Union of a Tudor Rose and a Noble Rose

Preface
In our TimeLine (TL) Queen Mary I of England married King Philip, a King who controlled large swathes of Europe and America but more importantly was a Hapsburg, the most powerful Royal House in Europe. For Philip and his father, Charles, this marriage was merely one of political manoeuvring; however for Mary this was a marriage of not only political value but one of religious desirability due to the Hapsburgs Catholicism and also one of love that Mary felt for her first cousin once-removed. Supposedly upon seeing Titian’s painting of Philip she “declared herself to be in love with him”.

The only other contender in our ‘TL’ to be the husband of Mary I was the Earl of Devon, Edward Courtenay. A second-cousin to Mary I through his great-grandfather, Edward IV, a potential contender to the throne, an ‘Aragonese’ supporter, an Englishman, a Catholic and a good friend of Mary’s, he seemed the perfect suitor to Mary. However she had her eyes set on Philip, thus even after Parliament and Stephen Gardiner petitioned her to marry an Englishman and Wyatt’s Rebellion she chose Philip, while Edward went into exile on the Continent.

During Mary’s reign Philip was rarely in England, and after he left Mary would believe herself to be pregnant, which would prove to be false the two times it happened. Mary is most infamous for burning heretics and losing Calais to France by going against her and Philips marriage treaty and going to war with France. She died in England before the plans to retake Calais could be put forward and was overshadowed by her younger half-sister, Elizabeth, who reigned for nearly ten-times longer than Mary and who took advantage of the economic reforms set up by Mary.

Not only did Mary suffer from a one-sided, unhappy marriage, she also suffered from cancer that likely stopped her having children and die in 1558 at the age of 42.

However What If (WI) Mary I had married into the House of Courtenay as her Lord Chancellor (Stephen Gardiner) advised and also didn’t suffer from uterine cancer. In the following TimeLine I will consider these Points of Divergence (PoD) and how they’d change the world.

Awesome, the question remains however if the Tudor-Courtenay marriage will produce an actual heir, at her still advanced age unless she takes the throne earlier?

Historico said:

Awesome, the question remains however if the Tudor-Courtenay marriage will produce an actual heir, at her still advanced age unless she takes the throne earlier?

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While she is still old it's likely the other reason why she couldn't get pregnant was due to her cancer and the physical problems that brought with it, if you take that away I think we can get an heir out

When did Mary begin to suffer from said cancer? I think it's likely she could bear an heir in the early 1550s without it, as many women still had children in their 40s. The Duchess of Savoy, who married at 38 in 1558 gave birth to her son when she was 39/40. It was more risky in this period, but not impossible. Philip was reluctant to carry out his marital duties, so I think that may be another prime reason why Mary never got pregnant (along with the reason she was already suffering from the cancer). When she had second phantom pregnancy, Philip wrote to his cousin Maximilian and told him there was no way she was pregnant, as he hadn't slept with her in months. She probably won't have more than one child, though. But even that one child is enough, as the English succession allowed the eldest daughter to succeed in lieu of a son. So even a little princess will displace Elizabeth.

TheNordicBrit said:

However What If (WI) Mary I had married into the House of Courtenay as her Lord Chancellor (Stephen Gardiner) advised and also didn’t suffer from uterine cancer. In the following TimeLine I will consider these Points of Divergence (PoD) and how they’d change the world.

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Does that mean Lady Jane Grey won't be executed? Supposedly Mary believed Jane to be innocent and was basically browbeaten into ordering Jane's execution by the Spanish ambassador Simon Renard. If Mary isn't marrying Philip though then she has less need to placate the Spanish, so she might listen to her own conscience instead.

If Mary has just a catholic daughter from Edward then the Protestants will rally even more around the Greys and Elizabeth.
It's possible that Mary wouldn't even become Queen if she refuses the equivalent of an Edict of Nantes but forced into exile or permanent imprisonment.

I think that if Mary came to throne with a child (i.e. the wedding happened before Edward died) then the Proestants would have rallied round either Jane Gray or Elizabeth and we would have seen civil war.

If she married and bore children after she became Queen then I can see a bloodier reign for her and her off-spring, and Elizebeth being killed by her sister before she became a theat to her children.

Either way there will be rebellion against the throne.

DrakeRlugia said:

When did Mary begin to suffer from said cancer? I think it's likely she could bear an heir in the early 1550s without it, as many women still had children in their 40s. The Duchess of Savoy, who married at 38 in 1558 gave birth to her son when she was 39/40. It was more risky in this period, but not impossible. Philip was reluctant to carry out his marital duties, so I think that may be another prime reason why Mary never got pregnant (along with the reason she was already suffering from the cancer). When she had second phantom pregnancy, Philip wrote to his cousin Maximilian and told him there was no way she was pregnant, as he hadn't slept with her in months. She probably won't have more than one child, though. But even that one child is enough, as the English succession allowed the eldest daughter to succeed in lieu of a son. So even a little princess will displace Elizabeth.

