Based off what was discussed here: https://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=374024
John Plantagenet, King of Navarre and Duke of Clarence (b.1421: d.1484)
John Plantagenet is ultimately the more successful of the royal twins. This would seem somewhat surprising, as he was the younger twin, and the weaker one. Born with a noticeably smaller physique, he would only grow to 5 ft. 1.5 inches, though he would also be recorded as a good soldier and an excellent fighter.
In the last days of 1421, on the 12th of December, Catherine de Valois gave birth to the royal twins Henry and John Plantagenet. As the elder, the infant Henry was created the Duke of Clarence, a title only barely unused after the death of his uncle Thomas of Lancaster in March of that year. The children seemed to be in good health and thus Henry V felt safe to continue to his conquest of France. He had to retrieve the French situation after the disastrous defeat to the Scottish allies to the Dauphin that had killed Thomas of Lancaster.
In this time, his children were raised separately from each other. Henry was sent firstly to the estates of his uncle, the Duke of Bedford. The reasoning was to keep him in a relatively safety while his father finalised his conquest in France. However, he soon was moved to London, where he was feted as the future King of England. He eventually found his court mostly at Windsor Castle, where he was allowed to live with his mother until her sudden departure in 1424.
John, meanwhile, was moved to the estates of Clarence, where he would live in the family of Margaret Holland and her Beaufort children. He would remain in their care for the next few months, where his former aunt (by marriage) treated the child like another of her own. But the little Duke would be removed from this family environment in August of 1422, when his father died. The infant was returned to court, where he could be part of the coronation of his brother.
After their father’s death, there was much debate as to the caretakers of the two royal children. Margaret Holland sent word that she would be glad to care for the Prince John again, even at her own expense (and obviously his own) if it would please the regency. But eventually, the two were sent to new homes. The Prince John, Duke of Clarence moved first to Nottingham Castle, where he stayed with his grandmother (by marriage), the Queen Dowager Joan of Navarre. He stayed in her care for 2 years. After this time, he was returned to the English court, where he lived with his brother for three years. However, after some discussion he was moved into the household of John Holland, an associate of his father and a newly married man. The cousin of his first caretaker, John Holland would treat the young boy as a son and the Duke of Clarence would be forever remember the Holland family as a kind and supportive environment.
During this period, Henry VI would move on a constant progress to ensure the country knew their king. During the period between 1424 and 1427, his time was more regimented and he would tell his brother later in his life that he was never as happy as when they were boys. But this stability was never meant to be and in 1427 he began another period of movement and disruption. In 1429 he underwent a formal second coronation, where he was presented his cousin the Duke of York, who would become a supporter of the crown in later years.
In 1432 the two boys spent a period of three months with their mother. She had first attempted to marry Edmund Beaufort, then Owen Tudor, both of whom had eventually found lovers elsewhere. She now spent her days in isolation a small Welsh Castle, where she lived with her lover, Henry Neville. An undistinguished man, they two would have three children between 1424 and 1434: Thomas Neville, Anne Neville and Charles Neville. However, their sons would find themselves early to the grave and Anne would become a nun. Her royal children, however, would enjoy meeting with their two (as of that point) brothers and Catherine found that finally being in the presence of her second son (John) was an emotional experience. She would later die in 1439 in childbirth with their fourth child, the short-lived Richard Neville.
In temperament, the boys were quite different. Henry VI of England would become known for his quiet, submissive personality and some would call him the ‘Monk King’, saying that he was more suited for a life of chastity and prayer than rule. However, he would prove a peacemaker and successfully avoided any major fights throughout his reign. The Duke of Clarence, however, was a man of slightly more rash a disposition. He had a temper and a very choice use of language, causing the only expulsion from court in Henry VI’s reign when he referred to a Lady of the Court in such a way that left all but the hardiest of people blushing.
