This is the first instalment of my Legacy of Angevins Timeline under construction. What do you guys think so far?
Point of Divergence c.1185[1]
It is during the year CE 1185 that this alternative timeline (ATL) diverges from our timeline (OTL). The Angevin Plantagenets have risen to power with Henry II, King of England, being Duke (Count) of Anjou, Duke of Normandy, and Duke of Aquitaine by marriage. He also has control over most of Wales and western Ireland. The King of Scotland, William I, also acknowledges Henry as his overlord. In OTL, the sons of Henry are aided in their rebellions by Philippe[2] II, King of France, culminating in the death of Henry, the bad kingship of Richard, and the worse kingship of John where the Angevins’ possessions in France are reduced to Gascony in the southwest of Aquitaine. In this ATL, a minor wound taken during his recent wars against Flanders in 1184 becomes infected and Philippe II Auguste, son of Louis VII, dies.
The Angevins retain their French possessions
Philippe’s heirs by Salic law[3] were:
· Robert II, Comte de Dreux, Earl of Richmond. Son of Louis VII’s brother Robert I de Dreux[4]. He had recently married Yolande de Coucy, daughter of Agnes of Hainaut, who was sister to Baldwin V of Hainaut
· Pierre[5] II de Courtenay. Son of Louis VII’s brother Pierre de Courtenay
The following nobles had a stake in the succession:
· Henry, Count/Duke of Anjou, Maine, and Touraine etc, King of England. The most powerful man in France and married to Louis VII’s former wife Eleanor of Aquitaine
· Henri[6] II, Comte de Champagne. Son of Marie, who is daughter of Eleanor and Louis VII, and Henri I, who is brother of Philippe’s mother Adele/Alice de Champagne
· Guillaume III, Comte de Ponthieu. Married to Philippe’s sister Alys/Adele
· Baldwin V, Count of Hainaut. Father of Philippe’s (childless) widow Isabelle of Hainaut and father of Henri the future Latin Emperor of Constantinople. He is also regarded as a descendant of Charlemagne
· Philip, Count of Flanders, and Count of Vermandois since his wife’s death in 183. Uncle of Isabelle of Hainaut; brother in law of Baldwin V
· Thibaud V[7], Comte de Blois. Brother of Henri de Champagne. Married to Alice, daughter of Eleanor and Louis VII
· Eleanor, Duchess of Aquitaine. Former wife of Louis VII. Married to Henry II, King of England
Philippe also had an unmarried sister Agnes. This tangled web of relative was one of the reasons Philippe II and his heirs were able to regain so much of modern France in OTL.
After Philippe dies, Robert de Dreux is declared king, though Henry II does put forward his son Richard as a candidate citing his impending marriage to Alais, a sister of Philippe. Thereafter events are fairly quiet; Pierre[8] II de Courtenay marries Isabelle of Hainaut in 1186; Richard Lionheart, Duke of Aquitaine, finally marries Alais in 1188. While there are some minor rebellions by Richard and John these are uncoordinated and easily put down without resulting in Henry’s defeat and subsequent death as OTL 1189[9]. When the Third Crusade is called c.1190, Richard is sent as Henry’s surrogate and Pierre de Courtenay as King Robert’s surrogate. Geoffrey, Duke of Brittany, also attends and dies during the Crusade c.1191[10].
When Henry II of England eventually dies in 1200, he has secured Richard, Duke of Aquitaine, as his heir and John as Duke of Normandy. Richard has had a single heir by Alais in 1190, Henry[11], who grows up in Henry II’s court alongside his cousin Arthur, Duke of Brittany. John rules briefly as Prince Regent for Henry III when Richard dies 1204 during the Fourth Crusade and eventually rebels in 1211 with the secret support of Robert III de France[12]. Henry III, his barons, and Arthur I of Brittany, put down John’s rebellion but the Duchy of Normandy reverts to the French Crown and is awarded to Robert’s son Pierre[13].
