In that example though, their names would still be Pablo, Nicolas, Pedro or Alejandro. They would be raised in Mexico, speak Spanish as a first language, they would be christened in Spanish as heirs to Mexico. They'd not be called Pyotr or Aleksander in official documents or in public life. But to each his own.
List of monarchs III
- Thread starter Shiva
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Russian is a bad example as non-Russians who marry into the country have to change their names to conform to Russian tradition, so it would only be fair that if a family moves to a foreign throne would change their names.
Changed names:
- Prince William of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg became George I of Greece.
- Otto III, Duke of Bavaria became Bela V of Hungary
- High Duke Jogaila of Lithuania became Władysław II of Poland
- Martin of Burgundy became Sancho of Portugal
- Wenceslaus III of Bohemia became Ladislas of Hungary
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I think perhaps there's been some misunderstanding of my point. At no point have I stated that changing a name to suit the conventions of the state they rule does not happen, my objection was to the request that this is status quo for the TL.
A Mexican princess with an older brother marries an Archduke and moves to Russia with her husband, changes her own name in accordance with the rules and names her children as such, children born in Russia and christened there. Elder brother dies, either the princess inherits - with her Russian name - or her children with Russian names do.
I think the Romanovs are a good situation - let us take a, perhaps ASB scenario, to create an example .
Christian August of Anhalt Zerbst is appointed King of an Italian speaking state, the Kingdom of Tavolara. His daughter, Sophie (and I know she had an elder brother IOTL), is heir, but she is already married to Charles Peter Ulrich of Schleswig Holstein. He inherits the Russian crown and takes the name Peter with Sophie being styled as Catherine.
Catherine later succeeds to Tavolara, does she retain Catherine or switch back to Sophie, does she Italianise her name to Caterina or to Sofia. Does she reign in Russia as Catherine, and in Tavolara as Sofia?
A Mexican princess with an older brother marries an Archduke and moves to Russia with her husband, changes her own name in accordance with the rules and names her children as such, children born in Russia and christened there. Elder brother dies, either the princess inherits - with her Russian name - or her children with Russian names do.
I think the Romanovs are a good situation - let us take a, perhaps ASB scenario, to create an example .
Christian August of Anhalt Zerbst is appointed King of an Italian speaking state, the Kingdom of Tavolara. His daughter, Sophie (and I know she had an elder brother IOTL), is heir, but she is already married to Charles Peter Ulrich of Schleswig Holstein. He inherits the Russian crown and takes the name Peter with Sophie being styled as Catherine.
Catherine later succeeds to Tavolara, does she retain Catherine or switch back to Sophie, does she Italianise her name to Caterina or to Sofia. Does she reign in Russia as Catherine, and in Tavolara as Sofia?
I believe as her own sovereign right she would use her birth name Sophie while Peter would keep his Russian name liking it to Pope Peter.
Similar to a typical ATL of Victoria marrying Alexander of Russia, she would use Alexandria as her Russianised name but would still rule Britain as Victoria.
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Speaking of which, I would say that Catalina's heirs would be of the "House of Habsburg-Teschen-Romanov" or something along those lines.
Are you sure? The Romanovs are an Imperial House and an equal to the Habsburgs. The Romanov name would supersede the Habsburg one in this case. Though I could see 'Habsburg-Romanov' being used and 'Teschen' being dumped.
Dukes of Burgundy
1467-1477: Charles the Bold (House of Valois-Burgundy)
1477-1502: Charles II the Prudent (House of Valois-Burgundy) [1]
Kings and Queens of Burgundy
1493-1502: Charles II the Prudent (House of Valois-Burgundy) [1]
1502-1522: John I the Young (House of Valois-Burgundy) [2]
1522-1528: Charles III the Unfortunate (House of Valois-Burgundy) [3]
1528-1555: Henry I the Red (House of Valois-Burgundy) [4]
1555-1619: John II the Old (House of Valois-Burgundy) [5]
1619-1633: William the Explorer (House of Valois-Burgundy) [6]
1633-1640: Jeanne I the Faithful (House of Valois-Burgundy) [7]
1640-1661: William II the Unlucky (House of Valois-Burgundy) [8]
1661-1699: Maurits I the Dutch (House of Valois-Burgundy) [9]
1699-1728: Carel IV the Warrior (House of Valois-Burgundy) [10]
1728-1750: Elizabeth I (House of Valois-Burgundy) [11]
1750-1766: Albertus I (House of Valois-Burgundy) [12]
1766-1784: Maximiliaan I (House of Valois-Burgundy) [13]
[13] Born in 1754 to King Albertus and Archduchess Sybille of Bavaria, Maximiliaan was only twelve years old when he became King of Burgundy, after the murder of his father. His uncle Philip helped him secure his throne by winning the Battle of Nancy, which resulted in the death of Prince Maurits and exiling of his family from Burgundy. Maximiliaan then had a largely peaceful regency that was headed by his mother Sybille and uncle Philip, being the first Burgundian King to have one since Henry the Red. He reached his majority in 1772, and began to look for an suitable wife for himself, which he found in Princess Margaret of Scotland, whom he married in 1775. The couple had a loving marriage and had four children.
In 1778, an rebellion started in New Holland, which turned into the New Hollander Revolution (1778-1782). It was an success for New Holland as it got independence from Burgundy and picked Maurits' son Hendrik as their first King, who Maximiliaan saw as a threat as he still considered him to be a bastard. Maximiliaan died in 1784 at the age of 30 when he accidentally shot himself in the face while out hunting. He was succeeded by his _________.
1467-1477: Charles the Bold (House of Valois-Burgundy)
1477-1502: Charles II the Prudent (House of Valois-Burgundy) [1]
Kings and Queens of Burgundy
1493-1502: Charles II the Prudent (House of Valois-Burgundy) [1]
1502-1522: John I the Young (House of Valois-Burgundy) [2]
1522-1528: Charles III the Unfortunate (House of Valois-Burgundy) [3]
1528-1555: Henry I the Red (House of Valois-Burgundy) [4]
1555-1619: John II the Old (House of Valois-Burgundy) [5]
1619-1633: William the Explorer (House of Valois-Burgundy) [6]
1633-1640: Jeanne I the Faithful (House of Valois-Burgundy) [7]
1640-1661: William II the Unlucky (House of Valois-Burgundy) [8]
1661-1699: Maurits I the Dutch (House of Valois-Burgundy) [9]
1699-1728: Carel IV the Warrior (House of Valois-Burgundy) [10]
1728-1750: Elizabeth I (House of Valois-Burgundy) [11]
1750-1766: Albertus I (House of Valois-Burgundy) [12]
1766-1784: Maximiliaan I (House of Valois-Burgundy) [13]
[1] Charles was born in 1471 to his parents' great joy. The Valois-Burgundy line had been in danger of dying out, but now were able to keep going. Charles was only six years old when his father died. His mother ruled as his regent until he was fifteen. His older half-sister Margaret married Archduke Maximilian of Austria, son of Emperor Fredrick who had promised to crown the former Duke Charles, King of Burgundy.
Wanting her son to be king, Margaret sought out an alliance with the Duke of Brittany as well, hoping that along with England, they could attack Lorraine, taking revenge for the disastrous battle of Nancy.
She also strived to find a wife for her son, deciding nothing less than a princess would do. The prospective brides were: Catherine of Navarre (1468), Cecily of York (1469), Princess Anna Jagiellon (1476), Princess Joanna of Naples (1478), and the Breton heiress, Anne of Brittany (1478). She even reached out to Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile, suggesting their second daughter Joanna of Aragon (1479). Joanna would letter go on to marry Charles' half-nephew, Philip the Handsome.
After much debate, Joanna of Naples was chosen. An alliance against the French and Lorraine was formed. Joanna would arrive in Burgundy at age fourteen. The couple were married soon after. The couple had harmonious marriage with not a hint of scandal or affairs. They had nine children, with six surviving.
Across the channel, England had a Lancaster king, Henry Tudor. Margaret of York was quite angry at this and urged her son to support any Yorkist contender. Charles refused most passionately, having no wish to come into conflict with England especially not if their dreams of his duchy becoming a kingdom were to be realized. When John de la Pole, 1st Earl of Lincoln fled to Burgundy in hopes of starting a Yorkist uprising, Charles had him arrested and sent back to England to be attained and executed. Grateful, King Henry, signed an agreement with Charles to support his annexation of Lorraine.
In 1490, when Charles VII of France broke the engagement between himself and Margarita of Austria and invade Brittany to marry Anne, Duchess of Brittany, Charles of Burgundy saw his chance to attack Lorraine with the jilted bride's father, Archduke Maximilian, his former brother-in-law's support along with the help of England and Naples.
In 1493, Maximilian became Holy Roman Emperor and he crowned Charles the King of Burgundy. Charles choose to style himself as the second of his name, citing that had his father not died, he would have been crowned king. After avenging his father by killing the Duke of Lorraine, Charles was recognized as the king by the Pope and other nations. He would also see that he made dynastic matches for all of his children, consolidating his rule.
In 1496, Queen Joanna's nephew King Ferdinand of Naples would die, and the Pope would declare Joanna the new queen, allowing Burgundy to have a footing in Italy. He would fight in two Italian wars to preserve it. He would die of an infected wound in 1502, leaving his lands to his son John.
[2] Born in 1495, John I was his parents third child and first son. He would be barely five years old when his father Charles II died continuing the tradition of Burgundian regencies. His regency was handled nominally by his mother, Joanna of Naples, and but in actuality by his grandmother, Margaret of York; Joanna having spent all her life in the shadow of her mother, fell easily into the shadow of her mother-in-law.
To resolve the Italian conflict, John’s younger brother Charles would be crowned King of Naples ensuring a separation of the two counties. Charles’s regency would be handled by his other grandmother, Joanna of Aragon.
John’s regency would end with the death of Margaret of York when John was 13. Her last act would be arranging the betrothal of John to Mary Tudor. (Margaret of York hadn’t quite forgiven the Tudors, but they were at least descended from her niece, and Mary Tudor was the right age) They would be wed two years later in 1512.
John and Mary were both very pleased with their new attractive spouse and got right to the business of baby making. In 10 years of marriage, the would have 7 children. They presided over a lighthearted festive court during what is now called the Golden Decade.
But all good things come to an end, and the Golden Decade did in 1522 when John took a tumble while riding and broke his neck. He would be succeeded by his son Charles.
[3] Charles was born in 1513 as the first child of John I and Mary Tudor, and was an sickly child during his youth, with many surprised that he outlived his father to become King of Burgundy at the age of 9. His mother Mary served as his regent, but he would not live long enough to rule on his own as he died of tuberculosis in 1528. He was succeeded by his brother, Henry.
[4] Henry was twelve years old when he succeeded his brother, starting another period of regency. His mother died in 1533 when he was seventeen. Instead of allowing a new regent to take power, he had the council declare him of age. He then proceeded to find himself and his younger siblings spouses. As Burgundy had grown rich with trade, he sought to expend the trade routes by establishing a friendship with Portugal in hopes of gaining access to the east, he married his sister, Mary, to Luís of Portugal, Duke of Beja while he himself became engaged to Maria of Portugal, Duchess of Viseu. Henry and Maria would be married in 1540 and they would have nine children.
When it came to the Reformation, Henry was known as a nominal supporter. He was largely Catholic and there was a never a whisper of him abandoning the church like his namesake uncle. However, he was quite friendly with men like John Calvin and John Fredrick of Saxony. He is suspected to have influenced William the Silent of Orange, his surrogate son. He also allowed reformists to practice their religion openly.
It got so bad, that Pope Julius III threatened to excommunicate him if he did not deal with the heretics in his lands. It was only his son-in-law, King Henri of France's intervention that prevented this. He would still have a tenious relationship with the church until the end of his life.
In 1555, Henry supported his cousin, King Giovanni's capture of Sicily from King Philip of Spain. He died in battle, leaving his kingdom in the hands of his son, John.
[5] John was barely fifteen when his father died. Since his father Henry had died at war, there weren't any plans for a regency for John. While Maria of Portugal, would initially be poised to follow the footsteps of many a Burgundian Queen Mother before her, John would fight to be declared of age, and in the end would win, becoming the first Burgundian King to rule without a regency.
John would continue in the Italian Wars to avenge his father, and would call in both of his brother-in-law, Henri of France and Edward of England. (Though the marriage of Margaret of Burgundy and Edward VI was still just a proxy marriage, since Margaret was 10). With the additional help, the war was won quickly.
His first marriage would be to Mary Stewart, Queen of Scotts. Their marriage had been arranged from almost her birth and the two had grown up together. While there was no great passion between them, they got along fine and trusted each other. They would have three children.
Much of the early part of John’s reign was peaceful. With all his neighbors now related by marriage. This would change upon the death of Henri of France. The French Throne would be inherited by Charles, Henri’s younger brother. But, both John and his sister Jeanne, were of the opinion that the Duchy of Brittany was the inheritance of little Marie de Valois, only child of Henri of France and Jeanne.
Jeanne and Marie would be smuggled to Brittany where, young Marie would be wed to her cousin, John’s eldest son. Then, John went to war. During this war, Charles, younger brother of John, would disguise himself as an excellent general. The war would drag on for several years, but in the end France’s lack of allies (The Habsburgs were still ticked about Sicily, and the Tudors rather liked the Burgundians) would allow John to win the Duchy of Brittany for his niece.
John’s mother, Maria of Portugal, would pass away in 1579, and after some negotiation, John’s brother Charles would inherit the Dukedom of Viseau.
In 1583, Mary Stewart was crossing from Scotland to Burgundy as she wished to be present for the birth of her second grandchild . This would send John into something of a reflective mood and for the fist time in his life, John would consider religion seriously. John had continued his father’s practice of religious tolerance and had been nominally Catholic. But prior to Mary’s death, had had no strong opinions on religion. Now, he wanted answers.
John would study religion extensively for the next decade: interrogating the various religious authorities that had flocked to Burgundy and it’s religious tolerance; writing letters to his brother in law Edward Tudor (who as a staunch Protestant was no more happier with John’s religious tolerance than the pope); a visit to Rome; and sundry other attempts at religious truth.
In 1594, John would convert to Calvinism. While religious tolerance in Burgundy wouldn’t end with John’s conversion, Calvinists would begin to much more favor and freedoms than Catholics, Lutherans, and Anglicans. Shortly after that, John would remarry to Louise Julianna of Nassau, the daughter of his good friend and pseudo brother. The two would have a happy marriage and have 8 children.
The last part of John’s reign was marked by increased religious tensions internally and externally. Externally: many French Huguenots would travel to Burgundy for sanctuary raising tensions with France, and John’s conversion would cause his relationship with his Italian cousins to suffer. (Not to badly, after all he had won them Sicily) Internally: religious persecution of non-calvinists was on the rise. But, by this point, John was very good at being a King (lots of practice) and so was able to keep tensions from boiling over.
John would pass away in his sleep late in the year 1619. He was succeeded by his son, William.
[6] Much like the split between Burgundy and Naples, it was decided that Burgundy and Scotland would be divided between William and his younger brother James. Unfortunately for all parties, William was much more interested in sailing and visiting new lands. When he was fifteen, he all but begged his father to allow him to travel with one of the trading vessels to the Far East. King John was reluctant, but eventually gave in.
Then at age twenty, William went with explorers he had sponsored for a venture in the New World. He spent several years there until his father finally had enough and demanded he come home and "do his duty".
When William finally arrived back at Burgundy, he was quickly married to Marie of Brittany, he did his duty, siring three children, before heading off on another adventure to the East, not coming back until he learned of his father's death.
He would leave much of his rule to his council, preferring instead to throw himself in the discovering of new lands. He died in 1633 of an aliment he caught while out at sea. He was succeeded by his granddaughter, Jeanne of Brittany.
[7] Jeanne was the only child of John VI of Brittany who was the eldest son of William the Explorer and Marie of Brittany.
John VI had inherited Brittany from his mother while an adolescent, and with an absent father and busy grandfather was pretty much left to his own devices. John VI had grand plans of uniting Brittany and Burgundy and expanding even further. The first step in his plan was marrying Anne of Normandy, the Duke of Normandy’s only child. [1]
Upon the Duke of Normandy’s death, John VI would push his wife’s claim, and with England’s assistance (John promised to expand the lands around Calais) he would be able to claim roughly two thirds of the Duchy, the coastline stretching between Brittany and Burgundy.
Jeanne would grow up in the Breton court which was chock full of Huguenots she herself becoming an avid Calvinist. After her mother suffering several miscarriages, John VI would be forced to acknowledged that Jeanne would probably be his only child and so his heir. To ensure her inheritance of Burgundy, John would arrange for Jeanne to marry her one of half great-uncles, the sons of John II of Burgundy and his second wife.
As John VI didn’t particularly care which of his half uncles she chose, Jeanne would be sent to her grandfather’s court so that she would have the chance to examine her options. Jeanne would fall for John William, the fourth child of John II and Louise Julianna. He was also devoutly Calvinist, the two first bonding over religion.
They would marry late in 1623 and would reside at the Burgundian Court. Their first three children would be born there. Then in 1630, Jeanne’s father would die and she would inherit the Duchies of Brittany and Normandy. Another child would be born Brittany.
Then in 1633, Jeanne’s grandfather William the Explorer would die at sea. One of Jeanne’s first acts was ensuring the union of Brittany and Normandy with Burgundy fulfilling her father’s dream of an expanded Burgundy.
She would work at monetizing her grandfather’s explorations, expanding the Burgundian trading networks and forming the Burgundian Royal Trading Company.
Her other main act as Queen of Burgundy declaring the official religion of Burgundy to be Calvinism, and pushing heavily for her subjects to convert. This would cause religious tensions to boil over and a religious revolt would erupt. John William, King Consort would be dispatched to put the revolt down.
Jeanne would not live to see the result as she would die in childbirth early in 1640. She would be succeeded by her son, William.
[8] The man responsible for losing the "Burgundian Hegemony" was no man at all, but a child. Born in late 1627, William was the classic of inbreeding - born with physical defiencies that overshadowed his above average mind. Still, William's clear disinterest in religion even as a child saw his mother Jeanne lose interest in him - focusing instead on his older sisters, Marie and Alice of Burgundy.
His mother's religious policy would eventually see her death and the great revolt which would be the start of the end for the Burgundian Empire. The great peasant rebellion was not only a religious war, but a linguistic one, as the Burgundian Kings became more and more "dutch" as time passed on, and focusing on the Netherlands and it's rich ports, alongside war to secure Brittanny, had alienated the "French Burgundians", where catholicism remained as a powerful force. The counter-Reformation would start to increase it's pressure on Calvinist Burgundy, and has more Dutch preachers left the Netherlands to delve into Burgundy proper and Britanny, more french preachers came to these regions, gaining steadily and steadily more influence over the hated Dutch.
Another reason that would see William's huge loss of land would be his father and regent, John William. The fourth son of John the II, he had been chosen by his niece for his religion - calvinism, while an older uncle, Charles William, the third son, remained alive. To speak of Charles William's character, the man who would eventually head the French House of Valois and became King of France as heir to the childless Francis the II, one can say that he was the perfect monarch - Martial, cunning, smart and focused. Despite his many talents, Charles William would always be rebuked by both his brother, William, (Charles William, while a patron of colonialism as King of France, considered his brother a talentless fool, forgetful of his duty) and his niece (Charles William was catholic, and thus Jeanne both rebuked him and hated him).
Charles William, or as he became known two years before Jeanne's death, Charles the X, would invade Burgundy after his own brother's disastrous defeat at the battle of Nancy to the peasant rebellion, quickly seizing both all of Burgundy and Normandy. His policy of tolerance in France had seen the end of France's religious conflict, and Henry of Conde, a famous general, would lead an effort that would see Brittany conquered just one year after the start of the war.
John William, desperate to maintain at least part of the Kingdom in Burgundian hands, and without allies (The English themselves would ally with France to increase the Pale of Calais in the direction of Flanders), would surrender to his brother Charles in late 1643, ceding to him and his English allies:
- William the II would abdicate as Duke of Brittany, Normandy, Burgundy, Lorraine, Bar and Nevers, and would also cede the Counties of Boulogne, Picardy, Vermandois, Artois, S. Pol, Hainault, the Prince-Bisphoric of Cambray, the County of Rethel, the Prince-Bisphoric of Verdun and Toule.
- Burgundy would secede North-Western Flanders to England, down to Ypres and all the way East to Brugge.
- As a gift of France to the Holy Roman Emperor, Burgundy's Rhenish and Alsacian allies were to now direct their homage to Matthias of Austria.
- Burgundy would receive monetary reparations from France.
- France would recognize Burgundian ownership over all the Netherlands into all of Frisia.
- The Kingdom of Burgundy would be separated from it's ducal origins. The de jure territorry of the Burgundian crown would now be the territorry spanning from Flanders to Frisia.
- Charles the X would recognize John William and William the II as Princes of the Blood, and his heirs should the lines of his four sons fail.
- Charles the X would have his position in the Burgundian line of Succession recognized.
- Charles the X would recognize calvinism as the state religion of the Kingdom of Burgundy.
William the II would see his father "die quietly" and Maurice of Nassau assume the last year of his regency, and Maurice would manage to redirect the anger at the huge loss of land from William to his dead father. As his regency ended in 1645, Maurice of Nassau would remain one of William's strongest and most powerful advisors, and William, afraid of putting Burgundy in another position as his father and mother had, would ally himself with William of the Palatinate, marrying his daughter Elizabeth in 1647, with the couple having five living children. The couple would reign Burgundy with an eye to the interior, fortyfying the border with France and ramping up trade with Scandinavia and the rest of the Empire, all the while investing in Burgundy's ports, armouries, arsenals and roads.
William would direct Burgundian influence in two directions - overseas and into the Holy Roman Empire. William would, despite his hatred for the Habsburgs due to their lack of intervention when he was invaded by France (And their profiteering over it) would support the Imperial remove to destroy Saxony's influence in the Imperial elections by removing their electoral title from them. In sequence, the protestant princes of the Empire would complain about Emperor Matthias' move to give Bavaria the Electoral seat by saying it would break the delicate religious balance of the Empire. Thus, William would successfully move to claim the Electoral seat to The Hague, his royal seat, granting him unprecedented influence over Imperial policy. He would soon confirm himself as the prime enemy of the Habsburgs within the Empire.
William would also support the first settler colonies of his Kingdom - New-Holland (OTL New England including New York and New Jersey), with the first settlement of New Amsterdam (New York) built in 1649, while he would also support the Kapp colony in South Africa. He would wrestle the island of Jamaica, Aruba and Curasao from Spain in late 1650, and would defeat the Portuguese in Ceylon, constructing many forts in the Indian Subcontinent and Indonesia, starting with the building of Batavia in the isle of Java.
William's only land increase in Europe would only come with his recovery of western Flanders late in his reign - the dispute between Henry the IX of England and Phillipe the VII of France would burst into a war that would see France and Burgundy ironically team-up to divide what remained of European England, with the Burgundians retaking their possessions.
William would die three years later of consumption in 1661. He would be succeeded by his son, Maurice.
[9] Maurits or Maurice was of the opinion, that many of his precedessor's failures came from continuing to be French despite the Netherlands becoming more Dutch. Once he ascended the throne, he legally changed his name to Maurits (after Maurice of Nassau) and made Dutch the primary language of his kingdom. He also married Alberta of Egmont, a noblewoman in 1665. They would have eleven children.
When war broke out between France and Spain over Navarre in 1670 with the death of the last Albret, Maurits jumped at a chance to regain some of the lands that his father lost, he sided with Spain against France. However, their alliance broke down quickly when the young King Philip of Spain refused to marry Maurits' oldest daughter, citing her a hunched back, ugly heretic.
Angered at the slight, Maurits switched sides, making a pact with France, the de jure territories of the kingdom of Burgundy would be annexed with his daughter marrying the new Duke of Lorraine in exchange for the Burgundy's support of France's claim of Navarre.
Maurits also made peace with England, marrying his son with the daughter of the Duke of York while his second daughter would marry the Prince of Wales.
During the end of Maurits life, he would see the great war of religion begin that would last for seven years. He would not be able to lead his army as he was dying of cancer at the time. Instead his son Charles would lead the charge.
[10] Carel was born in 1667 as the second child but first son of Maurits the Dutch and Alberta of Egmont. He would use the Dutch version of his name (Charles) when he became King of Burgundy in 1699, by that point he had been married to Mary of Orange for twelve years and had four children with her (Mary would give birth to two more kids during Carel's reign).
Upon ascending the throne, Carel left to fight in the Great War of Religion, leaving his younger brother Albertus as regent. The war had it's origins back in 1694 when an ship that was carring Henry, Prince of Wales and his family sunk, drowning them and most of the other people on the ship. This was important as they were the last Tudors other than King Edmund II of England (Henry's father) and Elizabeth of York (the wife of Carel's brother Willem) that were still alive. So when Edmund died in 1698 the War of the English Succession began, with one side supporting Willem as King of England and another supporting the claim of Infante Duarte of Portugal (whose mother was an member of the House of Tudor) as King.
This quickly spiraled out into the Great War of Religion as the Protestant countries that supported Willem and the Catholic ones that supported Duarte started to attack each other, with one of the fronts being Burgundy itself with both France and the Habsburgs invading it. The Burgundians would fight for seven gruling years with Carel becoming known for being an excellent general on the battlefield, and lead the final charge against the Habsburgs in the Battle of Steyr in 1705, one of the final battles of the Great War of Religion.
An peace treaty was signed the following year, which lncluded these terms:
- Recognition of Willem of Burgundy as King of England as William III.
- Ferdinand II of Austria is forced to abdicate as Holy Roman Emperor, with Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria chosen as the new Holy Roman Emperor.
- Saxony is granted back their Electorial title.
- France has to give the Duchies of Brittany, and Normandy complete independence.
- Burgundy's former Rhenish and Alsacian allies direct their homage back to them instead of Ferdinand II of Austria.
- France would receive monetary reparations from Burgundy.
- Calais was granted independence as a Principality co-ruled by the King of England and the King of Burgundy.
- William III would recognize Carel IV's line as his heirs should the line of his descendants fail.
- William III would have his place in the Burgundian line of Succession recognized.
After the Great War of Religion, the rest of Carel’s reign was mostly peaceful besides creating an Family Compact with the other branches of the House of Valois-Burgundy which now ruled in Burgundy, Scotland, England, and Naples (an imitation of the Habsburg compact), late in his reign.
Carel died in 1728 at the age of 61, and would be remembered as one of the greatest monarchs of Burgundy. He was succeeded by his granddaughter, Elizabeth.
[11] Queen Elizabeth was born in 1714 as the older of the two daughters of Crown Prince Maurice, famously known as the "king who never was" with how he died in 1726, leaving his daughter Elizabeth as the heir to the throne. Two years later, Elizabeth would become Queen of Burgundy after her grandfather's death at the age of fourteen.
Her reign would see the consolidation of the order that her grandfather had set up with how Elizabeth would build an alliance system with not only Protestant powers but also Catholic Bavaria, Orthodox Russia, and the Muslim Ottoman Empire against the French, Austrians, and Spanish. In addition, her reign would be a reign marked by how she would expand the Burgundian colonial empire with New Burgundy (OTL Australia) seeing its first colony in Elizabethville (OTL Perth) along with a general expansion of the Burgundian Empire during her reign. In her reign, she would also be a ruler who would promote patronage of the arts and culture as well.
Having married a distant cousin to maintain the family line, even if said relationship would end up a happy one, Queen Elizabeth would die in 1750 from the strain of childbirth with how the birth of her seventh child weakened her for her to die of smallpox on November 4, 1750. In the aftermath of her death, Burgundy's next monarch would be her son, Albertus.
[12] Albertus, or Albert, was the first born son of his parents, named after his father. He was born in 1732. He was a serious child with a sharp mind and a strong sense of duty. He is often depicted as resenting his siblings for grievous crime of being born and taking away the attention of his parents. In truth, the only sibling, Albertus resented unreasonably was his youngest brother, Willem, who their mother died giving birth to. His resentment towards Maurits (born in 1733) and Carel (born in 1745) came from how they were both frivolous and hedonist lifestyles and yet they seemed to win many friends with their charisma. He also disapproved of his sister Elisabeth (born in 1736) more masculine hobbies and how she seemed too close with her lady-in-waiting. In contrast, he was closer to his remaining siblings, Philip (1735) who was his most ardent supporter, Anges (1741) and Margriet (1747).
In 1752, he married Sybille of Bavaria, the daughter of the Holy Roman Emperor. Their marriage could not be called happy especially when Sybille had trouble carrying her pregnancies to term. However, they managed to have two surviving children.
Although, Albertus was a competent statesman, many people were put off by his stoic and unyielding demeanor. When he was crowned King of Burgundy at eighteen-years-old, there was much tension as Albertus was said to hate Catholicism and many feared that he would start burning people. In truth, Albertus loathed religious fanaticism and superstition, feeling it was nothing more than excuses for corrupt monks to swindle and spread fear. This did not stop his enemies from cultivating a picture of Albertus who would gladly burn men, women and children. He also made harsher laws for gambling and prostitution.
Unfortunately, in his mission to root out corruption, not to mention his blunt demeanor and his filling his advisors with new men, believing that merit and skill and not who your father was made someone qualified, he made a few enemies among the nobles who would be driven to his brothers' camp. Tensions between the four brothers was high with only their father managing to keep the peace. Maurits at one point was banished from court for causing a scandal at Albertus' wedding, having been found in compromising position with one of Sybille's ladies.
Once their father died in 1760, the fragile peace between the four brothers was destroyed completely. In 1763, Maurits declared himself king, stating that his older brother was unfit to rule and that his two children were bastards, born from Queen Sybille's affair with the court's jester. He was supported, of course, by Carel and thanks to his marriage to the daughter of the French king, he also had France backing him
King Albertus was enraged as was the ever dutiful Philip and Sybille's father, the Emperor (more for the attack on Sybille's character then anything else). King Henry IX of England remained neutral and was recorded saying, "I confess not to knowing your parents well, but I have no doubt they would be ashamed of how far you have fallen. If you were sons of mine, I would knock your heads together and lock you in a room until you got along."
The four brothers met one last time before the battle of Nancy, trying to broker peace. Unfortunately, it ended as it always did in shouting and cursing.
However, the true tragedy would start before the battle even could begin. Philip had gone to King Albertus' tent and discovered a gruesome sight. Albertus was lying on the pool of blood, his throat had been cut after being knocked out by a blow to the head. To this day, scholars are puzzled on who had killed the monarch, with some speculating that it was the young Prince Williem, having been driven to betray his oldest brother by years of being punished for something he had no control over. However, Williem was nowhere near the war camps, having stayed behind as Albertus' regent. One thing was for certain, whoever killed Albertus did so on either Mauritus or Carel's orders.
An enraged and devastated Prince Philip lead the troops, declaring that they would fight for the true king, avenging his death. He screamed the battle cry which was echoed by the soldiers. "Death to the kinslayers! Justice for the late King Albertus and his son, Maximiliaan of Burgundy."
Wanting her son to be king, Margaret sought out an alliance with the Duke of Brittany as well, hoping that along with England, they could attack Lorraine, taking revenge for the disastrous battle of Nancy.
She also strived to find a wife for her son, deciding nothing less than a princess would do. The prospective brides were: Catherine of Navarre (1468), Cecily of York (1469), Princess Anna Jagiellon (1476), Princess Joanna of Naples (1478), and the Breton heiress, Anne of Brittany (1478). She even reached out to Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile, suggesting their second daughter Joanna of Aragon (1479). Joanna would letter go on to marry Charles' half-nephew, Philip the Handsome.
After much debate, Joanna of Naples was chosen. An alliance against the French and Lorraine was formed. Joanna would arrive in Burgundy at age fourteen. The couple were married soon after. The couple had harmonious marriage with not a hint of scandal or affairs. They had nine children, with six surviving.
Across the channel, England had a Lancaster king, Henry Tudor. Margaret of York was quite angry at this and urged her son to support any Yorkist contender. Charles refused most passionately, having no wish to come into conflict with England especially not if their dreams of his duchy becoming a kingdom were to be realized. When John de la Pole, 1st Earl of Lincoln fled to Burgundy in hopes of starting a Yorkist uprising, Charles had him arrested and sent back to England to be attained and executed. Grateful, King Henry, signed an agreement with Charles to support his annexation of Lorraine.
In 1490, when Charles VII of France broke the engagement between himself and Margarita of Austria and invade Brittany to marry Anne, Duchess of Brittany, Charles of Burgundy saw his chance to attack Lorraine with the jilted bride's father, Archduke Maximilian, his former brother-in-law's support along with the help of England and Naples.
In 1493, Maximilian became Holy Roman Emperor and he crowned Charles the King of Burgundy. Charles choose to style himself as the second of his name, citing that had his father not died, he would have been crowned king. After avenging his father by killing the Duke of Lorraine, Charles was recognized as the king by the Pope and other nations. He would also see that he made dynastic matches for all of his children, consolidating his rule.
In 1496, Queen Joanna's nephew King Ferdinand of Naples would die, and the Pope would declare Joanna the new queen, allowing Burgundy to have a footing in Italy. He would fight in two Italian wars to preserve it. He would die of an infected wound in 1502, leaving his lands to his son John.
[2] Born in 1495, John I was his parents third child and first son. He would be barely five years old when his father Charles II died continuing the tradition of Burgundian regencies. His regency was handled nominally by his mother, Joanna of Naples, and but in actuality by his grandmother, Margaret of York; Joanna having spent all her life in the shadow of her mother, fell easily into the shadow of her mother-in-law.
To resolve the Italian conflict, John’s younger brother Charles would be crowned King of Naples ensuring a separation of the two counties. Charles’s regency would be handled by his other grandmother, Joanna of Aragon.
John’s regency would end with the death of Margaret of York when John was 13. Her last act would be arranging the betrothal of John to Mary Tudor. (Margaret of York hadn’t quite forgiven the Tudors, but they were at least descended from her niece, and Mary Tudor was the right age) They would be wed two years later in 1512.
John and Mary were both very pleased with their new attractive spouse and got right to the business of baby making. In 10 years of marriage, the would have 7 children. They presided over a lighthearted festive court during what is now called the Golden Decade.
But all good things come to an end, and the Golden Decade did in 1522 when John took a tumble while riding and broke his neck. He would be succeeded by his son Charles.
[3] Charles was born in 1513 as the first child of John I and Mary Tudor, and was an sickly child during his youth, with many surprised that he outlived his father to become King of Burgundy at the age of 9. His mother Mary served as his regent, but he would not live long enough to rule on his own as he died of tuberculosis in 1528. He was succeeded by his brother, Henry.
[4] Henry was twelve years old when he succeeded his brother, starting another period of regency. His mother died in 1533 when he was seventeen. Instead of allowing a new regent to take power, he had the council declare him of age. He then proceeded to find himself and his younger siblings spouses. As Burgundy had grown rich with trade, he sought to expend the trade routes by establishing a friendship with Portugal in hopes of gaining access to the east, he married his sister, Mary, to Luís of Portugal, Duke of Beja while he himself became engaged to Maria of Portugal, Duchess of Viseu. Henry and Maria would be married in 1540 and they would have nine children.
When it came to the Reformation, Henry was known as a nominal supporter. He was largely Catholic and there was a never a whisper of him abandoning the church like his namesake uncle. However, he was quite friendly with men like John Calvin and John Fredrick of Saxony. He is suspected to have influenced William the Silent of Orange, his surrogate son. He also allowed reformists to practice their religion openly.
It got so bad, that Pope Julius III threatened to excommunicate him if he did not deal with the heretics in his lands. It was only his son-in-law, King Henri of France's intervention that prevented this. He would still have a tenious relationship with the church until the end of his life.
In 1555, Henry supported his cousin, King Giovanni's capture of Sicily from King Philip of Spain. He died in battle, leaving his kingdom in the hands of his son, John.
[5] John was barely fifteen when his father died. Since his father Henry had died at war, there weren't any plans for a regency for John. While Maria of Portugal, would initially be poised to follow the footsteps of many a Burgundian Queen Mother before her, John would fight to be declared of age, and in the end would win, becoming the first Burgundian King to rule without a regency.
John would continue in the Italian Wars to avenge his father, and would call in both of his brother-in-law, Henri of France and Edward of England. (Though the marriage of Margaret of Burgundy and Edward VI was still just a proxy marriage, since Margaret was 10). With the additional help, the war was won quickly.
His first marriage would be to Mary Stewart, Queen of Scotts. Their marriage had been arranged from almost her birth and the two had grown up together. While there was no great passion between them, they got along fine and trusted each other. They would have three children.
Much of the early part of John’s reign was peaceful. With all his neighbors now related by marriage. This would change upon the death of Henri of France. The French Throne would be inherited by Charles, Henri’s younger brother. But, both John and his sister Jeanne, were of the opinion that the Duchy of Brittany was the inheritance of little Marie de Valois, only child of Henri of France and Jeanne.
Jeanne and Marie would be smuggled to Brittany where, young Marie would be wed to her cousin, John’s eldest son. Then, John went to war. During this war, Charles, younger brother of John, would disguise himself as an excellent general. The war would drag on for several years, but in the end France’s lack of allies (The Habsburgs were still ticked about Sicily, and the Tudors rather liked the Burgundians) would allow John to win the Duchy of Brittany for his niece.
John’s mother, Maria of Portugal, would pass away in 1579, and after some negotiation, John’s brother Charles would inherit the Dukedom of Viseau.
In 1583, Mary Stewart was crossing from Scotland to Burgundy as she wished to be present for the birth of her second grandchild . This would send John into something of a reflective mood and for the fist time in his life, John would consider religion seriously. John had continued his father’s practice of religious tolerance and had been nominally Catholic. But prior to Mary’s death, had had no strong opinions on religion. Now, he wanted answers.
John would study religion extensively for the next decade: interrogating the various religious authorities that had flocked to Burgundy and it’s religious tolerance; writing letters to his brother in law Edward Tudor (who as a staunch Protestant was no more happier with John’s religious tolerance than the pope); a visit to Rome; and sundry other attempts at religious truth.
In 1594, John would convert to Calvinism. While religious tolerance in Burgundy wouldn’t end with John’s conversion, Calvinists would begin to much more favor and freedoms than Catholics, Lutherans, and Anglicans. Shortly after that, John would remarry to Louise Julianna of Nassau, the daughter of his good friend and pseudo brother. The two would have a happy marriage and have 8 children.
The last part of John’s reign was marked by increased religious tensions internally and externally. Externally: many French Huguenots would travel to Burgundy for sanctuary raising tensions with France, and John’s conversion would cause his relationship with his Italian cousins to suffer. (Not to badly, after all he had won them Sicily) Internally: religious persecution of non-calvinists was on the rise. But, by this point, John was very good at being a King (lots of practice) and so was able to keep tensions from boiling over.
John would pass away in his sleep late in the year 1619. He was succeeded by his son, William.
[6] Much like the split between Burgundy and Naples, it was decided that Burgundy and Scotland would be divided between William and his younger brother James. Unfortunately for all parties, William was much more interested in sailing and visiting new lands. When he was fifteen, he all but begged his father to allow him to travel with one of the trading vessels to the Far East. King John was reluctant, but eventually gave in.
Then at age twenty, William went with explorers he had sponsored for a venture in the New World. He spent several years there until his father finally had enough and demanded he come home and "do his duty".
When William finally arrived back at Burgundy, he was quickly married to Marie of Brittany, he did his duty, siring three children, before heading off on another adventure to the East, not coming back until he learned of his father's death.
He would leave much of his rule to his council, preferring instead to throw himself in the discovering of new lands. He died in 1633 of an aliment he caught while out at sea. He was succeeded by his granddaughter, Jeanne of Brittany.
[7] Jeanne was the only child of John VI of Brittany who was the eldest son of William the Explorer and Marie of Brittany.
John VI had inherited Brittany from his mother while an adolescent, and with an absent father and busy grandfather was pretty much left to his own devices. John VI had grand plans of uniting Brittany and Burgundy and expanding even further. The first step in his plan was marrying Anne of Normandy, the Duke of Normandy’s only child. [1]
Upon the Duke of Normandy’s death, John VI would push his wife’s claim, and with England’s assistance (John promised to expand the lands around Calais) he would be able to claim roughly two thirds of the Duchy, the coastline stretching between Brittany and Burgundy.
Jeanne would grow up in the Breton court which was chock full of Huguenots she herself becoming an avid Calvinist. After her mother suffering several miscarriages, John VI would be forced to acknowledged that Jeanne would probably be his only child and so his heir. To ensure her inheritance of Burgundy, John would arrange for Jeanne to marry her one of half great-uncles, the sons of John II of Burgundy and his second wife.
As John VI didn’t particularly care which of his half uncles she chose, Jeanne would be sent to her grandfather’s court so that she would have the chance to examine her options. Jeanne would fall for John William, the fourth child of John II and Louise Julianna. He was also devoutly Calvinist, the two first bonding over religion.
They would marry late in 1623 and would reside at the Burgundian Court. Their first three children would be born there. Then in 1630, Jeanne’s father would die and she would inherit the Duchies of Brittany and Normandy. Another child would be born Brittany.
Then in 1633, Jeanne’s grandfather William the Explorer would die at sea. One of Jeanne’s first acts was ensuring the union of Brittany and Normandy with Burgundy fulfilling her father’s dream of an expanded Burgundy.
