I Am Louis XIV

   Chapter 519 The King of Italy (2)

So when Pierrot said that he was going to Naples, Alexander VIII seemed to have his heart taken away. He had to show what he saw at that time and talked to his son over and over again, but he started The prince in red was quite handy when it came to the Pope, but he was not so skilled as a father. If Louis XIV or the Grand Conte were there, he would definitely tell him not to say such things to a young man full of passion. He listened. Not only will he not be afraid to flinch, but he will be more eager to try and can't wait.

Alexander VIII also found out that he had done a stupid thing. He sighed in his heart, let his son stay in his palace temporarily, and summoned Cardinal Elarius, asking him to persuade Pierrot, if he could not persuade him. , ask him to send a trusted man to send Pierrot to the Duke of Colonna.

Of course, Elari couldn't convince Piero. The important thing was not eloquence, but that he and Alexander VIII were both priests, not soldiers. Their caution made Pierrot seem cowardly, and he thought about it for a while. After that, he planned to personally take Pierrot to Siena.

   "Is the Duke of Colonna not in Naples?" Pierrot asked in surprise.

   "Yes," Card Elarius said, "he was going to receive a distinguished guest, so he went back to Siena from Naples for a while."

  ————

  Louis has not seen his eldest son for several years.

   As soon as he saw Luciano, he couldn't help shedding tears, "Oh, how much you look like your mother."

Luciano stomped at his feet. When he was a young child, he was more like Louis than Louis' real son, the little Louis, and when he grew up, his resemblance to Louis XIV made it impossible to deny his relationship with the Sun King. Relationship, he may have his mother's legacy on him, but it's definitely not much, and it's not obvious at a glance. Louis said this because he missed Mary too much.

  It would be a lie to say that Luciano never resented his father in every silent night. From what Mary had told him, he knew that they had an unacknowledged marriage, that his father had cheated on his mother in a way, and was too harsh on her, but when After he left Paris and became the Duke of Colonna, the master of Gayola, and the son-in-law of the Grand Duke of Tuscany, he had to admit that if he regarded Louis as a king, he had ambition and a sense of responsibility. The ruler of , he has committed no unforgivable wrong.

And as a father, Louis XIV has done his best. He gave Luciano, his eldest son, not only status, titles and territories, but also what children rarely get in this day and age. The warmth and care from a father, especially in a king, can be said to be rare.

   Like Leopold I is the most normal.

   "You should meet my daughter," said Luciano, "she is the real mother."

"I'll see her," said Louis, standing up, "but first, let's hug." Luciano didn't hesitate, he ran forward, and hugged his father tightly, When he smelled the familiar scent of rose perfume on the king's body, his eyes were sore and he took a deep breath uncontrollably. Luciano once thought that he was already very strong and strong, not only did he not need the support of others, but he could also be the support of others. But as soon as he met Louis XIV, the loneliness and weakness deeply buried by him were overturned by the tide like the gravel under the sea sand.

Alexander VIII described the current situation in Italy in detail to his illegitimate son Pierrot. The battle between Leopold I and Louis XIV, Habsburg and Bourbon has reached a state of white-hot, and there is almost no turnaround. However, as we all know, France has become a huge beast, and it has only one will. Although Leopold I was the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, the empire he ruled was like a hydra, and every prince had My own opinion.

To this end, Leopold I even did not hesitate to give up his loyalty to God, and imitated the former French king to make deals with the pagans in Constantinople. Of course, this is also a good thing for Austria, after all, the Ottoman Turkish West There are always only two roads to conquer - on land, Austria is the gateway; on the sea, Italy is the chain, no matter where he breaks, Mohammed IV has something to boast about, at least in his lifetime, don't worry about being attacked by him. The minister and the Guard were deposed.

Alexander VIII also knew because Leopold I had communicated with the Roman Church - once the Ottoman Turks approached the Vatican, the Vatican priests moved north to Switzerland, where they were sheltered by Leopold I and his allies - At that time, Louis XIV has two choices, either to fight to the death with the Ottoman Turks to ensure that Naples and even the whole of Italy will not be destroyed; or to abandon Italy and the "eldest daughter of God" that France has maintained for hundreds of years title.

If Louis XIV chooses the first option, then he will not want to continue to rule Spain, Holland and Flanders, he will be confronted on both sides - the Ottoman Turks and the anti-French allies; if Louis XIV chooses the second Two items, then he must watch Leopold I take Italy, so that the Habsburgs and Bourbons can still maintain the previous balance, and if he turns a deaf ear to the call of the church, under his rule Catholics in 2009 will certainly be full of anger, and there may be a third "Frond" riot at that time.

It can be said that Italy was the battlefield chosen by Leopold I, not the Holy Roman Empire or any part of France. Louis XIV had to face such pressure with caution, not to mention Luciano, who was on the island of Gayola. He has been a commander and a lord in the past, but the war on Gayola Island can only be said to be a special riot, not a war, and he is so young.

The most important thing is that he is now only the son-in-law of the Grand Duke of Tuscany. His inheritance of Naples comes from his wife. His illegitimate child status is passed down among the nobles of Naples. Although it will not cause any hindrance, it is true that some people do not. Too convinced.

   Here Louis XIV has to say pooh! It’s okay to change to other places, only Naples can’t take this shelf. When King Alfonso V of Sicily seized Naples from the Anjou family, he handed over the territory he inherited from his father to his younger brother. He handed over Naples to his illegitimate son, the well-known Alfonso Ferdinand I of Naples.

