Fruit of the Pomegranate - A Tudor Timeline

[ranichi17]

“While Francis was licking his wounds over losing the Empire to Charles, the French Court was abuzz with excitement as the Queen's pregnancy approached its end, and finally gave birth to a second son on the 1st of April 1519 at approximately five in the afternoon [1]. The boy was named Louis after his maternal grandfather and given the title of Duc d'Orléans [2]. Although there were worries that the boy would not survive through his mother's difficult labor, they were unfounded as the boy was born healthy and in fact, his cries echoed throughout the castle. However, the same cannot be said for his mother.

Claude had a weak constitution from childhood and afflicted with scoliosis, giving her a hunched back. This weak constitution and her annual pregnancies, coupled with a difficult labor, contributed to her childbed death two days after Louis' birth due to hemorrhaging [3].

Queen Claude of France is best remembered as the eldest daughter of Louis XII and Anne of Brittany. Because her parents had no surviving sons, Claude became heiress to the Duchy of Brittany. The crown of France, however, could pass only to and through male heirs, according to Salic Law, and thus the Crown was inherited by her husband and cousin Francis.

At Claude's death, her son, the Dauphin Francis, became the Duke of Brittany. She was all of nineteen years.”

- “Saeculum Aureum: The European Riscoperta” by Frances Somerset​

___________________
[1] OTL, Claude gave birth on 31st March
[2] OTL Henri II
[3] She survived the birth IOTL.

 

[ranichi17]

Question: Who would Francis marry?

 

[kasumigenx]

Question: Who would Francis marry?

Either Eleanor of Austria or Catherine of Austria who married the Portuguese monarchs.

 

[ranichi17]

Either Eleanor of Austria or Catherine of Austria who married the Portuguese monarchs.

Eleanor is currently married to Manuel of Portugal, and Catherine is only twelve.

 

[Timaeus]

Eleanor is currently married to Manuel of Portugal, and Catherine is only twelve.

never stopped most marriages of the time. go for it!

 

[ranichi17]

never stopped most marriages of the time. go for it!

Knowing Francis, he'd probably want to consummate the marriage immediately, which isn't really advisable when your bride is a scared twelve year old. There are her cousins Isabella and Beatriz of Portugal, though, who are sixteen and fifteen, respectively.

 

[AngelQueen]

Knowing Francis, he'd probably want to consummate the marriage immediately, which isn't really advisable when your bride is a scared twelve year old. There are her cousins Isabella and Beatriz of Portugal, though, who are sixteen and fifteen, respectively.

Quite true. Her tender age didn't stop Edmund Tudor from bedding Margaret Beaufort, and Henry VII ended up being her only child due to being so young when she had him. The birth must have had a horrible effect on her body.

However, Francis may not be all that keen to marry any relatives of Charles V, who just recently swept the HRE out from under him. If Francis is willing to look further east, there is Anne of Cleves. This isn't the Anne that married Henry, of course (she is only about four years old at this point), but rather that girl's great-aunt, the daughter of the girl's grandfather. She is about 20 years old at this point and OTL she married in 1518 or 1519, and there is a comment on her OTL's husband's Wikipedia page that this Anne was actually held captive by her brother to try and prevent the marriage. If the man is faced with the idea of marrying his sister off to some other German duke or the King of France, I wonder which one he'd pick. In OTL she had four children, all of which survived to adulthood, which is a good sign if Francis wants to populate France with as many princes and princesses as possible (even if he doesn't know about those OTL kids of course).

 

[ranichi17]

BTW, I found this. Who wants to bet Henry discovers this during one of his royal progresses and decides this is a more "humane" execution method?

 

[ranichi17]

Omnipedia Infobox for the Siege of Smolensk​

“On 3 February 1519, Bona Sforza, Queen of Poland, gave birth to a stillborn daughter [1]. The new queen was devastated by such a loss, while her husband Sigismund the Old saw this lack of heirs male (he had two daughters from a previous marriage) as divine punishment for his loss of Smolensk during the Muscovite Wars. And so he decided to strike back.