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While it can be debated as to why Mary didn't have children, ranging from her age to her cancer to some other problem she had, I've used the theory that cancer is the main problem so I can deal with both her lack of children and early death.

bguy said:

Does that mean Lady Jane Grey won't be executed? Supposedly Mary believed Jane to be innocent and was basically browbeaten into ordering Jane's execution by the Spanish ambassador Simon Renard. If Mary isn't marrying Philip though then she has less need to placate the Spanish, so she might listen to her own conscience instead.

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It's likely Jane will survive longer, though how much longer is another matter as there are likely to be at least a couple of Protestant rebellions in the extended Marian period.

The Professor said:

If Mary has just a catholic daughter from Edward then the Protestants will rally even more around the Greys and Elizabeth.
It's possible that Mary wouldn't even become Queen if she refuses the equivalent of an Edict of Nantes but forced into exile or permanent imprisonment.

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While it's possible Mary may have more than one child, I find it unlikely at her age that she'll have more than one child, though the sex of that child is another matter.

Also I expect we'll see Catholicism-lite in England, not to the extent it was in Scotland, but definitely not as strict as Continental Catholicism. Just look at OTL where Mary didn't take the lands off her nobility that they'd gained from the Church, she was a devout Catholic but she was also very clever.

Last of the Stuarts said:

I think that if Mary came to throne with a child (i.e. the wedding happened before Edward died) then the Proestants would have rallied round either Jane Gray or Elizabeth and we would have seen civil war.

If she married and bore children after she became Queen then I can see a bloodier reign for her and her off-spring, and Elizebeth being killed by her sister before she became a theat to her children.

Either way there will be rebellion against the throne.

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I think the persecutions will be less compact in 5 years and will be more widespread, though many Protestants are likely to suffer still. I think Jane Grey will be killed after a couple of rebellions though Elizabeth won't be I expect, she'll either be married off or will die a lonely spinster.

TheNordicBrit said:

I think the persecutions will be less compact in 5 years and will be more widespread, though many Protestants are likely to suffer still. I think Jane Grey will be killed after a couple of rebellions though Elizabeth won't be I expect, she'll either be married off or will die a lonely spinster.

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Since Lady Jane certainly won't do anything actively treasonous, the only reason for Mary to kill her is if she fears Lady Jane being used (unwillingly) as a rallying point for Protestant rebels. But if Mary gets that paranoid and vindictive isn't Elizabeth just as big a threat to her as Jane? Elizabeth's Protestantism is less obvious, but she has a much clearer claim to the throne than Jane, so it is hard to see how Mary gets any security by killing Jane if she leaves Elizabeth alive.

bguy said:

Since Lady Jane certainly won't do anything actively treasonous, the only reason for Mary to kill her is if she fears Lady Jane being used (unwillingly) as a rallying point for Protestant rebels. But if Mary gets that paranoid and vindictive isn't Elizabeth just as big a threat to her as Jane? Elizabeth's Protestantism is less obvious, but she has a much clearer claim to the throne than Jane, so it is hard to see how Mary gets any security by killing Jane if she leaves Elizabeth alive.

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Well IOTL Jane was killed because of Wyatt's Rebellion, which she had nothing to do with. Also Jane was only a cousin, Elizabeth is her half-sister, so while I can imagine if it gets bad enough Elizabeth will get the axe, otherwise Mary will put it off to near-breaking point.

TheNordicBrit said:

Well IOTL Jane was killed because of Wyatt's Rebellion, which she had nothing to do with. Also Jane was only a cousin, Elizabeth is her half-sister, so while I can imagine if it gets bad enough Elizabeth will get the axe, otherwise Mary will put it off to near-breaking point.

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True but again Renard was the prime mover in convincing Mary to kill Jane after Wyatt's Rebellion. And one of the main arguments he used was that Charles V would not let Philip marry Mary if she did not prove herself to be a strong ruler who could maintain order in England (by executing Jane.) Here though with the Spanish marriage off the table, Renard's influence should be less, and he won't have that powerful closing argument any more.

Mary agonized about executing Jane in OTL. Here she is under much less pressure to do it, so most likely she pardons Jane. And while it is certainly possible Mary would subsequently become paranoid enough to later kill Jane, I still think if she becomes that paranoid she would most likely go after Elizabeth also (since Elizabeth is much more of a threat to her and her children than Jane could ever be.)