She would work at monetizing her grandfather’s explorations, expanding the Burgundian trading networks and forming the Burgundian Royal Trading Company.
Her other main act as Queen of Burgundy declaring the official religion of Burgundy to be Calvinism, and pushing heavily for her subjects to convert. This would cause religious tensions to boil over and a religious revolt would erupt. John William, King Consort would be dispatched to put the revolt down.
Jeanne would not live to see the result as she would die in childbirth early in 1640. She would be succeeded by her son, William.
[8] The man responsible for losing the "Burgundian Hegemony" was no man at all, but a child. Born in late 1627, William was the classic of inbreeding - born with physical defiencies that overshadowed his above average mind. Still, William's clear disinterest in religion even as a child saw his mother Jeanne lose interest in him - focusing instead on his older sisters, Marie and Alice of Burgundy.
His mother's religious policy would eventually see her death and the great revolt which would be the start of the end for the Burgundian Empire. The great peasant rebellion was not only a religious war, but a linguistic one, as the Burgundian Kings became more and more "dutch" as time passed on, and focusing on the Netherlands and it's rich ports, alongside war to secure Brittanny, had alienated the "French Burgundians", where catholicism remained as a powerful force. The counter-Reformation would start to increase it's pressure on Calvinist Burgundy, and has more Dutch preachers left the Netherlands to delve into Burgundy proper and Britanny, more french preachers came to these regions, gaining steadily and steadily more influence over the hated Dutch.
Another reason that would see William's huge loss of land would be his father and regent, John William. The fourth son of John the II, he had been chosen by his niece for his religion - calvinism, while an older uncle, Charles William, the third son, remained alive. To speak of Charles William's character, the man who would eventually head the French House of Valois and became King of France as heir to the childless Francis the II, one can say that he was the perfect monarch - Martial, cunning, smart and focused. Despite his many talents, Charles William would always be rebuked by both his brother, William, (Charles William, while a patron of colonialism as King of France, considered his brother a talentless fool, forgetful of his duty) and his niece (Charles William was catholic, and thus Jeanne both rebuked him and hated him).
Charles William, or as he became known two years before Jeanne's death, Charles the X, would invade Burgundy after his own brother's disastrous defeat at the battle of Nancy to the peasant rebellion, quickly seizing both all of Burgundy and Normandy. His policy of tolerance in France had seen the end of France's religious conflict, and Henry of Conde, a famous general, would lead an effort that would see Brittany conquered just one year after the start of the war.
John William, desperate to maintain at least part of the Kingdom in Burgundian hands, and without allies (The English themselves would ally with France to increase the Pale of Calais in the direction of Flanders), would surrender to his brother Charles in late 1643, ceding to him and his English allies:
- William the II would abdicate as Duke of Brittany, Normandy, Burgundy, Lorraine, Bar and Nevers, and would also cede the Counties of Boulogne, Picardy, Vermandois, Artois, S. Pol, Hainault, the Prince-Bisphoric of Cambray, the County of Rethel, the Prince-Bisphoric of Verdun and Toule.
- Burgundy would secede North-Western Flanders to England, down to Ypres and all the way East to Brugge.
- As a gift of France to the Holy Roman Emperor, Burgundy's Rhenish and Alsacian allies were to now direct their homage to Matthias of Austria.
- Burgundy would receive monetary reparations from France.
- France would recognize Burgundian ownership over all the Netherlands into all of Frisia.
- The Kingdom of Burgundy would be separated from it's ducal origins. The de jure territorry of the Burgundian crown would now be the territorry spanning from Flanders to Frisia.
- Charles the X would recognize John William and William the II as Princes of the Blood, and his heirs should the lines of his four sons fail.
- Charles the X would have his position in the Burgundian line of Succession recognized.
- Charles the X would recognize calvinism as the state religion of the Kingdom of Burgundy.
William the II would see his father "die quietly" and Maurice of Nassau assume the last year of his regency, and Maurice would manage to redirect the anger at the huge loss of land from William to his dead father. As his regency ended in 1645, Maurice of Nassau would remain one of William's strongest and most powerful advisors, and William, afraid of putting Burgundy in another position as his father and mother had, would ally himself with William of the Palatinate, marrying his daughter Elizabeth in 1647, with the couple having five living children. The couple would reign Burgundy with an eye to the interior, fortyfying the border with France and ramping up trade with Scandinavia and the rest of the Empire, all the while investing in Burgundy's ports, armouries, arsenals and roads.
William would direct Burgundian influence in two directions - overseas and into the Holy Roman Empire. William would, despite his hatred for the Habsburgs due to their lack of intervention when he was invaded by France (And their profiteering over it) would support the Imperial remove to destroy Saxony's influence in the Imperial elections by removing their electoral title from them. In sequence, the protestant princes of the Empire would complain about Emperor Matthias' move to give Bavaria the Electoral seat by saying it would break the delicate religious balance of the Empire. Thus, William would successfully move to claim the Electoral seat to The Hague, his royal seat, granting him unprecedented influence over Imperial policy. He would soon confirm himself as the prime enemy of the Habsburgs within the Empire.
William would also support the first settler colonies of his Kingdom - New-Holland (OTL New England including New York and New Jersey), with the first settlement of New Amsterdam (New York) built in 1649, while he would also support the Kapp colony in South Africa. He would wrestle the island of Jamaica, Aruba and Curasao from Spain in late 1650, and would defeat the Portuguese in Ceylon, constructing many forts in the Indian Subcontinent and Indonesia, starting with the building of Batavia in the isle of Java.
William's only land increase in Europe would only come with his recovery of western Flanders late in his reign - the dispute between Henry the IX of England and Phillipe the VII of France would burst into a war that would see France and Burgundy ironically team-up to divide what remained of European England, with the Burgundians retaking their possessions.
William would die three years later of consumption in 1661. He would be succeeded by his son, Maurice.
[9] Maurits or Maurice was of the opinion, that many of his precedessor's failures came from continuing to be French despite the Netherlands becoming more Dutch. Once he ascended the throne, he legally changed his name to Maurits (after Maurice of Nassau) and made Dutch the primary language of his kingdom. He also married Alberta of Egmont, a noblewoman in 1665. They would have eleven children.
When war broke out between France and Spain over Navarre in 1670 with the death of the last Albret, Maurits jumped at a chance to regain some of the lands that his father lost, he sided with Spain against France. However, their alliance broke down quickly when the young King Philip of Spain refused to marry Maurits' oldest daughter, citing her a hunched back, ugly heretic.
Angered at the slight, Maurits switched sides, making a pact with France, the de jure territories of the kingdom of Burgundy would be annexed with his daughter marrying the new Duke of Lorraine in exchange for the Burgundy's support of France's claim of Navarre.
Maurits also made peace with England, marrying his son with the daughter of the Duke of York while his second daughter would marry the Prince of Wales.
During the end of Maurits life, he would see the great war of religion begin that would last for seven years. He would not be able to lead his army as he was dying of cancer at the time. Instead his son Charles would lead the charge.
[10] Carel was born in 1667 as the second child but first son of Maurits the Dutch and Alberta of Egmont. He would use the Dutch version of his name (Charles) when he became King of Burgundy in 1699, by that point he had been married to Mary of Orange for twelve years and had four children with her (Mary would give birth to two more kids during Carel's reign).
Upon ascending the throne, Carel left to fight in the Great War of Religion, leaving his younger brother Albertus as regent. The war had it's origins back in 1694 when an ship that was carring Henry, Prince of Wales and his family sunk, drowning them and most of the other people on the ship. This was important as they were the last Tudors other than King Edmund II of England (Henry's father) and Elizabeth of York (the wife of Carel's brother Willem) that were still alive. So when Edmund died in 1698 the War of the English Succession began, with one side supporting Willem as King of England and another supporting the claim of Infante Duarte of Portugal (whose mother was an member of the House of Tudor) as King.
This quickly spiraled out into the Great War of Religion as the Protestant countries that supported Willem and the Catholic ones that supported Duarte started to attack each other, with one of the fronts being Burgundy itself with both France and the Habsburgs invading it. The Burgundians would fight for seven gruling years with Carel becoming known for being an excellent general on the battlefield, and lead the final charge against the Habsburgs in the Battle of Steyr in 1705, one of the final battles of the Great War of Religion.
An peace treaty was signed the following year, which lncluded these terms:
- Recognition of Willem of Burgundy as King of England as William III.
- Ferdinand II of Austria is forced to abdicate as Holy Roman Emperor, with Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria chosen as the new Holy Roman Emperor.
- Saxony is granted back their Electorial title.
- France has to give the Duchies of Brittany, and Normandy complete independence.
- Burgundy's former Rhenish and Alsacian allies direct their homage back to them instead of Ferdinand II of Austria.
- France would receive monetary reparations from Burgundy.
- Calais was granted independence as a Principality co-ruled by the King of England and the King of Burgundy.
- William III would recognize Carel IV's line as his heirs should the line of his descendants fail.
- William III would have his place in the Burgundian line of Succession recognized.
After the Great War of Religion, the rest of Carel’s reign was mostly peaceful besides creating an Family Compact with the other branches of the House of Valois-Burgundy which now ruled in Burgundy, Scotland, England, and Naples (an imitation of the Habsburg compact), late in his reign.
Carel died in 1728 at the age of 61, and would be remembered as one of the greatest monarchs of Burgundy. He was succeeded by his granddaughter, Elizabeth.
[11] Queen Elizabeth was born in 1714 as the older of the two daughters of Crown Prince Maurice, famously known as the "king who never was" with how he died in 1726, leaving his daughter Elizabeth as the heir to the throne. Two years later, Elizabeth would become Queen of Burgundy after her grandfather's death at the age of fourteen.
Her reign would see the consolidation of the order that her grandfather had set up with how Elizabeth would build an alliance system with not only Protestant powers but also Catholic Bavaria, Orthodox Russia, and the Muslim Ottoman Empire against the French, Austrians, and Spanish. In addition, her reign would be a reign marked by how she would expand the Burgundian colonial empire with New Burgundy (OTL Australia) seeing its first colony in Elizabethville (OTL Perth) along with a general expansion of the Burgundian Empire during her reign. In her reign, she would also be a ruler who would promote patronage of the arts and culture as well.
Having married a distant cousin to maintain the family line, even if said relationship would end up a happy one, Queen Elizabeth would die in 1750 from the strain of childbirth with how the birth of her seventh child weakened her for her to die of smallpox on November 4, 1750. In the aftermath of her death, Burgundy's next monarch would be her son, Albertus.
[12] Albertus, or Albert, was the first born son of his parents, named after his father. He was born in 1732. He was a serious child with a sharp mind and a strong sense of duty. He is often depicted as resenting his siblings for grievous crime of being born and taking away the attention of his parents. In truth, the only sibling, Albertus resented unreasonably was his youngest brother, Willem, who their mother died giving birth to. His resentment towards Maurits (born in 1733) and Carel (born in 1745) came from how they were both frivolous and hedonist lifestyles and yet they seemed to win many friends with their charisma. He also disapproved of his sister Elisabeth (born in 1736) more masculine hobbies and how she seemed too close with her lady-in-waiting. In contrast, he was closer to his remaining siblings, Philip (1735) who was his most ardent supporter, Anges (1741) and Margriet (1747).
In 1752, he married Sybille of Bavaria, the daughter of the Holy Roman Emperor. Their marriage could not be called happy especially when Sybille had trouble carrying her pregnancies to term. However, they managed to have two surviving children.
Although, Albertus was a competent statesman, many people were put off by his stoic and unyielding demeanor. When he was crowned King of Burgundy at eighteen-years-old, there was much tension as Albertus was said to hate Catholicism and many feared that he would start burning people. In truth, Albertus loathed religious fanaticism and superstition, feeling it was nothing more than excuses for corrupt monks to swindle and spread fear. This did not stop his enemies from cultivating a picture of Albertus who would gladly burn men, women and children. He also made harsher laws for gambling and prostitution.
Unfortunately, in his mission to root out corruption, not to mention his blunt demeanor and his filling his advisors with new men, believing that merit and skill and not who your father was made someone qualified, he made a few enemies among the nobles who would be driven to his brothers' camp. Tensions between the four brothers was high with only their father managing to keep the peace. Maurits at one point was banished from court for causing a scandal at Albertus' wedding, having been found in compromising position with one of Sybille's ladies.
Once their father died in 1760, the fragile peace between the four brothers was destroyed completely. In 1763, Maurits declared himself king, stating that his older brother was unfit to rule and that his two children were bastards, born from Queen Sybille's affair with the court's jester. He was supported, of course, by Carel and thanks to his marriage to the daughter of the French king, he also had France backing him
King Albertus was enraged as was the ever dutiful Philip and Sybille's father, the Emperor (more for the attack on Sybille's character then anything else). King Henry IX of England remained neutral and was recorded saying, "I confess not to knowing your parents well, but I have no doubt they would be ashamed of how far you have fallen. If you were sons of mine, I would knock your heads together and lock you in a room until you got along."
The four brothers met one last time before the battle of Nancy, trying to broker peace. Unfortunately, it ended as it always did in shouting and cursing.
However, the true tragedy would start before the battle even could begin. Philip had gone to King Albertus' tent and discovered a gruesome sight. Albertus was lying on the pool of blood, his throat had been cut after being knocked out by a blow to the head. To this day, scholars are puzzled on who had killed the monarch, with some speculating that it was the young Prince Williem, having been driven to betray his oldest brother by years of being punished for something he had no control over. However, Williem was nowhere near the war camps, having stayed behind as Albertus' regent. One thing was for certain, whoever killed Albertus did so on either Mauritus or Carel's orders.
An enraged and devastated Prince Philip lead the troops, declaring that they would fight for the true king, avenging his death. He screamed the battle cry which was echoed by the soldiers. "Death to the kinslayers! Justice for the late King Albertus and his son, Maximiliaan of Burgundy."
[13] Born in 1754 to King Albertus and Archduchess Sybille of Bavaria, Maximiliaan was only twelve years old when he became King of Burgundy, after the murder of his father. His uncle Philip helped him secure his throne by winning the Battle of Nancy, which resulted in the death of Prince Maurits and exiling of his family from Burgundy. Maximiliaan then had a largely peaceful regency that was headed by his mother Sybille and uncle Philip, being the first Burgundian King to have one since Henry the Red. He reached his majority in 1772, and began to look for an suitable wife for himself, which he found in Princess Margaret of Scotland, whom he married in 1775. The couple had a loving marriage and had four children.
In 1778, an rebellion started in New Holland, which turned into the New Hollander Revolution (1778-1782). It was an success for New Holland as it got independence from Burgundy and picked Maurits' son Hendrik as their first King, who Maximiliaan saw as a threat as he still considered him to be a bastard. Maximiliaan died in 1784 at the age of 30 when he accidentally shot himself in the face while out hunting. He was succeeded by his _________.
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Dukes of Burgundy
1467-1477: Charles the Bold (House of Valois-Burgundy)
1477-1502: Charles II the Prudent (House of Valois-Burgundy) [1]
Kings and Queens of Burgundy
1493-1502: Charles II the Prudent (House of Valois-Burgundy) [1]
1502-1522: John I the Young (House of Valois-Burgundy) [2]
1522-1528: Charles III the Unfortunate (House of Valois-Burgundy) [3]
1528-1555: Henry I the Red (House of Valois-Burgundy) [4]
1555-1619: John II the Old (House of Valois-Burgundy) [5]
1619-1633: William the Explorer (House of Valois-Burgundy) [6]
1633-1640: Jeanne I the Faithful (House of Valois-Burgundy) [7]
1640-1661: William II the Unlucky (House of Valois-Burgundy) [8]
1661-1699: Maurits I the Dutch (House of Valois-Burgundy) [9]
1699-1728: Carel IV the Warrior (House of Valois-Burgundy) [10]
1728-1750: Elizabeth I (House of Valois-Burgundy) [11]
1750-1766: Albertus I (House of Valois-Burgundy) [12]
1766-1784: Maximiliaan I (House of Valois-Burgundy) [13]
1784-1827: Marianne I (House of Valois-Burgundy) [14]
[14] Queen Marianne I was born on March 6, 1777 as the oldest of the four children of King Maximiliaan and his wife Margaret of Scotland, becoming heir to the throne after her brother Carel died at the age of three from smallpox in 1783, making her Queen at the age of seven and her reign would be marked by turmoil and changes across Europe. The early reign of Marianne would be marked by an eleven-year regency for her led by her mother and a council of ministers who transitioned Burgundy into a semi-constitutional monarchy as a parliament elected by landowners and rich merchants who paid a certain amount of taxes or owned a set amount of land was set up, even if most power would still be vested in the monarch.
The defining moment of Marianne I's reign would be the Spanish Revolutionary Wars which saw the fall of the Spanish Monarchy and the revolutionary Spanish Republic try to wage various wars against the rest of Europe which would end in a draw. Spain would remain a revolutionary republic, having absorbed Portugal with a Portugal-in-exile in the New World, but the old order would be maintained north of the Pyrenees. She would be a major figure in the alliance against the Spanish Republic, being effective at creating a cordon sanitaire against Spanish expansionism.
Domestically, Marianne's reign as Queen would see the Industrial Revolution be spearheaded by Burgundy with its rich deposits of minerals fueling an industrial revolution which made Burgundy one of the richest industrial powers of Europe. In addition, she would spearhead a golden age of Burgundian culture as well with her patronage of cultural development during her reign.
In her personal life, Queen Marianne would marry Prince Alexander of Denmark with the couple having three children who made it to adulthood, even if the two didn't have a good relationship with Alexander reportedly having three mistresses of his own. Queen Marianne would die at the age of fifty on September 7, 1827 from a heart attack, being succeeeded by _______________.
1467-1477: Charles the Bold (House of Valois-Burgundy)
1477-1502: Charles II the Prudent (House of Valois-Burgundy) [1]
Kings and Queens of Burgundy
1493-1502: Charles II the Prudent (House of Valois-Burgundy) [1]
1502-1522: John I the Young (House of Valois-Burgundy) [2]
1522-1528: Charles III the Unfortunate (House of Valois-Burgundy) [3]
1528-1555: Henry I the Red (House of Valois-Burgundy) [4]
1555-1619: John II the Old (House of Valois-Burgundy) [5]
1619-1633: William the Explorer (House of Valois-Burgundy) [6]
1633-1640: Jeanne I the Faithful (House of Valois-Burgundy) [7]
1640-1661: William II the Unlucky (House of Valois-Burgundy) [8]
1661-1699: Maurits I the Dutch (House of Valois-Burgundy) [9]
1699-1728: Carel IV the Warrior (House of Valois-Burgundy) [10]
1728-1750: Elizabeth I (House of Valois-Burgundy) [11]
1750-1766: Albertus I (House of Valois-Burgundy) [12]
1766-1784: Maximiliaan I (House of Valois-Burgundy) [13]
1784-1827: Marianne I (House of Valois-Burgundy) [14]
[1] Charles was born in 1471 to his parents' great joy. The Valois-Burgundy line had been in danger of dying out, but now were able to keep going. Charles was only six years old when his father died. His mother ruled as his regent until he was fifteen. His older half-sister Margaret married Archduke Maximilian of Austria, son of Emperor Fredrick who had promised to crown the former Duke Charles, King of Burgundy.
Wanting her son to be king, Margaret sought out an alliance with the Duke of Brittany as well, hoping that along with England, they could attack Lorraine, taking revenge for the disastrous battle of Nancy.
She also strived to find a wife for her son, deciding nothing less than a princess would do. The prospective brides were: Catherine of Navarre (1468), Cecily of York (1469), Princess Anna Jagiellon (1476), Princess Joanna of Naples (1478), and the Breton heiress, Anne of Brittany (1478). She even reached out to Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile, suggesting their second daughter Joanna of Aragon (1479). Joanna would letter go on to marry Charles' half-nephew, Philip the Handsome.
After much debate, Joanna of Naples was chosen. An alliance against the French and Lorraine was formed. Joanna would arrive in Burgundy at age fourteen. The couple were married soon after. The couple had harmonious marriage with not a hint of scandal or affairs. They had nine children, with six surviving.
Across the channel, England had a Lancaster king, Henry Tudor. Margaret of York was quite angry at this and urged her son to support any Yorkist contender. Charles refused most passionately, having no wish to come into conflict with England especially not if their dreams of his duchy becoming a kingdom were to be realized. When John de la Pole, 1st Earl of Lincoln fled to Burgundy in hopes of starting a Yorkist uprising, Charles had him arrested and sent back to England to be attained and executed. Grateful, King Henry, signed an agreement with Charles to support his annexation of Lorraine.
In 1490, when Charles VII of France broke the engagement between himself and Margarita of Austria and invade Brittany to marry Anne, Duchess of Brittany, Charles of Burgundy saw his chance to attack Lorraine with the jilted bride's father, Archduke Maximilian, his former brother-in-law's support along with the help of England and Naples.
In 1493, Maximilian became Holy Roman Emperor and he crowned Charles the King of Burgundy. Charles choose to style himself as the second of his name, citing that had his father not died, he would have been crowned king. After avenging his father by killing the Duke of Lorraine, Charles was recognized as the king by the Pope and other nations. He would also see that he made dynastic matches for all of his children, consolidating his rule.
In 1496, Queen Joanna's nephew King Ferdinand of Naples would die, and the Pope would declare Joanna the new queen, allowing Burgundy to have a footing in Italy. He would fight in two Italian wars to preserve it. He would die of an infected wound in 1502, leaving his lands to his son John.
[2] Born in 1495, John I was his parents third child and first son. He would be barely five years old when his father Charles II died continuing the tradition of Burgundian regencies. His regency was handled nominally by his mother, Joanna of Naples, and but in actuality by his grandmother, Margaret of York; Joanna having spent all her life in the shadow of her mother, fell easily into the shadow of her mother-in-law.
To resolve the Italian conflict, John’s younger brother Charles would be crowned King of Naples ensuring a separation of the two counties. Charles’s regency would be handled by his other grandmother, Joanna of Aragon.
John’s regency would end with the death of Margaret of York when John was 13. Her last act would be arranging the betrothal of John to Mary Tudor. (Margaret of York hadn’t quite forgiven the Tudors, but they were at least descended from her niece, and Mary Tudor was the right age) They would be wed two years later in 1512.
John and Mary were both very pleased with their new attractive spouse and got right to the business of baby making. In 10 years of marriage, the would have 7 children. They presided over a lighthearted festive court during what is now called the Golden Decade.
But all good things come to an end, and the Golden Decade did in 1522 when John took a tumble while riding and broke his neck. He would be succeeded by his son Charles.
[3] Charles was born in 1513 as the first child of John I and Mary Tudor, and was an sickly child during his youth, with many surprised that he outlived his father to become King of Burgundy at the age of 9. His mother Mary served as his regent, but he would not live long enough to rule on his own as he died of tuberculosis in 1528. He was succeeded by his brother, Henry.
[4] Henry was twelve years old when he succeeded his brother, starting another period of regency. His mother died in 1533 when he was seventeen. Instead of allowing a new regent to take power, he had the council declare him of age. He then proceeded to find himself and his younger siblings spouses. As Burgundy had grown rich with trade, he sought to expend the trade routes by establishing a friendship with Portugal in hopes of gaining access to the east, he married his sister, Mary, to Luís of Portugal, Duke of Beja while he himself became engaged to Maria of Portugal, Duchess of Viseu. Henry and Maria would be married in 1540 and they would have nine children.
When it came to the Reformation, Henry was known as a nominal supporter. He was largely Catholic and there was a never a whisper of him abandoning the church like his namesake uncle. However, he was quite friendly with men like John Calvin and John Fredrick of Saxony. He is suspected to have influenced William the Silent of Orange, his surrogate son. He also allowed reformists to practice their religion openly.
It got so bad, that Pope Julius III threatened to excommunicate him if he did not deal with the heretics in his lands. It was only his son-in-law, King Henri of France's intervention that prevented this. He would still have a tenious relationship with the church until the end of his life.
In 1555, Henry supported his cousin, King Giovanni's capture of Sicily from King Philip of Spain. He died in battle, leaving his kingdom in the hands of his son, John.
[5] John was barely fifteen when his father died. Since his father Henry had died at war, there weren't any plans for a regency for John. While Maria of Portugal, would initially be poised to follow the footsteps of many a Burgundian Queen Mother before her, John would fight to be declared of age, and in the end would win, becoming the first Burgundian King to rule without a regency.
John would continue in the Italian Wars to avenge his father, and would call in both of his brother-in-law, Henri of France and Edward of England. (Though the marriage of Margaret of Burgundy and Edward VI was still just a proxy marriage, since Margaret was 10). With the additional help, the war was won quickly.
His first marriage would be to Mary Stewart, Queen of Scotts. Their marriage had been arranged from almost her birth and the two had grown up together. While there was no great passion between them, they got along fine and trusted each other. They would have three children.
Much of the early part of John’s reign was peaceful. With all his neighbors now related by marriage. This would change upon the death of Henri of France. The French Throne would be inherited by Charles, Henri’s younger brother. But, both John and his sister Jeanne, were of the opinion that the Duchy of Brittany was the inheritance of little Marie de Valois, only child of Henri of France and Jeanne.
Jeanne and Marie would be smuggled to Brittany where, young Marie would be wed to her cousin, John’s eldest son. Then, John went to war. During this war, Charles, younger brother of John, would disguise himself as an excellent general. The war would drag on for several years, but in the end France’s lack of allies (The Habsburgs were still ticked about Sicily, and the Tudors rather liked the Burgundians) would allow John to win the Duchy of Brittany for his niece.
John’s mother, Maria of Portugal, would pass away in 1579, and after some negotiation, John’s brother Charles would inherit the Dukedom of Viseau.
In 1583, Mary Stewart was crossing from Scotland to Burgundy as she wished to be present for the birth of her second grandchild . This would send John into something of a reflective mood and for the fist time in his life, John would consider religion seriously. John had continued his father’s practice of religious tolerance and had been nominally Catholic. But prior to Mary’s death, had had no strong opinions on religion. Now, he wanted answers.
John would study religion extensively for the next decade: interrogating the various religious authorities that had flocked to Burgundy and it’s religious tolerance; writing letters to his brother in law Edward Tudor (who as a staunch Protestant was no more happier with John’s religious tolerance than the pope); a visit to Rome; and sundry other attempts at religious truth.
In 1594, John would convert to Calvinism. While religious tolerance in Burgundy wouldn’t end with John’s conversion, Calvinists would begin to much more favor and freedoms than Catholics, Lutherans, and Anglicans. Shortly after that, John would remarry to Louise Julianna of Nassau, the daughter of his good friend and pseudo brother. The two would have a happy marriage and have 8 children.
The last part of John’s reign was marked by increased religious tensions internally and externally. Externally: many French Huguenots would travel to Burgundy for sanctuary raising tensions with France, and John’s conversion would cause his relationship with his Italian cousins to suffer. (Not to badly, after all he had won them Sicily) Internally: religious persecution of non-calvinists was on the rise. But, by this point, John was very good at being a King (lots of practice) and so was able to keep tensions from boiling over.
John would pass away in his sleep late in the year 1619. He was succeeded by his son, William.
[6] Much like the split between Burgundy and Naples, it was decided that Burgundy and Scotland would be divided between William and his younger brother James. Unfortunately for all parties, William was much more interested in sailing and visiting new lands. When he was fifteen, he all but begged his father to allow him to travel with one of the trading vessels to the Far East. King John was reluctant, but eventually gave in.
Then at age twenty, William went with explorers he had sponsored for a venture in the New World. He spent several years there until his father finally had enough and demanded he come home and "do his duty".
When William finally arrived back at Burgundy, he was quickly married to Marie of Brittany, he did his duty, siring three children, before heading off on another adventure to the East, not coming back until he learned of his father's death.
He would leave much of his rule to his council, preferring instead to throw himself in the discovering of new lands. He died in 1633 of an aliment he caught while out at sea. He was succeeded by his granddaughter, Jeanne of Brittany.
[7] Jeanne was the only child of John VI of Brittany who was the eldest son of William the Explorer and Marie of Brittany.
John VI had inherited Brittany from his mother while an adolescent, and with an absent father and busy grandfather was pretty much left to his own devices. John VI had grand plans of uniting Brittany and Burgundy and expanding even further. The first step in his plan was marrying Anne of Normandy, the Duke of Normandy’s only child. [1]
Upon the Duke of Normandy’s death, John VI would push his wife’s claim, and with England’s assistance (John promised to expand the lands around Calais) he would be able to claim roughly two thirds of the Duchy, the coastline stretching between Brittany and Burgundy.
Jeanne would grow up in the Breton court which was chock full of Huguenots she herself becoming an avid Calvinist. After her mother suffering several miscarriages, John VI would be forced to acknowledged that Jeanne would probably be his only child and so his heir. To ensure her inheritance of Burgundy, John would arrange for Jeanne to marry her one of half great-uncles, the sons of John II of Burgundy and his second wife.
As John VI didn’t particularly care which of his half uncles she chose, Jeanne would be sent to her grandfather’s court so that she would have the chance to examine her options. Jeanne would fall for John William, the fourth child of John II and Louise Julianna. He was also devoutly Calvinist, the two first bonding over religion.
They would marry late in 1623 and would reside at the Burgundian Court. Their first three children would be born there. Then in 1630, Jeanne’s father would die and she would inherit the Duchies of Brittany and Normandy. Another child would be born Brittany.
Then in 1633, Jeanne’s grandfather William the Explorer would die at sea. One of Jeanne’s first acts was ensuring the union of Brittany and Normandy with Burgundy fulfilling her father’s dream of an expanded Burgundy.
She would work at monetizing her grandfather’s explorations, expanding the Burgundian trading networks and forming the Burgundian Royal Trading Company.
Her other main act as Queen of Burgundy declaring the official religion of Burgundy to be Calvinism, and pushing heavily for her subjects to convert. This would cause religious tensions to boil over and a religious revolt would erupt. John William, King Consort would be dispatched to put the revolt down.
Jeanne would not live to see the result as she would die in childbirth early in 1640. She would be succeeded by her son, William.
[8] The man responsible for losing the "Burgundian Hegemony" was no man at all, but a child. Born in late 1627, William was the classic of inbreeding - born with physical defiencies that overshadowed his above average mind. Still, William's clear disinterest in religion even as a child saw his mother Jeanne lose interest in him - focusing instead on his older sisters, Marie and Alice of Burgundy.
His mother's religious policy would eventually see her death and the great revolt which would be the start of the end for the Burgundian Empire. The great peasant rebellion was not only a religious war, but a linguistic one, as the Burgundian Kings became more and more "dutch" as time passed on, and focusing on the Netherlands and it's rich ports, alongside war to secure Brittanny, had alienated the "French Burgundians", where catholicism remained as a powerful force. The counter-Reformation would start to increase it's pressure on Calvinist Burgundy, and has more Dutch preachers left the Netherlands to delve into Burgundy proper and Britanny, more french preachers came to these regions, gaining steadily and steadily more influence over the hated Dutch.
Another reason that would see William's huge loss of land would be his father and regent, John William. The fourth son of John the II, he had been chosen by his niece for his religion - calvinism, while an older uncle, Charles William, the third son, remained alive. To speak of Charles William's character, the man who would eventually head the French House of Valois and became King of France as heir to the childless Francis the II, one can say that he was the perfect monarch - Martial, cunning, smart and focused. Despite his many talents, Charles William would always be rebuked by both his brother, William, (Charles William, while a patron of colonialism as King of France, considered his brother a talentless fool, forgetful of his duty) and his niece (Charles William was catholic, and thus Jeanne both rebuked him and hated him).
Charles William, or as he became known two years before Jeanne's death, Charles the X, would invade Burgundy after his own brother's disastrous defeat at the battle of Nancy to the peasant rebellion, quickly seizing both all of Burgundy and Normandy. His policy of tolerance in France had seen the end of France's religious conflict, and Henry of Conde, a famous general, would lead an effort that would see Brittany conquered just one year after the start of the war.
John William, desperate to maintain at least part of the Kingdom in Burgundian hands, and without allies (The English themselves would ally with France to increase the Pale of Calais in the direction of Flanders), would surrender to his brother Charles in late 1643, ceding to him and his English allies:
- William the II would abdicate as Duke of Brittany, Normandy, Burgundy, Lorraine, Bar and Nevers, and would also cede the Counties of Boulogne, Picardy, Vermandois, Artois, S. Pol, Hainault, the Prince-Bisphoric of Cambray, the County of Rethel, the Prince-Bisphoric of Verdun and Toule.
- Burgundy would secede North-Western Flanders to England, down to Ypres and all the way East to Brugge.
- As a gift of France to the Holy Roman Emperor, Burgundy's Rhenish and Alsacian allies were to now direct their homage to Matthias of Austria.
- Burgundy would receive monetary reparations from France.
- France would recognize Burgundian ownership over all the Netherlands into all of Frisia.
- The Kingdom of Burgundy would be separated from it's ducal origins. The de jure territorry of the Burgundian crown would now be the territorry spanning from Flanders to Frisia.
- Charles the X would recognize John William and William the II as Princes of the Blood, and his heirs should the lines of his four sons fail.
- Charles the X would have his position in the Burgundian line of Succession recognized.
- Charles the X would recognize calvinism as the state religion of the Kingdom of Burgundy.
William the II would see his father "die quietly" and Maurice of Nassau assume the last year of his regency, and Maurice would manage to redirect the anger at the huge loss of land from William to his dead father. As his regency ended in 1645, Maurice of Nassau would remain one of William's strongest and most powerful advisors, and William, afraid of putting Burgundy in another position as his father and mother had, would ally himself with William of the Palatinate, marrying his daughter Elizabeth in 1647, with the couple having five living children. The couple would reign Burgundy with an eye to the interior, fortyfying the border with France and ramping up trade with Scandinavia and the rest of the Empire, all the while investing in Burgundy's ports, armouries, arsenals and roads.
William would direct Burgundian influence in two directions - overseas and into the Holy Roman Empire. William would, despite his hatred for the Habsburgs due to their lack of intervention when he was invaded by France (And their profiteering over it) would support the Imperial remove to destroy Saxony's influence in the Imperial elections by removing their electoral title from them. In sequence, the protestant princes of the Empire would complain about Emperor Matthias' move to give Bavaria the Electoral seat by saying it would break the delicate religious balance of the Empire. Thus, William would successfully move to claim the Electoral seat to The Hague, his royal seat, granting him unprecedented influence over Imperial policy. He would soon confirm himself as the prime enemy of the Habsburgs within the Empire.
William would also support the first settler colonies of his Kingdom - New-Holland (OTL New England including New York and New Jersey), with the first settlement of New Amsterdam (New York) built in 1649, while he would also support the Kapp colony in South Africa. He would wrestle the island of Jamaica, Aruba and Curasao from Spain in late 1650, and would defeat the Portuguese in Ceylon, constructing many forts in the Indian Subcontinent and Indonesia, starting with the building of Batavia in the isle of Java.
William's only land increase in Europe would only come with his recovery of western Flanders late in his reign - the dispute between Henry the IX of England and Phillipe the VII of France would burst into a war that would see France and Burgundy ironically team-up to divide what remained of European England, with the Burgundians retaking their possessions.
William would die three years later of consumption in 1661. He would be succeeded by his son, Maurice.
[9] Maurits or Maurice was of the opinion, that many of his precedessor's failures came from continuing to be French despite the Netherlands becoming more Dutch. Once he ascended the throne, he legally changed his name to Maurits (after Maurice of Nassau) and made Dutch the primary language of his kingdom. He also married Alberta of Egmont, a noblewoman in 1665. They would have eleven children.
When war broke out between France and Spain over Navarre in 1670 with the death of the last Albret, Maurits jumped at a chance to regain some of the lands that his father lost, he sided with Spain against France. However, their alliance broke down quickly when the young King Philip of Spain refused to marry Maurits' oldest daughter, citing her a hunched back, ugly heretic.
Angered at the slight, Maurits switched sides, making a pact with France, the de jure territories of the kingdom of Burgundy would be annexed with his daughter marrying the new Duke of Lorraine in exchange for the Burgundy's support of France's claim of Navarre.
Maurits also made peace with England, marrying his son with the daughter of the Duke of York while his second daughter would marry the Prince of Wales.
During the end of Maurits life, he would see the great war of religion begin that would last for seven years. He would not be able to lead his army as he was dying of cancer at the time. Instead his son Charles would lead the charge.
[10] Carel was born in 1667 as the second child but first son of Maurits the Dutch and Alberta of Egmont. He would use the Dutch version of his name (Charles) when he became King of Burgundy in 1699, by that point he had been married to Mary of Orange for twelve years and had four children with her (Mary would give birth to two more kids during Carel's reign).
Upon ascending the throne, Carel left to fight in the Great War of Religion, leaving his younger brother Albertus as regent. The war had it's origins back in 1694 when an ship that was carring Henry, Prince of Wales and his family sunk, drowning them and most of the other people on the ship. This was important as they were the last Tudors other than King Edmund II of England (Henry's father) and Elizabeth of York (the wife of Carel's brother Willem) that were still alive. So when Edmund died in 1698 the War of the English Succession began, with one side supporting Willem as King of England and another supporting the claim of Infante Duarte of Portugal (whose mother was an member of the House of Tudor) as King.
This quickly spiraled out into the Great War of Religion as the Protestant countries that supported Willem and the Catholic ones that supported Duarte started to attack each other, with one of the fronts being Burgundy itself with both France and the Habsburgs invading it. The Burgundians would fight for seven gruling years with Carel becoming known for being an excellent general on the battlefield, and lead the final charge against the Habsburgs in the Battle of Steyr in 1705, one of the final battles of the Great War of Religion.
An peace treaty was signed the following year, which lncluded these terms:
- Recognition of Willem of Burgundy as King of England as William III.
- Ferdinand II of Austria is forced to abdicate as Holy Roman Emperor, with Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria chosen as the new Holy Roman Emperor.
- Saxony is granted back their Electorial title.
- France has to give the Duchies of Brittany, and Normandy complete independence.
- Burgundy's former Rhenish and Alsacian allies direct their homage back to them instead of Ferdinand II of Austria.
- France would receive monetary reparations from Burgundy.
- Calais was granted independence as a Principality co-ruled by the King of England and the King of Burgundy.
- William III would recognize Carel IV's line as his heirs should the line of his descendants fail.
- William III would have his place in the Burgundian line of Succession recognized.
After the Great War of Religion, the rest of Carel’s reign was mostly peaceful besides creating an Family Compact with the other branches of the House of Valois-Burgundy which now ruled in Burgundy, Scotland, England, and Naples (an imitation of the Habsburg compact), late in his reign.
Carel died in 1728 at the age of 61, and would be remembered as one of the greatest monarchs of Burgundy. He was succeeded by his granddaughter, Elizabeth.
[11] Queen Elizabeth was born in 1714 as the older of the two daughters of Crown Prince Maurice, famously known as the "king who never was" with how he died in 1726, leaving his daughter Elizabeth as the heir to the throne. Two years later, Elizabeth would become Queen of Burgundy after her grandfather's death at the age of fourteen.
Her reign would see the consolidation of the order that her grandfather had set up with how Elizabeth would build an alliance system with not only Protestant powers but also Catholic Bavaria, Orthodox Russia, and the Muslim Ottoman Empire against the French, Austrians, and Spanish. In addition, her reign would be a reign marked by how she would expand the Burgundian colonial empire with New Burgundy (OTL Australia) seeing its first colony in Elizabethville (OTL Perth) along with a general expansion of the Burgundian Empire during her reign. In her reign, she would also be a ruler who would promote patronage of the arts and culture as well.
Having married a distant cousin to maintain the family line, even if said relationship would end up a happy one, Queen Elizabeth would die in 1750 from the strain of childbirth with how the birth of her seventh child weakened her for her to die of smallpox on November 4, 1750. In the aftermath of her death, Burgundy's next monarch would be her son, Albertus.
[12] Albertus, or Albert, was the first born son of his parents, named after his father. He was born in 1732. He was a serious child with a sharp mind and a strong sense of duty. He is often depicted as resenting his siblings for grievous crime of being born and taking away the attention of his parents. In truth, the only sibling, Albertus resented unreasonably was his youngest brother, Willem, who their mother died giving birth to. His resentment towards Maurits (born in 1733) and Carel (born in 1745) came from how they were both frivolous and hedonist lifestyles and yet they seemed to win many friends with their charisma. He also disapproved of his sister Elisabeth (born in 1736) more masculine hobbies and how she seemed too close with her lady-in-waiting. In contrast, he was closer to his remaining siblings, Philip (1735) who was his most ardent supporter, Anges (1741) and Margriet (1747).
In 1752, he married Sybille of Bavaria, the daughter of the Holy Roman Emperor. Their marriage could not be called happy especially when Sybille had trouble carrying her pregnancies to term. However, they managed to have two surviving children.
Although, Albertus was a competent statesman, many people were put off by his stoic and unyielding demeanor. When he was crowned King of Burgundy at eighteen-years-old, there was much tension as Albertus was said to hate Catholicism and many feared that he would start burning people. In truth, Albertus loathed religious fanaticism and superstition, feeling it was nothing more than excuses for corrupt monks to swindle and spread fear. This did not stop his enemies from cultivating a picture of Albertus who would gladly burn men, women and children. He also made harsher laws for gambling and prostitution.
