Chapter 291: Death of Prime Minister Primo

Facts have proved that in terms of Garibaldi's funeral, Umberto I indeed played a good game of chess.

As a national hero famous in Europe and America, the news of Garibaldi's death shocked the whole of Europe and also attracted the attention of many countries in the Americas.

Because of the distance, countries in the Americas could only let their ambassadors stationed in Rome represent them to attend Garibaldi's funeral and commemorate this famous classical hero of Europe and America.

Countries that are relatively close sent their representatives, even powers like France and Germany were no exception.

A funeral that can attract the attention of many countries is not common in Europe. Except for those ancient great nobles and rulers of various countries, few people's funerals can attract the attention of so many countries.

Because of the generous donation of the Italian royal family, Garibaldi's funeral became more grand and luxurious.

Although Garibaldi's last wish was to be buried in the family cemetery on Caprera Island, this does not mean that the entire funeral process needs to be carried out on Caprera Island.

In fact, the funeral was held at the San Lorenzo Cathedral in Genoa. Garibaldi's body would be stored here for a few days for the public to look up to and mourn.

On June 3, 1882, Italy dispatched naval warships to transport Garibaldi's body from Caprera Island to Genoa.

Behind the warships, there were large and small civilian ships following spontaneously, forming an extremely spectacular funeral ship fleet.

Italians spontaneously stopped work and classes, rushing to Genoa to look up to this national hero. The Italian government also simply announced the suspension of work and classes nationwide, brushing a wave of favor again.

The funeral process was not much different from the funeral process of European nobles. Garibaldi's body was transported past the port of Genoa and the shipyard where he worked in his youth, and then arrived at the San Lorenzo Cathedral.

After being parked for three days, Garibaldi's body was transported back to Caprera Island without stopping, and after the funeral was held, he was buried in the family cemetery.

After the whole set of funeral processes ended, many Italian people were still unwilling to leave. Caprera Island, with an area of only 16 square kilometers, almost instantly became a famous tourist attraction in Italy, with dozens or hundreds of people landing on the island to commemorate Garibaldi every day.

If it weren't for the small area of the island and the relatively small port, I'm afraid more Italians would come to Caprera Island every day.

When Butler Luo Lun returned to Spain, it was already a few days later.

Defense Qiao Di stayed in Italy; he intended to spend more time with his mother before returning to Spain.

Originally, Defense Qiao Di intended to invite his mother and sister's family to live in Spain. They could take care of each other in Spain, and his official position as Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Guard was enough to support a whole family.

But Defense Qiao Di's proposal was soon rejected by his mother. She and Garibaldi had been living in seclusion on this island for more than ten years, so naturally, she didn't want to move to Spain again.

What's more, Garibaldi had already been buried on Caprera Island, and she didn't intend to leave her husband.

Defense Qiao Di was helpless; he could only spend as much time as possible with his mother and sister, leaving a sum of money to guarantee their life.

In fact, Garibaldi's life in his later years was not as miserable as in history. Because Garibaldi had published articles in newspapers more than ten years ago, he had obtained many royalties in the past ten years.

The royalties Garibaldi obtained added up to at least one million lira, which is not a small number.

This sum of money alone was enough for Defense Qiao Di's mother and sister to live well, and Defense Qiao Di also knew that they were not short of money, but he still left a large sum of money.

This can also be considered Defense Qiao Di's guilt and compensation. After going to Spain to take office, Defense Qiao Di almost had no opportunity to accompany his family.

Since the last time Carlo moved to Spain and Defense Qiao Di met Garibaldi, Garibaldi never saw his two sons again until he died.

For Carlo, the funeral of Garibaldi that has passed is no longer important.

Because on the very day Butler Luo Lun returned, the doctor of Prime Minister Primo reported to Carlo that Prime Minister Primo was critically ill and could die of illness at any time.

Although Carlo had long been prepared, he still couldn't help but sigh when he learned that Prime Minister Primo was critically ill.

In recent years, the figures Carlo knew well kept leaving him one after another.

Vittorio Emanuele II was the first, Garibaldi was the second, and then it was Prime Minister Primo's turn.

