Per https://docs.python.org/3/c-api/init.html#initializing-and-finalizing-the-interpreter Py_Initialize() "should be called before using any other Python/C API functions; with the exception of Py_SetProgramName(), Py_SetPythonHome() and Py_SetPath()."


(1)  I suspect that should be either Py_Initialize() or Py_InitializeEx().

(2)  Other functions can also be called first.  The ones I notice are:
(2a)  Py_IsInitialized() wouldn't be useful if you couldn't call it first.
(2b)  Py_SetStandardStreamEncoding explicitly says it *should* be called before Py_Initialize, if it is called at all.



(Probably applies to earlier python versions as well.)