Unfortunately, in his mission to root out corruption, not to mention his blunt demeanor and his filling his advisors with new men, believing that merit and skill and not who your father was made someone qualified, he made a few enemies among the nobles who would be driven to his brothers' camp. Tensions between the four brothers was high with only their father managing to keep the peace. Maurits at one point was banished from court for causing a scandal at Albertus' wedding, having been found in compromising position with one of Sybille's ladies.
Once their father died in 1760, the fragile peace between the four brothers was destroyed completely. In 1763, Maurits declared himself king, stating that his older brother was unfit to rule and that his two children were bastards, born from Queen Sybille's affair with the court's jester. He was supported, of course, by Carel and thanks to his marriage to the daughter of the French king, he also had France backing him
King Albertus was enraged as was the ever dutiful Philip and Sybille's father, the Emperor (more for the attack on Sybille's character then anything else). King Henry IX of England remained neutral and was recorded saying, "I confess not to knowing your parents well, but I have no doubt they would be ashamed of how far you have fallen. If you were sons of mine, I would knock your heads together and lock you in a room until you got along."
The four brothers met one last time before the battle of Nancy, trying to broker peace. Unfortunately, it ended as it always did in shouting and cursing.
However, the true tragedy would start before the battle even could begin. Philip had gone to King Albertus' tent and discovered a gruesome sight. Albertus was lying on the pool of blood, his throat had been cut after being knocked out by a blow to the head. To this day, scholars are puzzled on who had killed the monarch, with some speculating that it was the young Prince Williem, having been driven to betray his oldest brother by years of being punished for something he had no control over. However, Williem was nowhere near the war camps, having stayed behind as Albertus' regent. One thing was for certain, whoever killed Albertus did so on either Mauritus or Carel's orders.
An enraged and devastated Prince Philip lead the troops, declaring that they would fight for the true king, avenging his death. He screamed the battle cry which was echoed by the soldiers. "Death to the kinslayers! Justice for the late King Albertus and his son, Maximiliaan of Burgundy."
[13] Born in 1754 to King Albertus and Archduchess Sybille of Bavaria, Maximiliaan was only twelve years old when he became King of Burgundy, after the murder of his father. His uncle Philip helped him secure his throne by winning the Battle of Nancy, which resulted in the death of Prince Maurits and exiling of his family from Burgundy. Maximiliaan then had a largely peaceful regency that was headed by his mother Sybille and uncle Philip, being the first Burgundian King to have one since Henry the Red. He reached his majority in 1772, and began to look for an suitable wife for himself, which he found in Princess Margaret of Scotland, whom he married in 1775. The couple had a loving marriage and had four children.
In 1778, an rebellion started in New Holland, which turned into the New Hollander Revolution (1778-1782). It was an success for New Holland as it got independence from Burgundy and picked Maurits' son Hendrik as their first King, who Maximiliaan saw as a threat as he still considered him to be a bastard. Maximiliaan died in 1784 at the age of 30 when he shot himself in the face while out hunting. He was succeeded by his daughter Marianne.
Wanting her son to be king, Margaret sought out an alliance with the Duke of Brittany as well, hoping that along with England, they could attack Lorraine, taking revenge for the disastrous battle of Nancy.
She also strived to find a wife for her son, deciding nothing less than a princess would do. The prospective brides were: Catherine of Navarre (1468), Cecily of York (1469), Princess Anna Jagiellon (1476), Princess Joanna of Naples (1478), and the Breton heiress, Anne of Brittany (1478). She even reached out to Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile, suggesting their second daughter Joanna of Aragon (1479). Joanna would letter go on to marry Charles' half-nephew, Philip the Handsome.
After much debate, Joanna of Naples was chosen. An alliance against the French and Lorraine was formed. Joanna would arrive in Burgundy at age fourteen. The couple were married soon after. The couple had harmonious marriage with not a hint of scandal or affairs. They had nine children, with six surviving.
Across the channel, England had a Lancaster king, Henry Tudor. Margaret of York was quite angry at this and urged her son to support any Yorkist contender. Charles refused most passionately, having no wish to come into conflict with England especially not if their dreams of his duchy becoming a kingdom were to be realized. When John de la Pole, 1st Earl of Lincoln fled to Burgundy in hopes of starting a Yorkist uprising, Charles had him arrested and sent back to England to be attained and executed. Grateful, King Henry, signed an agreement with Charles to support his annexation of Lorraine.
In 1490, when Charles VII of France broke the engagement between himself and Margarita of Austria and invade Brittany to marry Anne, Duchess of Brittany, Charles of Burgundy saw his chance to attack Lorraine with the jilted bride's father, Archduke Maximilian, his former brother-in-law's support along with the help of England and Naples.
In 1493, Maximilian became Holy Roman Emperor and he crowned Charles the King of Burgundy. Charles choose to style himself as the second of his name, citing that had his father not died, he would have been crowned king. After avenging his father by killing the Duke of Lorraine, Charles was recognized as the king by the Pope and other nations. He would also see that he made dynastic matches for all of his children, consolidating his rule.
In 1496, Queen Joanna's nephew King Ferdinand of Naples would die, and the Pope would declare Joanna the new queen, allowing Burgundy to have a footing in Italy. He would fight in two Italian wars to preserve it. He would die of an infected wound in 1502, leaving his lands to his son John.
[2] Born in 1495, John I was his parents third child and first son. He would be barely five years old when his father Charles II died continuing the tradition of Burgundian regencies. His regency was handled nominally by his mother, Joanna of Naples, and but in actuality by his grandmother, Margaret of York; Joanna having spent all her life in the shadow of her mother, fell easily into the shadow of her mother-in-law.
To resolve the Italian conflict, John’s younger brother Charles would be crowned King of Naples ensuring a separation of the two counties. Charles’s regency would be handled by his other grandmother, Joanna of Aragon.
John’s regency would end with the death of Margaret of York when John was 13. Her last act would be arranging the betrothal of John to Mary Tudor. (Margaret of York hadn’t quite forgiven the Tudors, but they were at least descended from her niece, and Mary Tudor was the right age) They would be wed two years later in 1512.
John and Mary were both very pleased with their new attractive spouse and got right to the business of baby making. In 10 years of marriage, the would have 7 children. They presided over a lighthearted festive court during what is now called the Golden Decade.
But all good things come to an end, and the Golden Decade did in 1522 when John took a tumble while riding and broke his neck. He would be succeeded by his son Charles.
[3] Charles was born in 1513 as the first child of John I and Mary Tudor, and was an sickly child during his youth, with many surprised that he outlived his father to become King of Burgundy at the age of 9. His mother Mary served as his regent, but he would not live long enough to rule on his own as he died of tuberculosis in 1528. He was succeeded by his brother, Henry.
[4] Henry was twelve years old when he succeeded his brother, starting another period of regency. His mother died in 1533 when he was seventeen. Instead of allowing a new regent to take power, he had the council declare him of age. He then proceeded to find himself and his younger siblings spouses. As Burgundy had grown rich with trade, he sought to expend the trade routes by establishing a friendship with Portugal in hopes of gaining access to the east, he married his sister, Mary, to Luís of Portugal, Duke of Beja while he himself became engaged to Maria of Portugal, Duchess of Viseu. Henry and Maria would be married in 1540 and they would have nine children.
When it came to the Reformation, Henry was known as a nominal supporter. He was largely Catholic and there was a never a whisper of him abandoning the church like his namesake uncle. However, he was quite friendly with men like John Calvin and John Fredrick of Saxony. He is suspected to have influenced William the Silent of Orange, his surrogate son. He also allowed reformists to practice their religion openly.
It got so bad, that Pope Julius III threatened to excommunicate him if he did not deal with the heretics in his lands. It was only his son-in-law, King Henri of France's intervention that prevented this. He would still have a tenious relationship with the church until the end of his life.
In 1555, Henry supported his cousin, King Giovanni's capture of Sicily from King Philip of Spain. He died in battle, leaving his kingdom in the hands of his son, John.
[5] John was barely fifteen when his father died. Since his father Henry had died at war, there weren't any plans for a regency for John. While Maria of Portugal, would initially be poised to follow the footsteps of many a Burgundian Queen Mother before her, John would fight to be declared of age, and in the end would win, becoming the first Burgundian King to rule without a regency.
John would continue in the Italian Wars to avenge his father, and would call in both of his brother-in-law, Henri of France and Edward of England. (Though the marriage of Margaret of Burgundy and Edward VI was still just a proxy marriage, since Margaret was 10). With the additional help, the war was won quickly.
His first marriage would be to Mary Stewart, Queen of Scotts. Their marriage had been arranged from almost her birth and the two had grown up together. While there was no great passion between them, they got along fine and trusted each other. They would have three children.
Much of the early part of John’s reign was peaceful. With all his neighbors now related by marriage. This would change upon the death of Henri of France. The French Throne would be inherited by Charles, Henri’s younger brother. But, both John and his sister Jeanne, were of the opinion that the Duchy of Brittany was the inheritance of little Marie de Valois, only child of Henri of France and Jeanne.
Jeanne and Marie would be smuggled to Brittany where, young Marie would be wed to her cousin, John’s eldest son. Then, John went to war. During this war, Charles, younger brother of John, would disguise himself as an excellent general. The war would drag on for several years, but in the end France’s lack of allies (The Habsburgs were still ticked about Sicily, and the Tudors rather liked the Burgundians) would allow John to win the Duchy of Brittany for his niece.
John’s mother, Maria of Portugal, would pass away in 1579, and after some negotiation, John’s brother Charles would inherit the Dukedom of Viseau.
In 1583, Mary Stewart was crossing from Scotland to Burgundy as she wished to be present for the birth of her second grandchild . This would send John into something of a reflective mood and for the fist time in his life, John would consider religion seriously. John had continued his father’s practice of religious tolerance and had been nominally Catholic. But prior to Mary’s death, had had no strong opinions on religion. Now, he wanted answers.
John would study religion extensively for the next decade: interrogating the various religious authorities that had flocked to Burgundy and it’s religious tolerance; writing letters to his brother in law Edward Tudor (who as a staunch Protestant was no more happier with John’s religious tolerance than the pope); a visit to Rome; and sundry other attempts at religious truth.
In 1594, John would convert to Calvinism. While religious tolerance in Burgundy wouldn’t end with John’s conversion, Calvinists would begin to much more favor and freedoms than Catholics, Lutherans, and Anglicans. Shortly after that, John would remarry to Louise Julianna of Nassau, the daughter of his good friend and pseudo brother. The two would have a happy marriage and have 8 children.
The last part of John’s reign was marked by increased religious tensions internally and externally. Externally: many French Huguenots would travel to Burgundy for sanctuary raising tensions with France, and John’s conversion would cause his relationship with his Italian cousins to suffer. (Not to badly, after all he had won them Sicily) Internally: religious persecution of non-calvinists was on the rise. But, by this point, John was very good at being a King (lots of practice) and so was able to keep tensions from boiling over.
John would pass away in his sleep late in the year 1619. He was succeeded by his son, William.
[6] Much like the split between Burgundy and Naples, it was decided that Burgundy and Scotland would be divided between William and his younger brother James. Unfortunately for all parties, William was much more interested in sailing and visiting new lands. When he was fifteen, he all but begged his father to allow him to travel with one of the trading vessels to the Far East. King John was reluctant, but eventually gave in.
Then at age twenty, William went with explorers he had sponsored for a venture in the New World. He spent several years there until his father finally had enough and demanded he come home and "do his duty".
When William finally arrived back at Burgundy, he was quickly married to Marie of Brittany, he did his duty, siring three children, before heading off on another adventure to the East, not coming back until he learned of his father's death.
He would leave much of his rule to his council, preferring instead to throw himself in the discovering of new lands. He died in 1633 of an aliment he caught while out at sea. He was succeeded by his granddaughter, Jeanne of Brittany.
[7] Jeanne was the only child of John VI of Brittany who was the eldest son of William the Explorer and Marie of Brittany.
John VI had inherited Brittany from his mother while an adolescent, and with an absent father and busy grandfather was pretty much left to his own devices. John VI had grand plans of uniting Brittany and Burgundy and expanding even further. The first step in his plan was marrying Anne of Normandy, the Duke of Normandy’s only child. [1]
Upon the Duke of Normandy’s death, John VI would push his wife’s claim, and with England’s assistance (John promised to expand the lands around Calais) he would be able to claim roughly two thirds of the Duchy, the coastline stretching between Brittany and Burgundy.
Jeanne would grow up in the Breton court which was chock full of Huguenots she herself becoming an avid Calvinist. After her mother suffering several miscarriages, John VI would be forced to acknowledged that Jeanne would probably be his only child and so his heir. To ensure her inheritance of Burgundy, John would arrange for Jeanne to marry her one of half great-uncles, the sons of John II of Burgundy and his second wife.
As John VI didn’t particularly care which of his half uncles she chose, Jeanne would be sent to her grandfather’s court so that she would have the chance to examine her options. Jeanne would fall for John William, the fourth child of John II and Louise Julianna. He was also devoutly Calvinist, the two first bonding over religion.
They would marry late in 1623 and would reside at the Burgundian Court. Their first three children would be born there. Then in 1630, Jeanne’s father would die and she would inherit the Duchies of Brittany and Normandy. Another child would be born Brittany.
Then in 1633, Jeanne’s grandfather William the Explorer would die at sea. One of Jeanne’s first acts was ensuring the union of Brittany and Normandy with Burgundy fulfilling her father’s dream of an expanded Burgundy.
She would work at monetizing her grandfather’s explorations, expanding the Burgundian trading networks and forming the Burgundian Royal Trading Company.
Her other main act as Queen of Burgundy declaring the official religion of Burgundy to be Calvinism, and pushing heavily for her subjects to convert. This would cause religious tensions to boil over and a religious revolt would erupt. John William, King Consort would be dispatched to put the revolt down.
Jeanne would not live to see the result as she would die in childbirth early in 1640. She would be succeeded by her son, William.
[8] The man responsible for losing the "Burgundian Hegemony" was no man at all, but a child. Born in late 1627, William was the classic of inbreeding - born with physical defiencies that overshadowed his above average mind. Still, William's clear disinterest in religion even as a child saw his mother Jeanne lose interest in him - focusing instead on his older sisters, Marie and Alice of Burgundy.
His mother's religious policy would eventually see her death and the great revolt which would be the start of the end for the Burgundian Empire. The great peasant rebellion was not only a religious war, but a linguistic one, as the Burgundian Kings became more and more "dutch" as time passed on, and focusing on the Netherlands and it's rich ports, alongside war to secure Brittanny, had alienated the "French Burgundians", where catholicism remained as a powerful force. The counter-Reformation would start to increase it's pressure on Calvinist Burgundy, and has more Dutch preachers left the Netherlands to delve into Burgundy proper and Britanny, more french preachers came to these regions, gaining steadily and steadily more influence over the hated Dutch.
Another reason that would see William's huge loss of land would be his father and regent, John William. The fourth son of John the II, he had been chosen by his niece for his religion - calvinism, while an older uncle, Charles William, the third son, remained alive. To speak of Charles William's character, the man who would eventually head the French House of Valois and became King of France as heir to the childless Francis the II, one can say that he was the perfect monarch - Martial, cunning, smart and focused. Despite his many talents, Charles William would always be rebuked by both his brother, William, (Charles William, while a patron of colonialism as King of France, considered his brother a talentless fool, forgetful of his duty) and his niece (Charles William was catholic, and thus Jeanne both rebuked him and hated him).
Charles William, or as he became known two years before Jeanne's death, Charles the X, would invade Burgundy after his own brother's disastrous defeat at the battle of Nancy to the peasant rebellion, quickly seizing both all of Burgundy and Normandy. His policy of tolerance in France had seen the end of France's religious conflict, and Henry of Conde, a famous general, would lead an effort that would see Brittany conquered just one year after the start of the war.
John William, desperate to maintain at least part of the Kingdom in Burgundian hands, and without allies (The English themselves would ally with France to increase the Pale of Calais in the direction of Flanders), would surrender to his brother Charles in late 1643, ceding to him and his English allies:
- William the II would abdicate as Duke of Brittany, Normandy, Burgundy, Lorraine, Bar and Nevers, and would also cede the Counties of Boulogne, Picardy, Vermandois, Artois, S. Pol, Hainault, the Prince-Bisphoric of Cambray, the County of Rethel, the Prince-Bisphoric of Verdun and Toule.
- Burgundy would secede North-Western Flanders to England, down to Ypres and all the way East to Brugge.
- As a gift of France to the Holy Roman Emperor, Burgundy's Rhenish and Alsacian allies were to now direct their homage to Matthias of Austria.
- Burgundy would receive monetary reparations from France.
- France would recognize Burgundian ownership over all the Netherlands into all of Frisia.
- The Kingdom of Burgundy would be separated from it's ducal origins. The de jure territorry of the Burgundian crown would now be the territorry spanning from Flanders to Frisia.
- Charles the X would recognize John William and William the II as Princes of the Blood, and his heirs should the lines of his four sons fail.
- Charles the X would have his position in the Burgundian line of Succession recognized.
- Charles the X would recognize calvinism as the state religion of the Kingdom of Burgundy.
William the II would see his father "die quietly" and Maurice of Nassau assume the last year of his regency, and Maurice would manage to redirect the anger at the huge loss of land from William to his dead father. As his regency ended in 1645, Maurice of Nassau would remain one of William's strongest and most powerful advisors, and William, afraid of putting Burgundy in another position as his father and mother had, would ally himself with William of the Palatinate, marrying his daughter Elizabeth in 1647, with the couple having five living children. The couple would reign Burgundy with an eye to the interior, fortyfying the border with France and ramping up trade with Scandinavia and the rest of the Empire, all the while investing in Burgundy's ports, armouries, arsenals and roads.
William would direct Burgundian influence in two directions - overseas and into the Holy Roman Empire. William would, despite his hatred for the Habsburgs due to their lack of intervention when he was invaded by France (And their profiteering over it) would support the Imperial remove to destroy Saxony's influence in the Imperial elections by removing their electoral title from them. In sequence, the protestant princes of the Empire would complain about Emperor Matthias' move to give Bavaria the Electoral seat by saying it would break the delicate religious balance of the Empire. Thus, William would successfully move to claim the Electoral seat to The Hague, his royal seat, granting him unprecedented influence over Imperial policy. He would soon confirm himself as the prime enemy of the Habsburgs within the Empire.
William would also support the first settler colonies of his Kingdom - New-Holland (OTL New England including New York and New Jersey), with the first settlement of New Amsterdam (New York) built in 1649, while he would also support the Kapp colony in South Africa. He would wrestle the island of Jamaica, Aruba and Curasao from Spain in late 1650, and would defeat the Portuguese in Ceylon, constructing many forts in the Indian Subcontinent and Indonesia, starting with the building of Batavia in the isle of Java.
William's only land increase in Europe would only come with his recovery of western Flanders late in his reign - the dispute between Henry the IX of England and Phillipe the VII of France would burst into a war that would see France and Burgundy ironically team-up to divide what remained of European England, with the Burgundians retaking their possessions.
William would die three years later of consumption in 1661. He would be succeeded by his son, Maurice.
[9] Maurits or Maurice was of the opinion, that many of his precedessor's failures came from continuing to be French despite the Netherlands becoming more Dutch. Once he ascended the throne, he legally changed his name to Maurits (after Maurice of Nassau) and made Dutch the primary language of his kingdom. He also married Alberta of Egmont, a noblewoman in 1665. They would have eleven children.
When war broke out between France and Spain over Navarre in 1670 with the death of the last Albret, Maurits jumped at a chance to regain some of the lands that his father lost, he sided with Spain against France. However, their alliance broke down quickly when the young King Philip of Spain refused to marry Maurits' oldest daughter, citing her a hunched back, ugly heretic.
Angered at the slight, Maurits switched sides, making a pact with France, the de jure territories of the kingdom of Burgundy would be annexed with his daughter marrying the new Duke of Lorraine in exchange for the Burgundy's support of France's claim of Navarre.
Maurits also made peace with England, marrying his son with the daughter of the Duke of York while his second daughter would marry the Prince of Wales.
During the end of Maurits life, he would see the great war of religion begin that would last for seven years. He would not be able to lead his army as he was dying of cancer at the time. Instead his son Charles would lead the charge.
[10] Carel was born in 1667 as the second child but first son of Maurits the Dutch and Alberta of Egmont. He would use the Dutch version of his name (Charles) when he became King of Burgundy in 1699, by that point he had been married to Mary of Orange for twelve years and had four children with her (Mary would give birth to two more kids during Carel's reign).
Upon ascending the throne, Carel left to fight in the Great War of Religion, leaving his younger brother Albertus as regent. The war had it's origins back in 1694 when an ship that was carring Henry, Prince of Wales and his family sunk, drowning them and most of the other people on the ship. This was important as they were the last Tudors other than King Edmund II of England (Henry's father) and Elizabeth of York (the wife of Carel's brother Willem) that were still alive. So when Edmund died in 1698 the War of the English Succession began, with one side supporting Willem as King of England and another supporting the claim of Infante Duarte of Portugal (whose mother was an member of the House of Tudor) as King.
This quickly spiraled out into the Great War of Religion as the Protestant countries that supported Willem and the Catholic ones that supported Duarte started to attack each other, with one of the fronts being Burgundy itself with both France and the Habsburgs invading it. The Burgundians would fight for seven gruling years with Carel becoming known for being an excellent general on the battlefield, and lead the final charge against the Habsburgs in the Battle of Steyr in 1705, one of the final battles of the Great War of Religion.
An peace treaty was signed the following year, which lncluded these terms:
- Recognition of Willem of Burgundy as King of England as William III.
- Ferdinand II of Austria is forced to abdicate as Holy Roman Emperor, with Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria chosen as the new Holy Roman Emperor.
- Saxony is granted back their Electorial title.
- France has to give the Duchies of Brittany, and Normandy complete independence.
- Burgundy's former Rhenish and Alsacian allies direct their homage back to them instead of Ferdinand II of Austria.
- France would receive monetary reparations from Burgundy.
- Calais was granted independence as a Principality co-ruled by the King of England and the King of Burgundy.
- William III would recognize Carel IV's line as his heirs should the line of his descendants fail.
- William III would have his place in the Burgundian line of Succession recognized.
After the Great War of Religion, the rest of Carel’s reign was mostly peaceful besides creating an Family Compact with the other branches of the House of Valois-Burgundy which now ruled in Burgundy, Scotland, England, and Naples (an imitation of the Habsburg compact), late in his reign.
Carel died in 1728 at the age of 61, and would be remembered as one of the greatest monarchs of Burgundy. He was succeeded by his granddaughter, Elizabeth.
[11] Queen Elizabeth was born in 1714 as the older of the two daughters of Crown Prince Maurice, famously known as the "king who never was" with how he died in 1726, leaving his daughter Elizabeth as the heir to the throne. Two years later, Elizabeth would become Queen of Burgundy after her grandfather's death at the age of fourteen.
Her reign would see the consolidation of the order that her grandfather had set up with how Elizabeth would build an alliance system with not only Protestant powers but also Catholic Bavaria, Orthodox Russia, and the Muslim Ottoman Empire against the French, Austrians, and Spanish. In addition, her reign would be a reign marked by how she would expand the Burgundian colonial empire with New Burgundy (OTL Australia) seeing its first colony in Elizabethville (OTL Perth) along with a general expansion of the Burgundian Empire during her reign. In her reign, she would also be a ruler who would promote patronage of the arts and culture as well.
Having married a distant cousin to maintain the family line, even if said relationship would end up a happy one, Queen Elizabeth would die in 1750 from the strain of childbirth with how the birth of her seventh child weakened her for her to die of smallpox on November 4, 1750. In the aftermath of her death, Burgundy's next monarch would be her son, Albertus.
[12] Albertus, or Albert, was the first born son of his parents, named after his father. He was born in 1732. He was a serious child with a sharp mind and a strong sense of duty. He is often depicted as resenting his siblings for grievous crime of being born and taking away the attention of his parents. In truth, the only sibling, Albertus resented unreasonably was his youngest brother, Willem, who their mother died giving birth to. His resentment towards Maurits (born in 1733) and Carel (born in 1745) came from how they were both frivolous and hedonist lifestyles and yet they seemed to win many friends with their charisma. He also disapproved of his sister Elisabeth (born in 1736) more masculine hobbies and how she seemed too close with her lady-in-waiting. In contrast, he was closer to his remaining siblings, Philip (1735) who was his most ardent supporter, Anges (1741) and Margriet (1747).
In 1752, he married Sybille of Bavaria, the daughter of the Holy Roman Emperor. Their marriage could not be called happy especially when Sybille had trouble carrying her pregnancies to term. However, they managed to have two surviving children.
Although, Albertus was a competent statesman, many people were put off by his stoic and unyielding demeanor. When he was crowned King of Burgundy at eighteen-years-old, there was much tension as Albertus was said to hate Catholicism and many feared that he would start burning people. In truth, Albertus loathed religious fanaticism and superstition, feeling it was nothing more than excuses for corrupt monks to swindle and spread fear. This did not stop his enemies from cultivating a picture of Albertus who would gladly burn men, women and children. He also made harsher laws for gambling and prostitution.
Unfortunately, in his mission to root out corruption, not to mention his blunt demeanor and his filling his advisors with new men, believing that merit and skill and not who your father was made someone qualified, he made a few enemies among the nobles who would be driven to his brothers' camp. Tensions between the four brothers was high with only their father managing to keep the peace. Maurits at one point was banished from court for causing a scandal at Albertus' wedding, having been found in compromising position with one of Sybille's ladies.
Once their father died in 1760, the fragile peace between the four brothers was destroyed completely. In 1763, Maurits declared himself king, stating that his older brother was unfit to rule and that his two children were bastards, born from Queen Sybille's affair with the court's jester. He was supported, of course, by Carel and thanks to his marriage to the daughter of the French king, he also had France backing him
King Albertus was enraged as was the ever dutiful Philip and Sybille's father, the Emperor (more for the attack on Sybille's character then anything else). King Henry IX of England remained neutral and was recorded saying, "I confess not to knowing your parents well, but I have no doubt they would be ashamed of how far you have fallen. If you were sons of mine, I would knock your heads together and lock you in a room until you got along."
The four brothers met one last time before the battle of Nancy, trying to broker peace. Unfortunately, it ended as it always did in shouting and cursing.
However, the true tragedy would start before the battle even could begin. Philip had gone to King Albertus' tent and discovered a gruesome sight. Albertus was lying on the pool of blood, his throat had been cut after being knocked out by a blow to the head. To this day, scholars are puzzled on who had killed the monarch, with some speculating that it was the young Prince Williem, having been driven to betray his oldest brother by years of being punished for something he had no control over. However, Williem was nowhere near the war camps, having stayed behind as Albertus' regent. One thing was for certain, whoever killed Albertus did so on either Mauritus or Carel's orders.
An enraged and devastated Prince Philip lead the troops, declaring that they would fight for the true king, avenging his death. He screamed the battle cry which was echoed by the soldiers. "Death to the kinslayers! Justice for the late King Albertus and his son, Maximiliaan of Burgundy."
[13] Born in 1754 to King Albertus and Archduchess Sybille of Bavaria, Maximiliaan was only twelve years old when he became King of Burgundy, after the murder of his father. His uncle Philip helped him secure his throne by winning the Battle of Nancy, which resulted in the death of Prince Maurits and exiling of his family from Burgundy. Maximiliaan then had a largely peaceful regency that was headed by his mother Sybille and uncle Philip, being the first Burgundian King to have one since Henry the Red. He reached his majority in 1772, and began to look for an suitable wife for himself, which he found in Princess Margaret of Scotland, whom he married in 1775. The couple had a loving marriage and had four children.
In 1778, an rebellion started in New Holland, which turned into the New Hollander Revolution (1778-1782). It was an success for New Holland as it got independence from Burgundy and picked Maurits' son Hendrik as their first King, who Maximiliaan saw as a threat as he still considered him to be a bastard. Maximiliaan died in 1784 at the age of 30 when he shot himself in the face while out hunting. He was succeeded by his daughter Marianne.
[14] Queen Marianne I was born on March 6, 1777 as the oldest of the four children of King Maximiliaan and his wife Margaret of Scotland, becoming heir to the throne after her brother Carel died at the age of three from smallpox in 1783, making her Queen at the age of seven and her reign would be marked by turmoil and changes across Europe. The early reign of Marianne would be marked by an eleven-year regency for her led by her mother and a council of ministers who transitioned Burgundy into a semi-constitutional monarchy as a parliament elected by landowners and rich merchants who paid a certain amount of taxes or owned a set amount of land was set up, even if most power would still be vested in the monarch.
The defining moment of Marianne I's reign would be the Spanish Revolutionary Wars which saw the fall of the Spanish Monarchy and the revolutionary Spanish Republic try to wage various wars against the rest of Europe which would end in a draw. Spain would remain a revolutionary republic, having absorbed Portugal with a Portugal-in-exile in the New World, but the old order would be maintained north of the Pyrenees. She would be a major figure in the alliance against the Spanish Republic, being effective at creating a cordon sanitaire against Spanish expansionism.
Domestically, Marianne's reign as Queen would see the Industrial Revolution be spearheaded by Burgundy with its rich deposits of minerals fueling an industrial revolution which made Burgundy one of the richest industrial powers of Europe. In addition, she would spearhead a golden age of Burgundian culture as well with her patronage of cultural development during her reign.
In her personal life, Queen Marianne would marry Prince Alexander of Denmark with the couple having three children who made it to adulthood, even if the two didn't have a good relationship with Alexander reportedly having three mistresses of his own. Queen Marianne would die at the age of fifty on September 7, 1827 from a heart attack, being succeeeded by _______________.
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@Whiteshore will the new house be House of Oldenburg? Also don't forgot to fill out the blank left by the previous poster.
Wow, quick response. Okay. I think we haven't had a change of house for a while. On that note, claiming Burgundy.
Dukes of Burgundy
1467-1477: Charles the Bold (House of Valois-Burgundy)
1477-1502: Charles II the Prudent (House of Valois-Burgundy) [1]
Kings and Queens of Burgundy
1493-1502: Charles II the Prudent (House of Valois-Burgundy) [1]
1502-1522: John I the Young (House of Valois-Burgundy) [2]
1522-1528: Charles III the Unfortunate (House of Valois-Burgundy) [3]
1528-1555: Henry I the Red (House of Valois-Burgundy) [4]
1555-1619: John II the Old (House of Valois-Burgundy) [5]
1619-1633: William the Explorer (House of Valois-Burgundy) [6]
1633-1640: Jeanne I the Faithful (House of Valois-Burgundy) [7]
1640-1661: William II the Unlucky (House of Valois-Burgundy) [8]
1661-1699: Maurits I the Dutch (House of Valois-Burgundy) [9]
1699-1728: Carel IV the Warrior (House of Valois-Burgundy) [10]
1728-1750: Elizabeth I (House of Valois-Burgundy) [11]
1750-1766: Albertus I (House of Valois-Burgundy) [12]
1766-1784: Maximiliaan I (House of Valois-Burgundy) [13]
1784-1827: Marianne I (House of Valois-Burgundy) [14]
1827-1844: Albertus II (House of Oldenburg-Burgundy) [15]
Albertus was named for his great-grandfather, but his demeanor matched his rebellious great--uncles with his love of partying, drinking, and women. He had a fearsome temper, often getting into drunken brawls. His one redeeming quality was he knew how to pick good councilors. He had no interest in running the kingdom himself, but the men he picked were capable of keeping his reign afloat despite the king's reckless spending
His appetite for women was well known, and he had little interest in getting married, preferring to father bastards who in a rare act of goodwill, he always ackoledged and provided for them. Finally in 1834, he acquiesced and married the Swedish Princess Hedwig. However, the couple did not get along and in their ten-year marriage, they did not produce a single heir.
In 1844, Albertus II died via gunshot. One of his lover's husbands took exception to finding his wife in bed with the king and in an act of jealous rage, expressed his anger violentally shooting them both before turning the gun on himself. Albertus was succeeded by his_____
1467-1477: Charles the Bold (House of Valois-Burgundy)
1477-1502: Charles II the Prudent (House of Valois-Burgundy) [1]
Kings and Queens of Burgundy
1493-1502: Charles II the Prudent (House of Valois-Burgundy) [1]
1502-1522: John I the Young (House of Valois-Burgundy) [2]
1522-1528: Charles III the Unfortunate (House of Valois-Burgundy) [3]
1528-1555: Henry I the Red (House of Valois-Burgundy) [4]
1555-1619: John II the Old (House of Valois-Burgundy) [5]
1619-1633: William the Explorer (House of Valois-Burgundy) [6]
1633-1640: Jeanne I the Faithful (House of Valois-Burgundy) [7]
1640-1661: William II the Unlucky (House of Valois-Burgundy) [8]
1661-1699: Maurits I the Dutch (House of Valois-Burgundy) [9]
1699-1728: Carel IV the Warrior (House of Valois-Burgundy) [10]
1728-1750: Elizabeth I (House of Valois-Burgundy) [11]
1750-1766: Albertus I (House of Valois-Burgundy) [12]
1766-1784: Maximiliaan I (House of Valois-Burgundy) [13]
1784-1827: Marianne I (House of Valois-Burgundy) [14]
1827-1844: Albertus II (House of Oldenburg-Burgundy) [15]
[1] Charles was born in 1471 to his parents' great joy. The Valois-Burgundy line had been in danger of dying out, but now were able to keep going. Charles was only six years old when his father died. His mother ruled as his regent until he was fifteen. His older half-sister Margaret married Archduke Maximilian of Austria, son of Emperor Fredrick who had promised to crown the former Duke Charles, King of Burgundy.
Wanting her son to be king, Margaret sought out an alliance with the Duke of Brittany as well, hoping that along with England, they could attack Lorraine, taking revenge for the disastrous battle of Nancy.
She also strived to find a wife for her son, deciding nothing less than a princess would do. The prospective brides were: Catherine of Navarre (1468), Cecily of York (1469), Princess Anna Jagiellon (1476), Princess Joanna of Naples (1478), and the Breton heiress, Anne of Brittany (1478). She even reached out to Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile, suggesting their second daughter Joanna of Aragon (1479). Joanna would letter go on to marry Charles' half-nephew, Philip the Handsome.
After much debate, Joanna of Naples was chosen. An alliance against the French and Lorraine was formed. Joanna would arrive in Burgundy at age fourteen. The couple were married soon after. The couple had harmonious marriage with not a hint of scandal or affairs. They had nine children, with six surviving.
Across the channel, England had a Lancaster king, Henry Tudor. Margaret of York was quite angry at this and urged her son to support any Yorkist contender. Charles refused most passionately, having no wish to come into conflict with England especially not if their dreams of his duchy becoming a kingdom were to be realized. When John de la Pole, 1st Earl of Lincoln fled to Burgundy in hopes of starting a Yorkist uprising, Charles had him arrested and sent back to England to be attained and executed. Grateful, King Henry, signed an agreement with Charles to support his annexation of Lorraine.
In 1490, when Charles VII of France broke the engagement between himself and Margarita of Austria and invade Brittany to marry Anne, Duchess of Brittany, Charles of Burgundy saw his chance to attack Lorraine with the jilted bride's father, Archduke Maximilian, his former brother-in-law's support along with the help of England and Naples.
In 1493, Maximilian became Holy Roman Emperor and he crowned Charles the King of Burgundy. Charles choose to style himself as the second of his name, citing that had his father not died, he would have been crowned king. After avenging his father by killing the Duke of Lorraine, Charles was recognized as the king by the Pope and other nations. He would also see that he made dynastic matches for all of his children, consolidating his rule.
In 1496, Queen Joanna's nephew King Ferdinand of Naples would die, and the Pope would declare Joanna the new queen, allowing Burgundy to have a footing in Italy. He would fight in two Italian wars to preserve it. He would die of an infected wound in 1502, leaving his lands to his son John.
[2] Born in 1495, John I was his parents third child and first son. He would be barely five years old when his father Charles II died continuing the tradition of Burgundian regencies. His regency was handled nominally by his mother, Joanna of Naples, and but in actuality by his grandmother, Margaret of York; Joanna having spent all her life in the shadow of her mother, fell easily into the shadow of her mother-in-law.
To resolve the Italian conflict, John’s younger brother Charles would be crowned King of Naples ensuring a separation of the two counties. Charles’s regency would be handled by his other grandmother, Joanna of Aragon.
John’s regency would end with the death of Margaret of York when John was 13. Her last act would be arranging the betrothal of John to Mary Tudor. (Margaret of York hadn’t quite forgiven the Tudors, but they were at least descended from her niece, and Mary Tudor was the right age) They would be wed two years later in 1512.
John and Mary were both very pleased with their new attractive spouse and got right to the business of baby making. In 10 years of marriage, the would have 7 children. They presided over a lighthearted festive court during what is now called the Golden Decade.
But all good things come to an end, and the Golden Decade did in 1522 when John took a tumble while riding and broke his neck. He would be succeeded by his son Charles.
[3] Charles was born in 1513 as the first child of John I and Mary Tudor, and was an sickly child during his youth, with many surprised that he outlived his father to become King of Burgundy at the age of 9. His mother Mary served as his regent, but he would not live long enough to rule on his own as he died of tuberculosis in 1528. He was succeeded by his brother, Henry.
[4] Henry was twelve years old when he succeeded his brother, starting another period of regency. His mother died in 1533 when he was seventeen. Instead of allowing a new regent to take power, he had the council declare him of age. He then proceeded to find himself and his younger siblings spouses. As Burgundy had grown rich with trade, he sought to expend the trade routes by establishing a friendship with Portugal in hopes of gaining access to the east, he married his sister, Mary, to Luís of Portugal, Duke of Beja while he himself became engaged to Maria of Portugal, Duchess of Viseu. Henry and Maria would be married in 1540 and they would have nine children.
When it came to the Reformation, Henry was known as a nominal supporter. He was largely Catholic and there was a never a whisper of him abandoning the church like his namesake uncle. However, he was quite friendly with men like John Calvin and John Fredrick of Saxony. He is suspected to have influenced William the Silent of Orange, his surrogate son. He also allowed reformists to practice their religion openly.
It got so bad, that Pope Julius III threatened to excommunicate him if he did not deal with the heretics in his lands. It was only his son-in-law, King Henri of France's intervention that prevented this. He would still have a tenious relationship with the church until the end of his life.
In 1555, Henry supported his cousin, King Giovanni's capture of Sicily from King Philip of Spain. He died in battle, leaving his kingdom in the hands of his son, John.
[5] John was barely fifteen when his father died. Since his father Henry had died at war, there weren't any plans for a regency for John. While Maria of Portugal, would initially be poised to follow the footsteps of many a Burgundian Queen Mother before her, John would fight to be declared of age, and in the end would win, becoming the first Burgundian King to rule without a regency.
John would continue in the Italian Wars to avenge his father, and would call in both of his brother-in-law, Henri of France and Edward of England. (Though the marriage of Margaret of Burgundy and Edward VI was still just a proxy marriage, since Margaret was 10). With the additional help, the war was won quickly.
His first marriage would be to Mary Stewart, Queen of Scotts. Their marriage had been arranged from almost her birth and the two had grown up together. While there was no great passion between them, they got along fine and trusted each other. They would have three children.
Much of the early part of John’s reign was peaceful. With all his neighbors now related by marriage. This would change upon the death of Henri of France. The French Throne would be inherited by Charles, Henri’s younger brother. But, both John and his sister Jeanne, were of the opinion that the Duchy of Brittany was the inheritance of little Marie de Valois, only child of Henri of France and Jeanne.
Jeanne and Marie would be smuggled to Brittany where, young Marie would be wed to her cousin, John’s eldest son. Then, John went to war. During this war, Charles, younger brother of John, would disguise himself as an excellent general. The war would drag on for several years, but in the end France’s lack of allies (The Habsburgs were still ticked about Sicily, and the Tudors rather liked the Burgundians) would allow John to win the Duchy of Brittany for his niece.
John’s mother, Maria of Portugal, would pass away in 1579, and after some negotiation, John’s brother Charles would inherit the Dukedom of Viseau.
In 1583, Mary Stewart was crossing from Scotland to Burgundy as she wished to be present for the birth of her second grandchild . This would send John into something of a reflective mood and for the fist time in his life, John would consider religion seriously. John had continued his father’s practice of religious tolerance and had been nominally Catholic. But prior to Mary’s death, had had no strong opinions on religion. Now, he wanted answers.
John would study religion extensively for the next decade: interrogating the various religious authorities that had flocked to Burgundy and it’s religious tolerance; writing letters to his brother in law Edward Tudor (who as a staunch Protestant was no more happier with John’s religious tolerance than the pope); a visit to Rome; and sundry other attempts at religious truth.
In 1594, John would convert to Calvinism. While religious tolerance in Burgundy wouldn’t end with John’s conversion, Calvinists would begin to much more favor and freedoms than Catholics, Lutherans, and Anglicans. Shortly after that, John would remarry to Louise Julianna of Nassau, the daughter of his good friend and pseudo brother. The two would have a happy marriage and have 8 children.
