Audentes Fortuna Iuvat: A Timeline
- Thread starter pandizzy
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Chapter Eighteen - Catherine de Medici
Catherine de Medici, Dowager Queen of France, died on February 6 1580, reportedly due to complications after suffering a stroke three months prior. At the time of her death, Catherine was nominally the regent of France for her grandson, nine-year-old King Henri III, but faced significant hostility from her daughter-in-law, and Henri’s mother, Anne of Austria. According to tradition, Anne should have been the regent for her son, a tradition that was ignored by Charles IX when he named his own mother as regent in his will.
To avoid losing her role, Catherine attempted to work with the new Queen Mother, permitting her to take on some of her duties. Anne, however, counted with the money sent by her father and uncle, working silently to bribe and blackmail members of the parliament; a skill she learned from watching Catherine herself. Because of this, many at court agreed it was only a matter of time before parliament awarded Anne with the regency and custody of her young son.
And so it may have been almost a mercy for her to die before her own downfall, especially of natural causes. Although contemporary gossip believed Anne helped Catherine die, the Queen Mother was seen crying at the funeral and worked hard to ensure her burial at the Basilica of Saint-Denis next to her husband, King Henri II.
Effigies of Catherine de' Medici and Henry II by Germain Pilon (1583), Basilica of St Denis
Due to the dynastical marriages of her children, especially Henri, Marguerite and Elisabeth, Catherine’s descendants would marry into many noble and royal families. Because of this, she later came to be known for the nickname ‘Grandmother of Europe’, or Grand-mère de l'Europe in French.
After the death of her mother-in-law, Anne of Austria elected to leave Paris for the country, reportedly because of a plague epidemic that was sweeping the city. More likely, this was because of a possible insurgency from Huguenots, who threatened a renewal of their movement. So, the entire court was moved to Anne’s own estate in the County of La Marche.
During the chaos following Catherine de Medici’s death, Catherine de Bourbon and loyal followers managed to escape. On the night of the 8th of February, Catherine told her guards that she would be sleeping in her daughter’s rooms that night, supposedly to comfort the girl after the death of her beloved grandmother. Although the guards moved to protect Catherine de Valois’ rooms, the young princess and her mother instead stayed at Catherine de Bourbon’s own chambers, where they exchanged clothes with a loyal servant and a court dwarf. They fled from Paris in the direction of Upper Navarre, where safety could be assumed. Their escape was only discovered the next morning when Anne of Austria wished for her son to play games with his betrothed, and the guards found that the two Catherines were missing. Henri, Prince of Condé, attempted an escape as well, but failed to leave Paris, and was summarily killed by the soldiers who followed him.
Catherine de Valois.
Since Catherine de Valois was still a young child, being four-years-old at the time, it would take time for the mother and daughter to reach relative safety. Because of this, they were still in catholic lands when the search for their whereabouts started.
François de Alençon was furious by what he saw as a betrayal from his wife, calling it a blatant crime of kidnapping his young daughter. Incensed by what he saw as a betrayal from his wife, he gathered a force of three hundred men to bring her back. After the death of King Henri of Navarre, Catherine's older brother and predecessor, Charles IX sent troops to Upper Navarre to secure his sister-in-law’s kingdom from Philip II of Spain. Although the French court assumed Navarre was still under their hands, the truth was far from it.
Angered at what they saw as usurpation from their rights, the Navarrese expelled the French from their lands, killing most and managing to prevent news from reaching the capital. Because of this, Alençon was oblivious to the anti-French atmosphere that would greet him once he reached Pau, the capital of Navarre. Assuming he would be welcomed by his brother’s troops, Alençon was instead ambushed by the city militia, who destroyed his forces. He barely escaped with his life.
But Catherine de Bourbon didn’t have time to celebrate her husband’s defeat. For some reason that is still unknown to this day, news of her flight managed to reach King Philip II of Spain. Eager to finish what his ancestors started, that is the complete conquest of Navarre by the ruler of Aragon, one hundred Spanish troops crossed the border in secret in June 1580.
These one hundred Spaniards managed to find Catherine de Bourbon and her daughter in the outskirts of Agen, a city near the Principality of Bearn. Catherine de Bourbon only had about twenty loyalists with her, most of whom were women, and at the sight of the men bearing the Spanish flag, she cried out, “Mon Dieu, we have been betrayed!”.
