Another perspective on my 'England wins' the HYW TL as I planned to do ages ago but never got around to.
Its still rather bare and needs fleshing out but I figure I should post it in this stage anyway just to see what people think.
-Zaragoza, 12th July 1453-
“…so then he said, a horse, no! That is no horse! That was my wife!”
Henry, Earl of Huntington grinned politely at the joke of the small Spaniard. He didn’t find it funny in the slightest of course and this commoner was no one of import but it never hurt to be polite.
The Spaniard hobbled through one of the many corridors of Aljaferia castle leading the English lord to his objective, the reason he had been sent so many miles away from his home in Paris.
“Here he is senor” grinned the Spaniard stopping before a large, sturdy wooden door. The little man started to search through the huge bundle of virtually identical keys attached to his belt then upon finding the right one put it into the lock and opened the door.
It was a prison alright but it was the best prison Henry had ever seen, one of the richest rooms of any sort in fact. Lavishly decorated with all manner of silks and precious metals it was a room fit for a King.
And there was the would be King himself, seated at an ornate desk in the corner. Dressed more as if he was due to go to a ball than merely doing some office work he was furiously writing away and hadn’t even bothered to look up to see who had entered.
“Excuse me my good man” spoke Henry in French.
“I know that….that….thing…err….accent” grumbled the king “Damn English…come to make sure I’m still here have you? Damn Satan worshipping, dick sucking…” the king continued to insult the English race whilst Henry stood calmly at the door waiting.
“And nice to meet you too Charley.” Henry said when the pretender to the French throne finally stopped cursing “How is Spain treating you? Quite a nice room you have here, better than mine I dare say.”
“Of course its better than yours peasant! I’m the king of France!”
“No you’re not, I work for the king of France; his name is Henry. A jolly good ruler he is too. And pious, he never resorts to such vulgarities as you utter”
“Bastard usurping, lying, son of a whore…” once more Charles spurted out a stream of curses, this time they were directed squarely against Henry V of England.
Interrupting the mad Frenchman Lord Huntington spoke up “OK, nice to meet you again Charley, maybe I’ll see you again next year. Someone will be along to check on you then certainly even if I am otherwise engaged.”
Later that day Henry reflected on his short meeting with the would-be king of France
He had quite clearly gone stark raving mad, Henry would be interested to see what sort of thing he had been writing during his imprisonment, he supposed he would ask the Aragonese monarch for a sample of the writings before he left. But it wasn’t important.
His mission was done. A month long voyage had all been for the purpose of those few brief moments, just to check everything was all still in its place in Aragon.
Not that there was any worry these days; part of Henry reflect that it would be somewhat funny to see Charles go free and attempt to claim the throne, his supposed birthright if you believed all that nonsense that he wasn’t a bastard. How many supporters would he be able to muster with that mouth of his?
Charles was as good as dead now; he looked twice his actual fifty years. Henry gave him another decade of life at the absolute maximum. He doubted though that many were even aware he was still alive.
He knew what he would report back to the King when he returned home in a few weeks time; the crown is safe, the Valois threat remains extinguished and the Plantagenet rule of France will forever endure.
___
1415-1425:
Henry V of England resumes the long running conflict against the senior line of the House of Valois for control of the French throne. A serious of crushing victories are won by the English and their Burgundian allies.
In 1421 a marriage is arranged between the sole legitimate child of the Valois King and Henry thus ensuring the future unity of the two lines and an end to the conflict that has waged for the better part of a century.
The Duchy of Burgundy under its ruler Phillip III comes out of the conflict stronger than ever before, its chief gains being the Duchy of Lorraine, ousting Duke Charles II; though previously a supporter of the English cause with the assassination of Phillip II of Burgundy in 1419 he unwisely chose to switch sides.
1430:
Phillip’s first son, John, is born.
1434:
Phillip’s second son, Henry is born.
1436-1443:
With Christendom once more at peace with itself the tenth crusade it launched against the Islamic world with Henry of England and France and Phillip of Burgundy at its head.
Attacking Egypt first, the antiquated Egyptian fortifications are quick to fall to the crusaders’ modern cannon.
