[1] King Vladislaus III would be enthroned as King of Hungary and Bohemia at the age of 13 after his father's death with his reign marked by a war between the Ottomans and Hungary which would result in a defeat against the Ottomans where King Vladislaus III would barely make it out of the battlefield alive with half of his army and while the defeat was catastrophic, the Hungarians would be able to lick their wounds with King Vladislaus III's reign being marked by how he would try his best to unite the personal union of Hungary and Bohemia, with the Protestant Reformation and the Ottoman Empire both being something he would have to deal with in his 31-year reign, along with the powerful Hungarian nobility. In 1547, King Vladislaus would die and be succeeded by his nephew, Louis Vladislaus.
[2] Born 1526 to Louis of Hungary, Bohemia and Croatia, only brother of Vladislaus III and son of the second (of only two) children of Vladislaus II. Vladislaus III never married, meaning that Louis became his brothers heir presumptive and married as such to Mary of Austria, Louis Vladislaus (born posthumously, named after his father and paternal uncle) was born in 1526.
Louis Vladislaus is said to have born great resemblance to his maternal grandfather, Philip the Handsome, and would marry Eleonora Gonzaga, daughter of Federica II Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua, and they would have four children, one of whom died in infancy and another of whom died before reaching majority. Influenced by his wife, who like her father, was a patron of the arts, and he commissioned Giulio Romano to design a new residence for the Royal House of Jagiellon. However, he would not see the Székesfehérvár Palace completed as he would die of syphilis in 1564 at the age of 38 to be succeeded by Matthias, his brother.
Mary of Austria, (M'lady, the King's Mother) would be appointed Governor of the Habsburg Netherlands by her brother in 1531 and Louis Vladislaus spent much of his childhood there. Mary would not die until near eleven years into her son's reign and the pair forged great trade agreements, although an additional agreement with England was abandoned when Mary refused to marry Louis Vladislaus to Lady Mary Tudor who would later become Mary I in 1547 upon the death of her father, Henry VIII.
Mary was forced to suppress protestantism at the request of her brother, and Louis Vladislaus later did the same in his own domains to retain the alliance between the Habsburgs of the Holy Roman Empire and the Jagiellons.
[3] Born in 1553, Matthias Jagiellon was the second child (and son) of Louis Vladislaus and Eleonora Gonzaga, born in quick succession after the birth of his brother Charles Louis (1549), quickly followed by his sisters, Anna and Mary Jagiellon. His position as heir to Hungary, Bohemia and Croatia would only begin in 1559, at the date of the death of his brother, Charles Louis, before reaching majority. His mother Eleonora would prove vital in the raising of the man who would in the future earn the name "Augustus". Matthias would have a harsh childhood, speaking, writing and reading in seven languages before the age of 13, alongside many more, having many lessons in economics, administration, and the martial arts.
The death of his father in 1564, just before he was 11, would see Hungary and Bohemia thrown into a regency lead by the Voivode of Transylvania, John Zapolya, in Hungary and the Bohemian Estates, in, well, Bohemia. The raucus abuses of power, delegitimization and dishonour inflicted upon the under-age Matthias would be many. In Bohemia, the Protestant-majority estates, would attempt many times to separate the crowns, with murders and purges against Catholics being too many to count, the regent of Hungary would many times shame Matthias in public, to the amusement of the many Hungarian Magnates, while cowering from the Ottoman menace in 1568, forcing Hungary into almost a decade of Tribute.
The end of his regency would only come in 1570, when he would organize a palace coup that would see the Transylvanian Voivode murdered in his bed, starting a civil conflict as Matthias immediately set him on the path of elimination, reconquest and reform. He would immediately seek to punish the disorganized Hungarian magnates, most of whom had abused their authority to limit the power of the Monarch before and during the regency of Matthias. It would be during Matthias the the "Black Army" of Hungary would revitalise, during the two-year conflict against the Magnates, which would see most of Hungary, and most of the lands, authority and titles in it return to the umbrella of the King. Using his revitalized, experienced and professional army, Matthias would fall upon Bohemia, where the Protestant and abusive Catholic nobles would suffer the same fate as those in Hungary. A class of young, able class of noblemen would arise during and after the war of the Magnates, but the majority of the land would remain in the hands of the King.
