Henry Tudor, Heretic and Father of Kings

[Cate13]

“Late in 1560 Cesare Borgia would arrange the marriage of his eldest son and heir, Alessandro Borgia, [1] to Prince Henry’s granddaughter, Anne de Rohan. Cesare Borgia had attempted to arrange the marriage of Alessandro to a daughter or granddaughter of Prince Henry multiple times over the last two decades.

Despite the strong relationship between Cesare and Prince Henry, Prince Henry would refuse to betroth any of his daughters to Alessandro Borgia due to Cesare Borgia’s attitudes toward religion and marriage. Prince Henry appeared to have disapproved of Cesare’s tendency to treating the Catholic Church as a political endeavor not a spiritual endeavor as well as his illegitimate children. What’s more Alessandro had several illegitimate children himself.

What’s interesting is Cesare Borgia’s refusal to consider a bride not of Prince Henry’s line for his son. This decision has sparked several rumors about Prince Henry and Cesare Borgia’s relationship that continue to today.”

William Richards, “Italy and the Awakening”​

“The only child of the eldest daughter of King Henri, Anne de Rohan, married Alessandro Borgia early in fifteen sixty-one. Anne de Rohan was the fourth decedent of Prince Henry that was considered for Alessandro Borgia. We have records indicating that Elizabeth Tudor, Cecily Tudor, Charlotte Tudor were all considered and set aside for various reasons.

At age seventeen, Anne de Rohan would travel to Italy. There she would be known as Anna Borgia.”

Queenie Evens, “Anna and Alessandro”​

“The suggested reasons for Cesare Borgia’s choice for his son’s bride vary from the risqué to the absurd. In all probability Cesare Borgia predicted the rising of the Tudors and so sought them out as allies. And if he did predict the Tudor’s rise to power, he was right; by 1560 two countries were led by a Tudor monarch, and for two more the consort of the monarch was a Tudor. The other commonly accepted theory is that Cesare’s admiration of Prince Henry guided him to seek a bride with similar drive.

But, is it possible that the historians are wrong? And that the two most accepted reasons are wrong? If so could there be more to Cesare Borgia and Prince Henry Tudor’s relationship that what was known at the time?”

Hanna Iverson, “The Two Princes”​

 

[Cate13]

“Late in 1561 L'autre Henri, King of France, would be forced to acknowledge that he successor would probably not be his only living son Charles Valois. The sixteen-year-old Dauphin was in frail health and no one really thought he would live or be able to have a son with his Scottish bride. If L'autre Henri were to outlive his son, his traditional heir would be his nephew Louis Valois.

The twenty-one-year-old Prince of the Blood had recently married Helena Habsburg. This was the latest gambit in Louis Valois’s movement to move France away from its alliances with Navarre and England toward more traditionally Catholic countries.

The likelihood of Louis Valois becoming the next King of France greatly concerned L'autre Henri. L'autre Henri had spent much of his reign strengthening the ties between France, England, and Navarre. It was in the early months of 1562, that L'autre Henri began speaking of his daughter, Princess Margaret Valois as if she was in the line of succession. [1]

This was met by not quite as much commotion as would have been expected and the twelve-year-old Princess might have been the Queen of France if not for L'autre Henri death in March of 1562.”

Charlotte Stanton, “L'autre Henri”​

[1] France strictly abided by Salic law, women could not inherit the crown.


“Charles IX Valois came to the throne of France knowing he wasn’t long for the world. He had always been of ill health, but upon becoming King, the symptoms worsened. He had often experienced a lack of energy and appetite, but by May of 1562 would suffer from regular vomiting, muscle cramps, diarrhea, and discoloration of the skin. We now believe that Charles IX suffered from Addison’s disease. Another symptom of Addison’s disease, reduced libido, could be a contributing factor to Princess Marie Stuart’s childlessness.”

Professor Laura Anderson, “The Other Margaret Stewart”​

“A quiet and unobtrusive boy, many expected Charles IX to be a quiet and unobtrusive King. And while it can be said that Charles IX was quiet, he was certainly not unobtrusive. The young king appears to have held firm on the subject of succession and spent the majority of his reign shoring up his sister, Princess Margaret, as his heir.

Privileges and favors were granted to several important French nobles…”

Leon Davenport, “Charles the Ninth of France”​

 

[Cate13]

“To strengthen his sister’s position as his preferred heir, Charles IX would betroth Princess Margaret Valois to Prince Charles Stuart, Duke of Ross. The twenty-two-year-old prince would travel to France early in May of 1562 to meet his betrothed. Prince Charles was charming and charismatic and did much to strengthen Princess Margaret’s position though she still hadn’t been named Dauphine.”

Professor Laura Anderson, “The Other Margaret Stewart”​

“Is history to repeat itself? Will we suffer as England has suffered? A catholic monarch set aside for a Stuart backed queen? Do all the Dukes of Ross have some ability to make queens?”

fragment recovered from a journal dated to be from this period, author unknown​

“It is possible Charles IX would have succeeded in seeing his sister named Dauphine. She was a singularly exceptional Princess, skilled in all the things princesses were supposed to be able to do, and her husband-to-be was all that could be asked for in a king. If Charles IX could have had a little more time to get the French people used to the idea, France might have had its first reigning Queen. But, like his father, Charles IX ran out of time.”

