Rise of Empires: Spain

Chapter 20: Cabinet Selection

The following morning, under the watchful eyes of Spanish officials, Carlos, holding the Spanish Constitution, declared himself King of Spain, taking the title of King Carlos I.

Subsequently, Primo led government officials in swearing allegiance to Carlo, and the framework of the Kingdom of Spain was formally established.

According to the current Spanish constitution, the House of Representatives, the Senate, and the Royal Government are three separate branches of government, representing legislative, judicial, and executive powers, respectively.

As for Carlos, as the King of Spain, he nominally has the power to appoint and dismiss the prime minister and senior officials, to convene or dissolve parliament, to mobilize the army, to promulgate or repeal laws, to listen to state affairs, and to convene cabinet meetings.

In reality, the only power Carlos currently has is to listen to national affairs and convene cabinet meetings.

These two things can be considered as one: Carlos can learn about the current situation and policy developments in Spain through cabinet meetings, and that's all.

Although Carlo can offer his opinions, it's uncertain whether the cabinet government headed by Primo will listen.

However, this situation is not absolute; the nominal King of Spain still wields considerable power. Once Carlos cultivates sufficient prestige and gains the trust of the people and some officials, he can still influence the government through his power, thereby achieving the policies or laws he desires.

Before gaining sufficient prestige and status, Carlo could comfortably remain a king without much power, at least the responsibility wouldn't fall on his shoulders.

Carlo's coronation ceremony was scheduled for November, which is about two and a half months from now.

This arrangement has many advantages: the Spanish government has ample time to prepare for the coronation ceremony, and foreign guests have sufficient time to travel to Spain.

Of course, Spain was only a second-rate European country, and the king's coronation ceremony was unlikely to attract the attention of the major powers, except for neighboring countries like Italy and France.

However, considering that Prussia and France are still at war, it is highly unlikely that these two countries will send representatives to attend.

Later that evening, in the conference room of the Royal Palace in Madrid.

"Prime Minister Primo, is the list of cabinet members ready?" Carlo asked with a smile as he sat in the main seat, looking at Primo who had just arrived, looking travel-worn.

“It’s ready, Your Majesty.” Primo nodded and respectfully handed over a list.

“Now that His Majesty has been sworn in and crowned under the constitution, it is inappropriate for Mr. Serrano to continue as regent. Your Majesty, do you have any plans for Mr. Serrano?” Primo inquired.

Serrano became regent because the Spanish throne was undecided at the time, which created the position of regent.

Now that Carlo has arrived in Spain and been crowned, any further involvement in politics would be disrespectful to him.

Historically, Serrano became the Prime Minister of Spain after Amadeo's coronation, but that was because Primo was assassinated.

Primo is still alive and well, so the position of prime minister is naturally not very suitable for Serrano.

Considering that there is no suitable position for Serrano in the cabinet government other than the Minister of Defense, the answer to this question was actually found from the beginning.

“Let the Duke of Serrano serve as Minister of Defense,” Carlo said. “He can also serve as Commander-in-Chief of the Army. I feel very reassured entrusting the army to a general like the Duke of Serrano.”

Serrano's resume is quite impressive. He joined the army at the age of 12, participated in more than ten wars, large and small, and was awarded the rank of Marshal at the age of 46. He was also granted the title of Duke de la Torre for his contributions in the conquest of the Dominican Republic.

Such numerous achievements, both large and small, could not have been attained by an ordinary person, which in some respects proves that Serrano himself possesses excellent military command capabilities.

Upon hearing Carlo's words, Primo nodded in agreement.

Although there is currently only one suitable position for Serrano within the government, Primo did not directly write Serrano's name in the column for Minister of Defense, but instead symbolically asked Carlo for his opinion.

After all, Carlos has become the King of Spain, so at least in terms of appearances, he should be given sufficient respect.

Carlo understood this as well, and he was quite pleased with Primo's apparent respect for him. This also meant that Primo himself was not against monarchy; like Serrano, he opposed monarchs who had little ability but still wielded great power.

After signing the list of Spanish government cabinet members, Carlo turned his gaze back to Primo and asked the question that concerned him most: "Prime Minister Primo, when can the next cabinet meeting be held?"

“At the pace of holding a cabinet meeting once a week, the next meeting should be in three days, Your Majesty,” Primo replied.

Primo doesn't mind Carlo's desire to attend cabinet meetings, as it's Carlo's right. However, if Carlo tries to express his opinions at a cabinet meeting right after arriving in Spain, Primo will simply ignore him.

After all, even the most talented person needs to understand the situation in Spain first, right? What use is an opinion to Spain if one expresses it without understanding the situation?

“I will be attending the cabinet meeting in three days, Prime Minister Primo.” Upon hearing that the cabinet meeting was in three days, Carlo said bluntly, “I hope to see detailed information about Spain during this time and understand where our country is at. Rest assured, I will not interfere with Spain's policies until I have a sufficient understanding. Prime Minister Primo, you can begin your reform preparations; I will unconditionally support you, and I will state my position at the meeting. Primo nodded. With Carlo's unconditional support for the reforms, he was no longer concerned about Carlo's potential suggestions at the cabinet meeting."

After all, advice is just advice; whether or not Primo listens to it is up to him.

Carlo's firm support for reform can actually help Primo, which is very helpful in improving the current situation in Spain.

Ironically, Primo and Serrano, who overthrew Queen Isabella II of Spain, could actually be categorized as royalists.

Although Primo's loyalty to Spain was greater than that to the King, he remained loyal to the King as long as the King did not harm Spain's interests.

Even for the sake of Spanish unification, Primo would not sideline the king. Only when Carlos's prestige and status grew higher would the various regions of Spain submit to the king's rule and obey the government's administration.

If the regions are unwilling to submit to the king's rule, Spain will become increasingly chaotic, and the regions will seek autonomy or even independence, which would be fatal for Spain.

Primo's support for the monarchy stemmed from this reason. The current loose republican system could not save Spain; on the contrary, it would push Spain towards division and regional autonomy.

Only a unified and highly centralized kingdom government can help Spain escape the abyss of division and autonomy and reshape a unified and powerful Kingdom of Spain.