All this for an English heir? - A French House of Valois Ascendant TL

Chapter 57
Chapter 57

1574

London


Queen Elizabeth I of England was surprised to find that she was pregnant again. She was getting a bit too old for this. However, she was pleased.

The nation was doing fairly well in the peace. However, the merchants and nobility, which had made such money during her grandfather's seizure, now sought more opportunity in the western world and Asia. One of her Ministers, Edward Courtenay, the Duke of Exeter, would encourage the Queen to do such. Exeter was in favor as he married one of Elizabeth's aunts, the infamous daughters of Henry VIII and Catherine Willoughby. His strong hand kept the woman's Zwinglist leanings in check (Exeter was a staunch Catholic and his return to power coincided with the union of the Roman and Anglican Catholic churches).

With so much of Brazil so wide open, the canny English realized the lethargic Spaniards were wasting the opportunity. The Portuguese proved that sugar was profitable, if only someone would govern the plantations.

However, the Queen was hesitant. She had a profitable peace and any moves into the western realm would no doubt lead to war with Spain. As the French "Alliance" with Ireland, Scotland, etc threatened to strangle England, she dare not offend a potential ally or at least counterweight to French hegemony.

Elizabeth agreed to investigate settling vacant islands in the West Indies but not to set foot in Brazil, no matter what.

The Queen of the Burgundian Netherlands, on the other hand, was more interested.

Brussels

Queen Joanna was no longer young but remained ambitious for her nation. She desired to move into profitable colonialism but knew that both the French and Spanish were well-entrenched by now along the coasts of Gallia and America.

She was tempted to try her luck in Brazil against her brother, the King of Spain, but family ties prevented this. However, like Queen Elizabeth of England, Johanna saw opportunity in Asia and the West Indies.

By happenstance, both England and the Netherlands would dispatch fleets to the barely touched islands of Jamaica and Barbados within a week of one another.

The response of Spain and France was predictable.

The Vigayanagara Empire

The southern Empire of the Indian subcontinent remained relatively peaceful throughout the religious wars that rocked the northern regions. Hinduism remained dominant in all areas except the far northeast and northwest.

When the first Dutch and English traders started to arrive, the King thought little of it. Their Portuguese trading partners and pseudo-allies, however, would be livid.

Ankara

Having been forced out of his capital three times - once by the Janissaries, once by the Alevis and finally by his cousin - Sultan Mustafa was driven south into the hills of southern Anatolia. By the 1570's, a bizarre stalemate now ensued among the dozen or so main factions of Anatolia and the Levant.

Mustafa would not see its result as he was murdered by assassins employed by his cousin, whom promptly declared himself the new Sultan in Ankara. Mustafa's sole son, a seventeen year old, would assume power in the south near the Syrian border.

Cairo

The Dey (or "Sultan" depending on his mood) sought to elevate himself as the true ruler of Islam. Did not the Dey rule Mecca and Medina?

Yet the Moorish states of North Africa continued to defy his authority.

As the Christian Kingdoms fought, the true reason why the Barbary pirates did not take advantage of the situation was that the Egyptians continued to harass the coastline in a vain attempt to create a true North African Empire for the first time since the Roman days. Even the Islamic conquest was never a unified affair.
 
Chapter 58
Chapter 58

1575

London


Queen Elizabeth would give birth to yet another girl. While much of the Court would have preferred a boy as a spare, she was more than happy with her fifth child and second girl, named Anne after her mother.

England remained largely at peace. The Queen quietly allowed certain Protestants their peace if they remained silent. The merger of the Anglican Catholic Church back into the Roman church did not proceed smoothly (there were constant fights over positions) but proceeded and had largely been concluded dogmatically.

The initial returns from the Asian trade were positive but the latest news of Portuguese traders attacking British and Flemish ships was troubling. The King of France, as heir to his mother Maria of Portugal, would no doubt have to support his ally. This would bring him into conflict with England. That did not even account for the day when the throne of Scotland fell to the Dauphine.

Though the future remained ominous, the Queen enjoyed being a mother again.

Spain

Philip II could not comprehend why he was broke in the face of all this gold arriving from America. Only later in his reign did he understand that the revenues from the Netherland taxes were both more reliable and greater than the most profitable colonial years. Worse, the end of the war resulted in the Spanish assurance of staying out of the Asian trade.