Leon Davenport, “Charles the Ninth of France”​

“Charles IX died July 26th, 1562. At his death things began to really happen. Princess Margaret and Prince Charles, on site in Paris, would quickly marry and Princess Margaret would be smuggled to Scotland and safety, leaving Charles Stuart, claiming to be Charles X, to lead their forces. Prince Louis, claiming to be Louis XIII, would connect with his brother-in-law, Arthur Habsburg, and the Austrian forces that would supplement his army.

There should have been a war, there should have been a long drawn out war. The sides were evenly matched; the Traditionalists [1] had the well-trained Austrian army augmenting their forces and a majority of the population, the Compassionists[2] had almost the entirety of the French army—Charles IX having focused on securing their allegiance—and an heir on the way. This last detail was particularly significant, for Louis Valois had been married to his Habsburg bride for three years and they still didn’t have a child, and here Margaret Stuart is with child after only the wedding night.

There should have been a war, but there wasn’t.”

Duane Irwin, “Marie Stuart”​

[1] Louis Valois’s faction was called the Traditionalists due to their support of the traditional Salic law.
[2] Margaret and Charles’s faction was called the Compassionists due to their support of the compassionate treatment of reformers and awakeners.

 

[Cate13]

“August twenty-eight fifteen sixty-two, the Compassionists’ forces were surrounded and routed. Charles Stuart would be killed in the fighting. The complete and total victory of the Traditionalist and the quickly crowned King Louis XIIIwas due to communications between Marie Stewart, Queen-Dowager of France and Louis Valois that revealed movements and strategies of Charles Stuart. It is unknown if Queen Marie was aware of the way her letters would be used; she had always been rather flightily and appeared to grieve her brother’s death greatly.

The communication between Queen Marie and Louis XIII was the result of an affair between the two that appears to have started before either of their marriages.”

A.E. Bell, “Louis XIII”​

“Marie Stuart first came to France at age thirteen. She appears to have been singularly underwhelmed upon meeting her husband-to-be. Dauphin Charles was a sickly ten-year-old more interested in watching people than parties. Compared to the Dauphin, Louis Valois, then a handsome fifteen-year-old, must have been an attractive alternative.

Many people believed that the Dauphin would not grow old enough to marry Marie Stuart and that his cousin, Louis Valois, would inherit both the position of Dauphin and the Dauphin’s perspective bride.

So, was Marie Stewart’s relationship with Louis Valois a cold calculated attempted to hedge her bets? First trying to ensure that if her husband died she would still be Queen of France, then an attempted to end up on the winning side? Were her letters to Louis Valois just a whimsical teenage girl writing love letters to a paramour, or a calculated risk to ensure the side she favored would win?

For, if she purposefully sabotaged the Compassionists to ensure Louis’s victory, Marie Stuart must have weighed the benefits and consequences very carefully. The consequences of her letters were the denouncement of her home country; she would be banned from ever returning to Scotland and the name Mary was almost completely abandoned in Scotland.

But, because of her actions, Marie Stuart had one of the most charmed lives of the fifteen hundreds. She became the Maîtresse-en-titre of King Louis the Thirteenth and would be granted estates and funds that she herself controlled. She would wield untold power in the French Court. Looking at all she accomplished in her life, it’s hard to believe she unknowingly betrayed her brother. In all likelihood, Marie Stuart made the judgement call and choose the winning side.”

Duane Irwin, “Marie Stuart”​

“The Scottish Court was shocked and greatly grieved at the death of Prince Charles Stewart. They would cut practically all ties with France and the Habsburgs, and, due to their disinclination to deal with protestants, most of the rest of Europe. Scotland and Ireland would enter a period of isolation that would only be broken by the Third Succession War.”

Oliver Gotham, “Arthur and the Throne of England, Scotland, and Ireland”​

“Margaret Valois would spend her pregnancy in the Scottish Court pleading with her brother-in-law for more troops to take back her country. She would go into labor April 20 of 1563. At some point during labor she became unresponsive and the decision was made to surgically remove the baby. The baby, a girl to be named Margaret Stewart, would be successfully delivered, but Margaret Valois would never wake up.”

Professor Laura Anderson, “The Other Margaret Stewart”​

 

[Cate13]

“England and Navarre stood with L'autre Henri and Charles IX in the determination that Margaret Valois was to inherit the crown of France. If Margaret Valois became Queen of France, the existing treaties between the three countries would be honored and what’s more the protestants and awakeners in France would be allowed to continue to practice their religion. [1]

So, at the death of Charles IX, Kathryn Tudor ordered the English fleet to gather and prepare for war, and King Henri gathered Navarre’s forces and placed his son Henri at the head. If the reinforcements had been able to reach the Compassionists, Margaret Valois may have won the day. But, before the English fleet had even set sail, Charles Stuart was dead, and Louis Valois was King of France.”

Professor Laura Anderson, “The Other Margaret”​

[1] While France was the protestant country Navarre was, nor was France the bastion of religious tolerance that England was, France did allow protestants and awakeners to practice their religion. Though protestants and awakeners were not allowed to build churches and had to pay a tax among other infringements on their rights.


“Marie Francoise, Duchess of Brittany, and her husband Francis Tudor were placed in a precarious place by the succession issues of France. For if daughters were now in the line of succession, Marie Francoise had a strong claim as daughter of Prince Francis Valois. Kathryn Tudor made it clear to the couple that she would love to support her cousin’s wife’s claim to France. King Henri III, the King of a country that shared a border with France, was more circumspect.