The 1519 Siege of Smolensk was one of the defining battles of the Muscovite Wars. It returned Smolensk to the Lithuanian Grand Duchy, and thoroughly crushed the Muscovite forces. It was a loss that the Muscovites did not recover from for at least five years.”

- “On the Eastern Front: Wars that Defined Eastern Europe” by Marina Braginskaya​

___________________
[1] Bona Sforza had a live birth IOTL on 18 January, a daughter who became Queen Isabella of Hungary.

 

[ranichi17]

“1519 ended on the same high note as the year before it.

The Tudors welcome a new member as Princess Mary Tudor the Elder gives birth to her third child by the Duke of Suffolk. Named Charles for his father, the little boy is quickly doted upon by his sisters [1].

Francis begins shopping for a new bride by sending emissaries across the Continent. The Navarre girls, sisters of Henri II, are strong contenders to win the fickle King, but rumours suggest that Francis is in fact seeking the hand of the 14 year old Anne, daughter of Charlotte of Naples and the Count of Laval, and her uncle's heir should he die without issue. This has led Charles V to suspect that Francis will once again lay claim on Naples and making him offer the hand of one of his own cousins, the Infantas of Portugal.

The Italian Peninsulas see a shift in power when Lorenzo de' Medici, Duke of Urbino dies on the 18th of April [2]. Urban legend persists that while Lorenzo's wife, Madeleine de la Tour d'Auvergne, was giving birth, Lorenzo was in death agony in the next room, and that when his only daughter, christened Maddalena [3] after her mother, took her first breath, Lorenzo gave up his last. On his death, Urbino was seized by Francesco della Rovere, the previous Duke.

In the Habsburg possessions, Fernando de Magallanes sets out to sail to the famed Spice Islands with his fleet provided by Charles. Magallanes hopes that his expedition will discover a way to sail East without detection by Portugal.

The Spanish fleet from New Eden brings the Continent a new delicacy. Called cacahuatl by the natives, it is transcribed by the Spaniards into cacao. Cacao is said to have been the native nobility's drink, and is usually prepared with various spices, giving it a bitter-spicy taste. It slowly becomes popular in European courts, but some churchmen decry it, calling it ‘the Fiend's drink,’ after it is used by a disgruntled noble to poison a Franciscan friar. Despite this, Hernan Cortès, the leader of the expedition builds a cocoa plantation, ushering in the Spanish cocoa monopoly.

The latter half of the year sees infamous heretic Martin Luther engage in theological debate with theologian Johann Eck at Altenburg in Saxony [4]. The debate ended with Eck developing a strong desire to see Luther fall from grace, an enmity which lasted throughout their lives.”

- “Mighty Europa” by Madeleine Vikary​

___________________

[1] Mary gave birth to Eleanor Brandon IOTL
[2] May 4 IOTL
[3] alt-Catherine de' Medici. Also ITTL Madeleine did not die of puerperal fever. Mother and daughter are now exiled to Boulogne while the Papacy sorts out the mess that is Urbino.
[4] Happened in Leipzig IOTL

 

[ranichi17]

How to Shop for Noble Brides: The Francis I Edition
As usual, European nobles do not have a semblance of imagination when it comes to names.
Comments, nitpicks and other suggestions greatly appreciated.

Anne de Laval (1505)
- daughter of Charlotte of Naples and the Count of Laval
- pretender to the Kingdom of Naples

GERMAINE de Foix (1490)
- widow of Ferdinand II of Aragon

Anne (1492), Magdalene, (1494), and Joanna of Navarre (1496)
- sisters of Henri II of Navarre

GIULIA (1492) and ISABELLA of Naples (1500)
- Daughters of Frederick IV of Naples

GIOVANNA (1502) and MARIA d'Aragona (1503)
- daughters of Ferrante d'Aragon, Duke of Montalto:

Christine of Saxony (1505)
- daughter of George, Duke of Saxony

Margarete Habsburg (1480)
- aunt of Charles V

Catherine Habsburg (1507)
- sister of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor

Isabella (1503) and Beatriz of Portugal (1504)
- daughters of Manuel I of Portugal

 

[ranichi17]

Hal's Gals: Redux Edition
List reflects 1519 births, and some girls I left out last time.

