British Troubles?

I've got some ideas for Britain in my ongoing TL*, but I'm wondering where I could plausibly go with them:

1867-69 -- An earlier Franco-Prussian War (in the TL), with the corresponding earlier upswing of republican sentiment in Britain

1871 -- After a brief illness, Prince Edward dies (recovered OTL)

1874 -- Parliamentary elections result in a non-majority government with Irish Home Rule as the third wheel (like this); attempts at passing a Home Rule Act fail

1875 -- new elections held, Tories win; hold their majority in next election (circa 1880) as well

Now, I've got some ideas from these -- could be with 1874 elections splitting and introducing the bills earlier, we could see something like Irish Home Rule under the inspiring leadership of Charles S Parnell underway by the 1890's.

Alternatively, I could add this event, and take it in a very different direction:

1882 -- Queen Victoria is (successfully) assassinated; a young Prince Albert Victor is coronated Albert I

Maybe here, when Britain finds itself in a world war and with an Irish uprising in a few decades, and a very unpopular King, the country deposes the monarchy altogether and devolves into a proto-Cromwellian Republic.

Do you think either of these ideas are plausible, and which is better? Given the events, are there any other ideas on where I could take it?

*see below
 
Last edited:
These ideas are plausible and have possibility for development. I have not come to a conclusion as to which one is better.

After the general election of February 1874 would the Liberals stay in office or would the Conservatives form a government? At that time neither party advocated Irish Home Rule. If a Liberal government introduced an Irish Home Rule Bill in 1874 or 1875 would not the right-wing of the Liberal Party, people like the Marquis of Hartington, break way as they did in 1886 and form an analogy to the Liberal Unionists?

With the Conservatives winning the elections of 1875 and circa 1880 the Liberals would most probably have won the election of 1885 or 1886.

The butterflies arising from the successful assassination of Queen Victoria in 1882 would be very interesting. Would King Albert I death from pneumonia in 1891 be butterflied away? If not, then presumably his brother George becomes King as George V.
 
After the general election of February 1874 would the Liberals stay in office or would the Conservatives form a government? At that time neither party advocated Irish Home Rule. If a Liberal government introduced an Irish Home Rule Bill in 1874 or 1875 would not the right-wing of the Liberal Party, people like the Marquis of Hartington, break way as they did in 1886 and form an analogy to the Liberal Unionists?

I'm guessing yes -- would fit in nicely with the bill failing despite its introduction...

With the Conservatives winning the elections of 1875 and circa 1880 the Liberals would most probably have won the election of 1885 or 1886.

Yes.

The butterflies arising from the successful assassination of Queen Victoria in 1882 would be very interesting. Would King Albert I death from pneumonia in 1891 be butterflied away? If not, then presumably his brother George becomes King as George V.

That death would be butterflied away. Now, FWIG, he would have been a problematic monarch to say the least...
 
Maybe here, when Britain finds itself in a world war and with an Irish uprising in a few decades, and a very unpopular King, the country deposes the monarchy altogether and devolves into a proto-Cromwellian Republic.

Not quite sure why you think that the country would depose the monarchy in such a TL. The usual response to an assassination is an outpouring of support for the institution that murdered individual represented. Yes, the future King could be intellectually challenged, but more likely is that under that system, Parliament would instead just limit the monarch's power to roughly OTL style. I think they would understand that they have no right to abolish the monarchy just because the current King isn't up to the job. Now, if the King started throwing misjudged accusations and demands at Parliament and tried attacking their own power it's possible, but I still think that you can't really have a timeline where Victoria is murdered and then in the same generation, Parliament responds by abolishing the monarchy. The public would go mad and would storm the Houses of Parliament in support of Albert.
 
So British Republic unlikely in this scenario, huh? Well, what do you think the outcome of the assassination would be?

Suppose also Albert was still king when war came in Europe and was unable to perform his duties? Would he be pushed to step down?
 
At the very least, England won't go republican that easily - they didn't exactly like Cromwell's Commonwealth. And the monarchy is so entrenched in British culture anyway.
 
Yeah, looks like a British Republic is out of the question for what I have in mind then; unless anyone has any other suggestions for interesting effects of King Albert I, I'll likely drop the assassination.
 
One thing you can do to greatly increase the likelyhood of Irish home rule:

Parnell never meets Kitty O'Shea. They had a passionate love affair which came to light during O'Shea's divorce from her husband, which discredited Parnell. Remove this, Parnell is still strong and probaly gets the Home Rule Bill passed.
 
Parnell never meets Kitty O'Shea. They had a passionate love affair which came to light during O'Shea's divorce from her husband, which discredited Parnell. Remove this, Parnell is still strong and probaly gets the Home Rule Bill passed.
This. Parnell was mentioned in the divorce proceedings, and lost many supporters. Both him and Home Rule were discredited by the fallout. Butterfly this, and the Bill could get through.

Admittedly, you would lose a rather good political riposte from your TL: At a tempestuous meeting designed to unite the Party behind him, Parnell shouted, "Who is the master of this party?" Legend has it that the response was, "Who is the mistress of this party?"
 
Top