It was precisely because Lithuania was currently on the rise in Eastern Europe that Manuel wanted to inquire about its attitude towards the situation in Crimea, especially towards Haji Giray, on behalf of Theodoro.
The last time he was able to meet Vytautas in Kiev was largely because he still had the energy to tour the provinces. However, this time, unfortunately, the Grand Duke had been unwell recently and had to stay in Vilnius for a long time, and Manuel, in order to gather intelligence, also had to travel to such a distant place. As a result, by the time he arrived in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, it was already early October.
After arriving in Vilnius, Manuel first reported his presence to receive official reception from the Lithuanian authorities, who courteously arranged for him to stay at the embassy for foreign envoys. However, when he tried to request an audience with Vytautas, he only received an ambiguous reply.
Seeing that he could not get an audience for the time being, Manuel had to temporarily put aside his important matters, take a stroll around the city, and think about how to meet Vytautas in person.
In October, pure white snow already covered the entire city of Vilnius, but the city was still quite prosperous, and its citizens lived in peace and contentment. Among them, there were even many people wearing clothes that were clearly not Christian. Manuel curiously asked his accompanying attendant, and only then did he learn that they were local Lithuanians who still maintained their pagan beliefs.
"It seems that those readings from my previous life weren't wrong. At this time, Lithuania, as a newly converted Catholic country, still has a large number of pagan remnants within its borders." Indeed, it is now 1429, less than 50 years since the last pagan king, Jogaila, who was mentioned earlier, reconverted to Christianity. However, Manuel didn't pay too much attention to this point. Due to the influence of his previous life's education and the upper-level politics of this life, he regarded these nominal beliefs more as tools. "What is faith compared to power?" This was Manuel's true thought deep down.
For the past few days, Manuel had been experiencing the local customs of Vilnius while seeking an opportunity to meet Vytautas, but all these attempts ended in failure. During this time, he also understood why Vytautas had not come to see him: the Grand Duke was trying to retrieve the Lithuanian crown that had been seized by the Polish nobility.
The detailed story behind this is quite complex: Lithuania was initially a kingdom formed by the feudalization of local tribes, but after the death of its first king, Mindaugas, the kingdom fell into civil war. After the Gediminid dynasty reunified Lithuania, they were forced to demote themselves to Grand Dukes due to internal and external circumstances. And becoming a kingdom recognized by other nations again was precisely the political pursuit of successive Lithuanian Grand Dukes. Now, Vytautas, who already held the title of "the Great" within Lithuania, naturally also sought the status of a kingdom. By the beginning of this year, due to Vytautas's achievements and prestige, with the support of Sigismund, the Holy Roman Emperor, the Pope finally relented and decided to crown him "King of Lithuania," sending a special envoy from the Holy See with the prepared crown to Vilnius for his coronation.
But just then, the Poles came to ruin things. When the Holy See's envoy was passing through the Kingdom of Poland, the envoy and the crown were intercepted by Polish nobles!
The country behind the obstruction of Lithuania's elevation was self-evident. ①
"Perhaps this is an opportunity to gain more leverage for myself, as long as I can help the Lithuanians resolve this matter." The astute Manuel quickly recognized an opportunity to advance his own interests.
A few days later, King Sigismund Kęstutaitis, Vytautas's brother and a Lithuanian prince, received a request for an audience from a foreign envoy, who wrote that he wished to meet His Royal Highness and vaguely mentioned that he might have a solution to Lithuania's crown problem.
King Sigismund thought for a moment. His elder brother was currently unwell, and as the leader of the native Lithuanian faction, he urgently needed achievements other than military merits to prove his ability. "My brother's mental and physical condition are somewhat concerning now, and many matters of the Grand Duchy are decided by me. Well, I might as well call him in for a meeting, try anything, and try to solve the crown problem." He thought this way and had someone summon the foreign envoy, spitting in his heart, "Dogs like the Poles!"
That foreign envoy was Manuel. After learning that King Sigismund was willing to receive him, he took a deep breath, quite nervously. "It all depends on whether this works out. I hope my judgment of the situation is not mistaken."
After officially going to King Sigismund's residence and being received by him, the two first exchanged polite greetings. Afterward, King Sigismund began to probe, trying to get to the main point, "Manuel, what do you think of the Lithuanian crown?"
"The Lithuanian crown naturally belongs to the ruler of Lithuania; this is the will of the Lord," Manuel replied wisely.
King Sigismund nodded with satisfaction, then chatted for a few more sentences, and then said, "Then, may I ask, do you have a way to reclaim the crown?"
