Chapter 437 The Battle for the Spanish Throne

When the economic crisis broke out, it was not only the two countries that deteriorated relations. As the source of this economic crisis, the British are the most hated.

It doesn't matter if they are dumping, the problem is that they are dumping in Europe. For international relations in this era, it is enough to look at the European continent, and it does not matter if other countries ignore it.

Everyone already had excess production capacity, and the British dumping directly detonated the crisis. Needless to say, governments around the world put the blame on the British.

In Paris, patriots took to the streets again. This time, they are not anti-government. They are calling on the people to boycott British products and support domestic production.

The same scene has happened in many cities in Europe, and it is natural that capitalists are behind it. The British robbed the market and threatened their very existence.

The governments of various countries have indeed increased tariffs, but the goods that have already poured in cannot be returned, right? There is no shortage of compradors in any country, and the integrity of people in front of their interests is always low.

In the context of the Great Dumping, Anglo-French relations have deteriorated, Anglo-Austrian relations have deteriorated, Anglo-Prussian relations have deteriorated, and Anglo-Belgian relations have deteriorated…

If the British were a continental country, they would have to worry about being beaten up. However, as a maritime empire, they have nothing to fear from the Royal Navy.

Don't dream of a union of European countries, and it is not only these countries that have deteriorated relations. Due to the trade conflict, the Prussian-Prussian relationship has deteriorated, the Franco-Prussian relationship has deteriorated, the Franco-Austrian relationship has deteriorated, and the Russian-Austrian relationship has deteriorated...

To put it simply: In order to save yourself, everyone's relationship is not good.

You dump on me, I can dump on you, everyone hurts each other. Many conflicts are provoked by the capitalists for their own interests and are simply out of control.

In the face of the crisis, only the fastest-responding companies can escape the disaster, realize inventory in the shortest time, and cut production capacity in time. A company with a slow response can only rely on its strength to support it.

To get through the economic crisis, the most commonly used means is war. War can consume surplus materials, and it can also plunder wealth and markets.

As a result, many countries have suffered unwarranted disasters.

The French launched the Egyptian War, the Mali War, and the Algerian War; while the British launched the Ethiopian War, they also launched a war against Tunisia.

This is directly related to the rapid deterioration of relations between Britain and France. Between each other, they no longer give each other face, they just do it.

According to the prevailing international practice in this era, whoever grabs it belongs to whoever gets it. Before the actual occupation, all countries have opportunities.

Austria has not been idle either. It has ignited wars on the African continent, and regions such as Botswana, Tanzania, and Kenya have all become battlefields.

The atmosphere in the Middle East is also tense, and Franz is still hesitating whether to launch an attack on the Arabian Peninsula. If the economic situation continues to deteriorate, it is certain that the Ottoman Empire will be in trouble again.

The relations between the countries of the European continent are tense, the war in Africa is raging, and there is no peace in Asia. The relationship between the four Central Asian countries suddenly became tense, and the uneven distribution of spoils led to the breakdown of this fragile alliance.

There is no doubt that the British handwriting is indispensable here. The four Central Asian countries contain each other, and they mediate in the middle, which is beneficial for them to obtain the greatest interests.

In order to get rid of the economic crisis, European countries also stepped up their invasion of Japan, Indochina Peninsula and other countries, among which the Kingdom of Prussia and the German Confederation performed extremely prominently.

The Phnom Penh Dynasty was destroyed by the Prussians, the Malay Peninsula was occupied by the German Federation, and it also fought with the Thai army.

The Americas region is relatively peaceful and generally stable. However, the Mexican civil war continues, and it has become an indisputable fact that the rebels have grown bigger. Massimiliano I had written several times complaining about the problem to Franz.

...

Spain also did not escape the impact of the economic crisis. Affected by the deteriorating domestic economy, the Spanish government delayed the payment of military salaries, which aroused strong dissatisfaction from the military.

