April 1659, London, Hampton Court Palace.
Brigades of New Model Army soldiers were patrolling and guarding outside the center of British power. Not only did they dispatch infantrymen carrying the latest flintlock muskets, they also dispatched cavalry in iron armor. They even dispatched troops outside the gate of Hampton Court Palace. Cannons were set up.
He looked like he was facing a formidable enemy!
However, the streets outside Hampton Court Palace were still very peaceful at this time. No one was panicking, and no crowds gathered to oppose the current Lord Protector, Charles Cromwell. In fact, everyone has become somewhat accustomed to this kind of enemy-like atmosphere.
Since September last year, when the former Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell became terminally ill, Hampton Court Palace has been guarded by soldiers of the New Model Army from time to time, and the entire city of London has also entered a curfew - of course Well, there is not much nightlife in London nowadays. This is the world of Puritans. In addition to sleeping, praying, and making little Puritans at night, we also work overtime...
The current Lord Protector, Charlie Cromwell, on this curfew night, stayed beside the former Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell, who was in a dying state, with a sad face - he looked like a dutiful son at first glance. ah!
I don’t know if it was because he retired early for more than a year, but Oliver Cromwell’s health was slightly better than in history, and he survived for a few more months.
These few months, plus the more than a year before he took over the position of Lord Protector, are very important to Charlie Cromwell.
Although he still has the same indecisive character and is far inferior to his father in terms of running the country and employing people, this is Britain, the Puritan Britain!
When the Puritan warriors who believed in God followed their new protector, they defeated the coalition forces of Spain, the British Royal Party, and the French Fronde on the sand dunes outside Dunkirk, and then used parallel siege methods and ricochet tactics to break Dunkirk. After entering Erke Fortress, a close connection between them and Charles Cromwell was established.
Because on the battlefield, the Puritan soldiers charged with the slogan "Long live Charles Cromwell"! After the victory, they swore allegiance to Charles Cromwell and received corresponding rewards.
Breaking an oath is not the way of Puritan lunatics! How can you betray someone after you have sworn allegiance to God’s command? That's going to hell...
Therefore, the 20,000 to 30,000 new model officers and soldiers who followed Charles Cromwell and returned triumphantly from the Dunkirk expedition have now become Charlie's staunch supporters!
With their support, at least in London, no one can overthrow his rule - whenever Oliver Cromwell is critically ill, the New Model Army soldiers who support Charles Cromwell will leave in full force. Take to the streets of London to show Charlie Cromwell's strength.
But throughout Britain, and especially in Ireland, where Catholics make up the majority, the situation remains very unstable. Once the news of Cromwell's death spreads, there will almost certainly be a royalist rebellion!
If Charles Cromwell wants to ensure that he wins the upcoming decisive battle with the Royal Party, then he had better sign a peace treaty with Spain, the general backing force of the Royal Party, before then... And this is also The unanimous demand of British merchant ship owners.
The most dangerous enemy of the British merchant shipowners was not Spain, but the Dutch merchant shipowners!
However, in the past few years, British merchant ship owners have lost nearly 2,000 merchant ships due to attacks by Spanish privateers - it is a headache for the navy in this era to encounter enemies who adopt piracy tactics! Don't think that the Spanish navy can't defeat the British navy in a naval battle, and British merchant ships can sail unimpeded on the sea. The warships of the Barbary Pirate State in North Africa were weaker than the Spanish navy and it was impossible to confront the British navy, but the British merchant ships still had to pay them protection fees.
Therefore, the powerful British navy cannot protect British merchant ships sailing in the English Channel and the Atlantic Ocean. After losing as many as 2,000 merchant ships, the British capitalists have also been severely weakened and can no longer compete with their Dutch counterparts, so they hope for a decent The war is over.
In addition, there is also worrying bad news coming from France. Under the mediation of Red Prime Minister Mazarin, the Habsburg dynasty of Spain and the Bourbon dynasty of France are discussing a marriage.
There is nothing wrong with marriage... There are too many things in Europe where two countries that have been fighting each other for decades can become in-laws in the blink of an eye. But this marriage between the royal families of Spain and France has made the entire Western Europe on tenterhooks.
Because Maria Theresa, who was going to marry Louis XIV, was the eldest of the surviving legitimate children of Philip IV!
And her two younger brothers, Philip Prosper and Fernando Tomas Carlos, were in very poor health - they were both born from consanguineous marriages, and their blood relationship was too close, so they both suffered from fatal genetic diseases. .
Once these two children died, Princess Maria Theresa would become Queen of Spain... This is so ridiculous that Spanish and French warriors fought on the battlefield for almost twenty years and then accidentally , the queen and king of both of them are already sleeping in the same bed!
The issue of the Queen of Spain sleeping with the King of France also means that Spain and France have become a co-king alliance, and may even go one step further and become a country!
Are you kidding me? Spain and France are going to merge into one. How can the UK, the Netherlands, the HRE, and the Ottomans mix together?
Therefore, during this period of time, diplomats on the European continent were communicating secretly, conducting various secret negotiations for the possible merger of France and Spain. Various secret treaties have also begun to be drafted...
At such an important historical juncture, Oliver Cromwell, the founding father of the Republic of England, has reached the last moment of his life.
Once Britain loses such a wise, wise, and stern leader, and faces a huge Franco-Spanish alliance...it's really unimaginable!
I couldn't imagine that England's most dutiful son in the union of Western France was sighing. The immortal Oliver Cromwell suddenly coughed and came to his senses.
"Charlie, are you sighing? Did something bad happen to you again?"
Hearing his father speak, his filial son Charlie quickly looked at his father who was already too thin and as pale as a piece of paper - he had heard the doctor say that patients sometimes suddenly get better before they die. , his father is like this now, could it be...
"What's wrong? Say it quickly!" Oliver Cromwell urged.
"Father, France, the King of France may marry Spanish public Maria Theresa."
"Oh," Oliver Cromwell responded, and then fell silent again. After a while, he said, "You should bless this marriage...and you don't have to object to the possible merger."
"Father......"
Oliver Cromwell said: "You should clearly express to France your position on agreeing to the union of France and Spain through secret channels. At the same time, you should discuss with the leaders of the Dutch Parliament the possibility of forming an alliance when France and Spain share the same monarch... ....
Remember, don’t, never get involved in conflicts on the mainland easily. Remember, before you fully control Britain, you must maintain good relations with France, Spain, and the Netherlands... If a war breaks out between them, Britain must be as neutral as possible.
You don’t have to worry about changes on the continent, but you must adjust your relationship with the Eastern Empire in a timely manner. If the shared monarchy between France and Spain is realized, then we should replace France and become the Eastern Empire’s most important ally in Europe... "
In his flashback, Cromwell is giving his last words to his son Charles, who seems to have taken control of the city of London. Cromwell is not worried about the changes that may occur on the European continent because he is very aware of the intricate entanglements of interests on the European continent. , it is very difficult for countries of the level of France and Spain to truly achieve union.
In this process, violent turbulence will definitely occur on the European continent. And Britain needs to stay out of the matter while replacing the Netherlands as the sea coachman between the Eastern and Western worlds...
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