What if Anne Boleyn died for her 1534 miscarriage, leaving Henry VIII as widower with only a small daughter as heiress? Here Henry VIII has NOT yet tired of Anne, and she was dead while Catherine was still alive meaning who Henry need to remarry quickly for a son and Elizabeth’s legitimacy can not be questioned (else that would mean who the wedding between Henry and Catherine WAS NOT annulled and Henry would NEVER go back on that, specially when he still need a legitimate son). Henry will most likely marry either another English noblewoman or a French proxy.
Henry VIII’s heiress
- Thread starter isabella
- Start date
English tree
POD: Anne Boleyn died in summer 1534 for a miscarriage (WIP as always)
Henry VIII (1492-1548) married a) Catherine of Aragon (1485-1537) in 1509 annulled 1533 b) Anne Boleyn (1507-1534) in 1533, c) Mary of Bourbon (1515-1542) in 1535, d) Katheryn Howard (b. 1522) in 1542, had relationship with e) Elizabeth Blount and f) Jane Seymour
*fourth child and second surviving son of Charles V and Isabella of Portugal (in OTL he was stillborn)
** son of James V and Madeleine of France.
NOTES: with Anne Boleyn dying from her first miscarriage, and while Henry still loved her, Elizabeth‘s position as legitimate princess and her father’s heiress presumptive is secured. Henry in his quest for a son will remarry twice, first to a French proxy (as his choice of brides is pretty much restricted with Catherine still alive) and then desperate to have an heir to the first beautiful girl who caught his eye, helped by the fact who Katheryn was Anne’s cousin and came from a very fertile family
Henry VIII (1492-1548) married a) Catherine of Aragon (1485-1537) in 1509 annulled 1533 b) Anne Boleyn (1507-1534) in 1533, c) Mary of Bourbon (1515-1542) in 1535, d) Katheryn Howard (b. 1522) in 1542, had relationship with e) Elizabeth Blount and f) Jane Seymour
- a) stillborn daughter (1510)
- a) Henry, Duke of Cornwall (1511)
- a) stillborn son (1513)
- a) stillborn son (1515)
- a) lady Mary Tudor (b. 1516)
- e) Henry Fitzroy, Duke of Richmond and Somerset (1519-1536) married Mary Howard (b. 1519) without issues
- b) Elizabeth, Queen of England (b. 1533) married John of Austria, King of Lorraine and Duke of Burgundy (b. 1534)* with issues
- b) miscarried son (1534)
- c) Margaret of England (1536-1546)
- f) Edward Fitzroy (1537-1541)
- c) Eleanor of England (b. 1537) married James VI, King of Scotland (b. 1538)** with issues
- c) Anne of England (b. 1538) married Louis VI, Elector Palatine (b. 1539)
- c) Henry, Prince of Wales (1540-1545)
- c) stillborn son (1541)
- c) miscarriage (1542)
- d) Katherine of England (b. 1544) married a) Francis II, King of France (1544-1559)
- d) Joanna of England (b. 1546) married Karl, Duke of Jülich-Cleves Berg (b. 1548)
*fourth child and second surviving son of Charles V and Isabella of Portugal (in OTL he was stillborn)
** son of James V and Madeleine of France.
NOTES: with Anne Boleyn dying from her first miscarriage, and while Henry still loved her, Elizabeth‘s position as legitimate princess and her father’s heiress presumptive is secured. Henry in his quest for a son will remarry twice, first to a French proxy (as his choice of brides is pretty much restricted with Catherine still alive) and then desperate to have an heir to the first beautiful girl who caught his eye, helped by the fact who Katheryn was Anne’s cousin and came from a very fertile family
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The Boleyns would continue to keep a position of power and influence as Elizabeth would be Henry VIII’s heiress presumptive until the birth of a legitimate half-brother…
I think who Henry would search an international match (read as a French match as Catherine of Aragon is still alive at this point)…
Jane Seymour was still far from joining the English court or catch Henry’s eye so she would be nothing more than a mistress, if Henry takes a shine to her in this scenario
Henry VIII want and need a legitimate son, and Fitzroy will have his OTL fate…
Grey Wolf
Donor
Yes, but here there is what there was not in OTL, a gap. OTL Henry got rid of Anne and moved straight onto Jane. Here, FitzRoy is still healthy, He has his titles, his position, and his marriage.
