[Henry VIII] Tudor Crown

If future generations talk about who was the first monarch in the sixteenth century, then Charles V will definitely be able to break out of the encirclement among a wave of dazzling monarchs.

And speaking of it, the [-]th century to the [-]th century was indeed an era of shining pearls.

From the heroic sacrifice of Joan of Arc to the War of the Roses in England; from the strong rise of Maximilian to the joint rule of the Catholic double kings.In addition, Italy's Borgia and Medici have contributed to the humanistic cause of generations, and the germination of scientific consciousness caused by the Black Death and sweat fever, all invisibly laid the foundation for the birth of a great monarch. missing social base.

In the words of William III, without the centuries-old efforts of the Renaissance, the golden age of Elizabeth I and the Spanish Armada would be nothing more than an attic of fantasy.

And now, Charles V has indeed become No.1 in Europe before all the monarchs.

Just looking at his old body and the unresolved internal conflicts of the Habsburg family, William III felt that he had an opportunity.

However, in front of the old lion, William III carefully concealed his malicious intentions, and behaved like a gentle monarch as before.

"This should be our first meeting." Although Charles V is William III's cousin, he can be the latter's father in terms of age, and he almost became William III's brother-in-law—if Spain Without a stab in the Pavia War, maybe Mary of England is the current Queen of Spain.

The seated Roman emperor has the iconic big Habsburg chin, and his facial features are not handsome, but he can see the handsome king Philip and the good inheritance of Castile.

You must know that Catherine of Aragon was so fascinated that Henry VIII did not hesitate to oppose Margaret Beaufort, and also wanted to marry his widowed sister-in-law as his wife.

Isabella of Castile is even more famous for her beauty, and naturally none of her children is not beautiful.

However, bad luck did not give up on the Catholic queen. On the contrary, in her most glorious moment, it brought countless disasters-the only son died of tuberculosis, leaving a stillborn baby girl; She lived for a few months; the second daughter, Juana, was imprisoned for life by relatives who used her; the third daughter, Maria, was in better condition, but also died of dystocia.

As for Catherine of Aragon, mother of William III...

If it weren't for this son who didn't exist in history, it is estimated that her fate would not be better than that of her brothers and sisters who suffered successively.

As for the grandchildren and great-grandchildren of Isabella of Castile... they occupy half of Europe.

Not only the emperor of Rome and the grand duke of Austria, but even the king of England, the king of Portugal, the duke of Savoy, and the younger duke of Pavar, were descendants of Isabella of Castile.

Charles V tried to find similarities with himself from his cousin, and couldn't help but regret: "If there were no internal contradictions in Habsburg, I should marry Maria or Juana to you. Maybe we didn't have to be in the On this beach without fine wine, palaces, and moving music, they are testing each other like enemies."

It's a pity that William III didn't relax his vigilance one bit because of Charles V's kindness. Instead, he confirmed his guess: "If you want to drink, I have good products from the Netherlands here."

The expression of the King of England seemed extremely considerate, but what he said made Charles V restrain his smile: "Even if you intend to form an alliance with England, you will not do so under the pressure of the Schmalkar Alliance."

William III's words made Charles V put his hands together and put on a posture of listening carefully: "Why?"

"Because of the loss of Rome and the pressure from the Pope." William III knew about the decision to invade Rome, and Charles V suffered unimaginable criticism.

Even if the later Charles V resisted the invasion of the Ottoman Empire and expelled the heretics in the country, it could not erase the great treason he committed in the Catholic world.

Under such circumstances, if Charles V dared to marry his daughter to a Protestant, it would undoubtedly add fuel to the fire.

As for why the German princesses of later generations became so gunslinger, on the one hand, it was due to the increase in wealth after the Industrial Revolution; They all awakened the instinct to cherish life.

It is a pity that the religious tolerance of later generations cannot be fully developed here.

Charles V did not deny William III's analysis, but compared with the relationship with the Pope, he paid more attention to the internal harmony of Habsburg and the relationship with Portugal.

"If you were my son, the Habsburg family would take France within 100 years." Charles V praised without hesitation: "It's a pity that we can't be allies, but at least we shouldn't be enemies."

"You're joking." William III said modestly, "No country in Europe can compete with the Habsburgs."

"But you are fighting against me." Charles V's words almost made William III's hair stand on end: "You encouraged Ferdinand and Cosimo I to rebel against me."

"It's not all my problem." William III considered it: "There is an old saying in the countryside of England - flies don't bite seamless eggs. I think with your wisdom, you won't pin all the faults on me. superior."

