I Am Louis XIV

If a person of our era is lucky enough to travel back in time and space to 1679, he will find a wonderful thing.

Involving more than a dozen countries, that is, the whole of Europe plus Britain, Ottoman Turkey, and Russia, etc., the Spanish succession war that has been fought intermittently for nearly ten years before the start of the war in 1680, was everywhere. Full of harmony, happiness and happiness.

First of all, we have to look at the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire and the Archduke Leopold I of Austria. Undoubtedly, although this emperor has always been the spokesperson of depression and anxiety, he has a rare satisfaction this year-physical Weak, almost judged by the wizard and the doctor at the same time, the queen who had a hard time giving birth to children gave him a boy.

This boy was an out-and-out gift to Leopold I, who had been driven to the edge of the cliff, even if his ranking was a bit awkward. Although he was the eldest son, he first became the ruler of Spain, not Austria.

In history, this kind of thing is not without precedent, especially when Europa is still divided and ruled by many princes. In the future, this child-Philip will inherit two countries at the same time, Spain and Austria, and then maybe his son will inherit two countries. The descendants took over these two glorious crowns, or distributed the power in their hands to their brothers and children like the former Frankish king and Charles V of the Holy Roman Empire.

Not to mention that this was not the wishful thinking of Leopold I, if it were not for Louis XIV - a strong France would be enough to make other countries sad, and Louis XIV would marry Sweden, Portugal, Prussia, etc. in succession, That is to make reliable allies in disguise. Once this alliance is formed and consolidated, other countries can be called lucky if they can hold on to their original territories. As for other enclaves and colonies, they will inevitably be swallowed up by this behemoth.

With such a cognition, they are of course willing to stand with the enemies of France—and when Leopold I proposed the right to inherit the Spanish throne, he did not receive much resistance, and some people even secretly pushed—just look at the map. You know, France can be connected with Spain, but Austria cannot. The former is more threatening than the latter.

In such an atmosphere, even though Leopold I still had to worry about and worry about domestic and foreign debts, he still managed to borrow a large sum of money. Don't get me wrong, this money was not used to pay military expenses, but to hold a grand naming ceremony banquet for his first son Philip, "the future King of Spain and Grand Duke of Austria".

The naming ceremony refers to the baptism ceremony and the official naming ceremony after the birth of the baby. Only after these two steps can the child truly become a legally and morally recognized existence with rights and obligations. People"—the illegitimate son of Carlos II was unable to proceed with this step, so he finally stopped at the turning point of fate.

If the child's parents were just ordinary people, then only a few closest friends and family members would participate in the ceremony and the subsequent banquet, but since his father is the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, Archduke Leopold I of Austria , and his mother is the daughter of King Philip IV of Spain, his naming and christening ceremony must be the most solemn.

Although Austria did not directly participate in any major war after the end of the Thirty Years War except for the great battle against Ottoman Turkey, and of course there would be no failure or loss, but like Leopold I, Austria People also feel the pressure from France. From the deep palace to the streets, more and more old people are beginning to cherish the memory of Charles V, the former emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. Relatively, more young people are beginning to pursue the pursuit from Paris or Versailles. The latest trend that has been spread - human beings are all obsessed with strength. When a country or a civilization has the power to overwhelm the same kind, you will find that it will also become the object of people's admiration and pursuit. This is true for young people and old people. It's just that the latter has seen the glory of the past, so it's inevitable that there will be a bit of jealousy and bitterness mixed in the look-up meeting.

When Leopold I imitated Louis XIV to erect street lights at night, rebuild roads, and blocks, he encountered a lot of opposition.

He is not so willing, what can be more irritating than carrying the debt of the enemy, probably you have to follow his footsteps and imitate his approach to make changes, but the benefits of this change are also immediate, ridiculous What's more, because the reform in Austria came after France, it also avoided many twists and turns and obstacles encountered by France in the reform.

Today's Vienna also has the shadow of the political, economic and cultural center of the later generations. The streets and alleys extend in all directions, the houses are row upon row, the glass windows shine brightly in the sun, green trees stand on both sides of the sidewalk like guards, and everywhere in the square. Sculptures and drinking pools can be seen. Even if the ground is not spotless, at least there is no feces and garbage.

For example, the Louvre in Paris and the Hofburg Palace in the center of Vienna were only a military castle at the beginning. For the first generation, since the national treasury and the internal treasury were not so rich, he only built a "Leopold Wing" - a large gallery similar to the Louvre, connecting the original old castle with a small palace behind - In this way, it seems that the Hofburg Palace will not be too shabby.

Of course, it is definitely not comparable to Louis XIV's Versailles, which, by the way, is one of the reasons why Leopold I has always had a grudge.

But the downfall of the palace can be made up for by the splendor of the guests. Although in front of Louis XIV, Leopold I was always at a disadvantage, but for others, he was still a king worthy of awe, not to mention that this naming ceremony banquet was also a horn blown by the emperor before the war. Whether it is an enemy or a friend standing here, the decision must be made today.

For example, King Louis XIV of France, King Carl XI of Sweden, King Pedro I of Portugal, and the former King Condé of Poland will definitely not stand here with Leopold I. They will come to the banquet and present Only envoys presented congratulatory gifts, and members of the anti-French faction in Spain, King Christian V of Denmark, as well as principalities or minor princes such as Switzerland, Milan, Turin, and Genoa, all came to greet Leopold I in person. Congratulations.

Of the latter, it seems that the Danish King Christian V is the most important, even if he is just a mediocre monarch, but with Denmark and Norway, it will be difficult for the Swedish King Karl XI to devote himself to the subsequent war of succession to the throne— But this situation was soon broken, because although Charles II of England did not come, he sent his brother, the Duke of York.

