Rise of Empires: Spain.

Chapter 385 The Danish Princess
So how much does a submarine with barely satisfactory specifications cost? According to the submarine development team's estimates of the price of various components, as well as labor and other costs, a submarine would cost around £5, or 75 pesetas.

Although 75 pesetas is a considerable sum, compared to the tens of millions of pesetas spent on large warships, the cost of building a submarine is clearly less than a fraction of that of a normal warship.

Given that building a submarine doesn't require much funding, Carlo decided to build 10 submarines at once to equip Spain's submarine force first.

Only by equipping a sufficient number of submarines can the shortcomings of existing submarines be identified during routine training and combat missions, and then specific improvements can be made based on the identified shortcomings.

When the admirals learned that Carlo planned to build ten submarines at once, even though they knew that building ten submarines would only cost 7.5 million pesetas, the news still excited them greatly.

For those naval vessels that personally participated in the development of submarines, they were certainly aware of the strategic significance and value of this new type of warship.

In a direct confrontation, ten submarines are no match for a single cruiser of several thousand tons. However, if a submarine successfully submerges and approaches the enemy's main warship, the results it can achieve may be something that several cruisers of several thousand tons cannot.

Cruisers of several thousand tons are far inferior to battleships in terms of firepower and armor protection, making it difficult for them to inflict damage on capital warships of the same class as battleships.

A battleship only needs to hit a cruiser with a single shell to inflict massive damage. For this reason, when assessing naval superiority, nations only consider their capital ships and do not take into account smaller warships of a few thousand tons.

Submarines can play a positive role in direct naval warfare, something that cruisers of several thousand tons cannot match.

In addition to building ten submarines at once, Carlo also invested more than 2000 million pesetas in the submarine research and development department.

For Carlo, the development of submarines in the coming years may be more important than the development of battleships. Battleships will be replaced in a few years, ushering in the era of dreadnoughts.

But submarines are different. Whether in the era of battleships or dreadnoughts, submarines can play a unique role.

Spain's investment in submarine research and development is definitely not a loss. Submarines played an extremely important role in World War I, which is unmatched by tanks and airplanes, which require stability.

Although tanks and airplanes had already been developed during World War I, due to the immaturity of the technology, tanks had a high rate of breakdowns and could hardly demonstrate the capabilities of a land-based superpower in World War II.

Aircraft performed somewhat better than tanks, but only slightly. Due to the immaturity of the technology, aircraft had limited performance data and lethality during World War I, and their role was far less significant than during World War II.

Carlos was very ambitious. Spain wanted to develop submarines, as well as tanks and airplanes.

Imagine if Spain had already mastered sufficiently advanced submarine, tank, and aircraft technologies during World War I. Would it have needed to worry about the final outcome of the war or Spain's allegiance?
No need to worry at all.

If Spain were to become the most powerful nation due to its superior military technology, the course of the European war would be altered because of Spain.

At that point, it won't be as simple as Spain choosing sides. The two major military blocs will inevitably have to offer even more tempting prices to win over Spain.

For Spain, the unification of the Iberian Peninsula and the recapture of Gibraltar likely occurred around that time.

As construction of the submarine began, it quickly became the latter half of 1896.

Prince Juan Fernando's months-long tour of various European countries has finally come to a successful conclusion.

On the state front, this European visit was not without its merits. Although countries like Britain were not on Carlos's radar, Prince Juan Fernando led his diplomatic delegation to visit almost all the monarchies in Europe.

The arrival of the Spanish diplomatic delegation was warmly welcomed by the monarchies of Europe, and the delegation received the highest level of hospitality from each country.

Those who come forward to receive Prince Juan Fernando are either crown princes or prime ministers of various countries.

In the European continent at this time, no country dared to disrespect Spain. Disregarding the diplomatic delegation led by the Spanish Crown Prince could not only cause diplomatic disputes between the two countries, but in severe cases, could even lead to conflict or war.

After touring Europe, Prince Juan Fernando actually found a European royal princess he liked, Louise Caroline Josephine Sophie Sera Olga from the Danish royal family.

Princess Louise's father is the future King Frederick VIII of Denmark, and she is currently only the Crown Prince of Denmark.

The crown prince, born in 1843, is now 53 years old, much older than Carlos. Unfortunately, Frederick VIII's father, Christian IX, was a remarkably long-lived monarch.

The current King Christian IX of Denmark was born in 1818 and is 78 years old this year.

What could be more disheartening than Crown Prince Frederick having been crown prince for 33 years? The answer is that he needs to serve another 10 years.

Christian IX, a famously long-lived man, lived until 1906, passing away at the age of 88.

