The emperor declined the honor, jocularly remarking-- "There is no method more pleasant to kill an old man, than to marry him to a young bride." The German empire was then divided into ten districts, or circles, as they were then called, each of which was responsible for the maintenance of peace among its own members.

These districts were, Austria, Burgundy, the Upper Rhine, the Lower Rhine, Franconia, Bavaria, Suabia, Westphalia, Upper Saxony and Lower Saxony.

The affairs of each district were to be regulated by a court of a few nobles, called a diet.

The emperor devoted especial attention to the improvement of his own estate of Austria, which he subdivided into two districts, and these into still smaller districts.

Over all, for the settlement of all important points of dispute, he established a tribunal called the Aulic Council, which subsequently exerted a powerful influence over the affairs of Austria.
One more final effort Maximilian made to rouse Germany to combine to drive the Turks out of Europe.