Beatrice's birth was a little harder, but Caterina is one of the sturdiest among her siblings (seeing as I'm almost 100% she was the last to die) and the fact that she didn't marry a close relative means her children have every chance of being rather healthier than they were OTL.I don't see it as implausible either. At least her children ttl are healthier it would seemActually if they are a couple of weeks premature, she might even have almost 3 months between.
An Imperial Match: Anne Boleyn marries Charles V
- Thread starter pandizzy
- Start date
Cat deffo lived longest. It's hard to tell how long Isabella could have lived since she died from a disease so young. But, since she died from a disease so young, it can be argued that she might have been the most sickly? Hard to tell though. I'd say that it's likely that Cat was the healthiest
I'd say Eleanor and Cat were probably the healthiest IMO, even if they had rather sad personal lives. It's interesting that they seem to have inherited such a long lifespan (for the time) from her mother Juana.
Eleanor was the second sibling to die, followed by Charles then Mary, Ferdinand and finally Catherine. It's interesting how they mostly died in order of birth, save for Isabella and Mary and Ferdinand being switched.
Not well. We will see her in 1528 as one of her siblings is coming to Hungary, and I wonder who it is....
I always felt sorry for poor Mary. Widowed young, childless, and always considered sort of ugly.
1st of February, 1528.
Düsseldorf, United Duchies of Jülich-Cleves-Berg. 1st of February, 1528.
Johann III, Duke of Cleves from the House of La Marck had a large smile on his face as he leaned down to sign the large contract with a flourish. Beside him, Lars Andersson signed in the name of his king, the Swedish Gustav I Vasa, promising to follow the agreement formed between the two rulers.
In many ways, Johann admired the King of Sweden. His story was one that would go down in ages, about the man that strove to defeat the tyrant that had killed his father and nephew, who had liberated the Swedes from ages of Danish rule. Although he was far too Lutheran for Johann’s tastes, since he had always strived to toe the line between the two forms of confessions ever since Martin Luther first came to European attention, the idea of his child sitting on a throne even as small as the one in Stockholm was too important for him to ignore.
Such an opportunity never showed itself twice and with only one son to inherit after him, Johann was determined to leave a large network of allies to assist his heir. First Sibylle in Saxony, now sweet and intelligent Amalia in Sweden. She was a little young for the King, having turned ten last October, but she would be sent to her husband as soon as she turned twelve in the following year with a rich dowry that would soften the hearts of those against the match.
When he had finished signing his own name, a polite clapping arose in the room. Even Maria, with her pinched expression and a deep frown marring her features, clapped, for she knew not to question his decisions in public. She was not pleased by him betrothing Amalia to a man known to follow the teachings of someone she thought a heretic, just as she had not been pleased by Sybille’s marriage to Johann Friedrich.
He rose together with the Swedish ambassador, a large smile on his face. “Let us feast!” he declared. “Let us celebrate the betrothal of my sweet daughter Amalia!”
Johann offered a hand to Maria and she accepted it, though she refused to meet his gaze even when he inclined his head to look at her. He sighed and leaned back, not letting her reluctance deter him. Amalia was his to do with as he pleased. She would marry whomever he wished and Maria had to accept it, no matter if she preferred any other.
They arrived in the great hall to large tables filled with food and musicians already prepared to play the most common songs in Germany. His court was not one to boast of music and the fashions common around Europe due to the Italian influence, but Johann had felt a strong need to play the part before the envoys. When they left, he could shake off these frivolous things and return to the life both he and Maria preferred.
He and his wife sat together at the high table, Maria quickly letting go of his arm when their hands were hidden from view and he chuckled. “Please, wife, smile,” he murmured, “Or anyone would think we have quarrelled.”
“Don’t talk to me,” Maria responded, though with a radiant smile stamped on her face. Satisfied, Johann returned his eyes to his court as they began to eat and drink, a quiet wave of conversations rising up from the crowd.
Even in the aftermath of such a triumph, he was quick to consider his next move. Anna remained available and Wilhelm as well. His heir was certainly a prize to be considered by any lesser European princess or duchess, and the betrothal between Amalia and Gustav gave Johann pause. Anna was a lovely girl, a sweet child who had taken to her mother’s more domestic education. She would make a fine wife for the right husband, but what match could he arrange for her?
The Swedish had asked for Anna, since being older and already of age, she was both more ready to bear children than her younger sister and could very well one day stand to inherit all of his dominions, but Johann had refused such a match. He thought Anna could do better than Sweden, whereas Amalia, as a third daughter, had little prospects of her own.
He had once considered the Duke of Lorraine’s son, but the news of the boy’s death had quickly dampened the thought and turned Johann towards other fleeting notions as to where Anna could marry. None of them ever seemed fitting for his daughter, and he sometimes wondered if there was any prince for her that could bring her prestige and bring an alliance for Cleves.
Maria would surely prefer a Catholic, but the Reformation proved a whole matter to contend with. Princes across Europe seemed to rise from the woodwork to oppose the Catholic Church and declare for the teachings of Luther or Calvin. The war of the Emperor and the King of France in Italy had also shown that the Pope no longer had the power he once did, as did the Ottoman invasion of Hungary, where the infidels seemed ever more hungry for the once-proud lands of the Magyars.
