I've been wanting to start a second time line for awhile now, but wasn't too sure on the subject. After doing a little kicking around this morning, I finally decided on the classic Keep the Stuarts on the English throne, with a tiny POD of Charles II marrying Anne d'Orleans in 1647. In hopes to give him a brood of legitimate children. There's still the issue of his bride's Catholic religion, and her French nationality, which should cause some interesting knock-off effects during the period of Cromwell's Commonwealth. No worries, I still intend for Charles II to be a notorious philanderer! 
I'm hoping this TL will be a little less intense than my other one. I can't promise frequent updates, but I'll probably keep them a bit shorter and probably more focused on Western Europe more than anything. Now, without further adieu...
“She is a kind and witty princess, which is what I would most like in a wife.
It matters not if she isn’t very pretty—that is what mistresses are for!”
Charles, the Prince of Wales on Anne d’Orléans
Despite wishes to stay on in England alongside his father, the continued military defeats of the royalist party in the ongoing civil war in England convinced the Prince of Wales, Charles, to leave England for his own safety and to evade capture. Traveling many miles across hostile territory held by the Parliamentarians, Charles first reached the Isle of Scilly, allowing him to escape to Jersey, and thence to France. Landing in Normandy, Charles hastened to Paris to join his mother, Henrietta Maria, who had escaped from the country in 1644. Supported by the French crown, Henrietta had settled in Paris and hosted a court-in-exile at St. Germain, appointing Kenelm Digby, an eccentric Catholic as her chancellor. Arriving at St. Germain in the spring of 1646, Charles enjoyed a tearful reunion with his mother; with the Dukes of York and Gloucester, as well as the Princess Elizabeth still in England, Charles was the only other child of the Queen of England to be at her side (although the infant Princess Henrietta would be ferried out of England and reunited with her mother in June).
The daughter of Henri IV and Marie de Médicis, and thus a French princess by birth, Henrietta Maria was able to rely upon the French government to support her lavish court at St. Germain, as well as providing lodgings in Paris. Despite having certain legitimacy by being the wife of the King of England, a great number of exiles chose to flee to Holland, rather than join Henrietta’s court, finding her French connection repugnant. A variety of Frenchmen attached themselves to the Queen’s household, and her open adherence to Catholicism caused great derision from those Englishmen still attached to the cause of their king, yet attached even more to their Protestant Religion. Despite being only newly arrived from England, rumors flew amongst exiled communities that Henrietta was well on her way to corrupting the Prince of Wales, inducing him to accept the Papist faith, and preaching to him that Absolutism was the only proper government he should follow.
They were partially correct. While Henrietta was not ‘corrupting’ the Prince of Wales in the traditional sense, she was certainly pushing him towards a certain princess that she wanted him to marry—Anne d’Orléans, Le Grand Mademoisellelle. The eldest daughter of the Duke of Orléans, Anne had inherited a massive fortune from her mother only five days after her birth: aside from including a massive sum of money, it included five duchies, the Dauphinate of Auvergne, and the sovereign principality of Joinville. Anne was greatly interested in the Prince of Wales, and Henrietta was eager to encourage the match—not only was Anne her niece, but she hoped her revenues might not only be used to support herself and Charles, but also to aid the royalist caise. Although rumors of the Empress Maria becoming ill caused Anne to become interested in the possibility of marriage to the Emperor Ferdinand, the Empresses’ recovery[1] caused Anne to resume her visits to St. Germain.
It was not until the end of 1647 that the Prince of Wales openly declared his interest in marrying Le Grand Mademoiselle to her father the Duke of Orléans and Anne of Austria. Cardinal Mazarin, chief minister of the French Regent was opposed to the marriage on account of the vast fortune and extensive properties possessed by Anne d’Orléans, which would only be augmented upon the death of her father. Mazarin was not keen on seeing Anne’s properties pass into the hands of the Prince of Wales. Although Charles I was still struggling with the Parliamentarians, the possibility of Anne’s wealth ultimately ending up in the hands of the English crown proved deeply unpopular. The marriage treaty was finally agreed upon in early 1648; Anne and Charles would be allowed to marry. In return Anne would sell her properties at Saint-Fargeau and Châtellerault, and with the agreement that her remaining lands would remain the personal property of herself and her heirs. Although reluctant to part with her the lands specified, she ultimately signed the marriage treaty as it allowed her to maintain two of her most profitable estates—the Principality of Dombes and the County of Eu.
