Make England Great Again

This is a new timeline idea I don't know if I will make it as a full tl..but I will start it

This is about King John of England who is like Richard III hated by many..
 
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Make England Great Again(Make King John Great Again)

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A Painting of Richard I on 19th century

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In 1193 Richard had Eleanor of Brittany engaged to Frederick, son of Leopold V, as part of the conditions to release Richard in 1194, who had been taken prisoner by Emperor Henry VI, however Richard also made a condition that Theobald of Champagne must be betrothed to Agnes of Montferrat as well. Eleanor of Brittany arrived in Austria and married Frederick of Austria in 1194, Baldwin of Bethune would accompany her to Austria while Agnes of Montferrat would go to champagne to marry her betrothed, Theobald of Champagne, Agnes of Montferrat accompanied by Baldwin of Bethune, the marriage of Eleanor of Brittany and Leopold I of Austria happened due to the marriage was a peace offering to the Montferrats and the Babenbergs and not because it was just Leopold’s condition.


It was said that the marriage became possible because it was a double marriage - Theobald is also betrothed to the child Agnes of Montferrat.


The two marriages would Fix the relations of the Montferrats and Babenbergs with the Champignon Blois and the Plantagenets.
 
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A portrait John I of England

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Richard died on 6 April 1199 in the arms of his mother; it was later said that "As the day was closing, he ended his earthly day." Because of the nature of Richard's death, he was later referred to as "the Lion (that) by the Ant was slain". According to one chronicler, Richard's last act of chivalry proved fruitless when the infamous mercenary captain Mercadier had the crossbowman flayed alive and hanged as soon as Richard died, John was chosen as the heir rather than Arthur the rightful heir.


The Treaty of Le Goulet was signed by the kings John of England and Philip II of France in May 1200 and aimed to ultimately settle the claims the Angevin kings of England had on French lands. Hence, it aimed to bring an end to the war over the Duchy of Normandy and finalise the new borders of what was left of the duchy, as well as the future relationship of the king of France and the dukes of Normandy. The treaty was a victory for Philip as it asserted his legal claims to overlordship over John's French lands.


The terms of the treaty signed at le Goulet, on the Gueuleton island in the middle of the Seine river near Vernon in Normandy, included clarifications of the feudal relationships binding the monarchs. Philip recognised John as King of England, heir of his brother Richard I, and thus formally abandoned his prior support for Arthur I, Duke of Brittany, the son of John's late brother, Geoffrey II of Brittany. John, meanwhile, formally recognised the new status of the lost Norman territories by acknowledging the Counts of Boulogne and Flanders as vassals of the kings of France, not those of England, and recognised Philip as the suzerain of the continental lands in the Angevin Empire. John also bound himself not to support any rebellions on the part of the counts of Boulogne and Flanders.


Philip had previously recognised John as suzerain of Anjou and the Duchy of Brittany, but with the treaty of le Goulet he extorted 20,000 marks sterling in payment for recognition of John's sovereignty of Brittany.


The Duchy of Aquitaine was not included in the treaty. It was still held by John as heir to his still-living mother, Eleanor. The treaty was sealed with a marriage alliance between the Angevin and Capetian dynasties. John's niece Uraque(Uracca), daughter of his sister Leonora and Alfonso VIII of Castile, married Philip's eldest son, Louis VIII of France (to be eventually known as Louis the Lion). The marriage alliance only assured a strong regent for the minority of Louis IX of France. Philip declared John deposed from his fiefs for failure to obey a summons in 1202 and war broke out again. Philip moved quickly to seize John's lands in Normandy, strengthening the French throne in the process.


The new peace would only last for two years; war recommenced in the aftermath of John's decision in August 1200 to marry Isabella of Angoulême. In order to remarry, John first needed to abandon Isabel, Countess of Gloucester, his first wife; John accomplished this by arguing that he had failed to get the necessary papal permission to marry Isabel in the first place – as a cousin, John could not have legally wed her without this. It remains unclear why John chose to marry Isabella of Angoulême. Contemporary chroniclers argued that John had fallen deeply in love with Isabella, and John may have been motivated by desire for an apparently beautiful, if rather young, girl. On the other hand, the Angoumois lands that came with Isabella were strategically vital to John: by marrying Isabella, John was acquiring a key land route between Poitou and Gascony, which significantly strengthened his grip on Aquitaine.


Unfortunately, Isabella was already engaged to Hugh of Lusignan, an important member of a key Poitou noble family and brother of Count Raoul of Eu, who possessed lands along the sensitive eastern Normandy border. Just as John stood to benefit strategically from marrying Isabella, so the marriage threatened the interests of the Lusignans, whose own lands currently provided the key route for royal goods and troops across Aquitaine. Rather than negotiating some form of compensation, John treated Hugh "with contempt"; this resulted in a Lusignan uprising that was promptly crushed by John, who also intervened to suppress Raoul in Normandy.


