Mary Su Stuart

When Francois expressed his envy to the Privy Council of England to Mary, Mary smiled and said, "This has a long history."

Since the Western Roman Empire was destroyed by barbarians, Europe has entered what is commonly known as the "Dark Middle Ages".There is almost no unified country, and the nobles, large and small, are enfeoffed step by step; the so-called supreme monarch is more like a hereditary leader-occasionally the main branch will die out, and it will return to the "elective system" of the ministries.The most commonly used sentence to describe the weakness of the central government is: the vassals of my vassals, not my vassals.This means that a large number of lords, although nominally subordinate to the king, have no direct obligation of allegiance.

However, in 1066 A.D., William, Duke of Normandy in France (whose ancestors were actually Normans from northern Europe, a Viking pirate who made peace with the French king and was willing to be assimilated) came across the sea and completely conquered England, making the Anglo-Saxon residents here , all prostrate at his feet.The King of England ordered a survey of the country's land situation, found out the family background of the vassals, and compiled it into a book called "Doomsday Book".

The literal translation is "Doomsday Book", but in fact it is all about land taxation and population.It is said that it got its name because it is unquestionable and as certain as the final judgment.It is also said that the title of the book comes from the fact that the investigators under his command thoroughly investigated every detail, serious and vicious without showing affection; making the investigators feel that there is nothing to hide and no place to hide, just like accepting the doomsday judgment. 【Note [-]】

In short, this William I probably made all the feudal lords in England, that is, the traditional sword nobles, honest.The idea of ​​centralization has gradually been established since then.

During the Tudor dynasty, the centralization of government reached a peak.This, thanks to the War of the Roses from 1455 to 1485-the York family of the white rose and the Lancaster family of the red rose fought for the throne for many years, and finally Henry Tudor, a descendant of Lancaster, married York Elizabeth for the end.During this period, many nobles were killed in battle, and nearly a thousand lords died in battle; the rest, no matter how difficult it is to fight against the king.

"There are very few nobles with swords; while the nobles in robes who rely on the monarch's promotion and reward are more loyal to the royal power. When the latter is full of the central government...where the monarch's authority is shrouded, there will naturally be more harmonious voices."

The robed nobles were born in the bourgeoisie, and many of them were intellectual or business elites; they were not traditional feudal lords, and often had to buy officials and titles to obtain titles that could be inherited by fathers and sons—most of them were judges at all levels.They also often crowd into the administrative institutions, while actively advising the monarch, while waiting for opportunities to use power for personal gain. 【Note [-]】

"After all, the goal of this government is more consistent - for the kingdom, for the king."

From the perspective of the development of political civilization, England is indeed the lucky one in history.On the other hand, in France, in order to achieve centralization, we have to wait for Cardinal Richelieu, who has continued to attack the traditional sword aristocrats since the period of Louis XIII, and reused the nobles in robes; around, keeping them away from the rogue practices of fiefs losing their influence over the place...

"Promote the 'civilian elite' and 'cloaked nobles' to curb the power of feudal lords; establish a legal system and cultivate legal concepts; set up ministers of various ministries and send professional bureaucrats to undertake daily administration..." Mary is very familiar. "Look, that's it, a unified, strong central government."

Francois thought about it. "Justice Lobitard also said something similar... Alas, the hereditary nobles of France often conspired and cheated to restore the suzerainty of the former feudal lords on the condition of loyalty. Interests, they wish to form an autonomous government, and they don’t care about the division of the country. As for the Huguenots, they yearn for the theocratic community established by Calvin in Geneva, and they clamor for political independence and religious freedom from time to time..."

"They are short-sighted and don't see the big picture. But you are different. You are the supreme leader of the entire country, and you have seen the essential problem." Mary encouraged him. "you can do it."

Francois gave her a sad look. "It's something 'we' can do."

Mary froze. "Yes, 'we'. But—"

She smiled a little. "Even if France, a 'great country', can't be as highly centralized as the Privy Council in England for the time being, so what? Every country and nation has its own character and its own development process. As long as it is suitable for the present, it will be fine."

She and François were lucky to live in this age when rationality began.Moreover, they have a sense of leadership, and they happen to be real monarchs with a lot of resources; as long as they follow the trend of the times, remain patient, and wait for the opportunity, it seems that it is not difficult to lead the country to the ideal civilization.

In the original time and space, Henry IV, the founding king of the Bourbon dynasty, didn’t he do a good job—to appease the common people, maintain social order, suppress feudal forces, issue pardons, calm the anger of Protestants, and make church ministers belong to nation.He also has a famous saying of "caring for the people and being sympathetic to the bottom class": Let every family have a chicken in the pot when they have dinner on Sunday.

Francois held Marie's hand tightly. "You're right. As long as it suits the moment."

After comparing England under his wife's control, the King of France added a bit of confidence, and his chest was filled with national confidence.So full of longing, he stated his short-term goals:

"At the moment, in our France, while trying to centralize the power of the king, we must maintain social stability... The upper-level resistance to change is greater. At the bottom, the veterans who are idle and lazy in the countryside need to be solved urgently, and they are relatively easy to solve. The problem."