The conflict that followed was a bloodbath, of whom only one person would emerge alive from the Navarrese side. Four-year-old Catherine de Valois was kidnapped by Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, 3rd Duke of Alba, who took her from her mother’s horse and rode away as his soldiers massacred the remaining people. Catherine de Bourbon, Queen of Navarre, died after being stabbed, and her body was left there to be found by the Duke of Lorraine, who was only a few miles behind them and had also been sent to find the young queen.
As Catherine de Valois, the new Queen of Navarre was taken to Madrid, the hopes of a renewed French-Navarrese crown were destroyed. Her arrival at the Spanish court was a somber and tragic affair, where the young Queen seemed to cry for days. She couldn’t speak Spanish and often asked for her mother to the nurses employed by King Philip. At one time, she tore apart the clothes she was wearing, as they were in the Spanish fashion, and refused to be dressed again.
King Philip, instead, focused on gathering troops to take Navarre by force and often ignored the nurse’s concerns.
Queen Elisabeth, King Philip’s niece and consort was shocked at the sight of the distressed child. Seven-months-pregnant at the time, she insisted on speaking French to Catherine, and would often approach her husband with requests of mercy on the young girl. ‘The Little Queen needs kindness, my lord,’ she once told him, ‘She had her entire world taken away from her. She needs the warmth and love of a mother and father, and isn’t this our Christian duty?’ Because of her kind treatment, Catalina, or La Pequeña Reina, as she was now called, became extremely attached to Elisabeth, and they would remain close throughout their lives.
Queen Isabel of Spain by Jorge de la Rúa.
Two months after her arrival in Madrid, in September 1580, Catalina de Valois was officially betrothed to Infante Felipe, Prince of Asturias. They would be officially married when she reached the age of fourteen in 1590. At the time, negotiations for Felipe’s marriage with Infanta Catarina of Portugal were almost finished and the wedding date and dowry had already been decided, but this was all canceled when Felipe was given the opportunity to finally conquer more of France, his family's long enemies. Offended by the rejection of his daughter, Sebastian of Portugal married eleven-year-old Catarina to her first cousin once removed, Charles Emmanuel I, Duke of Savoy, finally giving the ambitious Duke an even stronger blood claim to the Duchy of Milan. As 1580 ended, the effects of Catherine de Medici’s death were still felt throughout the known world.
Infanta Catarina of Portugal, Duchess of Savoy.
To avoid losing her role, Catherine attempted to work with the new Queen Mother, permitting her to take on some of her duties. Anne, however, counted with the money sent by her father and uncle, working silently to bribe and blackmail members of the parliament; a skill she learned from watching Catherine herself. Because of this, many at court agreed it was only a matter of time before parliament awarded Anne with the regency and custody of her young son.
And so it may have been almost a mercy for her to die before her own downfall, especially of natural causes. Although contemporary gossip believed Anne helped Catherine die, the Queen Mother was seen crying at the funeral and worked hard to ensure her burial at the Basilica of Saint-Denis next to her husband, King Henri II.
Effigies of Catherine de' Medici and Henry II by Germain Pilon (1583), Basilica of St Denis
Due to the dynastical marriages of her children, especially Henri, Marguerite and Elisabeth, Catherine’s descendants would marry into many noble and royal families. Because of this, she later came to be known for the nickname ‘Grandmother of Europe’, or Grand-mère de l'Europe in French.
After the death of her mother-in-law, Anne of Austria elected to leave Paris for the country, reportedly because of a plague epidemic that was sweeping the city. More likely, this was because of a possible insurgency from Huguenots, who threatened a renewal of their movement. So, the entire court was moved to Anne’s own estate in the County of La Marche.
During the chaos following Catherine de Medici’s death, Catherine de Bourbon and loyal followers managed to escape. On the night of the 8th of February, Catherine told her guards that she would be sleeping in her daughter’s rooms that night, supposedly to comfort the girl after the death of her beloved grandmother. Although the guards moved to protect Catherine de Valois’ rooms, the young princess and her mother instead stayed at Catherine de Bourbon’s own chambers, where they exchanged clothes with a loyal servant and a court dwarf. They fled from Paris in the direction of Upper Navarre, where safety could be assumed. Their escape was only discovered the next morning when Anne of Austria wished for her son to play games with his betrothed, and the guards found that the two Catherines were missing. Henri, Prince of Condé, attempted an escape as well, but failed to leave Paris, and was summarily killed by the soldiers who followed him.