Fighting is fierce and conditions harsh but the crusaders eventually prevail taking Cairo in 1438 and Jerusalem in 1439.
Rulership of the region is split into two. In the Holy Land the Kingdom of Jerusalem is recreated with the Duke of Burgundy as its King. In Egypt meanwhile a new Christian kingdom is formed with John, Duke of Bedford, brother of King Henry as its monarch.
Across the Islamic world the call goes out for a jihad to remove the invaders but the only power of note in the region – The Ottoman Turks- prove to be far more pragmatic than the European invaders and are far more concerned with their own local conflicts.
Nonetheless in the years to come once the region has settled from the unrest of the crusade the twin Kingdoms of Egypt and Jerusalem will face massive Arab attacks.
1446-1467:
Under the tutorage of his father and various learned men the young John is steadily weaned into governing the Burgundian domains, by mid the 1460s he is practically Duke in all but name.
1452:
Henry of Burgundy leaves Europe for Jerusalem where he is to act as governor.
Though his position is largely honorary at first the youngster proves a quick learner and by the decade is out proves to be a fine ruler of Jeruslam and a gifted military commander.
1454-1458:
The War of Luxembourgian Succession.
With the death of the childless Duchess of Luxembourg Philip of Burgundy moves to claim the Duchy as had been arranged some years earlier.
Phillip installs himself in Luxembourg successfully however trouble soon emerges with a rival claimant in the shape of William of Thuringia- cousin of the Duchess and rightful heir.
Sigismund II, Holy Roman Emperor, sides with William on the matter and when Phillip refuses to give up what he has rightfully bought a war the Empire launches a war against Burgundy.
The conflict comes at a terrible time for Burgundy- her English allies being distracted by the new king Henry VI’s campaigns in Ireland and Scotland and a major rebellion in south eastern France leaving Phillip largely to his own devices in the conflict.
The Empire wins several key early victories however Burgundy’s modern fortifications prove resilient to attack forcing the Imperial forces into siege warfare.
By 1456 however the tables have truly turned with Burgundy being very much on the attack. The following year a significant Franco-English force enters the fray and the war steadily becomes ever more one sided.
The peace deal reached in 1458 proves to be deeply unpopular to many in the Burgundian realm with King Henry taking the majority of the spoils including lands in Alsace.
__
-Ghent, 7th November,1467-
“Father, I’m here” John grasped the old man’s hand as he knelt at his bedside, the king was not long for this world
“John…my son…Your time has come…I am sure you will rule well.” Every word was a visible strain on the crippled old king. It was strange to imagine that this frail withered creature had once been one of the most powerful men in Christendom. Phillip, Duke of Burgundy, and by his own making King of Jerusalem “The Burgundian realms…prosper thanks to…your guidance…May it always be so.”
“But what of the Holy Land father? Will I be king?” time was short, John knew that to all observers it would appear he had no concern for his father and only for his own future but he needed an answer and if he dithered over trivialities he was not sure he would ever get one.
“Jerusalem….Shall go to Henry…”
“But father! I am your heir! It is my birthright; ever since I was a boy I was to be King!” John had heard this news before of course but never so straight from his father’s mouth and certainly never so near to a final decision being made.
“Your brother…Knows the Holy Land well…He has…Ruled there for several years now…and things go well…”
“But it is mine!”
“John….be at peace…This is the just way…so you have worked for Burgundy….so he has worked for Jerusalem…It is for the best…”
“But…I am to be resigned to being a mere Duke whilst the younger brother gets to be king!? Father! It is just not fair!”
“It is…best…” Phillip’s hand went limp as his eyes slowly closed. Where previously a respectful cordon had existed around the father and son’s conversation the people standing around the edges of the room now surged forward leaving John staring blankly in disbelief. Not only had he failed to get the inheritance that was his by rights but he had also wasted his last moments with his father.
The Duke of Burgundy openly wept for all to see.
__
1467:
Phillip passes away.
As arranged prior to his death his lands are split in two with his European realms going to his eldest son John and the Kingdom of Jerusalem to his younger, Henry.
