Mary Su Stuart

"Restrained by the royal steward Montmorency, the Protestant rebellious Coligny is still honest in front of His Majesty. But Prince Condé still yells for the Huguenots from time to time. The Queen of Navarre is still ready to move, trying to influence the young Vendôme The duke—even though he was in Paris for more than a year and a half—converted his son to Calvin and the like."

The death of his brother and the return of his rival Montmorency did not make the Cardinal of Lorraine sad for long.After all, he still has the trust of the monarch.His niece, the princess, did not disappoint, and her power in Britain became more and more stable; she appeared again in Paris this time, and she easily won back the favor of the king and queen.His young nephew, Henry, the third Duke of Guise, inherited his father's bravery, stable riding and excellent martial arts, and was also loved by Henry II.

Moreover, the cardinal noticed that Henry and Princess Margaret talked congenially and had a close relationship, and they might really be a couple in the future.In that case, the strength of the Guise family will rise further.

But it's not enough to just focus on the advantages.As the current helm of the family, the cardinal must be prepared for danger in times of peace. "We should be careful to deal with these threatening opponents, especially those in the country with impure beliefs."

It is rare for his niece to return to Paris and have time to spare; he naturally wants to have a good talk with her about how important Catholicism is to France, the family, and the Holy See.

However, when it comes to foreign countries, it is necessary to look at the issue of belief "dialectically".

"Last year, large-scale riots broke out in cities such as Antwerp and The Hague in the Netherlands. Protestant civilians flocked to Catholic churches and monasteries, knocked down old religious icons and crosses, burned church bonds and land deeds, and robbed , Stealing church property. This turmoil damaged thousands of churches and monasteries and seriously angered the monarch of the Netherlands and King Philip II of Spain.”

"Over the past few months, the number of uprisings has continued to increase, accumulating tens of thousands; more than two-thirds of the provinces of the Netherlands have been affected. The governor, the Duchess of Parma, has been devastated by this. She hastily ordered that the activities of the Inquisition be suspended and Calvin Pai was partly free; she contacted many local nobles, including the Earl of Egbert, William of Orange-Nassau, and tried to calm the popular anger with peace talks, but with little success."

"It is reported that Philip II has lost confidence in her weak methods. He decided to send the famous general Alva to replace the Duchess of Parma to completely suppress this Protestant rebellion." [Note [-]]

Oh, the international situation... In Mary's mind, the contents of the previous history textbook suddenly popped up.

Is this the prologue to the long, Dutch War of Independence?

No, it seems to be called the Dutch bourgeois revolution?

Well, right now it looks more like a Protestant uprising.

This Netherlands (Low Countries), she remembered, the result of decades of resistance since then, they abandoned the monarch and established a republic?In the end it split into Holland, Belgium, Luxembourg?Hey, how did these small countries return to the embrace of the monarchy?

What a mess.

Coincidentally, her cousin Henry was also present, and together with her, he was listening to the cardinal's instruction; he also had a map and a large volume of information.So, while rummaging through the boxes in her memory, Mary leaned over and took a closer look.

The Netherlands region, before the Renaissance, was not unified. Instead, there were many large or small duchies or counties, which were nominally part of the Holy Roman Empire.When Emperor Charles V abdicated in 1556, he allocated this land to his eldest son Philip II for management, and the Netherlands has since become a vassal of Spain, which can be regarded as breaking away from the empire.

This low-lying land is located in the northern part of the Kingdom of France, close to the North Sea, with convenient transportation, well-developed fishing, handicrafts, and commerce. It can be called the trade distribution center of Northwest Europe. The most famous cities are Antwerp and Amsterdam.Since the opening of new sea routes on the Atlantic Ocean and the gradual removal of European commercial centers from the Mediterranean Sea, the import and export business and financial speculation here have become more and more prosperous. 【Note [-]】

Merchants were the mainstay of Lowland society.Most of them are willing to worship the Holy See because they believe that Roman Catholicism has a long history and promotes and helps maintain social stability.However, there are also many businessmen who complain about the church organizational structure of the Old Church, and they gradually tend to switch to Calvin's sect - the Protestant Church agrees that they, non-clergymen, also participate in management and formulate policies, as if to make "laymen" holy, noble and powerful Yes, how rare it is!

These contradictions were not a big deal at first, but when the profit-heavy businessman met the old-school monarch who was desperately raking in taxes, his emotions exploded step by step.

Starting from Charles V, a large part of the funds for the Quartet Conquest came from squeezing the residents of the Netherlands.Fortunately, Charles V was born in Brussels, he was well versed in folk customs, and he controlled the taxation to a level that the locals could barely tolerate, so his rule was fairly orderly.However, Philip II grew up in Spain. Not only did he not understand Lowland, but his general French was not high, so it was difficult to communicate with those big landowners.

Moreover, Philip II never visited the lowlands after 1559, and left the ruling power to his father's illegitimate daughter in the local area, the Duchess of Parma.In the eyes of the Netherlands, this monarch is just a distant and lonely shadow.But he pays more taxes than his father, defaults on his debts (in 1557 even in the name of a bastard like state bankruptcy), and likes the Inquisition to go to extremes...

The Dutch rose up and started a revolution in the name of religion.

Although the deep-seated appeal is independence, self-government and less tax payment, their Protestant movement is still very prosperous.Knox, whom the Duke of Longueville had never "caught", also found a place to use here.He had joined Louis of Orange-Nassau since his escape from an English draft ship four years earlier.Now he speaks everywhere, shouting angrily: "The portraits of the old religion are all evil gods, and they simply defile God!"

His believers learned to shout: "Destroying pictures and statues is almost nothing compared to the burning of living people by the Inquisition! Compared with cruel and tyrannical government, small riots and resistance are simply not crimes!"

