I Am Louis XIV

The Red Clay City mentioned by Eva is a common name for the city of Roussillon by ordinary people. Its real name is the Latin "red mountain" Viscus Russulus, from which the name of Roussillon comes from. This city is located in the Luberon Mountains. , on the edge of a cliff.

The only regret of the Duke of Orleans in this life may be that he failed to send his daughter to Prussia to get married. He has more important responsibilities. When he walked lightly and silently into the Roussillon area, it was dusk. Under the setting sun, the small town seemed to be shrouded in a layer of lingering blood, but there was also a kind of brilliant golden color bursting from the inside. Come out, like the Catalans who came to meet him.

The Catalans have always been the proudest, because their history is even longer than that of Spain, even Castile or the Kingdom of Aragon. Speaking of which, they have many inexplicable ties with France ——In the Middle Ages, here was still ruled by pagans. It was Charlemagne who conquered this place and returned it to God. It is strange that he did not classify this place into West Frank, but enfeoffed it as Barcelona Counties - that's how the Count of Barcelona came about.

The Kingdom of Aragon acquired this territory through marriage. The Catalans also played a pivotal role in the court before Aragon merged with Castile. The Catalans and Barcelona, ​​even the King of Aragon lacked the courage to speak in front of the Queen of Castile. I don’t know when, the Catalans were shocked to find that they not only lost their hearts in the court. The right to speak depends on the face of the Castilians in one's own territory.

Yes, in the eyes of the Catalans, Spain is still just an alliance of Castile and Aragon rather than a complete and unified country. Their nobles believe that if the king of Aragon cannot treat the Castilians and Catalans, then they will be independent - in the name of the County of Barcelona.

This is why these people were willing to form allies with Louis XIII and Bishop Richelieu at the beginning, but because France was also struggling internally and externally at that time, and Bishop Richelieu failed to give them enough support. Under the strife between the two big countries and France, the situation in Catalonia has not only not improved, but has become more difficult.

In Madrid, and when the rulers in Toledo were still deliberating and vacillating, they didn’t know whether they should lean towards France or the Holy Roman Empire. They didn’t forget the Catalans who had always been extremely rebellious, In this regard, they agree. There are tens of thousands of troops stationed here to prevent changes.

There are also several voices among the Catalans. Some people think that the status quo should be maintained, and that Habsburg and Bourbon should wait until the Habsburgs and Bourbons are both defeated before negotiating with the winners or making threats. Will His Majesty fight on clay? The Catalonia region is between Spain and France. Even if the battlefield is not here by chance, the Castinians will take Catalonia Man's last fortune and last child.

This is entirely possible, except for Louis XIV, when any king wants to go to war, he will inevitably collect a war tax. This tax is different from the poll tax and can be collected multiple times without restriction. The Catalans have always It is the most squeezed - in fact, even without the request of Louis XIV, small riots in Catalonia have continued one after another.

The officials of Castile want to take away the last piece of bread in their mouths and the last child in their hands. No matter where, when it seems like this kind of life is impossible to survive, someone will definitely roar and raise their weapons rebellious.

What's more, the Catalans have never been cowardly and incompetent people. They have the blood of warriors in their bodies and wise minds.

For example, Tamalite and Father Clarice, who came to meet the Duke of Orleans, needless to say, the former, and the latter is a nephew of Paul Clarice, the former president of the City Council of Hundreds in Barcelona. It may surprise people today. In the several riots of the Catalans, the leaders were neither civilians, nobles, or officials, but clergy. It seems that this Father Claris Among the Catalans at Roussillon, it was almost on an equal footing with Tamalite who came to Louis XIV as an emissary.

This priest Claris was dressed in a black robe with a solemn expression. When he saw the Duke of Orleans, he went up to kiss his hand. It was considered humble, but the more he was like this, the more difficult the matter was for the Duke of Orleans—these Catalans The rebelliousness of the Nigerians is not the first day, nor is it only aimed at the Habsburgs in Spain. As Colbert, the "merchant minister", said, respect and flattery are also a kind of goods, and they are of great value.

But on the surface, both the Catalans and the Duke of Orleans smiled as kindly as possible. They welcomed the Duke into a small church in Roussillon. This small church is only two stories high. There is only one room on the second floor, and there is no bell tower.

"I'm very sorry," Father Clarice said in a low voice, "The current bishop of the cathedral in Roussillon is from Toledo. Although...but we still can't fully trust him, so we can only leave you here for the time being."

"How many Spaniards are there in Roussillon now?" asked the Duke.

"If you ask only the soldiers, there are only six hundred," said the priest, "but if you ask how many enemies there are, there are probably twice as many."

"Here, too, there are those who tend towards the Habsburgs," said the duke.

"No," the priest showed a subtle smile: "We haven't done nothing during this period, sir, since Tamalite returned from Paris, we have been 'cleaning up' those despicable things. The traitors, the enemies I speak of, besides the soldiers in the Blood Castle, are the governor of the Castilians and his followers, and their guards are almost equal to the army stationed in Roussillon. In terms of equipment, the former is even worse than the latter."

"I heard that the Spaniards have been collecting double war tax and poll tax from you, and also asked each of you to give a strong young man to join the army. Where are they now, are they here?" The Duke looked around. The room the priest arranged for him was exactly the attic of the church. There were windows on three sides, and there were no trees or houses around to block the view. The air was ventilated and the light was bright.

