Probably want to join in (particularly interested in Castile & Aragon), gonna wait though (too much stuff going on IRL at the moment)
List of monarchs III
- Thread starter Shiva
- Start date
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- Tags
- alt history lists ruler game
My apologies, I too am so used to simply using the title King. Prince always feels lesser, will keep in mind.
Claiming the Roman Empire.
What if John, Prince of Asturias lived?
Monarchs of Castile
1474-1504: Isabella I (House of Trastamara)
1504-1518: John III (House of Trastamara) [1]
Monarchs of Castile and Aragon
1518-1521: John III (House of Trastamara) [1]
Monarchs of Castile, Aragon and Navarre
1521-1525: John III and IV (House of Trastamara) [1]
1525-1545: Ferdinand I, III and V (House of Trastamara) [2]
(1)
Born in 1478, John was the only child of his Parents, Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon, who were later dubbed "The Catholic Monarchs", due to their piety. John was groomed to be King from a young age, and was trained in the arts of governance and diplomacy. His parents wanted to form an alliance with the Holy Roman Empire against France and so would betroth him to the Holy Roman Emperor's daughter Margaret of Austria. The two would marry in 1497, and would quickly fall in love. However, John fell dangerously ill not long after their marriage and almost died. Fortunately he'd live and sire 4 children with his Wife.
In 1504, John inherited Castile from his Mother, Isabella, though he would not become King of Aragon until 1518, when his Father died. He quickly continued many of his Mother's policies, most crucially her fanatical-Catholicism and anti-French diplomacy. John would partake in many of the Italian Wars, using Castilian manpower to help defeat the French. In the most crucial Italian War, the War of the League of Cambrai, John led a force of 50,000 men against the French in Italy, helping push them out of Italy and capturing their stronghold of Milan. After several more years of bitter fighting France would capitulate in 1515, and Castile and Aragon would reap the benefits. Several border towns and forts on the Castilian-French Border, were ceded to Castile and/or Aragon. France also renounced all of their claims to Castilian territory, and paid a massive some of money in reparations.
John also began a rivalry with the Ottomans, sponsoring many raids on their lands and territories, hoping to weaken the great Islamic power. The raids never resulted in War but tensions between the two titans rose sharply. One Ottoman Diplomat would refer to Castile as "Home to the fanatics".
In 1518, Ferdinand II of Aragon passed away, and John would inherit the Kingdom, at last uniting the great Kingdoms of Castile and Aragon. Almost immediately he set his eyes North onto the tiny Kingdom of Navarre, to which he had a claim. France had agreed to not interfere in any Castilian or Aragonese invasion of Navarre, which left the Kingdom ripe for the taking for John. John would launch his invasion in 1519, and would conquer the entire Kingdom in 1521, with the Navarrese royal family taking refuge in France.
On the Colonisation front, John continued many of his Mother's policies, treating the natives with respect and sponsoring explorers and conquistadors. On one occasion he learnt of a man called Hernan Cortes who led a bloody conquest of the Aztec Empire, and slaughtered many of it's people. While John would permit colonisation of the region, he had Hernan arrested and later executed for treason. He also donated a sizeable sum of money to the Aztec people in hopes of helping them recover.
Religion wise, John hated the birth of Protestantism, when Martin Luther pinned his 95 theses to a Church door in Germany. He put a bounty of 1,000 Crowns on Martin to be brought to him. Though this would fail, John sponsored many enemies of Luther and his adherents, sending vast sums of money to some German duchies, which brought a wave of wealth to the Kingdoms, and introduced Spanish economic policies to the Kingdom.
In 1525, John fell ill with Smallpox, and despite his best efforts he would pass away. Upon his death he was succeeded by __________.
(2)
Ferdinand was the eldest of the four children of John III, and like his father, the only son. He took the thrones in 1525, having married Caterina Cybo, a niece of Pope Leo XI and granddaughter of Pope Innocent VIII. The resultant eight children born from 1520, all male, born healthy, would survive to adulthood - and would be seen as evidence that whilst Caterina was not of noble heritage, the marriage had been blessed by the divine spirit. Ferdinand had a relatively short reign of two decades, and saw his cousins ascend the thrones in England (Henry VIII), Burgundy (Charles II) and Portugal (Miguel I) and this, alongside his ties to the Vatican, left him with a steady position on the continent.
Still, Henry II, King Claimant of the Navarese Court in Exile, made constant plots to reclaim his lands. Henry had only daughters, Jeanne (1528) and Catherine (1530), and so Ferdinand made the tactical move to arrange the marriage of both Jeanne and Catherine to two of his sons, attempting to pacify the Navarese in a manner not unlike Henry VII's marriage to Elisabeth of York over fifty years earlier.
He married another son to his cousin Miguel I of Portugal's daughter, Dona Isabella, and yet another to Lady Catherine Tudor, daughter of his cousin, Henry VIII. By 1545, all of his sons had married or become engaged, some had produced issue and others had not, but when he died, Ferdinand was in the company of his heir _________ as well as Queen Caterina
Isabella I, Queen Regnant of Castile and Consort of Aragon, b. 1451, r 1464 to 1504, m. Ferdinand II, King of Aragon suo jure and King of Castile jure uxoris
Monarchs of Castile
1474-1504: Isabella I (House of Trastamara)
1504-1518: John III (House of Trastamara) [1]
Monarchs of Castile and Aragon
1518-1521: John III (House of Trastamara) [1]
Monarchs of Castile, Aragon and Navarre
1521-1525: John III and IV (House of Trastamara) [1]
1525-1545: Ferdinand I, III and V (House of Trastamara) [2]
(1)
Born in 1478, John was the only child of his Parents, Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon, who were later dubbed "The Catholic Monarchs", due to their piety. John was groomed to be King from a young age, and was trained in the arts of governance and diplomacy. His parents wanted to form an alliance with the Holy Roman Empire against France and so would betroth him to the Holy Roman Emperor's daughter Margaret of Austria. The two would marry in 1497, and would quickly fall in love. However, John fell dangerously ill not long after their marriage and almost died. Fortunately he'd live and sire 4 children with his Wife.
In 1504, John inherited Castile from his Mother, Isabella, though he would not become King of Aragon until 1518, when his Father died. He quickly continued many of his Mother's policies, most crucially her fanatical-Catholicism and anti-French diplomacy. John would partake in many of the Italian Wars, using Castilian manpower to help defeat the French. In the most crucial Italian War, the War of the League of Cambrai, John led a force of 50,000 men against the French in Italy, helping push them out of Italy and capturing their stronghold of Milan. After several more years of bitter fighting France would capitulate in 1515, and Castile and Aragon would reap the benefits. Several border towns and forts on the Castilian-French Border, were ceded to Castile and/or Aragon. France also renounced all of their claims to Castilian territory, and paid a massive some of money in reparations.
John also began a rivalry with the Ottomans, sponsoring many raids on their lands and territories, hoping to weaken the great Islamic power. The raids never resulted in War but tensions between the two titans rose sharply. One Ottoman Diplomat would refer to Castile as "Home to the fanatics".
In 1518, Ferdinand II of Aragon passed away, and John would inherit the Kingdom, at last uniting the great Kingdoms of Castile and Aragon. Almost immediately he set his eyes North onto the tiny Kingdom of Navarre, to which he had a claim. France had agreed to not interfere in any Castilian or Aragonese invasion of Navarre, which left the Kingdom ripe for the taking for John. John would launch his invasion in 1519, and would conquer the entire Kingdom in 1521, with the Navarrese royal family taking refuge in France.
On the Colonisation front, John continued many of his Mother's policies, treating the natives with respect and sponsoring explorers and conquistadors. On one occasion he learnt of a man called Hernan Cortes who led a bloody conquest of the Aztec Empire, and slaughtered many of it's people. While John would permit colonisation of the region, he had Hernan arrested and later executed for treason. He also donated a sizeable sum of money to the Aztec people in hopes of helping them recover.
Religion wise, John hated the birth of Protestantism, when Martin Luther pinned his 95 theses to a Church door in Germany. He put a bounty of 1,000 Crowns on Martin to be brought to him. Though this would fail, John sponsored many enemies of Luther and his adherents, sending vast sums of money to some German duchies, which brought a wave of wealth to the Kingdoms, and introduced Spanish economic policies to the Kingdom.
In 1525, John fell ill with Smallpox, and despite his best efforts he would pass away. Upon his death he was succeeded by __________.
(2)
Ferdinand was the eldest of the four children of John III, and like his father, the only son. He took the thrones in 1525, having married Caterina Cybo, a niece of Pope Leo XI and granddaughter of Pope Innocent VIII. The resultant eight children born from 1520, all male, born healthy, would survive to adulthood - and would be seen as evidence that whilst Caterina was not of noble heritage, the marriage had been blessed by the divine spirit. Ferdinand had a relatively short reign of two decades, and saw his cousins ascend the thrones in England (Henry VIII), Burgundy (Charles II) and Portugal (Miguel I) and this, alongside his ties to the Vatican, left him with a steady position on the continent.
Still, Henry II, King Claimant of the Navarese Court in Exile, made constant plots to reclaim his lands. Henry had only daughters, Jeanne (1528) and Catherine (1530), and so Ferdinand made the tactical move to arrange the marriage of both Jeanne and Catherine to two of his sons, attempting to pacify the Navarese in a manner not unlike Henry VII's marriage to Elisabeth of York over fifty years earlier.
