Rise of Empires: Spain.

Chapter 105 Archduchess Sophie

Carlo was not in a hurry to find a queen through marriage, but Vittorio Emanuele II, who was far away in Rome, was impatient for Carlo's marriage.

Vittorio Emanuele II and Archduchess Adelheide had eight children in total, three of whom died in infancy.

Now that the remaining children have finally grown up, Vittorio Emanuele II is looking forward to all his children getting married as soon as possible so that the Savoy bloodline can continue to grow.

Crown Prince Umberto and Duke Amadeo were both married, and next it was Carlo's turn, who was about to turn 20.

After learning that Carlo had certain requirements for the candidate for the queen, Vittorio Emanuele II asked his new wife Rosa to personally travel to Germany, Austria and Russia to find a suitable marriage partner for Carlo.

Although the relationship between Italy and Austria-Hungary was not very good, Vittorio Emanuele II still chose to include Austria-Hungary as one of the countries to be investigated, hoping to find a queen for Carlo who would meet the political interests and satisfy Carlo.

Vittorio Emanuele II actually hoped that the right person would appear in Germany or Russia. However, Queen Rosa visited Germany and Russia and found that there was no suitable marriage partner in the two royal families.

There was one in the Romanov family, but the princess's appearance was not acceptable and she had a tomboyish personality, which was obviously not Carlo's type.

There is no choice now. Indeed, the only country that has not been actually inspected is the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Although the relationship between Italy and Austria-Hungary was not very good, Queen Rosa was still welcomed by the Habsburg family when she arrived in Austria-Hungary.

Although Queen Rosa was a queen who married a nobleman and a commoner, the European royal families had long known that the purpose of Queen Rosa's trip was not for Italy, but for the King of Spain.

It was not logical for the Austro-Hungarian Empire to refuse the marriage with Spain. Moreover, Carlo's mother, Archduchess Adelheid, was also from the Austrian nobility, and Carlo was half Austrian nobility.

Unlike the German and Russian royal families, the Austro-Hungarian royal family not only had suitable marriage partners, but also had two, both daughters of the Austro-Hungarian Emperor Franz Joseph.

The eldest daughter, Archduchess Sophie Frederick Dorothea Maria Josefa, was born on March 1855, 3. She is 5 years old this year, which is a good age for marriage.

The second daughter, Gisela Louise-Marie, is one year younger than her sister Sophie and is almost 15 years old this year, so her age is also very similar.

The Austro-Hungarian Empire also met Carlo's requirements. Austria's industrial strength was still very strong, and the Austro-Hungarian Empire as a whole could help Spain. This was also the marriage condition that Carlo personally proposed to Vittorio Emanuele II.

Unexpectedly, after many twists and turns, the right candidate was still in the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Vittorio Emanuele II was somewhat helpless, but for the sake of his son's lifelong event, he asked Queen Rosa to prepare several photos of Archduchess Sophie and Archduchess Gisela, along with a brief introduction of the two archduchess' identities, and sent them to the Royal Palace in Madrid, Spain.

If all goes well, we can basically get engaged this year and hold the wedding next year or the year after.

Thinking that Carlo's lifelong affair could finally be resolved, Vittorio Emanuele II, whose face had not smiled for the past few days, finally showed a little smile and seemed to relax a little.

It was several days later when the letter with the photo attached arrived at the Royal Palace in Madrid.

Although Vittorio Emanuele II arranged special personnel to escort the letter, the logistics conditions in this era were not as convenient as those in later generations. It would take at least several days from Vienna to Madrid.

When Carlo received the letter, he was somewhat helpless. He did not expect that after traveling to this world, he would still be urged to get married. Who would dare to believe that the King of Spain would be troubled by the choice of the Queen?
However, this situation is also related to Europe's strict emphasis on bloodline.

Marriages between nobles placed great emphasis on bloodline and matching of family backgrounds. Although marriages between nobles and commoners were feasible, a huge price had to be paid for it.

If Carlo married a girl of lower status, his offspring would not have the right to inherit the Spanish throne.

This alone was fatal, as it narrowed down Carlo's candidates for queen to a very small range, basically only princesses from the royal families of European countries and the daughters of some grand dukes.

Carlo also had to consider the help that the marriage partner could provide to Spain, which reduced the already small range even further, to just a few people.

Considering age and personality, it is extremely difficult to find a suitable marriage.

Although he felt a little helpless, Carlo still decided to read the letter. After all, it was sent in the name of Vittorio Emanuele II, and Carlo had already told his father about the conditions of the marriage, so it was unlikely that Vittorio Emanuele II would send the letter easily.

When I opened the letter, what caught my eye were a few photos and a piece of white paper with a brief introduction written on it.

