Coronation Ceremony

The end of November 1869 arrived quickly, which was also the time the Spanish government had prepared for King Carlo I's coronation ceremony.

Primo attached great importance to this coronation ceremony, inviting European powers including Britain, France, Prussia, Russia, Italy, and Austria, as well as established monarchies like Portugal and the Netherlands, and Belgium.

However, the attitudes of various countries towards the Spanish King's coronation ceremony differed, and the identities of the envoys they sent were also vastly different.

Italy and Portugal seemed to attach the most importance.

Italy's stance was easy to understand. Carlo was originally from the Italian Royal Family, and he was the son of King Vittorio Emanuele II of Italy. It was natural for them to attach importance to the event.

As for Portugal, firstly, Carlo's sister, Princess Maria Pia, was married to King Luís I of Portugal, establishing a familial relationship between the two countries.

Secondly, as the only two countries on the Iberian Peninsula, Spain posed a significant threat to Portugal.

The Portuguese government wanted to use this ceremony to gauge the new Spanish King Carlo's attitude towards Portugal and make corresponding preparations.

Although most European countries were invited to the coronation ceremony, the overall scale of the event was not large, as the Spanish government did not have much funding to invest in it.

It wasn't that Primo didn't value Carlo's coronation. However, the current Spanish government was simultaneously supporting the suppression of colonial rebellions and carrying out various reforms. It was genuinely difficult to allocate a large sum of money for a coronation ceremony.

Carlo himself didn't care about the scale of his coronation. Gaining the recognition of the Spanish people was the most important thing, and a larger scale wouldn't necessarily be a good thing.

Through agricultural tax reductions and free literacy education, Carlo had already accumulated a certain level of prestige in the hearts of the Spanish people.

At least for this coronation ceremony, the Spanish people were supportive, and many of them participated, making the scene lively.

Under the expectant gazes of the crowd, a well-trained Royal Guard protected several carriages bearing the coat of arms of the Spanish House of Savoy as they slowly approached the parliament.

Inside the carriage, Carlo, dressed in opulent attire, sat with a solemn expression. Beside him was his royal butler, Loren, who was reminding him of the coronation ceremony's procedures.

"Your Majesty, please remember to smile." Just before Carlo stepped out of the carriage, Loren couldn't help but remind him again.

Carlo nodded. The moment he stepped out of the carriage, the surrounding Spanish citizens erupted in enthusiastic cheers.

Of course, the ones leading the cheers were pre-arranged by the government. It was impossible not to have people to incite the crowd's emotions during such an important occasion.

Carlo smiled and waved to the cheering crowd in a very approachable manner, showing no airs of royalty.

At this moment, the Spanish people got a clear look at their king – a handsome young man, completely different from Queen Isabella.

"This is what our king should be like." This thought arose in the minds of many Spaniards.

For those who still supported the monarchy, their greatest desire was for Spain to have a wise and mighty monarch, preferably one who cared about the plight of the common people.

Based on Carlo's actions so far, although he was far from being a wise and mighty monarch, he had indeed shown a different attitude towards caring for the common people compared to Queen Isabella.

It had to be admitted that relying on good looks was effective in any era.

Carlo not only possessed a handsome face but also stood over 1.8 meters tall and had a robust physique.

Combined with his noble status and wealthy demeanor, he quickly attracted the admiration of many Spanish girls.

If there were a media outlet to rank the most popular men in Spain, Carlo would undoubtedly be on the list, and ranking first wouldn't be difficult.

Maintaining his gentle smile, Carlo waved to the crowd as he slowly walked into the parliament building.

Some of the guards behind him remained by the carriages, while others took up positions around the parliament building.

At the entrance of the parliament, Prime Minister Primo of Spain was already eagerly awaiting him. After performing a standard Spanish noble bow to Carlo, Primo led him into the parliament building.

In the grand hall on the first floor, Spanish nobles, parliament members, a few invited foreign guests, and some religious figures had been waiting for a long time.

The coronation for Carlo was to be performed by Archbishop Pedro of Toledo, the chief archbishop of Spain.

It was an age-old European tradition for bishops to crown kings, almost a default practice before Napoleon.

The rank of the bishop who crowned the monarch seemed to, in a way, determine the legitimacy of the crowned monarch.

Therefore, whether for his legitimacy in the eyes of the people or to reassure Spain's complex religious factions, it was necessary to have an archbishop of sufficient status to crown Carlo.

The best option would have been Pope Pius IX. However, the Pope had just been driven out of Rome by the Italian government, his territory reduced from the vast Papal States to the small Vatican. How could he possibly crown Carlo, who was also from the House of Savoy?

While threatening Pope Pius IX with force to come to Madrid for his coronation was possible, it might backfire and cause discontent among the Catholic Spaniards.

It was better to have the chief archbishop of Spain perform the coronation, as Archbishop Pedro of Toledo already held sufficient status in Spain.

"Your Majesty Carlo. Do you pledge to dedicate your life to Spain?" Archbishop Pedro asked sternly, holding the crown representing the King of Spain.

"I do."

Archbishop Pedro nodded and solemnly declared, "In the name of God, I bestow upon you the crown of Spain. May you be benevolent to your subjects and loyal to your country."

After a long and tedious coronation process, Archbishop Pedro of Toledo finally placed the crown, symbolizing the Spanish throne, on Carlo's head under everyone's gaze.

With the Spanish crown on his head and the scepter symbolizing royal power in his hand, Carlo surveyed the Spanish nobles and parliament members, his heart filled with pride and ambition.

"Hail to His Majesty the King."

Seeing that the moment was right, Primo, standing nearby, led the way in performing a noble bow to Carlo.

"Your Majesty the King!"

In unison, the Spanish parliament members and nobles, including Archbishop Pedro of Toledo, bowed their heads to the new King of Spain.

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