Start 1861: I Just Inherited the Dutch Throne

On July 14, 1878, when King Emmanuel II of Italy visited Milan and was conducting his domestic policy, he was suddenly shot by an Italian Catholic while delivering a speech on the street. He was shot twice and was sent to Milan Hospital for rescue and died five hours later at the age of 58.

On August 10, 1878, at 1:35:18 a.m. Greek time, the Greek Palace announced that Queen Zoffe of Greece passed away peacefully at the age of 60.

Queen Zoffe gave birth to three sons during her time in the Netherlands. Among them, the eldest son William Hendrik was born in 1840, namely King William IV of the Netherlands.

The second son, William Carrel, was born in 1843, but died young in 1850 at the age of 7.

In 1851, she gave birth to her youngest son, William Frederick, now the crown prince of the Kingdom of Greece.

Going down, the eldest son William IV and his daughter-in-law Queen Alexandra already had two princes and princesses, while Prince Frederic and Crown Princess Louise of Greece gave birth to their third grandson in 1873 and 1877. A princess was born.

That is to say, Queen Zuofi had 6 grandchildren when she passed away.

Emmanuel II of Italy and Princess Zoffie, the former Queen of the Netherlands and Queen of Greece, were held in state funerals successively. Strangely, King Emmanuel II of Italy was used for state funeral diplomacy, but the effect was not good, but Zoffie The queen did not need it, but it became a historical example of state funeral diplomacy, and the funeral was extremely mournful and honorable.

Emmanuel II, who died less than a month ago, was a king, but he did not live up to the treatment of Queen Zoffe, who was just a Greek queen.

King Umberto I was rumored by the European media that the Italian government was trying to use the funeral to engage in condolence diplomacy, but he became the object of ridicule from various countries.

According to a report in the "European Times" on July 15, 1878, after Emmanuel II was assassinated on July 14, the Italian government and Umberto I received many messages of condolences from the country's prime minister level and the government. , therefore the Italian government decided to hold a state funeral and launch condolence diplomacy.

However, compared with the state funeral of Queen Zoffi of Greece, the response to the state funeral of Emmanuel II was relatively lukewarm. Umberto I planned to use the state funeral of Emmanuel II to get closer to the prime ministers and leaders of major countries, but it was Finally broken

In the list announced by the Italian government, the reaction of European countries was not strong. Among the European royal families, only one king, his son-in-law King Louis I of Portugal, finally attended.

The report also said that Italian public opinion pointed out that although Emmanuel II had a very powerful contribution to the reunification of the country, his relationship with the Roman Catholic Church greatly compromised the state funeral. Therefore, he was surrounded by Catholics everywhere in Italy. , state funerals are actually unpopular.

Even many bishops and other clergy in places such as Rome and Milan were unwilling to attend.

Even a survey by "European Times" found that only 50% of the Italian people were in favor of giving a state funeral to Emmanuel II. Although not that many, it still reached 35%, and 15% did not oppose it. support.

Only 50% of the people approve of the state funeral, which gives the impression that it is somewhat unworthy of its name.

Looking back at the reaction to the death of Queen Zoffe in Greece, the coffin passed through the empty streets, which highlighted the love that the vast majority of Greeks had for her. But outside of Greece, in various parts of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, she was even more loved by the people than in Greece. Support, after all, Queen Zoffe was the Queen of the Netherlands for more than 27 years (1839-1866, and then followed William III to Greece and became the Queen of Greece for 12 years),

To be honest, Emmanuel II cannot be compared with Queen Zoffe. One is a king who competes with other countries for territory. While offending neighboring countries (he also fell out with Napoleon III), the other is Alexander II of the Russian Empire. Her cousin is the Queen Mother of the Netherlands and the Queen of Greece. The geographical scope is too wide. Don’t forget that the second daughter-in-law, Crown Princess Louise of Greece, is the fourth princess of Queen Victoria of the British Empire.

The first daughter-in-law, Queen Alexandra of the Netherlands, comes from the eldest princess of the Danish royal family.

Emmanuel II, who is known for his strength, is an unpopular politician who has spent his life in the political arena and is controversial.

One is popular and loved in Europe as the mother of the country and as an in-law.

However, the two state funerals in the Mediterranean and the East are very close in time, which inevitably makes people compare each other. The two have caused very different reactions in the world, forming a strong contrast. More than 100 Prime Minister-President or Minister-level dignitaries from all countries and regions in the world attended the funeral of Queen Zoffe, but what about Emmanuel II's? Only 20 ministerial-level dignitaries from various countries participated.

Secondly, Queen Zoffe died peacefully, while Emmanuel II was stabbed to death on the street.

Emmanuel II has been in office for 30 years from 1849 to now.

Queen Zoffe has been on the throne for nearly 40 years and has many descendants. The Netherlands and Greece have risen even more. Especially under the rule of her eldest son William IV, the Netherlands' global influence is comparable to that of the British Empire, the most powerful country. The relationship between various countries and the Netherlands is even more like allies. They made friends and made friends with Holland one after another.

This has caused the Dutch Queen Mother's influence to rise exponentially.

Add to that the fact that she was the Queen of Greece and it was equally awesome.

Therefore, this 60-year-old old lady is like a third-generation mother who has returned to the old age and passed away at a healthy age. She is incomparable to Emmanuel II who died on the street.

To put it more magnified, the Italy behind Emmanuel II and the Netherlands and Greece behind Queen Zoffi are also different. Italy is only a Mediterranean power, and it is difficult to compare with France and Spain in southern Europe, not to mention that there is an Ottoman Empire in the east.

Greece is located in the eastern Mediterranean and still restricts Italy's existence.

Not to mention the Netherlands, its global influence even exceeds that of the UK.

And not only the Netherlands. The country with the most developed economy is also the country with the most advanced technology. The Netherlands currently leads the world in industry, and Italy cannot even match others. After all, the UK can only follow and copy. Not to mention Southern European countries where there are many lazy people.

Not to mention the influence of the Netherlands in Europe, the Netherlands is competing with the United Kingdom in Africa and the Indian and Pacific Oceans. This is also unmatched by Italy. In North America, the Dutch control the government of the Confederate States of America. Italy can only Staring and staring, unable to shake.

Under the Nordic Alliance, the Netherlands' influence is all-round, and it is not a southern European country that cannot be counted as a regional power like Italy.

Therefore, compared with Queen Zoffe, Emmanuel II naturally received different treatment at the state funeral. This also reflects from the side that the treatment received by the strong and weak of the country is symmetrical. No one will think of love without reason, and no one will hate without reason.

The state funeral of Queen Zoffe and the state funeral of Emmanuel II allowed Europeans to see that the rise of the Netherlands' status had become a reality. It also allowed not only Italy but also the British Empire to understand the international status of the Netherlands before their eyes.

It just depends on how the UK will respond next.