Idea: continued Stuarts with a twist

It might not be the most plausible PoD ever, but I think it's interesting nonetheless. WI the stillborn child Anne gave birth to on January 24, 1700 (OS) was born alive and survived into adulthood? Let's call it William if it's a boy and Sophia if it's a girl. Let's also assume the Duke of Gloucester dies 5 months later as per OTL.
Who would be regent? Would the Act of Union still occur? What would his/her prospect of marriage be?
 
Last edited:
An alternative Stuart succession that I have wondered about from time to time is the potential situation if Prince Rupert of the Rhine (Duke of Cumberland) had left legitimate heirs; His lineage would have taken precedence over that of his sister Sophia (who was the mother of George I), too, and if they inherited much of his own intelligence then I think that they might have done quite well ..
 
An alternative Stuart succession that I have wondered about from time to time is the potential situation if Prince Rupert of the Rhine (Duke of Cumberland) had left legitimate heirs; His lineage would have taken precedence over that of his sister Sophia (who was the mother of George I), too, and if they inherited much of his own intelligence then I think that they might have done quite well ..
While it is certainly a very interesting possibility, it does not fit well into the idea of this thread: as late as possible a Stuart succession, to minimize the butterflies...
 
Hardcore Jacobites will still refuse to recognise this line (given that, by going by premogeniture, it's still junior to James Francis Edward).

However, I doubt it would attract as much anger and opprobrium as the Hanovarians did. If a daughter, I doubt she'd be called Sophia, though (Anne hated Sophia of Hanover).

Given what appear to be congenital weaknesses in the Stuart line that ended with Anne, this child is probably going to be weak and sickly, so it will take some pretty good luck for him/her to be able to reproduce.
 
Hardcore Jacobites will still refuse to recognise this line (given that, by going by premogeniture, it's still junior to James Francis Edward).

However, I doubt it would attract as much anger and opprobrium as the Hanovarians did. If a daughter, I doubt she'd be called Sophia, though (Anne hated Sophia of Hanover).
I didn't know that. Interesting, thanks:)
 
Why wouldn't the Act of Union occur?

The Act of Union was Englands way of ensuring that Scotland had the same King as England, i.e. maintained the Dual Crown of the two countries.

If Scotland and England had an obvious sucessor to Anne (i.e. her child) there would be no need to link the two Parliments.

As for a Regent My guess is that the Duke of Somerset would be acceptable to the Queen (if appointed before her death) as well as the majority of the Tory and less radical Whigs.

The regency would only last for 4 years and I think the most important element would be to find the King/Queen a wife/husband. I would have thought that off spring of Sophie of Hanover would been seen as safe marragible material - so the link to Hanover may still be existant.
 
If James Frances Edward has a more pregmatic, Protestant-leaning son (as Charles Edward was in real life, as it happens), a surviving daughter could marry her half-cousin and neatly resolve the dispute between the two sides of the family, neutralising the legitimist threat.
 
Top