I Am Louis XIV

This is something that is known but impossible to do.

The Knights of Santiago and the Knights Templar have a very similar structure. After the ignominious death of the great leader, Carlos II, the chief priest and inspector general after him, as well as eleven other knights, became The spiritual and physical leader of this order - but it would be nonsense to say that they had any hope or affection for the King of France.

In addition to the fact that almost all of them were nobles from Castile, there was also the handsome man Philip, the king of France, who not only moved the entire Roman Church out of the Vatican and moved it to Alvernon, but also framed and massacred him. He conquered the entire Knights Templar and took all its properties and territories as his own - although Philip I (King of Spain) from Habsburg later did similar things, but at least the Knights of Santiago still Maintaining the original scale and glory, the Thirteen Knights no longer have the power to impeach the big leader, but they also hold the power entrusted to them by the king, and assist the king (the big leader) to jointly fight against their enemies.

In the imagination of the Knights of Santiago and their behind-the-scenes supporter, the Archbishop of Toledo, Leopold I, relying on the sacred names of St. James's Tomb and the Galician Pilgrimage Road might be able to greatly delay the French attack on Cass. Tilia's offensive will either nail the French and their king to the shameful monument of heresy, thereby arousing resistance in Spain and suspicion and rebellion against Louis XIV in France.

What they didn't expect was that neither the Duke of Luxembourg, who was pious but not so obedient to His Majesty the King, nor the young and fledgling Eugen would step into their trap, and even turn an army against them, turning what they relied on into They knew they had failed when the pilgrims turned into hungry refugees and began to attack the fortresses and warehouses in Leon.

"This is because there are no saints in your hearts at all." When they passed a village and stayed to rest, Delig's friend couldn't help but sarcastically said. Everyone knows that Louis XIV is very tolerant of Protestants. , to the Spaniards, heretics are more hateful than pagans and unbelievers. It is difficult for them to understand this sentiment, so even though they knew that little Eugen was a Catholic, they pointed this out sharply.

They should know where Leon is. It is a holy place second only to the tombs of saints. It is an extremely important and dazzling target. How can they turn a blind eye and bypass it without taking it and the tens of thousands of pilgrims to heart? Up? How dare they pollute it with intrigue, and how can they maintain their honor as a knight?

Little Eugen glanced at him and was not angry at all. Instead, he said: "The original intention of the Knights of Santiago was to protect the tomb of St. James and the crowds who came to visit him. But if St. James knew that he was In the years after his death, the knights who guarded him not only did not promote his virtues, but instead used his name to do devilish things. He would surely jump from the ranks of saints in shame and jump straight to hell. So as not to be laughed at." He continued without waiting for the knight to retort: ​​"Do you dare to say that the holy miracles in Leon City are real?"

"Do you dare to say that you are not trying to use the pilgrims as shields and swords?"

"Do you dare to say that you are looking forward to a war that will destroy the reputation of your enemies, but you do not care at all that the tombs of saints are sprinkled with the blood of innocent people?"

Little Eugen asked three questions in a row that left the knight speechless, and then continued: "Among the twelve apostles, Saint James was called 'the pillar of the church' by Saint Paul, and he presided over the meeting together with Saint Peter. Martyred in Jerusalem, he lived a life of piety, poverty and silence. He knew that a thousand years after his death, someone said "I am willing to obey the will of Saint James" while placing the lamb under the protection of the saint on the altar. What?"

“The shedding of innocent blood has always been something God does not want to see. Whether he believes it or not, if they are willing to go to purgatory, then let them go, but how to punish them is a matter for God and his messengers. Things that talents can do are not things that mortals should do. What we can do is to support the order of the world, so that those good and pious people can spend their lives in peace and tranquility, instead of paying heavy taxes and being burdened with long toil. , or cry, bleed and die in war.”

"..." The knight of Santiago was silent for a while: "You are wrong to do this." He said weakly, yes, they may accuse the French of not being convinced enough, but the civilians would not think so. They saw The French gave them land, seeds, cattle, and fixed but not excessive taxes, and they were satisfied. Furthermore, they also had schools, factories, and fair officials, so they could no longer resist.

Knights are also nobles. Of course they know how priests and lords used to fool the people in their territories. Heretics, heretics and even servants of the devil - such as wizards and witches. Their conflicts were not that intense originally, but there were always people adding fuel to the fire. Sometimes it was because the lords needed war and tax collection, sometimes because the knights needed merit, sometimes because the priests needed income from indulgences, and sometimes even just to kill off some of the excess population.

Louis XIV and the French gave exactly what the people longed for most. Compared with these, what are heretics, what are pagans, witches and wizards - ugh! As long as there are benefits and no harm, they are willing to go face to face with the devil.

With such mixed feelings, the knights of Santiago entered the Catalonia region. When they were near Leon, they could still gain a little respect. In the place of the Catalans, those Catalans The Asians did not hide their contempt and ridicule at all - after all, the fathers and brothers of these knights, and even themselves may have participated in the war against the rebellious Catalans. Although to them, this was counterinsurgency, but To the Catalans, they are a despicable and vicious group of foreign enemies.

As mentioned before, Catalonia was originally an independent region. It merged with the Kingdom of Aragon because of marriage. Later, Aragon merged with Castile because of marriage. Castile, which came from behind, will The Catalans were driven from the palace and court.

Not to be outdone, the knights of Santiago stared at these people, "Did you defeat us? No, it was the French!" or said: "Aragon, Spain and then France? A group of parasites who can only cling to others. insect!"

They almost caused many duels and assassinations. Fortunately, Catalonia is now under the rule of Louis XIV. These knights were able to fully meet the King of France, Louis XIV, and their King Carlos III. .

