Daughter of the pomegranate — A 16th century Timeline

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August 1502.
  • Index

    • lost_in_night_dreams

    August 1502

    Durham House | Kingdom of England.

    "I'm so sorry. He was a big boy" said Alice, the old midwife, wiping her hands full of blood. "Handsome but dead.”

    Catherine was lying on the bed, covered with thick sheets, and tears were streaming down her pale cheeks. "It wasn't supposed to be like this. " she muttered.

    Indeed, everything was supposed to be different. From childhood she had been raised to believe that she was destined to be Queen of England, and when she sailed over and married Arthur the year before, her dream seemed to have come true. But nothing went right, after several months of relative happiness - the treacherous disease took Arthur into the cold embrace of death, although before he died, he managed to place the child inside her. But now... Her son was dead. Her little Arthur. Her future King of England, heir to his grandfather’s throne.

    She didn't even feel when one of her maidens, Dona Maria de Salinas, sat next to her and placed a damp cloth on her forehead.

    "My lady." she said.

    Catherine opened her eyes and blinked them. The room seemed to be empty, and the white bundle with her son’s body was lying on the table, covered with a white sheet out of respect.

    "Why, why?" she asked, feeling tears running down her pale cheek. "Why did the Lord take my child to Himself?"

    Her thoughts went to her mother. Queen Isabella lost two sons as stillbirths, and later had to bury two more adult children, as well as their own offspring.

    "Apparently Our Lord needed your child's soul in His Kingdom," said Maria, not knowing how to comfort her mistress. "At least now your son is not alone, he enjoys the presence of his father, Prince Arthur.”

    Catherine sighed, unable to control her tears. Now, after losing her husband and daughter, she could no longer count on staying in England. Her brother-in-law, Henry, was still alive, but he was six years younger than her and there was little hope of her marrying him. Apparently her new destiny was to return to Spain.

    "When I get better and I can get up," she said. "I will write to my parents, but I already know that my time in England ended. “
     
  • Index

    • Dragonboy

    lost_in_night_dreams said:
    August 1502

    Durham House | Kingdom of England.

    "I'm so sorry. He was a big boy" said Alice, the old midwife, wiping her hands full of blood. "Handsome but dead.”

    Catherine was lying on the bed, covered with thick sheets, and tears were streaming down her pale cheeks. "It wasn't supposed to be like this. " she muttered.

    Indeed, everything was supposed to be different. From childhood she had been raised to believe that she was destined to be Queen of England, and when she sailed over and married Arthur the year before, her dream seemed to have come true. But nothing went right, after several months of relative happiness - the treacherous disease took Arthur into the cold embrace of death, although before he died, he managed to place the child inside her. But now... Her son was dead. Her little Arthur. Her future King of England, heir to his grandfather’s throne.

    She didn't even feel when one of her maidens, Dona Maria de Salinas, sat next to her and placed a damp cloth on her forehead.

    "My lady." she said.

    Catherine opened her eyes and blinked them. The room seemed to be empty, and the white bundle with her son’s body was lying on the table, covered with a white sheet out of respect.

    "Why, why?" she asked, feeling tears running down her pale cheek. "Why did the Lord take my child to Himself?"

    Her thoughts went to her mother. Queen Isabella lost two sons as stillbirths, and later had to bury two more adult children, as well as their own offspring.

    "Apparently Our Lord needed your child's soul in His Kingdom," said Maria, not knowing how to comfort her mistress. "At least now your son is not alone, he enjoys the presence of his father, Prince Arthur.”

    Catherine sighed, unable to control her tears. Now, after losing her husband and daughter, she could no longer count on staying in England. Her brother-in-law, Henry, was still alive, but he was six years younger than her and there was little hope of her marrying him. Apparently her new destiny was to return to Spain.

    "When I get better and I can get up," she said. "I will write to my parents, but I already know that my time in England ended. “
    Click to expand...
    With this Henry definitely will not be able to marry her. RIP Arthur and Little Arthur. Suggestion for henry viii's bride: Eleanor of austria.
     
    Happiness

    Happiness

    Great beginning! Too bad for her loss, but at least she can return to Spain and find another husband sooner. Will Elizabeth of York get pregnant here and had different exit of the pregnancy?
     
