Isabella I of France - A TLIAD

What are you doing now?

A TLIAD.

Why!

I'm bored.

What about The Doe in the Garden?

I'm still doing that, I'm just doing this for now.

Hmmm.

The POD involves a Habsburg France.

Huh?

Look, do you want to see this or not.

Fine, I guess I'll take a look.

Cool, let's move on then.​
 
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Isabella I of France (b.1566: d.1633)

In 1589, Henri III of France was assassinated and the Throne of France was empty. Naturally, the next male heir Henry III of Navarre felt he would take the throne, but he had unexpected competition. His cousin, Isabella Clara Eugenia of Spain was 23 years of age and the nearest relative to the former King by his elder sister Elisabeth. However, she was a she and thus not a prospect by the virtue of Salic Law. However, Philip II of Spain, on behalf of his daughter, began the War of the French Succession.

In 1590, in preparation to the Battle, Isabella promised to marry Albert, Archduke of Austria to secure her succession. The two were married and in 1592, as her husband and father lead the Spanish army into battle at Pamplona, she gave birth to the only child she would have with Albert, Catherine von Habsburg.

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Catherine von Habsburg (b.1592)

The battle was extremely bloody and only ended when the head of Henri III of Navarre was presented to Philip himself on a spike. It was extremely brutal and would earn the war the name Bataille de la tête du roi (Battle of the King's Head). Among the dead was Albert, who was struck in the side by an arrow and then trampled by his own men. Margaret de Valois, the Queen of Navarre, treated with the Spanish King and welcomed the invaders to her home.

And so, in September of 1592, Isabella I of France entered Paris without her husband and was coronated. Her daughter, until such time as Isabella could provide a son and heir to France, took the title Catherine, Dauphine of France.
 
In February of 1593 Philip II of Spain left Paris, after the successful second marriage of his daughter to Ernest of Austria, who left soon after to his post as the regent of Inner Austria. However, this was after it was obvious Isabella was pregnant for a second time.

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Ernest von Habsburg, Archduke of Austria and King-Consort of France (b.1553: d.1595)

In December of that year, Isabella I of France gave birth for the second and final time to twin boys: Charles von Habsburg and Philip (more commonly referred to as Philippe) von Habsburg. Unfortunately, Charles (the elder) was only the Dauphin for two months, after which Philippe became the Dauphin.

Without the influence of her father and husband, Isabella worked to acclimate herself to French culture, working with her aunt Margaret de Valois to successfully act as a French woman should. Any feelings of anger that her husband had been killed towards Philip II of Spain seemed divorced in Margaret's min from Isabella.

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Margaret de Valois, Queen Dowager of Navarre and Duchess de Berry (b.1553)

In 1595, the French court went into 3 months of mourning for the dead King-Consort Ernest von Habsburg. Isabella then, upon the proposal of numerous men to fill the position of King-Consort, announced her intentions to remain widowed in respect for her fallen husbands. Instead, she looked for marriages for her young daughter and son.
 
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Isabella I of France

In 1597, upon the 5th birthday of her daughter, Isabella arranged the betrothal of Princess Catherine to Henri de Bourbon, Prince of Conde. The arrangement worked out well, as the couple would be centred in Navarre as the Duke and Duchess of Pamplona, as the title now went.

Lines of communication with Scotland were opened, as Isabella tried to arrange a match for her young son to the young Princess Elizabeth. She did this with the understanding James VII would soon become the King of England as well, just as soon as the decrepit Elizabeth I died.
 
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Catherine von Habsburg, Duchess of Pamplona (b.1592: d.1654)

On the 17th of May, 1613, Catherine von Habsburg married Henri, Prince de Conde in an elaborate ceremony designed to attract the interest of the ruling class. She wore an elaborate gown of silver and pale blue.

She and her husband would be happy while their union lasted, with three daughters born before Henri de Bourbon's unfortunate death: Margaret de Bourbon (b.1614), Marie Elisabeth de Bourbon (b.1615) and Charlotte Genevieve de Bourbon (b.1616).

In 1617, Henry de Bourbon found himself ambushed by a group of men formerly friends and servants to Henri III of Navarre. He was brutally beaten and stripped. His body was found naked but holding the portrait of his beloved bride, who gave birth a month after his birth to their first son, Henry Albert de Bourbon, Prince of Conde (b.1617).

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Henri de Bourbon, Duke of Pamplona and Prince de Conde (b.1588: d.1617)

The Princess, now a widow at the age of 25, found herself married to the elderly James I of England/VII of Scotland in 1620. This was an attempt to save the failing relationship between France and England, which had stalled in 1610, when the betrothal between Philippe, Dauphin of France and Elizabeth Stuart was ended to betroth him to Anne of Austria (b.1601).