The last part of John’s reign was marked by increased religious tensions internally and externally. Externally: many French Huguenots would travel to Burgundy for sanctuary raising tensions with France, and John’s conversion would cause his relationship with his Italian cousins to suffer. (Not to badly, after all he had won them Sicily) Internally: religious persecution of non-calvinists was on the rise. But, by this point, John was very good at being a King (lots of practice) and so was able to keep tensions from boiling over.
John would pass away in his sleep late in the year 1619. He was succeeded by his son, William.
[6] Much like the split between Burgundy and Naples, it was decided that Burgundy and Scotland would be divided between William and his younger brother James. Unfortunately for all parties, William was much more interested in sailing and visiting new lands. When he was fifteen, he all but begged his father to allow him to travel with one of the trading vessels to the Far East. King John was reluctant, but eventually gave in.
Then at age twenty, William went with explorers he had sponsored for a venture in the New World. He spent several years there until his father finally had enough and demanded he come home and "do his duty".
When William finally arrived back at Burgundy, he was quickly married to Marie of Brittany, he did his duty, siring three children, before heading off on another adventure to the East, not coming back until he learned of his father's death.
He would leave much of his rule to his council, preferring instead to throw himself in the discovering of new lands. He died in 1633 of an aliment he caught while out at sea. He was succeeded by his granddaughter, Jeanne of Brittany.
[7] Jeanne was the only child of John VI of Brittany who was the eldest son of William the Explorer and Marie of Brittany.
John VI had inherited Brittany from his mother while an adolescent, and with an absent father and busy grandfather was pretty much left to his own devices. John VI had grand plans of uniting Brittany and Burgundy and expanding even further. The first step in his plan was marrying Anne of Normandy, the Duke of Normandy’s only child. [1]
Upon the Duke of Normandy’s death, John VI would push his wife’s claim, and with England’s assistance (John promised to expand the lands around Calais) he would be able to claim roughly two thirds of the Duchy, the coastline stretching between Brittany and Burgundy.
Jeanne would grow up in the Breton court which was chock full of Huguenots she herself becoming an avid Calvinist. After her mother suffering several miscarriages, John VI would be forced to acknowledged that Jeanne would probably be his only child and so his heir. To ensure her inheritance of Burgundy, John would arrange for Jeanne to marry her one of half great-uncles, the sons of John II of Burgundy and his second wife.
As John VI didn’t particularly care which of his half uncles she chose, Jeanne would be sent to her grandfather’s court so that she would have the chance to examine her options. Jeanne would fall for John William, the fourth child of John II and Louise Julianna. He was also devoutly Calvinist, the two first bonding over religion.
They would marry late in 1623 and would reside at the Burgundian Court. Their first three children would be born there. Then in 1630, Jeanne’s father would die and she would inherit the Duchies of Brittany and Normandy. Another child would be born Brittany.
Then in 1633, Jeanne’s grandfather William the Explorer would die at sea. One of Jeanne’s first acts was ensuring the union of Brittany and Normandy with Burgundy fulfilling her father’s dream of an expanded Burgundy.
She would work at monetizing her grandfather’s explorations, expanding the Burgundian trading networks and forming the Burgundian Royal Trading Company.
Her other main act as Queen of Burgundy declaring the official religion of Burgundy to be Calvinism, and pushing heavily for her subjects to convert. This would cause religious tensions to boil over and a religious revolt would erupt. John William, King Consort would be dispatched to put the revolt down.
Jeanne would not live to see the result as she would die in childbirth early in 1640. She would be succeeded by her son, William.
[8] The man responsible for losing the "Burgundian Hegemony" was no man at all, but a child. Born in late 1627, William was the classic of inbreeding - born with physical defiencies that overshadowed his above average mind. Still, William's clear disinterest in religion even as a child saw his mother Jeanne lose interest in him - focusing instead on his older sisters, Marie and Alice of Burgundy.
His mother's religious policy would eventually see her death and the great revolt which would be the start of the end for the Burgundian Empire. The great peasant rebellion was not only a religious war, but a linguistic one, as the Burgundian Kings became more and more "dutch" as time passed on, and focusing on the Netherlands and it's rich ports, alongside war to secure Brittanny, had alienated the "French Burgundians", where catholicism remained as a powerful force. The counter-Reformation would start to increase it's pressure on Calvinist Burgundy, and has more Dutch preachers left the Netherlands to delve into Burgundy proper and Britanny, more french preachers came to these regions, gaining steadily and steadily more influence over the hated Dutch.
Another reason that would see William's huge loss of land would be his father and regent, John William. The fourth son of John the II, he had been chosen by his niece for his religion - calvinism, while an older uncle, Charles William, the third son, remained alive. To speak of Charles William's character, the man who would eventually head the French House of Valois and became King of France as heir to the childless Francis the II, one can say that he was the perfect monarch - Martial, cunning, smart and focused. Despite his many talents, Charles William would always be rebuked by both his brother, William, (Charles William, while a patron of colonialism as King of France, considered his brother a talentless fool, forgetful of his duty) and his niece (Charles William was catholic, and thus Jeanne both rebuked him and hated him).
Charles William, or as he became known two years before Jeanne's death, Charles the X, would invade Burgundy after his own brother's disastrous defeat at the battle of Nancy to the peasant rebellion, quickly seizing both all of Burgundy and Normandy. His policy of tolerance in France had seen the end of France's religious conflict, and Henry of Conde, a famous general, would lead an effort that would see Brittany conquered just one year after the start of the war.
John William, desperate to maintain at least part of the Kingdom in Burgundian hands, and without allies (The English themselves would ally with France to increase the Pale of Calais in the direction of Flanders), would surrender to his brother Charles in late 1643, ceding to him and his English allies:
- William the II would abdicate as Duke of Brittany, Normandy, Burgundy, Lorraine, Bar and Nevers, and would also cede the Counties of Boulogne, Picardy, Vermandois, Artois, S. Pol, Hainault, the Prince-Bisphoric of Cambray, the County of Rethel, the Prince-Bisphoric of Verdun and Toule.
- Burgundy would secede North-Western Flanders to England, down to Ypres and all the way East to Brugge.
- As a gift of France to the Holy Roman Emperor, Burgundy's Rhenish and Alsacian allies were to now direct their homage to Matthias of Austria.
- Burgundy would receive monetary reparations from France.
- France would recognize Burgundian ownership over all the Netherlands into all of Frisia.
- The Kingdom of Burgundy would be separated from it's ducal origins. The de jure territorry of the Burgundian crown would now be the territorry spanning from Flanders to Frisia.
- Charles the X would recognize John William and William the II as Princes of the Blood, and his heirs should the lines of his four sons fail.
- Charles the X would have his position in the Burgundian line of Succession recognized.
- Charles the X would recognize calvinism as the state religion of the Kingdom of Burgundy.
William the II would see his father "die quietly" and Maurice of Nassau assume the last year of his regency, and Maurice would manage to redirect the anger at the huge loss of land from William to his dead father. As his regency ended in 1645, Maurice of Nassau would remain one of William's strongest and most powerful advisors, and William, afraid of putting Burgundy in another position as his father and mother had, would ally himself with William of the Palatinate, marrying his daughter Elizabeth in 1647, with the couple having five living children. The couple would reign Burgundy with an eye to the interior, fortyfying the border with France and ramping up trade with Scandinavia and the rest of the Empire, all the while investing in Burgundy's ports, armouries, arsenals and roads.
William would direct Burgundian influence in two directions - overseas and into the Holy Roman Empire. William would, despite his hatred for the Habsburgs due to their lack of intervention when he was invaded by France (And their profiteering over it) would support the Imperial remove to destroy Saxony's influence in the Imperial elections by removing their electoral title from them. In sequence, the protestant princes of the Empire would complain about Emperor Matthias' move to give Bavaria the Electoral seat by saying it would break the delicate religious balance of the Empire. Thus, William would successfully move to claim the Electoral seat to The Hague, his royal seat, granting him unprecedented influence over Imperial policy. He would soon confirm himself as the prime enemy of the Habsburgs within the Empire.
William would also support the first settler colonies of his Kingdom - New-Holland (OTL New England including New York and New Jersey), with the first settlement of New Amsterdam (New York) built in 1649, while he would also support the Kapp colony in South Africa. He would wrestle the island of Jamaica, Aruba and Curasao from Spain in late 1650, and would defeat the Portuguese in Ceylon, constructing many forts in the Indian Subcontinent and Indonesia, starting with the building of Batavia in the isle of Java.
William's only land increase in Europe would only come with his recovery of western Flanders late in his reign - the dispute between Henry the IX of England and Phillipe the VII of France would burst into a war that would see France and Burgundy ironically team-up to divide what remained of European England, with the Burgundians retaking their possessions.
William would die three years later of consumption in 1661. He would be succeeded by his son, Maurice.
[9] Maurits or Maurice was of the opinion, that many of his precedessor's failures came from continuing to be French despite the Netherlands becoming more Dutch. Once he ascended the throne, he legally changed his name to Maurits (after Maurice of Nassau) and made Dutch the primary language of his kingdom. He also married Alberta of Egmont, a noblewoman in 1665. They would have eleven children.
When war broke out between France and Spain over Navarre in 1670 with the death of the last Albret, Maurits jumped at a chance to regain some of the lands that his father lost, he sided with Spain against France. However, their alliance broke down quickly when the young King Philip of Spain refused to marry Maurits' oldest daughter, citing her a hunched back, ugly heretic.
Angered at the slight, Maurits switched sides, making a pact with France, the de jure territories of the kingdom of Burgundy would be annexed with his daughter marrying the new Duke of Lorraine in exchange for the Burgundy's support of France's claim of Navarre.
Maurits also made peace with England, marrying his son with the daughter of the Duke of York while his second daughter would marry the Prince of Wales.
During the end of Maurits life, he would see the great war of religion begin that would last for seven years. He would not be able to lead his army as he was dying of cancer at the time. Instead his son Charles would lead the charge.
[10] Carel was born in 1667 as the second child but first son of Maurits the Dutch and Alberta of Egmont. He would use the Dutch version of his name (Charles) when he became King of Burgundy in 1699, by that point he had been married to Mary of Orange for twelve years and had four children with her (Mary would give birth to two more kids during Carel's reign).
Upon ascending the throne, Carel left to fight in the Great War of Religion, leaving his younger brother Albertus as regent. The war had it's origins back in 1694 when an ship that was carring Henry, Prince of Wales and his family sunk, drowning them and most of the other people on the ship. This was important as they were the last Tudors other than King Edmund II of England (Henry's father) and Elizabeth of York (the wife of Carel's brother Willem) that were still alive. So when Edmund died in 1698 the War of the English Succession began, with one side supporting Willem as King of England and another supporting the claim of Infante Duarte of Portugal (whose mother was an member of the House of Tudor) as King.
This quickly spiraled out into the Great War of Religion as the Protestant countries that supported Willem and the Catholic ones that supported Duarte started to attack each other, with one of the fronts being Burgundy itself with both France and the Habsburgs invading it. The Burgundians would fight for seven gruling years with Carel becoming known for being an excellent general on the battlefield, and lead the final charge against the Habsburgs in the Battle of Steyr in 1705, one of the final battles of the Great War of Religion.
An peace treaty was signed the following year, which lncluded these terms:
- Recognition of Willem of Burgundy as King of England as William III.
- Ferdinand II of Austria is forced to abdicate as Holy Roman Emperor, with Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria chosen as the new Holy Roman Emperor.
- Saxony is granted back their Electorial title.
- France has to give the Duchies of Brittany, and Normandy complete independence.
- Burgundy's former Rhenish and Alsacian allies direct their homage back to them instead of Ferdinand II of Austria.
- France would receive monetary reparations from Burgundy.
- Calais was granted independence as a Principality co-ruled by the King of England and the King of Burgundy.
- William III would recognize Carel IV's line as his heirs should the line of his descendants fail.
- William III would have his place in the Burgundian line of Succession recognized.
After the Great War of Religion, the rest of Carel’s reign was mostly peaceful besides creating an Family Compact with the other branches of the House of Valois-Burgundy which now ruled in Burgundy, Scotland, England, and Naples (an imitation of the Habsburg compact), late in his reign.
Carel died in 1728 at the age of 61, and would be remembered as one of the greatest monarchs of Burgundy. He was succeeded by his granddaughter, Elizabeth.
[11] Queen Elizabeth was born in 1714 as the older of the two daughters of Crown Prince Maurice, famously known as the "king who never was" with how he died in 1726, leaving his daughter Elizabeth as the heir to the throne. Two years later, Elizabeth would become Queen of Burgundy after her grandfather's death at the age of fourteen.
Her reign would see the consolidation of the order that her grandfather had set up with how Elizabeth would build an alliance system with not only Protestant powers but also Catholic Bavaria, Orthodox Russia, and the Muslim Ottoman Empire against the French, Austrians, and Spanish. In addition, her reign would be a reign marked by how she would expand the Burgundian colonial empire with New Burgundy (OTL Australia) seeing its first colony in Elizabethville (OTL Perth) along with a general expansion of the Burgundian Empire during her reign. In her reign, she would also be a ruler who would promote patronage of the arts and culture as well.
Having married a distant cousin to maintain the family line, even if said relationship would end up a happy one, Queen Elizabeth would die in 1750 from the strain of childbirth with how the birth of her seventh child weakened her for her to die of smallpox on November 4, 1750. In the aftermath of her death, Burgundy's next monarch would be her son, Albertus.
[12] Albertus, or Albert, was the first born son of his parents, named after his father. He was born in 1732. He was a serious child with a sharp mind and a strong sense of duty. He is often depicted as resenting his siblings for grievous crime of being born and taking away the attention of his parents. In truth, the only sibling, Albertus resented unreasonably was his youngest brother, Willem, who their mother died giving birth to. His resentment towards Maurits (born in 1733) and Carel (born in 1745) came from how they were both frivolous and hedonist lifestyles and yet they seemed to win many friends with their charisma. He also disapproved of his sister Elisabeth (born in 1736) more masculine hobbies and how she seemed too close with her lady-in-waiting. In contrast, he was closer to his remaining siblings, Philip (1735) who was his most ardent supporter, Anges (1741) and Margriet (1747).
In 1752, he married Sybille of Bavaria, the daughter of the Holy Roman Emperor. Their marriage could not be called happy especially when Sybille had trouble carrying her pregnancies to term. However, they managed to have two surviving children.
Although, Albertus was a competent statesman, many people were put off by his stoic and unyielding demeanor. When he was crowned King of Burgundy at eighteen-years-old, there was much tension as Albertus was said to hate Catholicism and many feared that he would start burning people. In truth, Albertus loathed religious fanaticism and superstition, feeling it was nothing more than excuses for corrupt monks to swindle and spread fear. This did not stop his enemies from cultivating a picture of Albertus who would gladly burn men, women and children. He also made harsher laws for gambling and prostitution.
Unfortunately, in his mission to root out corruption, not to mention his blunt demeanor and his filling his advisors with new men, believing that merit and skill and not who your father was made someone qualified, he made a few enemies among the nobles who would be driven to his brothers' camp. Tensions between the four brothers was high with only their father managing to keep the peace. Maurits at one point was banished from court for causing a scandal at Albertus' wedding, having been found in compromising position with one of Sybille's ladies.
Once their father died in 1760, the fragile peace between the four brothers was destroyed completely. In 1763, Maurits declared himself king, stating that his older brother was unfit to rule and that his two children were bastards, born from Queen Sybille's affair with the court's jester. He was supported, of course, by Carel and thanks to his marriage to the daughter of the French king, he also had France backing him
King Albertus was enraged as was the ever dutiful Philip and Sybille's father, the Emperor (more for the attack on Sybille's character then anything else). King Henry IX of England remained neutral and was recorded saying, "I confess not to knowing your parents well, but I have no doubt they would be ashamed of how far you have fallen. If you were sons of mine, I would knock your heads together and lock you in a room until you got along."
The four brothers met one last time before the battle of Nancy, trying to broker peace. Unfortunately, it ended as it always did in shouting and cursing.
However, the true tragedy would start before the battle even could begin. Philip had gone to King Albertus' tent and discovered a gruesome sight. Albertus was lying on the pool of blood, his throat had been cut after being knocked out by a blow to the head. To this day, scholars are puzzled on who had killed the monarch, with some speculating that it was the young Prince Williem, having been driven to betray his oldest brother by years of being punished for something he had no control over. However, Williem was nowhere near the war camps, having stayed behind as Albertus' regent. One thing was for certain, whoever killed Albertus did so on either Mauritus or Carel's orders.
An enraged and devastated Prince Philip lead the troops, declaring that they would fight for the true king, avenging his death. He screamed the battle cry which was echoed by the soldiers. "Death to the kinslayers! Justice for the late King Albertus and his son, Maximiliaan of Burgundy."
[13] Born in 1754 to King Albertus and Archduchess Sybille of Bavaria, Maximiliaan was only twelve years old when he became King of Burgundy, after the murder of his father. His uncle Philip helped him secure his throne by winning the Battle of Nancy, which resulted in the death of Prince Maurits and exiling of his family from Burgundy. Maximiliaan then had a largely peaceful regency that was headed by his mother Sybille and uncle Philip, being the first Burgundian King to have one since Henry the Red. He reached his majority in 1772, and began to look for an suitable wife for himself, which he found in Princess Margaret of Scotland, whom he married in 1775. The couple had a loving marriage and had four children.
In 1778, an rebellion started in New Holland, which turned into the New Hollander Revolution (1778-1782). It was an success for New Holland as it got independence from Burgundy and picked Maurits' son Hendrik as their first King, who Maximiliaan saw as a threat as he still considered him to be a bastard. Maximiliaan died in 1784 at the age of 30 when he shot himself in the face while out hunting. He was succeeded by his daughter Marianne.
[14] Queen Marianne I was born on March 6, 1777 as the oldest of the four children of King Maximiliaan and his wife Margaret of Scotland, becoming heir to the throne after her brother Carel died at the age of three from smallpox in 1783, making her Queen at the age of seven and her reign would be marked by turmoil and changes across Europe. The early reign of Marianne would be marked by an eleven-year regency for her led by her mother and a council of ministers who transitioned Burgundy into a semi-constitutional monarchy as a parliament elected by landowners and rich merchants who paid a certain amount of taxes or owned a set amount of land was set up, even if most power would still be vested in the monarch.
The defining moment of Marianne I's reign would be the Spanish Revolutionary Wars which saw the fall of the Spanish Monarchy and the revolutionary Spanish Republic try to wage various wars against the rest of Europe which would end in a draw. Spain would remain a revolutionary republic, having absorbed Portugal with a Portugal-in-exile in the New World, but the old order would be maintained north of the Pyrenees. She would be a major figure in the alliance against the Spanish Republic, being effective at creating a cordon sanitaire against Spanish expansionism.
Domestically, Marianne's reign as Queen would see the Industrial Revolution be spearheaded by Burgundy with its rich deposits of minerals fueling an industrial revolution which made Burgundy one of the richest industrial powers of Europe. In addition, she would spearhead a golden age of Burgundian culture as well with her patronage of cultural development during her reign.
In her personal life, Queen Marianne would marry Prince Alexander of Denmark with the couple having three children who made it to adulthood, even if the two didn't have a good relationship with Alexander reportedly having three mistresses of his own. Queen Marianne would die at the age of fifty on September 7, 1827 from a heart attack, being succeeded by her son, Albertus.
Wanting her son to be king, Margaret sought out an alliance with the Duke of Brittany as well, hoping that along with England, they could attack Lorraine, taking revenge for the disastrous battle of Nancy.
She also strived to find a wife for her son, deciding nothing less than a princess would do. The prospective brides were: Catherine of Navarre (1468), Cecily of York (1469), Princess Anna Jagiellon (1476), Princess Joanna of Naples (1478), and the Breton heiress, Anne of Brittany (1478). She even reached out to Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile, suggesting their second daughter Joanna of Aragon (1479). Joanna would letter go on to marry Charles' half-nephew, Philip the Handsome.
After much debate, Joanna of Naples was chosen. An alliance against the French and Lorraine was formed. Joanna would arrive in Burgundy at age fourteen. The couple were married soon after. The couple had harmonious marriage with not a hint of scandal or affairs. They had nine children, with six surviving.
Across the channel, England had a Lancaster king, Henry Tudor. Margaret of York was quite angry at this and urged her son to support any Yorkist contender. Charles refused most passionately, having no wish to come into conflict with England especially not if their dreams of his duchy becoming a kingdom were to be realized. When John de la Pole, 1st Earl of Lincoln fled to Burgundy in hopes of starting a Yorkist uprising, Charles had him arrested and sent back to England to be attained and executed. Grateful, King Henry, signed an agreement with Charles to support his annexation of Lorraine.
In 1490, when Charles VII of France broke the engagement between himself and Margarita of Austria and invade Brittany to marry Anne, Duchess of Brittany, Charles of Burgundy saw his chance to attack Lorraine with the jilted bride's father, Archduke Maximilian, his former brother-in-law's support along with the help of England and Naples.
In 1493, Maximilian became Holy Roman Emperor and he crowned Charles the King of Burgundy. Charles choose to style himself as the second of his name, citing that had his father not died, he would have been crowned king. After avenging his father by killing the Duke of Lorraine, Charles was recognized as the king by the Pope and other nations. He would also see that he made dynastic matches for all of his children, consolidating his rule.
In 1496, Queen Joanna's nephew King Ferdinand of Naples would die, and the Pope would declare Joanna the new queen, allowing Burgundy to have a footing in Italy. He would fight in two Italian wars to preserve it. He would die of an infected wound in 1502, leaving his lands to his son John.
[2] Born in 1495, John I was his parents third child and first son. He would be barely five years old when his father Charles II died continuing the tradition of Burgundian regencies. His regency was handled nominally by his mother, Joanna of Naples, and but in actuality by his grandmother, Margaret of York; Joanna having spent all her life in the shadow of her mother, fell easily into the shadow of her mother-in-law.
To resolve the Italian conflict, John’s younger brother Charles would be crowned King of Naples ensuring a separation of the two counties. Charles’s regency would be handled by his other grandmother, Joanna of Aragon.
John’s regency would end with the death of Margaret of York when John was 13. Her last act would be arranging the betrothal of John to Mary Tudor. (Margaret of York hadn’t quite forgiven the Tudors, but they were at least descended from her niece, and Mary Tudor was the right age) They would be wed two years later in 1512.
John and Mary were both very pleased with their new attractive spouse and got right to the business of baby making. In 10 years of marriage, the would have 7 children. They presided over a lighthearted festive court during what is now called the Golden Decade.
But all good things come to an end, and the Golden Decade did in 1522 when John took a tumble while riding and broke his neck. He would be succeeded by his son Charles.
[3] Charles was born in 1513 as the first child of John I and Mary Tudor, and was an sickly child during his youth, with many surprised that he outlived his father to become King of Burgundy at the age of 9. His mother Mary served as his regent, but he would not live long enough to rule on his own as he died of tuberculosis in 1528. He was succeeded by his brother, Henry.
[4] Henry was twelve years old when he succeeded his brother, starting another period of regency. His mother died in 1533 when he was seventeen. Instead of allowing a new regent to take power, he had the council declare him of age. He then proceeded to find himself and his younger siblings spouses. As Burgundy had grown rich with trade, he sought to expend the trade routes by establishing a friendship with Portugal in hopes of gaining access to the east, he married his sister, Mary, to Luís of Portugal, Duke of Beja while he himself became engaged to Maria of Portugal, Duchess of Viseu. Henry and Maria would be married in 1540 and they would have nine children.
When it came to the Reformation, Henry was known as a nominal supporter. He was largely Catholic and there was a never a whisper of him abandoning the church like his namesake uncle. However, he was quite friendly with men like John Calvin and John Fredrick of Saxony. He is suspected to have influenced William the Silent of Orange, his surrogate son. He also allowed reformists to practice their religion openly.
It got so bad, that Pope Julius III threatened to excommunicate him if he did not deal with the heretics in his lands. It was only his son-in-law, King Henri of France's intervention that prevented this. He would still have a tenious relationship with the church until the end of his life.
In 1555, Henry supported his cousin, King Giovanni's capture of Sicily from King Philip of Spain. He died in battle, leaving his kingdom in the hands of his son, John.
[5] John was barely fifteen when his father died. Since his father Henry had died at war, there weren't any plans for a regency for John. While Maria of Portugal, would initially be poised to follow the footsteps of many a Burgundian Queen Mother before her, John would fight to be declared of age, and in the end would win, becoming the first Burgundian King to rule without a regency.
John would continue in the Italian Wars to avenge his father, and would call in both of his brother-in-law, Henri of France and Edward of England. (Though the marriage of Margaret of Burgundy and Edward VI was still just a proxy marriage, since Margaret was 10). With the additional help, the war was won quickly.
His first marriage would be to Mary Stewart, Queen of Scotts. Their marriage had been arranged from almost her birth and the two had grown up together. While there was no great passion between them, they got along fine and trusted each other. They would have three children.
Much of the early part of John’s reign was peaceful. With all his neighbors now related by marriage. This would change upon the death of Henri of France. The French Throne would be inherited by Charles, Henri’s younger brother. But, both John and his sister Jeanne, were of the opinion that the Duchy of Brittany was the inheritance of little Marie de Valois, only child of Henri of France and Jeanne.
Jeanne and Marie would be smuggled to Brittany where, young Marie would be wed to her cousin, John’s eldest son. Then, John went to war. During this war, Charles, younger brother of John, would disguise himself as an excellent general. The war would drag on for several years, but in the end France’s lack of allies (The Habsburgs were still ticked about Sicily, and the Tudors rather liked the Burgundians) would allow John to win the Duchy of Brittany for his niece.
John’s mother, Maria of Portugal, would pass away in 1579, and after some negotiation, John’s brother Charles would inherit the Dukedom of Viseau.
In 1583, Mary Stewart was crossing from Scotland to Burgundy as she wished to be present for the birth of her second grandchild . This would send John into something of a reflective mood and for the fist time in his life, John would consider religion seriously. John had continued his father’s practice of religious tolerance and had been nominally Catholic. But prior to Mary’s death, had had no strong opinions on religion. Now, he wanted answers.
John would study religion extensively for the next decade: interrogating the various religious authorities that had flocked to Burgundy and it’s religious tolerance; writing letters to his brother in law Edward Tudor (who as a staunch Protestant was no more happier with John’s religious tolerance than the pope); a visit to Rome; and sundry other attempts at religious truth.
In 1594, John would convert to Calvinism. While religious tolerance in Burgundy wouldn’t end with John’s conversion, Calvinists would begin to much more favor and freedoms than Catholics, Lutherans, and Anglicans. Shortly after that, John would remarry to Louise Julianna of Nassau, the daughter of his good friend and pseudo brother. The two would have a happy marriage and have 8 children.
The last part of John’s reign was marked by increased religious tensions internally and externally. Externally: many French Huguenots would travel to Burgundy for sanctuary raising tensions with France, and John’s conversion would cause his relationship with his Italian cousins to suffer. (Not to badly, after all he had won them Sicily) Internally: religious persecution of non-calvinists was on the rise. But, by this point, John was very good at being a King (lots of practice) and so was able to keep tensions from boiling over.
John would pass away in his sleep late in the year 1619. He was succeeded by his son, William.
[6] Much like the split between Burgundy and Naples, it was decided that Burgundy and Scotland would be divided between William and his younger brother James. Unfortunately for all parties, William was much more interested in sailing and visiting new lands. When he was fifteen, he all but begged his father to allow him to travel with one of the trading vessels to the Far East. King John was reluctant, but eventually gave in.
Then at age twenty, William went with explorers he had sponsored for a venture in the New World. He spent several years there until his father finally had enough and demanded he come home and "do his duty".
When William finally arrived back at Burgundy, he was quickly married to Marie of Brittany, he did his duty, siring three children, before heading off on another adventure to the East, not coming back until he learned of his father's death.
He would leave much of his rule to his council, preferring instead to throw himself in the discovering of new lands. He died in 1633 of an aliment he caught while out at sea. He was succeeded by his granddaughter, Jeanne of Brittany.
[7] Jeanne was the only child of John VI of Brittany who was the eldest son of William the Explorer and Marie of Brittany.
John VI had inherited Brittany from his mother while an adolescent, and with an absent father and busy grandfather was pretty much left to his own devices. John VI had grand plans of uniting Brittany and Burgundy and expanding even further. The first step in his plan was marrying Anne of Normandy, the Duke of Normandy’s only child. [1]
Upon the Duke of Normandy’s death, John VI would push his wife’s claim, and with England’s assistance (John promised to expand the lands around Calais) he would be able to claim roughly two thirds of the Duchy, the coastline stretching between Brittany and Burgundy.
Jeanne would grow up in the Breton court which was chock full of Huguenots she herself becoming an avid Calvinist. After her mother suffering several miscarriages, John VI would be forced to acknowledged that Jeanne would probably be his only child and so his heir. To ensure her inheritance of Burgundy, John would arrange for Jeanne to marry her one of half great-uncles, the sons of John II of Burgundy and his second wife.
As John VI didn’t particularly care which of his half uncles she chose, Jeanne would be sent to her grandfather’s court so that she would have the chance to examine her options. Jeanne would fall for John William, the fourth child of John II and Louise Julianna. He was also devoutly Calvinist, the two first bonding over religion.
They would marry late in 1623 and would reside at the Burgundian Court. Their first three children would be born there. Then in 1630, Jeanne’s father would die and she would inherit the Duchies of Brittany and Normandy. Another child would be born Brittany.
Then in 1633, Jeanne’s grandfather William the Explorer would die at sea. One of Jeanne’s first acts was ensuring the union of Brittany and Normandy with Burgundy fulfilling her father’s dream of an expanded Burgundy.
She would work at monetizing her grandfather’s explorations, expanding the Burgundian trading networks and forming the Burgundian Royal Trading Company.
Her other main act as Queen of Burgundy declaring the official religion of Burgundy to be Calvinism, and pushing heavily for her subjects to convert. This would cause religious tensions to boil over and a religious revolt would erupt. John William, King Consort would be dispatched to put the revolt down.
Jeanne would not live to see the result as she would die in childbirth early in 1640. She would be succeeded by her son, William.
[8] The man responsible for losing the "Burgundian Hegemony" was no man at all, but a child. Born in late 1627, William was the classic of inbreeding - born with physical defiencies that overshadowed his above average mind. Still, William's clear disinterest in religion even as a child saw his mother Jeanne lose interest in him - focusing instead on his older sisters, Marie and Alice of Burgundy.
His mother's religious policy would eventually see her death and the great revolt which would be the start of the end for the Burgundian Empire. The great peasant rebellion was not only a religious war, but a linguistic one, as the Burgundian Kings became more and more "dutch" as time passed on, and focusing on the Netherlands and it's rich ports, alongside war to secure Brittanny, had alienated the "French Burgundians", where catholicism remained as a powerful force. The counter-Reformation would start to increase it's pressure on Calvinist Burgundy, and has more Dutch preachers left the Netherlands to delve into Burgundy proper and Britanny, more french preachers came to these regions, gaining steadily and steadily more influence over the hated Dutch.
Another reason that would see William's huge loss of land would be his father and regent, John William. The fourth son of John the II, he had been chosen by his niece for his religion - calvinism, while an older uncle, Charles William, the third son, remained alive. To speak of Charles William's character, the man who would eventually head the French House of Valois and became King of France as heir to the childless Francis the II, one can say that he was the perfect monarch - Martial, cunning, smart and focused. Despite his many talents, Charles William would always be rebuked by both his brother, William, (Charles William, while a patron of colonialism as King of France, considered his brother a talentless fool, forgetful of his duty) and his niece (Charles William was catholic, and thus Jeanne both rebuked him and hated him).
Charles William, or as he became known two years before Jeanne's death, Charles the X, would invade Burgundy after his own brother's disastrous defeat at the battle of Nancy to the peasant rebellion, quickly seizing both all of Burgundy and Normandy. His policy of tolerance in France had seen the end of France's religious conflict, and Henry of Conde, a famous general, would lead an effort that would see Brittany conquered just one year after the start of the war.
John William, desperate to maintain at least part of the Kingdom in Burgundian hands, and without allies (The English themselves would ally with France to increase the Pale of Calais in the direction of Flanders), would surrender to his brother Charles in late 1643, ceding to him and his English allies:
- William the II would abdicate as Duke of Brittany, Normandy, Burgundy, Lorraine, Bar and Nevers, and would also cede the Counties of Boulogne, Picardy, Vermandois, Artois, S. Pol, Hainault, the Prince-Bisphoric of Cambray, the County of Rethel, the Prince-Bisphoric of Verdun and Toule.
- Burgundy would secede North-Western Flanders to England, down to Ypres and all the way East to Brugge.
- As a gift of France to the Holy Roman Emperor, Burgundy's Rhenish and Alsacian allies were to now direct their homage to Matthias of Austria.
- Burgundy would receive monetary reparations from France.
- France would recognize Burgundian ownership over all the Netherlands into all of Frisia.
- The Kingdom of Burgundy would be separated from it's ducal origins. The de jure territorry of the Burgundian crown would now be the territorry spanning from Flanders to Frisia.
- Charles the X would recognize John William and William the II as Princes of the Blood, and his heirs should the lines of his four sons fail.
- Charles the X would have his position in the Burgundian line of Succession recognized.
- Charles the X would recognize calvinism as the state religion of the Kingdom of Burgundy.
William the II would see his father "die quietly" and Maurice of Nassau assume the last year of his regency, and Maurice would manage to redirect the anger at the huge loss of land from William to his dead father. As his regency ended in 1645, Maurice of Nassau would remain one of William's strongest and most powerful advisors, and William, afraid of putting Burgundy in another position as his father and mother had, would ally himself with William of the Palatinate, marrying his daughter Elizabeth in 1647, with the couple having five living children. The couple would reign Burgundy with an eye to the interior, fortyfying the border with France and ramping up trade with Scandinavia and the rest of the Empire, all the while investing in Burgundy's ports, armouries, arsenals and roads.
William would direct Burgundian influence in two directions - overseas and into the Holy Roman Empire. William would, despite his hatred for the Habsburgs due to their lack of intervention when he was invaded by France (And their profiteering over it) would support the Imperial remove to destroy Saxony's influence in the Imperial elections by removing their electoral title from them. In sequence, the protestant princes of the Empire would complain about Emperor Matthias' move to give Bavaria the Electoral seat by saying it would break the delicate religious balance of the Empire. Thus, William would successfully move to claim the Electoral seat to The Hague, his royal seat, granting him unprecedented influence over Imperial policy. He would soon confirm himself as the prime enemy of the Habsburgs within the Empire.
William would also support the first settler colonies of his Kingdom - New-Holland (OTL New England including New York and New Jersey), with the first settlement of New Amsterdam (New York) built in 1649, while he would also support the Kapp colony in South Africa. He would wrestle the island of Jamaica, Aruba and Curasao from Spain in late 1650, and would defeat the Portuguese in Ceylon, constructing many forts in the Indian Subcontinent and Indonesia, starting with the building of Batavia in the isle of Java.
William's only land increase in Europe would only come with his recovery of western Flanders late in his reign - the dispute between Henry the IX of England and Phillipe the VII of France would burst into a war that would see France and Burgundy ironically team-up to divide what remained of European England, with the Burgundians retaking their possessions.
William would die three years later of consumption in 1661. He would be succeeded by his son, Maurice.
[9] Maurits or Maurice was of the opinion, that many of his precedessor's failures came from continuing to be French despite the Netherlands becoming more Dutch. Once he ascended the throne, he legally changed his name to Maurits (after Maurice of Nassau) and made Dutch the primary language of his kingdom. He also married Alberta of Egmont, a noblewoman in 1665. They would have eleven children.
When war broke out between France and Spain over Navarre in 1670 with the death of the last Albret, Maurits jumped at a chance to regain some of the lands that his father lost, he sided with Spain against France. However, their alliance broke down quickly when the young King Philip of Spain refused to marry Maurits' oldest daughter, citing her a hunched back, ugly heretic.
Angered at the slight, Maurits switched sides, making a pact with France, the de jure territories of the kingdom of Burgundy would be annexed with his daughter marrying the new Duke of Lorraine in exchange for the Burgundy's support of France's claim of Navarre.
Maurits also made peace with England, marrying his son with the daughter of the Duke of York while his second daughter would marry the Prince of Wales.
During the end of Maurits life, he would see the great war of religion begin that would last for seven years. He would not be able to lead his army as he was dying of cancer at the time. Instead his son Charles would lead the charge.
[10] Carel was born in 1667 as the second child but first son of Maurits the Dutch and Alberta of Egmont. He would use the Dutch version of his name (Charles) when he became King of Burgundy in 1699, by that point he had been married to Mary of Orange for twelve years and had four children with her (Mary would give birth to two more kids during Carel's reign).
Upon ascending the throne, Carel left to fight in the Great War of Religion, leaving his younger brother Albertus as regent. The war had it's origins back in 1694 when an ship that was carring Henry, Prince of Wales and his family sunk, drowning them and most of the other people on the ship. This was important as they were the last Tudors other than King Edmund II of England (Henry's father) and Elizabeth of York (the wife of Carel's brother Willem) that were still alive. So when Edmund died in 1698 the War of the English Succession began, with one side supporting Willem as King of England and another supporting the claim of Infante Duarte of Portugal (whose mother was an member of the House of Tudor) as King.
This quickly spiraled out into the Great War of Religion as the Protestant countries that supported Willem and the Catholic ones that supported Duarte started to attack each other, with one of the fronts being Burgundy itself with both France and the Habsburgs invading it. The Burgundians would fight for seven gruling years with Carel becoming known for being an excellent general on the battlefield, and lead the final charge against the Habsburgs in the Battle of Steyr in 1705, one of the final battles of the Great War of Religion.
An peace treaty was signed the following year, which lncluded these terms:
- Recognition of Willem of Burgundy as King of England as William III.
- Ferdinand II of Austria is forced to abdicate as Holy Roman Emperor, with Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria chosen as the new Holy Roman Emperor.
- Saxony is granted back their Electorial title.
- France has to give the Duchies of Brittany, and Normandy complete independence.
- Burgundy's former Rhenish and Alsacian allies direct their homage back to them instead of Ferdinand II of Austria.
- France would receive monetary reparations from Burgundy.
- Calais was granted independence as a Principality co-ruled by the King of England and the King of Burgundy.
- William III would recognize Carel IV's line as his heirs should the line of his descendants fail.
- William III would have his place in the Burgundian line of Succession recognized.
After the Great War of Religion, the rest of Carel’s reign was mostly peaceful besides creating an Family Compact with the other branches of the House of Valois-Burgundy which now ruled in Burgundy, Scotland, England, and Naples (an imitation of the Habsburg compact), late in his reign.
Carel died in 1728 at the age of 61, and would be remembered as one of the greatest monarchs of Burgundy. He was succeeded by his granddaughter, Elizabeth.
[11] Queen Elizabeth was born in 1714 as the older of the two daughters of Crown Prince Maurice, famously known as the "king who never was" with how he died in 1726, leaving his daughter Elizabeth as the heir to the throne. Two years later, Elizabeth would become Queen of Burgundy after her grandfather's death at the age of fourteen.
Her reign would see the consolidation of the order that her grandfather had set up with how Elizabeth would build an alliance system with not only Protestant powers but also Catholic Bavaria, Orthodox Russia, and the Muslim Ottoman Empire against the French, Austrians, and Spanish. In addition, her reign would be a reign marked by how she would expand the Burgundian colonial empire with New Burgundy (OTL Australia) seeing its first colony in Elizabethville (OTL Perth) along with a general expansion of the Burgundian Empire during her reign. In her reign, she would also be a ruler who would promote patronage of the arts and culture as well.
Having married a distant cousin to maintain the family line, even if said relationship would end up a happy one, Queen Elizabeth would die in 1750 from the strain of childbirth with how the birth of her seventh child weakened her for her to die of smallpox on November 4, 1750. In the aftermath of her death, Burgundy's next monarch would be her son, Albertus.
[12] Albertus, or Albert, was the first born son of his parents, named after his father. He was born in 1732. He was a serious child with a sharp mind and a strong sense of duty. He is often depicted as resenting his siblings for grievous crime of being born and taking away the attention of his parents. In truth, the only sibling, Albertus resented unreasonably was his youngest brother, Willem, who their mother died giving birth to. His resentment towards Maurits (born in 1733) and Carel (born in 1745) came from how they were both frivolous and hedonist lifestyles and yet they seemed to win many friends with their charisma. He also disapproved of his sister Elisabeth (born in 1736) more masculine hobbies and how she seemed too close with her lady-in-waiting. In contrast, he was closer to his remaining siblings, Philip (1735) who was his most ardent supporter, Anges (1741) and Margriet (1747).
In 1752, he married Sybille of Bavaria, the daughter of the Holy Roman Emperor. Their marriage could not be called happy especially when Sybille had trouble carrying her pregnancies to term. However, they managed to have two surviving children.
Although, Albertus was a competent statesman, many people were put off by his stoic and unyielding demeanor. When he was crowned King of Burgundy at eighteen-years-old, there was much tension as Albertus was said to hate Catholicism and many feared that he would start burning people. In truth, Albertus loathed religious fanaticism and superstition, feeling it was nothing more than excuses for corrupt monks to swindle and spread fear. This did not stop his enemies from cultivating a picture of Albertus who would gladly burn men, women and children. He also made harsher laws for gambling and prostitution.
