Empire Rise: Spain-Chapter 36: The Proposal To Abolish The Tithe

The news of Carlo’s assassination instantly became Madrid’s hottest story, frantically ed by major newspapers and spread by word of mouth among the Spaniards present at the scene.
Although the cameras at the scene did not capture the moment Carlo was assassinated, the scene of him raising his arm and shouting at the end was recorded.
This unclear black-and-white photograph was also published in that day’s newspaper by the Spanish Sun Newspaper, with a striking headline: 《Make Spain Great Again!》
The Spanish Sun Newspaper praised Carlo’s courage in the face of danger and the wonderful idea of making Spain great again in its .
It finally asked pointedly: “If a monarch like Your Majesty Carlo cannot shoulder the heavy responsibility of making Spain great again, who is qualified to lead Spain forward?
The Carlist faction accuses the government’s reforms of affecting capitalists and factories, putting a large number of workers at risk of unemployment. But what are they doing? They are plunging Spain into the abyss of civil war, putting the great Spanish nation in a situation of self-destruction, and causing tens of thousands of families to soon lose their sources of income.
Queen Isabella of the Bourbon family has already made Spaniards suffer immensely; does Carlos of the same Bourbon family want to plunge Spain into the abyss again?”
Thanks to the massive media coverage, plus the word-of-mouth spread by tens of thousands of Spaniards at the scene, hundreds of thousands of Madrid citizens quickly learned of their monarch’s glorious deeds, and Carlo gained another reputation for courage in the face of danger.
Although Carlo’s actions did have some suspicion of deliberately winning popular support, for Spaniards, this was far better than a cowardly and timid king.
Carlo’s raised-arm shout before “fainting” also successfully moved the Spaniards at the scene. And through their spread, it influenced even more of the public.
After the assassination incident, fighting for Spain’s greatness became another major hot topic second only to the assassination itself.
If Carlo, who is not a Spaniard, has the courage to fight for Spain’s greatness, don’t real Spaniards have the courage to fight for Spain’s greatness?
As the protagonist of the assassination incident, Carlo was sent to a nearby hospital and then transferred again to the Royal Palace.
The news released by the Royal Palace was that Carlo was injured in the assassination but not in life-threatening danger, and was currently recuperating in the Royal Palace.
Primó had originally been worried about Carlo’s safety, but when he hurriedly arrived at the Royal Palace and saw Carlo safe and sound, he was first stunned, then breathed a sigh of relief.
“Your Majesty, what is this?” Primó looked at the unharmed Carlo, relieved yet somewhat puzzled.
“Fortunately, the pistol used by the assassin wasn’t very powerful, and I had padded a steel plate in advance, so I’m fine.” Carlo did not explain in detail, merely mentioning that he had padded a steel plate in advance.
Hearing Carlo’s explanation, Primó nodded but still felt some lingering fear: “Your Majesty, you were still too impulsive. Next time you need to give a speech, please communicate with the government in advance. I will arrange for the army to maintain order at the scene and ensure Your Majesty’s safety.”
Primó’s concern for Carlo was sincere, because Carlo’s safety was also tied to the success or failure of Primó’s reforms.
If anything happened to Carlo, Spain would enter another period of chaos.
In such a phase, it would be basically impossible for Primó to hold a king selection again, as the Carlist faction would not give Primó enough time to pick the next king.
Only if Carlo remained safe and sound on the throne could Primó’s reforms proceed smoothly, without worrying about any major trouble breaking out inside Spain.
“I know, Prime Minister Primó.” Carlo nodded, indicating he understood.
Speaking of which, Carlo was quite attentive to his own safety.
Transmigration was transmigration, but this world was quite real. As a transmigrator, Carlo’s life was still only once, so he naturally would not disregard his personal safety.
For this speech, aside from the pre-arranged “assassin,” anyone else who might approach Carlo was under surveillance, and it was ensured they carried no firearms.
The sea of people in the outer perimeter could not possibly get close to Carlo, and the shooting range of small firearms was not that far.
Plus, with the steel plate Carlo had padded in front of his chest in advance, this gave him the confidence to give a public speech in the current situation, facing thousands upon thousands of Spaniards.
“God bless, am I not perfectly fine, Prime Minister Primó? Moreover, after this assassination incident, most of the public will oppose the war launched by the Carlist faction and be hostile to those obstructing the reforms.” Carlo said with a smile.
“Your Majesty, I plan to abolish the tithe and completely pull all Spanish farmers to our side.” Primó was silent for a moment before stating his plan.
“The tithe? Those guys in the Church probably won’t be willing, right?” Hearing that Primó wanted to abolish the tithe, Carlo immediately thought of the Church that levied it.
“Of course they won’t be willing, but what can they do?” A warm smile appeared on Primó’s face, but it carried a hint of coldness: “If they join forces with the Carlist faction, that would truly be God bless.
I’m just afraid those guys in the Church will choose to swallow their anger; I’ve long coveted the Church’s land.”
Religion still had a significant influence on European countries, and the powers of churches in various countries were innumerable.
Spanish farmers had to pay the Church about one-tenth of their produce each year as tithe, which was one of the reasons for Spain’s low per capita income.
A large amount of tax revenue was taken by the Church, leaving hardship-stricken Spaniards with no choice but to sell their land for life-saving grain.
In this process, the Church accumulated vast amounts of land, becoming Spain’s largest landowners second only to the aristocracy.
Spain’s farmers were growing poorer, while the Church grew richer. Such development was extremely distorted, and the tithe—a tax specifically for exploiting farmers—had to be abolished as soon as possible.
Carlo nodded, understanding Primó’s plan in his heart.
After abolishing the tithe, Spanish farmers would finally be completely liberated.
At least they could ensure that most of their farming income went into their own pockets, and they would work agriculture with more passion.
The government that abolished the tithe would receive strong support from Spanish farmers. Compared to the support from farmers, who made up the majority of Spain’s population, the Church’s opposition would not matter much.
After all, it was already 1870, and religion’s influence was no longer what it once was. Even the Pope was confined to the Vatican; what waves could Spain’s Church stir up?
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