This vast increase of land in the hands of "His Apostolic Majesty, the King of Hungary, Croatia and Bohemia", the title that he would earn upon his great victory over the Ottomans in 1581-1583, would see Matthias establish a new system of "Governorates" over various regions of his Kingdoms, where young, but well trained and learned nobles would govern various regions of the Kingdom for and because of the King, with many well-off burghers increasingly reaching the post. The massive increase in revenue for the crown would allow Matthias to invest much in his lands, seeing a massive increase in foundries and roads, alongside the building of many churches, a very large investment in the bringing of techlogical experts to Hungary, instead of the more famed mass-hiring of artists of the epoch. All of this would lead to a massive population increase in both Hungary and Bohemia during his reign, alongside one of the more innovative, well-armed, well-trained and well-led armies of the age. Of particular importance would be the contribution of Jaroslav Talatzkov, a Bohemian noble who would be Matthias' most trusting general and constable to both realms. His realm would also see an increase in urbans areas, the construction of many universities and academies, particularly military, alongside the use for the first time of star-shaped forts in his wars against the Ottomans.
The greatest of Matthias' trouble in his reign would begin in 1577 - where he would hit a roadblock in his relations with the papacy, due to his personal friendship and support of Henry of Navarre, who would become King of France in the same year. After the brief reign of Henry the III, who would reign for but a few days, and the death of his brother Francis, duke of Anjou, in a "tragic accident", Henry of Bourbon and his wife Jeanne of Valois would send shockwaves through Europe. Despite Henri's conversion to Catholicism, many both in France and outside of it would not shed their doubts, and the "Black year" would start. Matthias had would be convinced to join the Catholic League, because, despite of his personal beliefs, with himself being a stauch Catholic reformist, believing the Church itself "archaic but true", his military competence would see the Pope appoint him as his sword in the restoration of the "true faith" to France. Invading France with 15000 in early 1578, Matthias would, however, not fulfil his mission. His derision with the Guises, the leading Catholic family in France, and the diplomatic talks he held with King Henri and his wife, would see Matthias end the French Wars of Religion in a swift stroke - crushing the Guises and the Condes in succession, forcing them to accept "le bon Roi Henri."
He would also be a cornerstone in the beginning of what would be French absolutism - has he would help Henry do what he himself had done to Hungary and Bohemia - the centralisation of both land and power to the crown. Under his umbrella of papal legitimacy, Henry would be crowned in Reims alongside his wife, and their first son, Francis, would be born that year, finally uniting the Bourbon-Valois branches of the Capetian dynasty, legitimizing their rule, the edict of Fontainebleu would be promulgated - establishing France as a "Catholic realm" with Christian liberties, legating tolerance for the French Huguenots and pacifying France for the first time in a generation. Matthias would leave France with his increased army of 18000 men for Rome and then Hungary - with French soldiers sent to help defend the border of Christendom.
In Rome, Matthias would perhaps suffer the great first defeat of his reign - the anger of the Papacy, who did not expect his actions in France. In his defense, France was now both Catholic and pacified, but Matthias would be forced by Gregory VIII, to marry Isabella Clara Eugenia, Infanta of Spain, in the same year, and marry his only surviving sister, Mary, to Infante Don Sebastian of Portugal, firstborn of King John IV Manuel of Portugal. Many would have perhaps seen this as a defeat - but not Matthias. He received a great sum of gold from Spain as dowry for his wife, and would manage to negotiate with Portugal for the access of Portuguese markets and spices by Bohemian and Croatian merchants. His own wife, Isabella, despite being a fanatic catholic, would adapt well to the conditions in the realms of her husband, and would swiftly provide the first of many children to the King of Hungary.
Matthias would try to settle down with his wife and children, but his decision to forgo paying the tribute promised by the Zapolyas during his regency would see the start of the Ottoman-Hungarian War of 1581-1583, with an invasion of Hungary proper by the armies of Murad III, which the well-experienced Black Armies of Hungary and Bohemia would trash, dragging the war onto Ottoman territory which would see the Romanian Principalities swearing allegiance to Matthias and the secession of Bosnia, Dalmatia, and parts of Northern Serbia to Hungary. Matthias would come out of the war with a grave wound, however, having lead his armies in the field for the better part of the two years spent fighting. The assistance of France, Spain and Portugal, with France being his ally and him being linked through marriage to both Iberian Monarchies, would see much of Ottoman-controlled Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia falling under the umbrella of these three powers.
