The following pamphlet, bearing the trademark printing stamp of the Royal Bohemian Ministry of Truth, and the signatures of several noted scholars from the Strasbourg Monastic University and the Imperial University of Prague-in-exile, of several senior ecclesiastics and lawyers from throughout Lorraine, Arles, and Bohemia, and of numerous other notables of academic, theological, or legal credibility who are open to the generous patronage of the King of Arles, is distributed throughout the princes, diplomats, and other dignitaries attending the Imperial Diet of Nürnberg.

An elucidation on the great and evil crimes of the vile Percival of Saxony, his wretched family, and his scheming co-conspirators.

Percival of Saxony has been charged with several great and heinous crimes by this noble Diet. However, he and his cronies have come rushing to spew lies, misdirections, and sophistry in a vain attempt to cover up these vile misdeeds. In this section we methodologically expose and explain Percival's horrific crimes for all to see and comprehend, one-by one.

I. Incitement to Oathbreaking

In a scheme most vile, Percival conspired to induce the late Prince-Archbishop of Magdeburg to violate his sacred vow of chastity, potentially damning this once-Godly cleric to eternal torment in Hell. Percival personally attempted, and succeeded, to seduce the Archbishop himself, breaking not only the sacred vow of chastity, but also committing the vile sins of Sodomy and adultery in the process. After being manipulated by Percival into lustful sin, Percival coerced the Archbishop into surrendering the independence of his Prince-Archbishopric, without the consent or even knowledge of the ecclesiastic hierarchy or the Emperor, breaking both the sacred vow of obedience and breaking the feudal contract between Emperor and vassal.

II. Kinslaying

In a scheme most vile, Percival ordered and oversaw the brutal murder of his daughter-in-law, the noble and beautiful Violant. Percival's inane "defence" of this wanton crime is that Violant, as his daughter-in-law, is not his kin by blood, and that Violant was a witch, and therefore deserved death. Both of these feeble "defences" are, of course, completely false and wholly inapplicable to this charge. Firstly, the sacred bond of marriage did, in fact, create a lawful affinal) bond on kinship between Percival and his daughter-in-law. To deny this is to deny the holy sacrament of marriage itself. Secondly, even if Violant did not technically qualify as Percival's kinswoman, that doesn't make murdering her in cold blood okay. Like, what kinda nonsense logic is that?

Violant, of course, was not a witch. She was a good noblewoman, a model of a daughter to her father and father-in-law, and a model of a wife to her husband. There is no evidence of her consorting with demons, performing magic, or otherwise doing anything that witches do. There were no accusations, other than from Percival, that she had ever done anything as profane as witchcraft, or even as untoward as any other crime. Furthermore, there had been no lawful judgment, from an ecclesiastical tribunal with jurisdiction over the case and empowered to pronounce sentences of death, after a fair and free trial, convicting Violant of witchcraft and ordering her execution. And furthermore, the brutal, humiliating, and extraordinary violent and public manner of her murder was not one that in any way resembled a lawful judicial execution.

III. Heresy

In a scheme most vile, Percival provided direct, material aid to a militant heretic uprising in Bohemia, by spreading false and slanderous rumours about one of the Kings of Bohemia and his family. This aid is undoubtedly at least in part responsible for the heretic uprising's size and strength. Only one with true hatred of God in his heart, a dedicated heretic, could commit such a vile act. Furthermore, Percival's grotesque murders of his daughter-in-law and of many other innocent women, and his adulterous and Sodomite ways, are hallmarks of violent and lustful pagan idolatrous rituals, which only the worst of heretics and apostates would dare perform.

IV. Witchcraft

In a scheme most vile, Percival publicly murdered numerous innocent women, including his own daughter-in-law, and then using Satanic powers deformed and mutilated their flesh in public for numerous onlookers to see. Only the unholiest and evilest of witches would be capable of such a feat.

V. Treason

In a scheme most vile, Percival provided direct, material aid to an open rebellion against Bohemia, a state of the Empire, and therefore against the Empire itself. By spreading false and slanderous rumours about one of the Kings of Bohemia and his family, Percival undoubtedly stroked the flames of treason and rebellion, and set the stage for the lives of many Bohemian, Imperial, and allied troops perish. Raising armed soldiers or aiding in the raising of armed soldiers against your liege is the most wretched of temporal crimes, violating the feudal contract, the Imperial peace, and honour as a nobleman. In aiding the Hussite rebellion Percival made himself known as an avowed enemy of the Empire.

VI. Inciting Suicide

In a scheme most vile, Percival conspired to induce the late Prince-Archbishop of Magdeburg, a once-Godly man of the cloth, to end his own life through the sin of suicide. By burdening and burdening the Archbishop's conscience with more and more sins, Percival brought him to a state where he was unable to live with himself.

