What if Henry VIII's and Catherine of Aragon's son had survived?
Monarchs of England and Ireland
1509 - 1547: Henry VIII (House of Tudor)
1547 - 1572: Henry IX "the Bloody" (House of Tudor) [1]
1572 - 1586: Phillip I "the Pious" (House of Tudor) [2]
1586 - 1616: Henry X (House of Tudor) [3]
1616 - 1639: John II "the Portuguese" (House of Tudor) [4]
1639 - 1663: Sebastian I (House of Tudor) [5]
1663 - 1681: Alphonsus I "the Sailor"(House of Tudor) [6]
1681 - 1732: Henry XI (House of Tudor) [7]
1732 - 1749: Edward VI (House of Tudor) [8]
1749 - 1762: John III (House of Tudor) [9]
Monarchs of The United Kingdom of Great Britain, Ireland, & Norway
1762 - 1806: John III (House of Tudor) [9]
1806 - 1845: Jasper I 'the Witch-King' (House of Tudor) [10]
1845 - 1861: Henry XII (House of Tudor) [11]
1861 - 1866: Sebastian II (House of Tudor) [12]
1866 - 1893: John IV (House of Tudor) [13]
1893 - 1911: John V (House of Tudor) [14]
1911 - 1912: John VI (House of Tudor) [15]
[1] Henry was raised to be a Catholic by his parents, and so was very concerned with preserving the true faith among his population, often by bloody or violent means. His father Henry VIII had faced problems with heretics, and this problems had continued under his own reign. In 1550, there was a rebellion by the Protestant population in London, which led to a massacre by Henry's Catholic forces against the peasantry which became known as Bloody August due it happening throughout the month of August.
Henry oversaw the expansion of the English army and navy, which he used to crush dissidents and instil fear onto his subjects. However, he also used said army against the Scottish in the invasion of 1554.
The invading English proved effective against the Scots, and Scotland was annexed. However local resistant militias remained commonplace even at the end of his reign.
Henry married Isabella de Medici, a Catholic who bore him many children,
When the French Wars of Religion broke out, Henry stayed out of the war, claiming it would be too costly for the Kingdom, and would yield little results.
Henry died age 61, and was succeeded by his second son, Phillp Henry, Cardinal-Duke of York.
[2] After the Death of Henry, Prince of Wales in 1567 after a bout of Sweating Sickness striking the Palace, killing numerous members of the court as well as the Third son of Henry IX, Edward Duke of Clarence, Phillip was named as Heir to the English throne.
Phillip had been inducted to the Roman Catholic Church in the early 1560s, and through his father's influence, He rapidly was made a Cardinal and Bishop of Ferrara. At the time of the Bout of the Sickness, He was in Rome, and made his way to England when he heard the news.
After his arrival in Westminster, his crowning was one of the few moments where he removed his Cardinal's cap, and for the remainder of his reign, the cap would remain atop his royal head. For the coronation, beside him stood his sole remaining brother, Prince Louis, Duke of Lancaster.
His reign, a short fourteen years, restored the image of a Catholic England to much of Europe, mainly through generous donations to the Papacy, but also through the marriage of the two sons of the Duke of Lancaster to two Catholic princesses, firstly to an Infanta of Spain, and secondly to an Infanta of Portugal.
Phillip would frequently return to Rome during his reign, and was said to have taken Papal advice on many matters, and it was on one of the voyages where He was taken ill off shore of Cadiz. His body was returned to England, and a massive Royal funeral took place upon his return.
He was succeeded by his nephew, Prince Henry of Lancaster.
[3] Coming to the throne aged 14, Henry's first few years were marked by the regency of his mother Elizabeth. It was during the final year of her regency the Scottish rose up in defiance of the English King, with the head of the House of Stewart James leading the Stewartist cause. James Stewart enjoyed minor success, before being beaten back by English forces in the battle of Bellingham. When Henry came to the throne, he heroically led his armies into battle against the Scottish. The war was won soon after, and James Stewart was hung drawn and quartered in front of the King and his men.
It was in this early life experience that Henry began to define himself as a military expert, able of besting the strongest armies in Europe. Henry spent much of his reign fighting in Ireland, eventually gaining the whole island.
Henry was often described as envious of the Spanish Empire, wanting the colonies in America that they possessed. In 1602, Henry decided to give his explorers grants so they could found colonies in North America. He founded the English colonies of Virginia, New Berkshire (Modern day North and South Carolina), and Breretonland (named after the explorer John Brereton) and the Bahamas, which became very wealthy and successful colonies.
Henry died unexpectedly of a heart attack age 44, leaving his Kingdom to his younger, Prince John, Duke of Lancaster.
[4] The second son of Prince Louis, Duke of Lancaster, John was married to Infanta Beatrice of Portugal shortly before his twelth birthday, and returned with his bride to Lisbon. For much of his brothers reign, he was known simply as the 'Duke of Lancaster' eschewing the typical title of an heir in favour of that which he inherited from his father.
His life in Portugal was a happy one, residing mostly in the Algarve alongside his wife and children, of which he had four sons and three daughters. He would spend his days hunting and residing over a small Manorial court, which was usually filled with English and Irish merchants, seeking to make riches in the foreign ports that Portugal could bring.
After his Brothers death, John returned to England to assume the throne, and was crowned at Westminster as John II of England. His wife and children would follow later, and bring with them their Portuguese culture.
