Mary Su Stuart

What was the sixteenth century, in terms of medical conditions, like? "There is no rational physiology, little pharmacology, little surgery, and poor public health management" - Durant wrote in "The Age of Rational Beginning".Mary is not very good at making professional descriptions, but she is very clear about one thing, that is: witch doctors are not separated, and medicine and philosophy/metaphysics are highly overlapping.

She alone cannot easily change the status quo.

Fortunately, her posterity's knowledge can help to use its correct practical conclusions when the theory is still in the dark.

Fortunately, she has the innate status of a royal family. She is currently the king of a country with a high status and power.

Therefore, in the autumn of 1566, on a sunny and dry day, under the witness of several "surgeons" and several nobles, she asked Jenner, no, Dr. Flood to inoculate her and François with vaccinia .

First burn the surgical instruments with flames, then use the high-temperature sterilized silver knife to cut a small cut in the skin of the forearm, and then apply the freshly collected vaccinia blister fluid on the wound... Under the watchful eyes of everyone, another face For the two highly concentrated Physicians Flood, who were strong in gold, they completed the work swiftly.After that, he wiped his sweat with his hands while silently rejoicing: "It's okay, it's okay, he's practiced on so many death row prisoners before, and he didn't make any mistakes at all today."

Marie looked fearless, and she whispered comfort to François, asking him to relax.In fact, at the beginning, Flood was seriously opposed to trying it on her—even though there were many successful cases, he would never dare to take the risk of the Queen of Scots.However, since he was invited to Edinburgh and discussed with his local counterparts, he realized that it is not easy to formally implement this law among the people, and his attitude gradually became loose.

Originally, it was not easy to recruit typical vaccinia patients; however, the few test subjects they found—children with adequate nutrition and good health—due to various concerns, they refused to be the "first batch" of subjects.After learning about the situation, Mary earnestly seduced and swore to promise that she finally strengthened Flude's confidence and agreed to "vaccinate" her in public.

As for the French crown prince... Hearing that he is in poor health, Flude is even more nervous.The Scotch king, however, was earnest, and insisted on sharing the troubles with his wife; and the queen, too, was so daring that she compelled Flud to include him in the public experiment.

As for Mary herself, she was absolutely full of confidence: François is not obviously immune-compromised, and the small vaccinia infection should be safe.Although the significance of adult vaccination is worse than that of children, it is not a bad thing to try to add an extra layer of protection.

Moreover, typical cowpox patients are not everywhere. If you miss this time, you don’t know when the next time will be.Autumn is dry, and the virulence of pathogenic bacteria will be lower. It can be described as a relatively off-season for the prevalence of infectious diseases, and it is suitable for vaccination.In the end, it is definitely beneficial for the monarch to set an example in person to dispel the doubts of the crowd and promote new medical technologies.

According to historical records, in the [-]th century, Jenner’s vaccination preventive measures were only implemented for one and a half years, and the smallpox fatality rate in the UK dropped by two thirds. Since the effect is so remarkable, it should be done as soon as possible. , Promote it as soon as possible.

However, the current public vaccination process is actually closer to a political show.Because, as a "test", it has a great flaw, that is, there is no "subsequent verification".

Flood used the death row test in England before, and a very important follow-up is to use the authentic smallpox fluid to test whether the inoculated people are immune to infection.

——in order to prove that vaccinia is indeed effective.

This, Mary and the others can't do it for the time being.

Even though the Queen of Scots considers herself strong and believes in the curative effect of cowpox, she is not afraid of being exposed to the source of smallpox infection in the future—but in this world that lacks modern medical treatment methods, she really dare not let Francois take risks.Alas, she couldn't bear any, the slightest risk from him.And in order to take care of his mood, she herself did not intend to take any risks.

On the other hand, it is no longer suitable for her to stay in Edinburgh to rest and observe for a long time-recently, in England, Li Qiao and the Duke of Norfolk have reported that while the regent is not in the capital, Elizabeth frequently moves; within a few days, Many important officials and the Earl of Leicester had a long discussion in the small reception room of Whitehall Palace.

Ever since, the day for Marie and François to return to London was quickly settled.

Maitland was a little apprehensive, Mary Fleming was rather dismayed, and Boswell was especially sullen.The guard captain silently complained in his heart: "I've only been here for a long time, and I'm leaving again."

Although he was upset, he still maintained his demeanor on the surface: "Your Majesty, please have a smooth journey. I will definitely take care of Maitland, keep an eye on those lords who have evil intentions, and ensure the stability and harmony of Edinburgh."

The words are sonorous, domineering and mighty.Mary felt very relieved when she heard it; Francois also warmly praised and expressed satisfaction.

So the husband and wife returned their "home".

Just looking at the letters from the south, the matter didn't seem urgent; so Marie and François took a leisurely journey all the way, and still wanted to enjoy the autumn scenery.But the regent never expected that the moment she arrived at St. James's Palace, heavy news would suddenly hit her head on.