In order to resist the counterattack of the Anjou family, the illegitimate king married another illegitimate family in the Italian peninsula, the Sforza family, the lord of Milan, so some people called the alliance between them "the illegitimate sympathy between the illegitimate children", but That's absolutely right!

   A family like this has not been passed down for many generations in Naples? How can those nobles who bow their knees and swear allegiance to the descendants of their illegitimate children feel ashamed and unacceptable?

In short, since Louis XIV set foot on the ground in Italy, those chattering voices under the cover of dim light and drapery suddenly disappeared. Of course, there are also two flagships with "Sun King" and "Royal Power". The fleet, after the Battle of Shuangwan, entered a short period of peace between Britain and France. Although the peace lasted for a long time, it still depends on whether the French sailed smoothly or carelessly folded the flag, so the French fleet can also be transferred to the Mediterranean.

It was only when Luciano sat down in front of the king that Louis realized how thin he was, and the coat, embroidered with gems and gold thread, probably served as armor, lest anyone notice his restlessness. , The young man's cheeks should be as full as apples, but now they seem to be deeply sunken like a basin. For the same reason, Luciano's face is still rubbed with powder. Her skin was dry and her face was haggard, only her eyes were flickering like candles in the dark.

   "I'm here," said Louie, "don't be afraid, boy, I'm here."

   "I've let you down," said Luciano.

"Louis XII also came here and then left." Louis XIV did not hesitate to drag his ancestors out to comfort his children. He was still a king, but his rule in Naples was not so smooth. Among the Europa countries, only France has been tireless and has achieved the sole authority of the king. Italy is more divided, more complicated, more fragmented, and more absurd - there is no such thing as a mercenary captain in the next country becoming a grand duke. son, it is impossible for a priest's illegitimate son to become a king.

   "Compared to him, you are already very good." Louis XII was not a mediocre monarch, but he could not establish a foothold in Italy, who could point fingers at Luciano?

   "I dare not compare with such a great king," said Luciano, "but father, I long for your protection and help."

Louis XIV smiled. In fact, although the surnames of the French royal family have changed several times, the origin of Capet's blood has never been cut off. Louis XII is not far away for them. Based on this, he and Luciano are both To remain humble and respectful, but he was also sure that he would do better than Louis XII—yes, it was Louis XIV, not Luciano, who was just a flag.

The Italian peninsula has always been a very special land. Since the change of Avignon, the popes are almost all Italians. If the Romans heard that a non-Italian might become the pope, they would not know that there would be a riot. The priests from France wanted to. Promotion is even more difficult - after all, the beautiful man Philip (King of France) monopolized the Pope alone for more than 100 years. Except for the French priests) were all engraved in their hearts.

The Roman Church was forced by Louis XIV's unrelenting concessions on appointment and removal rights and taxes, and even had to allow the pagans to attack Rome to curb the ambitions of the Sun King - if the King of France really became the Lord of Italy, let alone holy The Roman Empire, I am afraid that all the Catholic countries will be attacked under the call of the church - France has only gathered the monarchy, which will make Europa and the United Kingdom breathless. If he is allowed to gather the religious authority...

   So, even on the surface, Louis XIV could not unite Naples or even the whole of Italy like Louis XII.

"So you understand?" Louis explained to his eldest son gently: "One day, you will be as powerful and noble as I am, and the protagonist and the king will bow their knees in front of you, but as a king, you still You are very young, you can use this battle as a classroom, look at me, child, you will find that, in fact, fighting and ruling has never been difficult."

   In this respect, Luciano is lacking compared to Little Louis - little Louis grew up in the court, but Luciano was not.

   He made Luciano drink a glass of wine with spices and honey, and let him go to sleep, and the next day they set off for Florence, the city where Louis XII had also visited.

The power of the Medici family has been seen since the first Grand Duke of Tuscany, and it was transferred from Florence to Siena. , and returned to Florence, in the Palazzo Ricatti of the Medici family.

This palace can be said to be built by the Medici during the most glorious period in Florence. The designer is none other than the famous master Michelangelo. Later, although the Grand Duke of Tuscany did not live here, it was not abandoned. Here, hundreds of years of operation and layout are like re-brewing a fine wine to make it more perfect and mellow.

  The Grand Duke of Tuscany could not get up, but he was still carried by a sedan chair and carried himself outside the king's room, leaning his body and saluting to Louis XIV.

   "There is absolutely no need for you to be so respectful to the King of France." The child beside him muttered in a low voice.

  Cosimo III reluctantly glanced at his second son, the last child in his marriage with the French county lord, the daughter of the former Duke of Orleans, named Gian.

  Cosimo III has three children, the eldest son Ferdinand, the daughter Anna, and the second son Ji'an. It stands to reason that he does not need to worry about the future of the Medici family, but...

His eldest son Ferdinand stubbornly stayed in Paris and did not come back. Cosimo III vaguely knew the reason - his eldest son was a rare kind of person who had no desire for power. He was more like an Italian aristocratic youth from centuries ago. , having nothing to do, liking indolence rather than work, and pursuing love and art wholeheartedly.

  Irritated by the expectations of Cosimo III and his ministers, he escaped by visiting Paris, but even if he was still in Italy, he might not be able to outperform his brother-in-law.

   (end of this chapter)