1470:
As Charles the Bold would do IOTL John takes advantage of the House of Egmond’s financial difficulties to purchase the Duchy of Guelders.
1473:
John of Burgundy is crowned King of Lotharingia reviving the short-lived middle ages kingdom that lay between Germany and France.
Reaction from the Emperor Sigismund II is mixed though tending towards favourable as it is France who suffers the most from the declaration; nothing is said about Lotharingia officially leaving the Empire.
The French reaction is of course quite universally negative.
Many, chief amongst them king Henry, want to launch a invasion of Burgundy right away and a suitable replacement Duke is even found in the shape of a cousin of John.
Preparations for the invasion however go awry from the start.
One major stumbling block comes when the English parliament refuse to release funds for the waging of a war against Lotharingia; the disruption of English trade with the Low Countries in order to press forward French interests is a idea that is met with quite universal distaste in England. Especially given the ongoing fighting in Ireland started by Henry VI.
Several months after the declaration it is the Papacy who finally put a stop to all thoughts of an immediate Franco-Lotharingian war. Though he remained quiet at the time of the declaration the Pope eventually decides to endorse the new king in Europe (thanks in large part to recent ‘charitable donations’ from by John…)
Though an immediate invasion does not take place relations between France and the Loths (as they rapidly become commonly known amongst the English due to Lotharingia being somewhat of a mouthful) remain tense for years to come with both sides believing war is only a matter of time.
1485-1492
The long expected Franco-Lotharingian war finally breaks out with the death of the Count of Nevers.
Though the old count had been a close friend of John of Burgundy and part of the Kingdom of Lotharingia, his cousin who succeeds him has interests that lie far more in the French court and begins to switch allegiance.
John of course takes offense to this potential loss of territory and sends troops to Nevers to either reign in or replace his disloyal vassal.
Richard of England and France does likewise and at the request of the Count of Nevers sends troops to support him.
The Loths arrive first and after a brief scuffle with the Count of Nevers’ few retainers are able to seize the city. When the French soldiers arrive some days later and attempt to enter the city fighting breaks out, from both sides attempts to calm the situation diplomatically are half-hearted and full-scale war soon erupts.
Outside interference in the war is largely kept to a minimum with the Iberian kingdoms being in the midst of problems of their own and the gaze of the Empire being squarely upon Poland for much of the war.
In France victory belongs to Richard of England and France. By the end of 1488 the whole of Burgundy has fallen into the hands of the French monarch.
In the north of Lotharingia things go far more John’s way with the Dutch fortifications proving virtually impervious to French attacks. In 1489 a highly successful counter-attack leaves the Loths seemingly on the verge of taking Paris itself for a time before they are forced to retreat to their fortifications once more.
When peace is finally reached in 1492 both sides are exhausted, few territorial changes have occurred since the large French victory in 1488 and the Empire has once more turned its attention westwards and seems likely to be soon to join the war (though on whose side is anyone’s guess).
The war is a defeat for Lotharingia with Vermandois and all their lands west of the Saone going to the French crown, including, quite embarrassingly, the lands of the Duchy of Burgundy.
Though the war was a defeat for Lotharingia in later times it would become a key part of their national psyche; it showed Dutch resilience against overwhelming French forces and the loss of the Duchy of Burgundy is by many seen as at least the beginning of a historical dividing line between French Burgundian control of the Low Countries and the formation of a true Dutch kingdom.
Some Lotharingian historians have even called this conflict (more normally known as the Nevers War) their war of independence.
1489:
In the midst of the Nevers War King John passes away leaving the Kingdom to his son Philip IV.
And as an addition:
1498:
Unrelated to the history of Lotharingia but worth mentioning since it was raised earlier: Jerusalem finally falls to Arab attacks after an epic battle during which the King of Egypt is killed.
The Kingdom had been steadily losing territory for decades now, the muslim powers in the area having long since gotten their act together and launched a jihad against the christian kingdoms in the area.
Egypt survives the loss of its king with his successor taking over but in the years to come heavy Muslim attacks will be aimed squarely at its borders and coasts...