He married another son to his cousin Miguel I of Portugal's daughter, Dona Isabella, and yet another to Lady Catherine Tudor, daughter of his cousin, Henry VIII. By 1545, all of his sons had married or become engaged, some had produced issue and others had not, but when he died, Ferdinand was in the company of his heir _________ as well as Queen Caterina
Isabella I, Queen Regnant of Castile and Consort of Aragon, b. 1451, r 1464 to 1504, m. Ferdinand II, King of Aragon suo jure and King of Castile jure uxoris
1) Isabella, Queen Consort of Portugal. 1470, m. Manuel I of Portugal
a) Miguel I, King of Portugal, b. 1498
1) Dona Isabella of Portugal, marries a son of Ferdinand I, III and IV
2) John III and IV, King of Aragon, Castile and Navarre, b 1478, r. 1504 (Castile) / 1517 (Aragon) / 1521 (Navarre) to 1525, m. Margaret of Austria
a) Ferdinand I, III and V, King of Aragon, Castile and Navarre, b. 1500, r. 1525 to 1545, m. Caterina Cybo
1) eight sons, two of which marry Joanne and Catherine d'Albret, one of whom marries Isabella of Portugal, and another who marries Lady Catherine Tudor
x) three other children
3) Joanna, Duchess of Burgundy, b. 1479, m. Philip 'the Handsome', Duke of Burgundy
a) Charles II, Duke of Burgundy, b. 1500
4) Maria l, Queen Consort or Portugal, b. 1482, m. Manuel I of Portugal
5) Catherine, Queen of England, b. 1485, m. Arthur I of England
a) Henry VIII, King of England, b. 1510
1) Lady Catherine Tudor, marries a son of Ferdinand I, III and IV
Last edited:
POD: Basil II marries and has a son and heir instead of refusing to marry
Monarchs of the Roman Empire
976-1025: Basil II (Macedonian)
1025-1055: Alexios I (Macedonian) [1]
1055-1079: Romanos III (Macedonian) [2]
[1] Alexios Macedon, born on March 6, 990 to Basil II and Eudoxia Komnena, would grow up to be a talented and competent man, a worthy heir to his father when he died in 1025 and became the new Emperor and Autocrat of the Romans in the aftermath of his father's death. Alexios I's reign would be marked by a consolidation of his father's conquests during his reign with Alexios, as Emperor, dealing with the rise of the Seljuks and the Normans beginning to arrive in Sicily. While his reign would be considered to be a largely "boring" reign, it was one which provided the Empire with 30 years of stability with his heir, Romanos, having a succession largely uncontested when Alexios I died in 1055 at the age of 65.
[2] Born in 1021, during the reign of his grandfather Emperor Basil II, he was named after his great grandfather, Romanos II, Byzantine Emperor, 959 to 963.
During his education, Romanos attended the University of Constantinople, becoming a student under professor Michael Psellos, who bore the honorary title of "Chief of the Philosophers"
In 1048, Romanos married Anna Bryennios, only daughter of Nikephoros Bryennios, an important Byzantine general and his wife, Anna, who had the rank of kouropalatissa.
Thanks to military support, when Alexios I died in 1055, Romanos was able to succeed the throne with only a distant relative, staging a failed two day rebellion, in Kalavrye, Thrace.
Following the death of Michael I Cerularius in 1059, Romanos elevated his former tutor to the position of Patriarch of Constantinople.
With his father-in-law as commander of the Byzantine army and navy, Romanos was able to concentrate on the finances, keeping taxes as profitable to keep the treasury full but not high enough to cause any revolts.
The efficient navy was able to push the Normans out of Italy while in the Balkans, the army was able to defeat Hungarians who tried invading Belgrade as well as holding back the Seljuk sultan, Alp Arslan from sending skirmishes from Anatolia.
His death in 1079, came following a year of illness. He was succeeded by ______________.
Monarchs of the Roman Empire
976-1025: Basil II (Macedonian)
1025-1055: Alexios I (Macedonian) [1]
1055-1079: Romanos III (Macedonian) [2]
[1] Alexios Macedon, born on March 6, 990 to Basil II and Eudoxia Komnena, would grow up to be a talented and competent man, a worthy heir to his father when he died in 1025 and became the new Emperor and Autocrat of the Romans in the aftermath of his father's death. Alexios I's reign would be marked by a consolidation of his father's conquests during his reign with Alexios, as Emperor, dealing with the rise of the Seljuks and the Normans beginning to arrive in Sicily. While his reign would be considered to be a largely "boring" reign, it was one which provided the Empire with 30 years of stability with his heir, Romanos, having a succession largely uncontested when Alexios I died in 1055 at the age of 65.
[2] Born in 1021, during the reign of his grandfather Emperor Basil II, he was named after his great grandfather, Romanos II, Byzantine Emperor, 959 to 963.
During his education, Romanos attended the University of Constantinople, becoming a student under professor Michael Psellos, who bore the honorary title of "Chief of the Philosophers"
In 1048, Romanos married Anna Bryennios, only daughter of Nikephoros Bryennios, an important Byzantine general and his wife, Anna, who had the rank of kouropalatissa.
Thanks to military support, when Alexios I died in 1055, Romanos was able to succeed the throne with only a distant relative, staging a failed two day rebellion, in Kalavrye, Thrace.
Following the death of Michael I Cerularius in 1059, Romanos elevated his former tutor to the position of Patriarch of Constantinople.
With his father-in-law as commander of the Byzantine army and navy, Romanos was able to concentrate on the finances, keeping taxes as profitable to keep the treasury full but not high enough to cause any revolts.
The efficient navy was able to push the Normans out of Italy while in the Balkans, the army was able to defeat Hungarians who tried invading Belgrade as well as holding back the Seljuk sultan, Alp Arslan from sending skirmishes from Anatolia.
His death in 1079, came following a year of illness. He was succeeded by ______________.
What if John, Prince of Asturias lived?
Monarchs of Castile
1474-1504: Isabella I (House of Trastamara)
1504-1518: John III (House of Trastamara) [1]
Monarchs of Castile and Aragon
1518-1521: John III (House of Trastamara) [1]
Monarchs of Castile, Aragon and Navarre
1521-1525: John III and IV (House of Trastamara) [1]
1525-1545: Ferdinand I, III and V (House of Trastamara) [2]
1545-1565: John IV and V (House of Trastamara) [3]
Monarchs of Castile, Aragon, Navarre and Portugal
1565-1576: John IV, V and III (House of Trastamara) [3]
[3] John was born the oldest of the eight son, in 1520, becoming Prince of Asturias and heir from birth.
Growing up, he knew he needed the love and fear of his brothers, love to serve him and fear to be loyal to him.
At the age of 16, John was married to his cousin, Dona Isabella of Portugal, daughter and heiress of Miguel I of Portugal and Eleanor of Austria.
He would serve as best man at all six of his brother’s weddings that followed his own, enjoying the size of his family growing.
Upon becoming king at the age of 25 in 1545, he came with three children already and would have three more during his reign.
His youngest brother, Prince Giovanni, at 14 would soon find his proposed bride had died, leaving him at the mercy of his older brother, to which John provided him with a religious job. Through their mother, John was able to elevate him to Archbishops of Toledo and get him a seat in the Cardinal college, through his own hard work Giovanni was able to work to hold the highest office close to od, as Pope Innocent IX.
With his pious connections as well as support from his local noblemen, John was able to rid the kingdom of Muslims and Jews as well as demanding a war on the Muslim territories in North and Western Africa, with his brothers and fellow countrymen claiming lands and titles through this.
His control over Africa were not secure yet but with settlers and missionaries being sent to colonies the new colonies as well as the ones in the America’s, John hoped for future kings to benefit from these gains.
In 1565, Miguel I of Portugal, died leaving his daughter Isabella to take the throne and allowing John to be their next to him, the pair co-ruled as joint monarch happily for 11 years before John died in 1576 just before his 56th birthday. Throughout his remaining years he tried to consolidate the crowns as one Holy Iberian Empire, but never saw his plans come true.
He was succeeded by ______________________
Family Tree
Isabella I, Queen Regnant of Castile and Consort of Aragon, b. 1451, r 1464 to 1504, m. Ferdinand II, King of Aragon suo jure and King of Castile jure uxoris
Monarchs of Castile
1474-1504: Isabella I (House of Trastamara)
1504-1518: John III (House of Trastamara) [1]
Monarchs of Castile and Aragon
1518-1521: John III (House of Trastamara) [1]
Monarchs of Castile, Aragon and Navarre
1521-1525: John III and IV (House of Trastamara) [1]
1525-1545: Ferdinand I, III and V (House of Trastamara) [2]
1545-1565: John IV and V (House of Trastamara) [3]
Monarchs of Castile, Aragon, Navarre and Portugal
1565-1576: John IV, V and III (House of Trastamara) [3]
[1] Born in 1478, John was the only child of his Parents, Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon, who were later dubbed "The Catholic Monarchs", due to their piety. John was groomed to be King from a young age, and was trained in the arts of governance and diplomacy. His parents wanted to form an alliance with the Holy Roman Empire against France and so would betroth him to the Holy Roman Emperor's daughter Margaret of Austria. The two would marry in 1497, and would quickly fall in love. However, John fell dangerously ill not long after their marriage and almost died. Fortunately he'd live and sire 4 children with his Wife.
In 1504, John inherited Castile from his Mother, Isabella, though he would not become King of Aragon until 1518, when his Father died. He quickly continued many of his Mother's policies, most crucially her fanatical-Catholicism and anti-French diplomacy. John would partake in many of the Italian Wars, using Castilian manpower to help defeat the French. In the most crucial Italian War, the War of the League of Cambrai, John led a force of 50,000 men against the French in Italy, helping push them out of Italy and capturing their stronghold of Milan. After several more years of bitter fighting France would capitulate in 1515, and Castile and Aragon would reap the benefits. Several border towns and forts on the Castilian-French Border, were ceded to Castile and/or Aragon. France also renounced all of their claims to Castilian territory, and paid a massive some of money in reparations.
John also began a rivalry with the Ottomans, sponsoring many raids on their lands and territories, hoping to weaken the great Islamic power. The raids never resulted in War but tensions between the two titans rose sharply. One Ottoman Diplomat would refer to Castile as "Home to the fanatics".
In 1518, Ferdinand II of Aragon passed away, and John would inherit the Kingdom, at last uniting the great Kingdoms of Castile and Aragon. Almost immediately he set his eyes North onto the tiny Kingdom of Navarre, to which he had a claim. France had agreed to not interfere in any Castilian or Aragonese invasion of Navarre, which left the Kingdom ripe for the taking for John. John would launch his invasion in 1519, and would conquer the entire Kingdom in 1521, with the Navarrese royal family taking refuge in France.
On the Colonisation front, John continued many of his Mother's policies, treating the natives with respect and sponsoring explorers and conquistadors. On one occasion he learnt of a man called Hernan Cortes who led a bloody conquest of the Aztec Empire, and slaughtered many of it's people. While John would permit colonisation of the region, he had Hernan arrested and later executed for treason. He also donated a sizeable sum of money to the Aztec people in hopes of helping them recover.