Catherine de Valois.
Since Catherine de Valois was still a young child, being four-years-old at the time, it would take time for the mother and daughter to reach relative safety. Because of this, they were still in catholic lands when the search for their whereabouts started.
François de Alençon was furious by what he saw as a betrayal from his wife, calling it a blatant crime of kidnapping his young daughter. Incensed by what he saw as a betrayal from his wife, he gathered a force of three hundred men to bring her back. After the death of King Henri of Navarre, Catherine's older brother and predecessor, Charles IX sent troops to Upper Navarre to secure his sister-in-law’s kingdom from Philip II of Spain. Although the French court assumed Navarre was still under their hands, the truth was far from it.
Angered at what they saw as usurpation from their rights, the Navarrese expelled the French from their lands, killing most and managing to prevent news from reaching the capital. Because of this, Alençon was oblivious to the anti-French atmosphere that would greet him once he reached Pau, the capital of Navarre. Assuming he would be welcomed by his brother’s troops, Alençon was instead ambushed by the city militia, who destroyed his forces. He barely escaped with his life.
But Catherine de Bourbon didn’t have time to celebrate her husband’s defeat. For some reason that is still unknown to this day, news of her flight managed to reach King Philip II of Spain. Eager to finish what his ancestors started, that is the complete conquest of Navarre by the ruler of Aragon, one hundred Spanish troops crossed the border in secret in June 1580.
These one hundred Spaniards managed to find Catherine de Bourbon and her daughter in the outskirts of Agen, a city near the Principality of Bearn. Catherine de Bourbon only had about twenty loyalists with her, most of whom were women, and at the sight of the men bearing the Spanish flag, she cried out, “Mon Dieu, we have been betrayed!”.
The conflict that followed was a bloodbath, of whom only one person would emerge alive from the Navarrese side. Four-year-old Catherine de Valois was kidnapped by Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, 3rd Duke of Alba, who took her from her mother’s horse and rode away as his soldiers massacred the remaining people. Catherine de Bourbon, Queen of Navarre, died after being stabbed, and her body was left there to be found by the Duke of Lorraine, who was only a few miles behind them and had also been sent to find the young queen.
As Catherine de Valois, the new Queen of Navarre was taken to Madrid, the hopes of a renewed French-Navarrese crown were destroyed. Her arrival at the Spanish court was a somber and tragic affair, where the young Queen seemed to cry for days. She couldn’t speak Spanish and often asked for her mother to the nurses employed by King Philip. At one time, she tore apart the clothes she was wearing, as they were in the Spanish fashion, and refused to be dressed again.
King Philip, instead, focused on gathering troops to take Navarre by force and often ignored the nurse’s concerns.
Queen Elisabeth, King Philip’s niece and consort was shocked at the sight of the distressed child. Seven-months-pregnant at the time, she insisted on speaking French to Catherine, and would often approach her husband with requests of mercy on the young girl. ‘The Little Queen needs kindness, my lord,’ she once told him, ‘She had her entire world taken away from her. She needs the warmth and love of a mother and father, and isn’t this our Christian duty?’ Because of her kind treatment, Catalina, or La Pequeña Reina, as she was now called, became extremely attached to Elisabeth, and they would remain close throughout their lives.
Queen Isabel of Spain by Jorge de la Rúa.
Two months after her arrival in Madrid, in September 1580, Catalina de Valois was officially betrothed to Infante Felipe, Prince of Asturias. They would be officially married when she reached the age of fourteen in 1590. At the time, negotiations for Felipe’s marriage with Infanta Catarina of Portugal were almost finished and the wedding date and dowry had already been decided, but this was all canceled when Felipe was given the opportunity to finally conquer more of France, his family's long enemies. Offended by the rejection of his daughter, Sebastian of Portugal married eleven-year-old Catarina to her first cousin once removed, Charles Emmanuel I, Duke of Savoy, finally giving the ambitious Duke an even stronger blood claim to the Duchy of Milan. As 1580 ended, the effects of Catherine de Medici’s death were still felt throughout the known world.
