monarch

Although there is still a long time before the sun rises, the banks of the Thames are already crowded with people with their families.Many people had arrived the night before and slept on the street in the cold spring day, and now they were just woken up by the louder and louder noises, and they were looking around with sleepy eyes, trying to remember Get up where you are.

In the past week, close to 10 people have flocked to the city of London. Nobles and commoners from all over the country came to witness the coronation ceremony of King Edward VI with great enthusiasm.The mansions of the dignitaries in the city of London are like beehives, crowded with their relatives and friends from the country, and the hotels in the city are all full. The total is even more.As a result, the cash-strapped civilians, and even some squires, could only sleep in the open by the Thames, enjoying the spring air with a little smell of excrement.

In preparation for His Majesty's coronation, the city of London has taken on a new look, and the atmosphere in the city this week is like Venice at the carnival.Last night, in keeping with age-old tradition, King Edward VI sailed to his royal suite at the Tower of London to spend the eve of his coronation.When His Majesty's Royal Ship sailed on the Thames, the cheers that broke out on both sides of the river were seldom seen in the world.

For many, they were either not born or did not remember when the coronation of the late kings took place more than three decades ago.As a result, those middle-aged and elderly people who were willing to show off their memories of the past quickly gathered some curious audiences. If the narrator happened to be dressed like a country gentleman, there would be even more audiences around him.

"I was standing on the street next to Westminster Abbey." A middle-aged man with a shabby cloak and a beer belly said happily to the audience surrounding him, "I still remember the scene of His Majesty's royal chariot passing in front of me, those six white horses are really magnificent!" He clicked his tongue, "I heard that the royal chariot and white horse for this coronation ceremony are both Lord Protector It must be more grand than it was back then!" His words aroused a burst of agreement.

However, the squire suddenly frowned and sighed, "Oh, I don't know if His Majesty the King has enjoyed all these blessings!" He sighed again as he spoke, showing an air of concern for the country and the people.

There was a horrified gasp from all around, "Treason! It's really treason!" The audience muttered dissatisfiedly.

"Don't think I'm talking nonsense." The squire stroked his goatee, "Do you still remember the last Lord Protector?" Without waiting for everyone's response, he revealed the answer directly, "It was the later King Richard III Ah! his nephew, the last King Edward, went into the Tower of London in preparation for his coronation, and never came out again. Then somehow the throne fell to the Lord Protector!" He looked Looking at the stunned crowd, he smiled triumphantly, "Now there is a Lord Protector and a King Edward again. I think it's hard to tell what happened next! It might be the same as in the War of the Roses back then. Flow like a river!"

There was a long sigh from the crowd, "If it's true, how wonderful it is!" An old man with gray beard and hair sighed. He had seen the final chapter of this terrible war in his childhood, and he still remembers it vividly.

Not far from the crowd, two people in black cloaks were quietly listening to the discussion of the crowd. One of them looked like a young man, while the other was hunched over, obviously an old man. up.

The old man in the cloak coughed slightly, obviously made a little uncomfortable by the slightly cold air in the morning. "Did you hear that? What do you think?" He turned to look at the young man beside him.

"It's just the nonsense of a countryman." The young man said disdainfully, "It's ridiculous to compare the Lord Protector with Richard III. He has neither the strength nor the courage to rebel."

The old man smiled, "Ah, you are right, my young friend." He coughed a few more times, and the young man tried to help him, but he waved his hand and refused. "However, what's the current situation? Even these foolish men and women think that he is such a big ambitious man, ready to usurp the throne at any time."

"Do you think there's something wrong with it?"

There was a gleam of light in the old man's cloudy eyes, "I think our Lord Protector's troubles have just begun." He turned around and walked towards the opposite direction of the crowd.

……

The sun finally rose above the horizon.

The spring sun shone softly over the city of London.This trading city established by the Romans was considered a barren place by the European continent in the past thousand years, but it has become a leading metropolis in the past few hundred years.The Thames River flows slowly through the center of the city. On the commanding heights beside the river, the Tower of London is like an old woman who has experienced many vicissitudes, perched on a hill, overlooking the capital of the Kingdom with a solemn attitude. And the colorful decorations of the celebrating crowd.After nearly a century of civil strife and decline, today's celebration undoubtedly showed that England had shaken off the gloom of the past and returned to the prosperous days described in those old legends.