In fact, there is no need for too much introduction, because the royal family members of various countries are not a big secret, and relevant information can be obtained with a little investigation.

The most important thing is the photos. There are four photos in total, two of each of the two heroines. In terms of appearance, both princesses are quite beautiful. When Carlo saw their identity introduction, he was a little confused.

I still remember Archduchess Carlo Gisela. This princess married Prince Leopold of Bavaria, who was a ruthless person.

Prince Leopold was awarded a Grand Iron Cross, of which only five were awarded during World War I: Kaiser Wilhelm II, Hindenburg, Ludendorff, Mackensen and Prince Leopold.

All of these five people are famous. Except for William II, the others have outstanding talents in military command and are also extremely outstanding military generals of the German Empire during World War I.

The love story between Franz Joseph and his wife Princess Sissi is still very famous in later generations. As a senior fan of foreign history, Carlo naturally knew about it.

The couple had only four children in total, and Carlo certainly knew who this so-called Archduchess Sophie was. She was the eldest daughter of Franz Joseph.

However, Carlo vaguely remembered that the Archduchess seemed to have died of typhoid fever at the age of two. How come she is still alive and well now?
Could it be that his arrival had caused a change in the world line? Carlo was a little confused, but thinking about how his original body also died young, and the fate of Archduchess Sophie was somewhat similar, he suddenly became interested.

Although marriage with the Austro-Hungarian Empire was only Carlo's backup plan, it seemed to be the only option at the moment.

The letter also mentioned the current situation of the German and Russian royal families. Unless the side branches of the Hohenzollern and Romanov families were chosen, there would be no suitable princess to marry Carlo.

After looking at a few photos carefully, Carlo made up his mind.

Compared to the 15-year-old Archduchess Gisela, Carlo prefers the 16-year-old Archduchess Sophie. In addition to the age factor, another point is that Archduchess Sophie is more beautiful than Archduchess Gisela.

Since the two have the same identity, Carlo would naturally choose the better-looking one, which at least looks more comfortable, right?
However, the choice is the choice, and the specific arrangements still need to be completed by Queen Rosa. At least one or two banquets will be needed to discuss the relevant marriage matters.

After writing a reply letter to Vittorio Emanuele II, Carlo also began to prepare for his visit to Austria-Hungary.

Whether a marriage is suitable or not can only be determined through personal experience, and Carlo will not make hasty decisions about his or her life simply by looking at photos.

In addition, the visit to the Austro-Hungarian Empire also had other purposes, such as seeking loans from Austrian capital and seeking industrial support from the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Although the Austrian Empire was defeated in the war with Prussia, the current Austro-Hungarian Empire is still at an upper-middle level among the great powers, much stronger than Italy, which is at the bottom of the great powers.

If we have to talk about national strength, the Austro-Hungarian Empire can definitely rank fifth in the world after Britain, France, Germany and Russia, and the gap between it and France, Germany and Russia is not too big.

Currently, the only country that is leading the way among the great powers is Britain, and it is thanks to its powerful navy and the support of India that Britain has been able to achieve a gap in industrial economy.

However, this lead could not be maintained for long. With the rise of Germany and the United States, the gap between Britain and other powers would become smaller and smaller, and eventually be eliminated due to one war after another.

As one of the German countries, Austria's industrial level has always been top-notch in Europe. They are also good at designing cannons, and have also produced many geniuses in physics and chemistry.

Apart from anything else, with the support of Italy and Austria-Hungary, Carlo has more confidence to occupy the entire Congo River basin.

The biggest competitors here are Britain and France, and the Germans are more like spoilers. Considering the gap between Britain, France and Spain, the Germans will definitely not support Britain and France, but are more likely to support Spain.

Even if Germany remained neutral, Carlo, with the support of Austria-Hungary and Italy, did not have to worry about colonial competition with Britain and France.

What's more, the Triple Alliance was about to be established in a few years, and the beginning of the Triple Alliance was the alliance between Austria-Hungary and Russia.

From this perspective, through a marriage with the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Spain can establish relations with both Germany and Russia.

Although this relationship is not that strong, the Russians will definitely not support Britain, and this can be fully exploited.

As long as Spain gave up some of its interests to Austria-Hungary and Germany, it could basically get these two countries to support Spain's colonial operations in Congo.

Moreover, the division of Africa among countries and the competition for the Congo River basin would have to wait for several more years, by which time Spain would have restored a certain degree of strength through reforms.

To a certain extent, Carlo was not afraid of the threat from the British. As the saying goes, the barefoot are not afraid of the shod. Spain can afford to lose Cuba and the Philippines, but can the British afford to lose India?
It is of no benefit for the British to waste time with Spain, because they have colonies all over the world and there are problems that need to be solved everywhere.

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(End of this chapter)