Kriegsritter Johannes Braun – Imperial Knight
Copyright© 2026 by Vonalt
Chapter 17: A Marriage, a Challenge, and a New Home
The wedding ceremony was to take place at the town’s church at the tenth hour. Johannes walked to the church alongside Marcus, Thierry, and Emperor Frederick Barbarossa of the Holy Roman Empire. The wedding party was surrounded by Johannes’s retainers, not so much for show as for the protection of the Emperor. They all wore their finest surcoats and swords, along with finely tooled belts.
As a tribute to his departed mother, Johannes wore the dagger at his belt that she had given him on his thirteenth birthday. The Emperor wore the crown he had worn on the day the Pope had crowned him Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire.
To anyone watching them walk to the church, it was an impressive spectacle, one that the serfs of Dole would long remember.
Father Denis was waiting on the front steps of the town’s church and greeted the party when they arrived. Even he had cleaned up and dressed for the occasion. The priest wore a new robe, and his hair was smartly cut. Johannes was amazed at the priest’s appearance. He didn’t think there was a bowl big enough in the walled town to fit over the plump priest’s head.
Father Denis blessed them, then came closer to Johannes and whispered something in his ear. After hearing what the priest had said, Johannes momentarily appeared agitated, but he quickly returned to his usual pleasant expression.
Johannes then turned to the Emperor and whispered something to him. After hearing what Johannes had said, the Emperor not only looked angry, but his face momentarily turned red.
What Johannes had passed along to the Emperor was that Archbishop Humbert of the Besançon Bishopric had forbidden any priest in the diocese to perform the wedding of Bailli Johannes Braun and Adelheid Bernard. The Archbishop didn’t know it yet, but that order had sealed his fate. He would soon be forced out of his position and made to spend the rest of his life in an isolated monastery, away from the main line of the Church.
Many did not know that Emperor Frederick not only sought revenge, but also removed the object of that revenge. Archbishop Humbert was fortunate that the insult he had directed at Johannes did not cost him his life, but did eventually his position in the Church.
As invited guests began arriving, the groom and his friends moved inside the church and patiently waited for the arrival of the bride and her father. When they arrived, the ceremony could begin.
Lady Anne stood off to the side, pleased with herself at the fruition of her work in arranging this pairing. Johannes had proved to be a man who knew what he wanted in a bride, and when he found the right woman, he had given Lady Anne permission to negotiate the terms of the marriage on his behalf, with the assistance of her husband, Thierry.
The two had successfully negotiated a marriage contract agreeable to all involved. Besides gaining a wife, Johannes had also gained an interest in a profitable salt-mining concern that would provide a continuous income for the day when he could no longer do the Emperor’s bidding. It would also provide for his wife and their children’s future should something happen to him.
The bride’s father had gained an increase in status among the community of salt merchants and mine owners. He would now have the ear of the Bailli and, indirectly, the Emperor.
Claude Bernard had gone from being an unimportant salt merchant to one of the most powerful men in the guild, all because of a marriage between his daughter and the popular and powerful Bailli, Johannes Braun.
The change in status had little effect on Claude. He was still the humble salt merchant he had always been; only now, the others paid closer attention to the way he conducted his business. The interesting thing was that Claude would continue doing business the way he always had. He would offer honest measures of salt at a fair price and not cheat his customers.
Johannes and his small group of friends waited at the front of the church for the appearance of the bride and her father. Adelheid and her father finally appeared. She was dressed in a white linen dress and stood beside her father. Together, they made their way to the front of the church. Adelheid stood alongside Johannes, her father placing her hand in Johannes’s. He then stepped back from the couple. Father Denis then asked if each consented to being accepted as the other’s spouse.
Johannes answered, “I take you, Adelheid, as my wife.”
Adelheid Bernard said to Johannes, “I take you, Johannes Braun, as my husband.”
Father Denis covered their hands with his own and offered a prayer, asking for a blessing upon their marriage.
With the marriage ceremony part of the wedding complete, Father Denis began Mass, no differently than any other Mass he had celebrated in the past. The only difference was that Johannes Braun, Bailli, was now Johannes Braun, married Bailli.
At the conclusion of the Mass, all of the guests, along with the wedding party, moved toward the castle to celebrate the wedding and partake in a banquet prepared by the castle’s servants. As they left the church, Johannes’s retainers formed up around the newlyweds, as well as the Emperor and Queen. At such a celebration, it would be far too easy for someone to get close to the Emperor.