Isabella of Braganza (1514)
- daughter of Jaime of Braganza, nephew of Manuel I of Portugal
- OTL given the Duchy of Guimarães as her dowry

Elisabeth (1510) and Margaret (1511) of Brandenburg
- daughters of Joachim I, Elector of Brandenburg

Margaret Palaeologa (1510)
- daughter of WIlliam IX of Montferrat
- became suo jure Marchioness IOTL

Renée of France (1510)
- daughter of Louis XII

Isabel of Navarre (1512)
- sister of Henri II of Navarre

Charlotte of France (1516)
- daughter of Francis I of France

Hedwig (1513) and Anna (1515) Jagiellon
- daughters of Sigismund I of Poland
- OTL, Anna died in 1520

Sybille (1512), Anne (1515), and Amalia (1517) of Cleves
- daughters of John III, Duke of Cleves

Margaret Douglas (1515)
- daughter of Margaret Tudor and the Earl of Angus

Marie de Bourbon (1515)
- daughter of Charles, Duke of Vendôme
- OTL was considered a bride for James V

Marie de Guise (1515)
- OTL queen of James V of Scotland
- eldest daughter of the Duke of Guise

Sybille (1515), Emilie (1516) and Sidonia (1518) of Saxony
- daughters of Henry IV, Duke of Saxony

Anne Bourchier (1517)
- OTL became suo jure Baroness Bourchier
- mother Mary Say was lady-in-waiting to Catherine of Aragon

Frances Grey (1517)
- daughter of Charles Brandon and Mary Tudor

Eleonore (1515) d'Este
- OTL became a nun
- daughter of Alfonso I, Duke of Modena, Ferrara and Reggio
- member of House Welf

Anna of Württemberg (1513)
- daughter of Ulrich, Duke of Württemberg

Marie (1515) and Margarete (1518) of Saxony
- nieces of Frederick, Elector of Saxony

Margaret (1516) and Catherine (1518) of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
- daughters of Henry V, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg

Anne Howard (1519)
- alt Mary Howard, OTL wife of Henry Fitzroy
- daughter of Thomas Howard, Earl of Surrey

Maddalena de' Medici (1519)
- alt Catherine de' Medici
- daughter of the Duke of Urbino and the Countess of Boulogne

Susanna of Brandenburg-Kulmbach (1519)
- alt Marie of Brandenburg-Kumlbach
- daughter of Casimir, Margrave of Brandenburg-Kulmbach

Margareta (1518) of Pomerania
- granddaughter of Bogislaw X, Duke of Pomerania

 

[ranichi17]

Princess Mary and Prince Henry, done in late Henrician fashion [1]​

“In order to understand that most illustrious king, we must first look into his upbringing.

Sixteenth century parents were not normally indulgent. Juan Vives was quoted on saying ‘Never have the rod off a boy’s back; specially the daughter should be handled without cherishing. For cherishing marreth sons, but it utterly destroyeth daughters.’

Yet Henry and Catherine were of a different stock. Henry was a teasing, affectionate father, who like other fathers, boasted of his children, only he did so in Latin. Catherine, on the other hand, personally supervised her children’s education.

Prince Henry was raised in a manner similar to those princes that came before and would come after him. He was placed in a single household with his sister, the Princess Mary, under the cares of Lady Salisbury and Lady Margaret Bryan in the royal nursery until each child turned six. At that age, they were given their own separate households, with the Princess Mary having been granted ‘for life’ the old lands of her ancestor, the Earldom of Richmond, which she held until her marriage [2].