At the crowning of what was essentially a foreign monarch, several Protestant Nobles would rise in East Anglia, and attempt to crown one of their own, The Duke of Suffolk, as King claiming he had right to the throne via his descent from Henry VII.
The Revolt was put down, through extreme measures and the Nobles were each Hung, Drawn and Quartered in the presence of the King.
For the remainder of John's reign, it was largely peaceful, aside from the 'Bishop's War' in Ireland in 1631, an armed dispute between the Anglo-Irish Nobility, and the Catholic Bishops, which was resolved by intervention from the crown. John II would pass after 23 years of ruling, and pass the throne to his second son, Prince Sebastian, Duke of York.
[5] Prince Sebastian became heir to the throne following his older brother John's death in a hunting accident in 1625. Sebastian was perhaps the most Portuguese of all the children, possibly unsurprisingly given he had been named after the young King Sebastian who had died heroically resisting Spanish encroachment on the Kingdom of Portugal in 1580.
He married Princess Luisa Christina of Savoy and had five children with her. Despite the difference in their ages, the match was a happy one and Luisa would often act as Sebastian's Regent, for Sebastian never lost his love of travel and sense of adventure, one he had cultivated as a second son who never really expected to inherit. His favourite destination was Portugal, for he remembered his childhood there fondly and did all he could to help his beloved natal country preserve its independence from Spain. Unfortunately, this meant his reputation at home suffered, for the English resented having a King who seemed to care more for events overseas than for protecting his own people. It would be left to his heir to repair relations between the Crown and the English/Scottish peerage.
Like his namesake, Sebastian would die defending Portuguese independence, for he led a contingent of English troops to Portugal's aid against the Spanish at Ameixial near Estremoz on June 8, 1663. The battle went to Portugal, but at the cost of the ageing English King's life.
Sebastian would be succeeded by his eldest son, Alphonsus , Prince of Wales.
[6] Alphonsus was the eldest son of Sebastian I, and his bride Luisa Christina, and after the news of his father's death in the battle of Ameixial, was crowned Alphonsus I of England.
Unlike his Grandfather and father, Alphonsus spent little time in Portugal, save for the occasion of his marriage to his cousin, Infanta Maria Alphonsa of Portugal, daughter of Sebastião II. The royal pair would have three children, all daughters.
For much of his life, he would remain in southern England, residing at his residence in Southampton, where he would be fascinated by the array of sailing vessels, and also meet regularly with the Admiralty. He would continue this fascination throughout his life and expanded the English Navy heavily, and also spend vast funds on the few English colonies, and capture others, including the city of Alphonsbrough in New Kent (OTL Virginia)
Alphonsus's reign was largely peaceful, aside from the Revolt of the Irish Lords in 1670, and the Norwegian War of Freedom, in which Norway, with Anglo-Irish and swedish assistance gained freedom from Denmark, and established the Duke of Mecklenburg as King, with King Adolphus of Norway taking the Throne.
Alphonsus would pass in the summer of 1681, and the throne would go to his nephew, Henry, Prince of Wales.
[7] Prince Henry, was born on 19 February 1661, to Sebastian’s second son Prince John, Duke of York and his wife, Lady Elizabeth Howard, daughter of Theophilus Howard, 2nd Earl of Suffolk.
His father would die in 1666, during a fire which engulfed their residence, York House in London, while Elizabeth and Prince Henry was visiting her relatives, rumours are that the fire happened during an affair Prince John was having with a stable hand, having sent all the other servants away.
With the birth of the last daughter to King Alphonsus, it was clear that Henry would become heir and would be ideal to secure the family by marrying one of his cousin, the royal princesses, however with word from Spain regarding King Charles II, the Habsburg ruler of the Spanish Empire and his physical disabilities, believed to be the result of inbreeding.
Instead he married firstly Princess Eleonore Erdmuthe Louise of Saxe-Eisenach (13 April 1662 – 9 September 1696) and then secondly Élisabeth Charlotte d'Orléans (13 September 1676 – 23 December 1744). With both marriages he could produce 15 children, making sure the Tudor line would continue.
His domestic policies was made better by his foreign policies, with one of steady economical trade and marriages between major nations and his three cousins, his daughters and many granddaughters.
His death on 1 May 1732, aged 71, following three years of sickness and having his son, Edward, Prince of Wales, acting as regent.
[8] By the time Prince Edward, born in 1691, took the throne he was already 42 and established as regent for his father. He had married Princess Victoria of Norway in 1710, the granddaughter of King Alphonsus via his eldest daughter Princess Eleonore, uniting the claims of the two lines. The marriage was fraught with issues, as Queen Victoria saw her claim as senior to her husband's and was charged with sewing tensions between King Edward and his heir John. Despite this, the King's reign was known as an intellectual renaissance (thanks to the influence of his many relations spreading knowledge from throughout Europe) and a sort of Golden Age for female learning, brought about by both Queen Victoria and the King's mistress Lady Bridget Howard.
Due to/Despite his tumultuous marriage Edward VI & Victoria did not/did manage to have children. When the King left to suppress a rebellion in Ireland, which was funded by the Queen's eldest brother King Harald of Norway who believed he was the true heir to King Alphonsus via his mother's claim, the regent was his heir John. While in Dublin the King was killed from an assassination by an Irish nationalist named Sean O'Donnell, leaving John as the monarch and the prospect of more Irish rebellion & war with Norway looming.
