Chapter 107 On Marriage

The climate in Vienna is still very comfortable in April. Carlo traveled to this world, and Austria is also the third country he has visited.

Although the three countries are not far apart, there are obvious differences in climate.

Spain and Italy both have a Mediterranean climate, but Italy has a humid climate, while Spain has a dry climate.

As for Vienna, it has a mountainous climate, which is colder than Madrid and Italy in southern Europe.

But if you have to consider the development potential and geographical location, Spain's geographical location is actually more advantageous.

There are only two countries in the entire Iberian Peninsula, Portugal and Spain. Portugal's strength cannot pose a threat to Spain, and the land bordering France in the north is blocked by the Pyrenees Mountains, with only two small gaps in the east and west.

This also means that Spain only needs to defend the two gaps in the east and west of the Pyrenees Mountains to make the entire Iberian Peninsula a strategic point that is easy to defend and difficult to attack, and it can also control the Strait of Gibraltar and control the Mediterranean outlet to the Atlantic Ocean.

If the land environment was not too bad, and Spain had not paid much attention to the development of its homeland since the British Empire, and the royal family and senior government officials were greedy for pleasure, I am afraid that Austria would be the one to cling to now.

The geographical locations of Italy and Austria both have great defects. Although there are mountains in the north of the Apennine Peninsula where Italy is located, the south is flat.

What's more, the Apennine Peninsula is relatively narrow and long as a whole, and there is no strategic depth. Whenever encountering a country with a strong navy like Britain, most of Italy's territory may face the threat of bombing.

In addition, because all the coastlines are located in the Mediterranean, it is difficult for the navy to reach the Atlantic Ocean or the Indian Ocean from the two outlets of the Mediterranean, and the overall development is too restricted.

The Austro-Hungarian Empire is not much better. Although the Austro-Hungarian Empire has a greater strategic depth, it borders three major powers, Germany, Russia and Italy, and is also adjacent to the famous powder keg of the Balkan Peninsula.

Although the Austro-Hungarian Empire is indeed powerful, it is in such a place where it is surrounded by enemies, and even with its overwhelming strength, it is powerless to turn the tide.

It is precisely because of this that after the end of the Austro-Prussian War and the Franco-Prussian War, the strategic policy of the Austro-Hungarian Empire has undergone a great change.

The original Prime Minister of the Austro-Hungarian Empire was Friedrich Ferdinand von Beust, a famous guy who hated Prussia and tried his best to prevent the unification of North and South Germany.

Although Friedrich Ferdinand von Beust tried his best to promote the establishment of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and strengthen the international influence of the Habsburg dynasty.

But because his policy of hatred for Prussia might lead to a strong conflict between the unified German Empire and the Austro-Hungarian Empire, he was eventually dismissed from the position of Prime Minister and replaced by the current Austro-Hungarian Foreign Minister Giulo Andrassy.

The change in the attitude of the Austro-Hungarian Empire from hating Prussia to befriending Germany is also inseparable from the increasingly serious situation in the Balkans.

Although most of the Balkans are currently controlled by the Ottoman Empire, it is not without reason that the Ottoman Empire is called the Sick Man of West Asia.

This empire, which has been established for hundreds of years, has long been rotten. Although it still has an extremely large territory, its internal problems have become more and more serious.

The Austro-Hungarian Empire and Russia had a fierce competition in the Balkan Peninsula. This contradiction also forced the Austro-Hungarian Empire to choose to make friends with the German Empire to avoid being attacked by Germany and Russia.

In addition, in order to appease the Hungarians, Gyula Andrassy's rise to power became inevitable. Before becoming the Prime Minister of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, he served as the Prime Minister of Hungary and firmly supported the dual monarchy policy of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, which was why he was finally able to succeed.

After becoming the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Prime Minister of the Austro-Hungarian Empire,

Gyula Andrassy also completely changed the policies left by the previous Prime Minister Friedrich Ferdinand von Beust, and summarized the new foreign policy of the Austro-Hungarian Empire into two major guidelines, namely, getting closer to Germany and confronting Tsarist Russia.

In fact, long before Carlo arrived in Vienna, the Austro-Hungarian Emperor Franz Joseph I and his Queen Princess Sissi had already discussed the marriage of Carlo and Archduchess Sophie.

Political marriages are not so much about mutual affection, but more about the optimism of both parties about cooperation and the importance of each other's identity.

As the King of Spain and a member of the House of Savoy, Carlo is naturally respected by Franz Joseph I.

