Empire Rising: Spain

Around eight-thirty in the morning, the churches in Rome tolled 58 times, representing the life journey of the old King from 1820 to 1878.

The carriage carrying the body of the old King slowly made its way towards the Pantheon, with the Italian people along the way paying their highest respects and endless blessings to this monarch who unified the nation.

They hoped this meritorious King would reach heaven after his passing, and wished that his successor would be a friendly and benevolent King.

Carlo and his two brothers personally rode horses alongside the carriage, accompanied by King Luis of Portugal and Count Napoleon Jerome Bonaparte of Moncalieri, who also joined the procession because they were sons-in-law of the old King.

Three European kings personally escorted Vittorio Emanuele II to the Pantheon, Rome, enhancing the grand scale of the funeral.

Besides Carlo and Luis, the two kings who personally shouldered the coffin, many monarchs and important officials from various countries attended the old King’s funeral.

Italy, after all, is a second-tier great power, and even great powers cannot completely ignore Italy’s presence.

All five of Europe’s traditional great powers sent envoys, and Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria-Hungary even sent Crown Prince Rudolf to attend the old King’s funeral.

When the old King’s body arrived at the Pantheon, the funeral ceremony formally began.

First, the Bishop eulogized Vittorio Emanuele II’s achievements, praising him as an exemplar for all Christian believers, dedicating his life to Italy and the Italian people.

As the King who unified Italy, Vittorio Emanuele II had many achievements worthy of praise. At the very least, the accolades from the public are genuine; under his leadership, Italy accomplished unification and officially became a nation of great rank.

After the Bishop’s eulogy, the Italian Prime Minister stepped forward to recite a passage from the Gospel of John in the Bible, wishing the great Italian King would soon enter heaven.

Following this segment, there was a three-minute moment of silence.

Because of prior arrangements, from 11:35 to 11:38 in the afternoon, the bells of all churches in Rome tolled, collectively observing a three-minute silence for the great King.

After the moment of silence concluded, the national funeral segment officially ended.

The body of Vittorio Emanuele II would be placed in the Pantheon’s tomb, where future generations could come to the Pantheon to pay their respects to the old King.

Having completed the entire funeral, Carlo returned to his residence, and it was already night.

Alone in his room, Carlo’s emotions were quite complex. With Vittorio Emanuele’s departure, Carlo’s ties with Italy would be completely severed.

Although the current King of Italy is his brother, Carlo understood that relations between Spain and Italy would gradually become unfamiliar.

Although Spain and Italy remain allies, this alliance is more about self-interest, with familial affection becoming secondary.

However, this also allowed Carlo to devote himself fully to Spain’s development. If any issues were to arise in the Italian Royal Family in the future, Carlo was willing to protect his brother’s descendants.

Of course, it would be best if nothing arose. The Savoy family’s rule could continue to pass down in Italy, which was exactly what Carlo’s father, Vittorio Emanuele II, hoped for.

After the funeral, Umberto, who became King, became even busier.

During the time when the old King was gravely ill, it had been Umberto handling governmental affairs. Now that he officially became King, he still needed to transition with the current cabinet government.

Even though he had been dealing with governmental affairs, the rights of a Crown Prince and a King are entirely different. Carlo understood this, as a King who cannot control the cabinet government also represents a loss of power.

In Italy, Carlo had one more person he wished to see, that being Garibaldi, who also made outstanding contributions to Italy’s unification.

After Italy’s unification, Garibaldi faded from public view and retired to Caprera Island.

However, after Vittorio Emanuele II fell gravely ill, he reactivated Garibaldi.

Thus, Garibaldi was elected as a member of the parliament in Rome and was personally received by Vittorio Emanuele II.

The two reached a consensus on Italy’s situation; neither Vittorio Emanuele II nor Garibaldi wished to see the painstakingly unified Italy fall back into division.

However, despite being elected as a parliament member, Garibaldi spent most of his time on Caprera Island. This was largely due to Garibaldi’s deteriorating health, which significantly depleted his energy compared to before.

After Vittorio Emanuele II was critically ill, Garibaldi also began considering his own final affairs.

Nonetheless, because both of his sons were far away in Spain, Garibaldi continued to channel more emotion into patriotism and frequently made suggestions on governmental and party decisions.

According to historical experience, Garibaldi didn’t have much time left. Carlo had considerable reverence for this Italian great.