"The Castilians sent them elsewhere, and I don't know if it is possible for these children to come back." The priest calmly made a sign of the cross, "But they will send a message to us as soon as possible." He paused: "Of course, it's not easy. The Castilians treat them like untamed livestock. Once a war starts, they will be the first victims to be sent to the battlefield."

"Mr. Tamalit has mentioned that he wishes to know when my brother and His Majesty will proclaim my nephew King of Spain."

"Can we know?"

"Madrid and Toledo have been procrastinating," said the Duke of Orléans, sitting down on the bed covered with white linen sheets. "They haven't decided whether to choose Charles or Philip."

"In fact, this shows their attitude. The Castilians don't like the French," said the priest. The little Highness is also the most legitimate heir. After all, his mother is the eldest sister, and the date of birth is earlier than Leopold I's son. Not to mention, Leopold I's son is the eldest son. Unexpectedly, it will also be the future emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, the Grand Duke of Austria, how can he rule two places at the same time..."

"This may be what the Spaniards expected," the Duke sighed. Judging from the attitudes of those people, it is really not easy for the Spaniards to choose Shire. First: If Philip of the Holy Roman Empire becomes In the future, even if this majesty is an adult, he may not be able to rule Spain in person—there is a France between them—but he can only send brothers or cronies to control them remotely, which is different from the current The situation is the same, Spain still belongs to the Spaniards; but if Charles of France becomes the king of Spain, no one can deny that Spain is closely connected with France, whether it is Louis XIV or the future French king, it is possible to marry or It is the way of union to achieve French-Spanish unity...

After all, for the king of Europa, there is nothing more important than expanding his territory. It will be very difficult for France to continue to recognize the independence of Spain-with Brittany, Canada The lessons learned from Catalonia, the Spaniards will never believe that France will not annex their own country.

Second: The king of the Queen Mother of Spain, this young man passed away earlier than his father, but the Spanish Habsburg must have an heir, this marriage relationship was understandable at the time, But for a pure girl... there is nothing more disgusting and painful than this.

For the sake of Habsburg, she gave up her longing for love and her delusion of family affection. She competed with her husband, his illegitimate son and ministers, and her own son for power, and was even exiled, imprisoned and imprisoned. Assassination, she has lost so much, how is it possible that she now supports French Bourbons instead of Habsburgs?

In the courts of Madrid and Toledo, also headed by the Queen Mother, two factions vaguely formed. One side was headed by the Archbishop of Toledo and the Queen Mother. Based on the old school, the other side is headed by Minister of the Navy Patinho. From a personal standpoint, Patinho certainly hopes to continue the Habsburg rule, but he has been to Paris and met Louis XIV—for People, he would rather choose the son of the King of Glory than the son of Leopold I...

Another reason is that the "blood and blood theory" written and testified by the scholars of Louis XIV has spread to many countries, and Spain is no exception. The crooked deformed jaw and a series of health problems all come from the close blood relationship of his parents - although Louis XIV's mother and wife were both from Habsburg, but fortunately, Louis XIV's father Louis XIV Up to three, the Bourbon family has almost never married the Habsburgs many times. The blood of the Habsburgs is not strong enough in the blood vessels of the Bourbons. The most reliable evidence is that whether it is Louis XIV or the Duke of Orleans, or even their The children are all rare beauties in the royal family, and they are all tall, strong and intelligent.

And another candidate, that is, Leopold I's son Philip, his child's physical condition is "not ideal", which is a euphemism for the Austrian court physician, but everyone understands what it means.

With Carlos II before him, who would want a mad and weak king on the throne of Spain? Patinho has already understood the folly of having a sick man as king , and there is only one Baldwin IV (leper king) in history who is more of a saint than a mortal—as for ordinary people, weakness and pain can make them lose their ability to think and become rude and violent. If he's king, it's a disaster.

But as long as there are opponents, Spain will not completely belong to France, at least not peacefully.

The request made by Tamalite is a bit presumptuous, but it cannot be said that he is wrong. If the Catalans can know when the King of France claimed the inheritance of Spain on behalf of his second son Charles, it is time to go to war. , if their children can be prepared...

"Yes." The Duke, in exchange for a slightly surprised glance from the priest.

"The army here is also waiting for that announcement." The Duke said: "What Your Majesty wants to see is the loyalty of the Catalans, not unnecessary sacrifices." This is what the Catalans are worried about However, if they take the lead in rioting in Roussillon or other places, the Spanish army will definitely suppress it quickly with the most cruel and brutal means. —That's what Louis XIII and Bishop Richelieu did during the Thirty Years' War, when Roussillon fell to the French, but the Catalans got nothing but death and tears , including the freedoms they want.

This is why the Spaniards were able to take back Roussillon.

Louis XIV knew very well that even if he could abandon his moral bottom line as a person, the Catalans would not make such ridiculous mistakes again.

"His Majesty will first proclaim Charles Bourbon King of Spain, and then ask the people of Madrid and Toledo to pay homage to him in accordance with the laws of the world and God - if they do not respond, or refuse to respond - within the set time .and you will be able to see..." The Duke looked into the priest's eyes.

"war."