I Am Louis XIV

When Alexander VIII heard that Carlos III had ascended the throne in Toledo, he felt relieved and ordered the priests serving around him to tell the public that the pope was sick again.

A white flag was hung on the terrace of St. Peter's Basilica. As soon as people saw it, they knew that the Pope was ill again and that he would not be able to host the following masses or other public ceremonies. However, the red princes who knew the inside story couldn't help but complain. No end, they originally pushed Alexander VIII out just to find a handy weapon and a strong shield. Unexpectedly, Alexander VIII was not a fool. The glory of the Holy Father did not blind him. He was indeed The cardinals' chess piece, but this chess piece will not move forward unless you reach out and move it.

He was forced by the red prince to issue an edict, reprimanded the king of France, and then fell down again with confidence and stopped caring about anything - which was indeed the case on the surface. As soon as he closed the door, the Pope's illegitimate son came into his room through the secret passage. As soon as Alexander VIII, who was nearly eighty years old, saw this son who was only fifteen or sixteen years old, his heart felt as soft as if it had been roasted by fire. Like cheese, he gently stroked his son's head, let him drink wine, and let him eat good fish and ham.

According to Roman tradition, Piero Ottoboni inherited his father's secular surname and entrusted one of his brothers to be his son. However, he knew very well that his future would rest on the Pope. His father I hope he puts on the cassocks of a priest, and he will definitely be a red prince in the future, but he prefers a military uniform, so Alexander VIII has to make other plans for him - those who pushed Alexander VIII to the position of pope probably Unexpectedly, for such a beloved little son, Alexander VIII would resolutely choose to go against them and the interests of the church.

You know, he is seventy-nine years old and his physical condition is not as good as expected. How many days or how many months can he be able to be the pope? He himself could not have estimated that if he were sixty-nine or even seventy-five years old, he would have made other plans and even forced his youngest son into the church. But he did not have much time. Rome was such a cruel and indifferent hell. He would have made other plans. It was clear that without his protection, Piero would be exiled to a monastery on an isolated island in the future.

He could also send Piero to Austria or any Catholic country, but he couldn't believe that Leopold I, a guy who could give his daughter to a deformed monster without hesitation, could do anything to him. How good are outsiders who have no connection or use value?

This is not to say that it is a bad thing for emperors and kings to put national interests first, but everyone knew at the time that Carlos II was a eunuch and he could not let a woman have children. Although the Spaniards later claimed that the king was able to have children with the blessing of God. He recovered and even had an illegitimate child, but who knows? The eldest daughter of Leopold I had not even reached the age of legal marriage at that time, she was just a child, but for such a small possibility, or a small amount of time that could be delayed, she became the daughter of her father and the king. Abandoned son.

The eldest princess was still living in a women's monastery in Rome. Many people thought that this young lady was too reckless, heartless and impulsive. Some people accused her of being immoral, not so docile, and lacking the virtues that a woman should have. However, Alexander VIII thought that her behavior was not a sin. Her father was not like a father. Of course, the princess did not need to be a daughter. Moreover, she just begged the church to declare the marriage invalid.

To take a step back, wasn't this matter later acquiesced by Leopold I, who had a son?

He should have been kind and happily took his daughter back to Austria and found a marriage for her again, but he may have felt that in this matter, the eldest princess was helped by King Louis XIV of France. This behavior It was similar to betrayal, so he ignored it, and even contributed to the Spanish attempt to coerce the eldest princess to return to Toledo - he may also have planned to make the eldest princess spend the rest of her life in exchange for the Spanish accepting her brother, that is, Philip V.

But how old was the eldest princess at that time?

This is how the Queen Mother of Habsburg lost the grace and soul of a young girl in the court of Toledo. Leopold I should know what kind of life his sister lived in Toledo, but he Still, he decided without hesitation to marry his daughter to Carlos II.

Such a heartless person is not a good candidate to entrust his heirs to, and Piero is not a general with outstanding military talent like Eugen Savoy, who seems to have had his head kissed by God. He is just brave enough and a little vain. An ordinary person with a heart - Alexander VIII once thought of sending him to Paris, but very accidentally, he learned that Innocent XI might not be alive soon, so he had a new plan - he deliberately expressed Revealing his dissatisfaction with Louis XIV, and being somewhat hostile to Louis XIV's people, namely Ellario and the Grand Duke of Tuscany, as well as the Angevin nobles of Naples, he accepted Louis XIV's The bribes of Opold I also promised him to place some people in churches and monasteries in Rome.

But no one knew that his family had defected to Colonna.

This kind of thing could not be hidden for long, but Alexander VIII did not need to hide it for too long. His delay successfully ensured that Carlos III was perfectly enthroned in the Toledo Cathedral. Although some people are still questioning his legitimacy, Spain Almost everyone in the country already knew that their king was Carlos III of Bourbon.

In this case, Louis XIV reciprocated. When Cardinal Elario came to accept his appointment, he handed over a letter from the Duke of Orleans. This letter of recommendation could ensure that the Pope's youngest son Piero could do whatever he wanted. It is possible to enter any French army, even the Guards in Paris and Versailles, and even the Musketeers.

"But dad..." Piero said a little uncertainly. Although papa is a title that people often use for the pope, papa here has a different meaning. Alexander VIII looked at his son lovingly, "Why, You are worried... Yes, there is a war now, but Cardinal Elario said that this letter of recommendation and the blank appointment letter have no time or place restrictions." He paused, "But you'd better do it Fulfill this promise while I am still in this world." Although the Sun King's credibility has long been proven by businessmen and civilians, Alexander VIII could still subtly sense that his Majesty did not seem to like the church and the relationship very much. noble.

