AHC: More Male-Line Grandchildren for King François I

OTL, the only children of François I to leave descendants were his second son (and future king of France), Henri, and his youngest daughter, Marguerite. Henri II’s legitimate male issue died out in 1589, ushering in the House of Bourbon.

Here’s where the what if/challenge comes in: Henri’s two brothers were both subject of their own marriage plans during their truncated lives (the sickly François to Mary I of England and Maria of Portugal, Lady of Viseu; and the more rambunctious Charles to Elizabeth Tudor, Maria of Spain or Anna of Austria).

Both must leave legitimate lines of descent, WITHOUT affecting the extinction of the Valois. In other words,they can live beyond their OTL death dates, but by at latest 1600, there is no other legitimate option but the Bourbons. (Personally, I think with France having Salic Law and all, this would actually be pretty easy, just let both produce a string of daughters or let any sons of theirs die young or (in Charles’ case, from inherited massive stupidity).
 
Out of curiosity, François would've had a prime candidate to marry to his niece, Queen Jeanne d'Albret of Navarre in the person of the duc d'Angoulême, and yet AFAIK such a match was never pursued/considered, and Jeanne was carried kicking and screaming to the altar for an unconsummated marriage. Can anyone shed light on why this idea was not considered?
 
Out of curiosity, François would've had a prime candidate to marry to his niece, Queen Jeanne d'Albret of Navarre in the person of the duc d'Angoulême, and yet AFAIK such a match was never pursued/considered, and Jeanne was carried kicking and screaming to the altar for an unconsummated marriage. Can anyone shed light on why this idea was not considered?

I can think of one reason. What benefits would would an internal marriage bring François? None really. This was at the height of the Valois rivalry with the Habsburgs and they needed every ally they could get. Sure he could secure the remnants of Navarre and its various fiefs for his son but that would be at the cost of securing foreign alliances. Jeanne's first husband, William the Rich, controlled strategic territory near the Franco-Imperial border and would have been an important ally against the Emperor (remember his sister Anne of Cleves was the one-time Queen of Henry VIII, so clearly many people recognized his and his state's importance and influence).

Also, it would be a first cousin match, requiring Papal dispensation. Paul III might not grant the dispensation as he needed the Emperor's approval to create a state for his illegitimate family.
 
What would've happened if Frañsez III (François' oldest son) were to leave a daughter before he dies. Brittany was not yet joined to the crown, and the girl would be too old to marry any OTL sons of Henri II. Does Brittany get torn away from the French crown again? Does she marry a Bourbon/loyal prince at the risk of creating a kingdom within a kingdom? Or does she get thee to a nunnery?
 
At this point, Valois-Angoulême were far from being ripe for extinction : tweaking enough Francis's sons lifes in order to get more grandchildren is probably going to influence a lot what happens to Henri II's sons.

The stroke of bad luck that happened to them may be then easily butterflied.

Out of curiosity, François would've had a prime candidate to marry to his niece, Queen Jeanne d'Albret of Navarre in the person of the duc d'Angoulême, and yet AFAIK such a match was never pursued/considered, and Jeanne was carried kicking and screaming to the altar for an unconsummated marriage. Can anyone shed light on why this idea was not considered?
Well, Jeanne would have been a good match (one should remember about the political importance of Albrets in France, while Francis tried to crush what remained of great feudal nobles within the kingdom), in a very different context.

Francis I didn't have much to worry about Albrets' demesne as long he could dominate his niece the way he did, even if it had potential to be a nuisance (as it became eventually, after Francis' death).

As for his son, he was still quite young and with the prospect of a possible peace with Charles Quint (trough exchanges of territories), a diplomatic marrige to seal any arrengement would probably have been favoured eventually, as it happened for Charles d'Orléans at Crépy.

What would've happened if Frañsez III
On a side note, Brittany court used French, to the point it was the official language there before it was in France.
It looks, to be frank, as a pedantic usage.

