I have a feeling Henry considers the women who sleep with him before they are his wives to be unsuitable for kingship so yeah. Heavily unlikely.
An Imperial Match: Anne Boleyn marries Charles V
- Thread starter pandizzy
- Start date
Well Elizabeth is 16 and she thinks her sister is raining on her parade, instead of giving her reasonable advice.
I wonder if a child will be borne from this union. I know Elizabeth said she was not trying to get pregnant, but medieval birth control is less than reliable.
I'm lighting candles for Isabella and her unborn child. Hope it's a healthy, bouncy baby boy and Elizabeth can go choke.
Elizabeth seems very much like a teenager. Thinking that Henry would actually marry her when he could have his pick of princesses if something happened to Isabel!
And he might even choose to remain a bachelor for a few years, like he did with Jane.
What available princesses are there for Henry right now if he needed another wife ITTL?
There's this danish girl. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorothea_of_Denmark,_Duchess_of_Prussia
Anne of Cleves, of course
The sisters of the King of Sweden. Some minor german princesses.
Too harsh for you, my dear?
Hedwig Jagellion is avaliable. But Marie of Guise didn't wed until 1534. She was eighteen then.
While I hope Isabella lives, I’ve always wanted to see Marie de Guise and Henry VIII together if only because their kids would be tall redheads which is my type. Also, I think Marie would do a good job managing Henry.
Well Henry is in his late thirties at the moment so he should manage himself.
Keep your expectations low when it comes to H8, that's what I tell myself.
25th of February, 1529.
Düsseldorf, Duchy of Cleves. 25th of February, 1529.
Maria stepped close to the wall that stood between them, the small and practically unnoticeable window just at the perfect height to suit both her gaze and that of the man beside her. She could feel the tension emanating from him, though he tried to hide it, determined not to let her know about his most inner thoughts before his king reached a decision.
Maria wanted to laugh. Men. They thought they were so discreet, when in truth, most wore their emotions as clearly as day. This was advantageous of course. To her. It allowed her to know which ambassador was most keen on her prize, which match to encourage and which offer to pull back for a better gain. It was easy, really. Child's play.
Inside the other room, sat her second daughter Anna, calmly reading her book of hours as her ladies-in-waiting surrounded her. She was the picture of perfection, wearing a blue dress and a white stickelchen cap with pearls sewn into the fabric. Maria had dressed her herself for the occasion, wanting to emanate the traditional colours of the ambassador's home country. To make him know there was no one more suitable to be the Queen of Scotland than her Anna.
"My pride and joy, Your Excellency," said Maria. "Since her birth, Anna has had a special place in my heart that was solely hers."
There was a silence. Maria thought the ambassador would want to ask questions. About Anna, about her health, about a possible dowry. But he didn't say anything and it frustrated her to no end.
"She is enchanting, isn't it, Father?" Maria asked, breaking the quiet glass between them. The ambassador, a trusted cousin to King James who had taken holy vows, looked at her for a second before returning his eyes to Anna.
Maria was no fool. Her daughter grew more and more beautiful by the day. Of course, her blonde hair was covered by her headdress, but there was more to beauty than just hair. Even her smallpox scars seemed to enhance her face, as if to say that she had survived such a deadly illness and could survive the trepidations of childbirth. The ambassador had to be intrigued by her and what she offered.
"My Anna is a bright girl," Maria continued. "Very healthy, you can be sure of that. She bled for the first time around a year ago and has done it regularly ever since." Alexander Stewart nodded, though his face was slightly pale at the topic of conversation. Maria smiled slightly, though she wanted nothing more than to roll her eyes. Men were so sensitive to business that pertained to a woman's body. It was a wonder why they were so often voicing their opinions about it. "She will have children, she will have good sons."
"How are her humours?" Alexander asked. "The King wants to be sure that he will not have a meddling wife."
"Oh, Anna could never meddle," said Maria. "She is very obedient. In fact, I can't remember if I ever had to repeat myself to her. She always strove to follow my command as quickly and efficiently as possible."
At that moment, a servant came inside the room, holding a silver platter that carried pieces of bread and cut squares of cheese. When Anna noticed the maid's approach, she smiled brightly and closed her religious tome. "Danke," she murmured as the servant dropped a curtsy and left.
"As you can see, my daughter is very kind to all around her," Maria said, smiling. "I doubt any man would ever find someone as gentle, virtuous and docile as her."
"I see," said Alexander, though his face did not speak of an interest beyond superficiality. Maria looked back at her daughter. King James would be an excellent match for her. His family had been on the throne for many generations and his mother was a sister to the King of England.
Both monarchs showed themselves against the Protestant threat, especially with Sir Thomas More having accepted the chancellorship of England. There was no chance of her daughter's immortal soul being soiled on that island. Maria had to acquire the match, she had to.
--
Flanders, Low Countries. 3rd of March, 1529.
As soon as he finished reading the letter, Charles started laughing. It was a joke really, had to be one. Tears pooled at the corner of his eyes because there was no way this could be true.
Juan, who was on the ground playing a game of cards with his cousin, stood up and came to him. "What is it, padre?" he asked, rising on his tiptoes. "I want to see!"
Charles showed the letter to him even though Juan could not read yet. The blonde mop of his head bobbed as he tried to, though, frowning slightly. Taking pity on his son, the Emperor simply smiled brightly and said, "Some of our ships have been attacked by the King of Scotland off the coast of Galicia. Most of their contents have been stolen and the crews were imprisoned for ransom."
"Why is that funny, Uncle?" Christina asked, standing up. She had dark brown hair, with blue eyes and a handsome face. She wore a blue dress, with a white cap over her head. "Stealing is not nice. Auntie said so!"
"Because the King of Scotland is a bold little man," Charles answered, tapping her nose. "He thinks he can threaten us and steal our gold."
"I'm going to kick his bottom!" Juan shrieked. "I will tell him to stop being so naughty."
"You will do nothing," Christina told him, with a sisterly tone to her voice. "Uncle Emperor is going to kick his butt. You're too small to do so!"
Juan frowned, cheeks flushed, before he responded, "Then I'm going to help my papa! We will kick his bottom together, won't we, papa?" He looked at Charles then, with wide and expressive blue eyes.
"We will do nothing of the sort," the Emperor responded and Juan deflated, crossing his arms and pouting deeply. "Instead, I shall send an ambassador to Edinburgh to have a conversation with the King. He must understand that such a thing is not wise to do, considering the power of our family."
"And how will you make him understand, Uncle?" Christina asked with earnest eyes.
He simply looked at her. "I will offer what every young and unmarried monarch wants: a wealthy queen beside him."
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Is it a bad thing that I genuinely want a scene where Juan kicks James on the bottom and tells him to stop being so naughty?