A Brief History of the House of Hanover

1719

Khiva

Early in the year the siege of Khiva was showing signs of breaking, largely because of an outbreak of typhus running through the besieged city. The downside for the Russian troops besieging the city was that the disease soon spread to their lines, reducing their strength in turn.

Sensing that fatigue was setting in on both sides, Khan Shir Ghazi began negotiations with Pyotr. The Treaty of Khiva saw the Khan accept Russian suzerainty over Khiva, with regular tribute to be paid to the Tsar.

Pyotr's triumph was marred by his developing a fever the day after the end of the siege. Having seen the disease run through the Russian troops, as the Tsar developed a rash his doctors were acutely aware that Pyotr had contracted typhus. Having never been of particularly robust health, Pyotr declined quickly, slipped into a coma, and died only one week after the fall of Khiva.

Prussia

In Berlin, Sophie Dorothea gave birth to a daughter, also named Sophie Dorothea, increasing the Prussian brood to six living children, though later in the year the two year-old infant Ludwig Karl Wilhelm contracted smallpox before dying.

Beyond dynastic expansion, Friedrich Wilhelm was also keen for Prussia to undergo territorial expansion, and cast desirous eyes eastward. The Polish province of Prusy Królewskie (Royal Prussia) lay between the Hohenzollern holdings in Brandenburg and Prussia, and adding this would have allowed Friedrich Wilhelm to title himself King of Prussia, rather than his title of King in Prussia.

Poland

As it happened, things were about to boil over in Toruń.[1] The population of the city was split almost evenly between Lutherans (nearly entirely German-speakers) and Roman Catholics (nearly entirely Polish-speakers), and tensions between the two populations had regularly resulted in violence over the past century.

On 8th June the Roman Catholics in the city celebrated the Feast of Corpus Christi by processing through the city. During the festival, which had been described in a postil by Martin Luther as "the most shameful festival", the Lutheran population of the city, largely the upper classes, had taken to protecting their church with a militia, fearing that the Roman Catholics would take their only place of worship. Exactly what occurred is not entirely clear: Lutheran sources claimed that Roman Catholics had attempted to force their way into the Marienkirche, while Roman Catholic sources claimed that Lutherans had defiled a statue of the Virgin Mary. Either way, violence broke out between the two denominations: when the (largely Lutheran) council attempted to retake control of the situation, the local militias focussed their efforts on the Roman Catholics. As a result, it took some of the few available troops from the Polish-Lithuanian army to take control. A large number of the council's members were executed, including the famed historian Jakob Heinrich Zerneke.[2]

Moldavia

From a Polish perspective, the events in Toruń seemed to be a minor affair compared to what was occurring in Moldavia. While not exactly fresh from fighting in the Balkans against the Habsburg armies, the Ottoman troops that were arriving in Moldavia were greater in number than the Polish-Lithuanian forces in the principality, and were under the command of Nevşehirli İbrahim Paşa, a far more competent commander than Silahdar Ali.

The Polish-Lithuanians largely attempted to avoid meeting the Ottoman army in the field, leaving their Moldavian allies to nibble away at Nevşehirli İbrahim Paşa's forces. This plan did not go well for the Moldavians: in the face of a large Ottoman army, a number of boyars in the south of the country who had only recently declared Constantin Lupu Costachi to be their prince suddenly decided that actually, they did really prefer the Ottomans calling the shots and were happy for Nevşehirli İbrahim Paşa to retake control. For his part Nevşehirli İbrahim Paşa managed the towns that fell to him well, leaving local administrators in place, and avoiding his troops engaging in the usual excesses of an army.

Within the Polish-Lithuanian army a split was developing. The prevailing opinion was that they had given it a good go, but it would be futile to try and defeat the Ottomans in the field, and so should just return home. Constantin Lupu Costachi, however, reliant on Polish support for both his princely title and his head remaining on his shoulders, had convinced a number of influential figures within the Commonwealth's leadership that this was a chance for them to win a great victory over the Turk, on the level of Jan III Sobieski. These figures were aware that King Stanisław of Poland did not have any male heirs to take the throne after his death, and that making a name for themselves as a bulwark against the Ottomans could bolster their candidacy later down the line.