John would finally be moved into his Clarence estates in 1434, at the age of 13. He would find a companion in his old caretakers John Holland (then the Earl of Huntingdon and the future Duke of Exeter) and Margaret Holland. John Holland would leave soon however, due to rumours his bride Beatrice of Portugal was attempting to begin an affair with the Duke of Clarence. However, Margaret Holland would spend the last 5 years in the household of the Duke of Clarence, acting as his advisor until her death in 1439. In this time, he and his brother came into their majorities in 1437.
In 1442 he contracted a marriage with Eleanor of Navarre, the second daughter of Blanche I of Navarre and the future John II of Aragon. A beautiful and refined young woman, the two would take to each other very well and the couple would have 5 children: Henry Plantagenet (b.1444), Edward Plantagenet (b.1445), Humphrey Plantagenet (b.1446), Michelle Plantagenet (b.1455) and Mary Plantagenet (b.1456), along with a stillborn daughter in 1448.
The two would fight for Eleanor’s rights to the kingdom of Navarre, particularly between 1448 and 1454, where they spent their time fighting against John of Aragon, who attempted to rule in spite of his children’s rights to the throne. In 1554, in a coup, John was ousted from Navarre and Eleanor became Eleanor I of Navarre.
John would send troops to fight for England throughout the French/English war and he was instrumental in the peace talks of 1451, in which England ended up with Calais and Gascony. He was revered as a hero for this and compared regularly to his brother, who was seen as weak and badly advised. John would later compare his brother to a feather, drifting through the winds of words.
In 1459 John, Duke of Clarence and King of Navarre, successfully brought the marriage of his eldest son to Magdalena of Valois, the youngest daughter of Charles VII of France. A known beauty, her marriage further shamed the match of Henry VI of England to Margaret of Anjou. If the younger son could marry a Queen and get an actual princess for his son, then why could the King of England himself not marry any higher than the daughter of a penniless French vassal?
Prince Henry and Magdalena would be married in 1461and would have three children: Henry II of Navarre (b.1466), Catherine Plantagenet (b.1470) and Marie Plantagenet (b.1472). Unfortunately, the young Prince Henry would die at the age of 28 (two months away from 29) in 1473 and his bride would go on to never remarry. As a result of this, she would spend the rest of her life in the Navarre court, periodically visiting her brother Louis XI of France.
As for the John Plantagenet’s other children, his second son would go onto marry Isabel Neville in 1467 and the two would have four children before her untimely death in 1476: Mary Plantagenet (b.1470: d.1471), Margaret Plantagenet (b.1473), Henry Plantagenet, future Earl of Warwick and Duke of Clarence (b.1475) and John Plantagenet (b.1476). Edward Plantagenet would then settle the issue of the Warwick inheritance by marrying Anne Neville after her sister’s death and the two would have two children: Edmund Plantagenet (b.1477: d.1484) and Anne Plantagenet (b.1480). Finally, he would marry Margaret Plantagenet, his younger brother’s widow in 1490. The two would never have any children and many suspected that the marriage was in actuality not real and the wedding had not taken place.
Edward Plantagenet’s eldest son would go on to marry Elizabeth Percy (b.1487) in 1494 and the two would have two sons and a daughter: Richard Plantagenet (b.1499), Henry Plantagenet (b.1500) and Joan Plantagenet (b.1502), along with stillborn daughters in 1505 and a stillborn son in 1511.
His younger son, John Plantagenet, would be married at the age of 4 to Anne de Mowbray and was made the Duke of Norfolk. However, the Duchess Anne died in 1481 and there was a decade long legal battle of the Duchy of Norfolk. Eventually it was agreed to that, if the young John was to die without heirs or to leave a daughter, then said inheritance was to go to the senior Howard male and said daughter was to be married to either that man or his heir, if at all possible. If not, she would be entitled to all other lands that were not directly tied to the Duchy and was free to marry at the King’s judgement. This would come to pass when, after marrying Catherine de la Pole in 1490, the only heir to the Duke of Norfolk was Blanche Plantagenet (b.1494). She would marry Edward Howard (b.1497) in 1517 and the two would have only one child: William Howard, Duke of Norfolk (b.1518).
