Mary Su Stuart

Mary Tudor, a faithful believer in Catholicism, is finally dead.

England's Protestant ministers almost rejoiced.As early as when the queen was dying and unable to take charge, they sneaked to Princess Elizabeth's residence and conspired to ensure that she could succeed to the throne so as to regain their lost interests.

Mary's husband, King Philip II of Spain, also felt a sense of relief.

Although his wife gave him an English crown, this "England side-by-side king" did not share enough governance rights, so he has been lazy to go to London; An old woman with a marriage contract [Note [-]] and a face full of vicissitudes (because she had never seen a real person before marriage, after marriage, he once cursed the court painters who beautified her), how could she be happy.

Now, the wife is gone, and the sister-in-law is about to ascend the throne.Philip II had a wishful thinking: this Elizabeth Tudor, when he was imprisoned in the Tower of London because of his involvement in the case of treason and betrayal of his sister, he also helped her to be her benefactor; She is 17 years younger, and six years younger than herself; although she is also a 25-year-old "old girl", her appearance is not bad; if she marries back home, it will be considered a good thing.

In this way, he could continue to exert the influence of the Habsburg dynasty in England.

According to the teaching of the Bible, although widowers are forbidden to marry the sisters of their dead wives, Philip is confident that he can get a license from the Pope.Therefore, the Spanish ambassador was ordered to announce his intention to propose marriage to His Majesty's former sister-in-law.

Philip II was a little worried again: he had heard that Elizabeth was not very loyal to Catholicism, and was more inclined to heresy. He had to make sure that he could win her back.

Unexpectedly, the ambassador sent him back two bad news: [-]. The belief of the new queen was indeed quite unreliable; [-]. Regarding the marriage, Elizabeth was vague and declared that she "would like to remain celibate".

Philip II was both hesitant and angry.

Just when he was indecisive and the English court delayed the reply, King Henry II of France, as a sincerity for peace talks, provided him with a "better object".

As for the French crown princess far away in Scotland, until recently, she had belatedly remembered that the third wife of Philip II was her sister-in-law who was as delicate as a flower——Elizabeth de Valois.

This Elizabeth was nearly fourteen years old.And her thirteen-year-old sister, Claude, is about to marry the French court boy foster husband, the Duke of Lorraine.

Mary really wanted to scold: such cruel parents...this is unscientific and unhealthy!

The marriage with the Principality of Lorraine was a move that France had prepared long ago.As far as Mary had seen before, the pair of children (really just children) got along pretty well—childhood sweethearts, two little friends, similar to herself and Francois (in fact, a lot worse).Leaving aside the unfavorable factor of early marriage, it is still right.

But another marriage pawn, Elizabeth de Valois, can only marry an old husband.

Originally, Mary heard from Uncle Guise that the eldest daughter of Henry II was likely to marry the Spanish Crown Prince Don Carlos.Carlos is a descendant of Philip II's first marriage and a close relative of a Portuguese princess. His body is not very strong, but his personality is gentle and kind.However, France and Spain were talking about peace, and the king of Spain became a widower first, so he simply married his "daughter-in-law" back.

Although the crown of England is good, in the previous marriage, Philip II still could not get real power; the marriage negotiations with the new queen were not smooth, so his interest was weak.It just so happened that the old woman was buried and quickly accepted a young bride to fill the house, which was quite appropriate.

Blame it, and also blame the former sister-in-law Elizabeth for being dishonest.

Although the royal marriage is a state matter, as the soul from later generations, Mary also inevitably regards it as a gossip.She slowly thought that if she didn't stay in France recently, she might miss some important events in the court.

For example, in addition to the Duke and Duchess of Lorraine who married early, another couple of older men and women will also enter the church to take their oaths in the near future.

The woman is Henry II's sister Margaret, a princess who has little sense of existence and is almost going to die in a monastery.

Currently, the French royal family follows the strictest Salic inheritance law, and royal women, including their descendants, have absolutely no right to touch the throne.So, their princess status is a bit tricky.But when used for marriage, as long as the dowry is sufficient, the status can still bluff people.

Marguerite's marriage partner was the Duke of Savoy, Emmanuel Philiberto, who had served in Spain a few days ago and beat the shit out of the French army.

In this era when Italy was not unified, the Savoy territory was often ravaged by France and Spain in turn (;;) because it was on the French border.The Duke's goal has always been to regain the lost territory of his ancestors.Now, he doesn't have to help Spain fight and bleed; Filiberto can be said to be satisfied with solving the major issues in life while restoring peace to the country.

Mary knew that if history had not changed, Henry II would have died in a brazen contest at the wedding ceremony of this older couple.

Around July 1559.

However, the Earl of Montgomery, who may have accidentally killed Henry II, had been brought to Scotland by himself.The river of history will probably run in another direction?

Oh, before that, countries will still sign the "Cato-Cambrezzi Peace Treaty", a treaty that has historically influenced the distribution of power in Western Europe for the next century.

