[Henry VIII] Tudor Crown

The words of Anne of Cleves are not groundless. After all, the looks of William III and Queen Juana are guaranteed, and their blood relationship is not very close, so it is unlikely that they will give birth to a ha Bootsburg chin.

Mary Stuart's favorite hobby these days is to dress the Duke of Richmond.

In the 16th century, due to the recent marriage of noble children, the premature death rate of boys was much higher than that of girls, so noble parents would always dress their young sons in women's clothing and amulets in order to "cheat" the eyes of death.

The Duke of Richmond was brought up according to this rule.

In addition, Anne of Cleves has nothing to do except take care of the children and play cards all day long, so like Mary Stuart, she loves to order small skirts for the Duke of Richmond, and even makes Richmond dresses by herself. The Duke's lace and bib, and then put the queen's little crown on the Duke of Richmond's head, pretending that this is the king's enthronement.

After all, Queen Juana was a slender woman, and the Duke of Richmond's weight also became considerable, so after holding her for a while, Johanna asked Johanna to take the two children down for dinner.

Anne of Cleves asked her personal maid to also retreat, and then poured a cup of mint tea for Queen Juana herself: "It seems that you have not had an easy life recently."

Because Charles V suffered from gout, and Maximilian II of the Habsburg family did not have a particularly good relationship with his emperor's uncle, Charles V thought about it for a long time, and there were some No formal war with the Schmalkar Union was initiated.

Princess Cleves, who has lifted the crisis of her natal family, can naturally continue to live her retirement life with a sigh of relief.

Queen Juana has a pretty good relationship with Anne of Cleves, so she doesn't mind her occasionally acting like an elder.

"The Duke of Richmond is already two years old. Could it be that you and His Majesty the King haven't considered giving birth to a Duke of York?" Anne of Cleves recalled the order of succession in England, so she said sternly: "This is not true at all. It's up to me to say it, but the person who should say it dare not say it, so I still have to be the villain."

Queen Juana took a sip of mint tea and felt a cool pleasure in her mouth: "It should be Sir Cecil or Mr. Anthony Cheney who signaled you to say this."

Anne of Cleves didn't hide anything, but smiled helplessly: "You know, they have always been worried that one day they will become John Calvin the second."

"The Duchess of Ferrara (Reni of France, second daughter of Louis XII, protector of John Calvin) has not yet been released, and her two daughters..." Anne of Cleves could not help Sighing, he couldn't bear it and said: "Some Protestants of the Bourbon family hope that the Protestant regime in the Netherlands can be more stable, because once they are liquidated by Henry II, they will have to consider their own way out."

Queen Juana could understand the concerns of Anne of Cleves, because the alliance between France and England was as thin as a piece of paper, and William III was not a staunch Protestant, but in the name of faith, in the name of all parties seek the greatest benefit.

Even though Queen Juana loved William III deeply, she had to clearly realize that if Catholics could give William III greater benefits, then her husband would not hesitate to let Catholics retake the seat of Archbishop of Canterbury, It will even restore the old relationship with the Church of Rome.

"I will seriously consider your suggestion." Thinking of this, Queen Juana felt that the mint tea on her lips had a hint of bitterness, and what Anne of Cleves said next made Queen Juana interested again .

"Did you know that both the Duke of Vendome and the Elector of the Palatinate intend to compete for the Danish throne?" Anne of Cleves got the news from her brother-in-law, who is also the leader of the Schmalkar Union, the Elector of Saxony. , and revealed it to Queen Juana.

"Although Christian III has signed the "Concord of Speyer" with the Holy Roman Empire, hoping to ensure the peaceful coexistence of Denmark and the Habsburg family. But you know, his cousin who has been abolished is very popular among farmers. Prestige, and Denmark does not follow the "Salik Code", so the Spanish emperor did not object to his two nieces becoming Queen of Denmark."

"But the Schmalkar Alliance and the King of France will oppose this." Queen Juana is not an idiot, and naturally understands why Anne of Cleves told her this: "The Duke of Vendome is the head of the Bourbon family, and The Elector of the Palatinate is an important part of the German Protestant Union, so apart from the Spanish emperor and the parties involved, it is estimated that no one will agree with them to fight for the Danish throne."

Anne of Cleves agreed with Queen Juana's words, but she did not forget to remind: "So now is the best time for England to negotiate terms with Denmark."

Queen Juana paused slightly while drinking tea, and her eyes met a pair of eyes that seemed to be smiling but not smiling.