VII. Murder

In a scheme most vile, Percival publicly and brutally murdered numerous innocent women, including his own daughter-in-law. There is no excuse for such wanton, unjustified, and undignified slaughter of God's innocent children.

VIII. Desecration of Corpses

In a scheme most vile, Percival publicly murdered numerous innocent women, including his own daughter-in-law, and then in front of numerous onlookers, invited by Percival and his co-conspirators, mutilated, deformed, and violated these corpses, denying them the sacrament of last rites, a proper Christian burial, and basic dignity that all those who are made in God's image should be granted.

A refutation of the false and slanderous accusations against the good King Charles of Arles, Bohemia, and etc., his loving family, and his noble friends.

In a heretical and criminal scheme to aid the heretical rebellion in Bohemia, Percival of Saxony has concocted a set of false and slanderous rumours against Charles, King of Bohemia. These accusations are all, of course, completely and wholly false, but Percival and his swarm of shills have done their best to mask the truth and make an innocent man of God appear guilty. In this section we methodologically expose and explain the falsity of each of these slanderous accusations for all to see and comprehend, one-by one.

I. Illegal Levying of Troops

Percival has falsely and slanderously accused Charles of unlawfully raising troops and unlawfully waging war with them. Of course, as a territorial prince of the Empire, Charles has the unalienable right to raise and maintain soldiers for the defence pf his realm and subjects and for the waging of war. If raising troops is to be a crime, then it is one that all princes of the Empire, including Percival, are guilty of.

Regarding the waging of war, Charles has deployed his troops to fight in only the following wars, all of which, as a prince of the Empire, Charles had a right to wage, and furthermore all of which were just and righteous wars:

• The war against the Republic of Genoa. The Republic and its leaders had been excommunicated by the Pope, making wars against them undisputedly justified. Furthermore, Charles joined the war at the behest of his ally and kinsman, the Lord of Milan; fighting a war to aid an ally is justified. Additionally, the war against Genoa was joined by Milan, Florence, and numerous other states of the Empire; if Charles's participation in the war was unjustified, then so was theirs, and charging only Charles and not them is a miscarriage of justice.

• The war against the Amadeus VIII, Count of Savoy. Amadeus had broken the feudal compact with his people by unilaterally surrendering the city of Nice to the Genoese Republic without a fight, renouncing his right to govern his realm and making war against him justified. Furthermore, Charles joined the war at the behest of his ally and kinsman, the Count of Geneva; fighting a war to aid an ally is justified.

• The war against Ferdinand of Trastámara, pretender to the Crown of Aragon. Frederick I had been lawfully placed in the line of succession to the Crown of Aragon by a prior King of Aragon, and the Cortes-General of Aragon proclaimed him as their King. War to defend a lawful monarch from a would-be usurper is justified. Furthermore, Charles joined the war at the behest of his ally and brother, Frederick I; fighting a war to aid an ally is justified.

If it is to be decreed that these wars are unlawful, then we are decreeing that all wars are unlawful, as there can be no wars more righteous that those fought against excommunicatees, those fought to preserve the feudal contract, those fought against a would-be usurper, and those fought to aid allies and kinsmen.

II. Illegal Taxation

Percival has falsely and slanderously accused Charles of unlawfully levying taxes on his subjects. Charles, as a prince of the Empire, has the right to levy taxes on his subjects according to the laws of the states he rules. Charles has followed all of the laws of Lorraine, Bar, Provence, Bohemia, and his other realms every time that he has sought to raise taxes in them. During the times that the taxes have been raised, there are no records of legal complains being filed against Charles over them by his subjects. Furthermore, as all of Charles's realms, with the exception of Bohemia, which is facing a Saxon-backed rebellion of heretics, are prospering, and are his subjects in them, clearly no taxes of Charles's have been unduly harsh as to harm or inhibit the lives of his subjects. If we are to declare Charles's eminently reasonable taxation unlawful than we are declaring all taxation unlawful, destroying the ability of all princes to raise funds for the governance of the realms.

III. Illegal Seizure of Land

Percival has falsely and slanderously accused Charles of unlawfully expropriating land from his subjects. However, the redistribution of land referenced by Percival took place in the reign of John, not Charles. Attempting to charge Charles for acts committed during his father's rule is a complete farce. Furthermore, the redistributions of land, part of a wider agricultural modernization effort to end the outmoded practice of serfdom, has resulted in significantly greater prosperity in the lands where it has taken place, as new resources have been able to be cultivated by the more efficient redistribution of labour. Additionally, all domestic laws of John's realms were complied with during the agricultural reform, and all those who lost land and other property were generously compensated by the state for their losses.