At nine o'clock in the morning, the big bells in the bell towers of all the churches in the city rang, from the historic Westminster Abbey, to St. Paul's Church, which was burned many times, to the song "Orange St. Clement's Church, famous for the nursery rhyme "Lemons, Ring the Bells of St. Clement's," their bells all ring together.The resounding bell echoed over the city, echoing the stronger cheers that followed.

A 21-gun salute was fired from the towers of the castle as His Majesty's Royal Ship sailed out of the Tower of London.Crowds on both sides of the Thames crowded towards the river like the tide, almost pushing the city guards who maintained order into the river.

Around the royal fleet, surrounded by many smaller barges, they were decorated with decorations symbolizing various parts of the kingdom: the golden lion of England, the red lion of Scotland, the red dragon of Wales, and the harp of Ireland.In addition, there are boats decorated with golden irises, which symbolize France, expressing the unshakable claim of the British royal family to the French throne since the Hundred Years War.

In the middle of the fleet, on the mast of the largest barge, the great king's standard fluttered in the wind. This was the king's ship.This richly decorated barge, flecked with gold in the sun, would have paled in comparison with the boats of the Doge of Venice at the Carnival celebrations.Amidst the cheers of the crowd, the royal boat sailed majestically and slowly on the river, like a swan gracefully stretching its neck and swimming gracefully on the mirror-like water.

When the royal fleet arrived at Westminster Pier, the welcome team headed by the Mayor of London had been waiting here for a long time.

The royal ship was leaning firmly on the pier, the sailors hurriedly set up a gangplank beside the ship, and the musicians also began to play music.

The figure of the young king appeared from the door of the cabin.King Edward was wearing a complicated and gorgeous gown, and the jewels on his body shone dazzlingly in the sun. Behind him, several attendants were dragging the hem of their heavy robes, but even so, the youthful king still had a figure on his forehead. Tiny beads of sweat.

Behind the king was Viscount Robert Dudley, who had just been appointed Chief of the King's Chamberlain a few days ago.For this high and powerful position beside the king, many people have coveted it for a long time, but under His Majesty's insistence, this position still fell to His Majesty's best friend.

Like the autumn wind blowing the wheat waves, the crowd bowed to the new king in unison.Under their watchful eyes, the king walked along the red carpet to the carriage that had already been prepared.The carriage is made of fine oak with a history of hundreds of years, and the decoration on it consumes tens of pounds of gold, and the six tall white horses used to pull the carriage are each a rare good horse.Each horse's ears are adorned with rosettes, each tied with a sparkling diamond.

The king climbed into the chariot.Escorted by a group of cuirassiers, six fine horses stepped forward and pulled the gorgeous carriage towards Westminster Abbey.

There were cheering crowds on both sides of the street, waving excitedly and throwing handkerchiefs and flower petals to the convoy.The young king waved them back with a smile on his face, and there was an even louder cheer.

His Majesty arrived at the gate of Westminster Abbey amidst the horns of the orchestra, the organ began to sound, and the choir began to sing carols.

When His Majesty entered the church, the audience in the church stood up in unison.Gentlemen bowed to His Majesty and ladies curtseyed as the King passed them by.

The Archbishop of Canterbury had already been waiting for His Majesty at the altar, and the old man had a kind smile on his face, looking respectful and kind.This His Excellency the bishop, who had flourished under the rule of the previous king, is now planning to use a perfect coronation ceremony to curry favor with the new king.

The king, assisted by his attendants, was seated on a throne placed in the middle of the aisle.Every coronation ceremony will recreate such a throne, and today's throne is built by dozens of craftsmen in half a month.

"We gather today to attend the coronation of His Majesty King Edward VI." The archbishop's resonant voice echoed in the church.

In a solemn atmosphere, the archbishop walked around the church in four directions.The archbishop cleared his throat, "My honorable lords, my fellow bishops, I now introduce to you His Majesty King Edward VI, the only son of the late King Henry VIII, your undoubted Majesty the King. Gathering together is to show reverence to the king, to serve our legitimate monarch, and to perform our duties, do you agree?"