The threat to the Emperor and Johannes was still very much a concern, and it was still Johannes’s responsibility to see to it that no harm came to the Emperor and Queen.
Besides being Johannes and Adelheid’s wedding day, it was also the autumn equinox. At the castle, people celebrated both the wedding and the autumn equinox. Everyone was in a jovial mood, and the celebration continued through the afternoon and into the evening. Finally, Johannes and Adelheid left to spend their first night as husband and wife, while the rest of their guests continued the celebration until the supply of wine and ale ran out.
The next morning, it was as if the castle were one huge headache and upset stomach. The only ones not suffering from the results of the previous day’s celebration were those who had served at the banquet or had stood watch to ensure that no harm had befallen the newly married couple or the Emperor and Queen.
Most people that morning moved about in pain, or quietly out of respect for those whose heads made them wish they had perished the night before.
The Emperor and the Queen emerged from their rooms, which was a normal occurrence for them, and went to find breakfast. As the Emperor prepared to sit at one of the dining hall tables, he motioned one of the house servants over.
“Inform the Bailli, Lord Marcus, and Count Thierry that I wish to meet with them and their wives in the Bailli’s private rooms this afternoon at the two o’clock hour,” the Emperor requested.
The servant acknowledged the request and continued on his way to finish his morning duties.
At 2 p.m., Johannes sat in his private rooms with Adelheid, Marcus and Gabriella, and Thierry and his wife, Lady Anne. The Emperor and the Queen entered the room, and the room’s occupants stood until Frederick motioned for them to sit.
“As Emperor, I have decided that some changes need to be made to improve the administration of the Empire. I am not sure that they will be popular with everyone sitting in this room, since you were only recently married,” the Emperor said, looking first at Adelheid and then at Gabriella. “I have already made my plans known to Johannes, and while he wasn’t happy with my plans, he accepted them as his duty to the Holy Roman Empire.”
Adelheid and Gabriella both looked over at Queen Beatrice, hoping to get a visual clue about what the Emperor was about to reveal. They were both disappointed when the Queen maintained a neutral expression on her face.
The Emperor continued, “I have named Lord Johannes Braun Imperial Knight, with command of my army loyal to me at Kaiserpfalz Goslar. The reason being is that Henry III, also known as Henry the Lion, has his own ambitions for the throne of the Holy Roman Empire. If it happens I may need a sanctuary to fall back to, there is no one other than Lord Johannes whom I feel I can trust to protect the throne, as he has proven in the past. And to serve as his captain, I wish Lord Marcus Frangipani to be his second-in-command. The two have proven to be a formidable pair to their foes, and I wish for them to continue as such. I wish Marcus to travel with him to Goslar.”
“And that leads me to my newest retainer, and yet not my youngest. Count Thierry, I wish for you to assume Johannes’s duties here at Dole Castle. Until recently, you were a member of Louis’s court, and he has great respect for your abilities as a warrior and knight. I am hoping that Louis is not foolish enough to attempt to take over the County of Burgundy. He will respect the current border because he knows what awaits him on the other side. Therefore, Thierry, you will become my new Bailli.”
Johannes, Marcus, and Thierry knew that service to the Throne would bring times like this, when they would have to uproot their lives and move wherever they were needed. It was their wives who were most affected by the news.
Adelheid would no longer be nearby to assist her father with his household and business. Now she was the wife of an influential man who had earned the trust of the Emperor, and whose duty was first and foremost to the Throne.
Gabriella was in a very different place from where she had grown up. She was married to a former enemy of her family, who was, in turn, a friend and lieutenant of the man who was most certainly the mortal enemy of her people. And now she would be forced to move to their most secure imperial sanctuary. At least she would have her mother to keep her company, or so she thought.
Of all the women whose husbands were at the meeting with the Emperor, Lady Anne was the least affected by the news and probably the happiest. This year had been very good to her. She had met a courtier who was well known as a warrior, had gone on crusade, and was a close friend of the Emperor’s most trusted advisor. He had fallen for her and married her. And now, the Emperor had appointed her husband to a royal position. She would become the lady of the castle, managing the household and its affairs on her husband’s behalf. With the position came great responsibility, but also considerable respect at Court.
The Emperor expected that the wives would complain, or at least comment, about these decisions. There was nothing said, at least not yet.
He then explained when he expected the men to be ready to take up their new positions. The Emperor would announce the changes that evening during the evening meal in the dining hall. Some of the changes would take time, while others would be immediate.