Among the figures who bought into this narrative were Adam Mikołaj Sieniawski and Michał Serwacy Wiśniowiecki, two remarkably different figures. Sieniawski had been one of the main opponents of Stanisław Leszczyński's kingship, to the extent that he had continued fighting against Leszczyński and his Swedish backers after the Treaty of Altranstädt forced August II to surrender the throne in 1706. Wiśniowiecki had been one of Stanisław Leszczyński's great supporters, to the extent that his refusal to recognise August II as the rightful King of Poland after his capture by Russia at the Battle of Poltava saw Wiśniowiecki imprisoned from 1709 until 1711.[3] Both well-regarded military figures, Stanisław Mateusz Rzewuski was more inclined to listen to the consultations of Sieniawski and Wiśniowiecki that peace was clearly not achievable on Poland's terms as affairs in Moldavia stood, and that they should therefore engage the Ottomans in battle.

On the main road between Vaslui and Iaşi, close to the village of Dobrovăț, the advancing Ottoman army were met by a Polish-Lithuanian-Moldavian force. Despite a numerical disadvantage, in part owing to a proportion of the Polish-Lithuanian forces returning to the Commonwealth rather than remaining in Moldavia, the Ottomans were forced into a disorderly retreat.[4] Having looked all the world as though Moldavia would be returned to the Ottoman sphere, now the principality's rule was again in the balance.

Bavaria

Ever since meeting the daughters of the late Holy Roman Emperor, Joseph I, in 1717 on his way to fight the Ottomans, the heir to the Duchy and Electorate of Bayern, Karl Albrecht had sought to secure a marriage with the eldest, Maria Josepha[5]. With his agreement to support the Pragmatic Sanction of 1713, recognising Karl VI's daughter Maria Theresia's right to succeed the throne, the marriage was allowed, and the wedding took place.

Sicily

On Sicily, the Austrians had succeeded, with the help of the British, in crossing the Strait of Messina. Despite being defeated by the Spanish army at Francavilla, the Austrian army was able to retreat and invest Messina, with the city falling shortly after.

Great Britain

As a result of British action in the conflict in Sicily, the Spanish hit upon a plan to send the exiled James Butler, Duke of Ormonde, with a small detachment of troops to the West Country, where local Jacobites would rise up against the Hanoverian pretender and join the Duke of Ormonde in marching on London, overthrowing King George, and placing James Francis Edward Stuart on the throne. The chance for this plan to succeed would be enhanced by a simultaneous and diversionary uprising in the Highlands of Scotland, fomented by a small band of Spanish marines, led by George Keith, Earl Marischal.

None of this would come to pass. The two frigates carrying Earl Marischal and his Spanish forces were intercepted and captured as they tried to pass through St. George's Channel.[6] The Duke of Ormonde's little Armada was disrupted by a storm as it rounded Cape Finisterre and had to put into port, unable to continue on to the West Country. The Rising of 1719 had barely begun before it was snuffed out.

A greater problem for the country was the national debt, which had nearly reached £50 million. A deal was proposed by the South Sea Company that would see the company take on over £30 million of this debt, with debt holders exchanging their securities for shares in the Company: ostensibly receiving, a perpetual return upon their investment and something far more able to be traded than their securities. As the deal was in the process of being negotiated, a number of government figures bought shares in the South Sea Company, inflating its share price.

Florida

The Spanish colony of Florida was bordered to the west by the French colony of Nouvelle-France. The governor of the territory of Louisiana, Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne, led an expedition against the Spanish city of Pensacola, using French vessels and allied Native American troops. The city fell, and the French held it until August, when the Spanish recaptured the city. Spanish control was short-lived, as Gilles-Charles des Nos, Count of Champmeslin, led a fleet of five French ships to once again wrest the city from Spanish hands.