Although John was the Count of Poitou and therefore the rightful feudal lord over the Lusignans, they could legitimately appeal John's actions in France to his own feudal lord, Philip. Hugh did exactly this in 1201 and Philip summoned John to attend court in Paris in 1202, citing the Le Goulet treaty to strengthen his case. John was unwilling to weaken his authority in western France in this way. He argued that he need not attend Philip's court because of his special status as the Duke of Normandy, who was exempt by feudal tradition from being called to the French court. Philip argued that he was summoning John not as the Duke of Normandy, but as the Count of Poitou, which carried no such special status. When John still refused to come, Philip declared John in breach of his feudal responsibilities, reassigned all of John's lands that fell under the French crown to Arthur – except for Normandy, which he took back for himself – and began a fresh war against John.
 
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A Portrait of Constance of Brittany
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Between 1198 and the time of her death delivering twin daughters, Constance ruled with her son Arthur as co-ruler. Throughout these years, Constance advised her son towards a French alliance, pursuing the policy of her late husband Geoffrey II.


Constance's cause of death is debated. Some historians believe she died of leprosy. Others believe she died from complications of childbirth, shortly after delivering twin daughters. Still others believe that she had leprosy, leading to a difficult delivery, and ultimately to her death shortly after the birth of the twins. Thus, both leprosy and childbirth are possible causes of death.


Constance gave birth to a son in 1199, named Conan and two-fraternal twins in 1201, namely, William of Thouars and Catherine of Thouars.


The birth of two male heirs would guarantee that the succession of Brittany and the Arthurian claims on England would split after Arthur’s death.
 
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After the signing of the Treaty of Le Goulet, and feeling offended by Philip, Arthur fled to John, his uncle, and was treated kindly, at least initially. However, he later became suspicious of John and fled back to Angers. Some unidentified source said that in April 1202, Arthur was again betrothed, this time to Marie of France, a daughter of Philip II and Agnes of Andechs-Merania.


After his return to France, and with the support of Philip II, Arthur embarked on a campaign in Normandy against John in 1202. Poitou revolted in support of Arthur. The Duke of Brittany besieged his grandmother, Eleanor of Aquitaine, John's mother, in the Château de Mirebeau. John marched on Mirebeau, taking Arthur by surprise on 31 July 1202. Arthur was killed by John's barons on 1 August, the succession of Arthur’s lands would split, Eleanor, the Duchess of Austria would inherit his Plantagenet land claims and Conan V of Brittany or Conan of Thouars would inherit the Duchy of Brittany.


Conan would later marry Agnes of France in place of his older brother, this would cement an alliance between France and Brittany in the end.
 
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I wonder, maybe Agnes of Montferrat's OTL husband, Henry, of Flanders, Emperor of Constantinople, could marry Friedrich I of Austria's sister-in-law, Theodora Angelina, and actually get a couple of kids.
 
I wonder, maybe Agnes of Montferrat's OTL husband, Henry, of Flanders, Emperor of Constantinople, could marry Friedrich I of Austria's sister-in-law, Theodora Angelina, and actually get a couple of kids.
Or have him marry Blanche of Navarre giving Henry a connection to Navarre..
 
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Old Plantagenet Coat of Arms
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The death of Arthur would cause the permanent revocation of the fief of Anjou and Maine and Philippe Auguste would make it a part of the royal demesne

A year after the death of Arthur in 1203, the le Goulet Treaty peace was revised again in a new treaty named the Treaty of Paris, in this treaty the King of England would split the inheritance of Aquitaine to another son, if John has only one son the son would only inherit the core parts of Aquitaine but the fiefs under Aquitaine would be vassals of the king of France directly and the remaining parts of Normandy would remain under John.


Eleanor of Brittany known as Helen or Eleonora in her duchy at this point have already have two children Helena(Eleanor) b. 1199 and Henry II of Austria b. 1202, the beautiful Helena of Austria would be betrothed and later married to the young Konrad the Curly, the duke of Glogow, making her an ancestor of the Polish, Hungarian and Scandanavian monarchs, Eleanor of Brittany and Frederick I of Austria would have two further children who survived infancy, Mathilde b. 1206 and Gottfried b. 1210, it would be the line of Frederick I and Eleanor of Brittany which would survive in the male line while Leopold his brother would die in the male line in the following generation.


In a year time Uracque, Queen of France would be pregnant with her first child, the pregnancy would be difficult at first, but she gave birth to a daughter named Eleanor b. 1204, named after her mother.
 
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Or have him marry Blanche of Navarre giving Henry a connection to Navarre..

And what would a Navarrese match aid him in ruling Constantinople. Granted Ms Angelina's parentage is uncertain according to wikipedia, but it can always be forged that she descends from the Angeloi dynasty thus tying "old Byzantium" and "new Latin" empires together.
 