Marie Francoise and Francis Tudor stalled for several months, prevaricating and hesitating. With Navarre and England, they might have a chance. They certainly would find support from the protestants currently living in France. [1] But, Louis XIII was backed by a majority of the French Nobles and the Habsburgs.

In the end Marie Francoise and Francis Tudor would choose not to claim the Throne of France in return for Louis XIII unconditionally recognizing the autonomy and sovereignty of Brittany. [2] It was said that Francis Tudor remarked that France was not worth the trouble. This choice seems to have been heavily influenced by Marie of Portugal. Marie Francoise’s mother was a firm woman who believed strongly in being cautious.”

Dr. Marella Howard, “Brittany”​

[1] One of the first acts of Louis XIII was revoking the privileges granted to the protestants. Many were burned as heretics the first few months of his reign.
[2] Brittany had existed in something of a limbo for the last few decades. While Brittany had been intended to be united with France it had never actually happened.


“Amongst the larger than life Prince Henry, the commanding Kathryn Tudor, the charismatic King Henry III, Elizabeth Cromwell, and the many other celebrated Tudors, it can be easy to discount Marie Francoise and Francis Tudor. They didn’t win wars or flout convention, nor were they particularly well known in their own time, at least compared to their many many relatives.

But, it’s perhaps their inconspicuousness that we should find conspicuous. They managed to wrest Brittany from France, keep peace with England and Navarre as they refused to seek the throne of France, all without garnering any particular ill-will. During their reign, war never touched Brittany’s land. They lived happily and peacefully in a time where war was commonplace. Also, they were hideously wealthy, Brittany having gained several beneficial trading agreements during their reign.

But instead of the economical and pollical successes, all that Marie Francoise and Francis Tudor are known for are their lurid love letters. [1] This book seeks to fully capture the couple Marie Francoise and Francis Tudor. Yes, they were apparently ridiculously in love, but they were also successful rulers of Brittany.”

Solomon Lee, “Marie Francoise and Francis Tudor”​

[1] For those of you who don’t know, almost a century after the death of Marie Francoise, the love letters she and Prince Francis Tudor exchanged were found amongst her papers. The letters ranged from some beautiful original poetry to rather risqué sentiments.

 

[Cate13]

“The marriage of James VI, King of Scotland and Ireland, to Juana Trastamara, Infanta of Aragon, occurred shortly before the French Queen War—as it was called in Scotland—and it also served as an excuse to recall Elizabeth Hamilton, aunt of James VI, to Scotland from her banishment in Ireland.

Elizabeth Hamilton would return with several ladies she had befriended in Ireland. One of which was Grainne O’Malley or, as history calls her, Grace O’Malley. Grace and the other Irish ladies would seek to represent Irish interests in the way the Irish lords had been not allowed to. Several of the Irish ladies would make prominent marriages, doing much to strengthen the relationship between Scotland and Ireland.

But, Bossy Bess hadn’t brought Grace O’Malley to Scotland to marry a Scottish lord.”

Walter Owens, “Bossy, Bossy Bess”​

“Queen Joan, as Juana Trastamara was known in Scotland and Ireland, would give birth within the year after the wedding to a daughter who was named Marjorie, the name Mary being all but banned. Several miscarriages and stillborn would follow until in fifteen sixty-seven, Queen Joan, would die giving birth to boy who would be named James.”

Maximillian Green, “Scotland, the Isolation Years”​

“The idea that Elizabeth Hamilton brought Grace O’Malley to Scotland specifically to seduce James Stewart has been floated again and again throughout history. But if Elizabeth Hamilton did bring Grace O’Malley to Scotland to seduce her nephew, she played a long game. We have no record of any relationship between Grace or James Stewart during Queen Joan’s life, though the affair does appear to have begun very quickly after her death.

Grace O’Malley and James Stewart never did get married but they would have two children, Seamus and Maeve.”

Aidan Robinson, “Seamus to James”​

 

[Cate13]

“Charles Tudor, second oldest surviving son of Prince Henry Tudor, spent almost twenty-five years in Julich-Cleves-Berg from fifteen forty to fifty sixty-five: first as regent to his younger half-brother Johann Tudor and then simply as an advisor. He would only rarely return to Calais, having left the governing in the hands of his wife, Leonora Borgia. [1] Charles Tudor was particularly beloved by the people of Julich-Cleves-Berg. Records indicate that the Karl, the German version of Charles, became the number one name during this time period.”

Lila Kelly, “Charles Tudor and Johann Tudor”​

[1] Their second daughter, Eleanor Tudor, would be conceived upon one of the visits. She would not meet her father until age three at his next visit. This gives you a hint on just how often Charles Tudor was in Calais.


“Prince Charles Tudor, son of Prince Henry Tudor and Catherine of Navarre, would oversee the marriage of Duke John to Marie Elizabeth, Princess of Saxony, [2] early in fifteen sixty. The couple would appear to have a congenial marriage; they would have thirteen children though only eight would live to adulthood.

After the marriage, many thought Prince Charles would leave Julich-Cleves-Berg. And while Prince Charles would relinquish the regency, he would remain in Julich-Cleves-Berg as an advisor for almost four years.”