Spain

In the north of Spain, the Jacobite Duke of Berwick, James FitzJames, in the service of the Kingdom of France, led a force against Spanish cities in the western Pyrenees. These Basque areas had recently seen violence result from the Spanish government's attempts to increase taxation in the region, impinging upon the traditional low-tax trade area that had existed since the Kingdom of Navarre's annexation in the 16th century. The Duke of Berwick had some early successes, capturing Vizcaya, Fuenterrabía, and San Sebastián, among other towns in the region. Felipe V sent out a force to the region, but inferior in number to the Duke of Berwick's troops, it dared not advance beyond Pamplona. The Juntas Generales of Vizcaya, Guipúzcoa, and Álava declared themselves subject to the rule of Louis XV, King of France and of Navarre, providing Louis XV recognises their rights. The Duke of Berwick, meanwhile, headed east to Urgell, capturing the city before withdrawing owing to ill-health among his troops.

There was further bad news for the Spanish crown when, in October, in retaliation for the attempted Jacobite restoration by the Spanish, British troops under Richard Temple, Viscount Cobham, landed in Galicia and captured Vigo, holding the city only briefly before abandoning it and heading south to capture Pontevedra. With the war going poorly, and the Quadruple Alliance having demonstrated the potential threat they were able to pose to Iberia itself, Felipe V was minded to sue for peace, and so at the end of the year negotiations were begun.

Papal State

Despite having been unable to secure a throne after two attempts, James Francis Edward Stuart looked to secure his dynasty through a marriage. As he was still relatively wealthy, and lived in great comfort within Rome, James was slightly more appealing to Europe's great families as someone to marry a spare daughter off to than he might otherwise have been. The two principle marriage candidates that James chose between were Charlotte Aglaé, daughter of Philippe II, Duke of Orléans[7], and Maria Klementyna Sobieska[8], another daughter of Jakub Ludwyk Henryk Sobieski. Charlotte Aglaé would have brought the hope of getting France's effective regent as an ally for the Stuart restoration, while Maria Klementyna was an incredibly wealthy woman. The main obstacle to his marriage was the opposition of King George, wishing to avoid an heir to James' claim to the thrones of England, Scotland and Ireland. With the Duke of Orléans not wishing to upset his current ally he (for now) dismissed James' suit. Jakub Sobieski had been more willing to listen to James' case, and the two were engaged. Maria Klementyna set off from Poland toward Italy, but was detained while passing through Habsburg territory at the behest of Karl VI, who sought to mollify his British allies with the action.[8]

Sweden

The birth of the royal child was eagerly awaited by nearly the entirety of the Swedish court, especially given that Johannetta had not been in the best of health at all during the pregnancy. In fact, the only person who showed no interest in the birth of the heir to the throne was Karl himself, who managed to contrive a way to be out of Stockholm entirely, in Karlskrona, conducting a review of his fleet.

Nonetheless, upon his return Karl found that he was both a father and a widower, Johanetta having died shortly after the delivery. The child, a son, was in remarkably good health, considering the traumatic experience it had just gone through. Karl, followed the imaginative naming traditions of the Swedish kings of the House of Pfalz-Zweibrücken, and named it Karl.[9]

Kurpfalz

In Kurpfalz there was a child born to another Karl, Karl Philipp. A further daughter, Magdalene Elisabeth was born, meaning that Karl Philipp had three living daughters, but no sons.

Russia

Aleksey was finding life in Moscow without his father quite acceptable. In Pyotr's absence, Aleksey's wife, Praskovia, fell pregnant again, and a further daughter, named Evdokia after Aleksey's mother, is born to Aleksey and Praskovia.

Late in the year, news was brought to Moscow of Pyotr's death in Khiva. With his father dead, Aleksey was the clear heir, and was proclaimed as Aleksey II, Tsar of All Russia. The boyars met the succession with trepidation. Pyotr had, in his last years of life, been relatively pliant. While Aleksey had been raised by boyars and priests, he had spent time in Germany which meant that he had been exposed to the sort of cosmopolitan ideas that his father had been so enamoured by.

