My British Empire

  Chapter 2 Baron Hughes Smith

  Hughes Smith is a serious man in his thirties, with scars all over his body, and his big muscles look very mighty. He has long gray-silver hair, and a pair of light blue eyes shining brightly under thick eyebrows. The weather-beaten cheeks look even more handsome in the cold wind, a proper middle-aged handsome guy.

  Edward followed Elizabeth out of the Esséry Palace slowly, and the two little maids beside him hurried to the stables, leading Edward's beloved pony to follow.

   Foals are warm-blooded cabards, a breed popular in England in the 16th century.

  Suitable for long-distance running, it belongs to the late blooming type of horse. It originated from the Caucasian horse breed in the northern part of Eurasia. The adult horse weighs 950 pounds. It is a small horse in size, of course compared with Europe.

  They are very hardworking and known for their long-distance staying power.

   The little pony was named Arthur by Edward, huh, huh! Riding a great monarch in the history of England is indeed a great feeling, especially this king often changes gender, men and women do not know.

  Of course, my prince may have forgotten that his father's elder brother is also called Arthur.

  Arthur has snow-white hair, combed by the maids so that it shines white, very beautiful. Arthur, who was more than one year old, was very happy to be able to go out for a walk, and ran to Edward's side briskly with his pony head held high, biting his sleeves.

   "Okay, okay! I know you're panicking, didn't this bring you out?" The pony seemed to understand, biting much less forcefully, but still rubbing with the small die.

   "Well, well, I will take you for a walk three times a week, outside the palace!" Edward made a promise in desperation.

   Only after this did Edward get away, and Princess Elizabeth was just stopping to watch Edward's embarrassment with interest, discussing with the maids from time to time, and there was a burst of cheerful laughter.

  Edward's sister, Princess Elizabeth, was born at Presensi Palace in London, England. She is the only surviving child of Henry VIII and his second queen, Anne Boleyn. Since her parents were married according to Protestant rules, the Catholic Church considered her an illegitimate daughter.

  She was designated as the heir to the throne at birth, and her half-sister Mary was the unlucky servant to her. Just as Edward was born, she and Princess Mary became Edward's nanny.

  When Elizabeth was three years old, her mother was sentenced to death for treason, and a year later Henry VIII and his third queen, Jane Seymour, gave birth to a boy: Edward. Both Elizabeth and Mary became Edward's servants.

  Elizabeth was born in 1533, four years older than Edward. Due to their similar age, her relationship with Edward is very close, and her relationship with her sister, Princess Mary, is not salty.

  The two of them came to the school grounds of the palace, and at this time, Baron Smith was training dozens of young boys in their teens. These newly joined boys are being tortured by the baron, but fortunately, the baron's preferences are normal.

  The baron stared at them with a serious face as they practiced sprinting on horseback. Under the baron's strict training, the boys tensed up and didn't make a sound.

  In view of Baron Smith's bravery, Henry VIII appointed him as the chief of the court guard, commanding five hundred court guards. This is also all the armed forces of the entire royal family, the standing army of armed forces.

  So, under normal circumstances, the baron will come to train those young people who have just joined. And he was very fond of torturing the new boys, and this rumor was widely circulated.

   The result of this is that the newcomers are basically quiet and have no thorns, so the baron no longer clarifies?

  They are composed of the second sons of some nobles except the eldest son. They come with their own horses and armor weapons to serve His Majesty the King, expecting to gain meritorious service in the war and win the fiefdom.

  According to the rules of the Middle Ages, the nobles are loyal to the canonized nobles, and the iron law that a vassal's vassal is not my vassal is popular.

  The vassals have to lead the army to fight during the war, so the king does not have a permanent army, and even the king cannot afford it!

  During the Middle Ages, the king and nobles jointly managed the country. The king entrusted the big nobles in various places, and the nobles must be loyal to the king, and the big nobles entrusted the small nobles, layer by layer, thus forming the ruling foundation of the entire country in the Middle Ages.

  The order of nobility is as follows: Knight-Baron-Viscount-Earl-Duke-King. This is the ruling power of the entire England. In theory, knights have the same status as the king, and the king is just a great nobleman. Of course, this is also in theory.

   Everyone found out, why is there no Marquis?

  Principal country: county, principality: duchy and marquis country: margravate.

  These feudal systems began in the period of Charles the Hammer, the court minister of the Frankish Kingdom. The titles of the Frankish country were originally non-descent, but after the demise of the Carolingian Dynasty, the local nobles who supported their own troops took the opportunity to separate one side and develop the hereditary system, forming the later state within a state (the centralization of early Germany was maintained, and their Duchies came very late to hereditary system).

The most common one in the Middle Ages was the earl country. The count/earl originally referred to the right-hand man of the Germanic kings, who was entrusted to guard one side of the local governor. These local governors combined judicial, military, and taxation powers, and gradually formed the earl. The feudal class was given a lot of power when it was entrusted, and it also became the high-level in the feudal system. The area that was enfeoffed was called Boling, which can be initially compared to the Jiedushi of the Tang Dynasty in China.

  After the disintegration of the kingdom, they supported their troops and established an independent country.

  In the United Kingdom, the title of duke was born after Edward III, and it was used to confer on princes. In fact, it is the same as the earl country, but it means a slightly higher status.

  In addition, countries in Eastern and Southern Europe were greatly influenced by the Holy Roman Empire, and many of their local leaders were also called duchies because of the duke title bestowed by the emperor.

  The rank of the duke is second only to the prince, and the territory governed by the duke is called the duchy.

  The principality has greater power. The duke exercises judicial arbitration and taxation powers on its own land, while retaining its own army. The duke can continue to entrust smaller lords, such as viscounts, barons, etc.

   Principalities, uncle states, and marquis states are all entrusted directly by the king. In fact, sovereignty changes with the power of the emperor just like the vassal states in the Eastern Zhou Dynasty.

   Later, the viscount and baron territory was too small to be called a country anymore.

The concept of Marquis is generally found in Germany, which refers to the borders where there are frequent battles. For this reason, a Marquis military zone is specially set up there. The leader of the Marquis is the Marquis. Landenburg (later formed Prussia) and Austrian Borderlands (German for Eastern Borderlands, which later became the base of the Habsburg family).

  Other feudal countries also occasionally appeared the title of marquis, but generally as a supplement and rarely entrusted.

   Simply put, Marquis generally refers to the Earl of the Border District. Because of the tense fighting in the border area, their status was unusual, so they were promoted to marquis.

  Because it is a border area, naturally the number of earls is less than usual. Of course there are other reasons, but this is an important one.

  Back to the topic, there is another point that Henry VIII is a very successful king. He almost spent his king's career in war, so there is a good chance to get meritorious service by his side.

  (end of this chapter)