"Father!" X3

"Richard, Friedrich, Robert, you guys come here!" William beckoned to the three of them.

Before that, their mother Ulaka had dressed them up, and each prince wore a golden crown and a splendid costume, which was required for important festivals and court gatherings.

Although the three of them didn't know what William had brought them for, looking at the magnificent palace, William in full costume, and the princes and ministers standing on both sides, they must have something important to order.

"My child, ahaha......" William cordially greeted the three children, and then asked them to sit beside him.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I have something important to announce today!" William held the golden scepter in his hand, and after gently tapping the ground three times, he slowly spoke: "My eldest son, the future heir of the Empire, Prince Richard of York, is now about to reach adulthood, and I have decided to appoint his country to govern and serve as the regent of the Empire, what do you think?" ”

"Your Majesty Shengming, the ministers are only saints!"

"Richard, get on your knees!" William, after receiving an affirmative reply from his minister, ordered his eldest son, Richard, beside him.

"Father!" Richard said as he knelt at William's feet.

"Richard, my eldest son, I canonize you Duke of Lombardy, Prince of Italy, Regent of the Norman Empire, and Commander of the Sixth Legion, and shoulder the heavy responsibility of defending Italy for the Empire, are you willing?" William pulled out the sword at his waist, placed it on Richard's left shoulder, and said in a solemn tone.

In the Norman Empire, the duke was the highest title that could be obtained by a foreign hero, and it first appeared in the Roman Empire, and the title of duke was usually given to high-ranking commanders who defended their territory and had outstanding military achievements, but it was later interrupted by major political changes.

Hundreds of years later, the title of duke was reintroduced in Germany, and in 970 the German Emperor Otto I of Saxony first established the title of duke, and soon afterwards in France and continental Europe.

This highest rank of nobility, second only to the king or prince, is usually bestowed on the king's kinsman, close nobles, or meritorious commanders, but few in political circles are fortunate enough to be awarded the title of meritorious officer.

For example, the famous Duke Hubert, Duke Richard, Duke Rodrigo and others in the empire are all from military nobles, and the only political nobleman, Duke Ladolph, was awarded the title of duke because he was the relationship between William's uncle and cronies, and William affectionately called them "my truly trusted and most beloved companions" to the dukes of the empire.

In the Norman Empire, one rank higher than the duke was the prince or king, a title that was usually given by William to the royal family's own consort, the queen Ulraka and his sons, while other nobles with foreign surnames could not obtain the title of prince at all, that is, foreign surnames could not be crowned kings.

As the crown prince, Richard was already canonized by William as the Prince of York before William canonized my Prince of Italy, but this title is just a fictitious title, his territory of the Duchy of York has long been taken over by William, and now he is fifteen years old and about to become an adult, and it is time for him to go out to exercise and learn some political experience.

"Father, son, I am willing to defend the territory of the empire to the death, and shoulder the heavy responsibility of protecting the empire and the people!" Richard suppressed the excitement in his heart and solemnly swore an oath.

"It's worthy of being the son of Zhengzhen, I'll wait and see!" William smiled with satisfaction, and then said to Duke Hubert, who was standing at the head of his right, "Lord Hubert, my son is far from mature enough to take on the responsibility of protecting Italy, will you help me assist him?" ”

"Your Majesty, your orders should be obeyed, but isn't there Lord Rodrigo in Italy who is in charge of guarding it, why don't you appoint him as an assistant to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince?" Hubert stepped out of the line and bowed.

"Are you worried about Lord Rodrigo's emotions? You don't have to worry about that, I've already spoken to him on Rodrigo's side and he doesn't have any problem at all.

Besides, I have another important task for Lord Rodrigo, an important task that is no less important and priority than the defense of Italy, and this important task can only be accomplished by him, so you don't have to apologize at all! "William is very aware of Duke Hubert's character, he attaches great importance to the unity of the nobles of the kingdom, attaches great importance to the feelings of the other party, simply put, he is a bit of a good person's character, unwilling to win people's love, William wants to persuade the other party to accept this appointment, naturally needs to dispel the other party's doubts.

"It's better to be respectful than to obey!" After receiving William's reply, Hubert put aside the hesitation in his heart and replied solemnly.

"With Lord Hubert personally assisting Richard, I can feel a little more at ease here." William breathed a long sigh of relief, then looked at Richard and Hubert and said, "Richard, you have another task on your trip to Italy, and that is to fulfill your marriage contract with Matilda, Marquis of Tuscany, and your wedding will be held in the Milan Cathedral in half a year, and I will be present in person."

At this time, it is necessary to ensure that it goes smoothly in any case, because it is related to whether the Normandy Empire can rule Italy for a long time, and if there is any accident at the wedding, Italy will be unstable, and the empire will be unstable!

Richard, Hubert, you two need to remember! ”

"Yes, Father!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

The two of them answered one after another.

"Richard, you must listen to Master Hubert much from now on, he is not only your elder, but also my mentor, and the pillar of the empire, both in terms of military and political experience, he is enough to be your mentor for life!

Got it? Richard. William finally did not forget to tell Richard.

"I really understand, father, son, remember your instructions a little bit." Richard also had great respect for Duke Hubert, so he immediately answered William's orders.

After the two returned to the throne, William then canonized his two sons, Friedrich and Robert, as Prince of Aquitaine and Prince of Burgundy respectively, but their fiefdoms were not the Duchy of Aquitaine and the Duchy of Burgundy, but the Duchy of Barcelona and the Duchy of Provence, which William had newly conquered.

Of course, neither Friedrich nor Robert could govern themselves until they reached adulthood, so Barcelona and Provence were under the personal trusteeship of William until they reached adulthood.

Out of his love for his sons, William made his three sons princes and dukes one by one, so that they could gain the glory of being a prince, and at the same time allow them to gain political and military experience while governing the government.