But then again, in an era where the medical environment is extremely poor, being able to live for so many years can be considered lucky for them.

Even Vittorio Emanuele II, who was the youngest among them, was nearly 58 years old when he died. Although it is not a high age, it is also not an early death.

The arrival of bad news is very sudden.

On the third day after the doctor notified Carlo that Prime Minister Primo was critically ill, which was June 13, 1882, Prime Minister Primo had already lost his breath.

Upon learning the news of Prime Minister Primo's death, Carlo immediately rushed to the hospital where Prime Minister Primo was. The death of this former Prime Minister also shocked the Spanish government, and most of the officials of the cabinet government went to mourn.

Looking at Prime Minister Primo who had lost his breath on the hospital bed, Carlo sighed helplessly again, and then discussed the funeral details of Prime Minister Primo with Prime Minister Cánovas.

As the former Prime Minister of Spain, Prime Minister Primo's funeral must be held grandly. Like Garibaldi, Prime Minister Primo is also a national hero of Spain, and he naturally has the qualification to enjoy the highest level of funeral treatment.

Carlo specially instructed Prime Minister Cánovas not to worry about the expenditure of funds when holding the funeral for Prime Minister Primo.

Carlo intended to donate 500,000 pesetas for the funeral expenses, and the government only needed to make up for the remaining vacancy.

Prime Minister Cánovas naturally had no objection. Both emotionally and rationally, he had to strongly support the grand holding of Prime Minister Primo's funeral.

Since Carlo succeeded to the throne, more than ten years have passed, but Spain has only produced three Prime Ministers so far.

Grand Duke Serrano, who served as Prime Minister during the interim cabinet period, is a relatively special example; he served as Prime Minister just to transition between Prime Minister Primo and Prime Minister Cánovas.

This actually also means that the power in Prime Minister Cánovas's hands was inherited from Prime Minister Primo.

As early as the period when Prime Minister Primo was in power, Count Cánovas had successively served as Minister of Agriculture and Minister of Industry, and at that time Prime Minister Primo taught Cánovas a lot.

It was precisely because of Prime Minister Primo's teaching that Cánovas exercised enough ability, finally successfully took over the power of the Prime Minister, and became an existence in Spain who is under one person and above ten thousand people.

For Prime Minister Cánovas, holding Prime Minister Primo's funeral grandly is also good for himself.

How much Spain attaches importance to the former Prime Minister, the future Spanish government will attach as much importance to him after Prime Minister Cánovas retires.

Although Prime Minister Cánovas currently has Carlo's deep trust, who can guarantee that he will sit on the throne of Prime Minister forever?

For Prime Minister Cánovas, ensuring that he can also end well after retirement is as important as re-election.

After Carlo and Cánovas reached a consensus, there was no suspense about the expenditure of Prime Minister Primo's funeral.

This funeral will be held at a very high specification, and Prime Minister Primo is also about to become the first person to be buried in the Iberian Cathedral.

The Iberian Cathedral is a cathedral ordered to be built by Carlo, and it is also the direct cathedral of the Archbishop of Spain.

In Carlo's plan, the coronation ceremony of the future Spanish King, the weddings and funerals of royal family members will all be held in the Iberian Cathedral, from which Carlo's importance to Prime Minister Primo can also be seen.

The Iberian Cathedral will bury heroes who have made outstanding contributions to Spain. After Prime Minister Primo, more people will be buried in the Iberian Cathedral.

Of course, in order to reflect the merits of these people buried in the cathedral, the number of people finally buried in the cathedral will not be too many, at most about a hundred people.

In order to make plans for the future, during Carlo's reign, Carlo will only select more than ten heroes with outstanding contributions to be buried in the Iberian Cathedral.

This also means that whoever can finally win this honor can be remembered by history and become the most outstanding politician or general in Spain during Carlo's reign.

When learning that Prime Minister Primo would be buried in the Iberian Cathedral, neither Grand Duke Serrano nor Prime Minister Cánovas showed the slightest surprise.

Both emotionally and rationally, Prime Minister Primo is also the person most qualified to be buried in the Iberian Cathedral.