IV. Papal Election Fraud

Percival has falsely and slanderously accused Charles of unlawfully corrupting Papal elections by ordering his ecclesiastical allies and intermediaries to bribe Cardinals which supported his preferred candidates. However, the alleged fraud referenced by Percival took place during the reign of John, not Charles. Attempting to charge Charles for acts committed during his father's rule is a complete farce. Furthermore, coordinating with fellow Cardinals and pooling money and resources to ensure the election of the most suitable candidate is not illegal. If it were illegal, it would be illegal under ecclesiastical law, not temporal law, and thus this Diet would have no jurisdiction over it. Additionally, implying that the election of the Supreme Pontiff was illegitimate is dangerously close to heresy, and implying that the election of the man who crowned our Emperor was illegitimate is dangerously close to treason.

V. Witchcraft

Percival has falsely and slanderously accused Charles of unlawfully being a witch. Charles is not a witch. He has never communed with demons, nor practiced magic, nor done any other witchy things. There have been no accusations by anyone who actually knows him, such as his courtiers, his vassals, or his allies, that he is a witch. There have been no accusations by the Pope, any bishops, any inquisitors, or indeed any churchmen at all that Charles is a witch. There is quite literally absolutely no evidence to support this completely inane accusation. Furthermore, witchcraft is an ecclesiastical crime, not a temporal one, and thus this Diet has no jurisdiction over it.

VI. Murder

Percival has falsely and slanderously accused Charles of unlawfully committing, overseeing, and ordering murders in Bar. Bar has been a peaceful and stable part of Charles's realm since he succeeded his father. There would be no reason for Charles to have anyone there murdered. There is no evidence of any murders or suspicious deaths, no reports of any murders or missing persons, and no accusations from anyone in Bar that Charles has murdered anyone, or that any murders have taken place. There is absolutely no evidence, not even hearsay or circumstantial nitpicks, to support this wholly false accusation.

A denunciation of the treacherous schemes to aid the treasonous and heretical Hussite rebellion against a loyal Catholic state of the Empire.

The Bishop of Lübeck, Johannes VII, has proposed to the Diet a despicable resolution to aid the Hussite rebellion in Bohemia. This proposal, which calls for the fulfillment of one of the heretics' main demands, the unilateral and unnecessary removal of Bohemia's diarchal kingship, will only further destabilize the good Catholic realm of Bohemia as it battles the heretic crisis. Furthermore, giving into heretics and rebels by granting their demands is strictly bad policy: if heresy and rebellion become reliable ways to get your demands granted, more and more people will turn to heresy and rebellion, gravely weakening both the Catholic Church and our Empire. The micromanagement of and interference in internal governance of a state of the Empire, such as Bohemia, is also not the Diet's mandate; if the Diet today feels free to meddle in Bohemian affairs, tomorrow it will feel free to meddle in your affairs. Lastly, despite the use of the word "diarchy" as a convenient shorthand, Bohemia does not actually have a true diarchy: only one King ever reigns at a time, and the Electoral dignity is never simultaneously held by more than one person. This proposal condemns an imaginary situation that does not exist. It will serve to do nothing but embolden heretics and rebels everywhere, and to further destabilize a state that in this time of crisis needs the Empire's support, not opposition.

An exhortation to support the formal codification of the ancient and just laws, traditions, and norms of this Empire.

Charles, in his capacity as King of Arles, has proposed a resolution to the Diet to codify some of our Empire's most hallowed traditions and most crucial customary legal principles, those defining and defending the rights of the princes and states of the Empire, into formal Imperial legislation. Our empire is not the pagan autocracy of Nero and Caligula, nor is it a lawless horde like the Huns of old. It is a great and holy nation of laws and traditions, laws and traditions which allowed us to become the strongest, largest, and most prominent polity in all of Europe, and indeed in all of Christendom. The principle that the Emperor governs the Empire as a whole, and not each individual state of the Empire, is fundamental to our Empire's strength and success. With his focus and attention on the bigger picture the Emperor can rise above the concerns of local politics to lead us to victory in war, oversee prosperity in peace, and construct Empire-wide infrastructure that improves the lot of us all. By maintaining their rights the princes can govern their realms without living in fear of tyrannical intervention, allowing their economies to flourish, their cities to grow, and their armies to stand ready to combat other threats. However, there are some malignant forces which, due to the lack of formal codification of these principles, believe that the principles somehow don't exist or are not wholly binding, and seek to tear our great Empire down by destroying the system that has since time immemorial allowed us all to prosper in glory. It is in the common interest of all princes, and indeed of all citizens of the Empire, to ensure through codification that the status quo of greatness and prosperity is maintained and that the princes' ancient rights are upheld.