Religion wise, John hated the birth of Protestantism, when Martin Luther pinned his 95 theses to a Church door in Germany. He put a bounty of 1,000 Crowns on Martin to be brought to him. Though this would fail, John sponsored many enemies of Luther and his adherents, sending vast sums of money to some German duchies, which brought a wave of wealth to the Kingdoms, and introduced Spanish economic policies to the Kingdom.
In 1525, John fell ill with Smallpox, and despite his best efforts he would pass away. Upon his death he was succeeded by eldest son, Ferdinand.
(2) Ferdinand was the eldest of the four children of John III, and like his father, the only son. He took the thrones in 1525, having married Caterina Cybo, a niece of Pope Leo XI and granddaughter of Pope Innocent VIII. The resultant eight children born from 1520, all male, born healthy, would survive to adulthood - and would be seen as evidence that whilst Caterina was not of noble heritage, the marriage had been blessed by the divine spirit. Ferdinand had a relatively short reign of two decades, and saw his cousins ascend the thrones in England (Henry VIII), Burgundy (Charles II) and Portugal (Miguel I) and this, alongside his ties to the Vatican, left him with a steady position on the continent.
Still, Henry II, King Claimant of the Navarese Court in Exile, made constant plots to reclaim his lands. Henry had only daughters, Jeanne (1528) and Catherine (1530), and so Ferdinand made the tactical move to arrange the marriage of both Jeanne and Catherine to two of his sons, attempting to pacify the Navarese in a manner not unlike Henry VII's marriage to Elisabeth of York over fifty years earlier.
He married another son to his cousin Miguel I of Portugal's daughter, Dona Isabella, and yet another to Lady Catherine Tudor, daughter of his cousin, Henry VIII. By 1545, all of his sons had married or become engaged, some had produced issue and others had not, but when he died, Ferdinand was in the company of his heir Prince John, as well as Queen Caterina
In 1504, John inherited Castile from his Mother, Isabella, though he would not become King of Aragon until 1518, when his Father died. He quickly continued many of his Mother's policies, most crucially her fanatical-Catholicism and anti-French diplomacy. John would partake in many of the Italian Wars, using Castilian manpower to help defeat the French. In the most crucial Italian War, the War of the League of Cambrai, John led a force of 50,000 men against the French in Italy, helping push them out of Italy and capturing their stronghold of Milan. After several more years of bitter fighting France would capitulate in 1515, and Castile and Aragon would reap the benefits. Several border towns and forts on the Castilian-French Border, were ceded to Castile and/or Aragon. France also renounced all of their claims to Castilian territory, and paid a massive some of money in reparations.
John also began a rivalry with the Ottomans, sponsoring many raids on their lands and territories, hoping to weaken the great Islamic power. The raids never resulted in War but tensions between the two titans rose sharply. One Ottoman Diplomat would refer to Castile as "Home to the fanatics".
In 1518, Ferdinand II of Aragon passed away, and John would inherit the Kingdom, at last uniting the great Kingdoms of Castile and Aragon. Almost immediately he set his eyes North onto the tiny Kingdom of Navarre, to which he had a claim. France had agreed to not interfere in any Castilian or Aragonese invasion of Navarre, which left the Kingdom ripe for the taking for John. John would launch his invasion in 1519, and would conquer the entire Kingdom in 1521, with the Navarrese royal family taking refuge in France.
On the Colonisation front, John continued many of his Mother's policies, treating the natives with respect and sponsoring explorers and conquistadors. On one occasion he learnt of a man called Hernan Cortes who led a bloody conquest of the Aztec Empire, and slaughtered many of it's people. While John would permit colonisation of the region, he had Hernan arrested and later executed for treason. He also donated a sizeable sum of money to the Aztec people in hopes of helping them recover.
Religion wise, John hated the birth of Protestantism, when Martin Luther pinned his 95 theses to a Church door in Germany. He put a bounty of 1,000 Crowns on Martin to be brought to him. Though this would fail, John sponsored many enemies of Luther and his adherents, sending vast sums of money to some German duchies, which brought a wave of wealth to the Kingdoms, and introduced Spanish economic policies to the Kingdom.
In 1525, John fell ill with Smallpox, and despite his best efforts he would pass away. Upon his death he was succeeded by eldest son, Ferdinand.
(2) Ferdinand was the eldest of the four children of John III, and like his father, the only son. He took the thrones in 1525, having married Caterina Cybo, a niece of Pope Leo XI and granddaughter of Pope Innocent VIII. The resultant eight children born from 1520, all male, born healthy, would survive to adulthood - and would be seen as evidence that whilst Caterina was not of noble heritage, the marriage had been blessed by the divine spirit. Ferdinand had a relatively short reign of two decades, and saw his cousins ascend the thrones in England (Henry VIII), Burgundy (Charles II) and Portugal (Miguel I) and this, alongside his ties to the Vatican, left him with a steady position on the continent.
Still, Henry II, King Claimant of the Navarese Court in Exile, made constant plots to reclaim his lands. Henry had only daughters, Jeanne (1528) and Catherine (1530), and so Ferdinand made the tactical move to arrange the marriage of both Jeanne and Catherine to two of his sons, attempting to pacify the Navarese in a manner not unlike Henry VII's marriage to Elisabeth of York over fifty years earlier.
He married another son to his cousin Miguel I of Portugal's daughter, Dona Isabella, and yet another to Lady Catherine Tudor, daughter of his cousin, Henry VIII. By 1545, all of his sons had married or become engaged, some had produced issue and others had not, but when he died, Ferdinand was in the company of his heir Prince John, as well as Queen Caterina
[3] John was born the oldest of the eight son, in 1520, becoming Prince of Asturias and heir from birth.
Growing up, he knew he needed the love and fear of his brothers, love to serve him and fear to be loyal to him.
At the age of 16, John was married to his cousin, Dona Isabella of Portugal, daughter and heiress of Miguel I of Portugal and Eleanor of Austria.
He would serve as best man at all six of his brother’s weddings that followed his own, enjoying the size of his family growing.
Upon becoming king at the age of 25 in 1545, he came with three children already and would have three more during his reign.
His youngest brother, Prince Giovanni, at 14 would soon find his proposed bride had died, leaving him at the mercy of his older brother, to which John provided him with a religious job. Through their mother, John was able to elevate him to Archbishops of Toledo and get him a seat in the Cardinal college, through his own hard work Giovanni was able to work to hold the highest office close to od, as Pope Innocent IX.
With his pious connections as well as support from his local noblemen, John was able to rid the kingdom of Muslims and Jews as well as demanding a war on the Muslim territories in North and Western Africa, with his brothers and fellow countrymen claiming lands and titles through this.
His control over Africa were not secure yet but with settlers and missionaries being sent to colonies the new colonies as well as the ones in the America’s, John hoped for future kings to benefit from these gains.
In 1565, Miguel I of Portugal, died leaving his daughter Isabella to take the throne and allowing John to be their next to him, the pair co-ruled as joint monarch happily for 11 years before John died in 1576 just before his 56th birthday. Throughout his remaining years he tried to consolidate the crowns as one Holy Iberian Empire, but never saw his plans come true.
He was succeeded by ______________________
Family Tree
Isabella I, Queen Regnant of Castile and Consort of Aragon, b. 1451, r 1464 to 1504, m. Ferdinand II, King of Aragon suo jure and King of Castile jure uxoris
1) Isabella, Queen Consort of Portugal. (1470–1498) m. 1490, a) Afonso, Prince of Portugal (1475-1491) 1497, b) Manuel I of Portugal (1469-1501)
1b) Miguel I, King of Portugal, b. 1498 m. Eleanor of Austria (1498–1558)
1) Isabella I of Portugal, m. John IV, V and III King of Aragon, Castile, Navarre and Portugal
2) John III and IV, King of Aragon, Castile and Navarre, b 1478, r. 1504 (Castile) / 1517 (Aragon) / 1521 (Navarre) to 1525, m. Margaret of Austria
a) Ferdinand I, III and V, King of Aragon, Castile and Navarre, b. 1500, r. 1525 to 1545, m. Caterina Cybo
1) John IV, V and III King of Aragon, Castile, Navarre and Portugal (1520- m. Isabella of Portugal
2) Ferdinand, Duke of Pamplona (1521- m. Joanne d'Albret
3) Leo, Duke of Gibraltar and Admiral of the Fleet (1523- m. Lady Catherine Tudor
4) Alfonso, Duke of Zaragoza (1524- m. Catherine d'Albret
5) Prince Henry, Duke of Córdoba (1525- m. Margaret of Alba (1525-1577)
6) Prince Peter, Duke of Algiers, Viceroy of North Africa (1527- m. Joanna de Leyva (1530-
7) Prince Sancho, Tanji (1529- m. Anna Gonzaga (1531-
8) Pope Innocent IX, previously Prince Giovanni (1531-1617) engaged to Maria d'Avalos d'Aragona (1531–1645)
2) Isabella (1502-1505)
3) John (1503-1511)
4) Margaret (1505-1526) m. 1521, Fernando Álvarez de Toledo y Pimentel, 3rd Duke of Alba (1507–1582)
1) John, 4th Duke of Alba (1523-
2) Margaret of Alba (1525-1577)
3) Joanna, Duchess of Burgundy, b. 1479, m. Philip 'the Handsome', Duke of Burgundy
a) Charles II, Duke of Burgundy, b. 1500
4) Maria l, Queen Consort of Portugal, b. 1482, m. a) 1500, Manuel I of Portugal (1469-1501)
5) Catherine, Queen of England, b. 1485, m. Arthur I of England
a) Henry VIII, King of England, b. 1510
1) Lady Catherine Tudor, m Leo, Duke of Gibraltar and Admiral of the Fleet
POD: Basil II marries and has a son and heir instead of refusing to marry
Monarchs of the Roman Empire
976-1025: Basil II (Macedonian Dynasty)
1025-1055: Alexios I (Macedonian Dynasty) [1]
1055-1079: Romanos III (Macedonian Dynasty) [2]
1079-1082: Alexander II (Macedonian Dynasty) [3]
[3] Alexander, born 1055, was the only surviving son of Emperor Romanos III. Only a few days before he died, his father chose him as his successor. The new emperor was young, handsome, and energetic. However, he suffered from poor health for most of his life, and entrusted the business of governing to his advisors.