Matthias' "grand crusade" would see much of Ottoman Europe chipped at - the Habsburg would see in the south the establishment of clients and vassal states in Morea, Epirus and Albania, while the Venetians would recover both Crete and Cyprus, and would given credence to a new epoch of Crusading and reconquista - this time of the Balkans. Matthias' influence would see the ending of at least, the political rift between Catholic and Orthodox churches, as even the Catholic Spanish would not enforce catholicism anywhere but Albania - as it had been during the reign of Skanderberg. Matthias would gain fame and adoration from Christian Europe, with the pope naming him Augustus (Which Matthias would adopt as a second name) and the title of Apostolic majesty.
Matthias would die in 1585 in extreme pain from the damage done to his spine during the war - leaving behind his Spanish wife and his four infant children by her, just at the age of 32, being mourned heavily in both of his realms, and outside of them. He was succeeded by his eldest son, Prince Andrew.
King Andrew IV
[4] Prince Andrew, born in 1579, was the first son and child of King Matthias II Augustus and Infanta Isabella Clara Eugenia of Spain. Andrew was deeply loved by his parents, however, he would not grow to personally know his father. Upon the death of Mattias II Augustus, the prince became King at only six years old. His mother ruled as Regent for the young monarch. This regency period would be remembered for the many artistic developments that were encouraged by the Regent across the realms. Then, after twelve years, Andrew finally came of age in 1597.
Andrew was inspired by the tales of his father and wanted to be like him. So, in 1600, he launched another ''crusade'' against the weakened Ottoman Empire. With the aid of the Austrians and their other allies, the remainder of Ottoman-ruled Europe was liberated, even the city of Constantinople.
However, the King tragically died five years later, after he was accidentally crushed by a siege weapon while he was performing a military exercise with components of the Bohemian Army. He was succeeded by his brother, Prince Matthias.
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[5] Prince Matthias, born in 1584, was the second son and last child of King Matthias II Augustus and Infanta Isabella Clara Eugenia of Spain.
He was only one when his father died and with his mother performing her role as Regent to his 6 year old brother, King Andrew III, Prince Matthias was raised mainly by his Catholic governess, Katherina Nádasdy and Protestant tutor, Professor József Báthory, from the Charles University, Prague. Matthias was given an education fit for an heir but also one that would set him well for a life as an administrator to his brother (and any nephews he may receive).
At 16, in 1600, along with his mother, Matthias served as Co-Regent while his brother, King Andrew III, went to war with the Ottoman Empire. Along with governing the daily running of the nation, Matthias was also arranging a list for brides to marry his brother.
Five years into the regency, news returned from the war, that his brother, King Andrew III had tragically during a military exercise with components of the Bohemian Army.
This left 21 year old, Matthias as the new king of Hungary, Bohemia and Croatia. His first act was to marry the bride he had hoped to marry to his brother. In 1606, he married Archduchess Maria Maddalena of Austria, the youngest daughter of Charles II, Archduke of Inner Austria, and his wife Maria Anna of Bavaria, her siblings were Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor, Margaret, Queen of Spain Leopold V, Archduke of Further Austria and Constance, Queen of Poland.
The marriage was also arranged to answers the tense question of dividing up the spoils of war. Matthias would gain the lands of Principalities of Moldavia, Transylvania and Wallachia, his wife Marie would be given Serbia as a dowry, while Habsburg Austria would claim the rest of the Balkan lands including Constantinople and Greece.
Matthias’s reign was a peaceful one with him forging strong trade alliances with his other neighbours of Poland and Russia.
With his knowledge of administration and diplomacy, his internal affairs were well managed from keeping the treasury, which had grown substantially from the spoils of war, working for the citizens by investing money into infrastructure while dealing with religious tension in his large kingdom by bringing about tolerance and no state religion, building a workable relationship by inviting a mixture of leaders from all the major religions to represent their views at meetings and debates.
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The couple lived a happy life and were blessed by having eleven children, although, three died in childhood.