Other Events of the 1200s
· 1223: The Massacre of the Cathars by rogue French Knights sparks outrage in England and Aquitaine
· 1253-1347: The Angevin Wars with France over fealty of Brittany and other such fiefs is sparked by an inheritance dispute in Touraine. The wars later spread to Scotland and the Low Countries
· 1274: The Treaty of Bourges confirms Brittany under the English Crown but Maine, Anjou, and Touraine revert to France as the Duchy of Anjou under Philippe Capet
· 1274: The Statute of Britain is published by King Arthur the Old of England (son of Arthur, Duke of Brittany, and married to Henry IV’s sister Alice) creating the Kingdom of Britain (England, Wales and Brittany). Arthur steps down in favour of his son Arthur I of Britain but retains the title Prince of England until his death
The Rise of the Duchy of the Netherlands
A stronger Angevin (Plantagenet) territory in France prevents Margaret of Flanders’ OTL second marriage to the French Comte de Dampierre, Guillaume II, therefore her separate inheritances of Flanders (fief of France) and Hainaut (fief of the Holy Roman Empire) continue through her children of Bouchard of Avesnes.
Jan I van Aveen (renamed later ATL from Avesnes) marries Adelaide, regent and heiress of Holland (as per OTL) and has a son Jan II Count of Flanders, Hainaut, Holland, and Zeeland who marries Marie of Brabant c.1270[14]. Jan II’s support of Britain during the Angevin Wars causes the loss of Artois and Vermandois to France under the 1305 Treaty of Bethune, however his son Henrick[15] I’s support of Britain enables the transfer of Flanders from a French fief to a Holy Roman fief in 1337 on the accession of his son Jan III, thence the union of Flanders and Hainaut. Jan III marries Joanna, Duchess of Brabant, c.1334, and is elected Holy Roman Emperor in 1347 after the death of Ludwig IV under the influence of Pope Pius[16] II who tried to balance French and English power. As Emperor, Jan secured the title of Duke of the Netherlands[17] for his heirs and repealed the 1338 Declaration of Rense, where the imperial candidate with the majority vote was elected Holy Roman Emperor regardless of a papal coronation[18]. Though Jan failed to secure the election[19] of his son, Jan IV, he did secure the unity of his Duchy enabling his successors to acquire Berg, Gelderland, Limburg, Luxembourg, and Namur by 1500.
Other Events of the 1300s
· French King clashes with Pope Boniface VIII after imposing a tax on the clergy
· 1305: Treaty of Bethune cedes Artois to France under the Duchy of Picardy
· Further treaties, orchestrated by the flamboyant Philippe Capet, Duke of Anjou, cede Berry to France, Flanders to Holy Roman Empire (Hainaut), and Aquitaine to Britain – though Aquitaine is specified as not being inheritable by the British Crown
· 1304: Pius II succeeds Boniface VIII as Pope[20]
· 1346-1347: The War of Toulouse ends the Angevin Wars. The Duchy of Aquitaine and County of Toulouse become papal fiefs of (Saint) Pius II
· 1348: Pope Pius II joins together the Duchy of Aquitaine[21], the County of Toulouse, and the Kingdom of Navarre[22], as the Kingdom of Occitania to counter French and British power
· 1348-50: Greater Black Death sweeps Europe
· Rise in disputes with the Popes as they become more authoritarian and the clergy more nationalistic
The Schism and Reformation of the Western Catholic Church
The Papal Election of 1403, following the death of Boniface IX, is disputed after several split votes. The majority candidate Urban V is forced to flee Rome for Munich under the protection of the Wittelsbach Holy Roman Emperor. The two other candidates agree to share authority with Peter II as Senior Pope and Paul II as Junior Pope. Peter’s death c.1430 leads to a second dispute over Paul II’s non-elective accession as full Pope and results in a 3rd Pope, Clement V, at Rheims, France.
These Schisms are finally resolved by the 1523 Council of Geneva[23] where the Reformation of (western) Christianity is declared. The singular authority of the Papal Office was deemed to rest upon the College of Cardinals. The Cardinals, organised along ‘national’ lines, formed what became known as the Papal Synod and each member of the Synod gained more exclusive responsibility for the rites and practices of their dioceses – similar to how the Eastern Orthodox Church has coequal patriarchs – but were still answerable to the Synod on doctrine[24]. The Western Church thereafter became more federalised[25] and some areas, such as the Eastern Catholics, held/shared jurisdiction within both Eastern and Western Christian Churches paving the way for a more fuller reconciliation between them.
The more federal nature of the Western Church meant that while some national Churches were more likely to occasionally breakaway – Scandinavia c.1571, British Isles c.1600 – these were less antagonistic than OTL’s Protestant-Catholic Split.