[1] Known in German as Thorn.
[2] Similar events occurred in 1722 in our timeline, causing the Tumult of Thorn. In fact, with his throne and Roman Catholic credentials a little more secure, King Stanisław's reaction is more muted than August II's in our timeline.
[3] Until 1716 in our timeline.
[4] It took me a while to decide who was the more likely victor in any such battle. I decided that while Nevşehirli İbrahim Paşa was skilled at diplomacy and administration, here he was up against a number of skilled Polish commanders, and a Polish-Lithuanian army that is almost specifically created in a way that allows them to best fight Ottoman forces.
[5] In our timeline, Maria Josepha was engaged to and married the heir to the Electorate of Saxony and Kingdom of Poland, Friedrich August, who had converted to Roman Catholicism. Here, Friedrich August is not a Roman Catholic, and not heir to the throne of Poland, and so will not be marrying Maria Josepha. Karl Albrecht wanted to marry Maria Josepha, but couldn't because of her engagement to Friedrich August, so instead married her sister, Maria Amalia.
[6] His capture in this timeline owes a little to the fact that Russia and the conduct of the Great Northern War is not a threat to British trade in the Baltic, and so there are more fleet vessels in Britain's waters.
[6] Who in our timeline married Francesco Maria d'Este, who in this timeline has married Anna Leszczyńska.
[7] His wife in our timeline.
[8] Whereas in our timeline she escaped, with the help of Charles Wogan, here Charles Wogan is dead, having been executed for treason.
[9] So, Karl XII's sexuality. It has been hypothesised that Karl was either homosexual or asexual. It's very hard to judge a historical figure's sexuality, but I think it's more probable that he was asexual. That he didn't marry is not too hard to understand, given that he nearly the entirety of his adult life fighting wars against Sweden's neighbours. In this timeline, the period of peace gives him the opportunity (and necessity, given the urging of the Riksdag) to get married. Even though he's not overly enthused about the act of sex, he knows what his duty is, and performs it just enough to get Johannetta pregnant. This is my middle-of-the-road approach to the question of Karl's sexuality.

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Pyotr Alekseyevich Romanov, 1672-1719

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Ludwig Karl Wilhelm von Hohenzollern, 1717-1719

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Johannetta Antoinetta Juliana von Saxe-Eisenach, 1698-1719
 
Yes, he does already have a daughter called Evdokiya - this one should have been Ustinia, after his maternal grandmother :oops:

Ok, cool, thought I was getting them mixed up.

As to her name, wouldn't Alexei start with his aunts' names (Sofia, Marfa, Anna, Yekaterina and Maria (maybe Margarita - one of them's nun name)) rather than using names from the Lophukin side of his relatives? Especially since the Romanovs didn't seem to be very original once they got the throne:
Both Mikhail and Alexei (I) had daughters named Anna, Marfa, Sofia and Yevdokia, while Mikhail had an Irina and a Pelageia, and Alexei a Feodosia, a Feodora and a Natalya.

Also, due to Pyotr's less successful life, did Miss Skavronskaia not get crowned empress? Since I could see the "new" men supporting her as regent for her daughter (Alexei's half-sister) against the older influenced regime of Alexei II and his court.
 
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What a great thread! So glad that in Russia Alexis has managed to survive his father and become Tsar. Can't wait to find out what happens next!
 
Ok, cool, thought I was getting them mixed up.

As to her name, wouldn't Alexei start with his aunts' names (Sofia, Marfa, Anna, Yekaterina and Maria (maybe Margarita - one of them's nun name)) rather than using names from the Lophukin side of his relatives? Especially since the Romanovs didn't seem to be very original once they got the throne:
Both Mikhail and Alexei (I) had daughters named Anna, Marfa, Sofia and Yevdokia, while Mikhail had an Irina and a Pelageia, and Alexei a Feodosia, a Feodora and a Natalya.

Also, due to Pyotr's less successful life, did Miss Skavronskaia not get crowned empress? Since I could see the "new" men supporting her as regent for her daughter (Alexei's half-sister) against the older influenced regime of Alexei II and his court.

Blargh. Maria, after his sympathetic aunt then.

