A Huegenot Pretender to the French throne

If Henry IV dies before he converts, but after the Cardinal de Bourbon's death in 1690 his heir is the nominally Protestant child Prince de Conde. The child's legitimacy was called into question, however, and his mother accused of the murder of her husband. The next in line, the Prince de Conti, was Catholic but had also very notably supported Henry IV even as he himself was considered for the throne by members of the Catholic league.

Conti (aka Charles X) would probably succeed in winning a contest for the throne. The child Conde (aka Henry V) would probably only have the support of the Protestants, while Charles X would likely unite the Catholics while receiving Spanish support. Eventually, in return for an edict of toleration, the Huguenots would recognize Charles X and young Henry would flee to England.

Charles X, heretofore childless, loses his beloved Queen in 1601. In OTL, Conti then married the youngest daughter of the Duke of Guise, who also bore him no surviving children. A childless king, however, can fetch a much greater dowry, one worthy of a Medici perhaps. Henry IV married Marie de Medici in 1600 in OTL, who provided him with six children in ten years, only one of whom died young. In as much as Conti sired a bastard in OTL, I would assume that a marriage with Marie de Medici would produce heirs. If Charles X first queen had only died a couple years earlier, he might have married Isabella of Spain, who in OTL carried the Spanish Netherlands into her marriage with Albert of Austria (it reverted to Spain because they did not produce any surviving heirs).

Young Henry becomes a favourite in King James court. King James is so fond of Henry that he decides to marry his only daughter Elizabeth to him. Obviously this is a different wife than Conde had in OTL. I am intrigued by the notion though of the Great Conde (born in 1621) playing the role of a French Bonnie Prince Charlie (with the support of the Huguenot Turrene). Also in OTL, Elizabeths marriage to Frederick opf Palatine is part of the reason, Frederick was offered the Bohemian throne after the defenestration of Prague. I don't know whether there was any other obvious candidate though, so they may have gone to Frederick anyhow.
 
Inte3resting - and fun first post. Welcome to the board.

I've just been learning more about the era in thinking of a timeline for a good while from now, as I'm just finishing up a short one - but this sounds like an interesting TL idea. A few thoughts.

If she remains in England, or even if she doesn't, after Charles I starts making a mess of thigns, could she become more well liked enough by Parliament that they want to call her offspring back for the restoration of the monarchy? Or would Charles II, fearing this, marry someone else so there is sure to be no Cathlic influence on his children? OTL Elizabeth was on the Continent not as much int eh picture, so Charles II presumably didn't feel as much pressure when he married a Catholic Braganza.

As you say, in this TL Charles X likely marries someone like a Medici and has quite a few offspring, but what does this do for the Thirty Years' War? OTL France eventually entered to defeat the Hapsburgs because it was better fro France; would they here? My hunch is that, as the great "A More Personal Union" says in a recent post, Europe isn't big enough for the two of them (France and the Hapsburg) but it becomes interest.

Would there be some concern among the French if Henri does come back to reclaim his throne (or if a son does) that this could end up giving the British a stake in the French throne? Of coruse, he coudl renounce any claims to the English one.

Good thoughts.
 
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