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alternatehistory.com
This is my first attempt to publicize (sic) a timeline... i d love to hear what do u think... I have many more ideas to write... Any opinion is accepted good or bad... (medieval history isnot my field anyway... Roman and Byzantine History is... so i apologise for any mistakes i ve made...)
What do u think?
In the 1590 October Conclave following the untimely death of Pope Urban VII (died of malaria 12 days after his election) Count Olivares presented a catalogue of 7 Cardinals acceptables as candidates by Philip II of Spain... OTL Pope Gregory XIV (Niccolo Sfondrati Bishop of Cremona was on the list...)
If we eliminate Sfondrati's candidacy and Aldobrandini's presence in the Conclave (he was devoted to the Papal States and kinda apolitical) i think that Cardinal Madruzzo could be elected... He was the Crown Cardinal of HRE and presented the spanish vetoes in every conclave he participated...
He was about 68 years old at the time of his election and in OTL he lived till 1600 but since the burden of the Papacy is heavy i guess he will live till 1595-1597...
Perhaps he would choose the name Martin VI as his regnal name... (plz feel free to call him whatever name u think its better for him if u think Martin VI is not right...)
With the backing of his hand-picked Pope Philip II could support the Catholic league against Henry of Navarre...
He invades France (with the help of HRE) in 1591 and support Charles Cardinal de Bourbon as King Charles X... (supposedly freed 1-2 years before from captivity and still living in his 68 years...) Pope Martin VI frees him from his ecclesiastical vows so he can marry and have an heir (doubtful but worths a shot)
Charles X dies in 1594 aged 71 with no heirs and the War of French Succesion starts... Philip II could support i guess the claim of his daughter (from his marriage with Elisabeth de Valois duaghter of King Henry II of France) Isabella, while Protestants strike back with Henry of Navarre (who is still a Protestant...)
Pope Martin VI dies in 1595 during the War of French succession aged 72 and a stormy Conclave begins...
Pedro Cardinal de Deza Crown Cardinal of Spain allies unexpectedly with Cardinal de Joyeuse because of the danger that Henry of Navarre (who was the rightful claimant to the french throne according to Salic Law) ascends the Throne as Protestant and raise Cesare Baronio an Italian scholar and Cardinal since 1593 (Martin's VI creation) to the Papacy as a compromise candidate...
The new Pope who chooses the name Innocens IX (again feel free to make changes) supports the catholic Isabella win the French throne (happens about 1600)... Huguenots are defeated and flee to England... Queen Elisabeth I receives them cordially and calls Henry of Navarre (who fled with them there) “King Henry IV of France the true King”
This gives a pretext to Pilipp III (Philip's II son... Philippe II died in 1598) to avenge England for his father defeat in 1588...
Pope Innocens IX however refuses to sanction the attack against England with his famous saying “Europe needs resting and peace at last”...
Soon Pope fell under the blade of an assassin hired by Philippe III in 1600... While the Cardinals are assembled to choose a new Pope Philippe III musters an army to invade England and at the same time masterminding the election of “his guy” as Pope in order to get his blessing to attack England...
In the meanwhile back in Rome rumours that Pope Innocens IX was killed by Spaniards getting stronger...
In the ensuing conclave Spanish faction is fighting hard through intimidations and simony and the elderly Cardinal Pedro de Deza now Dean of the Sacred College of Cardinals clashes with his former ally in the previous Conclave Cardinal de Joyeuse...
The Conclave is prolonged and eventually deadlocked since no faction can secure the 2/3 majority needed for the election... In the 60th day of the Conclave Cardinal de Joyeuse Crown Cardinal of France (who despite being a subject of Queen Isabelle of France an ally of Spain he was devoted to the late Pope Innocens IX) in a fierce adressing to the Cardinals calls publicly the 80 years old Cardinal de Deza a murderer... an accusation (we will probably never know if it was true or not) that causes a shock to the elderly Cardinal who collapses and dies in his cell few hours later...
Without their leader the Spanish faction is in disarray and the junior Cardinals of Spanish faction begun to defect to the French faction or became independent... Finally in the 72nd day of this stormy Conclave the Princes of the Church elect the young Cardinal of Poland Andras Bathory (aged 34) as a compromise candidate with some ties with HRE and France under the name Leo XI...
Philippe III and the Spanish faction are going down in defeat and he abandons the idea of attacking England and concentrates in the expulsion of the Moors from Spain...
A little ATL scenario i just thought... Its my first timeline and i would like to hear your opinions... I am sorry if i have made any mistakes and plz feel free to correct me... i d love to hear every opinion good or bad...