AHC: A Federalized HRE by 1800.

After reading a lot Peter Wilson's book "Heart of Europe", I've come to truly appreciate the HRE for what it was, and what it wasn't. Never did it truly desire to become a unitary state, nor did it really "decentralize"; rather, change over time was more a reflection of continued legal attempts to delineate more specifically and more legally pre-existing rights. Emperor's didn't see themselves the same way as say, monarchs of France and Spain.

So here's my question: Can the HRE reform to a more federalized state by 1800? I'd imagine a reformed imperial diet that respected the rights of the individual states, yet providing more cohesion than in OTL.

I'd imagine we'd need a few steps:

1) A mitigated or somehow butterflied reformation to prevent splintering in the Imperial Diet.
2) It'd probably help if the Habsburgs stopped inbreeding. Alternate wives for a few monarchs, maybe?
3) Curbing the rise of Prussia.
4) Perhaps more external threats that force more central reforms through, such as a more effective diet to pass war taxes more consistently?

This thread from 2013 raises the question of Charles V taking another wife, and producing a son that would likely be raised in burgundy and inherit the Imperial title, while likely butterflying the troubles the Habsburgs faced in the region. Perhaps this could play into such a goal?

Anyways, I'd be interested to hear what steps you guys think the Empire could take, and perhaps iron out more specific details, if such a challenge can even be accomplished.

Note: I'm hoping for a PoD sometime after 1300 (i.e, not a medieval one)
 
After reading a lot Peter Wilson's book "Heart of Europe", I've come to truly appreciate the HRE for what it was, and what it wasn't. Never did it truly desire to become a unitary state, nor did it really "decentralize"; rather, change over time was more a reflection of continued legal attempts to delineate more specifically and more legally pre-existing rights. Emperor's didn't see themselves the same way as say, monarchs of France and Spain.

So here's my question: Can the HRE reform to a more federalized state by 1800? I'd imagine a reformed imperial diet that respected the rights of the individual states, yet providing more cohesion than in OTL.

I'd imagine we'd need a few steps:

1) A mitigated or somehow butterflied reformation to prevent splintering in the Imperial Diet.
2) It'd probably help if the Habsburgs stopped inbreeding. Alternate wives for a few monarchs, maybe?
3) Curbing the rise of Prussia.
4) Perhaps more external threats that force more central reforms through, such as a more effective diet to pass war taxes more consistently?

This thread from 2013 raises the question of Charles V taking another wife, and producing a son that would likely be raised in burgundy and inherit the Imperial title, while likely butterflying the troubles the Habsburgs faced in the region. Perhaps this could play into such a goal?

Anyways, I'd be interested to hear what steps you guys think the Empire could take, and perhaps iron out more specific details, if such a challenge can even be accomplished.

Note: I'm hoping for a PoD sometime after 1300 (i.e, not a medieval one)
The Imperial title will never go to a son of Charles as Ferdinand is already the King of the Romans (aka the elected successor of Charles as Holy Roman Emperor) and Maximilian as heir of both Austria and Bohemia is much better positioned for either becoming the next King of the Romans or being elected emperor after his father’s death...
What you really want is likely a situation in which Netherlands go to the imperial branch, forcing the Habsburg to keep their focus on Germany instead of going on south and east...
 
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Possible PODs for shifting Habsburg focus to north-west instead of south-east (aka Burgundy go to the Emperor):
(for me the Isabella Clara Eugenia and Albert have a son who inherit both Netherlands and the lands of the imperial branch is too late and will not work so I will exclude it from my list)
a) Philip II never marry Mary Tudor (for any reason: she never become Queen because die early or Edward survive or he is already married) and Charles decide to left Netherlands to his daughter Maria (who is married with Ferdinand’s heir Maximilian) so Netherlands will go to the Impetial branch, stay united (as they will be ruled by much more near, understanding and interested rulers than Philip II) with a good chance of becoming one of the seats of the Emperor (if not the main court of either the Emperor or his heir)
b) Charles V and Ferdinand I switches wives and crowns aka Ferdinand II of Aragon is able to obtain the support of the Cortes of both Aragon and Castile for his masterplan and get the younger Ferdinand (of Austria), who is Spanish born and raised, recognized as heir in both Castile and Aragon, instead of his foreign older brother Charles. So Ferdinand will be quickly engaged and then married to his cousin Isabella of Portugal (for further securing his inheritance) while Charles will be forced to renounce Spain, content himself with his Burgundy and the Austrian inheritance and marry Anne of Bohemia and Hungary (OTL he refuted to marry her because do not thinked her good enough for him, here either he changed idea after losing Spain or Louis II die early for some childhood disease and Anne, now heiress of Bohemia and Hungary, became an attractive bride for Charles) and one of the main seats of the Habsburg Holy Roman Emperors will be in the Netherlands

I will add more later
 
Somehow have the TYW end differently, as
the Treaty Of Westphalia splintered Germany
into more than 300 different states(I readily
confess that I have no idea of how this could
have been done. Does anyone else?)
 
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