One thing I really like about Crusader Kings II when compared to other Paradox games is its focus on the individual people instead of the nation itself. It makes for a much more interesting story, in my opinion, and the hundreds of events that can occur really make for exciting twists and turns. I don't really know what compelled me to write about the "chaplain embraces heresy" event specifically, but it felt like something worth fleshing out. The characters featured in this fic actually appear in-game at the 1241 "Rise of the Hansa" start, though I didn't memorize their traits, so they may technically be OOC.
Disclaimer: This is a CK2 fic, not an actual historical fiction piece. I don't know the actual extent of Waldensianism in Europe in 1241, nor of the Cathars and Fraticelli. However, seeing as how the heresies can appear pretty much randomly in-game, I don't really care how historically inaccurate this fic might be.
From the highest balcony that his grand palace had to offer, Patrician Wilhelm of Wittenborg stared out at the coastal waters of Northern Germany. His face, worn and rough from middle age, was nevertheless etched with an expression of ambitious determination. Though he was little more than a merchant patrician in the turbulent and uncertain world of the Hanseatic League, Wilhelm of Wittenborg was determined to have his noble house leave its mark upon history. Millennia from now, Germans and foreigners alike would read and whisper about the greatness that was House Wittenborg, and how they forever left the Holy Roman Empire richer, more powerful, and more righteous.
He was a Catholic man, not particularly faithful or pious, but passably loyal to both the Pope and the institution of the Western Church. Surely, Catholic God was the best God, as the Orthodox Byzantine Empire had crumbled to the brave knights of the Fourth Crusade a little less than forty years ago. Wilhelm had only been a tiny lad back then; those days had been his father's.
He didn't want to die the same way his father had. Sure, he had been a beloved figure among his dock workers and the hundred or so private guards he employed, but those were the only people to have ever praised his name publicly. Not even Mommy had spoken kind words about her husband at his funeral, but then again, their relationship had never been really close.
"Brother!" exclaimed a man as he frantically barged through the door leading to the balcony. "Brother, I have important news for you."
Wilhelm knew who it was before even turning around: Heinrich Wittenborg, his brother and the official Court Chaplain of the House of Wittenborg. He was an intelligent, well-read, and learned man in the realm, but he also hadn't the slightest clue as to how to interact with other human beings. Wilhelm didn't really like his brother all that much, but his knowledge in the subjects of theology and philosophy was too great to ignore. If something was important by Heinrich's standards, then he had to know what it was.
"What is the situation?" Wilhelm inquired, turning around to face his brother with a raised brow.
Heinrich's eyes were wide open, his face overcome with pure panic. "M'lord, I've discovered a horrible truth today! You must know that everything is at stake!"
Wilhelm swallowed, his eyes blazing with panic. "What is it!? Out with it, lad!"
"M'lord. . . The Catholic Church is a lie!"
Wilhelm cocked his head in disbelief, but inwardly sighed. He should have known that it was a religious matter, rather than a political or economical one. All this blasted fool could think of was theology. Why couldn't he leave the handling of the realm to a professional rather than insisting on butting God into everything; God would judge his deeds in the end, not now.
Still, he was curious to understand Heinrich's reasoning. "Come again? You better not be preaching heresy, Heinrich, for your sake as well as the sake of our lineage."
Heinrich nodded, bowing his head before Wilhelm as he did so. "I, er, was studying about the Waldensians, m'lord, and I've come to realize that they are right; the Holy Father is indeed a wicked man, nothing like the Son of God he claims to serve."
"Blasphemy!" exclaimed Wilhelm. "Do not think such things, brother! The Waldensians are a heretical lot, just like their Cathar and Fraticelli brethren! God damn their souls to hell!"
"Do not listen to the lies of The Church," Wilhelm argued, his lips curled up in a deep frown. "They only wish to rob you blind and have you smile about it. God would never allow such a thing! The Church angers God with its greed, that is why he split the East and the West! It is why the Mohammedan heretics have thrived for centuries! If we are to seek salvation, we must return to the ways of Christ!"
Wilhelm was silent for a moment, but ultimately shook his head. "I'm going to fetch my guards. Pray that you're a devout Catholic once more by the time I get back up here, else I lock you in the dungeons for a fortnight!"
"Wait, m'lord!" Heinrich shouted, for an idea had entered his mind. "Tell me one thing: Are you not tired of paying such heavy tithes to the priest?"
Wilhelm hesitated. "Yes."
What was this blasted heretic getting at? Everyone was sick of the priest's grip on their coin purses! But it was a necessary evil, both to fund the church and save their own souls from damnation.
As if he was reading his mind, Heinrich nodded. "They do not use their ill-gotten wealth as nobly as you common lot believe them to."
"Really, now? Do go on."
"During my studies of the Waldensian faith, I began to question that very belief. I bribed one of the monks at monastery to let me have a peak inside, a most dishonorable tactic, I know, and God forgive me for it! Still, I had to know the truth. The monks spend lavishly on sin and debauchery! They are unrepentantly guilty of the very same things they condemn us for. The whole of the clergy is corrupt under Catholicism! God has granted us the task of restoring the Church to what it was meant to be, do you not understand that?"
"If I must be honest, I don't," Wilhelm admitted.
Heinrich nodded, clearly upset, but his gaze did not waver. There was a fire in his eyes the likes of which Wilhelm had never seen before, and he feared that fire more than anything. It was the fire of conviction.
Maybe there was something to the Waldensian faith after all. Maybe this was how his family could go down in history! His family could very well be the force that changed the religious landscape of Europe forever!
"Then you will have to arrest me, m'lord," Heinrich declared, kneeling before his liege. "I'd rather be burned at the stake and die a martyr than continue to follow the path of the Catholic Church."
"Be silent, you fool," Wilhelm hissed quietly. "I will never embrace your vile heresy. . . Publicly."
Heinrich's gaze took on a softer note. "What?"
"You have convinced me, brother," Wilhelm sighed. "The more and more I think about it, the more I come to recognize the truth in your arguments. If I could only embrace this heresy publicly, I would."
"But you have too much to lose," Heinrich remarked astutely. "I understand."
"Fear not," Wilhelm assured, putting a comforting arm around his brother. I will study the texts you have, and I will follow the Light of the Candle as truthfully as I can in secret. Perhaps, in time, we will be able to come out of the shadows. For now, though, let us gather members in secret, hold our services underground. In time, we will outnumber the Catholics, especially if one leads with as much fervor as you.
Heinrich bowed. "Your words are wise, brother. I apologize for putting our house in such a dire situation. . . I will try to continue following the status quo outwardly, but the testimonies of our followers shall be forever a thorn in the side of the Pope."
With out waiting for a response, Heinrich turned away and slipped quietly back into the mansion proper, leaving Wilhelm alone once again. What he had agreed to just now was a dangerous proposal indeed, but ambitious men are ones that take risks. Perhaps he might even be righteous, too, but he would let God sort that one out. He turned back to the dusky skies above, and though the world was becoming dark, a new day may have just dawned on all of Europe.