monarch

The Spanish courtiers in rough clothes bowed their heads so deeply that they almost buried their chins in their chests.They stood quietly in front of a row of wooden cubicles in the church. These cubicles are the church's confessionals, where priests listen and forgive the sins of believers.These gloomy cabins were once bitterly evaluated as "the garbage dump of the soul". The believers walked in here and poured their sins into it. In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, forgive your sins", and then walked out with ease, as if he had become the most decent person in the world at this moment.Even better than the indulgences, this activity does not require devout believers to pay a penny for it.

The door of the compartment finally opened, and the gray face of King Philip II appeared from inside.The color in his face was thinner than it had been a few months ago, and he looked more like a Jesuit than a king.His eyes were deeply sunken in their sockets, and the hair on his head was visibly thinning. His tightly pressed lips trembled slightly.He is only 30 years old this year, but he already looks old and looks like he is over 40 years old.

When the King of Spain walked out of the room, the courtiers bent their waists like tree branches bent by snow in winter, their heads seemed to kiss the ground, and the curvature of the spine seemed to the onlookers to be broken. edge.However, as if winking at a blind man, the king didn't notice their respect at all. Philip II walked past them like a ghost, his steps were shallow, his expression was gloomy, and his dull eyes made his A pair of eyes looked like two ponds that hadn't been watered in more than ten years.Careful people noticed that the king's eyes were red and swollen, as if he had shed tears during the confession.

This past winter, the atmosphere in the Madrid court was as gloomy as the gloomy weather in winter.Bad news came one after another from the entire territory of the Spanish Empire. Famine and cold haunted the troubled country like ghosts, and the shadow of turmoil followed them.The previous year's agriculture had suffered unprecedented failures, the finances had been completely bankrupt, the firewood for heating had been exhausted, and there was not even enough fuel for the bakers to bake bread.

Under the strict order of Philip II, Madrid and the major cities in Spain that were hit by the cold wave opened most of the public buildings to provide refuge for those who were driven to the city by the severe cold, but this was just a drop in the bucket. .Since the government has not allocated a penny, these shelters only rely on some meager charitable donations to operate, and it is impossible to provide the victims with the food and heating they need.

As March approached, those deep snowpacks gradually began to melt, but this brought a new disaster: Madrid was just a small town before the court moved there not long ago, and there were few decent buildings. The drainage system, and the thawing snow and ice, immediately turned the city into a big mud puddle.In some low-lying areas, the streets have become cold and dirty rivers, and even the tall four-wheeled carriages will be submerged in the muddy water.

On the fringes of the Spanish Empire, the situation was completely on the verge of getting out of control.The situation in the Netherlands has been completely corrupted, and the Spanish court has not yet reacted. The seven provinces in the north have become their enemies, and the atrocities in Antwerp have pushed the remaining ten provinces to the side of the Netherlands Noble Alliance.When news reached Madrid that Brussels had fallen to the rebels, Philip II even passed out in his study.

For Philip II, the current situation can be described as precarious.Spain's largest mobile regiment, now caught between the sworn enemies of the French and the hostile Dutch, while the supply line at sea is threatened by the eager British, the only safe supply line is via the Italy crossed the Alps and then passed through several connected territories in western Germany known as the "Spanish Corridor".More than one old general from the time of Emperor Charles V had issued an ominous warning to King Philip that the Army of Flanders was in danger of being surrounded.Once the entire army of 15 is wiped out, the growing dissatisfaction in the Basque Mountains, Barcelona, ​​Milan, and Naples will immediately turn into countless flames and burn the Spanish Empire to nothing.

As for Philip II's relatives in Austria, they didn't have a good winter either. Protestant protests took place in Prague and Vienna, and Protestant princes such as Saxony and Brandenburg realized the decline of the Habsburg family. , so like a vulture hovering over a dying elephant, it waits to bite off a piece of flesh from the carcass.

It seems that the only possibility to reverse the situation now is that the Duke of Alva led the Flanders Army to win a hearty victory in northern France, just like they did in Cellignola and Gallia decades ago. The Noe was like those glorious victories that Pavia had won over the French.This would remove the threat from the French within a few years, and would also make the increasingly ambitious British think twice about facing Spain in the future, so that Spain could use this opportunity to solve the big troubles in the Netherlands.