The main Christian disputes arise in the 1700s following the “Scientific Renascence” (Renaissance) and the emergence of Clergism, a theocratic movement. Several attempts were also made by Rome to re-establish its primacy culminating in the separation of the Roman Catholic Church from the Western Catholic Church (or Catholic Synodic Church).
The Holy Roman Empire
The electoral college of the Holy Roman Empire had existed informally for much of the 12th and 13th centuries CE. It was composed of seven Prince Electors: three ecclesiastic - the Archbishop of Cologne, the Archbishop of Mainz, the Archbishop of Trier - and four secular - the Duke of Bavaria, the Duke of Franconia, the Duke of Saxony, the Duke of Swabia. By the 13th Century CE, the Frankish and Swabian ducal lines had died out; their electoral claims passed, respectively, to the Count Palatine of the Rhine and the Margrave of Brandenburg. The Rhine Palatinate and Bavaria were originally held by the same individual but in 1253 they were split between two members of the Wittelsbach family. As the other Electors refused to allow 2 Electors to be from the same dynasty a fierce rivalry developed between the Count Palatine and Duke of Bavaria. The King of Bohemia also asserted a right to participate in elections due to holding the imperial office of Arch Cupbearer.
The death of Ludwig IV in 1347 highlighted the rival electoral claims: the three Archbishops (under influence of Pope Pius II) and the Count Palatine voted for Jan III Aveen, Count of Flanders, Hainaut, Holland, and Zeeland; the other votes went to Karl-Wenzel who claimed the right to vote as King of Bohemia. Stephen II Wittelsbach, Duke of Bavaria[26], claimed the right to vote through his claims to the March of Brandenburg (from his father Ludwig) and also as Duke of Bavaria[27].
Negotiations in 1351 led to Karl-Wenzel postponing his claims to the imperial title on promise that he would be awarded it when Jan Aveen died – this he gained in 1357. Karl-Wenzel had a largely peaceful reign despite conflicts with Popes Pius II and Boniface IX[28]; he confirmed his twin brother Johan-Heinrich as ruler of Luxembourg and awarded him the title of Duke; although he didn’t resolve the issues over electoral claims he did establish better relations with Poland enabling his son, Sigismund, to acquire the Kingship and later resolve the electoral issue. Sigismund was too young to be elected as Holy Roman Emperor on Karl-Wenzel’s death in 1381 so Rupprecht Wittelsbach[29] became Holy Roman Emperor until his death in 1408 enabled the election of Sigismund I the Great, King of Bohemia, King of Poland (through his wife Anna, daughter of Casimir IV[30] , who was son of Casimir III), and Margrave of Brandenburg. With his influence over the rival Munich/Cologne Pope he devised the Golden Bull of 1409[31] which formalised the electoral system; he re-established the Declaration of Rense and established the Imperial Electors as: the Archbishop of Cologne[32], the Archbishop of Mainz, the Archbishop of Trier, the Duke of Austria, the Duke of Bavaria[33], the Duke of Brandenburg[34], the Duke of Luxembourg[35], the Duke of Saxony, and the Count Palatine (Duke) of the Rhine. As King of Poland, Sigismund also established a treaty with the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, which led to the decline of the Teutonic Knights and the later formation of the (Triple Crown) Kingdom of Bohemia-Pomerania-Poland (also known as the Poetic Empire).
Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund II was not as great as his father was. Following the acquisition of Letzerburg (Luxembourg) by the Duke of the Netherlands and a series of wars[36] follows against France and Occitania – the French Crown held (Upper) Lorraine and Alsace in fief of the Holy Roman Emperor since 1245, the Occitan Crown held the County of Provence in fief since c.1260 - led to the Treaty of Vienna-on-Rhone (Vienne) c.1460:
· France is ceded the Bishopric of Cambrai and County of Burgundy
· Occitania is ceded Delphina (Dauphine)
Sigismund II was forced to abdicate as King of Bohemia and Poland by his brother Waclaw/Vaclav IV (Wenzel) and as Holy Roman Emperor by Albrecht Habsburg, Duke of Austria and latterly King of Hungary (jointly with regent Matthias Hunyadi/Corvinus).