    Last edited:
    September 1502.
  • Index

    • lost_in_night_dreams

    Richmond Palace. Kingdom of England.
    ​
    The small room, called solar, was lit only by a few lit candles on the fireplace. Leaning at a table covered with scrolls of documents was the figure of none other than King Henry VII.

    Running his fingers through his thinning gray hair, he sighed and dipped his pen into the inkwell to sign the remaining documents. But his thoughts were scattered again. The last few months were difficult for him - his eldest son Arthur died, and his son followed in his wake. The Tudor dynasty was still fresh, and now only three of his and Elizabeth York's children remained alive: Henry, Margaret, and the youngest, Mary.

    "Henry." Suddenly he heard a soft female whisper and raised his head. " Henry. "

    His wife Elizabeth stood before him. Due to the events of the last few months, it had taken its toll on her - her once red hair had been streaked with gray, and her body had become somewhat more frail.

    "You came." He murmured. "You came, Elizabeth."

    Elizabeth smiled slightly and walked up to her husband, standing behind him and placing her hands on his shoulders.

    "How is the matter of our daughter-in-law returning?" she asked. "Are any details agreed yet?"

    Henry cleared his throat again. If only Arthur were still alive, or his son was still alive, he would not have had to plunge into the turmoil of negotiations with the Spanish monarchs again.

    "Their Graces want their beloved daughter returned to their kingdoms." he replied, drumming on the desk. "Their new ambassador has arrived. His name is Hernan Duque de Estrada."

    Elizabeth nodded in understanding. Naturally, she felt sorry for Catherine that she had lost her husband and child so quickly, especially since she was not even seventeen years old.

    " Henry is our only son. " Henry became melancholic again. "Our only son..." But Elizabeth interrupted him.

    "We are still young, husband. And we can still have a son, just like we lost Arthur."

    Saragossa. Kingdom of Aragon.
    ​
    "Catalina gave birth to a child." Joanna said, sitting at the desk in her chamber. "Dead son." She added after a moment with horror.

    "Dead boy, you say?" said her husband Philip, who had been standing turned towards the window with a glass of wine, looking at the gardens of the Aljaferia palace.

    "Yes, Philip. A stillborn boy." Joanna said, examining her husband's expressionless face. Maybe just indifference. "My poor sister... She didn't deserve this."

    Philip muttered something under his breath and put down his glass and moved towards Joanna.

    " Either way, what a short tenure on English soil has been. Now she will return back here, and your dear parents, Their Catholic Monarchs, will take care of her."

    His ironic tone made her shiver. Philip was not an ideal husband, and she, blinded by love, never understood why her father disliked him so much.

    "Philip, don't say that," she said gently. "She's my sister, and she didn't deserve to lose a child at such a young age."

    Philip continued to laugh, and his pearly laughter continued to bounce off the walls of the chambers.

    "Let's hope that she won't follow your sister's example and start talking about how she wants to become a nun in a convent and serve God until the end of her earthly life."

    Joanna froze. She stopped recognizing the man she married, who seemed like a knight in shining armor, like the one in the ballads sung by the turbadurs.

    When she regained her voice, she looked around the room with brown eyes for her husband's figure, but Philip was already gone.

    "Philip, Philip." she said to herself, then took a blank piece of paper to write a letter to her sister.

    ​
     
  • Index

    • Dragonboy

    lost_in_night_dreams said:
    Richmond Palace. Kingdom of England.
    ​
    The small room, called solar, was lit only by a few lit candles on the fireplace. Leaning at a table covered with scrolls of documents was the figure of none other than King Henry VII.

    Running his fingers through his thinning gray hair, he sighed and dipped his pen into the inkwell to sign the remaining documents. But his thoughts were scattered again. The last few months were difficult for him - his eldest son Arthur died, and his son followed in his wake. The Tudor dynasty was still fresh, and now only three of his and Elizabeth York's children remained alive: Henry, Margaret, and the youngest, Mary.

    "Henry." Suddenly he heard a soft female whisper and raised his head. " Henry. "

    His wife Elizabeth stood before him. Due to the events of the last few months, it had taken its toll on her - her once red hair had been streaked with gray, and her body had become somewhat more frail.

    "You came." He murmured. "You came, Elizabeth."

    Elizabeth smiled slightly and walked up to her husband, standing behind him and placing her hands on his shoulders.