The Duke of Alva has led his army to the battlefield. Perhaps the duel that will determine the fate of Europe has already been decided, but Philip II in Madrid knows nothing about it.The anxious Spanish king couldn't do anything about the battlefield thousands of miles away, so he could only devote his enthusiasm to the only activity that could affect the outcome of the war in his eyes-religion.

The entire Spanish court came early in the morning to pray in the Almudena Church outside the palace, and King Philippe also made his confession here.What will be done after this is today's highlight. The king and the entire Spanish court will wear simple coarse clothes and walk barefoot back to the palace. sin.I hope that God will be moved by their piety, and bless Spain, which is in deep trouble, to save it from danger.

Philip II knelt piously in front of the statue of the Virgin Mary wearing a golden crown. He muttered "I sin, I sin, accuse me of mortal sin", while clutching the rosary in his hand tightly, even his knuckles were strained. Excessively turned white.

The King of Spain finally finished his prayers, standing up from the prayer bench with his hands on the stone slabs on the ground.Two attendants hurried forward and took off the rough shirt made of coarse cloth for the king, exposing his pale upper body.The bitter whip was handed to King Philip, who swung the whip violently without any hesitation, leaving several bright red marks on his back in the blink of an eye.

The nobles and courtiers reluctantly took off their blouses, shivering from the cold, and had to take part in the antics with all their might to please the king, everyone was afraid of the bruises and bruises on their bodies. The welts appear to be less than others.In the eyes of a pious king, the scars left by confession to God are far more noble than the scars left by battlefields.

The king led the way out of the church door, and a gust of cold wind blew his lips blue with cold.The king of Spain walked barefoot in the muddy streets, and the dirty mud was all over his calves.His movements of beating himself with the whip became much more violent than before, so the nobles who followed him could only follow suit.However, this action quickly had an unexpected effect. They no longer trembled from the cold, but this frenzied whipping action made their whole bodies warm up.The mud on the ground stuck to their feet, it felt really disgusting, the rough clothes rubbed against their skin, and everyone's necks showed obvious signs of redness and swelling, but those officials, nobles and ladies did not People dare to complain about something.

The diplomatic envoys followed the dejected Spanish court, riding tall horses and wrapping themselves in heavy cloaks because the carriages could not move an inch in such mud.Diplomats will undoubtedly not participate in such absurd activities, and even the pope's legate, the fat baby-faced cardinal, unfortunately missed this great opportunity of atonement because of a cold , presumably at this time he must be feeling remorseful at home.

Robert Dudley tugged on the rein absently, and watched with disinterest as the hoarse voices of Spanish nobles dressed as beggars sang hymns. These gentlemen and ladies who claimed to be civilized people now looked better than The counterparts at the Aztec sacrifice ceremony were not much respectable.The other ambassadors around him, whether they were from Catholic or Protestant countries, all had mocking smiles on their faces, but the former just laughed without saying a word, while the latter had already started to sarcasm loudly.

"They don't look as pious this time as last time, don't you, Marquis?" the Danish ambassador commented loudly to Robert, his voice almost as loud as the applauding audience in the theater, "the number of people is not as spectacular as last time .”

This comment drew malicious laughter from a circle of ambassadors from the Nordic countries.

"That's probably because the last time was summer." Robert shrugged his shoulders, "People will naturally behave more piously when they don't have to suffer from the cold."

"Fortunately, I'm not a Spaniard," said the Danish ambassador. "Isn't your Majesty feeling bored? If you can win a battle by whipping yourself, then Caesar and Alexander may not even have a complete piece of skin on their bodies." That's left."

"What a crazy move." The Swedish ambassador shook his head. "He should abdicate like his father and join the Jesuits as a missionary."

"Then I hope they send him to the wild islands of the Spice Islands. If the Lord blesses him, the natives there will shout 'Hail Mary' in a short time!" said the ambassador of the Elector of Brandenburg. said sharply.