The Prince, meanwhile, was packed off to Ludlow soon after his creation as Prince of Wales in his tenth year. It was here that he began his formal education under the tutelage of Sir Thomas More, who taught him the Scripture and Latin, and the aforementioned Vives, who taught him philosophy and the liberal sciences. In 1522, Antonio Pigafetta, an Italian scholar who was part of the Magellan expedition, became a member of the Prince’s household [3]. It was Pigafetta who instilled in Henry his lifelong love of the navigational sciences, including geometry.

In addition, the Prince is known to have learned French, the language of the court, Spanish, which was his mother’s native tongue, and Italian, which he learned from Pigafetta.

Like his father and sister, Henry is known to have inherited the Tudor intelligence and musical gift, learning how to play the lute and the virginals. It is widely believed that the ditty ‘O How Fair is Thee’ was composed by the Prince himself for his wife.”

- “Finding Lost Eden: The Changing World of the Tudors” by Jerome Stark​

___________________

[1] Actually a painting entitled “Double Portrait of a Brother and Sister” by Cornelius Ketel.
[2] IOTL, Richmond became a dukedom granted to Henry FitzRoy.
[3] ITTL, instead of returning to Venice after the expedition, he went to offer his service to Henry VIII.

 

[SavoyTruffle]

So a second Henry the Navigator then?

 

[Avrorrange]

So a second Henry the Navigator then?

Can't see that happening until fat Henry kicks the bucket.

 

[ranichi17]

Can't see that happening until fat Henry kicks the bucket.

Nah, Hal's a Tudor, and all Tudors get what they want. Of course, they'll come to a compromise. Leave me an heir and a spare to continue our dynasty, and I'll let you gallivant all over the world.

Which brings us back on the topic on who Hal gets to marry.

Also, Henry isn't fat yet in this period. It was that jousting accident in 1536 that led him to lose his shape.

 

[ranichi17]

Johanna of Denmark, 1530 [1]​

“On Lammas Day 1520, Prince Henry underwent for the first time that event so important to noble children – a betrothal. The bride was Johanna of Denmark, daughter of Christian II, and the niece of the Habsburg emperor. It was done a month after her first birthday, as there were doubts that she would not survive after the difficult birth that took both her mother and her twin sister [2]. She was represented in England by the Danish ambassador, who received on her behalf a large diamond ring and a locket containing a miniature of the Prince.

The betrothal was suggested by the Emperor, as a way to assure Henry that Denmark would no longer side with the hated French (and by extension, the Scots) due to being brought into the Habsburg circle [3]. It was also, in a masterstroke, a way to offset the imbalance brought by Princess Mary’s betrothal with the Dauphin – Duke of Brittany.”

- “Henry VIII: Husband, Father, King” by Sybille Grégoire​

___________________

[1] Actually a portrait of her OTL sister, Dorothea.
[2] IOTL, Isabella Habsburg gave birth to twin sons who were both stillborn. ITTL, she gave birth to twin daughters, one who was stillborn, and the other sickly. IOTL, she survived. ITTL, she died after a month from complications, although there are also rumours that she was actually poisoned by Christian's mistress' mother (who, IOTL, was accused of witchcraft). One should blame random.org for this outcome.
[3] Christian is the uncle of James IV of Scotland, and this part refers to the Auld Alliance.

 

[ranichi17]

A replication of the wedding portrait of Henry II and Renée of France. It portrays Henry meeting his queen for the first time in the gardens of Château de Blois. Renée is visible in the background wearing the colors of France accompanied by her brother-in-law Francis I. [1]​

“As the summer of 1520 drew near, Francis brokers a marriage treaty with Navarre. The brides were the Princess Renée, his sister-in-law, and the Princess Anne, the Navarrese king's eldest sister. Anne was 28, nearing spinsterhood, yet she was chosen as Francis' bride as the alternative was for Francis to marry Isabella, who was but a babe in the royal nursery. Renée, aged 10, was to marry Henry, and it was agreed that consummation will not occur until she turns 16.

