List of monarchs III

I am just thinking of a third one in case some one gets bored with the other lists.

The rules of the thread from the opening post say we have to wait until there are only less than two lists to post a new one. I made the same mistake a week or so ago. A list is valid until it is finished (in which the finisher has first option on a new list) or it is abandoned, which means no posts for three days. It had only been a day when you posted since the last post of either list.

So, do what I did. Hold on to that and repost when there's an opening. :)
 
What if the Kingdom of Naples defeated France and Spain in the Second Italian War?

Kings of Naples
1496 - 1512: Frederick IV the Great (House of Trastamara) [1]
1512 - 1551: Ferdinand III (House of Trastamara) [2]
1551 - 1581: Sebastiano (House of Trastamara) [3]
1581 - 1607: Nicolo (House of Naples) [4]
1607 - 1609: Frederick V (House of Naples) [5]

Kings and Queens of Naples and Tuscany
1609-1639: Frederick V (House of Naples) [5]
1639-1651: Maximillian (House of Naples) [6]

Holy Roman Emperor
1643-1651: Maximillian III (House of Naples) [6]


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[1] Frederick came to the throne in the middle of the First Italian War, where the French invaded and were defeated in 1498 by the League of Venice. When France invaded Milan the very next year with the backing of Venice, Frederick came to the aid of Milan, viewing the French invasion of Milan as a threat his own Kingdom. The war was going well for Frederick, but in 1501 Frederick's Spanish relatives invaded Naples, siding with France. Frederick was able to hold off the enemy, but Milan soon fell. Realising he had to adopt a more offensive strategy, he sent a fleet to Venice, capturing it and forcing the Republic to capitulate.

Luckily for Frederick, Spain and France had recently gone to war over how to split the spoils of war. Frederick offered a defensive pact to Spain against France, which was accepted. Neopolitian and Spanish forces defeated the French in Milan. Spain also launched an invasion into Mainland France, conquering Toulouse. France gave up on the war soon enough, and a peace treaty was signed in 1504

Spain would keep Milan, and Frederick would return the city of Venice in return for a large sum of gold.

In 1508 War of the League of Cambrai broke out, but Frederick did not join the war.

Frederick died age 60 of natural causes, leaving the throne to his only son, Ferdinand, Duke of Calabria.
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[2] Born in 15 December 1488 in Andria, Apulia as son of the future King Frederick and his second wife, Isabella del Balzo. He held the titles of Duke of Calabria and of Apulia.

In January 1505, Ferdinand married, Princess Sibylle of Bavaria, from the house of Wittelsbach, she was the daughter of Duke Albert IV of Bavaria-Munich (1447–1508) from his marriage to Kunigunde of Austria (1465–1520), daughter of Holy Roman Emperor Frederick III. The marriage came two months before the death of her older sister, Sidonie, who was engaged to Elector Palatine Louis V.

Together the pair would have five children, before Sibylle's death in 1519 at the age of 29. Following the death of his first wife, in February 1521, 33 year old Ferdinand married 15 year old, Christine of Saxony (25 December 1505 – 15 April 1549) producing another sixteen children.
There was talks of finding a third wife, with rumoured proposals to Mary, Princess of England or Archduchess Eleanor of Austria, (daughter of Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor and Anna of Bohemia and Hungary), until his own death at the age of 63.

His ruling was seen as fair and just, supporting the Papal State financially against Venice, while holding a strained peace against France to the West. His support of Pope Leo X (1513-1536) and his successor Pope Leo XI (1536-1553 OTL Giovanni Salviati, who was Leo X nephew) gained him the title of "Blessed King Ferdinand, Holy Servant of God"

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[3] Ferdinands grandson, Sebastiano, was quite impressive for a single reason - he managed to rule for a prolonged period and fend off several significant attempts to depose him whilst simultaneously being one of the most unliked monarchs in the history of Naples. Keen to delegate his responsibilities to his relatives and council, he rarely left his chambers, spent an increasing amount on clothes, wine, food and prostitutes, reportedly abused his slaves and some claim he murdered his wife (from an arranged marriage, it was common knowledge that they hated each other) when she attempted to leave him with their only son. At this point, he sent his son to be brought up by priests and passed a law that states his son must not set foot in the palace until he, Sebastiano, had died and walked into the embrace of God. Even attempted intervention by the Pope failed to sway him from being an awful person - perhaps the only thing that put down the attempted depositions was the fact that he had delegated so much power to his council and military leaders that they feared having the power removed by any subsequent ruler - and with his death in 1381, his son having vanished off the face of the kingdom after his banishment to a monastery, there was a host of aunts, uncles and cousins to pass the crown to, eventually being passed to his brother, Nicolo.


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[4] As the younger brother of Sebastino, many were worried that Nicolo would turn out to be like his brother, so the first thing Nicolo did when he was crowned was found a new house for himself, the House of Naples. When he inherited the throne, the Royal coffers were drained and the country was heading towards a economic crisis.

Nicolo decided to reinvent the tax system, and cut unnecessary costs. This made him unpopular with his nobles, some of whom conspired against him, but nothing major ever came of it. Nicolo sold a number royal palaces and wore mostly plain clothes. Despite this, the economy had made a full recovery by 1593, and now Nicolo was looking to expand.

The Neopolitan colonies of Brasile del Nord (meaning North Brazil, stretches from the Amazon to modern day French Guiana) and the Bahamas, defending by a grand navy that Nicolo had built.

In 1600 Venice and Naples went to war over control of the Mediterranean. When Spain did not defend Naples from the Venetian aggressors, Nicolo was very angry, but did not show it to the Spanish, fearing possible backlash from the Habsburgs. In 1601, the Treaty of Venice was signed. The war was inconclusive, and was considered a waste of time, even by Nicolo himself. Regardless, Nicolo remained one of the most celebrated and popular Kings of Naples.

In 1607, Nicolo died of Cancer age 66, leaving the throne to son, Prince Frederick.

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[5] Frederick, was born in 1571, son of Nicolo and his wife, Elisabeth of Austria, daughter of Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor, and Maria of Spain. This marriage was arranged as a Habsburg attempt to influence the running of Naples.

Growing up during the reign of his eccentric uncle, Frederick, would be educated by his father, regarding matters of state and foreign politics.

At the age of ten, he became heir following his uncles death and his father’s succession and would continue being tutored by his father and shadow him.

His marriage was arranged by his father to Maria de’ Medici at the Palazzo Pitti of Florence, Italy, the sixth daughter of Francesco I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany, and Archduchess Joanna of Austria.

