My British Empire

  Chapter 578 The Split of the Netherlands

   "Welcome, Your Majesty the King, I, Eifel Graham, welcome you on behalf of the three million people in the Netherlands."

  1567, August 6th, the port of Amphitheater in the Netherlands, the city destroyed by the Spaniards, seemed to have regained its prosperity at this time, with a sea of ​​people and red flags waving, what a lively scene.

Edward was dressed in aristocratic attire, followed by Queen Mary, followed by the aging Prince Charles of Wales, and the graceful and luxurious Princess Elizabeth. With the help of maids and guards, they walked on the red carpet. Stepped off the boat.

  In front of the carpet, the elderly Speaker lowered his head, bent over, and saluted Edward.

   "Thank you for the welcome ceremony, I am very satisfied, Mr. Baron!" Edward nodded slightly and said softly.

  The elderly Baron Graham moved his shoulders, as if a little excited, he quickly moved out of the way, half a body behind the king and queen, and led the way aside.

  On both sides of the red carpet, there are only a few nobles and councilors. Ordinary civilians can't come, they don't have the qualifications.

   Soon, Edward and Mary boarded a luxurious and spacious carriage, of course, it was open.

  Charlie and Princess Elizabeth ride in another carriage, the same deluxe version, only slightly smaller.

   "Clatter—"

  Sitting in the carriage and feeling this kind of shaking, Edward really realized that this was in the Netherlands, not England.

   "Nervous, Mary?" Looking at his queen, Edward lightly held her jade hand, looked at her beautiful face, stroked the long light red hair, and asked softly.

   "No, Edward!" Mary put her head on Edward's chest affectionately, and said softly, "With you here, I'm not nervous at all!"

  Hearing this, Edward couldn't help laughing, and unconsciously touched his lover's smooth long hair with his right hand, sniffing the fragrance vigorously.

   In just over a month, the Spaniards tried to conquer England with 130 giant ships, but they were demoralized and had to detour back to Scotland in despair.

   There were many disasters along the way, and in the end only 60 ships returned. More than half of the tens of thousands of elite troops were lost, and nearly half of the sailors were missing. For Spain, it can be said to be a heavy loss.

   Coupled with the loss of the Netherlands, at the moment when the remaining fleet returned, the Spanish government declared bankruptcy again, and the bankers in Genoa and Venice wanted to cry without tears.

   At this time, the entire United Kingdom instantly became a sea of ​​joy. Drake, who was attacked by a fireboat, and James, who commanded the navy, all became national heroes.

  Of course, Drake also received a baron reward, and James also officially became a hereditary earl, obtained the land he deserved, and became a senior member of the United Kingdom's aristocratic system.

   At this time, Baron Alexander pursued the victory and defeated the Hungarian cavalry. The southern Netherlands regained its lost territory.

  From then on, the Kingdom of the Netherlands was formally unified and became a political entity.

  During this recovery process, many nobles and priests in the southern Netherlands, where feudalization was severe, had their land confiscated, fled to Spain, and continued to live on. This played a good auxiliary role in the future rule.

   Taking advantage of this opportunity of rising international prestige, Edward sent people to negotiate with the French government, on the condition of giving up support for Protestantism, in exchange for the right to rule Normandy and Brittany.

  The news that the English defeated the European overlord Spain came to the French court, and with the threat of tens of thousands of troops, the French Catholic League reluctantly chose to sign an agreement to cede Normandy and Brittany to England.

   As a condition, England completely abandons its support for Protestantism, and no longer interferes in the French Civil War. Of course, there is also an interest-free loan of 100,000 pounds.

  Since this agreement was signed in Rouen, the capital of Normandy, it is also known as the "Treaty of Rouen".

   So far, France has completely lost the land along the Atlantic Ocean. In Edward's image, France can no longer become the world's colonial power as it has in history.

  Of course, France, which could only hide in the Mediterranean Sea, found another way to plot Africa hundreds of years in advance, thus establishing its own African colonial empire.

   This was completely beyond Edward's expectations.

  And he came to the Netherlands this time to hold a coronation ceremony. After all, the last time he just stamped his consent, it was too simple.

   "Your Majesty—" "Your Majesty Edward—"…

  I don’t know when, the carriage has come out of the port and came to the wide street. The Dutch people cheered enthusiastically, with red flowers and willows, and they went to the street singing and dancing, men, women and children all joined the battle.

  The originally wide street suddenly became crowded, and the Guards could only endure the excited crowd, holding hands, forming a human wall.

  Especially in open carriages, Edward and Mary were different from the aloof royal nobles of this period. Instead, they greeted these citizens with friendly smiles and waving hands.

  Edward's eyes were not idle, observing the entire city scenery. It has to be said that the urban culture of the Netherlands is much better than that of England.

  Due to the prosperity of the city, there are hotels, hotels, shops, theaters, and markets. Although the city is relatively small, the prosperity can be imagined.

  The prosperity of the economy has prompted the city to begin to evolve.

   "This is our Majesty the King!"

  Gentle and elegant, personable, friendly, Protestant, advocating business, isn't this exactly the king we need?

  All the citizens suddenly settled down, and expressed initial satisfaction with His Majesty Edward VI.

  Take this carriage and arrive at the resting place.

   Then according to the established procedure, on August 8th, Edward, dressed in the king's fine attire, came to Ampwert Cathedral for the coronation ceremony.

  Onlookers are: French ambassadors, Polish ambassadors, Portuguese ambassadors, Danish ambassadors, Norwegian ambassadors, and German Protestant ambassadors.

  And Spain and its major allies did not choose to participate in this ceremony.

   There is nothing to say about the grand coronation ceremony. It is nothing more than a gorgeous and expensive crown, a handsome king, or beautiful fireworks.

  After the coronation ceremony, Edward immediately went to Brussels to appoint the deputy king of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, that is to say, the governor or the ruling, to replace the king to guard the Netherlands.

  To everyone's surprise, the new consul of the Netherlands turned out to be the former governor of the Normandy region and Baron Alexander who liberated the southern Netherlands.

  The Deputy Regent is Speaker Graham, Speaker of the Special Assembly.

  After that, His Majesty the King announced that the Netherlands region will become an integral part of the United Kingdom and will enjoy a special right to freedom of religious belief.

  For local legislative power, the Netherlands Parliament was established; for local judicial power, the Netherlands Supreme Court was established.

   Likewise, the Netherlands has the requisite seat in the Supreme Council of the United Kingdom.

  The provinces of the Netherlands no longer have governors, but are replaced by high officials.

   That is to say, the current United Kingdom will have seven major political regions: England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Normandy, Brittany, and the Netherlands.

  After that, due to the rejection of the south in the northern part of the Netherlands (blaming it for falling to Spain), and the dislike of the north in the south (the Catholic faith, dissatisfaction with the feudal reform), the Netherlands was divided into two parts.

   The two parties were dissatisfied with each other, which led to a split in the Netherlands, which was also deliberately condoned by Edward.

  The north is dominated by the province of the Netherlands, with a developed economy, outward-looking, and prosperous capitalism, so it split into the inter-provincial kingdom. Because it is dominated by the Netherlands, it is also called the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

  The southern part is dominated by the Catholic faith, with Brussels as the ruling center, and the feudal conservative forces play the leading role, establishing the Kingdom of Belgium.

  Due to the split between the two, they are all princes, and the title of Edward no longer has the titles of King of the Netherlands, but the titles of Prince of the Netherlands and Prince of Belgium are added.

  The United Kingdom has now officially formed eight major political regions: England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Normandy, Brittany, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and the Kingdom of Belgium.

  (end of this chapter)

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