A.E. Bell, “The German State”​

[2] Since in this timeline OTL Johann Frederick I was born a girl, Jeanne Sophie, John Ernest second son of John, Elector of Saxony, is a much more important person. John Ernest would inherit all his father’s lands and the electoral dignity. He also lives longer than OTL and has three children, the eldest of whom is Marie Elisabeth.


“In all probability, Charles Tudor was closer to John Tudor than he was to his two daughters. Charles Tudor would raise John Tudor from almost infancy. In comparison, Charles Tudor spent next to no time with his two daughters. It must have been extremely hard to leave Julich-Cleves-Berg and John Tudor to return to his own lands.

On the journey from Julich-Cleves-Berg to Calais, Prince Charles Tudor, Duke of Calais, would sicken and die. It is believed that he was infected by contaminated food, cleanliness being extremely difficult on the road.”

Lila Kelly, “Charles Tudor and Johann Tudor”​

“The question on everybody’s mind after watching Regent is, ‘Is this a tragedy?’ Regent, referring to both Prince Charles as regent of Julich-Cleves-Berg and Leonora Borgia as regent of Calais, covers the marriage Prince Charles and Leonora Borgia. But, the movie spends very little time on the actual marriage. Instead, the movie primarily focuses on the almost completely separate lives of Leonora Borgia and Prince Charles. In fact, the two only get three scenes together.

By far my favorite scene is the one where Prince Charles has returned unexpectedly, and Leonora Borgia wishes to know why he has returned, saying, ‘The secret to our marriage is distance, I would know why you have jeopardized it!’ The scene does an amazing job highlighting the intense gap between the two.

And there couldn’t be two more different people. Prince Charles was a brusque straightforward penny pincher. Leonora Borgia was loud, a bit of a spend thrift, and devoted to the arts. They certainly weren’t happy together. This brings us back to the question, is this a tragedy? If the movie is about the relationship between Prince Charles and Leonora Borgia it most certainly is. The two never really understood each other nor even particularly cared for each other.

But, if it this movie is about two people who just happened to be married to each other, I’d say this movie couldn’t possibly be a tragedy. While it’s true that Prince Charles and Leonora Borgia didn’t have a happy marriage, they both led happy lives. They each made their own families: Prince Charles with the brother he raised, Leonora Borgia with their daughters. Both lived tremendously successful lives, Calais continues to be center of arts and music that Leonora Borgia created, and Prince Charles left Julich-Cleves-Berg debt free and secure.

It’s the dichotomy between the lives of Prince Charles and Leonora Borgia and their marriage, that leaves Regent bittersweet, a question without an answer.”

Review by Hailey Lane, the definitive Tudor Reviewer​

 

[Cate13]

“Mary Carey, head of Princess Margaret’s household, would die late in 1564. Queen Kathryn would take the opportunity to completely reorganize and transfer Princess Margaret’s household. The household would be moved to Iredale Palace. [1]

Baroness Grace Borough, a childless widow, [2] would be appointed as head of Princess Margaret’s household. Over the next few months, various children would be sent to Iredale to be companions to three-year-old Princess Margaret: seven-year-old Lady Anne Boleyn, daughter of Duchess Charlotte Tudor and her husband Baron Thomas Boleyn; three-year-old Cecily Stafford, granddaughter of Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham; and four-year-old Beth Seymore, daughter of Sir Edward Seymore, were among the most influential.

Professor Laura Anderson, “The Stewart Queen”​

[1] Queen Kathryn disliked the travel time between London and Eltham Palace and had ordered the building of a Royal Residence closer to London. The origin of the name is unknown.
[2] Daughter of Kathrine Parr and her first husband Sir Edward Burgh.


“Marriage offers for Margaret Stewart, Princess of Wales, flooded into England from almost the moment of her birth. The most prominent was Charles Trastamara, second son of King Ferdinand III of Aragon. Particularly interesting was upon the death of Ferdinand Trastamara, eldest son of King Ferdinand III, the marriage offer was not rescinded.

But, the marriage offer was never seriously considered by Queen Kathryn Tudor.”

Carolyn Masey “Ferdinand III the Old Didn’t Start That Way”​

“It appears that Kathryn Tudor took it rather personally that her daughter was a Stewart not a Tudor. It is most likely for this reason that only Tudors were considered as husbands for Margaret of Wales. The top contenders were Jean Francis Tudor, son of Prince Francis and Marie Francoise of Brittany, and John Tudor, son of Duke Johann Tudor and Marie Elisabeth. Both boys were several years younger than Margaret of Wales and several steps from inheriting anything of real import.

It appears that Kathryn Tudor wanted a match that would leave her grandchildren Tudors and giver her daughter a husband who wouldn’t challenge her as a Queen.”

Tammie Waltherson, “For the Tudors’ It’s All About Family”​

 

[Cate13]

“Thomas Tudor, one of Queen Kathryn’s many Toms, was what we would call an Odd Duck. Growing up he was one of Prince Henry’s quieter children, so pretty much everyone was shocked when, at age nineteen, he announced that he wasn’t an Awakener, nor was he a Lutheran, Puritan, or Catholic, thank you very much.

He would still identify as a Christian, something Prince Henry Tudor would undoubtedly be grateful for, who knows what Prince Henry would have done with an atheist for a child, but Thomas Tudor would never align himself with an organized religion.