The death of his father from cancer and Frederick succession, came at the age of 36 and his preparation set him in good stead, he was able to continue his father's strong economy policy assisted by colonial trade, helping to assist with the Navy and Army.

When Maria’s uncle, Cardinal and Grand Duke Ferdinando II of Tuscany died in 1609, King Frederick, claimed her father’s throne on behalf of her, uniting the two nations and elevating the later nation to a Kingdom.
To placate, Pope Julius III and his Papal State, who now found its self sharing borders with the Union of Naples and Tuscany, King Frederick would pledge loyal allegiance to his Holiness, signed a non-aggression agreement, along with a yearly "loyalty tax," a tax used by the Pope to invest in its army and navy.

His death in 1639, at the age of 68, came following three years of declining health. He was succeeded by his son, Prince Maximillian.
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[6] Maximillian was the third son of king Frederick and the only one to survive untill adulthood. He was born in 1598 and named after his maternal grandfather emperor Maximillian II. By the time Maximillian was crowned king of Naples and Tuscany his grandfather's branch of the Habsburg family had died out and his distant relative Ferdinand III sat on the imperial throne. Ties with the Habsburgs remained strong nevertheless as Maximillian had married Ferdinand's sister Maria Anna (b.1610).

Wheras Italy had remained firmly catholic, Europe north of the Alps was ravaged by decades of religious warfare. The imperial forces had met with initial success but after more than 20 years it became apparent that the Habsburgs were fighting a loosing war. Backed by the French and other foreign powers protestant forces sacked Vienna in 1638, but the war was far from over. By 1640 most of the HRE was in protestant hands and church lands were distributed to protestant lords, including the archbishoprics of the Electors of Trier, Cologne and Mainz. With most of their lands occupied and the Electoral system of the HRE shattered the situation for the Habsburgs seemed dire.

In 1641 King Maximillian intervened on behalf of his brother-in-law emperor Ferdinand III and landed with his troops in Habsburg Croatia in an attempt to liberate central Europe. He marched northwards capturing Vienna before the end of the year and continued marching westwards towards Bavaria. The renewed warfare was a catastrophe for the local population with between 33-50% of the inhabitants of Lower and Upper Austria being killed during the course of the war. The catholic forces were moderatly successful and reached Franconia by 1643 but than the luck of the House of Austria ran out. Ferdinand's brother Leopold Wilhelm was killed on the battlefield before the emperor himself succumbed to fever, leaving the Habsburg family without adult males to take the crown.

In the Treaty of Passau Maximillian promised to defend the Austrian lands in exchange for Habsburg support for his claim to the imperial throne. With the electors of Trier, Cologne and Mainz living in exile and the Habsburgs at his mercy the election was a mere farce. Maximillian was elected emperor despite the fact that non of the electors who voted for him actually controlled their electorate (not even the Habsburgs as Bohemia was occupied by protestant troops).

To further cement his rather weak claim to imperial authority Maximillian left his troop in the hands of his generals and traveled to Rome to be crowned emperor by the pope (a tradition abandoned by the Habsburgs over a century ago). Both Maximillian and his father Frederick had been financially generous towards the pope but this came with a price. In the last decades papal economy and building projects had become increasingly dependent on those Neapolitan taxes. Both overland and naval trade became dominated by merchants from Tuscany and Naples and the minor lords of the Romagna soon cared more for the opinion of the Neapolitan kings than the pope's.

Despite the initial success the Neapolitans enjoyed in Germany the war once again swung in favour of the protestants. Not long after his return from Italy Maximillian and his allies were forced back towards Vienna. Tired of the ongoing war Maximillian once again left for Italy leaving the war to his generals and the Austrians, who felt rightfully betrayed by the emperor, who had pledged to defend their lands.

After almost three decades and the second sack of Vienna the Austrian forces of the young Archduke Ferdinand surrendered in 1646. In the Treaty of Ingolstadt the Austrians and Neapolitans accepted the loss of Bohemia and the independence of the German states not part of the Habsburg domain. The treaty was an utter humilitation for the House of Habsburg and showed that Maximillian was utterly uninteressested in fighting for the Austrian cause.

The second half of Maximillian's reign was rather uneventful. The center of power slowly moved to the north as the rich Tuscan lands became increasingly important for the finances of the dual kingdom. Maximillian died of throat cancer in 1651 after 12 years as king and 8 as emperor. Leaving his wife and their minor children. His reign is regarded as one of the most succesful in Italian history, wheras it is seen as a historical low point by German catholics.

He was succeded by his ___, ___.
 
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During the culling of Philip III, Perdiccas moved himself north and based himself in Sintike, commanding a small force to defend the city from the armies of Medike which was held by the powerful Thracian tribe of Medi.

He married a young noble woman from the Getae Kingdom, producing a stable family.

When news of his older cousin, became King Philip IV, reached Perdiccas, he sent word of his success in the north, and was rewarded with a higher wage and title of Royal-Commander.

I'm confused here. Philip IV is Perdiccas' cousin but still a member of the same house of Nicator. That means he is the nephew of either Seleucus or Roxana, Philip IV (and Alexander V's) parents.

Now if he is a nephew of Roxana then he wouldn't be of the house of Nicator but would be a descendant of Alexander the Great, making him eligible to be his heir. But if he is an Argead that means that Alexander IV had a son, who was Perdiccas' father, and Seleucus as only a son-in-law wouldn't have been the heir. On the other hand if Perdiccas was a grandson of Alexander IV through a younger daughter than Roxana, he'd have a house different than either Argead or Nicator.

But if he is a Nicator that means his father was Seleucus' brother and he has no right to the throne not being descended from Alexander the Great nor from Seleucus himself, who was the King, because Seleucus right to the throne was being married to Alexander the Great's granddaughter and thus siring descendants of Alexander the Great.

Or did you mean that Philip IV was not his cousin but a brother, that Perdiccas was a younger son of Seleucus who didn't try to seize the throne when Seleucus died but was loyal to his older brother Alexander V and then Phillip III he went bonkers? But this makes him very old when he became king. Even if he was a posthumous son of Seleucus that would make him 105 when he took the throne.

So maybe then you meant he's the son of a young brother of Alexander V and Philip IV, thus it was news of his old Uncle becoming king when his cousin died that should be written?

By the way I'm claiming next in the Alexander line and I'll wait for you to clear this up. Thanks.
 