In early 1082, he died shortly after putting down a revolt in Greece. He was succeeded by ____________________.
Monarchs of the Roman Empire
976-1025: Basil II (Macedonian Dynasty)
1025-1055: Alexios I (Macedonian Dynasty) [1]
1055-1079: Romanos III (Macedonian Dynasty) [2]
1079-1082: Alexander II (Macedonian Dynasty) [3]
[1] Alexios Macedon, born on March 6, 990 to Basil II and Eudoxia Komnena, would grow up to be a talented and competent man, a worthy heir to his father when he died in 1025 and became the new Emperor and Autocrat of the Romans in the aftermath of his father's death. Alexios I's reign would be marked by a consolidation of his father's conquests during his reign with Alexios, as Emperor, dealing with the rise of the Seljuks and the Normans beginning to arrive in Sicily. While his reign would be considered to be a largely "boring" reign, it was one which provided the Empire with 30 years of stability with his heir, Romanos, having a succession largely uncontested when Alexios I died in 1055 at the age of 65.
[2] Born in 1021, during the reign of his grandfather Emperor Basil II, he was named after his great grandfather, Romanos II, Byzantine Emperor, 959 to 963.
During his education, Romanos attended the University of Constantinople, becoming a student under professor Michael Psellos, who bore the honorary title of "Chief of the Philosophers"
In 1048, Romanos married Anna Bryennios, only daughter of Nikephoros Bryennios, an important Byzantine general and his wife, Anna, who had the rank of kouropalatissa.
Thanks to military support, when Alexios I died in 1055, Romanos was able to succeed the throne with only a distant relative, staging a failed two day rebellion, in Kalavrye, Thrace.
Following the death of Michael I Cerularius in 1059, Romanos elevated his former tutor to the position of Patriarch of Constantinople.
With his father-in-law as commander of the Byzantine army and navy, Romanos was able to concentrate on the finances, keeping taxes as profitable to keep the treasury full but not high enough to cause any revolts.
The efficient navy was able to push the Normans out of Italy while in the Balkans, the army was able to defeat Hungarians who tried invading Belgrade as well as holding back the Seljuk sultan, Alp Arslan from sending skirmishes from Anatolia.
His death in 1079, came following a year of illness. He was succeeded by ______________.
[2] Born in 1021, during the reign of his grandfather Emperor Basil II, he was named after his great grandfather, Romanos II, Byzantine Emperor, 959 to 963.
During his education, Romanos attended the University of Constantinople, becoming a student under professor Michael Psellos, who bore the honorary title of "Chief of the Philosophers"
In 1048, Romanos married Anna Bryennios, only daughter of Nikephoros Bryennios, an important Byzantine general and his wife, Anna, who had the rank of kouropalatissa.
Thanks to military support, when Alexios I died in 1055, Romanos was able to succeed the throne with only a distant relative, staging a failed two day rebellion, in Kalavrye, Thrace.
Following the death of Michael I Cerularius in 1059, Romanos elevated his former tutor to the position of Patriarch of Constantinople.
With his father-in-law as commander of the Byzantine army and navy, Romanos was able to concentrate on the finances, keeping taxes as profitable to keep the treasury full but not high enough to cause any revolts.
The efficient navy was able to push the Normans out of Italy while in the Balkans, the army was able to defeat Hungarians who tried invading Belgrade as well as holding back the Seljuk sultan, Alp Arslan from sending skirmishes from Anatolia.
His death in 1079, came following a year of illness. He was succeeded by ______________.
[3] Alexander, born 1055, was the only surviving son of Emperor Romanos III. Only a few days before he died, his father chose him as his successor. The new emperor was young, handsome, and energetic. However, he suffered from poor health for most of his life, and entrusted the business of governing to his advisors.
In early 1082, he died shortly after putting down a revolt in Greece. He was succeeded by ____________________.
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What if John, Prince of Asturias lived?
Monarchs of Castile
1474-1504: Isabella I (House of Trastamara)
1504-1518: John III (House of Trastamara) [1]
Monarchs of Castile and Aragon
1518-1521: John III (House of Trastamara) [1]
Monarchs of Castile, Aragon and Navarre
1521-1525: John III and IV (House of Trastamara) [1]
1525-1545: Ferdinand I, III and V (House of Trastamara) [2]
1545-1565: John IV and V (House of Trastamara) [3]
Monarchs of Castile, Aragon, Navarre and Portugal
1565-1576: John IV, V and III (House of Trastamara) [3]
1576-1578: Miguel II and I (House of Trastamara) [4]
Monarchs of the Holy Iberian Empire
1578-1593: Miguel I (House of Trastamara) [4]
[4] Miguel was born in 1537 to John IV and Isabella of Portugal, later becoming Prince of Asturias in 1545 when his grandfather Ferdinand I died. Growing up, he knew that as Castile expanded, so did opportunites for revolts to happen. Thus, he would teach himself on how to be a kind and fair ruler and how to govern his ever growing Kingdom.
Miguel would marry in 1558 to Elizabeth of England, daughter of Henry VIII of England. The newly married couple went on to have nine children (five of whom would make it to adulthood) together.
Miguel would become King following his father’s death in 1576 and would complete the consolidation of his territories into the Holy Iberian Empire upon the death of his mother Isabella I of Portugal in 1583. He played around with the idea of giving the various crownlands their own kings, but realise that could cause problems down the line.
The Holy Iberian Empire would continue to grow durring this time, with the expansion of the colonies in the Americas, as well as the marring off of his daughters to the various rulers of Europe, including the marriage of this daughter Isabella to Ferdinand I of England, son of Henry VIII.
Miguel died in 1593 at the age of 54, and was succeeded by ________.
Monarchs of Castile
1474-1504: Isabella I (House of Trastamara)
1504-1518: John III (House of Trastamara) [1]
Monarchs of Castile and Aragon
1518-1521: John III (House of Trastamara) [1]
Monarchs of Castile, Aragon and Navarre
1521-1525: John III and IV (House of Trastamara) [1]
1525-1545: Ferdinand I, III and V (House of Trastamara) [2]
1545-1565: John IV and V (House of Trastamara) [3]
Monarchs of Castile, Aragon, Navarre and Portugal
1565-1576: John IV, V and III (House of Trastamara) [3]
1576-1578: Miguel II and I (House of Trastamara) [4]
Monarchs of the Holy Iberian Empire
1578-1593: Miguel I (House of Trastamara) [4]
[1] Born in 1478, John was the only child of his Parents, Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon, who were later dubbed "The Catholic Monarchs", due to their piety. John was groomed to be King from a young age, and was trained in the arts of governance and diplomacy. His parents wanted to form an alliance with the Holy Roman Empire against France and so would betroth him to the Holy Roman Emperor's daughter Margaret of Austria. The two would marry in 1497, and would quickly fall in love. However, John fell dangerously ill not long after their marriage and almost died. Fortunately he'd live and sire 4 children with his Wife.
In 1504, John inherited Castile from his Mother, Isabella, though he would not become King of Aragon until 1518, when his Father died. He quickly continued many of his Mother's policies, most crucially her fanatical-Catholicism and anti-French diplomacy. John would partake in many of the Italian Wars, using Castilian manpower to help defeat the French. In the most crucial Italian War, the War of the League of Cambrai, John led a force of 50,000 men against the French in Italy, helping push them out of Italy and capturing their stronghold of Milan. After several more years of bitter fighting France would capitulate in 1515, and Castile and Aragon would reap the benefits. Several border towns and forts on the Castilian-French Border, were ceded to Castile and/or Aragon. France also renounced all of their claims to Castilian territory, and paid a massive some of money in reparations.
John also began a rivalry with the Ottomans, sponsoring many raids on their lands and territories, hoping to weaken the great Islamic power. The raids never resulted in War but tensions between the two titans rose sharply. One Ottoman Diplomat would refer to Castile as "Home to the fanatics".
In 1518, Ferdinand II of Aragon passed away, and John would inherit the Kingdom, at last uniting the great Kingdoms of Castile and Aragon. Almost immediately he set his eyes North onto the tiny Kingdom of Navarre, to which he had a claim. France had agreed to not interfere in any Castilian or Aragonese invasion of Navarre, which left the Kingdom ripe for the taking for John. John would launch his invasion in 1519, and would conquer the entire Kingdom in 1521, with the Navarrese royal family taking refuge in France.
On the Colonisation front, John continued many of his Mother's policies, treating the natives with respect and sponsoring explorers and conquistadors. On one occasion he learnt of a man called Hernan Cortes who led a bloody conquest of the Aztec Empire, and slaughtered many of it's people. While John would permit colonisation of the region, he had Hernan arrested and later executed for treason. He also donated a sizeable sum of money to the Aztec people in hopes of helping them recover.
Religion wise, John hated the birth of Protestantism, when Martin Luther pinned his 95 theses to a Church door in Germany. He put a bounty of 1,000 Crowns on Martin to be brought to him. Though this would fail, John sponsored many enemies of Luther and his adherents, sending vast sums of money to some German duchies, which brought a wave of wealth to the Kingdoms, and introduced Spanish economic policies to the Kingdom.
In 1525, John fell ill with Smallpox, and despite his best efforts he would pass away. Upon his death he was succeeded by eldest son, Ferdinand.
(2) Ferdinand was the eldest of the four children of John III, and like his father, the only son. He took the thrones in 1525, having married Caterina Cybo, a niece of Pope Leo XI and granddaughter of Pope Innocent VIII. The resultant eight children born from 1520, all male, born healthy, would survive to adulthood - and would be seen as evidence that whilst Caterina was not of noble heritage, the marriage had been blessed by the divine spirit. Ferdinand had a relatively short reign of two decades, and saw his cousins ascend the thrones in England (Henry VIII), Burgundy (Charles II) and Portugal (Miguel I) and this, alongside his ties to the Vatican, left him with a steady position on the continent.
