Steel Empire
Proclamation Reform

In the corner of the great hall of Berengar's castle, Ludolf remained standing; he had sat down and watched the entire Council of Kufstein take place. As an important figure of reform, he had known the secret of meetings between various nobles and members of the clergy who supported his efforts and Berengar. Although he rarely spoke, his words were extremely weighty. 

After witnessing the conversation between Cardinal and Berengar, Ludolf took the opportunity to approach his old friend, who had helped him on the path to enlightenment. As Berengar was sitting alone in his seat of power, Ludolf approached and began to express his thoughts on the principles that would soon become known as the German Reformation. 

"Your Majesty, you should know that the response of the Church will be one of sheer brutality, with the Cardinal turning his back on the Catholic Church and supporting our ideas, there will be no shortage of chaos that follows..."

Berengar looked at the priest who had been instrumental in spreading the message of reform with a serious expression on his face.

“Great changes in society will always lead to conflicts between those who are too stubborn to move forward with the new age. Ever since we began to challenge the authority of the papacy, bloodshed was inevitable. However, this brings opportunity; the more Catholics try to oppress us, the easier it is to expel them from German soil!"

Ludolf let out a heavy sigh at the thought; he knew at this time Catholics and Reformers could not coexist peacefully; he also knew that Berengar planned to take advantage of the violence that ensued to establish himself as a great power in the European region. However, Ludolf was a pious man and did not care which secular leader sat on the German Throne as long as the ruler was friendly to reform. 

The young priest claimed to be quite lucky; berengar and his troops gave him protection, and as such, the Church had no real ability to punish him for his alleged perverted beliefs without a full-scale invasion of Tyrol, which at this time will prove difficult for them, due to the many conflicts. The Holy Orders continue to exist. 

Eventually Ludolf found himself agreeing with Berengar's words. However, he still expressed his concern.

"Germany is already in a state of chaos; this schism in the Church will undoubtedly lead to more conflict. The duchy would be fractured when the nobles attacked each other on charges of heresy and corruption. Do you not mourn the loss of life that will occur? "

Berengar nodded at Ludolf's words and offered his own view on the matter.

"Have you forgotten what happened to Suhl? If we do not gain significant support for our cause, many people will be killed by the Church in an attempt to suppress our views. Only by uniting together and forming a like-minded Nobles and Nobles bloc. Pastors can we resist the power of the Catholic Church and spread our views! Yes, lives will be lost in this conflict, but think how many voices will be extinguished if we sit down and do nothing!"

After hearing these words, and being reminded of what the Teutonic Order had done to Suhl City, even a godly man like Ludolf struggled to contain his anger. Such outrageous acts were all too common for the Crusaders, especially in the middle east. But to do so to your Christian colleagues because of simple differences of opinion, Ludolf found it unforgivable. Therefore, he clenched his fists and found his determination to face the waves that were about to arrive. After a moment of contemplation, he responded to Berengar's words.

"I understand... I will do what I have to do to spread the word of our reform!"

Seeing Ludolf agree, Berengar smiled and got up from his seat before walking towards Ludolf and patting him on the shoulder in a friendly manner. 

"It is up to us to free the Germans from the shackles of the Church!"

Ludolf nodded at Berengar's words and smiled before replying.

With that, the two men had begun the Protestant Reformation a hundred years earlier which would naturally occur in this timeline without Berengar's intervention. The following day a public announcement about the German Reformist Church was announced, with Tyrol being the center of his influence. However, the territory occupied by the Lords Reformers and priests did not stop there; it spread to parts of Chur, Vorarlberg, Salzburg, Carinthia, Upper Bavaria, and Swabia well. Southern Germany and Eastern Switzerland have become hot zones of Reformed thought and teaching. Many local nobles and middle nobles shared their interests and protected their people from the wrath of the Catholic Church and their followers. 

...

Of course, when news of this Schism spread to the Vatican, Pope Simeon II almost experienced aneurysms because of the level of anger he felt. He immediately began to condemn his Cardinals after hearing that large parts of South Germany and East Switzerland had essentially declared an open rebellion against his authority. He could no longer deny that the influence of Berengar and Ludolf had spread beyond his imagination. It is time to settle the dispute with the so-called Avignon Papacy, because if the Catholic Church is not united, they will not be able to destroy this heresy, and the Church will be permanently in a state of disunity. 

Therefore, Pope Simeon descended from his throne and approached one of his subordinates. His facial expression was furious as he shouted his orders at the man.

"Contact that French bastard, and let him know that I asked the Council of Constance to meet earlier than expected. This heretic is too important to wait any longer!"

However, the meeting place of the Council of Constance had to change from the Bisophric of Constance to a new place; after all, Germany was now a hotbed of religious and civil conflict. They will not be safe within its borders; thus, the last Council of Constance will be moved to a neutral place in Cordoba, Spain, within this timeline. 

The subordinate quickly bowed his head to the Pope and immediately agreed to his demands.

"Of course, Your Majesty!"

With that, the subordinates rushed to fulfill their duties leaving Pope Simeon II angrily at the thought of Berengar's influence over Southern Germany, that has spread like wildfire since the Pope first heard about the young man less than a year ago. He did not know how Berengar managed to accomplish such things, but it became clear that if Simeon was the representative of God on Earth, Berengar was the representative of Satan. Or at least in the eyes of the Catholic Church. The Cursed Berengar had caused too much damage to the Catholic Influence in Southern Germany, and his views would only spread further now that they had received legitimacy in the eyes of high-ranking Priests and Nobles. 

Simeon scoffed at the idea and voiced his inner thoughts out loud so that everyone nearby could hear him.

"German Reform Church?! What is this bullshit? These heretics will pay for their sins one way or another; I swear by Heavenly Father that I will personally see and end this farce!"

Despite this solemn oath, Simeon would have difficulty doing so, due to the reconciliation between the Vatican Papacy and the Avignon Papacy at the upcoming Council of Constance, or as it will be known in the future as the Council of Cordoba, it will prove to be a challenge to his authority as Pope. After all, he intends to mend the divisions between Avignon and the Vatican, and this will require some form of agreement to happen about who is the only true Pope. 

The Council of Kufstein and the subsequent Proclamation of German Reforms will forever change history in this timeline. Years of bloodshed and destruction will follow this development. Ultimately, however, these events will lead to further divisions in the Church. The Protestant Reformation had begun, and the pandora's box had been opened. Despite the best efforts of the Catholic Church, they will never be able to maintain the unreasonable amount of Power they have maintained over these past centuries; berengar has ensured that.

Ironically the Papacy has brought this upon themselves. If the Church left Berengar alone, he would never have started this conflict so early in his life. Originally, he planned to live a peaceful life as a lowly Baron and bring wealth and prosperity to his people. However, the actions of Lambert and his allies in the Church had forced his hand, as Berengar gathered more power, so did his ambition and enemies grow, and as the Church extended her hand to drive him away like a mosquito, the Pope said, he bit her down into it and inflicted a dangerous disease on it. 

Thus, they had created a powerful enemy by trying to get rid of the Baron's seemingly insignificant son in the remote region inside Tyrol. One who will forever free the German people from the bondage of the Catholic Church and the great corruption that sustains it.