"Her Majesty Elizabeth is determined to marry the Earl of Leicester despite the objections of the veterans of the Privy Council," Li Qiao said. "This time, she ordered it to be made public, so I think it's for real."

"Cecile, Norris, Bacon and others saw that dissuasion was ineffective, so they had to stand in her position and make suggestions." Although the expression of the Duke of Norfolk was serious, he did not appear angry or worried. "It is reported that they unanimously persuaded her husband not to be named king for the time being."

The Earl of Pembroke said proudly: "The maids speculate privately that Dudley can only get the title of 'Duke', so he is in a delicate mood..."

The Duke of Norfolk sighed. "I hope Dudley won't be thinking about Shaw thinking of something he doesn't deserve, like 'The Crown.'"

The Earl of Arundel laughed wildly. "We don't have to worry too much. It's better for Her Majesty Elizabeth to figure it out for herself, to limit him to the proper range, and not to break the balance. Otherwise, hum, I have collected some information. There are many other things about Amy Dudley's death. What about the inside story?"

The Earl of Pembroke looked at his colleagues and smiled knowingly. "If you want to be the queen's husband, you have to think carefully. If he can't wash away the stain of 'dead wife', the archbishop will definitely declare the marriage invalid."

The Duke of Norfolk looked serious. "Before the scandal breaks out, it's best for the Queen of England to carefully examine and recognize the situation. If it's not necessary, we don't want to be villains and break this kid's dream. But just in case... the throne of king should be reserved for someone A man of virtue."

Mary breathed a sigh of relief.This news, this situation... is true... Like a dream, the fact that Elizabeth is going to get married has actually happened, and the trajectory of history has finally changed completely!

The Dukes of Norfolk seem to have made "perfect preparations"—although Mary provided some information collected by Melville for her; Dead Dudley's way up.

Of course, depending on what they mean, if the Queen of England is willing to "suppress" Dudley, this thunder may not need to explode.

"Don't rush to sanction the Earl of Leicester." Mary pondered. "Our side should first propose that the status of the regent as the chief heir to the throne be included in the bill."

The Earl of Arundel gritted his teeth. "That one definitely refuses. When she gets married, she expects to give birth to a royal heir..."

"I can accept the 'limited crown prince' status, just after her own heir." Mary said. "Afterwards, we 'actively' supported her marriage. The Minister of State, the Keeper of the Seal and others would not blindly oppose it for the sake of national stability."

Mary smiled. "Of course, that His Majesty still has to refuse. I can think of the reason: if the title of chief heir is decided, she is worried that I will murder her or her future children..."

The Duke of Norfolk seemed to understand. "No, the regent's reputation has always been very good. Your Majesty Elizabeth, you should come up with a more honest reason."

The Earl of Pembroke laughed. "That's a real problem."

Mary nodded. "Well, the next situation depends on the Queen of England's decision."

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In the winter of 1566, London, where the undercurrent was surging, ushered in an explosive news.

Queen Elizabeth, who has not been seen for a long time, announced on Christmas Day that she will be engaged to Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, and the wedding is scheduled for next September.

However, Dudley will not be able to get rid of his status as a courtier temporarily... or for a long time to come.After the collective discussion of the Privy Council, in order to maintain the stability of the government, Mary Stuart will continue to retain the regent status.

As soon as the news came out, there was a sensation in England except for the highest circles.

The queen is finally getting married!

Even though she married a courtier at the age of 33 (will be 34 next year), she is finally married!

Maybe, the Tudor dynasty will be succeeded by someone! (Dudley did not become king, and presumably still counts as a Tudor dynasty in the future.)

The Protestants responded enthusiastically: another Protestant has risen to a high position, I hope he-hey, why didn't he become a king-suppress those old church forces that engage in superstition and love worship!

There are still many Mary's opponents calling: that Scottish woman, why don't you go back?Isn't it justifiable for the queen's husband to be regent?What is the Privy Council doing?

Regarding the current situation, Mary was filled with emotions.

Elizabeth was more cautious than she thought, the Privy Council was more capable than she thought...and Dudley was more able to compromise than she thought.

The Duke of Clarence, the title that Dudley will have for a long time in the future, was also the title of a royal husband-the former Duke of Clarence who lost his head, but the husband of Queen Nine Days Jane Gray, Robert What about my brother.

It felt very unlucky...but Dudley accepted it with a "happy" face.

Mary herself has become more aware of the situation.

The regent is young and beautiful, very popular, loved by the whole people... Heh, everything is the appearance brought by power.

Look, her power has declined a little, and the opposition has started to rise.

No, they didn't make less moves before, but they often dismissed it.

Mary is fortunate and satisfied that although many people are expecting the queen to give birth, her position as "crown prince" is still undecided; but most of the Privy Council is willing to stand on her side when it comes to governing, and Dudley is not considered much.

On the part of the regent, they haven't even used the trump card of the "Earl of Leicester's wife murder scandal".

It can be seen that her hard work all these years has not been in vain.

Therefore, next, Mary will help the Queen prepare for the wedding, and at the same time "live up to everyone's expectations" and do some practical things.