At the Treaty of Tordesillas, the Portuguese were to get Asia and Spain America. The recent peace guaranteed this again. Initially, this seemed a good thing as the quickly discovered gold and diamonds of southern Brazil promised a new wave of gold shipments. However, this only went so far. Much of the revenues were lost to foreign creditors whom had loaned Spain money in the past or funded the actual colonization process. To this day, the Spanish were forced to rely on Italians, French, English and others to actually MANAGE their Empire to a large extent. This was as much sloth and incompetence as a lack of resources.

The Portuguese traders of Africa offered to sell slaves to the Spanish territories but few Spanish bothered to farm, they not braving the ocean to take up the plough...or watch slaves do it. Besides, the King of Spain was close to the new Pope and the recent Papal condemnation of taking "innocent" slaves (the taking of Muslims from North Africa, the Balkans and Anatolia was ambiguous) from Africa and the native tribes prevented Philip II from authorizing the trade. Indeed, the number of slaves actually DROPPED in an average year as most were men anyway without mates. In the gold mines, lives were short.

Philip had another financial problem. The Crown of Castile was, by far, carried the greatest burdens of state. Many people referred to his lands as "The Spains" rather than "Spain" for a reason. In truth, every part of his Kingdom(s) were unique and had their own laws, many of which demanded local decisions in taxation, governance, etc. It made his reign not only maddening but inefficient. People in his realms were taxed differently, had different rights. The former was is preeminent concern.

Castile demanded the other Kingdoms - Aragon, Galicia, Catalonia, etc - pay their fair share. Philip agreed. He began the slow process of consolidating the governments of the Spains into the government of Spain.

This would not go over well.


Swabia

The Duke of Lorraine continued in his desperate attempt to stifle dissent in his new territories, those carved out from realms once governed by Protestant princes in south-eastern Germany. The Duke of Wurttemberg now sat in exile, as did several smaller princes. Baden's multitude of states had been united under the sole Catholic princes, that of Baden-Baden.

The Duke realized that his efforts not only were intended for his own wealth, power and prestige, but for his son's. Someday, his eldest son would marry the daughter and heiress to the Burgudian Netherlands. For the first time since the 100 Years War, there would be some semblance of the old Burgundian Kingdom as the two realms united. He did not want his son to be the poor relation but to enter the marriage with a sense of equality to his far wealthier wife. The new acquisitions from the Protestant princes would put his son on greater parity.

What was more, the Duke knew that France had long coveted the possessions of both Lorraine and the Burgudian Netherlands. For now, peace reigned. It would not last forever. He must consolidate his lands soon in order for the inevitable confrontation with France, be it in his lifetime or his son's.
 
Chapter 59
Chapter 59

1575

The Taungoo Dynasty


King Bayinnaung had spent the past 25 years creating the greatest southern Empire in memory. He had conquered the Ayutthara Empire (called Siam by the Portuguese) as well as several remote mountainous realms.

Indeed the Taungoo Kingdom was at its greatest extent.



However, the Kingdom was really a loose collection of separate realms, ruled by powerful governors, not a central Kingdom. It was obvious that this was a problem. Bayinnaung would attempt to unify his diverse peoples by attempting to launch a Holy War in defense of the Theravada Buddhists under assault by the Musselmen of the remnant of the Mughal Dynasty, mostly in the predominantly Buddhist region of Bengal.

By 1575, he had coerced many of his realms into sending troops to support the local Kings. Infuriated that the Muslims (and later Catholics supported by the Hindu Kingdoms) would attempt to convert Buddhists to their religions, Bayinnaung would launch an invasion of 30,000 men, forming the backbone of the Eastern Bengali resistance. Unlike many of the local Kings, who desired peace after years of war, Bayinnaung intended to wipe out all Muslim presence east of the Holy River.

While the Mughals were plainly falling, the arrival of the Taungoo forces returned the region to chaos.

Bayinnaung continued his assault in Ceylon, where the Portuguese were influential. Two decades earlier, the Portuguese had outraged King Bayinnaung when the Governor of Goa and the local Archbishop destroyed a Holy Artifact (the Tooth of Buddha) that had been taken from Ceylon to Goa. He never forgot or forgave. He certainly did not intend to allow the Portuguese to continue to encroach into eastern Asia.

He began increasing his influence in the Buddhist Kingdoms of Ceylon and decided to wipe out the Portuguese presence on the Malay Peninsula, largely Muslim but dominated by Bayinnaung. Seeing his opportunity to kill two birds with one stone, the King decided to evict the Portuguese and return the Peninsula to Buddhism. It was working well enough in Bengal.