After all, William III also sighed: "After all, you are also a father, and you should be able to understand the good intentions of the Archduke of Austria for the heir."

Charles V subconsciously felt guilty for a second, but on the surface, there was nothing abnormal: "Even though Ferdinand and I have irreconcilable conflicts, this is not an excuse to tolerate your intervention."

"My dear Emperor, I am not your subject, so I don't need your tolerance or permission." William III corrected Charles V's logical error, making the latter a little embarrassed.

"Besides, I have already sat on the seat of the ruler. Don't I understand the social rules that I have to bear the consequences?"

For a while, the friendly atmosphere between the rulers of the two countries disappeared without a trace.

Standing not far away, the Duke of Gandia and Sir Cecil both broke into a cold sweat because of the tit-for-tat confrontation between the rulers of the two countries.

The Duke of Gandia even squeezed the rosary in his hand to deform a little, praying that Charles V would not be so angry that he had a gout attack at this time.

"You really inherited Henry VIII's eloquence." Charles V took a deep breath, trying to bring the topic to the key part: "How did you convince Cosimo I to join forces with Ferdinand?"

Although Charles V knew that Cosimo I was involved in the trade between William III and the Ottoman Empire, he did not think that William III could offer a price that would make Cosimo I completely rebel.

After all, the emperor of Rome is still Charles V, and Cosimo I must be recognized by the Roman emperor or the Pope in order to obtain the title of Grand Duke of Tuscany.

As soon as he thought of the Pope, Charles V reacted and said, "Have you reached a deal with Paul IV?"

"To be precise, your son betrayed Cosimo I." William III corrected, "I just told him the news that Cosimo I was betrayed."

Speaking of this, William III also asked: "Why do you think Cosimo I sacrificed his life for the Habsburg family? Since you don't want to give him the coveted title of Grand Duke of Tuscany, he has to fight for it himself. "

"If Giovanni Angelo de' Medici becomes pope, or if Ferdinand of Austria succeeds him as emperor, then Cosimo I will not have to ask you for the title of Grand Duke of Tuscany," added William III. Said: "The invasion of Milan this time is just a nomination certificate handed to Ferdinand by Cosimo I. With the support of the Medicis in Florence, Ferdinand of Austria can get out of your shadow and become a A real king."

"What a wonderful speech." Charles V didn't know whether he should be annoyed by Philip II's reckless behavior, or surprised by William III's foresight.

In short, things have come to this point, even if there is an undisguised trap ahead, Charles V and Philip II have only one option to jump down.

After all, compared with breaking a leg, losing half your life is the real disaster.

"You mean, my son has reached an alliance with the Pope, and then deliberately avoided the issue of the Grand Duke of Tuscany." According to the arrangement of Charles V, Philip II will find a prince within two or three years after he ascends the throne. A chance to make Cosimo I the Grand Duke of Tuscany, thus truly subduing the Italian Gorgons.

However, Philip II had been on the throne for several years, and the seat of the Grand Duke of Tuscany was still unavailable, which made Cosimo I even more restless.

William III really wanted to roll his eyes, and at the same time, he felt sorry for Charles V's painstaking arrangements, which were all smashed by Philip II.

It is true that Philip II's diligence was not inferior to that of his father, but he was far behind in his heart.

"What your son has done is more extreme than you think." William III said as tactfully as possible: "He made an alliance with the Pope, letting Antonio Ghislevuri surpass Giovanni of the Medici's house as the next A Pope."

That fool! !

If it weren't for the sake of saving face for his son in front of his cousin, Charles V would have liked to hit Philip II's head.

Make Paul IV's henchman the next pope?

Did Philip II think that Italy was too quiet, so he was looking for excitement for himself?

If it cannot be ensured that the next pope is a Habsburg, then Spain will be limited by the clerical power, which will weaken its influence in Italy and even the Christian world.

And at this moment, William III suddenly said: "It's about time."

Charles V, who was interrupted, raised his eyelids and asked, "What are you going to do again?"

"Of course it is to take the whole of Normandy." William III got up and said, "Since Henry II gave such a good excuse to start the war, I must of course accept his kindness."

"Also, it's time for you to go back." William III's eyes fell on Charles V's lap, and he threw out another news that made his veins twitch: "The Duke of Savoy is about to rebel."

"If the Archduke of Austria and the Duke of Savoy attack Provence together, then in the eyes of Henry II, Spain will always have the reputation of taking advantage of the fire."

Charles V clenched the handle of his cane, wishing to curse William III.