Empire Rising: Spain

Chapter 18: Chapter 17: Victory

Prim’s inspection ended quickly, and he informed Vittorio Emanuele II about his final choice for the king.

Yes, Carlo emerged victorious over Amadeo in the competition and was about to become the new King of Spain.

The reasons for Carlo’s victory in this competition were mainly his support for reform and the praise he received from Garibaldi.

When Juan Prim Putras was drafting the list of candidates for the Spanish throne, he once said with a sigh, “Finding a king in Spain who supports democracy is like looking for an atheist in heaven.”

Although a constitutional system was nominally established during Queen Isabella’s time, she still held a lot of power, and the kingdom government was quite ignorant and feudal.

Prim had grown tired of this strong autocratic system, and when searching for a new king for Spain, he repeatedly mentioned the necessity for reform and democratization.

A king can wield power, but absolutely cannot have absolute power.

In this regard, Carlo, who had some contact with Garibaldi, who once supported the republic, was clearly at an advantage.

Amadeo had no shortcomings and even had an age advantage. In a stable Spain, Amadeo would undoubtedly be the best candidate for the King of Spain.

But now Spain was riddled with problems, and Amadeo was powerless against its current state. For deep reforms in Spain, the monarch and ministers must work together to push for comprehensive reforms.

In this aspect, Carlo was more advantageous than Amadeo. Even if Carlo’s support for reform wasn’t as firm as imagined, Prim could still force reform through military and political control.

After all, a 19-year-old king is easier to control than a 25-year-old king, which is very important for Spain’s reform.

Then there’s Garibaldi’s evaluation of Carlo.

During Prim’s investigation of Carlo and Amadeo, he found that Carlo’s relationship with Garibaldi was closer than imagined.

Garibaldi not only published many articles in the Italian Sun, but his second son, Giotto, was also Carlo’s palace guard.

Allowing his son to get close to Carlo also meant that in Garibaldi’s mind, Carlo was at least not the kind of arrogant and clueless prince.

Combined with the previous influence of the Italian Sun on Spain, it was almost certain that Carlo had anticipated the Spanish king selection and had already made preparations in advance.

Prim himself preferred to cooperate with a smart king. If possible, achieving a relationship as close as that between King of Prussia, William I, and Prime Minister Bismarck wouldn’t be impossible.

Decades ago, Prussia was also a country that France could invade and bully at will. But after decades of various reforms, Prussia had risen to become one of the most powerful countries on the European Continent, and the focus of Prim’s attention was also on the war with France.

Prim didn’t expect reformed Spain to become as powerful as Prussia. For Prim, he hoped to see Spain achieve revival and return to the ranks of the first-class powers in Europe.

On this point, Prim was quite confident. If a monarch supporting his reforms could be welcomed, perhaps Spain’s revival wouldn’t be a dream, but a reality visible 20 years later.

Carlo’s feelings were complex.

Although winning this competition was something Carlo had always looked forward to, learning that he was going to become the King of Spain made him a bit nervous and hesitant.

It’s no joke that wanting to revive Spain in 1869 was indeed the hardest among the European powers.

Spain started with a disadvantage. Internally, the Republicans, Reform Faction, Conservatives, and Carlos Faction were constantly causing trouble, leading to constant chaos.

Externally, England and France wouldn’t allow Spain to become too strong. For Spain to revive, it had to first confront the United Kingdom and France.

This was definitely a hell difficulty start, comparable to Poland’s counterattack on Germany at the start of World War II.

After adjusting his mindset slightly, Carlo still decided to go to Spain and was determined to go there.

Since he traveled to this world, how could he let this opportunity slip by without boldly fighting for it?

Moreover, England and France were not absolutely invincible, and at least Spain’s mainland was quite safe.

Neither England nor France would allow the other to occupy Spanish land; at most, they would only obstruct the Spanish Navy and its colonial expansion.

After all, it wasn’t only Spain that needed colonies, and it’s unlikely that Spain would be leading the opposition against England and France.

For Carlo’s governance of Spain in the first five or even ten years, the most critical was resolving Spain’s internal conflicts and implementing reforms to enhance Spain’s comprehensive national strength.

After the competition ended, Carlo met with his brother Amadeo.

Despite the competition, Carlo and Amadeo still maintained a good relationship. Although not as close as Carlo was with his deceased brother, Oddone Prince, they weren’t just superficial brothers.

With a smile, Amadeo congratulated Carlo on becoming the King of Spain, with a tinge of regret but not much reluctance.

Carlo certainly didn’t want to feud with his brother. During Spain’s critical reform phase, Italy would be a vital ally.

Regardless of whether his father was reigning or Crown Prince Umberto inherited the throne in the future, Carlo wanted to maintain good relations with Italy.

After all, Italy could be considered a fallback plan. If Spain were truly hopeless, he might as well return to Italy to live freely as a duke, just like Amadeo did historically.

Crown Prince Umberto was also among those who came to congratulate Carlo.

Crown Prince Umberto, as the heir to the Italian throne, did not participate in this competition. Due to being determined as the crown prince at birth, he was relatively friendly to his brothers.

In his father’s office, Carlo met the somewhat reluctant old king.

“Child, I never thought you could win over Amadeo in this competition. But anyway, I still want to congratulate you on becoming the King of Spain.” Vittorio Emanuele II looked at Carlo with a complex expression, with a hint of surprise and some reluctance.

“Have you met with Prim? When do you plan to go to Spain?” After expressing his blessings to Carlo, Vittorio Emanuele II immediately questioned him.

“Not yet, Father. If possible, I want to go to Spain earlier to learn everything about Spain sooner.” Carlo shook his head, answering.