[9] A charismatic and easily likable man, as one of Edward VI's many nephews, John had been prepared for kingship fairly early in his life, learning the ways of politics and war. Upon the sudden assassination of Edward VI, the new king immediately set to work preparing his nation for the wars to come. His first actions were to call forth a grand army for the subjugation of the many young rebellions in Ireland. Throughout 1749 and early 1750 this army would be trained, and in August of 1750, the war that would be known as the Shattering of the Harps (after the adoption of the Green Harp Banner by many of the rebellion forces as a standard) would commence. Over the following year English forces would smash the assembled hosts of the Irish rebellions, ending with the death of the self proclaimed King of Ireland, George Talbot, at the battle of Aughrim. after this, most of the remaining rebel bands scattered and fled before the armies of the King.
However, he had not dismissed the threat of Norway during the campaigns in Ireland. Simultaneous with the marshaling of the army, John III was making ready the navy to wage war upon the sea. However, this would prove a monumental task, for the navy of Alphonsus had languished since his death, with its size dwindling to some 13 ships of the line, and 26 smaller vessels active, mostly out posted in the Caribbean and Americas. Upon their return from their tropical postings, they were immediately put to work training crews for ships that had been built and left sitting unmanned for decades. it would take them nearly two years to do so, with constant raiding and piracy from Norwegian ships interrupting much of England's trade. But when the fleet put to sea in mid 1751, it would number some 24 ships of the line and 53 ships of frigate or below rating. For the next two years they would hunt down and destroy the vast majority of the Norwegian fleet, with the largest battle occurring on April 11th, 1753. Some 11 Norwegian ships of the line and 14 frigates and sloops would face the English fleet fielding some 19 ships of the line and 27 frigates. This fleet, under the command of the hero of the campaign, Lord Admiral Alexander Gordon, Earl Granville, would smash the Norwegian fleet and launch an assault on the Norwegian mainland. His fleet would weigh anchor at the capital of Bergen, depositing a force of some 2,000 marines, these troops would be the vanguard for the English invasion force. By the end of 1754, the last English troops (veterans from Ireland) would be marching across the whole of Norway.
With the conquest of the nation, John III (using his relation to King Harald) was declared Sovereign King of Norway, bringing the nation under English influence. From here John's reign was relatively peaceful. the next half century would be marked as a time of great prosperity and enlightenment in England. to solidify his position as Sovereign of three separate kingdoms, He would exercise his considerable direct power in Norway and Ireland, as well as his strong political presence in the English parliament, to force all three nations to pass The Act of Union of 1762, this would combine the three crowns into a single body, and consolidate all governance into the parliament in London. The new nation would be simply referred to as Great Britain
Yet, peace was gasping near the end of the kings reign. In France, strife was stirring, and anger with the French King, Charles IX was growing among the people. already there were riots in the streets, and the nation was in peril. Yet that would be a trial for another king, for on October 3rd, 1806, King John III would pass away after an astounding 57 years on the throne. Leaving his second grandson, Prince Jasper of Wales to take the throne.
[10]
Jasper I, the second son of the only son of John III, Edward, Prince of Wales and his wife Princess Wilhelmine of Prussia, was only twelve when he took the throne of Great Britain, his elder brother Prince Philip of Wales having died two years prior of what modern historians believe to be hydrocephalus. Due to his status as a minor there was need of a regency, while his mother Wilhelmine was seen as the primary candidate, her tendencies of supporting her father Frederick William II's Germanic centric policies alienated much of the British political scene.
So for over a year as continental Europe erupted into horrific violence, first in France due to Charles IX's tyrannical rule devolving into a massive Revolution that quickly spread into the decaying Holy Roman Empire and the decadent Spanish Empire, the British Kingdoms were in a state of inertia as various factions swirled, none strong enough to seize the tiller of power on behalf of the young King.
Not to mention that the succession after Jasper I was unclear, Henry IX had had two wives and thirteen legitimate children, all of whom had married various nobles and royals across Europe, and in turn many of them had had children as well. Many feared that if Jasper I died then a war for the British succession would be inevitable.
Jasper himself spent much of his youth being educated by tutors, he displayed little interest in military matters, preferring to study history, philosophy, and more esoteric matters such as alchemy, astrology, and magic. The later was taught by a enigmatic figure in the young King's court, a mysterious elder peasant woman and suspected witch known as Alice Troyes, though the King would gather a strange court of hedge-wizards, natural philosophers, astrologers, alchemists, and other assorted practitioners of the strange, leading Jasper to be called 'the Witch-Boy' or more popularly 'the Witch-King of Great Britain', or simply the Witch-King.
At age fourteen, even as the First French Republic was formed on the corpses of Charles IX and his immediate family, Jasper I was able to convince a slim majority of the nobility to square the circle and proclaim his majority, allowing the young King to simply rule alone and ended much of the paralysis that had gripped the United Kingdoms.
This was under the advice of the Baron Grenville, who had managed to gain enough supporters during the 'Regency Crisis' to be a serious contender, but not enough to truly win. Earning the young King's trust he would become Jasper's principle advisor during much of his youth, much to the ire of the boy's mother who was dismissed from court upon Jasper's majority.