"If they are used well, they will actually be a solid force, which will be of great benefit to the stability of the government."

He stared at his wife, looking excited. "Lobitar suggested that we try to counsel the unemployed and promote their employment. I think it must be more targeted. You said, "If you want to get rich, you must first build roads." Transportation is important for politics, economy, military, and public security. It is very important. And building roads, digging canals, establishing a network of post stations, and so on; these public works require a lot of hands."

"They have income, and the kingdom has improved its infrastructure. This is the 'win-win' you mentioned."

Uh, public works can indeed accommodate and accommodate a large number of "human resources".However, it has always been a habit in France to enlist civil servants for free or with low wages... Now, hearing that Francois has changed his mind and has no intention of adhering to the tradition of oppression and exploitation by the feudal ruling class, Mary is quite relieved.

She encouraged: "It makes sense. Pay special attention to the details. It is necessary to ensure that the unemployed are recruited instead of recruiting farmers to avoid affecting agricultural production. The remuneration must be guaranteed in a timely manner, and the promise must be fulfilled. The project planning must also be strict. Ensure reasonable design, safe construction, and guard against corruption and waste.”

She suddenly remembered the proposal of the French three-level parliament last year, and paused. "I remember, last year, talking about appeasing the city's self-government forces...you agreed to cut taxes, grant subsidies, and expand business licenses. In this way, the state's financial expenditure has greatly increased..."

Francois readily responded: "Yes, financial health is a very important foundation. Although the government debt is still nearly 2000 million livres; fortunately, with the Cardinal of Lorraine, the income of the mercury mirror industry has risen steadily, With this as collateral, it is not difficult to raise funds.”

He whispered in Mary's ear. "Moreover, the preliminary test of the silver-plated mirror has been successful, and the mass production is just around the corner." Mary was overjoyed upon hearing this. "That's great! The luxury industry...it should be said that industry is the guarantee of the country's wealth. Expanding the export of industrial products can earn the gold and silver they unearthed from the Americas from Spain. Not only Spain, but the whole of Europe must pay for it. The kingdom sends wealth."

In the age of great voyages, not to mention that there is gold everywhere, at least there are many ways to make money, depending on how to use it. "The direct benefits of industrial products are indeed considerable...Well, we must also make good use of tariffs to protect domestic industry and agriculture—encourage the import of raw materials, export finished products, and use the scissors of industrial and agricultural products to harvest wealth. 'Trade is the plunder of the world with low productivity' 【Note [-]】. It is excellent to use trade to promote the development of domestic industry and agriculture.”

Mary spoke faster and faster with excitement. "Yes, tariffs. Reduce tariffs to promote the inflow of raw materials and the export of industrial products; increase tariffs to curb the outflow of agricultural primary materials and the intrusion of foreign industrial products. A few days ago, Gresham and Cecil collaborated on a large proposal to put this The economic principles are explained very thoroughly..."

Hearing her excited voice, Francois nodded, comprehended the meaning, and said with a helpless smile: "Dear Mary, in fact, the Cardinal of Lorraine secretly promised to rush to make a copy before your birthday this year. Vanity case with silver-plated glass mirror, as a special surprise."

"Ah, such a gift is really nice." Mary's expression was a little exaggerated.

In fact, silver-plated mirrors are not uncommon for modern people.What is rare is the carving and mosaic craftsmanship of this era.

She smiled and said, "Uncle Charles really has a heart."

This cardinal, who was born in a noble family, has a lot of selfishness, mediocre internal affairs, and not very good at military affairs... Although he holds the position of prime minister, he climbed up from the bottom like Richelieu and left his name in history. The European name is completely incomparable.But anyway, he still gave him a lot of help.

Mary couldn't help recalling her childhood in France, thinking about how confident she snatched the job of nursing François at that time, thinking about Queen Catherine's surprised eyes at that time, thinking about how eagerly envious she was at that time Her two sister-in-laws, Elizabeth and Claude.

Alas, the eldest princess and beauty have passed away... Claude is living a happy life.Lorraine can be regarded as Guise's family, and the Duke grew up in the French court. He and her childhood sweetheart have given birth to five children so far...

"Well, for such a novel vanity mirror, I have to tell him not to forget his mother and Claude." Mary added. "Margot has a share too."

Hearing Mary mentioning them, Francois felt a ripple in his heart.At this time, he saw his wife chuckle.

"The favor of the royal family is always the first driving force for popularity."

The feeling just now seems to have changed a bit.The French king couldn't help pinching his queen's face. "Yes, so, you recently used potato flowers as headdresses in St. James's Palace. You are preparing to promote the new crop in England."

Mary Yanran. "Of course, my lord. Please wear this corsage at the banquet held the day after tomorrow."

The author has something to say: [Note [-]] Refer to Du Niang Encyclopedia.

[Note [-]] Capable corrupt officials are probably the ones mentioned.Cecil is one of the typical examples. It is said that he has evaded many taxes in his life and made a lot of profits from various monopoly rights.

【Note [-]】The original text should be "Ocean-sea trade is the plunder of the world with low productivity".