A Britain of Panthers and Lions: House of Oldenburg Britain

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    • VVD0D95

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    It is well known that the future of the British monarchy hung in the balance during the reign of James II. The man who had converted to Catholicism during the reign of his illustrious brother King Charles II, had initially been popular with the people, but his increasing descent into authoritarianism, and promotion of Catholics, in violation of the Test Acts, created great worry for a great many people. Catholics rose through the ranks of government and the military, and Parliament was nothing, it had not sat since 1686. With no sons of his own, James worried that with his increasing age, his line would be continued not by someone who he could shape and mould, but by his daughter Mary and his hated son in law William of Orange. Or by his preferred daughter Anne, and her husband the weak willed George of Denmark. His daughter Anne had already given birth to two daughters named Mary and Anne Sophia, the previous two years, and now, the country waited with baited breath as the Princess, entered labour.

    George stood outside the room, as he listened to his wife scream he wondered whether there would be any sort of relief from this constant waiting. It was almost torturous, for three hours it had gone this way. Twisting and turning, George had not been good with waiting. Their daughters were asleep in another room of the palace, thank God. He did not think he could handle their wails as well. Eventually, the wails stopped, and a door opened. “Your Royal Highness, would you like to enter?” The nurse said. George nodded, and pushed passed her. He saw that his father in law, the King was there already, as was his mother in law, the Queen. They were two very strange people, with their popery. He moved to the bed. “Anne, my darling.” He said softly. “How are you?” His wife did not reply; she was too busy gazing at the child they had made. The child who had tufts of black hair, and was suckling at her nipple.

    “It’s a boy.” His father in law said by way of explanation. “What will you name him?”

    Anne looked at him then and then at her father. “James, after you Your Majesty.” George saw the King smile and then turned his attention back to his son.

    “A fine name, for a fine boy.” He murmured, kissing the top of his son’s head.

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    And here we are. This is something I've been wanting to do for a while now.
     
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    • JonasResende

    JonasResende

    One nitpick, Anne wouldn't have breastfed her own baby - as late as Queen Victoria (who was aghast at her daughter Alice breast feeding "like a cow" she wrote to Vicky, so much so that she named one of the heifers at the Home Farm "Alice" to display her contempt of the practice) they were still using wet nurses.

    I'm guessing no/aborted Glorious Revolution is the POD ( or is this the boy the stillborn son Anne had in October '87?)

    If it's simply William of Gloucester under a different name, as a newborn he struggled to keep the wet nurse chosen's milk down and he had seizures. They mounted a desperate search for a new wet nurse, tried several and all failed, before they found a certain woman (can't remember her name) "more suited to a pig's sty than a prince's bed" to nurse him. Little Billy was soon gaining weight and the seizures stopped...
     

    VVD0D95

    Banned
    JonasResende said:
    One nitpick, Anne wouldn't have breastfed her own baby - as late as Queen Victoria (who was aghast at her daughter Alice breast feeding "like a cow" she wrote to Vicky, so much so that she named one of the heifers at the Home Farm "Alice" to display her contempt of the practice) they were still using wet nurses.

    I'm guessing no/aborted Glorious Revolution is the POD ( or is this the boy the stillborn son Anne had in October '87?)

    If it's simply William of Gloucester under a different name, as a newborn he struggled to keep the wet nurse chosen's milk down and he had seizures. They mounted a desperate search for a new wet nurse, tried several and all failed, before they found a certain woman (can't remember her name) "more suited to a pig's sty than a prince's bed" to nurse him. Little Billy was soon gaining weight and the seizures stopped...
    Click to expand...

    Ah right you are on the breastfeeding practice, will keep that in mind for the future.

    Here, the pod is the miscarriage that Anne had in January,1687 instead being a healthy boy.
     

    VVD0D95

    Banned
    Family tree for Anne and her husband circa 1687
     

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    VVD0D95

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    The Professor said:
    Slightly off topic but can I ask where the panther reference in the title comes from?
    Click to expand...
    When I was a kid I always thought the leopards on the royal coat of arms were panthers aha, and also the blue lions/panthers on the danish side look like panthers aha
     

    Jürgen

    A few general thought, Anne's miscarriage was likely caused by a STD which George had gotten as a young man, with three healthy children he likely doesn't have that STD. It will likely do little to change his personality, for some reason the second born sons of the Oldenburgs after Frederick III was very unambiguous and very loyal. I suspect that it had something to do with how they was raised. George was a pretty pious man, who was unwilling to give up his religion even if it could have made him king. He doesn't seem to have been unintelligent and he had interests in military matters (through I doubt he would have been a great general). I expect in case of healthy children he will take a greater interest in raising them. In general the Oldenburgs lacked the antagonistic relationships the Hanovers had between father and sons, so I imagine his descendants will have more harmonious family lives than their Hanoveran counterparts. Also his lack of ambition will likely keep him out of messes like the South Sea Bubble. Next if James of Oldenburg are the heir to the crown, we will likely see a closer Anglo-Danish alliance. This could mean that a better Altona Deal in 1689 in OTL the Danish king had to stop his occupation of Gottorp and Hamburg. Here he may annex both against giving the County (likely raised to a duchy) of Oldenburg to the Duke of Gottorp, and the Danes could enter the Nine Year Wars against this, maybe against also being offered Saxe-Lauenburg. Ironic a Anglo-Danish alliance would be a good thing for Sweden as it would keep Denmark busy in Germany, and we could even see the planned marriage alliance between Ulrika Eleonora of Sweden and Prince Charles of Denmark. The result could be that both Denmark and Sweden join the anti-French alliance in Spanish Succession War.
     

    Jan Olbracht

    Oldenburgs on the British throne? Seems like future history rather than AH ;)
    So if Sweden sides with English camp, there is no Great Northern War?
     

    Jürgen

    Jan Olbracht said:
    Oldenburgs on the British throne? Seems like future history rather than AH ;)
    So if Sweden sides with English camp, there is no Great Northern War?
    Click to expand...

    If Denmark and Sweden have joined the anti-French alliance, Saxony will not declare war on Sweden (as it would mean joining the French side), which leave Russia with no potential allies against Sweden, which push a potential Great Northern War into the future. When we know what followed Peter I in Russia, I can't see a anti-Swedish alliance be established before the other side of 1740.
     

    Jan Olbracht

    Peter would still look for opportunity to get Baltic Coast. But if war is delayed, Russian modernization is also delayed, considering big role played by Baltic Germans in Russian administration.
    Frederick Augustus AKA Augustus II is big winner OTOH. Neither Saxony nor PLC are devasted by GNW. Augustus, not hit by this catastrophe may try to achieve his goal of making Wettins hereditary rulers of PLC, as politician he was certainly better than Sobieski, just terribly unlucky.
     
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