Still, Henry II, King Claimant of the Navarese Court in Exile, made constant plots to reclaim his lands. Henry had only daughters, Jeanne (1528) and Catherine (1530), and so Ferdinand made the tactical move to arrange the marriage of both Jeanne and Catherine to two of his sons, attempting to pacify the Navarese in a manner not unlike Henry VII's marriage to Elisabeth of York over fifty years earlier.
He married another son to his cousin Miguel I of Portugal's daughter, Dona Isabella, and yet another to Lady Catherine Tudor, daughter of his cousin, Henry VIII. By 1545, all of his sons had married or become engaged, some had produced issue and others had not, but when he died, Ferdinand was in the company of his heir Prince John, as well as Queen Caterina
[3] John was born the oldest of the eight son, in 1520, becoming Prince of Asturias and heir from birth.
Growing up, he knew he needed the love and fear of his brothers, love to serve him and fear to be loyal to him.
At the age of 16, John was married to his cousin, Dona Isabella of Portugal, daughter and heiress of Miguel I of Portugal and Eleanor of Austria.
He would serve as best man at all six of his brother’s weddings that followed his own, enjoying the size of his family growing.
Upon becoming king at the age of 25 in 1545, he came with three children already and would have three more during his reign.
His youngest brother, Prince Giovanni, at 14 would soon find his proposed bride had died, leaving him at the mercy of his older brother, to which John provided him with a religious job. Through their mother, John was able to elevate him to Archbishops of Toledo and get him a seat in the Cardinal college, through his own hard work Giovanni was able to work to hold the highest office close to od, as Pope Innocent IX.
With his pious connections as well as support from his local noblemen, John was able to rid the kingdom of Muslims and Jews as well as demanding a war on the Muslim territories in North and Western Africa, with his brothers and fellow countrymen claiming lands and titles through this.
His control over Africa were not secure yet but with settlers and missionaries being sent to colonies the new colonies as well as the ones in the America’s, John hoped for future kings to benefit from these gains.
In 1565, Miguel I of Portugal, died leaving his daughter Isabella to take the throne and allowing John to be their next to him, the pair co-ruled as joint monarch happily for 11 years before John died in 1576 just before his 56th birthday. Throughout his remaining years he tried to consolidate the crowns as one Holy Iberian Empire, but never saw his plans come true.
He was succeeded by his son, Miguel.
In 1504, John inherited Castile from his Mother, Isabella, though he would not become King of Aragon until 1518, when his Father died. He quickly continued many of his Mother's policies, most crucially her fanatical-Catholicism and anti-French diplomacy. John would partake in many of the Italian Wars, using Castilian manpower to help defeat the French. In the most crucial Italian War, the War of the League of Cambrai, John led a force of 50,000 men against the French in Italy, helping push them out of Italy and capturing their stronghold of Milan. After several more years of bitter fighting France would capitulate in 1515, and Castile and Aragon would reap the benefits. Several border towns and forts on the Castilian-French Border, were ceded to Castile and/or Aragon. France also renounced all of their claims to Castilian territory, and paid a massive some of money in reparations.
John also began a rivalry with the Ottomans, sponsoring many raids on their lands and territories, hoping to weaken the great Islamic power. The raids never resulted in War but tensions between the two titans rose sharply. One Ottoman Diplomat would refer to Castile as "Home to the fanatics".
In 1518, Ferdinand II of Aragon passed away, and John would inherit the Kingdom, at last uniting the great Kingdoms of Castile and Aragon. Almost immediately he set his eyes North onto the tiny Kingdom of Navarre, to which he had a claim. France had agreed to not interfere in any Castilian or Aragonese invasion of Navarre, which left the Kingdom ripe for the taking for John. John would launch his invasion in 1519, and would conquer the entire Kingdom in 1521, with the Navarrese royal family taking refuge in France.
On the Colonisation front, John continued many of his Mother's policies, treating the natives with respect and sponsoring explorers and conquistadors. On one occasion he learnt of a man called Hernan Cortes who led a bloody conquest of the Aztec Empire, and slaughtered many of it's people. While John would permit colonisation of the region, he had Hernan arrested and later executed for treason. He also donated a sizeable sum of money to the Aztec people in hopes of helping them recover.
Religion wise, John hated the birth of Protestantism, when Martin Luther pinned his 95 theses to a Church door in Germany. He put a bounty of 1,000 Crowns on Martin to be brought to him. Though this would fail, John sponsored many enemies of Luther and his adherents, sending vast sums of money to some German duchies, which brought a wave of wealth to the Kingdoms, and introduced Spanish economic policies to the Kingdom.
In 1525, John fell ill with Smallpox, and despite his best efforts he would pass away. Upon his death he was succeeded by eldest son, Ferdinand.
(2) Ferdinand was the eldest of the four children of John III, and like his father, the only son. He took the thrones in 1525, having married Caterina Cybo, a niece of Pope Leo XI and granddaughter of Pope Innocent VIII. The resultant eight children born from 1520, all male, born healthy, would survive to adulthood - and would be seen as evidence that whilst Caterina was not of noble heritage, the marriage had been blessed by the divine spirit. Ferdinand had a relatively short reign of two decades, and saw his cousins ascend the thrones in England (Henry VIII), Burgundy (Charles II) and Portugal (Miguel I) and this, alongside his ties to the Vatican, left him with a steady position on the continent.
Still, Henry II, King Claimant of the Navarese Court in Exile, made constant plots to reclaim his lands. Henry had only daughters, Jeanne (1528) and Catherine (1530), and so Ferdinand made the tactical move to arrange the marriage of both Jeanne and Catherine to two of his sons, attempting to pacify the Navarese in a manner not unlike Henry VII's marriage to Elisabeth of York over fifty years earlier.
He married another son to his cousin Miguel I of Portugal's daughter, Dona Isabella, and yet another to Lady Catherine Tudor, daughter of his cousin, Henry VIII. By 1545, all of his sons had married or become engaged, some had produced issue and others had not, but when he died, Ferdinand was in the company of his heir Prince John, as well as Queen Caterina
[3] John was born the oldest of the eight son, in 1520, becoming Prince of Asturias and heir from birth.
Growing up, he knew he needed the love and fear of his brothers, love to serve him and fear to be loyal to him.
At the age of 16, John was married to his cousin, Dona Isabella of Portugal, daughter and heiress of Miguel I of Portugal and Eleanor of Austria.
He would serve as best man at all six of his brother’s weddings that followed his own, enjoying the size of his family growing.
Upon becoming king at the age of 25 in 1545, he came with three children already and would have three more during his reign.
His youngest brother, Prince Giovanni, at 14 would soon find his proposed bride had died, leaving him at the mercy of his older brother, to which John provided him with a religious job. Through their mother, John was able to elevate him to Archbishops of Toledo and get him a seat in the Cardinal college, through his own hard work Giovanni was able to work to hold the highest office close to od, as Pope Innocent IX.
With his pious connections as well as support from his local noblemen, John was able to rid the kingdom of Muslims and Jews as well as demanding a war on the Muslim territories in North and Western Africa, with his brothers and fellow countrymen claiming lands and titles through this.
His control over Africa were not secure yet but with settlers and missionaries being sent to colonies the new colonies as well as the ones in the America’s, John hoped for future kings to benefit from these gains.
In 1565, Miguel I of Portugal, died leaving his daughter Isabella to take the throne and allowing John to be their next to him, the pair co-ruled as joint monarch happily for 11 years before John died in 1576 just before his 56th birthday. Throughout his remaining years he tried to consolidate the crowns as one Holy Iberian Empire, but never saw his plans come true.
He was succeeded by his son, Miguel.
[4] Miguel was born in 1537 to John IV and Isabella of Portugal, later becoming Prince of Asturias in 1545 when his grandfather Ferdinand I died. Growing up, he knew that as Castile expanded, so did opportunites for revolts to happen. Thus, he would teach himself on how to be a kind and fair ruler and how to govern his ever growing Kingdom.
Miguel would marry in 1558 to Elizabeth of England, daughter of Henry VIII of England. The newly married couple went on to have nine children (five of whom would make it to adulthood) together.
Miguel would become King following his father’s death in 1576 and would complete the consolidation of his territories into the Holy Iberian Empire upon the death of his mother Isabella I of Portugal in 1583. He played around with the idea of giving the various crownlands their own kings, but realise that could cause problems down the line.
The Holy Iberian Empire would continue to grow durring this time, with the expansion of the colonies in the Americas, as well as the marring off of his daughters to the various rulers of Europe, including the marriage of this daughter Isabella to Ferdinand I of England, son of Henry VIII.
Miguel died in 1593 at the age of 54, and was succeeded by ________.
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You seem to have dictated a bit too much about who the next monarch should be be in that final paragraph.
Also how old is Lady Elizabeth Tudor, given that his uncle marries her sister Catherine, and then his son marries her niece?
Not quite sure why John would essentially split an Empire he had just managed to pull together either, creating kingdoms under his cousins, sons and siblings. It does leave room for constituent kingdoms of the Empire to fall outside of the Trastamara Empire.
Also how old is Lady Elizabeth Tudor, given that his uncle marries her sister Catherine, and then his son marries her niece?
Not quite sure why John would essentially split an Empire he had just managed to pull together either, creating kingdoms under his cousins, sons and siblings. It does leave room for constituent kingdoms of the Empire to fall outside of the Trastamara Empire.
POD: Basil II marries and has a son and heir instead of refusing to marry
Monarchs of the Roman Empire
976-1025: Basil II (Macedonian Dynasty)
1025-1055: Alexios I (Macedonian Dynasty) [1]
1055-1079: Romanos III (Macedonian Dynasty) [2]
1079-1082: Alexander II (Macedonian Dynasty) [3]
1082-1150: Constantine IX (Macedonian Dynasty) [4]
[4] Constantine IX was the older son of Alexander II, being born in 1074 and becoming Emperor at the age of eight. As a result of being a mere child, he would spend the first years of reign under the regency of his mother until 1092, when the Emperor turned 18 and his rule as Emperor actually begun as opposed to being a mere figurehead for his mother. It would turn out his reign as Emperor would be the longest any Roman Emperor to date would have, reigning for 68 years as Emperor and Autocrat of the Romans.