One of the biggest changes would be when Johannes moved north to Kaiserpfalz Goslar, as he would be taking most of his retainers with him. Thierry would therefore need time to recruit and train retainers to serve him at Dole Castle. Johannes would consequently be given extra time before taking up his new position.
Marcus would be leaving at the same time, so a new second-in-command would be needed for the newly appointed Bailli. Johannes suggested that perhaps one of the senior retainers could serve in that role, and he recommended several men who had served him loyally.
The meeting broke up soon after, and the Emperor and Queen left, allowing the others to work out how they would manage the changes and arrange their moves.
Johannes, probably the most experienced person in the room, other than perhaps Thierry, expressed his concerns about the move he was about to make. He would be moving with his new wife, the household servants, his retainers, and all of their household belongings. The one thing Johannes was relieved about was that there were no children involved, as their presence would make the move that much more difficult.
Thierry left Johannes’s private rooms, soon to be his own, on the lookout for the men Johannes had recommended to become his second-in-command. He was eager to learn more about the men Johannes had recommended.
Lady Anne also left the room in search of the steward and cook to tell them about the change in household management. She knew there wouldn’t be much to do, as she had already handled responsibilities within the household, and the announcement would be little more than a formality.
Johannes had stopped one of the servants in the hall and asked him to bring four mugs of watered-down red wine to his private rooms. He then gathered Marcus, Gabriella, and Adelheid together to discuss what the move would entail. He was certain the move would be a major undertaking, but he was not sure how extensive it would become. That was why he wanted to hear what the others had to say.
He asked the others what they would need in the way of household servants and other members of the household. Johannes said he would start with the four of them and add Father Denis as the family priest.
Marcus, thinking with his stomach and being a man of practical means, added a cook and a steward. He also added several grooms to maintain their horses.
Adelheid added a chambermaid and several household servants to help maintain the living quarters. Gabriella gave it some thought and added one or two laundresses.
Then Marcus said they would need trusted household guards to protect the family while they were away from the castle. They would need to be men willing to give their lives to protect the lives of household members.
Johannes commented that they were still listing the people needed for the household and had not even begun to consider the animals, the people needed to care for the livestock, or those required to maintain the carts needed to move all their household belongings.
Marcus then asked the all-important question: Where were they going to find all the people they would need to make the move? Chances were, the people who took on the jobs of handling the livestock and carts would move with them, and it would be a permanent arrangement. So, whoever came with them would either bring along their family or be a single man willing to move to a new part of the Empire.
Adelheid, being the practical businesswoman who had learned from her father, asked the important question: “Who is going to pay for this move?”
It was going to be expensive. Even if Johannes had acquired great wealth during his short time as an Imperial Knight and, more recently, as the Bailli of the County of Burgundy, a move of this size and distance would likely render him a pauper.
Johannes looked at his new wife with admiration. He had been matched with a woman who was not only pretty and mature but also possessed a practical nature. Johannes just knew he had chosen well, and his feelings for her would only deepen with time.
Johannes answered, “At the evening meal, we can ask the Emperor and Queen how we are to move to Goslar. After all, we are going to Goslar to create a sanctuary where the royals and the Court can escape to if Henry the Lion attacks, and he will.”
Dinner that night was a lively exchange between the Emperor and Johannes’s wife, Adelheid, and Gabriella, Marcus’s wife, about the logistics of moving to the other castle. Johannes thought it best to stay out of the conversation and let his new, business-savvy wife handle all of the negotiations.
Adelheid and Gabriella attacked the matter from both sides at once. Gabriella would list what they would need to establish themselves at Goslar, while Adelheid would discuss the approximate cost of acquiring what they needed, as well as the expenses involved in hiring the servants necessary to maintain it.
Throughout the negotiations, the Emperor sat amused by the sudden boldness of both wives and their willingness to go after what they believed they would need.
In the end, he agreed that the cost of the move would come out of the imperial treasury. The Emperor later confessed to Johannes that his marriage to Adelheid was a good match and that he was looking forward to seeing Adelheid at Johannes’s side in the future.
The Emperor and Queen stayed for several more days before leaving and returning to Aachen. The remaining time spent at Dole Castle was devoted to discussions about the number of retainers who would be needed to man the castle at Goslar and which Court functions would transfer there should Henry the Lion chose to threaten the throne.
It would be important that the Emperor’s line be continued and protected.
“Johannes, you are a skilled negotiator, but your wife was born into the art of negotiation because of her father. Make sure she is included in any serious negotiations in the future. You will always come out on top with her assistance,” the Emperor said confidentially.