Rise of Empires: Spain.

Chapter 478 Neutral States Treaty
Spain forcefully snatched warship orders from Chile and Argentina, but the British government made no response.

Carlo was initially surprised, but after the Royal Security Intelligence Service's report, he understood what had happened in Britain.

In May, the current King Edward VII of the United Kingdom suddenly fell ill with a cold. Just when everyone thought it was just a minor cold, Edward VII suddenly became seriously ill and died at midnight.

Carlo certainly knew that Edward VII had died this year, but he had long forgotten the exact date.

Upon learning that Edward VII had died from pneumonia caused by a common cold, Carlo couldn't help but lament the backwardness of medical technology in that era, and strengthened his resolve to develop medical technology at all costs.

What might be a minor cold in later generations could be fatal in this era. Whether king or commoner, everyone was powerless against such deadly disease.

Fortunately, Carlo, Queen Marie, and their children are all in relatively good health. No children in the Spanish royal family have died yet, which may be a benefit of Carlo's time travel.

The sudden death of King Edward VII of England certainly had an impact on the situation in Europe.

Although Edward VII did not have a good reputation, it is undeniable that he effectively capitalized on the remaining strength of the Victorian era, keeping the British Empire as the world's leading power during this period.

Edward VII will be the last king of the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha in England, and also the first.

His son, George V, changed his surname to German due to anti-German sentiment in Britain, which is the origin of the British House of Windsor.

George V was not Edward VII's eldest son; he had an older brother, Prince Albert. It's worth noting that Prince Albert, who was supposed to inherit the throne, contracted pneumonia, the same disease his father suffered from, and died more than a decade earlier. This is why George V was ultimately able to ascend the throne.

The decline of the British monarchy had various causes, some of which can be attributed to Edward VII and George V.

Although Edward VII was relatively popular in Britain, this was mainly due to propaganda within the country and the positive image of Queen Victoria, which led the public to extend their affection to this successor of the Victorian era.

In reality, Edward VII was nothing like a good-looking king; he was nothing more than a complete playboy.

How bad was Edward VII's image?

Edward VII, the first British prince to enter Oxford University, did not successfully obtain his degree from the university.

He was later forced to transfer to Trinity College, Cambridge, but still could not complete his studies, which is quite rare in British history.

Fortunately, his educational background was not a major problem and did not affect Edward VII's smooth accession to the throne.

What truly damaged Edward VII's reputation was his outrageously chaotic personal relationships.

Countless noblewomen had affairs with Edward VII. Many nobles at the time knew that their wives were having affairs with the crown prince, but most of them let it go, and some even felt that they had benefited from it.

This is one of the more chaotic aspects of the European aristocratic mistress system, something that ordinary people could hardly imagine.

Although European nobles also practiced monogamy, it was quite normal for them to have several mistresses and lovers.

Especially for kings, crown princes, and dukes of high status, it is rare for them to have fewer than a dozen lovers. Some even maintain intimate relationships with hundreds or thousands of people and have affairs with hundreds or thousands of others.

This is where Spain is somewhat different. Although Carlos has lovers, they are few in number, and he keeps them very private.

More importantly, Carlo's lovers were all carefully selected young women from respectable families, and he would never consider the wives of Spanish noblemen.

This was done not only for the sake of the royal family's image, but also to prevent a rift from forming between the king and the nobles.

Carlo also demanded the same of his sons. Under the leadership of the Spanish royal family, the relationships among the Spanish nobility were not so chaotic, which was something Carlo was quite satisfied with.

Of course, the somewhat chaotic relationships among nobles could not be completely eliminated. If conflicts arose as a result, Carlo would not show any favoritism.

In this era, duels were the best way for nobles to resolve conflicts, and in Spain, besides duels, bullfighting was another option to resolve conflicts between nobles.

This is perfect for Carlo. There are just too many nobles in Spain. If he can eliminate some of them through duels, that would be good news.

Compared to his historical counterpart, Edward VII of this world has fewer achievements.

Historically, Britain had long since concluded an alliance treaty with France, and the Franco-Russian Entente had long since expanded into the Anglo-French-Russian Entente, becoming a military bloc that appeared to be even more powerful than the German-Austrian-Italian alliance.

However, due to the rise of Spain, the conflict between Britain and France did not ease, and Spain even gained control of the Strait of Gibraltar.

This also resulted in Britain not joining either of the two military blocs, and the French Entente was generally weaker than the German-Austrian-Italian alliance.

Under such circumstances, Britain faces the greatest challenge in nearly a century, no less difficult than the anti-French coalition of the past.

In addition to the threat posed to British hegemony by the two major military blocs, the newly rising power of Spain also posed a significant threat to Britain.