His 68-year reign as Emperor would be marked by a general perior of peace and prosperity during his reign as while Constantine would lead the Empire into new heights, his reign would be marked by how he, outside of a few defensive wars, would not wage war during his reign. Instead of military adventures and imperial adventures, Constantine IX would spend his reign patronizing culture, enacting laws, and reforming the Empire's administration with his reign marked by peace and prosperity.
However, all good things must come to an end with Constantine dying at the age of 76, being succeeded by ____________.
Monarchs of the Roman Empire
976-1025: Basil II (Macedonian Dynasty)
1025-1055: Alexios I (Macedonian Dynasty) [1]
1055-1079: Romanos III (Macedonian Dynasty) [2]
1079-1082: Alexander II (Macedonian Dynasty) [3]
1082-1150: Constantine IX (Macedonian Dynasty) [4]
[1] Alexios Macedon, born on March 6, 990 to Basil II and Eudoxia Komnena, would grow up to be a talented and competent man, a worthy heir to his father when he died in 1025 and became the new Emperor and Autocrat of the Romans in the aftermath of his father's death. Alexios I's reign would be marked by a consolidation of his father's conquests during his reign with Alexios, as Emperor, dealing with the rise of the Seljuks and the Normans beginning to arrive in Sicily. While his reign would be considered to be a largely "boring" reign, it was one which provided the Empire with 30 years of stability with his heir, Romanos, having a succession largely uncontested when Alexios I died in 1055 at the age of 65.
[2] Born in 1021, during the reign of his grandfather Emperor Basil II, he was named after his great grandfather, Romanos II, Byzantine Emperor, 959 to 963.
During his education, Romanos attended the University of Constantinople, becoming a student under professor Michael Psellos, who bore the honorary title of "Chief of the Philosophers"
In 1048, Romanos married Anna Bryennios, only daughter of Nikephoros Bryennios, an important Byzantine general and his wife, Anna, who had the rank of kouropalatissa.
Thanks to military support, when Alexios I died in 1055, Romanos was able to succeed the throne with only a distant relative, staging a failed two day rebellion, in Kalavrye, Thrace.
Following the death of Michael I Cerularius in 1059, Romanos elevated his former tutor to the position of Patriarch of Constantinople.
With his father-in-law as commander of the Byzantine army and navy, Romanos was able to concentrate on the finances, keeping taxes as profitable to keep the treasury full but not high enough to cause any revolts.
The efficient navy was able to push the Normans out of Italy while in the Balkans, the army was able to defeat Hungarians who tried invading Belgrade as well as holding back the Seljuk sultan, Alp Arslan from sending skirmishes from Anatolia.
His death in 1079, came following a year of illness. He was succeeded by ______________.
[3] Alexander, born 1055, was the only surviving son of Emperor Romanos III. Only a few days before he died, his father chose him as his successor. The new emperor was young, handsome, and energetic. However, he suffered from poor health for most of his life, and entrusted the business of governing to his advisors.
In early 1082, he died shortly after putting down a revolt in Greece. He was succeeded by ____________________.
[2] Born in 1021, during the reign of his grandfather Emperor Basil II, he was named after his great grandfather, Romanos II, Byzantine Emperor, 959 to 963.
During his education, Romanos attended the University of Constantinople, becoming a student under professor Michael Psellos, who bore the honorary title of "Chief of the Philosophers"
In 1048, Romanos married Anna Bryennios, only daughter of Nikephoros Bryennios, an important Byzantine general and his wife, Anna, who had the rank of kouropalatissa.
Thanks to military support, when Alexios I died in 1055, Romanos was able to succeed the throne with only a distant relative, staging a failed two day rebellion, in Kalavrye, Thrace.
Following the death of Michael I Cerularius in 1059, Romanos elevated his former tutor to the position of Patriarch of Constantinople.
With his father-in-law as commander of the Byzantine army and navy, Romanos was able to concentrate on the finances, keeping taxes as profitable to keep the treasury full but not high enough to cause any revolts.
The efficient navy was able to push the Normans out of Italy while in the Balkans, the army was able to defeat Hungarians who tried invading Belgrade as well as holding back the Seljuk sultan, Alp Arslan from sending skirmishes from Anatolia.
His death in 1079, came following a year of illness. He was succeeded by ______________.
[3] Alexander, born 1055, was the only surviving son of Emperor Romanos III. Only a few days before he died, his father chose him as his successor. The new emperor was young, handsome, and energetic. However, he suffered from poor health for most of his life, and entrusted the business of governing to his advisors.
In early 1082, he died shortly after putting down a revolt in Greece. He was succeeded by ____________________.
[4] Constantine IX was the older son of Alexander II, being born in 1074 and becoming Emperor at the age of eight. As a result of being a mere child, he would spend the first years of reign under the regency of his mother until 1092, when the Emperor turned 18 and his rule as Emperor actually begun as opposed to being a mere figurehead for his mother. It would turn out his reign as Emperor would be the longest any Roman Emperor to date would have, reigning for 68 years as Emperor and Autocrat of the Romans.
His 68-year reign as Emperor would be marked by a general perior of peace and prosperity during his reign as while Constantine would lead the Empire into new heights, his reign would be marked by how he, outside of a few defensive wars, would not wage war during his reign. Instead of military adventures and imperial adventures, Constantine IX would spend his reign patronizing culture, enacting laws, and reforming the Empire's administration with his reign marked by peace and prosperity.
However, all good things must come to an end with Constantine dying at the age of 76, being succeeded by ____________.
I can actually see it further fragmenting were you to include the various sub-kingdoms within the various crownlands (Castile and Aragon, and to a lesser extent, Portugal)
I will change that then.
She is 19 when she marries Miguel.
I will remove that then (through I will bring it back later).
POD: Basil II marries and has a son and heir instead of refusing to marry
Monarchs of the Roman Empire
976-1025: Basil II (Macedonian Dynasty)
1025-1055: Alexios I (Macedonian Dynasty) [1]
1055-1079: Romanos III (Macedonian Dynasty) [2]
1079-1082: Alexander II (Macedonian Dynasty) [3]
1082-1150: Constantine IX (Macedonian Dynasty) [4]
1150-1162: Nikephoros II (Macedonian Dynasty) [5]
[5] Nikephoros (named after his great grandfather, Nikephoros Bryennios) was born in 1098 as the oldest son of Constantine IX. He was taught everything on the military and would marry the daughter of an general. Upon his ancension to Roman Emperor, Nikephoros would join a Crusade which saw the taking of Egypt from the Muslims.
Nikephoros had several children with his wife, and married some of his daughters to the Kings of the Crusader states. He died in 1163, at the age of 64, and was succeeded by his _____, _____.
Monarchs of the Roman Empire
976-1025: Basil II (Macedonian Dynasty)
1025-1055: Alexios I (Macedonian Dynasty) [1]
1055-1079: Romanos III (Macedonian Dynasty) [2]
1079-1082: Alexander II (Macedonian Dynasty) [3]
1082-1150: Constantine IX (Macedonian Dynasty) [4]
1150-1162: Nikephoros II (Macedonian Dynasty) [5]
[1] Alexios Macedon, born on March 6, 990 to Basil II and Eudoxia Komnena, would grow up to be a talented and competent man, a worthy heir to his father when he died in 1025 and became the new Emperor and Autocrat of the Romans in the aftermath of his father's death. Alexios I's reign would be marked by a consolidation of his father's conquests during his reign with Alexios, as Emperor, dealing with the rise of the Seljuks and the Normans beginning to arrive in Sicily. While his reign would be considered to be a largely "boring" reign, it was one which provided the Empire with 30 years of stability with his heir, Romanos, having a succession largely uncontested when Alexios I died in 1055 at the age of 65.
[2] Born in 1021, during the reign of his grandfather Emperor Basil II, he was named after his great grandfather, Romanos II, Byzantine Emperor, 959 to 963.
During his education, Romanos attended the University of Constantinople, becoming a student under professor Michael Psellos, who bore the honorary title of "Chief of the Philosophers"
In 1048, Romanos married Anna Bryennios, only daughter of Nikephoros Bryennios, an important Byzantine general and his wife, Anna, who had the rank of kouropalatissa.
Thanks to military support, when Alexios I died in 1055, Romanos was able to succeed the throne with only a distant relative, staging a failed two day rebellion, in Kalavrye, Thrace.
Following the death of Michael I Cerularius in 1059, Romanos elevated his former tutor to the position of Patriarch of Constantinople.
With his father-in-law as commander of the Byzantine army and navy, Romanos was able to concentrate on the finances, keeping taxes as profitable to keep the treasury full but not high enough to cause any revolts.
The efficient navy was able to push the Normans out of Italy while in the Balkans, the army was able to defeat Hungarians who tried invading Belgrade as well as holding back the Seljuk sultan, Alp Arslan from sending skirmishes from Anatolia.
His death in 1079, came following a year of illness. He was succeeded by his son, Alexander.
[3] Alexander, born 1055, was the only surviving son of Emperor Romanos III. Only a few days before he died, his father chose him as his successor. The new emperor was young, handsome, and energetic. However, he suffered from poor health for most of his life, and entrusted the business of governing to his advisors.
In early 1082, he died shortly after putting down a revolt in Greece. He was succeeded by his son, Constantine.
[4] Constantine IX was the older son of Alexander II, being born in 1074 and becoming Emperor at the age of eight. As a result of being a mere child, he would spend the first years of reign under the regency of his mother until 1092, when the Emperor turned 18 and his rule as Emperor actually begun as opposed to being a mere figurehead for his mother. It would turn out his reign as Emperor would be the longest any Roman Emperor to date would have, reigning for 68 years as Emperor and Autocrat of the Romans.
His 68-year reign as Emperor would be marked by a general perior of peace and prosperity during his reign as while Constantine would lead the Empire into new heights, his reign would be marked by how he, outside of a few defensive wars, would not wage war during his reign. Instead of military adventures and imperial adventures, Constantine IX would spend his reign patronizing culture, enacting laws, and reforming the Empire's administration with his reign marked by peace and prosperity.
However, all good things must come to an end with Constantine dying at the age of 76, being succeeded by his son, Nikephoros.
[2] Born in 1021, during the reign of his grandfather Emperor Basil II, he was named after his great grandfather, Romanos II, Byzantine Emperor, 959 to 963.
