Imperial Year 14 (1462 CE)
The French government had changed.
Charles VII, the Victorious (le Victorieux), had died, and Louis XI, the Prudent (le Prudent), had ascended to the throne.
It was a royal succession that occurred a few months later than in the history before Hyang’s intervention.
The relationship between Charles VII and Louis XI was more that of political rivals than father and son.
It hadn’t always been bad from the beginning.
When France gained the upper hand after Charles VII recaptured Paris in the latter stages of the Hundred Years’ War, Louis XI, at the age of 16, jumped into the war and began steadily building his achievements.
The deterioration of the father-son relationship began to surface with the “Praguerie Rebellion” in 1440.
The rebellion started with the announcement of the “Ordinance of Orleans.”
The nobility strongly opposed the ordinance, which established a standing army, imposed taxation to fund it, and prohibited nobles from maintaining private armies.
Louis XI participated in this rebellion on the side of the nobility, defying his father.
However, the rebellion was suppressed, and Louis XI was ordered to focus solely on governing his domain of Dauphiné—effectively a form of exile.
That wasn’t all. On Charles VII’s orders, to counter England, their wartime opponent, Louis XI married Margaret, daughter of King James I of Scotland. But their marriage was terrible, and to make matters worse, Margaret died in 1445, further worsening the father-son relationship.
The relationship between father and son continued to deteriorate.
In 1448, Louis XI attempted to impeach Pierre de Brézé, Charles VII’s closest confidant, but failed and was once again confined to Dauphiné.
Even in this situation, Louis XI constantly defied Charles VII and pursued his own path, eventually leading to the worst scenario.
In 1451, he signed a secret agreement on the division of the Duchy of Milan and pursued marriage with Charlotte, daughter of Count Louis I of Savoy.
The problem was that while Louis XI was 28 years old at the time, Charlotte was only six, and he had not obtained permission from his father, King Charles VII.
Unable to contain his anger, Charles VII sent troops to arrest Louis XI in 1456, and Louis XI fled to the Duchy of Burgundy.
Afterward, Louis XI waited for his opportunity while under the protection of Philip III the Good.
Later, when he received word that Charles VII was gravely ill, Louis XI thought it might be a trap and didn’t immediately take action.
Only after Charles VII’s death was confirmed did he return to Paris, hold a formal coronation ceremony in Reims, and become king.
***
After his coronation, Louis XI stayed at the Château d’Amboise in the Loire Valley.
Though it had been taken by the English forces and recaptured, Paris was an unwelcome place for French kings for various reasons.
Louis XI, who had spent almost his entire life outside Paris, felt this aversion particularly strongly, and eventually established his residence at the Château d’Amboise.
“Hmm… what should I do now?”
Louis XI murmured to himself while looking out the window.
Upon ascending to the throne, Louis XI immediately began examining the legacies left by his predecessor, Charles VII.
“How ironic…”
As he examined this inheritance, Louis XI’s expression became troubled.
Among the legacies left by Charles VII, the most useful was the Ordonnance Army, a standing force.
The problem was that he himself had been involved in the rebellion caused by this very army.
As a result, as soon as he ascended the throne, nobles who advocated the abolition of the Ordonnance Army and a return to the old ways were pressuring him.
“A return to the old ways is out of the question…”
Louis XI had no intention whatsoever of accepting the nobles’ demands.
Although a truce had been reached with England, war could break out again at any time. In that case, those nobles could readily switch their allegiance to England if it suited their interests.
And within France, a powerful enemy still remained.
It was the Duchy of Burgundy, where he had sought refuge.
Since the Treaty of Arras, the Duchy of Burgundy, freed from feudal obligations to the French king, had become a de facto independent state.
Subsequently, Burgundy’s policy direction actively sought to check France to maintain its independence and expand its influence.
In particular, Louis XI had personally witnessed Charles, who would succeed Philip III the Good as the ruler of Burgundy, openly express such intentions.
“To stabilize the kingdom, I need an army and officials that I, as king, can firmly control. And a tax system to support them. In other words, the Ordinance of Orleans cannot be abolished.”
Analyzing his own situation and that of the kingdom, Louis XI clenched his fist.
“The only conclusion is ‘imperialization.'”
***
During this period, the Empire represented an ‘ideal’ for European intellectuals and monarchs.
- Diligent and loyal subjects.
- Honest officials working tirelessly for the country’s security.
- Scholars ceaselessly pursuing knowledge, supported by society and institutions.
- A society where hard workers are respected regardless of occupation.
- Channels of communication where even the poorest and lowliest subjects could directly petition the Emperor with grievances.
- An Emperor with tremendous power who doesn’t abuse it arbitrarily and commands absolute loyalty from his subjects.
While this seemed utopian to Europeans accustomed to feudalism, letters sent by professors and students residing in Seoul proved this wasn’t merely a fantasy.
