The end of the Bavarian quarrels
“Imperial Diet of Roman Emperor Maximilian in Cologne in the year MDV at the Danzhuis Gürzenich”. The header inscription may be legible, but anything after that is almost impossible to read.
The illustration that goes with it has the desired effect. It shows an emperor who sought to make himself appear as powerful as possible. Framed by a golden border adorned with the coats of arms of the imperial estates, the viewer sees colourful images connected by ornamental leaves: people celebrating and courting the emperor, with minnesong and musical accompaniment. The imperial coat of arms in the upper left corner is particularly striking. Maximilian himself is pictured too, of course, in the lower left, surrounded by spiritual and worldly electors.
Peace in the empire
In 1505, the Holy Roman Empire was undergoing a period of reform. Although Maximilian, like his predecessor, asserted his own position and interests, he also pursued a dedicated imperial policy. His reforms had an impact on all major bodies in the empire, including the Imperial Diet, which became a central political forum as a result. Yet when the Imperial Diet convened in Cologne, it was concerned with internal affairs as well as foreign policy: the upcoming conflict with France and Spain, and dynastic contentions in Hungary. Maximilian sought to resolve as many internal conflicts as possible so that his attention could be directed outward. To paraphrase historian Dietrich Heil, the emperor needed peace in the empire.
The fight for Bavaria
Maximilian's primary obstacle was the War of the Succession of Landshut. The Duke of Bavaria-Landshut, George the Rich, died in 1503 with no male successors. He illegally left the principality to his daughter, whereupon Duke of Bavaria-Munich Albrecht IV, the closest male relative, asserted his claim to George's inheritance. Maximilian served as the mediator for this conflict before the Imperial Diet, but not without asserting his own claim to portions of the inheritance as compensation. The war officially ended in 1505 with the Arbitration of Cologne, the 513th anniversary of which occurred this year on 30 July. The arbitration awarded the majority of the inheritance to Albrecht IV. Maximilian also came out of the conflict with more than he had started with. However, no real negotiations were conducted in Cologne, and the arbitration was based on past agreements. The emperor announced the terms after three days, and the contention in Bavaria came to an end in the middle of the summer.
Not all that glitters is gold
One may ask what remains of the emperor's ostentatious presentation. The arbitration of the conflict over Landshut was the Imperial Diet's only success, as the Diet did not acquiesce to Maximilian's request for financial backing for his foreign policy. Internal constitutional matters saw no progress. By this time, Maximilian's power had already stagnated. He was not necessarily the illustrious monarch that he had presented himself to be during his celebratory arrival in Cologne on 15 July 1505.
Imperial Diet, Cologne style
This may be partially due to the fact that Maximilian missed a meeting of the Imperial Diet because of sudden heavy rainfall, from which he sought refuge in the Brauer-Gaffel guild hall on Schildergasse. While there is no evidence of what exactly happened, there is evidence that he had a bit too much to drink there. All in all, it was definitely a Cologne-style Imperial Diet.
This drawing is not a contemporary depiction, as David Levy Elkan produced it 345 years after the fact. Levy Elkan, a Jewish artist born in Cologne, was quite prolific in the 1840s and 1850s in particular. He worked toward Jewish emancipation in the Vormärz era, and was politically active even after the failed March Revolution of 1848. It was likely a commissioned work, but the illustration from 1850 also exhibits his wish for a unified German Empire that had been denied him in 1848.