Mary Su Stuart

The Parliament held in London in early 1586 was the most special Congress in the history of "England".

Not only because the queen, the king, and the "legitimate crown prince" and "crown prince candidate" attended the meeting at the same time; but also because there were more than a dozen Scottish lords who "supposedly have nothing to do with England" sat on the table grandly. seat in the House of Representatives.

Oh, House of Lords is "the house used to house the lords" yes... but they are the lords of Scotland? !

The ill-informed participants were still puzzled, but the high-level officials of the Kingdom of England had clearly known it for a long time and were happy to see its success.

Let the Scottish feudal lords collectively join the national parliament, which means that His Majesty will turn Scotland into another Wales.Although the population and wealth are limited, after all, the whole of Scotland has a large land area, and its territorial sea is also expanding!The border guards in the north of England no longer have to worry about it. It is easier and more confident for fishermen to go north. The supply of raw materials such as wool is more abundant, and there is another dumping ground for industrial products. Although the Scots are poor and few, mosquitoes are still meat.

Queen Mary is sitting on a high seat, looking at the gathered MPs, feeling relieved and excited: No matter what others say about her being radical and reckless, and saying that there are public grievances and the risk of splitting...that is also after the merger, and now let's take a brave step Go ahead.As the saying goes, innovation is "crossing the river by feeling the stones", so you have to go into the water and try it first.

At this time, Bacon, an Englishman, was using the purest Cockney English to announce the important changes in the kingdom: "...From now on, our two kingdoms, our Commonwealth, will become a unified kingdom: Britain. And 'England Parliament', to be called the Parliament of 'Britain'..."

After each long paragraph, he immediately repeated it in French, with precise words and standard pronunciation. "May the British people unite and cooperate and forge ahead for the prosperity of the island and the prosperity of the kingdom."

The members of Parliament in England applauded respectfully, but the attitude of the Lord of Scotland present was a little calm.Isn't the parliament completely new to them—for example, the citizens of Edinburgh also have the habit of getting together to discuss and discuss.They each wondered in their hearts: Is it good or bad to travel all the way to London to hold this kind of meeting and admit that the queen (oh, and the king) has "sold" Scotland to England in disguise?

——It stands to reason that the "Parliament" is for these "big nobles" to discuss and limit the power of the monarch.What if, at the outset, they themselves could form one in Scotland?

——Oh, it's too late to think about this now.Some of them defaulted on the debt owed to the south and were on the verge of bankruptcy, and the queen settled it with the "England treasury subsidy"; Swell, a corner of his castle was blasted off...

—Look, even the most arrogant Hamilton is here.I heard that his family has retained the most territorial autonomy, and even accepted a luxury real estate in London?It's enviable...

——The one who chatted enthusiastically with the owner of the Hamilton family was Henry, Earl of Knox, the old Guilen of England.His dead mother was from Douglas.His maternal grandmother is the former Queen of Scots, the current Queen's grandmother, Tudor Princess Margaret.However, the queen seems to have no affection for this relative, and has not given the slightest care.

When the Scottish lords muttered and thought about each other, Mary caught a glimpse of the greasy middle-aged "cousin" Henry Stuart, who was almost three years younger than her, from a distance.In this era that was changed by the time-traveling woman, he never had the opportunity to have entanglements with himself, nor did he maintain a good figure and appearance, and eventually became a mediocre lord with a big belly.Mary glanced at Francois next to her again—the man was still good-looking, even if he was over forty years old and had crow's feet at the corners of his eyes...

"From now on, all tariffs between Britain and the Soviet Union will be cancelled, and there will be no restrictions on commerce...First of all, new roads and post stations will be built in the Scottish lowlands to facilitate passage...His Majesty will issue a 20-year special allowance to the Scottish parliamentarians , to pay for his journey to London."