Queen Marie died aged 42 in 1631, leaving Matthias heartbroken and he would never remarry, he was found dead, twenty years after Marie’s death, aged 67, slumped over in his bedroom chair, that sat in front of his wife’s portrait.
An official portrait of King Otto I/II that was commissioned after his death
[6] Prince Otto was born in 1628, the first son and child of Prince George and Conradine, Princess of Agárd. When he was born, his parents’ marriage was considered to be morganatic until his grandfather created the Principality of Agárd, which consisted of a few villages near Lake Velence, for Conradine to rule. For most of his life, Otto was sheltered from the pressures of the court, preferring to spend his time reading books, where he learned about ideas of reform.
A year before the death of the King, his father died and Otto suddenly became first in line to the throne. Despite this, the prince did not attempt to learn many of the skills that were required of a ruler. Though, after he ascended to the throne, the Prince surrounded himself with reform-minded nobles who shared his worldview. He encouraged the opening of universities across the realms and also supported that education be taught in the local regions’ languages.
Otto continued the economic prosperity that began under Matthias III Vladislaus. The King even began to warm relations with the Ottoman Kingdom and signed various trading treaties with the Sultan.
However, the King’s most notable accomplishment was the creation of an Imperial Diet.
Otto I/II died in 1679, at the age of 51. He was succeeded by his nephew, John, duke of Anjou.
[
7] Prince Jean of France was born in 1651, third son of King Louis the XVI and the fourth of the Bourbon french monarchs. Unlike his two elder brothers, however, Jean was the first son of Louis' second queen, Mathilda of Hungary and Bohemia, whom would have plenty of other children after Jean. The House of Bourbon had proven a boon for france - the early centralization during the reign of Henri IV and his heir Francis had seen the power of the nobility and the local parliaments broken, and the French alliance with the revolutionary Kingdom of the Netherlands that had arisen in the once Spanish Netherlands had seen an influx of technology and new political ideas that had turned france into a notable power, alongside France's early colonial exploits in Canada, Louisiana and their protestant colonies in Artartique in the southern tip of the African continent. During the reign of King Louis XIII France, alongside the Netherlands, had broken the remnants of the once duchy of Burgundy, with the Netherlands taking Flanders while the French took Lille, Wallonia, Luxembourg and Imperial Burgundy, having inherited the Duchy of Lorraine previously.
This had seen the historical Capetian-Habsburg rivarly come to a flare, has Spain reorganized itself under Carlos the II and Maximilian of Austria and Bavaria asserted his power over the Principalities of the Empire. The main flare point would arise however, in Hungary and Bohemia. King Otto had no children, despite his long reign, and had no brothers as well - only sisters. The eldest, Mathilda, had married the King of France, while the youngest, Clotilde, had married Sigismund of Poland-Lithuania, an old man with plenty of sons from an earlier marriage, with Clotide giving birth to a single daughter, Anna Jagiellona.
Jean's mother would make sure he spent much of his time in Hungary and Bohemia, visiting his uncle who would make him his official heir shortly before his death. Still, however, John's arisal to the throne brought with it a whole lot of problems.
Upon his coronation as King of Hungary and Bohemia the troubles immediatelly started. Austria-Bavaria, under the rule of Ernst von Habsburg, Holy Roman Emperor, would immediately press the claim of Anna Jagiellon, allying with Poland to do so. The war for the triple crown would begin in earnest. The Kingdoms of young John held were composed like this - Bohemia, which included over Bohemia proper, Moravia, Silesia and Lusatia, Hungary, which held Voivodina, Belgrade and Transylvania, to Croatia in the west, which held Dalmatia, Slavonia and Bosnia under it's crown, and even with all of this, John was also the recognized suzerain of the Kingdom of Serbia and the Principality of Montenegro and the Romanian Principalities of Wallachia and Moldavia. Despite the extent and diversity of this realm, John managed to keep it unified under him, with his propagandists harkoning back to the golden age of Hungary and Croatia under the house of Capet-Anjou, and that now, under the house of Bourbon-Anjou, a new golden age would start. Golden perhaps it would be, but the start would be bloody.
