Chapter 234 Funeral and Meeting

Vittorio Emanuele II finally left, but he left with a smile on his face, at least he had no regrets.

After the old king left, the Italian government immediately began to prepare for the old king's funeral.

In fact, as early as when Vittorio Emanuele II was seriously ill, the government had been quietly planning the old king's funeral.

But after all, the person has not left yet, and the planning can only be carried out in secret, and some aspects still need a long time to be perfected.

As the unifier of Italy, Vittorio Emanuele II's funeral must be of extremely high standards. Crown Prince Umberto specifically ordered the government to prepare for his father's funeral with extremely high standards and not to save any budget in any aspect.

Fortunately, after the unification, Italy is also a wealthy country, and the northern region of Italy can provide a large amount of fiscal revenue to the Italian government every year.

Even if it takes out tens of millions of lire to prepare for Vittorio Emanuele II's funeral, it is easy for the Italian government.

And the cost of the funeral is far from this figure. The value of Italian lira and Spanish peseta is not much different, and the currency of this era is still quite valuable.

According to the Italian government's estimate, even if the funeral of Vittorio Emanuele II is held at the highest level, the cost will never exceed 5 million lira.

As soon as Vittorio Emanuele II died, the Italian government announced the news to the public and announced that the old king's funeral would be held a week later.

The Italian people are still reluctant to see the old king leave. Of course, this is for the people who originally belonged to the Kingdom of Sardinia.

As for the Italian people in other regions, they have been under the rule of Italy for less than ten years. How could they have developed love for King Vittorio Emanuele II in these ten years?

After the old king died, Crown Prince Umberto naturally inherited the throne of Italy and became the new king of Italy.

But because the Italian government had to prepare for the old king's funeral, King Umberto's coronation ceremony was held half a year later.

But before the coronation, Umberto was already the official King of Italy. Because his father was the first King of Italy, King Umberto naturally became the first King of Italy named Umberto, that is, King Umberto I of Italy.

In fact, the old King Vittorio Emanuele II could also change his title from II to I after the establishment of Italy, but in order to appease the emotions of the people of the Kingdom of Sardinia, the old king continued to use his title during the Kingdom of Sardinia. This is why he is called Vittorio Emanuele II even though he is the founding monarch of Italy.

According to the plan of the Italian government, Vittorio Emanuele II, the unifier of Italy and the father of the Italian motherland, will be buried in the Pantheon in Rome, a magnificent palace with a history of nearly 2,000 years.

The original construction history of the Pantheon in Rome can be traced back to 27 BC, and was later rebuilt by Emperor Hadrian in 118 AD.

During the Roman Empire, the Pantheon was a temple dedicated to the Roman gods. After the fall of the Roman Empire, the Pantheon was converted into a Christian church.

Because Europe has a tradition of burial in churches, many outstanding celebrities in history are buried here, such as the youngest of the three great men after the Renaissance, the famous Italian painter Raphael Sansi.

After the death of Vittorio Emanuele II, Carlo and his two brothers personally carried their father into the coffin that had been prepared long ago.

The old king's coffin was a huge sarcophagus, and the bottom of the sarcophagus was covered with thick charcoal, which was to prevent water and moisture.

A blanket with the Savoy emblem was laid on the charcoal, and the old king's body was wrapped in it. As the king of Italy, Vittorio Emanuele II's burial objects were not luxurious.

Normal European monarchs like to put a lot of jewelry and gold coins, and they want to go to heaven with these wealth.

But it is not easy to say whether such greed can take them to heaven, and Vittorio Emanuele II obviously has no such idea.

Many of the old king's burial objects were just daily necessities. Among them were the nightgown of his first wife, Carlo's mother, Archduchess Adelheide, the military cap of Carlo's brother, Prince Odone, who died young, and the clothes of Carlo's two younger brothers, Prince Vittorio Emanuele, who also died young.

In addition to these, the old king's burial objects only included a few books he loved to read and some old photos, nothing else.

It can also be seen from this that the old king did not want luxurious burial objects after his death, but warmth and memories.

Although the price of each burial object was not high, for Vittorio Emanuele II himself, this was the most precious memory of his life.

At eight o'clock in the morning a week later, the Italian government officially held the funeral of Vittorio Emanuele II.

Although some Italians did not care about the king's death, many people who were fanatical about the unification of Italy came to Rome to attend the funeral of this great monarch.

At about 8:30 in the morning, the bells of the churches in Rome rang 58 times, representing the old king's life journey from 1820 to 1878.

The carriage carrying the old king's body slowly walked towards the Pantheon. The Italian people along the way paid their highest respects and endless blessings to the monarch of the unified country.