And European monarchs and intellectuals who accessed this information dreamed of reforming their own countries.
This became the reform movement that would be called “imperialization.”
But although they dreamed of the “Empire” and called for “imperialization,” their destinations were not the same.
- An entity that leads the nation with the help of specialized bureaucrats while monopolizing all power.
If this was the “imperialization” that kings dreamed of, others had different meanings for “imperialization.”
- A society where knowledge could be freely explored without religious restrictions.
- A society without arbitrary taxes imposed without proper standards.
In this way, the vision of empire that people who advocated “imperialization” dreamed of varied.
Yet despite these varying dreams, there was one thing they all agreed upon.
- The exclusion of the noble class.
For kings, it was for the monopolization of power; for people of other classes, it was to secure their rights and opportunities for social advancement.
“For the successful establishment of the Great French Empire, the nobility must first be eliminated. But to eliminate these nobles, imperialization is necessary. And for successful imperialization, what’s needed is money.”
Having said that much, Louis XI placed his hand on his forehead.
“So money is the issue. Is that why the Empire is so zealous in trade?”
***
During his time hiding in Dauphiné and the Duchy of Burgundy, Louis XI acquired and read many documents related to Joseon, later the Empire, and whenever possible, invited those who had visited the Empire to hear about it.
At first, it was mostly out of curiosity about the Empire’s strange artifacts and landscapes. But before long, Louis XI began to wonder:
“How did Joseon become an Empire?”
Louis XI posed this question to a scholar. In response, the scholar nodded and replied:
“I too am curious about that. Thus, I would like to research it, but…”
The scholar trailed off, but Louis XI immediately understood.
“If you need funding, say so. I will support you.”
“Thank you.”
The scholar, supported by Louis XI, began gathering information by traveling to and from the Empire.
Not just the Empire—when necessary, he traveled to Ming and Wakoku, meticulously collecting and analyzing materials. The result was the concept of “the Reformation.”
After seeing the contents regarding abolition of the class system, tax reform, compulsory education, and more, Louis XI asked the scholar:
“The king himself implemented this?”
“That’s correct.”
“Were there no nobles in the Empire?”
“There were those called ‘Yangban (noblemen).'”
“And yet it succeeded?”
“Of course, there were rebellions.”
The scholar explained the “Giyu Rebellion” to Louis XI. Hearing the explanation, Louis XI nodded and muttered to himself:
‘So military force is indeed the key.’
***
Recalling these memories, Louis XI contemplated the situations he would face and the tasks ahead.
“The former king tried, but the nobles are still powerful. To break the nobles’ power, I can’t do it alone. No, I could die at any time. To avoid this, I must cultivate forces to check the nobles. The best option is the Estates General. But the clergy must be seen as in league with the nobles. If that’s the case, I must win over the commoners, especially the merchants, as the Empire’s king did. And to win over the merchants, just like the Empire…”
Louis XI wrote on blank paper the policies to win over the commoner faction of the Estates General.
- Tax reform
- Compulsory education
“This would be most effective, but again, what’s needed is money… Sigh~.”
After sighing, Louis XI smacked his lips.
“Money is needed to reform the system, and system reform is needed to secure money—it’s a cycle… Sigh~.”
As he sighed looking at the problems going round in circles, Louis XI flipped through ledgers placed to one side.
“Is this why he was so obsessed with Suez?”
Louis XI understood why Charles VII had shown such deep interest in Suez.
“Even now, the profit from monopolizing goods coming from Suez is considerable. They say the king of the Empire who first implemented the Reformation also secured funds using the monopoly system. If so, I should use this well too.”
Thinking of Suez, Louis XI began to find his direction.
“It’s not just Suez. Looking at Portugal, the profits they earn from Africa are enormous. Then… not only Suez, but I must advance to the sea. Wait, should I use the nobles for this part?”
True to his nickname “the Spider” for his skill in conspiracy and political maneuvering, Louis XI was plotting to exploit the nobles.
As he poured his energy into planning for the future, Louis XI pressed his throbbing temples and sighed.
“Sigh~. My head hurts. I need an advisor…”
Feeling the urgent need for an advisor, Louis XI looked at the gold pen in his hand and muttered:
“The advisor to the king who first implemented the Reformation was the king’s dauphin (Dauphin de Viennois, the crown prince), wasn’t it? But they say he was around 10 years old at the time… Could that be true?”
Recalling rumors about Hyang, Louis XI shook his head.
“If that’s true, he can’t be human.”
At the same moment, in the temporary palace at New Frontier, Hyang was rubbing his ear and muttering:
“Who’s badmouthing me again? Goodness… there are too many suspects…”
Hyang knew all too well that there were at least hundreds of people who would curse him, not just in the New Frontier temporary palace and Area 52, but even in distant Seoul.