Bacon, the queen's confidential secretary, finally finished the lengthy merger report.It sounds like the MPs basically feel that they are very profitable.Not to mention the Lords of Scotland.The English thought: If there is no tariff, it would be more cost-effective to import wool from Scotland. There is no need to fence up all the farmland to graze sheep; It will be higher; the best thing is that when the road is clear, the transportation fee will be even less.

Most of the people present had dreams of making money.The four members of the royal family, who "give up the most profits" in this great merger, have always looked dignified and smiling, and they don't seem to mind how much their income will drop from this year.

After glancing around at the councilors, Francois lowered his head to comfort his two daughters: "It doesn't matter at all, maybe it's not as good as the increased profits of the silver mirror industry this year."

However, Mary worried about the livelihood of the low-level craftsmen in Scotland. "England's industrial advantages won't squeeze out the relevant industry groups in Scotland, right?"

Alas, there is nothing to do if it really happens.As the king of a country, she is powerless to reverse the economic laws, and can only try to promote social balance.If the local people in Scotland really have a hard time living, they have to rely on the government to work harder to help them find ways, provide job opportunities, etc. - such as urban construction, road repair, shipbuilding, and use the labor force.Fortunately, the total population of Scotland is limited, so this burden should not be too heavy... However, if Britain and France merge in the future... what should we do...

François was thinking the other way around. "Dear Mary, I know you care about those few Scots. You don't have to worry too much. Just look at these lords and you will know that common people have no right to speak? Feudal lords who have been coerced and lured think that they are naturally replacing 'their subjects' A decision was made."

There was meaning in his tone. "They are members of parliament, 'representatives of public opinion'. Even if the common people have any dissatisfaction, they can't easily blame you."

Mary froze for a moment, hardly knowing what to say.The French crown prince who was once proud of being gentle and tolerant, has been on the throne for nearly 20 years, and has finally been nurtured to become more and more realistic and ruthless...

As a family member in his protection circle, does he actually feel more secure?

Well, Vivian, who was listening to their conversation nearby, was adoring Francois. "Yes, since those Scottish lords have taken many benefits from His Majesty, they should 'eat the king's rewards and share the worries for the king'."

In order to show that she is also studying hard, Matilda is not far behind and expresses her thoughts. "Yes, yes, what my father said is very true. This is what is often said, 'grasp the main contradiction'."

Seeing this, Mary sincerely sighed: Okay, this family, every political animal...

At the same time, the Spanish ambassador, who was "fortunate" to be invited to watch the British Parliament, was also muttering to the deputy envoy: What an ambitious family.

"From then on, it is called 'Queen of Britain and Ireland' and 'King of Britain and Ireland', so hard, so fast."

"The rush to unite is a vain attempt to compete with Spain. Not long after our Majesty Philip brought Portugal into the sphere of rule, this is what happened..."

"Never take it lightly. In the past, how could France allow England to annex Scotland? Now he is extremely happy. Obviously, the French king is not stupid. Therefore, the rumor is very true-he plans to let the eldest daughter inherit France as well. The throne, so that the two sides of the strait will be unified in the future.”

"Both of them are in their 40s. It is estimated that they will not be able to have a son, so they have to pin their hopes on their daughter."

"Yes, Madrid must plan ahead and not let it happen."

"It's a pity that His Majesty the King is concerned about the Netherlands... Tsk, Britain and France have been flirting with the rebels in the Lowlands. William of Orange-Nassau used to rely on their help; now his one who was in Valois-Stuart The second son who has been in the special court, also named himself 'ruling', must have received a lot of support from here."

"It should be... that's right!"

As they expected, Maurice did get a lot of help from Marie and François.However, he was in a similar situation to his father, and the help was almost all done in secret.

Just like now, he has clearly arrived in London, but he has to stay in the inner court carefully, and cannot easily go out of public places, so as to avoid creating topics for the Spaniards.

It was not until the adjournment of Congress that Mary and Francois summoned Morris who had been waiting for several days.She actually admired him quite a bit. "Although the climate in the Netherlands is colder, you are getting tanned and stronger—it must be hard work to eat and sleep in the open."