During his education, Romanos attended the University of Constantinople, becoming a student under professor Michael Psellos, who bore the honorary title of "Chief of the Philosophers"
In 1048, Romanos married Anna Bryennios, only daughter of Nikephoros Bryennios, an important Byzantine general and his wife, Anna, who had the rank of kouropalatissa.
Thanks to military support, when Alexios I died in 1055, Romanos was able to succeed the throne with only a distant relative, staging a failed two day rebellion, in Kalavrye, Thrace.
Following the death of Michael I Cerularius in 1059, Romanos elevated his former tutor to the position of Patriarch of Constantinople.
With his father-in-law as commander of the Byzantine army and navy, Romanos was able to concentrate on the finances, keeping taxes as profitable to keep the treasury full but not high enough to cause any revolts.
The efficient navy was able to push the Normans out of Italy while in the Balkans, the army was able to defeat Hungarians who tried invading Belgrade as well as holding back the Seljuk sultan, Alp Arslan from sending skirmishes from Anatolia.
His death in 1079, came following a year of illness. He was succeeded by his son, Alexander.
[3] Alexander, born 1055, was the only surviving son of Emperor Romanos III. Only a few days before he died, his father chose him as his successor. The new emperor was young, handsome, and energetic. However, he suffered from poor health for most of his life, and entrusted the business of governing to his advisors.
In early 1082, he died shortly after putting down a revolt in Greece. He was succeeded by his son, Constantine.
[4] Constantine IX was the older son of Alexander II, being born in 1074 and becoming Emperor at the age of eight. As a result of being a mere child, he would spend the first years of reign under the regency of his mother until 1092, when the Emperor turned 18 and his rule as Emperor actually begun as opposed to being a mere figurehead for his mother. It would turn out his reign as Emperor would be the longest any Roman Emperor to date would have, reigning for 68 years as Emperor and Autocrat of the Romans.
His 68-year reign as Emperor would be marked by a general perior of peace and prosperity during his reign as while Constantine would lead the Empire into new heights, his reign would be marked by how he, outside of a few defensive wars, would not wage war during his reign. Instead of military adventures and imperial adventures, Constantine IX would spend his reign patronizing culture, enacting laws, and reforming the Empire's administration with his reign marked by peace and prosperity.
However, all good things must come to an end with Constantine dying at the age of 76, being succeeded by his son, Nikephoros.
[5] Nikephoros (named after his great grandfather, Nikephoros Bryennios) was born in 1098 as the oldest son of Constantine IX. He was taught everything on the military and would marry the daughter of an general. Upon his ancension to Roman Emperor, Nikephoros would join a Crusade which saw the taking of Egypt from the Muslims.
Nikephoros had several children with his wife, and married some of his daughters to the Kings of the Crusader states. He died in 1163, at the age of 64, and was succeeded by his _____, _____.
What if John, Prince of Asturias lived?
Monarchs of Castile
1474-1504: Isabella I (House of Trastamara)
1504-1518: John III (House of Trastamara) [1]
Monarchs of Castile and Aragon
1518-1521: John III (House of Trastamara) [1]
Monarchs of Castile, Aragon and Navarre
1521-1525: John III and IV (House of Trastamara) [1]
1525-1545: Ferdinand I, III and V (House of Trastamara) [2]
1545-1565: John IV and V (House of Trastamara) [3]
Monarchs of Castile, Aragon, Navarre and Portugal
1565-1576: John IV, V and III (House of Trastamara) [3]
1576-1578 Miguel II and I (House of Trastamara) [4]
Monarchs of the Holy Iberian Empire
1578-1593: Miguel I (House of Trastamara) [4]
1593-1602: Felix I (House of Trastamara) [5]
Felix I, Holy Iberian Emperor, King of Castille, Aragon, Portugal, and Navarre, Prince of Catalonia, Duke of Vellisca
[5] Born in 1559, Felix was the first son and child of Emperor Miguel I and Queen Elizabeth. In his youth, he was a shy, quiet, and uninterested child. But, when he entered his adolescence, Felix became a quite different person. He was rude and brash and drank wine to such a degree that it was thought his mouth was a bottomless well. It was also at this time that Felix developed his passion for architecture.
At the age of 34, upon the death of his father, Felix became the Holy Iberian Emperor. Personally, Felix did not accomplish much during his reign, as he mostly preferred to fool around with the court ladies. However, under his instructions, many of Madrid’s most iconic buildings and monuments were created. Felix also encouraged the Empire to continue to expand to the north of Mexico, and into other areas, such as Florida, in 1600.
In 1602, Felix’s excessive drinking had finally caught up to him, as he died from a myriad of liver problems. He was succeeded by ____________________.
Monarchs of Castile
1474-1504: Isabella I (House of Trastamara)
1504-1518: John III (House of Trastamara) [1]
Monarchs of Castile and Aragon
1518-1521: John III (House of Trastamara) [1]
Monarchs of Castile, Aragon and Navarre
1521-1525: John III and IV (House of Trastamara) [1]
1525-1545: Ferdinand I, III and V (House of Trastamara) [2]
1545-1565: John IV and V (House of Trastamara) [3]
Monarchs of Castile, Aragon, Navarre and Portugal
1565-1576: John IV, V and III (House of Trastamara) [3]
1576-1578 Miguel II and I (House of Trastamara) [4]
Monarchs of the Holy Iberian Empire
1578-1593: Miguel I (House of Trastamara) [4]
1593-1602: Felix I (House of Trastamara) [5]
[1] Born in 1478, John was the only child of his Parents, Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon, who were later dubbed "The Catholic Monarchs", due to their piety. John was groomed to be King from a young age, and was trained in the arts of governance and diplomacy. His parents wanted to form an alliance with the Holy Roman Empire against France and so would betroth him to the Holy Roman Emperor's daughter Margaret of Austria. The two would marry in 1497, and would quickly fall in love. However, John fell dangerously ill not long after their marriage and almost died. Fortunately, he'd live and sire 4 children with his Wife.
In 1504, John inherited Castile from his mother, Isabella, though he would not become King of Aragon until 1518, when his father died. He quickly continued many of his Mother's policies, most crucially her fanatical-Catholicism and anti-French diplomacy. John would partake in many of the Italian Wars, using Castilian manpower to help defeat the French. In the most crucial Italian War, the War of the League of Cambrai, John led a force of 50,000 men against the French in Italy, helping push them out of Italy and capturing their stronghold of Milan. After several more years of bitter fighting France would capitulate in 1515, and Castile and Aragon would reap the benefits. Several border towns and forts on the Castilian-French border were ceded to Castile and/or Aragon. France also renounced all of their claims to Castilian territory, and paid a massive some of money in reparations.
John also began a rivalry with the Ottomans, sponsoring many raids on their lands and territories, hoping to weaken the great Islamic power. The raids never resulted in War but tensions between the two titans rose sharply. One Ottoman Diplomat would refer to Castile as "Home to the fanatics".
In 1518, Ferdinand II of Aragon passed away, and John would inherit the Kingdom, at last uniting the great Kingdoms of Castile and Aragon. Almost immediately he set his eyes North onto the tiny Kingdom of Navarre, to which he had a claim. France had agreed to not interfere in any Castilian or Aragonese invasion of Navarre, which left the Kingdom ripe for the taking for John. John would launch his invasion in 1519, and would conquer the entire Kingdom in 1521, with the Navarrese royal family taking refuge in France.
On the Colonisation front, John continued many of his Mother's policies, treating the natives with respect and sponsoring explorers and conquistadors. On one occasion he learnt of a man called Hernan Cortes who led a bloody conquest of the Aztec Empire, and slaughtered many of it's people. While John would permit colonisation of the region, he had Hernan arrested and later executed for treason. He also donated a sizeable sum of money to the Aztec people in hopes of helping them recover.
Religion wise, John hated the birth of Protestantism, when Martin Luther pinned his 95 theses to a Church door in Germany. He put a bounty of 1,000 Crowns on Martin to be brought to him. Though this would fail, John sponsored many enemies of Luther and his adherents, sending vast sums of money to some German duchies, which brought a wave of wealth to the Kingdoms, and introduced Spanish economic policies to the Kingdom.
In 1525, John fell ill with Smallpox, and despite his best efforts he would pass away. Upon his death he was succeeded by eldest son, Ferdinand.
(2) Ferdinand was the eldest of the four children of John III, and like his father, the only son. He took the thrones in 1525, having married Caterina Cybo, a niece of Pope Leo XI and granddaughter of Pope Innocent VIII. The resultant eight children born from 1520, all male, born healthy, would survive to adulthood - and would be seen as evidence that whilst Caterina was not of noble heritage, the marriage had been blessed by the divine spirit. Ferdinand had a relatively short reign of two decades, and saw his cousins ascend the thrones in England (Henry VIII), Burgundy (Charles II) and Portugal (Miguel I) and this, alongside his ties to the Vatican, left him with a steady position on the continent.
Still, Henry II, King Claimant of the Navarese Court in Exile, made constant plots to reclaim his lands. Henry had only daughters, Jeanne (1528) and Catherine (1530), and so Ferdinand made the tactical move to arrange the marriage of both Jeanne and Catherine to two of his sons, attempting to pacify the Navarese in a manner not unlike Henry VII's marriage to Elisabeth of York over fifty years earlier.
He married another son to his cousin Miguel I of Portugal's daughter, Dona Isabella, and yet another to Lady Catherine Tudor, daughter of his cousin, Henry VIII. By 1545, all of his sons had married or become engaged, some had produced issue and others had not, but when he died, Ferdinand was in the company of his heir Prince John, as well as Queen Caterina
[3] John was born the oldest of the eight son, in 1520, becoming Prince of Asturias and heir from birth.
Growing up, he knew he needed the love and fear of his brothers, love to serve him and fear to be loyal to him.
At the age of 16, John was married to his cousin, Dona Isabella of Portugal, daughter and heiress of Miguel I of Portugal and Eleanor of Austria.
He would serve as best man at all six of his brother’s weddings that followed his own, enjoying the size of his family growing.
Upon becoming king at the age of 25 in 1545, he came with three children already and would have three more during his reign.