However, he needed allies. Fortunately, the arrival of the English, Dutch and Spanish created an opportunity. Elated at getting a foothold in Asia, the Europeans would immediately agree to an alliance, an exchange of arms for trade. It would benefit both sides.

Southern Russia

Having already conquered the Circassians (killing most of them) and entering the Trans-Caucasus, Czar Ivan V would turn Christian Kings of Georgia, Armenia, Assyria, Pontus, etc into puppets. Desperate for allies against the Turks, Alevis, Mesopotamians and Persians, the Christian's devil's bargain would prove devastating in the long run for their independence.

The Czar entered the traditional territory of the Persians: Azerbaijan.

He also entered the land of the Kazaks.
 
Man, the Russians are having the time of their lives in this TL. At the rate their going, they might touch India in a generation or two.
 
Man, the Russians are having the time of their lives in this TL. At the rate their going, they might touch India in a generation or two.

Yeah, much of the wasted effort/resources/money used OTL against the Polish-Lithuanians and Ottomans of Ivan IV's mid to late years are being used against more vulnerable targets.
 
Chapter 60
Chapter 60

1576

London


As the new trading agreements with the Taungoo and the Vijaynagaran Empire were returned to Europe, formalized and returned to Asia, new trading concerns were formed. So worrisome was the Portuguese resistance to any competition that several trading companies petitioned that Queen Elizabeth and Queen Johanna form a joint venture with the Asian traders in order to maximize military resources available to protect said trade.

While there would be no formal alliance, a series of informal "agreements" would be signed allowing the respective trading concerns to utilize one another's bases, fortifications, etc. There was also a secret agreement for supplying the Taungoo with modern artillery and other materials so they might better battle the Portuguese in their Molaccan stronghold in Malaya.

New Angouleme

Throughout the preceding winter, the French colonists along the mouth of the East and West Rivers of New Angouleme would receive several thousand new migrants. The large island was getting ever more cramped and the colonists were eager to expand inland. While their relations with the natives were generally good in the past, the need for land exceeded the fading beaver and other trade with the tribes. Several hundred colonists would march inland. Then they would march further inland.

While wars between the French (and Scots and Irish and Portuguese) colonists of Gallia and the native tribes were hardly rare, the increasing population would put pressure on an expansion that would never end.

The Philippines

The Spanish, seeing their chance, renewed their interest in the Philippines (as only the Spanish called them). Sparsely populated, the islands had been Islamized over the past century but the roots were not deep. Technically, Spain was obliged by treaty to cede Asian trade to Portugal but these out of the way islands would soon prove important waystations for the profitable trade of American silver to China. Chinese silk was still the most desired form, better than the comparatively expensive silks only now produced in quantities in Gallia. There was a market and Spain was happy to exploit it.

This drove a bigger wedge between the Spanish and the Franco-Portuguese alliance (the former due to the competition for their Gallian silk and the latter for entering the closed Portuguese market in Asia).
 
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Chapter 61
Chapter 61

1576

Malacca


The Taungoo Empire, having summoned the reserves once again, attacked south down the Malaya Peninsula. The purpose was threefold:

1. Control the straights in order to command the East-West trade.
2. Evict the Portuguese which threatened their dominance.
3. Control the Islamic states of the Peninsula which were proving quite uppity.

Though overstretched the Taungoo Empire was ready to fight.

Java

For over a century, the Javanese had quietly converted en masse along the northern and southern coasts (Much like Sumatra, the southern Philippines and the Maluku's). Once a mix of Hindu, Buddhist and Animist, the island appeared destined to convert in entirety to Islam. However, the arrival of the Portuguese sixty-five years earlier halted this slide. In truth, the Portuguese would have done business with anyone but the Sultanate would prove too competitive a rival.

The Portuguese would throw their support to the Hindu-Buddhist Kingdoms of the east and west and the remote interior. This slowed the Islamic advance but did not halt it. Eventually, this was less about religion than about regionalism. The Portuguese suspected that, if all the islanders converted to one religion or the other, the wars would go on regardless.

Still, by playing divide and conquer, the Portuguese got access to the fine harbor of Jakarta. By supplying weapons, the eastern and western Hindu Kingdoms solidified their standing and a new puppet interior regime was set up under the guidance of the other Hindus Kings and the Portuguese. The Portuguese had battled the Muslims at sea nonstop for fifty years from Malaya to Bengal to Java and would not stop anytime soon.

