Chapter 36: Pope Gregory Goes to York

“Anyone who has ever looked into the glazed eyes of a soldier dying on the battlefield will think hard before starting a war.” – Otto Von Bismark.

Rome, Papal States. April 1075

Pope Gregory was already regretting departing on this trip, and he was barely out of Rome. It seemed like anything that could go wrong was going wrong. Despite preparing for this trip for months, gear was forgotten, and provisions spoiled. Still, Gregory insisted they press on. Gregory and his escorts slowly traveled north, with their first major stop being Florence.

While Gregory was in Italy, he would hold talks with the various city-states regarding their joining the Papal States to create a unified kingdom on the Italian peninsula. Stopping at Florence meant meeting with Matilda of Tuscany, her mother Beatrice, and the mess Matilda’s marriage to Godfrey the Hunchback was causing. Gregory needed an alliance with Godfrey, but allying with Matilda had potential.

Matilda had been lobbying for years to divorce her husband, but Godfrey wouldn’t budge. That left Gregory in a bad spot in that no matter what he did, he would anger someone. The day before they arrived in Florence, Gregory sat down with Sextus. Like Alexander, Gregory found Sextus a loyal, intelligent servant who helped his liege determine what they wanted.

“What is your goal, Your Eminence?”

“What do you mean?”

“What are you looking to do in the future? If you want Tuscany to be part of the Papal States, you must make nice with Matilda. It may be possible for you to extract concessions from her in return for approving her divorce.”

“What kind of concessions are you thinking of?”

“How about switching Tuscany from the Holy Roman Empire to the Papal States? Once she is under your thumb, you can tighten the screws on her later.”

“I like that idea, Sextus. But what happens if she refuses?”

“You refuse to recognize her divorce, and if Godfrey dies, you refuse to recognize any attempt by her to remarry.”

“Interesting. So, I would win either way. Wait, another thought: Matilda is the second cousin of Henry IV; what happens if she informs him what is happening?”

Gregory VII and Henry IV were already butting heads over several issues, from land in northern Italy to the appointment of bishops in the Holy Roman Empire.

“Then grant her divorce and bring her permanently to your side.”

Gregory decided to hold off making any decisions until the next day; this wasn’t a decision that could be made without much reflection and prayer. If he allowed Matilda to divorce, the church would receive pressure from other nobles who wished to divorce, but if he denied her, she could potentially offer her lands as a base for Henry IV to attack Rome.

Matilda and Beatrice received Pope Gregory with full honors. Beatrice was an old friend of Gregory, and Matilda wanted a divorce from her husband, so it paid to be nice. Gregory still hadn’t decided; he hoped the couple could reconcile. When Gregory approached Beatrice and Matilda, they kneeled and kissed his ring.

“Your Eminence, Welcome to Florance,” cued Beatrice.

“Thank you, Beatrice. It’s good to see you again.”

“And you.”

Gregory turned his attention to Matilda.

“Milady, I hope you are well.”

“I am, Your Eminence.”

The tension was thick enough to cut with a knife, but everyone was too reluctant to say anything. No business would be discussed until tomorrow since everyone was preparing for the banquet in honor of the pope.

During the meal, everyone kept to lighter conversation, with the latest news from Britain being the leading topic of discussion. Most of the nobles in attendance hated and feared the Queen of Britain. At the same time, they were envious of her economic and military power. Matilda was one of the few exceptions. She was jealous of Marion for a different reason: Marion had fame, wealth, power, and a loving husband who supported her in everything he did. Marion had everything Matilda wanted.

After the ladies returned to their quarters, Beatrice went to see her daughter. She knew Matilda and her feelings regarding Marion.

“Daughter, what are your plans?”

“I want a divorce from my worthless husband.”

“But then what? What about an heir?”

“I can always do what that Norse whore did and have some commoner give me a child.”

“Are you insane?!?! The Norse whore doesn’t have the Emperor as a second cousin. You try that, and Henry will invalidate the heir before your body is cold. If he doesn’t, one of the other nobles will. The Norse whore has the support of the British whore; you don’t.”

“So? I am still young. I have time to find a noble husband.”

