113 Panis Bene Merentium

"Dear Prince, will you tell me how you conquered Moscow?" (King Władsyław IV Vasa)

For the next half an hour I told the king about the events of the siege and of the conquest of the city. I have omitted the more drastic details as well as the fate of the city's inhabitants.

"Amazing... an apple is falling not far from an apple tree. Your father was a good soldier too." (King Władsyław IV Vasa)

I saw that the King flattered me, that he tries to please me... But he was a poor poacher, his snares were too clearly visible.

"Thank you for your kind words. I heard that Your Majesty's brother, Prince Kazimierz was doing well on the battlefield." (MC)

"Yes, he did well... Prince Jazłowiecki, you've been around the world, you've seen a lot, therefore I would like to know your opinion. Gustav Adolf is dead..." (King Władsyław IV Vasa)

I fucking knew, he had barely planted his ass on the Polish throne... fucking Vasa Dynasty.

"Yes, I heard that he died in battle. I had him in my captivity once... a good commander, a good king... and good enemy. Unless I am mistaken, his eight-year-old daughter Christina is about to take the throne." (MC)

It was a little spite on my part, as far as I knew, after the death of Gustav Adol, Władysław asked the Duke of Prussia for help to probe the mood of the Swedes, the answer was hilarious... "We will put a peasant on the throne rather than Władysław."

"I know ... on my throne. That's why I want to know if it is possible to gain the throne by force. You as a man familiar with war." (King Władsyław IV Vasa)

"Your Majesty, the Seym must agree to the war and pass taxes. We also do not have a fleet, and the Swedes have shown that they can stop the charge of our hussars. We also do not have an ally with the big fleet. Spain will not help us because it is fighting with France and the Protestants. Austria has no fleet... England and Denmark, both are Protestant countries." (MC)

"I know all this. Prince, you are telling me nothing new ... I was thinking of an ally and perhaps the Kingdom of England would help us..." (King Władsyław IV Vasa)

I knew which way it was going and I was going to support the King in this endeavor... he would face another humiliation, which would be funny.

"If I were to marry the niece of King Charles I of England ... this wedding could make the English help us against the Swede." (King Władsyław IV Vasa)

"A niece? Which one, Your Majesty? As far as I know Charles has several." (MC)

"Elisabeth Simmern van Pallandt, daughter of the Rhenish palatine Frederick V and Elizabeth Stuart..." (King Władsyław IV Vasa)

I tried to keep a straight face, of course, the wedding would not take place. Elisabeth will decline the offer for religious reasons... she won't convert to Catholicism. Therefore, Władysław's wife will be Cecilia Renata of Austria, daughter of Emperor Ferdinand II Habsburg... and as they say in the Habsburg family... "if nobody in the family wants to sleep with you, you have to look for someone unrelated to be your husband."

"Your Majesty is an excellent idea. She is of a good family, her uncle is the King of England and her other uncle is the King of Denmark. With their help you will surely regain the Swedish throne. I know the Seym must authorize your wedding, but Your Majesty, you have already my support." (MC)

I gave a few more discreet compliments, praised his cunning and he swallowed it all... like a pelican. The atmosphere became much more cordial and relaxed, as if two friends met over a beer.

"Prince, returning to the topic related to Moscow. I saw the signed treaty, I am surprised that you managed to convince the diplomats to sign it, but that's good. There is a diplomat from the Emperor, King of Spain and the Papal State in Warsaw, the latter even asked about you..." (King Władsyław IV Vasa)

"What's the name of that man?" (MC)

"Cardinal Francesco Barberini." (King Władsyław IV Vasa)

I was not sure what he might want from me, I know that the Papal State and Spain are now in the Cold War, after the Spanish Cardinal Gaspar de Borja Velasco accused Pope Urban VIII of betraying the Catholic faith.

"I had the opportunity to meet him in Rome ... Your Majesty, perhaps to gain the Pope's favor, we can open several Jesuit colleges in our new lands." (MC)

"Good idea, I will talk about it with the Cardinal... but we talked about Moscow and we moved away from the topic. For such great merits for the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, the Prince deserves an equally large award... that's why I decided to reward you according to Panis Bene Merentium. During the public Boyar Homage, your merits will be announced and you will receive all the Royal lands in Podolia for life and 10,000 ducats." (King Władsyław IV Vasa)

Of course, such an award made me very happy, my plan was to get all Podolia for myself... but this award also proved how greedy the King Władysław is. The lands that we obtained could accommodate a dozen such provinces. In addition, there were large cities, harbors, mines and land rich in other resources...

Now I understand better why, after his death, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth inherited over 4 million ducats of his debt... despite the King's annual income of over a million ducats... The more I thought about it, the more I wanted to surround Podole with a wall and not give a shit about everything else around me.

I thanked the King for such a wonderful award, we talked for another hour on various topics, then I said goodbye to him and headed to my palace.

A few minutes later I was home... finally, I have to bathe and get drunk... the order is not important.

"Fa ... Fath ... Father?" (Piotr)