    "How is the matter of our daughter-in-law returning?" she asked. "Are any details agreed yet?"

    Henry cleared his throat again. If only Arthur were still alive, or his son was still alive, he would not have had to plunge into the turmoil of negotiations with the Spanish monarchs again.

    "Their Graces want their beloved daughter returned to their kingdoms." he replied, drumming on the desk. "Their new ambassador has arrived. His name is Hernan Duque de Estrada."

    Elizabeth nodded in understanding. Naturally, she felt sorry for Catherine that she had lost her husband and child so quickly, especially since she was not even seventeen years old.

    " Henry is our only son. " Henry became melancholic again. "Our only son..." But Elizabeth interrupted him.

    "We are still young, husband. And we can still have a son, just like we lost Arthur."

    Saragossa. Kingdom of Aragon.
    ​
    "Catalina gave birth to a child." Joanna said, sitting at the desk in her chamber. "Dead son." She added after a moment with horror.

    "Dead boy, you say?" said her husband Philip, who had been standing turned towards the window with a glass of wine, looking at the gardens of the Aljaferia palace.

    "Yes, Philip. A stillborn boy." Joanna said, examining her husband's expressionless face. Maybe just indifference. "My poor sister... She didn't deserve this."

    Philip muttered something under his breath and put down his glass and moved towards Joanna.

    " Either way, what a short tenure on English soil has been. Now she will return back here, and your dear parents, Their Catholic Monarchs, will take care of her."

    His ironic tone made her shiver. Philip was not an ideal husband, and she, blinded by love, never understood why her father disliked him so much.

    "Philip, don't say that," she said gently. "She's my sister, and she didn't deserve to lose a child at such a young age."

    Philip continued to laugh, and his pearly laughter continued to bounce off the walls of the chambers.

    "Let's hope that she won't follow your sister's example and start talking about how she wants to become a nun in a convent and serve God until the end of her earthly life."

    Joanna froze. She stopped recognizing the man she married, who seemed like a knight in shining armor, like the one in the ballads sung by the turbadurs.

    When she regained her voice, she looked around the room with brown eyes for her husband's figure, but Philip was already gone.

    "Philip, Philip." she said to herself, then took a blank piece of paper to write a letter to her sister.

    ​
    Click to expand...
    Amazing work! NO Bess needs to live! Little Henry needs her!

    And suggestion: Make Philip survive so that he and Juana can split the inheritence better ( Charles getting spain, Ferdinand the Hre and italian kingdoms and a third son getting burgundy)
     

    Dragonboy

    Happiness said:
    I'm agree. Elizabeth of York deserved to see her son on the throne. Also prince Henry needs of his mother. 😩
    Click to expand...
    Yep! she was a postive influence on him. Suggestion: Make Henry VII have an... accident down dare that would prevent him from trying for a spare.
     

    isabella

    Dragonboy said:
    Amazing work! NO Bess needs to live! Little Henry needs her!

    And suggestion: Make Philip survive so that he and Juana can split the inheritence better ( Charles getting spain, Ferdinand the Hre and italian kingdoms and a third son getting burgundy)
    Click to expand...
    Burgundy is the richest land in Europe while the Italian lands are under the crown of Aragon. A better split than the OTL one would be Burgundy/Austria/HRE to one son and Castile/Aragon/Naples/Sicily/Sardinia/colonies to the other
     

    Dragonboy

    isabella said:
    Burgundy is the richest land in Europe while the Italian lands are under the crown of Aragon. A better split than the OTL one would be Burgundy/Austria/HRE to one son and Castile/Aragon/Naples/Sicily/Sardinia/colonies to the other
    Click to expand...
    Makes sense. Always can count of you for this girl! thanks! @Happiness , listen to her. she always knows what she's talking about.
     

    Nuraghe

    isabella said:
    Burgundy is the richest land in Europe while the Italian lands are under the crown of Aragon. A better split than the OTL one would be Burgundy/Austria/HRE to one son and Castile/Aragon/Naples/Sicily/Sardinia/colonies to the other
    Click to expand...


    I completely agree, because above all dividing the Habsburg legacy into 3 parts would be a huge mistake at this time, because it would make it easier for France to deal with them individually, although I feel the urgent need to specify that Burgundy is the richest region in Europe ( beyond the Alps ) and that at the moment it is not being devastated by a decades-long conflict
     
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