Mary Su Stuart

Countess of Pembroke, these years have been quite comfortable.For a long time, although her husband was not very smart, he had a good relationship with the calculating Duke of Norfolk, and he sat firmly in the Privy Council.Even when Elizabeth I believed in Protestantism and promoted his cronies, he retained his place.Madam is also good at taking advantage of her own advantages, and gradually established her position as the first lady under the queen in London's high society.

When Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots, first arrived, Mrs. Pembroke was worried that she would be overshadowed by this young beauty, and her mood was a bit complicated.But she soon discovered that the new Prince Regent was diligent in government affairs and had little interest in communication. He was willing to use and maintain the existing social circle in the Earl's Mansion; therefore, she smiled more and more.

Today, the Queen of Scots has become Mary II, Queen of England; the Countess of Pembroke, because her husband is "highly valued", her status seems to be even more detached.

Of course, the madam does not dare to call herself the queen's best friend.Who dares to easily cling to the most powerful woman in Western Europe?This majesty, who owns a total of three crowns in Britain and Ireland, is also the noble queen of France. Her husband seems to be submissive, but her wife is the saddle... She only stomps her feet, and the whole of Western Europe will be shaken.

Of course, Mrs. Pembroke, who is good at dancing, still gets along well with the queen.Although the madam would occasionally mutter to herself, why does His Majesty always have so many weird ideas; but as long as the orders from her superiors come down, she must follow them with enthusiasm, whether it is to promote tobacco, potatoes or others—even if she prefers folding fans and mirrors .You must know that Your Majesty is the first mistress of the romantic and splendid French court, and her every move is the fashion benchmark of this era!

No, His Majesty has given another "task": for her personal maids, search in the circle of English aristocrats to see if there is a suitable marriage partner.

At first, Mrs. Pembroke was a little excited: Those three Marys are Her Majesty's confidantes since childhood.However, after listening to the queen's detailed explanation of her criteria for choosing a son-in-law, the lady could only smile wryly—where can I find a man who meets the requirements?

Not too old, not too ugly, not too fat, not too thin; not too poor, not too fastidious; not too gentle, not too romantic; not too well-educated, clear-headed, open-minded, loyal and reliable... preferably Unmarried, or married but no children!

How can there be such a man in England?

Mrs. Pembroke thought enviously: It seems that the King of France is up to the standard except for his not-so-strong physique and a little frail appearance?

Uh, according to reports, he's actually fine in bed...

King of France!No wonder His Majesty is so picky...

The lady then reported back to the queen with some regrets: This time, I am afraid I can't do anything.

His Majesty had a generous face, and only said, knowing that the standard is a little high, there are some difficulties, so don't rush, just pay attention slowly.

Yes, yes, take your time... However, even the Gray sisters, who have the right to inherit the throne of England, and Catherine and Mary, who were once guarded by Queen Elizabeth, married just like that-the husband's family still thinks they are not suitable Woolen cloth.

Lady Pembroke insinuated from time to time.

Mary herself gradually understood: In this age, it is indeed quite difficult for her to choose a suitable match for her intimate maids from a modern perspective.

The remaining three Marys around her were either high or low.Although they all have French ancestry, they bear the surname of the Scottish lord, which is not enough to be seen in the powerful Valois court; the attractiveness of the increase in appearance and personality is limited, and most importantly, the dowry is not rich enough to offset the gap... In addition, they often live in London with themselves, so it is really not suitable for them to find a partner in France.

The lords of Scotland generally have a good impression of the queen's valet - look at how Maitland married Miss Fleming and became a regent civil servant, the benefits are so enviable!But Mary always felt that they were rude and cunning, and she really didn't want the delicate flowers around her to be ruined by those savages.

Here in England, the best way is to ask Mrs. Pembroke.However, it seems that the road is long and difficult...

Mary is a little worried.

Look at Miss Beeton, who has completely forgotten about Chatrier recently, and started to stare at secretary Li Qiao frequently, as if she was a little moved.This girl who is artistic, frank and emotional, I'm really afraid that she will be deceived again.After all, Li Qiao doesn't seem to like her very much; after all, Li Qiao is from Italy, has been close to some Catholic priests in private, and has not completely broken contact with the old master, the Duke of Savoy...