"What a crazy move." Saxon's big brother glanced at the gaze on Robert's face from the corner of his eye. "A wise man like the King of Britain would not do such a foolish thing."

Robert curled up his lips slightly, but did not reply to the temptation to throw stones and ask for directions.

As if it had been discussed, the words of the Ambassador of Saxony triggered a wave of echoes from the ambassadors of other Protestant countries, and all kinds of compliments to King Edward flooded towards Robert like a tide.Even though Robert knew that these were just diplomatic rhetoric, his attitude towards these people softened a lot unconsciously.

Seeing the lively atmosphere, the ambassador of the Principality of Brunswick exchanged colors with several people around him, and then asked Robert: "What does the king of your country think about the current situation?"

"Which aspect of the situation are you referring to?"

"Naturally it is the eye of the storm—the current situation in the Netherlands, your country has a huge influence in the affairs of the Netherlands, otherwise, how could the Prince of Orange go to London in person?"

"The Netherlands is our largest trading partner, so you must understand that our relationship with them is naturally much closer than those in-laws who stabbed us in the back." Robert replied.

"Yes, yes, you are absolutely right!" The Brunswick Ambassador clapped his hands with an expression of righteous indignation on his face, "What the Spaniards did was unreasonable. They used one hand Shaking your hand, but holding a dagger in the other hand, ready to stab you at any time! Your country and these religious fanatics will have nothing to talk about, they will never be allies of faith."

"Maybe." Robert looked up at the pale sun hanging in midair, and could not feel any warmth from the feeble sunlight.

"Why does your country want to be friends with the Spaniards?" The Brunswick ambassador approached Robert with his horse, and Robert's mount let out a few heavy gasps of displeasure, "Britain, as the largest Protestant country, is naturally The undoubted leaders of the Protestant countries in Europe, whether it is Denmark and Sweden in Northern Europe, or the Protestant friends in Germany, are very willing to form a friendship with King Edward. What we give to Britain must be more than the Spaniards whose wallets are already empty many."

Robert nodded noncommittally, "Then what do you want to give us?" He gently stroked the mane on the horse's neck to calm it down.

"We, the Protestant princes of Germany, have persuaded the members of the Hanseatic League to grant the most favorable terms of trade to British merchants. All unnecessary taxes will be abolished and customs duties will be reduced to the lowest level. Lübeck, Hamburg and Bremen These three free cities have already promised that at the next Hanseatic League conference, they will give British merchants all the conveniences for trading in the Baltic Sea region. They can use all the facilities of the alliance like the merchants of the Hanseatic League. Denmark and His Majesty the King of Sweden has also responded positively."

Robert squinted his eyes slightly. The Hanseatic League, as a large business organization affecting the entire northwestern Europe, has grabbed a huge amount of wealth from its monopoly position in the Baltic Sea trade. Such an offer can be said to be extremely sincere.As long as King Edward agrees, British merchants can use the local trading posts and distribution network of the Hanseatic League to export a large amount of domestic textiles and handicrafts to these areas that were difficult for them to set foot in the past.Just think about the benefits that British products can get from exporting to Prussia, Riga, Danzig, Novgorod and even Moscow. I am afraid that even a rich man like Crassus will become excited.

The Ambassador of Saxony has been paying attention to Robert's facial expression, as if he felt that these conditions were not enough to convince Robert, he leaned forward to take over the conversation, and continued: "My master, Your Excellency the Duke of Saxony, and the Elector of Brandenburg He has been in close correspondence with the Elector of the Palatinate recently, and the three electors all agree that the era of the Austrian family's monopoly on the throne of the Holy Roman Empire should be over. Vienna is weak, and they are just puppets of Madrid. The Habsburg family is degenerating, and the Spanish one is already on the verge of self-defense, completely incapable of pulling their Austrian cousins ​​out of the quagmire. The Turks have occupied almost all of Hungary, and it will soon be Vienna's turn. If you don't Stop them, and Germany will fall into the hands of the heretics. The three Electors agree that at such a time a strong monarch should be chosen as Emperor, and King Edward VI is the most suitable man."

