I Am Louis XIV

As a naval minister who was only loyal to Spain, the reason why Juan Patiño chose Carlos III of Bourbon instead of Philip V of Habsburg was because he had seen the Bourbon family with his own eyes. of prosperity and prosperity.

Starting from Louis XIV, his brothers, sons and nephews, as well as daughters and nieces, are all strong, beautiful and intelligent. Even Louis XIV’s mother and wife are both Habsburg princesses, haha Busburg's bad bloodline did not affect his descendants in the slightest. It was difficult for him to analyze the reason for this, but it was certain that Carlos III was better than Philip V.

This kind of situation also happened to these Santiago knights. After all, apart from some short-sighted people who just want a puppet king, the Spaniards also hope to have a wise and strong king to once again lead Spain on a glorious journey. The road is just like the two kings it once was.

Their hearts shifted, and their eyes on Carlos III became softer and softer, and they no longer had such hatred and contempt for the French.

"If the French can agree not to unite," the head priest of the Knights said, "we don't have a choice..." He glanced out the window. The French were quite polite to them. They had their own rooms and could go out for walks. They could even see Carlos III running around in the courtyard through the windows of their rooms.

Union refers to a king holding the throne of two or more countries at the same time. This situation is not uncommon. This is the case with Charles V of Habsburg. His title is scary-Holy Roman Empire Habsburg Emperor of the Fort dynasty, king of the Netherlands, king of Germany, the first king of the Spanish Habsburg dynasty... and his ancestor, Philip I, one of the famous Spanish kings, was also the same, but not through inheritance. But through marriage.

The Spaniards, especially the Castilians, are worried about following in the footsteps of the Catalans. To put it simply, they are worried that if King Louis XIV of France lets his second son Charles inherit Spain After assuming the position of king, he will use the law of succession to let the crown prince Louis the Younger, who is also the child of the future Louis XV, or the child of Carlos III, unite the two countries and merge France and Spain into one. In this way, the Castilians will inevitably be excluded from power like the Catalans in the past - after all, France has become extremely powerful now, and Louis XIV has many outstanding talents under his command. The school is still receiving a steady supply of new blood.

And as far as they can see, France's current army and government have been built by the Sun King into an orderly and strict machine. This machine will only assimilate others, but will not be assimilated by others.

Moreover, no matter how smart Carlos III is, he is only more than three years old. Once he inherits the Spanish throne, he will be surrounded by bishops, scholars and ministers sent by his father and the king. The governor of the Sun King will represent Carlos For three generations, the provinces and districts of Spain were governed, and French rather than Spanish law would prevail over this vast land and be quickly accepted.

Maybe it will only take ten, twenty, or thirty years, after the third generation of Louis XIV grows up, the people here will forget that they are still Spaniards, and they will call themselves France-Catalonia. People, either Franco-Castilian, or Franco-Galician, etc.

But there is only one prerequisite for the Sun King to bow his head and agree not to unite with Spain, and that is that in this battle for succession, France is at a disadvantage, whether it is external pressure or the resistance of the Spaniards themselves. In short, that is If Louis XIV did not give in, he would not be able to allow the Bourbons to rule Spain and achieve the results they expected.

But of course Louis XIV and the French would hope to unite. The Habsburgs and the Bourbons had a marriage, but the marriage was a marriage. Spain was also an enemy of France. No enemy could compare to a dead enemy. In the union, Countries that are at a disadvantage can certainly be said to be "dead".

But if it is impossible to annex Spain, then no matter what the relationship between Carlos III and Louis XV is, the people around them will try their best to make them hostile. In the end, they will return to dust and return to dust. Spain will still be Spain, and France will still be France, no different from now. Louis XIV was busy in vain.

Will the Sun King allow this outcome to occur? ! of course not!

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With this idea in mind, the knights waited until Lent of the next year. Unfortunately, things changed exactly contrary to their wishes. They did not wait until the King of France gave in, but only waited until their colleagues. That is, some of the other Thirteen Knights of the Order of Santiago.

Seeing the last thirteen knights arrive, the chief priest couldn't help but look ashen, and his last hope was shattered. The only consolation was that they at least still had a healthy leader and king, although he was a little younger.

In the past, the ceremony was simply completed in a church in Madrid or Toledo, but this time it was of great significance. Louis XIV decided to complete the ceremony in the Barcelona Cathedral, which is also the Cathedral of Barcelona. The people were all well-known people, the French and the Spaniards were all together, but the former were extremely happy while the latter were inevitably a little embarrassed and sad.

Wearing white cloaks with red lily-handled holy swords, helmets, and armor, the thirteen knights couldn't laugh. Although this ceremony was so grand that some people whispered that it was a rehearsal for the coronation ceremony, it was also their first time. They were able to enjoy such an honor, but when they thought that their glory at this time was based on a humiliating defeat, they couldn't help but feel sad.

The three-and-a-half-year-old Carlos III was already able to walk very steadily at this time. He tried his best not to look at his father, the Sun King Louis XIV, who was standing by the altar. Logically speaking, on this occasion, everyone should stand respectfully. But Louis XIV was definitely an exception. He sat on a high-backed chair made of black sandalwood inlaid with gold threads, and looked at the child who was struggling to walk towards him with a warm smile - Barcelona Cathedral is composed of three churches. It consists of three medieval churches: House of Nornhos, House of Deca and House of Iaradiaca. When making a choice for his child, Louis must choose the largest one. It takes a long way from the door to the altar, and Carlos III cannot get help from others - otherwise it will be easy to remind people of the past. Carlos II, not to mention that he still has a long way to go in the future. No one can support or be supported on this road, not even his father or brother.