Infanta Catarina of Portugal, Duchess of Savoy.
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I had an Austrian chapter written out. It felt amazing, I was so happy with it. I was going to post it and then return to finish the Poland civil war, and I was so happy, so excited for you guys to see it... Until I realized the Austrian chapter was set in mid-1581, and we were still in 1580 *sad clown noises*
So this one was an extremely last-minute chapter. Maybe a filler chapter, I could say? I already had all of these ideas, but I just needed something to make the time pass, and I still don't have any concretes ideas for the end of the Polish civil war, so it had to be this. Hope you guys like it! I know I promised tension between Catherine de Medici and Anne of Austria, but I'm feeling like tension, and a possible war, between France and Spain is more interesting. Lol. I'm sorry.
So this one was an extremely last-minute chapter. Maybe a filler chapter, I could say? I already had all of these ideas, but I just needed something to make the time pass, and I still don't have any concretes ideas for the end of the Polish civil war, so it had to be this. Hope you guys like it! I know I promised tension between Catherine de Medici and Anne of Austria, but I'm feeling like tension, and a possible war, between France and Spain is more interesting. Lol. I'm sorry.
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Excellent chapter, it's nice to see Anne of Austria getting the regency, hopefully she can pull France together... I expect the Hugenots to start singing,"Ding dong the witch is dead..." Haha... I feel for poor Catherine of Navarre, to be kidnapped and having endured her mother's murder must have been quite traumatic.. Still, at least the Queen of Spain is keen to look after her, and hopefully her marriage will be happier than her mother's was..
Ah, yes, the huguenots are very happy that Catherine is dead!
Catalina hasn't had the easiest start in life, but hopefully, she will manage to pull herself out of it!
Chapter Nineteen - Ernest of Austria
12 June 1581. Vienna, Austria.
Archduke Ernst von Habsburg walked through the corridors of the Hofburg Palace, his heart hammering inside his chest. The servants scurried away from his gaze, perhaps noticing the frenzied look on his eyes, and he ignored them as he led himself to his father’s personal chambers.
The messenger had arrived only a fortnight before in his holdings on Inner Austria, telling him of his father’s illness, and the Emperor’s desire to see him in these last few moments. Ernest had ridden like a mad man to reach the capital, hoping with everything that was inside him that could see his father before the man passed. The heavy rains turned most roads into impregnable mud pools, but at last, he arrived. That the flags weren’t lowered and all courtiers he saw weren’t wearing mourning clothes made him have hope once again that Maximilian II was still alive, that there was still time for father and son to have one last conversation.
The guards opened his father’s doors as soon as they saw him, without even asking the Emperor for permission. Ernest hesitated before walking inside his father’s chambers, thinking of the many times in his boyhood that he wasn’t allowed to talk through these doors without the Emperor’s knowledge. He took a deep breath and walked, smelling the burning candles and hearing the priests praying at his father’s bedside.
The first face he saw was his mother’s, her dark auburn hair pulled tightly under a white veil. She had her eyes tightly closed, whispering fervently as she knelt beside the Emperor’s bed, asking God to save her beloved husband. Ernst saw his younger brothers, Matthias, Maximilian, and Albert, sitting in chairs around the room. Maximilian and Albert had their eyes wide in shock, and Matthias was leaning against the windowsill, his shoulders shaking as if he were crying.
Two priests were standing around his father, reciting the last rites, but Ernst heard his father cursing in german, waving them away with his arms. “Get away,” he coughed, his voice raspy, “There is nothing you can do for me now. Get away!”
Empress Maria opened her eyes, standing up. She didn’t notice Ernest in the doorway as she touched his father, “Let them do what needs to be done.”
For the first time in Ernest’s entire life, he saw his father coil away from his mother, turning his sweat-drenched face to the other side. As the priests moved around the bed, the Archduke saw his father, lying limply on his bed, and had no words to describe how he looked. His skin was as pale as paper, hanging loosely off his bones like he had lost weight in a short span of time, and his eyes were wide and bloodshot. Consumption, the doctors said he had, but that could honestly mean anything.
