shadow of britain

Chapter 887 Victoria's Coronation

The air in Paris in the early morning still carried the heat of midsummer.

Outside the window, the sounds of horse-drawn carriages and vendors' shouts mingled on Rue Saint-Honoré.

Arthur, dressed in a morning robe and holding a cup of red tea, sat at his desk, with a newly delivered copy of the Constitutional Gazette spread out on the table in front of him.

The Constitutional Crisis in the Kingdom of Hanover

Since mid-June, the political situation in the Kingdom of Hanover has undergone sudden changes.

With the death of William IV, his niece Victoria ascended to the throne, and the Hanoverian crown was placed on the head of Ernst August, Duke of Cumberland, according to the Salic Laws. The British and Hanoverian thrones were thus separated, and the personal union between Hanover and Great Britain came to an end.

Hanover welcomed a new monarch, but the throne, which should have been based on legitimacy, became shaky under the actions of King Ernst August.

Almost simultaneously with his coronation on July 5, His Majesty immediately announced the suspension of the implementation of the constitution.

He does not recognize the validity of the 1833 Constitution of the Kingdom of Hanover, declaring that he is not bound by the current constitution because it was drafted without his consultation. At the same time, he implied that if he had been in power in Hanover at the time, the constitution might have been very different, or perhaps it wouldn't exist at all. He is currently considering a re-examination of the constitutional provisions, aiming to amend the current constitution to align with his governing philosophy and expectations.

At a time when the government should have upheld the Basic Law and preserved the hard-won freedoms of the Hanoverian people, the new king chose to portray himself as a betrayer of modern justice, instead reviving a long-outdated autocratic system. The University of Göttingen, this temple of Hanoverian philosophy and conscience, has been shaken by this threat.

According to reports from Düsseldorf, Hanover, and Berlin, several professors at the University of Göttingen have privately expressed their unease. They worry that if the new king refuses to recognize the constitution, it could weaken the legislature and undermine academic freedom and the independence of officials. The reports mention that Friedrich Dahlmann, a history professor and representative to the University of Göttingen's council, is working to contact his colleagues to try and persuade the professors on the university's council to oppose the king's intention to amend the constitution and take some form of necessary action.

Liberal public opinion in the German Confederation was equally alarmed. Some argued that if the king could so easily abandon the fundamental law that had been sworn to be enshrined, wouldn't the charter and oath become nothing more than empty words?
For European liberals, if the precedent set by Hanover holds true, which constitutional state on the European continent can be so confident? What are charters? What are oaths? If a king can abolish a constitution as easily as tearing up a discarded draft, then today's Hanover may be somewhere else tomorrow.

……

Arthur took a sip of his black tea. There wasn't enough sugar in it today, so it tasted a bit bitter.

However, aside from being surprised by the taste of the black tea, Arthur didn't feel anything else surprising this morning.

It was entirely expected that the Duke of Cumberland would not recognize the 1833 constitution of the Kingdom of Hanover upon his accession to the throne.

Because, as early as when the Duke of Cumberland was still the presumptive heir to the Hanoverian throne, he had vehemently expressed his opposition to the formal enactment of this free constitution to his brother, William IV. Given his political views, it was understandable that the vast majority of Whigs and Tories disliked him.

It could even be argued that the reason the British public showed such enthusiasm for Queen Victoria's accession to the throne was not so much because they understood the virtues of the Queen, but because they were terrified of the Duke of Cumberland's authoritarianism.

In fact, before the Duke of Cumberland ascended to the throne, the Hanoverians had also attempted to circumvent the succession law and choose a more favored king.

Of course, they still wouldn't accept a queen, but if possible, they would prefer the Duke of Cambridge or the Duke of Sussex, who had previously served as Governor of Hanover, to succeed to the throne. These two princes' views were very much in line with those of the most liberal nation in the German Confederation, and given their backgrounds, they would certainly be very willing to continue promoting liberal reforms in the Kingdom of Hanover if they were to ascend the throne.

Unfortunately, neither the Duke of Cambridge nor the Duke of Sussex participated in any action that could bypass his brother, the Duke of Cumberland, to secure their own succession.

Therefore, the Hanoverians could only watch helplessly as the Duke of Cumberland was crowned Ernst I of the Kingdom of Hanover and dissolved the parliament convened according to the constitution.

As a foreign official, Arthur was naturally not in a position to express his opinion on the politics of the Kingdom of Hanover.