Miss Skavronskaia did not get crowned empress - after all, her husband never got named emperor. Indeed, she only married Pyotr once ITTL (in OTL she married him twice, with only the second marriage being the official one. Pyotr's new men lost a lot of their influence after the Treaty of Bender - some actually went abroad - and but there are others who have merely changed their tune a little in order to fit in with the conservative mood in Moscow, and are still around. Feofan Prokopovich is still rector of the academy of Kiev; Pyotr Tolstoy's reputation never recovered after his Ottoman blunder; the loss of nearly all Russia's ports has made Fyodor Apraksin has lost much of his influence, despite Pyotr's continued patronage; Pyotr Shafirov and Heinrich Shafirov have been doing some good work repairing matters with Russia's old enemies, but they're abroad right now; Dmitry Golitsyn has quite happily allied himself to Aleksey. Aleksander Menshikov is still around, massively corrupt, and disliked by the other boyars - which means he has the most interest in engineering an alternative succession, but lacks the allies to do so. Gavriil Golovkin has actually gone away to his holdings in the Holy Roman Empire, at least just for now. As it is, Marfa/Yekaterina lacks influence, and her daughters lack means, so while they're hovering in the background if Aleksey's rule doesn't work out in a way that pleases the boyars, at the moment they're content to go with the easy option that upsets the fewest apple carts.

Thanks for the questions, it makes me think more about the Russian situation and is useful for marshalling my thoughts!
 
Blargh. Maria, after his sympathetic aunt then.

Miss Skavronskaia did not get crowned empress - after all, her husband never got named emperor. Indeed, she only married Pyotr once ITTL (in OTL she married him twice, with only the second marriage being the official one. Pyotr's new men lost a lot of their influence after the Treaty of Bender - some actually went abroad - and but there are others who have merely changed their tune a little in order to fit in with the conservative mood in Moscow, and are still around. Feofan Prokopovich is still rector of the academy of Kiev; Pyotr Tolstoy's reputation never recovered after his Ottoman blunder; the loss of nearly all Russia's ports has made Fyodor Apraksin has lost much of his influence, despite Pyotr's continued patronage; Pyotr Shafirov and Heinrich Shafirov have been doing some good work repairing matters with Russia's old enemies, but they're abroad right now; Dmitry Golitsyn has quite happily allied himself to Aleksey. Aleksander Menshikov is still around, massively corrupt, and disliked by the other boyars - which means he has the most interest in engineering an alternative succession, but lacks the allies to do so. Gavriil Golovkin has actually gone away to his holdings in the Holy Roman Empire, at least just for now. As it is, Marfa/Yekaterina lacks influence, and her daughters lack means, so while they're hovering in the background if Aleksey's rule doesn't work out in a way that pleases the boyars, at the moment they're content to go with the easy option that upsets the fewest apple carts.

Thanks for the questions, it makes me think more about the Russian situation and is useful for marshalling my thoughts!

It's a pleasure. I'm nowhere near an aficionado on Russian 18th century politics, but I just wondered about things and reasons that were OTL used (Ekaterina over Pyotr II, Pyotr II over Anna/Elizaveta Petrovna). But methinks Alexei should be getting a son soonish, or else it's All Hail, Czarina Natalya? I Alexeïevna Romanova (unless that's what you're aiming for, of course).

Out of interest, are things moving the same with Karl VI lacking a son in any form and format? And if he's survived, a good match for Maria Amalie of Austria might be the Prince of Piedmont (Vittorio Amadeo, not Carlo Emanuele III).
 
Out of interest, are things moving the same with Karl VI lacking a son in any form and format?

He is still son-less. Hence why he's willing to allow Karl Albrecht to marry Maria Josepha, in return securing the Wittelsbachs agreeing to support Maria Theresa's succession, if he still lacks sons.
 
Great work so far.

I'm wondering, given their oldest sister's flight from holy matrimony, how will the Sobieska princesses be seen as marriage partners in Europe?
And will Marie Leszczynska still land the king of France? Or is she going to get married to the duc de Bourbon (the original plan, if Louis XV married Mariana Victoria) or the margrave of Baden-Baden (who fell in love with her and wished to marry her)?
 
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