Ironically, this only opened the door to rivals like the Taungoo Empire, England, the Netherlands and Spain, whom were newcomers to the region and expanding their influence rapidly.

By 1575, the religious mix was about 60-40 Hindu-Buddhist-Animist to Muslim. The Portuguese ships would continually raid the Muslim ports of the north and south coasts in order to destabilize the regimes.

London

Elizabeth I of England welcomed her future daughter-in-law. The little girl was a Princess of Poland and had been sent with a bevy of attendants to England to meet her betrothed, Prince Henry of Wales.

Both the French and the Spanish (and many others) offered princesses but Elizabeth wanted to play one side against the other and chose a more remote option, one which carried no threat to England.

Brussels

Queen Johanna of the Netherlands began coughing and couldn't seem to stop. Within a year, the doctors muttered the dreaded words: consumption.

Once a beacon of stability, the rival claims to the Burgundian Inheritance, not to mention those like France with territorial ambitions, held their breath for their moment.

Paris

Francis III continued to review the Portuguese position in Asia and admitted they had little chance of maintaining their monopoly by force without French assistance. The King did not desire a war over some foreign trade that mattered only to Portugal. His was a great Empire of France, Milan, Ireland, Gallia, etc with Portugal his right upon his mother's death and Scotland would belong to his son.

A bit of trade did not seem to mean much but did to the Portuguese and he suspected France would be drawn into this conflict sooner rather than later.

At least it would if he expected the Portuguese to bow to him someday as King.

He wrote a letter to his mother Maria of Portugal and inquired what he could do to help.

China

The Ming Dynasty had reigned long and well. The Wanli Emperor was young and deferred to his teacher, his new Grand Secretary, Zhang Juzheng. However, the Emperor was tired of his tudor's strict upbringing and the man's hypocrisy: he preached curtailing spending even as he ate meals of 100 courses.

But China as a whole was prospering as he reformed the tax system, the failing bureaucracy, everything he could. Many resented this but Zhang believed he was in the right.

The day would come when the Emperor and the Grand Secretary must conflict.
 
I think that if he help Portuguese and maybe win the war it will a good thing for him and he will well see by Portuguese.
If he want to be crowned as king of their country he need of their support so it's well play, if they see they need french to kept their monopolies they will maybe not rebell a lot against him.

Spain is in pretty bad situation, without Netherlands and with their huge empire their wars and their local particualirisms, it can badly end for them.
 
Chapter 62 - the Year of Dead and Dying Queens
Chapter 62 - the Year of Dead and Dying Queens

1577

London


The House of Tudor would end with Elizabeth I of England. With her sudden death of an unknown fever, perhaps the sole "independent" major nation in western Europe lost her popular and deceptively strong ruler.

With the ascension of her minor son, King Henry IX of England of the new House of Tudor-Valois, to the throne, the already tense situation in western Europe would become more tense as the Regent, King Henry VIII's father, was a member of the House of Valois. The Regent was a modest man, one unlikely to cause waves among the strong English Parliament. He merely wanted to maintain his son's privileges and ensure a smooth transfer of power when Henry IX eventually assumed the responsibilities of the crown.

The House of Valois in France rejoiced, as they believed their cousin would move from England from its quiet position as an pseudo-unspoken ally of Spain and the Netherlands-Lorraine alliance, the latter under a marriage agreement which promised to unite those two realms under the Burgundian princess and the Lorrainian Prince.

But the Regent, caring more for his son than his cousin the King of France, would quietly rebuff the surprised French court and maintain England's distance from the French-Scottish-Irish-Portuguese dynastic alliance and the defacto Spanish-Burgundian/Lorraine alliance receiving distant support from the Emperor and the Pope.

Lisbon

The Queen of Portugal, Maria I, would soon discover the lump in her breast was cancerous. There was nothing she could do.

Brussels

Queen Johanna of the Netherlands' consumption was now beyond a doubt. She merely hoped to survive long enough for the marriage of her daughter and the Prince of Lorraine. Her husband was another Prince of Lorraine and she issued edicts for the Provincial nobles to approve making her husband Regent during her daughter's minority.

There were no particular disagreements.

Edinburgh

Unlike the other Queens, Queen Elizabeth I of Scotland was in the best of health. Only into her forties, she seemed likely to reign for years, maybe decades. It was already understood that one of her younger sons, recently arrived in Edinburgh, would be groomed to govern the nation for her eldest, the Dauphin.

