Holy Roman Empire came to serve as the Knights of Christ, in the pious war against the pagan. And many brave souls came from the League of Armagh, not just the handful of Icelanders sworn by clan loyalty to the service of the Emperor.”
Erik nodded again. “My grandfather says that in his day, Aquitaines made up as many as a quarter of the order’s ranks.”
The Emperor clenched his fist, slowly. “Exactly. Today, no knight from that realm would dream of wearing the famous tabard of the Knights of the Holy Trinity. Once the brotherhood Knights were truly the binding threads in the cloak of Christianity. Today . . . the Knights of the Holy Trinity come almost entirely from the Holy Roman Empire. Not even that. Only from some of its provinces. They’re Prussians and Saxons, in the main, with a small sprinkling of Swabians. A few others.”
He paused. Then he looked Erik in the eyes. “They’re beginning to take an interest in politics. Far too much for my liking. And they’re also—I like this even less—getting too close to the Servants of the Holy Trinity. Damn bunch of religious fanatics, that lot of monks.”
Charles Fredrik snorted. “All of it, mind you, supposedly in my interests. Some of them probably even believe it. But I have no desire to get embroiled in the endless squabbling of Italian city-states, much less a feud with the Petrine branch of the church. The Grand Duke of Lithuania and King Emeric of Hungary give me quite enough to worry about, leaving aside the outright pagans of Norseland and Russia.”
Again, he sighed. “And they’re not a binding force any more. Today, the
Erik nodded again. “My grandfather says that in his day, Aquitaines made up as many as a quarter of the order’s ranks.”
The Emperor clenched his fist, slowly. “Exactly. Today, no knight from that realm would dream of wearing the famous tabard of the Knights of the Holy Trinity. Once the brotherhood Knights were truly the binding threads in the cloak of Christianity. Today . . . the Knights of the Holy Trinity come almost entirely from the Holy Roman Empire. Not even that. Only from some of its provinces. They’re Prussians and Saxons, in the main, with a small sprinkling of Swabians. A few others.”
He paused. Then he looked Erik in the eyes. “They’re beginning to take an interest in politics. Far too much for my liking. And they’re also—I like this even less—getting too close to the Servants of the Holy Trinity. Damn bunch of religious fanatics, that lot of monks.”
Charles Fredrik snorted. “All of it, mind you, supposedly in my interests. Some of them probably even believe it. But I have no desire to get embroiled in the endless squabbling of Italian city-states, much less a feud with the Petrine branch of the church. The Grand Duke of Lithuania and King Emeric of Hungary give me quite enough to worry about, leaving aside the outright pagans of Norseland and Russia.”
Again, he sighed. “And they’re not a binding force any more. Today, the