Mary Su Stuart

Queen Catherine, who had already survived with four men and three women, struggled back from the life-and-death crisis of dystocia, and was not too shocked to hear that she could no longer have children.

Although in the early years of her marriage, she suffered from infertility, tried many strange secret methods, and even almost lost her position as the first wife; however, she gave birth to children one after another, and her body was often exhausted.

After being sentenced to "death sentence", Catherine sometimes seemed very sad, and sometimes she seemed relieved.

Mary watched silently, feeling that Te understood her.

Repeated pregnancies and repeated births are really embarrassing.See, since the queen finally died, she's become more self-conscious about her image, more out-of-the-ordinary in her outfits, and totally obsessed with corsets.

Catherine has typical Medici features: bulging eyes and cheeks.She knows that her appearance is not satisfactory, so in addition to trying her best to cover it up with various cosmetics, she also tries to perfect her "feminine features" figure as much as possible.

Nothing more than: lordosis and back warping, wide back and wasp waist.

The chest can be squeezed, the buttocks have panniers, the shoulders are backed with cushions, and the waist—ahem, squeeze hard.

In fact, super toss.

Mary secretly swore that she would never torture herself like this.

It is rumored that the Queen of Scots in history has a waist circumference of only 37 cm... Fuck his rumors!

Disobedience is small, starvation is big!

"Healthy, flexible, and comfortable." In private, Mary only told the truth to Seton, the tight-lipped maid. "Look, I'm still dressed up like this. By the way, my hairstyle is going to be like this..."

Mary Seton, who is good at combing and beautifying hair, is playing with the back of the queen's head.She immediately agreed. "Your Majesty, I have benefited a lot from your point of view."

A master and a servant meet each other's eyes and smile knowingly.

However, no matter whether they are dressed up as dolls or comely, since January 1557, the women in the harem have temporarily lost their most important referee.

Because of the outbreak of the Battle of Saint-Quentin, the king had to personally command the army and leave Paris to prepare to support the front line.

And this important and critical battle that took place in the north of France was a continuation of the struggle with Spain for hegemony.

At this time, as the former king of Spain and emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, Charles V had already lived in the monastery.As early as a year ago, with his disappointment with the German princes, he distributed the titles to his descendants: his younger brother Ferdinand "campaigned" as the new emperor; his son Philip became the king of Spain and owned the kingdoms of the Netherlands and other places. crown.

Philip II well inherited his father's wishes: attack France and secure his position as the overlord of continental Europe.

But before that, the two countries had been stuck in the quagmire of war that cost people and money for too long, and they were exhausted.Henry II and Philip II once reached a short-term armistice agreement.

However, the Pope, who was far away in Rome, refused to give up.

The new pope has a deep loathing for the Spaniards, resenting their meddling in various parts of Italy-although the French also try to take control of this fragmented region by force, at least they have not plundered Rome much recently.

Speaking of which, invaders are not good things, but the masters of the Papal States always have their own tendencies.This time, he tried to win over the less bad side: France.

The well-informed Spanish monarch Philip II knew that his opponents were colluding again and decided to strike first.As early as the autumn of 1566, he began to harass Rome.Out of support for the Pope, Henry II rushed to the Duke of Guise to help.These days, because of the benefits promised to Montmorency by the Pope, even the peace steward said that it was time to fight again with the sworn enemy of the Habsburgs.

The two sides once again started an offensive and defensive war on other people's land.

Far away in Italy, far away in war, the sense of urgency in the palace is not strong.Only Catherine, because of her heart for Florence and her desire to restore the influence of the Medici family, became a little more radical than before.

But soon, it wasn't just the queen who was excited.

Because, at the beginning of 1557, Spain, which was good at fighting on two fronts, gathered another group of troops to burn the flames of war from the northern lowland Netherlands to mainland France.

In addition, Queen Mary Tudor of England, in the name of Philip II's wife, sent [-] British troops to support Spain.

Therefore, this time, the two countries jointly declared war on Henry II.

