[Henry VIII] Tudor Crown

Mary Stuart did not pile up an extravagant banquet with money as the Duke of Richmond had imagined, but reflected the organizer's elegant taste in many small details.

Although the Tudor rose has become a symbol of England, and even in the court of Henry VIII, fresh roses are sent to the bedroom of the queen or the king's mistress every day, but for Mary Stuart, Too bright roses are not suitable for young people's banquets, so she used inexpensive daisies at the banquet, and through different ways of bundling and color matching, the dinner party that should have been an adult was not so dull.

Even the Duke of Richmond, who was worried about his fiancée, expressed full affirmation of Mary Stuart's arrangement after seeing Mary Stuart's preparations: "Even if Sir Cavendish is to take over the welcome banquet , and will not do better than you."

The Duke of Richmond picked up a decoration placed on the long dining table, and found that this colorful enamel with tweed and metal baubles was really exquisite: "Is this also a Scottish handmade product?"

Mary Stuart, who was discussing the menu with the palace steward, was distracted by the voice of the Duke of Richmond, so she put down what she was doing, and said to her fiancé, "This is the little dish I bought from Scotland. It’s a thing, and the craftsmen have specially modified it.”

After all, Mary Stuart also asked the maid to bring an exquisite wooden box, and saw that there were many small gadgets similar in style to the decorations carried by the Duke of Richmond.

But mostly brooches and cufflinks, artfully decorated with Scottish tartans and colored enamel, and pearls, which Mary Stuart was so fond of.

"This is my greeting gift to the Spanish envoys. I hope they can receive the blessings of the Scottish people." Mary Stuart asked the maid holding the wooden box to step back, expecting the Duke of Richmond to affirm her actions.

However, the Duke of Richmond thought far more than his fiancée, and even thought of the relationship between England and Scotland from Mary Stuart's actions.

Although in everyone's mind Scotland would sooner or later become one with England, Mary Stuart was the variable.If she, like Anne of Brittany, married her first husband for several years without leaving any surviving children, then Scotland might escape the Tudors' control.

"Maybe after the banquet, we can invite Jeromin to enjoy the natural scenery of Scotland." The Duke of Richmond hopes to strengthen his ownership of the Scottish crown.Even as long as he lived, he, like his father, had no control over his wife's country, but at least he had to know that it was something that would be passed on to their children, and that he was not excluded from it.

In contrast, Mary Stuart simply wanted to generate income for her own people, and by the way, heard a rare voice of praise from the Duke of Richmond.

"I plan to build a holiday castle in the Scottish Highlands." Taking advantage of this rare opportunity, Mary Stuart also mentioned her recent plan to the Duke of Richmond: "The Countess of Surrey hopes to relocate some civilians Going to the sparsely populated Scottish Highlands and building a village there to serve the vacationing nobles can be regarded as a way out for the commoners who can’t find a way to survive.”

"It's a good thing." The Duke of Richmond agreed. "The Scottish Highlands are beautiful without altitude sickness. If you'd like to build a castle there, you can rent it out when you're not using it." Aristocrats on vacation."

Mary Stuart looked straight at the Duke of Richmond, making the latter a little puzzled: "Did I say something wrong?"

"No, it's just that the Countess of Surrey also made the same suggestion."

Currently, the one who manages Scotland for Mary Stuart is the famous Virgin Queen in history, so what Mary Stuart can think of, the Countess of Surrey can also imagine, and even returned it to Mary Stuart. A more complete plan is listed.

If you want to compete hard with England, which is mature in industry, then Scotland is not to mention compared with the whole of England. Wales alone is enough to beat it. Even in the western islands of Europe, the only one that can be beaten by Scotland is also Only poorer Ireland.

For this reason, the Countess of Surrey also spent a lot of time investigating the geographical environment of Scotland, and even made unannounced visits to the residents of the Scottish Highlands, making full preparations for the resort proposal presented to Mary Stuart.

The Duke of Richmond suddenly realized why William III wanted the girls in the family to receive the best education, and even encouraged them to take on jobs that "belonged" to the men.

Probably because of the differences between the sexes, men and women think differently.

Perhaps for the Duke of Richmond, the greatest achievement of a king is to expand the territory, like Alexander the Great, to spread his fame to the ends of the world.

But for the queen headed by Queen Juana, the greatest achievement of the king is to guard his own territory and improve the happiness index of the people.

I am afraid that this is also the main reason why Elizabeth I in history gave up her claim to the French throne and was not as eager to expand her territory as Henry VIII.

Of course, there are also kings like Isabella I and Edward "The Confessor" who are diametrically opposed to the traditional image, but those are the few in the long history.

And here in England... William III's education was successful as long as the girls began to realize that they could do more than just needlework and housekeeping.

At least for now, the Countess of Nottingham and Mary Stuart have their own eyes.

The next thing is to see how Joan chooses her future.

"The Countess of Surrey is a smart woman who is as wise as my mother." The Duke of Richmond looked deeply at Mary Stuart, and his tone was full of encouragement: "With her by the side to guide you, Scotland The people will surely thank their queen."

Mary Stuart held the Duke of Richmond's hand tightly, not knowing what to say for a while.

And just when the unmarried couple was deeply affectionate, the cough from the palace steward interrupted their affectionate gaze.

"Your Highness, the Spanish envoys have already seen His Majesty the King, so please be prepared to summon them."

