Request for Arbitration and Consultation

To:
His Catholic Majesty, etc., Louis of Gallia;
His Serene Eminence, Prince Bishop Heinrich of Unter Gruntshuffen;
His Grace Fürst Guntram of Hesse-Engelberg;
His Grace Duke August of Saxe-Huack;

Noble cousins, greetings.

We have of late noticed a steady deterioration in the security both of our trade and merchants crossing to your lands, and, indeed, of our own customs officials operating along our frontiers, due to the unrest throughout the region occasioned by the destruction of the Bittburgbund, the occupation of Frankfurt, and the ongoing depredations of the Badnachtschweinbund.

Averse to unnecessary strife and bloodshed as we are, we have therefore undertaken measures recently to modernise and expand our military forces to deter and rebuke the lawless banditti preying upon our merchants and indeed our very retainers. We send notice therefore of these activities and soon-consequent military manoeuvres along our frontiers in the interest of peace and comity between the legitimate and law-abiding sovereigns of Christendom.

In addition to these independent activities, we seek also the opportunity to confer with our neighbouring cousins and princes to determine the common actions which might be taken to eliminate the unrest in the region and restore security and confidence through such measures as consultation on the movement of forces through the region and the establishment of commissions of review and arbitration for claims of damages resulting from such movements on or by signatory parties.

Grateful for your courteous attention, we remain, etc.

Duke Ignaz von Pfalz-Kognat-Obersayn

IP/gs