At most, he expressed regret over the suspension of the 1833 Constitution, since, in any case, his efforts were evident in the police supplementary regulations of that constitution and the memorandums of the drafting committee.

Now that Ernst I has just ascended to the throne, he has already made changes to Arthur's illustrious resume. It would be impossible for him not to have any objections.

Despite his anger, Arthur couldn't really do anything about the king.

One of the most significant aspects of the Constitution of the Kingdom of Hanover in 1833 was that it transferred the Hanoverian territory from the monarch to the national collective.

Now that the constitution has been suspended, it means that the Kingdom of Hanover has once again become the private property of the king. What Ernst I does in Hanover is his business, and it's none of his place as the former superintendent of the University of Göttingen to meddle.

Moreover, judging from his stance, suspending the constitution is only the first step. When the time is right, Ernst I may even declare the constitution unconstitutional, thereby completely abolishing the code that he considers a stumbling block.

As a longtime friend of the people of Hanover and a former leader of the University of Göttingen, Arthur could only silently pray for his old colleagues and students, hoping they could remain calm. If their protests became too extreme, given Ernst I's personality, even sending in the police to suppress them would be considered appeasement.

However, when Arthur woke up in the morning, he didn't receive all bad news.

On the other side of the English Channel, good news came from London. Thanks to the timely response and the popular performance of Dickens' masterpiece "Oliver Twist" in major London theaters, Londoners were already inclined to sympathize with Miss Nancy, who was killed by the robber Bill Sykes in the play (an allusion to the Sykes incident, which is true in both history and this timeline). Therefore, the media storm caused by Mrs. Sykes did not affect Disraeli's election campaign.

This young Conservative Party leader and key figure in the Conservative clique "Young England" decisively defeated the Whig candidate in Toulhamletz, further consolidating his unshakeable dominance in the East End.

The Times, in its timely coverage of Disraeli's visits to the workhouse and his outreach to the poor in the East End, gave him a new title: "Disraeli the People."

Even more encouraging is that in this year's general election, the Conservative Party, under the leadership of Sir Robert Peel, continued its strong comeback.

If the Viscount of Melbourne had not formed an alliance with Irish radical representative O'Connell in time, they would not have been able to maintain the Whig Party's majority in the House of Commons.

The major setbacks suffered in the election have further solidified the Whig Party's determination to cling to the Queen.

Shortly after the election, Prime Minister Viscount Melbourne immediately decided to launch preparations at the cabinet level for Queen Victoria's coronation and to strive to ensure the smooth passage of related bills when Parliament opens next year.

Of course, Her Majesty the Queen requested that the coronation ceremony be kept as simple as possible. However, considering the collective complaints from the House of Lords when William IV’s coronation was kept simple, the Cabinet, after much deliberation, decided to set the total cost at £7.

This cost is roughly twice that of William IV's coronation, but compared to George IV's extravagant £24 coronation, it is indeed relatively modest. Of course, since this information has not yet been made public, most of the British public is not yet aware of it.

As for why Arthur knew?

That's because the Home Office's order to develop a security plan had already been sent to Scotland Yard. As everyone knows, what Scotland Yard knows, Sir Arthur Hastings will certainly know, and what Scotland Yard doesn't know, Sir Arthur Hastings might not be unaware of.

Because the news had already leaked in the City of London long before the Home Office issued the order.

Nowadays, major railway companies are speeding up the construction of railway lines from all over the UK to London, and railway worker recruitment advertisements are like psoriasis, with one layer being scraped off only to grow back the next day.

Even using the most rudimentary methods, the railway company's directors could calculate that passenger demand in London would absolutely explode in the weeks surrounding the coronation.

It's worth noting that the derby in Marseille attracts over 100,000 tourists every year. For a major event like the Queen's coronation, doubling the number of tourists shouldn't be difficult, right?

The railway companies are making a killing, and London's tourism industry is getting a share of the profits.

All the major trade associations in London, whether they were the goldsmiths' guild, the cloth merchants' guild, the wine merchants' guild, or any other guild, would send representatives to participate in the parade and present exquisite handicrafts such as gold and silverware, as a symbol of the entire industry's allegiance to the new king.

Arthur even learned from a letter from Superintendent Charles Field, the head of the Police Intelligence Service, that Scotland Yard's informant had received information that London's underworld was also excited about the upcoming coronation ceremony next year, as such a grand occasion, which had not been seen for many years, was also a rare treat for criminals.