It was precisely because of Christian IX's longevity that his son, Crown Prince Frederick, was already 62 years old when he ascended the throne.

Because he became King of Denmark only halfway through his reign, Frederick VIII reigned for just six years before passing away, passing the throne to his son Christian X.

This clearly shows the downside of a long-lived monarch: the succession to the throne is prone to problems.

Carlo certainly hoped to live a long life, to stay in Spain, and to ensure that Spain safely navigated the two important periods of World War I and World War II.

However, Carlos will not hold onto the throne for too long. Once Prince Juan Fernando has finished his wedding preparations, he will need to further engage in Spanish politics and prepare for his own succession.

After a brief investigation, Carlo decided to go along with Prince Juan Fernando's preferred marriage partner.

Princess Louise Caroline Josephine Sophie Sera Olga, as the eldest daughter of Crown Prince Frederick, is quite favored in the Danish royal family.

Unlike the Spanish royal family of Savoy, which was confined to a small corner of the world, the Danish royal family of Glücksburg has a much longer history in Europe.

Because the members of the Glücksburg family are mostly descendants of King Christian III of Denmark of the Oldenburg dynasty, Glücksburg is also considered a branch of Oldenburg.

Returning to the Danish royal family, Christian IX's son, George I, was elected King of Greece, and his daughter, Alexandra, married Edward, the heir to the British throne. Christian IX's mother was a Swedish princess, which has linked Denmark with several European countries.

A marriage alliance with Denmark would be good news for the Spanish royal family. After all, the Spanish monarchy is relatively new; the House of Savoy only arrived in Spain during the reign of Charles.

Only by continuously forming marriage alliances with these European royal families can a company consolidate its position and gain the support of many European royal families.

Don't underestimate the support from these European royal families. Although only a small portion of them control powerful nations, these large and small European countries combined can form a formidable force.

While most of the time people fight for the interests of their own countries, when faced with a crisis that threatens the interests of the monarchy and the nobility, many European royal families would not hesitate to unite and make these anti-monarchists understand that the bloodline that has been passed down in Europe for thousands of years cannot be so easily severed.

European royal families are closely connected; anyone who wants to threaten the monarchy must consider making enemies of all European royal families.

Now that the marriage partner had been confirmed, Carlo did not hesitate at all.

Carlos first extended an invitation for a diplomatic visit to the Danish royal family on behalf of the Spanish royal family. Subsequently, Queen Sophie, in a private capacity, invited Princess Louise, wife of Crown Prince Frederick, to the event, subtly expressing her desire for a marriage alliance.

Princess Louise Caroline Josephine Sophie Sera Olga and Prince Juan Fernando had already met when the latter was being hosted.

As the parties involved, the Danish royal family certainly noticed the spark between the two young people. They were not opposed to a marriage alliance with the Spanish royal family; in fact, they quite desired such an alliance, hoping to gain an ally from a powerful nation.

The day after the Spanish royal family extended an invitation for a diplomatic visit to the Danish royal family, the Danish royal family replied, not only accepting the invitation but also deciding to make a grand diplomatic visit to Spain.

Denmark was once a powerful and dominant nation in Europe. It led the Kalmar Union and ruled over Sweden, Norway, and Iceland, making it one of the most powerful countries on the European continent at the time.

However, Denmark's mainland is only a small part of the country, and it would be very difficult for it to rule over the vast areas of Sweden and Norway.

This is equivalent to Portugal wanting to annex Spain. Even if it manages to achieve its goal by chance due to various unforeseen circumstances, it will ultimately be defeated by the Spanish and lose its dominant position.

First, Sweden broke away from the Kalmar Union, and then at the beginning of this century, Denmark was forced to cede Norway to Sweden, leaving Denmark with only its mainland, Iceland, and Greenland as its three main territories.

Iceland and Greenland, needless to say, remained sparsely populated and desolate areas until later generations.

Denmark's environment is actually quite good, but because its territory is not a single, contiguous piece of land, it has limited its development to some extent.

More importantly, Denmark is bordered by Sweden to the north and Germany to the south.

The two countries have never had good relations with Denmark, which has put Denmark, which is already in a weakened state, in an even more awkward position.

Before German unification, the Second and Third Wars took place. The Second and Third Wars, the Austro-Prussian War, and the Franco-Prussian War are collectively known as the three-part saga of the rise of Prussia. It was these three wars that enabled Prussia to completely defeat its foreign enemies and establish a unified German Empire.

Given this historical context, it would be strange if relations between Denmark and Germany were good. As for Sweden, it goes without saying that its defection from the Danish-led Kalmar Union already proves that relations between Sweden and Denmark were not good.