Moreover, Carlo has not had any scandals since he arrived in Spain. Except that he does not control the government power at present and is more like a king who is being sidelined, he does not seem to have any major shortcomings.

This is actually acceptable. After all, Carlo is not yet 20 years old, and his career as a king has just begun.

And Primo, who controls the Spanish government, is already old, and he can't hold on to power for long.

As long as Carlo is smart, even if he cannot control most of the power of the Spanish government in the future, he can avoid being sidelined by the prime minister later, and it is still okay to control a certain right to speak and influence the government.

Considering that autocratic monarchs are more likely to be opposed by the people, Franz Joseph I would rather see Carlo only have a certain right to speak than to implement a monarchy.

After all, after overthrowing the monarchy, the people are likely to execute the royal family. Even if they are not executed, they will lose all their noble titles.

Compared to taking such a big risk, it is better to become a king with little power, at least the safety of the entire royal family does not need to be worried.

Franz Joseph I naturally ignored the question of whether Carlo might have a lover.

Having a lover is too normal for the nobles now, not to mention that Carlo is the king of a country. If Carlo has not had any lover for such a long time, perhaps Franz Joseph I should consider whether there is a problem with Carlo's ability.

"Overall, it's not bad, and it doesn't seem to have any major shortcomings." Franz Joseph I was quite satisfied after reading Carlo's general information.

"When will they be arranged to meet? I hope Sophie and Carlo can like each other, which is much better than a political marriage without feelings." Queen Elizabeth Amalie Eugenie, also known as Princess Sissi, had a little reluctance on her face. After all, Archduchess Sophie was the eldest daughter of her and Franz Joseph I.

The first time she experienced marrying her daughter, Princess Sissi, who had been with Archduchess Sophie for 16 years, was a little uncomfortable for a while.

"Wait for the dinner in two days." At this time, Franz Joseph I, 40 years old, was still relatively young. He had not experienced the grief of losing two crown princes. He looked quite confident and majestic.

Franz Joseph I and the Austro-Hungarian Empire he established were actually unlucky.

In history, Franz Joseph had four children, only one of whom was a son, Archduke Rudolf, the current crown prince of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Archduke Rudolf was only 12 years old at this time, and everything was normal. But when he got married and the relationship between the couple broke down in the future, the nightmare of the Habsburg family was about to come.

Archduke Rudolf met Baroness Mary and became lovers, and even had the idea of ​​divorcing the Crown Princess.

When Franz Joseph learned of this request, Franz Joseph I asked the two to break up.

But unexpectedly, the relationship between Archduke Rudolf and his mistress Baroness Mary seemed indestructible, and they eventually committed suicide together in the hunting lodge in Mayerling.

For love, he gave up his right to inherit the throne and his life. We have to admit that Archduke Rudolf was also a nobleman who loved beauty more than the country. What's more, he gave up his life.

After the death of his only son, the succession to the throne of the Austro-Hungarian Empire naturally went to Franz Joseph's younger brother, Archduke Karl Ludwig.

However, Archduke Karl Ludwig did not live long. After drinking the water of the Jordan River, he died on May 19, 1896 due to complications caused by infection. The right to inherit the throne also came to Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the eldest son of Archduke Karl Ludwig.

Speaking of Franz Ferdinand, in addition to the famous Sarajevo incident, this is also my lord who puts love above everything else.

Because he and his wife Sophie Hotek were married to nobles and commoners, Archduke Ferdinand's descendants did not have the right to inherit the throne.

After the assassination in Sarajevo, the heir to the throne of the Austro-Hungarian Empire returned to the eldest son of the second son of Archduke Karl Ludwig, the father of Archduke Ferdinand, that is, the son of Archduke Ferdinand's younger brother.

Not to mention, there were many cases of marriage between nobles and commoners in the Habsburg family during this period.

Archduke Ferdinand Karl, another younger brother of Archduke Ferdinand, also married a nobleman and a commoner. The constant replacement of the heir to the throne and the frequent accidents also made the already elderly Franz Joseph I even more sad, and he eventually died before the end of World War I.

In 1871, when everything had not happened yet, Franz Joseph I was still in a very good mood.

Carlo basically met his requirements for a son-in-law, and the status of the two also matched each other. It was simply a perfect marriage.

Whether Carlo and Sophie could see eye to eye, it didn't matter for the marriage itself. Because this was originally a political marriage, the feelings between the two were not that important, as long as there was no trouble in the future.

No matter how many lovers Carlo had, as long as he always respected Queen Sophie's status, it was acceptable to Franz Joseph I and Princess Sissi.

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