WI: No Louis XIII of France
- Thread starter Will Kürlich Kerl
- Start date
Is he still assassinated in 1610? You have a Nicholas Henri (almost surely crowned Henry V) for about a year before Gaston, which raises interesting butterflies; he'd have a very long regency, with Richelieu probably keeping power not becasue of his power over a weaker Louis XIII but his influence for years longer over Gaston.
If Henri IV dies early so none of the 3 is born, it can be a big mess. I coudl have done "The Mighty Houses Have Struck Out" almost as easily with a POD there. Indeed, if Henri IV is killed in 1594, who's to say another assassin doesn't kill a Protestant-friendly king in 1610. (Here is a great link on the line of succession.)
If Henri IV dies early so none of the 3 is born, it can be a big mess. I coudl have done "The Mighty Houses Have Struck Out" almost as easily with a POD there. Indeed, if Henri IV is killed in 1594, who's to say another assassin doesn't kill a Protestant-friendly king in 1610. (Here is a great link on the line of succession.)
As has been pointed out, it really depends on the POD you're using. If only Louis XIII isn't born but you keep the rest of his family, then it's his brother that will inherit the crown from Henri IV: Nicholas Henri for a short-lived rule and then Gaston d'Orléans. King Gaston right after King Henri IV could be interesting because Marie de Medici would surely play an important role. Richelieu would also be present because he was a client of Marie at the start (he basically became Louis XIII's personnal minister once he understood the favor of the King mattered more than that of the Queen Mother OTL) though he could have different policies.
If Henri IV has no children the succession could be more disputed depending on when he dies. The natural heir would be Henri II, Prince of Condé (1588-1646) who though born of a Protestant father was raised as a Catholic from 1595 onwards (as the result of a deal between Henri IV and the Pope, because Condé was the heir before the birth of Louis XIII). If Henri died before that date though, Henri de Condé's legitimacy will be questionned by his Uncles because his mother was suspecting of having had an affair.
Said Uncles are François, Prince of Conti (1558-1614), Charles II, Cardinal of Vendôme (1562-1594) and Charles, Count of Soissons (1566-1612), all three being Catholics. Only the last one had a son, Louis of Soissons (1604-1641), who OTL died in an uprising against Louis XIII so that could be butterflied.
If Henri IV has no children the succession could be more disputed depending on when he dies. The natural heir would be Henri II, Prince of Condé (1588-1646) who though born of a Protestant father was raised as a Catholic from 1595 onwards (as the result of a deal between Henri IV and the Pope, because Condé was the heir before the birth of Louis XIII). If Henri died before that date though, Henri de Condé's legitimacy will be questionned by his Uncles because his mother was suspecting of having had an affair.
Said Uncles are François, Prince of Conti (1558-1614), Charles II, Cardinal of Vendôme (1562-1594) and Charles, Count of Soissons (1566-1612), all three being Catholics. Only the last one had a son, Louis of Soissons (1604-1641), who OTL died in an uprising against Louis XIII so that could be butterflied.
Okay, firstly, there was no Nicolas Henri, son of Henri IV and Marie de Medicis. He was neither, the Nicolas is a latter error due to the fact that he was under the age of 7 (the traditional age of baptism for French princes) and was known as prince sans nom (prince nameless). Therefore, in actual fact for most of his life, he's regarded as Prince X, or N(ameless). When it became apparent he was going to die, they performed an "emergency" (for want of a better term) baptism and gave him the name of his father - Henri.
Secondly, no King Gaston either. I don't know why history remembers him as Gaston when his full name was Jean Baptiste Gaston. So he would've been a more likely King Jean III. Though the reason he was known as Gaston might've had something to do with the fact that Jean II died abroad in prison, and Jean I, well, he was king for all of less than a week.
Thanks. Was this normal French tradition to put an "N" before a child was baptized? If so, you've helped explain why there's a Nicholas in one note on an ancestor - though these were just peasants and Huguenots to boot.
I knew that, but I didn't really knew if that was necessary to precise nor did I really know how to phrase it shortly. You can call me Lazy if you want thoughKellan Sullivan said:
Well, I said King Gaston because I've always known him as Gaston d'Orléans and that's always how he's been referred in History.Kellan Sullivan said:
Anyway, I can belive he would take Jean III as his regnal name. In fact, I'd be more thankful if that was sure because Gaston isn't a name I'm fond of (Blame Disney for that
).I'm not entirely sure Gaston as his regnal name could be entirely ruled out though. There is the fact that since he was referred as Gaston for most of his life, maybe he would be inclined to take that name if crowned King. And then there is the fact that there exists a practice of not taking your birth name as your regnal name. Gaston would also not be the first King of France not carry on his first name as his regnal name: Henri III was born Alexandre Edouard. Though in that particular I'll concede that he took the name Henri upon his confirmation, so that might not really count.
There was a tradition to refer as them as "N de France" for boys and "X de France" for girls if I'm right.DTF955Baseballfan said: