MTL - I Am Louis XIV-Chapter 511 The chief of the Knights of Santiago is three and a half years old (below

   Chapter 511 The chief leader of the Knights of Santiago is three and a half years old (below)

Juan Patinho, as a naval minister who was only loyal to Spain, chose Carlos III of Bourbon instead of Philip V of Habsburg, because he had seen the Bourbon family with his own eyes. prosperity and prosperity.

Beginning with Louis XIV, his younger brother, son and nephew, as well as daughter and niece, were all strong in body, beautiful in appearance, and wise in mind. Even Louis XIV's mother and wife were also Habsburg princesses, ha Busburg's bad blood did not affect his descendants at all. It was difficult for him to analyze the reason, but Carlos III was definitely better than Philip V.

This kind of situation also appeared to these Santiago knights. After all, apart from some short-sighted people who just wanted a puppet king, the Spaniards also hoped for a wise and strong king to lead Spain to a glorious place again. The road is like the two kings of the past.

   Their hearts shifted, their gazes at Carlos III became softer and softer, and they were not so hated and contemptuous of the French.

   "If the French can agree to disunity," said the chief priest of the Knights, "it is not impossible for us to choose..." He glanced out the window. The French are polite to them, they have their own room, they can go out for a walk, and they can even see Carlos III running in the courtyard through the window of the room.

Union, referring to a king holding the throne of two or more countries at the same time, this situation is not uncommon, such is the case of Charles V of Habsburg, the title is scary - Holy Roman Empire Habsburg The emperor of the dynasty, the king of the Netherlands, the king of the German kingdom, the first king of the Habsburg dynasty of Spain...and his ancestors, Philip I, one of the famous two kings of Spain, as well, but not by succession, but by Union through marriage.

The Spanish, especially the Castilians, are worried about following in the footsteps of the Catalans. To put it simply, they are worried that if King Louis XIV of France lets his second son Charles inherit Spain After the king's position, he will use the law of succession to let the crown prince, the little Louis, who is also the child of the future Louis XV, or the child of Carlos III, unite the two countries, uniting France and Spain into one. In this way, the Castilians are inevitably excluded from power like the Catalans of the past - after all, France has become very powerful now, and Louis XIV has many outstanding talents, and his school There is still a steady supply of new blood.

   And as far as they can see, the current army and government of France have been built into an orderly and strict machine by the Sun King. This machine can only assimilate others, but not be assimilated by others.

Moreover, no matter how smart Carlos III is, he is only three years old. Once he inherits the Spanish throne, he will be surrounded by bishops, scholars and ministers sent by his father and the king. The governor of the Sun King will represent Carlos. For three generations to govern the provinces and districts of Spain, the laws of the French, not the Spanish, will run through this vast land, and will be quickly accepted.

Maybe it will only take ten, twenty, or thirty years, and after the third generation of Louis XIV has grown up, people here will forget that they are still Spaniards and they will call themselves Franco-Catalonia People, or Franco-Castiles, or Franco-Galicias, etc.

But to make the Sun King bow his head and promise not to unite Spain, there is only one premise, that is, in this battle for the succession of the throne, France is at a disadvantage, whether it is external pressure or the resistance of the Spaniards themselves, in short, that is If Louis XIV did not back down, they would not have been able to let Bourbon rule Spain, and the results they expected would come about.

But of course Louis XIV and the French would like to be united. Habsburg and Bourbon had a marriage, but a marriage was a marriage. Spain is also an enemy of France. No enemy can compare to a dead enemy. Of course, the countries that are at a disadvantage in the middle can also be said to be "dead".

But if Spain cannot be annexed, then no matter what the relationship between Carlos III and Louis XV is, the people around them will try their best to make them hostile. In the end, the dust returns to the dust, Spain is still Spain, France is still France, there is no difference from now, Louis XIV was busy.

  Will the Sun King allow this result? ! of course not!

  ———

With this in mind, the knights waited until the second year of Lent. Unfortunately, the change of things went against their wishes. They did not wait for the concession of the French king, but only for their colleagues. That is, some of the other thirteen knights of the Knights of Santiago.

   Seeing the last of the thirteen knights arrive, the head priest couldn't help but face ashes, and his last expectations were also shattered. The only consolation is that they still have at least one healthy chief and king, although they are a little younger.

In the past, the ceremonies were simply completed in a certain church in Madrid or Toledo, but this time was of great significance. Louis XIV decided to complete the ceremony in the Cathedral of Barcelona, ​​which is also the cathedral of Barcelona. People are famous and noble, the French and the Spaniards come together, but the former is very happy and the latter is inevitably a little embarrassed and sad.

The thirteen knights in white cloaks adorned with red lily-handled holy swords, helmets and armor could not laugh. Although the ceremony was so grand that some people whispered that it was a preview of the coronation ceremony, it was their first time. To enjoy such an honor, but thinking that the glory at this time was based on a shameful defeat, they couldn't help but feel sad.

The three-and-a-half-year-old Carlos III was able to walk very steadily at this time. He tried his best not to look at his father, the Sun King Louis XIV, who was standing by the altar. It stands to reason that on this occasion, everyone should stand respectfully. , but Louis XIV must be an exception, sitting on a high-backed chair of black sandalwood inlaid with gold thread, smiling genially at the child who is striving towards him - Barcelona Cathedral consists of three churches, Conoun It consists of three medieval churches, the House of Hos, the House of Deca and the House of Iaradiaca. To choose for his own child, Louis must choose the largest one. It takes a long way to walk from the door to the altar, and Carlos III can't get help from others - otherwise, it will easily remind people of the past. Carlos II, not to mention that he still has a long way to go in the future. No one can support or be supported on this journey, not even his father or elder brother.

