Alright so this is a preview of a TL I am working on in which Queen Katherine gives a son to Henry VIII and thus England stays Catholic and an ally of Spain and the Hapsburgs. The events will result with a long run Hapsburg dynasty in England, a Protestant France, a union of Portugal and Spain, an independent Scotland, powerful Dutch Empire, and a completely different colonization of the Americas.
So please let me know what you guys think this is simply a start I plan to continue it once i have free time in the summer:
Volume I: A Tale of Two Dynasties
On November 24th 1521 King Henry the VIII of England nervously waited within his chamber. Just a few rooms away Queen Katherine was in the process giving birth to his future son. Her screams could be heard across the entire palace. After several painful hours of waiting the court physician delivered the news; Queen Katherine had given birth to a healthy young boy. Celebrations continued for days to come as King Henry rejoiced in having a male heir.
Chapter I The Defender of the Faith: England 1521 - 1600
Henry VIII Fidei Defensor (r. -1491-1548)
Prior to the birth of his son, Henry VIII had passionately dedicated his time to writing a response to Martin Luther’s attacks on indulgences. Henry vehemently and openly opposed the Lutheran heresy, as he feared it could split his kingdom into a civil war as it had done within the Holy Roman Empire. The protestant movement had not only grown in popularity within his kingdoms but new religions were spawning everyday in the process. Henry hoped to one day oppress all insurrection within his dominions.
As Henry revised the drafts of his response it slowly began to take the form of a book. Although it remained mostly a private matter Henry did allow his closest advisor’s Cardinal Thomas Wosley and Thomas More brief glances of the document for feedback. The amount of their contribution is relatively unknown. After three years of drafting Henry finally published the book early in 1521 under the title Assertio Septem Sacramentorum (The Defense of the Seven Sacraments or the Assertio), around the same time that Queen Katheirne became pregnant with the future prince.
The Assertio quickly became one of the most successful pieces of the Catholic counter-reformation. Henry had dedicated the book to Pope Leo X, who in turn rewarded Henry by giving him the title Fidei Defensor or Defender of the Faith. A few weeks later Queen Katherine successfully gave birth to Henry’s second child. A male heir who was aptly named Henry, after his father.
The Royal Family
It was little mystery that the royal marriage had began to wane prior to the birth of Prince Henry furthermore the legitimacy of the marriage was constantly put in question since Katherine had been married to Henry’s brother Arthur. Knowing that Queen Katherine had failed to give Henry a male heir for several years and aware of the marriage’s fragility several opportunists at court had tried to find Henry a consort of his appeal within their daughters and sisters. Amongst such opportunists were the Howard and Seymour families. Sadly, for them, the birth of Prince Henry restored balance to the royal household.
The birth of the Prince was followed by days of celebration. King Henry had never been wary spender and with the birth of his son he saw even less of a reason to become one; he saw his son as God’s reward for his stance on the Assertio and treated the boy as such a gift. Like he had done with Mary he doted and boasted about his child; at the age of six King Henry rewarded his son with his own personal court while his mother took care of his education. And although the prince was treated like a precious child the reality was much grimmer.
Queen Katherine had given birth to a sickly child. Like his sister Mary, Prince Henry suffered from sinus conditions and constant headaches; his care demanded constant attention and prayer. King Henry became increasingly devout; he prayed for his son’s wellness whenever young Henry showed signs of sickness and prayed even more on the days the prince was healthy to show his gratefulness. This newfound faith will eventually play a major role in the development of his politics throughout the remainder of his rule.
Marriages for both children were constantly arranged; Henry hoped to have his son marry within the English court to solidify the Tudor claim to the throne and have Mary marry within the continent to foster an alliance. Both tasks proved a hassle. Mary betrothal to the Dauphin of France was repudiated due to Henry’s military campaign on the coast. She was then contracted to the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V, but the engagement broke off when the emperor opted to marry Isabella of Portugal instead. Meanwhile prince Henry was the most sought out bachelor in the English court even before he was old enough to talk. Mary found marriage when Charles V came about with a new offer for an alliance; Mary was to marry the Emperor’s younger brother Ferdinand, the Archduke of Austria, who had recently widowed. Although mistrustful of Hapsburg influence in his court Henry conceded and the contract was signed. Mary was engaged to the Archduke in 1529 at the age of 14. Unfortunately prince Henry had less luck finding marriage.
Henry’s Hunt for Heretics
Henry VIII was not kind to the growth of the Protestant movement within England, much less to those he believed were only using it to gain power. Across Europe revolts and religious wars were being fought between those loyal to the Pope and the Reformers. Henry was not going to have his kingdom suffer a civil war. He dealt with reformers in the same way he had dealt with any opposition. He had them executed. At court any suspicion of being involved with the heresy has heavily punished. Some of the most famous cases include the executions of:
• Thomas Cromwell, a royal counselor who had gained axes, to King Henry VIII inner circle in a call of parliament regarding a loan.
• Thomas Cranmer an assistant to Cardinal Wolsey. Wolsey himself was accused of defending heretics but the case was never proven and the King eventually showed mercy though the Cardinal had fallen from his graces.
