WI: Henry Frederick, Charles I's older brother, lives?

[ByzantineLover]

AFAIK, I saw it on the wiki of Charles I some time ago, that there was a match with Brandenburg considered. But before deriding the idea as one of wiki's fantasies, I have also read it (hard copy) that this was part of the reason that Maria Eleonore's relatives were so against her marrying Gustaf Adolf, was because of the hope that she could land the Prince of Wales/king of England.

Ah. I'd read about that as well. In this situation, I'm not sure the Duke of York and Albany would be as big a catch for Brandenburg as the Prince of Wales. Besides which, if Henry goes to war with the Hapsburgs, Brandenburg-Prussia might not be the best ally, since it wasn't the powerhouse it would eventually become.

 

[Kellan Sullivan]

Ah. I'd read about that as well. In this situation, I'm not sure the Duke of York and Albany would be as big a catch for Brandenburg as the Prince of Wales. Besides which, if Henry goes to war with the Hapsburgs, Brandenburg-Prussia might not be the best ally, since it wasn't the powerhouse it would eventually become.

It's not - but much like Electoral Saxony Brandenburg had a relatively laissez faire attitude to the war. IIRC there was a struggle going on between the pro-Habsburg chancellor (heading up the pro-peace party) and the electress, sister of Bedrich, king of Bohemia and her son, who were the pro war party. So, perhaps with his daughter/sister directly involved because he has a more vested interest in the outcome of the war (sister married to the king of England, married to the sister of the Bohemian king, and sister of the king of England married to the king of Bohemia), Brandenburg actually gets off its ass and does something (IDK what exactly) but not the OTL fence-sitting that they did. Same goes for Saxony. A match between one of the elector's sisters/daughters and the future king of England can bring them down off their perch to throw their lot one way or another.

As for Gustav Adolf, well, I'm sure there's another Brandenburger sister he can marry, or maybe, he gets elected as Tsar of Russia. Or, maybe one of Sigismund III's daughters can survive and he can marry her. OTL he seemed very interested in marrying the Winter Queen, Elizabeth Stuart (her mother not so much), and following her, he settled on a match with Maria Eleonore. But his mother also forced his hand somewhat, since she didn't want him to marry a commoner (and she played a big role in having his brother's marriage declared morganatic when it was discovered (despite the fact that AFAIK such a thing (morganatic marriages) didn't exist in Sweden at the time).

 

[ByzantineLover]

It's not - but much like Electoral Saxony Brandenburg had a relatively laissez faire attitude to the war. IIRC there was a struggle going on between the pro-Habsburg chancellor (heading up the pro-peace party) and the electress, sister of Bedrich, king of Bohemia and her son, who were the pro war party. So, perhaps with his daughter/sister directly involved because he has a more vested interest in the outcome of the war (sister married to the king of England, married to the sister of the Bohemian king, and sister of the king of England married to the king of Bohemia), Brandenburg actually gets off its ass and does something (IDK what exactly) but not the OTL fence-sitting that they did. Same goes for Saxony. A match between one of the elector's sisters/daughters and the future king of England can bring them down off their perch to throw their lot one way or another.

As for Gustav Adolf, well, I'm sure there's another Brandenburger sister he can marry, or maybe, he gets elected as Tsar of Russia. Or, maybe one of Sigismund III's daughters can survive and he can marry her. OTL he seemed very interested in marrying the Winter Queen, Elizabeth Stuart (her mother not so much), and following her, he settled on a match with Maria Eleonore. But his mother also forced his hand somewhat, since she didn't want him to marry a commoner (and she played a big role in having his brother's marriage declared morganatic when it was discovered (despite the fact that AFAIK such a thing (morganatic marriages) didn't exist in Sweden at the time).

Knowing what we do about Marie Eleanore, of Brandenburg, I'd say a better match for either Henry or Charles, whoever marries whom, would be her older sister, Anna Sophia. IOTL, she married Frederick Ulrich, Duke of Brunswick-Luneburg in 1616, but the marriage was childless and he tried to divorce her before his death in 1634.

Personally, I still stick to Henry Frederick marrying Elizabeth of Hesse-Kassel. Her father's lands, including the capital of Kassel, were direct neighbours of the Palatinate, so might prove a closer potential ally if war breaks out and the Austrians take the fight to that part of Germany.

 

[Kellan Sullivan]

Knowing what we do about Marie Eleanore, of Brandenburg, I'd say a better match for either Henry or Charles, whoever marries whom, would be her older sister, Anna Sophia. IOTL, she married Frederick Ulrich, Duke of Brunswick-Luneburg in 1616, but the marriage was childless and he tried to divorce her before his death in 1634.

Personally, I still stick to Henry Frederick marrying Elizabeth of Hesse-Kassel. Her father's lands, including the capital of Kassel, were direct neighbours of the Palatinate, so might prove a closer potential ally if war breaks out and the Austrians take the fight to that part of Germany.

That might mean that the problem with no children lay on Anna Sophia's end, which was usually the way pre-feminism thought of it (never anything wrong with the husband - he can be as floppy that a whole pack of viagra wouldn't help him (so the wife must be a witch/or God must be upset about the marriage etc)).