The French Princess would give the King 3 children: James, Duke of Clarence (b.1621), Margaret Stuart (b.1622: 1623) and Catherine Stuart (b.1623: d.1629). Her youngest daughter would return to France with her after the death of King James in 1625. Her son would remain in England, later marrying his half-niece Louise of the Palatinate (b.1622) and having two sons, Charles (b.1640) and Ferdinand (b.1641), before his bride ran away and became a nun.

The other children of Catherine von Habsburg would all marry, though not all of them would have issue. Margaret de Bourbon (b.1614: d.1670) would marry Philip IV of Spain (b.1605: d.1665), having two sons and a daughter: Charles II of Spain (b.1640), Ferdinand of Spain (b.1641: d.1644) and Maria Eugenia of Spain (b.1650).

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Margaret de Bourbon (b.1614: d.1670)

Marie Elisabeth de Bourbon (b.1615: d.1680) would marry Charles I of England (b.1600) in 1633, who with she would have: James Stuart (b.1635: d.1636), Henry Stuart (b.1636: d.1636), Charles II of England (b.1637), Elizabeth Stuart (b.1638), Catherine Stuart (b.1639: d.1640), Mary Stuart (b.1641: d.1644), William Stuart, Duke of Gloucester (b.1645). Queen Marie would escape back to France with her children in 1646, in the wake of her husband's imprisonment for his overly-autocratic rule.

Charlotte Genevieve de Bourbon (b.1616: d.1631) married Francis, Prince of Joinville (b.1612), but would die in 1631 after a fever ended fatally. her brother Henry Albert de Bourbon, Duke of Pamplona and Prince of Conde (b.1617) would marry Charlotte's sister-in-law Marie de Lorraine (b.1615), by which he would have two sons: Charles de Bourbon, Duke of Pamplona and Prince of Conde (b.1649) and John de Bourbon, Duke of Guise (b.1654).

Catherine herself would die at Pamplona in 1654, at the care of her son. Her life had been punctuated by early grief and she would tell her son that he was the last joy in her life. Her other son would never know his mother.
 
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Philippe VII of France (b.1595: d.1669)

Philippe, Dauphin of France would have an existence that outwardly seemed peaceful but in actuality was extremely volatile and difficult throughout. He faced stewing rebellions that his mother, knowing she had the constant support of her father and brother, while Philippe felt alone in the issues that overflowed from his mother's reign. He would have to end 7 rebellions in the first 5 years that followed Isabella I of France's death in 1633.

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Isabella I of France (b.1566: d.1633)

His engagement to Elizabeth Stuart ended in 1610 and he faced a betrothal to Anne of Austria, who was 9 years old at the time. He was 15. He received a series of gifts and portraits from his bride, along with twenty white horses.

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Anne of Austria (b.1601: d.1666)

His wedding wet through in 1617, with many people commenting on how beautiful the bride was. They would enjoy each other's company and even during war with Spain in 1646 over the border of Navarre. But the couple had trouble with their children.

Between the years 1617 and 1634 the two would suffer the loss of 6 children, only Louis, Dauphin of France (b.1633: d.1636) living past birth. Then, in 1635, Philippe, Dauphin of France (b.1635: d.1679) was born, followed by Charles, Duke of Orleans (b.1638) and finally John, Duke of Berry (b.1642). With three sons, the line was secure and Philippe VII was able to take more risks, like having more brutal ends to the rebellions.

In 1664, the Dauphin (later Philippe VIII of France) married Maria Eugenia of Spain (b.1650), who gave him three stillborn sons and one living daughter: Marie I of France (b.1675). This daughter would go on to marry her cousin Leopold Joseph of Austria (b.1682: d.1709), with whom she would have Philippe IX of France (b.1699) and Marie Henriette von Habsburg (b.1705).

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Leopold Joseph of Austria, King-Consort (b.1682: d.1709)

Charles, Duke of Orleans would marry Anna Maria Luisa de' Medici (b.1667: d.1743) and the two would have no children, due to the Duke's massive deformities. Born with an extreme case of the Habsburg jaw and a club foot, he had difficulty both talking and seemed to be slow of thought. However, the two would have a very harmonious union and long after her husband's death in 1700, the Duchess would talk of nothing but his gentle soul and sweet nature.

John, Duke of Berry would marry Elizabeth Stuart (b.1638), which resulted in twin sons in 1660: James von Habsburg and Louis von Habsburg. They would also have two daughters: Madeline (b.1666) and Charlotte (b.1677).
 
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