Cosmedian
Banned
Chapter One: An (Anti)Union of the Crowns {1504 - 1510}
The loss of Isabella I, Queen of the Castillian and Aragonese Crown, was felt heavily though out the Iberian peninsula. For King Ferdinand II, her husband, however, it felt as if the world was falling apart. His grieving for his beloved wife had been interrupted by members of her court, trying to take his Kingdom from underneath his feet. The nobles of Castille did not want him on the throne, no, and they intended to throw him off of it. They'd already crowned his daughter Joanna, as the new Queen, reducing his status to that of regent while she was off in the Netherlands [1]. His time in power seemed to be slowly ticking away. When she returned, however, he was promptly ousted from power; instead her and her husband, Philip, would rule over Castille. Indeed, 1504 was a sad year.
Annoyed at this divergence from his plans, Ferdinand decided to forget about his wife's former kingdom for the time, opting instead to work on matters of his own. In 1505, he'd arranged himself a marriage with the niece of King Louis XII of France, Germaine of Foix. In doing so, he'd given himself an alliance with France, and gotten Louis to renounce any claims he might have to the throne of Naples [2] - probably. Ferdinand was almost positive Louis XII wouldn't go for Naples again. In doing so, he hoped to preserve the Crown of Aragon - carefully maneuvering it so that a child with Queen Germaine would inherit the throne, not his half-crazed daughter or her upstart Hapsburg of a husband. All he needed now was a son to pass down his sizable realm to. Every night he spends an hour long, sometimes more, sometimes less, praying to God to bless him with a son.
In 1509, after a long and excruciating twelve hours in labor, a son is born to Queen Germaine and King Ferdinand. The son is named John, and given the standard title for the heir of the Crown as Prince of Girona. The baby is unusually happy; he stops crying within several moments of life and falls asleep. A large birthmark on the right of his upper lip is red [3] - Ferdinand, in a moment of happy joy, claims the mark is from where God himself kissed the baby before sending him down to the planet. The people of Aragon rejoice, and most of all, King Ferdinand rejoices; his plans have come to fruition. The House of Trastàmara is preserved, as is the independence of Aragon. To celebrate, King Ferdinand calls for a parade. It lasts a week, beginning in Zaragoza and ending in Valencia. Ferdinand's other son, the illegitimate Alonso de Aragon [4], baptizes the child in Mediterranean [5], which would become a tradition for the family.
Once back in Zaragoza, in Aljafería Palace [6], another party is thrown as the two decide on who the Godparents of little John should be. Many members of both, Ferdinand's and Germanie's families are there. The child's Uncle, King Louis XII of France, is there to greet and congratulate his niece and nephew-in-law. After a bit of consideration, Ferdinand and Germaine decide on Louis as the Godfather of baby John; an act that would solidify the alliance of Aragon and France even further. Furious of have being overlooked, John's half sister, Queen Joanna of Castille and her husband King Phillip, storm out of the castle. Later on, Ferdinand and Louis celebrate the occasion with talks of the future, plans for possible war, and a large bottle of expensive wine. The King Ferdinand told the aging Louis of his fears of Castille destroying Aragon, and of his dreams of an empire spanning from Europe to the New World, and seemed sad at knowing it's full potential would not be realized during his lifetime. Mostly, however, he expressed his excitement of his new son, and his the future of his lands. Indeed, the future of the Crown of Aragon, and all the kingdoms within it, looked bright, but as we all know, looks can be deceiving.
[1] I couldn't find a specific time that they were in the Netherlands, so I left it vague.
[2] This was OTL, but the details were kind of sketchy from what I read. In this, let's go with it being legitimate.
[3] This mark would in the future be known as nevus flammeus nuchae.
[4] Alonso is going to be a very important figure in the beginning of this TL, so remember that name.
[5] This was noted specifically because Ferdinand was a catholic to the highest degree, and I wanted to create a nice family tradition. I know the week long parade was probably overkill, but it seemed like a cheery way to start off the TL.
[6] Correct me if I am wrong, but this was the OTL residence of the Kings of Aragon, correct?
) reading different timelines and looking on the map thread and such when I got bored, and since i'm studying Ferdinand II and Isabella I, this POD seemed like a coolio idea!