In fact, Louis' older brother, William, later known as "The Silent Man", originally believed in Catholicism.He served as the governor of the Netherlands and other provinces. He was a good governor and tolerant of all sects.However, when the Protestants assembled and decided to form an army to fight against the oppression of the king, he resolutely changed his beliefs in order to be consistent with the people.

A business-oriented nation needs full freedom!

The Duchess of Parma is actually a pacifist, and she even agreed to submit a petition to Philip II, expressing a compromise-at least, in terms of beliefs, she would rather give a certain amount of lenient to ease social conflicts.However, the proud Philip II would never condone such a rebellion.

So departed was the Duke of Alva, who was to succeed the Duchess as the new governor of the Netherlands.As the king's agent, he dispatched many elite garrison troops from Italy, vowing to clean up these rebels thoroughly, so that they could not stand up. 【Note [-]】

"The bloody suppression in Spain is about to begin." The Cardinal of Lorraine mused. "The Netherlanders are silent about Alva's name, and they are asking for help. A few days ago, Coligny was encouraged and asked to lead troops to help. His Majesty the King knew that he supported the Protestantism, and was very angry..."

Henry showed a contemptuous expression, and interjected: "Thanks to the chief executive of the royal family for making up for him, saying that it is for the national interest, Spain needs to be contained, so His Majesty reluctantly forgives."

"However, at this time of year, we really need to contact Spain." Cardinal Lorraine said slightly. "We share the same beliefs with them and are loyal to Rome; when dealing with those heretics, we should be more united and united."

Mary looked at his uncle's sly smiling face, and guessed that in his heart... he planned to take advantage of the favorable location to blackmail Spain instead of supporting and suppressing the Netherlands.

Uh, if I were the king of France, I would probably think this is a good idea?

Sure enough, a few days later, Henry II appointed the Cardinal of Lorraine to "discuss important matters" with Spain.

"Why did you send Uncle Charles..." Marie muttered. "Although it's an opportunity to do meritorious service, Charlie's wedding is coming soon."

The young Duke of Guise disagreed. "This is an important task that cannot be neglected. In fact, I also want to follow, but my uncle has decided to let the Duke of Longueville accompany him, and His Majesty also agrees."

Mary sighed: "Well, it seems that they can only be absent."

Thinking of Princess Anna who is about to arrive, thinking that Charlie's wedding may be presided over by Cardinal Bourbon, thinking that Prince Condé will be present... Mary suddenly realized.

She comforted her cousin softly:

"During the wedding ceremony, probably all the Bourbons will be present. At that time, you, the dignified Duke of Guise, must restrain yourself."

Transferring the Cardinal of Lorraine was probably Henry II's way of balancing power.Because of the strength of the princess, the Guise family is becoming more and more stubborn; so he wants to give the Bourbon family a chance to show off at the right time...

Henry snorted. "They... well."

It should be down.Mary breathed a sigh of relief.She vaguely remembered that at her wedding back then, the uncles of Guise had shown little respect to the Duke of Vendome and the others, and it was considered a knot.Now that the Duke of Orleans is married, they may want to get back on their feet.Anyway, as long as it doesn't make too much noise, Mary doesn't want to pester her.

"I think so too." In the evening, Francois was quite relieved when he saw his wife's unhesitating expression. "You are you, you are the future mistress of France. The Guise family are relatives and subjects; the monarch should take good care of him, but not indulge him."

Mary glanced at him ironically. "How can I indulge. Obviously, His Majesty King Henry cannot do without them."

"Okay, okay." Francois said helplessly.He pulled out a stack of documents from the box and walked back. "By the way, a letter from Rome. The pope is willing to condone some of your actions in Scotland and England. However, he is still very disappointed that Queen Elizabeth has decided to marry a Protestant. He believes that the Regent of England, Could do more...”

Mary glared at him, pouted, and signaled him to throw the document aside first. "Can't you say something happy?"

When Francois saw her coquettishly pretending to be angry, he couldn't help but raise the corners of his lips slightly. "Well, Charlie's wedding is coming up. He tried on the dress several times a day, but he hated that the mirror was too small to see the whole picture. Henry and Egur were going to the border to meet Princess Anna, and Charlie wanted to follow secretly. He had only After seeing the portraits, I was very curious and nervous, I wish I could see the bride sooner, and I want to follow her even in disguise!" [Note [-]]

"Well, it's no wonder." Mary couldn't help but snorted. "After all, she is a wife to spend the rest of her life with."

François put his arm around her waist from behind. "Yeah. I think I'm so lucky to have him as a comparison."

Yes yes yes, a child bride who knows everything is great.Mary stroked his face with her backhand.But in all fairness, the Valois royal family did not treat her badly. When she was young, she lived quite freely...

"If it's our child, I hope he can have a childhood sweetheart." Francois continued to imagine.

Mary scoffed again.It's all about children, what does this imply?Take a bath, change clothes, chase people away, pull the curtain, let's do it!

The author has something to say: Introduction to the Netherlands and its War of Independence: [Note 7] [Note [-]] Refer to Du Niang Encyclopedia [Note [-]] Refer to "Story of Civilization [-]"

[Note [-]] Refer to Du Niang Encyclopedia: Charles IX

Alas, as time goes on, there are more and more Henrys in this story, and it becomes more and more difficult to distinguish.

The "Battle of the Three Henrys" in history refers to the French King Henry (III), who succeeded his two dead brothers (Francois II and Charles IX), Henry, the third Duke of Guise, and the Duke of Vendôme Also King Henry of Navarre (later Henry IV).

Fortunately, in this article, Henry VIII died early, and Henry II is about to leave...

In fact, the Duke of Alençon is usually called François, and Egur is used here to avoid confusion.