of this holy Roman Church in all ways useful to her, however many, in so far as I am supported by divine assistance according to my knowledge and ability."

Frederick came then to the silver door of Saint Peter's, where Gualterio di Bologna, Cardinal-Bishop of St. Albano, recited the prayer Deus in cuius manu sunt corda regum ("God in whose hands are the hearts of kings").  He proceeded inside the basilica to Cencio di Gregorio, Cardinal-Bishop of Santa Rufina, who recited the prayer Deus inenarrabilis auctor mundi ("Inscrutable God, author of the world").  Frederick then ascended to the choir of the basilica and prostrated himself before the Altar of Saint Peter, while the priests of the basilica sang the Litaniae Sanctorum, the Litany of the Saints (link).  When the litany was finished, Hugo of Beauvais, Cardinal-Bishop of Ostia, approached the king and anointed him on the right arm and between the shoulders before the altar of Saint Maurice, the patron saint of the Empire, and recited the prayer Domine Deus cuius est omnis potestas ("Lord God with whom is all power").

Only then did the role of Pope Adrian IV begin.  The Pope approached Frederick with the Imperial Sword in its golden sheath saying accipe gladium imperialem ad vindictam quidem malorum ("Receive the imperial sword for vindication over evil"), kissed him, and then girded the sword upon his thigh, saying accingere gladio tuo super femur ("Receive the sword upon your thigh"), before kissing him again.  Then Frederick stood and drew the sword, brandishing it before all present, and returned it to its sheath.  Following this, the Pope presented Frederick with the Imperial Scepter, saying accipe sceptrum regni, virgam videlicet virtutis ("Receive the royal scepter, the rod of virtue").  Finally, Frederick knelt and the Pope placed the Imperial Crown upon his head, saying accipe signum gloriae ("Receive the crown of glory"), and then kissed him once more.  At this point, the Emperor's knights were supposed to recite the Laudes Imperiale (link), but as virtually none of them knew Latin, they sung it in German instead.  The ceremony ended with the celebration of mass for the new Emperor and all present.[/spoiler]
The coronation ceremony and the feast that followed took virtually the entire day.  As the celebrations of the Germans were ending, however, the Romans were growing ever more restless.  Some senators had spoken to the people of the Pope's demands, and among those who heard was the Arnoldist Wetzel, who began immediately stirring up a great mob north of the Capitoline.  It is uncertain whether Wetzel himself intended to incite them to violence, but the mob quickly grew beyond even his power to control and began flowing towards the Leonine City, its ranks swollen by more torch-bearing Romans with every block it passed.  Consul de Vinti's attempt to convince Wetzel to reign in his rhetoric had clearly been a failure, though he was at least able to send a warning to Consul Calafatus, who had already been gathering a force to keep order should something go amiss.

Before the Bridge of Hadrian the mob encountered Consul Calafatus, his armsmen, and a hundred or so militiamen; the Consul had been preparing for just such an eventuality, though there had been scant time for a militia muster (and undoubtedly many militiamen were among the mob).  Those at the front of the mob may have recognized the Consul and perhaps even heeded his words were it not for the thousands of bodies behind them pressing irresistibly forward.  Well fewer than three hundred men seemed about to be overrun by a mob that would later be estimated as three thousand strong.  The Consul drew his men back onto the bridge itself to keep them from fleeing, though it did not stop a number of them from jumping into the Tiber rather than facing down the rioters.

The Germans had not yet fully realized the danger, but from his vantage point in the Castle St. Angelo, Giordano Pierleone was very much aware of the advancing crowd and implemented his own defensive measures.  Just as it looked like the Consul was going to have to fight for his very life against the full fury of a Roman mob, a shower of arrows and sling-stones began falling upon the crowd packed onto the stone bridge.  In the fading light of evening, the crowd could not tell who was attacking them and from where.  The riot was transformed into an enormous stampede.  The Consul's men, oblivious to the shooting coming from the Castle St. Angelo, thought they were being charged, and met the screaming Romans with iron spears.  The rioters struggled to escape, but were hemmed in by the bridge and the militiamen in front of them as stones and arrows landed indiscriminately among the densely packed crowd.  The Consul's men were soon joined by two dozen German knights, who – mounted, somewhat drunk, and considerably less opposed to killing Romans than the Consul, attacked the crowd with fierce and wild abandon.  By midnight, the abortive attack on the Leonine City was over, just in time for the Emperor himself to arrive at the bridge with a larger force of knights; "What a celebration I have missed," he said dryly, surveying the bridge strewn with the dead and maimed.  More than two hundred bodies were gathered from the bridge the next morning, most of them trampled to death by their own mob.  Fifty more bodies would eventually be fished out of the Tiber over the next week.  Hundreds more had been injured.

