[Henry VIII] Tudor Crown

France, the Bastille.

This fortress built in the [-]th century was originally a military fortress specially built by Charles V of France to resist the English in the Hundred Years War. The "Bastille" in its name means "castle" in French.But at the end of the fourteenth century, due to the outbreak of the War of the Roses and the continuous expansion of the urban area of ​​Paris, the Bastille Prison gradually lost its value as a military fortress, so Charles VI transformed it into a prison for political prisoners.

Now, the most famous person here is Princess Renee, the daughter of Louis XII and the spiritual leader of the Huguenots.

The old princess, who has experienced three generations of monarchs, was engaged to Henry VIII of England when she was young, in order to solve the historical legacy of England and France.

It's a pity that Anne of Brittany insisted on making Princess Renee the heir of the Duchy of Brittany before she died. In addition, Princess Renee's sister Claude is not subject to the Bretons, especially His mother's supporters welcomed it, so Louis XII decided to dissolve the marriage contract between Princess Renee and Henry VIII after careful consideration, lest the latter use the will of Anne of Brittany as an excuse to ask France to detain Brittany. The Duchy as the dowry of Princess Renee.

From this point of view, it is reasonable for Princess Renee to become a major concern of Francois I and Henry II.What makes them even more aggrieved is that even through Claude of France, Francois I and Henry II became Dukes of Brittany one after another, but before the death of Princess Renee, the people of Brittany Neither the nobles nor the nobles will submit to the King of France.

At least in the previous wars, Henry II's slogan was earth-shattering, but the nobles of Brittany ignored him.And when William III invaded Normandy and Artois, the nobles of Brittany didn't say they would send troops to help France, and just watched a good show from the sidelines.

This also deeply dissatisfied Princess Renee who was trapped in the Bastille.Even if she is at odds with her brother-in-law and nephew, it does not prevent her from being a French princess, and she does not want the English to get involved in the land of France again.

According to her husband's request, the Duchess of Guise has visited her mother frequently in recent days.

Although Princess Renee is a political prisoner under strict supervision, because of her noble background and influence on Ferrara and Brittany, both Francois I and Henry II tried their best to ensure that she could In the prison, she enjoys treatment beyond that of ordinary nobles. In order to expand Princess Renee’s living space, some prisoners in the Bastille were moved to other areas, and Princess Renee’s cell was specially renovated and many new items were added Unobtrusive furniture.

When the Duchess of Guise visited Princess Renee again, she found that there were two more carpets shipped from Rome and some exquisite religious objects in the small bedroom.

Because the grandmother of the Duchess of Guise is the Lucrezia of the Borgia family, the Principality of Ferrara looks no different from Italy, and is even more refined and elegant than the Louvre in some places.It has a very strong Catholic atmosphere and romantic atmosphere.

The Duchess of Guise remembered that when she was young, she heard Princess Renee satirize that Ferrara's court was a combination of contradictions.

For the romance of Ferrara was never something to boast about, but, like the luxury of the Holy See, it was born out of the corrupt beliefs of the people.

What Princess Renee hates the most in her life is that her husband and son-in-law are the best among corrupt lackeys.And her children were not blessed by Calvinism, but instead became the kind of people she hated.

This is really... the greatest ordeal God gave her.

"Mother..." The Duchess of Guise did not approach Princess Renee after entering the door, but stood at the door and asked casually.

Due to the Duke of Guise's relationship, Princess Renee gradually lost her love for her eldest daughter, and the mother-daughter relationship between the two also gradually came to an end in the confrontation between religion and family.

Even though the Duchess of Guise wanted to ease the relationship with her mother time and time again, a proud princess who can firmly believe in Calvinism in a crisis-ridden environment is not something the Duchess of Guise can persuade with a few words.

Facing the greeting from the Duchess of Guise, Princess Renee did not immediately reply to the eldest daughter's words, but knelt in front of the cross and prayed silently before leaving the soft cushion and said coldly to the eldest daughter: "Why, I will replace you Has your husband confirmed that I am dead?"

Unlike the Duchess of Guise who tried to ease the relationship between the two parties, Princess Renee never thought that she could shake hands with the Duke of Guise from the beginning.

It is estimated that the other party expressed goodwill towards Princess Renee at this time, but it was to prevent Princess Renee from being released by Catherine de Medici, or to make his wife the first heir after Princess Renee's death.

Although the "Salik Code" excludes women from the inheritance of the throne and titles, it does not restrict them from owning various assets of their own.

In particular, the current inheritance law allows parties to grant one-third of their assets to others through wills.

As the daughter of Louis XII and the Duchess of Ferrara, Princess Renee is naturally one of the richest women in France.

So it's not incomprehensible that the Duke of Guise wanted to hit her.

"Do you insist on sneering at me as soon as we meet?" The Duchess of Guise, who can't hold back her face, has a thick skin, and she will collapse under Princess Renee's cold treatment: "I just do my best to be a daughter. Responsibility, come to visit you! Do you have to talk about unpleasant topics as soon as we meet?"

Facing the Duchess of Guise's questioning, Princess Renee said without raising her eyelids: "Your husband is always an unpleasant topic. Or, without your husband's permission, can you appear here?"

Princess Renee gathered the blanket around her body and sat down on a fur-covered chair, showing a posture of being afraid of the cold.

Since the death of the Duke of Ferrara, Princess Renee's body has become thinner and thinner, making the Duke of Guise very worried that the mother-in-law will die in the Bastille at any time.

Not getting the inheritance of Princess Renee is not a big deal. The key is that the Catholics headed by the Duke of Guise must not let Princess Renee die in the Bastille.

Even if the other party is dying, it will become the murder of Princess Renee by the Louvre and the suppression of the Huguenots by France under the embellishment of some caring people.

Although the people in power in France are all pure Catholics, this does not mean that they want to fight with the Huguenots at this time, so that France will be divided by religious wars.

Princess Renee naturally knew what she meant to the Duke of Guise, so she wanted to take the opportunity to test the Duke of Guise's fear and bottom line.

From her point of view, now is the best time for her to be free.

In an unstable environment where Henry II was forced to abdicate and Dauphin François ruled in place of his father, even the most stubborn and iron-blooded Duke of Guise would subconsciously back down on the Huguenots to ensure that France would not There is a civil war.

Princess Renee intentionally reduced her food intake in the past few days, so as to ensure that when the Duke of Guise's people came to visit her, they could see an old and thin woman.

And for today's meeting, she even forced herself not to fall asleep in bed as soon as possible last night, so that when the Duchess of Guise saw her, she would subconsciously feel pity for her exhausted and emaciated mother, so as to make Princess Renee's situation exactly the same Tell the Duke of Guise to ensure that Princess Renee is sent out of the Bastille by the Duke of Guise before she dies.