A series of coalition wars were already underway in Europe against Revolutionary France and Spain, led by Prussia and Russia due to the Hapsburg's being led by a highly inbred and mentally retarded Emperor, and last of the line of his family as well.
Jasper formally joined the Fourth Coalition on March 4h, 1809 against France and the Spanish Republicans that would later seize Spain in July of 1809, driving the Spanish royal family into exile in Mexico.
While the British navy would win several victories against France, on land they, like much of Europe continued to be defeated by the massive volunteer armies of the French Republic, leading defeat.
The Fifth and Sixth Coalition Wars would end similarly, however the Spanish and French Republics would buckle under the strain in different wars, the Spanish Republic would be toppled by a coup by an ambitious general eager to become a dictator, however he was quickly toppled by a mass revolt in Madrid by the people of the city and a group of businessmen and 'former' nobles invited a member of the Portuguese Royal family to become the new King of Spain.
While France witnessed a more successful internal coup that saw the rise of a new President For Life, Gilbert du Motier, the former Marquis de Lafayette and later proclaimed the Emperor of the French in 1814. This while not seen as ideal, led to a lessening of the violence in Western Europe, though the revolts and chaos of the Holy Roman Empire continued on, but more as a local problem that did not require British intervention... Until the last Habsburg died in 1821, leading to the various Dukes, Kings, and other rulers of the HRE to formally dissolve the Empire, however the succession to the various Habsburg lands led to the War of the Habsburg Succession, in which Britain tried to play the role of mediator with mixed results.
In the end the Archduchy of Austria and much of the lands in the Hapsburg German parts of the HRE were taken by different members of the House of Wittelsbach and the House of Hohenzollern, while a local nobleman with a drop of Hapsburg blood took Hungary, while the Italian lands were given to the Pope, and Bohemia elected a polish magnate as their King.
In the last years of the reign of Jasper I, the colonies in the New World had expanded considerably and were demanding various reforms and representation in Parliament, while Ireland suffered from severe famine that was only alleviated by the King spending tremendous sums of the government's budget for emergency supplies.
Jasper I would marry Princess Amalia Sophie of Sweden in his twenties, but the couple would only produce a single child, Henry Phillip, Prince of Wales who would inherit the throne after Jasper I died at age 51 of mercury poisoning from his alchemic experiments.
[11] Prince Henry Phillip of Wales would take the throne in 1845, after the death of his father Jasper I, commonly known as the Witch-King, a sobriquet which brought the Prince of Wales torment during his life, and so after his succession to the throne, he notoriously destroyed much of his father's notes and experiments, while gifting other 'notable' portions of the collection to the Freemasons Grand Lodge of England.
Early in life, Henry had been married to Infante Antonia of Portugal and Brazil, reigniting the relationship between the two royal houses, and she gave him three sons, and two daughters. The marriage was one of politics, but it would be rude to say there was no love between the two.
For his short reign, Henry XII of Great Britain, Ireland and Norway would be largely content to leave the everyday governance to his officials and advisors, preferring the quiet palatial life to one of stress.
In 1861, Henry XII would pass after a Stroke, and leave the throne to his eldest son, Sebastian.
[12] A flamboyant, debaucherous, and quick tempered man, Sebastian was always in trouble when he was younger, being engaged in many duels across his short life. His fathers hands-off approach to both the nation and parenting, did little to effect the outrageous excess and debauchery of his son. Indeed, even Sebastian's ascension to the throne could not dampen the new kings habits. Fancying the role of the monarch to be a strong and acting political force, in the vein of his Great Great Grandfather, he would sit at the head o all meetings of the house of lords. and for all of his brief rule he was known to burst into outrageous rants and tirades on the floor of said house, berating those present as fools and codgers not worthy of their posts and holdings. Indeed it was such events as these for which he would lose his life, as in the summer of 1866 he and the Lord Earl of Christiania (Norwegian nobility) both found each other deeply offended and their honor desecrated by the other and agreed upon a duel. The fateful day would be August 26th, as the two men walked their paces and turned to fire, only one round struck home. A talented duelist, the king was outmatched, and the Earls shot lodged itself in the kings brain, killing him instantly. While the Earl would not be charged with any crime, as the duel was legal and agreed upon by all witnessing parties, he would be struck with such guilt that not two weeks later he would commit suicide by jumping off the London bridge, plummeting onto the deck of a passing ship. The king would be given full state funeral on December 6th, at Westminster. Having no legitimate children, he would be succeeded by his brother, John, Duke of York.
[13] John, Duke of York was never expected to succeed to the throne, however the death of his brother forced him into the limelight. While Sebastian II had never married, John would marry his first-cousin, Infanta Phillipina of Spain, who was related via her mother being the sister of John's mother. She also descended from John II of England and Ireland via his daughter, princess Catherine, who married Sebastião I of Portugal, and gave issue including the Monarchs of Portugal and Brazil.
John IV's reign oversaw much of the expansion of the British empire, across much of Western Africa, Persia, and Indochina. He would also grant substantial autonomy to Ireland and Norway, allowing each a lower house of parliament, while the three Houses of Commons where collectively under the British House of Lords.
John IV, firstly with his first wife, would have four children; a son and three daughters, and with his second wife; Princess Magdelina of Holstein-Gottorp-Wiesenburg, a Catholic branch of the house of Oldenburg owning land typically in Silesia, he had a further three sons and two daughters.