When they arrived at the Grand Palace in Barcelona under the guidance of their attendants, Louis XIV was holding his youngest son's hand and leading him to stagger around in the sunshine.

————————

Louis XIV has always been willing to take a hands-on approach to raising children. Luciano can be said to have grown up on his knees. Little Louis has also felt his father's arms. Of course, Charles is no exception, but those The Santiago knight couldn't help but be shocked when he saw this child.

After all, Charles Bourbon and Carlos III are only a little over three years old now, and it is easy for such a young child to die young. Although Barcelona is a port city, it is still a long way from Paris even from Marseille. The Sun King is a bit too bold!

"I think you would rather swear an oath to your Majesty the King," said Louis XIV.

He took Charles's little hand and placed him on his knees, facing the knights of Santiago.

Not all of the thirteen Santiago knights were in Leon. Among the people who surrendered were only the chief priest of the knights and four knights. This number was originally not enough to be recognized. They also had such plans-if France When the king asked them to grant the Grand Chief the badge, they temporarily obeyed, but this grant and recognition was not recognized and had no effect. They really did not expect that Louis XIV would bring Carlos III to them. .

The chief priest hesitated for a moment, not thinking that their original plan could be hidden from the king, so he frankly told Louis XIV that although the position of the chief of the Knights of Santiago had long been added to the title of the King of Spain, A series of red tape that must be fulfilled still includes the qualifications of the big leader must first be submitted to the Thirteen Knights for review and approval. At the public knights meeting, after the big leader is awarded the badge, he must also speak about their qualifications. To express gratitude for the approval, of course, the Grand Chief must swear an oath to God, the Virgin Mary, the Cross and the Gospel to abide by the statutes and regulations of the Order, to safeguard the honor of the Order and not to allow anyone to destroy it, and if Unable to do so, he will abdicate and repent under the impeachment of the Thirteen Knights.

In fact, a great leader really abdicated under the impeachment of the Thirteen Knights and had to go to a monastery.

However, after Philip I of Habsburg assumed the position of great leader, this ceremony became a ceremony. The Thirteen Knights transformed from supervisors to ministers of the king. Of course, it was impossible to impeach the king, the people they were loyal to, but Carlos III is different again. It is difficult to say whether someone will take the opportunity to spread rumors and cause trouble in the future.

"So that's it," Louis pinched Charles's little finger, making him giggle, and said casually, "It doesn't matter, if there is such a request, let's wait a little longer."

Wait a moment, the chief priest tried his best not to look strange. You must know that there are still several knights in Avila, in Cáceres and Castel Real in Andalusia. Avila is already far away from Madrid. Not far away, Cáceres is closer to Toledo. How long will the French King be prepared to wait? In other words, will this war end when he thinks it will?

If Louis XIV could hear what he was saying in his mind, he would have said, yes.

Compared with the war against Flanders and the Netherlands, the war against Spain really has no suspense at all. When it came to Flanders, Louis XIV was a desperate gambler. France was also in trouble internally and externally at that time. If he failed, he might be the next Charles I. As for the Netherlands, the Netherlands is an unquestionably independent country and is at its peak. , he was able to defeat the Netherlands entirely because there were enough people who coveted this big fish, as well as the Netherlands' weakness in land power, and its lightning-like attack speed.

As for Spain, first of all, the inheritance rights he claimed are completely legal, whether it is France, Spain or canon law, because Philip IV has been delaying the dowry of his eldest daughter, so that in the marriage contract, He was the one who failed to complete the agreement. In this case, while recognizing the marriage, Louis XIV could also pursue his wife's inheritance rights to Spain based on the contract-even if Theresa had sworn to give up the inheritance rights, but that It was also on the premise that Philip IV gave a dowry of five hundred thousand livres.

The Spaniards were once complacent about this matter. After all, the right of inheritance of a son comes before that of a daughter. As long as Carlos II has a son, the French will not be able to get involved in Spain, but who knows? Carlos II failed to have a legal heir because of the dowry issue. Not only Leopold I of Habsburg was able to claim the Spanish inheritance, but so was Louis XIV of Bourbon.

Moreover, in Madrid and Toledo, there are quite a few people who are interested in Louis XIV's son, Carlos III. Some of them are because they saw the changes Louis XIV made in France, such as Juan Patiño. There were also people who simply hated the Habsburgs, and some, like the Knights of Santiago who were stranded in the Grand Palace in Barcelona, ​​probably did not expect that it was Carlos III who finally convinced them.

Of course, except for some novels, a three-year-old child cannot convince anyone. What is it that impresses them?

healthy.

In addition to being healthy, Carlos III is also obviously very smart. His eyes are very bright, his lips are red, and his tongue is not always knotted like a child of this age. Even if he speaks with a small vocabulary, he can Very loud and clear, even better than Carlos II before receiving the wizard's treatment. He was no longer content with walking. Whenever he had the chance, he would run on the palace floor or the soft grass.

After the torture of Carlos II, everyone in the Spanish court would long for a healthy and intelligent king. There is no doubt that Carlos II has shown them how much a madman and a cripple can bring to a country. s damage.

Even though some people are still emotionally inclined to Leopold I's son, Philip V, but... Philip V is also of Habsburg blood and the product of consanguineous marriage, published by French scholars Some medical works have clearly stated that inbreeding will produce deformed children, whether in soul or body! When they thought that maybe Philip V would be a crooked, slurred king, like an animal, they couldn't help but feel horrified.

I'm going to get vaccinated tomorrow, the first shot - I hope there won't be any strong side effects, but I've prepared a chapter and it will be sent out at nine o'clock tomorrow morning.

I wish my readers good health!