A prolific writer, Thomas Tudor would write scores of treatises on the various religions found in England at that time, praising certain points of doctrine and critiquing others. For the time period it was all very shocking.”

Matheo Henrikson, “The 1500’s Was A Crazy Century, and It Was Mostly the Tudors’ Fault”​

“Thomas Tudor would remain apart from the many religions found in England at the time throughout his life. This would prove to be a boon to both Queen Kathryn and Queen Margaret; he was often consulted on religious matters since he offered an impartial position. It was probably for this reason that Thomas Tudor was appointed Archbishop of Canterbury at age twenty-six. An able administrator and diplomat, Thomas Tudor would serve the English crown the rest of his life. “

Thomas Nelson, “Kathryn Tudor and the Golden Era”​

“In all likelihood, Archbishop Thomas Tudor would inherit Prince Henry’s mental disorder. [1] The two would share the cycle of depression and almost manic energy that plagued Prince Henry throughout his life. Due to Prince Henry’s forthrightness and tendancy to overshare, Archbishop Thomas would find Europe in the late fifteen hundreds more conducive to mental health and would have a much more stable life than his father.”

“Mental Health in Europe” Thesis Project by doctoral candidate William Matteson​

[1] Prince Henry’s diagnosis has been debated ad infinitum: bipolar disorder, cyclothymic disorder, or some sort of post-traumatic stress disorder have been postulated to name a few. As this article address the public treatment of mental health in the 1500s, Prince Henry’s diagnosis will be sidestepped.

 

[Cate13]

“One of the many Tudor family dramas was the marriage of Cecily Tudor to Edward Stafford, 5th Duke of Buckingham. Young Edward Stafford was the second son of Henry Stafford, 4th Duke of Stafford, and as such wasn’t particularly important in the grand scheme of things. His elder brother, Alexander Stafford, was married with a child on the way. But, when Lord Stafford died in a riding accident and Lady Stafford would miscarry, Edward Stafford would go from mildly interesting to the inheritor of one of the most important titles in England.

We have several records that indicate that Edward Stafford was sweet on Madelyn Tudor, Cecily’s younger sister, the two having met at a few smaller family affaires. But, with young Edward’s quick ascension, he drew the attention of the elder, more sophisticated sister. He didn’t have a chance.

Then, when the Duke his father passed away, the new Duke of Buckingham would choose Cecily Tudor as his bride.”

Harper Wayne, “Keeping Up with The Tudors, Your Guide to Who’s Who”​

“Interviewer: So, what makes Sisters and Suitors than any other teen movie? It’s certainly got the romantic triangle.

Anya Taylor-Joy: Well I think the big thing is for Cecily it isn’t a romantic triangle. It simply business. She really doesn’t understand why Madelyn is taking it so hard.

Interviewer: Cecily Tudor really is a cold fish then?

Anya Taylor-Joy: I wouldn’t say that. She cares for Madelyn and even Edward in her own way, she just doesn’t see why it’s a big deal. She would obviously make the better duchess and that all she sees.

Interviewer: What’s it like working with Millie [Bobby Brown] and Thomas [Brodie Sangster]?

Anya Taylor-Joy: They are both really quite wonderful. There’s this one scene with the three of us where….”

Interview with Anya Taylor-Joy about Sisters and Suitors(2018)​

 

[Cate13]

“The marriage of Henri and Christina would change tone late in the fifteen sixties. The two, after over twenty years of marriage, would run out of steam. No longer would they discomfort the nobles of Navarre with their excessive displays of affection or their explosive arguments. Instead Henri and Christina were almost civil and decorous.

Far from lessoning the strain on Prince Christian, his parents’ new dynamic appears to have amplified the pressure he felt. During this period, the adolescent prince was known to begin to cry or sometimes hyperventilate several times a day.”

Ephraim Pollock, “Henry and Christina, They May Have Tried to Kill Each Other”​

“The old adage, ‘the opposite of love isn’t hate but apathy,’ is most clearly demonstrated in the marriage of Henri Tudor and Christina Oldenburg. Their marriage would recover from the horrific arguments but not the complete lack of care. The last few years of their marriage would full off stilted conversations in public, and as near as anyone can tell, nothing else.”

Ethan Davidson, “Henry IV, the People’s King”​

“The late fifteen sixties are the clearest example of King Henri III competence and aptitude toward ruling. Still in morning from the death of his beloved wife, King Henri would adroitly manage the growing political unrest, the changing association with France [1], and his own family issues.

The aging king had ruled Navarre for the past fifty years, and would…”

Patrick Wendal, “The First Navarrese Tudor King”​

[1] King Louis XIII, the new King of France, would not hold to the religious moderation that his predecessors had and this caused significant tensions with Navarre.

 

[Cate13]

“France’s ‘Two Queen Period,’ named for the presence of both Queen Helene and Queen Marie, is one of the more interesting periods in French History. The two queens would push competing agendas, with King Louis XIII often serving as a simple pawn or piece in their schemes, the entirety of King Louis’s reign. [1]

Queen Helene, Queen of France, would head the Traditionalist Party committed to returning France to the ‘good old days.’ A significant focus would be eradicating the presence of Awakeners and Protestants in France. The party would mostly be composed of the higher-ranking members of the nobility and the Catholic clergy.

