I Am Louis XIV - Chapter 572

   Chapter 572 Leopold I at the End of the Road

   “So it is.” Louis said lightly: “Leopold I was also at the end of the road, and there was nothing else he could do.”

   A wise man said that there are only three kinds of people in the world, men, women and monarchs. The reason why the monarch is listed as the third kind of person is because to be a true ruler, one must abandon the human nature in the body, so that the animal nature and the divine nature can replace it. But the problem is that, no matter how enlightened he/she is by being born as a human being, it is impossible to completely erase those innate things.

Moreover, it is also difficult to determine when to have animal nature and when to have divinity. In history, we can see many kings who have created great achievements that are admired and admired, but when you turn around, you also Countless unacceptable filth and venom can be found in the shadows of the light, and sometimes, we even sigh, how could he/she do such a thing – and this “thing” is often would represent both extremes—good and bad.

Leopold I was a good emperor, but his thoughts and practices were unavoidably constrained by this era, his power was constrained by the electors and the church, and his secular body was unavoidably constrained by the Habsburgs for hundreds of years. The torture and destruction of inbreeding, the most unfortunate thing is that there is also a giant who is almost unshakable in his contemporaries.

  The Sun King of France, Louis XIV.

The difference is only two years old, and they were also enthroned at a young age. It is destined that they will always be mentioned together and compared constantly, and the two largest territories of the Habsburg family, Austria and Spain, are being cut off by France, which means that , No matter how Leopold I wanted to develop, he would inevitably encounter Louis XIV head-on in the end.

We all know that the most despairing thing is not the gap between you and the enemy, but the distance that he is always one step faster than you, just a little short, and can be reached with a hand – as if as long as you With a little effort, with a little luck, you can pass him – but the truth is, you’ll only ever see his back.

Leopold I was dying soon, and the chase was coming to an end. Instead, he calmed down, and no longer looked forward, but looked around, his son was too young, and before he went to see God. He may not be able to come of age at that time, his queen, also his niece, like most noble girls, does not care or interfere in politics; when Italy was unified, the authority of the Roman Church plummeted – not long ago they were still begging the Italians Guarantee the independence and security of the Vatican; his ministers and generals are loyal, but all of them are underweight – that is, there are no people who can stand by the new Archduke of Austria and the Holy Roman Emperor to suppress the electors for him.

  Little Eugene Savoy turned out to be his only one, and fit like a regent appointed by God.

He was young, he was a Habsburg, the princes of the Holy Roman Empire were all his defeats, he also spent many years in the court and court of France, and Louis XIV taught by example – even Leopold I Not reconciled, but also to admit that the rule of the Sun King is almost irreproachable, and more importantly, after so many years, little Eugen also has a lot of prestige in the French military and political circles, and served as a lecturer at the Royal Military Academy in Paris. , if he stayed in Vienna, he would certainly attract many followers.

Louis XIV valued talents, but did not strictly require them to dedicate all of their talents to France – except for some key important people, if they were willing to go or stay in other things because of economic, religious or other problems The French people in the country do not have to worry about becoming “traitors”, but there are not many people who eventually settle, multiply and grow in other countries – because apart from France, there is no country that can completely ignore the stereotypes and red tape mentioned earlier. .

  Leopold I’s Austria was probably the closest place to Paris.

Leopold I once refused to open the window curtains facing the street at night because Madame Olympia said Vienna looked a lot like Paris at night, but he would never easily veto any kind of Louis XIV implementation and be punished. Confirming a feasible policy, he can proudly say that Austria is now a land that has been carefully tended by him. As long as outsiders have talent and loyalty, they will never have to worry about being stumped by stones here and spoiled by weeds. Or engulfed in a hidden swamp.

  If he can hold on for another ten years, no, even five years, he believes that he can hand over a complete, even prosperous Holy Roman Empire to his son Philip, but who let fate play such a trick?

   He needs little Eugen, and he also believes that what he has paid is enough to compensate for the loss suffered by little Eugen.

Of course, not the Hungarian crown, not to mention whether Leopold I could reach an agreement with the Grand Duke Tekei of Transylvania, and even if he could, he would not want Hungary to split from the Habsburgs – now he Having lost the Spanish crown, he must hold on to the remaining two.

“So he actually acts like a noble lady in the palace?” The Duke of Orleans laughed angrily. They could also be said to have watched little Eugen grow up. This child is also with some love and care.

“Well, maybe he still thinks he has done a good thing.” Louis said: “The eldest sister of the Duke of Lunenberg, it is said that the Duke of Lunenberg may have been promoted to the ninth elector a year ago, Leo Pod I’s move is undoubtedly to increase the competitiveness of Petty Philip, so as not to lose the throne of the Holy Roman Empire to another family, but the sister of an elector, it is no exaggeration to say that even the queen or the wife of the archduke, qualified.”

   “But he shouldn’t have used that,” said the Duke of Orleans: “To use deceitful feelings as a bargaining chip is simply more abhorrent than a clear-cut deal.”

   “Obviously,” Louis sighed: “He discovered the weakness of little Eugen.”

Little Eugene Savoy, the illegitimate son of the Habsburgs, would be surprising that this young general who could slash the flag and gallop across the battlefield was actually a more sentimental than the Duke of Orleans, A tender character – there is nothing derogatory about Louis XIV here, a child born intelligent is always a little suspicious, little Eugen lost his mother at the age of three, although Madame Olympia was not a good mother… He was later brought up by his titular father’s mother, the Countess of Soissons, a Bourbon princess.