So is this TL going to happen??

Queen Mary I had never considered marriage much in her life, focussing instead on her religion and wishing to live in a state of chastity, however many in the Privy Council, her own household and her cousin, Emperor Charles V, wished for her to marry. There were different reasons amongst the various factions for wishing Mary to pick a husband, for the Catholics in the Privy Council and her household it was to ensure a Catholic heir to the English throne rather than allowing the crown to fall to her younger sister, Elizabeth and any heretical offspring she may have. For the other Councillors (either secret Protestants or neutral in Religious affairs) it was to ensure the throne would pass to a male heir in the future, while Charles V hoped to marry his cousin off to his son, Prince Philip, in order to ensure an Anglo-Hapsburg Alliance against the French.

On the one hand the Spanish ambassador, Simon Renard and William Paget were the primary proponents of the Hapsburg match and even Mary felt inclined towards such a marriage as she respected her cousin, the Emperor so much and didn't wish to offend the man who'd supported her throughout her fathers and brothers reigns. On the other hand the Bishop of Winchester and Lord Chancellor, Stephen Gardiner was the prime proponent of an English marriage, to keep the Kingdom happy, to keep Spanish influence out of English politics and lastly to not offend the French and keep England neutral. It was also believed that Reginald Pole, an English Cardinal distantly related to the Queen, would also support an English marriage.

While Mary adored her cousin, Charles, she was saddened by his lack of support when she needed it most in gaining the throne of England back from Lady Jane Grey. Alongside this she had heard that the Earl of Devon, Edward Courtenay had refrained from 'mingling' with other women in the hope that he may marry the girl he'd grown up with as well as a fellow Catholic and the Queen of England [1]. It's believed this loyalty to Mary caused her "heart to flutter", and many believed it was at this point that Mary fell in love with the Earl of Devon [2].

After Renard sent word of her privately professed love to Courtenay back to Charles V, he supposedly looked "deeply saddened", his hope of using England, through Mary, as an ally against France had failed. He sent numerous letters to Mary, attempting to convince her to marry into the Hapsburg family, however the people he offered were too young as Mary wrote that she was "old enough to be their mother". He even offered his eldest son, Philip up as a candidate however it seemed that Mary was focussed on marrying an Englishman. She did write to him saying that she "loved him" and would "follow his example in religion" however she couldn't marry a foreigner for "fear of turning the English people against [her]". However Mary did promise either a marriage of her younger half-sister, Elizabeth to a Hapsburg, or failing that the marriage of one of her children to a Hapsburg which seemed to satisfy Charles slightly, though the issue of France still loomed.

The marriage was officially announced in September of 1553, and many people in the land rejoiced. Many people had feared a Spanish marriage and Hapsburg dominance of England, but now that a full-blooded Englishman had been chosen Mary's popularity rose amongst the people, Parliament and her own Council. This, alongside Mary’s willingness to moderate her religious policy on the matter of previous church-lands and allow the gentry that had benefitted from the lands redistribution to keep the land, meant she began her reign with a very positive outlook. The people loved her, Parliament and her Council respected her greatly and there wasn't much discontent among the people, even with the inevitable restoration of Catholicism and Papal supremacy.

In February, 1554 Queen Mary I married Edward Courtenay, Earl of Devon in Winchester Cathedral, with Bishop Gardiner performing the ceremony. Mary declared that in all official documents he would be referred to as a King, she also bestowed upon him the title of 'Duke of York' [3].

[1] - IOTL Courtenay in fact did have sex with numerous women as he became cocky and believed it was inevitable that he'd marry Mary, ironically this caused Mary to further go against the idea of marrying him.
[2] - IOTL Mary only needed to see a painting of Prince Philip to fall in love, so I think on the matter of love Mary is influenced quite easily.
[3] - IOTL Philip was referred to as 'King Philip', also it was planned for Courtenay to gain the title 'Duke of York'.

Nice. Subscribed.

Awesome update Nordic, It's good to see that Mary's reign is getting off to better start without Phillip being thrown into the mix. Now it remains to be seen about what happens to Elizabeth, and if the Tudor-Courtenay can produce an heir which would reunite both the Tudor and York houses!!! Keep it comming

Sweet prologue Nordic!

Just one thing that I would mention is that Elizabeth wouldnt be married to a Habsburg due to questions about her legitmacy but I could see her marrying a French or Danish prince or if your feeling crazy Ivan the Terrible

The day after Mary and Edwards’s marriage, Cardinal (Reginald) Pole was allowed back into England, having been in exile for around 20 years [1]. When Mary and Reginald met for the first time in years they both wept with joy at seeing each other again. However a mere week into his return in England Pole set about converting the nation back to Catholicism, he gave a speech to both Houses of Parliament in which he claimed that the Pope had a "special respect for their realm above all others", the speech Pole gave was an obvious appeal to English nationalism as he made Catholicism seem very English, Pole himself believed England to be the chosen Catholic nation. Merely ten days after his return to England the 24th of February, Pole absolved England after its years of schism from the Holy See in what's been called the 'Absolution of Love' [2].