At least that was the plan until Queen Elizabeth tripped over the hem of her robes and snapped her neck on the stone steps of her Edinburgh castle.

Xaymaca, the West Indies

Unlike Hispaniola, Puerto Rico and Cuba, the Spanish had never bothered to colonize Xaymaca. The West Indies were not exactly a destination of choice given the beastly heat and the horrific diseased endemic. The islands were populated by the desperate, by criminals, by pirates, by audacious planters, by orphans (particularly girls) and vagrants swept up from streets of the Habsburg Kingdoms, by "Worker-Converts" (particularly women and children as the men were sent to the mines of Peru, Mexico and Brazil) and anyone else the Spanish would dig up.

By 1577, both the Dutch and the English had come to the conclusion that vacant land was free land. They also felt they could do better than the Spanish in colonizing as the Spanish crown was deemed largely poorly run to the point of incompetence.

By astounding coincidence, the initial Dutch and English colonies landed within three days of one another, on opposite sides of the island. They weren't even aware of one another for two years.
 
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Chapter 63
Chapter 63

1578

Madrid


The King of Spain and King of France had long reached an understanding. With the concession of Florida and the Texas territory to France, the dividing line between French Gallia and Spanish America was moderately well defined. Eventually, the two Empires would clash again far, far into the interior but that was the better part of two centuries away. For the moment, both Empires were attempting to control a huge swath of wild territory filled with hostile natives with less than 150,000 colonials of their own. Even the aggressive attempts by the respective crowns to subsidize migration to the New World would do little balance that equation. Both had adequate problems internally to preclude a desire to pick a fight with the other Empire. Indeed, the distances were so great and resources so stretched that it was almost impossible to project military power from hundreds to thousands of miles away from the largely agricultural settlements.

The wars between France and Spain over the next century would be, for the most part, of European instigation, not colonial.

As the English and Burgundian settlements on Xaymaca were within the Spanish "Sphere of Influence", the King of France didn't give a damn. King Philip, now aging, most certainly did as the little island was along the route his treasure ships from Peru and Mexico must take to get to Cuba, then on to Spain.

Philip, despite courting both England and the Burgundian Netherlands / Lorraine into an alliance, knew he could not allow this to stand. England had even settled the island of Barbados and brought in 200 slaves to farm it. Both the Dutch and the English would bring African slaves to Xaymaca by this point as well in defiance of Church doctrine.

Regretfully, he ordered his fleet to sail to the New World.

Malacca

The Portuguese settlement was crushed by the combination of Taungoo Empire troops and Burgundian/English/Spanish ships. The Spanish contingent, which fought loyally with their allies, would be surprised to find out that they would have been fighting EACH OTHER in the West Indies. But this would set the standard for the ensuing centuries. Powers would be allies in one sphere but enemies in another.

The Portuguese power in the East Indies was now being seriously challenged. The Taungoo gave the Europeans access to all his ports, including the newly conquered Malay Peninsula. Then the Emperor would turn upon the largely Muslim population of the lightly populated land. Unlike many forms of Buddhism, the Emperor was less tolerant to heretics and would prove much more willing to suppress dissent.

Soon the four allies would start dividing the islands of the East Indies, cutting off the Portuguese from their spice trade. The Taungoo would be more interested in Java, where their forces would soon take the Portuguese place in supporting the Hindu-Buddhist side of the violent civil war, one destined to carry on for decades, even centuries.

With the arrival of the Europeans, the Muslim conquest of the East Indies and the Philippines was officially over. Only Sumatra, Brunei, the Mulukas and parts of the Philippines were converted and the latter would soon face Spanish suppression and "encouragement" for the conversion to the Catholic Church.

Naturally, most of these Europeans were not actual crown soldiers but representatives of the companies trading with the East, largely laws unto themselves due to the remoteness of their positions.

Edinburgh

As the younger son of Queen Elizabeth was a minor, his "Regency" needed a Regent of its own until he reached his majority. The French King would assume decisions for the new King of Scotland (his son) and appoint Richard de La Pole, the son of the one-time pretender to the English throne as the new Regent of Scotland for his other son. De la Pole had served the French crown all his life in Ireland and was thought to be well experienced in statecraft.

