I Am Louis XIV

   Chapter 521 The King of Italy (4)

  Louis certainly would not accuse his son of being too useless, because he had tasted the bitter wine in the golden cup.

   Throughout the ages, the rulers on the top of the pyramid have ruled their subordinates, and there are two most useful and common methods—coercion and inducement. As for other small means such as femininity, hostages, and sowing discord, they are just lace and embellishment.

In the few years when Louis XIV was in power, he did not hesitate to put how to get a lot of money in the first place in his thinking and actions. Some people may think that his behavior is too worldly, but the fact proves that no matter what he wants No matter what path you choose, money is never indispensable. Those ministers and nobles who were so jealous of Colbert said more than once that at that time, Colbert was the most popular person in front of the king. His Majesty trusted him, supported him at all times, and rewarded him constantly. He became the king's minister of finance and admiralty himself, and he also found a satisfactory marriage for his six daughters - he was not a nobleman, but the father-in-law of six dukes, far better than most of Versailles. people.

But his credit is completely worthy of the king's return, just for the king's reputation, this credit is rarely known, and the dignitaries at this time rarely care about finances - this is a trivial matter that businessmen will care about, after all For those lords with large amounts of land, the land is their cornucopia, which can bring them a steady stream of wealth.

Therefore, it is very difficult to seize the wealth left by their ancestors from these people. At this time, how much money the king can gather in his hands means whether his business can be completed, how much it can be completed, and how much it needs to be done. long time. People say that Louis XIV was a rare and calm young king, but what they don't know is that when the treasury and the inner treasury were empty, Louis also woke up from nightmares again and again.

In the first two slinger movements, he and his younger brother Philip had brushed shoulders with death several times. Even if they did not die in "accidents", once the Grand Condé or the Duke of Gaston succeeded in usurping the throne, the United Kingdom would have the Tower of London. , France also has Bastille, and the lives of him and Philip are just adding a gloomy color to the legend of the "Prince in the Tower".

   It was not a bishop, not a minister, not a general who laid the first and most solid foundation for Louis XIV, the Sun King, but a despised merchant.

When the treasury is full, Louis XIV can build his own army, buy Lorraine, bribe judges, parliamentarians and nobles, and make them his supporters in the court, improve people's livelihood, open up people's wisdom, and let those ignorant The poor civilians became his fans. Without money, he couldn't even take the first step.

Luciano's situation was even more difficult than him. After all, Louis was still the orthodox heir at that time, reasonable and legal. His princes and courtiers should bow to him, and those Anjou survivors in Naples may still embrace themselves Allegiance to the idea of ​​a true king. When Alfonso's illegitimate son inherited Naples, he felt that he was despised, and he imposed heavy taxation and excessive punishment on these nobles. These nobles rebelled against him. Although they were unsuccessful, they did affect Spain ( The basis of the Aragonese's rule here - from then to now, the nobles of Naples have more troubled the royal family and government of Spain than the Catalans, they have not only caused continuous riots, but also brought the Habs again and again. Enemies of Fort were introduced to Italy, namely French kings, such as Charles VIII, Louis XII and Louis XIII... Italian wars were not uncommon in the mouth of the French.

   But when a real king came to rule them, they had to worry about their own interests.

Threats, of course, Louis's army is coming to Italy by sea. Pisa and Livorno are all under the rule of the Grand Duke of Tuscany. It is not difficult for two huge port cities to undertake the task of carrying tens of thousands of people. The only Only Genoa and the island of Corsica under the control of Genoa may pose a threat to France. Genoa was also an overlord of the sea, but after Ottoman Turkey occupied the Balkans and the Aegean Sea, there were signs of shrinking in terms of national strength and military power. It has been exploring the New World for Spain before - now Spain already belongs to the Bourbon family in name, but Leopold I will definitely not give up easily, but like most of the Italian princes, the Genoese dare not offend Leopold I. , and dare not offend Louis XIV.

As far as Louis knew, in front of the envoy of Leopold I, the deputies of the Republic of Genoa showed their hands very frankly - it is impossible for Genoa to attack the French fleet, they do not have this fighting power, and they cannot get Any good - not to mention Tuscany, Leopold I has always claimed to be the feudal lord of Milan, once France is weak, the Habsburgs will immediately invade Italy through Milan, not to mention new territories, Genoa can It's a blessing to protect yourself.

But they can get out of the way, yes, they allow the Habsburg army to walk across their land, which is already a pretty generous commitment, and willing to pay a portion of the military expenses and supplies, as long as Leopold I's soldiers were able to control their wild and unruly, and they would rather suffer some losses.

   But they will never face the Sun King directly.

Therefore, it is not a big problem to use force to deter the remnants of Anjou. The key point is that the threat must be followed by inducement. How did the French lords be "convinced" one by one, because Louis let them see more Substantial profits and brighter futures—when their income from industry and commerce is almost ten to one in disparity with the benefits brought by the land, few people are not moved, and if they are not, their children will also be excited.

Young people cannot endure loneliness and monotony like old people. They come to Paris and Versailles, hoping to be favored by ladies, ministers and even kings, get a decent job, or go to war. To win meritorious deeds - but these things cannot be done without enough initial investment. To let the king, or the officials and generals in charge of the matter see you, you must first dress up fashionably and according to tradition. Fully equipped for yourself, rent yourself an exquisite suite, go out to eat, a bouquet of flowers is always a must when you go to the salon, visit the "famous", go hunting and billiards, and even participate in a game or two. The next hot gambling... These are all asking for money, a lot of money, and the children of some great nobles can afford it, but those below them will find it difficult.