Its main content is: a relatively complete end to the territorial disputes between France, Spain, and England, and a clarification of the ownership of the control rights of the Italian regions (which are still fragmented).

Therefore, she should think carefully about what she and Scotland can achieve in this series of peace talks.

As far as Mary's knowledge is concerned, Henry II is definitely willing to reconcile with Elizabeth.

According to English law, and Mary Tudor's will, her half-sister Elizabeth was the legitimate heir to the throne.However, Elizabeth was a Protestant, considered a heresy in the eyes of Catholicism.The marriage of her parents was also denied by both the pope and the king—the mother was even beheaded, which led to her long-term reputation as an illegitimate daughter.Therefore, outside of England, especially in the eyes of Catholic monarchs, she has ample reason to be deposed.

However, after all, Elizabeth is the queen chosen by the current English dignitaries and most Protestant civilians.Foreigners privately questioned her legitimacy, and it didn't hurt for the time being.Therefore, as long as the two most powerful countries around England, France and Spain, do not cross the sea to fight her, Elizabeth's seat will be secure.

True, Henry II had ambitions for England.However, Elizabeth under the background of "Bloody Mary" is obviously more popular-even if she has not done anything for the people.If you talk about it, people will definitely not listen to him; if you conquer by force, you can hardly support an army; instigating against the Catholics in England may be feasible, but it is definitely a long-term solution.

Therefore, as Mary talked with Henry VIII in the past, no matter how much France covets England across the sea, it will let nature take its course, and pragmatically admit this heresy queen first.

Anyway, historically, in order to deal with the Holy Roman Empire and Spain, France has never been afraid to cooperate with pagans-the former king Francois I once "defended the enemy" with the Muslim (;;) Silin alliance of Ottoman Turkey.

However, Henry II kept in mind that Elizabeth was "not in the right place".When necessary, he could raise the banner of the Roman Catholic Church and declare the pagan queen outlawed.

This ambition needs to be implemented through Mary.For the next step in accusing his opponent of being illegitimate was to elect a new Catholic monarch whom he considered legitimate—his daughter-in-law, the best candidate.

The so-called "inherited" direct descendants of King Henry VIII of England are now only Elizabeth.But his dead sisters, the daughters of his father Henry VII, and several grandchildren survive.Among them, Mary Stuart seemed to be the most powerful.

Before Henry VIII's death, he sorted out the succession issues and explicitly excluded the descendants of his sister Margaret, that is, the Scottish royal family.Therefore, when his son Edward VI was dying, he chose another cousin, Jane Grey, after abandoning the two "illegitimate daughters" sisters—but she was so weak that she was given by Mary Tudor after only nine days on the throne. overthrow.

Regardless of Henry VIII's concerns about being "annexed" by the Stuart royal family; generally speaking, the Queen of Scots, who has the support of France and is of noble blood, is the most "qualified" to rule England.

As for English people not welcoming foreign queens (who also serve as princesses of other countries), that is another matter.

France and Spain have been fighting for many years, and the losses are not small, and they will not be able to fight for a long time.For the sake of peace, Henry II eventually had to abandon Italy.Then, if we can capture England across the sea, it will be regarded as the loss of the east and the harvest of mulberry.

Therefore, he preemptively married his daughter to Philip II to prevent Spain from marrying England again.

Spain is also getting this idea.While Mary of Scotland was still guessing, the Spanish envoy had entered the French royal palace and made the following statement: "If Spain helps your country defeat England, I also hope that your king supports our country's conquest of Italy."

In the end, the balance of Spain really tilted towards France, which was more "loyal" to Catholicism.

England's national situation is declining, and the new monarch is in power, so the political situation will be turbulent for some time.Wait for France to stabilize for a few years, and then respond to the call of the Old Church in England to seek a protector, ask the Pope to deprive Elizabeth of the throne, and then use Scotland as a base to launch an invasion...

The French monarch felt that this method was feasible.

And Mary, before leaving the French court, also reached such an agreement with Henry II.

However, there may be many changes in the specific implementation plan.

After all, although Mary fully agrees with the King of France on the surface, her own interests may not be consistent with those of her father-in-law.

The French princess does not want to be a vassal at all, but pays more attention to her position as the queen of Scotland.

What Mary originally hoped was for Scotland to be independent; she could show her talents at home, engage in scientific research and infrastructure, build a rich and civilized country, and live a free and willful life.

In this way, even in France...Francois' side...in case of any accident, she can maintain stability and be safe and sound.

However, after returning to her hometown and starting to govern in a down-to-earth manner, Mary fully recognized the reality; her ambition had to inflate.

Scotland is by no means a closed fortress, but a small country coveted by strong neighbors and controlled by relatives.In the wave of "globalization" (the era of great navigation), because of its small size, "independence and self-improvement" is simply a luxury.

Isn't it.A piece of barren land, more than [-] selfish lords, hundreds of thousands of citizens.It is difficult to establish a self-sufficient system in agriculture, let alone industry.