Ask Miss Seton, she has a serious look on her face, and vows that she would rather accompany His Majesty for the rest of her life than marry.After asking a few more times, she admitted that she has a strong sense of self-consciousness and high vision, and she would rather be queer than promiscuous.

As for Miss Livingston, she worked in silence and seldom said anything.If you pull her into a heart-to-heart talk, this girl will be even more loyal and courageous, and confess that she can't do it, no matter which country she gets married with or where she goes, as long as she can help His Majesty, she will never hesitate—making Mary feel ashamed for a while, No matter what, she has to choose a good husband for her.

Her Majesty re-screened her closest ministers in her mind: Boswell is a big turnip and married; the Earl of Arundel is not good in appearance and is too old; the widower Duke of Norfolk is calculating; Misbehavior... Sigh, where is the reliable husband candidate? !

Mary sat at the feast of laughter and laughter, and her eyes finally fell on a man who might be worth considering.

Her diplomatic advisor, Melville.

At the moment, he is talking with her husband Francois.

"...According to Her Majesty's will, I went to Spain to visit King Philip and explained to him the ideal of peace talks. However, that Majesty is still very wary of the situation in the Netherlands, as well as Britain and France; probably, he will continue to Deploy heavy forces near the lowlands."

Francois nodded. "I understand. It doesn't matter, I believe that our calm attitude will minimize the possibility of war."

The King of France turned to another subject. "Two little princesses, is everything all right?"

Francois was asking about the two daughters left by his sister.Melville replied with certainty: "Your Majesty, the two princesses are very lovely and are deeply loved by His Majesty Philip. They both solemnly thank you for the gift."

"That's good." Francois, who was his uncle, sighed.

Melville took the opportunity to compliment: "Although the King of Spain has married his fourth wife, it is said inside and outside the court that only Princess Elizabeth of Valois is his true love."

"In the past, he never dared to hope for Don Carlos, who was born to his cousin, the Portuguese princess, and finally imprisoned the sick and weak crown prince to death. After that, he hurriedly married the elderly Queen Mary I of England, but did not I like her gloomy and old-fashioned, once embarrassed by her fake pregnancy, and even lazy to come to London..."

"Only the princess of Valois can be taken care of by the king of the country without hesitation when she experiences smallpox. It is a pity that the beautiful and noble queen died at a young age, leaving only two young princesses..."

Seeing that the male master frowned slightly, he shut up in time so that His Majesty the King could think slowly for a while.

After a while, Francois asked again: "Beyond the court... Tell me about your overall impression of Spain?"

Melville thought for a while, and replied eloquently:

"I once visited...the local church. The interior was dark and filled with remains. Those horrible and realistic artworks seemed to indicate that the Middle Ages never ended." [Note [-]]

"As in ancient times, the common people in Spain are still poor, and the church is still extremely rich. It is a pity that the mainstream of society always regards it as glorious and deserved."

His description made Francois listen attentively. "Everyone knows that His Majesty King Philip, with his protruding jaw, is unquestionable. He is just, high-spirited, opinionated, authoritarian, and tough. He has always been proud in politics and devout in religion. He is convinced that God has chosen He came to suppress the tide of Protestantism, to close the door of the Reformation."

"Over the years, he has expelled heretics and killed Protestants with harsh methods. The people are indeed silent, but it is hard to say that they are truly convinced. Many civilian merchants have either been excluded or left the kingdom on their own initiative."

At this point, Mary happened to lean over.She smiled brightly at François, and interrupted:

"It can be seen that times have changed, and the torrent of history cannot be stopped... It is impossible to stick to the old ways and stand still."

Her husband paused for a moment and agreed. "Yes, in our kingdom, anyone should enjoy freedom of thought and belief as long as they do not violate the law."

Mary raised her eyebrows slightly. "There's also 'freedom to express opinion.'"

