![]() ![]() This son also played the diplomat, and Konrad II and Bocksai met several times over the course of a month. Sources often show a mixture of awe and surprise that a woman would be negotiating such an important trade deal so directly, but none dared question it with her son in tow. So delicate diplomacy was required, to which his mother contributed greatly. While the Gryfita Empire dwarfed any power Hungary could muster, it was limited in other trade opportunities not already claimed by the Swedish Republic. It was important for such a trade route not to favour one party over the other, lest negotiations break down. Such a delegation was full of pomp and procedure, while much of the real work was done by officials from each of the two parties. With money to be made, gifts were exchanged, with Konrad II offering a chest of fine clothes. Konrad II was not an administrator or diplomat and would prove to be an autocrat, but one willing to defer to those with more experience. The two would meet in November 1304 in an apparently tense first encounter, smoothed over by his mother's diplomacy. ![]() Although a zealot, he was as pragmatic as Konrad II. He also had to deal with the devastation wrought on Hungary during the Crusades, which meant that money was sorely needed. He would have wanted to keep the still powerful Empire at a friendly distance to avoid further conflict. That Bocksai accepted the offer at all was a surprise to many, but it was understandable. It is known that she proposed the trading expedition and later, together with the Grand Mayor of the Swedish Republic, arranged much of its organisation. Hungary's ability to act as a springboard for an invasion to the south had been the reason for Spytko's invasion, so it was of value to ensure cordial relations. The reasons for this communication are unclear, although it was presumably an attempt to somewhat normalise relations between the kingdoms. Evidence suggests that for much of the period following their capitulation she was in contact with King Bocksai of Hungary, appointed by Pope Clemens III after the last of the Arpadian dynasty had died out a decade earlier. ![]() It was then that the Empress Dowager Antonella would again make her influence known. With much of the Baltic trade dominated by his mercantile vassal, Konrad II's options were rather limited. Trade was mostly conducted by sea or by caravan. Trade flourished in the Republic of Sweden, from which a considerable tax was extracted, however the chance to control a trade route would bring in even more coin for Konrad ll's undertakings. With finances now more secure, it was logical to seek a steady source of income. On the subject of growth, in November 1204 Konrad would organise a trading expedition, the first since Swietopelk III's expedition to the Finnish tribes, to be led with the personal involvement of a monarch. After years of war and crop failure, a bumper harvest must have seemed like a gift from the Gods. Konrad II was, as one might expect, a firm follower of Perun in his early years, though for the rest of his life he would follow and indeed be closely associated with Jarilo. ![]() This prosperity was heralded by the bumper harvest of July 1298, which, according to the records available to us, saw the villages in Plock and much of the Crownland break into informal celebrations of Jarilo. With his involvement in the War of the Three Faiths now over, Konrad's reign would see a period of peace and prosperity for his realm, far from the intentions of his departed father. After payment of the reparations and the ceremony for his late father's funeral, the coffers of the realm were empty. Konrad II's coronation was officially on 10 June 1298. "Pecunia non olet" - A latin phrase meaning "money does not stink" attributed to the Roman Emperor Vespasian (ruled AD 69-79), meaning the value of money is not tainted by its origin. Szaman-Cesarz Konrad II of the Gryfita Empire - The Architect (1298-1306) ![]()
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