“And what will you do if Gregory doesn’t allow the divorce?”

Matilda shrugged. She didn’t know what to do and hadn’t thought that far ahead. Her mother shook her head at her daughter. Matilda would learn eventually, just like every other young adult, that reality had a way of denying people what they wanted. Beatrice had enough hard knocks in her life to have learned the lesson well, and it would take every bit of her skill to shepherd Matilda through the next week with the pope.

The fireworks began in the first private meeting between Matilda, Beatrice, and Gregory. It started as soon as the pleasantries were over.

“How soon can you grant me a divorce from my husband?” Beatrice put her face in her hands.

“Is there any way for you and your husband to reconcile?”

“No. There is not.”

“I am afraid I cannot grant you a divorce for no reason.”

“How about him being cursed!! Our first child died, and he is horribly disfigured.”

“Other mothers have lost their first child and gone on to have successful marriages.”

“They are not married to someone so disfigured.”

“I still cannot support your divorce. I am sorry, Matilda.” Matilda was furious, but Beatrice was there to calm her down.

“May we have a moment?” asked Beatrice. Gregory nodded and watched Beatrice stand up with Matilda and guide her to a small attached room.

“What are you doing?!?! I told you not to do that!”

“What else can the man do for me? I want a divorce.”

“There are better ways to go about it. Come with me and keep your mouth shut.”

Beatrice led Matilda back in, and the two sat back down.

“What do you want from us, Gregory?”

“How about an alliance?”

“That could be awkward since we owe our loyalty to the emperor.”

“An emperor that cannot defend you. How would he protect you? He is on the other side of the Alps, and by the time he could get here, you would be dead or in captivity somewhere.”

“That is valid, but could you protect us against him? He has the most powerful army on the continent.”

“It may be powerful, but he has powerful enemies. Part of his army must stay on the eastern frontier, and part must remain on the western border. If we join forces, we can take any part he can send south.”

“If we join forces? You want an alliance?”

“Yes. If we enter an alliance, we can be the most powerful force south of the Alps.”

“And what do we get out of it? We have done well so far.”

“The world is changing, and we need to change with it.”

“That is true, but why should we align ourselves with you?”

“I control southern Italy, Sicily, and Sardinia. Together, we can be unstoppable.”

“Unstoppable against who?”

“Matilda’s second cousin, for one. The British wench for two.”

“What makes you think even the two of us can take on the British military? They can land anywhere they want, and nothing we have can stop them.”

“We can make it too dangerous for her to attack.” Beatrice tipped her head back and laughed.

“If you want an alliance, it will cost you. My daughter wants a divorce, and if you want an alliance, you will approve her divorce.”

“Granted.” Gregory reached into his cloak and pulled out Matilda’s divorce decree. “This is yours after we sign a treaty of alliance.”

Matilda stared at Gregory with her mouth open. She couldn’t believe she was about to get the divorce she had been trying to get for four years. Beatrice was more practical and laid a hand on Matilda’s shoulder to steady her.

“Before we discuss my daughter’s divorce, let us discuss our marriage as it were.”

“Of course.”

The three of them began discussing what their alliance would look like. Matilda was glad her mother was there to take care of most of the negotiations since, if it had been left up to her, Florance would have been a virtual slave to the Papal States. Beatrice was able to negotiate an alliance of equals between them. During offensive wars, neither was required to come to the aid of the other. During defensive wars, they would come to the other’s assistance, and once the war was finished, they would share in the spoils.

Pounding out the terms of the general terms of the alliance took all week, but at the end of the week, the treaty still wasn’t ready. Matilda suddenly became wary and wanted time to examine the treaty from every viewpoint. None of the participants noticed that several servants were paying close attention to what was being said. When Gregory left, Matilda replaced his spoiled provisions at no cost as a show of good faith.

Gregory’s next stop was Genoa. With Florence leaning toward his alliance, he could put more pressure on the other Italian states to join him. Genoa would be a tougher nut to crack for Gregory, but they were not that powerful yet. They remembered the thrashing his forces gave Pisa and would look to play off one power against another. It was a game Gregory refused to play.