For example, replace the old minister Thurro Morton who is more loyal to Elizabeth.

"Lord Thurromorton is not young anymore," Mary said convincingly, "it is time for him to let go."

Obviously, it was to give Dudley, who was more familiar with him, a blow.Unfortunately, Cecil and the others were unwilling to object to this decision.

Because, Mary is not all to exclude dissidents; she proposes a "more suitable candidate", and she is indeed sure of her competence.

The new finance minister promoted by Mary is Gresham, whom she "always" valued very much.

Mary had absolute confidence in Gresham's abilities.After all, this lord who was appointed in 1559 was the first heavyweight in history to put forward the theory of "bad money drives out good money" - it is said that this theory was actually initiated by a French scholar in the [-]th century, but it was far from Gresham influence.

Let's take a look at the famous "Gresham's theorem": when there are two (minting) currencies in circulation in the country at the same time, people are more willing to hold the "good currency" with better quality and choose the "bad currency" whose actual value is lower than the legal value. In the long run, good coins with higher value are generally collected or shipped abroad (to meet more stringent international payment needs); bad coins will flood the market, resulting in unstable currency circulation and price fluctuations. Volatility; worse, people are paying their taxes in bad money, and the country will reap the consequences.

Once, in order to solve the financial deficit, Henry VIII "deliberately" lowered the gold and silver purity of the new coins when he carried out the third currency recasting during his tenure, that is, to cast "bad coins" whose actual value is lower than the legal value— —The royal mint recovered old coins and gold and silver bars from the people, and then delivered new coins with low purity to the people. The "purity difference" between them was withheld and flowed into the king's pocket.

This method can significantly and effectively plunder the wealth of the people and generate income for the monarch.Therefore, during the reign of Edward VI, the government never tired of it and used it repeatedly.

But those who come out to hang out always have to pay back.Repeated currency recasting, the king's pockets were swollen in a short period of time, but the domestic market suffered a lot.

First of all, the gold and silver earned by the king cannot be hoarded all the time, but will go into circulation; under the premise that the total amount of gold and silver remains unchanged, it is equivalent to the "over-issue" of England's currency, and inflation leads to price increases.Secondly, due to frequent recasting, the weight and purity of the gold and silver coins produced are not uniform, mixed in circulation, and the exchange relationship is complicated, which affects the development of the commodity economy.Later, only bad money returned to the government, and the national gold and silver reserves declined day by day.The worst thing is that the people have seen through the government's means of collecting money during rounds of currency devaluation, and gradually lost trust in the royal family.

Not just domestically.Gresham traveled to and from Antwerp and felt firsthand that the international reputation of England's currency was becoming bad due to the policies of the Tudor dynasty for many years; wealth (good money) was lost abroad, and trade was becoming more and more difficult.

This great financier takes this very seriously.From 1560 to 1561, at the beginning of Elizabeth's reign, he proposed and implemented a major recasting of the currency, aiming to restore its gold and silver purity and avoid the depreciation of the pound.In the end, he completely solved the bad currency problem and restored the currency to normal circulation.

His approach stabilized England's economy and import and export trade, and kept the government's credit; his ideas had a profound influence and were continuously implemented in national policies; A benchmark for financial markets.

Such an elite, in order to take him under her command, Mary spared no effort at the beginning.Corporal Lixian is just a start, and Xu Yizhong's profit is far from enough; she also took the trouble to summon him repeatedly, have a long talk (barely using her shallow financial knowledge from later generations), support him in various careers, and finally win his admiration. Further stimulate his respect and dedication.

Now, the Regent has appointed him the position of Minister of Finance, giving him the power to exercise freely, and only hope that people will make the best use of it...

So the Duke of Norfolk said with emotion: "Gresham's team seems to be more secure."

Mary just smiled.This personnel change is considered easy.

"There are more things that need to be carefully considered... waiting." Earl of Arundel gritted his teeth.

Mary's confidantes all nodded their heads in agreement.

That's the wedding of the Queen of England.

But before that, Marie had to go back to France for another important wedding.

The groom is her brother-in-law, Charles de Valois, Duke of Orleans, François' eldest brother; the bride is the eldest daughter of Holy Roman Emperor Maximian II, Anna Habs of Austria fort.

The woman is just 17 years old, and the man is half a year younger. Tsk, in Mary's eyes, this is also an "early marriage"!

The author has something to say: Gresham's Law, refer to Du Niang Encyclopedia.

The financial policies from Henry VIII to Edward VI to Elizabeth mainly refer to the article "How the Tudor Royal Family of England Looted Wealth Through Currency Devaluation".

Financial policy will write some.However, the development of this era is very preliminary, so I was lazy and didn't check too much information...

In fact, in history, Anna later married Philip II, and Charlie married her younger sister Elizabeth... It should be considered that Henry II lived a little longer, so let's get engaged to his son earlier~

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In the afternoon exam, I was nervous, nervous, nervous... I wish I had a high score and good luck...