Anne arrived in Paris on November 12 along with her sizable retinue and her dowry. It was widely celebrated, for it has been a few years since the monarch married a foreign princess, the last being Louis XII's marriage to Mary the Elder of England. The marriage occurred in the Notre Dame three days later, with the couple afterwards giving out alms to the populace. The French marriage happened simultaneously with the Navarrese proxy marriage in Pamplona, with Renée yet to be sent out to the Navarrese court.”

- “Medieval Politics in the Mediterranean” by Fleur d'Elbe​

___________________

[1] IOTL, a portrait commissioned by Henry's OTL queen Marguerite de Valois.

 

[JonasResende]

I wonder if this means that unlike OTL, Henri II's sisters marry better/at all.

 

[ranichi17]

An artist's depiction of the meeting between Francis and Henry at the Field of the Cloth of Gold​

“In discussing Anglo-French relations, it is imperative to touch upon the subject of The Field of the Cloth of Gold. This lavish meeting between two kings who embodied the ideal Riscoperta prince give us a glimpse of the world as it was.

Thomas Wolsey was instrumental in bringing about the Field through the Treaty of London signed in 1518. The Treaty, agreed on by all Catholic European states, stipulated universal peace among the involved nations and a Crusade against the Ottoman. It also entailed the return of Tournay to France by England, and the marriage between Mary of England and the Dauphin - Duke of Brittany. The treaty, therefore, was a cleverly disguised attempt at offsetting the imbalance of power brought about by the French victory at Marignano in 1515.


Henry and Francis had a mutual curiosity for each other. In an expansive moment, the two kings both swore an oath not to shave off their beards until they met. Curiously enough, Queen Catherine soon discovered that her husband's beard was not to her enjoyment and it was summarily cut off.

The splendour surrounding this historic meeting should not distract from the fact that it was an extremely expensive party which not all of the participants enjoyed. The Queen, Spanish to her core, did not relish the idea of a friendship with France, although she played her part well, dressed in the richest finery while entertaining the French king.

The meeting between these two kings and their respective courts occurred in Calais on the 15th of August 1520 and lasted for about two weeks [1]. Calais, although an English territory, was surrounded by French land which rendered it as close to a neutral territory as possible.

Henry had built a “palace of illusions” before the castle of Guise, deeming the castle too small for his massive retinue. It was built on timbre and canvas painted on to give the illusion of being brickwork. Inside, there were separate chambers for each member of the Royal Family, including the elder Princess Mary, who was to play the part of being the Dowager Queen of France, however brief her reign was. Also included was a spacious dining hall, enough to fit both Royal Courts. All around this palace of canvas were painted Tudor Roses and other heraldic symbols.

The French, although pressed for time, were not to be outdone. On their side they pitched five hundred tents made form cloth of gold and silver, thus lending a name to this meeting of two giants – ‘The Field of the Cloth of Gold.’

It must be noted that this meeting was also the first time the two betrothed children met. Two days after the English court arrived in Calais, Princess Mary was accompanied by her mother, her brother, and court ladies over to the French side of the Field. There, they were welcomed by the new Queen Anne, her ladies, and her stepchildren. Like all children, the Princes and Princesses instantly took a shine for their counterparts and under the watchful eyes of the ladies, they played in the Queen’s golden tent. One incident did occur, and however petty the squabble was, it started a rivalry between Prince Henry and the Dauphin, echoing their fathers before them [2].

The same cannot be said of the two Queens, however. Catherine, the pious saint-queen, disdained the French Queen for being loose in her religion and even more so in her later years after rumours circulated that she became the patron of a certain reformist.

As for the Queens and the children, this meeting became the start of a friendship between Queen Anne and Princess Mary. Long after the Calais meeting, they would exchange letters and various trinkets. It is said that it was Anne’s influence over Mary that determined the rise and fall of French religionism [3].”

- “Religion and the Tudors” by Lady Elizabeth Suffolk​

___________________

[1] IOTL, the meeting happened in June. The reason the date was pushed ITTL is because the French court went in mourning for a year for Queen Claude, and then a few weeks of celebration for the Navarrese wedding.
[2] - [3] Take a wild guess what will happen.