The Genoans were in hysterics over the pope’s visit. Gregory had seen this in every place they visited but never got tired of it. However, when he met with the city leaders, the euphoria disappeared as they recognized the real reason for the visit.

Nascimbene, the city’s ruler, was the most vocal in opposing Gregory’s offer. He had seen what Henry’s army had done in Burgundy and didn’t want the same thing to happen in Genoa. Another reason for Nascimbene’s resistance was Henry was far away and couldn’t keep a careful eye on what was happening; Gregory would be next door.

Gregory was only in town for a day before cutting the visit short. There was nothing for him in Genoa. After visiting the local churches, Gregory and his entourage resumed their trek north. He planned to visit Milan before following the trade routes to Lake Constance and then taking the Rhine River north.

It took only three days for Gregory to reach Milan. After his refusal in Genoa, he didn’t have high hopes for Milan, especially since Milan didn’t have a central ruler. Instead, they had a commune-style government. If it weren’t for their distancing themselves from the Holy Roman Empire, Gregory wouldn’t have kept any faith he could turn the Milanese.

Gregory didn’t bother to push the city government toward allying with him. Instead, he gently nudged them away from Henry. He did that not by highlighting the advantages of becoming part of the Papal States but the disadvantages of being part of the Holy Roman Empire.

Pushing the Milanese away from the Holy Roman Empire was a good policy for Gregory. The council turned out to be respectful of his message, and by the time he left, a week after he had arrived, Milan was almost ready to revolt against Henry. Gregory could have pushed them all the way, but Sextus pointed out that Gregory still needed Henry’s cooperation. It would be far better for Milan to revolt without Gregory’s pushing’ that way, Gregory could rightfully claim his innocence in the matter.

After stirring the pot, Gregory moved on. It was time to travel through the Alps. Despite being May, the weather was still cool enough to necessitate warm clothing and a cloak. At most rest stops, only Gregory and his immediate inner circle slept in the buildings. Most of the rest slept in tents on either the bare ground or, if lucky, a thin layer of straw. That meant roughly 70 people were sleeping outside every night.

It was horrible moving through the Alps, and five guards died from exposure. By the time they reached Lake Constance, the entire group was exhausted. Gregory paid for passage to Frankfort, and everyone loaded onto the river boats for the rest of the trip.

To Gregory’s surprise, the trip down the river was smooth, and as they reached the northern foothills, the temperatures became more pleasant. As they moved north, Gregory noticed many towns and cities were cleaner than he was used to. Part of Henry’s drive to keep up with the British was to mandate sewers in all towns with a population of more than 500 people. He would provide ultra-low-interest loans if they couldn’t afford to install sewers.

It wasn’t until Gregory’s boats headed up the Main River that they saw their first train. The two boats were approaching a bridge when they heard a low rumble. Everyone on the boats looked at each other and became more fearful as the rumbling became louder. Soon, a cloud of smoke could be seen approaching.

Gregory’s jaw dropped to the deck when the train came in sight. He had received reports regarding trains but hadn’t truly believed them. Now, he had to accept the information. They watched as the train crossed the bridge and chugged away.

Many of the group, including Gregory, were still stunned when they arrived in Frankfort. By this time, Frankfort was an industrial city with many laborers. While the industry wasn’t up to British standards, it was far ahead of anything else in Europe. Much of the industry near the river smelled terrible and dumped their wastewater directly into it. Finally, Gregory’s boats arrived at the docks.

A small group of honor guards was at the dock waiting on Gregory. After Marion embarrassed him, Henry had watchtowers built along the river with relay riders to bring news of anyone coming up the river.

“Welcome to Frankfort, Your Eminence. I am Colonel Von Beck, and the Emperor has assigned me to escort you while you are here.” The officer welcoming Gregory to Frankfort was new to the assignment and wanted to make a good impression.

“Thank you, Colonel.”

Gregory climbed out of the boat and stood on the dock while his entourage climbed out. While waiting, he looked around. While the industry near the river was filthy, the rest of the city was reasonably clean. Gregory and his closest advisers climbed into two carriages to get to the palace and headed out. The rest of the entourage would unpack and secure lodging.