Brittany was not yet joined to the crown
Yes, at this point, it was.
In 1515, Claude of Brittany gave away to Francis the benefit of the duchy and a contract makes quite clear that even keeping in name the ducal title, every features goes to her husband, in full property.

Imposing Francis III as duke was already pointing that the king considered the duchy as his own, giving his son an apanage, as it was normally Henry that was supposed to inherit Brittany.

Eventually, the duchy is formally part of the royal demesne in 1532, which it was beggining since 1514.

At this point, any tentative of breaking away from this situation would be met with immediate force from Francis I, probably with the support of half the estates. Remember how easily Francis III was kicked out of Brittany by his father.
 
As to the pedantic spelling, in my defense, it was solely to avoid confusion with François II by referring to him as François the dauphin.

And as to Brittany's union with France, my bad, I was under the impression it only became a non-personal union after the dauphin's death.

But if François I marries his eldest son off to a Portuguese infanta (the boy's OTL stepsister, so IDK what sort of song and dance will be required for that dispensation), will he be willing to marry his youngest off to ANOTHER Habsburg archduchess? As I understand it, François/Henri wasn't mad about the idea of Angoulême ending up so powerful as what Charles V wanted.
 
As to the pedantic spelling, in my defense, it was solely to avoid confusion with François II by referring to him as François the dauphin.
No problem : it's just that it could be as weird sounding as using Eoin I Shasana for John I Lackland for what matter his rule as Lord of Ireland.

It implies a different kind of relationship, which clearly was much less at the benefit of Ireland or Brittany as an independent or autonomous power.

And as to Brittany's union with France, my bad, I was under the impression it only became a non-personal union after the dauphin's death.
Even before Francis I's sacre, the process was well on the rails since the end of the Mad War. Giving the situation with Charles and Anne's union, up to an occupation de facto (which was quite lifted with Louis XII), Estates Generals argued of one of the lois fondamentales du royaume, the unalienability of the royal demesne. (The same that was invocated by Estates Generals as to refuse terms of Treaty of Madrid : the king can't decide to scede the royal lands).

Eventually it's one of the reasons that made the union between Claude and Francis more or less bound to happen, and points how much limited was Brittany's independence : Francis basically ruled the duchy as an apanage (and from afar) and obtained major concession right since 1515 to make it more and more a regular province.

Even if the dauphin was duke of Brittany, it was an hollow shell : if it was only formally decided in 1530's, it was already an apanage of the crown.

But if François I marries his eldest son off to a Portuguese infanta (the boy's OTL stepsister, so IDK what sort of song and dance will be required for that dispensation)
It's not really gonna happen with such close familial link; except a major submission to the pope which is, giving the Wars of Italy, not going to happen as well.

, will he be willing to marry his youngest off to ANOTHER Habsburg archduchess?

As I understand it, François/Henri wasn't mad about the idea of Angoulême ending up so powerful as what Charles V wanted.
(you can name it Orléans, a title more used for him, and critically his own at this point)
Oh, yes, they were and even more Henry.

He accepted eventually the issue as a fait accompli, but he really resented it.

As for Francis I, in spite of favouring Charles as much as he could, he began to worry a bit about the rivality between Henry and Charles (given how it caused problems in the war against Charles Quint), and not exactly cheered the situation where Charles would become too powerful : he never gave him another apanage than Bourbonnais, neglecting to abide by the negociations' agreement with Habsburgs that asked for much more.

Eventually, I think we'll simply have a "Treaty of Madrid 2 : electric bugaloo" situation. One shouldn't forget how much of a diplomatic troll Francis I was.
 
So I've been reviewing this situation in my head, and have found myself wondering about the fate of OTL Henri II in this scenario.
The dauphin's marriage and later kids (he's gonna have at least 4 daughters, 3 sons and a stillborn child of each) would consign Orléans to relative unimportance (in theory). Diane de Poitiers isn't necessarily going to be encouraging him to visit his wife's bed TTL, so would he and Caterina still have 10 kids like OTL? And if TTL's François II has sons for the titles of Berri and Anjou, what styles would Henri's sons get? Duc d'Orléans for the eldest, but any others?
 