When he was still Alexander VIII, if he felt that the price given by the Sun King was not satisfactory, he could still bargain. Once he left the world, Piero was just an ordinary Italian young man who could be seen everywhere.

"I want to go to Naples," said Piero.

Alexander VIII's face suddenly became extremely ugly: "God!" He couldn't help shouting: "How could you have such an idea!"

Even if the place Piero wanted to go was Spain, Alexander VIII would not be so angry. Now anyone with a discerning eye can see that the Spanish anti-French army failed to take effect on Louis XIV as some people expected... Obstacles, constraints and worries, perhaps His Majesty would not even cast an extra glance on them - even though he knew that Spain's military power, especially on land, was not as powerful as it was when fighting the French, Alexander VIII Shiya couldn't help but let out a long sigh.

It's like a hot knife cutting into butter.

What finally made Alexander VIII finalize his idea was a large number of young French generals who emerged during the Franco-British and Franco-Spanish wars. France originally had several mature generals worthy of praise, including Louis XIV's conquest of Flanders and the Netherlands. At that time, these generals were like wings attached to a lion, working together to bring France, which had begun to weaken, to the bright throne in one fell swoop. However, God seemed to think that Louis XIV's enemies were not desperate enough. These brave generals and marshals became famous after their success. At that time, there was no need to worry about having no successors - there were enemies on all sides, and internal and external difficulties would make a king worried and tossing about. In Louis XIV's case, those large and small battles became the whetstone for these young officers, turning them into It was sharpened into a sharp and bright sword.

Alexander VIII knew that Piero was a brave young man. Unlike the dissolute Roman aristocrats, he still maintained the innocence and simplicity of a child. Because of this, he loved this child the most. He had already planned it. There is nothing better than letting Piero go to the Royal Military Academy in Paris for two or three years. By the time Piero enters the army, the war will be almost over. After that, everyone seems to agree That way, there will be no major wars in Europe for at least thirty years.

If Piero doesn't want to, then he can go to Brittany, Provence, Catalonia, or Toledo. As the son of Alexander VIII, he will definitely serve as an officer rather than an ordinary person. When a soldier joins the army, his superior will also take care of him and prevent him from going to dangerous places.

But Naples?

"Impossible, I will not allow you to go to Naples!" Alexander VIII shouted!

"Why? Dad," Piero asked calmly: "Is it because it will soon become a battlefield?"

"It is not a battlefield," said Alexander VIII, "but a millstone, a millstone of flesh and blood."

This was the first time that Piero saw his father so nervous and uneasy, so frightened that the hair on the back of his hands stood on end.

He vaguely knew something about Naples, but after all, he was only in his teens. He didn't know what the eighty-nine-year-old Alexander VIII had experienced - the Ottoman Turks, as a respected saint, had to ride a horse and hold a sword when returning home. How could the family be indifferent to hegemony and territory? They have never stopped conquering everywhere, but after they swallowed the Balkan Peninsula, they faced the vast sea.

For the Ottoman Turks, they are very much like another huge country in the east. Because the inland area is vast and there is not much desire for the world beyond the sea, the Ottoman navy was established very late and was filled with a large number of ships. Converts and pirates, the former was hated and despised by the devout true believers, while the latter was disgusted and disgusted by the Sultan's favored ministers. The initial commander of the navy did not even know anything about naval warfare until a pirate was recognized and reused by the Sultan.

But the disadvantage of the navy does not mean that the Ottomans will give up their demands for Europe. They suffered a major setback in the Battle of Lepanto in 1571. At that time, Spain was still the king of the sea. He united the church and the Venetians to give The Ottomans learned a great lesson - but as the previous great battle proved, the Sudan may lack everything but soldiers. In the following decades, the Ottomans continued to harass the Italian peninsula, only offensive has been contained in Malta.

The Genoese replaced the Spanish and worked together with the Venetians to block the Ottomans from the Aegean Sea. The problem is that this is also because the Ottomans gradually shifted their attention from the sea to the land they are familiar with. If the Sultan intends, the Ottoman navy will be the same. Will pose a threat to Italy - Alexander VIII unfortunately went to Sicily for a pilgrimage when he was young, where he encountered a siege of Pizzo by Ottoman pirates. Because it was not a formal war, these pirates robbed After some looting, they left. Alexander VIII, then a young boy from the Ottoboni family, was invited to say mass for the dead.

Italian city-states have always used mercenaries to replace the indispensable army. As an important port and commercial city, Pizzo has nearly 8,000 mercenaries with long-term employment contracts. They also kept their promise and came to fight. Well, the damn thing is those pirates, they brought countless soldiers - or slaves, they were thin, ragged or simply naked, but they didn't have a trace of fear.

The mercenaries have also thought about running away, surrendering or even rebelling, and they often do so, but that time their trick failed. Most of these slaves are converts - they are more cruel and ruthless than the true believers of the true God. All pagans will wash away their sins with blood under their swords, teeth and fingers, even if it costs them their lives.

Even sixty years later, Alexander VIII still remembers that tragic situation.

Europe is not without bandits, but they will at least allow those who pay the ransom to live. But the pirates of the Ottoman Turks are different. They never mind completely destroying a pagan city, but speaking of it, the former Templars The same is true, even if they receive a ransom and break their promises, they will do the same thing, which is no different from their enemies.