Despite the lack of warring after King Andrew, the black armies of Hungary and Bohemia had not diminished in quality, but only augmented in quantity. Hungary, Bohemia and Croatia had been for years now a hub of innovation, and various advances in agriculture and medicine which were only slowly trickling into the rest of Europe had seen the peaceful realm explode in population. It was thus that despite fighting both the Holy Roman Empire and the Commonwealth on their own (France being preocuppied with not provoking and escalating the war, due to the hostility of the Spanish Habsburg and the British Seymours, who had unified the crowns of England, Ireland and Scotland under them).
The war would see a huge numbers of soldiers by the three Kingdoms being pulled to the fore, starting with the combined Polish-Austrian invasion of Bohemia in early 1680 and the battle of Reichstadt, an engament which the allies won decisively. The war, however, would not end, and would drag on for another four years, ending only in 1684. John would be forced to drop any claims to the inheritance to the Kingdom of France and drop the Bourbon in the name of his royal house, keeping only the "Anjou" and he would be forced to marry Anna Jagiellona during the peace celebrations. Moldavia would become shared under both Polish-Lithuanian and Bohemian-Hungarian authority. However, both allies would have to pay war reparations for the unjust defiance of John's claim.
The rest of John's life would be peaceful, to a degree. Despite the constant disagreements between the cousin royals, Queen Anne and King John would manage to pump out a few children, but the two would only ever truly come to an understanding in their old age. The Triple-Monarchy would continue to prosper, with John's only warring after the succession war being done when he intervened in the "Greek" problem - the constant warring between the Despotate of Greece, the Kingdom of Thrace and Bulgaria and the Empire of Anatolia and Pontus, three greek states which constantly allied and warred against each other in an attempts to unify the "Rhomans" in the Anatolia, Thrace and Greece.
After the death of Casimir, King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, last of the Jaggielons, Jean was preparing to invade and install his wife as queen of the two realms, but a fall from his horse in early 1701 would see the King become paralised. His last four years were spent in the company of his wife, who become his chief caretaker despite their rocky relationship, with the Imperial diet, which had developed quietly under his reign - John being a strange mixture of an absolutist monarch who listened to the council of the diet. He would finally give up on life in 1705, being succeded by his eldest son, Sigismund.
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[8] Born in 1688, Sigismund was the second born child, but eldest born son of King John and Princess Anna Jagiellona of Poland-Lithuania, and was named after his maternal grandfather, Sigismund, King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania.
Following his father’s fall from a horse in early 1701, Sigismund became regent in all but name, attending Imperial diet meetings and military ceremonies, while his paralysed father was bed bound.
He did not wish to start a war to his mother’s claim to the throne, especially while her other older half nephews and brothers still had a strong presence in the kingdom.
After four years as de facto regency, Sigismund was by his father’s bedside at the time of his death, while coronation was held a year later, he merged his mother’s surname with his father’s to give his family a more Hungarian sentiment.
In 1710, Sigismund married Princess Karolina Jagiellona of Poland-Lithuania, the youngest daughter of his half uncle Casimir, King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania and his wife, Catherine of Sweden, born in 1690.
This marriage was arranged with a non-aggression agreement being signed by the two kings, along with an alliance of mutuel defence, Poland fearing an attack from Prussia or Russia, while the Triple Kingdoms needed support should the Austrians or Ottomans strike.
As king he supported having reforms to the army and the government, holding at least one meeting a week with members of the Imperial Diet, and things were looking promising for this young King, however no one expected when he contracted smallpox in 1717, the 29 year old would pass away, with many mourned the king that could have been if he survived this illness. He was succeeded by his son Charles.
Charles III/II of Hungary, Bohemia, and Croatia
[9] Prince Charles was born in 1712 as the first child of Sigismund II and Karolina of Poland-Lithuania. He became King of Hungary at the age of 5 following the death of his father and would be under an regency of his mother and uncle Louis. Louis was an big francophile and would sign an non-aggression agreement with France and the Netherlands, along with an alliance of defence. This was also arranged with the marriage of Charles to Joan of France, daugher of Francis III of France, upon the former's 18th birthday.
Upon turing 18 in 1730, Charles had both his coronation and wedding happen at the same time. The marriage of Charles and Joan was quite rocky and although both parters took mistresses, they had many children.