To count on a little wealth to be safe is to fart.Not to mention France.The English have always had plans for Scotland; they have not spared even the wilder Ireland, and if they find a piece of fat sticking out of their mouths, they will eat it.

Just thinking about subverting an Elizabeth does not guarantee the safety of one's own family.

Since it is not annexation, it is being invaded; then, the best defense is to attack.

Fortunately, in this era, the concept of the country is more inclined to the monarch's private property.And Mary Stuart, based on her grandmother's blood relationship as Henry VIII's sister, theoretically has the "right of succession" to the Tudor dynasty.

If she can use this to bring England under her name and occupy the whole of Great Britain; the future of the so-called "independent, prosperous and powerful" will be hopeful.

Therefore, it is the "common ideal" of Mary and Henry II to compete for the throne of England.

But, before that, Mary wished that the current peace lasted a little longer.

She knew that Elizabeth was not so easy to bully, and the power of Protestants should not be underestimated.If Henry II wanted to intervene in Britain, he would eventually have to use force.

Let the French army use the bridgehead Scotland as a station to take over military and political affairs; this is exactly the opposite of Mary's expectation of "self-reliance and self-improvement".

But if, before the French sent troops, Mary had the strength to eat her neighbors to the south... Then things would be quite different.

It's probably a pretty tough road.

But Mary still had some confidence.

At present, Henry II's military strength is insufficient, and he has to consider the constraints of other domestic forces. He cannot remotely control Scotland at all, and can only let her play freely.Mary didn't intend to rely on him, so she didn't need to pay too much attention to the instructions from the other side of the sea.

In short, go at your own pace and make the most of your allies.

——Mary, who returned to her hometown, is busy with "state affairs" all day long, and now she seems to be a political animal.

However, she vaguely felt that she seemed to have overlooked something.

Oh, she ignored François.

At the beginning of their wedding, they lived apart in two places and communicated only by letters.Now, because of the long distance and inconvenient communication, she forgot the bondage of "family" and devoted herself to work, almost... completely leaving him behind.

She didn't completely forget that she was still plotting against his father and his country.

This seems to be a model of ruthlessness.

Mary couldn't help but sighed deeply.

In fact, they haven't had that much yet...

Usually, according to current canon law.The relationship between husband and wife must have "substantial behavior" before it can be considered effective.Therefore, there is still room for other maneuvers between them...

Thinking about it this way, it seemed that he was even more ungrateful and indifferent.

Mary could hardly think about it.

Let's focus on production and construction.This is also the main purpose of her summoning the lords.

Of course, this angry queen concealed her truest thoughts and used another set of rhetoric that was more high-sounding but directed at people's hearts.

In November 1558, the Lords of Scotland gathered in Edinburgh were "frightened" by the Queen's proposal.

Although many of them have secretly considered converting to Protestantism, and hope to follow England's actions to suppress religious authority; however, it is heard that their queen, who is supposed to believe in Catholicism, has put aside the influence of her mother and her husband's family and claims to take the initiative to engage in religion. During the reform, almost all the lords were restless.

Mary’s original words are as follows——

"Everyone, we must admit that the Holy See has made great contributions to the Christian world. But today, some of their styles have shown a lagging and decadent side, and have gradually become a chronic disease of society, which has hindered God. The evangelization. So I hope, in the name of the country, in the name of the sovereign, that this will be improved."

"Look at our neighbors. Henry VIII used the power of the king to choose a relatively stable path for his people. Edward VI went to the extreme of Calvinism and persecuted a large number of Catholics; Last wish. Mary I wanted to restore the Pope's absolute authority, and she used drastic methods that caused heavy casualties, so she was resented and scolded as 'perverse'. Today, Elizabeth, who is expected to become the new monarch of England, will raise the Protestant banner again..."

"Of course, the change of the monarch may shake the situation of the country; and the bias of belief creates more disturbances and unrest."

"This is very worthy of vigilance."

"Christ said: 'God's to God, Caesar's to Caesar'. Since the secular life and spiritual life should be separately responsible for the state and the church; then, the Holy See should not impose his will on state power above; then, the content of belief should not become the master of secular life and the absolute standard of sin and innocence.”

According to the point of view of the Holy See, Mary is the "Protestant Reformation" - she is interpreting the Bible from a personal perspective.However, the top Catholics have never been monolithic, and doctrinal disputes arise from time to time.Therefore, her speech as the monarch of a country, to a certain extent, represents the will of the country, and is not an object that the Pope can judge at will.

"The succession of monarchs in England has taught us much. I hope that the turmoil experienced in neighboring countries will not happen on this high ground."

"The interests of the country should be above all else."

A sovereign state is higher than the rule of the church.In fact, many monarchs have been secretly acting on this principle for a long time.However, this time, with the help of the hurricane of the Western European Reformation, Mary officially announced this, and decided to make it public to the public.

Then she threw out her first reform measure: confiscating monasteries and abolishing some priestly privileges.

——Mary, who was determined to engage in economic construction, decided to "take the church's real estate and income as her own" as much as possible.