Its still rather bare and needs fleshing out but I figure I should post it in this stage anyway just to see what people think.
-Zaragoza, 12th July 1453-
“…so then he said, a horse, no! That is no horse! That was my wife!”
Henry, Earl of Huntington grinned politely at the joke of the small Spaniard. He didn’t find it funny in the slightest of course and this commoner was no one of import but it never hurt to be polite.
The Spaniard hobbled through one of the many corridors of Aljaferia castle leading the English lord to his objective, the reason he had been sent so many miles away from his home in Paris.
“Here he is senor” grinned the Spaniard stopping before a large, sturdy wooden door. The little man started to search through the huge bundle of virtually identical keys attached to his belt then upon finding the right one put it into the lock and opened the door.
It was a prison alright but it was the best prison Henry had ever seen, one of the richest rooms of any sort in fact. Lavishly decorated with all manner of silks and precious metals it was a room fit for a King.
And there was the would be King himself, seated at an ornate desk in the corner. Dressed more as if he was due to go to a ball than merely doing some office work he was furiously writing away and hadn’t even bothered to look up to see who had entered.
“Excuse me my good man” spoke Henry in French.
“I know that….that….thing…err….accent” grumbled the king “Damn English…come to make sure I’m still here have you? Damn Satan worshipping, dick sucking…” the king continued to insult the English race whilst Henry stood calmly at the door waiting.
“And nice to meet you too Charley.” Henry said when the pretender to the French throne finally stopped cursing “How is Spain treating you? Quite a nice room you have here, better than mine I dare say.”
“Of course its better than yours peasant! I’m the king of France!”
“No you’re not, I work for the king of France; his name is Henry. A jolly good ruler he is too. And pious, he never resorts to such vulgarities as you utter”
“Bastard usurping, lying, son of a whore…” once more Charles spurted out a stream of curses, this time they were directed squarely against Henry V of England.
Interrupting the mad Frenchman Lord Huntington spoke up “OK, nice to meet you again Charley, maybe I’ll see you again next year. Someone will be along to check on you then certainly even if I am otherwise engaged.”
Later that day Henry reflected on his short meeting with the would-be king of France
He had quite clearly gone stark raving mad, Henry would be interested to see what sort of thing he had been writing during his imprisonment, he supposed he would ask the Aragonese monarch for a sample of the writings before he left. But it wasn’t important.
His mission was done. A month long voyage had all been for the purpose of those few brief moments, just to check everything was all still in its place in Aragon.
Not that there was any worry these days; part of Henry reflect that it would be somewhat funny to see Charles go free and attempt to claim the throne, his supposed birthright if you believed all that nonsense that he wasn’t a bastard. How many supporters would he be able to muster with that mouth of his?
Charles was as good as dead now; he looked twice his actual fifty years. Henry gave him another decade of life at the absolute maximum. He doubted though that many were even aware he was still alive.
He knew what he would report back to the King when he returned home in a few weeks time; the crown is safe, the Valois threat remains extinguished and the Plantagenet rule of France will forever endure.
___
1415-1425:
Henry V of England resumes the long running conflict against the senior line of the House of Valois for control of the French throne. A serious of crushing victories are won by the English and their Burgundian allies.
In 1421 a marriage is arranged between the sole legitimate child of the Valois King and Henry thus ensuring the future unity of the two lines and an end to the conflict that has waged for the better part of a century.
The Duchy of Burgundy under its ruler Phillip III comes out of the conflict stronger than ever before, its chief gains being the Duchy of Lorraine, ousting Duke Charles II; though previously a supporter of the English cause with the assassination of Phillip II of Burgundy in 1419 he unwisely chose to switch sides.
1430:
Phillip’s first son, John, is born.
1434:
Phillip’s second son, Henry is born.
1436-1443:
With Christendom once more at peace with itself the tenth crusade it launched against the Islamic world with Henry of England and France and Phillip of Burgundy at its head.
Attacking Egypt first, the antiquated Egyptian fortifications are quick to fall to the crusaders’ modern cannon.
