Once they were seated at a long trestle table in the palace solar, Richard offered the services of his clerk, Fulk, as a scribe, and his chaplain opened the meeting with a prayer. He was encouraged that they’d been willing at least to hear him out. He knew, though, that he would need all of the eloquence at his command to convince them that they ought to make peace with a man they detested and distrusted.
He began by offering his condolences to the dukes of Brabant and Limburg, who were the brother and uncle of the murdered Bishop of Liege. Rather than splashing around in the shallows for a time, he chose to plunge into deep water straightaway, saying, “I want to be candid with you about my motives. I am not trying to end your rebellion because I have always yearned to be a peacemaker, and for certes, not because I wish to ease Heinrich’s troubles. A peace settlement is very much in my own interest and I believe it is in yours, too. After I tell you why, I hope that you will agree with me.”
He paused to assess the impact of his words. Hermann, the Landgrave of Thuringia, was regarding him with open suspicion, which was not surprising, for he’d long been an enemy of Richard’s brother-in-law Der L?we. The others seemed more curious than skeptical. “I am not sure if you’ve heard this yet. Next month the emperor intends to meet with the French king at Vaucouleurs.” He could tell from their faces that most had not known of this.
“I’m sure you heard that the French king courageously declared war upon England just as I was put on trial at Speyer. Philippe is a most formidable foe—provided that his adversary is fighting for Christ in the Holy Land or hundreds of miles away in a German prison. He knows he cannot hope to defeat me on the field of battle. So he is willing to do almost anything to keep me from regaining my freedom. He has promised to match whatever ransom can be raised in England. But he realizes that it would be easier—and safer—for Heinrich to accept the English ransom, and it is my fear that when he meets Heinrich at Vaucouleurs, he will also offer military assistance in putting down your rebellion. In return for this invaluable aid, all Heinrich has to do is to hand me over to the French.
“If that happens, I am a dead man. But it does not bode well for any of you, either. You’d find yourselves facing the French to the west and Heinrich to the east, trapped between the two. At the moment, I’d say you do have a real chance of defeating Heinrich and possibly even deposing him. The Pope might actually muster up the resolve to recognize your new candidate if presented with a fait accompli. I believe that honor is to be yours, my lord,” he said, with a nod toward the Duke of Brabant. “But if you add French troops to the mix, that changes everything and tips the scales decisively in Heinrich’s favor. I’ve looked at maps and most of your castles are in the Rhineland, no? It would be all too easy for two armies to come at you in a pincer movement, and the consequences could be disastrous. In all honesty, neither Heinrich nor Philippe strikes me as another Caesar. But you’d be fighting a war on two fronts, which is every battle commander’s worst fear. You’d likely be overwhelmed by sheer numbers.”
Richard paused again. They were listening intently, most of their faces mirroring dismay, for they had enough combat experience to recognize the truth in what he’d said. “If this malevolent pact comes to pass, you’re likely to find yourselves fighting not for victory, but for survival. You do have leverage now, though, and I propose that you make the most of it. Heinrich seems to be remarkably single-minded, and I get the sense that his planned conquest of Sicily is all that truly matters to him. He may be overweening and utterly bereft of honor. But he is no man’s fool, and he knows Sicily is beyond his reach as long as his own empire is in turmoil. So he wants peace, and I think he’ll be willing to make it on your terms.”
They began to talk among themselves then, and since his own German was still rather rudimentary, Richard made no attempt to follow these fast and furious conversational outbursts. Henrik grinned and Adolf von Altena nodded approvingly when he caught Richard’s eye. Feeling that he’d made the best case he could, Richard could only wait.
The Duke of Brabant was the first to direct his attention back to the English king, proving himself to be a pragmatist and proving, too, that he’d not really expected to become emperor himself. “It would not be enough for Heinrich to restore the lands and castles he’s seized. He’d have to swear in public, preferably on holy relics, that he played no part in my brother’s murder. Think you that he’d be willing to do that?”