The King of Navarre’s third son, Humphrey Plantagenet (b.1446), would marry Margaret Beaufort (b.1443) in 1458 and the two would have two children: George Plantagenet (b.1461) and Catherine Plantagenet (b.1464), along with a miscarried child in 1468. These children would marry the child and grandchild of Richard, Duke of York. George found himself matched with Margaret of Rutland in 1487 and the two would have three children: Katherine Plantagenet (b.1489: d.1490), Mary Plantagenet (b.1490: d.1499) and Edmund Plantagenet, Duke of Somerset and Earl of Rutland (b.1494). Catherine would marry Margaret of Rutland’s uncle, Edward Plantagenet, Duke of York, a serial bachelor settling down after the recent death of both his father and brother (George Plantagenet) to sickness in 1481. The two would have one child before his death in 1483, the boy Thomas Plantagenet, Duke of York (b.1482: d.1540). Unfortunately, this ended the York line after Thomas failed to have children with any of his four wives.
The two Princesses of Navarre would both marry for love, with the permission of their father. Michelle would marry John of Foix, Viscount of Narbonne (b.1450) in in 1480 and the two would have four children: Germaine of Foix (b.1481), Gaston of Foix, Viscount of Narbonne (b.1483), Marie of Foix (b.1485: d.1498) and Eleanor of Foix (b.1486: d.1489). Mary of Navarre would also marry happily, to Sir George Plantagenet (b.1449: d.1481) and they would have a short-lived daughter in 1471.
In 1472, Aragon attacked Navarre in a full scale attempt to retake the country by John II. He However, with the support of England and France, John Plantagenet successfully held the country and extended the borders a little. However, this came to a detriment to his health and the King was never the same, eventually dying in 1484.
John Plantagenet left a legacy of success. He went from a second son of England to a power in the European continent, taking and expanding Navarre, holding lands for England in France and beating back the terror that was Aragon from his adopted country for 3 generations. By contrast, the serene and at time senile Henry VI seemed an embarrassment. His diplomacy was not spectacular but at the same time it was still more competent than the eternal Margaret of Anjou, who had a continual rivalry with the King of Navarre and would outlive him by 2 years.
John Plantagenet, King of Navarre and Duke of Clarence (b.1421: d.1484)
John Plantagenet is ultimately the more successful of the royal twins. This would seem somewhat surprising, as he was the younger twin, and the weaker one. Born with a noticeably smaller physique, he would only grow to 5 ft. 1.5 inches, though he would also be recorded as a good soldier and an excellent fighter.
In the last days of 1421, on the 12th of December, Catherine de Valois gave birth to the royal twins Henry and John Plantagenet. As the elder, the infant Henry was created the Duke of Clarence, a title only barely unused after the death of his uncle Thomas of Lancaster in March of that year. The children seemed to be in good health and thus Henry V felt safe to continue to his conquest of France. He had to retrieve the French situation after the disastrous defeat to the Scottish allies to the Dauphin that had killed Thomas of Lancaster.
In this time, his children were raised separately from each other. Henry was sent firstly to the estates of his uncle, the Duke of Bedford. The reasoning was to keep him in a relatively safety while his father finalised his conquest in France. However, he soon was moved to London, where he was feted as the future King of England. He eventually found his court mostly at Windsor Castle, where he was allowed to live with his mother until her sudden departure in 1424.
John, meanwhile, was moved to the estates of Clarence, where he would live in the family of Margaret Holland and her Beaufort children. He would remain in their care for the next few months, where his former aunt (by marriage) treated the child like another of her own. But the little Duke would be removed from this family environment in August of 1422, when his father died. The infant was returned to court, where he could be part of the coronation of his brother.
After their father’s death, there was much debate as to the caretakers of the two royal children. Margaret Holland sent word that she would be glad to care for the Prince John again, even at her own expense (and obviously his own) if it would please the regency. But eventually, the two were sent to new homes. The Prince John, Duke of Clarence moved first to Nottingham Castle, where he stayed with his grandmother (by marriage), the Queen Dowager Joan of Navarre. He stayed in her care for 2 years. After this time, he was returned to the English court, where he lived with his brother for three years. However, after some discussion he was moved into the household of John Holland, an associate of his father and a newly married man. The cousin of his first caretaker, John Holland would treat the young boy as a son and the Duke of Clarence would be forever remember the Holland family as a kind and supportive environment.