It was precisely because Prime Minister Primo died earliest that the order of people buried in the Iberian Cathedral became reasonable.

In the entire Spanish political scene and military, no one can find an existence whose merits are comparable to Prime Minister Primo.

The reason why Spain was able to achieve revival, Prime Minister Primo's promoted reform is definitely the greatest contribution. This also makes Prime Minister Primo's merits far exceed Grand Duke Serrano, and he is the number one civil and military official in Spain in the true sense.

According to the plan of the Spanish government, Prime Minister Primo's funeral will be held on June 17, 1882.

This includes three days to notify various countries; Prime Minister Primo is after all the former Prime Minister of Spain, and countries with relations with Spain must send representatives to attend Prime Minister Primo's funeral.

These three days are also the time for Spain to prepare for the funeral. Prime Minister Primo's funeral is destined to be very large; if there is not enough time to prepare, if the funeral is tiger-headed and snake-tailed, it will be a joke.

Whether out of respect for Prime Minister Primo or to maintain national prestige, no problems are allowed in the links of Prime Minister Primo's funeral, and the public security during the funeral must also be strictly controlled.

When Spain announced the news of Prime Minister Primo's death to the outside world, the Spanish government immediately received replies from various European countries.

Although both are national heroes, Prime Minister Primo and Garibaldi are also different. Garibaldi has huge prestige in Europe and America, which is the reason why those American countries took the initiative to send representatives to attend Garibaldi's funeral.

And Prime Minister Primo's merits are basically dedicated to Spain, which also makes his international popularity not as high as Garibaldi's.

However, Prime Minister Primo is after all a politician who promoted Spain's reform, so European powers naturally will not be absent from Prime Minister Primo's funeral.

On the day Spain announced the news of Prime Minister Primo's death to the outside world, Italy and the Austro-Hungarian Empire sent telegrams to the Spanish government, indicating that they would send envoys to attend Prime Minister Primo's funeral.

In the three days that followed, basically all European countries promised to attend Prime Minister Primo's funeral.

At this time, Spain has after all returned to the throne of powers, and ordinary countries really dare not ignore Spain's major actions.

Even power countries like Britain, France, and Germany generally have to give Spain some face. After all, everyone is a European country, and there is no need to tear their faces apart without conflict

Within Spain, when the Spanish public learned the news of Prime Minister Primo's death, their reaction was no less intense than that of the Italian public.

Many Spaniards spontaneously took to the streets, commemorating Prime Minister Primo in a variety of ways.

Prime Minister Primo's reforms had only been in place for ten years, and most Spaniards knew exactly what Spain had been like a decade ago.

It could be said that it was Prime Minister Primo's reforms that brought Spain the hope of returning to the ranks of the Great Powers; without the foundation of comprehensive national strength provided by those reforms, Spain would not have been able to return to the throne of the Great Powers through two five-year plans.

For such a meritorious Prime Minister, the Spaniards felt only gratitude and nostalgia.

Many Spaniards spontaneously offered their best wishes to Prime Minister Primo, hoping he would enter heaven.

Three days later, Prime Minister Primo's funeral was officially held.

Gao Da attended Prime Minister Primo's funeral and delivered a brief speech on the spot, expressing Prime Minister Primo's achievements and praising him as Spain's most outstanding statesman and the greatest contributor to Spain's revival.

After a series of cumbersome funeral rites concluded, Prime Minister Primo was transported to the Iberian Cathedral amidst the reluctant gazes of the public; he would be buried forever in the Iberian Cathedral, to be remembered and honored by every Spaniard who visited the church.

Prime Minister Primo had already been conferred the title of Duke by Gao Da previously, so there was no need to confer further titles.

In order to recognize the contributions Prime Minister Primo made to Spain, Gao Da decided to donate 1 million pesetas to Prime Minister Primo's family and resolve any future concerns for them.

His children would be cultivated by the Royal Family, and if things went smoothly, they would be able to enter the political arena in the future.

Prime Minister Primo's wife would also receive a pension from the government every year, allowing their entire family to enjoy a prosperous life.

(End of this chapter)