Of course, this is a standard, high-sounding rhetoric in public.On the surface, freedom of public opinion is not suppressed, but Mary knows that her government is far from relaxing freedom of speech.Once important social events are involved, dissidents (often missionaries) must remain silent in front of the public—you must not publish texts without authorization to promote your own views;

After all, this is an era calling for "religious change" (although many demands are voiced in the name of religion). Monarchs who "stick to" the old religion often face challenges from reformers.Queen Mary Stuart of England agreed to keep the English "Bible" adopted by her predecessor, but at the same time put Latin classics on the desk; and in the official activities of the royal family and the government, she also restored the Catholic worship ceremony-all of which made The Protestants felt awkward.

Although they were a minority, their voices were louder than their opponents by perhaps three times.Especially the most extreme Puritans among them, who regard Calvinism as a treasure and always try to use religion to control the secular kingdom, their clamor is the loudest and fiercest.If they are not silenced in time and allowed to develop believers, the foundation of the ruler of a country will become very dangerous.

Mary smiled: "But I know very well that even if you are a god-given monarch, it is impossible to satisfy all the citizens. A government as enlightened as England, which values ​​​​the opinions of the parliament, will be accused of 'arbitrary'; the society is slightly more open and free. Some people would jump out and scold 'the world is going downhill'; the people's pursuit of literature, art and entertainment may be criticized as 'luxurious and unrestrained', 'would rather enjoy life than worry about the things behind', 'not pious'..."

Francois took his wife's hand tenderly. "I know that there are always some people who only learn from the fierce and strict Moses, but forget the tolerant and loving Jesus. But the tolerant and generous monarch will not mind trivial matters."

Mary pouted. "Pure criticism is nothing. I am only worried that some Protestants will incite the masses, resist government activities, and increase 'religious' disputes. Therefore, these disruptors must be dealt with in a timely manner."

How to deal with it?

Oh, the duke of Norfolk, who knows what he likes, knows that the current Catholic queen is not as fond of burning people as the previous Mary, and has suggested that the rebels should be restrained for hard labor, or "exiled" to the New World.

The latter is actually the "correct method" used by England in history.

This method can be regarded as guaranteeing the "peace" of the island.However, it eventually created another behemoth - the United States of America.

North America oh North America, Mary really loves to hate it.That piece of land has a lot of potential, but it's too far away to control...

History has proved that this kind of colony, no matter how hard it is to control it, will one day break away from the suzerain and become an independent country.It is not easy to rule by force (England was also defeated by France in the history, allowing the thirteen states to become independent); cultural export cannot guarantee the white-eyed wolf (see those in Southeast Asia that tripped up Greater China); even with economic means, If your own body is not enough, you will be left behind sooner or later...

Cough, don't worry about things that are too far away, you will grow a lot of gray hair.Without digressing from the topic, how to deal with dissidents headed by the Puritans——

When Mary hesitated, Francois expressed his opinion:

"I heard that there is a lot of land to be developed on the island of Ireland, and the kingdom has insufficient control over it. If you open up a plantation farm from around Dublin—"

He touched the flowers pinned to his chest. "It's hard to say about other crops, but potatoes should adapt well."

Melville praised at the right time: "Your Majesty's words are true. The cultivation of new crops requires labor."

Mary's eyes lit up.Well, in fact, compared to the Americas, Ireland is indeed poorer, and the colonial economic benefits are not high.But the aborigines there are almost all fans of the old religion.

If Protestants migrate to the New World in large numbers and become the majority of the local population, the gap between the old Christian royal family in England in the future may be even deeper.Instead, let them go to "next door" Ireland to kill their will, or to dilute the number of people, maybe the future will be very different.

Of course, the people can also vote with their feet and go to America spontaneously... But we will talk about the future.

Mary smiled and said: "My dearest Your Majesty, I like this brilliant idea so much."

In the hall, the organ, harp, bagpipe, and pipa are playing in turn; the aroma of Nordic whiskey is overflowing.What a fun dinner.

The author has something to say: [Note 7] For the description and evaluation of Spain and Philip, refer to "Story of Civilization [-]"