As you know, Leopold III, the longest reigning Holy Roman Emperor, is dead, along with most of his heirs. His son Karl, who has lead the Roman Catholic Church as Pope Celestine VI for the past six years, is the only heir the International College of Heralds can find, who isn't completely unacceptable to the Reichstag. This is a bit of a problem, both because the Pope is required to be celibate, and because the HRE, while having little influence over the internal affairs of the member states, has near-total control over interaction between those territories - including those that have Lutheran or other Protestant majorities or State Churches - and a lot of power in terms of the Empire's foreign policy. Not a good thing, given the Pope's stated dislike of some of the Empire's major trading partners, like the British Imperial Federation.
Likewise, there's a fair bit of difference between Church politics and international politics.
So, if he's chosen, what happens next? If he's not chosen, what then?
Likewise, there's a fair bit of difference between Church politics and international politics.
So, if he's chosen, what happens next? If he's not chosen, what then?