Among the emperors’ coronations in European history, there are two very distinctive ones. One is Napoleon, the God of War, and the other is William I!
Neither of these two were crowned by the pope, they were crowned by themselves. The more interesting coronation ceremony of William I did not even include a crown.
Times are indeed different, and humans have different interpretations of imperial power!
The Pope was present at the coronation ceremony of Napoleon, the God of War. Originally, the Pope wanted to put the crown on the emperor with his own hands, but Napoleon picked up the crown with one hand and put it on himself.
Why is this so? Because Napoleon was an elected emperor, regardless of whether there was a conspiracy or not, the emperor was elected by the vote of the French people.
This kind of emperor is completely different from the emperors who were born with divine rights in the European Middle Ages, and the hereditary and irreplaceable monarchs in China. Napoleon III wore the name of emperor, but the foundation of his governance was still the ideological trend of natural human rights after the Great Revolution.
When William I came, it was even more special. I didn’t even want a crown. I was crowned in the palace of the defeated country. The whole hall of mirrors was full of shining sabers!
What kind of pope do you want? We are a Protestant country, and by nature we cannot urinate in the same pot as your Pope!
What crown do you want? We are a militaristic country, and the saber is the throne behind the crown on my head!
The powerful Prussian army is the foundation for the unity of the German Empire!
One is a democratically elected emperor who was elected based on the idea of natural human rights of the Great Revolution!
One is an emperor who was pushed out by militarism and all the people were armed with victorious guns and cannons!
These two coronations have smashed the medieval traditions to pieces, and the nobles of the old world have been dumbfounded and speechless!
All the French people in the Palace of Versailles were trembling and sweating. They were frightened by this barbaric coronation ceremony of the Prussians!
Also attending the ceremony were the British and American ambassadors in Paris. They wrote profoundly in their subsequent reports, "The establishment of the German Empire will definitely become a destabilizing factor for the European continent and even the world!"
"Because this is a fanatical militaristic empire, and war and violence are in their blood. A country that relies on sabers to promote itself will definitely choose to use sabers to solve problems in the future!"
"Don't be careful!"
Xiao Letian looked at everything in front of him like a dream. Witnessing the birth of the German Empire with his own eyes was the greatest benefit for a time traveler.
No later works of art can describe the atmosphere at that time. Extremely fanatical and extreme militaristic believers occupied the entire Hall of Mirrors, and everyone was intoxicated by the shouts of "Long Live".
William I, the crown prince, and his grandson were all intoxicated and unable to extricate themselves... Wait, among everyone's obsessed expressions, only Bismarck's eyes seemed to show a trace of nervousness and uneasiness.
Xiao Letian couldn't help but guess. Could it be that Bismarck also saw the crisis in the prosperous age? As a time traveler, of course I know the final fate of this empire. Can a contemporary person like him, who is in the middle of the game, also pry into the secrets?
It seems that I must chat with him more when I have time, but definitely not today, because today is the celebration of his German nation, and we, as guests, should not get involved and steal the limelight.
The shouts of long live the song come and go as endlessly as the waves!
The cheers in the Hall of Mirrors infected the entire Versailles Palace defenders. The entire Versailles Palace defenders also began to cheer long live. The soldiers hugged each other and cried in ecstasy!
The movement in the Palace of Versailles also affected the entire town. After tens of thousands of the Guards learned the news of the Kaiser's coronation, they cheered and roared for more than an hour without stopping!
Then the news reached the front lines of the siege of Paris. The citizens of Paris suddenly heard a tsunami-like cry coming from the city walls and periphery. Blanqui opened the window and asked in horror, "Are the Prussians about to attack the city? What are they shouting about?" …”
"Teacher... Teacher is bad! Those Prussians are shouting long live the German Empire and long live the emperor!"
"Listen, they are still firing into the sky in celebration..."
Blanqui's heart skipped a beat, "The German Empire? When did this country appear... Could it be that William I was crowned emperor!"
"Have all the German states accepted Prussian rule? Damn it, damn it... how dare they humiliate France like this!"
Defeating one's most powerful enemies, and then announcing the establishment of the empire on their bones, on their land, and in front of their conquered people, is the most cruel humiliation to the defeated!
But the Prussians did it. They had announced the establishment of an empire at Versailles. From then on, the geopolitics of Europe completely changed!
"What should we do? Teacher, what should we do..." Many leaders of the commune gathered around Blanqui and asked anxiously.
Blanqui's eyes secretly glanced at the locked drawer. There was a secret letter from London sent through a top-secret channel in the desk drawer. It was a secret letter sent to him by his comrades-in-arms.
In the letter, his bearded comrade-in-arms urged him to restrain himself and control the size of the commune... He revealed deep worries between the lines.
Each piece of favorable, polite and courteous analysis told Blanqui that the foundation of their revolution was very weak and that there was no hope of success at all. The only solution for now was to compromise with the government!
No matter what kind of government the French Grand Assembly elects, whether it is a royalist government or a new bourgeois government, the Commune should recognize it and actively integrate into it!
The strength is still too weak, and now there is no strength to fight with the enemy, so we can only choose to endure it, survive as a small party, and accumulate strength!
Don’t always think about eating a fat man in one bite, don’t always think about becoming the ruling party immediately, and don’t always think about armed riots!
The situation is difficult, ideals cannot be eaten, and only by surviving can we have hope of future victory!
Blanqui was really moved. He closed his eyes and sighed, "Don't take any action, don't provoke the Prussians, stay away..."
"Send an envoy to Bordeaux and express goodwill to the Grand Council... No matter who is elected by the Grand Council, we will recognize it!"
"Teacher..." everyone shouted in unison, but Blanqui waved his hand, turned his head and closed the door, and no one was seen!
At this moment, the atmosphere in the Palace of Versailles was still full. Kaiser Wilhelm I walked up to his loyal courtiers. He held a wine glass and said the classic toast.
"You, General Rohn, have sharpened the sword; you, General Moltke, have used the sword correctly: you, Count Bismarck, have presided over my policy so brilliantly for many years, and I think of you especially when I thank the troops. There are three of you.”
"Let us pay tribute to the three heroes of the German Empire! Cheers!"
During the toasts, the faces of the three Prussian heroes turned red, and a sip of champagne already made them intoxicated!
But at this moment, William I turned his attention to Xiao Letian, who was watching the excitement by the window, and strode over!
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