They hoped that the king with great achievements could reach heaven after his death, and they also hoped that the successor of the old king would be a friendly and people-friendly king.

Carlo and his two brothers rode horses around the carriage, accompanied by King Louis of Portugal and Napoleon Jerome Bonaparte, Count of Moncalieri. Because they were the sons-in-law of the old king, they also joined the farewell team.

The three European kings personally sent Vittorio Emanuele II to the Pantheon in Rome, which made the scale of the funeral even grander.

In addition to Carlo and Louis, the two kings who personally carried the coffin, monarchs and important officials of many countries also attended the funeral of the old king.

Italy is at least a second-class power, and even the powers cannot completely ignore Italy's existence.

All five traditional European powers sent envoys, and the Austro-Hungarian Emperor Franz Joseph I sent the Imperial Crown Prince Rudolf to attend the old king's funeral.

When the old king's body arrived at the Pantheon, the funeral officially began.

First, the bishop praised the achievements of Vittorio Emanuele II, praising him as a role model for all Christians and serving Italy and the Italian people all his life.

As the king of unified Italy, Vittorio Emanuele II has many achievements to be praised. At least the people's praise for him is true. Under his leadership, Italy completed its unification and officially became a country at the level of a great power.

After the bishop's praise, the Italian Prime Minister stepped forward and recited a passage from the Gospel of John in the Bible at the funeral, wishing the great king of Italy to set foot in heaven as soon as possible.

After this link, the whole audience was silent for three minutes.

Because of the reasons that had been communicated in advance, from 11:35 to 11:38, the bells of all the churches in Rome will ring for three minutes of silence for the great king.

After the silence, the state funeral officially ended.

The remains of Vittorio Emanuele II will be placed in the mausoleum of the Pantheon, and future generations can come to the Pantheon to worship the old king.

Carlo attended the entire funeral, and when he returned to his residence, it was already the evening of that day.

Staying alone in the room, Carlo's mood was quite complicated. After Vittorio Emanuele left, Carlo's connection with Italy would be completely cut off.

Although the current King of Italy is his brother, Carlo understands that the relationship between Spain and Italy will gradually become unfamiliar in the future.

Although Spain and Italy are still allies, this alliance is more for their own interests, and family affection becomes secondary.

But it's good that Carlo can devote himself to the development of Spain. If there are any problems with the Italian royal family in the future, Carlo is willing to preserve his brother's descendants.

Of course, it would be best if there were no problems. The rule of the Savoy family can continue in Italy, which is exactly what Carlo's father, Vittorio Emanuele II, expected.

After the funeral, Umberto, who became king, became busy instead.

During the period when the old king was seriously ill, Umberto had been handling government affairs. And after he officially became king, he still needed to hand over to the current cabinet government.

Even though he was also handling government affairs before, the power of the crown prince and the king was completely different. Carlo understood this. After all, if a king could not control the cabinet government, it meant that the king would lose power from then on.

In Italy, Carlo also wanted to see someone, that is, Garibaldi, who also made outstanding contributions to the unification of Italy.

Garibaldi faded out of everyone's sight after the unification of Italy and lived in seclusion on Caprera Island.

But after Vittorio Emanuele II became seriously ill, he re-employed Garibaldi.

In this way, Garibaldi was elected as a senator in Rome and was personally received by Vittorio Emanuele II.

The two reached a consensus on the situation in Italy. Neither Vittorio Emanuele II nor Garibaldi wanted to see Italy, which had been unified with great effort, fall into division again.

However, although he was elected as a senator, Garibaldi would stay on Caprera Island most of the time. Most of the reason for this was that Garibaldi's physical condition deteriorated, making his energy less than before.

After Vittorio Emanuele II was terminally ill, Garibaldi was also considering his own affairs.

However, because his two sons were far away in Spain, Garibaldi still put more emotion on patriotism and constantly made his own suggestions on the decision-making of the government and parties.

According to historical experience, Garibaldi did not have much time left. Carlo still admired this great Italian man.

What's more, Garibaldi's two sons were loyal to Carlo, so Carlo needed to meet Garibaldi in person.

No mistake, just go to 1619 to have a look!

Unlike the ordinary Italian farmer Carlo met for the first time, when he met Garibaldi this time, he was obviously older and more decadent.

But it is normal to think about it. Garibaldi is 13 years older than Vittorio Emanuele II. He is now 70 years old, which is a very old age.

The value of 70 years old in this era is comparable to 90 years old in later generations. After all, the average life expectancy is only 30 or 40 years old, and living long is definitely rare.

