Traditionally, an Emperor elected at the Electoral meeting needed three coronations: first, in Aachen, to receive the German silver crown as German King; second, in Milan, to receive the Iron Crown of Lombardy as Italian King; and finally, in Rome, to be crowned by the Pope and receive the Imperial Crown as Holy Roman Emperor.
This was the initial Imperial tour, intended to make the Princes take the Emperor's existence seriously.
Albrecht II only completed one Imperial tour in his lifetime, after which he ruled continuously from Budapest, earning him the nickname "Foreign Emperor" from the Princes.
Laszlo certainly did not want such a nickname; he also knew another famous nickname—"Lazy King"—which historically, the Princes used to mock Frederick III (Frederick in the text) because he remained holed up in Vienna until its fall, and only completed one Imperial tour during that time, thus earning that nickname.
Regarding ceremonies, Laszlo has currently only truly been crowned with the high title of King of Hungary; he claims to have inherited the title of King of Bohemia, but the coronation will naturally be held after sweeping away the Hussites and gaining complete control of the Kingdom of Bohemia, at which point a truly grand coronation ceremony will take place in Prague.
As for the titles of German King, Italian King, and Holy Roman Emperor bestowed upon him by the Electoral meeting, he has not yet undergone ceremonial coronations for any of them.
The coronation in Aachen represents the German King's inheritance of Charlemagne's legitimacy; the coronation in Rome represents the Holy Roman Emperor's inheritance of the Western Roman Empire's legitimacy.
Aachen, Laszlo still wants to see, after all, Charlemagne's tomb and treasury are there; Milan, Laszlo also wants to see, it is the most prosperous city in Northern Italy; Rome, Laszlo wants to see even more, it is the religious center of Europe, the city of all cities.
But it is more out of an interest in tourism and observing the early Renaissance's humanistic landscape of Italy.
As for the practical significance of the coronation... Laszlo is not very concerned.
To be crowned German King in Aachen Cathedral? He does not rule German; to be crowned Italian King in Milan Cathedral? He certainly does not rule Italy; to be crowned Holy Roman Emperor in Rome? He rules neither Rome nor the Empire.
Given this, the significance of these three coronations, apart from adding some prestige and legitimacy, provides less value to Laszlo than a simple trip.
He plans to take this opportune moment to embark on a sweet trip with Leonor, and incidentally, remind the Northern Italian Princes of the Emperor's existence; for this purpose, a detailed plan and careful preparation are indispensable.
Currently, the route from Tyrol to Milan and then south to Rome is largely confirmed.
Afterward, they will turn north to Burgundy to attend the "Feast of the Pheasant"; on their way back home, they can conveniently go to Aachen for the coronation. He does not plan to personally attend the Imperial Diet; after all, with Eyczing, the master diplomat, handling things, he just needs to wait for the results.
Making one long trip to secure three crowns is also convenient.
Laszlo informed his advisory team of the general plan, entrusting his Old Uncle Ulrich to manage the affair.
Several envoys were dispatched in various directions.
Nuremberg stores the Imperial regalia; when the Emperor is to be crowned, the Nuremberg city guard will escort the treasure chest containing the regalia to Rome, though this time they will first come to Vienna and travel to Rome with Laszlo.
Then there are the seven Electors who are to participate in the ceremony: the three ecclesiastical Electors must receive the Imperial Seal at the coronation ceremony, the Brandenburg Elector receives the Imperial Scepter, the Elector of Saxony receives the Imperial Sword, the Elector Palatine receives the Imperial Orb, and the Emperor himself receives the Imperial Crown, signifying that the Emperor and the Electors govern the Empire together.
Laszlo really wanted to directly delete this step of distributing the regalia; who wants to co-govern with these Electors?
But his current strength is not enough to make the entire Empire submit; perhaps by the time of his son's generation, the Emperor will possess greater authority, but not now.
The six Electors (the seventh being the King of Bohemia) will lead their retinues to Vienna and proceed to Rome with the Emperor to complete the coronation ceremony.
Then there are the Northern Italian Princes. Ulrich personally went to Milan for negotiations, striving to ensure that Laszlo's trip to Northern Italy would not be disturbed by any ill-advised individuals.
Milan is not peaceful at the moment; they are locked in fierce combat with the Venetians in Brescia. The two prosperous cities have been engaged in a decades-long struggle for hegemony in Northern Italy, but the Venetians' development has been incredibly rapid in recent years, and Milan is gradually becoming overwhelmed.
They had considered seeking the Emperor's help, but the Milanese were also concerned that the Emperor might use the opportunity to interfere in Northern Italian affairs, so they could only struggle under the encirclement of Genoa, Florence, and Venice.
The most worrying factor, however, is not these perpetually warring Northern Italian cities, but Venice, the old enemy outside the Empire.
If the Venetians dared to attack the Emperor's carriage, the trouble would be immense.
To ensure that no such unexpected situation occurs, Ulrich must first use both enticement and intimidation to make these city-republics in the Northern Italian region show due respect to the Emperor.
The complexity of the entire itinerary and the potential risks made Ulrich feel immense pressure. He understood that Laszlo's coronation trip was crucial for building his future prestige and shaping his international image.
If anything went wrong, it would be no laughing matter; someone would lose their head for it.
Although Northern Italy remained embroiled in conflict, this situation gradually improved with the fall of Constantinople.
Though the fall of Constantinople had no direct relation to the conflicts on the Apennine Peninsula, the Pope was deeply shaken. He believed that at this time, the Christian world should unite against the Ottomans invading Europe, and first and foremost, peace must be achieved in Northern Italy.
Nicholas V, gravely ill, dispatched many special envoys to the Northern Italian states, hoping to sign a broad peace treaty in Northern Italy. According to the Pope's vision, this treaty's signatories should include all important Northern Italian states: the Duchy of Milan, the Duchy of Savoy, the Republic of Genoa, the Republic of Venice, and the Republic of Florence.
Once the treaty was signed, Northern Italy would usher in a period of peace, the duration of which was unknown. Historically, this peace lasted for over forty years, creating a favorable environment for the rise and flourishing of the Italian Renaissance.
It was not until the late 15th century, when Austria, Spain, and France engaged in wars for supremacy in Italy, that the region once again plunged into conflict.
Unfortunately, Nicholas V did not live to see the peace treaty signed. After his death, the new Pope Callixtus III chose to continue his established policy, striving to mediate the conflicts in the Northern Italian region.
Currently, most of Northern Italy remains at peace, with only Venice unwilling to return the Brescia region it occupied from Milan, leading to intermittent and indecisive warfare between the two sides.
The Milanese are tired of this war, and so are the Venetians, but Brescia is an important region for Milan, and they will not easily give it up; true peace, who knows when it will arrive.
In any case, the Emperor will certainly arrive before peace.
The Milanese are unwilling to provoke the Emperor while exhausted; although they have long wished to break away from this false "Roman Empire," now is not the time.
The Venetians, however, are different; if they could humiliate the Emperor, they would be very willing, as Venice and Austria have vast territorial disputes, and when the two sides meet, they are sure to be bitter enemies.
But the Venetians will not openly act provocatively; that would only lead to a diplomatic disaster. They will act covertly, which is easy for them.
Ulrich's main efforts were entirely focused on guarding against the troublesome Venetians. Safely passing through Brescia would ensure everything went smoothly; otherwise, things could easily develop in unpredictable directions.