By deliberately leaking the date of the declaration of war ahead of time, Franz had inadvertently set another historical precedent.
As an emperor, Franz's every move was bound to be interpreted politically. What looked like a childish stunt was, in truth, another contest between royal authority and divine authority.
The struggle between royal power and religious power in Europe had lasted for over a thousand years. The Reformation launched in the Middle Ages had raised the theoretical banner of Jesus's words: "Render unto God the things that are God's, and unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's."
Yet what belonged to God and what belonged to Caesar had never been clearly defined.
People generally took it to mean religion and secular affairs, but religion in Europe had already seeped into every aspect of daily life. Religion and the secular world simply could not be separated.
Whether royal authority stood above ecclesiastical authority, or ecclesiastical authority above royal authority, had never had a definitive answer in the Holy Roman Empire.
Even when church assets had been confiscated, Franz had made a deal with the Pope, using the Pope's name to force bishops across the land into compromise rather than acting in the government's name.
Though the objective had been achieved, such tactics could be used once or twice, but the Holy See could not be relied upon forever.
Thus, over the following decades, Franz had quietly been weakening the Church's influence, attempting to place religion under government jurisdiction.
Now, it was more or less time to lay all the cards on the table. The deliberately announced declaration date was an obvious political signal.
It was meant to make everyone face reality: even the Pope had to act according to the Emperor's will, so what right did the churches below have to