I Am Louis XIV

Although people hundreds of years later knew little about this secret event, after the marriage contract negotiations between Portugal and France began, no one knew that the marriage was based on the bones of Alfonso VI. Louis XIV felt a little unhappy - he was not so eager to find a suitable spouse for the crown prince Louis, who will not officially come of age until next year, although the Portuguese princess is indeed the most suitable candidate - Louis XIV felt that he could wait.

But for Pedro II, no, it should be said, for Portugal, they urgently need a reliable and powerful ally - as described before, when Portugal was still a countage, it was the youngest son of Henry, Duke of Burgundy, who married Obtained by the illegitimate daughter of the King of Castile, Castile is the predecessor of Spain, so in the traditional sense, Portugal is a subordinate of Spain. More than a hundred years ago, the Habsburgs were Portugal was also recaptured with the help of marriage, until the ancestors of Pedro II and Alfonso VI, the last illegitimate descendant of the Burgundian king of Portugal, managed to "re-inherit" Portugal through war and negotiation, and Portugal never Spain became independent only during the reign of Alfonso VI.

But for France and Portugal, they probably can't offer too many bribes to buy Louis XIV. After all, what they want is the position of a crown princess. Louis XIV's importance to little Louis is obvious to all, and he is the eldest son, so he will definitely be in the future. He is the King of France. It is no exaggeration to say that if Louis XIV gave this position to Leopold I, Leopold I would immediately put aside all the grudges in the past and happily marry his daughter to the King of France. Prince Louis.

Therefore, when Alfonso VI was being persecuted, the most conscientious Portuguese people just prayed for him silently, but if it were to make Alfonso live a long life and let Portugal lose this important marriage, those The most conscientious people will be unwilling... It's ironic, but it is the fact. The Spanish and Austrian families of Habsburg have always helped each other. This time Leopold I even ignored that almost The secret that has been made public - Carlos II is sterile and wants to marry his daughter to that crazy monster. This has almost made his position clear. Once Portugal fails and the only one who can confront Leopold I The Louis XIV Alliance, so independent for only fifty years, is very likely to usher in the alliance of Austria and Spain at any time.

However, what Pedro II did made the marriage between Portugal and France inevitable. Otherwise, from the day Alfonso VI passed away, the Portuguese would hate the French until the end of the world, even more than the Spanish. and Austrians.

Louis XIV also discussed this matter with little Louis alone. After all, in terms of personal circumstances, Princess Isabella was not the best candidate. In addition, the death of Alfonso VI would also be a burden on her. cross - even if she didn't think so, there would be people with ulterior motives who would make her think so, especially when Louis XIV heard that Pedro II actually asked Isabella to appeal to Alfonso VI - he could I understand this approach, but I will never appreciate it, which is akin to sending an inexperienced child to the altar.

"I will send some priests and ladies." When Louis XIV said this, the crown prince Louis showed a surprised look.

"Can, is it okay?" he said with some stuttering. Generally speaking, after the engagement is confirmed, the princess will receive some education about the country where she will spend the rest of her life, such as the most important language, so as not to have to worry about it after getting married. Unable to talk to her husband, Louis XIV's behavior undoubtedly questioned the educational standards of the Portuguese royal family - but the problem was that Pedro II and his ministers had to eat this slap, because Pedro II Luo II's previous behavior was almost semi-coercive, and Princess Isabella was embarrassed because she was not a boy and the time of her birth - if it hadn't been for this marriage, she would probably have been ignored by all the Portuguese until she died.

Of course, the most important thing is that Portugal needs this marriage more than France.

There are still eight years left before the Portuguese princess Isabella marries to France. Pedro II can make his five-year-old daughter plead with her uncle to die for him and Portugal (even if Princess Isabella does not know What he is doing), it is hard to say whether during these eight years, he will be subtle and even force Princess Isabella to become a puppet of Portugal. He chose the Crown Princess of France for his crown prince. Not a Portuguese princess.