Britain's proud Royal Fleet was defeated twice by Spain, which propelled Spain to become the world's second-largest naval power, stepping over Britain to enter the ranks of the superpowers.

These achievements made Edward VII have a bad reputation in England, and the people had no liking for this king who was outrageous and immoral.

The day after Carlo received the news, the British government announced the death of King Edward VII, announced the date of his funeral, and invited representatives from European countries to attend.

Spain naturally received an invitation from the British government. Although relations between Spain and the British government are not good, the British government should still be invited.

Although Carlos didn't have much affection for the British government, the Spanish royal family, as a member of the European aristocratic system, naturally wouldn't refuse such an invitation.

Of course, Carlo did not attend Edward VII's funeral in person, but instead sent his own son, Prince Ángel Fernando.

After all, there is no close kinship between the Spanish and British royal families. Although they can be distant relatives, such a relationship is clearly not enough to make Carlos go there in person.

Following the British government's invitation, European countries readily accepted it, including Britain's arch-rivals France and Russia.

It is worth mentioning that Kaiser Wilhelm II not only accepted the British government's invitation, but also indicated that he would personally travel to London to attend Edward VII's funeral.

The reason why Kaiser Wilhelm II personally traveled to London is quite simple. First, the relationship between the German royal family and the British royal family is relatively close.

Especially after Wilhelm II became Emperor of Germany, his relationship with Edward VII became that of uncle and nephew.

It is perfectly normal for Wilhelm II, now Emperor, to personally attend the funeral of his maternal uncle, just as he had personally attended the funeral of his maternal grandmother, Queen Victoria.

On the other hand, Wilhelm II's personal trip to London also served as a gesture of goodwill towards Britain.

Although the Allied powers of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy had outwardly suppressed the French Entente, only the Germans themselves knew that there were significant internal problems within the Allies.

Despite Italy being a powerful ally, its only significant asset was its navy. The Italian army was more of a showpiece, boasting impressive numbers but ultimately proving utterly ineffective.

The Austro-Hungarian army was decent, but only its regular troops were capable; the reserve forces were already quite weak, and the newly recruited soldiers were even more abysmal in combat effectiveness.

This also meant that Germany would receive extremely limited support during the war. Unless it could concentrate its efforts on defeating France or Russia first, Germany would face a pincer attack from both France and Russia.

Kaiser Wilhelm II chose to curry favor with Britain for two reasons: Britain's current industrial and economic strength was very strong, and the British navy could provide Germany with tremendous support.

Once the Central Powers' navy is able to overpower the Allied Powers' navy, Germany's logistical concerns will disappear, and it will also be able to block France's connections with its African colonies, leaving France itself facing supply shortages.

Another issue is Spain's increasing alignment with France.

Although Spain has not expressed a clear desire to ally with France, given its increasing alignment with France, it is not impossible that it might join the Franco-Russian alliance in future wars.

Once Spain joins the French Entente, the Central Powers' current advantage will vanish. Spain's fighting capacity far surpasses that of Austria-Hungary and Italy. If Germany faces a combined attack from France, Russia, and Spain, even if Austria-Hungary and Italy perform exceptionally well, Germany will still be in trouble unless aided by a power of equal strength.

Looking at the current world situation, only Britain remains as a power of equal caliber. In other words, the current German government has no choice but to either win over Britain to the Central Powers or, before Spain joins the Entente, launch a blitzkrieg to defeat either France or Russia before the enemy is prepared.

Once one enemy is dealt with, whether it's France or Russia, the likelihood of Spain joining the war becomes extremely low.

Moreover, the threats posed by the Franco-Spanish alliance and the Russian-Spanish alliance were no longer so great, and were entirely acceptable to Germany.

France and Russia took note of and appreciated Kaiser Wilhelm II's overtures to the British royal family.

Are France and Russia afraid? Of course they are.

If Britain had joined the Central Powers, the Central Powers would have completely overwhelmed the Allied Powers, instead of the current slight advantage.

Despite their fears, France and Russia were not particularly panicked.

On the one hand, they knew that Britain would not join the Allies so easily. The British were notorious in Europe for their meddling nature; they had always liked to support a conflict between two major powers in a region and help the weaker one.

Given Britain's long-standing policy of maintaining regional balance, even if Britain were to intervene in the confrontation between the two major military blocs, it should be the Franco-Russian alliance that it chooses to help.

After all, Germany was exceptionally powerful at this time. Besides its army, widely recognized as the world's strongest, it was also heavily investing in its navy, and its industry and economy far surpassed those of France and Russia. Furthermore, even if Britain joined the Central Powers, France and Russia had backup plans.

Spain will become a strong guarantor for France and Russia against their allies, and it is believed that Spain would not want to see Germany become the sole superpower after defeating France.