The trip to Henry’s palace was much smoother than Gregory was used to due to the new road. Henry had just repaved that stretch of road using cement imported from Britain and local aggregate to produce the concrete for the road. He chose this stretch of road because it was between the docks and the palace and made a good impression on visiting dignitaries.

Henry’s palace wasn’t spectacular, but it was close. It was built like a fortress and was strong enough to withstand limited cannon fire. Henry met Gregory in the Grand Hall, and grand was appropriate. The room was rectangular, 25 meters wide, and 50 meters long. Two rows of columns ran the room length with plenty of gilding. Both sides of the room had windows made of stained glass that let plenty of light in.

The two leaders had much to discuss, with the appointment of bishops and abbots in the empire at the top of the list. Henry wanted the power to appoint bishops, and Gregory didn’t want him to have it. This argument had been brewing for years, with Pope Alexander having to fight the same battles with Henry.

Gregory wanted control because of the church’s massive influence over daily life. A bishop loyal to Henry could cause problems for Gregory; if they were faithful to Gregory, Henry would have the same issues.

It quickly became apparent the appointment of church officials would be the only issue discussed. Neither Henry nor Gregory was willing to back down. Gregory threatened to have Henry’s marriage to Brunhild dissolved, which caused Henry to threaten to invade Italy and lay waste to Rome. Brunhild was in the room since Henry insisted on her being there, and his threat took her breath away. Henry was risking eternal damnation for her, and it made her hot. When Henry happened to look at Brunhild, his composure was nearly undone by the flames of lust in her eyes. If Gregory hadn’t been in the room, Henry would have bent Brunhild over the table and had his way with her, or she would have had her way with him. Sometimes, it was hard to tell with her.

Soon after, Gregory stood to leave. He had had enough of Henry’s imperial attitude and wanted to leave. Unfortunately, he had four days of meetings with his German church officials that couldn’t be moved.

As soon as Gregory was out of the room, Henry ordered everyone else out and started chasing Brunhild around the room. She laughed and giggled as she “tried” to get away. Henry finally caught Brunhild and picked her up, causing her to squeal. As soon as Brunhild’s back touched the table, Henry had his head between her legs, and Brunhild shrieked.

Henry’s willingness to defend her had her on edge, and she quickly came, covering Henry’s face in juice. As Henry stood to get his pants off, there was a knock at the door. Whoever was at the door was insistent because they kept knocking. It was an intelligence report from Poland that Henry had to deal with.

Gregory used the office of his leading official in Frankfort during his visit. Over the next four days, one official after another streamed into the office to meet with Gregory. After he met with Henry, Gregory began a campaign through his officials in Germany to force Henry out as emperor.

Finally, it was time for Gregory to leave, and it wasn’t a moment too soon as Gregory and Henry were openly hostile toward each other. Henry didn’t like Gregory working with the church officials against Henry, and Gregory didn’t want Henry to interfere in church business. The problem for the two rulers was what was considered church business. Henry didn’t want the church to interfere in government, and Gregory saw it as the church’s business to “lead all Christendom, including the governments.”

As aggravating as the visit was with Henry, his next stop would be far worse. Gregory was going into the lioness’s den to tweak her nose. The trip down the Rhine was relaxing except for occasionally seeing a steam train. They made Gregory nervous and glad he didn’t have to ride one.

At the mouth of the Rhine, Gregory was able to hire a large enough boat for his entire entourage to travel together to Britain. The seas were calm, and the breeze stiff as Gregory went to sea. With the wind, they journeyed to Hull in only three days. Pulling into the Humber Estuary was like arriving on another planet.

As they sailed into the estuary, they saw the HMS York and London heading to sea for a training mission. When the steel monsters steamed past, every member of the pope’s entourage stared while the sailors on the ship smiled; they loved watching newbies have their world turned upside down by British technology.