“Ernest?” he called out, his voice rising. The effort to speak was too much on his frail body, however, and he coughed dryly. Ernst wasn’t able to miss the gush of scarlet blood shooting out of his father’s mouth, staining his pale inner shirt, “Has Ernest come? Where is my son and heir?”
“I am here,” Ernst said, stepping forward. He saw the shock on his brothers’ faces, certainly not expecting him to be there, and his mother stood up even straighter, a hand covering her agape mouth. What must I be like for them to not believe me capable of coming, he wondered, “I’m here, father.”
“Ernest?” his father repeated, a hopeful tone in his voice, “Ernest, you have come?”
“Yes.” He walked to the bed, kneeling beside it. His father seemed to smile when he saw him, his chest moving up and down weakly. “I have. I’m here, father.”
He took his father’s hand and saw how cold and clammy it was as if he was already dead. Ernst shivered and thought about how his father always presented himself as a boar, healthy, and strong. It didn’t matter how many siblings he lost in childhood, how he felt when his grandfather died, because his father was there, and nothing would change that. He could always lean on Maximilian if the need arose.
But not anymore, it seemed.
Maximilian smiled again, blinking his eyes lazily. He looked at Empress Maria, standing beside his deathbed, and sighed, coughing once more, “Leave us.” Ernest widened his eyes as everyone turned to them, watching the Emperor intently, as if they didn’t believe what was said.
“Maximilian?” his mother whispered, a rare show of weakness.
“Go,” he said again, “Leave me alone with my son.”
The order was clear. Slowly, the room emptied as Ernest’s brothers and mother left, followed by the two priests and the occasional servant who came inside. Soon enough, it was just Ernest and his dying father in the Emperor’s chambers.
“Father...” Ernst started, not knowing what to say.
“My boy,” his father responded, “Soon, you will be Emperor, and you will lead this family to greatness.” He closed his eyes, taking in shallow breaths, and smiled, weakly.
“Don’t speak this way, father,” Ernest murmured, “There is still hope. I shall write to my uncle, requesting permission for us to visit his lands in Italy. The warm air and the Mediterranean will rid your body of this sickness.”
But his father shook his head, “There is no use fighting against God’s will. My journey ends here.” He smiled, “You will be a good ruler, I know it so. Better than your brother would have been.”
Ernst didn’t say anything. His older brother, Rudolf, had died in 1575 of smallpox, making him the new heir to the vast Austrian dominions. At the time, Ernest had been away from court, visiting his uncle in Madrid, as he had been tasked with the handing over of his sister Elisabeth to her new husband. When he returned, however, his father made sure he was sworn-in as heir apparent, and his entire life changed.
“I will try to be good, father, so help me God,” he said at last.
Maximilian smiled once more and then sighed, “You must take good care of your sisters, Margaret and Eleanor. They are young still and in need of a father. Find them good husbands, who will respect them.”
Ernst nodded. Margaret was fourteen and sweet Eleanor, his youngest sibling, had just turned twelve, “I will, father.”
“And ensure the peace amongst our subjects. Do not persecute the protestants, they are God’s children just as we are.” Ernest wanted to deny that. He had been educated in his uncle’s court in Spain, where the inquisition determined that protestants and their like were heretics who’d burn for eternity.
But his father had ruled Austria and the Empire for many years. Surely, he’d know what he was talking about.
“And your cousin, Isabella Clara Eugenia…”
Ernest already knew what he’d say, and nodded, “I will send ambassadors to Spain, requesting the honoring of our agreement. Isabella will be my Empress, as our grandparents have done before us, and our firstborn son will be called Maximilian. That, I do so swear.” His cousin Isabella had once been promised to his older brother and it only made sense that they marry.
But his father didn’t react as he thought he would. He expected the Emperor to nod, or to even feel bittersweet at the grandson he would never meet, but instead… He seemed almost sad at the notion.
“No, you mustn’t.”
“Father?” Ernest asked, confused.
“You mustn’t marry your cousin,” Maximilian repeated.
“Why not?”
“That betrothal was your mother’s idea.” His father shook his head, “I let my love for her cloud my judgment. You can't let her do the same to you. To marry your own kin is against God’s law and I know the cost of going against Him. Sixteen children, my wife gave me, but now… only eight remain with us."