The King of France's cousin, the Regent of Great Britain, was obviously livid at this (to his mind) provocative action, one he considered a slap in the face of his son and perhaps even a potential challenge to the King of England (his son). This was silly as the King of France was another pretender to England's crown. He would not put a true contender in a place of power and thought of de la Pole as a French citizen for two generations and only the most remote member of the English Royal Family. Indeed, the King's action was more a matter of heavy-handed cluelessness than an actual jibe against his cousin, the Regent of England.

Still, stupid was stupid and Francis III would waste the golden opportunity to turn England in an ally with England and Spain destine to fight it out over Xaymaca and Barbados.
 
Chapter 64
Chapter 64

1579

Bengal


With Arakan and Taungoo assisting them, the Buddhists of Eastern Bengal nearly pushed the entirety of the Muslims from their lands back into the Hindu-dominated West Bengal, where the Muslims weren't having any more success. This new militant form of Buddhism was spurred from above, not below, as the Buddhist Kings saw their powers and dynasties threatened. Now a "warrior" religion in some minds, the Buddhist Kings nevertheless noticed the threat to their thrones and acted accordingly.

Malaya

While crushing dissent throughout the Malay Peninsula, the Taungoo Emperor Bayinnaung formalized his alliances with Spain, England and the Netherlands. His new artillery was superior to anything the Malay Muslims had and he was not reticent in using it. As a boon, he granted "free trade" ports throughout the best anchorages in his Kingdom, excluding only the Portuguese. The heightened trade would help fund the Taungoo dynasty for years.

Ceylon

Like in Malaya, the Taungoo would interfere against the Portuguese. An ad-hoc collection of allies would seize Portugal's greatest ally's throne in Ceylon and replace him with a puppet. Divided into various Hindu Kingdoms, Ceylon's power structure would be balanced on a fine edge.

Brussels

Queen Johanna would die in 1579, her daughter formally crowned Queen in her minority. Prince Francis of Lorraine (a cadet branch), her father, would remain Regent in his daughter's regency. Still only eleven, the little Queen was engaged to her kinsman, the heir to Lorraine, who was only ten.

When the two lands were united, they would reform the old Kingdom of Burgundy.
 
Chapter 65 - 1580
Chapter 65

1580


The death of three Queens (Scotland, the Netherlands and England) within a year or two of one another no doubt upset the political scene of western Europe. Even as war became likely over dynastic and colonial issues, there was a pause as all the major powers would reconsider the new reality.

In truth, there were few policy changes.

Scotland

Regent Richard de la Pole (the 2nd) who was regent for Prince Charles of France, younger son of King Francis III of France, would govern effectively and quietly for years. He would not, despite some fears, attempt to use Scotland's forces to invade England in order to stake his own claim to the English throne.

While there were plenty of bastards in the Tudor line, de la Pole had been largely forgotten by the people of England as a true candidate for decades. Only the Regent, Princes Francis of France (cousin to the King of France) would consider de la Pole a threat in of himself.

He made few changes to the political scene in Scotland. Most of the major offices were held by Scottish nobility or clergy. There was only one minor uprising. Prince Alexander of Scotland, the aging younger brother of Charles V, would seek to place himself upon the throne. An obnoxious ass, the man was arrested immediately after muttering treason in public. Considered a doddering old fool, the grand-uncle of King Louis I of Scotland (the rightful King of Scotland and dauphine of France where he would eventually become Louis XIII) would be tried by the Scottish nobles and convicted. De la Pole would commute the death sentence to exile in France, where the old fool would die a few years later under the watch of the French King. De la Pole confiscated half of Alexander's lands and distributed the rest among his three daughters and childless son (a well known homosexual).

In truth, neither de la Pole nor the young Prince had any desire to initiate hostilities with England. The King/Dauphin Louis similarly would not encourage any form of conflict.

England

Prince Francis of France, Regent of England for his eleven year old son, would nevertheless continue to fear a coup of his son's throne. Francis began building up the army and navy for, what he considered, an inevitable invasion of England by France-Scotland-Ireland. No such plans existed but that did not dampen Francis' paranoia. He had five minor children and was an outsider himself who did not understand the political climate terribly well.

When his cousin Francis III of France would try to entice Prince Francis to break his son's engagement to the little Polish princess in exchange for a French counterpart, Francis refused, fearing this to be the first step of France claiming England's throne.

The Netherlands

Prince Francis of Lorraine would govern in his daughter's stead for the better part of a decade. He maintained good relations with his cousin, the Duke of Lorraine.