Fighting is fierce and conditions harsh but the crusaders eventually prevail taking Cairo in 1438 and Jerusalem in 1439.
Rulership of the region is split into two. In the Holy Land the Kingdom of Jerusalem is recreated with the Duke of Burgundy as its King. In Egypt meanwhile a new Christian kingdom is formed with John, Duke of Bedford, brother of King Henry as its monarch.
Across the Islamic world the call goes out for a jihad to remove the invaders but the only power of note in the region – The Ottoman Turks- prove to be far more pragmatic than the European invaders and are far more concerned with their own local conflicts.
Nonetheless in the years to come once the region has settled from the unrest of the crusade the twin Kingdoms of Egypt and Jerusalem will face massive Arab attacks.
1446-1467:
Under the tutorage of his father and various learned men the young John is steadily weaned into governing the Burgundian domains, by mid the 1460s he is practically Duke in all but name.
1452:
Henry of Burgundy leaves Europe for Jerusalem where he is to act as governor.
Though his position is largely honorary at first the youngster proves a quick learner and by the decade is out proves to be a fine ruler of Jeruslam and a gifted military commander.
1454-1458:
The War of Luxembourgian Succession.
With the death of the childless Duchess of Luxembourg Philip of Burgundy moves to claim the Duchy as had been arranged some years earlier.
Phillip installs himself in Luxembourg successfully however trouble soon emerges with a rival claimant in the shape of William of Thuringia- cousin of the Duchess and rightful heir.
Sigismund II, Holy Roman Emperor, sides with William on the matter and when Phillip refuses to give up what he has rightfully bought a war the Empire launches a war against Burgundy.
The conflict comes at a terrible time for Burgundy- her English allies being distracted by the new king Henry VI’s campaigns in Ireland and Scotland and a major rebellion in south eastern France leaving Phillip largely to his own devices in the conflict.
The Empire wins several key early victories however Burgundy’s modern fortifications prove resilient to attack forcing the Imperial forces into siege warfare.
By 1456 however the tables have truly turned with Burgundy being very much on the attack. The following year a significant Franco-English force enters the fray and the war steadily becomes ever more one sided.
The peace deal reached in 1458 proves to be deeply unpopular to many in the Burgundian realm with King Henry taking the majority of the spoils including lands in Alsace.
__
-Ghent, 7th November,1467-
“Father, I’m here” John grasped the old man’s hand as he knelt at his bedside, the king was not long for this world
“John…my son…Your time has come…I am sure you will rule well.” Every word was a visible strain on the crippled old king. It was strange to imagine that this frail withered creature had once been one of the most powerful men in Christendom. Phillip, Duke of Burgundy, and by his own making King of Jerusalem “The Burgundian realms…prosper thanks to…your guidance…May it always be so.”
“But what of the Holy Land father? Will I be king?” time was short, John knew that to all observers it would appear he had no concern for his father and only for his own future but he needed an answer and if he dithered over trivialities he was not sure he would ever get one.
“Jerusalem….Shall go to Henry…”
“But father! I am your heir! It is my birthright; ever since I was a boy I was to be King!” John had heard this news before of course but never so straight from his father’s mouth and certainly never so near to a final decision being made.
“Your brother…Knows the Holy Land well…He has…Ruled there for several years now…and things go well…”
“But it is mine!”
“John….be at peace…This is the just way…so you have worked for Burgundy….so he has worked for Jerusalem…It is for the best…”
“But…I am to be resigned to being a mere Duke whilst the younger brother gets to be king!? Father! It is just not fair!”
“It is…best…” Phillip’s hand went limp as his eyes slowly closed. Where previously a respectful cordon had existed around the father and son’s conversation the people standing around the edges of the room now surged forward leaving John staring blankly in disbelief. Not only had he failed to get the inheritance that was his by rights but he had also wasted his last moments with his father.
The Duke of Burgundy openly wept for all to see.
__
1467:
Phillip passes away.
As arranged prior to his death his lands are split in two with his European realms going to his eldest son John and the Kingdom of Jerusalem to his younger, Henry.
