Jan Kapras

“ At the same time, the federation also acts as a kind of Public Peace Association or League, for all its members are bound to punish with the utmost severity all those who trespass on public order and public peace, and trespassers, whoever they may be, are not to find protection anywhere, neither from their princes nor from their subjects. ”

“ Therefore it is not surprising that George and his negotiators (agents) in the beginning for tactical reasons always put the Turkish expedition in the foreground.
At first (1462) the king of Poland was won for this plan at the meeting at Hlohov. He bound himself to friendship with the Czech State, to mutual help against all enemies, especially against the Turk, to the exclusion of war between the Czech and Polish people, and it was decided that all quarrels should be settled by arbitration and agreements. ”

“ «the Czech king requests and entreats the French king as the Most Christian King and one who loves the universal true christian creed, that His Majesty deign to convoke an assembly of kings and christian princes in order that they or their councillors, with full powers might meet at a stated time and place, when and where it would please the French king: and that the Czech king requests this for the praise of the Lord and the Glory of the Christian creed, the Holy Roman Church and the Holy Christian Empire». ”

“ In the meantime, George negotiated with the duke of Brandebourgh and with Matthias of Hungary, very cautiously on the whole, for the former was an adherent of the Pope and the latter received from the Pope a yearly allowance for the conduct of the Turkish wars.
It greatly added to king George’s political importance that he succeded in settling a number of riots, quarrels and wars in the German empire, which were settled by the so—called Treaty, or Agreement of Prague, 1463. ”

“ Finally the federation endeavours to prevent also wars between states not being members of the league, even without being invited to do so, and in case this intervention does not succeed, the confederation participates in the war for the sake of the opponents who showed himself willing to desist from waging war and to submit to the decision of the league. ”

“ Within each such national group each prince has one vote, all princes being equal; and the majority of votes within each national group decides as to the vote of the nation in the assembly. In case of equality of votes within each national group an attempt is to be made to decide on which side are the most important states: but if even then no agreement is arrived at the vote of this nation simply falls out for the one special voting. ”

“ All things that are fitting for the Holy Father shall not be taken from His Holiness, and also as regards His Grace the Emperor; but it seems to us a funny thing that you prelates do not like to see and do not suffer that any good comes out of agreements between secular people ”

“ It was conducted by Albrecht Kostka of Postupice who, at the same time, represented the Czech king withf plenipotentiary powers; Marini on the other hand, was invested with full powers for Poland and Hungary. From the detailed diary kept of this important mission it may be seen that in the meantime the Pope’s party at the French Court won the majority, and although it was not powerful enough to prevent Louis from receiving the heretics at all, it still succeeded in making impossible the final conclusion of a universal peace league. ”

“ The vote is given according to nationalities, so that all princes of one and the same nation—as for instance the French, German, Italian and eventually the Spanish nation—form one group with only one vote. ”

“ Settled through his intervention were also the Hungarian questions, and a decision, favorable to Bohemia, was obtained in the Czecho-brandenbourghish conflict, the object of which was the possession of Lusatia. ”