Ernest didn't know what to say. He knew his brothers and sisters had died because God wanted it so. It was the only reason why, but could his father truly be speaking reason? Had God cursed his bloodline because of his parent's marriage?
Maximilian continued speaking, oblivious to his thoughts, "Your mother convinced me to marry Elisabeth to your uncle Philip, to make her a Queen. Tell me, Ernest, are you to be a brother to your own nephew? A son to your sister?”
“Father, what are you saying? If the Pope grants us a dispensation, God will forgive us.”
“The Pope,” his father spat as if the word were poison on his mouth. Ernst hesitated and he remembered servants whispering when he was a child. His father had once flirted with the reformation and almost lost the entire Empire for his heresy. Could he have kept all of these ideas inside, not telling anyone about what he truly thought of religion? “The Pope is nothing but a man chosen by ourselves. He doesn’t speak for God.”
“Father…” he said, frightened of what the Emperor was saying.
“Listen to me, Ernest,” Maximilian said, eyes wide, “You mustn’t marry your cousin. Promise me. If you don't, God’s wrath will fall upon the House of Austria. The Habsburgs must look away from family bonds for spouses, or else there will be no more boys, no more heirs.”
“Father…”
“Promise me, Ernest,” his father repeated, grabbing his hand with all of the remaining strength on his body.
Ernest sighed, wondering if this was truly the wisest course, and nodded, “I promise, father.”
Ooh. Okay, now this makes for an interesting angle on the future of the Hapsburgs. Looking forward to more!
Interesting? No, I hope in doing so that the Habsburgs won't die out as they did IOTL.
Hopefully some new blood can make the Habsburgs healthier, and perhaps bring some much needed funds to the empire...
The wife I have picked out for Ernest is very rich and, as far as I know, not related to him in the first four degrees.
Actually, that's not true.
Charles II and the other Habsburgs aside, marrying your relative is bad because of the chances that both of you carry a defective gene. Many diseases that kill children today are genetic, meaning that their Gene's caused some sort of problem in their body. Huntington's disease, for example, is genetic. Alzheimer and even cancer can be inherited.
Say your grandfather had Huntington's and you marry your own cousin, also a grandchild of that man. The chances that any biological children you have may also develop Huntington is very high. That's why most cultures have the taboo of not marrying your cousin or another close relative. King Tut had deforms all over his body because his parents were full-blooded siblings and had to use a cane because of his terrible clubfoot.
And even if you don't have a genetic disease, you may inherit a weak immune system where, in a world without penicillin and vaccines, means you can contract and die of diseases more easily.
Otherwise, if this genetic risk wasn't a problem, then everyone would be marrying their relatives, not just royals and nobles who wish to keep the power in the family.
I mean, look at this. Charles II of Habsburg was the product of centuries of inbreeding. As far as the Spanish side of his family is concerned, the last non-Habsburg ancestor he had was Isabella of Portugal. He had an older brother who died at 2 after a lifetime of suffering from epilepsy and other conditions. His sister married their uncle and gave birth to four children, of whom only one survived. There reached a point where, despite their perfect life with modern medicine and more food than you can handle, the Spanish Habsburgs were losing more children to infant mortality and stillbirths than peasants.
So yeah, genetics is a big deal in regards to infant mortality. I know I'm not as experienced as some in this site in regards to history and politics, but I know genetics and I know human health.
Still you are exaggerating the consequences of such matches and Maximilian telling to Ernest to NOT marry his Spanish fiancé is pretty much absurd
Maximilian would NOT be so stupid to ask to his son to insult the King of Spain breaking the engagement.
Remember, Isabella has a fairly diverse genetic profile as a result of her mother. Ernst probably less so, but still I think his chances of having at least one healthy child (which is all it takes tbh) with Isabella are pretty good. Isabella’s otl brother Philip iii (son of an uncle-niece marriage) also married a Habsburg (cousin of Ernst and daughter of an uncle-niece marriage herself) and their surviving children were all healthy with multiple surviving children of their own.
Yeah, if Ernst is smart he will realize that marriage with Isabella is the best option.
