Greece to roman road

Chapter 245 Noble Banquet

Moreover, it was already 1913. Although Constantine did not know whether the war sweeping across Europe would be like the original time and space, one thing Constantine knew was that this war that was said to end everything would inevitably end in Greece. will be involved.

Constantine also hoped that the emergence of new antibacterial drugs would reduce the casualty rate of Greek soldiers in this cruel war.

·········

June 14, 1913, Sophie Manor in the east of Thessaloniki.

This is a royal asset purchased here by Constantine himself after Greece regained the city of Salonika. It is said that this manor was formerly owned by officials stationed in Salonika from the Ottoman Empire.

The vast area of ​​green grassland in the manor stretches out along with the ups and downs of the terrain, with tall trees sparsely planted in between.

Looking through the lush green lawns of the manor, you can vaguely see the main building of the manor, which is a gorgeous building in the Baroque style with a thin spire on the top.

On the tree-lined path of the grassland, luxury carriages kept passing by, breaking the silence in the manor.

Constantine and Crown Princess Sophie, as the initiators of the banquet, stood at the steps in front of the main house, welcoming many guests.

Behind them were two rows of servants, the male servants in tuxedos and the maids in black skirts.

Two rows of six copper lamp holders, burning white candles, dispersed the deep night.

Constantine and Crown Princess Sophie invited all the Greek nobles to come to Sophie Manor to participate in the royal banquet.

After the war, under the auspices of King George, a noble canonization ceremony was held again to commend those soldiers who had outstanding performance in the 1912 War.

Due to the glorious victories and outstanding achievements of Greece in its continuous foreign wars, Greek society and people had a great change in their willingness to reward military personnel who had achieved meritorious service in wars and to ennoble them as nobility.

After Greece defeated the Ottoman Empire in the Macedonian War in 1895, the royal family only conferred a few nobles. It was not that King George did not want to confer more nobles, but the social sentiment at the time did not allow it.

For the Greek society at that time, Greece was not so much a kingdom as a republic.

Suddenly a large number of nobles were ennobled. In the original society, a group of high-class people appeared and put pressure on the people. It could easily arouse the resentment of the people and put the royal family in an embarrassing situation.

As outsiders, the royal family had a shallow foundation in Greece at the time, weak influence and few supporters.

King George agreed to appoint the leader of the majority in parliament as Prime Minister of Greece, which was also a side confirmation of the unstable position of the Greek royal family at that time.

In countries where the power of the monarch is firmly established, the right to appoint the prime minister is an extremely important political right in the hands of the monarch.

As the head of the government, the Prime Minister has an important position.

At that time, only a few people were ennobled as nobles, not wanting to arouse the resentment of the Greek people.

Even though only a few nobles were canonized at that time, the royal family was under tremendous political pressure and finally had to agree to the exchange conditions of then Prime Minister Trikoupis - the position of Prime Minister of Greece must not be held by nobles.

The number of people who were canonized as nobles this time was relatively large, reaching more than 30, because the Greek people were no longer as sensitive to this kind of behavior as before.

The victory of the war made the Greek people increasingly identify with the monarch.

As the crown prince, Constantine naturally understood that the aristocracy was a class destined to disappear. After all, it was already the 20th century, and it was not the Middle Ages. The aristocracy was destined to be submerged in the tide of history.

Capitalism, which pursues freedom and equality, is incompatible with the privileged class of feudal society, the aristocracy.

There is a saying that the butt determines the head - it is not that the head decides where to go and the butt follows behind, but that after the butt occupies the position, the brain starts to think and plan for the position of the butt.

What would happen if Greece had no aristocracy except the royal family?

I am afraid that every once in a while, the Greek Parliament will initiate a discussion on whether it is necessary for Greece to maintain the monarchy system?

This is entirely possible.

Therefore, as the crown prince, Constantine must consider the fate of this class and safeguard the interests of this class.

A carriage slowly stopped in front of the door. After the coachman opened the door himself, Constantine took the initiative to step forward and greet the most respected of all the guests today, Emmanuel, the Chief of General Staff of the Kingdom of Greece. .

In view of the fact that during Emmanuel's tenure as Chief of the General Staff of Greece, the Greek army won consecutive war victories. As the de facto supreme commander of the Greek army, Emmanuel was awarded the title of earl during the canonization ceremony and received a piece of land located in Savoy. The estate around Lonica served as his domain.

"Welcome to Sophie Manor, Your Excellency, Chief of General Staff," Constantine said warmly to the Emmanuel couple walking hand in hand.

"It is an honor to accept your invitation, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, His Royal Highness the Crown Princess," Emmanuel and his wife said in unison.

Emmanuel was the last guest to arrive today. Constantine and Sophie walked into the hall together with Emmanuel and his wife.

The floor is made of extremely pure marble and is polished smooth. Under the bright lights in the hall, the surface seems to be coated with a layer of light.

The spacious, bright and magnificent hall can accommodate nearly a hundred people without appearing crowded.

Many Greek nobles who had been waiting in the hall saw Constantine and Emmanuel entering the hall and hurriedly greeted them.

Under the crystal chandelier in the middle of the hall, a dazzling array of food was placed on the table.

Among them, the huge golden fruit tray placed in the middle of the table is the most eye-catching. It contains many fruits, including purple grapes, orange citrus, green olives, bright red strawberries and other fruits.

Around the fruit plate, there are rows of high-end ingredients such as roast goose, sausages, caviar, truffles, foie gras, white bread, barbecue, jam, etc. On the side of the table are several bottles of dark red wine.

On the left side of the meal, the invited band was playing melodious music. The soothing rhythm made people in the hall relax involuntarily.

The conductor of the band, seeing that the hosts of the banquet, Mr. and Mrs. Constantine, had entered, took the initiative to change the music.

The lights dimmed, and Constantine and Sophie walked into the venue together and danced the opening dance.

Two minutes later, Constantine and Sophie left the dance floor. One by one, the men invited women and girls to enter the dance floor and dance to the music.

The first thirty minutes were all time for everyone to move freely. The invited guests were either enjoying food, chatting in twos or threes, or dancing with people of the opposite sex.

After everyone was a little tired of it, Constantine nodded to Sophie, indicating that it was okay.

Afterwards, Sophie, as the hostess of the banquet, led the ladies and ladies present to visit her dressing room and wardrobe.

The ladies and ladies in the hall were very curious when they heard that they could visit the Crown Princess's private collection.

After all, the invitees were all "nouveau riche" in Greece, and their family background was shallow. Naturally, they could not be compared with Sophie, who was born in the Hohenzollern family.

Sophie's own generous dowry, coupled with the additions made over the years, it is no exaggeration to say that Sophie alone can host a European luxury goods museum.

It is naturally a rare opportunity to see the luxuries of the Crown Princess.

Taking advantage of the women's attention, Constantine and a group of nobles came to the small conference room on the second floor.

Naturally, this time of going to great lengths to invite all the Greek nobles could not be just for fun and entertainment.

Tap the screen to use advanced tools Tip: You can use left and right keyboard keys to browse between chapters.

You'll Also Like