Margaret Douglas, Queen of England

How is it possible for Margaret Douglas to become Queen of England. She was the daughter of Margaret Tudor through her second marriage. Margaret would make an idea heir as:
-Catholic
-Already married with two sons
-Has a powerful claim to Scotland through her husband
 
Well unlike her half brother she was born in England and might well have been included in the succession by her uncle.
However in the 1530's she upset him by falling for a Howard during her time in Anne Boleyn's household.
He was furious and she ended up in the tower - her behaviour didn't improve and she had another romance with a different Howard before her eventual marriage.

On her religion - she was certainly more Catholic (or Henrician Anglo Catholic) than many other members of her family but aswell as being close to her cousin Princess Mary she was also close to Catherine Parr.

She was certainly going to be a more tolerant Catholic than Mary was and she doesn't seem to have had too much of an issue with her Protestant raised grandchildren (James VI and Arbella Stuart).

Mary treated her as a Princess during her brief reign but this in part was to demote Elizabeth and to suggest an alternate successor.
 
How is it possible for Margaret Douglas to become Queen of England. She was the daughter of Margaret Tudor through her second marriage. Margaret would make an idea heir as:
-Catholic
-Already married with two sons
-Has a powerful claim to Scotland through her husband

Simple. Kill of Elizabeth during Mary I's reign. The Queen of Scots could be excluded because of her French marriage, thus making Margaret the next in line.
 
Depends when and what circumstances she succeeds in.

If Mary dies in infancy and Henry dies before his great matter and remarriage then - Margaret's mother is still living and will think herself the lawful heir (followed by her son James V).

You would probably have a conflicted succession with Henry perhaps naming his sister Mary or her son in preference to Margaret (Mary Duchess of Suffolk died in 1533) and her son Henry Earl of Lincoln will still be alive (bc1523 and died in 1534).

James V will definately consider his mother and him the lawful heirs though.

So The War of The English Succession in the 1530s - Margaret Douglas will be a pawn and assuming Charles Brandon is fighting to ensure his wife or son wins then expect a swift betrothal to the Earl of Lincoln for Lady Margaret.
After Mary and Lincoln's death (if it still happens on schedule) then chaos with a Scots party proposing Margaret and then James, another one proposing Lady Frances Brandon (now a highly marriageable young woman), and another perhaps proposing Margaret Douglas.

Assuming Henry VIII dies on schedule and Margaret has still upset him then her main chance is going to be as some Catholic alternative to Elizabeth - but she will a)need a bigger Catholic party to support her (and at this period most English Catholics still supported Elizabeth as Mary's heir) b) Needs a Mary Tudor not so devoted to her husband and more determined to prevent Elizabeth's succession.

If Elizabeth still succeeds and dies of smallpox in 1561 then Margaret might have a much stronger case - particularly given she has two sons, isn't as young as the legal heir Catherine Grey, and might well accept the Elizabethan religious compromise in return for the crown.
 
Henry VIII dies in jousting accident early 1536.

The infant Elizabeth is proclaimed Queen, with Anne Boleyn as Regent. This produces much the same reaction as Jane Grey's proclamation was later later to do OTL, and a full-blown rising starts in favour of Mary. However, Mary is in ASB's hands, as lady-in-waiting to her half-sister. A few days into the revolt, her sudden death is announced. The rebels proclaim Queen Margaret, who arrives in London a few days later, following collapse of AB's support.
 
Top