Charles' reign saw the War of the Austrian Succession start in 1748 when Maximilian VI of Austria and Bavaria died without any male heirs, with only daughters. The eldest, Maria Josephine, was supported by Poland-Lithuania, France, and the Netherlands, while her younger sister Maria Maximiliane was supported by Great Britain, Russia, and Prussia.
Hungary was on the side that supported Maria Josephine, and by the end of the war in 1755, Maria Josephine had won and banished her sister from coming back to Austria. The Treaty of Stockholm that was signed at the war's conclusion would included the crowning of Maria Josephine's husbund Henri (an member of the House of Bourbon) becoming Holy Roman Emperor as Henry VII, Britain cede some of thier colonies to France, and Charles becoming the new suzerain of Albania and Hungary the new backer of Greece in the Rhomani conficts against Thrace and Anatolia (Austria was Greece's previous backer before the War of the Austrian Succession).
Following the war Charles' reign was quite peaceful, and he would die in 1779 at the age of 67. He was succeeded by his grandson, Sigismund Ferdinand.
[10] Born to Charles the third's oldest son, Matthias Ferdinand and lady Donika Kastrioti, princess of Hungary's albanian vassal, in early 1772, he would be a peaceful boy who would be hit hard by the death of both his father and mother in quick succession after his birth. The death of his uncles beforehand had seen the young child put in the position of heir to the throne. The death of King Charles in 1779 would see the triple-monarchy throw into regency under the Imperial diet. Despite not having many talents, he was a vigorous speaker and lover.
He would only reach his majority many years later, well into 1792, when he was already in his twenties. It would be Sigismund, heeding the many enlightenment and reformist voices in his Kingdom that would the official transition into a constitutional monarchy. It would be, perhaps, the greatest personal achievement of his reign.
The start of the Revolutionary era, would, however, bring a seismic shift to the European landscape. Europe had all been, slow or fast, to the march of the enlightenment. France, under Charles X's father, Henri the V, had reformed it's government deeply in the last halves of the 18' century, seeing the young Charles the X famously adopt the persona which the famous french General, Marshall Lannes, would call "A constitutionalist Autocrat". The United Kingdom of Spain, ruled by Luis II Aviz, had also transitioned slowly into this, morphing into a transcontinental empire with various metropolitan settings. Russia, Britain and to a lesser degree the statelets of the Italian Peninsula had followed as well.
However, the 1790's would bring forward a multitude of changes that would completely change the face of Europe. The Kingdom of Prussia and the Austria-Bavaria had both been dominating the German political landscape for decades and centuries, respectivelly, but the humiliation repeatedly faced by both powers had brought a surge forward of German Nationalism. Before the fall of the House of Habsburg to the "inheritors" in the House of Bourbon, the Hohenzollerns and Habsburg had intermarried, and despite the King of Prussia having a claim to the Austro-Bavarian throne, he had never pulled it.
That was not the case for the young Heinrich I Friederich, a young man of immense military talent and a fascination with both Liberalism that would throw Germany into a cataclysm. The Unification war would be the first war which would shake the image of Europe, when in less than a year, Heinrich of Prussia become Heinrich, King of Prussia and Bavaria and Archduke-of-Austria. The birth of the German Empire would follow suit.
In the lands of the once Eastern Roman Empire, Anatolia had fallen to the revolutionary whims of General Andronikos Bonotaites, whom had unified all three kingdoms into a new single Rhoman Empire.
It would be the start of a huge 20 years war that would forever change human history. Poland Lithuania, enticed by Germany with returns of it's lands in the east, would declare war on Russia and it's ally, Hungary. After the war, the Polish Lithuanian commonwealth would be divided, with the Hungaro-Bohemian King pressing his claim to be King of Poland. The reformist powers - instead of the revolutionary ones, would come out victorious, with Germany dis-united and the General-Emperor of the Rhomans deposed, Poland annexed and Britain and Sweden-Finland humbled.