And what would a Navarrese match aid him in ruling Constantinople. Granted Ms Angelina's parentage is uncertain according to wikipedia, but it can always be forged that she descends from the Angeloi dynasty thus tying "old Byzantium" and "new Latin" empires together.
He can marry Anna Kommene Angelina anyway...I might butterfly her marriage with the founder of the Nicean Empire..
 
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Lea Seydoux and as Isabelle of Angouleme in the movie Robinhood
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On 1200, Anna Kommene Angelina would remarry to Henry of Flanders, she would be a good marriage match as he would participate in the sacking of Constantinople in 1204 and would later inherit the Empire, she would bear a son just after the marriage with Henry of Flanders, her other possible fiancé Theodore Laskaris, the later founder of the Empire of Nicea would marry Anne of France who was married twice to two Commenian Byzantine Emperors.

On 1203, Eleanor of Aquitaine would retire in Fontravraud and would disinherit John Lackland in the goading of Philippe Auguste in favor of the niece of John and Philippe, Alice of Jerusalem, the daughter of Henry II of Champagne after the death of Arthur, Alice of Jerusalem, the would marry William of Brunswick, William of Brunswick is the brother of the original planned Duke of Aquitaine, Otto the Holy Roman Emperor at that time, the marriage would be given a dispensation by Pope Innocent III.


The marriage between the 7-year-old Alice I of Aquitaine and William of Brunswick (William XI of Aquitaine) would be consummated in the latter part of 1210’s.

The marriage and inheritance arrangement an unexpected betrayal on the side of John and this would also prevent any sons of Eleanor, Duchess of Austria, because Alice is the chosen heir of Eleanor of Aquitaine not Eleanor, Duchess of Austria and due to that parts of Normandy would remain under the English Kings as a consolation, John would learn of this decision in the latter part of 1203 after the death of Arthur, confirmed by Philippe on 1204 in a letter and due to that the the nobles and counts inside of Aquitaine would not recognize John, this was an act of Betrayal on the side of John and because of that he had to divorce Isabelle of Angouleme in the same year as the notice of Philippe came because the marriage is already useless to him, she would marry her original betrothed, Hugh of Lusignan this was a long term victory for Arthur and Hugh of Lusignan.
 
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So, John is childless, presumably on the lookout for a new wife, and Eleanor disinherits her own granddaughter, the duchess of Austria, in order to leave it to Alice of Jerusalem?
 
So, John is childless, presumably on the lookout for a new wife, and Eleanor disinherits her own granddaughter, the duchess of Austria, in order to leave it to Alice of Jerusalem?
Both John I of England and Eleanor, Duchess of Austria were disinherited..

I am thinking who he shall marry....could anyone list the possible eligible fertile brides..
 
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Charlize Theron as Queen Ingeborg in the movie Robinhood
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On 1205, the Old King John, desperate for a heir would look for a new wife, a wife who would give him sons, someone unrelated to him, as the Princesses of Castile are his nieces, he would try to gain the hand of the Princess of Leon, Sanchia, the stepdaughter of his niece Berengaria, as she is the same age as Isabella but Berengaria would request that Constance of Portugal the maternal aunt of Sanchia be delivered out from her vows so that Constance can marry John instead on 1206, but none of this would prosper as Constance would remain to be a nun and John would set his eyes to Sanchia of Aragon, and his niece Blanca would be exchange of this marriage in 1207.

Sanchia was engaged to Ferdinand, the son of Alfonso VIII but Ferdinand would set aside his betrothal to Sanchia to marry Richeza of Sweden because the two are related in prohibited degrees, Sanchia was proposed as the wife Ferdinand by Ingeborg or Isambour, Queen of France, who gave birth to another son for Philip, Philip of France (b. 1208), Sanchia would end up as the wife of Alfonso II of Portugal in 1210, since Afonso II apparently fell in love with the beauty of Sanchia and because of that Sanchia became an issue on the Portuguese war of succession between Sanchia and Henry, the King of Leon, after her full brother, Ferdinand died.

After the consummation of the marriage of Alice I of Aquitaine and Guilhem of Brunswick, Guilhem would die of consumption in 1217 and Alice would give birth to twin daughters named Eleanor and Marie 1215, forcing Alice to marry Henry of Castile in order to settle the dowry of Gascony by Eleanor of England, he is in his late teens at this point and Alice herself in her early twenties, Henry of Castile was her first cousin, and the second son of a King of Ferdinand of Castile, the marriage was given dispensation by the pope as well in the same way as her first.
 
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While Henry VI’s army moved quickly south with his army, a pregnant Constance followed at a slower pace. On 26 December, the day after Henry's crowning at Palermo, she gave birth to a son, Frederick-Roger (the future Emperor and king of Sicily Frederick II) in the small town of Iesi, near Ancona.


