DBWI: No Arthur Tudor

Status
Not open for further replies.
What if Arthur Tudor died before he became King Arthur II? What would be its effects? I think his handsome brother Prince Henry would become king. So, what would King Henry be like? What if?
 
What if Arthur Tudor died before he became King Arthur II? What would be its effects? I think his handsome brother Prince Henry would become king. So, what would King Henry be like? What if?

OCC: He would reign as King Arthur (w/o a number until there is eventually a second post-Norman Conquest King Arthur, when he would be referred to as Arthur I). We've had this discussion a few times.;)


IC: Let us suppose that Prince Arthur dies during the early spring of 1508, as he did in fact become quite ill at that time. Prince Henry would have been 4-1/2 and Princess Mary would have been almost 2. Catherine was pregnant w/Prince Arthur at the time, a pregnancy that might be jeopardized by this turn of events. The boy Henry becomes PofW and then, when his grandfather dies, he becomes King as Henry VIII. Who would be the child king's regent - Princess Catherine of Wales or Henry Duke of York? Given their "love/hate" relationship it would be an interesting and intrigue filled several years until Henry VIII took the reins of power for himself.
 
As to the regency, it matters if the powers about the throne want to ally with King Ferdinand, hence C of A as Dowager Queen and regent, or look towards a French alliance, hence Henry Duke of York as regent. But under either circumstance would the handsome, robust, and very intelligent Duke Henry be content with being merely a royal uncle. The last child ruler of England to not be killed by his own relatives was Henry I, son of John. Look at Richard II, Henry VI, and Edward V. Henry of York was every bit the capable schemer as Richard of Glouchester, and handsome and charismatic as well. I see a short reign and early death for Henry VIII and the rise of Henry IX, remembered as one of the greatest and eviliest of English Kings.
 
I could see the same problems that plagued the continent happen in England and its Empire without the compromise of York between the Reformists and Catholics if Arthur never took the throne...Henry showed he was fairly stubborn and proud later in life, and deeply dedicated to Rome, and i couldn't see him playing the diplomat between the various religious factions like his brother did.
 
Well Henry was something of a womanizer so a lot of royal bastards and maybe he might have succession issue in his later life.
 
As to the regency, it matters if the powers about the throne want to ally with King Ferdinand, hence C of A as Dowager Queen and regent, or look towards a French alliance, hence Henry Duke of York as regent. But under either circumstance would the handsome, robust, and very intelligent Duke Henry be content with being merely a royal uncle. The last child ruler of England to not be killed by his own relatives was Henry I, son of John. Look at Richard II, Henry VI, and Edward V. Henry of York was every bit the capable schemer as Richard of Glouchester, and handsome and charismatic as well. I see a short reign and early death for Henry VIII and the rise of Henry IX, remembered as one of the greatest and eviliest of English Kings.

Of the 3 "child" Kings mentioned above both Richard II and Henry VI were adults when deposed. As children they had uncles who ran the country better than they did when adults, which probably had something to do with subsequent events.
 
Well, we have to remember that Henry, Duke of York did have a better track record with his children. You have Elizabeth, Henry, Edmund, Margaret and Edward from his first wife (Eleanor of Austria) and then Thomas, Cecily, Anne, Catherine, Hannah, Robert, Arthur and Charlotte by his second (Amalia of Cleves). I mean, Arthur didn't do as well child wise (out of 11 children only 4 survived) and who can forget the marriage between King Arthur II and his aunt (Charlotte of York)? And Duke Henry II of York, he was the one who went crazy and killed his family, right (I can't remember if it was him or his son)?
 
Top
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top