Marian TL help

So I'm planning a new TL set in the mid-sixteenth century and has two POD's: one is major and obvious to people (the people of the sixteenth century at least) and the other is subtle (again to the people of the sixteenth century). The First is having Reginald Pole being elected Pope in 1549 and the second is Mary I never developing cancer, thus both living and being able to have children. THe main POD is odviously the part about Mary but the Pole thing is something I've been toying around with for the last few months. I find his belief in Sola fide or justification by faith over works fascinating and would love to explore how a Pope Pole could effect the Council of Trent and relations between the Catholics and Protestants. My main problems so far is figuring out the ages that they could reasonably live. For Mary, even if she doesn't have cancer, her health was still up and down throwout her life so I'm not sure what would be reasonable. Her mother lived to 50 but had been imprisoned for years before and negatively affected her health. Her father was morbidly obese and in bad health for years but lived to 55. Not to mention on her mothers side, her great grandmother was 68 when he died. So I was thinking Mary could reasonably live to 50-55, thus reigning until 1566 at the earliest and 1571 at the latest.

As for Pole, he lived until 58 but returning to England after living in Italy and a Mediterranean climate for 22 years meant that returning home had a bad effect on his health, leading to his death two years later. So I was thinking, if he stayed in Rome/Italy he could reasonably live another 5 to 10 years, thus reigning till 1563, at the earliest or 1568/69 at the latest.

Do these observations sound right or no? Any help is greatly welcomed.
 
Mary could live longer, but give birth is unlikely giving her age. She suffered from irregular periods and strangulated uterus (womb? no idea what that even means) her whole life.
 
Mary could live longer, but give birth is unlikely giving her age. She suffered from irregular periods and strangulated uterus (womb? no idea what that even means) her whole life.

I'm working under the idea that her uterine cancer was the reason she wasn't able to have children, not to mention the reason for her phantom pregnancy symptoms. With no cancer, she would reasonably be able to conceive, especially since, using ur example from After Actium, she has never suffered from a miscarriage.
 
I'm working under the idea that her uterine cancer was the reason she wasn't able to have children, not to mention the reason for her phantom pregnancy symptoms. With no cancer, she would reasonably be able to conceive, especially since, using ur example from After Actium, she has never suffered from a miscarriage.

Well, a miscarriage isn't a major obstacle to getting pregnant again - if anything it can make a woman more fertile (in the immediate aftermath). With no cancer, she could conceivably conceive :)p), assuming Philip hung around long enough to get her pregnant and didn't give up on what would seemingly be a lost cause.
 
Well, a miscarriage isn't a major obstacle to getting pregnant again - if anything it can make a woman more fertile (in the immediate aftermath). With no cancer, she could conceivably conceive :)p), assuming Philip hung around long enough to get her pregnant and didn't give up on what would seemingly be a lost cause.

Well the first time he stayed around for a little over a year (July 1554 to August 1555) so its reasonable to think that she could get pregnant during this time. Also, if she gives birth, it proves her fertility, perhaps making Philip want to stick around longer. Though I wonder how a longer living Mary I would effect Spanish internal policy. Where would Philip II reign from? Spain, the Netherlands or even England? I assume he would have to at least visit England occasionally to see his wife and visit his son (spoiler Mary will have a son) but how long would he stay?
 
Cateau-Cambresis might well get butterflied away. Without Mary dying negotiations either end sooner, or get scuppered altogether. One way or another Calais isn't likely to be lost permanently. Without peace with France he probably wouldn't leave the Netherlands; to travel from Lorraine to Milan and by sea across to Castille is a rather big undertaking best left to peacetime. With Mary having a son, the Netherlands stands to enjoy a personal union with England, butterflying the Protestant rebellion and the major cause of Don Carlos quarrel with Philip (his desire to go visit and rule the Netherlands). He'll visit England when he needs money and arms.
 
Cateau-Cambresis might well get butterflied away. Without Mary dying negotiations either end sooner, or get scuppered altogether. One way or another Calais isn't likely to be lost permanently. Without peace with France he probably wouldn't leave the Netherlands; to travel from Lorraine to Milan and by sea across to Castille is a rather big undertaking best left to peacetime. With Mary having a son, the Netherlands stands to enjoy a personal union with England, butterflying the Protestant rebellion and the major cause of Don Carlos quarrel with Philip (his desire to go visit and rule the Netherlands). He'll visit England when he needs money and arms.

That sounds about right. Why not sail over the channel to England and from there to Spain. I'm pretty sure that Spain to England is how he arrived the first time. Any idea who would be Regent for Mary's son? Would it be an Austrian Habsburg? An English Catholic cousin? Hell even Elizabeth herself?
 
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