Chapter 63: The Center of Power
Chapter 63: The Center of Power
Count Thierry’s face flushed crimson, and he slammed his cup onto the table, saying angrily, "Insolence! How dare you insult my liege lord, the great Augustus, King of France!"
’Insult him all you want, but don’t do it in front of me!’ he thought, his heart pounding.
Count Thierry knew of this Guy of Lusignan’s reputation; he was an exceptionally skilled swordsman, known for his ferocity in single combat, and Thierry himself was no match for him. According to protocol, he should now challenge Guy to a duel to defend his lord’s honor, but the problem was, Count Thierry didn’t dare risk the humiliation, or worse.
Guy sneered contemptuously. "Back when I was fighting for the freedom of France and, with my brother, attacked Eleanor of Aquitaine, you were still licking the boots of the German Emperor."
Just as the conflict was about to escalate into drawn steel, Count Raymond, who had been silent all along, said angrily, "Step down! For whatever reason, you must not slander the devout heart of a king in this hall."
Guy snorted and returned to his seat, leaving Count Thierry both embarrassed and somewhat at a loss, his face still burning under the gaze of the other nobles.
The nobles present looked grim, their own anxieties now laid bare. It was all the fault of those damned Apennine people (Italian City-States)! Why did they have to resist taxes? Now they had given Emperor Henry a pretext to march on northern Italy.
How could King Philip II of France, who was already in a weak position, be willing to stand by and watch Emperor Henry so easily take the wealthy northern Italy?
If Philip II didn’t move, Richard the Lionheart, who held vast French territories and whose authority in France even surpassed that of Philip II (whose decrees didn’t extend beyond Île-de-France), also dared not move.
England in this era was of limited development; Richard the Lionheart’s core territories were still on the continent. Richard, as a second son, owed his ascent to the throne in no small part to Philip II’s aid. So, even though Philip II and Richard were currently in a "honeymoon period," in the game of power, for a king, no one was absolutely trustworthy.