During this period, Henry VI would move on a constant progress to ensure the country knew their king. During the period between 1424 and 1427, his time was more regimented and he would tell his brother later in his life that he was never as happy as when they were boys. But this stability was never meant to be and in 1427 he began another period of movement and disruption. In 1429 he underwent a formal second coronation, where he was presented his cousin the Duke of York, who would become a supporter of the crown in later years.
In 1432 the two boys spent a period of three months with their mother. She had first attempted to marry Edmund Beaufort, then Owen Tudor, both of whom had eventually found lovers elsewhere. She now spent her days in isolation a small Welsh Castle, where she lived with her lover, Henry Neville. An undistinguished man, they two would have three children between 1424 and 1434: Thomas Neville, Anne Neville and Charles Neville. However, their sons would find themselves early to the grave and Anne would become a nun. Her royal children, however, would enjoy meeting with their two (as of that point) brothers and Catherine found that finally being in the presence of her second son (John) was an emotional experience. She would later die in 1439 in childbirth with their fourth child, the short-lived Richard Neville.
In temperament, the boys were quite different. Henry VI of England would become known for his quiet, submissive personality and some would call him the ‘Monk King’, saying that he was more suited for a life of chastity and prayer than rule. However, he would prove a peacemaker and successfully avoided any major fights throughout his reign. The Duke of Clarence, however, was a man of slightly more rash a disposition. He had a temper and a very choice use of language, causing the only expulsion from court in Henry VI’s reign when he referred to a Lady of the Court in such a way that left all but the hardiest of people blushing.
John would finally be moved into his Clarence estates in 1434, at the age of 13. He would find a companion in his old caretakers John Holland (then the Earl of Huntingdon and the future Duke of Exeter) and Margaret Holland. John Holland would leave soon however, due to rumours his bride Beatrice of Portugal was attempting to begin an affair with the Duke of Clarence. However, Margaret Holland would spend the last 5 years in the household of the Duke of Clarence, acting as his advisor until her death in 1439. In this time, he and his brother came into their majorities in 1437.
In 1442 he contracted a marriage with Eleanor of Navarre, the second daughter of Blanche I of Navarre and the future John II of Aragon. A beautiful and refined young woman, the two would take to each other very well and the couple would have 5 children: Henry Plantagenet (b.1444), Edward Plantagenet (b.1445), Humphrey Plantagenet (b.1446), Michelle Plantagenet (b.1455) and Mary Plantagenet (b.1456), along with a stillborn daughter in 1448.
The two would fight for Eleanor’s rights to the kingdom of Navarre, particularly between 1448 and 1454, where they spent their time fighting against John of Aragon, who attempted to rule in spite of his children’s rights to the throne. In 1554, in a coup, John was ousted from Navarre and Eleanor became Eleanor I of Navarre.
John would send troops to fight for England throughout the French/English war and he was instrumental in the peace talks of 1451, in which England ended up with Calais and Gascony. He was revered as a hero for this and compared regularly to his brother, who was seen as weak and badly advised. John would later compare his brother to a feather, drifting through the winds of words.
In 1459 John, Duke of Clarence and King of Navarre, successfully brought the marriage of his eldest son to Magdalena of Valois, the youngest daughter of Charles VII of France. A known beauty, her marriage further shamed the match of Henry VI of England to Margaret of Anjou. If the younger son could marry a Queen and get an actual princess for his son, then why could the King of England himself not marry any higher than the daughter of a penniless French vassal?
Prince Henry and Magdalena would be married in 1461and would have three children: Henry II of Navarre (b.1466), Catherine Plantagenet (b.1470) and Marie Plantagenet (b.1472). Unfortunately, the young Prince Henry would die at the age of 28 (two months away from 29) in 1473 and his bride would go on to never remarry. As a result of this, she would spend the rest of her life in the Navarre court, periodically visiting her brother Louis XI of France.