• The Boleyn family – Thomas Boleyn was an ambitious diplomat who had served as ambassador to France. His ambitions were such that he encouraged both his daughter’s to have affairs with the king. It is believed that Henry did fancied Mary, the elder of the daughters. But as her father’s ambitions continued to meddle with the Kings affairs and his support of the protestant movement became apparent all affection Henry had for the family abruptly ended with the execution of Thomas Boleyn and other prominent members of both his family and the Howard family to whom he was married.
• William Tyndale – A protestant Bible-translator. Tyndale’s execution in 1534 caused major uproar across England. He died a martyr of the protestant movement.
After Cardinal Wolsey fell from the King’s graces Thomas More replaced him as the King’s most trusted advisor replaced him. Like Henry, More was a devout Catholic yet he preferred to deal with the protestant heresy in a subtler manner. With great diplomatic craftsmanship More was able to appease the king into dealing with the heretics diplomatically. More was also crucial in keeping a good relation between England the Pope and the Emperor. Nevertheless the suppressions in turn contributed to further resistance particularly around the Scottish border were the Protestant movement was the strongest. Suspicion of Scotland aiding numerous uprisings created much distrust between both nations.
Henry’s Legacy
Throughout his reign Henry VIII sponsored the building and improvement of several palaces and colleges throughout the England including Surrey Palace, the Westminster Cathedral and Palace of Whitehall. Surrey Palace was originally intended to be Henry’s greatest building project, a palace designed to be a celebration of the power of the Tudor Dynasty, However the project was never finished due to lack of funds. Henry VIII is also credited for founding the Royal Navy. Although this is not entirely true, as the royal navy already existed; he did however, invest significantly in shipbuilding, and naval innovations mostly to pursue his ambitions in France. In the long run Henry’s military efforts will secure England’s place within the European powers. The alliance with the Hapsburgs, secured through Mary’s marriage, will also play a large role in the years to come.
Unfortunately the persecution of protestant movements throughout his reign will leave England heavily divided. Those who used to be indifferent about the movement saw the persecutions as signs of Catholic tyranny and ended up embracing the Protestant Faith. In Ireland, another portion of his realm, Henry’s faith had the opposite effect. In 1539 the Irish Parliament passed the Crown of Ireland Act 1542, which declared Ireland a kingdom and officially changing Henry’s title form “Lord of Ireland” to “King of Ireland”. Most Irish regarded the Pope as the true head of Ireland. However Henry’s close relationship with Rome gave Henry and unprecedented popularity in Ireland; once the Kingdom of Ireland became recognized by the Papal authority the Irish gladly embraced their new king. Henry VIII’s coronation as King of Ireland was the first meeting attended by both the Irish and Anglo aristocracy.
Although Henry VIII inherited a vast fortune for his father much of the fortune was lost throughout his reign; much of the wealth was spent maintaining his court and that of his children. His military campaigns in France and building works also placed great strain in his treasury. Although he rarely involved Parliament in the affairs of the crown, Henry VIII had to ask Parliament several times for money, in particular for the grants to fund his wars in France. At the time of his death in 1548 Henry VIII died in debt.
Henry IX (r. 1548 – 1556)
In the spring of 1548 prince Henry was crowned at the age of 27 as Henry IX. Upon ascension Henry married his long-term courtier Anne Seymour daughter of Edward Seymour 1st Duke of Somerset. Though the marriage was a happy one it produced no children.
At the beginning of his reign Henry IX continued most of his father’s policies, however economic difficulties led to social unrest and soon he found himself making major reforms to stabilize England. Henry withdrew most of the English troops stationed in Scotland and Calais in 1550 to quell down an internal rebellion fueled by the discontent protestants. At first Henry IX brutally repressed the rebellion but finally conceded to the Protestants by signing the Acts of Tolerance in 1555 as a way of guaranteeing the loyalty of the Protestant community as long as their faith was tolerated. In reality the acts were merely a placebo since the extent of tolerance however was fairly limited any protestant masses and holidays had to be practiced discreetly and out of public eyes. This resulted in the creation of closed protestant communities across England.
Henry XI fell terminally ill early in 1556, not having bared any children himself Edward declared his older sister Mary I his heir.
Chapter II A New English Dynasty
Mary I Queen of England (r. 1556 -1564)
Marriage to Ferdinand of Bohemia Life in a Foreign Land
The English Throne
Alliance with Spain
Charles I The Golden Age (b. 1542 r. 1564 – 1606)
Marries Isabella of Spain
War with Scotland – Scottish Calvinists move to Cape Cod
Colonization of the Americas
Marianna and New England - English colonies in the New World
Sons of Charles
Charles II (b. 1568 r. 1606 – 1610)
Ferdinand I (b. 1574 r. 1610 – 1625)
Chapter III Where Sun Never Sets
Charles V Lutheran Tolerance
Colonization and Conquest
Hernan Cortez and Francisco Pizzarro
New Spain & New Aragon
Phillip King of Spain and Portugal
Reaching the Phillipines
Portuguese Troubles and Neatherland Independence
A Portuguese Marriage
Alliance with England
Charles II
The Iberian Union
An Empire Where The Sun Never Sets