I get the sinking feeling that the attempt to bypass Henri the Heretic succeeds... but little Hercule throws a wrench in those plans by dying either before he's crowned or soon after, possibly (if not probably, given the overall tone of the TL ) murdered by religious fundamentalists (it's really 50/50 on whether it's the Cathars or the Huguenots... the former might be crazy enough to see the whole royal family as closet protestants, and try and implement a Catholic version of OTL Cromwellian Commonwealth, while the latter might be smart [but crazy, never forget crazy] enough to realize that regicide might be a small price to pay to get one of their own on the throne).
I'll be making ACTUAL replies eventually--but for now, something to keep you occupied--a picture of young Henri de Guise.
Admittedly, this is probably a few years down the road, but still--there he is.
And don't forget, everyone, to please vote for "Now Blooms the Tudor Rose" in the Continuing Renaissance and Reformation category for the Turtledove Awards! The contest is a real nail-biter this year, and I for one would love to see Space Oddity emerge victorious
Daughter of Elizabeth de Valois and Cawwos? Looks like Elizabeth, and dresses like her as well.
Ahh, hell, I see it's no use fooling your eagle eyes. You are correct--that's a daughter of Charles and Elizabeth.
From what Space Oddity has told us so far, we know two things for sure:For her to be important in herself that suggests either a powerful ruling queen in Spain [or possibly a Spanish possession, such as the Netherlands or possibly even an American 'kingdom'] or that she makes an important marriage. Would guess the latter given how patriarchal most of Europe and especially Spain perhaps was at the time. Unless Carlos and Elizabeth make major changes. Possibly she becomes the only heir because of deaths in the family and you get a situation like Maria Theresa in Austria in the 18thC.