Or would he be though? I mean on one hand, in terms of politics, keeping it in the family would be preferred, especially as all of the Habsburg Domains, sans their German ones, can change hands through female succession. For the Habsburgs, who probably has the intent on establishing a universal monarchy, it's best to keep it in the family, so as to reduce the chance of any dominions held by the house slipping from out of the house.
On the other, as shown with the Spanish Habsburgs, keeping it in the family is not ideal in the long term, for precisely the same reasons @pandizzy mentioned. Don't get me wrong, it is indeed possible that you could still have a child from relations with first cousins, but it becomes harder and harder the more often this happens, until we end up with someone like Carlos II.
Besides, I for one wouldn't mind seeing an inter-Habsburg family feud between the two branches as of current, if only because, I don't think we've ever seen a feud between Habsburg family members before. It shows that they aren't as above it as the Capetian dynasts, or the Stuarts, or the Ottomans.
I mean, I understand what you are saying, but Philip III's most famous children that is, Anne of Austria and Philip IV, had multiple children that's true, but Anne suffered many stillbirths, only able to give birth to her first living child in her late thirties.
Philip IV on the other hand died heartbroken. He had multiple children with his first wife, Elisabeth of France, except only two, Maria Theresa and Balthasar Charles, survived childhood and only Maria Theresa had children of her own (one surviving son out of six live births). With his other wife, Mariana of Austria, he had three known children Margaret Theresa, Philip Prospero and Charles II. In fact, the current line of Spanish kings are descendants of Maria Theresa, since her Bourbon son and grandsons married italian ladies rather than closer relatives. Philip IV has no living descendants through his second wife.
But the point remains that I don't want to find a solution for Philip IV. There is none. Even if Balthasar Charles survived, and married Mariana of Austria, the Habsburg Male-line was a dying breed. They had passed the point of no-return, so to speak. I only managed to save Habsburgs by taking Ernest and having him marry a non-relative. It's strange to think that this is a point of argument, in the way that Philip of Spain is so powerful that Ernest has to marry his cousin. He is powerful, don't get me wrong, but so is Ernest at the moment.
I mean, even if you think about it later, the Spanish Bourbons and French Bourbons who, like the Habsburgs, descended from the same freaking guy (instead of Philip I of Castile, it's Louis XIV of France), there was often enough rejection of brides. Louis XV was going to marry one his Bourbon cousins and she lived in Versailles, was treated as Queen by everyone and still, when the need arose, he sent her away and married someone else. Her father was the king of Spain! Certainly not as powerful as Philip II is here, but still a reigning king.
I mean, in OTL, Isabella Clara Eugenia was rejected by her cousin, Rudolf, when he was Emperor because he didn't want to get married. Original Philip II was even more powerful than my Philip II because of his portuguese inheritance, and still Rudolf had the gal to reject his daughter, so why can't Ernest do the same?
Because Rudolf remained unmarried for years, keeping Philip II and Isabella Clara Eugenia waiting, not rejected her for marrying soon to another bride. Also Rudolf was quite mad... Also Philip III/IV are a totally different matter than Ernest and Isabella Clara Eugenia.
You can stop that chain but NOT humiliating Isabella Clara Eugenia in this way (like you are doing with any Habsburg girl you can (see Anne of Austria insulted by her husband who apparently hated and mistrusted her so much to broke the centenary costumes of France, depriving her of the custody of their son and her rightful regency in favour of his over-scheming mother or their aunt Catherine who was declared public enemy by her husband and not allowed be near to her own only child. I wonder why you hate them so much).
Also Louis XV rejected a girl who was still years away from being able to marry and have children (and paid for that) and that rejection (who was rewarded by sending back the two French girls sent in Spain, one widowed, the other unmarried) was owed to the Duke of Bourbon who wanted Louis XV to start to generate children soon (as he do not wanted the risk of an a Orléans‘ succession).
And Bourbons do NOT ,arrived better at all: Louis XIV married a double first cousin, his son married a second cousin (she was Bavarian not Italian and her Italian mother was a first cousin of Louis XIV wh9 appear etis and his wife). The two grandson of Louis XIV married sisters who were also close relations as they were twice second cousins (one of their grandfathers was Louis XIV’s brother (who had married another first cousin, by the way) while the other was the brother of their maternal grandmother).
Keep in I mind who a different surname do not mean automatically different blood...