While England was reconciling itself with Rome, the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V was looking for another suitable marriage for his son, Prince Philip. Princess Elizabeth, Mary’s sister, was considered however she was believed to be a heretic by many and both Elizabeth and Philip refused to marry one another. Charles looked to both Philips Aunt, Infanta Maria of Portugal, and his cousin Barbara of Austria, but neither of these possibilities would allow for further Hapsburg gains [3]. However the relatively pro-Hapsburg Polish King, Sigismund II Augustus was seen as a potential ally by the Hapsburgs who wished to swing the pro-French Polish Kingdom to a pro-Hapsburg Kingdom. Thus negotiations began between Charles V and Sigismund II Augustus in which Charles V requested Infanta Anna be married to Prince Philip, after much deliberation between the two sides Sigismund relented and bowed to the Hapsburg Empire, allowing his younger sister to be married to the Spanish Prince.

Back in England, Mary I’s belly had begun to grow and her “dresses no longer fit her”. To many, including Pole, Gardiner and her husband Edward Courtenay this was a sign of pregnancy, and in the following weeks these signs continued to show and by the sixth month physicians were estimating a birth by October. Many who saw the Queen stated how here “belly has grown far larger than a normal ladies bump”, heretics took this to mean Mary had some kind of Antichrist in her, however this belief was put to rest when, in October, Mary gave birth to not just one baby, but twins.

It’s said her screams were heard for miles, however the brave Queen made it through the birth and survived to see her two healthy children, a boy and a girl. The birth of a boy caused many to be ecstatic and bells were rung throughout the nation, feasts and dances were held and general rejoicing was had by all. On the continent Charles V was pleased to hear that a male heir had been born and he hoped the child would be “strong enough to continue my cousin’s great reforms”. Edward Courtenay was said to have danced around Windsor Castle [4] for hours with the birth of a beautiful baby boy and girl. Mary named Charles V the godfather of her son, and she named Cardinal Pole as the godfather of her daughter, she then proceeded to give her children names. She named her son Henry, after both her father and her husband’s father (ironically it was her father who ordered the execution of his father), she named her daughter Gertrude after Edward Courtenay's mother.

The birth of normal, healthy children severely damaged the Protestant cause in England, as Catholicism seemed set to continue and grow while the Protestant-friendly Princess Elizabeth was now unlikely to gain the throne. Thus a plan was set in motion in London, the conspirators of which hoped to take London through rebellion, assassinate the Queen, have the Duke of Suffolk Henry Grey marry Princess Elizabeth and raise Mary’s children to become loyal Protestants. However the Council caught wind of this plot before it could kick off the ground by many Londoners who were loyal to the King [5]. The Duke of Suffolk was put on trial and beheaded, however Mary faced a tough decision, and she couldn’t allow Protestants to believe retribution wouldn’t be handed out; however she didn’t want to kill her sister. Thus a compromise was made and the poor daughter of Suffolk, Lady Jane Grey who’d been in prison over her attempt to take the throne, was executed in Elizabeth’s place.

[1] - IOTL Pole came back to England in late 1553, here it's earlier as there's no need to trap him on the continent like IOTL when Mary married Philip.
[2] - Referencing to it being Valentine’s Day.
[3] – This political gain was the whole reason Philip married Mary in the first place
[4] – IOTL when Mary was believed to be pregnant she was at Hampton Court due to potential instability within the capital. However with no Wyatt’s Rebellion Mary can go to Windsor Castle as she wished to IOTL.
[5] – IOTL the popularity of the Earl of Devon in London helped “prevent a full-scale riot at Dr Bourne's Paul's Cross sermon”.

Jane never catches a break.

Poland could be interesting in a few years.

Looking forward to more, when you're ready.

Quite a lucky break for Queen Mary--She produces an heir and a spare both at once, and seems to remain capable of having more. One wonders what Elizabeth would be thinking about it all.

Interesting last installment TNB, So what was Mary's name for her daughter, given the Tudor's track records with producing healthy males, she could grow just as important as her twin brother lol. With Edward being declared as King, instead of King Consort, what will happen if he manages to still outlive Mary on the throne, but before Henry comes of age? Would Henry automatically gain the title of King upon his mother's death? Or does the lineage know pass through Edward and he'd have to wait till he dies?