I'm confused here. Philip IV is Perdiccas' cousin but still a member of the same house of Nicator. That means he is the nephew of either Seleucus or Roxana, Philip IV (and Alexander V's) parents.

Now if he is a nephew of Roxana then he wouldn't be of the house of Nicator but would be a descendant of Alexander the Great, making him eligible to be his heir. But if he is an Argead that means that Alexander IV had a son, who was Perdiccas' father, and Seleucus as only a son-in-law wouldn't have been the heir. On the other hand if Perdiccas was a grandson of Alexander IV through a younger daughter than Roxana, he'd have a house different than either Argead or Nicator.

But if he is a Nicator that means his father was Seleucus' brother and he has no right to the throne not being descended from Alexander the Great nor from Seleucus himself, who was the King, because Seleucus right to the throne was being married to Alexander the Great's granddaughter and thus siring descendants of Alexander the Great.

Or did you mean that Philip IV was not his cousin but a brother, that Perdiccas was a younger son of Seleucus who didn't try to seize the throne when Seleucus died but was loyal to his older brother Alexander V and then Phillip III he went bonkers? But this makes him very old when he became king. Even if he was a posthumous son of Seleucus that would make him 105 when he took the throne.

So maybe then you meant he's the son of a young brother of Alexander V and Philip IV, thus it was news of his old Uncle becoming king when his cousin died that should be written?
This is the case. This was really hard to work out, the family lines were really difficult as proven by you explanation above lol

Thanks for the assistance
 
All edited.
Hope it is correct now.

You made him Seleucus youngest son instead of that youngest son's son. That makes him 105 on taking the throne. Shouldn't he be the son of that youngest son, maybe he was Perdiccas the Elder. Then he'd be Perdiccas the Younger?
 
Alexander V is cited as the seventh and youngest surviving son and he kills all of his older brothers (except Phillip) - it would mean his father would have had to have died prior to Seleucus but it would work.

Right, if Perdiccas the Elder was born after Alexander V was crowned, a posthumous son, he could still be Seleucus son and yet it still would be true on Seleucus death that Alexander was the youngest living son as Perdiccas the Elder hadn't been born yet.

But still Perdiccas the Elder would have been 105 when Phillip the Spaniard died. So it makes more sense we're talking about Perdiccas the Younger.
 
Alexander V is cited as the seventh and youngest surviving son and he kills all of his older brothers (except Phillip) - it would mean his father would have had to have died prior to Seleucus but it would work.

You made him Seleucus youngest son instead of that youngest son's son. That makes him 105 on taking the throne. Shouldn't he be the son of that youngest son, maybe he was Perdiccas the Elder. Then he'd be Perdiccas the Younger?
I confused it again lol Selecus has a younger son, "Seleucus the posthumous" born after his death and hidden by the mother.
 
What if Alexander the Great had not died a young man, but had lived to secure his Empire and pass it on to his son, Alexander IV?

The Great Kings of the Hellenistic World
336 - 287: Alexander III the Great (House of Argead) [1]
287 - 254: Alexander IV the Consolidator (House of Argead) [2]
254 - 214: Seleucus I the Farmer (House of Nicator) [3]
214 - 189: Alexander V (House of Nicator) [4]
189 - 156: Phillip III the Mad (House of Nicator) [5]
156 - 133:
Philip IV the Feeble (House of Nicator) [6]
133 - 108:
Philip V the Spaniard (House of Nicator) [7]
108 - 101: Perdiccas IV the Brute (House of Nicator) [8]
101 - 63:
Seleucus II (House of Nicator) [9]


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[1] At first only the King of Macedonia, Alexander III rose to become the great king, in fact a god-king, when he conquered the Persian Empire and then went on to conquer Central Asia and northwest India. He returned to Babylon in 323 and almost died from illness before his son, Alexander IV, was born by his new princess wife, Roxana of Bactria. But Alexander survived the illness and then became a robust and hearty man. He added Arabia to his empire and North Africa all the way to Cyrene. Once he had conquered the world, he set his sights on securing his Empire with good governance and raising his son to continue after him. Still robust in his late 60s it was a shock to the world that the God-King died. It was probably from a heart attack. Alexander IV was now 36 when he became the next God-King.

[2] Alexander IV, the Consolidator began his reign putting down rebellions from would be Kings, most notably from Ptolemy the Younger successfully and Bindusara unsuccessfully resulting in the formation of Maurya Empire in India far from the center of his realm. Still, once his throne was secure he tried to build a reputation as a conquerer by invading Italy.

Here he ran straight into the Roman mandible system which shredded his forces. Despite this, he won battles by his strength of numbers and would have won the war but for the Roman alliance with Carthage, which fearing they were next and for a free hand in Sicily, provided naval support and destroyed the Imperial Navy in a series of engagements, cutting Alexander off from reinforcements and resupply. Blockaded by the Roman Army and the Carthaginian Navy at Naples, Alexander was forced to ransom himself in order to prevent his brother Perseus from seizing the throne back home. After executing his brother, and loosing Egypt to a native revolt (funded with Carthaginian money) he seemed to realize that perhaps he wasn't meant to be conqueror and instead worked very hard at tying what was left of the empire together, a task he was much more successful at. As a result he was able to pass a stable Empire to his son in law, Seleucus.

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[3] Seleucus was the son in law of Alexander IV, married to his daughter, Roxana, named after her grandmother. He was also the grandson of Seleucus Nicator, one of Alexander the Greats generals, for whom he was named. Alexander IV had several sons but most died in battle or young or rapidly showed themselves to be devious and unworthy. Seleucus had shown himself to be an admirable warrior and incredibly fertile - over the course of their marriage, Roxana gave birth over twenty times. Despite his warrior background, he knew that at some point the kingdom would over extend its capability to both support and defend itself and therefore committed to creating stability, transport routes and agriculture (earning him the honorific of The Farmer) to feed his troops. After forty years on the throne, he was succeeded by his seventh son and thirteenth child, Alexander

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[4] On the death of Seleucus it was chaos. Not only did generals rebel, but most of the sons of Seleucus also claimed the throne and battled each other. Roxana's favorite was her youngest surviving son, named Alexander after her father and grandfather, he was the seventh son and thirteenth child. She spread the story that on his death bed Seleucus had given the throne to him with his last word, "Alexander!" Some said it was entirely made up. Others said that Selecus wasn't naming his heir but speaking the name of Alexander the Great as he saw a vision of him. But this was enough for Alexander to be crowned in Babylon and secure the capital. He immediately went to war with his five older brothers who claimed the throne. (One older brother, Philip, was feeble minded and cared for by Roxana.)