Unfortunately, in his mission to root out corruption, not to mention his blunt demeanor and his filling his advisors with new men, believing that merit and skill and not who your father was made someone qualified, he made a few enemies among the nobles who would be driven to his brothers' camp. Tensions between the four brothers was high with only their father managing to keep the peace. Maurits at one point was banished from court for causing a scandal at Albertus' wedding, having been found in compromising position with one of Sybille's ladies.
Once their father died in 1760, the fragile peace between the four brothers was destroyed completely. In 1763, Maurits declared himself king, stating that his older brother was unfit to rule and that his two children were bastards, born from Queen Sybille's affair with the court's jester. He was supported, of course, by Carel and thanks to his marriage to the daughter of the French king, he also had France backing him
King Albertus was enraged as was the ever dutiful Philip and Sybille's father, the Emperor (more for the attack on Sybille's character then anything else). King Henry IX of England remained neutral and was recorded saying, "I confess not to knowing your parents well, but I have no doubt they would be ashamed of how far you have fallen. If you were sons of mine, I would knock your heads together and lock you in a room until you got along."
The four brothers met one last time before the battle of Nancy, trying to broker peace. Unfortunately, it ended as it always did in shouting and cursing.
However, the true tragedy would start before the battle even could begin. Philip had gone to King Albertus' tent and discovered a gruesome sight. Albertus was lying on the pool of blood, his throat had been cut after being knocked out by a blow to the head. To this day, scholars are puzzled on who had killed the monarch, with some speculating that it was the young Prince Williem, having been driven to betray his oldest brother by years of being punished for something he had no control over. However, Williem was nowhere near the war camps, having stayed behind as Albertus' regent. One thing was for certain, whoever killed Albertus did so on either Mauritus or Carel's orders.
An enraged and devastated Prince Philip lead the troops, declaring that they would fight for the true king, avenging his death. He screamed the battle cry which was echoed by the soldiers. "Death to the kinslayers! Justice for the late King Albertus and his son, Maximiliaan of Burgundy."
[13] Born in 1754 to King Albertus and Archduchess Sybille of Bavaria, Maximiliaan was only twelve years old when he became King of Burgundy, after the murder of his father. His uncle Philip helped him secure his throne by winning the Battle of Nancy, which resulted in the death of Prince Maurits and exiling of his family from Burgundy. Maximiliaan then had a largely peaceful regency that was headed by his mother Sybille and uncle Philip, being the first Burgundian King to have one since Henry the Red. He reached his majority in 1772, and began to look for an suitable wife for himself, which he found in Princess Margaret of Scotland, whom he married in 1775. The couple had a loving marriage and had four children.
In 1778, an rebellion started in New Holland, which turned into the New Hollander Revolution (1778-1782). It was an success for New Holland as it got independence from Burgundy and picked Maurits' son Hendrik as their first King, who Maximiliaan saw as a threat as he still considered him to be a bastard. Maximiliaan died in 1784 at the age of 30 when he shot himself in the face while out hunting. He was succeeded by his daughter Marianne.
[14] Queen Marianne I was born on March 6, 1777 as the oldest of the four children of King Maximiliaan and his wife Margaret of Scotland, becoming heir to the throne after her brother Carel died at the age of three from smallpox in 1783, making her Queen at the age of seven and her reign would be marked by turmoil and changes across Europe. The early reign of Marianne would be marked by an eleven-year regency for her led by her mother and a council of ministers who transitioned Burgundy into a semi-constitutional monarchy as a parliament elected by landowners and rich merchants who paid a certain amount of taxes or owned a set amount of land was set up, even if most power would still be vested in the monarch.
The defining moment of Marianne I's reign would be the Spanish Revolutionary Wars which saw the fall of the Spanish Monarchy and the revolutionary Spanish Republic try to wage various wars against the rest of Europe which would end in a draw. Spain would remain a revolutionary republic, having absorbed Portugal with a Portugal-in-exile in the New World, but the old order would be maintained north of the Pyrenees. She would be a major figure in the alliance against the Spanish Republic, being effective at creating a cordon sanitaire against Spanish expansionism.
Domestically, Marianne's reign as Queen would see the Industrial Revolution be spearheaded by Burgundy with its rich deposits of minerals fueling an industrial revolution which made Burgundy one of the richest industrial powers of Europe. In addition, she would spearhead a golden age of Burgundian culture as well with her patronage of cultural development during her reign.
In her personal life, Queen Marianne would marry Prince Alexander of Denmark with the couple having three children who made it to adulthood, even if the two didn't have a good relationship with Alexander reportedly having three mistresses of his own. Queen Marianne would die at the age of fifty on September 7, 1827 from a heart attack, being succeeded by her son, Albertus.
Albertus was named for his great-grandfather, but his demeanor matched his rebellious great--uncles with his love of partying, drinking, and women. He had a fearsome temper, often getting into drunken brawls. His one redeeming quality was he knew how to pick good councilors. He had no interest in running the kingdom himself, but the men he picked were capable of keeping his reign afloat despite the king's reckless spending
His appetite for women was well known, and he had little interest in getting married, preferring to father bastards who in a rare act of goodwill, he always ackoledged and provided for them. Finally in 1834, he acquiesced and married the Swedish Princess Hedwig. However, the couple did not get along and in their ten-year marriage, they did not produce a single heir.
In 1844, Albertus II died via gunshot. One of his lover's husbands took exception to finding his wife in bed with the king and in an act of jealous rage, expressed his anger violentally shooting them both before turning the gun on himself. Albertus was succeeded by his_____
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I keep writing nice guys, I wanted to write one king who was a jerk and a bad king.
Dukes of Burgundy
1467-1477: Charles the Bold (House of Valois-Burgundy)
1477-1502: Charles II the Prudent (House of Valois-Burgundy) [1]
Kings and Queens of Burgundy
1493-1502: Charles II the Prudent (House of Valois-Burgundy) [1]
1502-1522: John I the Young (House of Valois-Burgundy) [2]
1522-1528: Charles III the Unfortunate (House of Valois-Burgundy) [3]
1528-1555: Henry I the Red (House of Valois-Burgundy) [4]
1555-1619: John II the Old (House of Valois-Burgundy) [5]
1619-1633: William the Explorer (House of Valois-Burgundy) [6]
1633-1640: Jeanne I the Faithful (House of Valois-Burgundy) [7]
1640-1661: William II the Unlucky (House of Valois-Burgundy) [8]
1661-1699: Maurits I the Dutch (House of Valois-Burgundy) [9]
1699-1728: Carel IV the Warrior (House of Valois-Burgundy) [10]
1728-1750: Elizabeth I (House of Valois-Burgundy) [11]
1750-1766: Albertus I (House of Valois-Burgundy) [12]
1766-1784: Maximiliaan I (House of Valois-Burgundy) [13]
1784-1827: Marianne I (House of Valois-Burgundy) [14]
1827-1844: Albertus II (House of Oldenburg-Burgundy) [15]
1844-1888: Maximiliaan II (House of Oldenburg-Burgundy) [16]
[16] Prince Maximiliaan Alexander was born in 1802, the youngest of three children born to Queen Marianne would marry Prince-Consort, Alexander.
While his older brother was the heir, Maximiliaan was the spare and named after his maternal grandfather.
During his childhood, Maximiliaan concentrated and studied heavily under numerous tutors as well at Dijon University, aiming for a life in administration.
At the age of 21, at his request to his mother, he became Burgundy’s ambassador to both Kingdom of England and his maternal grandmother’s Kingdom of Scotland, learning the ways of international diplomacy, while in Scotland, in 1823, he would marry Lady Elizabeth Hamilton, daughter of James Hamilton, Duke of Hamilton and Duke of Brandon and his wife Princess Mary of Scotland (Niece of Margaret of Scotland, through a fourth brother) in their stately home of Hamilton Palace.
When his mother died in 1827, and his brother became King, Maximiliaan was recalled back to Burgundy with his wife and three children as his brother’s heir presumptive, the pair would continue to have children even into Maximiliaan’s own reign.
Once back in his home country, Maximiliaan would sit on the privy council and attending meetings with the Chancellor while Albertus enjoyed partying, drinking, and women. He would also quickly integrate his children, whom had been born and lived their early lives in Scotland, into the culture of Burgundy.
As the responsible member of the family, Maximiliaan was having to find the financial support for not only for his brother’s illegitimate issues but also his own father’s illegitimate issues.
It was during a sitting in Parliament when news broke of the regicide, murder and suicide, with no legitimate issues, Maximiliaan was proclaimed King.
Having been heavily involved with Burgundy’s domestic and foreign politics since 1827, especially in lieu of his brother’s laissez-faire reign, many historians class Maximiliaan’s influence to 61 years.
Maximiliaan would support economic trade deals that benefitted the workers of his country while still being able to import cheaply.
To keep the peace with the Kingdom of Sweden, Maximiliaan would repay the dowry of his sister-in-law and pay a pension to the Dowager Queen, even when she left to return to her homeland.
As a buffer kingdom between Borbon Franco-Spanish Union and the Holy Roman Empire, Maximiliaan would hold peace talks following minor skirmishes, giving him the nickname Peace Keeper.
His death in 1888, aged 86, followed a few years of failing health. He was succeeded by his _______, _______________.
1467-1477: Charles the Bold (House of Valois-Burgundy)
1477-1502: Charles II the Prudent (House of Valois-Burgundy) [1]
Kings and Queens of Burgundy
1493-1502: Charles II the Prudent (House of Valois-Burgundy) [1]
1502-1522: John I the Young (House of Valois-Burgundy) [2]
1522-1528: Charles III the Unfortunate (House of Valois-Burgundy) [3]
1528-1555: Henry I the Red (House of Valois-Burgundy) [4]
1555-1619: John II the Old (House of Valois-Burgundy) [5]
1619-1633: William the Explorer (House of Valois-Burgundy) [6]
1633-1640: Jeanne I the Faithful (House of Valois-Burgundy) [7]
1640-1661: William II the Unlucky (House of Valois-Burgundy) [8]
1661-1699: Maurits I the Dutch (House of Valois-Burgundy) [9]
1699-1728: Carel IV the Warrior (House of Valois-Burgundy) [10]
1728-1750: Elizabeth I (House of Valois-Burgundy) [11]
1750-1766: Albertus I (House of Valois-Burgundy) [12]
1766-1784: Maximiliaan I (House of Valois-Burgundy) [13]
1784-1827: Marianne I (House of Valois-Burgundy) [14]
1827-1844: Albertus II (House of Oldenburg-Burgundy) [15]
1844-1888: Maximiliaan II (House of Oldenburg-Burgundy) [16]
[1] Charles was born in 1471 to his parents' great joy. The Valois-Burgundy line had been in danger of dying out, but now were able to keep going. Charles was only six years old when his father died. His mother ruled as his regent until he was fifteen. His older half-sister Margaret married Archduke Maximilian of Austria, son of Emperor Fredrick who had promised to crown the former Duke Charles, King of Burgundy.
Wanting her son to be king, Margaret sought out an alliance with the Duke of Brittany as well, hoping that along with England, they could attack Lorraine, taking revenge for the disastrous battle of Nancy.
She also strived to find a wife for her son, deciding nothing less than a princess would do. The prospective brides were: Catherine of Navarre (1468), Cecily of York (1469), Princess Anna Jagiellon (1476), Princess Joanna of Naples (1478), and the Breton heiress, Anne of Brittany (1478). She even reached out to Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile, suggesting their second daughter Joanna of Aragon (1479). Joanna would letter go on to marry Charles' half-nephew, Philip the Handsome.
After much debate, Joanna of Naples was chosen. An alliance against the French and Lorraine was formed. Joanna would arrive in Burgundy at age fourteen. The couple were married soon after. The couple had harmonious marriage with not a hint of scandal or affairs. They had nine children, with six surviving.
Across the channel, England had a Lancaster king, Henry Tudor. Margaret of York was quite angry at this and urged her son to support any Yorkist contender. Charles refused most passionately, having no wish to come into conflict with England especially not if their dreams of his duchy becoming a kingdom were to be realized. When John de la Pole, 1st Earl of Lincoln fled to Burgundy in hopes of starting a Yorkist uprising, Charles had him arrested and sent back to England to be attained and executed. Grateful, King Henry, signed an agreement with Charles to support his annexation of Lorraine.
In 1490, when Charles VII of France broke the engagement between himself and Margarita of Austria and invade Brittany to marry Anne, Duchess of Brittany, Charles of Burgundy saw his chance to attack Lorraine with the jilted bride's father, Archduke Maximilian, his former brother-in-law's support along with the help of England and Naples.
In 1493, Maximilian became Holy Roman Emperor and he crowned Charles the King of Burgundy. Charles choose to style himself as the second of his name, citing that had his father not died, he would have been crowned king. After avenging his father by killing the Duke of Lorraine, Charles was recognized as the king by the Pope and other nations. He would also see that he made dynastic matches for all of his children, consolidating his rule.
In 1496, Queen Joanna's nephew King Ferdinand of Naples would die, and the Pope would declare Joanna the new queen, allowing Burgundy to have a footing in Italy. He would fight in two Italian wars to preserve it. He would die of an infected wound in 1502, leaving his lands to his son John.
[2] Born in 1495, John I was his parents third child and first son. He would be barely five years old when his father Charles II died continuing the tradition of Burgundian regencies. His regency was handled nominally by his mother, Joanna of Naples, and but in actuality by his grandmother, Margaret of York; Joanna having spent all her life in the shadow of her mother, fell easily into the shadow of her mother-in-law.
To resolve the Italian conflict, John’s younger brother Charles would be crowned King of Naples ensuring a separation of the two counties. Charles’s regency would be handled by his other grandmother, Joanna of Aragon.
John’s regency would end with the death of Margaret of York when John was 13. Her last act would be arranging the betrothal of John to Mary Tudor. (Margaret of York hadn’t quite forgiven the Tudors, but they were at least descended from her niece, and Mary Tudor was the right age) They would be wed two years later in 1512.
John and Mary were both very pleased with their new attractive spouse and got right to the business of baby making. In 10 years of marriage, the would have 7 children. They presided over a lighthearted festive court during what is now called the Golden Decade.
But all good things come to an end, and the Golden Decade did in 1522 when John took a tumble while riding and broke his neck. He would be succeeded by his son Charles.
[3] Charles was born in 1513 as the first child of John I and Mary Tudor, and was an sickly child during his youth, with many surprised that he outlived his father to become King of Burgundy at the age of 9. His mother Mary served as his regent, but he would not live long enough to rule on his own as he died of tuberculosis in 1528. He was succeeded by his brother, Henry.
[4] Henry was twelve years old when he succeeded his brother, starting another period of regency. His mother died in 1533 when he was seventeen. Instead of allowing a new regent to take power, he had the council declare him of age. He then proceeded to find himself and his younger siblings spouses. As Burgundy had grown rich with trade, he sought to expend the trade routes by establishing a friendship with Portugal in hopes of gaining access to the east, he married his sister, Mary, to Luís of Portugal, Duke of Beja while he himself became engaged to Maria of Portugal, Duchess of Viseu. Henry and Maria would be married in 1540 and they would have nine children.
When it came to the Reformation, Henry was known as a nominal supporter. He was largely Catholic and there was a never a whisper of him abandoning the church like his namesake uncle. However, he was quite friendly with men like John Calvin and John Fredrick of Saxony. He is suspected to have influenced William the Silent of Orange, his surrogate son. He also allowed reformists to practice their religion openly.
It got so bad, that Pope Julius III threatened to excommunicate him if he did not deal with the heretics in his lands. It was only his son-in-law, King Henri of France's intervention that prevented this. He would still have a tenious relationship with the church until the end of his life.
In 1555, Henry supported his cousin, King Giovanni's capture of Sicily from King Philip of Spain. He died in battle, leaving his kingdom in the hands of his son, John.
[5] John was barely fifteen when his father died. Since his father Henry had died at war, there weren't any plans for a regency for John. While Maria of Portugal, would initially be poised to follow the footsteps of many a Burgundian Queen Mother before her, John would fight to be declared of age, and in the end would win, becoming the first Burgundian King to rule without a regency.
John would continue in the Italian Wars to avenge his father, and would call in both of his brother-in-law, Henri of France and Edward of England. (Though the marriage of Margaret of Burgundy and Edward VI was still just a proxy marriage, since Margaret was 10). With the additional help, the war was won quickly.
His first marriage would be to Mary Stewart, Queen of Scotts. Their marriage had been arranged from almost her birth and the two had grown up together. While there was no great passion between them, they got along fine and trusted each other. They would have three children.
Much of the early part of John’s reign was peaceful. With all his neighbors now related by marriage. This would change upon the death of Henri of France. The French Throne would be inherited by Charles, Henri’s younger brother. But, both John and his sister Jeanne, were of the opinion that the Duchy of Brittany was the inheritance of little Marie de Valois, only child of Henri of France and Jeanne.
Jeanne and Marie would be smuggled to Brittany where, young Marie would be wed to her cousin, John’s eldest son. Then, John went to war. During this war, Charles, younger brother of John, would disguise himself as an excellent general. The war would drag on for several years, but in the end France’s lack of allies (The Habsburgs were still ticked about Sicily, and the Tudors rather liked the Burgundians) would allow John to win the Duchy of Brittany for his niece.
John’s mother, Maria of Portugal, would pass away in 1579, and after some negotiation, John’s brother Charles would inherit the Dukedom of Viseau.
In 1583, Mary Stewart was crossing from Scotland to Burgundy as she wished to be present for the birth of her second grandchild . This would send John into something of a reflective mood and for the fist time in his life, John would consider religion seriously. John had continued his father’s practice of religious tolerance and had been nominally Catholic. But prior to Mary’s death, had had no strong opinions on religion. Now, he wanted answers.
John would study religion extensively for the next decade: interrogating the various religious authorities that had flocked to Burgundy and it’s religious tolerance; writing letters to his brother in law Edward Tudor (who as a staunch Protestant was no more happier with John’s religious tolerance than the pope); a visit to Rome; and sundry other attempts at religious truth.
In 1594, John would convert to Calvinism. While religious tolerance in Burgundy wouldn’t end with John’s conversion, Calvinists would begin to much more favor and freedoms than Catholics, Lutherans, and Anglicans. Shortly after that, John would remarry to Louise Julianna of Nassau, the daughter of his good friend and pseudo brother. The two would have a happy marriage and have 8 children.
The last part of John’s reign was marked by increased religious tensions internally and externally. Externally: many French Huguenots would travel to Burgundy for sanctuary raising tensions with France, and John’s conversion would cause his relationship with his Italian cousins to suffer. (Not to badly, after all he had won them Sicily) Internally: religious persecution of non-calvinists was on the rise. But, by this point, John was very good at being a King (lots of practice) and so was able to keep tensions from boiling over.
John would pass away in his sleep late in the year 1619. He was succeeded by his son, William.
[6] Much like the split between Burgundy and Naples, it was decided that Burgundy and Scotland would be divided between William and his younger brother James. Unfortunately for all parties, William was much more interested in sailing and visiting new lands. When he was fifteen, he all but begged his father to allow him to travel with one of the trading vessels to the Far East. King John was reluctant, but eventually gave in.
Then at age twenty, William went with explorers he had sponsored for a venture in the New World. He spent several years there until his father finally had enough and demanded he come home and "do his duty".
When William finally arrived back at Burgundy, he was quickly married to Marie of Brittany, he did his duty, siring three children, before heading off on another adventure to the East, not coming back until he learned of his father's death.
He would leave much of his rule to his council, preferring instead to throw himself in the discovering of new lands. He died in 1633 of an aliment he caught while out at sea. He was succeeded by his granddaughter, Jeanne of Brittany.
[7] Jeanne was the only child of John VI of Brittany who was the eldest son of William the Explorer and Marie of Brittany.
John VI had inherited Brittany from his mother while an adolescent, and with an absent father and busy grandfather was pretty much left to his own devices. John VI had grand plans of uniting Brittany and Burgundy and expanding even further. The first step in his plan was marrying Anne of Normandy, the Duke of Normandy’s only child. [1]
Upon the Duke of Normandy’s death, John VI would push his wife’s claim, and with England’s assistance (John promised to expand the lands around Calais) he would be able to claim roughly two thirds of the Duchy, the coastline stretching between Brittany and Burgundy.
Jeanne would grow up in the Breton court which was chock full of Huguenots she herself becoming an avid Calvinist. After her mother suffering several miscarriages, John VI would be forced to acknowledged that Jeanne would probably be his only child and so his heir. To ensure her inheritance of Burgundy, John would arrange for Jeanne to marry her one of half great-uncles, the sons of John II of Burgundy and his second wife.
As John VI didn’t particularly care which of his half uncles she chose, Jeanne would be sent to her grandfather’s court so that she would have the chance to examine her options. Jeanne would fall for John William, the fourth child of John II and Louise Julianna. He was also devoutly Calvinist, the two first bonding over religion.
They would marry late in 1623 and would reside at the Burgundian Court. Their first three children would be born there. Then in 1630, Jeanne’s father would die and she would inherit the Duchies of Brittany and Normandy. Another child would be born Brittany.
Then in 1633, Jeanne’s grandfather William the Explorer would die at sea. One of Jeanne’s first acts was ensuring the union of Brittany and Normandy with Burgundy fulfilling her father’s dream of an expanded Burgundy.
She would work at monetizing her grandfather’s explorations, expanding the Burgundian trading networks and forming the Burgundian Royal Trading Company.
Her other main act as Queen of Burgundy declaring the official religion of Burgundy to be Calvinism, and pushing heavily for her subjects to convert. This would cause religious tensions to boil over and a religious revolt would erupt. John William, King Consort would be dispatched to put the revolt down.
Jeanne would not live to see the result as she would die in childbirth early in 1640. She would be succeeded by her son, William.
[8] The man responsible for losing the "Burgundian Hegemony" was no man at all, but a child. Born in late 1627, William was the classic of inbreeding - born with physical defiencies that overshadowed his above average mind. Still, William's clear disinterest in religion even as a child saw his mother Jeanne lose interest in him - focusing instead on his older sisters, Marie and Alice of Burgundy.
His mother's religious policy would eventually see her death and the great revolt which would be the start of the end for the Burgundian Empire. The great peasant rebellion was not only a religious war, but a linguistic one, as the Burgundian Kings became more and more "dutch" as time passed on, and focusing on the Netherlands and it's rich ports, alongside war to secure Brittanny, had alienated the "French Burgundians", where catholicism remained as a powerful force. The counter-Reformation would start to increase it's pressure on Calvinist Burgundy, and has more Dutch preachers left the Netherlands to delve into Burgundy proper and Britanny, more french preachers came to these regions, gaining steadily and steadily more influence over the hated Dutch.
Another reason that would see William's huge loss of land would be his father and regent, John William. The fourth son of John the II, he had been chosen by his niece for his religion - calvinism, while an older uncle, Charles William, the third son, remained alive. To speak of Charles William's character, the man who would eventually head the French House of Valois and became King of France as heir to the childless Francis the II, one can say that he was the perfect monarch - Martial, cunning, smart and focused. Despite his many talents, Charles William would always be rebuked by both his brother, William, (Charles William, while a patron of colonialism as King of France, considered his brother a talentless fool, forgetful of his duty) and his niece (Charles William was catholic, and thus Jeanne both rebuked him and hated him).
Charles William, or as he became known two years before Jeanne's death, Charles the X, would invade Burgundy after his own brother's disastrous defeat at the battle of Nancy to the peasant rebellion, quickly seizing both all of Burgundy and Normandy. His policy of tolerance in France had seen the end of France's religious conflict, and Henry of Conde, a famous general, would lead an effort that would see Brittany conquered just one year after the start of the war.
John William, desperate to maintain at least part of the Kingdom in Burgundian hands, and without allies (The English themselves would ally with France to increase the Pale of Calais in the direction of Flanders), would surrender to his brother Charles in late 1643, ceding to him and his English allies:
- William the II would abdicate as Duke of Brittany, Normandy, Burgundy, Lorraine, Bar and Nevers, and would also cede the Counties of Boulogne, Picardy, Vermandois, Artois, S. Pol, Hainault, the Prince-Bisphoric of Cambray, the County of Rethel, the Prince-Bisphoric of Verdun and Toule.
- Burgundy would secede North-Western Flanders to England, down to Ypres and all the way East to Brugge.
- As a gift of France to the Holy Roman Emperor, Burgundy's Rhenish and Alsacian allies were to now direct their homage to Matthias of Austria.
- Burgundy would receive monetary reparations from France.
- France would recognize Burgundian ownership over all the Netherlands into all of Frisia.
- The Kingdom of Burgundy would be separated from it's ducal origins. The de jure territorry of the Burgundian crown would now be the territorry spanning from Flanders to Frisia.
- Charles the X would recognize John William and William the II as Princes of the Blood, and his heirs should the lines of his four sons fail.
- Charles the X would have his position in the Burgundian line of Succession recognized.
- Charles the X would recognize calvinism as the state religion of the Kingdom of Burgundy.
William the II would see his father "die quietly" and Maurice of Nassau assume the last year of his regency, and Maurice would manage to redirect the anger at the huge loss of land from William to his dead father. As his regency ended in 1645, Maurice of Nassau would remain one of William's strongest and most powerful advisors, and William, afraid of putting Burgundy in another position as his father and mother had, would ally himself with William of the Palatinate, marrying his daughter Elizabeth in 1647, with the couple having five living children. The couple would reign Burgundy with an eye to the interior, fortyfying the border with France and ramping up trade with Scandinavia and the rest of the Empire, all the while investing in Burgundy's ports, armouries, arsenals and roads.
William would direct Burgundian influence in two directions - overseas and into the Holy Roman Empire. William would, despite his hatred for the Habsburgs due to their lack of intervention when he was invaded by France (And their profiteering over it) would support the Imperial remove to destroy Saxony's influence in the Imperial elections by removing their electoral title from them. In sequence, the protestant princes of the Empire would complain about Emperor Matthias' move to give Bavaria the Electoral seat by saying it would break the delicate religious balance of the Empire. Thus, William would successfully move to claim the Electoral seat to The Hague, his royal seat, granting him unprecedented influence over Imperial policy. He would soon confirm himself as the prime enemy of the Habsburgs within the Empire.
William would also support the first settler colonies of his Kingdom - New-Holland (OTL New England including New York and New Jersey), with the first settlement of New Amsterdam (New York) built in 1649, while he would also support the Kapp colony in South Africa. He would wrestle the island of Jamaica, Aruba and Curasao from Spain in late 1650, and would defeat the Portuguese in Ceylon, constructing many forts in the Indian Subcontinent and Indonesia, starting with the building of Batavia in the isle of Java.
William's only land increase in Europe would only come with his recovery of western Flanders late in his reign - the dispute between Henry the IX of England and Phillipe the VII of France would burst into a war that would see France and Burgundy ironically team-up to divide what remained of European England, with the Burgundians retaking their possessions.
William would die three years later of consumption in 1661. He would be succeeded by his son, Maurice.
[9] Maurits or Maurice was of the opinion, that many of his precedessor's failures came from continuing to be French despite the Netherlands becoming more Dutch. Once he ascended the throne, he legally changed his name to Maurits (after Maurice of Nassau) and made Dutch the primary language of his kingdom. He also married Alberta of Egmont, a noblewoman in 1665. They would have eleven children.
When war broke out between France and Spain over Navarre in 1670 with the death of the last Albret, Maurits jumped at a chance to regain some of the lands that his father lost, he sided with Spain against France. However, their alliance broke down quickly when the young King Philip of Spain refused to marry Maurits' oldest daughter, citing her a hunched back, ugly heretic.
Angered at the slight, Maurits switched sides, making a pact with France, the de jure territories of the kingdom of Burgundy would be annexed with his daughter marrying the new Duke of Lorraine in exchange for the Burgundy's support of France's claim of Navarre.
Maurits also made peace with England, marrying his son with the daughter of the Duke of York while his second daughter would marry the Prince of Wales.
During the end of Maurits life, he would see the great war of religion begin that would last for seven years. He would not be able to lead his army as he was dying of cancer at the time. Instead his son Charles would lead the charge.
[10] Carel was born in 1667 as the second child but first son of Maurits the Dutch and Alberta of Egmont. He would use the Dutch version of his name (Charles) when he became King of Burgundy in 1699, by that point he had been married to Mary of Orange for twelve years and had four children with her (Mary would give birth to two more kids during Carel's reign).
Upon ascending the throne, Carel left to fight in the Great War of Religion, leaving his younger brother Albertus as regent. The war had it's origins back in 1694 when an ship that was carring Henry, Prince of Wales and his family sunk, drowning them and most of the other people on the ship. This was important as they were the last Tudors other than King Edmund II of England (Henry's father) and Elizabeth of York (the wife of Carel's brother Willem) that were still alive. So when Edmund died in 1698 the War of the English Succession began, with one side supporting Willem as King of England and another supporting the claim of Infante Duarte of Portugal (whose mother was an member of the House of Tudor) as King.
This quickly spiraled out into the Great War of Religion as the Protestant countries that supported Willem and the Catholic ones that supported Duarte started to attack each other, with one of the fronts being Burgundy itself with both France and the Habsburgs invading it. The Burgundians would fight for seven gruling years with Carel becoming known for being an excellent general on the battlefield, and lead the final charge against the Habsburgs in the Battle of Steyr in 1705, one of the final battles of the Great War of Religion.
An peace treaty was signed the following year, which lncluded these terms:
- Recognition of Willem of Burgundy as King of England as William III.
- Ferdinand II of Austria is forced to abdicate as Holy Roman Emperor, with Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria chosen as the new Holy Roman Emperor.
- Saxony is granted back their Electorial title.
- France has to give the Duchies of Brittany, and Normandy complete independence.
- Burgundy's former Rhenish and Alsacian allies direct their homage back to them instead of Ferdinand II of Austria.
- France would receive monetary reparations from Burgundy.
- Calais was granted independence as a Principality co-ruled by the King of England and the King of Burgundy.
- William III would recognize Carel IV's line as his heirs should the line of his descendants fail.
- William III would have his place in the Burgundian line of Succession recognized.
After the Great War of Religion, the rest of Carel’s reign was mostly peaceful besides creating an Family Compact with the other branches of the House of Valois-Burgundy which now ruled in Burgundy, Scotland, England, and Naples (an imitation of the Habsburg compact), late in his reign.
Carel died in 1728 at the age of 61, and would be remembered as one of the greatest monarchs of Burgundy. He was succeeded by his granddaughter, Elizabeth.
[11] Queen Elizabeth was born in 1714 as the older of the two daughters of Crown Prince Maurice, famously known as the "king who never was" with how he died in 1726, leaving his daughter Elizabeth as the heir to the throne. Two years later, Elizabeth would become Queen of Burgundy after her grandfather's death at the age of fourteen.
Her reign would see the consolidation of the order that her grandfather had set up with how Elizabeth would build an alliance system with not only Protestant powers but also Catholic Bavaria, Orthodox Russia, and the Muslim Ottoman Empire against the French, Austrians, and Spanish. In addition, her reign would be a reign marked by how she would expand the Burgundian colonial empire with New Burgundy (OTL Australia) seeing its first colony in Elizabethville (OTL Perth) along with a general expansion of the Burgundian Empire during her reign. In her reign, she would also be a ruler who would promote patronage of the arts and culture as well.
Having married a distant cousin to maintain the family line, even if said relationship would end up a happy one, Queen Elizabeth would die in 1750 from the strain of childbirth with how the birth of her seventh child weakened her for her to die of smallpox on November 4, 1750. In the aftermath of her death, Burgundy's next monarch would be her son, Albertus.
[12] Albertus, or Albert, was the first born son of his parents, named after his father. He was born in 1732. He was a serious child with a sharp mind and a strong sense of duty. He is often depicted as resenting his siblings for grievous crime of being born and taking away the attention of his parents. In truth, the only sibling, Albertus resented unreasonably was his youngest brother, Willem, who their mother died giving birth to. His resentment towards Maurits (born in 1733) and Carel (born in 1745) came from how they were both frivolous and hedonist lifestyles and yet they seemed to win many friends with their charisma. He also disapproved of his sister Elisabeth (born in 1736) more masculine hobbies and how she seemed too close with her lady-in-waiting. In contrast, he was closer to his remaining siblings, Philip (1735) who was his most ardent supporter, Anges (1741) and Margriet (1747).
In 1752, he married Sybille of Bavaria, the daughter of the Holy Roman Emperor. Their marriage could not be called happy especially when Sybille had trouble carrying her pregnancies to term. However, they managed to have two surviving children.
Although, Albertus was a competent statesman, many people were put off by his stoic and unyielding demeanor. When he was crowned King of Burgundy at eighteen-years-old, there was much tension as Albertus was said to hate Catholicism and many feared that he would start burning people. In truth, Albertus loathed religious fanaticism and superstition, feeling it was nothing more than excuses for corrupt monks to swindle and spread fear. This did not stop his enemies from cultivating a picture of Albertus who would gladly burn men, women and children. He also made harsher laws for gambling and prostitution.
Unfortunately, in his mission to root out corruption, not to mention his blunt demeanor and his filling his advisors with new men, believing that merit and skill and not who your father was made someone qualified, he made a few enemies among the nobles who would be driven to his brothers' camp. Tensions between the four brothers was high with only their father managing to keep the peace. Maurits at one point was banished from court for causing a scandal at Albertus' wedding, having been found in compromising position with one of Sybille's ladies.
Once their father died in 1760, the fragile peace between the four brothers was destroyed completely. In 1763, Maurits declared himself king, stating that his older brother was unfit to rule and that his two children were bastards, born from Queen Sybille's affair with the court's jester. He was supported, of course, by Carel and thanks to his marriage to the daughter of the French king, he also had France backing him
King Albertus was enraged as was the ever dutiful Philip and Sybille's father, the Emperor (more for the attack on Sybille's character then anything else). King Henry IX of England remained neutral and was recorded saying, "I confess not to knowing your parents well, but I have no doubt they would be ashamed of how far you have fallen. If you were sons of mine, I would knock your heads together and lock you in a room until you got along."
The four brothers met one last time before the battle of Nancy, trying to broker peace. Unfortunately, it ended as it always did in shouting and cursing.
However, the true tragedy would start before the battle even could begin. Philip had gone to King Albertus' tent and discovered a gruesome sight. Albertus was lying on the pool of blood, his throat had been cut after being knocked out by a blow to the head. To this day, scholars are puzzled on who had killed the monarch, with some speculating that it was the young Prince Williem, having been driven to betray his oldest brother by years of being punished for something he had no control over. However, Williem was nowhere near the war camps, having stayed behind as Albertus' regent. One thing was for certain, whoever killed Albertus did so on either Mauritus or Carel's orders.
An enraged and devastated Prince Philip lead the troops, declaring that they would fight for the true king, avenging his death. He screamed the battle cry which was echoed by the soldiers. "Death to the kinslayers! Justice for the late King Albertus and his son, Maximiliaan of Burgundy."
[13] Born in 1754 to King Albertus and Archduchess Sybille of Bavaria, Maximiliaan was only twelve years old when he became King of Burgundy, after the murder of his father. His uncle Philip helped him secure his throne by winning the Battle of Nancy, which resulted in the death of Prince Maurits and exiling of his family from Burgundy. Maximiliaan then had a largely peaceful regency that was headed by his mother Sybille and uncle Philip, being the first Burgundian King to have one since Henry the Red. He reached his majority in 1772, and began to look for an suitable wife for himself, which he found in Princess Margaret of Scotland, whom he married in 1775. The couple had a loving marriage and had four children.
In 1778, an rebellion started in New Holland, which turned into the New Hollander Revolution (1778-1782). It was an success for New Holland as it got independence from Burgundy and picked Maurits' son Hendrik as their first King, who Maximiliaan saw as a threat as he still considered him to be a bastard. Maximiliaan died in 1784 at the age of 30 when he shot himself in the face while out hunting. He was succeeded by his daughter Marianne.
[14] Queen Marianne I was born on March 6, 1777 as the oldest of the four children of King Maximiliaan and his wife Margaret of Scotland, becoming heir to the throne after her brother Carel died at the age of three from smallpox in 1783, making her Queen at the age of seven and her reign would be marked by turmoil and changes across Europe. The early reign of Marianne would be marked by an eleven-year regency for her led by her mother and a council of ministers who transitioned Burgundy into a semi-constitutional monarchy as a parliament elected by landowners and rich merchants who paid a certain amount of taxes or owned a set amount of land was set up, even if most power would still be vested in the monarch.
The defining moment of Marianne I's reign would be the Spanish Revolutionary Wars which saw the fall of the Spanish Monarchy and the revolutionary Spanish Republic try to wage various wars against the rest of Europe which would end in a draw. Spain would remain a revolutionary republic, having absorbed Portugal with a Portugal-in-exile in the New World, but the old order would be maintained north of the Pyrenees. She would be a major figure in the alliance against the Spanish Republic, being effective at creating a cordon sanitaire against Spanish expansionism.
Domestically, Marianne's reign as Queen would see the Industrial Revolution be spearheaded by Burgundy with its rich deposits of minerals fueling an industrial revolution which made Burgundy one of the richest industrial powers of Europe. In addition, she would spearhead a golden age of Burgundian culture as well with her patronage of cultural development during her reign.
In her personal life, Queen Marianne would marry Prince Alexander of Denmark with the couple having three children who made it to adulthood, even if the two didn't have a good relationship with Alexander reportedly having three mistresses of his own. Queen Marianne would die at the age of fifty on September 7, 1827 from a heart attack, being succeeded by her son, Albertus.
[15] Albertus was named for his great-grandfather, but his demeanor matched his rebellious great-uncles with his love of partying, drinking, and women. He had a fearsome temper, often getting into drunken brawls. His one redeeming quality was he knew how to pick good councilors. He had no interest in running the kingdom himself, but the men he picked were capable of keeping his reign afloat despite the king's reckless spending
His appetite for women was well known, and he had little interest in getting married, preferring to father bastards who in a rare act of goodwill, he always ackoledged and provided for them. Finally in 1834, he acquiesced and married the Swedish princess of Sweden. However, the couple did not get along and in their ten-year marriage, they did not produce a single heir.
In 1844, Albertus II died via gunshot. One of his lover's husbands took exception to finding his wife in bed with the king and in an act of jealous rage, expressed his anger violentally shooting them both before turning the gun on himself. Albertus was succeeded by his younger brother, Prince Maximiliaan.
Wanting her son to be king, Margaret sought out an alliance with the Duke of Brittany as well, hoping that along with England, they could attack Lorraine, taking revenge for the disastrous battle of Nancy.
She also strived to find a wife for her son, deciding nothing less than a princess would do. The prospective brides were: Catherine of Navarre (1468), Cecily of York (1469), Princess Anna Jagiellon (1476), Princess Joanna of Naples (1478), and the Breton heiress, Anne of Brittany (1478). She even reached out to Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile, suggesting their second daughter Joanna of Aragon (1479). Joanna would letter go on to marry Charles' half-nephew, Philip the Handsome.
After much debate, Joanna of Naples was chosen. An alliance against the French and Lorraine was formed. Joanna would arrive in Burgundy at age fourteen. The couple were married soon after. The couple had harmonious marriage with not a hint of scandal or affairs. They had nine children, with six surviving.
Across the channel, England had a Lancaster king, Henry Tudor. Margaret of York was quite angry at this and urged her son to support any Yorkist contender. Charles refused most passionately, having no wish to come into conflict with England especially not if their dreams of his duchy becoming a kingdom were to be realized. When John de la Pole, 1st Earl of Lincoln fled to Burgundy in hopes of starting a Yorkist uprising, Charles had him arrested and sent back to England to be attained and executed. Grateful, King Henry, signed an agreement with Charles to support his annexation of Lorraine.
In 1490, when Charles VII of France broke the engagement between himself and Margarita of Austria and invade Brittany to marry Anne, Duchess of Brittany, Charles of Burgundy saw his chance to attack Lorraine with the jilted bride's father, Archduke Maximilian, his former brother-in-law's support along with the help of England and Naples.
In 1493, Maximilian became Holy Roman Emperor and he crowned Charles the King of Burgundy. Charles choose to style himself as the second of his name, citing that had his father not died, he would have been crowned king. After avenging his father by killing the Duke of Lorraine, Charles was recognized as the king by the Pope and other nations. He would also see that he made dynastic matches for all of his children, consolidating his rule.
In 1496, Queen Joanna's nephew King Ferdinand of Naples would die, and the Pope would declare Joanna the new queen, allowing Burgundy to have a footing in Italy. He would fight in two Italian wars to preserve it. He would die of an infected wound in 1502, leaving his lands to his son John.
[2] Born in 1495, John I was his parents third child and first son. He would be barely five years old when his father Charles II died continuing the tradition of Burgundian regencies. His regency was handled nominally by his mother, Joanna of Naples, and but in actuality by his grandmother, Margaret of York; Joanna having spent all her life in the shadow of her mother, fell easily into the shadow of her mother-in-law.
To resolve the Italian conflict, John’s younger brother Charles would be crowned King of Naples ensuring a separation of the two counties. Charles’s regency would be handled by his other grandmother, Joanna of Aragon.
John’s regency would end with the death of Margaret of York when John was 13. Her last act would be arranging the betrothal of John to Mary Tudor. (Margaret of York hadn’t quite forgiven the Tudors, but they were at least descended from her niece, and Mary Tudor was the right age) They would be wed two years later in 1512.