Although Carlos III was smart, he was not smart enough to understand such a complicated problem. He was just used to trusting his father. His father brought him to a crimson carpet that looked like solidified blood. Pointing to the altar, he told him that he would wait for him there, but told him to go to it alone, and he obeyed.

In the child's little mind, this scene was not new. He had seen this scene many times when he was in the Palace of Versailles - countless taller and more powerful people, both men and women, kneeled down to salute him. Their eyes were lowered respectfully, staring closely at the ground. Between them was an unusually wide road for a three-year-old child. The air was filled with golden dust and colorful spots, and the rich fragrance was like substance.

The carpet was thick and soft. Carlos III walked forward step by step. When he was tired, he stood calmly and took a rest. Unlike ordinary children who would feel embarrassed and uneasy at this time, this was almost determined from the moment he was born. To become a king's child, he has never been urged or threatened. Therefore, even if some people are anxious, some are worried, some are gloating, and some are full of malice, he is still as calm as an adult who has experienced countless things in the world, without crying or fussing. Refusing to move on and not falling.

He rested about two or three times before walking to the altar and stretching his hand forward. The chief priest of the Knights of Santiago knelt down in front of him - not because of cowardice or flattery, but simply because the future leader was too young. , according to the decree of the Knights, he must hold the gospel and let the big leader place his hand on the gospel to swear an oath - Carlos III is not as high as his knees, should he raise his butt to the cross? He is not a saint. Chief Chaplain of the Knights of the Temple.

“Your Excellency,” he said solemnly, “do you swear by God, the Virgin Mary, the Cross, and the Gospel that you touch with your hands, that after you become Grand Chief, you will follow the decrees of the Knights of Santiago and the will of God? , obey the oath you swore, guard and protect the tombs of the saints you follow, pilgrims and your comrades in arms, and challenge anyone who dares to slander and endanger it and them?"

"Yes, I swear."

"Can you swear to treat every member of the Order justly, to condone no crime, and to disregard no honor?"

"Yes, I swear."

"Can you swear that you will never violate the teachings of the saints or betray the virtues of knights?"

"Yes, I swear."

"Can you swear that when there is a conflict between the Knights and the Church, you will mediate and mediate?"

"Yes, I swear."

"Have you sworn an oath?" Here the priest paused delicately: "You have the right to obey no one, not even the king, and you will not obey his orders when they are contrary to your oath." His order?"

This sentence once stabbed the hearts of several kings in succession, but after Philip I took office as the chief of the Knights of Santiago, this oath became worthless. However, Carlos III still replied politely: "Yes, I swear."

The chief priest sighed slightly: "So, do you swear that if you violate any oath, the members of the Knights are qualified to depose you?"

"Yes, I swear."

This sentence... was almost useless. The chief priest stood up and looked around, "So, brothers, do you allow him to become our chief."

"We allow it." The other twelve knights replied. Of course, they had completed the transaction before. Some were for their surnames, some were for their territories, and some were for Spain... In short, no one wanted to face it. The Sun King's anger would not be used to embarrass a child at this time.

Afterwards, under the watchful eye of the Sun King, the Inspector General of the Knights, Juan Patiño, who had just been rescued by the French fleet in the Costa del Sol area of ​​Andalusia, personally handed the big leader's sword to him. The poor Carlos III was not as tall as the two-handed sword, but he still held it firmly, then raised his head and smiled at Patinho.

The child's innocent smile is always moving. "I hope I didn't make a wrong decision." Patinho murmured, trying not to think about whether the overly light two-handed sword was in the scabbard. With a sword, after hurriedly looking at each other with the chief priest, he led his companions to kneel down to their new leader. As they leaned down, everyone in the church, except the Sun King, prostrated.

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Almost at the same time.

"I think I made a wrong decision," said the Archbishop of Toledo. "You all go." He told the priests beside him, "I will stay here."

His chamberlain, who was of course also a priest, knew that the elder intended to be martyred, and although no one would have thought that the Catholic eldest daughter of the King of France would be a heretic, a heretic, the Archbishop of Toledo's decision was puzzling, But he couldn't help but choked up, "You don't have to do this at all." Although he knew that his efforts were in vain, he still tried his best to persuade: "Louis XIV of France was also a Catholic, and he also respected God and the Virgin Mary. With the Holy Son, if you are unwilling to admit that his son has the right to inherit Spain, you can also return to Rome or go to any monastery to retreat... Mr. Bishop, you can do this without any harm. To your honor and piety!”

"I can indeed do this," said the Archbishop of Toledo: "Louis XIV is not a narrow-minded villain, but if I do this, it will be equivalent to tearing down the only pillar of the temple with my own hands. I He is an unforgivable sinner."

"The Church of Rome will not see the Temple collapse," said the priest, "but will come to terms with Louis XIV."

"So I am still a sinner because I have done nothing."

"Too many people are doing nothing!" the priest said angrily.

"I have made up my mind," said the archbishop, "my life is like a candle in the wind." Although he had the elixir of the church, the wound he received from Charles II was so severe that it could never fully heal: "I am willing to give my last blood for the church."

"Mr. Bishop!"

"Let's go, take that child away." The archbishop said. He let the most beloved child go (even the one who betrayed him and the king), and he also let the child he didn't like go. The child was always right.