Queen Marie, Maîtresse-En-Titre, was something of a figured head for the opposing unnamed party, mostly, it appears, due to the desire to spite Queen Helene. She would not inconvenience herself often with the politics of France, preferring to participate in parties, hunts, and other diversions. When she did act, she would do so with a directness that only worked due to her support from the King.”

Hannah Everett, “Helen and Marie, Queens of France”​

[1] Both women would find their influence sharply checked at the beginning of King Francis’s reign.


“Louise Stuart, daughter of King Louis and Marie Stuart, would be born early in fifteen sixty-three. She would predecess her younger half-sister by two years. During the first two years of her life, she would be feted and couched almost as a princess. This would change at the birth of Marie Louise Valois, daughter of King Louis and Queen Helene. Never again would she hold the favor and attention of her father.

The pattern would continue at the birth of Francis Valois, son of King Louis and Queen Helene. At the birth of the Dauphin, Princess Marie Louise would lose her father’s attention, just as Marie Stuart had two years before.

And parental inattention was not unique to King Louis. Both Queen Helene and Queen Marie ceased maternal attentiveness as soon as the child was no longer useful in their struggle for dominance.

This left the seven children of King Louis to form many of their own connections and opinions free from their parent’s influence. All three, King Louis, Queen Helene, and Queen Marie, would come to regret that later in their lives.”

Nancy Raymond, “The Unloved”​

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AN - the next couple posts will be the 1570 Tudor Family Tree. I'll have to split it up since there are so many decedents. If anyone has any questions about anything from the tree just ask. I wasn't able to cover everything that's changed from 1560 to 1570.

 

[Cate13]

Arthur I Tudor, deceased, King of England m. Infanta Catalina Trastamara of Aragon, deceased

3) Margaret Tudor, deceased, Princess of Wales m. Francis Tudor, deceased, Prince of Wales, then Duke of Calais​

1) Kathryn I Tudor, age 47, Queen of England m. Alexander I Stewart, deceased, Duke of Ross​

1) Margaret I Stewart, age 9, Princess of Wales​

6) Mary Tudor, age 56, Queen Claimant of England m. Ferdinand I, deceased​

1) Elisabeth Habsburg, age 39, Abbess of Nonnberg​

5) Arthur Habsburg, age 29, Holy Roman Emperor, King Claimant of England m. Margaret Stewart, age 34, Princess of Scotland and Ireland​

1) Charles Habsburg, age 9​

2) Catherine Habsburg, age 2​

6) Helena Habsburg, age 27, Queen of France m. Louis Valois, age 30, King of France​

1) Marie Louise Valois, age 5​

2) Francis Valois, newborn​

 

[Cate13]

Margaret Tudor, deceased, m. a) James IV Stewart, deceased, King of Scotland; b) James Hamilton, deceased, 1st Earl of Arran

3a) James V Stewart, deceased, King of Scotland m. Louise Valois, deceased, Princes of France​

2) Margaret Stewart, age 34, Princess of Scotland and Ireland m. Arthur Habsburg, age 29, Holy Roman Emperor​

See Arthur​

3) James VI Stewart, age 31, King of Scotland and Ireland m. A) Juana Trastamara [1], deceased; B) Grainne O’Malley, age 40​

1a) Marjorie Stewart, age 9​

2a) James Stewart, age 3, Duke of Rothesay​

3b) Seamus/James Stewart, age 2​

4b) Maeve Stewart, age 1​

4) Charles Stewart, deceased, Duke of Ross m. Margaret Valois deceased, Queen Claimant of France​

1) Margaret Stuart, age 7​

5) Mary Stewart, age 28, Maîtresse-En-Titre x Louis Valois, age 30, King of France​

1) Louise Stuart, age 7​

4a) Alexander Stewart, deceased, Duke of Ross m. Katheryn I Tudor, age 47, Queen of England​

See Katheryn Tudor​

5b) Elizabeth Hamilton, age 41, m. Gerald FitzGerald, 11th Earl of Kildare​

1) James FitzGerald, age 22​

2) Margaret FitzGerald, age 18​

3) Gerald FitzGerald, age 13​

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[1] Eldest daughter of Ferdinand III Trastamara

 

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Henry II Tudor, age 79, Duke of York and Richmond m. a) Catherine of Navarre, deceased, Queen of Navarre; b) Anne Boleyn, deceased; c) Sybylle Von der Mark, deceased, Princess of Cleves; d) Mary Howard, deceased; e) Renee of France, deceased, Duchess of Chartres; f) Catherine Willoughby, age 51, Baroness Willoughby de Eresby

1a) Henry III Tudor, age 66, King of Navarre m. Johanna Sophia/Jeanne Sophie Wettin, deceased, Princess of Saxony [1]

1) Jeanne Tudor, deceased, Princess of Navarre m. René I, Viscount of Rohan

1) Anne de Rohan, age 26m. Alessandro Borgia, age 40, Duke of Romagna [3]

1) Isabella Borgia, age 8
2) Cesare Borgia, age 5
3) Enrico Borgia, age 1​

2) Henri Tudor, age 48 m. Christina Oldenburg, age 48, Princess of Denmark

1) Antoine Tudor, deceased
2) Christian Tudor, age 18
3) Anne Tudor, age 11​

3) Anne Sophie Tudor, age 45, Princess of Navarre m. Francis, Duke of Guise, age 51