John and Mary were both very pleased with their new attractive spouse and got right to the business of baby making. In 10 years of marriage, the would have 7 children. They presided over a lighthearted festive court during what is now called the Golden Decade.
But all good things come to an end, and the Golden Decade did in 1522 when John took a tumble while riding and broke his neck. He would be succeeded by his son Charles.
[3] Charles was born in 1513 as the first child of John I and Mary Tudor, and was an sickly child during his youth, with many surprised that he outlived his father to become King of Burgundy at the age of 9. His mother Mary served as his regent, but he would not live long enough to rule on his own as he died of tuberculosis in 1528. He was succeeded by his brother, Henry.
[4] Henry was twelve years old when he succeeded his brother, starting another period of regency. His mother died in 1533 when he was seventeen. Instead of allowing a new regent to take power, he had the council declare him of age. He then proceeded to find himself and his younger siblings spouses. As Burgundy had grown rich with trade, he sought to expend the trade routes by establishing a friendship with Portugal in hopes of gaining access to the east, he married his sister, Mary, to Luís of Portugal, Duke of Beja while he himself became engaged to Maria of Portugal, Duchess of Viseu. Henry and Maria would be married in 1540 and they would have nine children.
When it came to the Reformation, Henry was known as a nominal supporter. He was largely Catholic and there was a never a whisper of him abandoning the church like his namesake uncle. However, he was quite friendly with men like John Calvin and John Fredrick of Saxony. He is suspected to have influenced William the Silent of Orange, his surrogate son. He also allowed reformists to practice their religion openly.
It got so bad, that Pope Julius III threatened to excommunicate him if he did not deal with the heretics in his lands. It was only his son-in-law, King Henri of France's intervention that prevented this. He would still have a tenious relationship with the church until the end of his life.
In 1555, Henry supported his cousin, King Giovanni's capture of Sicily from King Philip of Spain. He died in battle, leaving his kingdom in the hands of his son, John.
[5] John was barely fifteen when his father died. Since his father Henry had died at war, there weren't any plans for a regency for John. While Maria of Portugal, would initially be poised to follow the footsteps of many a Burgundian Queen Mother before her, John would fight to be declared of age, and in the end would win, becoming the first Burgundian King to rule without a regency.
John would continue in the Italian Wars to avenge his father, and would call in both of his brother-in-law, Henri of France and Edward of England. (Though the marriage of Margaret of Burgundy and Edward VI was still just a proxy marriage, since Margaret was 10). With the additional help, the war was won quickly.
His first marriage would be to Mary Stewart, Queen of Scotts. Their marriage had been arranged from almost her birth and the two had grown up together. While there was no great passion between them, they got along fine and trusted each other. They would have three children.
Much of the early part of John’s reign was peaceful. With all his neighbors now related by marriage. This would change upon the death of Henri of France. The French Throne would be inherited by Charles, Henri’s younger brother. But, both John and his sister Jeanne, were of the opinion that the Duchy of Brittany was the inheritance of little Marie de Valois, only child of Henri of France and Jeanne.
Jeanne and Marie would be smuggled to Brittany where, young Marie would be wed to her cousin, John’s eldest son. Then, John went to war. During this war, Charles, younger brother of John, would disguise himself as an excellent general. The war would drag on for several years, but in the end France’s lack of allies (The Habsburgs were still ticked about Sicily, and the Tudors rather liked the Burgundians) would allow John to win the Duchy of Brittany for his niece.
John’s mother, Maria of Portugal, would pass away in 1579, and after some negotiation, John’s brother Charles would inherit the Dukedom of Viseau.
In 1583, Mary Stewart was crossing from Scotland to Burgundy as she wished to be present for the birth of her second grandchild . This would send John into something of a reflective mood and for the fist time in his life, John would consider religion seriously. John had continued his father’s practice of religious tolerance and had been nominally Catholic. But prior to Mary’s death, had had no strong opinions on religion. Now, he wanted answers.
John would study religion extensively for the next decade: interrogating the various religious authorities that had flocked to Burgundy and it’s religious tolerance; writing letters to his brother in law Edward Tudor (who as a staunch Protestant was no more happier with John’s religious tolerance than the pope); a visit to Rome; and sundry other attempts at religious truth.
In 1594, John would convert to Calvinism. While religious tolerance in Burgundy wouldn’t end with John’s conversion, Calvinists would begin to much more favor and freedoms than Catholics, Lutherans, and Anglicans. Shortly after that, John would remarry to Louise Julianna of Nassau, the daughter of his good friend and pseudo brother. The two would have a happy marriage and have 8 children.
The last part of John’s reign was marked by increased religious tensions internally and externally. Externally: many French Huguenots would travel to Burgundy for sanctuary raising tensions with France, and John’s conversion would cause his relationship with his Italian cousins to suffer. (Not to badly, after all he had won them Sicily) Internally: religious persecution of non-calvinists was on the rise. But, by this point, John was very good at being a King (lots of practice) and so was able to keep tensions from boiling over.
John would pass away in his sleep late in the year 1619. He was succeeded by his son, William.
[6] Much like the split between Burgundy and Naples, it was decided that Burgundy and Scotland would be divided between William and his younger brother James. Unfortunately for all parties, William was much more interested in sailing and visiting new lands. When he was fifteen, he all but begged his father to allow him to travel with one of the trading vessels to the Far East. King John was reluctant, but eventually gave in.
Then at age twenty, William went with explorers he had sponsored for a venture in the New World. He spent several years there until his father finally had enough and demanded he come home and "do his duty".
When William finally arrived back at Burgundy, he was quickly married to Marie of Brittany, he did his duty, siring three children, before heading off on another adventure to the East, not coming back until he learned of his father's death.
He would leave much of his rule to his council, preferring instead to throw himself in the discovering of new lands. He died in 1633 of an aliment he caught while out at sea. He was succeeded by his granddaughter, Jeanne of Brittany.
[7] Jeanne was the only child of John VI of Brittany who was the eldest son of William the Explorer and Marie of Brittany.
John VI had inherited Brittany from his mother while an adolescent, and with an absent father and busy grandfather was pretty much left to his own devices. John VI had grand plans of uniting Brittany and Burgundy and expanding even further. The first step in his plan was marrying Anne of Normandy, the Duke of Normandy’s only child. [1]
Upon the Duke of Normandy’s death, John VI would push his wife’s claim, and with England’s assistance (John promised to expand the lands around Calais) he would be able to claim roughly two thirds of the Duchy, the coastline stretching between Brittany and Burgundy.
Jeanne would grow up in the Breton court which was chock full of Huguenots she herself becoming an avid Calvinist. After her mother suffering several miscarriages, John VI would be forced to acknowledged that Jeanne would probably be his only child and so his heir. To ensure her inheritance of Burgundy, John would arrange for Jeanne to marry her one of half great-uncles, the sons of John II of Burgundy and his second wife.
As John VI didn’t particularly care which of his half uncles she chose, Jeanne would be sent to her grandfather’s court so that she would have the chance to examine her options. Jeanne would fall for John William, the fourth child of John II and Louise Julianna. He was also devoutly Calvinist, the two first bonding over religion.
They would marry late in 1623 and would reside at the Burgundian Court. Their first three children would be born there. Then in 1630, Jeanne’s father would die and she would inherit the Duchies of Brittany and Normandy. Another child would be born Brittany.
Then in 1633, Jeanne’s grandfather William the Explorer would die at sea. One of Jeanne’s first acts was ensuring the union of Brittany and Normandy with Burgundy fulfilling her father’s dream of an expanded Burgundy.
She would work at monetizing her grandfather’s explorations, expanding the Burgundian trading networks and forming the Burgundian Royal Trading Company.
Her other main act as Queen of Burgundy declaring the official religion of Burgundy to be Calvinism, and pushing heavily for her subjects to convert. This would cause religious tensions to boil over and a religious revolt would erupt. John William, King Consort would be dispatched to put the revolt down.
Jeanne would not live to see the result as she would die in childbirth early in 1640. She would be succeeded by her son, William.
[8] The man responsible for losing the "Burgundian Hegemony" was no man at all, but a child. Born in late 1627, William was the classic of inbreeding - born with physical defiencies that overshadowed his above average mind. Still, William's clear disinterest in religion even as a child saw his mother Jeanne lose interest in him - focusing instead on his older sisters, Marie and Alice of Burgundy.
His mother's religious policy would eventually see her death and the great revolt which would be the start of the end for the Burgundian Empire. The great peasant rebellion was not only a religious war, but a linguistic one, as the Burgundian Kings became more and more "dutch" as time passed on, and focusing on the Netherlands and it's rich ports, alongside war to secure Brittanny, had alienated the "French Burgundians", where catholicism remained as a powerful force. The counter-Reformation would start to increase it's pressure on Calvinist Burgundy, and has more Dutch preachers left the Netherlands to delve into Burgundy proper and Britanny, more french preachers came to these regions, gaining steadily and steadily more influence over the hated Dutch.
Another reason that would see William's huge loss of land would be his father and regent, John William. The fourth son of John the II, he had been chosen by his niece for his religion - calvinism, while an older uncle, Charles William, the third son, remained alive. To speak of Charles William's character, the man who would eventually head the French House of Valois and became King of France as heir to the childless Francis the II, one can say that he was the perfect monarch - Martial, cunning, smart and focused. Despite his many talents, Charles William would always be rebuked by both his brother, William, (Charles William, while a patron of colonialism as King of France, considered his brother a talentless fool, forgetful of his duty) and his niece (Charles William was catholic, and thus Jeanne both rebuked him and hated him).
Charles William, or as he became known two years before Jeanne's death, Charles the X, would invade Burgundy after his own brother's disastrous defeat at the battle of Nancy to the peasant rebellion, quickly seizing both all of Burgundy and Normandy. His policy of tolerance in France had seen the end of France's religious conflict, and Henry of Conde, a famous general, would lead an effort that would see Brittany conquered just one year after the start of the war.
John William, desperate to maintain at least part of the Kingdom in Burgundian hands, and without allies (The English themselves would ally with France to increase the Pale of Calais in the direction of Flanders), would surrender to his brother Charles in late 1643, ceding to him and his English allies:
- William the II would abdicate as Duke of Brittany, Normandy, Burgundy, Lorraine, Bar and Nevers, and would also cede the Counties of Boulogne, Picardy, Vermandois, Artois, S. Pol, Hainault, the Prince-Bisphoric of Cambray, the County of Rethel, the Prince-Bisphoric of Verdun and Toule.
- Burgundy would secede North-Western Flanders to England, down to Ypres and all the way East to Brugge.
- As a gift of France to the Holy Roman Emperor, Burgundy's Rhenish and Alsacian allies were to now direct their homage to Matthias of Austria.
- Burgundy would receive monetary reparations from France.
- France would recognize Burgundian ownership over all the Netherlands into all of Frisia.
- The Kingdom of Burgundy would be separated from it's ducal origins. The de jure territorry of the Burgundian crown would now be the territorry spanning from Flanders to Frisia.
- Charles the X would recognize John William and William the II as Princes of the Blood, and his heirs should the lines of his four sons fail.
- Charles the X would have his position in the Burgundian line of Succession recognized.
- Charles the X would recognize calvinism as the state religion of the Kingdom of Burgundy.
William the II would see his father "die quietly" and Maurice of Nassau assume the last year of his regency, and Maurice would manage to redirect the anger at the huge loss of land from William to his dead father. As his regency ended in 1645, Maurice of Nassau would remain one of William's strongest and most powerful advisors, and William, afraid of putting Burgundy in another position as his father and mother had, would ally himself with William of the Palatinate, marrying his daughter Elizabeth in 1647, with the couple having five living children. The couple would reign Burgundy with an eye to the interior, fortyfying the border with France and ramping up trade with Scandinavia and the rest of the Empire, all the while investing in Burgundy's ports, armouries, arsenals and roads.
William would direct Burgundian influence in two directions - overseas and into the Holy Roman Empire. William would, despite his hatred for the Habsburgs due to their lack of intervention when he was invaded by France (And their profiteering over it) would support the Imperial remove to destroy Saxony's influence in the Imperial elections by removing their electoral title from them. In sequence, the protestant princes of the Empire would complain about Emperor Matthias' move to give Bavaria the Electoral seat by saying it would break the delicate religious balance of the Empire. Thus, William would successfully move to claim the Electoral seat to The Hague, his royal seat, granting him unprecedented influence over Imperial policy. He would soon confirm himself as the prime enemy of the Habsburgs within the Empire.
William would also support the first settler colonies of his Kingdom - New-Holland (OTL New England including New York and New Jersey), with the first settlement of New Amsterdam (New York) built in 1649, while he would also support the Kapp colony in South Africa. He would wrestle the island of Jamaica, Aruba and Curasao from Spain in late 1650, and would defeat the Portuguese in Ceylon, constructing many forts in the Indian Subcontinent and Indonesia, starting with the building of Batavia in the isle of Java.
William's only land increase in Europe would only come with his recovery of western Flanders late in his reign - the dispute between Henry the IX of England and Phillipe the VII of France would burst into a war that would see France and Burgundy ironically team-up to divide what remained of European England, with the Burgundians retaking their possessions.
William would die three years later of consumption in 1661. He would be succeeded by his son, Maurice.
[9] Maurits or Maurice was of the opinion, that many of his precedessor's failures came from continuing to be French despite the Netherlands becoming more Dutch. Once he ascended the throne, he legally changed his name to Maurits (after Maurice of Nassau) and made Dutch the primary language of his kingdom. He also married Alberta of Egmont, a noblewoman in 1665. They would have eleven children.
When war broke out between France and Spain over Navarre in 1670 with the death of the last Albret, Maurits jumped at a chance to regain some of the lands that his father lost, he sided with Spain against France. However, their alliance broke down quickly when the young King Philip of Spain refused to marry Maurits' oldest daughter, citing her a hunched back, ugly heretic.
Angered at the slight, Maurits switched sides, making a pact with France, the de jure territories of the kingdom of Burgundy would be annexed with his daughter marrying the new Duke of Lorraine in exchange for the Burgundy's support of France's claim of Navarre.
Maurits also made peace with England, marrying his son with the daughter of the Duke of York while his second daughter would marry the Prince of Wales.
During the end of Maurits life, he would see the great war of religion begin that would last for seven years. He would not be able to lead his army as he was dying of cancer at the time. Instead his son Charles would lead the charge.
[10] Carel was born in 1667 as the second child but first son of Maurits the Dutch and Alberta of Egmont. He would use the Dutch version of his name (Charles) when he became King of Burgundy in 1699, by that point he had been married to Mary of Orange for twelve years and had four children with her (Mary would give birth to two more kids during Carel's reign).
Upon ascending the throne, Carel left to fight in the Great War of Religion, leaving his younger brother Albertus as regent. The war had it's origins back in 1694 when an ship that was carring Henry, Prince of Wales and his family sunk, drowning them and most of the other people on the ship. This was important as they were the last Tudors other than King Edmund II of England (Henry's father) and Elizabeth of York (the wife of Carel's brother Willem) that were still alive. So when Edmund died in 1698 the War of the English Succession began, with one side supporting Willem as King of England and another supporting the claim of Infante Duarte of Portugal (whose mother was an member of the House of Tudor) as King.
This quickly spiraled out into the Great War of Religion as the Protestant countries that supported Willem and the Catholic ones that supported Duarte started to attack each other, with one of the fronts being Burgundy itself with both France and the Habsburgs invading it. The Burgundians would fight for seven gruling years with Carel becoming known for being an excellent general on the battlefield, and lead the final charge against the Habsburgs in the Battle of Steyr in 1705, one of the final battles of the Great War of Religion.
An peace treaty was signed the following year, which lncluded these terms:
- Recognition of Willem of Burgundy as King of England as William III.
- Ferdinand II of Austria is forced to abdicate as Holy Roman Emperor, with Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria chosen as the new Holy Roman Emperor.
- Saxony is granted back their Electorial title.
- France has to give the Duchies of Brittany, and Normandy complete independence.
- Burgundy's former Rhenish and Alsacian allies direct their homage back to them instead of Ferdinand II of Austria.
- France would receive monetary reparations from Burgundy.
- Calais was granted independence as a Principality co-ruled by the King of England and the King of Burgundy.
- William III would recognize Carel IV's line as his heirs should the line of his descendants fail.
- William III would have his place in the Burgundian line of Succession recognized.
After the Great War of Religion, the rest of Carel’s reign was mostly peaceful besides creating an Family Compact with the other branches of the House of Valois-Burgundy which now ruled in Burgundy, Scotland, England, and Naples (an imitation of the Habsburg compact), late in his reign.
Carel died in 1728 at the age of 61, and would be remembered as one of the greatest monarchs of Burgundy. He was succeeded by his granddaughter, Elizabeth.
[11] Queen Elizabeth was born in 1714 as the older of the two daughters of Crown Prince Maurice, famously known as the "king who never was" with how he died in 1726, leaving his daughter Elizabeth as the heir to the throne. Two years later, Elizabeth would become Queen of Burgundy after her grandfather's death at the age of fourteen.
Her reign would see the consolidation of the order that her grandfather had set up with how Elizabeth would build an alliance system with not only Protestant powers but also Catholic Bavaria, Orthodox Russia, and the Muslim Ottoman Empire against the French, Austrians, and Spanish. In addition, her reign would be a reign marked by how she would expand the Burgundian colonial empire with New Burgundy (OTL Australia) seeing its first colony in Elizabethville (OTL Perth) along with a general expansion of the Burgundian Empire during her reign. In her reign, she would also be a ruler who would promote patronage of the arts and culture as well.
Having married a distant cousin to maintain the family line, even if said relationship would end up a happy one, Queen Elizabeth would die in 1750 from the strain of childbirth with how the birth of her seventh child weakened her for her to die of smallpox on November 4, 1750. In the aftermath of her death, Burgundy's next monarch would be her son, Albertus.
[12] Albertus, or Albert, was the first born son of his parents, named after his father. He was born in 1732. He was a serious child with a sharp mind and a strong sense of duty. He is often depicted as resenting his siblings for grievous crime of being born and taking away the attention of his parents. In truth, the only sibling, Albertus resented unreasonably was his youngest brother, Willem, who their mother died giving birth to. His resentment towards Maurits (born in 1733) and Carel (born in 1745) came from how they were both frivolous and hedonist lifestyles and yet they seemed to win many friends with their charisma. He also disapproved of his sister Elisabeth (born in 1736) more masculine hobbies and how she seemed too close with her lady-in-waiting. In contrast, he was closer to his remaining siblings, Philip (1735) who was his most ardent supporter, Anges (1741) and Margriet (1747).
In 1752, he married Sybille of Bavaria, the daughter of the Holy Roman Emperor. Their marriage could not be called happy especially when Sybille had trouble carrying her pregnancies to term. However, they managed to have two surviving children.
Although, Albertus was a competent statesman, many people were put off by his stoic and unyielding demeanor. When he was crowned King of Burgundy at eighteen-years-old, there was much tension as Albertus was said to hate Catholicism and many feared that he would start burning people. In truth, Albertus loathed religious fanaticism and superstition, feeling it was nothing more than excuses for corrupt monks to swindle and spread fear. This did not stop his enemies from cultivating a picture of Albertus who would gladly burn men, women and children. He also made harsher laws for gambling and prostitution.
Unfortunately, in his mission to root out corruption, not to mention his blunt demeanor and his filling his advisors with new men, believing that merit and skill and not who your father was made someone qualified, he made a few enemies among the nobles who would be driven to his brothers' camp. Tensions between the four brothers was high with only their father managing to keep the peace. Maurits at one point was banished from court for causing a scandal at Albertus' wedding, having been found in compromising position with one of Sybille's ladies.
Once their father died in 1760, the fragile peace between the four brothers was destroyed completely. In 1763, Maurits declared himself king, stating that his older brother was unfit to rule and that his two children were bastards, born from Queen Sybille's affair with the court's jester. He was supported, of course, by Carel and thanks to his marriage to the daughter of the French king, he also had France backing him
King Albertus was enraged as was the ever dutiful Philip and Sybille's father, the Emperor (more for the attack on Sybille's character then anything else). King Henry IX of England remained neutral and was recorded saying, "I confess not to knowing your parents well, but I have no doubt they would be ashamed of how far you have fallen. If you were sons of mine, I would knock your heads together and lock you in a room until you got along."
The four brothers met one last time before the battle of Nancy, trying to broker peace. Unfortunately, it ended as it always did in shouting and cursing.
However, the true tragedy would start before the battle even could begin. Philip had gone to King Albertus' tent and discovered a gruesome sight. Albertus was lying on the pool of blood, his throat had been cut after being knocked out by a blow to the head. To this day, scholars are puzzled on who had killed the monarch, with some speculating that it was the young Prince Williem, having been driven to betray his oldest brother by years of being punished for something he had no control over. However, Williem was nowhere near the war camps, having stayed behind as Albertus' regent. One thing was for certain, whoever killed Albertus did so on either Mauritus or Carel's orders.
An enraged and devastated Prince Philip lead the troops, declaring that they would fight for the true king, avenging his death. He screamed the battle cry which was echoed by the soldiers. "Death to the kinslayers! Justice for the late King Albertus and his son, Maximiliaan of Burgundy."
[13] Born in 1754 to King Albertus and Archduchess Sybille of Bavaria, Maximiliaan was only twelve years old when he became King of Burgundy, after the murder of his father. His uncle Philip helped him secure his throne by winning the Battle of Nancy, which resulted in the death of Prince Maurits and exiling of his family from Burgundy. Maximiliaan then had a largely peaceful regency that was headed by his mother Sybille and uncle Philip, being the first Burgundian King to have one since Henry the Red. He reached his majority in 1772, and began to look for an suitable wife for himself, which he found in Princess Margaret of Scotland, whom he married in 1775. The couple had a loving marriage and had four children.
In 1778, an rebellion started in New Holland, which turned into the New Hollander Revolution (1778-1782). It was an success for New Holland as it got independence from Burgundy and picked Maurits' son Hendrik as their first King, who Maximiliaan saw as a threat as he still considered him to be a bastard. Maximiliaan died in 1784 at the age of 30 when he shot himself in the face while out hunting. He was succeeded by his daughter Marianne.
[14] Queen Marianne I was born on March 6, 1777 as the oldest of the four children of King Maximiliaan and his wife Margaret of Scotland, becoming heir to the throne after her brother Carel died at the age of three from smallpox in 1783, making her Queen at the age of seven and her reign would be marked by turmoil and changes across Europe. The early reign of Marianne would be marked by an eleven-year regency for her led by her mother and a council of ministers who transitioned Burgundy into a semi-constitutional monarchy as a parliament elected by landowners and rich merchants who paid a certain amount of taxes or owned a set amount of land was set up, even if most power would still be vested in the monarch.
The defining moment of Marianne I's reign would be the Spanish Revolutionary Wars which saw the fall of the Spanish Monarchy and the revolutionary Spanish Republic try to wage various wars against the rest of Europe which would end in a draw. Spain would remain a revolutionary republic, having absorbed Portugal with a Portugal-in-exile in the New World, but the old order would be maintained north of the Pyrenees. She would be a major figure in the alliance against the Spanish Republic, being effective at creating a cordon sanitaire against Spanish expansionism.
Domestically, Marianne's reign as Queen would see the Industrial Revolution be spearheaded by Burgundy with its rich deposits of minerals fueling an industrial revolution which made Burgundy one of the richest industrial powers of Europe. In addition, she would spearhead a golden age of Burgundian culture as well with her patronage of cultural development during her reign.
In her personal life, Queen Marianne would marry Prince Alexander of Denmark with the couple having three children who made it to adulthood, even if the two didn't have a good relationship with Alexander reportedly having three mistresses of his own. Queen Marianne would die at the age of fifty on September 7, 1827 from a heart attack, being succeeded by her son, Albertus.
[15] Albertus was named for his great-grandfather, but his demeanor matched his rebellious great-uncles with his love of partying, drinking, and women. He had a fearsome temper, often getting into drunken brawls. His one redeeming quality was he knew how to pick good councilors. He had no interest in running the kingdom himself, but the men he picked were capable of keeping his reign afloat despite the king's reckless spending
His appetite for women was well known, and he had little interest in getting married, preferring to father bastards who in a rare act of goodwill, he always ackoledged and provided for them. Finally in 1834, he acquiesced and married the Swedish princess of Sweden. However, the couple did not get along and in their ten-year marriage, they did not produce a single heir.
In 1844, Albertus II died via gunshot. One of his lover's husbands took exception to finding his wife in bed with the king and in an act of jealous rage, expressed his anger violentally shooting them both before turning the gun on himself. Albertus was succeeded by his younger brother, Prince Maximiliaan.
[16] Prince Maximiliaan Alexander was born in 1802, the youngest of three children born to Queen Marianne would marry Prince-Consort, Alexander.
While his older brother was the heir, Maximiliaan was the spare and named after his maternal grandfather.
During his childhood, Maximiliaan concentrated and studied heavily under numerous tutors as well at Dijon University, aiming for a life in administration.
At the age of 21, at his request to his mother, he became Burgundy’s ambassador to both Kingdom of England and his maternal grandmother’s Kingdom of Scotland, learning the ways of international diplomacy, while in Scotland, in 1823, he would marry Lady Elizabeth Hamilton, daughter of James Hamilton, Duke of Hamilton and Duke of Brandon and his wife Princess Mary of Scotland (Niece of Margaret of Scotland, through a fourth brother) in their stately home of Hamilton Palace.
When his mother died in 1827, and his brother became King, Maximiliaan was recalled back to Burgundy with his wife and three children as his brother’s heir presumptive, the pair would continue to have children even into Maximiliaan’s own reign.
Once back in his home country, Maximiliaan would sit on the privy council and attending meetings with the Chancellor while Albertus enjoyed partying, drinking, and women. He would also quickly integrate his children, whom had been born and lived their early lives in Scotland, into the culture of Burgundy.
As the responsible member of the family, Maximiliaan was having to find the financial support for not only for his brother’s illegitimate issues but also his own father’s illegitimate issues.
It was during a sitting in Parliament when news broke of the regicide, murder and suicide, with no legitimate issues, Maximiliaan was proclaimed King.
Having been heavily involved with Burgundy’s domestic and foreign politics since 1827, especially in lieu of his brother’s laissez-faire reign, many historians class Maximiliaan’s influence to 61 years.
Maximiliaan would support economic trade deals that benefitted the workers of his country while still being able to import cheaply.
To keep the peace with the Kingdom of Sweden, Maximiliaan would repay the dowry of his sister-in-law and pay a pension to the Dowager Queen, even when she left to return to her homeland.
As a buffer kingdom between Borbon Franco-Spanish Union and the Holy Roman Empire, Maximiliaan would hold peace talks following minor skirmishes, giving him the nickname Peace Keeper.
His death in 1888, aged 86, followed a few years of failing health. He was succeeded by his _______, _______________.
Dukes of Burgundy
1467-1477: Charles the Bold (House of Valois-Burgundy)
1477-1502: Charles II the Prudent (House of Valois-Burgundy) [1]
Kings and Queens of Burgundy
1493-1502: Charles II the Prudent (House of Valois-Burgundy) [1]
1502-1522: John I the Young (House of Valois-Burgundy) [2]
1522-1528: Charles III the Unfortunate (House of Valois-Burgundy) [3]
1528-1555: Henry I the Red (House of Valois-Burgundy) [4]
1555-1619: John II the Old (House of Valois-Burgundy) [5]
1619-1633: William the Explorer (House of Valois-Burgundy) [6]
1633-1640: Jeanne I the Faithful (House of Valois-Burgundy) [7]
1640-1661: William II the Unlucky (House of Valois-Burgundy) [8]
1661-1699: Maurits I the Dutch (House of Valois-Burgundy) [9]
1699-1728: Carel IV the Warrior (House of Valois-Burgundy) [10]
1728-1750: Elizabeth I (House of Valois-Burgundy) [11]
1750-1766: Albertus I (House of Valois-Burgundy) [12]
1766-1784: Maximiliaan I (House of Valois-Burgundy) [13]
1784-1827: Marianne I (House of Valois-Burgundy) [14]
1827-1844: Albertus II (House of Oldenburg-Burgundy) [15]
1844-1888: Maximiliaan II (House of Oldenburg-Burgundy) [16]
1888-1917: Philip I (House of Oldenburg-Burgundy) [17]
[16] Philip was born in 1827, the second born son and his parents' third child. He was named for Prince Philip the Loyal, one of Maximiliaan's favorite heroes. He named his first son Karel after their ancestors Karel of Burgundy, the first king of Burgundy, and of Emperor Charlamange. Philip was quite close with Karel and was devastated with the rest of the family when he died of pneumonia at just thirteen.
Philip never met his Uncle Albertus and judging from the bits of information he heard his parents whispering---not that he was eavesdropping---he never wanted to. When his father ascended the throne in 1844, Philip dryly noted that it changed nothing as his father had been running the kingdom since his grandmother died.
The new heir saw his uncle as an example of how not to act while his father was everything he should inspire to be. Philip thrust himself into his education, wanting to be the kind of administer his father was. He also wished to find a bride himself, suspecting that the key to a good marriage was to have the couple get to know each other before they married.
On a diplomatic mission to Russia, he met Catherine Leopoldovna, a grand duchess. Although she was a distant cousin of the current Tsar, Catherine came from royalty by both sets of grandparents with her maternal grandfather being a prince of Sweden. What she lacked in looks, she made up in wit, and charm. Philip particularly liked how she could belt out the songs of the Russian opera with only needing to take breath in between.
Any objections to the marriage were quickly silenced when the Tsar of Russia, lacking any daughters of his own, gave Catherine a dowry of a princess. In 1849, Philip and Catherine were married after she had converted to the Protestant faith. They would go on to have five children.
For the thirty-nine years, Philip worked alongside his father, stepping in as regent when Maximilaan's health began to worsen.
Considering, he was sixty-one when he became king, no one expected much of Philip's reign, believing it would short and uneventful.
That might have been true if it were not for the great war of the Holy Roman Empire. The Hapsburgs of Austria had not died out and during their fall from grace, they had been slowly fighting to regain control from the House of Wittelsbach. The two factions had been locked in a cold war, using politics to continue their feud.
Finally things came to a head from the mad Duke of Prussia conspired with members of the Wittelsbach faction to set off a bomb at the summer house of the Archduke of Austria and his family. At least fifty people were killed, including children and other innocent bystanders, completely wiping out the remeniets of the male line of Hapsburg.
This of course enraged the surviving Hapsburg loyalists and after nearly two centuries of tension, an all out war was declared in 1899.
King Philip, remembering how his great-great-grandfather's murderers were never caught (even though the masterminds Maurits and Karel were killed in battle), told the current Holy Roman Emperor that he would not support him unless he punished the people responsible for the horrifying attack.
Much to his fury, Emperor Maximilian III (named for Philip's great-grandfather) refused, stating that the Duke of Prussia (who loudly took credit for the massacre) would not name his conspirators. Philip publicly called bull on this. It did not help matters when the mad duke was found dead in his cell, an apparent suicide. Many, including Philip, suspected that the duke's accomplices were Maximilian's own relatives and he was afraid that if they were named, it would be rumored he was the mastermind behind it, not that he was helping himself by covering it all up.
King Philip had three options. He could remain neutral, he could side with a man he suspected was either behind the Hapsburg bombing or at the very least knew who was, or he could support the rebels.
Unfortunately, Europe was choosing sides, and Philip soon found himself smack dab in the middle of it all. For several months, Philip meet with his council and parliament, as the entire country tried to pick a side, wanting to look at the political ramifications of supporting the Hapsburg loyalists or the Wittelsbach who were often shown to be skeptical to the same kind of madness that the Duke of Prussia suffered from.
Finally, in 1900, Burgundy sided with uprising, stating they could not sit by while the Holy Roman Emperor attempted to sweep, what was nothing less than a family annihilation, go unpunished. "Were they rebels who destroyed a royal house, retribution would swift and fierce. The same must be said when a ruler's supporters commits the same crime." This famous line was uttered by Philip's childhood friend and supporter, the Prince of Orange.
By 1912, the war was finished but the Holy Roman Empire was now divided, with their remaining lands becoming separate kingdoms. Philip lost many sons and grandsons in the war and he prayed that they would never have to go through it again.
Five years later, shortly after his ninetieth birthday, Philip passed away in his sleep, leaving........
1467-1477: Charles the Bold (House of Valois-Burgundy)
1477-1502: Charles II the Prudent (House of Valois-Burgundy) [1]
Kings and Queens of Burgundy
1493-1502: Charles II the Prudent (House of Valois-Burgundy) [1]
1502-1522: John I the Young (House of Valois-Burgundy) [2]
1522-1528: Charles III the Unfortunate (House of Valois-Burgundy) [3]
1528-1555: Henry I the Red (House of Valois-Burgundy) [4]
1555-1619: John II the Old (House of Valois-Burgundy) [5]
1619-1633: William the Explorer (House of Valois-Burgundy) [6]
1633-1640: Jeanne I the Faithful (House of Valois-Burgundy) [7]
1640-1661: William II the Unlucky (House of Valois-Burgundy) [8]
1661-1699: Maurits I the Dutch (House of Valois-Burgundy) [9]
1699-1728: Carel IV the Warrior (House of Valois-Burgundy) [10]
1728-1750: Elizabeth I (House of Valois-Burgundy) [11]
1750-1766: Albertus I (House of Valois-Burgundy) [12]
1766-1784: Maximiliaan I (House of Valois-Burgundy) [13]
1784-1827: Marianne I (House of Valois-Burgundy) [14]
1827-1844: Albertus II (House of Oldenburg-Burgundy) [15]
1844-1888: Maximiliaan II (House of Oldenburg-Burgundy) [16]
1888-1917: Philip I (House of Oldenburg-Burgundy) [17]
[1] Charles was born in 1471 to his parents' great joy. The Valois-Burgundy line had been in danger of dying out, but now were able to keep going. Charles was only six years old when his father died. His mother ruled as his regent until he was fifteen. His older half-sister Margaret married Archduke Maximilian of Austria, son of Emperor Fredrick who had promised to crown the former Duke Charles, King of Burgundy.
Wanting her son to be king, Margaret sought out an alliance with the Duke of Brittany as well, hoping that along with England, they could attack Lorraine, taking revenge for the disastrous battle of Nancy.
She also strived to find a wife for her son, deciding nothing less than a princess would do. The prospective brides were: Catherine of Navarre (1468), Cecily of York (1469), Princess Anna Jagiellon (1476), Princess Joanna of Naples (1478), and the Breton heiress, Anne of Brittany (1478). She even reached out to Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile, suggesting their second daughter Joanna of Aragon (1479). Joanna would letter go on to marry Charles' half-nephew, Philip the Handsome.
After much debate, Joanna of Naples was chosen. An alliance against the French and Lorraine was formed. Joanna would arrive in Burgundy at age fourteen. The couple were married soon after. The couple had harmonious marriage with not a hint of scandal or affairs. They had nine children, with six surviving.
Across the channel, England had a Lancaster king, Henry Tudor. Margaret of York was quite angry at this and urged her son to support any Yorkist contender. Charles refused most passionately, having no wish to come into conflict with England especially not if their dreams of his duchy becoming a kingdom were to be realized. When John de la Pole, 1st Earl of Lincoln fled to Burgundy in hopes of starting a Yorkist uprising, Charles had him arrested and sent back to England to be attained and executed. Grateful, King Henry, signed an agreement with Charles to support his annexation of Lorraine.
In 1490, when Charles VII of France broke the engagement between himself and Margarita of Austria and invade Brittany to marry Anne, Duchess of Brittany, Charles of Burgundy saw his chance to attack Lorraine with the jilted bride's father, Archduke Maximilian, his former brother-in-law's support along with the help of England and Naples.
In 1493, Maximilian became Holy Roman Emperor and he crowned Charles the King of Burgundy. Charles choose to style himself as the second of his name, citing that had his father not died, he would have been crowned king. After avenging his father by killing the Duke of Lorraine, Charles was recognized as the king by the Pope and other nations. He would also see that he made dynastic matches for all of his children, consolidating his rule.
In 1496, Queen Joanna's nephew King Ferdinand of Naples would die, and the Pope would declare Joanna the new queen, allowing Burgundy to have a footing in Italy. He would fight in two Italian wars to preserve it. He would die of an infected wound in 1502, leaving his lands to his son John.
[2] Born in 1495, John I was his parents third child and first son. He would be barely five years old when his father Charles II died continuing the tradition of Burgundian regencies. His regency was handled nominally by his mother, Joanna of Naples, and but in actuality by his grandmother, Margaret of York; Joanna having spent all her life in the shadow of her mother, fell easily into the shadow of her mother-in-law.
To resolve the Italian conflict, John’s younger brother Charles would be crowned King of Naples ensuring a separation of the two counties. Charles’s regency would be handled by his other grandmother, Joanna of Aragon.
John’s regency would end with the death of Margaret of York when John was 13. Her last act would be arranging the betrothal of John to Mary Tudor. (Margaret of York hadn’t quite forgiven the Tudors, but they were at least descended from her niece, and Mary Tudor was the right age) They would be wed two years later in 1512.
John and Mary were both very pleased with their new attractive spouse and got right to the business of baby making. In 10 years of marriage, the would have 7 children. They presided over a lighthearted festive court during what is now called the Golden Decade.
But all good things come to an end, and the Golden Decade did in 1522 when John took a tumble while riding and broke his neck. He would be succeeded by his son Charles.
[3] Charles was born in 1513 as the first child of John I and Mary Tudor, and was an sickly child during his youth, with many surprised that he outlived his father to become King of Burgundy at the age of 9. His mother Mary served as his regent, but he would not live long enough to rule on his own as he died of tuberculosis in 1528. He was succeeded by his brother, Henry.
[4] Henry was twelve years old when he succeeded his brother, starting another period of regency. His mother died in 1533 when he was seventeen. Instead of allowing a new regent to take power, he had the council declare him of age. He then proceeded to find himself and his younger siblings spouses. As Burgundy had grown rich with trade, he sought to expend the trade routes by establishing a friendship with Portugal in hopes of gaining access to the east, he married his sister, Mary, to Luís of Portugal, Duke of Beja while he himself became engaged to Maria of Portugal, Duchess of Viseu. Henry and Maria would be married in 1540 and they would have nine children.
When it came to the Reformation, Henry was known as a nominal supporter. He was largely Catholic and there was a never a whisper of him abandoning the church like his namesake uncle. However, he was quite friendly with men like John Calvin and John Fredrick of Saxony. He is suspected to have influenced William the Silent of Orange, his surrogate son. He also allowed reformists to practice their religion openly.
It got so bad, that Pope Julius III threatened to excommunicate him if he did not deal with the heretics in his lands. It was only his son-in-law, King Henri of France's intervention that prevented this. He would still have a tenious relationship with the church until the end of his life.
In 1555, Henry supported his cousin, King Giovanni's capture of Sicily from King Philip of Spain. He died in battle, leaving his kingdom in the hands of his son, John.
[5] John was barely fifteen when his father died. Since his father Henry had died at war, there weren't any plans for a regency for John. While Maria of Portugal, would initially be poised to follow the footsteps of many a Burgundian Queen Mother before her, John would fight to be declared of age, and in the end would win, becoming the first Burgundian King to rule without a regency.
John would continue in the Italian Wars to avenge his father, and would call in both of his brother-in-law, Henri of France and Edward of England. (Though the marriage of Margaret of Burgundy and Edward VI was still just a proxy marriage, since Margaret was 10). With the additional help, the war was won quickly.
His first marriage would be to Mary Stewart, Queen of Scotts. Their marriage had been arranged from almost her birth and the two had grown up together. While there was no great passion between them, they got along fine and trusted each other. They would have three children.
Much of the early part of John’s reign was peaceful. With all his neighbors now related by marriage. This would change upon the death of Henri of France. The French Throne would be inherited by Charles, Henri’s younger brother. But, both John and his sister Jeanne, were of the opinion that the Duchy of Brittany was the inheritance of little Marie de Valois, only child of Henri of France and Jeanne.
Jeanne and Marie would be smuggled to Brittany where, young Marie would be wed to her cousin, John’s eldest son. Then, John went to war. During this war, Charles, younger brother of John, would disguise himself as an excellent general. The war would drag on for several years, but in the end France’s lack of allies (The Habsburgs were still ticked about Sicily, and the Tudors rather liked the Burgundians) would allow John to win the Duchy of Brittany for his niece.
John’s mother, Maria of Portugal, would pass away in 1579, and after some negotiation, John’s brother Charles would inherit the Dukedom of Viseau.
In 1583, Mary Stewart was crossing from Scotland to Burgundy as she wished to be present for the birth of her second grandchild . This would send John into something of a reflective mood and for the fist time in his life, John would consider religion seriously. John had continued his father’s practice of religious tolerance and had been nominally Catholic. But prior to Mary’s death, had had no strong opinions on religion. Now, he wanted answers.
John would study religion extensively for the next decade: interrogating the various religious authorities that had flocked to Burgundy and it’s religious tolerance; writing letters to his brother in law Edward Tudor (who as a staunch Protestant was no more happier with John’s religious tolerance than the pope); a visit to Rome; and sundry other attempts at religious truth.
