Elizabeth I dies in 1588

It was quite a trial for an old lady, holding the country's hopes together, addressing the nation (or posterity) at Tillbury, and the hopes and the fears of the Armada battles. Historically, the Earl of Leicester died soon afterwards, so in our alternate history we have the added synchronicity of the Queen, exhausted by the ordeal, also passing away.

There is no acknowledged heir. Arabella has been presented at court, and foreigners might consider her heir, but she has been banished back home for insisting on the precedence that an heir should have, Elizabeth famously never wanting to settle this issue if she could avoid it.

There is a strong party who think that James VI, being foreign-born (and King of the Scots!) should not be in the line of succession. At the same time, Elizabeth was always careful to avoid giving any deliberate hint that she considered him out of the question, for example in not protesting the appropriation of Arabella's title, or its lands, and though Burghley chased up her jewellery on occasion, it was clearly seen as something at his level, rather than between monarchs.

Essex is in the ascendant. He is rumoured to be with the Queen til the early hours, returning they say when the birds begin to sing. He has also been standing up for Arabella at court, and of course he hates Ralegh whom he views as a common-blood upstart.

When Elizabeth dies, Arabella is with her grandmother in Derbyshire. Her step-grandfather Shrewsbury is Earl Marshal and still alive, and reasonably strong.

If we posit that Elizabeth collapses exhausted and passes away overnight, in the early hours, there is no time to make any arrangements.

Does Essex move to secure the throne for Arabella, with a view to marrying her?

What do Burghley and Walsingham do?

Would James VI be in a position to invade to demand what he sees as his right?

England is on a high, after the Armada - does this come crashing down, or does it give extra resistance to the idea that there will be no Scottish monarch?

Best Regards
Grey Wolf
 
Arabella and her OTL husband (with the validity of parents’ wedding recognized) would be the best way for keeping James VI away from the Crown of England
 
Arabella and her OTL husband (with the validity of parents’ wedding recognized) would be the best way for keeping James VI away from the Crown of England

She's only just coming of age in 1588.

Seymour is only just getting himself born...

Essex was certainly fond of her, and it would not have been out of the question to get himself betrothed to her. I can certainly see him acting to put her on the throne, with the intention of being the power behind the throne, hoping to be the power beside the throne.

It is an interesting question that history never answered - does the husband of a queen become king? The first time it comes up is a hundred years later with William III who certainly did, but he had his own royal line of descent tied into his marriage. Anne's husband did not become king. But would the expectation have been there in the 1580s? For example, had Leicester married Elizabeth (a couple decades previously) was the expectation that he would have become king?
 
She's only just coming of age in 1588.

Seymour is only just getting himself born...

Essex was certainly fond of her, and it would not have been out of the question to get himself betrothed to her. I can certainly see him acting to put her on the throne, with the intention of being the power behind the throne, hoping to be the power beside the throne.

It is an interesting question that history never answered - does the husband of a queen become king? The first time it comes up is a hundred years later with William III who certainly did, but he had his own royal line of descent tied into his marriage. Anne's husband did not become king. But would the expectation have been there in the 1580s? For example, had Leicester married Elizabeth (a couple decades previously) was the expectation that he would have become king?
Right, I was really thinking to Edward Seymour aka Arabella OTL father-in-law as her ATL husband and mixed him with his son. A wedding between Edward and Arabella with a joint coronation will put on the throne both the senior line of descendance from Mary, Queen of France and the junior line from Margaret, Queen of Scotland aka the one who was English-born and not rule in Scotland.

Philip II of Spain became King Consort to Mary I of England, William of Orange was joint crowned with Mary II as her co-ruler, in Scotland Francis II of France was King Consort to Mary Stuart, while Darnley never had the matrimionial crown... I think that was based on the will of the council and the rank of birth of said husband (and/or also from the ambition of said consort).
 
I believe Phillip as King Consort of Mary would serve as precedent in that case. So Essex would be King Consort with any rights regnant as per the marriage contract with Queen Regnant Arabella.
 
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Philip II of Spain became King Consort to Mary I of England, William of Orange was joint crowned with Mary II as her co-ruler, in Scotland Francis II of France was King Consort to Mary Stuart, while Darnley never had the matrimionial crown... I think that was based on the will of the council and the rank of birth of said husband (and/or also from the ambition of said consort).

I think it had to do with how much the drafters of the marriage contract were willing to bite their tongue. With Felipe II and Willem III they both had armies and foreign realms backing them. Felipe to NOT make him a king would've been a snub which could've pissed off the Habsburg weltreich. Willem III insisted on the kingly title AFAIK and threatened to bugger off back to Holland if he didn't get it. Since the alternative was Papist Jamie and the French coming back they caved. But Jane Grey made a point of telling Guildford Dudley that he would not be made king by her, only duke [of Clarence].

It would be cool if we could get an Iberia type precedent established - until the queen's borne an heir/ess, the husband is only Prince Consort. Once she does so, her hubby gets a promotion to king.
 
I think it had to do with how much the drafters of the marriage contract were willing to bite their tongue. With Felipe II and Willem III they both had armies and foreign realms backing them. Felipe to NOT make him a king would've been a snub which could've pissed off the Habsburg weltreich. Willem III insisted on the kingly title AFAIK and threatened to bugger off back to Holland if he didn't get it. Since the alternative was Papist Jamie and the French coming back they caved. But Jane Grey made a point of telling Guildford Dudley that he would not be made king by her, only duke [of Clarence].

It would be cool if we could get an Iberia type precedent established - until the queen's borne an heir/ess, the husband is only Prince Consort. Once she does so, her hubby gets a promotion to king.

Ah thank you, I did not know that about Jane Grey and Guildford Dudley

King Guildford I sounds weird anyway lol!
 
Ah thank you, I did not know that about Jane Grey and Guildford Dudley

King Guildford I sounds weird anyway lol!

Not to the imperial ambassador although he referred to King Liudolf or something like that IIRC. So we'd likely have seen several foreign manglings.

No such problem with Edward or William or Robert. And I for one think a King Bob would be fun.
 
Guildford's father was of course very much alive, and the power behind the throne, so it might have seemed "odd" to have a father who is a duke, but be a king oneself.

Essex's father was obviously dead (or he wouldn't have been Essex), though his stepfather was still alive
 
Reading Rowse, it appears that 1588 is realistically the last chance that someone other than James would succeed Elizabeth. He states that James' behaviour during the Armada, and during its disintegration as it rounded the British isles, convinced Elizabeth and her advisors that he was the one.

This would imply a lack of immediate military readiness on James' part. So that when Elizabeth pops her clogs, and Essex moves to proclaim Arabella, James won't be in an immediate position to invade in support of his claim?
 
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