The next hit Gregory took was when he learned he needed to ride the train to get to York. He wouldn’t have climbed aboard if it hadn’t been for a Household Guard member returning to York from leave. Unlike Frankfort, he didn’t have an escort since nobody knew exactly when he would arrive, so he had to rely on this guard member. Gregory trusted the female guard member only because Sextus remembered the woman. The guard was none other than the former Corporal Elizabeth Yewing. She was now a lieutenant and had several additional combat experiences, as she had been in Iceland with Luke when they went to secure the island.

As they rode, Sextus and Elizabeth caught up with what had happened since Rome. Gregory watched his servant with a sense of dread. Suddenly, all the members of Gregory’s entourage became silent as the steel mill came in sight. Elizabeth giggled, seeing Sextus’s reaction to one of the reasons Britain was the strongest nation on Earth.

In the few years since Luke ordered its construction, the steel mill had almost doubled in size and increased production by four times. It now employed nearly 8,000 people working 24 hours a day, seven days a week. They worked three 12-hour shifts and one six-hour shift. That way, nobody got too burned out, and they still had plenty of time to have a life outside of work. Luke didn’t mind them working 42 hours a week since there was no such thing as overtime, but he banned anyone from working more than 50 hours per week. He knew the longer people worked past 40 hours, the more likely they were to cause an incident.

Finally arriving in York, Gregory couldn’t believe what he was looking at. By this time, York was a city with 100,000 people. No wooden structures were left in the city as all buildings were brick with tile roofs and glass windows. The city shimmered in the sunlight and was stunning. What was waiting for him was just as breathtaking. There was a full company of Household Guards in dress uniforms under Gabriella’s favorite commander for visiting dignitaries, Major Abigail Salomon.

While Gregory wasn’t nearly as comfortable with Jews as his predecessor, he was smart enough to know better than to argue with someone who looked as dangerous as the major in command of his honor guard. Major Salomon wasn’t happy escorting the head of the Catholic Church, but she had orders.

“Your Eminence, Welcome to York. I am Major Abigail Salomon, and I have orders from Her Majesty to escort you to the palace.”

“Thank you, Major.” The tone of Gregory’s voice pissed Major Salomon off.

“What is your problem? That I’m a Jew? Or that I’m a woman?” Pope Gregory was caught flatfooted and didn’t know what to say.

“I have no problems with you, Major. I am not used to a Jewess carrying a weapon.”

Abbi grunted and turned to see the carriage for his eminence pull up. She would be glad when this assignment was over. If she had been part of a standard military force, her behavior might have caused her problems, but with Luke as army commander, at worst, she might get a lecture about her sharp tongue. Abbi knew his feelings about this assignment since she overheard him telling Marion.

When Pope Gregory exited the train station, he froze as he looked up at the towering twin spires of the York Cathedral. They were taller than anything he had ever seen and shone brightly in the sunlight. When Abbi climbed into the carriage with the pope, he got nervous. That nervousness turned to fury when he looked past the major to see his troops being disarmed.

“No foreign troops are allowed to be armed while in Great Britain. They will get their weapons back when you leave and not a moment before. I’m sorry if you don’t like it, but those are long-standing orders from my queen. If you don’t like it, I suggest you take it up with her.” Seeing Gregory tense up, she continued. “I wouldn’t do anything if I were you. It will not end well for you.”

Gregory sat back in his seat, fuming, but had to admit he could do nothing. Being a Jew, the major wouldn’t respond to his threats of eternal damnation since, being a Jew, she was sentenced to that anyway. The man with her looked like a rough man they had picked up out of the gutter somewhere, and Gregory knew men like that were loyal to the ones who picked them up. Even in his fury, Gregory saw one new thing after another.

Finally, they arrived at Marion’s palace, and Gregory couldn’t help but gasp; the palace was beautiful and awe-inspiring. Major Salomon led the pope inside and down the various corridors to Marion’s office. When they arrived at Marion’s door, Gregory couldn’t help but notice the simple elegance of everything around him. There were no gliding or fancy statues, but the few decorations were tasteful and helped push the narrative that Marion was a fiscally conservative ruler who wouldn’t waste the people’s money.