John IV would pass in the year 1893, and pass the throne to His second son from his first marriage, John-Henry, Prince of Wales.
[14] John-Henry, Prince of Wales was the second son born from John IV's marriage to Queen Phillipina. John-Henry would become heir after the death of his elder brother, Phillip-John, in 1879.
Before his rise to the throne, John would typically spend his time either at his British estates, Stanley Palace in Chester, or the estates in Spain inherited from his mother. During his many visits to Spain, John-Henry, known as Juan-Henrique de Gales, he would meet and begin to court his second-cousin, Maria Alfonsina, Princess of Piombino, the daughter of Leopoldo Bragnanza, Prince of Piombino. The Principality of Piombino was inherited by the Braganza after the last Ludovisi Princess sold her possessions to Prince Leopoldo of Spain, son of Juan Braganza II of Spain, the second Braganza king of Spain.The marriage with Maria Alfonsina would bring the Prince of Wales two sons.
John V's reign was largely consistent of expanding and centralising the British Empire, across Africa, Asia, and parts of South America.
John V would pass in the winter of 1911, and pass the throne to his eldest son, Prince John.
[15] A sickly child from birth, many didn’t expect him to survive childhood, however he out lived his father.
He was educated privately and was not allowed to interact with other boys, spending a lot of time with his older sister.
He only served just under a year on the throne, before his death on 2nd November 1912 of tuberculosis, at the age of 29, unmarried and childless. His was the shortest reign since King Edward V.
Monarchs of England and Ireland
1509 - 1547: Henry VIII (House of Tudor)
1547 - 1572: Henry IX "the Bloody" (House of Tudor) [1]
1572 - 1586: Phillip I "the Pious" (House of Tudor) [2]
1586 - 1616: Henry X (House of Tudor) [3]
1616 - 1639: John II "the Portuguese" (House of Tudor) [4]
1639 - 1663: Sebastian I (House of Tudor) [5]
1663 - 1681: Alphonsus I "the Sailor"(House of Tudor) [6]
1681 - 1732: Henry XI (House of Tudor) [7]
1732 - 1749: Edward VI (House of Tudor) [8]
1749 - 1762: John III (House of Tudor) [9]
Monarchs of The United Kingdom of Great Britain, Ireland, & Norway
1762 - 1806: John III (House of Tudor) [9]
1806 - 1845: Jasper I 'the Witch-King' (House of Tudor) [10]
1845 - 1861: Henry XII (House of Tudor) [11]
1861 - 1866: Sebastian II (House of Tudor) [12]
1866 - 1893: John IV (House of Tudor) [13]
1893 - 1911: John V (House of Tudor) [14]
1911 - 1912: John VI (House of Tudor) [15]
Henry oversaw the expansion of the English army and navy, which he used to crush dissidents and instil fear onto his subjects. However, he also used said army against the Scottish in the invasion of 1554.
The invading English proved effective against the Scots, and Scotland was annexed. However local resistant militias remained commonplace even at the end of his reign.
Henry married Isabella de Medici, a Catholic who bore him many children,
When the French Wars of Religion broke out, Henry stayed out of the war, claiming it would be too costly for the Kingdom, and would yield little results.
Henry died age 61, and was succeeded by his second son, Phillp Henry, Cardinal-Duke of York.
[2] After the Death of Henry, Prince of Wales in 1567 after a bout of Sweating Sickness striking the Palace, killing numerous members of the court as well as the Third son of Henry IX, Edward Duke of Clarence, Phillip was named as Heir to the English throne.
Phillip had been inducted to the Roman Catholic Church in the early 1560s, and through his father's influence, He rapidly was made a Cardinal and Bishop of Ferrara. At the time of the Bout of the Sickness, He was in Rome, and made his way to England when he heard the news.
After his arrival in Westminster, his crowning was one of the few moments where he removed his Cardinal's cap, and for the remainder of his reign, the cap would remain atop his royal head. For the coronation, beside him stood his sole remaining brother, Prince Louis, Duke of Lancaster.
His reign, a short fourteen years, restored the image of a Catholic England to much of Europe, mainly through generous donations to the Papacy, but also through the marriage of the two sons of the Duke of Lancaster to two Catholic princesses, firstly to an Infanta of Spain, and secondly to an Infanta of Portugal.
Phillip would frequently return to Rome during his reign, and was said to have taken Papal advice on many matters, and it was on one of the voyages where He was taken ill off shore of Cadiz. His body was returned to England, and a massive Royal funeral took place upon his return.
He was succeeded by his nephew, Prince Henry of Lancaster.
[3] Coming to the throne aged 14, Henry's first few years were marked by the regency of his mother Elizabeth. It was during the final year of her regency the Scottish rose up in defiance of the English King, with the head of the House of Stewart James leading the Stewartist cause. James Stewart enjoyed minor success, before being beaten back by English forces in the battle of Bellingham. When Henry came to the throne, he heroically led his armies into battle against the Scottish. The war was won soon after, and James Stewart was hung drawn and quartered in front of the King and his men.
It was in this early life experience that Henry began to define himself as a military expert, able of besting the strongest armies in Europe. Henry spent much of his reign fighting in Ireland, eventually gaining the whole island.
