Are there any other royal house that can take the place of the Habsburgs in power and prominence?
The Welfs/D'Este could have retained Maine and Lombardy, they could have united Italy like the Savoys or become the Rulers of the Norman realm.On which level?
In Germany, the Luxemburgs and Wittelsbachs come to mind. Wittelsbachs and Habysburgs both had their territories temporarily split between different branches, but they (at least the Bavarian side) recovered soon enough.
If the Wettin had avoided the Meißen-Thuringia split between the Ernestine and Albertine lines, they might have remained more important.
The house of Guelph/Welf once ruled all of Old Saxony and Bavaria, seond only to the Hohenstaufen. If Henry the Lion had been less prideful, his house might have inherited the position of the Hohenstaufen, at least north of the Alps.
The House of Oldenburg has, in different branches, ruled over
the County of Oldenburg
the Duchy of Holstein
the Duchy of Schleswig
the Duchy of Lauenburg
the Kingdom of Denmark
the Kingdom of Norway
the Kingdom of Sweden
the Kingdom of Greece
the Empire of Russia
Twice, a ruling Queen of Great Britain took a prince of the House of Oldenburg as consort.
Even before that the House of Babenberg effectively dying out allowed them to inherit the Duchy of Austria when Rudolph I was Holy Roman Emperor. Either have someone else picked to become Emperor after the Great Interregnum and/or have the Babenbergs survive.Habsburg success is because extinction of their two allies House of Valois-Burgundy and House of Trastamara. if Habsburg the one who extinct instead, these two houses could rise to prominence.
Even before that the House of Babenberg effectively dying out allowed them to inherit the Duchy of Austria when Rudolph I was Holy Roman Emperor. Either have someone else picked to become Emperor after the Great Interregnum and/or have the Babenbergs survive.
And the Babenbergs themselves got Austria only when Barbarossa took Greater Bavaria from the Welfs (Henry the Lion) and split it into Bavaria and Austria, the former going to the Wittelsbachs, who kept it until 1918.
And the Babenbergs themselves got Austria only when Barbarossa took Greater Bavaria from the Welfs (Henry the Lion) and split it into Bavaria and Austria, the former going to the Wittelsbachs, who kept it until 1918.