Treaty of Senlis
King Charles VIII of France and representatives of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor, are finalizing the Treaty of Senlis in a candlelit medieval hall. The negotiations are tense, with both sides caref
Setting
Château Royal de Senlis, a grand medieval hall with high vaulted ceilings and stone walls adorned with tapestries depicting royal emblems and historical battles. The room is spacious but feels intimate due to the dim lighting and the large oak table at its center.
Characters
King Charles VIII of France
primary
A young monarch of 23 years with a slender but athletic build, standing at average height for the period. His face is clean-shaven with sharp Valois features—high cheekbones, a slightly pointed chin, and deep-set blue eyes that betray both youth and intensity. His shoulder-length chestnut hair is worn loose with a center part, as was fashionable among French nobility.
Imperial Chancellor
primary
A middle-aged man of imposing stature with sharp, angular features, a neatly trimmed salt-and-pepper beard, and piercing gray eyes that convey both intelligence and wariness. His posture is erect, exuding authority, but his hands bear the ink stains of a scholar.
French Advisor
secondary
A middle-aged nobleman of refined bearing, with sharp features and a neatly trimmed beard. His piercing blue eyes convey both intelligence and wariness, framed by faint lines of experience. His posture is erect, suggesting military training, though his hands are those of a scholar - long-fingered and ink-stained.
Scribe
secondary
A thin, middle-aged man with a slightly hunched posture from years of bending over documents. His sharp nose and deep-set eyes give him a studious appearance, while ink-stained fingers betray his profession. Short brown hair is neatly trimmed beneath a simple cap.
Guard Captain
background
A seasoned warrior in his late 40s with a muscular build and a weathered face marked by old battle scars. His steel-gray hair is cropped short, and his piercing blue eyes constantly scan the room for threats. He stands with the upright posture of a lifelong soldier.
Dialog
Imperial Chancellor
The Emperor Maximilian, by the grace of God, cannot in good faith relinquish the aforementioned territories of Artois without due recompense—lest it be said he abandons his sacred duty to the Empire.
King Charles VIII
Do you take us for merchants haggling over bolts of cloth? These lands were pledged to France by solemn oath at Péronne—or does the Emperor now deny even his own father's word?
French Advisor
Your Majesty, if I may—the Salic law renders their claims to these counties as void as a vessel with no bottom. Let us not dignify what Roman law already condemns.
Imperial Chancellor
Notwithstanding such... provincial interpretations, the Pragmatic Sanction of 1435 remains the foundation upon which all subsequent agreements must necessarily rest.
King Charles VIII
Enough! We'll not have our council's wisdom dismissed as 'provincial' while you hide behind musty parchments. Either name your price for Artois plainly, or we shall consider this negotiation at an end.
French Advisor
The Duke of Orleans' forces stand ready at Lyon, sire. A fact which might... concentrate Imperial minds wonderfully.
Imperial Chancellor
Very well. Let us speak plainly then—Flanders' wool tariffs for French merchants, in perpetuity, in exchange for Imperial blessing on Artois. The Emperor's final offer.