Manuel pondered for a moment, then quickly replied thoughtfully, "I have a plan. Although I cannot guarantee absolute success, I have more than a fifty percent chance."
"Oh?" King Sigismund leaned closer, indicating he was all ears.
"Really?" King Sigismund was half-believing, half-doubting.
"Your Royal Highness, there's no harm in trying, after all, if it succeeds, the crown will eventually be on your head," Manuel said with a mysterious smile.
Several hours later, that evening, Švitrigaila, the highest-ranking Polish noble in Lithuania and the younger brother of King Jogaila, entered King Sigismund's residence in great perplexity. When he entered the designated room, he was surprised to find that besides the guards and King Sigismund himself, there was also a foreign youth with black hair, brown eyes, and a delicate face.
"King Sigismund, who is this?" Švitrigaila asked, greatly puzzled.
"The Crown Prince of the Principality of Theodoro, Olubey-Manuel Gavras."
"Just call me Manuel," Manuel stood up, smiling respectfully and warmly.
"Greeks? To persuade me?" Švitrigaila became wary, scrutinizing them carefully.
While he was scrutinizing them, Manuel was also scrutinizing him. "An aged face, ambitious eyes, but his overall demeanor is too weak. Let alone compared to Vytautas, even King Sigismund is stronger than him. Should I say he's indeed the loser of the civil war in another timeline? By the way, why are all the rulers of Poland and Lithuania old men?"
King Sigismund, seeing the atmosphere was a bit awkward, spoke up to break the silence between the three of them, encouraging them to get acquainted. When he felt the new atmosphere was sufficiently built up, he briefly mentioned the crown issue, then excused himself and left the room to the other two.
After King Sigismund left, the two continued to exchange pleasantries for a while, then, starting with Švitrigaila's frankness, they got to the point.
"Your Excellency, I advise you not to bother too much about the Vytautas brothers. When the crown arrives in Lithuania is not up to me," Švitrigaila said straightforwardly, shrugging his hands.
"I don't quite agree, because if Lithuania truly becomes a kingdom, it will benefit all surrounding powers. Oh, by the way, except for pagans," Manuel replied with a warm smile.
"I don't know how King Sigismund fooled you people from these small principalities, but for my brother and me, it's better not to have too many kingdoms in Eastern Europe."
Is it really appropriate for you, a fickle claimant, to say something like a staunch Polish loyalist? ② However, this sentence of his was exactly what Manuel wanted. "Your Royal Highness Švitrigaila, you must think positively."
"Huh?"
"His Majesty Vytautas won't last much longer. Who will be the ruler of Lithuania then?"
"What do you think, Your Excellency?" Švitrigaila narrowed his eyes, trying to conceal the ambition within them.
"I believe that whoever can properly handle the issues of Lithuania's parliament and the orthodox and Catholic nobles, and thereby defend the true faith of Eastern Europe, is most qualified to be the ruler of Lithuania. With the support of King Jogaila and Emperor Sigismund, the surrounding Christian countries will certainly..."
These words were a crushing blow to an ambitious, extremely restless, and even overreaching opportunist like Švitrigaila. His eyes quickly showed a flicker of desire for power. And Manuel, noticing this, decided to accelerate his offensive. "In my humble opinion, Your Royal Highness, your becoming the next ruler of Lithuania is a foregone conclusion. At that time, would the title of King or Grand Duke be better?"
Under the temptation of the King's crown, Švitrigaila was completely moved, but he still tried his best to maintain a calm expression, nodding slightly: "Hmm, that makes sense, but this matter would probably be difficult to handle without my brother's permission."
"Act first, report later, Your Royal Highness. I believe that as the younger brother of the King of Poland, you will surely find a way to circumvent him."
"Honestly, yes."
When King Sigismund returned, he was surprised to find that Švitrigaila had actually joined their side on the matter of the Lithuanian crown. Just three days after this conversation between the three, he heard the good news personally delivered by the Holy See's envoy transporting the Lithuanian crown.
① In actual history, the Grand Duke of Lithuania, "Vytautas the Great," did receive the title of "King of Lithuania" in 1429 with the support of Sigismund, the Holy Roman Emperor, and Pope Martin V. However, the envoy transporting the crown was intercepted by the Poles. It wasn't until 1430 that Poland relented and allowed passage. But by then, Vytautas was gravely ill and passed away a few days before the crown arrived, and Lithuania's elevation was forced to end prematurely.
② As of 1429, Švitrigaila, in his struggle for the position of Grand Duke of Lithuania, had successively defected to Poland, Hungary, the Teutonic Order, Moscow, Lithuania, and Hungary. Finally, he temporarily settled down through the mediation of his brother, King Jogaila of Poland.