Greece’s Roman Road

Speaking of political marriage, isn't this couple in front of you a ready-made example?

Constantine's mother, Grand Duchess Olga, came from the Romanov royal family of Tsarist Russia.

George I himself came from the Danish royal family and was the Greek king chosen by the British.

The Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderberg-Glücksburg dynasty of the Greek royal family established by George I and Grand Duchess Olga was naturally supported by Russia and Britain.

The political gains from this political marriage are by no means empty safeguards for the blood and glory of the royal family or nobles, but are supported by real interests.

For example, in order to show goodwill, in 1862, while escorting the new King George I of Greece to take office in Greece, the United Kingdom also returned the Ionian Islands in the Adriatic Sea near Greece.

Constantine understood that Queen Olga meant that she hoped that when she went to study in Germany, she would pay attention to the candidates for her daughter-in-law who would be of great benefit to her future career.

For Greece, whose national strength is now weak, the political and economic benefits brought by the crown prince marrying a queen from a powerful family cannot be underestimated.

For example, the famous Habsburg family, dubbed "the lower half of the castle", used the means of marriage to rule over a large area of ​​Europe.

The Habsburg family has a famous saying, "Let them go to war, we just need to get married."

Other countries have empires first, and then emperors.

And the Habsburg family had the emperor first, and then the empire.

The fortune of the Habsburg family has set a model for the European aristocracy, showing them how huge benefits can be brought through the means of aristocratic marriage.

The reason why Queen Olga brought up the issue of Constantine's marriage is that Germany is a country with very special national conditions.

In 1871, after defeating the French in the Franco-Prussian War, Prussia unified Germany, and with the unforgettable humiliation of the French, it added infinite glory to the German crown and became the most powerful country in Europe.

However, Germany is not completely unified, and there are several small kingdoms in the country, such as Bavaria and Saxony.

Although these small kingdoms, which have been passed down since the Holy Roman Empire period, are not strong, hundreds of years of intermarriage have made the royal family of these small kingdoms deeply rooted and have a huge network of relationships.

Therefore, when Constantine went to Germany to study, he must have frequent contact with German nobles. For Queen Olga, it was a rare opportunity to find a good wife.

Constantine had no objection to political marriage. After he became clear about the concept of marriage of the nobles, his fantasy of freedom of love disappeared.

If Constantine staged a play against feudal ethics and love of freedom, the political consequences would be very serious.

How serious, it may cause a world war.

For example, the crown prince of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, because he married a commoner woman, not only did the Austro-Hungarian Emperor dislike him, but even the nobles of the Austro-Hungarian Empire did not agree with him.

The aristocratic circles and social places of the Austro-Hungarian Empire strongly rejected the Grand Duchess Ferdinand, who was a commoner. She was often ignored in public, so that Vienna left a bad impression on the Grand Duchess.

In order to make the Grand Duchess relieve her depressed mood, the Ferdinands went to Sarajevo to relax, but they were assassinated.

Although this was a coincidence, the strong rejection of the aristocratic elite caused by the crown prince marrying a commoner woman made Constantine dare not touch this restricted area.

"I understand, mother." Although he was not very happy, Constantine could only bite the bullet and agree first.

At this moment, Butler Capee walked in.

"Your Excellency, Colonel Brut of the Royal Guard, has come to the manor and is waiting for your reception."

Having said that, he turned around and took Constantine to meet the colonel.

Constantine promised to help Stanley's professional military personnel, who received orders from Constantine to travel across the ocean to Congo, Africa.

Because the Royal Guards deal with the Crown Prince's personal affairs, the royal family is responsible for all expenses of this military operation.

In the reception room.

"Your Excellency," Brute, who was sitting on the sofa, hurriedly stood up when Constantine walked in, standing upright.

"Brute, the mission has been notified to you. The 500 members of the Royal Guard are going to Africa to maintain the trade order in Africa and combat slave traders. Do you have any questions?" more important.

"Your Excellency, how long will this operation last?" Brute asked.

"About a year or so, no longer than two years."

"Then the Royal Guards must obey Mr. Stanley's command? What if Mr. Banning disagrees with Mr. Stanley?"

"Follow Stanley's command, but the final opinion is up to Banning."

"Brut, are you from a commoner?" Constantine stared at Brut, and suddenly said.

"Yes," Brute was a little puzzled when he heard Constantine suddenly ask him about his personal affairs.

"Does the whole family live in Athens? The cost of Athens is very high," Constantine said.

Athens is the capital of Greece and a seaport city with a dense population and developed commerce.

As the head of the Royal Guards, Brute was a captain, and his salary was not low, with a monthly salary of 30 dramarks.

If Brut lived alone, this kind of income would be enough for him to live a very nourishing life.

But Brut's family has a large population, with two younger brothers and a younger sister. His father is at home all the year round due to his poor health and cannot work. He relies on his mother to help support the family.

Brute also lived up to the expectations of his family and graduated from the Athens Military Academy with honors. Because he was smart and hard-working, he was favored by Constantine and personally promoted him to be the head of the Guards.

Most of Brut's salary needs to subsidize his family, so his money is always tight.

"Brute, this African operation, whether it is for me, Greece, or you, is of great significance. It can only succeed, not fail."

Constantine regarded the resources of the Congo as the cornerstone of the rise of Greece, which was of great significance to the great ideals of the Greeks.

Over the years, Constantine has devoted a lot of energy to the Congo. He hopes that the officers he values ​​can help him and the Greeks, and make great contributions.

"If we succeed this time, Brut, we will all be successful, you will become a big man, and you will never worry about the difficulties of your family's life again." Constantine held Brut's shoulders with both hands, emotional Excited and flushed.

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