In September 1868, a special group of mysterious guests was welcomed in the barracks in Cadiz, Spain. They dressed up as grooms to transport logistical supplies and entered the barracks.

"General Prim, that temptress Isabel knew all day long that she had sex with her boyfriend in the court, and cronyism made a mess in the country.

For the future of Spain, we cannot allow her to continue to act recklessly. Otherwise, the great Spain will be destroyed by her. "

The speaker was the representative of the radical "Ira" in Spain, Bourgeois. The purpose of secretly entering the barracks this time was to say that General Prim, a young soldier in the military, launched an armed uprising and overthrew the rule of Queen Isabel II.

Although the adjective crosses a bit, Queen Isabel II is indeed not a good monarch, and is notorious for her terrible private life.

In this era, if there is a ranking of the world's faint-hearted kings, Queen Isabel II is definitely at the top, known as: the most unpopular queen in Europe.

Not only has a bad reputation among the people, but also is notorious among the nobility. She was even excluded from the monarchy circle, especially when other queens in Europe looked at her very unhappy.

In short, she not only lowered the average IQ of the monarch, but also lowered the overall image of the queen as a group.

The military's dissatisfaction with Isabel II has a long history, and General Prim, the representative of the military, is responsible for this secret negotiation.

The negotiation site is placed in the military camp, which is enough to explain a lot of problems.

Prim didn't beat around the bush and asked directly, "After the overthrow of Isabel II, who will be the king of Spain?"

As a nobleman, Prim is heaven

Born royalists. Like most countries, the Spanish army is also the stronghold of the nobles and the military force of the royalists.

The radical group represented by Bourgeois is actually a part of the constitutional monarchy, otherwise they would have no basis for unity.

If the republican faction were changed, General Prim would not be so easy to talk about. Directly ordering arrests would be normal operations.

"Your Excellency, we agree with your last proposal that a prince from the Hohenzollern dynasty should be appointed to the throne of Spain."

The issue of the throne has always been the focus of disputes between the two sides. Solve this problem, and the rest is easy.

The main reason for the military to support the Hohenzollern dynasty is to expand its power. No one is unmoved by the treatment of the Junkers nobles. Now that the opportunity has come, they will naturally not miss it.

Spain is to implement a constitutional monarchy, and the king's rights are to be suppressed. It didn't matter who the king was, the radicals made a compromise.

Of course, the prince of the Hohenzollern dynasty as the king also has political implications, which means that the strength of the military will be expanded.

This is one of the foundations of cooperation between the two parties. After the overthrow of Queen Isabel II, the radicals can take control of the new government, and the military will naturally benefit.

If there is not enough interest, no one can do this beheading business. The expansion of the military's rights is their reward for participating in this uprising.

Everyone knows the aftermath of the expansion of military power, and the radicals are no exception. They were initially opposed to it.

But the plans couldn't keep up with the changes, and as the domestic economy deteriorated, their backstage supporters had reached the limit of their patience with Queen Isabel II's rule.

It is impossible for any group to be separated from its supporters, otherwise it will be rootless. "Ira" is no exception. Under pressure from supporters, they decided to compromise with the military.

There is no way. The revolutionary party has failed so many times in its rebellion. They have also learned a lesson from it. They know that without the support of the military, the uprising cannot be successful.

After getting the answer he wanted, Prim showed a satisfied smile. The subsequent negotiations were smooth sailing, and the two sides quickly reached an agreement.

This is the famous "September League" in the history of the Spanish Revolution. The military youth group and the political radicals in the country formed an alliance, and everyone decided to join forces to overthrow the rule of Queen Isabel II.

The Spanish people have been suffering for Isabel II for a long time, and the uprising will naturally be resolved quickly.

On September 17, 1868, Francisco Serraro led the Cadiz army to launch an armed uprising.

The wave of the uprising was ignited, and many in Spain became violent. The common people, nobles, capitalists, military and other classes in Spain demanded the abdication of Queen Isabel II.