This West-British coalition force has a total of 6 people, commanded by Emmanuel Philiberto, Duke of Savoy, and harassed in France.He marched in a roundabout way, luring the French army to disperse again and again; he led his army to surround the city of St. Quentin, intending to attack the gate of Paris; Almost all the supplies were confiscated.

The news of the defeat at Montmorency shocked Henry II, and the siege of Saint-Quentin made him even more anxious.Montmorency's nephew, Admiral Coligny of the French Navy, was still trapped in the city, and the king had to recall the Duke of Guise from Italy hastily.However, the distant water did not save the nearby fire. After three weeks of persistence, Saint-Quentin still fell, and Coligny also fell into the hands of the enemy.Thanks to these three weeks of resistance, Paris had its chance.

Catherine, who was worried about her husband's death in the battle, blushed several times, but Henry II still went to garrison Compiègne in person.The French troops from all over the country gathered in the capital; all nobles and civilians who had experienced battles were recruited again to defend France.

In this hour of great menace, in a court without a king, still a man rises.

Cough cough, Mary, who is only 14 years old, has no such skills.Acting as the heroine in the rear is Queen Catherine.

This good wife and mother quickly accepted the reality that her husband was on the front line.At this critical moment, she showed admirable courage and calmness.In the past, the northern border was tight, and she had ordered the reduction of court expenses; now that Paris is under threat, she realized that the reduction of expenditure was not enough, and more income was needed.So, accompanied by several cardinals and relatives, she came to the Capital High Court.

In a solemn public address, the Queen asked the High Court to issue a special sum for the protection of the capital, taking into account the circumstances of the war.

she says:

"In the past few years, war expenses have been huge, but His Majesty the King has never taxed Paris more. Because he values ​​​​the people of Paris very much, and he only needs their loyalty..."

"Now, the kingdom is at a critical juncture. As the capital of the king, Paris should show its loyalty to His Majesty and repay the king's love and care..."

Therefore, the king urgently needs an appropriation of 30 livres. Will the people of Paris be willing to give generously?

Catherine's request was sincere and restrained; her soft but tough female posture won the hearts of most people.Therefore, immediately after she exited the room, the High Court passed a resolution registering a decree apportioning a special tax to the people.

After that, the judges applauded collectively and sent the queen back to the Louvre.

As for the queen's great success in public this time and the first time, Mary felt that it was firstly due to the urgent battle situation in the kingdom.

"After all, the Parisians are asked to pay for it to protect themselves."

Miss Beeton and Miss Seton looked adoring. "The queen is really remarkable. Everyone said that it would have taken a lot of time to get the high court to take additional money. If they hadn't been impressed by the queen's virtuous image, I'm afraid they wouldn't have been so happy, so generous, and so Willingly."

Even Miss Fleming "praises" her mother's love rival in a down-to-earth manner. "In the minds of Parisians, the queen has always been kind and cautious, and she doesn't speak easily, so she is extremely trustworthy."

Mary Livingston was still taciturn, but she also said: "The queen is very popular now..."

The Queen of Scots, who was vaguely refuted by the maids, was stunned for a moment, and found out that her thinking was biased.

In any case, the hearts of the people are very important to the monarch.So what if the country is in dire straits?At the end of the Ming Dynasty, Chongzhen also called on everyone to contribute money for the national crisis, but the officials and wealthy households all clenched their pockets tightly, regardless of the "rogue bandits" breaking the city, so the emperor died.

Therefore, Catherine's ability to obtain military expenses with royal credit is already a major victory for her personal image.

In the era of royal power, the concept of the monarch as the country was deeply rooted in the hearts of the people.As long as the monarch does something right, he can win countless applause.That's why Louis XIV said unscrupulously, "I am the country, and I am the sun."

Born as a king, the love of the people seems to be at your fingertips.However, these natural obedience and trust cannot withstand excessive squandering-especially when they offend certain interest groups and fuel the flames.Therefore, the later Charles I and Louis XVI fell into the bad luck of being beheaded.

Hmph, all the crimes of "treason" were committed.