Constance was 40 after a marriage of 9 years in 1194, and she knew that many would question whether the child was hers. Thus, she had the baby in a pavilion tent in the market square of the town, and invited the town matrons to witness the birth. A few days later she returned to the town square and publicly breast-fed the infant, who is revealed to be girl, named Beatrice, named after her mother in law.

Beatrice I of Sicily would inherit Sicily upon the death of her mother on 1200, she would be initially betrothed to the Welf Holy Roman Emperor but Richard Fitzjean, the bastard son of John I would end up as her husband.


Meanwhile, In France Urracque would give birth to sons after she had given birth to her daughter Eleonore of France in 1204, the sons would be Philippe b. 1205, Alphonse b. 1208 and Louis b. 1212, Marie b. 1215 and Isabella b. 1222.

Meanwhile Uracque and her cousin, the duchess of Austria would write letters after the Duchess of Austria sent letters to the King of France regarding her her claims to the Duchies, however Uracque developed a treaty which would have betrothed their children Henry of Austria and Eleanor of France and Mathilde of Austria with Philippe of France.

Such advice and treaty was appreciated by the duchess as her lineage would rule France and parts of the Duchy that she thinks that was rightfully hers and she would accept the treaty.
 
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Berengaria of England, the widow of Richard I


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As Princess Sanchia of Aragon travelled to England to marry King John on 1207, the Princess was hesitant in marrying the King as he was so old to marry her and she wanted to stay single as a princess.


She needs to go to England or the treaty or alliance of her brother with King John would not happen.



Sanchia told herself, “I had been selfish all my life, her sisters Constance and Eleanor already have husbands and children.” “I need to help my brother to have an alliance with King John”, she was said to have been looking forward of a life of being a spinster princess.(note in this timeline Constance becomes an ancestress of Russian, Bohemia, Polish and German kings.)

She arrived in the valley of Maine before passing to Normandy talking to her distant relative, Berengaria who had been a Queen of England, she told to her relative that her sister Blanche of Navarre had been married to the King of England as the replacement of the former Queen of Portugal, Dulce of Aragon, she has two children, Maria b. 1199 and Infante Manuel b. 1201, the marriage was as political as the tentative marriage of Sanchia and the marriage of Berengaria with Richard, this gave Sanchia more motivation in the early years of her marriage with John.


Blanca the daughter of the King of Castile would marry the King of Aragon after his proposal of an alliance with King John, Maria of Montpellier, however had given birth to a son on 1208, named James delaying the marriage with Blanca but she became his mistress until 1210 when Maria of Montpellier was persuaded to withdraw to the convent.


Sanchia would arrive in Normandy on the earlier part of 1208 and King John would marry her and consummate the union as soon as possible to have a son, however Sanchia would be quite hesitant, as the marriage was not for love but was political in nature.


Sanchia would give birth to a son, Henry in 1209, the future Henry III, John would be happy as he would have a wife who would give him a son, the children were followed by William b. 1210, Isabella b.1212 and Eleanor b. 1214.


The marriage alliance would lead to the Aragonese ally with the English in the Battle of Bouvines.
 
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Descendants of Philippe II
Philippe II of France m. Elizabeth(Isabella) of Hainault d. 1190(a) Ingeborg of Denmark(b) Agnes of Merania(c)

1a. Louis VIII m. Urraca of Castile(a)

>1a. Eleanor of France b. 1204 b. Henry of Austria

>2a. Philip b. 1205 b. Mathilde of Austria

>3a. Alphonse b. 1208 b. Eleanor of Toulouse

>4a. Louis b. 1212

>5a. Marie b. 1215 b. Valdemar, Prince of Denmark

>6a. Isabelle b. 1222, abbess


2c. Marie of France m. Otto IV the Holy Roman Emperor

3c. Philippe b. 1200, abbot of St. Denis

4b. Philippe b. 1208
 
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After the consummation of the marriage of Alice I of Aquitaine and Guilhem of Brunswick, Guilhem would die of consumption in 1217 and Alice would give birth to twin daughters named Eleanor and Marie 1215, forcing Alice to marry Henry of Castile in order to settle the dowry of Gascony by Eleanor of England, he is in his late teens at this point and Alice herself in her early twenties, Henry of Castile was her first cousin, and the second son of a King of Ferdinand of Castile, the marriage was given dispensation by the pope as well in the same way as her first, Alice of Aquitaine would bear sons with Henry of Castile named Raymond b. 1218 and Henry 1222.



Joan of Flanders in the meantime would give birth to her first daughter, Marie in 1215, from her husband, Ferdinand of Portugal and further would give to a son named Baldwin in 1217.







Postcript

In the end France and England would be peace with Each other and England would remained tied in the French affairs for a millennia..
 
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