"Christian III of Denmark will be happy to talk to you." Anne of Cleves lowered her voice, which made her seem more approachable: "Christian III's wife Dorothea von Saxe-Lauenburg It's my in-laws, and if you have plans to return to Belgium anytime soon, then I'd like to help you arrange a friendly conversation."

Queen Juana did not immediately reply to the other party's proposal, but changed her voice: "Then should I tell His Majesty the king about this?"

Anne of Cleves raised her eyebrows slightly, which made Queen Juana keenly aware of her emotional reluctance.

"The Netherlands is a subsidiary territory of England. If I want to have a friendly meeting with the Queen of Denmark, I must hide it from William." Queen Juana didn't know what Anne of Cleves was thinking.

But at this moment, a piece of news that was enough to cause a sensation in Europe shocked the power centers of all major countries, and even forced William III to hold an imperial meeting overnight.

Perhaps because of the successive deaths of Henry VIII and Francois I, Charles V felt deeply that he was no longer young.

Or the successive failures in the Dutch War and against the Ottoman Empire, which made Charles V, who had a smooth start, feel extremely frustrated.

In addition, there have been irreconcilable divisions within the Habsburg family, so Charles V directly exacerbated his originally insignificant gout in a fit of anger, causing him to make an important decision in advance.

"Has the news been confirmed?" William III was just about to go to bed when he was startled by the news from the other side of Europe and immediately sat up from the bed, and then urgently summoned all the members of the imperial council into the palace.

Sir Cecil specially poured a cup of mint tea before departure, because coffee was not yet popular in Europe, and the Aztecs in America only used sour cocoa bean drink with chili powder. It's hard to describe in a word, so mint tea is still the most refreshing drink in this era.

Hearing the king's question, Matthew Stuart took the lead in answering: "The Spanish emperor... no, it should be said that Charles V has announced his resignation as emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, and his younger brother, Ferdinand of Austria The Grand Duke takes over the post."

"If I remember correctly, Archduke Ferdinand's eldest son, Maximilian II, was very close to the German princes, so Charles V questioned his ability to assume the throne of the Holy Roman Empire." Sir Cecil's eyeliner though Not as good as Thomas Cromwell was, but not too bad: "Maybe we can start with that."

Matthew Stuart did not agree with Sir Cecil's words, and even John Dudley objected: "If Maximilian II does not change his position, then not only Charles V, but even Archduke Ferdinand would not have chosen him as his successor."

After all, under the premise that Maximilian II cannot be alone, he still has to follow the tradition that the butt determines the head.

William III remembered that Maximilian II finally succumbed to his uncle's decision. However, this setback did not allow his descendants to sit firmly on the throne of the Holy Roman Empire. Replacing the Austrian Habsburg lineage.

Sir Cecil glanced at the silent His Majesty the King, and asked tentatively: "If Charles V handed over the throne of the Holy Roman Empire to the Archduke of Austria, how would he prepare for the Italian war?"

This time, not only the hostile Matthew Stuart, but also John Dudley, who was simply jealous of Sir Cecil, couldn't help showing a dignified expression.

In the final analysis, the Italian War was a dispute between the Habsburg family of Austria and the Valois family of France over the partition of Italy, which was difficult to compromise, and finally evolved into a struggle for supremacy between the two countries.

And what makes people feel very interesting is that it undertook the Hundred Years War between Britain and France, and also witnessed the rise and fall of Spain.

The reason why Elizabeth I was able to start the golden age was not only due to England's geographical advantages, but also thanks to the Italian war.

Because of the union of Mary I and Philip II, England inexplicably sold their last landing point in France - Calais, so after Elizabeth I succeeded to the throne, she was very clever to reconcile the domestic disputes of faith, and at the same time It also gave up its claim to the French throne in exchange for a short-lived peace between Britain and France.

Had France not finally supported Mary of Scots as Queen of England, perhaps this peace would have lasted forever.

William III had no interest in the war fought from his grandfather's generation to his son's generation, and even felt that Henry VIII's intervention in the Italian war (that is, the Pavia War) was purely looking for something to do.

Italy and England are separated by more than half of Europe. Even if they participate in the war, they will not benefit much. They might as well fish in troubled waters for greater benefits.

"It won't be long before the new king of Spain will send an envoy to England." Sir Cecil glanced at William III who hadn't recovered from his contemplation, and tried to calm down: "So England, this time, will it stand? On which side?"