Major Salomon knocked on the door and waited a moment before going in. When Gregory saw Marion for the first time, he was stunned; she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

“Hello, Welcome to York. As you may have determined, I’m Marion of York, Queen of Great Britain,” Marion nodded at Gabriella, “and this is Colonel Gabriella Smiten, commander of the Household Guards. She is also my wife.”

For a moment, Gregory didn’t know what to say. Every rumor he heard about Marion’s beauty and sexuality was true. Finally, his brain reengaged.

“What does your husband say about you having a wife?”

“As long as she doesn’t try to steal me from him, he doesn’t care. He’s the one who introduced us and pushed us to spend our first night together. Besides, he has another wife and a mistress who are both redheads. I only allow him one blonde; that’s me, “Marion joked. “Let me tell you something: the legends about redheads being fiery in bed are definitely true.”

Behind her, Gabby giggled and covered her mouth with her hand while Major Salomon shook her head. She didn’t care who the queen slept with as long as it wasn’t her husband. There was about as much chance of that happening as Luke and his family being returned to his old universe. Marion was loyal to Luke, and despite their past arguments, everyone knew she loved Luke.

“I can’t believe that your husband would stray with a wife as beautiful as you.”

“He didn’t. I encouraged him to take Alice as his mistress after she lost her betrothed in a battle with the Scots. We got drunk after we got the news and, in her drunken haze, raped Luke, who was sleeping in a chair. Later, she became his wife when I married Gabriella. Luke’s current mistress comes from Lapland, where we have launched mining operations. She lost her husband at sea during a storm. The army found her and called Luke’s attention to her. It took some time, but Luke eventually took her to bed after I encouraged him in several letters. He also waited to be sure he had feelings for the woman before taking her to bed. Now, she is studying chemistry and trying to develop a better fuel source for the engines that power some of our machines.”

“Have you ever considered what you do is against the Lord’s teachings?”

“Nope. As Luke told me right after we met, this is MY body,” Marion stated as she ran her hands up her sides. “I control my body, not my husband, or my father, or the church, or anyone else. I give my body to whomever I want, and as long as everything is consensual, what is the harm? Sure, Alice raped Luke, but there was an attraction there before, and the only reason neither acted on it was Luke’s loyalty to me.”

“Speaking of Luke: is there any truth to the rumor that he comes from a different world?”

“That is true, and if you are willing to come to dinner with me this evening, you can ask him about it.” Gregory wasn’t expecting her to give in this easily regarding Luke’s past.

“What proof does he have? There are plenty who claim to be false prophets.”

Marion nodded, smiled, and held up a silver chain with a small silver-colored piece of metal on it. Gregory looked at it, confused.

“What is that?”

“This belonged to Luke when he arrived here. He gave it to me because it was as much a part of him as an arm or a leg. This was one of his military identification tags, or dog tags as he calls them, from when he was a US Marine. Alice has the other. If someone died on the battlefield, they would take one tag, put it between the deceased teeth, and slam the jaw shut to lock it in place. They would then take the other back to base.” Gregory could clearly see USMC on the tag. “US Marines were the American version of my marines, naval infantry. They are specialist in amphibious assaults and boarding enemy ships at sea.”

“What is “American?” Gregory had many other questions, but this one came to his lips first.

“That was where Luke was from, the United States of America. It was one of two large nations across the Atlantic from here. The other was called Canada. They were both wealthy English-speaking nations that had democratically elected governments. In Luke’s time, even with its problems, the United States was the most powerful nation on Earth.”

“Still, he could be faking it. How hard can it be to make something like that from silver?”

“This isn’t silver; it’s steel. I have more proof. Can you and Major Salomon step out for a moment?” Gregory nodded and stepped out with Major Salomon. After a moment, Gabriella called them back in. On Marion’s desk was a strange device that was emitting light. Gregory and Abigail were equally curious. “This will prove once and for all that Luke is who he says.” Marion had Gregory sit in a chair where he could see what Marion was doing. “This is Luke’s computer and photographic proof of his origins.”

Marion began going through Luke’s pictures and narrating. Gregory could look through time and space to a world that would never be but held numerous warnings for their world. By the time they were done, Gregory’s mind was blank; Luke was a real-time traveler.

“Why are you letting his secret out now?”