My British Empire

  Chapter 418 The King Plays

  ps: ask for tickets, ask for subscription

  Henry II's father, King Francois I of France, was keen on making contributions and had great ambitions, so he frequently used troops.

  Because he often took the lead in the battle and personally experienced the battlefield, he was regarded as a model knight by his subordinates and became the favorite of many bards.

As his son, Henry II naturally developed a hobby of knights since he was a child. In France, a country with a strong knight culture, a knight king is more likely to be respected and supported by his subjects, which is of no avail to the rule of the royal family. Harmful.

  So, in his youth, Henry II was keen on jousting with spears and trying to become a knight.

  When he was 15 years old, he fell madly in love with a 35-year-old widow who was twenty years older than him—Diane de Poitiers (1499-1566).

  Of course, this kind of situation is very common, young Muai! Women of the same age are all shriveled, what's so good about it.

   In order to express his love, the young and impulsive Henry. He insisted on tying Diana's ribbon (not his wife's) on the spear during the joust in order to dedicate victory to his beauty.

   Although this move broke the heart of his wife, Catherine de Medici, it does have a medieval chivalry to some extent.

  The spirit of chivalry has always been admired by His Majesty the King.

   As the finale performance, Henry II was looking forward to and excited.

  As a king, especially a knight king, it has been a long time since I have experienced fighting in front of so many people. Today I can finally show my skills and let the subjects of the whole of France see it! His Majesty the King is about to show his might.

  With the help of the servants, His Majesty Henry's mount has been put on armor and a horse helmet specially made for it.

  Looking at the helmet in front of him, Henry stroked it gently, feeling the cold touch, which looked like an ancient dragon, which made Henry overjoyed.

   "Your Majesty, please forgive my presumptuousness, but I beg you, please do not participate in this dangerous knightly battle, after all, you are the king of France!"

   Aside, his queen, Catherine de' Medici, stood aside, holding his golden helmet in her hand, and said worriedly

  Henry II glanced at his queen, with an undisguised look of disgust in his eyes, grabbed the helmet, and said disdainfully:

   "It's just a martial arts competition, what's so scary, even though I'm forty years old, I'm still the most powerful knight in France!"

  For the needs of the competition, Henry II ordered a large number of weapons and armor, and established his own palace weapons and armor workshop accordingly, employing many skilled craftsmen from France, Flanders, and Italy. A considerable part of the works have been preserved to this day.

  He glanced at his queen slightly, with a disgusted expression on his face.

   To be honest, Henry II has always hated the queen beside him.

  His father, François I, suffered repeated defeats and defeats in the war against Spain, and the court was already on the verge of bankruptcy.

  In order to obtain a large amount of wealth, his father married his second son, Henry II, to the Medici family, a banker with wealth and power in Italy.

  Having money can turn ghosts into millstones. In order to save his court, Henry was sold by his father in this way.

  You say, it’s okay to be beautiful, but the key is to be fat and short, and have nothing but money.

  If it weren't for the fact that she gave birth to several heirs for herself, Henry II would have wanted to imitate England's Henry VIII and abolish the queen.

   "Don't bother me anymore, go to the high stage and let you see my performance moment!"

  Henry II waved his hand and drove away his wife.

  Seeing this, Queen Medichi opened her mouth, and after seeing her husband's disgusted face, she could only leave with her maid.

  The servant began to put on the armor for His Majesty the King one by one, which was very cumbersome.

   On the other side, Gabriel, Earl of Montgomery, the king's close bodyguard, the most trusted Scottish Guard Captain in the kingdom.

  As the captain of the Scottish Guard, the most elite guard in France, Gabriel looks majestic and powerful, with a handsome face, which is very consistent with the image of the knight in the poem.

   At this time, he was preparing to put on his armor, when he suddenly received a letter sent on parchment, which made his complexion change drastically, gradually turning pale.

   "What's the matter with you? My lord!" The attendant at the side saw that his master's expression was not right, and asked with concern.

   "It's nothing, continue to help me put on the armor!" Gabriel shook his head with a forced smile, and asked the attendant to continue working.

   In this regard, the attendant can only continue to serve him in the troublesome full body armor, and his mount is no exception.

   Suddenly a servant came over and asked flatteringly, "Master Earl, I wonder if you are ready? His Majesty the King is urging you!"

   "It will be ready soon, Your Majesty, please wait for a moment!" Gabriel quickly changed his face and responded with a smile when the servant came.

   Turning to pick up his helmet, Gabriel, supported by his attendants, rode on the horse.

   Under the support of the dual strength of the body armor and the back, the horse slowly walked towards the center of the competition.

   And there, His Majesty the King has been waiting for a long time.

  I saw His Majesty the King's mount and his own helmet with colorful feathers, and looking at the armor, this is His Majesty's favorite golden lion armor, which is shining golden under the direct sunlight at noon.

  The carvings on the armor are extremely complicated and delicate, and the vine-like decorations have an Arabic style, especially on the shoulder armor, each depicting a lion's head, and the sideburns almost extend to the chest, majestic.

  The pattern on the breastplate shows a Roman warrior accepting weapons presented by two women as tribute.

   "My lord, I hope you will show your true level and don't let me down!"

  He knew the king very well. Henry II was eager to win, and he would never allow himself to openly "let the water" in a contest under the eyes of everyone.

   "Yes, Your Majesty, please forgive my rudeness!" Gabriel said angrily.

  Afterwards, Gabriel took the wooden spear and wooden shield from the attendant.

  Because it is different from actual combat, the contests here all use spears with wooden handles, which are umbrella-shaped and brightly colored.

Usually, two knights hold a shield in their left hand and a spear in their right hand. After a long sprint, they flat-end the spear and give the opponent a blow (experienced knights usually attack the opponent's neck armor, gaps in the helmet and shield handles, etc.) Weakness, if you touch it, you will win).

  Because the spears with wooden handles are easy to break under a huge impact, they are often one-off, and the victory or defeat is often in an instant.

  Beside the two, the clown performed the show without fear, and the audience also watched the contest between His Majesty the King and the captain of the Scottish Guard with great anticipation, which was really exciting.

  (end of this chapter)