One by one he defeated them. The last was Achilles who was based in the homeland of Macedonia. Alexander by then had lost Bactria, Thrace, and Greece from the Empire to locals rebelling. By this time Carthage and Rome were at war with each other, leaving Alexander a free hand to restore the most important province of Egypt. As he secured Egypt, the Parthians revolted. So next was a long war for Iran. By the year 190 BCE a stalemate led to central and eastern Iran now in the new Parthian Empire and only western Iran in the Empire of Alexander. He died a few years later and his Eldest Son, Phillip took the throne.


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[5] A proven warrior and commander in the campaigns against Egypt and Parthia, Phillip was seen at the time as a man of great potential, someone Truly worthy of the legacy of Alexander the great. Indeed, his greatest achievements would come in 178 when he set out to take on the weakened Rome and Carthage. For six years (178-172) his empire would battle the Romans, but he would never land on the Italian peninsula. After conquering the Adriatic coast up to modern day Tyrol he would sign peace with the Roman republic. His war against Carthage however would fare much better. From 177 to 171 Hellenic forces would rampage across North Africa, but instead of directly conquering the Carthaginians Phillip would create a puppet council to rule over these new far flung possessions.

With the west secured Phillip turned to Persia, the land that remained unconquered. From 169 to 167 Phillip led forces into the Parthian empire, but during one of his later campaigns he was struck with a strange illness that nearly took his life. Fearing for him his generals took him back to Babylon. But for the Hellenic kingdoms things were about to change drastically. When Phillip recovered he was not the same man, he was paranoid, spiteful, and had become possessed of odd hobbies and beliefs. As the years wore on he increasingly neglected the empire, not helped by his execution of several generals and governors for 'treason'. As he lay on his death bed many of his own achievements would lay in ruin. The Adriatic was in revolt, Carthage had been free for several years, Egypt stood defiant in her rebellion and the Parthian empire encroached in the east. But Phillips last strike would debilitate the empire, fearing his sons would remove him him from the throne he ordered them slain, and not three days later did the Mad King Phillip die, leaving the empire devoid of a clear ruler for the second time in half a century.


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[6] Phillip III, the one with the unusual spelling for his name in the Greek language, killed all his heirs before he died. But like everyone before him, his father and his uncles, he ignored his 'feeble' uncle Philip, still living in the Imperial Palace in Babylon long after his mother, Roxana, had passed. He was now 77 and considered odd, stupid, and barely able to care for himself. The imperial guard were in turmoil after the death of the Mad King and afraid that they might be set upon by the people taking revenge on them for the terror done by the king they had protected. In roaming the palace they came upon Uncle Philip in his bed chamber, his head buried in scrolls that were all upon his bed, totally oblivious to the chaos sweeping the palace. Realizing he was a descendant of Alexander the Great and the older brother of Alexander V, they too him to the throne room, wrapped him in the royal purple robes, crowned him with the golden crown of laurels, and proclaimed him the Great God King, Philip IV.

The head of the guard, Ajax, expected he'd be his puppet as he was feeble minded. It turned out that Philip was anything but feeble minded. He just had been cursed from childhood with a terrible stutter and had withdrawn from trying to express himself. When nervous he basically shut down and just stuttered. When his father had died and all his brothers had gone to war with Alexander V, Philip had decided at the age of 19, (Alexander V was 17,) he was more likely to survive if he never challenge the perception of him all had. Some years into his brother's reign he'd lost the stutter and was more secure in expressing himself to those he trusted, which included the King and their mother. Alexander knew his brother was not feeble but actually very intelligent, in fact what later would be called a genius savant, as did his mother. They kept secret this fact, but Philip was a secret adviser to his brother.

When his nephew took the throne, he was 44 and no one now knew the truth about him except his aged mother, who died shortly thereafter. Philip knew in his gut that he shouldn't trust his nephew Phillip, so he played the feeble fool to him. Most left him alone in his chambers where he devoted himself to studying history.

But as the new God King he was now confidant to find allies he could trust and maneuver them into places of power until he was able to have Ajax arrested and tried for the crimes he'd done for Phillip the Mad. Now Philip was able to secure his Empire and rule it.

Unfortunately this took some time. During these early years the Parthians moved west and north to the caucuses, the Romans conquered the east shore of the Adriatic and Carthage, and made 'alliances' with the Greek city states. A noble family descended from some of Alexander's companions took Macedonia and western Asia Minor out of the Empire and then quickly fell apart into several smaller states. Egypt secured itself as a separate state and the southern part of the Arabian peninsula broke away too.

One thing that Philip IV did was realize that with Parthia having moved into western Iran that Babylon was too close to the border to be a central capital and relocated the capital to Damascus.

Even though he was 77 on taking the throne and had never had a romantic relationship or even just a sexual one, he married the much younger Helen, his nephew's daughter, who gave him five children in the next seven years, three of them sons.

Philip turned out to be a robust man and lived until he was 100 years old. The two major issues he had to deal with during that time was a problem with the Jews in Judaea who rebelled and the other was who would be the major influence in the Greek and Asia Minor states, the Hellenistic Empire or Rome. Philip's final solution in Judaea was to set up an autonomous 'kingdom' there that swore fealty to the Empire. Philip himself went to Jerusalem and prayed in the outer courtyard to the God of the Jews. This pacified the Jews. Unfortunately things didn't go so well with Rome and the states of Greece and Asia Minor. By his death it was clear that Rome was the dominant power in those areas, having won a war with the Hellenistic Empire in 146 in Pergamun. Rome was at the northern border of the Empire, even though officially those states were only 'allies' of Rome. But Roman troops were there.

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[7]
Philip V was Philip IV adopted son - a handsome and ruthless military strategist, from a minor family, adopted when it became clear that Philip IV would not provide further legitimate issue (After the handful he did produce in his seventies died in infancy or as young adults with no issue of their own) and none of the other possible Nicator heirs were really dream candidates. There were rumours across his life that Philip V was actually Philip the Feebles illegitimate son from a liaison with a palace slave from modern day Spain - and later historical and DNA evidence suggests that to be the truth (he is the earliest Hellenistic King with a known tomb). The most scandalous thing about Philip V was that he married a Roman woman - Furia - (daughter of a Roman consul, Lucius Furius Philus) in an attempt by Philip the Feeble to mollify the aggression of the Romans.

