Chapter 113: 1872
For the Spanish Government in 1871, the two most important things were the development of national industry and Carlo’s marriage preparations.
Carlo was surprised to discover that the government attached far more importance to this marriage than he did, and Prime Minister Primó personally oversaw the procedures and scale of the political wedding.
But it made sense upon reflection. This marriage alliance concerned not only the Austro-Hungarian Royal Family and the Spanish Royal Family, but also the Austro-Hungarian Imperial Government and the Spanish Government.
Prime Minister Primó’s long-cherished reforms finally had powerful support—how could this not excite Prime Minister Primó?
To maintain good relations with the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the original scale of the wedding was repeatedly expanded by Prime Minister Primó into an ultra-large-scale event, with funds mobilized reaching over 5 million pesetas.
Don’t underestimate 5 million pesetas; the total value was nearly 200,000 pounds sterling. In this era, that amount could order an ironclad capital ship, making it truly extravagant to invest it all in the wedding.
Of course, this was without counting many hidden expenses. If all expenses were included, the wedding could cost around 10 million pesetas.
The reason the government placed such emphasis on the wedding was naturally due to Sophie, Spain’s future queen, and her status in the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
Among the four children of Emperor Franz Joseph I, the first three had relatively good relationships. Archduchess Sophie, her sister Grand Duchess Gisela, and her brother Archduke Rudolf were all raised by their grandmother, Princess Sophie of Bavaria.
Because they grew up together from childhood, the three siblings had an extremely good relationship, even inseparably close.
Archduchess Sophie and Grand Duchess Gisela doted greatly on their brother Archduke Rudolf, who was the future heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne.
For the Spanish Government, nothing was more important than building a good relationship with Archduchess Sophie. If they pleased her, they could gain more support from the Austro-Hungarian Empire in the future through her relationship with Archduke Rudolf.
With the current Austro-Hungarian Emperor and the next emperor both being close relatives of the Spanish queen, didn’t this mean that the close relationship between Spain and the Austro-Hungarian Empire could be maintained for a long time?
Regarding the wedding procedures, Carlo had actually planned a route from Spain to France, then to Italy, before arriving in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, along with a return procession to fetch the bride.
However, upon second thought, the French might not be willing for Carlo to lead an army to the Austro-Hungarian Empire to fetch the bride, unless it was only a small force.
But marching with such fanfare with only a small force would inevitably treat his personal safety like a game. If some extremists staked their lives on assassinating Carlo, or simply aimed to cause trouble at the wedding, Carlo would suffer a huge loss.
After all, this marriage alliance between Spain and the Austro-Hungarian Empire would attract attention from many countries. If any trouble occurred during the wedding, it would invite mockery from other countries.
After careful consideration, it was ultimately decided to use the navy to fetch the bride, landing in Spain and switching to train from Valencia, then proceeding all the way to Madrid.
To showcase the grandeur of the royal wedding, the royal train that Carlo usually rode would undergo certain modifications to ensure safety while guaranteeing comfort.
Carlo’s marriage was also a good thing for Prime Minister Primó. After all, Prime Minister Primó’s reforms depended on the king’s support, as well as Spain’s stable situation.
Carlo was currently still single. If some accident suddenly occurred, it would cause incalculable shock to Spain at present.
If Spain, which had only just stabilized with great difficulty, fell into civil war again, Prime Minister Primó would have nowhere to cry.
For Prime Minister Primó now, the more stable Spain’s situation, the better. No matter who Carlo’s marriage alliance partner was, as long as it helped the royal family branch out, it was a good thing.
Moreover, Archduchess Sophie’s identity and status were also helpful for Spain’s development, making it even more of a good thing.
Carlo was surprised to discover that, aside from preparing for this wedding, he seemed to have nothing else to do.
All of Spain was making every effort to prepare for the wedding, and the public was also full of anticipation for the marriage alliance between the royal family and the Austro-Hungarian Royal Family, as if the wedding had become the focus of attention for all of Spain.
Time passed quietly like this, 1871 became history, and 1872 arrived in a flash.
On January 1, 1872, Carlo handed a letter he had long since written to his subordinates, instructing them to deliver it to Archduchess Sophie in Vienna, after which he breathed a sigh of relief.
Time flew by, and only one month remained until Carlo and Archduchess Sophie’s wedding.
In February 1872, Carlo and Archduchess Sophie’s wedding would be held in Madrid, also marking the coming together of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and Spain after the wedding, becoming new allies.
The Austro-Hungarian Empire also attached great importance to this wedding.
Emperor Franz Joseph I of the Austro-Hungarian Empire even boldly dispatched army and navy units to provide escort protection.
An army of up to 5,000 men would escort Archduchess Sophie and her party from Schönbrunn Palace all the way to the southern port, then depart on Spanish warships.
This was not all; during the fleet’s return to Spain, the Austro-Hungarian navy would also provide escort protection, while demonstrating the Austro-Hungarian Empire’s national prestige to other countries.
Emperor Franz Joseph I did this for a purpose. Since the Austrian Empire’s defeat by Prussia last time, the nation’s prestige had indeed suffered significant losses.
Although the French were later defeated by Prussia as well, this still could not change some views that the Austro-Hungarian Empire had weakened.
The reason Emperor Franz Joseph I did this was to showcase the Austro-Hungarian Empire’s military strength to other small countries in Europe in this manner.
Making them deeply understand that although the Austro-Hungarian Empire could not defeat the German Empire, it was still an unattainable superpower compared to them.
The Five Great Powers of Europe were not just words; compared to the remaining lesser great powers, the Austro-Hungarian Empire’s strength still existed, remaining that unattainable world great power.
Of course, the Austro-Hungarian Empire did this after first consulting Spain’s attitude. After all, the Austro-Hungarian Empire had no intention of showing off its military might to Spain; in the future, Spain would remain an important ally of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
Updating the second chapter from yesterday, seeking support!