The title of the Countess of Soissons came from her father, the cousin of Louis XIII. San Kaien let the daughter of the Count of Soissons inherit the title, but the storms of those years were enough to make her become too cautious and well-behaved. She has only been to Versailles a few times, and then she still lives in Soissons. Just know.

Growing up in such a depressing and gloomy environment, although little Eugen is in good health, don’t expect him to be cheerful. Worst of all, the Countess of Soissons is taciturn, and her lips and teeth are like iron juice. But the maids and nurses around him couldn’t keep their mouths shut from the beginning to the end – they couldn’t help but say things like this. Linked to the meager but clear memories of childhood, little Eugen knew very well that he didn’t belong here.

When he is summoned to Versailles by the king, no, it is not his here either. Little Eugen is not even as good as the little Duke of Enghien, after all, the latter’s father is the king’s cousin and capable right-hand man, and now he is a reliable ally. Eugene’s mother was a father who nearly made him in name, and the ignorant woman (he was the eldest son) of Louis XIV’s disgrace, and his biological father was an enemy of Louis XIV.

   The eldest princess told Louis XIV about the little Eugen’s courtship of the eldest princess, but even if she didn’t say it, it was impossible for Louis XIV to not know.

However, this courtship is not so much for love, but rather a child’s hot dream in a long-term hesitation. The princess can see it very clearly – she and the princess, as the two highest-ranking nobles in Versailles The female, or the second-in-command of the “hostess”, has the right and duty to take care of the sons of princes who are entrusted here for education and training, such as the Duke of Enghien and Eugen.

Due to the stubbornness of Louis XIV, the education received by the princess and the princess is almost equal to half a politician. For them, love is not unsweet, but this sweetness is similar to the last embellishment after a feast. It’s a pity not to have it, but it’s not indispensable, not to mention that little Eugen was still a child in the eyes of the eldest princess at that time. Even if she grew up, the eldest princess looked at him like her own brother or even a nephew.

If it weren’t for this, she would not have slapped that slap in the face, and little Eugen also understood that if the eldest princess hadn’t regarded him as a close junior and was annoyed at his naivety, she would have taught him a lesson, otherwise she would never have done it. .

   “Perhaps we ought to allow him to go to Prussia with the Grand-County,” said the Duke of Orleans.

“Don’t be silly,” Louis said. “Do you really want him to stand outside the Berlin Palace as a squire?” In France, little Eugen can truly show his talent and talent. When he arrives in Prussia, what about Prussian people? Willing to have a Frenchman occupy an important position in the army or court.

“What’s more, he is more afraid of being abandoned than love.” Louis said that the concept of female guardians is different from that of male guardians. For little Eugen, he is more inclined to be demanded than to demand. It is very common for people who have undergone major changes in the period or are displaced – they will try their best to complete everything that is given by others, and if not, they will pursue and search, as if as long as there is value to be used, they will not. Like being abandoned.

This was only gradually discovered by Louis after the Grand Princess left. Little Eugen’s admiration for the Grand Princess and then transferred to the Grand Princess was not purely from a man’s love for a woman, but rather like a child chasing after him. Mother. Louis was neither disgusted nor so concerned—except for his relationship with the overly “egoistic” Duke of Orleans, which is not uncommon in fiction, drama, and reality, and generally speaking, if little Eugen’s pursuit is not negative The eldest princess with a political mission, but other older noble girls, may readily accept it as a guide to bring the boy into the adult world.

This kind of “love” may have one paragraph, two paragraphs, or three paragraphs, it doesn’t matter. When the young man “graduates” from the arms of the older noble girl, he can enter the marriage process step by step – almost all The nobles are like that.

   But Leopold I wanted to use the shackles of emotion and responsibility to leave little Eugen, so he chose the eldest sister of the Duke of Lunenberg.

The eldest sister of the Duke of Lunenberg was two years older than Eugen. A woman in her late thirties, if she hadn’t entered a convent, she would have been married or a widow. This lady Caroline was the latter. , to marry little Eugen—her character, no doubt, could not be compared with that of the eldest princess, but not as bad as Madame Montespan; A little more talent and talent than the former, she can ride a saddle, can use a musket, can read, can write, is well versed in politics, and even studied at the Women’s College in Paris for several months.

It can be imagined that when such a beautiful face, elegant and somewhat arrogant, bright-eyed woman “encountered” with little Eugen at the royal hunting ground in the Vienna Woods under the guidance of the Duke of Lunenberg, it was very difficult for little Eugen. Don’t be tempted – not to mention this lady… in the field of love, she is almost as victorious in every battle as little Eugen on the battlefield, and the latter is almost bewitched by her…

   “Then how did he wake up?” asked the Duke of Vendôme.

“Before the secret wedding, he insisted that the lady should be brought to Versailles to be seen by His Majesty the King.” The duke said with a smile: “To him Louis was like his father, and now he is about to complete a Why don’t you tell Your Majesty about a major event in your life?”

“That lady… um,” Louis said helplessly, “a little guilty… Little Eugen is not a real fool.” For a person like Little Eugen, no matter how thick the fog of love is, it is difficult to penetrate it. It only takes a moment like thunder and lightning, and once doubts arise in his heart, he will not let the power that Louis gave him to be useless, and it is too easy for Louis’ “bird” to figure out this matter.

What Leopold I expected was that he would marry the eldest sister of the Duke of Lunenberg without telling Louis XIV. If so, the Duke of Lunenburg would be placed in the Ming Dynasty with Leopold I once he became the new elector. The trump card on the face, his sister’s husband is not suitable to remain in the French army anyway. At that time, the little Eugen will become the new Archduke of Austria’s force in the army, and the Duke of Lunenberg will become his in the court. The forces above, the two are in harmony, and nothing is lost.

   (end of this chapter)