The French and Occitan holdings west of the Rhine leads to the new Habsburg Holy Roman Emperor promoting the Swabian League east of the Rhine[37] and allowing the Swiss Confederation to successfully leave the Holy Roman Empire c.1485. He compensated for reduced presence in northern Italy through alliance with Milan.
Occitan losses against Milan and the French subversion of the Elector Palatine lead to the Holy Roman Emperor transferring the Electorship to Milan. Occitania also loses control over the Duchy of Savoy, which reverts to Holy Roman control.
The decline of the Holy Roman Empire is slowed by the creation (c.1630) of the Royal Elector system whereby the Empire was reorganised into seven kingdoms (plus two archbishoprics) each of which were Electorships to help integrate the Empire. The demise of the Holy Roman Empire is largely sealed by the expansion of its largest constituent states beyond the Empire’s borders which set them at odds with each other.
[1] In writing this alternate history trends seen as inevitable have been followed and where necessary analogous persons and philosophies created to limit to large a divergence
[2] To distinguish between the various nobles of the Mediaeval Era (especially with the same name) the ‘national’ form of their name will tend to be used i.e. the English form for the English/Angevin, German/Italian/Dutch for Holy Roman, French for French, etc
[3] Salic Law – where the Crown of France only passed through the male line – was mainly used later OTL in the Hundred Years War to stop the English King being King of France
[4] OTL Robert I lived until c.1188; ATL he died following word of Philippe’s death
[5] Pierre II de Courtenay was the future Latin Emperor of Constantinople in OTL and ATL
[6] Henri II was the future King of Jerusalem in OTL and ATL
[7] Thibaud’s nephew Thibaud was also later numbered V as Comte de Blois. This is because during the early Middle Ages nobles were not numbered. As most Counts of Champagne were also Counts of Blois this added to the later confusion
[8] He is now 3rd in line to the throne after the infant Robert
[9] In OTL Philippe II was the main supporter of the rebellions
[10] In OTL Geoffrey died in 1186 when he is trampled by his horse at a tournament in Paris. His death has been retained ATL to minimise changes to the immediate timeline
[11] Often rumoured to be Henry II’s own son
[12] Though not as shrewd as Philippe II Robert does have his moments
[13] In OTL Pierre became Duke of Brittany by marrying Arthur’s half sister Alix of Thouars in 1213
[14] His wife OTL was Philippine of Luxembourg
[15] OTL’s Willem III. He is named after his maternal grandfather Henrick of Brabant instead of Guillaume de Dampierre
[16] Pius was later made a saint for his unparalleled statesmanship which included creating the Kingdom of Occitania
[17] The former Dukes of Brabant often claimed the title of Duke of Lower/Nether Lorraine
[18] In OTL Karl IV also did this
[19] Karl-Wenzel (Karl IV) Luxembourg ruled as Emperor 1357-1381 ATL (1348-1378 OTL)
[20] A weaker France means no Avignon Popes arise this TL following disputes with Boniface and successors (he died 1303)
[21] During the early Middle Ages the Dukes of Aquitaine were often titled as Prince or King of Aquitaine
[22] The King of Navarre is a relative of the former Toulouse ruling house
[23] Similar to OTL’s 1414-18 Council of Constance
[24] The Eastern Patriarchs are exclusively responsible for the doctrine and practices of their dioceses
[25] This led to greater acceptance of authorised vernacular Bibles alongside Latin (and Greek)
[26] OTL 1375 Bavaria was divided among the sons of Stephen II; ATL Bavaria remained whole under Duke Otto V
[27] This was technically against an agreement with the Rhine Palatinate to alternate the title
[28] Boniface IX ruled 1378-1403
[29] Count Palatine Rupert II as Rupert I was never born ATL
[30] ATL Casimir III had a son Casimir instead of a daughter Cunegonde
[31] Essentially similar in content to OTL’s 1356 Golden Bull
[32] Latterly the Pope in Munich
[33] The Habsburg Austrian and Wittelsbach Bavarian Dukes were the most powerful princes of the Empire
[34] Retained ATL by the Luxembourgs and not passed to the (Hohen)zollerns of Nuremberg
[35] Sigismund’s cousin by John-Henry
[36] The Rheims Pope Clement V played a prominent role in these
[37] In OTL, the Emperor was against the analogous League as it was led by the Wittelsbachs and challenged his authority. ATL the League is an important ally against France and Occitania
Point of Divergence c.1185[1]
It is during the year CE 1185 that this alternative timeline (ATL) diverges from our timeline (OTL). The Angevin Plantagenets have risen to power with Henry II, King of England, being Duke (Count) of Anjou, Duke of Normandy, and Duke of Aquitaine by marriage. He also has control over most of Wales and western Ireland. The King of Scotland, William I, also acknowledges Henry as his overlord. In OTL, the sons of Henry are aided in their rebellions by Philippe[2] II, King of France, culminating in the death of Henry, the bad kingship of Richard, and the worse kingship of John where the Angevins’ possessions in France are reduced to Gascony in the southwest of Aquitaine. In this ATL, a minor wound taken during his recent wars against Flanders in 1184 becomes infected and Philippe II Auguste, son of Louis VII, dies.
