A single monarch for England, France and HRE

Is it possible for a person to become the sole heir to the throne of France, England and HRE? If so then who are the possible candidates?
 
While there's nothing technically preventing that, I'm not sure that you had a single occurence of such possibility, even by far, happening OTL.

The best thing that comes in mind would be a carolingian or post-carolingian king of Western Francia, whom lineage managed to grap the imperial title, that would have managed to inherit England at some point.

But at this point, it wouldn't be a monarch strictly speaking, as you'll still end with quite distinct kingships.
 
In a way Napoleon almost managed to fulfill the OP (admittedly by conquest rather than inheritance): he just missed Great Britain.
 
In a way Napoleon almost managed to fulfill the OP (admittedly by conquest rather than inheritance): he just missed Great Britain.

Well, he managed to swap the Kingship of France and Imperial Throne of the HRE, so that might not count.
 
The first step seems to be the English win the 100/year war and the English kings become king of France. This creates a pretty strong France so it manages to capture various lands in the HRE (mainly in the Rhineland) and the bishops of Cologne and Trier and the count palatinate become effectively French puppets. In that case France only needs the support of 1 other elector to become Holy Roman Emperor (probably the Bishop of Mainz).
 
Henry II of England seems like the only remotely plausible candidate I can think of, given his ancestry.
 
Have Empress Matilda have a son with the Emperor, who gets elected and for her to still inherit England....as to France......mabye conquest from both sides?
 
I would just pointing this before this thread devolve on a CKII : Search the bride game, it's not because you have a legitim claim that you can enforce it.
X can have sons with Y (for whatever reason, generally it makes no sense), but there's no automatically granted succession.
 
LSCatilina said:
While there's nothing technically preventing that, I'm not sure that you had a single occurence of such possibility, even by far, happening OTL.
As far as I know, there are ways to have France-England and France-HRE as personnal unions but they're tricky. I don't know about England-HRE though there might be a possibility if Mathilda had a son with Henry V (and yet that doesn't guarantee anything).

The three at once though... I think that's a definite no. The only thing that could come close would be the fact that Louis IV "d'Outre-mer" was the son of an Anglo-Saxon princess but 1) the HRE didn't exist at that point and East Francia/Germany didn't care about Carolingians anymore, 2) I don't think he truly had a possibility of getting the English throne and 3) Louis IV was in a very weak position in Western Francia/France in the first place.
LSCatilina said:
The best thing that comes in mind would be a carolingian or post-carolingian king of Western Francia, whom lineage managed to grap the imperial title, that would have managed to inherit England at some point.

But at this point, it wouldn't be a monarch strictly speaking, as you'll still end with quite distinct kingships.
How about a Carolingian Empire surviving and conquering/inheriting England? Hard to do (especially considering Frankish customs in regards to succession) but that could do the trick.
LSCatilina said:
I would just pointing this before this thread devolve on a CKII : Search the bride game, it's not because you have a legitim claim that you can enforce it.
X can have sons with Y (for whatever reason, generally it makes no sense), but there's no automatically granted succession.
Yeah, you need also to have the right circumstances at the right time to create a union of crowns, especially one such as the one we're discussing. A candidate able to inherie every throne is one thing, getting him on said thrones is another.
 
OK this is going to be improbable but here goes.

Francis I of France has no sons but only a daughter.

Following the battle of Pavia, Charles V keeps Francis captive for 5 years and only agrees his freedom after marrying his infant son to Francis's daughter.

When Henry VIII begins divorce negotiations, rather than blocking them Charles V allows it to happen but creates a treaty for a future marriage alliance, (the Treaty of Dunkirk). The Franco-Spanish army mustered near calais helps to gain quiescence to this from H. VIII. When Boleyn gives birth to Elizabeth Charles V is delighted and puts pressure on H to not divorce Anne B.

1529 the sack of Vienna by Suleiman the magnificent serves to unite catholic cristendom and work against Francis I intriguing for an ottoman alliance.

Much of the 1530's taken up with war in the med and balkans between HRE and allies and Ottomans and then 1540's against the schmalkaldic league

1544 Philip son of Charles V consummates marriage to Princess Clothilde of France, in 1546 she gives birth to a son Henri

1547 death of Francis I, Philip becomes Phillippe VII of France.
1547 death of Henry VIII, Queen Anne becomes Regent of the young Elizabeth,

1549 Elizabeth of England marries a German prince

1550 Elizabeth of England has a daughter Anne of Hatfield

1557, before abdicating Charles V insists on activating the treaty of Dunkirk and betrothing Henri of France to Anne of Hatfield
Phillipe VII of France becomes also Philip II of Spain and HRE (the lack of France as an enemy has made the burden of empire less and so Charles V does not split the empire

Henri and Anne are married in 1566 and have two sons Jean and Edward (b 1573). Jean dies young Edward survives.

Phillip and Elizabeth are as long lived as in OTL and live till 1598 and 1603 respectively. Henri and Anne are both dead by then but Edward inherits the historic hapsburg lands and Kingdom of France in 1598 and the Kingdom of England in 1603.

Unlikely yes, but who would have anticipated the late 15th century hapsburg accumulation of territory through marriage.
 
First Charles V doesn't split his empire
Second Philip III beats Elizabeth in the Anglo-Spanish War and crowns himself king, and doesn't lose Portugal or Netherlands
Third The Spanish Hasburgs die and the French Bourbons take this as a chance to make the most powerful empire in the world.

End the Bourbon Empire contains all of America and Western Europe.
 
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