Challenge: Bourbon HRE

Both are likely, the later more so. She was pretty in love with Francis Stephen but will have to marry again if they have no issue. Say, their eldest daughter dies and Joseph II is still born. But I still doubt she marries just to keep Piacenza, considering her suitor at that point would've been Don Carlos... the future Charles III of Spain. If they had enough children it'd be fine, and I suppose her husband could be made HRE (well, it would be given practically). But I still think she might be pressed for a lesser husband. She was a strong woman and Francis Stephen, crudly speaking, was nothing to her. He owed all his position to her, ala Victoria and Albert. I think her advisor, Kaunnitz, would push for a similar union once the widow is torn from her grief and must remarry.

In the second issue, if the reigning HRE only leaves daughter, one of his daughters will succeed to the hereditary domains and her husband will be named HRE. The same exact situation you describe happened with Maria Theresa herself. Charles VI had a brother who left only daughters; a 1701 Pragmatic Sanction had been drafted to allow females to succeed in lieu of a lack of male, with Joseph's daughters being senior. Charles VI chose to override it with his own sanction giving Maria Theresa seniority and effectively denying her aunts any and all share to the inheritance: hence Bavarian and Saxon hostility and attempts to take their fair share.

Interesting. Maybe butterflies could move up Aix-la-Chapelle and the ascension of Don Philip to Parma-Piacenza, with Maria also asking for Genoa and Modena (I think? Maybe Mantua, can't remember) as well. Joseph would ideally still be a child or dead, leaving Maria in a situation where she's only had daughters by Francis Stephen and needs a husband to be Emperor. Alternatively, you could have Don Philip come to her court - maybe even to court one of her daughters - and she falling madly in love with him and marrying him out of love.

In the second scenario, I advocated the brother-in-law's succession in an occassion where the niece is still an unmarriageable child and the HRE's death is clearly eminent. Alternatively there's no niece and the popular brother-in-law is simply pushed forward as heir in the complete lack of alternatives (othe than the HRE crown passing completely out of the family). Maybe for his succession to go through Austria-Hungary would have to come to terms with others and incurr a few loses here and there.
 
Interesting. Maybe butterflies could move up Aix-la-Chapelle and the ascension of Don Philip to Parma-Piacenza, with Maria also asking for Genoa and Modena (I think? Maybe Mantua, can't remember) as well. Joseph would ideally still be a child or dead, leaving Maria in a situation where she's only had daughters by Francis Stephen and needs a husband to be Emperor. Alternatively, you could have Don Philip come to her court - maybe even to court one of her daughters - and she falling madly in love with him and marrying him out of love.

In the second scenario, I advocated the brother-in-law's succession in an occassion where the niece is still an unmarriageable child and the HRE's death is clearly eminent. Alternatively there's no niece and the popular brother-in-law is simply pushed forward as heir in the complete lack of alternatives (othe than the HRE crown passing completely out of the family). Maybe for his succession to go through Austria-Hungary would have to come to terms with others and incurr a few loses here and there.

Option one would work. Genoa was still a republic at this point, though, and the Austrians already ruled Mantua. Joseph I had driven out the duke in 1708. There's also an issue with Philip... as most European royalty, he married quite young. ;) He married Louis XV's daughter in 1739. So she'd have to be out of the picture too for him to be a viable suitor. I think Maria Theresa would take him for political reasons, and possibly for an earlier diplomatic revolution in the quadrille, but I doubt she'd be madly in love. She's had that with Francis and he's dead. I think she'd only take a second husband because she's forced to do so for political reasons.
 
Option one would work. Genoa was still a republic at this point, though, and the Austrians already ruled Mantua. Joseph I had driven out the duke in 1708. There's also an issue with Philip... as most European royalty, he married quite young. ;) He married Louis XV's daughter in 1739. So she'd have to be out of the picture too for him to be a viable suitor. I think Maria Theresa would take him for political reasons, and possibly for an earlier diplomatic revolution in the quadrille, but I doubt she'd be madly in love. She's had that with Francis and he's dead. I think she'd only take a second husband because she's forced to do so for political reasons.

Ah ok. So yeah, we need to butterfly away the French marriage - death in childbirth or something. According to Wikipedia (not the greatest source, I know) Austria had conquered Genoa and Modena, which they restored in 1648. So maybe Philip could be endowed with Genoa and Parma-Piacenza, making him an interesting consort.

I think it's possible for her to marry for love - not "love" - but as an ageing woman with no man and lots of enemies/stress to deal with. A bit like Elizabeth Tudor came nearest to actually marrying when she got older and experienced Marianesque desperation at the possibility of marrying a pretty younger man (although thankfully she was clever enough to turn him down).

An interesting scenario would see Maria Theresa marrying Don Philip, who's elected HRE and becomes King of Hungary & Bohemia, with her eldest daughter marrying a son of his by the French princess, ensuring the complete union of the two houses. :)
 
Ah ok. So yeah, we need to butterfly away the French marriage - death in childbirth or something. According to Wikipedia (not the greatest source, I know) Austria had conquered Genoa and Modena, which they restored in 1648. So maybe Philip could be endowed with Genoa and Parma-Piacenza, making him an interesting consort.

I think it's possible for her to marry for love - not "love" - but as an ageing woman with no man and lots of enemies/stress to deal with. A bit like Elizabeth Tudor came nearest to actually marrying when she got older and experienced Marianesque desperation at the possibility of marrying a pretty younger man (although thankfully she was clever enough to turn him down).

An interesting scenario would see Maria Theresa marrying Don Philip, who's elected HRE and becomes King of Hungary & Bohemia, with her eldest daughter marrying a son of his by the French princess, ensuring the complete union of the two houses. :)

Genoa did join the War of the Austrian Succession, but Philip wouldn't be endowed with it. The Republic would be restored, probably some minor border changes. The whole reason they sought French support was because Piedmont was eying Finale, a strip of land. The city was besieged, but AFAIK it was never actually conquered by the Austrians. There was also a popular insurrection in 1746 against the invaders. She was in her decline, but Aix-la-Chapelle was mostly a status quo ante. No reason to keep an unruly city. Parma and Piacenza is just enough -- no Francis Stephen also opens up the possibility of him getting Tuscany too. Tuscany would be a much better weighed choice over Genoa.
 
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