Another bad check, Robert thought disdainfully, but he was not in a hurry to refuse, "The most noble crown in Europe, the emperor of the Roman Empire, the direct heir of Caesar, Augustus and Constantine, this is indeed It’s a condition that’s hard to ignore.”

The Ambassador of Saxony laughed, but the smile on his face didn't last long and was frozen by Robert's next words, "I only have one question, how do you and your master plan to make this vision come true? Elector of Saxony Together with his two friends, there are only three votes, but if I remember correctly, there are a total of seven electors in the Holy Roman Empire, so four votes are needed to be elected emperor, which seems to be one vote short, doesn't it? "

Ambassador Saxony's face turned red. Indeed, Robert asked the most critical question.Since Emperor Charles IV issued the Golden Bull in 1356, the throne of the Holy Roman Empire has been voted by seven electors.Among the seven electors, including the three secular electors, the princes of Saxony, Brandenburg and Palatinate mentioned above, they have all converted to Protestantism.The other three electors are church electors, including the archbishops of Cologne, Mainz and Trier. Naturally, the votes of these three cardinals appointed by Rome will undoubtedly vote for Catholic Habsburg family.

And the last remaining vote belongs to the most honorable prince in the entire empire, the king of Bohemia.But since 1526, the Habsburg dynasty has inherited the Kingdom of Bohemia, holding this most critical vote in their own hands.Four out of seven votes gave the Habsburgs a monopoly on the crown of the Holy Roman Empire.

"Bohemia has always been dissatisfied with the Vienna court." The Saxon ambassador looked a little unnatural, "These Czechs have not liked the Catholic Church since the beginning of the Hussite War, and the whole of Germany now believes that they will be The next Netherlands. A Protestant Bohemia, who will naturally give the crucial vote to their Protestant brethren in England."

"The premise is that this Protestant Bohemia exists." Robert said, "Presumably the Protestant princes in Germany are gearing up to serve as midwives for this new country."

"Yes, Mr. Marquis, this is what we want your country to do in the Netherlands." Ambassador Saxon nodded heavily, "We drove the Spaniards out from the east of Germany, and your country drove the Spaniards from the west of Germany Go out, then the Protestantization of Germany will be unstoppable, and the Spaniards will be driven back to their peninsula, and even Italy will be unable to keep it, becoming a second-rate country, while the wealth and land of the New World will be left to the nobles. country seizes."

Robert looked ahead, and King Philip had already arrived at the gate of the Royal Castle. This nightmare trip finally came to an end.

He turned and nodded to the Saxon ambassador who was still looking at him expectantly, "I will convey your proposal to the King of my country."

Ambassador Saxon was not very satisfied with this answer, but the team had already entered the gate of the castle at this time, so he could only bend slightly towards Robert, and turned the horse's head to distance himself from Robert's horse.After the conflict just now, the two horses have now adapted to each other's existence, and when they parted, they seemed rather unhappy.

Empty stomachs, tossing barefoot for most of the day, the Spanish nobles who returned to the palace were attacked by a combination of fatigue and hunger. Men and women were covered with long red and purple scars left by whips. People's feet were swollen badly, and those officials who flattered them the most had already been beaten to pieces with whips.They couldn't wait to get back to their house with a glowing hearth, drink a jug of mulled wine and eat a fat duck or a grouse before going to bed.So no sooner had the King's figure disappeared into the corridor leading to his suite than the nobles dispersed like birds and beasts.

Robert was extremely tired of this boring scene. Seeing that the ceremony was over, he yawned and was about to leave the royal castle to go back to the embassy, ​​but was stopped by a court attendant in livery.

"Mr. Marquis," the attendant bowed to Robert, "Your Majesty wants to talk to you."

"Now?" Robert was a little surprised. He thought that "the most devout Catholic king" (this is the title given to Philip by the Holy See), even if the religious enthusiasm is so hot, he should be exhausted after such a day of tossing, "Your Majesty Aren't you going to rest?"

"Your Majesty wants to rest after talking with you." The attendant confirmed.

"Then I'm flattered." There was a hint of sarcasm in Robert's voice, "Please lead the way."

The page made a solemn "please" gesture and led Robert to the stairs leading to Philip II's suite.