The Angevins retain their French possessions
Philippe’s heirs by Salic law[3] were:
· Robert II, Comte de Dreux, Earl of Richmond. Son of Louis VII’s brother Robert I de Dreux[4]. He had recently married Yolande de Coucy, daughter of Agnes of Hainaut, who was sister to Baldwin V of Hainaut
· Pierre[5] II de Courtenay. Son of Louis VII’s brother Pierre de Courtenay
The following nobles had a stake in the succession:
· Henry, Count/Duke of Anjou, Maine, and Touraine etc, King of England. The most powerful man in France and married to Louis VII’s former wife Eleanor of Aquitaine
· Henri[6] II, Comte de Champagne. Son of Marie, who is daughter of Eleanor and Louis VII, and Henri I, who is brother of Philippe’s mother Adele/Alice de Champagne
· Guillaume III, Comte de Ponthieu. Married to Philippe’s sister Alys/Adele
· Baldwin V, Count of Hainaut. Father of Philippe’s (childless) widow Isabelle of Hainaut and father of Henri the future Latin Emperor of Constantinople. He is also regarded as a descendant of Charlemagne
· Philip, Count of Flanders, and Count of Vermandois since his wife’s death in 183. Uncle of Isabelle of Hainaut; brother in law of Baldwin V
· Thibaud V[7], Comte de Blois. Brother of Henri de Champagne. Married to Alice, daughter of Eleanor and Louis VII
· Eleanor, Duchess of Aquitaine. Former wife of Louis VII. Married to Henry II, King of England
Philippe also had an unmarried sister Agnes. This tangled web of relative was one of the reasons Philippe II and his heirs were able to regain so much of modern France in OTL.
After Philippe dies, Robert de Dreux is declared king, though Henry II does put forward his son Richard as a candidate citing his impending marriage to Alais, a sister of Philippe. Thereafter events are fairly quiet; Pierre[8] II de Courtenay marries Isabelle of Hainaut in 1186; Richard Lionheart, Duke of Aquitaine, finally marries Alais in 1188. While there are some minor rebellions by Richard and John these are uncoordinated and easily put down without resulting in Henry’s defeat and subsequent death as OTL 1189[9]. When the Third Crusade is called c.1190, Richard is sent as Henry’s surrogate and Pierre de Courtenay as King Robert’s surrogate. Geoffrey, Duke of Brittany, also attends and dies during the Crusade c.1191[10].
When Henry II of England eventually dies in 1200, he has secured Richard, Duke of Aquitaine, as his heir and John as Duke of Normandy. Richard has had a single heir by Alais in 1190, Henry[11], who grows up in Henry II’s court alongside his cousin Arthur, Duke of Brittany. John rules briefly as Prince Regent for Henry III when Richard dies 1204 during the Fourth Crusade and eventually rebels in 1211 with the secret support of Robert III de France[12]. Henry III, his barons, and Arthur I of Brittany, put down John’s rebellion but the Duchy of Normandy reverts to the French Crown and is awarded to Robert’s son Pierre[13].
