Duke Rodrigo's progress was rapid, and with the entire Duchy of Lombardy and the northern Italian states swept away by William, the noble lords of the Po plain and the foothills of the Alps were unable to organize any effective resistance.

The Italian aristocracy was actually not weak, but in front of Rodrigo they were like a weak toddler, powerless, because the Normans moved too quickly, and in a short period of time, it was difficult for them to recruit soldiers in their own territory, and it was too late to even hire Italian mercenaries to defend the city castle for them, and the maximum number of troops they could organize was only a few hundred.

Often, the Italian aristocracy faced a Norman army of tens of thousands of people, including the invincible Normans, French and English, as well as Genoese mercenaries and many local nobles and Italian mercenaries who served under William's command, and the addition of these armies more than doubled William's forces in a short period of time, allowing him to attack in many ways and sweep through the entire northern part of Italy.

The Duke of Rodrigo has been successful and has now pacified most of the Duchy of Lombardy, including Milan, Graubünden, Pavia, Cremona, Brescia and Trento.

Now, according to the war report sent back by the Duke of Rodrigo, he is currently in the city of Verona, responsible for pacifying the Duchy of Verona, the lower reaches of the Wave River Plain, and he has also brought back the good news that Count Lombardo of Treviso is willing to submit to William, and before he can be loyal and become a vassal under his command.

William was naturally happy to accept the allegiance of Count Trembardo of Treviso, and he also planned to give him a super-standard courtesy on the surface, because this would not only set a good example for everyone to know that as long as they were willing to join William's command, anyone could be exempted from responsibility and be reused, but it could also weaken the will of the Italian nobles to resist and save William the energy and time to pacify the Italian region.

As long as William can unify Italy, what can some half-hearted Italian vassals do, as long as he wears the crown of Italy, seizes the city of Rome, and takes the Pope in his own hands, aren't these Italian nobles at his disposal?

Here, William is consolidating his rule over northern Italy, and the other half is also nervously preparing for his coronation.

"Your Majesty, would you like to be crowned at Monza Cathedral? He searched for churches throughout the city, including the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre, the Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio, the Church of San Lorenzo, and the Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie, among others, which were either too small or a little shabby and unsuitable for your coronation.

In the courtier's opinion, it is the most suitable for the Cathedral of Monza, after all, this Cathedral of Monza is not only large, richly decorated, but also has a very long history, almost comparable to the Cathedral of Saint-Denis in Paris, and the Cathedral of Monza is the place where Your Majesty discovered the Lombard Iron Crown, which has sacred significance, so the Chancellor recommends that you hold your coronation ceremony in this cathedral. "As the preparer of William's coronation, Faller. Osborne asked William for advice.

"Yes, my coronation will be held at the Cathedral of Monza, which is less than 15 kilometers away from the city of Milan, which is also part of the metropolis of Milan, which is not far away, and it is relatively safe and convenient." William nodded slightly, and he gave Faller permission. Osborne's suggestion.

He also knew that the Milan Cathedral, which Napoleon later used to hold his coronation, did not exist at this time, and it was indeed too difficult for Phaller to find a church in Milan that was even more magnificent than the Monza Cathedral.

As the emblem and spiritual symbol of the city of Milan in later generations, the Duomo of Milan is a must-stop on a trip to Italy, where Napoleon was crowned and Versace was buried.

As a landmark building in the famous Italian city of Milan, the Duomo of Milan is also one of the largest and most influential churches in the world, located in the center of Milan City.

However, the first time to lay the foundation stone of the Duomo of Milan was more than 300 years later in 1386, and it was not until 200 years later in 1577 that the basic construction was completed, and even in 1897, the Duomo of Milan was basically completed, with a history of six centuries.

At this time, the churches of Milan in the 11th century, which are old to the time of the Roman Empire, and the most recent are the Holy Sepulchre, which was built by the Duke of Lombardy, and are generally not as large and historic as the Cathedral of Monza.

"By the way, Phalle, is the Archbishop of Milan willing to officiate at my coronation?" William suddenly remembered something and asked.

"That's natural, Your Majesty, the Archbishop of Milan seems to be very afraid of you now, and I only made your request in front of him, and he hastened to agree." Faller remembered the meeting with the Archbishop of Milan and smiled, and to this day, he still remembers the fear on the face of the Archbishop of Milan.

"Haha, I'm curious, what kind of means did Count Russell use to make this proud Archbishop of Milan scared?" William laughed and said to Faller.

"Your Majesty, I do know a little about this, it seems that Count Russell once took three strong men into the cell of the Archbishop of Milan, and then the screams resounded throughout the night." Faller covered his mouth and snickered.

"Funny, really funny, Count Russell is such a wonderful man!" William laughed, patted his leg and laughed, "His Excellency the Archbishop of Milan seems to be too miserable, send him some condolences to comfort him, and let him recuperate and prepare for my coronation." ”

"Yes, Your Majesty." Faller. Osborne stooped in response.

Half a month later, with the triumphant return of Duke Rodrigo, William's coronation ceremony was also successfully held in the Cathedral of Monza outside Milan.

Dressed in purple velvet and splendid splendid cloaks, William slowly ascended to the throne surrounded by Norman nobles, court dignitaries, ministers, generals, officials, noblewomen, cardinals, and envoys from all over the world.

On the throne, William underwent the anointing ceremony, then prepared to get up and go to the altar to receive the Lombard Iron Crown, which had been awarded to him by the Archbishop of Milan.

However, when William arrived at the altar, in full view of hundreds of people, he refused to kneel before the Archbishop of Milan and be crowned by him.

"This is a gift from God, see who dares to take it away!" William stepped forward arrogantly, snatched the Lombard Iron Crown from the hands of the Archbishop of Milan, turned around and put the Lombard Iron Crown on his head in front of everyone, and then shouted loudly: "I am the only one in this world!" ”