It seemed to work for the most part as the two settled into what might be later termed a cold war - armies faced each other across the border but no actual conflict erupted to, despite occasional brief escalation such as the Incident of the Capable Archer where Roman troops were seen to be practising formations and the Hellenistic leaders on the border almost interpreted it as the build up to an invasion. It was only the intervention of a capable archer and lookout that prevented all out bloodshed and invasion.

After twenty five years on the throne, he was found dead in a seemingly locked room and his death has become one of the greatest unanswered murder mysteries of the world. He was replaced by Royal-General Perdiccas Nicator, a younger nephew of Philip IV the Feeble and a cousin of Phillip III.

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[8] During the culling of Philip III, Perdiccas moved himself north and based himself in Sintike, commanding a small force to defend the city from the armies of Medike which was held by the powerful Thracian tribe of Medi.

He married a young noble woman from the Getae Kingdom, producing a stable family.

His line to the throne went as this, he was the son of a "Seleucus the posthumous", a small time politician by trade, the youngest of all the children, the brother of Alexander V and Philip "the Feeble" IV, making Perdiccas, nephew of these two Kings and unknowingly "cousin" of Philip "the Spaniard" V.

When news of his second uncle, became King Philip "the Feeble" IV, reached Perdiccas, he sent word of his success in the north, and was rewarded with a higher wage and title of Royal-Commander.

He was called to the capital by his adopted-cousin Philip V, as an adviser regarding defending from potential Roman invasion, however within a months of Perdiccas, presence.

Perdiccas, himself would only live to see seven years in office, before dying of what many historians believe was the first documented heart attack.

His succession by Seleucus II, and supported by the majority.

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[9] Seleucus II was the last of Alexander the Great's heir to rule the Hellenistic Empire, which by that time had been reduced to little more than Syria. There was still a Hellenistic kingdom in Egypt that lasted a dozen or so more years before Julius Caesar conquered it. But that actual empire that Alexander began, not an offshoot, ended in the year 63 BCE when Seleucus II surrendered to the victorious Pompey the Great of Rome, who marched on Damascus after conquering another offshoot kingdom, Armenia in the eastern part of the Anatolian Plateau.

Seleucus great grandfather, Seleucus the Posthumous was born in 213. He died at a young 57 in 156 as part of Phillip III's mad purge. Seleucus' grandfather was Perdiccas IV who was 24 when he fled north. His father, Perdiccas' son, was Alexander Philohippus (158-110), the lover of horses, who, ironically, died from brain trauma after a horse he was training reared back and stuck him on the head with both front hoofs. Thus Seleucus, became third in line for the throne and heir when his grandfather took the throne. He was Alexander Philophippus' only son, from his third marriage, born later in life in 114 when Philohippus was 44. Thus he was only 6 when he became heir and only 13 when he took the throne. Until he was 18 his mother, Doris of Damascus, was regent. At 18 he took control of the Empire.

In another time Seleucus might have been a capable ruler, but in this time there was little he could do to stop the forces of history. Both Rome and Parthia were growing in power. It was during his grandfather's reign that Parthia conquered Mesopotamia, proving Philip the Feeble's decision of moving the capital a wise choice. Mecca also revolted and all of Arabia was lost to the Empire. Meanwhile the supposed independent but subservient Kingdom of Judaea became independent in reality as well. So it was that Seleucus inherited an Empire that now was Syria. (In that time what is now Lebannon was simply part of Syria.)

The Empire clearly was next on Rome's list of nations to be conquered. Seleucus' saavy as a ruler was not to conquer and add to the Empire, an impossible task in that time period, but to delay after delay, through politics and bribes and alliances, Rome's moving in.

But that was unable to stop the Great Pompey who moved to the East to establish himself as the real ruler of Rome. (He did for a while, but he wasn't able to stop Julius Caesar.) Pompey marched from Armenia into Syria and conquered the entire country easily, laying siege to Damascus for six months until Seleucus surrendered. Seleucus was 49 when Pompey took his surrender. Shortly after that Seleucus was a captive in Pompey's Triumph in Rome, showing that the conqueror had bested the heir of Alexander the Great. Seleucus lived for nineteen more years in Rome in luxury as a former king and quite popular with the people. He made alliances with Julius Caesar and when Caesar defeated Pompey, he made promises to set Seleucus up as a puppet king in Syria. But that never happened and he was murdered on the Ides of March when his patron also will murdered. Thus ended the last of Alexander the Great's line of rulers.

OOC: As finisher I will start a new one soon.
 
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What if the Kingdom of Naples defeated France and Spain in the Second Italian War?

Kings of Naples
1496 - 1512: Frederick IV the Great (House of Trastamara) [1]
1512 - 1551: Ferdinand III (House of Trastamara) [2]
1551 - 1581: Sebastiano (House of Trastamara) [3]
1581 - 1607: Nicolo (House of Naples) [4]
1607 - 1609: Frederick V (House of Naples) [5]

Kings and Queens of Naples and Tuscany
1609 - 1639: Frederick V (House of Naples) [5]
1639 - 1651: Maximillian (House of Naples) [6]

Holy Roman Emperor
1643 - 1651: Maximillian III (House of Naples) [6]


Kings and Queens of Naples and Tuscany
1651 - 1680: Eleanora I (House of Naples) [7]

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[1] Frederick came to the throne in the middle of the First Italian War, where the French invaded and were defeated in 1498 by the League of Venice. When France invaded Milan the very next year with the backing of Venice, Frederick came to the aid of Milan, viewing the French invasion of Milan as a threat his own Kingdom. The war was going well for Frederick, but in 1501 Frederick's Spanish relatives invaded Naples, siding with France. Frederick was able to hold off the enemy, but Milan soon fell. Realising he had to adopt a more offensive strategy, he sent a fleet to Venice, capturing it and forcing the Republic to capitulate.

Luckily for Frederick, Spain and France had recently gone to war over how to split the spoils of war. Frederick offered a defensive pact to Spain against France, which was accepted. Neopolitian and Spanish forces defeated the French in Milan. Spain also launched an invasion into Mainland France, conquering Toulouse. France gave up on the war soon enough, and a peace treaty was signed in 1504

Spain would keep Milan, and Frederick would return the city of Venice in return for a large sum of gold.

In 1508 War of the League of Cambrai broke out, but Frederick did not join the war.

Frederick died age 60 of natural causes, leaving the throne to his only son, Ferdinand, Duke of Calabria.
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[2] Born in 15 December 1488 in Andria, Apulia as son of the future King Frederick and his second wife, Isabella del Balzo. He held the titles of Duke of Calabria and of Apulia.

