Chapter 716 There is a girl next door
To be honest, it is impossible for a young man who is full of energy and has no physical disabilities to think about that aspect.
However, considering his actual situation, the major event in his life is not so much marriage as a well-matched deal.
Perhaps because he had stayed in this world for a long time, or perhaps he had grown up, Franz unconsciously began to agree with some of the views of the nobles.
Although it is cruel, it is so damn real.
In order to make this deal more valuable, Franz really searched carefully for information on princesses from various countries. It's just that there aren't many countries that are on par with the Habsburg family, and even fewer countries have the same interests as the Austrian Empire.
After all, marriage is related to the next generation, so the blood relationship cannot be too close, the body must be healthy, and of course it cannot be too ugly.
After roughly excluding it, only five countries remain: Russia, Prussia, Denmark, Saxony, Spain, Portugal and Brazil.
Among them, there is a choice that can kill two birds with one stone, and that is the youngest daughter of the former "double champion" of Brazil and Portugal, Pedro I.
Maria Amelia was historically engaged to Franz's second brother Maximilian, but unfortunately the princess was infected with scarlet fever and then tuberculosis a year before the wedding, and was very ill. Soon to die.
Although Franz did not have the ability to treat these two diseases, he could still keep them away from the source of infection.
The reason why Maria Amelia contracted scarlet fever was largely due to her mother leaving Munich, where she had been living, and suddenly returning to Portugal, where scarlet fever was occurring.
Even if one has not been infected with scarlet fever, it is easy for a person who has lived inland for a long time to suddenly live by the sea.
So Franz felt that as long as she stayed in Munich honestly, the princess would not necessarily be miserable.
In fact, the two met at a palace banquet, but that was already seven or eight years ago. A little loli tried to pounce on him but he subconsciously pushed him down.
Franz was quite popular when he was a child, but he was scolded by Mrs. Sophie because of it.
Judging from the photos and court portraits sent back from Portugal in recent years, this princess is a beauty.
Princess Maria Amelia studied hard in history and studied many subjects including rhetoric, philosophy, history, geography, German literature, mathematics and physics.
In addition to Portuguese, she also studied English, French and German, and reached a very high level in drawing, painting and piano playing.
Legend has it that she has a quick mind and is self-taught. Some law professors even claimed that she would be able to achieve great things if she became a lawyer.
There is no way to verify these legends, but Maria Amelia was indeed working very hard at this time, because her conversation with Franz left an indelible impression on her.
Even a truly genius child pales in comparison when he meets Franz, who has been a person in two lives and is also a time traveler.
But Franz had long forgotten these things. After all, he had done too many things that seemed shocking to outsiders, even though he tried his best to act normal.
Although Portugal is declining, and the Brazilian Empire is stagnant and is regarded as fat by the British, Portugal still has a strong influence overseas.
Especially in Africa, its colonies occupy many key nodes, and are also closely connected with the colonies of the Austrian Empire.
The Portuguese were already unable to cope with the colonial wave and were in urgent need of a strong ally to inject new vitality into them.
The Austrian Empire has a population of 46 million, is backed by the German Confederation, and has access to two labor export destinations, Japan and India. It is definitely a very good choice.
The most important thing is that Franz feels that his character is much better than that of the British, and he will not make a lot of money by himself and then deceive his teammates to death.
There are many reasons for the failure of the Brazilian Empire to achieve success, but they can only be summarized in three.
One, no money.
Two, no one.
Three, no power.
The Austrian Empire happened to have all the above conditions, coupled with Franz's vision far ahead of the times, it was not difficult for the Brazilian Empire to directly become a great power.
It's just that the royal family of the Brazilian Empire is a bit low in gold, and the European aristocratic circle may not necessarily agree with it. Fortunately, Maria Amelia also has the title of Portuguese princess.
As for the difficulty of marrying Maria Amelia, it is almost zero, as long as Franz or the Habsburg family shows this intention.
It’s hard to say for the Portuguese royal family, but the Emperor of the Brazilian Empire, Pedro II, must have sent his sister over with gongs and drums.
The only possible problem is the British. In their view, both Portugal and Brazil are meat in their own bowl, and there is absolutely no possibility of sharing it with others.
The most important thing is that this princess is about the same age as Franz, and their blood relationship is far away. At the same time, it is also a small change in history.
Denmark, once the Nordic lion, is now an old cat without teeth. The fleet that once traversed the North Sea will not be rebuilt until 161 years later.
(This is a joke. After the defeat in the Battle of Copenhagen in 1807, the Danes planted 90,000 oak trees to rebuild their navy.
Two hundred years later, in 2007, the Danish Forest Service notified the country's Ministry of Defense. "The oak tree is ripe for revenge."
This also confirms the term "hundred-year navy" in some respects. )
Likewise, their princess will have to wait a long time, because the next two consecutive Danish kings left no heirs, and the Danish throne will be succeeded by Christian IX from Glücksburg.
The advantage of marrying Denmark is that it can peacefully resolve the issues of the principalities of Schleswig and Holstein, at least it will not be used as a trap by Bismarck again.
In fact, after the marriage, not to mention Denmark, even Norway would have to be merged into the German Confederation.
In this way, the Skagerrak, Kattegat, Oresund, and the entire Baltic Sea will become Germany's bathtub.
Although Denmark and Norway were forcibly separated at this time, the former has been very unconvinced, while the latter does not have many ideas, mainly because their strength does not allow them to have too many ideas.
Norway is actually more culturally pro-Danish, and even pulled a prince directly from the Danish royal family to be its king after independence.
In addition, Norway has a strong desire for revenge against Britain and Sweden, not only for Denmark, but also for themselves.
The British once blocked the coast of Norway, preventing major food, raw materials and other supplies from being transported in. In the three years from 1807 to 1809 alone, more than 70,000 Norwegians died of starvation.
Sweden did not do any good by using force to enter Norway. The latter has always been treated as a colony by the former.
However, the Danish princess, like their fleet, still needs time to grow up. After all, Christian IX’s daughter, Princess Alexandra Caroline Marie Charlotte Louise Julia, was born in 1844. Newborn.