Garibaldi was not surprised by Carlo's arrival, because Carlo had already sent someone to notify him in advance.

After all, Garibaldi has served as a member of the Italian parliament, and it is impossible for him to stay on Caprera Island all the time.

The reason why Carlo notified in advance was to prevent himself from making a wasted trip.

Seeing Carlo again, Garibaldi was a little emotional.

When he first contacted Carlo, Carlo was just an ordinary prince in Italy, and he was only 16 years old.

But he didn't expect Carlo to win the Spanish king election and become the new king of Spain. This is not the end. After becoming the King of Spain, Carlo took back certain powers in various ways, and worked closely with Spanish Prime Minister Primo to make Spain stronger through reforms.

Although it was determined long ago that Carlo had certain ambitions and abilities, Garibaldi did not expect Carlo to be so outstanding and to be able to sit firmly on his throne in a very short time.

"Long time no see, Your Majesty Carlo." Garibaldi spoke first with a smile.

"Long time no see, Mr. Garibaldi." Carlo also nodded and walked forward.

"Time flies! It's time for us old guys to see God." Garibaldi said with some emotion.

"The development of the country still cannot do without meritorious officials like you, and the peace and stability of Italy still need you to maintain." Carlo replied.

Although Italy looks stable, there are some problems inside.

Italy can be divided into four parts at present. The Kingdom of Sardinia, which was originally ruled by the House of Savoy, is the first part. The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies in the south is the second part. Rome, which was originally controlled by the Papal States, is the third part. The states in northern Italy are the fourth part.

Among these four regions, the states in northern Italy are the ones with the most serious problems.

The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies in the south is a feudal autocratic country, and the Sicilians are not opposed to the rule of Italy.

After all, during the period of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, they suffered much more exploitation and oppression than during the Italian period.

The industry and economy of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies are relatively backward. Although there are also reasons for the lack of mineral resources, the autocracy and corruption of the kingdom are also a major factor.

Unlike the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, the industries and economies of the states in northern Italy are relatively developed, and the residents here have also given birth to more thoughts and ideologies.

Republican ideas have taken root here, which has also led to many republican supporters in Italy. The biggest problem facing the Kingdom of Italy at present is that these republican supporters are trying to subvert the rule of the kingdom.

Fortunately, Garibaldi saw the danger that the republic brought to the unification of Italy. If the republicans in Italy were not restricted, they would definitely undermine the current unification of Italy.

The reason why Garibaldi was willing to support the Kingdom of Sardinia of Vittorio Emanuele II was that he saw the bonus that the monarchy brought to the unification.

The monarchy may not be the best for Italy, but it is the easiest to maintain stability for the newly unified Italy.

The reason why Vittorio Emanuele II re-employed Garibaldi after he became seriously ill was that he saw the threat that the republic brought to Italy.

If it were only Crown Prince Umberto, it would be difficult to fight against the republicans in Italy. But if Garibaldi was willing to contribute, it would not be difficult to suppress the republicans in Italy.

Hearing Carlo's words, Garibaldi nodded.

The reason why he was willing to come out again after more than ten years of seclusion was mainly because he saw the threat of the republic to the unification of Italy.

This is actually the same reason why Spanish Prime Minister Primo chose to continue the monarchy. Only the monarchy can maintain the unity of the country.

If Italy were to transform into a republic, it would surely split into several states. This was the last thing Garibaldi, who had single-handedly promoted the unification of Italy, wanted to see. He was also willing to continue to cooperate with the Savoy family for the unification of Italy.

"Fortunately, His Majesty Umberto is quite capable, and Italy's stability and peace can continue to be maintained." Garibaldi also expressed his affirmation of Umberto when he talked about Umberto.

Umberto was the heir to the throne carefully cultivated by Vittorio Emanuele II, and his ability was at least qualified.

At least during Umberto's reign, Italy would not have too many problems. But if Italy wants to completely solve the problems brought about by the republicans, it must pray that Italy will give birth to a truly capable and ambitious monarch.

Thinking of this, Garibaldi couldn't help but look at Carlo, with a hint of regret in his expression.

In his opinion, Carlo's ability is higher than King Umberto's.

Moreover, Carlo was younger and could have sat on the throne longer, which meant he had more time to solve the Italian problem.

But unfortunately, Carlo became the king of Spain early and had no chance to rule Italy.

Garibaldi only hoped that Prince Vittorio Emanuele, the son of King Umberto, could grow up to be an excellent monarch like Carlo as soon as possible, or at least grow up to be a qualified monarch like his father King Umberto.

Only in this way can the throne of Italy be passed on stably and the situation in Italy can be stable for a long time.

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