Henry was often described as envious of the Spanish Empire, wanting the colonies in America that they possessed. In 1602, Henry decided to give his explorers grants so they could found colonies in North America. He founded the English colonies of Virginia, New Berkshire (Modern day North and South Carolina), and Breretonland (named after the explorer John Brereton) and the Bahamas, which became very wealthy and successful colonies.
Henry died unexpectedly of a heart attack age 44, leaving his Kingdom to his younger, Prince John, Duke of Lancaster.
His life in Portugal was a happy one, residing mostly in the Algarve alongside his wife and children, of which he had four sons and three daughters. He would spend his days hunting and residing over a small Manorial court, which was usually filled with English and Irish merchants, seeking to make riches in the foreign ports that Portugal could bring.
After his Brothers death, John returned to England to assume the throne, and was crowned at Westminster as John II of England. His wife and children would follow later, and bring with them their Portuguese culture.
At the crowning of what was essentially a foreign monarch, several Protestant Nobles would rise in East Anglia, and attempt to crown one of their own, The Duke of Suffolk, as King claiming he had right to the throne via his descent from Henry VII.
The Revolt was put down, through extreme measures and the Nobles were each Hung, Drawn and Quartered in the presence of the King.
For the remainder of John's reign, it was largely peaceful, aside from the 'Bishop's War' in Ireland in 1631, an armed dispute between the Anglo-Irish Nobility, and the Catholic Bishops, which was resolved by intervention from the crown. John II would pass after 23 years of ruling, and pass the throne to his second son, Prince Sebastian, Duke of York.
He married Princess Luisa Christina of Savoy and had five children with her. Despite the difference in their ages, the match was a happy one and Luisa would often act as Sebastian's Regent, for Sebastian never lost his love of travel and sense of adventure, one he had cultivated as a second son who never really expected to inherit. His favourite destination was Portugal, for he remembered his childhood there fondly and did all he could to help his beloved natal country preserve its independence from Spain. Unfortunately, this meant his reputation at home suffered, for the English resented having a King who seemed to care more for events overseas than for protecting his own people. It would be left to his heir to repair relations between the Crown and the English/Scottish peerage.
Like his namesake, Sebastian would die defending Portuguese independence, for he led a contingent of English troops to Portugal's aid against the Spanish at Ameixial near Estremoz on June 8, 1663. The battle went to Portugal, but at the cost of the ageing English King's life.
Sebastian would be succeeded by his eldest son, Alphonsus , Prince of Wales.
Unlike his Grandfather and father, Alphonsus spent little time in Portugal, save for the occasion of his marriage to his cousin, Infanta Maria Alphonsa of Portugal, daughter of Sebastião II. The royal pair would have three children, all daughters.
For much of his life, he would remain in southern England, residing at his residence in Southampton, where he would be fascinated by the array of sailing vessels, and also meet regularly with the Admiralty. He would continue this fascination throughout his life and expanded the English Navy heavily, and also spend vast funds on the few English colonies, and capture others, including the city of Alphonsbrough in New Kent (OTL Virginia)
Alphonsus's reign was largely peaceful, aside from the Revolt of the Irish Lords in 1670, and the Norwegian War of Freedom, in which Norway, with Anglo-Irish and swedish assistance gained freedom from Denmark, and established the Duke of Mecklenburg as King, with King Adolphus of Norway taking the Throne.
Alphonsus would pass in the summer of 1681, and the throne would go to his nephew, Henry, Prince of Wales.
His father would die in 1666, during a fire which engulfed their residence, York House in London, while Elizabeth and Prince Henry was visiting her relatives, rumours are that the fire happened during an affair Prince John was having with a stable hand, having sent all the other servants away.
With the birth of the last daughter to King Alphonsus, it was clear that Henry would become heir and would be ideal to secure the family by marrying one of his cousin, the royal princesses, however with word from Spain regarding King Charles II, the Habsburg ruler of the Spanish Empire and his physical disabilities, believed to be the result of inbreeding.
Instead he married firstly Princess Eleonore Erdmuthe Louise of Saxe-Eisenach (13 April 1662 – 9 September 1696) and then secondly Élisabeth Charlotte d'Orléans (13 September 1676 – 23 December 1744). With both marriages he could produce 15 children, making sure the Tudor line would continue.
His domestic policies was made better by his foreign policies, with one of steady economical trade and marriages between major nations and his three cousins, his daughters and many granddaughters.
His death on 1 May 1732, aged 71, following three years of sickness and having his son, Edward, Prince of Wales, acting as regent.
Due to/Despite his tumultuous marriage Edward VI & Victoria did not/did manage to have children. When the King left to suppress a rebellion in Ireland, which was funded by the Queen's eldest brother King Harald of Norway who believed he was the true heir to King Alphonsus via his mother's claim, the regent was his heir John. While in Dublin the King was killed from an assassination by an Irish nationalist named Sean O'Donnell, leaving John as the monarch and the prospect of more Irish rebellion & war with Norway looming.
[9] A charismatic and easily likable man, as one of Edward VI's many nephews, John had been prepared for kingship fairly early in his life, learning the ways of politics and war. Upon the sudden assassination of Edward VI, the new king immediately set to work preparing his nation for the wars to come. His first actions were to call forth a grand army for the subjugation of the many young rebellions in Ireland. Throughout 1749 and early 1750 this army would be trained, and in August of 1750, the war that would be known as the Shattering of the Harps (after the adoption of the Green Harp Banner by many of the rebellion forces as a standard) would commence. Over the following year English forces would smash the assembled hosts of the Irish rebellions, ending with the death of the self proclaimed King of Ireland, George Talbot, at the battle of Aughrim. after this, most of the remaining rebel bands scattered and fled before the armies of the King.