Louis XIV was not at all worried about Pedro II's rejection, and he even had the intention of prompting the king to remove Princess Isabella from Lisbon - Portugal did not strictly follow Salic law, that is to say, in Portugal, officially The recognized Princess Isabella has the right to inherit - as long as Pedro II and his wife do not give birth to a son... Considering that the throne of Portugal has been transferred twice due to marriage, Pedro II will definitely Be wary of all French people.

Once Princess Isabella left the Portuguese court in Lisbon, Louis XIV could create a satisfactory wife for young Louis.

"Maybe you can go and see her." Louis XIV put his arm around his son's shoulders affectionately, which made little Louis smile a little embarrassedly but happily. He wondered if his father noticed that besides him, he was facing Cologne. A little bit of Duke Na's envy? You must know that after the Duke of Colonna and Anna, the eldest daughter of the Grand Duke of Tuscany, made an engagement, Louis XIV managed to bring Princess Anna to Paris. Now, although the Duke of Colonna and Anna have to go to school, during the holidays, They are almost inseparable - Duke Colonna is not yet in love with Princess Anna, but after the Battle of Gajola Island, he is exhausted mentally and physically, and he obviously needs such simple and warm companionship - Princess Anna Perhaps because he grew up under the knees of his grandmother and female officials, he is quieter, sharper and more sensible than his peers.

This is unfortunate for a child, but it is lucky for the future wife of the Duke of Colonna. The Duke of Colonna's body and mind are calmed by Princess Anna's comfort. They often curl up together on the windowsill behind the curtains to read, Or rafting on the Grand Canal, or riding a horse to the woods... Just riding a horse, the Duke of Colonna was obviously tired of killing, and the attendants who served them said that this pair was really strange, because they could have several Hours and hours of silence.

Hearing them say this, Louis just smiled. When he allowed Mary to come to his study, they often stayed together without saying a word, and even did their own things, but the strong In this way, the emotion took root and sprouted little by little in the boundless silence - even if it finally bore bitter fruit, it was not because of his or Mary's fault, it could only be said that the seeds fell on the wrong soil.

But the Duke of Colonna did not have to face such a difficult choice. The Grand Duke of Tuscany was not a wise monarch, but he was still very caring for his children. Louis XIV's request was unreasonable, but after careful consideration, he He still acquiesced to the matter. After all, this approach was the most beneficial to Princess Anna.

When she officially enters the marriage room in the future, she will not face a scary stranger, but a compatible husband.

Of course, for Anna now and Princess Isabella in Portugal, true love is still far away, but it can build the foundation of family and friendship before love.

It’s not a bad thing. If love goes away, they can at least be respected and not fall into the worst situation, just like the former Queen Mother Anne...

"You can write to her." Louis said that he could bring the daughter of the Grand Duke of Tuscany to Paris and Versailles because, from a maternal perspective, Princess Anna is also a member of the Bourbon royal family, but the Portuguese Bourbon The Laganza royal family has almost nothing to do with the Bourbon royal family. Pedro II can tolerate French priests and female officials, but he will never allow Princess Isabella to live in France before getting married.

"Okay," the crown prince sighed: "I heard someone say," he approached Louis: "You also wrote a letter to your mother?"

"I have written a lot," Louis said: "If you say who is the most trustworthy minister and general in the world, your wife must be one of them, but just like the Viscount Turenne or General Vauban, or It’s Marquis Lucas, you need to let her understand you, and you also need to understand her, so that you can have a tacit understanding and advance and retreat as one... Uh, why are you looking at me like this? Child. "

"Nothing," little Louis said with a strange expression: "I think what I want is probably not this kind of teaching..." He should ask Count d'Artagnan, although his mother and father did not think this model was useful. Nothing bad, but he had said it before, he envied Duke Colonna and Anna, not his father and General Vauban - that would be a nightmare, okay!

