Catherine de Valois' Remarriage

Since my POD about Jacqueline of Holland is going nowhere slowly, I’m throwing this one out there in the hopes that it will get more traction:


Henry V died on 31 August 1422, leaving an infant son as heir to the crowns of both England and France. His widow, the French princess, Catherine de Valois, was not even twenty one. Now, what happened OTL was that Kate wanted to marry a Beaufort duke of Somerset (I’m guessing this was Margaret Beaufort, Countess of Richmond’s dad), but the Council blocked such a remarriage (probably fearing an increase of the Beauforts’ power). When she heard of this, Kate was heard to remark along the lines that she would remarry to someone so low that they could not have an objection to it. She supposedly married Owain Tudor and had three sons (Edmund, Jasper, Owen) and two daughters (Tacinda/Katherine and Margaret) by him. It was through Edmund that the house of Tudor would rise to prominence and through her grandson, Henry that they would occupy the throne until 1603.


More OTL: John, duke of Bedford, heir presumptive to the infant Henry VI married Anne of Burgundy in 17 April 1423, but had no children by her (unless you believe the stillborn child theory that caused Anne’s death). True, this was to underline the Anglo-Burgundian alliance, and John’s later remarriage to Jacquetta of Luxemburg represented the fracturing of this alliance, but here’s my POD question.


Why didn’t John marry the widowed Katherine? True, the Council might attempt to block it like they did her match with Lord Somerset, but in an age where infant mortality was abysmally high (one only has to look at Katherine’s brothers and Charles VII’s children’s fates), Henry was a very slender reed on which to rest the peace/union between England and France. If he had died young, it would’ve meant a new round of fighting (most likely IMHO).


I know there was a TL a few years back on John marrying Katherine because Henry V dies before Troyes is signed, but this is slightly different. Henry VI still exists, he lives out his OTL life as king of England and possibly of France, but the Lancastrian succession is more secure, because John has a few kids with Kate.


(in emulation of @Kynan, hope I don’t muck up too badly):


Catherine de Valois, Princess of France (b.1401) 1m: 1420 Henry V, King of England (b.1387, d.1422); 2m: 1424 John, Duke of Bedford, Regent of France (b.1389, d.1435)


[1m.] Henry VI, King of England and France (b.1421)

[2m.] Katherine (b.1425)

[2m.] Mary (b.1427, d.1427)

[2m.] John (b.1429, d.1429)

[2m.] Edward, Duke of Bedford (b.1430)

[2m.] Thomas, Duke of Clarence (b.1431)

[2m.] John, Cardinal (b.1432)

[2m.] Isabelle/Elizabeth (b.1433)


PS: Yes, I sort of just copied and pasted Katherine’s kids with Owain into her marriage with John under different names.
 
Henry V died on 31 August 1422, leaving an infant son as heir to the crowns of both England and France. His widow, the French princess, Catherine de Valois, was not even twenty one. Now, what happened OTL was that Kate wanted to marry a Beaufort duke of Somerset (I’m guessing this was Margaret Beaufort, Countess of Richmond’s dad), but the Council blocked such a remarriage (probably fearing an increase of the Beauforts’ power).

I think it was Marg's uncle Edmund Beaufort who had a dalliance with Catherine de Valois. Margaret Beaufort's father John spent virtually all of the 1420s and most of the 1430s in captivity in France.

Having John Duke of Bedford marry Catherine would likely piss off Humphrey- they clashed IOTL, and Humphrey might think such a marriage would undermine his (Humphrey's) position in England (Bedford being the king's step-father as well as Regent in France might make him too powerful for Humphrey's taste). There's also the fact that Bedford is busy in France, and people in England, including Gloucester, would be well-placed to block such a marriage.

Would the lack of a Bedford-Anne marriage mean the Anglo-Burgundian alliance fractures earlier?
 
I think I mentioned in another thread that there seemed to be a full-time dispensation office for royals and nobility......all you needed was a reasonable story about how necessary the marriage was and/or enough cash/jewels/power, depending upon the Pope.
 

I think the Anglo-Burgundian alliance might limp on for a while - but it's gone as soon as they decide it's no longer in their best interests. I could also see the duke of Burgundy playing Humphrey and John off against each other to expand Burgundy's power. There's obviously going to be bad blood between the French regent and the Burgundian duke due to the broken engagement. But there's also going to be the fact that Humphrey is married to Jakobea of Bavaria, whose lands Burgundy is eyeing. However, in the TL I mentioned above (that I can't seem to find on the forums) John marries Catherine and instead of marrying Jakobea, Humphrey marries the daughter of Philippe the Good and founds the line of Plantagenet-Burgundy.

But considering that there Henry V also dies before Troyes, it's a bit of a stretch. So, let's consider this: John's still appointed as regent in France, married to a French princess, and begetting little half-French offspring. Humphrey, meanwhile, is ruling back in England, has no kids, and has a marriage that is of doubtful validity (both to Jakobea of Bavaria and then to Elinor Cobham (however, the validity of the one marriage scotches the validity of the other)). Philippe the Good has some room to manoeuvre. He can play John off against Humphrey, Humphrey against John, or the English off against Charles VII (depending on what he wants). He's obviously not going to give up the Bavaria-Straubing lands, so as long as Humphrey is married to Jakobea, I don't think that kite's gonna fly. But, Humphrey had lost interest in Jakobea and the marriage was annulled/invalidated between 1425 and 1428. If Philippe is looking for an Anglo-Burgundian alliance (i.e. against John), there's always the possibility that he can offer Anne to Humphrey (she married John in 1423, 1425 isn't a long wait). Humphrey might also decide that it's a good idea - if only as a way of making sure John doesn't get too many ideas.

If Philippe decides he's gonna play John off against Humphrey, then it's obviously a little more difficult. He's not going to want to give up anything, and John likewise, plus neither have age-appropriate children they can marry to seal an alliance - Philippe's first kid OTL is born of his third marriage (unless we're considering the possibility of his daughter by his first wife actually existing (she might make a more tempting offer to Humphrey than Anne if she lived)). So, John and Philippe need to find a common enemy. The logical target would be the dauphin. However, I think having John ruling France (plus married to a French princess giving him half-French babies) is going to be a bit more English than Philippe can stomach, and I could see him shifting sides to the court at Chinon sooner rather than later.
 
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These are the family trees from the TL I was talking about, but I can't seem to find the TL. Any help would be much appreciated
 
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