Although Louis XIV did not adopt the "watching ceremony" system inherited from the period of Louis XIII - that is to let a group of nobles serve the king at all times, but as he shook hands tightly again, he successively attacked Lorraine, Alsace, and Buddha. Randall and Holland, as well as the territories that managed to recover some of the princes - such as the Grand Condé, those blank areas are like a fat grease, which tightly attracts people's attention.

Soldiers, officials, and even immigrants, as victors, or followers of victors, can derive far more power and wealth for themselves, and even for their descendants, than in their familiar homeland. .

   But this way, it will not work in Naples.

First of all, Louis XIV was not the object of allegiance to the nobles of Naples. Simply put, the vassals of my vassals were not my vassals. The first Anjou, that is, the king of Naples and Sicily, was the younger brother of the king of France at that time, and Not the king of France, the subsequent king of France declared the right to inherit Naples, also because the venerable king brother had died out.

Louis XIV could also claim power over Naples, the problem is that the Italians may have preferred an Italian king rather than a French-Italian king, like the Spaniards, who feared eventual loss of Italian independence in a union , So from the beginning, Louis planned to hand over Naples and even the whole of Italy to Luciano. After all, the Mancini family also migrated from the Italian peninsula.

But Luciano's inheritance came from his wife, that is, the power that Anna got from her grandfather, the Duke of Gaston, but before Anna, her mother had an eldest son, Ferdinand, and then a The youngest son, Gian, although the Duke of Colonna holds the real power in Tuscany, in name, he is only an agent, a person who may be deprived of power at any time. The contempt of those nobles was not without reason.

   Therefore, neither the promise given by Louis XIV nor the promise given by the Duke of Colonna will probably be believed by the Neapolitans.

What's more, the king's scholars and wizards reported that Naples had another big problem, that its commerciality had suffered because of the Ottoman Turks' monopoly on the sea routes, and that its output had greatly tended to Agriculture, that is, olives, grapes and wheat, although there are minerals, but mining is not easy, the quality and output are only mediocre, and there is no processing industry or raw materials worthy of attention...

The French also like wine, wheat and olives, but there are also a lot of these in the south of France. It is impossible for Louis to favor Naples for Luciano, not to mention that even if these things can support the economic pillar of Naples, they will not be able to make the nobles Freed from the land, there is no territory, and there is no ownership of the people in the territory. The so-called king is just a big lord. If so, Louis XIV might as well keep Luciano as the master of Gayola and Tuscany. never mind.

   But in this way, Cosimo III of Tuscany and his two sons have become a tricky thing, even if they have no ambition, some people will make trouble.

unless…

   "Unless there is a big goal..." Louie murmured.

  ———

   The time left for the nobles of Naples-Anjou was not long, and Louis XIV moved quickly.

He didn't know what means he used. Not long after he arrived in Florence, Cosimo III announced his abdication on the grounds that his physical condition was no longer able to support him to continue to fulfill the obligations of the master of the duchy. His two sons, the eldest son Ferdinand and the second son Gil They all decided to enter the monastery to serve God. From then on, secular affairs had nothing to do with them. For this reason, the French king specially gave them two large monasteries and the surrounding territories.

   So far, Cosimo III and the Duke of Gaston’s political and economic legacy seem to have only one heir left, his daughter Anna.

Italy does not strictly enforce the Salic law, and the Grand Duchess and Duchess, and the Countess often appear, but at the enthronement ceremony, Grand Duke Anna took off her crown and put it on her husband's head, announcing that she will be with the Duke of Colonna. Co-governing the Duchy of Tuscany, the Duke of Colonna has further strengthened the legitimacy of Naples and Tuscany.

   Then, to everyone's surprise, the King of France named Luciano Duke of Anjou.

   "It turns out that the Sun King was also emotional." Some people could not help but sigh.

   Duke of Anjou, what exactly this title means, just look at the winners of this title in the past dynasties. Since the Capetian dynasty, this title has only belonged to the crown prince. During the Bourbon dynasty, this title was reserved for the prince's younger brothers, such as Gaston, Philip and Charles. As the second son of the king, they all won this title. It was only from Gaston that the title was replaced by the Duke of Orleans, and it should be noted that, also from Gaston, this title was rarely "nominal", that is, the ancestor of the king of France. Land, Anjou is not subject to the jurisdiction and rule of its lords.

   But this title, as special to the French (and even to the English), was to the Neapolitans, and the title of every king of Naples, the Duke of Anjou was in the first place, until the king of Aragon expelled the French from Italy.

Giving a title almost equivalent to that of the Crown Prince to a disgraced illegitimate son, it is not surprising that some people think that Louis XIV acted on impulse, but it is obvious that the Naples nobles who were fortunate enough to watch at the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence were not so. thinks that the things they have been brooding about have finally been resolved, the Tuscan court was quickly occupied by these arrogant people, and the administrative speed that used to be unbearably slow became like a melting glacier, smooth and accessible , as long as the request is not excessive, the lords and princes will agree after a short deliberation.

   "I think it's not just because of a title." The Genoa messenger said, especially Cosimo III's concession, which is inexplicable, but he has two sons! Even if the eldest son is incompetent, at least he has to wait for the second son to grow up, and it is not too late to make a decision - he asked his servant to inquire about the news, but after a while, his servant ran back in a hurry, "His Majesty the king wants to see you. you!"

  The messenger of Genoa stood up, and his expression was not very good. There is only one king of Tuscany now, and that is Louis XIV.

   (end of this chapter)