Start 1861: I Just Inherited the Dutch Throne

William IV's intelligence knew that although Oscar II stayed in Sweden most of the time, he worked very hard to learn the Norwegian language and spoke it fluently. At the beginning of his accession to the throne, he understood that it was very difficult to maintain the union of Sweden and Norway. Thanks to the wit and patience of Oscar II's benefactor, the United Kingdom of Sweden and Norway was maintained, but William IV knew that if history did not change, , this union would disintegrate peacefully in 1905 without the outbreak of war.

The Norwegian Parliament deposed him on June 7, 1905, and he renounced the title of King of Norway on October 26.

In recent years, whether intentionally or not, William IV has invested more than 60% of Dutch capital in the United Kingdom of Sweden and Norway in Norwegian construction. William IV knew that Oscar II in front of him was already beginning to doubt the Netherlands. After all, in 1862, King Carl XV of Sweden destroyed the British conspiracy to support Norwegian independence with the support of the Netherlands and other countries. Now it is understandable to wonder whether the Netherlands is following the British approach.

However, the Netherlands is not strong enough at the moment, and the British offensive against the Netherlands is increasing as never before. The Netherlands still needs to deal with it carefully, so it needs to appease and give the other side a reassurance.

If you want a horse to run, you still need to feed it.

"-The United Kingdom of Sweden and Norway as a whole has never been a problem in the Netherlands. His Majesty Oscar II's worries can be completely put aside."

It seemed that William IV's comfort had a small effect. Oscar II's mood changed, and the worry on his face turned into a smile, but his expression changed very quickly. This was what William IV had in mind.

This man is worthy of being one of the kings with a good status in the Kingdom of Sweden.

Oscar II has extraordinary wisdom and international vision. He quickly found a place for himself in the world. He did what a big country does despite not being a big country, demonstrating Sweden's status as an international power.

Therefore, he has played an important role as an international arbitrator many times in history. The three emerging and traditional powers of the German Empire, Britain and the United States even asked him to serve as Chief Justice of Samoa in 1889.

He was authorized in 1897 to act as the final arbitrator in Venezuelan disputes when necessary. In the same year, he also arbitrated the Anglo-American Arbitration Treaty, which was declared invalid by the United States Senate.

His high-profile support for Britain during the Second Boer War (1899-1902), especially his statement published in The Times on May 2, 1900, made him gain many friends in Britain. He quickly became a person. Because of his work, he is very popular internationally and can be called the European version of the "Taiwan Balm" character.

Therefore, he received the honor of becoming the 1027th knight of the Spanish Order of the Golden Fleece and the 774th knight of the British Order of the Garter.

When William IV faced the man with the title of "Taiwan Balm" in front of him, he naturally didn't really think how much he recognized the Netherlands. Relatively speaking, he preferred Oscar II's eldest brother Carl XV, at least the latter ruled During this period, no major changes occurred in the Netherlands and Sweden.

Perhaps it was William IV's statement that made Oscar II very satisfied, so he said: "Currently, there are many changes in the Russian Empire. The Netherlands and Sweden are countries with many entangled interests with the Russian Empire, so any changes there will have an impact on us. "

He sighed: "Unexpectedly, Alexander II passed away just after I left Stockholm. It's fate."

"Your Majesty William, you said that by coincidence, the Netherlands and Britain were dueling, and then the revolutionary party of the Tsarist Empire launched an assassination attempt on Alexander II. I suspect that this incident was not simply a domestic dispute in the Tsarist Russian Empire. It obviously smells like a conspiracy."

William IV suddenly showed a serious face and said: "Are you suspicious?"

Oscar II nodded and said: "I think the British are mostly involved. After all, the relationship between the Netherlands and the Russian Empire has always been very friendly. Since the relationship between the United Kingdom and the Netherlands is tense, the British will get rid of the Dutch supporters of the Russian Empire and let them It’s understandable that you have too much time to take care of yourself and cannot take care of others, isn’t it?”

It seemed to be the same thing, but William IV always felt that something was wrong, but he couldn't explain it.

So he nodded and said: "What you said is true, but this matter is big or small. After all, hasn't the Tsarist Russian Empire not publicly expressed any problems with Britain?"

"Britain is currently very restrained on the issue of Alexander II. Even the opposition parties have expressed their condolences. They want to honor the deceased and let Britain stand on the moral high ground."

Oscar II followed with a smile and said: "However, anti-British demonstrations are everywhere in the Tsarist Russian Empire. Even in the Tsarist Russian Empire, many newspapers are currently speculating and analyzing the role of Britain in this incident. , In short, Britain’s moral high ground does not seem to have much effect, and the Netherlands can rest assured.”

William IV knew that the other party meant that under the Anglo-Dutch struggle, Britain faced the anger of the entire Russian Empire, and the Netherlands could rest easy, because in this way, the chance of the Russian Empire being won over by Britain has been reduced to a minimum.

I have to say that this statement is really correct.

Something strange ignited in William IV's heart again, but he still couldn't figure out the problem.

However, out of politeness and the kindness of the other party, he smiled and said: "His Majesty Oscar is right, but the UK is currently a little busy."

She stared at Oscar II and said: "However, this is very good for your country. After all, the trade between Norway and the United Kingdom is still 20% of Norway's foreign trade volume. This is huge, so the United Kingdom The situation we are facing now can curb the other party's huge influence in Norway and prevent the Norwegian rebellion that occurred in 1861 from happening again."

Oscar II nodded in embarrassment: "Your Majesty William is right. The British Prime Minister Viscount Palmerston, who was so powerful in Europe at that time, was the best at causing chaos in other countries, and then allowing Britain to take advantage of the opportunity to seize benefits, which can be said to reduce the opponent's domestic strength. , the best diplomat to increase the energy of his country. This is how Belgium split from the Netherlands.

In order to make the Ottoman Empire more obedient, they actually let their ally the Ottoman Empire have a fight with the Tsarist Empire, and then stood up and asked the Principality of Serbia to cut off its flesh and blood from the Ottoman Empire. This pain caused the Ottoman Empire to have a shadow of resistance to the British, and turned a blind eye to the British practice of asking for everything. Close one eye.

In this era of the British Empire, no one dares to look down upon it."

When William IV heard this, he suddenly felt blessed and enlightened. He thought of something strange just now. When he looked at Oscar II, he showed some coldness.

But this was a momentary thing, it happened very quickly, and Oscar II didn't notice it.