If France loses in this competition, Spain will face the direct threat of Germany. The Spanish government likely understands this as well; for France, the worst-case scenario of Britain joining the Central Powers would be a confrontation between Britain, Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy against France, Russia, and Spain, with the Entente powers not far behind.

Of course, while there are countermeasures in place, France and Russia will certainly try to stop Germany's efforts to win over Britain.

If Britain could be persuaded to join the Entente Powers, and with Spain's help, the situation would be very different.

While it's highly likely that the UK and Spain will only be able to secure one of the awards, what if...?

This led to such an amusing scene at the welcome banquet held for guests from various countries before the funeral began.

The newly crowned King George V of Great Britain and British Prime Minister Herbert Henry Asquith were among the most popular figures at the banquet, engaging in close conversations with Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany at one moment, and with the French Prime Minister and Russian Prime Minister Pyotr Arkadyevich Stolypin at another.

It is worth mentioning that before 1905, the Russian government and European governments were completely different.

Russia was a true monarchical dictatorship. Before 1905, it did not have a head of government; instead, the Tsar himself served as head of government and controlled everything in the Tsarist government.

Although the position of prime minister was established after 1905, most of the power remained in the hands of the Tsar, which is what makes Russia unique compared to other European countries.

At this time, Russian Prime Minister Pyotr Arkadyevich Stolypin was a rather famous figure in Russian history. Because of his ability to suppress various uprisings and revolts, he gained the trust of Tsar Nicholas II and became the Prime Minister of Tsarist Russia.

Although he faced some criticism for his brutal suppression of riots and uprisings, he also revitalized the economy of the Tsarist Russian Empire by promoting land reform. He is historically regarded as one of the greatest politicians in Tsarist Russia and was ranked second among the greatest Russians in a media survey of the Russian people, second only to Alexander Nevsky, the 13th-century Grand Prince of Novgorod, and even higher than many figures of later Red Russia.

Carlo had heard of this renowned politician in Russian history. He even wondered if Russia might have been able to sustain the war for longer had this respected figure not been assassinated so early.

If Russia had been able to hold out longer in the war, would the post-World War I order have been different?

Although everything is uncertain, for Carlo, protecting Pyotr Arkadyevich Stolypin from assassination is certainly more beneficial than harmful.

Carlow had anticipated the two major military blocs' vying to win over Britain.

Given the current situation, if Britain joins the Central Powers, the world war will become one-sided.

Unless Spain was willing to help France at all costs, France's defeat was only a matter of time. Historically, France was able to defeat Germany in World War I not only because France exhausted almost a generation's resources, but also because of the continuous supply of materials from Britain and the expeditionary force it sent, which effectively alleviated the pressure on the French army.

Regardless of whether the British government exerted its full strength, it certainly played a crucial role. The Allies, through delaying tactics, allowed Germany to develop internal problems due to resource shortages, ultimately ending the war.

If Britain joins Germany's side, Germany's only weakness will be compensated, which also means that the Allies will become even more difficult to deal with.

In any case, Carlo did not want to hear the news of Britain joining the Allies, at least not in the short term.

Carlo had long planned how to deal with the Allied powers' attempts to win over Britain.

Following Edward VII's funeral, Foreign Secretary William, who accompanied Prince Juan Fernando to London, will contact Britain and other European countries that are not part of the two major military blocs to jointly sign a neutrality treaty.

The purpose of this neutrality treaty is simple: to pledge neutrality in the competition between the two major military blocs and to prevent the confrontation between the two military blocs from spreading to a wider area.

If Spain were to lead the effort alone, this neutrality treaty would be largely ineffective. However, with the support of the British government, the combined prestige of the two superpowers, Britain and Spain, could potentially attract some weaker nations to join the treaty.

Of course, Carlo didn't expect this neutrality treaty to prevent Britain or other European countries from joining the two military blocs.

Carlo wanted to stall Britain, preventing the British government from intervening too soon and thus avoiding major changes in the European situation.

We should at least wait until Spain is fully equipped with aircraft and tank forces, and that super dreadnoughts are in large-scale service with the navy, before discussing intervention in the confrontation between the two military blocs.

At that time, Spain will have a great advantage in terms of land, sea and air, and even if it faces a joint attack from Britain and Germany, it will not be completely powerless to resist.

Even if the British navy could be defeated and its African and Asian colonies threatened, Britain would likely surrender faster than Russia, unless they were willing to lose all their colonies.

In fact, British Prime Minister Herbert Henry Asquith at this time also clearly realized that Britain had reached a crossroads and it was time to choose a direction to move forward.

There aren't many options: either remain neutral or join one of the two major military blocs.

Joining either side seems unsuitable for Britain. Joining the Franco-Russian alliance aligns with Britain's regional balancing policy, but what if France were to defeat Germany again? Would this destabilize the European situation?

