Holy Roman Empire

"""

After reviewing the information, Franz had to admit that Frederick was indeed very unlucky. Suitable matches for him were far too few, leaving hardly any room for choice.

Under the current international circumstances, the most suitable alliance for the Habsburg dynasty would be with the Russian royal family, unfortunately, there were no princesses of the right age.

The daughters of Alexander II were already married off, and the daughter of Alexander III had not even been weaned yet, and it was uncertain whether she would survive to adulthood. Naturally, Frederick couldn’t possibly wait that long.

There were no princesses in the French royal family either. But that didn’t matter, the Bonaparte family was never considered by Franz in the first place.

As the stronghold of the Conservative, the Austrian public simply could not accept a parvenu as the future empress, or to put it another way, the Austrian nobility could not accept a woman of insufficiently noble blood as the wife of the Crown Prince.

The Bonaparte family rose to prominence too late and Napoleon I had offended too many people, while Napoleon III was an elected Emperor, both challenging the traditional hereditary succession.

To the legitimate nobility, this was an illegitimate ascension to power. Therefore, the Bonaparte family was excluded from the European nobility circle, not accepted by the mainstream even when the French Empire was at its zenith.

As beneficiaries of the hereditary succession system, the Habsburg dynasty naturally opposed the Bonaparte heresy.

Queen Helen asked, "Franz, which one do you think is the most suitable for Frederick?"

Franz replied, "Let’s use the process of elimination, we won’t consider any of Queen Victoria’s granddaughters and their descendants."

There was no choice; hemophilia was not to be trifled with. The decline of royal power in Europe was not just due to world wars; hemophilia was also a significant factor.

In this regard, Queen Victoria made an outstanding contribution to the European republican cause. If not for hemophilia, which wiped out the heirs of various royal families, the decline of royal power wouldn’t have happened so rapidly.

Queen Helen asked, puzzled, "Why not?"

Franz explained patiently, "Have you heard of the ’royal disease’?"

Queen Helen nodded, "I have heard of it, it’s said to be a terrifying curse on the royal families."

Franz shook his head, "It’s no curse; I’ve had people meticulously study the patterns of the royal disease.

Interestingly, all the sufferers are male, and all are descendants of Queen Victoria, her daughters, and granddaughters.

According to the experts, the royal disease is a maternally inherited disease. It is carried by females and manifests in males.

Looking at the statistics, the incidence of the royal disease is very high. For the sake of Frederick’s progeny, it is best if we keep our distance."

Queen Helen asked incredulously, "How could this be? Could it be that the British..."

Franz replied, "No, this should not be man-made. With the British level of medical knowledge, they would not be able to control the spread of a virus.

Besides, what good would it do them? If the royal families of Europe were all to suffer, wouldn’t they fear the rise of a co-monarch who could unite the European Continent?"

The royal families of Europe are all interconnected, and it is not an exaggeration. The intermarriage between royal families is complex, and possessing the right to inherit multiple thrones is a basic affair.

The Habsburg dynasty is a prime example. If a large scale extinction of heirs in European royal families were to occur, Franz might even pick up a few more crowns.

From the perspective of conspiracy theories, the beneficiary is the culprit; Franz felt even he was more suspicious than the British.

Seeing Queen Helen panicking, Franz reassured her, "There, there, Helen. Don’t be so alarmed. It’s just the royal disease. We just need to avoid it, it’s not as dreadful as you think."

After a long pause, Queen Helen finally collected herself, "Does the British Royal Family know about these messages?"

"""

Franz shook his head, "I don’t know either. But even if they knew, I’m afraid no one would speak out about it.

All right, let’s not worry about it too much. As long as it doesn’t affect us, let them be! If the news really gets out, we would become mortal enemies with the British Royal Family."

Queen Helen nodded her head, aware of the gravity of the situation. If the lid were lifted, it would not just be the United Kingdom’s Royal Family they would offend, but also the several royal families affected by hemophilia would bear a grudge for not being warned earlier. Such is human nature.

Under the pressure of the "Royal Disease," the candidates were instantly reduced by a quarter. It has to be said that the grandmother of Europe is indeed formidable.

Franz: "Next, we’ll weed out those who are politically unsuitable. I’m more familiar with this area, so I’ll take care of it!"

Politics is the most important factor in royal marriage alliances, and if this is not handled well, it’s not support they would be finding but trouble.

For instance, the Bourbon and Orleans families both have princesses of suitable age and status, but Frederick simply cannot marry them.

If the heir of the Habsburg dynasty were to marry a former member of the French royal family, Napoleon IV would probably go crazy, as this would threaten his rule.

Moreover, Franz is not planning to restore the former French royal family, so why court trouble?

After considering political factors, it’s time to consider status. These records are not only for Frederick but also for his three brothers.

Without needing Franz to say anything, Queen Helen categorized the remaining candidates by status. Frederick is the Crown Prince, and his wife must be his equal in status, leaving very little room for choice.

When Franz married Queen Helen, it was shortly after the annexation of the Kingdom of Bavaria, and the marriage served as appeasement for the Bavarian Royal Family to avoid looking too greedy.

This appeasement was also for the domestic princes and the Bavarian people to see, to reassure everyone.

In fact, this alliance proved to be very successful. Everyone quickly reconciled with the situation, the Bavarian Royal Family boldly managed the Kingdom of Lombardy, and the people of the Bavarian Region accepted the change in their monarchy.

The current situation is clearly different, with the Sub-States in the country being very quiet, and Franz has no plans to transfer any ruler, so naturally, there is no need for Frederick to marry a princess from a collateral branch for appeasement.

If it were a princess from the direct line, maybe, but remote collateral branches not only fall short in status but the political advantages are too weak, making it meaningless.

After all this consideration, not many are left. The British Royal Family alone accounts for half, with Prince Edward’s three daughters all within the range of choices.

They are Princess Louise, born in 1867, Princess Victoria, born in 1868, and Princess Maud, born in 1869.

(Note: Hemophilia is a maternal hereditary disease)

Reviewing the information, Franz couldn’t help but admire the efficiency the British had of one birth per year, something not easily achieved by most.

Aside from being slightly young, all other aspects meet the criteria. Politically, the Anglo-Austrian two countries are in their honeymoon phase, and despite the fact that they have backstabbed each other, they still remain allies.

Princess Sophie Marie Victoria of the Baden Royal Family is also a good choice, born in 1862, currently 15 years old.

Not only is her age very appropriate, but politically she is also a good match, which would be beneficial for strengthening Austria’s influence in the German Federation Empire.

It’s almost certain that Frederick’s wife will be either Princess Sophie Marie Victoria of Baden or Princess Louise from the United Kingdom.

Of course, there are still a few other possible candidates, such as the daughters of Nicholas I, known as the "Father-in-law of Europe." However, the Montenegro Duchy has too little influence and holds no value for an alliance.

Queen Helen: "There are only two left, who does Franz think is more suitable?"