It was not that Cosimo III had urged Ferdinand to return to Italy as soon as possible, his father - he originally wanted Ferdinand to study at the universities in Versailles and Paris, and the king - especially the latter, teaching by words and deeds is not just a noun. What can be learned by Louis XIV is far more useful than what any profound scholar in any university, and for a future ruler, there is no university that can teach a king.

The problem was that things went against my wishes. When Ferdinand arrived in Paris, he was simply unhappy. Although he was not a fool, he lacked ambition. When a young prince like Frederick met Louis XIV, he would have the idea of ​​"I want to become such a king too." Ferdinand seemed to think that if Luciano had one-tenth of Louis XIV's talent, he would rather be a rich and idle person.

"If Luciano and the Duke of Cologne eventually became the king of Italy, then I will still be the Grand Duke of Tuscany. If not, the Grand Duke of Tuscany will still be a descendant of the Medici. We do not need to worry too much about this." This is what he said in his letter to Cosimo III. We do not know what Cosimo III has seen for the time being, but descendants are moved by the open-mindedness or laziness of this adult - he is well aware of the hedonism pursued by people in peacetime, he is disdainful of any hard work, and has no interest in being a grand duke or a king, so he insists on not returning to Italy, because he knows very well that once he returns to Italy, he will not leave again, and there will always be someone who will push him to the side of Leopold I or Louis XIV.

But can the dwarf between the two giants be safe and sound in their fight? Ferdinand doesn't feel it at all.

Ferdinand also has another reason why he is unwilling to answer Italy, that is, his gout symptoms have improved a lot in Paris and Versailles - gout is a traditional disease of the Medici family. We now know that this is caused by the patient's intake of too much wine and seafood, but people at that time were not clear about it - they only used bloodletting and absinthe to treat gout, which is undoubtedly effective, and the latter is due to the gift of wizards. The key is that when the patient is still drinking a lot of alcohol, meat, and sea fish and shellfish while receiving treatment, even modern medicine is useless.

Moreover, gout was not regarded as a "bad disease" in this era (for example, leprosy would be considered a sinful person to be infected), but gout was regarded as a noble disease because it often appeared in princes and nobles... There were even Roman doctors who said that the "Gout Goddess", the daughter of Dionysus, and the Goddess of Love and Beauty, gave them "Divine Diseases" because of their partiality and outstanding figures. The Bible also records that Asa, the king of Judah, once suffered from gout. Because of this, people suffering from this disease were not very urgent about how to treat them, and they might be complacent in private, until the pain was unbearable and seriously affected their actions and life.

Even the French kings had two symptoms of serious gout, but during Louis XIV, Louis XIV occasionally tasted some champagne and wine, and was not very enthusiastic about sea fish and shellfish - because the preservation measures at this time were not so convenient, and it took a lot of manpower and financial resources to keep sea fish fresh, and it was very restrained in meat. In short, in the Palace of Versailles, eating and drinking was not highly praised, and refined and light food was the favorite of people.

When Ferdinand arrived at the Palace of Versailles, he was quite uncomfortable for a while. More importantly, Versailles was not like Siena or Florence, and was a distance from the seaside. He could not eat seafood as fresh as before. Gradually, his eating habits were reversed, and the condition of gout improved greatly.

Unfortunately, improvement does not mean recovery. He sometimes has to add summer, and it still occurs frequently. The pain of gout can be comparable to any torture. At this time, he cannot think or act. Therefore, Ferdinand was deeply puzzled. Why did people in the Tuscan court still expect him to compete with the healthy and strong Duke of Cologne?

Cosimo III was not ignorant of the firstborn's heart, especially as he had been a gout patient for more than thirty years. Compared to his capable eldest son, he could not even leave his bed. He looked at the Duke of Cologne who was walking towards him, and felt sad. Although he made a decision to marry Louis XIV at the beginning, part of the reason was that the Duke of Tuscany would not be divided up because of the extinction of his descendants. In the worst situation, he died, his eldest son died, and his second son died, and the Duke of Tuscany would no longer exist. But if the Duke of Cologne was still there, the blood of Medici would still be circulated in the bodies of their descendants. Even if the French king could not make Luciano the ruler of Italy, he could at least ensure that the Duke of Tuscany would continue to exist.

Things like this that ultimately took over the authority of the father-in-law by his son-in-law are not only common in Italy, France, or any Europa country, but on the one hand, it is not surprising that Cosimo III is suffering when he really saw the ending.

Louis XIV stood up and walked towards Cosimo III, stretched out his hand to hold him in a friendly manner, and then he looked at a boy beside Cosimo III, who had a distinctive character as a Medici family. It seemed that this was Cosimo III's second son, Jill.