Don't forget that there is another country on the Iberian Peninsula that Britain utterly despises. It is Spain that has caused Britain unparalleled turmoil in recent years, leading to public distrust and dissatisfaction with the government.

If France were to regain its dominance in Europe, coupled with Spain as a new enemy, Britain's situation in the Mediterranean would become extremely difficult.

Helping Germany defeat France also seems like a bad option. Germany had already defeated France once in the Franco-Prussian War; if it happened again, would France still have the confidence to resist Germany?

Without France to resist German expansion, Britain had to take matters into its own hands, which was terrible news for Britain.

Just as Prime Minister Asquez was struggling with these options, at a banquet following Edward VII's funeral, the Spanish Foreign Minister gathered several high-ranking government officials from European countries that were not part of the two major military blocs and proposed signing a neutrality treaty.

Spanish Foreign Minister William proposed a neutrality treaty to limit the expansion of the two major military blocs and prevent Europe from suffering the effects of a large-scale war.

William also pledged that countries joining a neutrality treaty should recognize each other's neutrality and avoid excessive favoritism toward any one military bloc.

If a country that has signed a neutrality treaty is invaded by two major military blocs, the remaining neutral countries should provide certain material support to ensure the stability of the European situation and protect the interests of many small and medium-sized countries.

Spanish Foreign Minister William's proposal is indeed a good option for many small and medium-sized European countries.

Choosing one of the two major military blocs may garner more support, but it also means making enemies of other great powers, which carries enormous risks.

While some countries adhere to the principle of high risk, high reward, most countries still desire a relatively stable and peaceful environment, since war only brings pain and loss.

To ensure the legitimacy of the neutrality treaty, the Spanish Foreign Minister also invited the British government to join the ranks of neutral countries, with the UK and Spain jointly protecting those countries that have signed the neutrality treaty.

Such a role as an order maintainer is clearly just for building prestige. Even if the two major military blocs are incredibly powerful, they are unlikely to lose their minds and launch a reckless attack on other neutral countries.

After all, most countries are monarchies, and everyone is a member of the European aristocratic system, so there are still some rules to follow.

Those who break the rules will be ostracized, and even if they win the war, the outcome may not be good.

British Prime Minister Asquith is quite interested in the neutral treaty proposed by Spain.

Signing a neutrality treaty would prevent the confrontation between the two major military blocs from escalating, giving Britain more time to observe the situation and ultimately choose the weaker side to join.

In addition, by playing the role of a neutral state's maintainer of order, they can also improve the British government's image.

The British massacre of Boers in South Africa previously sparked outrage in European society, which greatly damaged Britain's international prestige and influence.

The British government was naturally unwilling to miss such an opportunity to enhance its international prestige and influence.

Another point is that the British government must prevent Spain from gaining too much goodwill among European royalty and many small and medium-sized countries by proposing this treaty and its subsequent efforts to maintain order.

Although the new King George V of the United Kingdom is of the same generation as Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany, he is relatively young, and because he has just become King of the United Kingdom, he does not have much presence in the European royal family.

On the contrary, King Juan Carlos of Spain, although born into a small family like Savoy, had been the ruler of a great power for too long and had accumulated enough prestige.

If Spain's neutrality treaty succeeds and attracts the participation of many European countries, it could make Spain a de facto leader among the many monarchies in Europe, which is something the British government does not want to see.

For these two reasons, British Prime Minister Asquith agreed to the Spanish government's request, and in subsequent meetings with Kaiser Wilhelm II, the French president, and the Russian prime minister, he publicly pledged that Britain would soon sign a neutrality treaty and remain neutral for the next few years, with no intention of participating in the confrontation between the two military blocs.

For its own purposes, although the British government agreed to sign the Neutrality Treaty, the treaty contained no penalties for withdrawal or for a neutral country suddenly declaring its membership in one of the two military blocs.

This also means that, at some point in the future, if the British government feels it is time to join one of the two major military blocs, they will join both blocs without any restrictions.

This is what the British government wanted, and it's why they ultimately signed the neutrality treaty. At this point, they could not only avoid the trouble of choosing between two major military blocs, but also change their choice in the future, which would put them in an invincible position.

The British government thought this way, and the Spanish government naturally thought the same way. The Spanish government also did not propose adding any penalties for withdrawal or breach of the treaty, which means that this treaty for neutral states has no restrictions; it only nominally protects the rights of these neutral countries, and in reality, it's a worthless piece of paper that can be torn up at any time.

Of course, judging from the results achieved so far, this neutrality treaty has had some effect. Many small European countries have chosen to sign the treaty because they do not want to be affected by the confrontation between the two major military blocs, especially those countries whose geographical locations are within the two major military blocs.

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(End of this chapter)