Tyranny of Steel

In the corner of the great hall of Berengar's castle, Ludolf stayed standing; he had sat through and watched the entirety of the Council of Kufstein take place. As an important figurehead of the reformation, he had been privy to the meeting between the various noblemen and clergy members who supported his and Berengar's endeavors. Though he seldom spoke, his words had carried great weight.

Having witnessed the conversation between the Cardinal and Berengar, Ludolf took the opportunity to approach his old friend, who had helped him on his path to enlightenment. When Berengar was sitting alone on his seat of power, Ludolf approached and began to express his thoughts on the principles of what would soon become known as the German Reformation.

"Your excellency, you should know that the Church's response will be one of sheer brutality, with the Cardinal turning his back on the Catholic Church and endorsing our ideas, there will be no shortage of chaos that follows..."

Berengar gazed at the priest who had been instrumental in spreading the message of the reformation with a solemn expression on his face.

"Great change in society will always lead to conflict between those who are too stubborn to advance with the new age. From the moment we began to challenge papal authority, it was inevitable that blood would be spilled.. However, this brings opportunity; the more the Catholics seek to oppress us, the easier it will be to drive them from the German lands!"

Ludolf sighed heavily at the thought; he knew at the moment Catholics and Reformists could not peacefully coexist; he also knew that Berengar planned to take advantage of the ensuing violence to establish himself as a major power within the European realms. However, Ludolf was a pious man and did not care which secular leader sat upon the Throne of Germany so long as the ruler was friendly towards the reformation.

The young priest admitted he was quite lucky; Berengar and his armies afforded him protection, and as such, the Church had no real ability to punish him for his alleged heretical beliefs without a full-scale invasion of Tyrol, which at the moment would prove difficult for them, due to the numerous conflicts the existing Holy Orders continued to wage.

Ultimately Ludolf found himself in agreement with Berengar's words. However, he still expressed his concern.

"Germany is already in a state of turmoil; this schism in the Church will undoubtedly cause more conflict. The Duchies will fracture as Lords turn on one another over accusations of heresy and corruption. Do you not lament the loss of life that will occur?"

Berengar nodded his head at Ludolf's words and offered his own views on the matter.

"Did you forget what happened to Suhl? If we do not gain significant support for our cause, countless people will be murdered by the Church in an attempt to suppress our views. Only by uniting together and forming a block of like-minded Noblemen and Clergy can we withstand the might of the Catholic Church and spread our views! Yes, lives will be lost in this conflict, but think about how many voices will be snuffed out if we sit back and do nothing!"

After hearing these words, and being reminded of what the Teutonic Order had done to the Town of Suhl, even a pious man like Ludolf struggled to contain his rage. Such an outrageous action was all too common for Crusaders, especially in the middle east. Yet to do it to your fellow Christians over a simple difference of opinion, Ludolf found that unforgivable. As such, he clenched his fists and found his resolve to weather the tide that would soon be arriving. After several moments of contemplation, he responded to Berengar's words.

"I understand... I will do what I must to spread the word of our reformation!"

Seeing Ludolf had agreed, Berengar smiled and rose from his seat before walking over to Ludolf and clasped him on the shoulders in a friendly gesture.

"It is up to us to liberate the German people from the shackles of the Church!"

Ludolf nodded at Berengar's words and smiled before responding.

"Indeed!"

With that, the two men had begun the Protestant Reformation a hundred years in advance of which would naturally occur within this timeline without Berengar's intervention. The next day the public announcement of the German Reformist Church was declared, with Tyrol being its seat of influence. However, the regions occupied by Reformist Lords and clergy did not stop there; it spread into portions of Chur, Vorarlberg, Salzburg, Kärnten, Upper Bavaria, and Swabia well. Southern Germany and Eastern Switzerland had become a hot zone of Reformist thought and teachings. Many of the local Lords and middle nobility shared their interests and protected their people from the wrath of the Catholic Church and their followers.

...

Of course, when news of this Schism spread to the Vatican, Pope Simeon II nearly had an aneurysm from the sheer degree of rage he felt. He instantly began to curse at his Cardinals upon hearing that a large swath of Southern Germany and Eastern Switzerland had basically declared open rebellion against his authority. He could no longer deny that the influence of Berengar and Ludolf had spread beyond his imagination. It was time to settle the dispute with the so-called Papacy of Avignon, for if the Catholic Church were not united, they would not be able to quash this Heresy, and the Church would be permanently in a state of schism.

As such, Pope Simeon got down from his throne and approached one of his subordinates. The expression on his face was one of utter fury as he bellowed his orders at the man.

"Contact that French Bastard, and let him know that I'm calling for the Council of Constance to meet earlier than anticipated. This Heresy is too important to wait any longer!"

However, the meeting spot of the Council of Constance would have to change from the Bisophric of Constance to a new venue; after all, Germany was now a hotbed of religious and civil conflict. They would not be safe within its borders; as such, the final Council of Constance would be moved to neutral ground in Cordoba, Spain, in this timeline.

The subordinate quickly bowed his head to the Pope and agreed immediately to his demands.

"Of course, your holiness!"

With that, subordinate had rushed to fulfill his task leaving Pope Simeon II fuming in anger at the thought of Berengar's influence over Southern Germany, which had spread like wildfire since the Pope had first heard of the young man less than a year ago. He did not know how Berengar had managed to achieve such things, yet it was becoming clear that if Simeon was the representative of God on Earth, Berengar was Satan's representative. Or at least in the eyes of the Catholic Church. Berengar the Accursed had caused too much damage to Catholic Influence over Southern Germany, and his views would only spread further now that they had received legitimacy in the eyes of high-ranking Clergymen and Nobility.

Simeon Scoffed at the idea and voiced his inner thoughts aloud for all nearby to hear.

"Church of the German Reformation?! What nonsense is this? These heretics will pay for their sins one way or another; I swear by the Heavenly Father that I will personally see and end to this farce!"

Despite this solemn vow, Simeon would have a difficult time doing so, as the reconciliation between the Papacy of the Vatican and the Papacy of Avignon at the upcoming Council of Constance, or as it would be known in the future as the Council of Cordoba, would prove to be a challenge to his authority as Pope. After all, he intended to mend the schism between Avignon and the Vatican, and this would require some form of agreement to come into place about who was the one true Pope.

The Council of Kufstein and the following Proclamation of the German Reformation would forever alter the history in this timeline. Years of bloodshed and destruction would follow this development. However, in the end, these events would lead to further schisms in the Church. The Protestant Reformation had begun, and pandora's box had been opened. Despite the Catholic Church's best efforts, they would never be able to hold onto the absurd amount of Power they had sustained throughout these past centuries; Berengar had made sure of that.

Ironically the Papacy had brought this upon themselves. If the Church had left Berengar alone, he never would have started this conflict so early in his lifetime. Initially, he had planned to live out a life of peace as a lowly Baron and bring wealth and prosperity to his people. However, Lambert's actions and those of his allies in the Church had forced his hand, as Berengar accumulated more power, so too did his ambitions and enemies grow, and when the Church reached out its hand to swat him away like a mosquito, he bit down into it and inflicted a dangerous disease upon it.

Thus, they had created a powerful enemy by trying to get rid of a seemingly insignificant Baron's son in an isolated region within Tyrol. One who would forever liberate the German people from the Shackles of the Catholic Church and the immense corruption that sustained it.