Other Events of the 1200s
· 1223: The Massacre of the Cathars by rogue French Knights sparks outrage in England and Aquitaine
· 1253-1347: The Angevin Wars with France over fealty of Brittany and other such fiefs is sparked by an inheritance dispute in Touraine. The wars later spread to Scotland and the Low Countries
· 1274: The Treaty of Bourges confirms Brittany under the English Crown but Maine, Anjou, and Touraine revert to France as the Duchy of Anjou under Philippe Capet
· 1274: The Statute of Britain is published by King Arthur the Old of England (son of Arthur, Duke of Brittany, and married to Henry IV’s sister Alice) creating the Kingdom of Britain (England, Wales and Brittany). Arthur steps down in favour of his son Arthur I of Britain but retains the title Prince of England until his death
The Rise of the Duchy of the Netherlands
A stronger Angevin (Plantagenet) territory in France prevents Margaret of Flanders’ OTL second marriage to the French Comte de Dampierre, Guillaume II, therefore her separate inheritances of Flanders (fief of France) and Hainaut (fief of the Holy Roman Empire) continue through her children of Bouchard of Avesnes.
Jan I van Aveen (renamed later ATL from Avesnes) marries Adelaide, regent and heiress of Holland (as per OTL) and has a son Jan II Count of Flanders, Hainaut, Holland, and Zeeland who marries Marie of Brabant c.1270[14]. Jan II’s support of Britain during the Angevin Wars causes the loss of Artois and Vermandois to France under the 1305 Treaty of Bethune, however his son Henrick[15] I’s support of Britain enables the transfer of Flanders from a French fief to a Holy Roman fief in 1337 on the accession of his son Jan III, thence the union of Flanders and Hainaut. Jan III marries Joanna, Duchess of Brabant, c.1334, and is elected Holy Roman Emperor in 1347 after the death of Ludwig IV under the influence of Pope Pius[16] II who tried to balance French and English power. As Emperor, Jan secured the title of Duke of the Netherlands[17] for his heirs and repealed the 1338 Declaration of Rense, where the imperial candidate with the majority vote was elected Holy Roman Emperor regardless of a papal coronation[18]. Though Jan failed to secure the election[19] of his son, Jan IV, he did secure the unity of his Duchy enabling his successors to acquire Berg, Gelderland, Limburg, Luxembourg, and Namur by 1500.
Other Events of the 1300s
· French King clashes with Pope Boniface VIII after imposing a tax on the clergy
· 1305: Treaty of Bethune cedes Artois to France under the Duchy of Picardy
· Further treaties, orchestrated by the flamboyant Philippe Capet, Duke of Anjou, cede Berry to France, Flanders to Holy Roman Empire (Hainaut), and Aquitaine to Britain – though Aquitaine is specified as not being inheritable by the British Crown
· 1304: Pius II succeeds Boniface VIII as Pope[20]
· 1346-1347: The War of Toulouse ends the Angevin Wars. The Duchy of Aquitaine and County of Toulouse become papal fiefs of (Saint) Pius II
· 1348: Pope Pius II joins together the Duchy of Aquitaine[21], the County of Toulouse, and the Kingdom of Navarre[22], as the Kingdom of Occitania to counter French and British power
· 1348-50: Greater Black Death sweeps Europe
· Rise in disputes with the Popes as they become more authoritarian and the clergy more nationalistic
The Schism and Reformation of the Western Catholic Church
The Papal Election of 1403, following the death of Boniface IX, is disputed after several split votes. The majority candidate Urban V is forced to flee Rome for Munich under the protection of the Wittelsbach Holy Roman Emperor. The two other candidates agree to share authority with Peter II as Senior Pope and Paul II as Junior Pope. Peter’s death c.1430 leads to a second dispute over Paul II’s non-elective accession as full Pope and results in a 3rd Pope, Clement V, at Rheims, France.
These Schisms are finally resolved by the 1523 Council of Geneva[23] where the Reformation of (western) Christianity is declared. The singular authority of the Papal Office was deemed to rest upon the College of Cardinals. The Cardinals, organised along ‘national’ lines, formed what became known as the Papal Synod and each member of the Synod gained more exclusive responsibility for the rites and practices of their dioceses – similar to how the Eastern Orthodox Church has coequal patriarchs – but were still answerable to the Synod on doctrine[24]. The Western Church thereafter became more federalised[25] and some areas, such as the Eastern Catholics, held/shared jurisdiction within both Eastern and Western Christian Churches paving the way for a more fuller reconciliation between them.
The more federal nature of the Western Church meant that while some national Churches were more likely to occasionally breakaway – Scandinavia c.1571, British Isles c.1600 – these were less antagonistic than OTL’s Protestant-Catholic Split.