However, he had not dismissed the threat of Norway during the campaigns in Ireland. Simultaneous with the marshaling of the army, John III was making ready the navy to wage war upon the sea. However, this would prove a monumental task, for the navy of Alphonsus had languished since his death, with its size dwindling to some 13 ships of the line, and 26 smaller vessels active, mostly out posted in the Caribbean and Americas. Upon their return from their tropical postings, they were immediately put to work training crews for ships that had been built and left sitting unmanned for decades. it would take them nearly two years to do so, with constant raiding and piracy from Norwegian ships interrupting much of England's trade. But when the fleet put to sea in mid 1751, it would number some 24 ships of the line and 53 ships of frigate or below rating. For the next two years they would hunt down and destroy the vast majority of the Norwegian fleet, with the largest battle occurring on April 11th, 1753. Some 11 Norwegian ships of the line and 14 frigates and sloops would face the English fleet fielding some 19 ships of the line and 27 frigates. This fleet, under the command of the hero of the campaign, Lord Admiral Alexander Gordon, Earl Granville, would smash the Norwegian fleet and launch an assault on the Norwegian mainland. His fleet would weigh anchor at the capital of Bergen, depositing a force of some 2,000 marines, these troops would be the vanguard for the English invasion force. By the end of 1754, the last English troops (veterans from Ireland) would be marching across the whole of Norway.
With the conquest of the nation, John III (using his relation to King Harald) was declared Sovereign King of Norway, bringing the nation under English influence. From here John's reign was relatively peaceful. the next half century would be marked as a time of great prosperity and enlightenment in England. to solidify his position as Sovereign of three separate kingdoms, He would exercise his considerable direct power in Norway and Ireland, as well as his strong political presence in the English parliament, to force all three nations to pass The Act of Union of 1762, this would combine the three crowns into a single body, and consolidate all governance into the parliament in London. The new nation would be simply referred to as Great Britain
Yet, peace was gasping near the end of the kings reign. In France, strife was stirring, and anger with the French King, Charles IX was growing among the people. already there were riots in the streets, and the nation was in peril. Yet that would be a trial for another king, for on October 3rd, 1806, King John III would pass away after an astounding 57 years on the throne. Leaving his second grandson, Prince Jasper of Wales to take the throne.
[10]
Jasper I, the second son of the only son of John III, Edward, Prince of Wales and his wife Princess Wilhelmine of Prussia, was only twelve when he took the throne of Great Britain, his elder brother Prince Philip of Wales having died two years prior of what modern historians believe to be hydrocephalus. Due to his status as a minor there was need of a regency, while his mother Wilhelmine was seen as the primary candidate, her tendencies of supporting her father Frederick William II's Germanic centric policies alienated much of the British political scene.
So for over a year as continental Europe erupted into horrific violence, first in France due to Charles IX's tyrannical rule devolving into a massive Revolution that quickly spread into the decaying Holy Roman Empire and the decadent Spanish Empire, the British Kingdoms were in a state of inertia as various factions swirled, none strong enough to seize the tiller of power on behalf of the young King.
Not to mention that the succession after Jasper I was unclear, Henry IX had had two wives and thirteen legitimate children, all of whom had married various nobles and royals across Europe, and in turn many of them had had children as well. Many feared that if Jasper I died then a war for the British succession would be inevitable.
Jasper himself spent much of his youth being educated by tutors, he displayed little interest in military matters, preferring to study history, philosophy, and more esoteric matters such as alchemy, astrology, and magic. The later was taught by a enigmatic figure in the young King's court, a mysterious elder peasant woman and suspected witch known as Alice Troyes, though the King would gather a strange court of hedge-wizards, natural philosophers, astrologers, alchemists, and other assorted practitioners of the strange, leading Jasper to be called 'the Witch-Boy' or more popularly 'the Witch-King of Great Britain', or simply the Witch-King.
At age fourteen, even as the First French Republic was formed on the corpses of Charles IX and his immediate family, Jasper I was able to convince a slim majority of the nobility to square the circle and proclaim his majority, allowing the young King to simply rule alone and ended much of the paralysis that had gripped the United Kingdoms.
This was under the advice of the Baron Grenville, who had managed to gain enough supporters during the 'Regency Crisis' to be a serious contender, but not enough to truly win. Earning the young King's trust he would become Jasper's principle advisor during much of his youth, much to the ire of the boy's mother who was dismissed from court upon Jasper's majority.
A series of coalition wars were already underway in Europe against Revolutionary France and Spain, led by Prussia and Russia due to the Hapsburg's being led by a highly inbred and mentally retarded Emperor, and last of the line of his family as well.
Jasper formally joined the Fourth Coalition on March 4h, 1809 against France and the Spanish Republicans that would later seize Spain in July of 1809, driving the Spanish royal family into exile in Mexico.
While the British navy would win several victories against France, on land they, like much of Europe continued to be defeated by the massive volunteer armies of the French Republic, leading defeat.