He wanted Anna to marry someone of high standing, with a proud lineage standing behind him. The Wettins of Saxony were high and mighty in the Empire and the Vasas had proven themselves worthy of a younger daughter from La Marck, but where could Anna go? If the Duke of Württemberg were not already married with two healthy children, he would marry her to him, for the man had a close relationship with both the Emperor and the King of Bohemia and Hungary and such an influence could always assist them in the future. His son, little Karl Ferdinand, was far too young for his girl, sadly. He would be more suited for a child Wilhelm had in the future than for Anna.
But where could Anna go?
--
Stirling Castle, Scotland. 1st of March, 1528.
The rain had been falling for hours, mercilessly heavy over the world and Margaret Tudor, Dowager Queen of Scotland, could not wait for it to be over. She stood before a window, wrapped around in her furs to keep her warm during the cold night, wondering if she could see any rider coming in the distance. It was futile, she knew it, for the rain and echoing thunders meant nothing was visible even a palm beyond the protective glass, but still she stayed there.
With a sigh, she turned around, eyes meeting those of Alexander Stewart, the Dean of Brechin. “Are you sure our spies were right?” she asked, worry lacing her words. “Jamie would be escaping today?”
Alexander nodded. “It is what our allies said,” he murmured, coming to her. Margaret cursed and turned around to look out the window once more. She felt his hands coming even before they touched her arms, stroking down the skin which was not covered by her shawl. Margaret sighed, shuddering with delight and her shoulder relaxing with the touch of someone she trusted. “Do not worry. Jamie is sixteen now. He can take care of himself under a little rain.”
Margaret nodded, determined to listen to his words, though she still clutched at her throat.
“What if Angus found out?” she whispered. “What if he has kept the King even more secure than what we originally thought?”
“Angus won’t find out,” Alexander responded, dropping a kiss to her neck. “He’s too much of an idiot to ever think properly.” Margaret giggled and she accepted his hands sliding down her arms, moving her shawl away. The furs fell to the floor and she stood there only in her shift as he gently kissed her skin.
Hours later, after they were both thoroughly sated and rather relaxed, Margaret and Alexander sat together before the fire, legs wiggling in nerves as they waited for Jamie. The Queen had not seen her son in many years and she was afraid of the man he had become, for he was a stranger to her. She could well remember the babe they had placed on her chest after he was born and how his father had died when he was just seventeen months. She hoped Angus had not been hard on him, though she had heard rumours that her estranged former husband had encouraged her son’s taste in women to keep him away from power.
That would have to change, surely. Jamie could keep mistresses and bastards, but he must marry a woman of high standing to beget heirs. Margaret once hoped for her niece Mary to be such a woman, but she was now in Brittany and her brother had enough sons that the hope of a union between England and Scotland was almost dead and gone.
She closed her eyes and shook her head. Such matters were not important. The only that she cared about was to have her son back where he belonged, ready to rule the kingdom he had inherited from his father.
Margaret had almost lost hope when a maid came, informing her that there was someone who wished to see her. She rose with her heart racing, for Jamie was the King and he would not ask for permission to talk to her, his mother. Margaret exchanged glances with Alexander as she put on a dressing gown, sure that her worry was stamped on her face.
What if it was Angus, with an army ready to arrest or kill her? What if it was someone informing her that the news of her annulment was a sick lie? She did not think she would be able to handle such a heartbreak.
Margaret entered her foyer with quick steps, almost dragging her skirts by the hand, but she stopped at the sight of the tall figure with his back turned to her. He was drenched by the rain which raged outside, boots covered with mud that stained her fine rugs, auburn hair hastily hid under a brown cap to safeguard his identity. The man turned to look at her at the sound of her entrance and a gasp arose from her throat, a shriek mixed with a cry for she felt as if she was looking at the ghost of her long-dead husband, the King.
“Mother,” breathed the man, his voice slightly cracking as it was from someone that had only recently reached the age of manhood.
Tears slid down her cheeks and she ran forward, wrapping her arms around him tightly. “Jamie, oh my sweet, Jamie,” she cried out. Margaret stepped back and grabbed his face between her hands, pressing wet sobbing kisses all over his features. “Oh, look at you, you are so handsome. My sweet, sweet boy.”
“Oh, mother,” Jamie said, embracing her back, “I have missed you so much.”
Okay, so first I love Johann of Cleves really elevating his kids. All Hail the future Queen Consort of Sweden, Amalia of Cleves! And him wanting to make a good match for Anna is so sweet and sincere, such a good father.
Margaret and James reunited genuinely made me wanna cry. I love her having her little boy back and James having his mother to support him. I wonder how the subject of marriage for James will be broached with Mary firmly betrothed to Francis of Brittany…
I wonder because there is a treaty still in place that entitles him to a french bride!
Hmmm James V and Anne of Cleves would be a very interesting match indeed, though if he wants a French bride perhaps Renee of France would do? Great chapter, love the interplay between Johann and Maria "Don't talk to me." lmao
Well, yes we just have to see what Jamie thinks of marrying a french bride