The main Christian disputes arise in the 1700s following the “Scientific Renascence” (Renaissance) and the emergence of Clergism, a theocratic movement. Several attempts were also made by Rome to re-establish its primacy culminating in the separation of the Roman Catholic Church from the Western Catholic Church (or Catholic Synodic Church).
The Holy Roman Empire
The electoral college of the Holy Roman Empire had existed informally for much of the 12th and 13th centuries CE. It was composed of seven Prince Electors: three ecclesiastic - the Archbishop of Cologne, the Archbishop of Mainz, the Archbishop of Trier - and four secular - the Duke of Bavaria, the Duke of Franconia, the Duke of Saxony, the Duke of Swabia. By the 13th Century CE, the Frankish and Swabian ducal lines had died out; their electoral claims passed, respectively, to the Count Palatine of the Rhine and the Margrave of Brandenburg. The Rhine Palatinate and Bavaria were originally held by the same individual but in 1253 they were split between two members of the Wittelsbach family. As the other Electors refused to allow 2 Electors to be from the same dynasty a fierce rivalry developed between the Count Palatine and Duke of Bavaria. The King of Bohemia also asserted a right to participate in elections due to holding the imperial office of Arch Cupbearer.
The death of Ludwig IV in 1347 highlighted the rival electoral claims: the three Archbishops (under influence of Pope Pius II) and the Count Palatine voted for Jan III Aveen, Count of Flanders, Hainaut, Holland, and Zeeland; the other votes went to Karl-Wenzel who claimed the right to vote as King of Bohemia. Stephen II Wittelsbach, Duke of Bavaria[26], claimed the right to vote through his claims to the March of Brandenburg (from his father Ludwig) and also as Duke of Bavaria[27].
Negotiations in 1351 led to Karl-Wenzel postponing his claims to the imperial title on promise that he would be awarded it when Jan Aveen died – this he gained in 1357. Karl-Wenzel had a largely peaceful reign despite conflicts with Popes Pius II and Boniface IX[28]; he confirmed his twin brother Johan-Heinrich as ruler of Luxembourg and awarded him the title of Duke; although he didn’t resolve the issues over electoral claims he did establish better relations with Poland enabling his son, Sigismund, to acquire the Kingship and later resolve the electoral issue. Sigismund was too young to be elected as Holy Roman Emperor on Karl-Wenzel’s death in 1381 so Rupprecht Wittelsbach[29] became Holy Roman Emperor until his death in 1408 enabled the election of Sigismund I the Great, King of Bohemia, King of Poland (through his wife Anna, daughter of Casimir IV[30] , who was son of Casimir III), and Margrave of Brandenburg. With his influence over the rival Munich/Cologne Pope he devised the Golden Bull of 1409[31] which formalised the electoral system; he re-established the Declaration of Rense and established the Imperial Electors as: the Archbishop of Cologne[32], the Archbishop of Mainz, the Archbishop of Trier, the Duke of Austria, the Duke of Bavaria[33], the Duke of Brandenburg[34], the Duke of Luxembourg[35], the Duke of Saxony, and the Count Palatine (Duke) of the Rhine. As King of Poland, Sigismund also established a treaty with the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, which led to the decline of the Teutonic Knights and the later formation of the (Triple Crown) Kingdom of Bohemia-Pomerania-Poland (also known as the Poetic Empire).
Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund II was not as great as his father was. Following the acquisition of Letzerburg (Luxembourg) by the Duke of the Netherlands and a series of wars[36] follows against France and Occitania – the French Crown held (Upper) Lorraine and Alsace in fief of the Holy Roman Emperor since 1245, the Occitan Crown held the County of Provence in fief since c.1260 - led to the Treaty of Vienna-on-Rhone (Vienne) c.1460:
· France is ceded the Bishopric of Cambrai and County of Burgundy
· Occitania is ceded Delphina (Dauphine)
Sigismund II was forced to abdicate as King of Bohemia and Poland by his brother Waclaw/Vaclav IV (Wenzel) and as Holy Roman Emperor by Albrecht Habsburg, Duke of Austria and latterly King of Hungary (jointly with regent Matthias Hunyadi/Corvinus).