The Fifth and Sixth Coalition Wars would end similarly, however the Spanish and French Republics would buckle under the strain in different wars, the Spanish Republic would be toppled by a coup by an ambitious general eager to become a dictator, however he was quickly toppled by a mass revolt in Madrid by the people of the city and a group of businessmen and 'former' nobles invited a member of the Portuguese Royal family to become the new King of Spain.
While France witnessed a more successful internal coup that saw the rise of a new President For Life, Gilbert du Motier, the former Marquis de Lafayette and later proclaimed the Emperor of the French in 1814. This while not seen as ideal, led to a lessening of the violence in Western Europe, though the revolts and chaos of the Holy Roman Empire continued on, but more as a local problem that did not require British intervention... Until the last Habsburg died in 1821, leading to the various Dukes, Kings, and other rulers of the HRE to formally dissolve the Empire, however the succession to the various Habsburg lands led to the War of the Habsburg Succession, in which Britain tried to play the role of mediator with mixed results.
In the end the Archduchy of Austria and much of the lands in the Hapsburg German parts of the HRE were taken by different members of the House of Wittelsbach and the House of Hohenzollern, while a local nobleman with a drop of Hapsburg blood took Hungary, while the Italian lands were given to the Pope, and Bohemia elected a polish magnate as their King.
In the last years of the reign of Jasper I, the colonies in the New World had expanded considerably and were demanding various reforms and representation in Parliament, while Ireland suffered from severe famine that was only alleviated by the King spending tremendous sums of the government's budget for emergency supplies.
Jasper I would marry Princess Amalia Sophie of Sweden in his twenties, but the couple would only produce a single child, Henry Phillip, Prince of Wales who would inherit the throne after Jasper I died at age 51 of mercury poisoning from his alchemic experiments.
Early in life, Henry had been married to Infante Antonia of Portugal and Brazil, reigniting the relationship between the two royal houses, and she gave him three sons, and two daughters. The marriage was one of politics, but it would be rude to say there was no love between the two.
For his short reign, Henry XII of Great Britain, Ireland and Norway would be largely content to leave the everyday governance to his officials and advisors, preferring the quiet palatial life to one of stress.
In 1861, Henry XII would pass after a Stroke, and leave the throne to his eldest son, Sebastian.
[12] A flamboyant, debaucherous, and quick tempered man, Sebastian was always in trouble when he was younger, being engaged in many duels across his short life. His fathers hands-off approach to both the nation and parenting, did little to effect the outrageous excess and debauchery of his son. Indeed, even Sebastian's ascension to the throne could not dampen the new kings habits. Fancying the role of the monarch to be a strong and acting political force, in the vein of his Great Great Grandfather, he would sit at the head o all meetings of the house of lords. and for all of his brief rule he was known to burst into outrageous rants and tirades on the floor of said house, berating those present as fools and codgers not worthy of their posts and holdings. Indeed it was such events as these for which he would lose his life, as in the summer of 1866 he and the Lord Earl of Christiania (Norwegian nobility) both found each other deeply offended and their honor desecrated by the other and agreed upon a duel. The fateful day would be August 26th, as the two men walked their paces and turned to fire, only one round struck home. A talented duelist, the king was outmatched, and the Earls shot lodged itself in the kings brain, killing him instantly. While the Earl would not be charged with any crime, as the duel was legal and agreed upon by all witnessing parties, he would be struck with such guilt that not two weeks later he would commit suicide by jumping off the London bridge, plummeting onto the deck of a passing ship. The king would be given full state funeral on December 6th, at Westminster. Having no legitimate children, he would be succeeded by his brother, John, Duke of York.
John IV's reign oversaw much of the expansion of the British empire, across much of Western Africa, Persia, and Indochina. He would also grant substantial autonomy to Ireland and Norway, allowing each a lower house of parliament, while the three Houses of Commons where collectively under the British House of Lords.
John IV, firstly with his first wife, would have four children; a son and three daughters, and with his second wife; Princess Magdelina of Holstein-Gottorp-Wiesenburg, a Catholic branch of the house of Oldenburg owning land typically in Silesia, he had a further three sons and two daughters.
John IV would pass in the year 1893, and pass the throne to His second son from his first marriage, John-Henry, Prince of Wales.
Before his rise to the throne, John would typically spend his time either at his British estates, Stanley Palace in Chester, or the estates in Spain inherited from his mother. During his many visits to Spain, John-Henry, known as Juan-Henrique de Gales, he would meet and begin to court his second-cousin, Maria Alfonsina, Princess of Piombino, the daughter of Leopoldo Bragnanza, Prince of Piombino. The Principality of Piombino was inherited by the Braganza after the last Ludovisi Princess sold her possessions to Prince Leopoldo of Spain, son of Juan Braganza II of Spain, the second Braganza king of Spain.The marriage with Maria Alfonsina would bring the Prince of Wales two sons.
John V's reign was largely consistent of expanding and centralising the British Empire, across Africa, Asia, and parts of South America.
John V would pass in the winter of 1911, and pass the throne to his eldest son, Prince John.
[15] A sickly child from birth, many didn’t expect him to survive childhood, however he out lived his father.
He was educated privately and was not allowed to interact with other boys, spending a lot of time with his older sister.
He only served just under a year on the throne, before his death on 2nd November 1912 of tuberculosis, at the age of 29, unmarried and childless. His was the shortest reign since King Edward V.
