Empire Rising: Spain

Before becoming King of Spain, Carlo had already obtained the title of Duke of Chablis, which naturally doesn’t count here. However, Carlo’s eldest son, Juan Fernando, is already the first heir to the Spanish throne and is likewise the first heir to the Duke of Chablis title. In such a situation, receiving the title of Count of Genoa shows the great regard of Vittorio Emanuele II.

Unfortunately for several newspaper editors, Austria-Hungary seems not to have bestowed a title on the newly born Spanish prince.

Otherwise, being granted noble titles from two foreign countries at birth would surely be big news, attracting more people’s interest.

Fortunately, their disappointment did not last long. Not long after, Carlo made another major decision, granting his eldest son, Juan Fernando, the title of Duke of Montblanc.

In the Spanish nobility system, the Duke of Montblanc is relatively special, especially for the Catalonia Region.

When Catalonia was a sovereign country, the title of Duke of Montblanc was equivalent to the Crown Prince of Catalonia.

However, at this time, the Catalonia Region is just a regular region of Spain, and the Duke of Montblanc is merely a common dukedom.

For Spain, the noble title with symbolic meaning like the Prince of Wales in the United Kingdom is the Prince of Asturias.

However, Carlo had long decided not to strictly follow primogeniture.

If his eldest son’s abilities are not competent, the future choice for Spain’s king will be from his other children who are deemed more capable.

But if the eldest son’s abilities are reasonably competent, Carlo does not intend to cause more trouble. To judge whether a prince’s abilities are competent, he must undergo certain tests.

Carlo has already set the tests that Juan Fernando needs to undergo in the future. He must receive rigorous elite-style aristocratic education from a young age, and at the age of 16, attend military school, graduating as an ordinary officer.

After gaining at least three years of experience in the military, Carlo will then gradually introduce him to political affairs and refine his political capabilities.

During this period, as long as Carlo believes his eldest son is competent enough, he will grant him the title of Prince of Asturias, making him Spain’s de facto crown prince.

However, if his performance in political affairs is poor with no potential for improvement, Carlo will consider choosing a more capable candidate.

Of course, this is a matter for the distant future. Carlo is confident that none of his children are commonplace talents; under his tutelage, at the very least, they will grow into competent monarchs.

Given Carlo’s age, his reign effectively spans both World War I and World War II.

This also means his son only needs to follow the steps of national development, without facing the brutal world wars.

To some extent, this has lowered the requirements for the heir to the throne. After all, the unpredictable nature of world wars can plunge a developing country into an abyss in the blink of an eye.

Without sufficient ability, Carlo is reluctant to let his son, as a national ruler, experience a world war, which could make him the ultimate scapegoat.

Just like William II after World War I. Although William II was indeed the one who initiated WWI, by its later stages, Germany’s actual commanders had become Hindenburg and the Junker nobility.

And the ultimate result? Hindenburg became Germany’s president, whereas William II, who was marginalized in the later stages of the war, ended up losing his throne.

After a night of rush printing, the news of Carlo’s joy at the birth of his eldest son spread across Spain the next day.

Of course, the main spread was around Madrid. It would take more time to disseminate the news to other parts of Spain.

The newspapers all made the right bet, as the public was highly concerned about the news of Carlo’s eldest son’s birth. That day’s newspaper sales were several times those of the previous day, ensuring that all those newspapers that had temporarily decided to rush print were filled to the brim with profits.

The biggest earners were naturally the National Newspaper and Sun Newspaper. Not only did they steadily report the birth of Carlo’s eldest son, but they also divulged his name as Juan Fernando.

Of course, this disclosure was surely made with Carlo’s permission. Spain currently exercises relatively strict control over the press, and if Carlo did not wish it, news concerning the royal family would be hard to appear in newspapers, especially those like the Sun Newspaper and National Newspaper, which are under royal control.

Newspapers can certainly report royal family news, even false ones, to attract attention, but the price paid is far greater than any gains.

Previously, there were bold individuals who tried this, and in the end, not only faced fines of tens of thousands of Pessetas, but the newspaper’s top executives all ended up in jail.

Prime Minister Prim also supports the royal family’s strengthening control over public opinion. After all, the royal family mainly manages newspaper reports concerning itself. In this regard, Prime Minister Prim shares Carlo’s attitude, which is to report beneficial news about the royal family as much as possible.

If there is a deliberate attempt to smear the royal family, it could undermine Spain’s existing monarchy system. If Spain’s monarchy collapses, the stable development that Spain has managed would be wiped out.

Prime Minister Prim sees the situation clearly. For the current Spain, the importance of the king has been infinitely elevated.

If Spain becomes a republic, those nationalist factions that have been dormant would certainly rise again seeking independence.

Without the grand title of King of Spain as legal authority to unify all Spanish regions, how would the Spanish Government integrate all regions? By mere rhetoric? Of course not.