In 1594, John would convert to Calvinism. While religious tolerance in Burgundy wouldn’t end with John’s conversion, Calvinists would begin to much more favor and freedoms than Catholics, Lutherans, and Anglicans. Shortly after that, John would remarry to Louise Julianna of Nassau, the daughter of his good friend and pseudo brother. The two would have a happy marriage and have 8 children.
The last part of John’s reign was marked by increased religious tensions internally and externally. Externally: many French Huguenots would travel to Burgundy for sanctuary raising tensions with France, and John’s conversion would cause his relationship with his Italian cousins to suffer. (Not to badly, after all he had won them Sicily) Internally: religious persecution of non-calvinists was on the rise. But, by this point, John was very good at being a King (lots of practice) and so was able to keep tensions from boiling over.
John would pass away in his sleep late in the year 1619. He was succeeded by his son, William.
[6] Much like the split between Burgundy and Naples, it was decided that Burgundy and Scotland would be divided between William and his younger brother James. Unfortunately for all parties, William was much more interested in sailing and visiting new lands. When he was fifteen, he all but begged his father to allow him to travel with one of the trading vessels to the Far East. King John was reluctant, but eventually gave in.
Then at age twenty, William went with explorers he had sponsored for a venture in the New World. He spent several years there until his father finally had enough and demanded he come home and "do his duty".
When William finally arrived back at Burgundy, he was quickly married to Marie of Brittany, he did his duty, siring three children, before heading off on another adventure to the East, not coming back until he learned of his father's death.
He would leave much of his rule to his council, preferring instead to throw himself in the discovering of new lands. He died in 1633 of an aliment he caught while out at sea. He was succeeded by his granddaughter, Jeanne of Brittany.
[7] Jeanne was the only child of John VI of Brittany who was the eldest son of William the Explorer and Marie of Brittany.
John VI had inherited Brittany from his mother while an adolescent, and with an absent father and busy grandfather was pretty much left to his own devices. John VI had grand plans of uniting Brittany and Burgundy and expanding even further. The first step in his plan was marrying Anne of Normandy, the Duke of Normandy’s only child. [1]
Upon the Duke of Normandy’s death, John VI would push his wife’s claim, and with England’s assistance (John promised to expand the lands around Calais) he would be able to claim roughly two thirds of the Duchy, the coastline stretching between Brittany and Burgundy.
Jeanne would grow up in the Breton court which was chock full of Huguenots she herself becoming an avid Calvinist. After her mother suffering several miscarriages, John VI would be forced to acknowledged that Jeanne would probably be his only child and so his heir. To ensure her inheritance of Burgundy, John would arrange for Jeanne to marry her one of half great-uncles, the sons of John II of Burgundy and his second wife.
As John VI didn’t particularly care which of his half uncles she chose, Jeanne would be sent to her grandfather’s court so that she would have the chance to examine her options. Jeanne would fall for John William, the fourth child of John II and Louise Julianna. He was also devoutly Calvinist, the two first bonding over religion.
They would marry late in 1623 and would reside at the Burgundian Court. Their first three children would be born there. Then in 1630, Jeanne’s father would die and she would inherit the Duchies of Brittany and Normandy. Another child would be born Brittany.
Then in 1633, Jeanne’s grandfather William the Explorer would die at sea. One of Jeanne’s first acts was ensuring the union of Brittany and Normandy with Burgundy fulfilling her father’s dream of an expanded Burgundy.
She would work at monetizing her grandfather’s explorations, expanding the Burgundian trading networks and forming the Burgundian Royal Trading Company.
Her other main act as Queen of Burgundy declaring the official religion of Burgundy to be Calvinism, and pushing heavily for her subjects to convert. This would cause religious tensions to boil over and a religious revolt would erupt. John William, King Consort would be dispatched to put the revolt down.
Jeanne would not live to see the result as she would die in childbirth early in 1640. She would be succeeded by her son, William.
[8] The man responsible for losing the "Burgundian Hegemony" was no man at all, but a child. Born in late 1627, William was the classic of inbreeding - born with physical defiencies that overshadowed his above average mind. Still, William's clear disinterest in religion even as a child saw his mother Jeanne lose interest in him - focusing instead on his older sisters, Marie and Alice of Burgundy.
His mother's religious policy would eventually see her death and the great revolt which would be the start of the end for the Burgundian Empire. The great peasant rebellion was not only a religious war, but a linguistic one, as the Burgundian Kings became more and more "dutch" as time passed on, and focusing on the Netherlands and it's rich ports, alongside war to secure Brittanny, had alienated the "French Burgundians", where catholicism remained as a powerful force. The counter-Reformation would start to increase it's pressure on Calvinist Burgundy, and has more Dutch preachers left the Netherlands to delve into Burgundy proper and Britanny, more french preachers came to these regions, gaining steadily and steadily more influence over the hated Dutch.
Another reason that would see William's huge loss of land would be his father and regent, John William. The fourth son of John the II, he had been chosen by his niece for his religion - calvinism, while an older uncle, Charles William, the third son, remained alive. To speak of Charles William's character, the man who would eventually head the French House of Valois and became King of France as heir to the childless Francis the II, one can say that he was the perfect monarch - Martial, cunning, smart and focused. Despite his many talents, Charles William would always be rebuked by both his brother, William, (Charles William, while a patron of colonialism as King of France, considered his brother a talentless fool, forgetful of his duty) and his niece (Charles William was catholic, and thus Jeanne both rebuked him and hated him).
Charles William, or as he became known two years before Jeanne's death, Charles the X, would invade Burgundy after his own brother's disastrous defeat at the battle of Nancy to the peasant rebellion, quickly seizing both all of Burgundy and Normandy. His policy of tolerance in France had seen the end of France's religious conflict, and Henry of Conde, a famous general, would lead an effort that would see Brittany conquered just one year after the start of the war.
John William, desperate to maintain at least part of the Kingdom in Burgundian hands, and without allies (The English themselves would ally with France to increase the Pale of Calais in the direction of Flanders), would surrender to his brother Charles in late 1643, ceding to him and his English allies:
- William the II would abdicate as Duke of Brittany, Normandy, Burgundy, Lorraine, Bar and Nevers, and would also cede the Counties of Boulogne, Picardy, Vermandois, Artois, S. Pol, Hainault, the Prince-Bisphoric of Cambray, the County of Rethel, the Prince-Bisphoric of Verdun and Toule.
- Burgundy would secede North-Western Flanders to England, down to Ypres and all the way East to Brugge.
- As a gift of France to the Holy Roman Emperor, Burgundy's Rhenish and Alsacian allies were to now direct their homage to Matthias of Austria.
- Burgundy would receive monetary reparations from France.
- France would recognize Burgundian ownership over all the Netherlands into all of Frisia.
- The Kingdom of Burgundy would be separated from it's ducal origins. The de jure territorry of the Burgundian crown would now be the territorry spanning from Flanders to Frisia.
- Charles the X would recognize John William and William the II as Princes of the Blood, and his heirs should the lines of his four sons fail.
- Charles the X would have his position in the Burgundian line of Succession recognized.
- Charles the X would recognize calvinism as the state religion of the Kingdom of Burgundy.
William the II would see his father "die quietly" and Maurice of Nassau assume the last year of his regency, and Maurice would manage to redirect the anger at the huge loss of land from William to his dead father. As his regency ended in 1645, Maurice of Nassau would remain one of William's strongest and most powerful advisors, and William, afraid of putting Burgundy in another position as his father and mother had, would ally himself with William of the Palatinate, marrying his daughter Elizabeth in 1647, with the couple having five living children. The couple would reign Burgundy with an eye to the interior, fortyfying the border with France and ramping up trade with Scandinavia and the rest of the Empire, all the while investing in Burgundy's ports, armouries, arsenals and roads.
William would direct Burgundian influence in two directions - overseas and into the Holy Roman Empire. William would, despite his hatred for the Habsburgs due to their lack of intervention when he was invaded by France (And their profiteering over it) would support the Imperial remove to destroy Saxony's influence in the Imperial elections by removing their electoral title from them. In sequence, the protestant princes of the Empire would complain about Emperor Matthias' move to give Bavaria the Electoral seat by saying it would break the delicate religious balance of the Empire. Thus, William would successfully move to claim the Electoral seat to The Hague, his royal seat, granting him unprecedented influence over Imperial policy. He would soon confirm himself as the prime enemy of the Habsburgs within the Empire.
William would also support the first settler colonies of his Kingdom - New-Holland (OTL New England including New York and New Jersey), with the first settlement of New Amsterdam (New York) built in 1649, while he would also support the Kapp colony in South Africa. He would wrestle the island of Jamaica, Aruba and Curasao from Spain in late 1650, and would defeat the Portuguese in Ceylon, constructing many forts in the Indian Subcontinent and Indonesia, starting with the building of Batavia in the isle of Java.
William's only land increase in Europe would only come with his recovery of western Flanders late in his reign - the dispute between Henry the IX of England and Phillipe the VII of France would burst into a war that would see France and Burgundy ironically team-up to divide what remained of European England, with the Burgundians retaking their possessions.
William would die three years later of consumption in 1661. He would be succeeded by his son, Maurice.
[9] Maurits or Maurice was of the opinion, that many of his precedessor's failures came from continuing to be French despite the Netherlands becoming more Dutch. Once he ascended the throne, he legally changed his name to Maurits (after Maurice of Nassau) and made Dutch the primary language of his kingdom. He also married Alberta of Egmont, a noblewoman in 1665. They would have eleven children.
When war broke out between France and Spain over Navarre in 1670 with the death of the last Albret, Maurits jumped at a chance to regain some of the lands that his father lost, he sided with Spain against France. However, their alliance broke down quickly when the young King Philip of Spain refused to marry Maurits' oldest daughter, citing her a hunched back, ugly heretic.
Angered at the slight, Maurits switched sides, making a pact with France, the de jure territories of the kingdom of Burgundy would be annexed with his daughter marrying the new Duke of Lorraine in exchange for the Burgundy's support of France's claim of Navarre.
Maurits also made peace with England, marrying his son with the daughter of the Duke of York while his second daughter would marry the Prince of Wales.
During the end of Maurits life, he would see the great war of religion begin that would last for seven years. He would not be able to lead his army as he was dying of cancer at the time. Instead his son Charles would lead the charge.
[10] Carel was born in 1667 as the second child but first son of Maurits the Dutch and Alberta of Egmont. He would use the Dutch version of his name (Charles) when he became King of Burgundy in 1699, by that point he had been married to Mary of Orange for twelve years and had four children with her (Mary would give birth to two more kids during Carel's reign).
Upon ascending the throne, Carel left to fight in the Great War of Religion, leaving his younger brother Albertus as regent. The war had it's origins back in 1694 when an ship that was carring Henry, Prince of Wales and his family sunk, drowning them and most of the other people on the ship. This was important as they were the last Tudors other than King Edmund II of England (Henry's father) and Elizabeth of York (the wife of Carel's brother Willem) that were still alive. So when Edmund died in 1698 the War of the English Succession began, with one side supporting Willem as King of England and another supporting the claim of Infante Duarte of Portugal (whose mother was an member of the House of Tudor) as King.
This quickly spiraled out into the Great War of Religion as the Protestant countries that supported Willem and the Catholic ones that supported Duarte started to attack each other, with one of the fronts being Burgundy itself with both France and the Habsburgs invading it. The Burgundians would fight for seven gruling years with Carel becoming known for being an excellent general on the battlefield, and lead the final charge against the Habsburgs in the Battle of Steyr in 1705, one of the final battles of the Great War of Religion.
An peace treaty was signed the following year, which lncluded these terms:
- Recognition of Willem of Burgundy as King of England as William III.
- Ferdinand II of Austria is forced to abdicate as Holy Roman Emperor, with Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria chosen as the new Holy Roman Emperor.
- Saxony is granted back their Electorial title.
- France has to give the Duchies of Brittany, and Normandy complete independence.
- Burgundy's former Rhenish and Alsacian allies direct their homage back to them instead of Ferdinand II of Austria.
- France would receive monetary reparations from Burgundy.
- Calais was granted independence as a Principality co-ruled by the King of England and the King of Burgundy.
- William III would recognize Carel IV's line as his heirs should the line of his descendants fail.
- William III would have his place in the Burgundian line of Succession recognized.
After the Great War of Religion, the rest of Carel’s reign was mostly peaceful besides creating an Family Compact with the other branches of the House of Valois-Burgundy which now ruled in Burgundy, Scotland, England, and Naples (an imitation of the Habsburg compact), late in his reign.
Carel died in 1728 at the age of 61, and would be remembered as one of the greatest monarchs of Burgundy. He was succeeded by his granddaughter, Elizabeth.
[11] Queen Elizabeth was born in 1714 as the older of the two daughters of Crown Prince Maurice, famously known as the "king who never was" with how he died in 1726, leaving his daughter Elizabeth as the heir to the throne. Two years later, Elizabeth would become Queen of Burgundy after her grandfather's death at the age of fourteen.
Her reign would see the consolidation of the order that her grandfather had set up with how Elizabeth would build an alliance system with not only Protestant powers but also Catholic Bavaria, Orthodox Russia, and the Muslim Ottoman Empire against the French, Austrians, and Spanish. In addition, her reign would be a reign marked by how she would expand the Burgundian colonial empire with New Burgundy (OTL Australia) seeing its first colony in Elizabethville (OTL Perth) along with a general expansion of the Burgundian Empire during her reign. In her reign, she would also be a ruler who would promote patronage of the arts and culture as well.
Having married a distant cousin to maintain the family line, even if said relationship would end up a happy one, Queen Elizabeth would die in 1750 from the strain of childbirth with how the birth of her seventh child weakened her for her to die of smallpox on November 4, 1750. In the aftermath of her death, Burgundy's next monarch would be her son, Albertus.
[12] Albertus, or Albert, was the first born son of his parents, named after his father. He was born in 1732. He was a serious child with a sharp mind and a strong sense of duty. He is often depicted as resenting his siblings for grievous crime of being born and taking away the attention of his parents. In truth, the only sibling, Albertus resented unreasonably was his youngest brother, Willem, who their mother died giving birth to. His resentment towards Maurits (born in 1733) and Carel (born in 1745) came from how they were both frivolous and hedonist lifestyles and yet they seemed to win many friends with their charisma. He also disapproved of his sister Elisabeth (born in 1736) more masculine hobbies and how she seemed too close with her lady-in-waiting. In contrast, he was closer to his remaining siblings, Philip (1735) who was his most ardent supporter, Anges (1741) and Margriet (1747).
In 1752, he married Sybille of Bavaria, the daughter of the Holy Roman Emperor. Their marriage could not be called happy especially when Sybille had trouble carrying her pregnancies to term. However, they managed to have two surviving children.
Although, Albertus was a competent statesman, many people were put off by his stoic and unyielding demeanor. When he was crowned King of Burgundy at eighteen-years-old, there was much tension as Albertus was said to hate Catholicism and many feared that he would start burning people. In truth, Albertus loathed religious fanaticism and superstition, feeling it was nothing more than excuses for corrupt monks to swindle and spread fear. This did not stop his enemies from cultivating a picture of Albertus who would gladly burn men, women and children. He also made harsher laws for gambling and prostitution.
Unfortunately, in his mission to root out corruption, not to mention his blunt demeanor and his filling his advisors with new men, believing that merit and skill and not who your father was made someone qualified, he made a few enemies among the nobles who would be driven to his brothers' camp. Tensions between the four brothers was high with only their father managing to keep the peace. Maurits at one point was banished from court for causing a scandal at Albertus' wedding, having been found in compromising position with one of Sybille's ladies.
Once their father died in 1760, the fragile peace between the four brothers was destroyed completely. In 1763, Maurits declared himself king, stating that his older brother was unfit to rule and that his two children were bastards, born from Queen Sybille's affair with the court's jester. He was supported, of course, by Carel and thanks to his marriage to the daughter of the French king, he also had France backing him
King Albertus was enraged as was the ever dutiful Philip and Sybille's father, the Emperor (more for the attack on Sybille's character then anything else). King Henry IX of England remained neutral and was recorded saying, "I confess not to knowing your parents well, but I have no doubt they would be ashamed of how far you have fallen. If you were sons of mine, I would knock your heads together and lock you in a room until you got along."
The four brothers met one last time before the battle of Nancy, trying to broker peace. Unfortunately, it ended as it always did in shouting and cursing.
However, the true tragedy would start before the battle even could begin. Philip had gone to King Albertus' tent and discovered a gruesome sight. Albertus was lying on the pool of blood, his throat had been cut after being knocked out by a blow to the head. To this day, scholars are puzzled on who had killed the monarch, with some speculating that it was the young Prince Williem, having been driven to betray his oldest brother by years of being punished for something he had no control over. However, Williem was nowhere near the war camps, having stayed behind as Albertus' regent. One thing was for certain, whoever killed Albertus did so on either Mauritus or Carel's orders.
An enraged and devastated Prince Philip lead the troops, declaring that they would fight for the true king, avenging his death. He screamed the battle cry which was echoed by the soldiers. "Death to the kinslayers! Justice for the late King Albertus and his son, Maximiliaan of Burgundy."
[13] Born in 1754 to King Albertus and Archduchess Sybille of Bavaria, Maximiliaan was only twelve years old when he became King of Burgundy, after the murder of his father. His uncle Philip helped him secure his throne by winning the Battle of Nancy, which resulted in the death of Prince Maurits and exiling of his family from Burgundy. Maximiliaan then had a largely peaceful regency that was headed by his mother Sybille and uncle Philip, being the first Burgundian King to have one since Henry the Red. He reached his majority in 1772, and began to look for an suitable wife for himself, which he found in Princess Margaret of Scotland, whom he married in 1775. The couple had a loving marriage and had four children.
In 1778, an rebellion started in New Holland, which turned into the New Hollander Revolution (1778-1782). It was an success for New Holland as it got independence from Burgundy and picked Maurits' son Hendrik as their first King, who Maximiliaan saw as a threat as he still considered him to be a bastard. Maximiliaan died in 1784 at the age of 30 when he shot himself in the face while out hunting. He was succeeded by his daughter Marianne.
[14] Queen Marianne I was born on March 6, 1777 as the oldest of the four children of King Maximiliaan and his wife Margaret of Scotland, becoming heir to the throne after her brother Carel died at the age of three from smallpox in 1783, making her Queen at the age of seven and her reign would be marked by turmoil and changes across Europe. The early reign of Marianne would be marked by an eleven-year regency for her led by her mother and a council of ministers who transitioned Burgundy into a semi-constitutional monarchy as a parliament elected by landowners and rich merchants who paid a certain amount of taxes or owned a set amount of land was set up, even if most power would still be vested in the monarch.
The defining moment of Marianne I's reign would be the Spanish Revolutionary Wars which saw the fall of the Spanish Monarchy and the revolutionary Spanish Republic try to wage various wars against the rest of Europe which would end in a draw. Spain would remain a revolutionary republic, having absorbed Portugal with a Portugal-in-exile in the New World, but the old order would be maintained north of the Pyrenees. She would be a major figure in the alliance against the Spanish Republic, being effective at creating a cordon sanitaire against Spanish expansionism.
Domestically, Marianne's reign as Queen would see the Industrial Revolution be spearheaded by Burgundy with its rich deposits of minerals fueling an industrial revolution which made Burgundy one of the richest industrial powers of Europe. In addition, she would spearhead a golden age of Burgundian culture as well with her patronage of cultural development during her reign.
In her personal life, Queen Marianne would marry Prince Alexander of Denmark with the couple having three children who made it to adulthood, even if the two didn't have a good relationship with Alexander reportedly having three mistresses of his own. Queen Marianne would die at the age of fifty on September 7, 1827 from a heart attack, being succeeded by her son, Albertus.
[15] Albertus was named for his great-grandfather, but his demeanor matched his rebellious great-uncles with his love of partying, drinking, and women. He had a fearsome temper, often getting into drunken brawls. His one redeeming quality was he knew how to pick good councilors. He had no interest in running the kingdom himself, but the men he picked were capable of keeping his reign afloat despite the king's reckless spending
His appetite for women was well known, and he had little interest in getting married, preferring to father bastards who in a rare act of goodwill, he always acknowledged and provided for them, although he rarely saw them. Finally in 1834, he acquiesced and married the Swedish Princess Ingrid. However, the couple did not get along and in their ten-year marriage, they did not produce a single heir.
In 1844, Albertus II died via gunshot. One of his lover's husbands took exception to finding his wife in bed with the king and in an act of jealous rage, expressed his anger by shooting them both right then and there before turning the gun on himself. Albertus was succeeded by his younger brother, Prince Maximiliaan.
[16] Prince Maximiliaan Alexander was born in 1802, the youngest of three children born to Queen Marianne would marry Prince-Consort, Alexander.
While his older brother was the heir, Maximiliaan was the spare and named after his maternal grandfather.
During his childhood, Maximiliaan concentrated and studied heavily under numerous tutors as well at Dijon University, aiming for a life in administration.
At the age of 21, at his request to his mother, he became Burgundy’s ambassador to both Kingdom of England and his maternal grandmother’s Kingdom of Scotland, learning the ways of international diplomacy, while in Scotland, in 1823, he would marry Lady Elizabeth Hamilton, daughter of James Hamilton, Duke of Hamilton and Duke of Brandon and his wife Princess Mary of Scotland (Niece of Margaret of Scotland, through a fourth brother) in their stately home of Hamilton Palace.
When his mother died in 1827, and his brother became King, Maximiliaan was recalled back to Burgundy with his wife and three children as his brother’s heir presumptive, the pair would continue to have children even into Maximiliaan’s own reign.
Once back in his home country, Maximiliaan would sit on the privy council and attending meetings with the Chancellor while Albertus enjoyed partying, drinking, and women. He would also quickly integrate his children, whom had been born and lived their early lives in Scotland, into the culture of Burgundy.
As the responsible member of the family, Maximiliaan was having to find the financial support for not only for his brother’s illegitimate issues but also his own father’s illegitimate issues.
It was during a sitting in Parliament when news broke of the regicide, murder and suicide, with no legitimate issues, Maximiliaan was proclaimed King.
Having been heavily involved with Burgundy’s domestic and foreign politics since 1827, especially in lieu of his brother’s laissez-faire reign, many historians class Maximiliaan’s influence to 61 years.
Maximiliaan would support economic trade deals that benefited the workers of his country while still being able to import cheaply.
To keep the peace with the Kingdom of Sweden, Maximiliaan would repay the dowry of his sister-in-law and pay a pension to the Dowager Queen, even when she left to return to her homeland.
As a buffer kingdom between Borbon Franco-Spanish Union and the Holy Roman Empire, Maximiliaan would hold peace talks following minor skirmishes, giving him the nickname Peace Keeper.
His death in 1888, aged 86, followed a few years of failing health. He was succeeded by his son, Philip.
Wanting her son to be king, Margaret sought out an alliance with the Duke of Brittany as well, hoping that along with England, they could attack Lorraine, taking revenge for the disastrous battle of Nancy.
She also strived to find a wife for her son, deciding nothing less than a princess would do. The prospective brides were: Catherine of Navarre (1468), Cecily of York (1469), Princess Anna Jagiellon (1476), Princess Joanna of Naples (1478), and the Breton heiress, Anne of Brittany (1478). She even reached out to Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile, suggesting their second daughter Joanna of Aragon (1479). Joanna would letter go on to marry Charles' half-nephew, Philip the Handsome.
After much debate, Joanna of Naples was chosen. An alliance against the French and Lorraine was formed. Joanna would arrive in Burgundy at age fourteen. The couple were married soon after. The couple had harmonious marriage with not a hint of scandal or affairs. They had nine children, with six surviving.
Across the channel, England had a Lancaster king, Henry Tudor. Margaret of York was quite angry at this and urged her son to support any Yorkist contender. Charles refused most passionately, having no wish to come into conflict with England especially not if their dreams of his duchy becoming a kingdom were to be realized. When John de la Pole, 1st Earl of Lincoln fled to Burgundy in hopes of starting a Yorkist uprising, Charles had him arrested and sent back to England to be attained and executed. Grateful, King Henry, signed an agreement with Charles to support his annexation of Lorraine.
In 1490, when Charles VII of France broke the engagement between himself and Margarita of Austria and invade Brittany to marry Anne, Duchess of Brittany, Charles of Burgundy saw his chance to attack Lorraine with the jilted bride's father, Archduke Maximilian, his former brother-in-law's support along with the help of England and Naples.
In 1493, Maximilian became Holy Roman Emperor and he crowned Charles the King of Burgundy. Charles choose to style himself as the second of his name, citing that had his father not died, he would have been crowned king. After avenging his father by killing the Duke of Lorraine, Charles was recognized as the king by the Pope and other nations. He would also see that he made dynastic matches for all of his children, consolidating his rule.
In 1496, Queen Joanna's nephew King Ferdinand of Naples would die, and the Pope would declare Joanna the new queen, allowing Burgundy to have a footing in Italy. He would fight in two Italian wars to preserve it. He would die of an infected wound in 1502, leaving his lands to his son John.
[2] Born in 1495, John I was his parents third child and first son. He would be barely five years old when his father Charles II died continuing the tradition of Burgundian regencies. His regency was handled nominally by his mother, Joanna of Naples, and but in actuality by his grandmother, Margaret of York; Joanna having spent all her life in the shadow of her mother, fell easily into the shadow of her mother-in-law.
To resolve the Italian conflict, John’s younger brother Charles would be crowned King of Naples ensuring a separation of the two counties. Charles’s regency would be handled by his other grandmother, Joanna of Aragon.
John’s regency would end with the death of Margaret of York when John was 13. Her last act would be arranging the betrothal of John to Mary Tudor. (Margaret of York hadn’t quite forgiven the Tudors, but they were at least descended from her niece, and Mary Tudor was the right age) They would be wed two years later in 1512.
John and Mary were both very pleased with their new attractive spouse and got right to the business of baby making. In 10 years of marriage, the would have 7 children. They presided over a lighthearted festive court during what is now called the Golden Decade.
But all good things come to an end, and the Golden Decade did in 1522 when John took a tumble while riding and broke his neck. He would be succeeded by his son Charles.
[3] Charles was born in 1513 as the first child of John I and Mary Tudor, and was an sickly child during his youth, with many surprised that he outlived his father to become King of Burgundy at the age of 9. His mother Mary served as his regent, but he would not live long enough to rule on his own as he died of tuberculosis in 1528. He was succeeded by his brother, Henry.
[4] Henry was twelve years old when he succeeded his brother, starting another period of regency. His mother died in 1533 when he was seventeen. Instead of allowing a new regent to take power, he had the council declare him of age. He then proceeded to find himself and his younger siblings spouses. As Burgundy had grown rich with trade, he sought to expend the trade routes by establishing a friendship with Portugal in hopes of gaining access to the east, he married his sister, Mary, to Luís of Portugal, Duke of Beja while he himself became engaged to Maria of Portugal, Duchess of Viseu. Henry and Maria would be married in 1540 and they would have nine children.
When it came to the Reformation, Henry was known as a nominal supporter. He was largely Catholic and there was a never a whisper of him abandoning the church like his namesake uncle. However, he was quite friendly with men like John Calvin and John Fredrick of Saxony. He is suspected to have influenced William the Silent of Orange, his surrogate son. He also allowed reformists to practice their religion openly.
It got so bad, that Pope Julius III threatened to excommunicate him if he did not deal with the heretics in his lands. It was only his son-in-law, King Henri of France's intervention that prevented this. He would still have a tenious relationship with the church until the end of his life.
In 1555, Henry supported his cousin, King Giovanni's capture of Sicily from King Philip of Spain. He died in battle, leaving his kingdom in the hands of his son, John.
[5] John was barely fifteen when his father died. Since his father Henry had died at war, there weren't any plans for a regency for John. While Maria of Portugal, would initially be poised to follow the footsteps of many a Burgundian Queen Mother before her, John would fight to be declared of age, and in the end would win, becoming the first Burgundian King to rule without a regency.
John would continue in the Italian Wars to avenge his father, and would call in both of his brother-in-law, Henri of France and Edward of England. (Though the marriage of Margaret of Burgundy and Edward VI was still just a proxy marriage, since Margaret was 10). With the additional help, the war was won quickly.
His first marriage would be to Mary Stewart, Queen of Scotts. Their marriage had been arranged from almost her birth and the two had grown up together. While there was no great passion between them, they got along fine and trusted each other. They would have three children.
Much of the early part of John’s reign was peaceful. With all his neighbors now related by marriage. This would change upon the death of Henri of France. The French Throne would be inherited by Charles, Henri’s younger brother. But, both John and his sister Jeanne, were of the opinion that the Duchy of Brittany was the inheritance of little Marie de Valois, only child of Henri of France and Jeanne.
Jeanne and Marie would be smuggled to Brittany where, young Marie would be wed to her cousin, John’s eldest son. Then, John went to war. During this war, Charles, younger brother of John, would disguise himself as an excellent general. The war would drag on for several years, but in the end France’s lack of allies (The Habsburgs were still ticked about Sicily, and the Tudors rather liked the Burgundians) would allow John to win the Duchy of Brittany for his niece.
John’s mother, Maria of Portugal, would pass away in 1579, and after some negotiation, John’s brother Charles would inherit the Dukedom of Viseau.
In 1583, Mary Stewart was crossing from Scotland to Burgundy as she wished to be present for the birth of her second grandchild . This would send John into something of a reflective mood and for the fist time in his life, John would consider religion seriously. John had continued his father’s practice of religious tolerance and had been nominally Catholic. But prior to Mary’s death, had had no strong opinions on religion. Now, he wanted answers.
John would study religion extensively for the next decade: interrogating the various religious authorities that had flocked to Burgundy and it’s religious tolerance; writing letters to his brother in law Edward Tudor (who as a staunch Protestant was no more happier with John’s religious tolerance than the pope); a visit to Rome; and sundry other attempts at religious truth.
In 1594, John would convert to Calvinism. While religious tolerance in Burgundy wouldn’t end with John’s conversion, Calvinists would begin to much more favor and freedoms than Catholics, Lutherans, and Anglicans. Shortly after that, John would remarry to Louise Julianna of Nassau, the daughter of his good friend and pseudo brother. The two would have a happy marriage and have 8 children.
The last part of John’s reign was marked by increased religious tensions internally and externally. Externally: many French Huguenots would travel to Burgundy for sanctuary raising tensions with France, and John’s conversion would cause his relationship with his Italian cousins to suffer. (Not to badly, after all he had won them Sicily) Internally: religious persecution of non-calvinists was on the rise. But, by this point, John was very good at being a King (lots of practice) and so was able to keep tensions from boiling over.
John would pass away in his sleep late in the year 1619. He was succeeded by his son, William.
[6] Much like the split between Burgundy and Naples, it was decided that Burgundy and Scotland would be divided between William and his younger brother James. Unfortunately for all parties, William was much more interested in sailing and visiting new lands. When he was fifteen, he all but begged his father to allow him to travel with one of the trading vessels to the Far East. King John was reluctant, but eventually gave in.
Then at age twenty, William went with explorers he had sponsored for a venture in the New World. He spent several years there until his father finally had enough and demanded he come home and "do his duty".
When William finally arrived back at Burgundy, he was quickly married to Marie of Brittany, he did his duty, siring three children, before heading off on another adventure to the East, not coming back until he learned of his father's death.
He would leave much of his rule to his council, preferring instead to throw himself in the discovering of new lands. He died in 1633 of an aliment he caught while out at sea. He was succeeded by his granddaughter, Jeanne of Brittany.
[7] Jeanne was the only child of John VI of Brittany who was the eldest son of William the Explorer and Marie of Brittany.
John VI had inherited Brittany from his mother while an adolescent, and with an absent father and busy grandfather was pretty much left to his own devices. John VI had grand plans of uniting Brittany and Burgundy and expanding even further. The first step in his plan was marrying Anne of Normandy, the Duke of Normandy’s only child. [1]
Upon the Duke of Normandy’s death, John VI would push his wife’s claim, and with England’s assistance (John promised to expand the lands around Calais) he would be able to claim roughly two thirds of the Duchy, the coastline stretching between Brittany and Burgundy.
Jeanne would grow up in the Breton court which was chock full of Huguenots she herself becoming an avid Calvinist. After her mother suffering several miscarriages, John VI would be forced to acknowledged that Jeanne would probably be his only child and so his heir. To ensure her inheritance of Burgundy, John would arrange for Jeanne to marry her one of half great-uncles, the sons of John II of Burgundy and his second wife.
As John VI didn’t particularly care which of his half uncles she chose, Jeanne would be sent to her grandfather’s court so that she would have the chance to examine her options. Jeanne would fall for John William, the fourth child of John II and Louise Julianna. He was also devoutly Calvinist, the two first bonding over religion.
They would marry late in 1623 and would reside at the Burgundian Court. Their first three children would be born there. Then in 1630, Jeanne’s father would die and she would inherit the Duchies of Brittany and Normandy. Another child would be born Brittany.
Then in 1633, Jeanne’s grandfather William the Explorer would die at sea. One of Jeanne’s first acts was ensuring the union of Brittany and Normandy with Burgundy fulfilling her father’s dream of an expanded Burgundy.
She would work at monetizing her grandfather’s explorations, expanding the Burgundian trading networks and forming the Burgundian Royal Trading Company.
Her other main act as Queen of Burgundy declaring the official religion of Burgundy to be Calvinism, and pushing heavily for her subjects to convert. This would cause religious tensions to boil over and a religious revolt would erupt. John William, King Consort would be dispatched to put the revolt down.
Jeanne would not live to see the result as she would die in childbirth early in 1640. She would be succeeded by her son, William.
[8] The man responsible for losing the "Burgundian Hegemony" was no man at all, but a child. Born in late 1627, William was the classic of inbreeding - born with physical defiencies that overshadowed his above average mind. Still, William's clear disinterest in religion even as a child saw his mother Jeanne lose interest in him - focusing instead on his older sisters, Marie and Alice of Burgundy.
His mother's religious policy would eventually see her death and the great revolt which would be the start of the end for the Burgundian Empire. The great peasant rebellion was not only a religious war, but a linguistic one, as the Burgundian Kings became more and more "dutch" as time passed on, and focusing on the Netherlands and it's rich ports, alongside war to secure Brittanny, had alienated the "French Burgundians", where catholicism remained as a powerful force. The counter-Reformation would start to increase it's pressure on Calvinist Burgundy, and has more Dutch preachers left the Netherlands to delve into Burgundy proper and Britanny, more french preachers came to these regions, gaining steadily and steadily more influence over the hated Dutch.
Another reason that would see William's huge loss of land would be his father and regent, John William. The fourth son of John the II, he had been chosen by his niece for his religion - calvinism, while an older uncle, Charles William, the third son, remained alive. To speak of Charles William's character, the man who would eventually head the French House of Valois and became King of France as heir to the childless Francis the II, one can say that he was the perfect monarch - Martial, cunning, smart and focused. Despite his many talents, Charles William would always be rebuked by both his brother, William, (Charles William, while a patron of colonialism as King of France, considered his brother a talentless fool, forgetful of his duty) and his niece (Charles William was catholic, and thus Jeanne both rebuked him and hated him).
Charles William, or as he became known two years before Jeanne's death, Charles the X, would invade Burgundy after his own brother's disastrous defeat at the battle of Nancy to the peasant rebellion, quickly seizing both all of Burgundy and Normandy. His policy of tolerance in France had seen the end of France's religious conflict, and Henry of Conde, a famous general, would lead an effort that would see Brittany conquered just one year after the start of the war.
John William, desperate to maintain at least part of the Kingdom in Burgundian hands, and without allies (The English themselves would ally with France to increase the Pale of Calais in the direction of Flanders), would surrender to his brother Charles in late 1643, ceding to him and his English allies:
- William the II would abdicate as Duke of Brittany, Normandy, Burgundy, Lorraine, Bar and Nevers, and would also cede the Counties of Boulogne, Picardy, Vermandois, Artois, S. Pol, Hainault, the Prince-Bisphoric of Cambray, the County of Rethel, the Prince-Bisphoric of Verdun and Toule.
- Burgundy would secede North-Western Flanders to England, down to Ypres and all the way East to Brugge.
- As a gift of France to the Holy Roman Emperor, Burgundy's Rhenish and Alsacian allies were to now direct their homage to Matthias of Austria.
- Burgundy would receive monetary reparations from France.
- France would recognize Burgundian ownership over all the Netherlands into all of Frisia.
- The Kingdom of Burgundy would be separated from it's ducal origins. The de jure territorry of the Burgundian crown would now be the territorry spanning from Flanders to Frisia.
- Charles the X would recognize John William and William the II as Princes of the Blood, and his heirs should the lines of his four sons fail.
- Charles the X would have his position in the Burgundian line of Succession recognized.
- Charles the X would recognize calvinism as the state religion of the Kingdom of Burgundy.
William the II would see his father "die quietly" and Maurice of Nassau assume the last year of his regency, and Maurice would manage to redirect the anger at the huge loss of land from William to his dead father. As his regency ended in 1645, Maurice of Nassau would remain one of William's strongest and most powerful advisors, and William, afraid of putting Burgundy in another position as his father and mother had, would ally himself with William of the Palatinate, marrying his daughter Elizabeth in 1647, with the couple having five living children. The couple would reign Burgundy with an eye to the interior, fortyfying the border with France and ramping up trade with Scandinavia and the rest of the Empire, all the while investing in Burgundy's ports, armouries, arsenals and roads.
William would direct Burgundian influence in two directions - overseas and into the Holy Roman Empire. William would, despite his hatred for the Habsburgs due to their lack of intervention when he was invaded by France (And their profiteering over it) would support the Imperial remove to destroy Saxony's influence in the Imperial elections by removing their electoral title from them. In sequence, the protestant princes of the Empire would complain about Emperor Matthias' move to give Bavaria the Electoral seat by saying it would break the delicate religious balance of the Empire. Thus, William would successfully move to claim the Electoral seat to The Hague, his royal seat, granting him unprecedented influence over Imperial policy. He would soon confirm himself as the prime enemy of the Habsburgs within the Empire.
William would also support the first settler colonies of his Kingdom - New-Holland (OTL New England including New York and New Jersey), with the first settlement of New Amsterdam (New York) built in 1649, while he would also support the Kapp colony in South Africa. He would wrestle the island of Jamaica, Aruba and Curasao from Spain in late 1650, and would defeat the Portuguese in Ceylon, constructing many forts in the Indian Subcontinent and Indonesia, starting with the building of Batavia in the isle of Java.
William's only land increase in Europe would only come with his recovery of western Flanders late in his reign - the dispute between Henry the IX of England and Phillipe the VII of France would burst into a war that would see France and Burgundy ironically team-up to divide what remained of European England, with the Burgundians retaking their possessions.
William would die three years later of consumption in 1661. He would be succeeded by his son, Maurice.
[9] Maurits or Maurice was of the opinion, that many of his precedessor's failures came from continuing to be French despite the Netherlands becoming more Dutch. Once he ascended the throne, he legally changed his name to Maurits (after Maurice of Nassau) and made Dutch the primary language of his kingdom. He also married Alberta of Egmont, a noblewoman in 1665. They would have eleven children.
When war broke out between France and Spain over Navarre in 1670 with the death of the last Albret, Maurits jumped at a chance to regain some of the lands that his father lost, he sided with Spain against France. However, their alliance broke down quickly when the young King Philip of Spain refused to marry Maurits' oldest daughter, citing her a hunched back, ugly heretic.
Angered at the slight, Maurits switched sides, making a pact with France, the de jure territories of the kingdom of Burgundy would be annexed with his daughter marrying the new Duke of Lorraine in exchange for the Burgundy's support of France's claim of Navarre.
Maurits also made peace with England, marrying his son with the daughter of the Duke of York while his second daughter would marry the Prince of Wales.
During the end of Maurits life, he would see the great war of religion begin that would last for seven years. He would not be able to lead his army as he was dying of cancer at the time. Instead his son Charles would lead the charge.
[10] Carel was born in 1667 as the second child but first son of Maurits the Dutch and Alberta of Egmont. He would use the Dutch version of his name (Charles) when he became King of Burgundy in 1699, by that point he had been married to Mary of Orange for twelve years and had four children with her (Mary would give birth to two more kids during Carel's reign).
Upon ascending the throne, Carel left to fight in the Great War of Religion, leaving his younger brother Albertus as regent. The war had it's origins back in 1694 when an ship that was carring Henry, Prince of Wales and his family sunk, drowning them and most of the other people on the ship. This was important as they were the last Tudors other than King Edmund II of England (Henry's father) and Elizabeth of York (the wife of Carel's brother Willem) that were still alive. So when Edmund died in 1698 the War of the English Succession began, with one side supporting Willem as King of England and another supporting the claim of Infante Duarte of Portugal (whose mother was an member of the House of Tudor) as King.
This quickly spiraled out into the Great War of Religion as the Protestant countries that supported Willem and the Catholic ones that supported Duarte started to attack each other, with one of the fronts being Burgundy itself with both France and the Habsburgs invading it. The Burgundians would fight for seven gruling years with Carel becoming known for being an excellent general on the battlefield, and lead the final charge against the Habsburgs in the Battle of Steyr in 1705, one of the final battles of the Great War of Religion.
An peace treaty was signed the following year, which lncluded these terms:
- Recognition of Willem of Burgundy as King of England as William III.