Although Carlos III was smart, he was not smart enough to understand such complex issues. He was just used to trusting his own father, who brought him to the deep red, like a long blanket of solidified blood, Pointing to the altar, he said that he would wait for him there, but if he was asked to go over alone, he obeyed.

In the child's small mind, this kind of scene is not new. He saw it a lot when he was in Versailles - countless people taller and more powerful than him, men and women, bowed their knees and saluted him. Eyes lowered respectfully, staring intently at the ground. Between them was a road that was unusually wide for a three-year-old, the air was filled with golden dust and colored specks, and the rich aroma seemed to be substantial.

The carpet was thick and soft. Carlos III walked forward step by step. When he was tired, he stood there calmly and rested for a while. Unlike ordinary children who would feel embarrassed at this time, this was almost certain at birth. To become a king's child, he has never been urged or threatened, so even if some people are anxious, some are worried, some are gloating, some are full of malice, he is still as calm as an adult who has experienced countless world events, no crying, no Refused to move on and did not fall.

He rested about two or three times before he reached the altar, stretched his hands forward, and the chief priest of the Knights of Santiago knelt before him—not because of cowardice or flattery, but simply because the future chief was too small, According to the decree of the Knights, he would hold the Gospel and let the chief swear by the Gospel - Carlos III is not as high as his knees, is he going to pout his **** to the cross, he is not a Templar Priest of the regiment.

"Your Excellency," he said with a serious expression, "do you swear to God, the Virgin Mary, the cross, and the Gospels that you are touching, that after you become the chief leader, you will follow the decree of the Knights of Santiago and the will of God , to keep your oath, to guard and shelter the tombs of the saints you follow, pilgrims and your comrades in arms, and challenge anyone who dares to slander and harm it and them?"

   "Yes, I swear."

   "Can you swear that every member of the Order will be treated fairly, no crime condoned, and no honor disregarded?"

   "Yes, I swear."

   "Can you swear that you will never disobey the teachings of saints, nor the virtues of knighthood?"

   "Yes, I swear."

   "Can you swear that when there is a conflict between the Knights and the Church, you should mediate and mediate?"

   "Yes, I swear."

"Do you swear," here the priest paused subtly: "you have the right not to obey anyone, not even a king, and you will not obey when his orders are contrary to your oaths His order?"

This sentence has stabbed the hearts of several kings in succession, but after Philip I became the chief leader of the Knights of Santiago, this oath became worthless, but Carlos III replied in a proper manner: "Yes, I swear."

The priest    sighed slightly: "Then, do you swear that if you break any of the oaths, the members of the Knights are entitled to dismiss you?"

   "Yes, I swear."

   This sentence... is also almost useless, the priest stood up and looked around, "Then, brothers, do you allow him to be our chief."

"We allow it." The other twelve knights replied, of course they had completed the transaction before that, some for their surnames, some for their territories, some for Spain... In short, no one wants to face the sun The king's anger will not try to embarrass a child in vain at this time.

After that, under the watchful eye of the Sun King, the Inspector General of the Knights—that is, Juan Patinho, who was rescued by the French fleet in the Costa del Sol in Andalusia, personally handed over the saber of the great leader. Carlos III, poor Carlos III was not as tall as the two-handed sword, but he held it firmly, then raised his head and smiled at Patinho.

The child's innocent smile is always moving. "I hope I didn't make a wrong decision," Patinho murmured, trying not to think about whether the scabbard of the two-handed sword was too light. With the body of the sword, after hurriedly looking at the chief priest, he led his companions to kneel to their new chief, and as they bowed down, all the people in the church, except the Sun King, prostrated.

  ————

   Almost at the same time.

   "I think I made a wrong decision," said the Archbishop of Toledo, "you all go." He said to the priest beside him, "I will stay here."

His valet, who was of course a priest, knew that the elder intended to be martyred, although no one would think that the eldest daughter of Catholicism, the king of France, would be a heretic, a heretic, and the decision of the Archbishop of Toledo was confusing, But he couldn't help choking, "You don't have to do this at all." Although he knew it was a waste of time, he still tried his best to persuade him: "Louis XIV of France was also a Catholic, and he also worshipped God, the Virgin Mary. And Son, if you are not willing to admit that his son has the right to inherit Spain, you can also go back to Rome, or go to any monastery for retreat... You can do so, Bishop, without prejudice to it. Your honor and piety!"

"I could do it," said the Archbishop of Toledo. "Louis XIV was not a small-minded man, but if I did it, I would have taken down the only pillar of the temple with my own hands. An unforgivable sinner."

   "The Church of Rome will not watch the Temple fall," said the priest, "and they will come to terms with Louis XIV."

   "So I am still a sinner because I do nothing."

   "Too many people who do nothing!" said the priest angrily.

"I have made up my mind," said the archbishop, "my life is like a candle in the wind," and despite the potions of the Church, the wound he suffered in Carlos II was too severe to heal: "I would love to give my last blood for the church."

   "Mr. Bishop!"

   "Let's go, take that child away." The archbishop said that he let the most beloved (even the one who betrayed him and the king) go away, and he would also let the one he didn't like go away, and the child was always right.

   (end of this chapter)