In addition, Denmark ceded Norway to Sweden only a few decades ago. Although the marriage between the two countries eased relations to some extent, they can no longer be considered friendly nations.

Given Denmark's current situation, it's quite normal for the Danish royal family to want a marriage alliance with Spain.

Although the Spanish royal family lacks a deep-rooted history, Spain is a powerful nation. Moreover, Juan Carlos's prestige in Spain is unparalleled; the benefits of allying with such a king are unimaginable.

While marriages between royal families can ease tensions between nations, it also depends on the influence and status of the royal family within the country.

Even if you marry into a royal family that appears to have a deep foundation but actually has little power, the benefits you can gain are not much.

The open and aboveboard arranged marriage between the Spanish and Danish royal families naturally attracted the attention of royal families across Europe.

In fact, royal families across Europe have been paying attention to the upbringing of Carlo's children.

Unfortunately, since Spain's rise, its influence and status in Europe have increased significantly.

For small and medium-sized European countries, the benefits of a marriage alliance with Spain are numerous.

For the royal family, gaining a powerful ally is crucial to securing their position. Even if their throne is overthrown in the future, they can always seek refuge in Spain.

In some cases, he could even gain the support of Spain and thus achieve the restoration of the throne.

For governments around the world, a marriage between a royal family and Spain can bring their countries closer to Spain.

Spain is, after all, a powerful nation. As long as these small and medium-sized countries reach economic and industrial cooperation agreements with Spain, they can reap a continuous stream of benefits.

These two points alone are enough to attract the attention of many European countries. Not to mention the competition between Europe's two major military blocs; whoever marries the next King of Spain might be the first to become an ally of Spain after a change in the Spanish throne.

While there was attention, European countries didn't feel too much regret. After all, there were very few princesses of marriageable age at that time, and many princesses were already married, so it was impossible for them to hang themselves on the Spanish royal family.

But believe it or not, there are indeed some countries that are quite regrettable.

That country is the Netherlands. When Carlo sent Prince Juan Fernando on a high-profile diplomatic visit to various European countries, the royal families of those countries basically understood Carlo's intentions.

Although there is only one suitable marriage partner for the Dutch royal family, that is the current Queen Wilhelmina.

But who says the Queen can't be used for marriage alliances? For the Netherlands, marriage alliances with Spain also have their advantages.

First, there's the Netherlands' awkward position, sandwiched between three superpowers: Britain, France, and Germany. Although the Netherlands had good relations with both Britain and Germany, historically, Wilhelm II chose the Netherlands as his refuge after his defeat in World War I.

The problem is that good relations with Britain and Germany are not enough to change the current situation in the Netherlands.

The Netherlands needed an ally that wasn't geographically adjacent, and Spain was clearly a good choice. Unfortunately, because Wilhelmina was already Queen of the Netherlands, contact with Prince Juan Fernando was naturally not so easy.

Carlos also asked his son, Prince Juan Fernando, who did not want to marry a queen because a queen always has to be concerned with the affairs of her own country. This also means that Queen Wilhelmina cannot live abroad for a long time and he needs to stay in his own country, the Netherlands, often.

Since Prince Juan Fernando was not satisfied with Queen Wilhelmina, Carlo naturally could not force the issue.

For Spain, the Danish royal family is basically not much different from the Dutch royal family.

As for Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands, she is still young, so the Spanish royal family still has a chance.

Carlo planned to send Martin and Alexander on a diplomatic trip across Europe after they turned 20.

In any case, all countries tacitly understand this behavior. They say it's a diplomatic visit, but the real purpose is to meet with princesses from European royal families and find marriage partners.

Martin was born in 1879, and in three years he would have turned 20. Queen Wilhelmina would then be only 19, and historically she was not yet married at that time, so it would have been possible to try to matchmake Queen Wilhelmina and Martin.

As for his youngest son, Alexander, because he was born in 1884, he would not have reached the age of 20 until 1904, which would certainly have made him too old for Queen Wilhelmina, his highest-ranking marriage partner.

Carlo was quite anxious about his three sons' marriages. After all, it not only concerned the succession to the Spanish throne, but also the succession to their respective titles.

These princes still need to marry princesses of equal social standing to avoid public controversy.

As for the marriages of his two daughters, Princess Sofia and Princess Christina, Carlo was not in such a hurry.

Since there's no need for them to be well-matched in terms of social status, Carlo would prefer them to find someone they like. After all, the Spanish royal family's wealth is enough for them to live comfortably for the rest of their lives. Being a nobleman is actually quite good, as they don't need to inherit the throne.

　5000 words, second update.

　　I'm a little late, I'm very sorry.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)