Empire Rising: Spain

Chapter 125: Chapter 113: Changing History?

The scale of this wedding was undeniably grand, with the invited nobility starting from the rank of Marquis, and the officials were at least leaders of the Cabinet Government and key departments.

Naturally, this grand-scale wedding also attracted the attention of many domestic and international media, having already been on the front pages of major Spanish newspapers for a month.

The wedding for Carlo was presided over by Archbishop Pedro of Toledo, who is also the highest-ranking archbishop in Spain.

To Carlo’s surprise, the Church chose neutrality in the government’s earlier reforms and did not directly oppose the government.

Although this also made the Church lose many benefits, including most of the land under its control. But at least for the present Church, they can still continue to exist instead of being replaced by new candidates chosen by the government and the Royal Family.

Spain is indeed a Catholic country, but the problem is that the current Pope’s own situation is not very well, let alone intervening in the Spanish Church’s affairs.

With the rebellion of the Carlos Faction having been thoroughly resolved, even if the Church wanted to incite a rebellion, the success rate would likely be low.

After all, it is no longer the era of religiousism; the influence of religion on Europeans is diminishing. If it was 100 years ago, there might still be a chance for success, but today’s Spain is no longer dictated by religion.

Of course, as the saying goes, a stick in one hand and a sweet date in the other. It’s naturally impossible to oppress the influential Church in Spain all at once.

When meeting with Archbishop Pedro, Carlo personally promised to consider establishing the title of Spanish Archbishop, who in the future would not only be the highest Catholic bishop in Spain but also have control over the Spanish Church and exert certain restraints on other religions.

As long as Archbishop Pedro is willing to cooperate with the government and the Royal Family’s rule, he is sure to become the first Spanish Archbishop in the future.

Although another possibility was not explicitly stated, Archbishop Pedro understood in his heart. If he is unwilling to cooperate with the government and the Royal Family’s rule, perhaps Carlo would support another Spanish Archbishop to counter the existing position of the Archbishop of Toledo.

Even though the Archbishop of Toledo is already the bishop with the highest power and status in the Spanish Church, let’s not forget the existence of the Pope.

The Pope is still huddled in the Vatican under the control of the Italian Government. If the Pope, under the coercion of the Italian Government, cooperated with the Spanish Government to create a position of Spanish Archbishop, then what power would he have left as the Archbishop of Toledo?

After all, the power of the Church is far less than that of the government. If the Church is further divided into two factions due to power struggles, it would only become prey for the government.

Under the watchful eyes of hundreds of nobles and high-ranking officials, Carlo and Grand Duchess Sophie pledged their vows together.

This wedding, besides the Spanish nobility, even witnessed the attendance of King Vittorio Emanuele II of Italy and Grand Duchess Sophie’s mother, Princess Sissi.

Besides these two distinguished noble figures, King Louis I of Portugal, Carlo’s sister Princess Maria Pia, and Carlo’s elder sister, Princess Maria Clotilde, who married Napoleon Jérôme Bonaparte, were also present at the wedding.

In fact, besides these nobles, even prominent Royal Families like those of UK and Germany sent representatives to attend the wedding and presented their gifts.

Actually, regardless of whether it’s Spain or the Austro-Hungarian Empire, both are significant enough to warrant the attention of these national governments. If these two countries united, their level of attention would increase, and the representatives attending the wedding were either Crown Princes or Dukes with certain prestige in the military.

Other countries’ Royal Families and governments aren’t foolish either. They are all contemplating the impact this wedding could have on the European structure.

This marriage signifies the rapprochement between the Spanish Government and the Austro-Hungarian Empire Government, so will the Italian Royal Family, which shares the same lineage as the Spanish Royal Family, join in?

If Spain, Italy, and the Austro-Hungarian Empire form an alliance, what impact would that have on the European situation?

Even if the likelihood is not significant, this matter will still provoke deep thought from other national governments and Royal Families and prompt them to consider their own actions.

Those most concerned about this are actually the British. The British deployment in the Mediterranean is well-known, with the Gibraltar Strait and the Suez Canal acting as two formidable fortresses, trapping all the countries along the Mediterranean coastline within the sea.

Apart from the British, Germany and Russia are also quite concerned about this matter. The Russians and the Austro-Hungarian Empire have conflicts in the Balkan Peninsula, but the current conflicts are not so intense.

After all, the Balkan Peninsula is still ruled by the Ottoman Empire, and many countries, including Bulgaria, have not yet gained independence. They can’t exactly go to war with the Austro-Hungarian Empire for countries that haven’t yet gained independence.

The most intense conflict between the Austro-Hungarian Empire and Russia was when the Balkan countries gained independence and both countries sought to gain more control over the Balkan Peninsula.

Currently, the Austro-Hungarian Empire and Russia’s conflicts aren’t as intense, which is also the historic reason the Triple Alliance could eventually form.