In January 1505, Ferdinand married, Princess Sibylle of Bavaria, from the house of Wittelsbach, she was the daughter of Duke Albert IV of Bavaria-Munich (1447–1508) from his marriage to Kunigunde of Austria (1465–1520), daughter of Holy Roman Emperor Frederick III. The marriage came two months before the death of her older sister, Sidonie, who was engaged to Elector Palatine Louis V.

Together the pair would have five children, before Sibylle's death in 1519 at the age of 29. Following the death of his first wife, in February 1521, 33 year old Ferdinand married 15 year old, Christine of Saxony (25 December 1505 – 15 April 1549) producing another sixteen children.
There was talks of finding a third wife, with rumoured proposals to Mary, Princess of England or Archduchess Eleanor of Austria, (daughter of Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor and Anna of Bohemia and Hungary), until his own death at the age of 63.

His ruling was seen as fair and just, supporting the Papal State financially against Venice, while holding a strained peace against France to the West. His support of Pope Leo X (1513-1536) and his successor Pope Leo XI (1536-1553 OTL Giovanni Salviati, who was Leo X nephew) gained him the title of "Blessed King Ferdinand, Holy Servant of God"

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[3] Ferdinands grandson, Sebastiano, was quite impressive for a single reason - he managed to rule for a prolonged period and fend off several significant attempts to depose him whilst simultaneously being one of the most unliked monarchs in the history of Naples. Keen to delegate his responsibilities to his relatives and council, he rarely left his chambers, spent an increasing amount on clothes, wine, food and prostitutes, reportedly abused his slaves and some claim he murdered his wife (from an arranged marriage, it was common knowledge that they hated each other) when she attempted to leave him with their only son. At this point, he sent his son to be brought up by priests and passed a law that states his son must not set foot in the palace until he, Sebastiano, had died and walked into the embrace of God. Even attempted intervention by the Pope failed to sway him from being an awful person - perhaps the only thing that put down the attempted depositions was the fact that he had delegated so much power to his council and military leaders that they feared having the power removed by any subsequent ruler - and with his death in 1581, his son having vanished off the face of the kingdom after his banishment to a monastery, there was a host of aunts, uncles and cousins to pass the crown to, eventually being passed to his brother, Nicolo.


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[4] As the younger brother of Sebastino, many were worried that Nicolo would turn out to be like his brother, so the first thing Nicolo did when he was crowned was found a new house for himself, the House of Naples. When he inherited the throne, the Royal coffers were drained and the country was heading towards a economic crisis.

Nicolo decided to reinvent the tax system, and cut unnecessary costs. This made him unpopular with his nobles, some of whom conspired against him, but nothing major ever came of it. Nicolo sold a number royal palaces and wore mostly plain clothes. Despite this, the economy had made a full recovery by 1593, and now Nicolo was looking to expand.

The Neopolitan colonies of Brasile del Nord (meaning North Brazil, stretches from the Amazon to modern day French Guiana) and the Bahamas, defending by a grand navy that Nicolo had built.

In 1600 Venice and Naples went to war over control of the Mediterranean. When Spain did not defend Naples from the Venetian aggressors, Nicolo was very angry, but did not show it to the Spanish, fearing possible backlash from the Habsburgs. In 1601, the Treaty of Venice was signed. The war was inconclusive, and was considered a waste of time, even by Nicolo himself. Regardless, Nicolo remained one of the most celebrated and popular Kings of Naples.

In 1607, Nicolo died of Cancer age 66, leaving the throne to son, Prince Frederick.

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[5] Frederick, was born in 1571, son of Nicolo and his wife, Elisabeth of Austria, daughter of Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor, and Maria of Spain. This marriage was arranged as a Habsburg attempt to influence the running of Naples.

Growing up during the reign of his eccentric uncle, Frederick, would be educated by his father, regarding matters of state and foreign politics.

At the age of ten, he became heir following his uncles death and his father’s succession and would continue being tutored by his father and shadow him.

His marriage was arranged by his father to Maria de’ Medici at the Palazzo Pitti of Florence, Italy, the sixth daughter of Francesco I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany, and Archduchess Joanna of Austria.

The death of his father from cancer and Frederick succession, came at the age of 36 and his preparation set him in good stead, he was able to continue his father's strong economy policy assisted by colonial trade, helping to assist with the Navy and Army.

When Maria’s uncle, Cardinal and Grand Duke Ferdinando II of Tuscany died in 1609, King Frederick, claimed her father’s throne on behalf of her, uniting the two nations and elevating the later nation to a Kingdom.
To placate, Pope Julius III and his Papal State, who now found its self sharing borders with the Union of Naples and Tuscany, King Frederick would pledge loyal allegiance to his Holiness, signed a non-aggression agreement, along with a yearly "loyalty tax," a tax used by the Pope to invest in its army and navy.

His death in 1639, at the age of 68, came following three years of declining health. He was succeeded by his son, Prince Maximillian.
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[6] Maximillian was the third son of king Frederick and the only one to survive untill adulthood. He was born in 1598 and named after his maternal grandfather emperor Maximillian II. By the time Maximillian was crowned king of Naples and Tuscany his grandfather's branch of the Habsburg family had died out and his distant relative Ferdinand III sat on the imperial throne. Ties with the Habsburgs remained strong nevertheless as Maximillian had married Ferdinand's sister Maria Anna (b.1610).

Wheras Italy had remained firmly catholic, Europe north of the Alps was ravaged by decades of religious warfare. The imperial forces had met with initial success but after more than 20 years it became apparent that the Habsburgs were fighting a loosing war. Backed by the French and other foreign powers protestant forces sacked Vienna in 1638, but the war was far from over. By 1640 most of the HRE was in protestant hands and church lands were distributed to protestant lords, including the archbishoprics of the Electors of Trier, Cologne and Mainz. With most of their lands occupied and the Electoral system of the HRE shattered the situation for the Habsburgs seemed dire.

In 1641 King Maximillian intervened on behalf of his brother-in-law emperor Ferdinand III and landed with his troops in Habsburg Croatia in an attempt to liberate central Europe. He marched northwards capturing Vienna before the end of the year and continued marching westwards towards Bavaria. The renewed warfare was a catastrophe for the local population with between 33-50% of the inhabitants of Lower and Upper Austria being killed during the course of the war. The catholic forces were moderatly successful and reached Franconia by 1643 but than the luck of the House of Austria ran out. Ferdinand's brother Leopold Wilhelm was killed on the battlefield before the emperor himself succumbed to fever, leaving the Habsburg family without adult males to take the crown.