The Duke of York has the nickname of "Master of the Tower of London", which is of course to mock him and Charles II, because he has such a narrow-minded brother and he is also ambitious, so the Duke has six months a year. He "lives" in the Tower of London for months, and is only released when something happens that has to be done by a man of sufficient weight.

Everyone can see that there are many monitoring eyes and dangerous arms around him—mainly to prevent him from escaping, but not many people really dare to laugh at the Duke, after all, the son of Charles II is still alive. It failed to grow, and after the incident with Carlos II, the kings became cautious about how to use wizards in terms of their offspring.

The last person who was imprisoned in the Tower of London for a long time was also precarious—the Virgin Queen Elizabeth. She also spent her entire girlhood in insults and threats, but this did not prevent her from taking over her sister's throne. Who knew York Could the Duke be the next 'Mr Elizabeth'?

The appearance of the Duke of York is appropriate, without making people feel that the British are too servile, and it can also show that Charles II attaches great importance to the upcoming covenant-the Duke of York is still the second heir to the Stuart dynasty. It's just that people who saw the Duke of York couldn't help but frown under the brim of their hats—it seems that Britain and France have indeed become enemies.

The enmity between Britain and France is far deeper than that between France and Spain, and Austria. The friendship between Charles II and Louis XIV can only be said to be a coincidence. The Duke of Seoul became Charles II, and the Lord Protector of England was hung on the wall. Their relationship has come to an end—Even if Britain and France did not go to war, there was constant friction, especially after Louis XIV had an ironclad ship. However, the British fleet suffered a great blow after the Battle of Dunkirk-in addition to the sunken ships, there is also the confidence they built in Spain and the Netherlands.

According to some unverifiable reports, the British are also planning to build an ironclad fleet, but compared with the French, they can be said to be stretched in terms of technology and funds, and it is no wonder that they immediately decided to stand with Leopold I. together.

In addition to these people, there were six guests who were the most important to Leopold I.

Six electors.

In the "Golden Seal Edict", Charles IV confirmed for the first time the legitimacy of the great feudal princes becoming emperor through election, and determined the seven electors of the empire. They were three church electors and four secular electors. Emperors, including the Archbishops of Mainz and Cologne, stood by France in the French war against Flanders and the Netherlands for personal gain. Austria, because they would be the first to be threatened if France were united with Spain.

Among the secular electors, the Elector of the Rhine-Palatinate, the Elector of Saxony, and the Elector of Bavaria have been confirmed to be on the side of Leopold I, except William I who has been promoted from the Elector of Brandenburg to the Kingdom of Prussia , his son has already made a marriage contract with Princess Marie, the daughter of the Duke of Orleans in France. What's more subtle is that there is a part of the princess's generous dowry belonging to Leopold I.

William I did not embarrass Leopold I too much. Although he had already chosen Louis XIV, he stood with the electors at the banquet, but in the middle of the banquet, he had a private audience with the emperor, tactfully showing that own intention.

"That is to say," Leopold I said with a gloomy expression, "you have decided to hold a wedding ceremony for the two children on Pentecost."

"That was a good day," William I said neither humble nor overbearing, "you think so too."

Of course, this time is chosen. Pentecost is what people often call Pentecost, after Easter, and at the end of May-the war cannot be separated from food reserves, and during the busy farming and harvest, except for Louis For a large-scale standing army (full-time soldier) like Fourteen, soldiers converted from farmers will definitely want to escape from the battlefield to the farmland, so the battles are usually scheduled for the months from late autumn to severe winter.

Once the marriage contract between the princess and the Prince of Prussia is reached, they will usher in a war.

"What can Louis XIV give you?" asked Leopold I, who was sitting on his favorite throne - the top of the throne is a double-headed eagle looking at the two sides, it is hard to imagine, without How ugly would one be: "Is there anything he can give that I can't? Sir, you are still my minister after all (electors have official positions in the empire), and you are also one of the electors." One, you should be equal to Louis XIV, not willing to be his vassal."

"I am not his vassal, Your Majesty." William I was past the age of being easily angered, and he only smiled slightly at Leopold I's provocation and irritation: "But our covenant is that before you decide to go to war, I should first We all know that to fulfill that contract—and if I annul this engagement, it may be difficult for your army to hold on to the dawn of victory."——If the goddess of victory is really on your side.

"It seems that you are not willing to obey my good intentions, so let me just say it directly," Leopold I said coldly: "Sir, Prussia is far away from France, but it is very close to Austria."

"Your Majesty, I thought this was a threat to you and not mine."

"You are facing an Austria. The seven electors of the Holy Roman Empire, as long as you surrender to the enemy."

"Have they been persuaded by you?"

"They have far-sightedness and insight than you do," said Leopold I harshly.

"Then, if you insist..." King William I said calmly, "I can go out now and tell the French Prince Conti that I am going to annul the engagement between my son and their princess..."

"You really want to do that?"

"Just like the situation you described to me, Your Majesty, if you asked me to do this, I will do it." William I stared at Leopold I and said, only to see that this man was two years younger than Louis XIV. The emperor who looked up but was almost the same age as William I suddenly clapped his hands, "Okay, sir," he said, "I want to say now, I have seen your loyalty, how precious! I must say that you have withstood my test ——Although it is a bit harsh, but I, sir, believe me, I don't want to let you get into such a predicament."

He stood up, stretched out his hand, and held William I's arm—if it wasn't because he was not tall enough, he might have hugged each other's shoulders. William I suppressed his disgust and asked patiently: "May I know your Any ideas?"

"The marriage goes on," whispered Leopold I, "but not the covenant."