1) Henri of Guise, age 22
2) Jeanne Elizabeth of Guise, age 17 m. Francois de Bourbon, age 28, Duke of Montpensier
3) Frances of Guise, age 12​

4) Francis Tudor, age 36, Prince of Navarre m. Marie Francoise of Brittany, age 33, Duchess of Brittany

1) Anne Marie Tudor, age 15
2) Henri Tudor, age 11
3) Jean Francis Tudor, age 7
4) Charles Tudor, age 1​

2a) Francis Tudor, deceased, Duke of Calais m. Margaret Tudor, deceased, Princess of Wales

See Margaret Tudor​

3a) Charles Tudor, deceased, Duke of Calais m. Leonora Borgia, age 57 [2]

1) Charlotte Tudor, age 39, 2nd Duchess of Calais m. Baron Thomas Boleyn, deceased

1) Charles Boleyn, age 19 m. Catherine Courtenay, age 20 [8]
2) Eleonore Boleyn, age 16
3) Anne Boleyn, age 13​

2) Eleanor Tudor, age 23 m. Gregory Cromwell, age 27, 2nd Duke of Suffolk

See Gregory​

4b) Elizabeth Tudor, age 48, m. Gregory Cromwell, deceased

1) Gregory Cromwell, age 27, 2nd Duke of Suffolk m. Eleanor Tudor, age 23

1) Thomas Cromwell, age 5
2) Henry Cromwell, age 2​

2) Anne Cromwell, age 24 m. Thomas Cecil, age 28, Earl of Salisbury [6]

1) Henry Cecil, deceased
2) Anne Cecil, age 1​

3) Thomas Cromwell, age 20​

6b) Eleanor Tudor, age 43, m. Frederick Albert, deceased, King of Denmark and Norway [4]

1) Margaret Wittelsbach, age 23
2) John Albert Wittelsbach, age 20, King of Denmark and Norway m. Dorothea Oldenburg, age 24 [5]
3) Anna Wittelsbach, age 15​

8c) Johann Tudor, age 31, Duke of Julich-Cleves-Berg m. Marie Elisabeth, age 29, Princess of Saxony

1) Karl Tudor, age 9
2) Mathilde Tudor, age 8
3) Johann Tudor, age 6
4) Henry Tudor, age 5
5) Elisabeth Tudor, age 4
6) Sybylle Tudor, deceased
7) Sydonie Tudor, age 2​

9d) Thomas Tudor, age 27, Archbishop of Canterbury​

10d) Margaret Tudor, age 26, m. William IV, age 38, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel

1) Anna Sofie of Hesse-Kassel, age 7
2) William Henry of Hesse-Kassel, age 3
3) Renata of Hesse-Kassel, age 1​

11e) Cecily Tudor, age 20 m. Edward Stafford, age 16, 5th Duke of Buckingham [7]

1) Edward Stafford, newborn​

12e) Madelyn Tudor, age 17​

13e) Francis Tudor, age 13, Duke of Chartes​

14f) Edmund Tudor, age 10
​

[1] OTL Johann Frederick I, Elector of Saxony
[2] daughter of Cesare Borgia and Charlotte d’Albret, since Cesare Borgia didn’t die in 1507.
[3] son of Cesare Borgia and his second wife, Livia Osanna Gonzaga
[4] son of Frederick II, Elector Palatine and Dorothea of Denmark, OTL none of their sons lived to adulthood
[5] daughter of Christian III and Dorothea of Saxe-Lauenburg
[6] OTL was Earl of Essex
[7] grandson of Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham, without OTL paranoid Henry VIII as king the Staffords are still doing okay
[8] daughter of Edward Courtenay, 1st Earl of Devon

 

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Mary Tudor, deceased, m. John III Aviz, deceased, King of Portugal

2) Maria Aviz, age 51, Infanta of Portugal m. Prince Francis Valois, deceased, Duke of Brittany

1) Marie Francoise Valois, age 33, Duchess of Brittany m. Francis Tudor, age 36, Prince of Navarre

See Francis Tudor​

3) John Emmanuel I Aviz, age 49, King of Portugal m. Caterina Maria Romula di Lorenzo de Medici, age 51

2) Sebastian I Aviz, age 24 m. Bianca of Savoy, age 31 [1]

1) Maria Manuela Aviz, age 9
2)Catalina Aviz, deceased​

3) Maria Isabella Aviz, age 19
4) Maria Joanna Aviz, age 13​

4) Anthony Aviz, age 46, Cardinal
​

[1] The daughter of Charles III, Duke of Savoy, and Eleanor Habsburg. Eleanor Habsburg is the daughter of Maximillian I, Holy Roman Emperor and his second wife Bianca Mara Sforza. OTL they didn't have any children.

 

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AN Sorry of the delay. School has been a lot


“Early in 1571, Kathryn Tudor would arrange the betrothal of Margaret Stewart [1] with John Tudor, the second son of Duke John of Julich-Cleves-Berg. The seven-year-old boy would shortly be sent to England to allow him to learn more of England and its customs.

There he would be granted his own household and companions, among which were Thomas Cromwell, son of the Second Duke of Suffolk and Edmund Tudor, Prince Henry’s youngest son.”

Thomas Nelson, “Kathryn Tudor and the Golden Era”​

[1] Margaret Stewart, Princess of Wales, not Margaret Stewart, daughter of the Once Queen of France.