"Agree! Agree!" The audience shouted loudly, lest their voices be suppressed by others.

The trumpets sounded again, and the audience once again rose to their feet, chanting "Long live the King."

The archbishop held the holy water bottle and blessed His Majesty with holy water.His Majesty stood up from the throne, walked to the altar, knelt down, and began to take the oath.

"I will abide by the customs of the relevant codes, govern the kingdom I rule, uphold the law and justice, and insist on being the protector and arbiter of the people and the church. I will fulfill and uphold the promise I made here today, and I wish God help me."

The attendants held up the heavy robes again, and the king stood up and walked towards St. Edward's throne in the center of the church.Completed in 1296, the throne was the coronation seat of England's kings for hundreds of years.Below the throne is placed the "Stone of Destiny" that Edward the Conqueror of Scotland took from Scotland. More than 200 years later, Scotland was conquered again, and it was another king named Edward who was about to be crowned with this chair.

Then comes the most important part of the whole ceremony, the archbishop will apply the holy ointment on the forehead of the king, just as the Hebrew priests in the Bible put olive oil on the forehead of the kings, symbolizing their acceptance of God assign them duties.The anointing was housed in a gold ampule, eight inches high, shaped like an eagle about to take flight, symbolizing God's command descending on the wings of an eagle.With the help of his attendants, His Majesty shed his heavy coronation robes and wore only a sleeveless tunic made of plain white linen.

Four knights of the Order of Pegard shielded His Majesty with two pieces of gold cloth, and within the veil of gold cloth, the bishop devoutly poured the blessed ointment from a bottle on a spoon made of gold. .This holy oil was prepared just a few days ago, and its main ingredients are sesame oil, olive oil, rosewater, jasmine, musk and various other spices.When the bishop's hand gently spread the holy oil on Edward's forehead, he felt a chill, and the sticky feeling made the king tremble slightly.Under the purification of holy oil, His Majesty's mortal body was purified and became a true demigod.

The curtain was drawn down, and a purple royal robe was draped over the king.The crown of St. Edward was held up by several nobles.This crown once belonged to Edward the Confessor. The last time it was used was at the coronation of the new king's mother, Anne Boleyn. Although many scholars disapproved of this medieval holy relic after the Reformation, it was still traditionally used. Used at the coronation of a new king.At the same time, it was brought up with a scepter and a precious ball.

The archbishop first placed the orb in the hands of His Majesty. The orb decorated with precious stones symbolized the king's secular responsibilities, and the cross on the top of it showed the king's unlimited religious and moral authority.

Next is the scepter that symbolizes power. The king took it with gloves on, which means that His Majesty will use the supreme imperial power in his hands prudently.

Finally, the moment everyone has been waiting for has arrived.The Archbishop of Canterbury turned and took the crown.He held the crown reverently, his hands trembling slightly, obviously it was quite difficult for an old man to hold this heavy golden crown.He stretched out his hands and slowly placed the crown on His Majesty's head.

The nobles in the auditorium also put the little crowns in their hands on top of their heads.Then there were three neat cheers, "God bless the king! God bless the king! God bless the king!"

A [-]-gun salute was fired outside the church, and the crowd in the city cheered. The overwhelming cheers almost shattered the stained glass windows of the church.

The Archbishop of Canterbury first knelt before the King to pay his allegiance to His Majesty, followed by members of the royal family headed by Princess Mary.

After that, His Excellency the Protector of the Country led the members of the Regency Council to pay their allegiance to His Majesty.Under the eyes of everyone, the Lord Protector knelt on one knee in front of His Majesty, "I, Edward Seymour, Duke of Somerset, as your subject, worship you infinitely. I will always be loyal to you, may God Bless Your Majesty."

When the allegiance ceremony was over, the whole ceremony came to an end. Surrounded by the royal relatives and cabinet ministers, His Majesty walked towards the gate of the church.The sunlight shot into the lobby from the hole in the gate, causing everyone who was irradiated by the light to shudder for a while.

In the dazzling sunlight, His Majesty slowly walked down the high steps from the middle of the human walls that lined the road.He waved to the cheering crowd and boarded the carriage, just like Apollo, the sun god, was boarding his sun chariot, and wanted to spread light to every corner of the world.