His youngest brother, Prince Giovanni, at 14 would soon find his proposed bride had died, leaving him at the mercy of his older brother, to which John provided him with a religious job. Through their mother, John was able to elevate him to Archbishops of Toledo and get him a seat in the Cardinal college, through his own hard work Giovanni was able to work to hold the highest office close to od, as Pope Innocent IX.
With his pious connections as well as support from his local noblemen, John was able to rid the kingdom of Muslims and Jews as well as demanding a war on the Muslim territories in North and Western Africa, with his brothers and fellow countrymen claiming lands and titles through this.
His control over Africa were not secure yet but with settlers and missionaries being sent to colonies the new colonies as well as the ones in the America’s, John hoped for future kings to benefit from these gains.
In 1565, Miguel I of Portugal, died leaving his daughter Isabella to take the throne and allowing John to be their next to him, the pair co-ruled as joint monarch happily for 11 years before John died in 1576 just before his 56th birthday. Throughout his remaining years he tried to consolidate the crowns as one Holy Iberian Empire, but never saw his plans come true.
He was succeeded by his son, Miguel.
[4] Miguel was born in 1537 to John IV and Isabella of Portugal, later becoming Prince of Asturias in 1545 when his grandfather Ferdinand I died. Growing up, he knew that as Castile expanded, so did opportunities for revolts to happen. Thus, he would teach himself on how to be a kind and fair ruler and how to govern his ever growing Kingdom.
Miguel would marry in 1558 to Elizabeth of England, daughter of Henry VIII of England. The newly married couple went on to have nine children (five of whom would make it to adulthood) together.
Miguel would become King following his father’s death in 1576 and would complete the consolidation of his territories into the Holy Iberian Empire. Following that, however, Miguel gave Aragon to his second youngest brother, Navarre to the son of Ferdinand, Count of Pamplona, and finally Portugal to his youngest brother following the death of their mother Isabella I of Portugal in 1583, which helped him to more easily govern the Empire.
The Holy Iberian Empire would continue to grow during this time, with the expansion of the colonies in the Americas, as well as the marring off of his daughters to the various rulers of Europe, including the marriage of this daughter Isabella to Ferdinand I of England, son of Henry VIII.
Before his death in 1593 at the age of 54, Miguel specifically requested an election would happen when the Emperor of the HIB died, with the next Emperor being selected from the four Kingdoms that comprised the Empire (with the possibility for new Kingdoms to be added) by a group of electors. He also stated that his sons or grandsons were barred from ascending to become Emperor (though he did left the prospect of future Kings of Castile to become one). He was succeeded by ________.
In 1504, John inherited Castile from his mother, Isabella, though he would not become King of Aragon until 1518, when his father died. He quickly continued many of his Mother's policies, most crucially her fanatical-Catholicism and anti-French diplomacy. John would partake in many of the Italian Wars, using Castilian manpower to help defeat the French. In the most crucial Italian War, the War of the League of Cambrai, John led a force of 50,000 men against the French in Italy, helping push them out of Italy and capturing their stronghold of Milan. After several more years of bitter fighting France would capitulate in 1515, and Castile and Aragon would reap the benefits. Several border towns and forts on the Castilian-French border were ceded to Castile and/or Aragon. France also renounced all of their claims to Castilian territory, and paid a massive some of money in reparations.
John also began a rivalry with the Ottomans, sponsoring many raids on their lands and territories, hoping to weaken the great Islamic power. The raids never resulted in War but tensions between the two titans rose sharply. One Ottoman Diplomat would refer to Castile as "Home to the fanatics".
In 1518, Ferdinand II of Aragon passed away, and John would inherit the Kingdom, at last uniting the great Kingdoms of Castile and Aragon. Almost immediately he set his eyes North onto the tiny Kingdom of Navarre, to which he had a claim. France had agreed to not interfere in any Castilian or Aragonese invasion of Navarre, which left the Kingdom ripe for the taking for John. John would launch his invasion in 1519, and would conquer the entire Kingdom in 1521, with the Navarrese royal family taking refuge in France.
On the Colonisation front, John continued many of his Mother's policies, treating the natives with respect and sponsoring explorers and conquistadors. On one occasion he learnt of a man called Hernan Cortes who led a bloody conquest of the Aztec Empire, and slaughtered many of it's people. While John would permit colonisation of the region, he had Hernan arrested and later executed for treason. He also donated a sizeable sum of money to the Aztec people in hopes of helping them recover.
Religion wise, John hated the birth of Protestantism, when Martin Luther pinned his 95 theses to a Church door in Germany. He put a bounty of 1,000 Crowns on Martin to be brought to him. Though this would fail, John sponsored many enemies of Luther and his adherents, sending vast sums of money to some German duchies, which brought a wave of wealth to the Kingdoms, and introduced Spanish economic policies to the Kingdom.
In 1525, John fell ill with Smallpox, and despite his best efforts he would pass away. Upon his death he was succeeded by eldest son, Ferdinand.
(2) Ferdinand was the eldest of the four children of John III, and like his father, the only son. He took the thrones in 1525, having married Caterina Cybo, a niece of Pope Leo XI and granddaughter of Pope Innocent VIII. The resultant eight children born from 1520, all male, born healthy, would survive to adulthood - and would be seen as evidence that whilst Caterina was not of noble heritage, the marriage had been blessed by the divine spirit. Ferdinand had a relatively short reign of two decades, and saw his cousins ascend the thrones in England (Henry VIII), Burgundy (Charles II) and Portugal (Miguel I) and this, alongside his ties to the Vatican, left him with a steady position on the continent.
Still, Henry II, King Claimant of the Navarese Court in Exile, made constant plots to reclaim his lands. Henry had only daughters, Jeanne (1528) and Catherine (1530), and so Ferdinand made the tactical move to arrange the marriage of both Jeanne and Catherine to two of his sons, attempting to pacify the Navarese in a manner not unlike Henry VII's marriage to Elisabeth of York over fifty years earlier.
He married another son to his cousin Miguel I of Portugal's daughter, Dona Isabella, and yet another to Lady Catherine Tudor, daughter of his cousin, Henry VIII. By 1545, all of his sons had married or become engaged, some had produced issue and others had not, but when he died, Ferdinand was in the company of his heir Prince John, as well as Queen Caterina
[3] John was born the oldest of the eight son, in 1520, becoming Prince of Asturias and heir from birth.
Growing up, he knew he needed the love and fear of his brothers, love to serve him and fear to be loyal to him.
At the age of 16, John was married to his cousin, Dona Isabella of Portugal, daughter and heiress of Miguel I of Portugal and Eleanor of Austria.
He would serve as best man at all six of his brother’s weddings that followed his own, enjoying the size of his family growing.
Upon becoming king at the age of 25 in 1545, he came with three children already and would have three more during his reign.
His youngest brother, Prince Giovanni, at 14 would soon find his proposed bride had died, leaving him at the mercy of his older brother, to which John provided him with a religious job. Through their mother, John was able to elevate him to Archbishops of Toledo and get him a seat in the Cardinal college, through his own hard work Giovanni was able to work to hold the highest office close to od, as Pope Innocent IX.
With his pious connections as well as support from his local noblemen, John was able to rid the kingdom of Muslims and Jews as well as demanding a war on the Muslim territories in North and Western Africa, with his brothers and fellow countrymen claiming lands and titles through this.
His control over Africa were not secure yet but with settlers and missionaries being sent to colonies the new colonies as well as the ones in the America’s, John hoped for future kings to benefit from these gains.
In 1565, Miguel I of Portugal, died leaving his daughter Isabella to take the throne and allowing John to be their next to him, the pair co-ruled as joint monarch happily for 11 years before John died in 1576 just before his 56th birthday. Throughout his remaining years he tried to consolidate the crowns as one Holy Iberian Empire, but never saw his plans come true.
He was succeeded by his son, Miguel.
[4] Miguel was born in 1537 to John IV and Isabella of Portugal, later becoming Prince of Asturias in 1545 when his grandfather Ferdinand I died. Growing up, he knew that as Castile expanded, so did opportunities for revolts to happen. Thus, he would teach himself on how to be a kind and fair ruler and how to govern his ever growing Kingdom.
Miguel would marry in 1558 to Elizabeth of England, daughter of Henry VIII of England. The newly married couple went on to have nine children (five of whom would make it to adulthood) together.
Miguel would become King following his father’s death in 1576 and would complete the consolidation of his territories into the Holy Iberian Empire. Following that, however, Miguel gave Aragon to his second youngest brother, Navarre to the son of Ferdinand, Count of Pamplona, and finally Portugal to his youngest brother following the death of their mother Isabella I of Portugal in 1583, which helped him to more easily govern the Empire.
The Holy Iberian Empire would continue to grow during this time, with the expansion of the colonies in the Americas, as well as the marring off of his daughters to the various rulers of Europe, including the marriage of this daughter Isabella to Ferdinand I of England, son of Henry VIII.
Before his death in 1593 at the age of 54, Miguel specifically requested an election would happen when the Emperor of the HIB died, with the next Emperor being selected from the four Kingdoms that comprised the Empire (with the possibility for new Kingdoms to be added) by a group of electors. He also stated that his sons or grandsons were barred from ascending to become Emperor (though he did left the prospect of future Kings of Castile to become one). He was succeeded by ________.
Felix I, Holy Iberian Emperor, King of Castille, Aragon, Portugal, and Navarre, Prince of Catalonia, Duke of Vellisca
[5] Born in 1559, Felix was the first son and child of Emperor Miguel I and Queen Elizabeth. In his youth, he was a shy, quiet, and uninterested child. But, when he entered his adolescence, Felix became a quite different person. He was rude and brash and drank wine to such a degree that it was thought his mouth was a bottomless well. It was also at this time that Felix developed his passion for architecture.
At the age of 34, upon the death of his father, Felix became the Holy Iberian Emperor. Personally, Felix did not accomplish much during his reign, as he mostly preferred to fool around with the court ladies. However, under his instructions, many of Madrid’s most iconic buildings and monuments were created. Felix also encouraged the Empire to continue to expand to the north of Mexico, and into other areas, such as Florida, in 1600.
In 1602, Felix’s excessive drinking had finally caught up to him, as he died from a myriad of liver problems. He was succeeded by ____________________.