It must be admitted that looking through the history of Italian unification, aside from the unexpected factor of Garibaldi, the rest could be summed up as purely based on luck, without half an ounce of actual strength.
The Austro-Prussian War allowed Italy to easily acquire the Venice region and the southern part of South Tyrol.
This Franco-Prussian War, triggered by the Spanish throne, also allowed the Italians to see an opportunity to recover Rome.
Currently occupying Rome was the Catholic Papacy, also known as the Papal States.
Supporting the Papal States was the European hegemon, France.
This was the reason Italy, despite being unified, had delayed recovering its core region of Rome.
But after the war broke out, the French troops stationed in Rome had gradually begun to withdraw.
Italy was waiting for the moment all French troops had completely withdrawn.
The Papal army would be unable to stop the pace of Italian unification, and Rome would soon become the official capital of the Kingdom of Italy.
Just as Victor Emmanuel II was anxiously waiting for the French troops to fully withdraw from Rome, the Spanish government issued a diplomatic visit request to the Italian government.
The delegation sent by Spain this time was very luxurious, led by Prime Minister Prim, accompanied by multiple government ministers, and including several high-ranking military generals.
Considering the recent Spanish king-selection incident, Victor Emmanuel II seemed to somewhat understand the purpose of this Spanish diplomatic visit.
However, there was one thing Victor Emmanuel II didn’t quite understand: when the Spanish government was investigating candidates from other countries, they had done so covertly.
Why, when it came to Italy, did it turn into dispatching a diplomatic delegation for a visit?
Moreover, leading the delegation was Spain’s new Prime Minister Prim; he was someone who held both military and political power in one hand.
Calling him the most powerful man in Spain today would absolutely not be an exaggeration.
Although he didn’t quite understand Prim’s intentions, Spain was, after all, a major country along the Mediterranean.
Italy naturally wouldn’t reject an active visit from the Spanish government.
Carlo, who had been constantly following Spanish news, naturally learned of the Spanish government’s diplomatic visit request to Italy.
Regarding this event that had never occurred in history, Carlo couldn’t help but form a few guesses in his mind.
If the shortlist for the Spanish throne only had Amedeo’s name, they would most likely not be coming to Italy.
After all, three of the four historical competitors had already dropped out.
If there were no other competitors, Amedeo should have already won.
Combining the Spanish government’s diplomatic visit request, Carlo could basically conclude that he must also be on the shortlist for the Spanish throne and had reached the final round of competition against his brother Amedeo.
This also meant the choice of the Spanish King would become clear following Prim’s diplomatic visit.
If Carlo wanted to become the King of Spain, he had to firmly grasp all opportunities during this diplomatic visit and showcase his strengths to Prim.
The good news was that the historical Amedeo didn’t become King of Spain because he was incredibly outstanding.
In fact, compared to the other three candidates, Amedeo could only be considered barely passable.
It was precisely because Portugal’s Regent Ferdinand voluntarily withdrew, and the French strongly opposed Prince Leopold, that Amedeo reaped the benefits and ultimately won.
But compared to Carlo, Amedeo also had advantages.
First, he was six years older.
At 25, he appeared more mature and steady, which was quite important for Spain.
However, Carlo wasn’t without his own advantages.
Regarding the two current power-holders in Spain, Carlo was absolutely more familiar with them than Amedeo was.
Compared to Prim’s goals for Spain, Amedeo’s meager six-year age advantage actually wasn’t much.
Moreover, for Prim, who held military and political power, he might not want to see a more mature and steady king come and fight for power.
Being young might mean lacking maturity, but it also meant being easier to control than someone older.
At the very least, for Prim, who currently single-mindedly wanted to push for Spanish reform, Amedeo didn’t necessarily hold the upper hand.
After silently calculating his and his brother Amedeo’s respective advantages, Carlo started figuring out how to showcase his strengths during this diplomatic visit and make Prim choose him.
The first thing to do was to recognize his own position.
Actually, whether Amedeo or Carlo became the King of Spain, they couldn’t possibly wield much real power in the early stages.
It would be fine if they had the support of Prim and Serrano; those two held military and political power and would be a massive aid to the King.
Without the support of those two, this King of Spain could be described as an absolute figurehead, without a single reliable subordinate under him.
Under such circumstances, Carlo’s early plan upon becoming King of Spain was never to seize power, but rather to help Prim and Serrano carry out Spain’s reforms on the basis of stabilizing his throne.
Although current Spain was still a second-rate European country, it had fallen too far behind great powers like Britain, France, Prussia, Russia, and Austria.
Even compared to Italy, which had only recently unified, Spain was surpassed in terms of comprehensive national strength.
If Spain didn’t reform, continuing to waste away would even turn Spain into a third-rate European country.
Both Prim and Serrano possessed immense prestige.
Having them take the initiative to carry out Spain’s reforms would be much smoother than Carlo pushing for reforms himself, and the Spanish people would find it easier to accept.
More importantly, both Prim and Serrano were also willing to see a monarch who supported reform appear in Spain.
Especially Prim, as the most powerful person in Spain, he was a thoroughgoing reformist.
Although the historical Prim was assassinated before Amedeo even arrived in Spain, during his short time as Prime Minister of Spain, he pushed for the enactment of multiple decrees and was the representative figure of the Spanish reformists.
If Carlo could display his support for reform during Prim’s visit to Italy, he believed he would gain Prim’s favor.
As long as either Prim or Serrano supported him, Carlo didn’t feel he would lose to his brother Amedeo in this competition for the royal candidacy.
After all, during his three years as King of Spain, Amedeo didn’t exhibit any outstanding talent, nor did he possess great ambitions or lofty aspirations.