In the Treaty of Passau Maximillian promised to defend the Austrian lands in exchange for Habsburg support for his claim to the imperial throne. With the electors of Trier, Cologne and Mainz living in exile and the Habsburgs at his mercy the election was a mere farce. Maximillian was elected emperor despite the fact that non of the electors who voted for him actually controlled their electorate (not even the Habsburgs as Bohemia was occupied by protestant troops).

To further cement his rather weak claim to imperial authority Maximillian left his troop in the hands of his generals and traveled to Rome to be crowned emperor by the pope (a tradition abandoned by the Habsburgs over a century ago). Both Maximillian and his father Frederick had been financially generous towards the pope but this came with a price. In the last decades papal economy and building projects had become increasingly dependent on those Neapolitan taxes. Both overland and naval trade became dominated by merchants from Tuscany and Naples and the minor lords of the Romagna soon cared more for the opinion of the Neapolitan kings than the pope's.

Despite the initial success the Neapolitans enjoyed in Germany the war once again swung in favour of the protestants. Not long after his return from Italy Maximillian and his allies were forced back towards Vienna. Tired of the ongoing war Maximillian once again left for Italy leaving the war to his generals and the Austrians, who felt rightfully betrayed by the emperor, who had pledged to defend their lands.

After almost three decades and the second sack of Vienna the Austrian forces of the young Archduke Ferdinand surrendered in 1646. In the Treaty of Ingolstadt the Austrians and Neapolitans accepted the loss of Bohemia and the independence of the German states not part of the Habsburg domain. The treaty was an utter humilitation for the House of Habsburg and showed that Maximillian was utterly uninteressested in fighting for the Austrian cause.

The second half of Maximillian's reign was rather uneventful. The center of power slowly moved to the north as the rich Tuscan lands became increasingly important for the finances of the dual kingdom. Maximillian died of throat cancer in 1651 after 12 years as king and 8 as emperor. Leaving his wife and their minor children. His reign is regarded as one of the most succesful in Italian history, wheras it is seen as a historical low point by German catholics.

He was succeeded by his daughter, Eleanora Maria Catalina of Naples.

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[7]
The Princess Eleanora Maria Catalina of Naples was 15 when her father died. A minor by technicality, she was placed under a regency of her cousin, the Prince Francesco of Naples, and left in the care of her mother, Maria Anna, Archduchess of Austria. Raised prior with the knowledge that she would eventually be replaced by a son of her mother and father (her mother was just 30 at her father's death, his second wife after a fruitless marriage to his first cousin, the Princess Louise Margaret of Savoy, who died in 1632, at age 35, after 20 years together. Maria Anna, his second wife, gave birth to Eleanora in 1636. 7 children followed, 3 sons, 2 daughters and a stillbirth in 1651, two days before his death. The sons, Princes Ferdinand, Frederick and Niccolo of Naples, both died in 1645, of smallpox, but the Emperor had been confidant that a new son would follow. The stillborn child in 1651 seems to have been another daughter.

The new Queen Eleanora had been raised from birth with the goal in mind of marriage, specifically to the King of France. France, Maximilian had hoped, would be a useful ally against the descendants of the Hapsburgs, already in the 1650's aiming for the Imperial Throne again, and as part of this alliance (due to their belief that a union with Naples was imminent) the French had placed their support behind the Elector of Bavaria in order to block the Archduke of Austria, Joseph Gonzaga, from the Imperial Throne. The play worked, but in 1654, Eleanora was forced by her cousin to formally break her betrothal to Francis III of France, in part because her cousin planned on marrying her himself. Maria Anna, however, was able to block the match when, later that year, she produced her former lady-in-waiting, a Lady Ippolita Orsino, to testify that Prince Francesco had married her in 1649, and that they had a son together. The general consensus had been, at the time, that Ippolita was his mistress, but with the Queen Dowager of Naples supporting her and documents with his signature proving, to many, the marriage was real, the Pope himself called upon Francesco to take his wife in. Their son, Prince Sebastian, died in 1655, and they would have no surviving children before the Lady Ippolita's death in 1660, probably of poisoning.

However, free from any major commitments in terms of marriage, with the King of France safely married to the Princess Julianne of Lorraine, Eleanora began to play her options, hoping to emulate Elizabeth I of England, who had rejected the famed King Sebastiano with the phrase "England's lion shan't marry the Italian Pig". Eleanora, however, found that, with the death of her mother in 1658, and the marriage of her sisters into various royal houses, she was quite lonely. She met her future husband, Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, in 1658, at the wedding of her 15 year old sister, the Princess Maria Catalina of Naples, to Henry's elder brother, the newly installed King of England. Henry, 4 years her junior, was not the English Prince many suspected she would eventually marry, but sparks flew, and when they met again for the marriage of Eleanora's other sister, the Princess Niccola Margarita of Naples, to the Duke of Parma, in 1660. At 24, Eleanora was fast becoming annoyed by the various proposals thrown her way, in particular by Prince Ferdinand of Trastamara, a descendant of Ferdinand II of Naples, who was a Prince by technicality, but in 1660 was more known as a hanger on of the court. Thus, she married the Stuart Prince in 1661, and in 1662, had the first of their 8 children, all surviving.

Eleanor only truly began ruling around this time too. Previously having played off the misogyny of her advisers, in 1663, she restructured the court, removing almost 30 seperate men who were advisers, not by merit, but by blood. In particular, the man responsible for the Economics of Naples, one Lord Jorges Farnese, had run the finances of the country into the ground, which was able to be righted when he was replaced by Thomas Francino. The trouble was, however, that Eleanora continued to face massive pushback from her councilors, and in 1665, had to form a formal parliament, in order to try and condense the bureaucracy of the government.

In 1670, Naples went to war against the last Italian holding to not be under their control, the Duke of Parma. With the death of her sister in 1666, in childbirth with the second of two daughters, the Duke of Parma had married the Archduke of Austria's niece, Margaret Farnese, and in 1667 had begun a series of attacks against the Italian holdings of Naples. Eleanora thus, unhappily, sent her husband to deal with it, when she was 3 months pregnant with their 8th child. Henry Stuart would defeat the Duke in battle in 1671, but returned home wounded, and despite nursing by his wife and the care of the best doctors, he died of an infection, leaving his wife pregnant and alone. Eleanora grieved heavily.