Henry will want to marry again and try for a legitimate heir, but FitzRoy's entire initial elevation was to create a backstop. England has not had a Queen Regnant at all, in this period, and the nearest anyone would be able to think of would be Matilda.
I would certainly think that he is going to be paraded as a "just in case" spare heir, here.
Mary would be fully powerless to do anything in this scenario as Elizabeth is recognized by everyone as heiress of their father
And unlike OTL, Henry VIII‘s will fully excluded Mary from the succession as he has many legitimate daughters here…
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Not by everyone. Only by the people who agreed with the annulment.
As for Henry VIII's will, that's essentially a piece of paper. What matters is who stands for Mary and who stands for Elizabeth.
How many people would stand for Mary? It is probably impossible to know.
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Nobody would stand for an old maid when Elizabeth is the internationally recognized heiress of England and is married to a son of the Emperor (who is the heir/ruler of Burgundy NOT Spain OR Austria)
Henry’s will was accepted as law of succession by the Parliament and that was the ONLY reason for which Mary OTL was able to claim to be the legitimate Queen.
Plus at this point all England had sweared more than once to accept Henry’s will about succession and to recognize only his children by Anne Boleyn, Mary of bourbon and Katheryn Howard as legitimate
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Papacy would NEVER recognize Elizabeth as heiress of England. Who she marries does not change anything about that.
And, if Elizabeth is already married at the time of Henry VIII's death (which is a little weird considering how young she is in 1547 but possible) all powerful royals in Europe who dream to become king consort of England would stand for the "old maid" who they can marry (and who is not that old in 1547: she is 31).
This point matters as long as Henry VIII is alive and feared. When he is dead, it has zero value.
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Well in OTL the papacy had stopped her succession, when she was seen as Illegitimate by everyone? No, so they would have bo reason for doing it ATL
At 31 years old Mary WAS an old maid for that times. And who would be that powerful royal? The Habsburgs are FIRMLY in Elizabeth‘s camp, while the King of France is married, with children still in the cradle and supporting Mary would mean declaring invalid also the third wedding of Henry to a french princess...
Not when that was also established as law by the English Parliament…
It is not as if papacy COULD stop the succession. I cited it only as a counterexample to when you said Elizabeth was "internationally recognized".
"Old maid" is only an expression. It designates a woman still unmarried at an age when most women in her time are married.
Was a 31 years old unmarried woman an old maid in this time? Yes.
Was she old? No.
A 31 years old woman can still marry and have plenty of time to produce children.
The king of France can offer some cousin. Antoine de Bourbon is still unmarried in 1547. And, actually, the Habsburgs being in Elizabeth's camp would be a strong motivation for the French to join Mary's camp.
In OTL, Mary gathered an army of supporters. I do not see the English Parliament fighting an army. (Assuming of course the English Parliament itself does not decide to side with Mary once Henry VIII is dead.)
The question is:
Would Mary manage to find as much support as in OTL?
We cannot answer it with certainty.
here Elizabeth would be recognised as Henry’s heiress presumptive
Likely not more than 4/5 years if she is extremely lucky 10/11, but at that age the risk of not having children at all is pretty big
Antoine of Bourbon would need to say who his nieces (actually second and third in line for the english crown) are illegitimate and who his late sister‘s marriage was not valid for supporting Mary so is unlikely he would accept such match, when he has a much better one available. Plus Henry died in 1548 here (so at the best few months before Antoine’s wedding to Jeanne)
In OTL Mary had supporters who believed who her father‘s will was to be respected as Edward had not the power to change it. Here would NOT happen anything like that as Mary herself as acknowledged to be illegitimate while her five half-sister are legitimate princesses of England
It is pretty unlikely who Mary, in a much worse position than OTL and without powerful supporters would be able to push England in a civil war for a crown to which she has legally no right
NOT the same Lorraine, so the Duke can NOT have anything to complain. John’s one is the resurrection of the old Kingdom of Lotharingia… Keep in mind who in the HRE or France this was nothing of new (see the Duchy and the County of Burgundy for example).
Also the then Duke of Lorraine will be most likely in the cradle and son of a cousin of John…
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Charles the Bold failed to get recognised as King of Lotharingia OTL precisely because the Duke of Lorraine complained. Is this just the Habsbugs being hypocrites?