“The little Princess is quite peculiar. To my complete and utter frustration, she will sit so still that I will forget that she is even there. Several times she has overheard things she is not meant to because of this. I am just grateful that she has not informed her mother the queen of the things she has learned. Nor has she told any of her ladies.”

Journal entry of Baroness Grace Borough​

“I find I don’t know what to make of the Princess. Her hair is a wonderful red-gold and she looks just like a princess ought. But she is so peculiar. When she looks at me I feel like she is looking through me straight to my soul. As we sit together and sew, she can go hours without speaking.

She will often slip away, and no one will even notice. It seems so strange to me that the heir to the throne can be misplaced. When she is found, she is often up in a tree, writing in her little book.”

Journal entry of Beth Seymour​

“We have little to no real information about young Princess Margaret. In contrast to her forceful mother, Princess Margaret was quiet and reserved. She appears to have learned at a young age to keep her own council. Due to several journals and letters we know that she was an avid writer from as early as age eleven. Unfortunately, the only surviving work of Margaret Tudor is Camelot.

Princess Margaret appears to have formed no close relationships with her early companions. None of them record any confidences shared or special privileges. It would not be till later that she would befriend her cousin Eleanor, Duchess of Suffolk, who was fifteen years her senior.”

Professor Laura Anderson, “The Stewart Queen”​

 

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“Charlotte Tudor, Duchess of Calais, would shock the English Court when, late in fifteen seventy, she would remarry Sir Thomas Brandon. Sir Thomas Brandon was a widowed courtier whose name had been connected to several different prominent ladies including Elizabeth Tudor, Charlotte Tudor’s aunt.

Sir Thomas Brandon was the only son of Sir Charles Brandon, a childhood friend of Prince Henry and is now believed to be the father of Thomas Cromwell the Younger. The marriage was wildly regarded as unequal and unsuitable. But, the Duchess of Calais was one of the more powerful members of the English Court and had Queen Kathryn’s favor.”

Elizabeth Tudor, Duchess of Calais, “Kathryn Tudor”​

“Even with the Prince’s advancing age, it is the Queen’s will that if She were to die before the Princess’s majority, her grandfather will be regent. Truth be told, I would not be surprised if the Prince outlives us all.”

Journal entry of Sir Thomas Wyatt the Younger​

“Early in fifteen seventy-one, Prince Henry would leave England to visit his various children and grand-children scattered through Europe. The party would be small, just him, his youngest son ten-year-old Edmund Tudor, and a few trusted retainers.

The first stop would be Navarre where Prince Henry was greeted joyfully by the country that once called him King. There, King Henri III and Prince Henry would be reunited for the first time in years. Prince Henry and his party would stay in Navarre for several months.

The visit seems to have done much to rejuvenate King Henri III. The normally unflappable king, worn by the loss of his wife and the struggles of his heir and eldest son, had been in something of a funk for the past few months. Father and son would spend almost the entirety of the visit riding through woods or speaking together of religion, what we now call quality time.”

Rachel Rowell, “Father of the Reawakening, and a Good Father”​

 

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“It was during Prince Henry’s last visit to Navarre that Prince Christian, son of Prince Henry and Princess Christina, would die. The twenty-year-old prince had been fond seeking peace and quiet by abandoning his companions to ride out by himself. Then one day his horse came back without a rider. Search parties were sent out. Prince Christian’s body was found four days later.

Modern forensic anthropologies now believe that Prince Christian was simply thrown from his horse and down a ravine where, with a broken leg, he was unable to seek help. But, at the time, Prince Christian’s death was seen as foul play. Several different people were arrested and probably would have been executed but for Princess Christina being found dead in her rooms with her journal.

The last journal entry was almost completely unintelligible: full of nonsense and mad ramblings, but the theme of culpability and guilt was prevalent throughout. The general consensus was that Princess Christina had somehow arranged for the death of her son and then killed herself out of guilt.

In all likelihood, Princess Christina accidently overdosed on laudanum. The few records the Navarrese Court doctor kept indicate that Princess Christian had been taking it in greater and greater amounts since the death of Prince Antoine.”

Ephraim Pollock, “Henry and Christina, They May Have Tried to Kill Each Other”​

“The dual death of his only son and wife would cause Prince Henri, son of King Henri III, to retreat from court to one of the more secluded properties of the crown of Navarre. This would leave King Henri III and his father Prince Henry alone to handle the ensuing crisis. Almost as if fifty years hadn’t passed, the two fell back into the pattern of King Henri’s regency; in tandem the two would work together to calm and quiet Navarre during this precarious time. [1]

The next few years would generally be regarded as some of the best of King Henri’s reign.”

Patrick Wendal, “The First Navarrese Tudor King”​

[1] Though it must be acknowledged that Prince Henry was less assistance than he was fifty years earlier with very few nobles that remember the regency left alive.


“Just as Niccolò Machiavelli’s The Prince was inspired by Cesare Borgia, Julian Jakes’ The King was inspired by King Henri III. The Navarrese born, Italian raised, philosopher would rocket to fame after the publication. The treatise specifically addresses Machiavelli’s points and seeks to discount them, citing King Henri and his handling of the death of Princess Christina and Prince Christian.”

William Richards, “Italy and the Awakening”​