Jill is less than ten years old this year. At his father's instructions, he took a few steps to bow and salute the king of France. In just a few short steps, he couldn't help but surprise Louis slightly, and guessed why the Tuscan grand duke was so humble. Anyone who had two sons, the second son was almost the spare for the first son. If the eldest son was not inferior or incompetent, the second son would replace him. But... take a closer look at the child. Although he was so young, he had already shown signs of unhealthy. His face was swollen and his feet were staggering. Because gout first caused pain in big toes, he would walk with his heel habitually to avoid causing pain, even if it was not painful, it would look ridiculous. Then his extremely fat belly. If other parts were removed, you would say it was an adult belly. Louis would believe it.

The wizards reported that Cosimo III was not long before, and it might be in these few months. So, even if his eldest son Ferdinand could return to Siena, how courage he had, he would not say, as long as the gout attack occurred, Tuscany would be without a leader, and Jill was like this now... Even if he suddenly fell down, it would not be surprising to go to heaven with his father, and he was so small that no one would give him time to grow up at this critical moment.

Cosimo III was about to apply holy oil, so he insisted on coming to meet Louis XIV. All he expected was those things. Because his physical condition did not allow it, the negotiations with Louis were quick and short. When he left the room, he had already handed over all the power in his hands to his son-in-law. Although it was the case before, it was not impossible for those who were interested to make a fool of themselves without a formal procedure. He would avoid a monastery in Siena and take his second son Jill with him.

This is equivalent to the Tuscan Grand Duke sitting with France at the card table, which is more reliable than a verbal or written covenant. For the Medici family, it is a big bet. If you lose, it is worthless. If you win the Medici badge, you can add a crown. After becoming the Florentine tyrant-Popular-French Queen-Mother's family, the Tuscan Grand Duke, a humble little drug dealer finally became the lord of a country.

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Compared with the quick decision of Cosimo III, the Anjou nobles in Naples were much slower.

The first person in the Anjou dynasty of Naples was Charles I, the younger brother of St. Louis IX. After being named Count of Provence, he participated in the crusades with his brothers. Later, he reached an agreement with the Pope at that time to deal with their enemies. Conlattin, the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, seized Naples and Sicily from him, and became king of Sicily and Naples. He later became king of Jerusalem, etc., etc., Spain, or to be correct, King Pedro III of Aragon has always claimed that he had rule over Naples and Sicily.

After that, the Anjou family ruled in Naples for about two hundred years. Alfonso V of Aragon inherited the will of his ancestors and eventually seized Naples and Sicily to his own name. When he died, he gave Sicily to his son - that is, all Sicily in Spain now, and then gave Naples to his illegitimate son Ferdinand I.

Therefore, if we insist on pursuing it, according to the law of the church, the Spanish rule over Naples was not legal because the illegitimate son had no right to inherit his father's property, which is why France has been seeking the throne of Naples.

But compared to the former René in Anjou, Louis XII of Valois... the Duke of Cologne is not so righteous. Although he borrowed his wife from the granddaughter of Duke Bourbon Gaston, everyone knew that he could have his current status because he had a good father.

The Anjou nobles suffered a severe blow during the reign of Alfonso V, but with the decline of Spain, their power once again reached the peak. Although they were willing to accept a descendant of Cape, Cape's bloodline had never been cut off, they also clinged to the power in their hands like all the princes, and they were reluctant to let go of it.

They said that if Louis XIV came to be the king of Naples, they would be willing to bow their heads and knees, but such a young man... they would not be convinced.

As for the same thing, if there were enough time, Louis XIV had hundreds of ways to slowly wipe out their will - after all, he was not a novice, right? But now, facing the Ottoman Turkish offensive - given their almost unchanged tactics of suppressing the enemy's superiority by numbers, the soldiers of Mohammed IV will continue to rush onto the peninsula like whistling waves, and the first to be Naples and Sicily.

Sicily can be said to be one of the important assets under the management of the second son of Louis XIV. Naples is the land of kingship for the eldest son. These two places are inevitable as battlefields, but they must not be occupied by the Ottoman Turks. Otherwise, even if they can be recaptured, the Ottoman Turks will only leave you a mess of white land.

But just like all regions in Italy, the nobles of Naples also acted independently. They also had long-term visions and powerful people. The problem is that no matter how smart people are, once they touch their own interests, they will inevitably become dull and hateful. In Naples, Luciano's policies are not completely implemented, but they are very... very... very slowly. When you want to blame someone, it is difficult to find the root cause, or even if you find the root cause, you will find that the other party has nothing to pursue... After all, everyone's private property should be protected, which is written in any legal book.

But everyone has to negotiate and negotiate. Time is spent in vain, and even in vain...
Chapter completed!