Sigismund Ferdinand, a famous for his many lovers and his many "illegitimate" children, would be forced to marry by the diet the Grand Duchess Anna Petrovna of Russia, a pretty but shy girl of 20 years compared to Sigismund's 38 in 1810. Despite this, the King would fall over his heels for her - with the young queen quickly asserting herself. However, the new queen would have one major impediment - infertility of the womb. Despite this, Sigismund Ferdinand would refuse to divorce her and dishonor his wife and Russian ally and would thus die with no legitimate children whatsoever. He would die in 1822, an extremely popular old man.
Louis II/III/I of Hungary, Bohemia, Poland and Croatia
[11] Prince Louis was born in 1799 as the first child of Prince Matthias, who was the brother of Sigismund III Ferdinand, and his wife Sophie of the Netherlands, and would become the heir to his after the death of his father in 1806 of tuberculosis. Louis was an widely and popular figure like his uncle, who he succeeded in 1822 at the age of 23. He worked on reforming his vast Kingdom, and would start to use the concept of plurinationalism.
His reign was expected to be a time of peace of prosperity, as well to be long. However this was not meant to be as on October 8, 1825 while taking an stroll, Louis was stabbed in the back by an German nationalist. Louis would die a coulpe of days later on October 11, 1825, and as he hadn't married he was succeeded by his sister Irene.
[12]
Queen Irene I was born on September 6, 1801 as the second of four children (and the oldest of three daughters) of Prince Matthias and as such would ascend to the throne of Hungary after the death of her older brother by a German nationalist assassin.
As ruler, Queen Irene would continue to promote her older brother's ideas of plurinationalism to unite the Empire, promoting a sort of "Jagiellonianism" as a unifying ideology to bind the Empire together. In addition to this, she would grant a limited degree of constitutionalism during her reign, even if her reign was still relatively authoritarian with the Royal Parliament being a largely advisory body at first during her reign. Her reign would also see the abolition of serfdom and the start of the industrial revolution during her reign with the Quadruple Monarchy becoming an industrial power during her reign.
In terms of foreign policy, Irene would make an alliance with France to "maintain the balance of power" and would seek to prevent Germany from becoming a power at any cost during her reign.
Queen Irene would marry Prince Alexander of Denmark in 1827 with the two having three children. Irene would die on October 1, 1873 after suddenly collapsing while walking in the royal gardens the previous night. She was succeeded by her son Bengt.
(13) Prince Bengt Minik Alexander was born in 1830 as the second child but eldest son of Queen Anne and her husband Alexander of Denmark. His father was a member of the Danish Royal House of Oxenstierna, and he he held a valid claim on the Danish throne as well as his mother's domains. He would succeed to the latter in 1873 whilst his position in the Danish line of succession would fluctuate as his cousins and their children were born, eventually sitting at about fifteenth for the duration of his reign.
He married a distant cousin, Helene of Anjou, in 1855 when he was 25 and she was 19, as part of his mother's plan to ally with France, and they had only two children before she passed in 1865. Bengt would remain a widow for the rest of his life and focus his attention on his nations and his children. Although officially from the House or Oxenstierna, Bengt continued his mother's prob at of Jagellionism and introduced a Royal edict that his Royal House would be dynastically the House of Jagiellon.
In contrast to his mother, however, be undertook great influence from the French and their constitutional monarchy, and encouraged further reforms in multiple areas of society but his great passion was agricultural reform which probably saved his nations from the famines of the 1870s in many countries, decimating the German food supply and causing riots. Germany would be provided with some surplus supplies by Bengt but it would be only the first step towards mending their antagonism.
Bengt died in 1892 and was succeeded by his son Alexander.
Alexander I/II of Hungary, Bohemia, Poland and Croatia
[14] Born in 1856, Prince Louis was the first child of Bengt I and Helene of Anjou. He grew up with an interest in the many cultures of his large country, and married an Bohemian noblewoman in 1871, and by the time he became King of Hungary in 1892, Alexander and his wife had five children.
The most important event of Alexander's reign was the Great War, which started in 1913 when the heir to Austria, Otto, was assassinated by an Bavarian nationalist. This lead to a civil war to happen with Bavaria claiming independence from Austria, with different countries supporting either side (Hungary was on the side of Bavaria). It then turned into a global war when Prussia invaded Bavaria, which Britain objected to and so declared war on Prussia.
Alexander would not see the end of the war as he died in 1916 at the age of 60, and was succeeded by ________, his _________.