He was in good spirits. "It's valuable, not hard work."

After the death of Don Juan, the governor of the Netherlands arranged by Philip became the son of the Duchess of Parma.The new Duke of Parma is smarter than his predecessors.Over the past few years, he has lobbied everywhere, using both hard and soft tactics, to win over provinces such as Hainaut and Artois, where Catholics have a majority, and set up an "Arras Union" that is more obedient to Spain, which happens to be against the "United Provinces" composed of seven provinces including the Netherlands. .Because of his steady and steady fight, he won more and more victories. On the eve of William's assassination and death, only the two provinces of the Netherlands and Zeeland refused to make peace with him.However, Morris made friends with the famous engineer Simon Stevens. Since last year, the two applied their knowledge of mathematics and physics to actual military operations such as ballistics, engineering, and siege, and they quickly saved the situation.

"It's a pity that the troops are still insufficient... I would like to take the liberty of begging your two majesties..." Morris' eyes were filled with longing.

Although Mary has a good impression of Morris—a young man who knows how to use technology to save the crisis, this young man has great prospects—but when it comes to core interests, her beliefs appear stubborn. "This way, it's not suitable."

Mary flatly refused.Let her send troops directly to the Netherlands, no way.In the past, Britain and France rushed to the lowlands to join forces, almost all of them were "uncontrolled private soldiers"; now the Protestant generals in their own countries are almost suppressed, so the old church monarchs should not end up meddling in person, so as not to violate the "righteousness".Besides, half of the funds for the Dutch revolution were supported by the natural skills of "trading while fighting", and half were invested by British, French and German Protestant princes-at present, Britain and France have contributed a lot of money, which is enough.

Francois had known and agreed with her for a long time, and shook his head accordingly. "No."

Morris was not discouraged.He quickly put forward a lower-level request: "I heard that the new joint fleet of Britain and France has a novel structure and excellent weapons. May I be allowed to visit and study? Also, if possible, the Netherlands would like to invite them to go for a drill or two. Appreciate more advanced techniques and tactics."

Mary gave him a sideways look.She built a new fleet for another purpose, which is of great significance, but it is not used to deal with Spain for the time being.The clinker news spread so fast... Is Morris trying to trick her into sending the fleet out to frighten her opponents?

These two requests made her frown.Although she used to be optimistic about Morris, and she also had the intention of a mother-in-law looking at her son-in-law, but before she calculated his ballistic technology, he first calculated the various aspects of his own fleet... In an instant, her mood became very unhappy.

Noticing that Her Majesty's face was not hesitant, and His Majesty's was followed by a serious face, Morris finally woke up. "It is too rash and impolite for me to speak boldly. I will seriously reflect on it... and please forgive my disrespect for the sake of teaching me. Everything depends on Your Majesty's will."

"Ah."

Mary pursed her lips and snorted.Francois, on the other hand, was watching his words and thinking about whether to vent his anger on his wife.The scene gradually became awkward.At this moment, Matilda, who had been a quiet listener with her sister before, interrupted abruptly and said in a brisk tone: "By the way, Morris, didn't you say that you brought several opticians along with you, and one of them was quite talented?" A very good mirror grinder, Yas Jansen, do you especially want to recommend it to the Engineering Academy here? After all, His Majesty has always been interested in lenses..."

Sure enough, Mary's attention was instantly attracted by the newcomer's name. "Who, the mirror grinder from the Netherlands?"

Alas, although she knew it was definitely not Leeuwenhoek... But, she couldn't miss the "superior man" carefully selected by the "Netherlands in power"!

The author has something to say: Just put Du Niang's information on it...

Yas Jansen is an eyeglass maker.He invented the microscope around 1590.It is made with a concave mirror and a convex mirror, and the production level is still very low.Although Jensen was No. 1 inventing the microscope, he did not discover the true value of the microscope.Perhaps it is for this reason that Jensen's invention has not attracted the attention of the world.