As for the John Plantagenet’s other children, his second son would go onto marry Isabel Neville in 1467 and the two would have four children before her untimely death in 1476: Mary Plantagenet (b.1470: d.1471), Margaret Plantagenet (b.1473), Henry Plantagenet, future Earl of Warwick and Duke of Clarence (b.1475) and John Plantagenet (b.1476). Edward Plantagenet would then settle the issue of the Warwick inheritance by marrying Anne Neville after her sister’s death and the two would have two children: Edmund Plantagenet (b.1477: d.1484) and Anne Plantagenet (b.1480). Finally, he would marry Margaret Plantagenet, his younger brother’s widow in 1490. The two would never have any children and many suspected that the marriage was in actuality not real and the wedding had not taken place.
Edward Plantagenet’s eldest son would go on to marry Elizabeth Percy (b.1487) in 1494 and the two would have two sons and a daughter: Richard Plantagenet (b.1499), Henry Plantagenet (b.1500) and Joan Plantagenet (b.1502), along with stillborn daughters in 1505 and a stillborn son in 1511.
His younger son, John Plantagenet, would be married at the age of 4 to Anne de Mowbray and was made the Duke of Norfolk. However, the Duchess Anne died in 1481 and there was a decade long legal battle of the Duchy of Norfolk. Eventually it was agreed to that, if the young John was to die without heirs or to leave a daughter, then said inheritance was to go to the senior Howard male and said daughter was to be married to either that man or his heir, if at all possible. If not, she would be entitled to all other lands that were not directly tied to the Duchy and was free to marry at the King’s judgement. This would come to pass when, after marrying Catherine de la Pole in 1490, the only heir to the Duke of Norfolk was Blanche Plantagenet (b.1494). She would marry Edward Howard (b.1497) in 1517 and the two would have only one child: William Howard, Duke of Norfolk (b.1518).
The King of Navarre’s third son, Humphrey Plantagenet (b.1446), would marry Margaret Beaufort (b.1443) in 1458 and the two would have two children: George Plantagenet (b.1461) and Catherine Plantagenet (b.1464), along with a miscarried child in 1468. These children would marry the child and grandchild of Richard, Duke of York. George found himself matched with Margaret of Rutland in 1487 and the two would have three children: Katherine Plantagenet (b.1489: d.1490), Mary Plantagenet (b.1490: d.1499) and Edmund Plantagenet, Duke of Somerset and Earl of Rutland (b.1494). Catherine would marry Margaret of Rutland’s uncle, Edward Plantagenet, Duke of York, a serial bachelor settling down after the recent death of both his father and brother (George Plantagenet) to sickness in 1481. The two would have one child before his death in 1483, the boy Thomas Plantagenet, Duke of York (b.1482: d.1540). Unfortunately, this ended the York line after Thomas failed to have children with any of his four wives.
The two Princesses of Navarre would both marry for love, with the permission of their father. Michelle would marry John of Foix, Viscount of Narbonne (b.1450) in in 1480 and the two would have four children: Germaine of Foix (b.1481), Gaston of Foix, Viscount of Narbonne (b.1483), Marie of Foix (b.1485: d.1498) and Eleanor of Foix (b.1486: d.1489). Mary of Navarre would also marry happily, to Sir George Plantagenet (b.1449: d.1481) and they would have a short-lived daughter in 1471.
In 1472, Aragon attacked Navarre in a full scale attempt to retake the country by John II. He However, with the support of England and France, John Plantagenet successfully held the country and extended the borders a little. However, this came to a detriment to his health and the King was never the same, eventually dying in 1484.
John Plantagenet left a legacy of success. He went from a second son of England to a power in the European continent, taking and expanding Navarre, holding lands for England in France and beating back the terror that was Aragon from his adopted country for 3 generations. By contrast, the serene and at time senile Henry VI seemed an embarrassment. His diplomacy was not spectacular but at the same time it was still more competent than the eternal Margaret of Anjou, who had a continual rivalry with the King of Navarre and would outlive him by 2 years.