Rise of Empires: Spain.

Chapter 107 On Marriage

The climate in Vienna is still very comfortable as April is approaching. Carlo traveled to this world, and Austria is 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 mountain climate and is colder than Madrid and Italy in southern Europe.

But if we have to consider development potential and geographical location, Spain actually has a more advantageous geographical location.

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 turn the entire Iberian Peninsula into 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 so bad, and if Spain had not attached great importance to the development of its homeland since the British Empire, and if the royal family and senior government officials were not greedy for pleasure, I am afraid that Austria would be the one seeking favor now.

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

What's more, the Apennine Peninsula is relatively long and narrow, with no strategic depth. Whenever Italy encounters a country with a strong navy like Britain, most of its territory may face the threat of being bombed.

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 its overall development is greatly restricted.

The Austro-Hungarian Empire was not much better. Although it had greater strategic depth, it bordered three great powers, Germany, Russia, and Italy, and was also adjacent to the famous powder keg of the Balkan Peninsula.

Although the Austro-Hungarian Empire was indeed powerful, it was surrounded on all sides and was powerless to reverse the situation even with its tremendous strength.

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 major change.

The original Prime Minister of the Austro-Hungarian Empire was Friedrich Ferdinand von Beust, a man who was well-known for hating Prussia and doing his best to prevent the unification of North and South Germany.

Although Friedrich Ferdinand von Beust worked hard to establish the Austro-Hungarian Empire and strengthen the Habsburg dynasty's international influence.

However, because his anti-Prussian policies could lead to a powerful 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 Gyula Andrassy.

The Austro-Hungarian Empire's change in attitude from hostility towards Prussia to friendship with Germany was also inseparable from the increasingly tense situation in the Balkans.

Although most of the Balkan Peninsula is currently controlled by the Ottoman Empire, there is a reason why the Ottoman Empire was called the Sick Man of West Asia.

This empire, which had been established for hundreds of years, had long been rotten internally. Although it still possessed an extremely vast territory, its internal problems had become increasingly serious.

The Austro-Hungarian Empire and Russia launched a fierce struggle in the Balkan Peninsula. This contradiction also forced the Austro-Hungarian Empire to choose to make friends with the German Empire to avoid being sandwiched between 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 also the reason why he was able to succeed in the end.

After becoming 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 Sissi had already discussed the marriage between Carlo and Archduchess Sophie.

Political marriages are not so much about mutual affection, but more about both parties being optimistic about cooperation and valuing each other's status.

As the King of Spain and a member of the House of Savoy, Carlo naturally received the respect of Franz Joseph I.

Moreover, Carlo has not been involved in any scandals since he arrived in Spain. Apart from the fact that he currently does not have control over government power and is more like a king who has been 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.

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 can't control most of the power of the Spanish government in the future, he can avoid being sidelined by the next prime minister, and it will be no problem for him to control a certain degree of voice and influence in 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 say rather than practice autocracy.

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 be a king with little power. At least there is no need to worry about the safety of the entire royal family.

Franz Joseph I naturally ignored the fact that Carlo might have a lover.

It was normal for nobles to have lovers, not to mention that Carlo was the king of a country. If Carlo had not had a lover for such a long time, perhaps Franz Joseph I should consider whether there was something wrong with Carlo's ability.

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

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

It was the first time for Princess Sissi, who had been with Archduchess Sophie for 16 years, to marry off her daughter, which made her feel a little uncomfortable for a while.

"Let's 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.

Historically, 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 the time, and everything was normal. But when he got married and the future relationship between the couple broke down, the nightmare of the Habsburg family was about to begin.

Archduke Rudolf met Baroness Marie and became lovers, and even considered divorcing the Crown Princess.

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

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

He gave up his right to the throne and his life for love. We have to admit that Archduke Rudolf was also a nobleman who loved beauty more than power. What's even more outrageous is that he even gave up his own life.

After the death of his only son, the right to inherit 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 1896, 5 due to complications caused by infection. The throne was inherited by Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the eldest son of Archduke Karl Ludwig.

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

Because he and his wife Sophie Hotek were married to a nobleman and a commoner, Archduke Ferdinand's descendants had no 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, and the son of Archduke Ferdinand's younger brother.

It’s true that during this period, there were quite a lot of cases of intermarriage between nobles and commoners in the Habsburg family.

Archduke Ferdinand's other brother, Archduke Ferdinand Karl, also married a nobleman and a commoner. The constant changes in the succession 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, before anything happened, Franz Joseph I was in a very good mood.

Carlo basically met his requirements for a son-in-law, and their identities and statuses also matched each other. It was simply a perfect marriage.

Whether Carlo and Sophie like each other or not is irrelevant to the marriage itself. Because this is a political marriage, the feelings between the two are not that important, as long as there is no trouble afterwards.

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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(End of this chapter)