The Shadow of Great Britain-Chapter 620 - 308: Things in Iberia are Always So Bad_4

The rebels suffered an unprecedented defeat, and Prince Miguel was arrested. Subsequently, John VI declared Prince Miguel an unwelcome person and ordered his expulsion from the country, leaving Miguel no choice but to slink off to Austria to cling to Metternich’s coattails.

Then in 1826, while eating, John VI accidentally choked to death.

As unreliable as this cause of death may sound, being akin to the Tsar having a stroke, the pragmatic Portuguese quickly came to terms with the fact.

The King’s unexpected demise also brought up a new problem: he had not clearly designated a successor before his death.

The issue of royal succession once again sparked a ’lively debate’ within Portugal, with the liberals supporting the eldest son of John VI, Emperor Pedro I of Brazil, as the successor to the Portuguese throne, while the absolutists backed the younger son, Prince Miguel.

In the battle for the throne, the conservatives who controlled the government made the first move by preemptively declaring Pedro the lawful heir to the Kingdom of Portugal.

The absolutists, however, claimed this was unconstitutional, arguing that Prince Pedro could not inherit the Portuguese crown while being the Emperor of Brazil.

Seeing that both sides were about to come to blows just outside of Lisbon, Pedro, eager to resolve the issue, hastily issued the Great Charter in 1826 to replace the constitution that had been drawn up in 1822.

To reconcile the two factions, Pedro also declared that he would not inherit the Portuguese crown but would pass the title to his seven-year-old daughter Mary, and his brother Miguel, the leader of the absolutist faction, would marry this seven-year-old niece.

According to Pedro’s proposal, Prince Miguel would act as regent until Queen Mary came of age.

Once Mary reached maturity, Portugal would then be ruled jointly by the couple.

"I call you brother, you call me dad, we were already family, and now we’re even more closely related. Let’s just make do, how could we possibly split up?"

However, despite Pedro I’s idealistic wishes, Prince Miguel clearly did not share his brother’s sentiments.

Not fond of lolitas, nor of his niece, and with no intention of stepping down a rank, the devout Catholic believer Prince Miguel outwardly agreed to his brother’s suggestion, but as soon as he returned home in 1828, events quickly slid into the fast lane towards civil war.

Once in power, Prince Miguel turned against his brother.

He refused to accept the Great Charter, proclaimed the restoration of absolute monarchy, and according to ancient customs, convened the Cortes with priests, nobility, and commoners, proclaiming himself King of Portugal.

Moreover, he had already secured the recognition of the United States, Tsarist Russia, Spain, and the Holy See, ready to squarely confront his elder brother.

The Portuguese civil war officially broke out in 1829.

Initially, the British Government watched the Portuguese civil war with indifference, as Britain has never been overly interested in such family affairs that offer little in the way of profit.

However, when the July Revolution took place in France in 1830, followed by Belgium’s independence and the Polish uprising, the Foreign Office finally became wary.

Though the British Foreign Office wasn’t a neighborhood committee aunt nor the Inquisition, if they left this family mess untended...

Should the Portuguese liberals win, there was a real risk they would lean towards France, while if the absolutists triumphed, they might well lean towards Austria or Tsarist Russia.

Upon considering this, Arthur understood General Napier’s sudden visit at last.

It seemed there was no getting out of handling this matter.

Arthur sighed, "Alright, I understand. I’ll make arrangements for the ship as soon as possible. But... given that the Foreign Office still has the capacity to concern itself with Iberia, it seems people aren’t wrong about Viscount Palmerston’s boundless energy."

The Secretary at the Foreign Office, relieved to hear the issue would be resolved, also breathed easier.

He rested his hand on the table and said, "Isn’t that the truth? His Lordship has been running us all ragged; he truly treats us like workhorses. But Mr. Hastings, it’s been a while, and you haven’t had it easy, have you? Remember me? We’ve met at the Foreign Office."

Upon hearing this, Arthur took another look at the man and then slapped his forehead, "Ah! Aren’t you the civil servant from the Hesse region in Germany?"