Francis did not rock the boat. He respected the Provinces' traditional rights even as he quietly encouraged greater integration by lowering internal trade barriers and taxes and forming a larger council in which all the Provinces had a seat. In truth, there was no real "Parliament" in the England tradition. The next decade would be one of slowly change for the Netherlands, so slow it couldn't be noticed from an observer.

It would take nearly a century before a true concept of one nation, even a federal one, would truly take root but historians would eventually attribute the start of this to the Regent.

Xaymaca and Barbados

The Spanish forces arrived in Xaymaca somewhat belatedly. It took years for the Spanish navy to consolidate in Brazil and Havana for the assault on Xaymaca.

What they found made them wonder why they bothered. The English settlement boasted only 400 souls, including 200 slaves. The Dutch was only 350 souls including 100 slaves. The 2500 soldiers the Spanish sent seemed overkill. The whole of both settlements were removed to Havana, the slaves freed, and the settlers eventually shipped back to Europe without any of their possessions (save their lives).

Both settlements had suffered Yellow Fever epidemics and had been decimated to the point of helplessness.

The Barbados expedition was a bit tougher. With only 500 soldiers, the Spanish met a 1500 English settler outpost that had been set up within an astonishing three years. They were already producing large amounts of sugar with 500 African slaves and another 1000 local Indian laborers.

Here, the English would fight back and do so fairly well. However, the Spanish had learned from Brazil to raise the slaves against the English. Promised freedom, the slaves happily joined the battle. Eventually the British surrendered and agreed to depart. There were several ships in the harbor and they were able to carry away most of the English settlers. The rest were rounded up and sent to Havana for transport. The African slaves were taken to Brazil, where they joined the local population. The Indians were set free, though the introduced African and European diseases wiped out much of the West Indian native population quickly enough. By 1600, Barbados was practically depopulated, the remnant of the Indian population fleeing for the mainland or neighboring islands.

Madrid

On Christmas day of 1580, the King of Spain received the news of the successes and determined to prevent this from happening again by colonizing the best of the smaller Caribbean islands. Philip II decided to start a new prison colony in Xaymaca. There were thousands of Spanish, Sicilian, Neapolitan etc, criminals every year getting hanged or taking up space in prisons. He'd sent many to Hispaniola and Cuba, why not Xaymaca?

They would either die there or become useful. Indeed, there were also plenty of Moroscos, New Christians, etc and other undesirables about. Maybe he could find a few more Muslim slaves from the Balkans?

He would open up immigration to any who desired it within his realms (the Italian states, etc) and see if that made a difference. The new policy would make little difference in the West Indies but the Italian influence in Brazil and Rio Plata would become pronounced over the years.
 
OK i don't see Holy Roman empire accept this.
The creation of a too much powerful realm that will make the birth of a precedent same for the other power in Holy roman empire and in the Cantons ( they didn't forget Charles the bold behavior) and i don't see France also accept it, the creation of a new realm/kingdom in the ash of a Burgundian estate.
They will fear encirclement between Spain and them, also it's a regency so people will try to make profit of it, it will not be smoth we just need to see Mary of Burgundy imprisonment or Maximillian regency.

And i didn't understand very well, did you say that Scotalnd and France will split between children of king of France ?
 
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OK i don't see Holy Roman empire accept this.
The creation of a too much powerful realm that will make the birth of a precedent same for the other power in Holy roman empire and in the Cantons ( they didn't forget Charles the bold behavior) and i don't see France also accept it, the creation of a new realm/kingdom in the ash of a Burgundian estate.
They will fear encirclement between Spain and them, also it's a regency so people will try to make profit of it, it will not be smoth we just need to see Mary of Burgundy imprisonment or Maximillian regency.

And i didn't understand very well, did you say that Scotalnd and France will split between children of king of France ?

No, the younger brother, Princes Charles of France, of the new King of Scotland (Louis I of Scotland and eventually Louis XIII of France) will govern it as Regent when it comes of age. Another younger brother may eventually rule Portugal as Regent when Queen Maria dies.

Louis XIII inherits France and Ireland from his grandfather and father (Francis II and Francis III), Portugal from his grandmother (Maria I of Portugal) and Scotland from his mother (Elizabeth of Scotland).

Francis III is still alive so Louis remains Dauphin in France. His mother Elizabeth is dead so he is technically already King of Scotland though he would not govern it directly. His grandmother Maria I is still alive and governing from Lisbon.
 
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