The French and Occitan holdings west of the Rhine leads to the new Habsburg Holy Roman Emperor promoting the Swabian League east of the Rhine[37] and allowing the Swiss Confederation to successfully leave the Holy Roman Empire c.1485. He compensated for reduced presence in northern Italy through alliance with Milan.
Occitan losses against Milan and the French subversion of the Elector Palatine lead to the Holy Roman Emperor transferring the Electorship to Milan. Occitania also loses control over the Duchy of Savoy, which reverts to Holy Roman control.
The decline of the Holy Roman Empire is slowed by the creation (c.1630) of the Royal Elector system whereby the Empire was reorganised into seven kingdoms (plus two archbishoprics) each of which were Electorships to help integrate the Empire. The demise of the Holy Roman Empire is largely sealed by the expansion of its largest constituent states beyond the Empire’s borders which set them at odds with each other.
[1] In writing this alternate history trends seen as inevitable have been followed and where necessary analogous persons and philosophies created to limit to large a divergence
[2] To distinguish between the various nobles of the Mediaeval Era (especially with the same name) the ‘national’ form of their name will tend to be used i.e. the English form for the English/Angevin, German/Italian/Dutch for Holy Roman, French for French, etc
[3] Salic Law – where the Crown of France only passed through the male line – was mainly used later OTL in the Hundred Years War to stop the English King being King of France
[4] OTL Robert I lived until c.1188; ATL he died following word of Philippe’s death
[5] Pierre II de Courtenay was the future Latin Emperor of Constantinople in OTL and ATL
[6] Henri II was the future King of Jerusalem in OTL and ATL
[7] Thibaud’s nephew Thibaud was also later numbered V as Comte de Blois. This is because during the early Middle Ages nobles were not numbered. As most Counts of Champagne were also Counts of Blois this added to the later confusion
[8] He is now 3rd in line to the throne after the infant Robert
[9] In OTL Philippe II was the main supporter of the rebellions
[10] In OTL Geoffrey died in 1186 when he is trampled by his horse at a tournament in Paris. His death has been retained ATL to minimise changes to the immediate timeline
[11] Often rumoured to be Henry II’s own son
[12] Though not as shrewd as Philippe II Robert does have his moments
[13] In OTL Pierre became Duke of Brittany by marrying Arthur’s half sister Alix of Thouars in 1213
[14] His wife OTL was Philippine of Luxembourg
[15] OTL’s Willem III. He is named after his maternal grandfather Henrick of Brabant instead of Guillaume de Dampierre
[16] Pius was later made a saint for his unparalleled statesmanship which included creating the Kingdom of Occitania
[17] The former Dukes of Brabant often claimed the title of Duke of Lower/Nether Lorraine
[18] In OTL Karl IV also did this
[19] Karl-Wenzel (Karl IV) Luxembourg ruled as Emperor 1357-1381 ATL (1348-1378 OTL)
[20] A weaker France means no Avignon Popes arise this TL following disputes with Boniface and successors (he died 1303)
[21] During the early Middle Ages the Dukes of Aquitaine were often titled as Prince or King of Aquitaine
[22] The King of Navarre is a relative of the former Toulouse ruling house
[23] Similar to OTL’s 1414-18 Council of Constance
[24] The Eastern Patriarchs are exclusively responsible for the doctrine and practices of their dioceses
[25] This led to greater acceptance of authorised vernacular Bibles alongside Latin (and Greek)
[26] OTL 1375 Bavaria was divided among the sons of Stephen II; ATL Bavaria remained whole under Duke Otto V
[27] This was technically against an agreement with the Rhine Palatinate to alternate the title
[28] Boniface IX ruled 1378-1403
[29] Count Palatine Rupert II as Rupert I was never born ATL
[30] ATL Casimir III had a son Casimir instead of a daughter Cunegonde
[31] Essentially similar in content to OTL’s 1356 Golden Bull
[32] Latterly the Pope in Munich
[33] The Habsburg Austrian and Wittelsbach Bavarian Dukes were the most powerful princes of the Empire
[34] Retained ATL by the Luxembourgs and not passed to the (Hohen)zollerns of Nuremberg
[35] Sigismund’s cousin by John-Henry
[36] The Rheims Pope Clement V played a prominent role in these
[37] In OTL, the Emperor was against the analogous League as it was led by the Wittelsbachs and challenged his authority. ATL the League is an important ally against France and Occitania