1470:
As Charles the Bold would do IOTL John takes advantage of the House of Egmond’s financial difficulties to purchase the Duchy of Guelders.
1473:
John of Burgundy is crowned King of Lotharingia reviving the short-lived middle ages kingdom that lay between Germany and France.
Reaction from the Emperor Sigismund II is mixed though tending towards favourable as it is France who suffers the most from the declaration; nothing is said about Lotharingia officially leaving the Empire.
The French reaction is of course quite universally negative.
Many, chief amongst them king Henry, want to launch a invasion of Burgundy right away and a suitable replacement Duke is even found in the shape of a cousin of John.
Preparations for the invasion however go awry from the start.
One major stumbling block comes when the English parliament refuse to release funds for the waging of a war against Lotharingia; the disruption of English trade with the Low Countries in order to press forward French interests is a idea that is met with quite universal distaste in England. Especially given the ongoing fighting in Ireland started by Henry VI.
Several months after the declaration it is the Papacy who finally put a stop to all thoughts of an immediate Franco-Lotharingian war. Though he remained quiet at the time of the declaration the Pope eventually decides to endorse the new king in Europe (thanks in large part to recent ‘charitable donations’ from by John…)
Though an immediate invasion does not take place relations between France and the Loths (as they rapidly become commonly known amongst the English due to Lotharingia being somewhat of a mouthful) remain tense for years to come with both sides believing war is only a matter of time.
1485-1492
The long expected Franco-Lotharingian war finally breaks out with the death of the Count of Nevers.
Though the old count had been a close friend of John of Burgundy and part of the Kingdom of Lotharingia, his cousin who succeeds him has interests that lie far more in the French court and begins to switch allegiance.
John of course takes offense to this potential loss of territory and sends troops to Nevers to either reign in or replace his disloyal vassal.
Richard of England and France does likewise and at the request of the Count of Nevers sends troops to support him.
The Loths arrive first and after a brief scuffle with the Count of Nevers’ few retainers are able to seize the city. When the French soldiers arrive some days later and attempt to enter the city fighting breaks out, from both sides attempts to calm the situation diplomatically are half-hearted and full-scale war soon erupts.
Outside interference in the war is largely kept to a minimum with the Iberian kingdoms being in the midst of problems of their own and the gaze of the Empire being squarely upon Poland for much of the war.
In France victory belongs to Richard of England and France. By the end of 1488 the whole of Burgundy has fallen into the hands of the French monarch.
In the north of Lotharingia things go far more John’s way with the Dutch fortifications proving virtually impervious to French attacks. In 1489 a highly successful counter-attack leaves the Loths seemingly on the verge of taking Paris itself for a time before they are forced to retreat to their fortifications once more.
When peace is finally reached in 1492 both sides are exhausted, few territorial changes have occurred since the large French victory in 1488 and the Empire has once more turned its attention westwards and seems likely to be soon to join the war (though on whose side is anyone’s guess).
The war is a defeat for Lotharingia with Vermandois and all their lands west of the Saone going to the French crown, including, quite embarrassingly, the lands of the Duchy of Burgundy.
Though the war was a defeat for Lotharingia in later times it would become a key part of their national psyche; it showed Dutch resilience against overwhelming French forces and the loss of the Duchy of Burgundy is by many seen as at least the beginning of a historical dividing line between French Burgundian control of the Low Countries and the formation of a true Dutch kingdom.
Some Lotharingian historians have even called this conflict (more normally known as the Nevers War) their war of independence.
1489:
In the midst of the Nevers War King John passes away leaving the Kingdom to his son Philip IV.
And as an addition:
1498:
Unrelated to the history of Lotharingia but worth mentioning since it was raised earlier: Jerusalem finally falls to Arab attacks after an epic battle during which the King of Egypt is killed.
The Kingdom had been steadily losing territory for decades now, the muslim powers in the area having long since gotten their act together and launched a jihad against the christian kingdoms in the area.
Egypt survives the loss of its king with his successor taking over but in the years to come heavy Muslim attacks will be aimed squarely at its borders and coasts...