Seeing that the situation was out of control, the flustered Queen Isabel II appointed the Marquis of Jose to lead the army to pacify the chaos. Without any accident, Queen Isabel, who has always been cronyism, paid the price.

The government army was defeated by the rebels, and the insurgent army led by Francisco Serraro went straight to Madrid. On September 28, the dying Isabel II went into exile in France.

The sudden Spanish Revolution disrupted the deployment of European countries. "Revolution" is a topic that all governments are afraid of. In order to avoid the spread of the revolution, everyone is paying close attention to the situation in Spain.

Franz was no exception. After the outbreak of the Spanish Revolution, he convened a high-level meeting for the first time.

Although Spain has declined in recent years, the centipede worms are dead but not stiff, and they are still one of the great powers.

For Austria, a stable and powerful Spain can contain the energy of some of the French and ease the defense pressure on the Western Front.

The Vienna government has repeatedly wooed Spain in an attempt to establish an alliance to deal with a common enemy - France.

However, the mud was always unable to support the wall, and Franz gave up after many attempts. Seeing that Spain couldn't help it, the Vienna government turned to the French.

Having learned the lessons of failure, Franz did not have much confidence in the new Spanish revolutionary regime.

No way, this Spanish Revolution is more appropriate to say that it is a coup than a revolution.

The traditional interest class has not been broken. It is the vested interests who started this uprising. They are just dissatisfied that the policy of Isabel II has harmed their own interests.

Simply put, Isabel II reformed.

Reform is good, and under normal circumstances the nobles will not rebel easily. However, the reform policy of Isabel II has offended all parties.

It just happened to encounter an economic crisis, and domestic contradictions intensified. When it was time to vent it, this created conditions for the uprising.

Now just overthrow a queen, and her corrupt government, and replace it with a new government, essentially nothing has changed in Spain.

Foreign Minister Wesenberg said: "Isabel II has a bad reputation in Spain, and it is impossible to restore it.

If the French are willing to support and crowd her son Prince Alfonso to the throne, there is still a chance.

However, Prince Alfonso is too young to be able to deal with the current situation. It is impossible for all parties to make Isabelle II regent, and it can basically be ruled out.

There are many candidates at the back. After excluding the Bourbon Dynasty, the support rate is relatively high: Prince Leopoldo of the Hohenzollern Dynasty, he has the support of the Spanish military, but Napoleon III should be against it.

And Isabel II's brother-in-law, the Duke of Montponcher, only he

Prince Enrique was killed in a duel, and it was very difficult to succeed him.

The second is Fernando, the former regent of Portugal. It is said that we have received information that Fernando is not interested in the Spanish throne.

The remaining candidates, including the former Sardinian royal family, the Orleans dynasty, and several princes in our country, are not very popular. It is difficult to determine who will end up in the end. "

After speaking, Wesenberg looked at Franz nervously, as if he was worried that the emperor would force the Habsburg prince to succeed him.

If it weren't for the rules set by the ancestors, the Austrian lineage lost the right to inherit the Spanish throne, and the support rate of the Habsburg family in the current battle for the throne would certainly not be low.

It is a pity that the rules set by Charles V caused the Austrian branch of the Habsburg Dynasty to lose the right to inherit the Spanish throne, which became the biggest obstacle to the re-entry of the Habsburg Dynasty to Spain.

With insufficient legal basis, and the position that European countries are destined to oppose, it is naturally impossible for Franz to buck the trend.

The fact that several princes of the Habsburg dynasty can appear on the list of candidates means that they have given them face.

"Don't think about the princes in the country, when the Habsburg dynasty split, it was agreed that the Austrian branch and the Spanish branch did not have the right to inherit each other.

The Habsburg family of the Spanish lineage has already died out, otherwise the Bourbon dynasty would not have the throne at all, and Spain would not have fallen to this point. "

After speaking, Franz sighed, and this opportunity had to be missed regrettably.