The ratification of the marriage treaty was the ultimate success of Henrietta Maria, and the Prince of Wales was married to Anne d’Orléans in the spring of 1648 at Notre Dame. A lavish affair, it was nevertheless considered an affair of the French nobility; although those English exiles situated around St.Germain attended, many Protestants denounced the marriage, decrying the brides’ Catholic faith as well as her French connections and seemingly ambitious nature. Many Protestants equated her to a modern day Agrippina who would certainly corrupt the Prince of Wales as Henrietta had corrupted her own husband. The marriage provided for Henrietta and her son financially, but certainly harmed their credibility amongst the English royalists. Even Charles I had reservations of his son marriage, remarking that, “My queen has done more harm to our cause than she will ever know. What use is Mademoiselles ècus if no one will fight for us?”
Not long after their marriage, the Prince of Princess of Wales traveled south to Clermont where they established themselves away from the overbearing presence of Henrietta Maria. It was here that Anne would remark later in life were both she and Charles were the happiest. They lived frugally and despite stormy arguments, the couple seemed to genuinely care for each other. Yet the Prince of Wales longed to return to his England. His father had been captured in 1647, yet had managed to escape from Parliamentarian clutches, negotiating a secret treaty with the Scots, with the promise of church reform. Under this secret treaty, the Scots agreed to invade England and restore the king to his throne. In return, he would establish Presbyterianism in England for three years.
By the summer of 1648, a series of uprisings had broken out in England and the Scottish army had invaded from the north. At the time, Anne was pregnant with the couple’s first child and Charles made the decision to head to The Hague to seek support from the Prince of Orange and his sister, the Princess Mary. Despite a comfortable exile in Clermont, the Prince of Wales was disappointed by the lack of support from his French relatives for his father’s cause. Although the Regent had promised some monetary support[2], Charles decided to try his luck his luck in the Netherlands. With the pregnant Princess of Wales in tow, Charles arrived at The Hague in July of 1648, receiving a cool reception…
[1]In OTL, the death of the Empress Maria in May of 1646 caused Anne to abandon her infatuations with the Prince of Wales, seeking to marry the widowed Ferdinand. In ATL, the Empress survives and Anne maintains her interest in Charles.
[2]With his marriage to Anne d’Orléans, the French promise some support during the Second Civil War (1648), but nothing substancial. As in OTL, Charles decides to head to the Netherlands.
I'm hoping this TL will be a little less intense than my other one. I can't promise frequent updates, but I'll probably keep them a bit shorter and probably more focused on Western Europe more than anything. Now, without further adieu...For St. George! For St. Louis!
“She is a kind and witty princess, which is what I would most like in a wife.
It matters not if she isn’t very pretty—that is what mistresses are for!”
Charles, the Prince of Wales on Anne d’Orléans
Despite wishes to stay on in England alongside his father, the continued military defeats of the royalist party in the ongoing civil war in England convinced the Prince of Wales, Charles, to leave England for his own safety and to evade capture. Traveling many miles across hostile territory held by the Parliamentarians, Charles first reached the Isle of Scilly, allowing him to escape to Jersey, and thence to France. Landing in Normandy, Charles hastened to Paris to join his mother, Henrietta Maria, who had escaped from the country in 1644. Supported by the French crown, Henrietta had settled in Paris and hosted a court-in-exile at St. Germain, appointing Kenelm Digby, an eccentric Catholic as her chancellor. Arriving at St. Germain in the spring of 1646, Charles enjoyed a tearful reunion with his mother; with the Dukes of York and Gloucester, as well as the Princess Elizabeth still in England, Charles was the only other child of the Queen of England to be at her side (although the infant Princess Henrietta would be ferried out of England and reunited with her mother in June).
The daughter of Henri IV and Marie de Médicis, and thus a French princess by birth, Henrietta Maria was able to rely upon the French government to support her lavish court at St. Germain, as well as providing lodgings in Paris. Despite having certain legitimacy by being the wife of the King of England, a great number of exiles chose to flee to Holland, rather than join Henrietta’s court, finding her French connection repugnant. A variety of Frenchmen attached themselves to the Queen’s household, and her open adherence to Catholicism caused great derision from those Englishmen still attached to the cause of their king, yet attached even more to their Protestant Religion. Despite being only newly arrived from England, rumors flew amongst exiled communities that Henrietta was well on her way to corrupting the Prince of Wales, inducing him to accept the Papist faith, and preaching to him that Absolutism was the only proper government he should follow.