- Ferdinand II of Austria is forced to abdicate as Holy Roman Emperor, with Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria chosen as the new Holy Roman Emperor.
- Saxony is granted back their Electorial title.
- France has to give the Duchies of Brittany, and Normandy complete independence.
- Burgundy's former Rhenish and Alsacian allies direct their homage back to them instead of Ferdinand II of Austria.
- France would receive monetary reparations from Burgundy.
- Calais was granted independence as a Principality co-ruled by the King of England and the King of Burgundy.
- William III would recognize Carel IV's line as his heirs should the line of his descendants fail.
- William III would have his place in the Burgundian line of Succession recognized.
After the Great War of Religion, the rest of Carel’s reign was mostly peaceful besides creating an Family Compact with the other branches of the House of Valois-Burgundy which now ruled in Burgundy, Scotland, England, and Naples (an imitation of the Habsburg compact), late in his reign.
Carel died in 1728 at the age of 61, and would be remembered as one of the greatest monarchs of Burgundy. He was succeeded by his granddaughter, Elizabeth.
[11] Queen Elizabeth was born in 1714 as the older of the two daughters of Crown Prince Maurice, famously known as the "king who never was" with how he died in 1726, leaving his daughter Elizabeth as the heir to the throne. Two years later, Elizabeth would become Queen of Burgundy after her grandfather's death at the age of fourteen.
Her reign would see the consolidation of the order that her grandfather had set up with how Elizabeth would build an alliance system with not only Protestant powers but also Catholic Bavaria, Orthodox Russia, and the Muslim Ottoman Empire against the French, Austrians, and Spanish. In addition, her reign would be a reign marked by how she would expand the Burgundian colonial empire with New Burgundy (OTL Australia) seeing its first colony in Elizabethville (OTL Perth) along with a general expansion of the Burgundian Empire during her reign. In her reign, she would also be a ruler who would promote patronage of the arts and culture as well.
Having married a distant cousin to maintain the family line, even if said relationship would end up a happy one, Queen Elizabeth would die in 1750 from the strain of childbirth with how the birth of her seventh child weakened her for her to die of smallpox on November 4, 1750. In the aftermath of her death, Burgundy's next monarch would be her son, Albertus.
[12] Albertus, or Albert, was the first born son of his parents, named after his father. He was born in 1732. He was a serious child with a sharp mind and a strong sense of duty. He is often depicted as resenting his siblings for grievous crime of being born and taking away the attention of his parents. In truth, the only sibling, Albertus resented unreasonably was his youngest brother, Willem, who their mother died giving birth to. His resentment towards Maurits (born in 1733) and Carel (born in 1745) came from how they were both frivolous and hedonist lifestyles and yet they seemed to win many friends with their charisma. He also disapproved of his sister Elisabeth (born in 1736) more masculine hobbies and how she seemed too close with her lady-in-waiting. In contrast, he was closer to his remaining siblings, Philip (1735) who was his most ardent supporter, Anges (1741) and Margriet (1747).
In 1752, he married Sybille of Bavaria, the daughter of the Holy Roman Emperor. Their marriage could not be called happy especially when Sybille had trouble carrying her pregnancies to term. However, they managed to have two surviving children.
Although, Albertus was a competent statesman, many people were put off by his stoic and unyielding demeanor. When he was crowned King of Burgundy at eighteen-years-old, there was much tension as Albertus was said to hate Catholicism and many feared that he would start burning people. In truth, Albertus loathed religious fanaticism and superstition, feeling it was nothing more than excuses for corrupt monks to swindle and spread fear. This did not stop his enemies from cultivating a picture of Albertus who would gladly burn men, women and children. He also made harsher laws for gambling and prostitution.
Unfortunately, in his mission to root out corruption, not to mention his blunt demeanor and his filling his advisors with new men, believing that merit and skill and not who your father was made someone qualified, he made a few enemies among the nobles who would be driven to his brothers' camp. Tensions between the four brothers was high with only their father managing to keep the peace. Maurits at one point was banished from court for causing a scandal at Albertus' wedding, having been found in compromising position with one of Sybille's ladies.
Once their father died in 1760, the fragile peace between the four brothers was destroyed completely. In 1763, Maurits declared himself king, stating that his older brother was unfit to rule and that his two children were bastards, born from Queen Sybille's affair with the court's jester. He was supported, of course, by Carel and thanks to his marriage to the daughter of the French king, he also had France backing him
King Albertus was enraged as was the ever dutiful Philip and Sybille's father, the Emperor (more for the attack on Sybille's character then anything else). King Henry IX of England remained neutral and was recorded saying, "I confess not to knowing your parents well, but I have no doubt they would be ashamed of how far you have fallen. If you were sons of mine, I would knock your heads together and lock you in a room until you got along."
The four brothers met one last time before the battle of Nancy, trying to broker peace. Unfortunately, it ended as it always did in shouting and cursing.
However, the true tragedy would start before the battle even could begin. Philip had gone to King Albertus' tent and discovered a gruesome sight. Albertus was lying on the pool of blood, his throat had been cut after being knocked out by a blow to the head. To this day, scholars are puzzled on who had killed the monarch, with some speculating that it was the young Prince Williem, having been driven to betray his oldest brother by years of being punished for something he had no control over. However, Williem was nowhere near the war camps, having stayed behind as Albertus' regent. One thing was for certain, whoever killed Albertus did so on either Mauritus or Carel's orders.
An enraged and devastated Prince Philip lead the troops, declaring that they would fight for the true king, avenging his death. He screamed the battle cry which was echoed by the soldiers. "Death to the kinslayers! Justice for the late King Albertus and his son, Maximiliaan of Burgundy."
[13] Born in 1754 to King Albertus and Archduchess Sybille of Bavaria, Maximiliaan was only twelve years old when he became King of Burgundy, after the murder of his father. His uncle Philip helped him secure his throne by winning the Battle of Nancy, which resulted in the death of Prince Maurits and exiling of his family from Burgundy. Maximiliaan then had a largely peaceful regency that was headed by his mother Sybille and uncle Philip, being the first Burgundian King to have one since Henry the Red. He reached his majority in 1772, and began to look for an suitable wife for himself, which he found in Princess Margaret of Scotland, whom he married in 1775. The couple had a loving marriage and had four children.
In 1778, an rebellion started in New Holland, which turned into the New Hollander Revolution (1778-1782). It was an success for New Holland as it got independence from Burgundy and picked Maurits' son Hendrik as their first King, who Maximiliaan saw as a threat as he still considered him to be a bastard. Maximiliaan died in 1784 at the age of 30 when he shot himself in the face while out hunting. He was succeeded by his daughter Marianne.
[14] Queen Marianne I was born on March 6, 1777 as the oldest of the four children of King Maximiliaan and his wife Margaret of Scotland, becoming heir to the throne after her brother Carel died at the age of three from smallpox in 1783, making her Queen at the age of seven and her reign would be marked by turmoil and changes across Europe. The early reign of Marianne would be marked by an eleven-year regency for her led by her mother and a council of ministers who transitioned Burgundy into a semi-constitutional monarchy as a parliament elected by landowners and rich merchants who paid a certain amount of taxes or owned a set amount of land was set up, even if most power would still be vested in the monarch.
The defining moment of Marianne I's reign would be the Spanish Revolutionary Wars which saw the fall of the Spanish Monarchy and the revolutionary Spanish Republic try to wage various wars against the rest of Europe which would end in a draw. Spain would remain a revolutionary republic, having absorbed Portugal with a Portugal-in-exile in the New World, but the old order would be maintained north of the Pyrenees. She would be a major figure in the alliance against the Spanish Republic, being effective at creating a cordon sanitaire against Spanish expansionism.
Domestically, Marianne's reign as Queen would see the Industrial Revolution be spearheaded by Burgundy with its rich deposits of minerals fueling an industrial revolution which made Burgundy one of the richest industrial powers of Europe. In addition, she would spearhead a golden age of Burgundian culture as well with her patronage of cultural development during her reign.
In her personal life, Queen Marianne would marry Prince Alexander of Denmark with the couple having three children who made it to adulthood, even if the two didn't have a good relationship with Alexander reportedly having three mistresses of his own. Queen Marianne would die at the age of fifty on September 7, 1827 from a heart attack, being succeeded by her son, Albertus.
[15] Albertus was named for his great-grandfather, but his demeanor matched his rebellious great-uncles with his love of partying, drinking, and women. He had a fearsome temper, often getting into drunken brawls. His one redeeming quality was he knew how to pick good councilors. He had no interest in running the kingdom himself, but the men he picked were capable of keeping his reign afloat despite the king's reckless spending
His appetite for women was well known, and he had little interest in getting married, preferring to father bastards who in a rare act of goodwill, he always acknowledged and provided for them, although he rarely saw them. Finally in 1834, he acquiesced and married the Swedish Princess Ingrid. However, the couple did not get along and in their ten-year marriage, they did not produce a single heir.
In 1844, Albertus II died via gunshot. One of his lover's husbands took exception to finding his wife in bed with the king and in an act of jealous rage, expressed his anger by shooting them both right then and there before turning the gun on himself. Albertus was succeeded by his younger brother, Prince Maximiliaan.
[16] Prince Maximiliaan Alexander was born in 1802, the youngest of three children born to Queen Marianne would marry Prince-Consort, Alexander.
While his older brother was the heir, Maximiliaan was the spare and named after his maternal grandfather.
During his childhood, Maximiliaan concentrated and studied heavily under numerous tutors as well at Dijon University, aiming for a life in administration.
At the age of 21, at his request to his mother, he became Burgundy’s ambassador to both Kingdom of England and his maternal grandmother’s Kingdom of Scotland, learning the ways of international diplomacy, while in Scotland, in 1823, he would marry Lady Elizabeth Hamilton, daughter of James Hamilton, Duke of Hamilton and Duke of Brandon and his wife Princess Mary of Scotland (Niece of Margaret of Scotland, through a fourth brother) in their stately home of Hamilton Palace.
When his mother died in 1827, and his brother became King, Maximiliaan was recalled back to Burgundy with his wife and three children as his brother’s heir presumptive, the pair would continue to have children even into Maximiliaan’s own reign.
Once back in his home country, Maximiliaan would sit on the privy council and attending meetings with the Chancellor while Albertus enjoyed partying, drinking, and women. He would also quickly integrate his children, whom had been born and lived their early lives in Scotland, into the culture of Burgundy.
As the responsible member of the family, Maximiliaan was having to find the financial support for not only for his brother’s illegitimate issues but also his own father’s illegitimate issues.
It was during a sitting in Parliament when news broke of the regicide, murder and suicide, with no legitimate issues, Maximiliaan was proclaimed King.
Having been heavily involved with Burgundy’s domestic and foreign politics since 1827, especially in lieu of his brother’s laissez-faire reign, many historians class Maximiliaan’s influence to 61 years.
Maximiliaan would support economic trade deals that benefited the workers of his country while still being able to import cheaply.
To keep the peace with the Kingdom of Sweden, Maximiliaan would repay the dowry of his sister-in-law and pay a pension to the Dowager Queen, even when she left to return to her homeland.
As a buffer kingdom between Borbon Franco-Spanish Union and the Holy Roman Empire, Maximiliaan would hold peace talks following minor skirmishes, giving him the nickname Peace Keeper.
His death in 1888, aged 86, followed a few years of failing health. He was succeeded by his son, Philip.
[16] Philip was born in 1827, the second born son and his parents' third child. He was named for Prince Philip the Loyal, one of Maximiliaan's favorite heroes. He named his first son Karel after their ancestors Karel of Burgundy, the first king of Burgundy, and of Emperor Charlamange. Philip was quite close with Karel and was devastated with the rest of the family when he died of pneumonia at just thirteen.
Philip never met his Uncle Albertus and judging from the bits of information he heard his parents whispering---not that he was eavesdropping---he never wanted to. When his father ascended the throne in 1844, Philip dryly noted that it changed nothing as his father had been running the kingdom since his grandmother died.
The new heir saw his uncle as an example of how not to act while his father was everything he should inspire to be. Philip thrust himself into his education, wanting to be the kind of administer his father was. He also wished to find a bride himself, suspecting that the key to a good marriage was to have the couple get to know each other before they married.
On a diplomatic mission to Russia, he met Catherine Leopoldovna, a grand duchess. Although she was a distant cousin of the current Tsar, Catherine came from royalty by both sets of grandparents with her maternal grandfather being a prince of Sweden. What she lacked in looks, she made up in wit, and charm. Philip particularly liked how she could belt out the songs of the Russian opera with only needing to take breath in between.
Any objections to the marriage were quickly silenced when the Tsar of Russia, lacking any daughters of his own, gave Catherine a dowry of a princess. In 1849, Philip and Catherine were married after she had converted to the Protestant faith. They would go on to have five children.
For the thirty-nine years, Philip worked alongside his father, stepping in as regent when Maximilaan's health began to worsen.
Considering, he was sixty-one when he became king, no one expected much of Philip's reign, believing it would short and uneventful.
That might have been true if it were not for the great war of the Holy Roman Empire. The Hapsburgs of Austria had not died out and during their fall from grace, they had been slowly fighting to regain control from the House of Wittelsbach. The two factions had been locked in a cold war, using politics to continue their feud.
Finally things came to a head from the mad Duke of Prussia conspired with members of the Wittelsbach faction to set off a bomb at the summer house of the Archduke of Austria and his family. At least fifty people were killed, including children and other innocent bystanders, completely wiping out the remeniets of the male line of Hapsburg.
This of course enraged the surviving Hapsburg loyalists and after nearly two centuries of tension, an all out war was declared in 1899.
King Philip, remembering how his great-great-grandfather's murderers were never caught (even though the masterminds Maurits and Karel were killed in battle), told the current Holy Roman Emperor that he would not support him unless he punished the people responsible for the horrifying attack.
Much to his fury, Emperor Maximilian III (named for Philip's great-grandfather) refused, stating that the Duke of Prussia (who loudly took credit for the massacre) would not name his conspirators. Philip publicly called bull on this. It did not help matters when the mad duke was found dead in his cell, an apparent suicide. Many, including Philip, suspected that the duke's accomplices were Maximilian's own relatives and he was afraid that if they were named, it would be rumored he was the mastermind behind it, not that he was helping himself by covering it all up.
King Philip had three options. He could remain neutral, he could side with a man he suspected was either behind the Hapsburg bombing or at the very least knew who was, or he could support the rebels.
Unfortunately, Europe was choosing sides, and Philip soon found himself smack dab in the middle of it all. For several months, Philip meet with his council and parliament, as the entire country tried to pick a side, wanting to look at the political ramifications of supporting the Hapsburg loyalists or the Wittelsbach who were often shown to be skeptical to the same kind of madness that the Duke of Prussia suffered from.
Finally, in 1900, Burgundy sided with uprising, stating they could not sit by while the Holy Roman Emperor attempted to sweep, what was nothing less than a family annihilation, go unpunished. "Were they rebels who destroyed a royal house, retribution would swift and fierce. The same must be said when a ruler's supporters commits the same crime." This famous line was uttered by Philip's childhood friend and supporter, the Prince of Orange.
By 1912, the war was finished but the Holy Roman Empire was now divided, with their remaining lands becoming separate kingdoms. Philip lost many sons and grandsons in the war and he prayed that they would never have to go through it again.
Five years later, shortly after his ninetieth birthday, Philip passed away in his sleep, leaving........
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POD: The treaty of Cordoba goes through, and lacking a Bourbon candidate, the Mexicans take up Archduke Charles, Duke of Teschen, as Emperor.
Emperors of Mexico
1822-1847: Carlos I Luís (House of Habsburg-Teschen)[1]
1847-1895: Alberto I Federico (House of Habsburg-Teschen)[2]
1895-1930: Catalina I (House of Habsburg-Teschen) [3]
1930-1953: Alejandro I Carlos (House of Habsburg-Romanov)[4]
[1] Born in 1771 as the third son of Holy Roman Emperor Leopold the II, Charles' life would seem to many delegetated to that of a spare of a royal line. Instead, Karl Ludwig,
as he was known in his homeland of Germany, became one of Napoleon's fiercest enemies, famous for his tactical brilliance. As a general, he emphasised caution and the importance of controlling strategic points of the battlefield, while also having the ability to hold complex and risky manouvers in the battlefield.
The lack of Bourbon candidates and Prince Metternich's wise decision to spread Austrian influence over the new world would prove wise - Karl Ludwig, or as he would become known now, Carlos Luís, would land in Veracruz in early 1822, bringing along his wife and Mexico's new Empress, Henrietta of Nassau and four healthy children to assure the line of succession.
Carlos' influence in Mexico's Constitutionalism cannot be understated - Carlos' conditions on becoming Emperor were clear - He was not opposed to sharing his powers with the new bicameral Parliament - divided between the Imperial Senate and the Imperial Council, but he was not open to a liberal constitution which he consider "unnatural" and would attempt to make him a puppet. It was thus that the man who would become Mexico's first Emperor settled in Chapulpetec Castle. During these times as Mexico settled from the disturbance of the Independence wars, the Senate and Council, with Carlos' support, opted to follow a Federalist division of Mexico's territory, diving Mexico's Land in Autonomous "Crowns" (At this time, the Crown of Xalisco, Yucatan, Mexico and Guatemala were the only ones) which were divided further into departments. The land in Mexico's North, very sparsely populated at the time, was divided into various territorries open for settlement, which, upon reaching a certain demographic level, would be able to either join a current Crown or establish a new one with permission from the Emperor.
Carlos would, however, not break his constitutional limits, knowing wisely that he could not (at least yet) compete with the popularity of Mexico's three great at the time - Augustin de Iturbe, Guadalupe Victoria and Guerrerro, but he would however increase in popularity as the political moves of these three and many other political figures in Mexico saw the "hard" Emperor became a famous figure all over Mexico.
Aside from this, Carlos became very famous with Mexico's people - even Mexico's natives would come to aprove of Carlos as he adopted many "aristrocatic" traditions of theirs to flesh out the new nature of the Mexican Monarchy. His involvement in modernizing Mexico's army would see Mexico develop certainly the American Constinent's most professional army at the time.
He would personally decree deals which involved the new peerages of the Empire, with the heir to the throne being declared the "Principe Imperial" while the Monarch's other children would be Princes of Mexico. At this time, other men would reach high rank, such as Augustin, who would become Prince of Iturbide, Guadulupe Victoria would become Duke of Victoria, etc.
The trouble with the Comache in the northern territorries and the increasing presence of American settlers in Texas would see Charles negotiate a treaty with his Austrian kindred and the German Confederation at the time to ease the migration of Germans and Austria's other subjects into Mexico. The 1820's would see a age of vast immigration for Mexico as many Germans (Mostly Austrians and Bavarians) and Poles, Czechs, Hungarians, Slovaks and Croats, Transylvanians and others all would come to settle heavily all over Mexico but especially the North, seeing to the rapid development and settlement of the region as many of Austria's discontented and poor subjects took up the opportunity. American squatters in Texas quickly saw themselves outnumbered and sometimes even violently expelled as Europeans (Germans, Transylvanians and Poles were especially prevalent in Texas) and Natives from the Yucatan and Southern Mexico moved in the land to settle, encouraged by the Imperial government.
The Mexican-American war of 1837 would start over America demanding reparations over the mistreatment of it's citizens in Texas by locals, which Mexico would refuse. The Mexican Imperial army would, despite initial setbacks, eventually throughly trash the American armies sent against them, providing a massive boost to early Mexican Nationalism. Reparations from America would serve to finance the construction of schools, roads and ports, serving Karl's view of a tightly-unified, modern nation for Mexico.
He would die a highly popular Emperor in 1847, at the age of 75. He would be succeded by Crown Prince Alberto Federico.
[2] Albrecht Friedrich Rudolf Dominik, was born on 3 August 1817 and was the eldest son of Archduke Charles of Austria, and Princess Henrietta of Nassau-Weilburg. His father was the third son of Leopold II, Austrian Emperor.
Born in Vienna, from an early age he had a military disposition, which his father encouraged. Albrecht was subject to a mild form of epilepsy, but this did not visibly interfere with his life.
At the age of 4 he would land in Veracruz in early 1822, along with his father, mother and three siblings.
With his father’s adoption of many "aristrocatic" traditions of the new nature of the Mexican Monarchy, which went along with changing all of the family member’s German names and naming all new children with Mexican names. Albrecht Friedrich Rudolf Dominik changed his name to Alberto Federico Rodolfo Dominic.
During the Mexican-American war of 1837, 19 year old Alberto, would serve a commanding role in the Mexican Imperial army.
It was his suggestion of using the American law, “The Indian Removal Act of 1830” which authorized the American government to enforce Indian removal from east of the Mississippi River to Indian Territory west on the American frontier, to Mexican advantage.
Alberto would sign a treaty (with his fathers blessing) offering land in Santa Fe de Nuevo México to Native Americans, and life long amnesty with the Mexican Empire, in exchange of Native Americans fighting alongside the Mexicans in their struggle against the expansionist untied states. Native Americans would settle in large numbers within the North Eastern parts of the empire, like Nuevo Mexico and Alta California, their population would grow within the imperial population.
This amongst other events were seen as the reason that eventually the Mexican army was able to throughly trash the American army.
Agreed by historians from letters and reports, written at this time, suggested that his role and power was that of the bureaucratnot the fighting soldier.
With an increase of Bavarian immigrants, Carlos arranged for his heir, Crown Prince Alberto to be married on 1 May 1844, in Cathedral of the Assumption of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary into Heaven, Mexico City to Princess Adelgunde of Bavaria, daughter of Ling Louis I of Bavaria and Theresa of Saxe-Hildburghausen.
The couple would have a happy relationship and see four children born to them.
Upon his father’s death in 1847, Alberto was crowned Emperor in the same Cathedral, he was married in.
His reign of 48 years would see many changes.
The main land territory, didn’t gain or lose area, however the Mexican Empire would gain the islands of Cuba and Puerto Rico, who ceded from the Spanish Empire, the sick man of Europe
Regarding military engagements, the imperial army would see action against the aggressive Confederate States of America in 1861-1864 and Second Mexican-American War 1889-1892.
By 1893, the Emperor was partially blind and during military parades his horse had to be led by an adjutant, Alberto would pass away peacefully in 1895, aged 77. He was succeeded by his grandaughter, Catalina.
[3] Princess Catalina was born on March 6, 1876 as the second of Prince Fernando's four daughters (with Prince Pedro as her twin brother) and few expected her to become Empress of Mexico one day but fate would lead to Caterina becoming Mexico's unlikely Empress as her father, brother, and older sister would pre-decease Emperor Alberto with Prince Fernando dying in 1887 from cancer at the age of 38, Princess Maria dying at the age of 19 from a fall from her horse in 1893, and Prince Pedro dying in 1894 at the age of 18 after being assassinated by an anarchist radical. As such, Catalina, upon her grandfather's death on December 1, 1895, would become the next Empress of Mexico, a title few expected her to become.
As Empress of Mexico, Catalina would be a ruler who would prove to be both competent and intelligent despite being ill-prepared for the position of Empress, having become heir to the throne a year becoming Empress. During her reign, Catalina would be a ruler known for her staunch opposition to radical political movements, be they from the left or the right, an opposition driven by her twin brother's death at the hands of an anarchist. Her anti-radicalism would be mixed with her push for moderate and balanced reformism in how she would argue that such reformism would be the best shield against revolutionary and radical sentiments with land reform, labor rights, and universal suffrage being implemented during her reign. In politics, Catalina would be involved in politics heavily as a "semi-constitutional monarch" as well, even if left-leaning politicians criticized her authoritarian tendencies and interference in Mexican politics.
In the field of foreign policy, Catalina would preside over the First Transoceanic War from 1916 to 1921 which saw Mexico join the Grand Alliance of Germany, Russia, China, and Italy against the Entente of France, Britain, Japan, and Turkey which saw the victory of the Grand Alliance and Mexico's status as the hegemon of the Americas solidified, especially as the United States would have the Second American Civil War occur after its defeat in the First Transoceanic War culminating in the rise of a radical new regime sending many Blue emigres to Mexico.
In her personal life, Princess Catalina would marry George Romanov, the youngest son of the Tsar of Russia, in 1897, with the couple having six children and a happy marriage until George's death in 1921 from the Swedish Fever. Catalina would never truly recover from her husband's death, dying in 1930 at the age of 54 from a stroke, being succeeded by her son, Alejandro Nicolas.
[4] Emperor Alexander was born in 1900, the first prince of a new century for Mexico. Born to loving parents, the young Alejandro, named for his grandfather, the Tsar of Russia, was coddled but well educated by tutors, teachers and masters of all kinds, studying both in the Imperial University of Veracruz and in the Catholic University of Carlopolis (OTL Houston). This coddled upbringing would end with the first Transoceanic war, where, the Principe Imperial, despite protests from the Imperial Senate, would be allowed to enlist, stalling his higher education to serve in the war. He would become a famous and very talented pilot, ranking clearly as Mexico's best pilot and the wars third (Only behind the German Manfred von Richtofen and a frenchman).
Prince Alejandro in Germany, after the defeat of America in the war. The Prince would see action in both the German and Italian fronts while in Europe.
The war would do well to cool the Prince's habits, as the brash young man that had went off to war returned a quiet, cool-headed youth ready to continue his studies. Many worried for the young Prince's health, and thus, Empress Catalina would be convinced by her government to send George on a tour of Europe to find himself a bride. Owing to Alejandro's many connections among Europe's royalty (Empress Alexander and his friendship with Ludwig the I of Germany, Juan of Spain and Constantine of Greece would be legendary on their own), he would eventually hit it off with Princess Olympia of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, daughter of the King of Greece. Despite both the temperamental differences of the couple, Olympia would convert to catholicism in early 1929 and the couple would be married in Mexico city in early 1930. Their marriage would be an happy occasion that would immediately be diminished by the death of Alexander's mother. They would have plenty of children.
Alexander's coronation came soon after - the effects of the Berlin Stock Market crash spread through-out the world and Mexico was heavily affected due to it's heavy trade relations with the Central Powers. Political instability soon flowed in Mexico especially due to the support and interference of the new "Red" nations - the US, France and the UK. However, Alexander's motion of trust in favour of Nicolas Hottsmitt Bertinelli, Mexico's most famous prime minister, who through a measure of heavy handed dirigisme saved Mexico from the depression saw his reputation rise and Mexico arise out of the darkness.
In early 1937, after a serious communist revolt in Saint Petersburg which was quelled by the Russian Gendarmerie, the remaining, new and old Central Powers (Germany, Mexico, Italy, Hungary, Romania, Greece, Bulgaria, Russia) meet in Constantinople, the capital of Greece to discuss the reunification of the Central Powers:
- The Central Powers were to be renamed to the World Central Alliance or WCA, for short.
- The Central Powers all compromised to transition to democracy as fast as possible.
- Complete military alliances between all powers.
- Economic alliance between all powers.
- Of all initial states, all of them were monarchies (The German Empire, which reached from Kiel to Austria, which after the breakup of the Austro-Hungarian Union had been made a constituent state of Germany, was ruled by the Hohenzollerns, Italy by the Savoias, Mexico by the American branch of the Habsburgs, Hungary by the European branch of the Habsburgs, Romania by the Hohenzollern-Singmaringen, Greece by the Saxe-Coburg and Gothas, Bulgaria by the Battenbergs and Russia by the Romanovs) so all would support monarchism worldwide.
- Germany and Russia both vowed to give independence to: Poland, Finland, Georgia, Greater Armenia, Lithuania and the Baltic Union in cooperation with one another by 1937, while Bulgaria and Greece would finally fix their borders peacefully (Greece had conquered Western Anatolia and all of Thrace, and to ensure enough Greeks in Anatolia, Greece and Bulgaria would sign the treaty of Salonika which gave Bulgaria full control of North Macedonia and many bordertowns in Thrace alongside free access to greek ports in the Aegean, in exchange for military and economic cooperation).
- Seek more allies.
By 1940, the start of the First World War, or the Red Crusade, as it is known in Mexico, had seen the WCA grow to the aforementioned countries of the Kingdom of Poland, Georgia, Armenia and Finland and Lithuania and to the Republics of the Baltic, the French Republic in exile alongside what remained of the British Empire.The Empire of Brazil and the Kingdoms of Spain and Portugal would also join the war against the Red Alliance of France, the Union of Britain, America, Yugoslavia, Norway and the Indian Commune. After six years of brutal warfare, the WCA would emerge victorious, conquering all communist nations.
The rest of Alejandro's reign would be peaceful, with Mexico, having taken the war to America alongside Canada and mostly free of destruction would finance the recuperation from the war, rising meteorically in world standing. The Emperor would not see it, however, as he would be assassinated by an American Communist radical while on a visit to the newly established Republic of Dixieland post war. He would be suceeded by _____________.
Emperors of Mexico
1822-1847: Carlos I Luís (House of Habsburg-Teschen)[1]
1847-1895: Alberto I Federico (House of Habsburg-Teschen)[2]
1895-1930: Catalina I (House of Habsburg-Teschen) [3]
1930-1953: Alejandro I Carlos (House of Habsburg-Romanov)[4]
[1] Born in 1771 as the third son of Holy Roman Emperor Leopold the II, Charles' life would seem to many delegetated to that of a spare of a royal line. Instead, Karl Ludwig,
as he was known in his homeland of Germany, became one of Napoleon's fiercest enemies, famous for his tactical brilliance. As a general, he emphasised caution and the importance of controlling strategic points of the battlefield, while also having the ability to hold complex and risky manouvers in the battlefield.
The lack of Bourbon candidates and Prince Metternich's wise decision to spread Austrian influence over the new world would prove wise - Karl Ludwig, or as he would become known now, Carlos Luís, would land in Veracruz in early 1822, bringing along his wife and Mexico's new Empress, Henrietta of Nassau and four healthy children to assure the line of succession.
Carlos' influence in Mexico's Constitutionalism cannot be understated - Carlos' conditions on becoming Emperor were clear - He was not opposed to sharing his powers with the new bicameral Parliament - divided between the Imperial Senate and the Imperial Council, but he was not open to a liberal constitution which he consider "unnatural" and would attempt to make him a puppet. It was thus that the man who would become Mexico's first Emperor settled in Chapulpetec Castle. During these times as Mexico settled from the disturbance of the Independence wars, the Senate and Council, with Carlos' support, opted to follow a Federalist division of Mexico's territory, diving Mexico's Land in Autonomous "Crowns" (At this time, the Crown of Xalisco, Yucatan, Mexico and Guatemala were the only ones) which were divided further into departments. The land in Mexico's North, very sparsely populated at the time, was divided into various territorries open for settlement, which, upon reaching a certain demographic level, would be able to either join a current Crown or establish a new one with permission from the Emperor.
Carlos would, however, not break his constitutional limits, knowing wisely that he could not (at least yet) compete with the popularity of Mexico's three great at the time - Augustin de Iturbe, Guadalupe Victoria and Guerrerro, but he would however increase in popularity as the political moves of these three and many other political figures in Mexico saw the "hard" Emperor became a famous figure all over Mexico.
Aside from this, Carlos became very famous with Mexico's people - even Mexico's natives would come to aprove of Carlos as he adopted many "aristrocatic" traditions of theirs to flesh out the new nature of the Mexican Monarchy. His involvement in modernizing Mexico's army would see Mexico develop certainly the American Constinent's most professional army at the time.
He would personally decree deals which involved the new peerages of the Empire, with the heir to the throne being declared the "Principe Imperial" while the Monarch's other children would be Princes of Mexico. At this time, other men would reach high rank, such as Augustin, who would become Prince of Iturbide, Guadulupe Victoria would become Duke of Victoria, etc.
The trouble with the Comache in the northern territorries and the increasing presence of American settlers in Texas would see Charles negotiate a treaty with his Austrian kindred and the German Confederation at the time to ease the migration of Germans and Austria's other subjects into Mexico. The 1820's would see a age of vast immigration for Mexico as many Germans (Mostly Austrians and Bavarians) and Poles, Czechs, Hungarians, Slovaks and Croats, Transylvanians and others all would come to settle heavily all over Mexico but especially the North, seeing to the rapid development and settlement of the region as many of Austria's discontented and poor subjects took up the opportunity. American squatters in Texas quickly saw themselves outnumbered and sometimes even violently expelled as Europeans (Germans, Transylvanians and Poles were especially prevalent in Texas) and Natives from the Yucatan and Southern Mexico moved in the land to settle, encouraged by the Imperial government.
The Mexican-American war of 1837 would start over America demanding reparations over the mistreatment of it's citizens in Texas by locals, which Mexico would refuse. The Mexican Imperial army would, despite initial setbacks, eventually throughly trash the American armies sent against them, providing a massive boost to early Mexican Nationalism. Reparations from America would serve to finance the construction of schools, roads and ports, serving Karl's view of a tightly-unified, modern nation for Mexico.
He would die a highly popular Emperor in 1847, at the age of 75. He would be succeded by Crown Prince Alberto Federico.
[2] Albrecht Friedrich Rudolf Dominik, was born on 3 August 1817 and was the eldest son of Archduke Charles of Austria, and Princess Henrietta of Nassau-Weilburg. His father was the third son of Leopold II, Austrian Emperor.
Born in Vienna, from an early age he had a military disposition, which his father encouraged. Albrecht was subject to a mild form of epilepsy, but this did not visibly interfere with his life.
At the age of 4 he would land in Veracruz in early 1822, along with his father, mother and three siblings.
With his father’s adoption of many "aristrocatic" traditions of the new nature of the Mexican Monarchy, which went along with changing all of the family member’s German names and naming all new children with Mexican names. Albrecht Friedrich Rudolf Dominik changed his name to Alberto Federico Rodolfo Dominic.
During the Mexican-American war of 1837, 19 year old Alberto, would serve a commanding role in the Mexican Imperial army.
It was his suggestion of using the American law, “The Indian Removal Act of 1830” which authorized the American government to enforce Indian removal from east of the Mississippi River to Indian Territory west on the American frontier, to Mexican advantage.
Alberto would sign a treaty (with his fathers blessing) offering land in Santa Fe de Nuevo México to Native Americans, and life long amnesty with the Mexican Empire, in exchange of Native Americans fighting alongside the Mexicans in their struggle against the expansionist untied states. Native Americans would settle in large numbers within the North Eastern parts of the empire, like Nuevo Mexico and Alta California, their population would grow within the imperial population.
This amongst other events were seen as the reason that eventually the Mexican army was able to throughly trash the American army.
Agreed by historians from letters and reports, written at this time, suggested that his role and power was that of the bureaucratnot the fighting soldier.
With an increase of Bavarian immigrants, Carlos arranged for his heir, Crown Prince Alberto to be married on 1 May 1844, in Cathedral of the Assumption of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary into Heaven, Mexico City to Princess Adelgunde of Bavaria, daughter of Ling Louis I of Bavaria and Theresa of Saxe-Hildburghausen.
The couple would have a happy relationship and see four children born to them.
Upon his father’s death in 1847, Alberto was crowned Emperor in the same Cathedral, he was married in.
His reign of 48 years would see many changes.
The main land territory, didn’t gain or lose area, however the Mexican Empire would gain the islands of Cuba and Puerto Rico, who ceded from the Spanish Empire, the sick man of Europe
Regarding military engagements, the imperial army would see action against the aggressive Confederate States of America in 1861-1864 and Second Mexican-American War 1889-1892.
By 1893, the Emperor was partially blind and during military parades his horse had to be led by an adjutant, Alberto would pass away peacefully in 1895, aged 77. He was succeeded by his grandaughter, Catalina.
[3] Princess Catalina was born on March 6, 1876 as the second of Prince Fernando's four daughters (with Prince Pedro as her twin brother) and few expected her to become Empress of Mexico one day but fate would lead to Caterina becoming Mexico's unlikely Empress as her father, brother, and older sister would pre-decease Emperor Alberto with Prince Fernando dying in 1887 from cancer at the age of 38, Princess Maria dying at the age of 19 from a fall from her horse in 1893, and Prince Pedro dying in 1894 at the age of 18 after being assassinated by an anarchist radical. As such, Catalina, upon her grandfather's death on December 1, 1895, would become the next Empress of Mexico, a title few expected her to become.
As Empress of Mexico, Catalina would be a ruler who would prove to be both competent and intelligent despite being ill-prepared for the position of Empress, having become heir to the throne a year becoming Empress. During her reign, Catalina would be a ruler known for her staunch opposition to radical political movements, be they from the left or the right, an opposition driven by her twin brother's death at the hands of an anarchist. Her anti-radicalism would be mixed with her push for moderate and balanced reformism in how she would argue that such reformism would be the best shield against revolutionary and radical sentiments with land reform, labor rights, and universal suffrage being implemented during her reign. In politics, Catalina would be involved in politics heavily as a "semi-constitutional monarch" as well, even if left-leaning politicians criticized her authoritarian tendencies and interference in Mexican politics.
In the field of foreign policy, Catalina would preside over the First Transoceanic War from 1916 to 1921 which saw Mexico join the Grand Alliance of Germany, Russia, China, and Italy against the Entente of France, Britain, Japan, and Turkey which saw the victory of the Grand Alliance and Mexico's status as the hegemon of the Americas solidified, especially as the United States would have the Second American Civil War occur after its defeat in the First Transoceanic War culminating in the rise of a radical new regime sending many Blue emigres to Mexico.
In her personal life, Princess Catalina would marry George Romanov, the youngest son of the Tsar of Russia, in 1897, with the couple having six children and a happy marriage until George's death in 1921 from the Swedish Fever. Catalina would never truly recover from her husband's death, dying in 1930 at the age of 54 from a stroke, being succeeded by her son, Alejandro Nicolas.
[4] Emperor Alexander was born in 1900, the first prince of a new century for Mexico. Born to loving parents, the young Alejandro, named for his grandfather, the Tsar of Russia, was coddled but well educated by tutors, teachers and masters of all kinds, studying both in the Imperial University of Veracruz and in the Catholic University of Carlopolis (OTL Houston). This coddled upbringing would end with the first Transoceanic war, where, the Principe Imperial, despite protests from the Imperial Senate, would be allowed to enlist, stalling his higher education to serve in the war. He would become a famous and very talented pilot, ranking clearly as Mexico's best pilot and the wars third (Only behind the German Manfred von Richtofen and a frenchman).
Prince Alejandro in Germany, after the defeat of America in the war. The Prince would see action in both the German and Italian fronts while in Europe.
Alexander's coronation came soon after - the effects of the Berlin Stock Market crash spread through-out the world and Mexico was heavily affected due to it's heavy trade relations with the Central Powers. Political instability soon flowed in Mexico especially due to the support and interference of the new "Red" nations - the US, France and the UK. However, Alexander's motion of trust in favour of Nicolas Hottsmitt Bertinelli, Mexico's most famous prime minister, who through a measure of heavy handed dirigisme saved Mexico from the depression saw his reputation rise and Mexico arise out of the darkness.
In early 1937, after a serious communist revolt in Saint Petersburg which was quelled by the Russian Gendarmerie, the remaining, new and old Central Powers (Germany, Mexico, Italy, Hungary, Romania, Greece, Bulgaria, Russia) meet in Constantinople, the capital of Greece to discuss the reunification of the Central Powers:
- The Central Powers were to be renamed to the World Central Alliance or WCA, for short.
- The Central Powers all compromised to transition to democracy as fast as possible.
- Complete military alliances between all powers.
- Economic alliance between all powers.
- Of all initial states, all of them were monarchies (The German Empire, which reached from Kiel to Austria, which after the breakup of the Austro-Hungarian Union had been made a constituent state of Germany, was ruled by the Hohenzollerns, Italy by the Savoias, Mexico by the American branch of the Habsburgs, Hungary by the European branch of the Habsburgs, Romania by the Hohenzollern-Singmaringen, Greece by the Saxe-Coburg and Gothas, Bulgaria by the Battenbergs and Russia by the Romanovs) so all would support monarchism worldwide.
- Germany and Russia both vowed to give independence to: Poland, Finland, Georgia, Greater Armenia, Lithuania and the Baltic Union in cooperation with one another by 1937, while Bulgaria and Greece would finally fix their borders peacefully (Greece had conquered Western Anatolia and all of Thrace, and to ensure enough Greeks in Anatolia, Greece and Bulgaria would sign the treaty of Salonika which gave Bulgaria full control of North Macedonia and many bordertowns in Thrace alongside free access to greek ports in the Aegean, in exchange for military and economic cooperation).
- Seek more allies.
By 1940, the start of the First World War, or the Red Crusade, as it is known in Mexico, had seen the WCA grow to the aforementioned countries of the Kingdom of Poland, Georgia, Armenia and Finland and Lithuania and to the Republics of the Baltic, the French Republic in exile alongside what remained of the British Empire.The Empire of Brazil and the Kingdoms of Spain and Portugal would also join the war against the Red Alliance of France, the Union of Britain, America, Yugoslavia, Norway and the Indian Commune. After six years of brutal warfare, the WCA would emerge victorious, conquering all communist nations.
The rest of Alejandro's reign would be peaceful, with Mexico, having taken the war to America alongside Canada and mostly free of destruction would finance the recuperation from the war, rising meteorically in world standing. The Emperor would not see it, however, as he would be assassinated by an American Communist radical while on a visit to the newly established Republic of Dixieland post war. He would be suceeded by _____________.