The Directorate claimed to have evidence that Melet might have been part of a wider conspiracy, and that Lodewijk’s security in the city could not be guaranteed. A claim many in the Empire and Marienburg assumed to be true – but about a conspiracy by the Directorate! While Lodewijk was waiting in vain to be granted entry, the Directorate was trying to bribe and bully the canons of the Cathedral Chapter into replacing Lodewijk by a candidate – any candidate – in favour of independence.
According to the
Codex Iuris Canonici Sigmari (Code of the Canon Law of Sigmar), the election of an Arch Lector is the prerogative of the canons of the Cathedral Chapter, although the other clerics of the archdiocese have a consultative voice and the right of consent. In principle, therefore, the Chapter could decide to ignore the coadjutor and elect someone else. However, Canon Law also stipulated that no election was valid unless and until confirmed by the Grand Theogonist. Furthermore, the Arch Lector elect needed to be ordained by at least one Arch Lector in function.
In spite of the threats and promises, the majority of the canons rejected the Directorate’s interference. I was also clear that there was no chance of consent for such a move from the clergy
extra muros. But even among the Sigmarite clergy, there are men whose faith is outweighed by their ambitions and desires. The Directorate found such a man in Otto von Sonnefurt, Dean of the Cathedral Chapter of Marienburg. Otto saw a chance of realising his hopes of succeeding Wilhelm van den Nijmenk, which had been dashed, when Lodewijk was appointed as Arch Lector coadjutor. As Dean of the Cathedral Chapter, Otto organised an impromptu election, at a time when only the “Marienburg minority” happened to be present – which duly elected him as new Arch Lector. Obviously, the Directorate immediately recognised this completely illegal election. For the Directorate, Otto von Sonnefurt was the perfect candidate, because, as a Wissenlander, he had no real connections or power base within Marienburg and the Westerland, and would be therefore dependent on the continued support of Directorate.
1.
On the left, Grand Theogonist Nicolaus appoints Lodewijk van Grimpengratz as
Archilector coadiutor cum iure successionis ; on the right the illegal election of Otto von Sonnefurt by a "rump" Chapter.
1. Diebold Schilling the Younger, Luzerner Chronik (1513) Zentralbibliothek Luzern, depicting the Konstanzer Bistumstreit (1474-1480) on which the current story is loosely based.