Rise of Empires: Spain.

Chapter 18 Win
Primo's inspection was soon over, and he told Vittorio Emanuele II the final candidate for king.

Yes, Carlo had won the competition between him and Amadeo and was about to become the new King of Spain.

The reason why Carlo won the competition was actually more because of Carlo's support for reform and Garibaldi's praise for Carlo.

When Juan Primo Putras was drawing up a list of candidates for the Spanish throne, he once said with emotion: "Looking for a king who supports democracy in Spain is like looking for an atheist in heaven."

Although a constitutional system was nominally established during Isabella's reign, Queen Isabella still held a great deal of power and the royal government was quite ignorant and feudal.

Primo was tired of this extreme authoritarianism. When looking for a new king for Spain, Primo repeatedly mentioned the need for reform and democratization.

The king can hold power, but he must never monopolize it.

At this point, Carlo, who had come into contact with Garibaldi, who once supported the republic, was clearly at an advantage.

Amadeo has no disadvantages, and his age is even more advantageous. If Spain is in a stable state, Amadeo will definitely be the well-deserved candidate for the King of Spain.

But now Spain is in tatters, and Amadeo is powerless to change the current situation in Spain. If Spain is to undergo deep reforms, the monarch and his subjects must work together to promote comprehensive reforms in Spain.

In this regard, Carlo will have more advantages than Amadeo. Even if Carlo's support for reform is not as firm as expected, Primo can still force the reform through military and political monopoly.

After all, a 19-year-old king is easier to control than a 25-year-old king, which is very important for Spain's reforms.

There is also Garibaldi's evaluation of Carlo.

During Primo's investigation of Carlo and Amadeo, he discovered that Carlo and Garibaldi had a closer relationship than he had imagined.

Not only did Garibaldi publish several articles in the Italian Sun, his second son, Giotti, was also Carlo's palace guard.

Being able to allow his son to get close to Carlo also means that in Garibaldi's heart, Carlo is at least not the kind of arrogant prince who cannot see the situation clearly.

Combined with the previous influence of the Italian Sun on Spain, it can be basically concluded that Carlo had already anticipated the Spanish king selection and had been preparing in advance.

Primo himself still wanted to cooperate with the wise king. If possible, it would not be impossible to establish a close relationship between King William I of Prussia and Prime Minister Bismarck.

Decades ago, Prussia was also a country that was arbitrarily invaded and humiliated by France. But after decades of reforms, Prussia has become one of the most powerful countries in continental Europe, and the war with France is also the focus of Primo's attention.

Primo did not expect the reformed Spain to be as powerful as Prussia. For Primo, what he hoped was to see Spain achieve revival and return to the throne of a first-class power and a great power in Europe.

Primo is still very confident at this point. If he can welcome a monarch who supports his reforms, perhaps the revival of Spain is not a dream, but a reality that can be seen in 20 years.

Carlo's emotions were mixed.

Although Carlo had always been looking forward to winning this competition, he became nervous and hesitant when he suddenly learned that he was going to become the King of Spain.

Seriously speaking, reviving Spain in 1869 was definitely the most difficult task among all the major European powers.

Spain was in a slump at the beginning. Internally, the Republicans, Reformists, Conservatives, and Carlos factions were creating trouble for each other, and the country was in constant chaos. Externally, Britain and France would not allow Spain to become too powerful. If Spain wanted to revive, Britain and France would be the first to bear the brunt.

This is definitely a hellish start, as difficult as Poland's counterattack against Germany at the beginning of World War II.

After adjusting his mentality a little, Carlo decided to go to Spain, and he was determined to go to Spain.

Now that I have traveled to this world, how can I be worthy of this opportunity if I don’t fight bravely?

Moreover, Britain and France are not absolutely invincible, and the Spanish mainland is at least still very safe.

Neither Britain nor France would allow the other to occupy Spanish territory. At most, they could only block the expansion of the Spanish navy and colonies.

Anyway, it is not only Spain that needs colonies now, and it will definitely not be Spain that takes the lead in opposing Britain and France.

For the first five or even ten years of Carlo's administration in Spain, the most important thing was to resolve Spain's internal conflicts and implement reforms to improve Spain's overall national strength.

After the competition, Carlo met with his brother Amadeo.

Putting aside this rivalry, Carlo and Amadeo still had a decent relationship. Although not as close as Carlo and the deceased Prince Odone, they were not superficial brothers either.

Amadeo congratulated Carlo on becoming the King of Spain with a smile on his face. Although there was a hint of regret on his face, he did not feel too much resentment.

Carlo certainly would not take the initiative to make enemies with his brother. In the important stage of Spain's reform, Italy will be an important ally of Spain.

Whether his old father was in power or Crown Prince Umberto would inherit the throne in the future, Carlo wanted to have good relations with Italy.

After all, Italy is also a retreat. If Spain is really hopeless, the worst that can happen is that he can escape back to Italy and become a free and easy duke like Amadeo in history.

Also coming to congratulate Carlo was Carlo's elder brother, Crown Prince Umberto.

Crown Prince Umberto is the heir to the Italian throne, so he did not participate in this competition. Because he was determined to be the crown prince at birth, Crown Prince Umberto is friendly to his brothers.

In his father's office, Carlo met the old king who seemed reluctant to leave.

"My child, I never thought that you could win the competition with Amadeo. But no matter what, I still want to congratulate you on becoming the King of Spain." Vittorio Emanuele II looked at Carlo with a complicated expression, with a hint of surprise and some reluctance on his face.

"Have you met Primo? When do you plan to go to Spain?" After expressing his blessings to Carlo, Vittorio Emanuele II asked two questions in succession.

"Not yet, father. If possible, I would like to go to Spain earlier and learn everything about Spain earlier." Carlo shook his head and replied.

First update, please support! (The previous error in calculating the travel time between Rome and Madrid has been corrected)



(End of this chapter)