The Duke of Richmond was a little embarrassed by the interruption of the palace steward, so he let go of the hand held by Mary Stuart, and tried to find a step for himself: "Then I will go and change first, see you later .”

Mary Stuart rechecked the dinner menu after the Duke of Richmond had gone, and added some Spanish dishes.

…………… I am the dividing line……………

"The Duke of Guise wants to ally with me against the Duke of Montmorency?" Catherine de' Medici received a letter from "poor Guise" in the Louvre, and teased her maid: "Can you imagine The Duke of Guise, who was once in power, is now turning to me like a lagging dog?"

"I remember when Henry and I first got married, he used the most ugly words in the world to humiliate me." Catherine de' Medici put the Duke of Guise's letter on a candle and burned it clean, and then let Isabel De Limoil tightened her girdle.

"Damn it, I'm as ugly as an old cow now." Catherine de' Medici looked at herself in the mirror and kept cursing: "Can you imagine my husband would rather be with an old woman who is almost 60 years old?" In the Château of Chenonceau, I have a lot of love. I don't want to see his sad wife and daughter who is about to be married."

Ever since Catherine de Medici lost a pair of twins, Henry II lost patience with this old and ugly wife-after all, they already had seven surviving children, and four of them They are all boys, so Henry II no longer has to touch his legal wife for the continuation of Valois.

Her husband's indifference, coupled with the imminent marriage of France, Spain, and England, Catherine de' Medici was heartbroken when she thought that her two daughters were going to marry far away.

It also deepened her resentment towards Henry II.

If Henry II was as useful as William III of England or Philip II of Spain, her daughters would not have to be sold like goods.

The few sons who are engaged to foreign princesses are okay, after all, in this era, men will never suffer big losses in marriage.

But what about the daughter?

Although Spain borders France, William III of England is the uncle of her second son-in-law.But the former is the old enemy of France, and the latter is the Protestant king. How will her poor Elizabeth and Margot face these wolf-like foreigners?

Seeing the queen's expression of resentment and reluctance, Isabelle de Limoil could only sigh endlessly besides her anger.

As early as Catherine de' Medici's first child was born, the loyal Italian maid had more than once persuaded Catherine de' Medici not to indulge in the king's occasional tenderness.It's a pity that the stubborn queen didn't listen to her, but racked her brains to maintain her unremarkable appearance and figure, as if she could win the favor of Henry II as long as she recovered quickly from the postpartum state.

What a terrible idea.

Isabelle de Limoy strangled Catherine de' Medici's waist to only forty centimeters wide, and then threw thick lead powder on the queen to cover the spots on her face.

"Then are you going to shake hands with the Duke of Guise to make peace?" Isabelle de Limoy is Catherine de' Medici's eyes and ears in the palace, and she is inextricably linked with Prince Condé of the Bourbon family So she is very aware of how bad the relationship between her mistress and the Duke of Guise is.

And the latter was able to let go of the old enmity with Catherine de Medici and actively expressed his willingness to cooperate.

It is enough to see that the current Duke of Guise has been so embarrassed that he cannot find a partner in Henry II's court.

"I'm just a woman rejected by my husband, and I can't help the Duke of Guise at all." Catherine de Medici didn't think that the Duke of Guise could give her what she wanted, and she had survived until today, as long as she waited As Henry II grows old, Catherine de Medici can control the supreme power in France through her son: "Henry is not even willing to give me the leftovers of power, let alone listen to me, Return the Duke of Guise to the pinnacle of power."

Catherine de Medici, who tightened her waist, tried to take a few breaths, then took a fan, and tried her best to blow the fresh air on her face: "It is the result of God's blessing that the Duke of Guise can come back smoothly. , and the Duke of Montmorency has lost important battles one after another, and the Bourbon family and other nobles will no longer support him."

"The Duke of Montmorency is nothing to be afraid of. The key is Diane de Poitiers." Isabelle de Limoy knew exactly what topics could arouse Catherine de' Medici's interest.

Sure enough, after hearing the name of the old rival, the Queen of France's gloating expression became a bit dignified, and she asked in an inquiring tone, "Did you hear something?"

"The Duke of Guise asked me to tell you that His Majesty the King no longer wants to maintain his marriage with you, but he also does not want your child to be an illegitimate child." Isabel de Limoy's words made Catherine de' Medici like Fall into the ice cellar.

"For His Majesty, if France loses control of the Duchy of Milan, then there is no need for an alliance with Italy, especially Florence." Isabel de Limoy added: "And the King of Spain It is also guaranteed that Antonio Ghislauri, who was the judge of the Roman Church at the time, will become the next Pope of Rome. Therefore, your importance cannot be compared with that of the past."

It can be said that the current Catherine de Medici is not of much value to Henry II.

If it weren't for the legitimacy of the seven children, the ruthless King of France would not have had to spend so much time with Catherine de Medici.

"You mean, Henry wants to kill me?" Although Catherine de Medici was shocked, she remained calm.

Killing one's wife was not uncommon in the era of inseparable marriages, and it even reached the point of being commonplace.

In the darkest ages, some knights often forcibly married the widows of their lords, and then starved or poisoned their wives to death in the attic after they got their property or heirs.

It is precisely because of the repeated killings of wives that England revised the inheritance law and testamentary succession again and again after William the Conqueror promulgated the "Book of Doomsday", so as to prevent someone from using marriage to occupy the property of the weaker party.

Of course, when it comes to Henry II and Catherine de Medici, property conflicts are not the focus of their dispute at all.

And Henry II just wanted his wife to die.