Louis XIV was completely unaware of the Dauphin's contempt - after all, he was not God yet, he was just an ordinary Sun King. He felt that he had successfully solved a big problem. You must know that even hundreds of years later, a father may not be able to guide his son well in marriage. He later heard that the Crown Prince went to see Da Count Dagnan and his uncle the Duke of Orleans were quite surprised. During dinner, he tentatively asked the Duke of Orleans and the Crown Prince if they had any unsolvable problems...

Duke of Orleans: "Haha."

The Duke of Orleans knew it. His brother, of course, was undoubtedly a good king and an excellent ruler, but God is always fair, isn't it? After taking away the glory of the Sun King, you will find that this Majesty was born without a string related to "love". He is a controlling guy, and anything that is out of control is intolerable to him - of course he There is no way to understand the crown prince's young and admiring heart.

Count d'Artagnan also personally came to discuss with the Duke of Orleans. It is absolutely impossible to say that the crown prince has any charming fantasies about the Portuguese princess who has never met and is only one-third of his age. He only witnessed Colonna After the Duke and Princess Anna got along harmoniously, they also had some naive thoughts - the most critical issue is not here, but... Not only did some people try to find a way to heaven from the princess, there were also people who tried to find a way to heaven from the crown prince. Open the mouth.

Fortunately, Louis XIV was not the kind of person who was addicted to women. The Crown Prince was convinced that when he began to yearn for love, his first choice was his wife, not others - Louis XIV's answer was no. It was a mistake, but it definitely did not meet the expectations of little Louis. He was even a little creepy - Count d'Artagnan came running like a powerful enemy. It was for this reason that they did not intervene, for fear that others would.

But how to discuss this matter with the king's brother is also a problem. Louis probably can't accept the actions of the Queen Mother and Bishop Mazarin, especially since the lessons learned from his past experiences with Mary are still fresh in his mind, but people in the court will definitely hope that the Crown Prince His first female companion was a Frenchman, and the king allowed the crown prince to attend a public school. Although the people around the crown prince had been carefully selected, it was impossible to say that they did not have their own selfish motives.

"What a headache." The Duke of Orleans sighed, but there must be a young lady beside the Crown Prince who can lead him into the palace of love, but not too greedy (whether it is money, power, or love). This Even without a title, it would have a considerable impact on the crown prince. The fight hidden behind the curtain was no less than a men's battlefield.

"Madame de Montespan intends to provide a candidate," Count d'Artagnan said.

"Isn't she about to give birth?" asked the Duke of Orleans: "Does she still have such energy? Could it be one of her two sisters?"

"No," Count d'Artagnan shook his head: "Madame Montespan's two sisters are under strict surveillance. They are not people like Madame Montespan - they don't have such an urgent need for power. Maybe It is because one of them was still in infancy and the other was still in her mother's belly, they became the daughters of the Duke of Mortemar, and Madame Montespan recommended a lady of the same age as the Dauphin."

"Recommend?" The Duke of Orleans frowned. He could only say that only his royal brother dared to put such a woman next to him. If Madame Montespan were a man, she would be a figure like Fouquet - she had a deep understanding of power and power. The pursuit of wealth never stops, "Did you get the money or make a deal?"

"Probably he took the money," Count d'Artagnan said.

The Duke of Orleans paused. Count d'Artagnan did not yet know that Madame Montespan was behind the Church of Rome. "That must be a lot of money." He said.

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Madame Aubigne now has two identities: the future wife of the Duke of Colonna, the lady-in-waiting of Princess Anna, the daughter of the Grand Duke of Tuscany, and one of the teachers at the girls' school run by the Duchess of Orleans. She also has an undisclosed identity, that is, the messenger of the Roman Church.

As soon as she arrived in Paris, she went to visit Madame Montespan. This move not only warned Madame Montespan, who had intended to get rid of the church after becoming pregnant, but also semi-disclosed her identity. She was waiting for the king's call. Although France The kings have always been good at and liked armed parades in Rome, but figures like the Sun King would not make major decisions just because of personal likes and dislikes - the church did not have an army, but it always had a power that no king could ignore.