They were partially correct. While Henrietta was not ‘corrupting’ the Prince of Wales in the traditional sense, she was certainly pushing him towards a certain princess that she wanted him to marry—Anne d’Orléans, Le Grand Mademoisellelle. The eldest daughter of the Duke of Orléans, Anne had inherited a massive fortune from her mother only five days after her birth: aside from including a massive sum of money, it included five duchies, the Dauphinate of Auvergne, and the sovereign principality of Joinville. Anne was greatly interested in the Prince of Wales, and Henrietta was eager to encourage the match—not only was Anne her niece, but she hoped her revenues might not only be used to support herself and Charles, but also to aid the royalist caise. Although rumors of the Empress Maria becoming ill caused Anne to become interested in the possibility of marriage to the Emperor Ferdinand, the Empresses’ recovery[1] caused Anne to resume her visits to St. Germain.
It was not until the end of 1647 that the Prince of Wales openly declared his interest in marrying Le Grand Mademoiselle to her father the Duke of Orléans and Anne of Austria. Cardinal Mazarin, chief minister of the French Regent was opposed to the marriage on account of the vast fortune and extensive properties possessed by Anne d’Orléans, which would only be augmented upon the death of her father. Mazarin was not keen on seeing Anne’s properties pass into the hands of the Prince of Wales. Although Charles I was still struggling with the Parliamentarians, the possibility of Anne’s wealth ultimately ending up in the hands of the English crown proved deeply unpopular. The marriage treaty was finally agreed upon in early 1648; Anne and Charles would be allowed to marry. In return Anne would sell her properties at Saint-Fargeau and Châtellerault, and with the agreement that her remaining lands would remain the personal property of herself and her heirs. Although reluctant to part with her the lands specified, she ultimately signed the marriage treaty as it allowed her to maintain two of her most profitable estates—the Principality of Dombes and the County of Eu.
The ratification of the marriage treaty was the ultimate success of Henrietta Maria, and the Prince of Wales was married to Anne d’Orléans in the spring of 1648 at Notre Dame. A lavish affair, it was nevertheless considered an affair of the French nobility; although those English exiles situated around St.Germain attended, many Protestants denounced the marriage, decrying the brides’ Catholic faith as well as her French connections and seemingly ambitious nature. Many Protestants equated her to a modern day Agrippina who would certainly corrupt the Prince of Wales as Henrietta had corrupted her own husband. The marriage provided for Henrietta and her son financially, but certainly harmed their credibility amongst the English royalists. Even Charles I had reservations of his son marriage, remarking that, “My queen has done more harm to our cause than she will ever know. What use is Mademoiselles ècus if no one will fight for us?”
Not long after their marriage, the Prince of Princess of Wales traveled south to Clermont where they established themselves away from the overbearing presence of Henrietta Maria. It was here that Anne would remark later in life were both she and Charles were the happiest. They lived frugally and despite stormy arguments, the couple seemed to genuinely care for each other. Yet the Prince of Wales longed to return to his England. His father had been captured in 1647, yet had managed to escape from Parliamentarian clutches, negotiating a secret treaty with the Scots, with the promise of church reform. Under this secret treaty, the Scots agreed to invade England and restore the king to his throne. In return, he would establish Presbyterianism in England for three years.
By the summer of 1648, a series of uprisings had broken out in England and the Scottish army had invaded from the north. At the time, Anne was pregnant with the couple’s first child and Charles made the decision to head to The Hague to seek support from the Prince of Orange and his sister, the Princess Mary. Despite a comfortable exile in Clermont, the Prince of Wales was disappointed by the lack of support from his French relatives for his father’s cause. Although the Regent had promised some monetary support[2], Charles decided to try his luck his luck in the Netherlands. With the pregnant Princess of Wales in tow, Charles arrived at The Hague in July of 1648, receiving a cool reception…
[1]In OTL, the death of the Empress Maria in May of 1646 caused Anne to abandon her infatuations with the Prince of Wales, seeking to marry the widowed Ferdinand. In ATL, the Empress survives and Anne maintains her interest in Charles.
[2]With his marriage to Anne d’Orléans, the French promise some support during the Second Civil War (1648), but nothing substancial. As in OTL, Charles decides to head to the Netherlands.
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