Eleanora suffered giving birth to her final child, but managed to pull through of this illness, managing to live past them. At age 36, she was young enough to consider remarriage, and in 1675, there was talks of her marrying her former betrothed, the King of France, with the understanding that she would abdicate her throne of Naples to her heir. Eleanora seems to have considered it, but declined, preferring to raise a monument to her husband in 1677. This monument would, however, be the death of her.

in 1678, Eleanora's other sister, the Queen of England, died in childbirth with her 13 child. The Queen of Naples, distraught, was cautioned against attending the funeral, and instead (in part due to fears that her quick weight gain after the death of her husband would cause health issues) she was perscribed long walks to combat her grief. She took them through the building site of the monument, with her nieces (Maria and Isabella of Parma) hand in hand, lecturing the girls as to the evils their father had committed. However, in June of 1680, she walked alone, and was struck by a falling hammer. The wound was grave, and in July, she died of an infection, much like her husband had done 10 years earlier. The monument, a massive statue of Henry Stuart and Eleanora of Naples together, was where the two were buried, under the stones. She was succeeded by her heir, _____.
 
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What if Prince William, Duke of Gloucester, the son of Queen Anne, had not been born infected with meningitis and had been healthy?

Kings of the United Kingdom of England and Scotland

1714 - 1766: William IV (House of Gloucester) [1]

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[1] On William the Duke of Gloucester's birth, all of England celebrated that now there was a Protestant heir to the throne. His aunt, Queen Mary, and her husband, his cousin once removed, King William, celebrated too, even though King William did not get along with his sister-in-law's husband, Prince George. Rather than see the young infant take on the name of his father's ducal title of Cumberland, he was given the dukedom of Gloucester as a child, which then later became the name of his house. Prince William was second in line after his mother, Princess Anne, to the thrones of England and Scotland separately. Mary preceded her husband in death and then in 1701 he too died and Prince William's mother became Queen. In 1707 the Act of Union united the two kingdoms and so Prince William became the heir of the United Kingdom.

William was 25 when he became king. He was already married to his third cousin, Sophia Dorothea of Hanover, in 1708 when she was 21 and he was 19. She was the daughter of George of Hanover, son of Sophia of Hanover. An act of Parliament had decreed that only Protestants could be heirs to the throne and that made the elder Sophie next in line after William at that time. The marriage was arranged and William and Sophia Dorothea never met until the wedding. But it was a happy marriage and they grew to love each other, having many children.

William had a long rule and during his reign Great Britain won several wars with France, ending up with all their former territories in North America.

William also led the war against his cousin, Charles Stuart, known as Bonnie Prince Charlie, the Young Pretender, and defeated him, ending the Scottish rebellion and the hopes of the Catholic Stuarts.

William was an active king, working closely with Parliament and the ministers of it who would form governments. Sophia Dorothea passed in 1757. William followed her nine years later at the age of 76, only a few days before his 77th birthday.
 
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What if Prince William, Duke of Gloucester, the son of Queen Anne, had not been born infected with meningitis and had been healthy?

Kings of the United Kingdom of England and Scotland

1714 - 1766: William IV (House of Gloucester) [1]
1766 - 1816: George (House of Gloucester) [2]

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[1] On William the Duke of Gloucester's birth, all of England celebrated that now there was a Protestant heir to the throne. His aunt, Queen Mary, and her husband, his cousin once removed, King William, celebrated too, even though King William did not get along with his sister-in-law's husband, Prince George. Rather than see the young infant take on the name of his father's ducal title of Cumberland, he was given the dukedom of Gloucester as a child, which then later became the name of his house. Prince William was second in line after his mother, Princess Anne, to the thrones of England and Scotland separately. Mary preceded her husband in death and then in 1701 he too died and Prince William's mother became Queen. In 1707 the Act of Union united the two kingdoms and so Prince William became the heir of the United Kingdom.

William was 25 when he became king. He was already married to his third cousin, Sophia Dorothea of Hanover, in 1708 when she was 21 and he was 19. She was the daughter of George of Hanover, son of Sophia of Hanover. An act of Parliament had decreed that only Protestants could be heirs to the throne and that made the elder Sophie next in line after William at that time. The marriage was arranged and William and Sophia Dorothea never met until the wedding. But it was a happy marriage and they grew to love each other, having many children.

William had a long rule and during his reign Great Britain won several wars with France, ending up with all their former territories in North America.

William also led the war against his cousin, Charles Stuart, known as Bonnie Prince Charlie, the Young Pretender, and defeated him, ending the Scottish rebellion and the hopes of the Catholic Stuarts.

William was an active king, working closely with Parliament and the ministers of it who would form governments. Sophia Dorothea passed in 1757. William followed her nine years later at the age of 76, only a few days before his 77th birthday.

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[2] Born in 1740, George was William's grandson, by his eldest son Edward, Prince of Wales. He was named after both his maternal and paternal great grandfather (George of Hanover, and George of Cumberland) and outlived his father who had an 'unfortunate encounter with his mistresses lovers duelling pistol' (buy since his mistresses lover was also his brother, the Duke of Edinburgh, things got brushed under the carpet by William as the royal family could not be smeared by fratricide) which allowed George to become Prince of Wales himself.

He married Caroline of Orange-Nassau in 1760 and they had fourteen children (seven of whom would survive to adulthood) - the pair were forced to reside in the Netherlands briefly in 1765 when Carolines grandmother died and Caroline was forced to act as Regent for her younger brother, William V, Prince of Orange. This period in the Netherlands probably influenced him significant as it was the first time he had travelled abroad and he brought back many ideas that were influenced by the Court of Orange-Nassau.

The Dutch Regency (as it had become known) had not yet ended when news reached them that his grandfather had passed away and he was forced to rush back to London less one of his uncles or cousins would attempt to suspend his claim despite the wording of the Treason Act. He reached London and became the rightfull King - with Caroline following a few months later when her brother turned 18.

His reign saw the American Revolution (and the declaration of the Kingdom of America under the rule of Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette) and the latter part of his grandfathers had seen the Seven Year War which had left France in debt - but knowing the danger a growing Republican movement could bring, George made a significant loan to the twenty two year old Charles X (all of his older brothers had died in their youths) and advised him on the transformation to a constitutional monarchy. His advice was heeded and a French Revolution had been narrowly avoided - with the leads exiled to the newly established penal colonies of Australia at George's suggestion, further away than Elba or St Helena from where there was still invariably a chance they could return.

In the end, he reigned for fifty years and died at 76, leaving the throne to ...
 
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