The event was, to say the least, confused; the Patrician may well have saved his enemy Calafatus, though it is unclear whether he knew the Consul to be among those men holding the bridge.  The Emperor Frederick, probably unaware of the Patrician's contribution, assumed that the Consul's small band had massacred several hundred attacking Romans on its own, and commended him for his bravery.  The Emperor lamented that, as he was neither an Imperial vassal nor on particularly good terms with Pope Adrian, there seemed no proper way to reward him; instead, he gave the Consul his horse.  The Emperor decided to spend the night outside the city, retaking his army's previous position on the Field of Nero.

The Emperor was in good spirits on the 17th and decided that the last night's events would not discourage him from a parade through the city, though his lieutenants were able to convince him to go northwards and cross the Milvian Bridge first, so as to parade down the Via Francegena instead of proceeding through the city's densely populated districts.  Many Romans did turn out to watch the procession of German horsemen and their colorful banners from all over the Empire, though it was with a sullen silence rather than jubilant cheering.  The fight had evidently gone out of them, for there were no further incidents along the way to the Basilica of Saint John Lateran, where mass was again celebrated.  The Pope took his seat upon the cathedra, the papal throne within the Basilica, and proclaimed to all present the resumption of the reign of Saint Peter's heir in the Eternal City.

There, the two monarchs parted company.  The Pope departed with much of his entourage to Falisca to supervise the transfer of the Papal Curia to Rome, though not before dispatching Ildebrando Grassi, Cardinal-Deacon of Sant'Eustachio, to his titular church in S. Eustachii et Vinea Teudemarii to give out whatever silver could be gathered from the purses of the cardinals as alms to those Romans widowed or orphaned by the riot of the previous night.

The Emperor, meanwhile, prepared for war – the Pope had informed him that a certain Signore Niccolo Capocci had usurped a Papal fortress and needed to be humbled.  This, the Emperor said, was very easily done.[/ic]

[ooc=Event]It is now the 17th of June.  Rome is still reeling from last night's riot.  The Pope travels north to Falisca while the Emperor has raised a new camp near the Via Francigena just north of the city; the rumor that he intends to attack the holdings of Signore Capocci is spreading quickly through the city, though whether Capocci himself knows it yet is unclear.  The treaty of reconciliation with the Pope is now in the hands of the Senate, whose Consuls are expected to sign it posthaste.

No more events are planned.  Now is the time to write your orders for the rest of summer 1155 – we do, after all, have nearly two and a half months left in the season![/ooc]

[LD]

"y midnight, the abortive attack on the Leonine City was over, just in time for the Emperor himself to arrive at the bridge with a larger force of knights; "What a celebration I have missed," he said dryly, surveying the bridge strewn with the dead and maimed.  More than two hundred bodies were gathered from the bridge the next morning, most of them trampled to death by their own mob.  Fifty more bodies would eventually be fished out of the Tiber over the next week.  Hundreds more had been injured.

The event was, to say the least, confused; the Patrician may well have saved his enemy Calafatus, though it is unclear whether he knew the Consul to be among those men holding the bridge.  The Emperor Frederick, probably unaware of the Patrician's contribution, assumed that the Consul's small band had massacred several hundred attacking Romans on its own, and commended him for his bravery.  The Emperor lamented that, as he was neither an Imperial vassal nor on particularly good terms with Pope Adrian, there seemed no proper way to reward him; instead, he gave the Consul his horse."

That is pretty amusing.

[Polycarp]

[ooc=Due Date]Orders for the rest of summer 1155 are due on Thursday, July 26.  Please let me know if you will need additional time.[/ooc]