Chapter 32 Hohenzollern Castle
April 13, 1866.
Today is the day when Hohenzollern Castle is completely completed. Prince Constantine specially invited some important figures from the family to come here to celebrate.
Hohenzollern Castle is the birthplace of the Hohenzollern family and the spiritual symbol of the family.
The castle was built in the 11th century. The founder, Burchard I, was appointed Count of Sauron around 1100 (the territory is between the present-day Upper Neckar River, the Swabian Mountains and the Upper Danube River), and construction of the castle began. But the old castle was later destroyed.
The family strengthened the castle and added fortifications, making it a retreat for the Hohenzollern family when they escaped war. Due to the dangerous terrain, this place was once a military powerhouse fought over by the French and Austrians. There was a brutal battle in which the enemy was besieged for nine months and the defenders in the castle starved to death. During the war, the castle was not completed as planned and was eventually abandoned after changing hands several times.
In 1844, William IV, who succeeded the Prussian throne, mentioned in a letter the wonderful memories he had left in this castle when he was 19 years old, especially looking out at sunset, so rebuilding the castle became a priority. A dream of his youth.
The current Hohenzollern Castle began reconstruction work in 1850 and was jointly funded by Prussia and Hechingen. It was historically not completed until 1867.
However, after Ernst made money from industry, the royal family of Hechingen became richer, so Ernst decided to speed up the construction of the castle.
After discussing with the Prussian royal family, Ernst accelerated the construction of the New Hohenzollern Castle. Workers worked overtime every day, making the castle a year ahead of schedule.
At the same time, Ernst increased the Hechingen royal family's property rights to Hohenzollern Castle to 50% by buying back the property rights of the Prussian royal family.
After all, this is my home, which not only represents the glory of the Hohenzollern family, but also represents the face of the Heixingen lineage.
King William I of Prussia, who was worried about funding for the war, happened to sell part of his property rights. Although the royal family's funds were separated from the national finance, it was cheaper for the royal family to invest money in the construction of the kingdom than for commercial banks to purchase national debt. After all, second-rate dealers also had to charge a handling fee.
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The people attending the completion ceremony of the castle today are all well-known figures in the Hohenzollern family. There are only two people in the Hechingen family, Prince Constantine and Ernst.
Because William I was preparing for war, the Prussian royal family sent Crown Prince Frederick (Frederick III, Emperor for a Hundred Days, who succeeded William II after his death.) to attend the ceremony as a representative.
There were also many members of the Sigmaringen line, including Prince Carl Anton and his two sons, the eldest son Prince Leopold (whose eldest son became a candidate for the Spanish throne in 1870, and Leopold was a candidate for the Spanish throne). The issue of succession to the Spanish throne was one of the direct causes of the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-1871.)
As for Prince Carl Anton’s youngest son Carl (the future Romanian Emperor Carol I.), Ernst is envious. He is in Romania now and is about to ascend the Romanian throne, so he cannot attend.
Among the members of the Hohenzollern family present today, only Ernst and Leopold have "no bright future." Leopold had a chance to become King of Spain, but was blocked by the French. Not to mention Ernst, there is only one Prince of Hechingen who can inherit the position.
The advantage Ernst had over Leopold was in the East African colonies. Therefore, after the First World War, Ernst could still dominate East Africa and continue to dominate. Poor Leopold's descendants could only eat their ancestral property on the European continent. .
But from this aspect, his brother's descendants and the Prussian royal family are more pitiful. One lost the Romanian throne and the other lost the German Empire throne. Maybe Leopold would feel better after comparing them. (smirk)
Ernst vowed that if East Africa develops well in the future, he will help these relatives. This is true. For example, the Prussian royal family has given Ernst a lot of support. Otherwise, Ernst would not be able to get military orders and arsenals. So easy, this is the benefit of a strong family.
As for Ernst's deceased mother, Eugenie de Beauharnais, she was the daughter of Eugène de Beauharnais, Duke of Leuchtenberg. Eugène de Beauharnais had many children, and he is the only one alive now. Only former Queen Josephine of Sweden remains.
The above are almost Ernst's important relatives. At present, the Hohenzollern family is Ernst's real support.
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"...The reconstruction of Hohenzollern Castle is a sign that our Hohenzollern family has once again reached a higher level. I hope that it will always stand on German soil with the Hohenzollern family."
After Prince Hechingen finished his speech, the audience burst into applause, and then Crown Prince Friedrich and Prince Carl Anton delivered speeches on behalf of the Prussian royal family and Sigmaringen respectively.
Night, cocktail party.
"Hey, cousin Leopold, why are you drinking alone?" Ernst greeted.
"I am mainly worried about whether Carl will be successful in Romania. After all, Romania is not a good place now. Although there is support from the family, the tragic experience of the previous Romanian Grand Duke shows that the situation in Romania is not stable."
"Don't worry. Not to mention Karl's other abilities, his experience in leading the army is very good. As long as Karl can get in touch with the Romanian military, those Romanian opponents will never dare to act rashly." Ernst comforted him. There is a basis for saying this. Karl has been in the army all year round and also participated in the Second Schleswig War.
"Oh, I hope so! I heard that you are doing well recently, Ernst. It seems that Uncle Constantine has not considered letting you develop in the army."
Ernst heard this and said mockingly: "My cousin, I know nothing about military affairs. I still can't compare with your brothers, so I won't harm the kingdom's army."
"I heard from my father that you established a colony in East Africa. Is it going well?" Leopold changed the subject.
"Haha, East Africa really can't be compared with Europe. Now I just do some agricultural planting there. In the future, I will produce some raw materials for my factory. It's just a small business." Ernst said with a smile.
"What are you talking about?" Crown Prince Frederick came over.
Crown Prince Frederick was the oldest of the three. He and Leopold were both in the Prussian army and had only met Ernst a few times, so they knew little about Ernst.
"Your Highness, Ernst and I were chatting about some small things. I just heard that Ernst developed a colony in East Africa, so I was a little curious." Leopold said.
"Colonies are indeed good places. The British rely on huge colonies to maintain maritime hegemony. Unfortunately, Germany has never been unified, and the opportunity for overseas expansion has been wasted. Now those wealthy colonies have been carved up by Britain, France and other countries, and the remaining I'm afraid it's just scraps." Crown Prince Frederick said with emotion.
Ernst took advantage of the situation and said: "So our current energy should be focused on completing the unification of the German region. Only a strong Germany can compete with those powerful countries."
Leopold and Frederick nodded in agreement.
Frederick said: "This is Prussia's destiny. It is our duty as the Hohenzollern family to complete the unification of the German region."
These words were full of murderous intent and were obviously directed at the Austrian Empire. It seemed that the Prussian high-level officials had reached an agreement to deal with the Austrian Empire with all their strength.