A Sickly and Doomed Usurper v.2

[FONT=&quot][/FONT][FONT=&quot]I decided that I wanted to attempt and restart this timeline.
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Part I: A Sickly and Doomed Usurper
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(From The Foundation of an Empire: A History of the Oldenburg Dynasty by Lord Fredrick Blackfoot and Dr. Jacob Newton, Hampton University Press, Hampton, England 2012)

Chapter I: Web of Alliances

It was the birth of Prince William the Duke of Gloucester on July 24 1689 that insured the succession of the childless King William III and Mary II. Furthermore it guaranteed that the Catholic heirs of the deposed James II would never again sit upon the throne of England. Up to this point the heirs had been Princess Anne’s daughters Mary and Anne Sophia both sickly children. Prince William would be the last of Princess’s Anne children to survive past a few days. All in all Princess Anne had 18 pregnancies that resulted in 3 children and an outstanding 14 miscarriages. While contemporaries blamed her for her numerous miscarriages, today it is widely believed to be the result of her husband Prince George of Denmark suffering from syphilis.

The young Duke of Gloucester was from birth declared to be the defender of the Anglican Church and given the greatest education a Prince of Denmark and heir of England was entitled to. The problem that lingered over the Defender of the Anglican Church was his health, a problem that afflicted his sisters. A Jacobite supporter once quipped that Prince William was a “sickly and doomed usurper”.

William III used his nieces to expand his web of Alliances in which he hoped to ensnare King Louis 14th within. To this end King William III planned to insure the Protestant succession to the English Throne should the young and sick Duke of Gloucester die from one of his numerous illnesses. To this end he married his eldest niece Mary to Prince George of Hanover, son of King George of Hanover. This brought the House of Hanover closer to the English Throne without placing them on the Throne. This marriage would initially be happy but would end in mutual hatred [2].

King William then used his niece Anne Sophia to prolong the Anglo-Dutch Alliance by marrying her to John William Friso. John William Friso was William’s Dutch heir and expected to become the next Prince of Orange and Stadtholder of the Dutch Republic. John William Friso only age 13 became a lifelong friend with Prince William. The 11-year-old Prince William nearly succumbed to an unknown illness while dancing at the celebration marking the marriage of Anne Sophia to John William Friso. It was amidst all the revelry and dancing that the young Prince overheated but by nightfall was suffering from chills and fevers. By July 30th the young Prince’s fever had broken and he began to recover [3].

King William III began to assert more and more control over his heir’s household reviving an old feud he had with his sister-in-law Princess Anne. The resulting compromise was that William would select the young princes Household but that John Churchill would head the household until the Prince came of age [4].

Prince William favored the advice of John Churchill over his teacher Bishop Burnett of Salisbury as John Churchill had military knowledge. The young Prince used this knowledge to improve his ‘House Guard’ a group of kids the Prince had organized as 180 man miniature army. John Churchill would remain the young Princes favorite throughout his reign and wherever the King’s army went the odds of John Churchill leading it were high. The young Prince also maintained a close relationship with his Uncle King William III, who mentored him in the art of politics. It was in 1701 that King William invested the young prince with the title Prince of Wales.

In 1702 during a morning ride King William III’s horse stepped into a mole hole the resulting fall broke the King’s collarbone and the King quickly took ill. Jacobite supporters around the nation toasted “the little gentleman in the black velvet waistcoat”. The King eventually died of pneumonia, which was meet with celebrations by many of peerage of England. Some accused William’s old enemy Louis 14th of poisoning his long time enemy [5]. With King William III’s death Princess Anne finally became Queen.

Next Chapter: Hapsburg Spain


[1] Prince William’s sisters Mary (1685) and Anne Sophia (1686) survive the Smallpox epidemic that killed them OTL
[2] More on this later
[3] OTL this was the date that Prince William succumbed to his illness
[4] This is a rehashing of a fight between King William III and Anne that happened in 1698
[5] Modern Science has recently disproved this rumor but it gained considerable support during the early reign of William IV
 
Hapsburg Spain: How a Hapsburg Bastard saved a Dynasty

Charles II of Spain was never supposed to be the heir to the throne of Spain. That was supposed to belong to his brother Balthasar Charles, but sadly the young prince died in 1646 at the tender age of 16. For a number of years, Madrid feared the outcome of Philip IV dying without a male heir. This all changed when Queen Mariana of Austria gave birth on November 6 1661 to Charles II. Madrid began to rejoice at the news that God had finally delivered a male heir for the Hapsburg Dynasty. The rejoicing was cut short, however, at the physical deformities that afflicted this child. Due largely to significant inbreeding within the Hapsburg Dynasty, young Charles II’s genes were more similar than offspring of parents that are siblings. He was hideously deformed and mentally handicapped. Charles II’s tongue was far to large for his mouth and he was prone to drooling. To make matters worse, Philip IV died a mere four years after Charles II’s birth.

Due to Charles II’s extreme youth and mental handicaps his mother Queen-Dowager Mariana was appointed regent. She, however, proved incapable of ruling. She instead used a serious of favorites that had little practical skill in government. Due to the sheer size of the Spanish Government, this proved impractical. Queen Mariana continued to mismanage the Spanish Empire until 1677. This, however, changed when Charles II’s half-brother Don Juan of Austria seized control of the government. He banished Queen Mariana from court, although she retained the title Regent. Don Juan of Austria was viewed as a hero by much of the court. Don Juan spent much of 1677 focused on minor issues of running Spain but he did effectively recognize that Spain could no longer sustain its debt payments, effectively recognizing Spain’s bankruptcy. Don Juan decided to pursue a French Alliance to weaken the influence of the Austrian Hapsburg’s in Spain. This alliance was sealed with Charles II’s marriage to Marie Louise d’Orleans in 1679. Don Juan and Charles II were both said to have fallen in love with her beauty at first sight. A daughter named Maria Theresa was born in 1680 and son Philip in 1682. [1] Don Juan died in 1683[2], just as Spain was beginning to recover from his decision to virtually declare bankruptcy. Charles II was would reign until 1700, when his son King Philip V succeeded him.


[1] Charles II is widely considered impotent and rumors persist that these children are in fact Don Juan’s. Their exists no credible way to disprove their right to the Hapsburg name as they look like their Grandfather Philip IV.
[2] Don Juan is believed to have been poisoned by Mariana of Austria as he went from being a healthy and active man to dead within a week.
 
Wouldn't George only have the title of Elector? In OTL the royal title was only created due to the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire.

And would you expect an heir of an inbred, impotent monarch declared as a biological son probable?
 
Charles II was not considered impotent during his lifetime. He was also known to be deeply in love with his wife and in OTL people expected him to produce an heir. It wasnt until recently that modern scientist concluded that he was made impotent from inbreeding.

I admit its very unlikely but because the children look like their grandfather its hard to deny their succession. This is similar to Louis 14th and how the rumor was that his father was in reality Cardinal Mazarin. This, however, was never taken seriously due to Louis 14th looking like his father and grandfather.

Also thank You for the detail about the Elector of Hanavor.
 
Charles II was not considered impotent during his lifetime. He was also known to be deeply in love with his wife and in OTL people expected him to produce an heir. It wasnt until recently that modern scientist concluded that he was made impotent from inbreeding.

I admit its very unlikely but because the children look like their grandfather its hard to deny their succession. This is similar to Louis 14th and how the rumor was that his father was in reality Cardinal Mazarin. This, however, was never taken seriously due to Louis 14th looking like his father and grandfather.

Also thank You for the detail about the Elector of Hanavor.

Interesting...
 
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