Therefore, the ruler should treat the people well and maintain a good personal image; don't forget yourself and do whatever you want.

Although the position of the king is high, the place below the throne is likely to be a crater.

Mary propped her face, tilting her head in thought.

However, compared to the weak locksmith king who died in the rage of the common people, Charles I was actually killed because he took extreme actions and confronted the parliament and the propertied class forcefully.

Therefore, a kingdom with a parliamentary habit of limiting and buffering is more suitable for an emperor to survive than a centralized monarchy?

Well, but France is also heavily dragged down by the war, so it is more inclined to centralize power.France is sandwiched between the German states and Spain, and it is close to the fragmented Italy. It is simply a land of four wars.Land battles are no different than naval battles. After all, they affect the homeland and affect production and life.The people call for power, but the country has to spend a huge amount of money to support the army. This will put more pressure on the finances...

Mary tapped her head.This kingdom is always at war, and it is really not suitable for a foothold.Probably, the "isolated island" of Britain is relatively loose and safe, and it is more suitable for doing its own thing.

Enjoy a free and willful life, and develop natural science as much as possible... Sigh, they were all born at the finish line, and they became queens early. As a legitimate "head of state", they must realize the basic ideal of a time-traveling woman no matter what.

It would be nice to learn from Elizabeth.

Uh, don't forget that this woman is no longer an idol, but her important opponent.

Either the east wind overwhelms the west wind, or the west wind overwhelms the east wind.The future of Britain may only be able to accommodate one dominant monarch.

Mary thought for a while.

First of all, you still have to secure your own throne.

However, the distant Scottish royal court was primitive feudal and rebellious, and there seemed to be no chance for the monarch to act arbitrarily in government affairs... The female officers around him are not available at present, and the half-brother James, Lord Merry, is a bit capable but ambitious...

Could it be that power comes out of the barrel of a gun, and a strong army has to speak?

As for the Queen's Guard, the deputy captain, Boswell, is barely reliable as a general; and because of the harmony of these years, the French Earl Montgomery is also worth fighting for.It's a pity that the Scottish Guards are often borrowed by the French army, and she has to plan well.

Well, she has heard that the Swiss mercenaries are loyal and good at fighting, and are well-known in Western Europe. If it is necessary in the future, she can consider it.The problem is, the asking price is very high.The French court felt expensive while paying for it, and even the wealthy Pope was reluctant to invite more.

Thinking about the cost of raising an army and the barren Scottish Highlands, and then thinking about her enemy and courteous, England, who is getting rich...it is really hard.

Or, she changed her life goal to "a carefree rice bug" and stayed in France, forgetting to be a queen who only knows how to enjoy herself?

François is currently in and out with her, with a deep affection.For various reasons, he obeyed his own words.However, as the crown prince, he has a more capable father, and he doesn't know when he will be able to manage his own family.

Tsk, for an immature boy who is still in the learning stage, she can't really rest assured if he is given the opportunity to be the master.

Besides, being a queen, in France, this old-fashioned court that believes in the Salic Law and "women and their descendants have no title and real estate inheritance rights at all", has a lot of pressure to bear children.

If no son is born in the future, this day will be hard to describe.

Uh, let's not just talk about the son.Although Francois's health has improved quite a lot these years, what if... what if he doesn't even have a daughter?

The current queen, Catherine, almost suffered a divorce.And her youngest daughter Margaret, Queen Margot in history, was really divorced.

In short, the identity of the Queen of Scots is more stable-the authority based on blood is more reliable than that based on the marriage contract.

At night, Mary tossed and turned in bed, thought for a long time, and finally sorted out her thoughts before falling asleep.

When the fighting here stops, I should try to go back and have a look.

The long-lost hometown.

And in the early morning of the second day when she made up her mind, Mary rubbed her sleepy eyes and received a piece of "great news".

Miss Beaton said excitedly: "I heard that His Majesty King Henry sent a letter to Queen Catherine, saying that he will consider planning the wedding between the Crown Prince and you."