Many influential figures in the underworld have already issued their instructions.

They instructed their junior staff to study and practice diligently during this period to improve their professional skills.

Only in this way can they steal the spotlight and stand out at next year's coronation ceremony.

For Arthur, the completion ceremony of the renovation of Buckingham Palace was a rehearsal for his coronation ceremony next year.

If things go well this time, he will have a seat at next year's coronation ceremony.

He didn't ask to sit in the front row with the lords of the upper house, but he certainly didn't want to be sitting in a place where he had to stand on tiptoe to see what was happening in front of him.

Ideally, he could become one of the organizers and participate in the event.

All of this is contingent on him first pleasing Queen Victoria, who was only 18 years old at the time.

At this time, leaving London and distancing oneself from Victoria might be hard for ordinary people to understand.

After all, everyone is now crowding around her, but Arthur Hastings, the gentleman who seems to have the easiest way to reap the rewards, gave up his place when the fire was blazing.

Ultimately, the difference in opinions stems from the different perspectives people have.

Everyone else treated Victoria as a queen, but Sir Arthur Hastings treated her like a little girl.

Arthur put down his teacup, picked up the slightly worn but very handy quill pen, and spread a pale yellow sheet of paper on the notepad on the table. The top of the paper was printed with the number 218 Rue Saint-Honoré and a border with dark green vine patterns.

Your Majesty:
Please forgive me for writing a letter that may not be important on such a lazy morning.

Outside the window, the sounds of horse-drawn carriages and vendors' cries echoed through the streets of Saint-Honoré, but I had nothing to do. So, with a cup of not-so-sweet black tea by my side, I sat at my desk and thought of you.

Parisian summers are sweltering, but last night a rare breeze picked up, so I took advantage of the cool air and went to the Comédie-Française. The performance was a political satire adapted by Auguste Valentin. On stage, the politicians wearing fake noses comically argued for half an hour over who should be held responsible for the "national cough." The audience roared with laughter, and I even spit out a little phlegm myself from laughing.

In the next box sat a Polish exiled poet, who was said to have written several famous works. He chewed on almond candy and occasionally muttered comments about the actors' hairstyles. Finally, he said to me, "The British are all serious-faced; they wouldn't understand this kind of play." I smiled without saying a word, but in my heart I was thinking, if you were here, perhaps you would show them what humor and wit are beneath a serious face.

A few days ago, I attended a piano performance at an Italian theater, where Talberg played his "Moses Fantasy". Liszt, dressed in disguise, was sitting not far from me. He listened attentively to the entire piece without showing his usual manic behavior. He must have realized that Talberg was not an opponent to be ignored.

If Your Majesty had the time to come to Paris, we could sit in the third row by the aisle, listening to Liszt unleash a tempest of notes with his left hand while Talberg paints a calm lake with his right. But I know you are currently preoccupied with preparations for your coronation. A letter from London says the budget for the ceremony is £70,000, the procession has been drafted three times, and Scotland Yard has received security orders.

I have written to both Karl Brenner and Thalberg, asking them to come to London next spring during their tour to give you a true "Parisian Night." As for Liszt, he is eccentric, but if I hint to him that you will be there, he might just give up a concert in Vienna.

Of course, if none of them are willing to come, I will play for you myself, even if I can only use my long-neglected left hand.

Speaking of my left hand, it's become less obedient than my right hand lately. I guess it's an old injury acting up, or maybe it's just that I'm getting older. Every time I fall into a deep sleep at night, my chest feels tight, perhaps because the heart that was almost taken away by shrapnel in 1832 is finally going on strike.

The medication the doctor prescribed made me dizzy, so I reduced the dosage on my own. He warned me that if I continued to act on my own, he wouldn't write the necessary documentation for me. But I thought, I'm not going to a church university, what kind of documentation do I need?
The hustle and bustle of Paris was ultimately not meant for me. But I wish to pack up its most moving parts and bring them back to London, just to offer them to you. If you would like, I can invite all those actors, musicians, and even bakers, to let them know that the people who truly deserve their respect are not on the Champs-Élysées, nor in the Tuileries, but in the courtyards of Buckingham Palace.

If you find my rambling annoying, you don't have to reply.

But it would be best if you could spare a moment of remembrance as dusk approaches.

In that case, I was extremely grateful.

Your eternal, most loyal servant

Sir Arthur Hastings
Paris, August 7, 1837
(End of this chapter)