So I've been reviewing this situation in my head, and have found myself wondering about the fate of OTL Henri II in this scenario.
The dauphin's marriage and later kids (he's gonna have at least 4 daughters, 3 sons and a stillborn child of each) would consign Orléans to relative unimportance (in theory). Diane de Poitiers isn't necessarily going to be encouraging him to visit his wife's bed TTL, so would he and Caterina still have 10 kids like OTL? And if TTL's François II has sons for the titles of Berri and Anjou, what styles would Henri's sons get? Duc d'Orléans for the eldest, but any others?
No, likely Orleans and Catherine here will not have any child and that will left in doubt the inheritance of her lands
 
Who's the next heir after her? And wouldn't the king wish to ensure that said land REMAINS in the royal lands?
https://fr.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bertrand_VI_de_La_Tour_d'Auvergne Likely to the descendants of his daughters Françoise or Jeanne (Jeanne’s heir would be either the father or the eldest brother of Diane de Poitiers by the way) and Catherine’s land were not royal property and their rulers were at least princes etrangers if not (semi)indipendent rulers...

If Henry and Catherine had children who can inhereit her lands well, if not the lands will go to the next in line... If Henry will die instead of his brother (maybe a couple of years later than OTL) Catherine will be the sovereign countess of Auvergne and countess of Boulogne (John Stewart, Duke of Albany, first cousin once removed and uncle in law of Catherine will die in June 1536 and Catherine will have the full inheritance of her maternal grandfather) and her second husband will share her rule so she will be an interesting options for many French nobles...
 
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https://fr.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bertrand_VI_de_La_Tour_d'Auvergne Likely to the descendants of his daughters Françoise or Jeanne (Jeanne’s heir would be either the father or the eldest brother of Diane de Poitiers by the way) and Catherine’s land were not royal property and their rulers were at least princes etrangers if not (semi)indipendent rulers...

If Henry and Catherine had children who can inhereit her lands well, if not the lands will go to the next in line... If Henry will die instead of his brother (maybe a couple of years later than OTL) Catherine will be the sovereign countess of Auvergne and countess of Boulogne (John Stewart, Duke of Albany, first cousin once removed and uncle in law of Catherine will die in June 1536 and Catherine will have the full inheritance of her maternal grandfather) and her second husband will share her rule so she will be an interesting options for many French nobles...

I think in this scenario, since the OP is to posit more male line grandkids for François I, they'd have kids. Maybe less than OTL's 10, and presumably spaced further apart. Would their eldest son be 'duc d'Orléans and Comte d'Auvergne et Boulogne? Or a case of boy no. 1 - François - would be future duc d'Orléans; and a second son, Alexandre (figure OTL Caterina named her favourite son after her half-brother, she'd probably try here as well) be comte d'Auvergne? Or a case of Henri's eldest son would be titled comte d'Auvergne until he becomes duc d'Orléans?
 
I think in this scenario, since the OP is to posit more male line grandkids for François I, they'd have kids. Maybe less than OTL's 10, and presumably spaced further apart. Would their eldest son be 'duc d'Orléans and Comte d'Auvergne et Boulogne? Or a case of boy no. 1 - François - would be future duc d'Orléans; and a second son, Alexandre (figure OTL Caterina named her favourite son after her half-brother, she'd probably try here as well) be comte d'Auvergne? Or a case of Henri's eldest son would be titled comte d'Auvergne until he becomes duc d'Orléans?
Well Catherine will be Countess of Auvergne and Boulogne until her death and is possible she will left that lands to her second son and is likely who the King (Francis I, Francis II or his eldest son) would be favorable to that decision at the result would be a grandson/nephew/cousin who will not need titles or lands from the crown. Plus I can not see Orleans and Catherine having more than two/three children (and with two living boys Henry will think to have done his duty)
 
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