Philip II and Margaret of Austria

After his first wife died giving birth to the ill-fated D. Carlos in 1545, D. Felipe II was proposed by his father for his other cousin, Margarethe of Austria (1536-1567). Margarethe, however, was nominated by her father for a religious life and founded the abbey of Häll, where she was joined by her sisters Magdalene and Helene. However, what if Margarethe had married Felipe II? Her pious nature would've suited her well to the court at Madrid. What do you think?
 
It looks like Charles V and Ferdinand I weren't able to come to agreeable terms for this marriage. If they would have, then I'm pretty sure Ferdinand would have used her for dynastic purposes.

I think she might have fitted in at the Spanish court; but I've too little information to tell, how she would have fared in her role as queen.
 
It looks like Charles V and Ferdinand I weren't able to come to agreeable terms for this marriage. If they would have, then I'm pretty sure Ferdinand would have used her for dynastic purposes.

I think she might have fitted in at the Spanish court; but I've too little information to tell, how she would have fared in her role as queen.

Ferdinand's desire for Magdalena and Margarethe was that they follow a religious life, as Jonas said. But IIRC Ferdinand also refused to consent to the marriage fearing that Karl was gonna screw him over and name Felipe his heir in the Empire by presenting him to the Electors as married to a German/Austrian at least and therefore somewhat more palatable.

That said, assuming Karl soothes Ferdinand's fears about the succession, if Margarethe lives at least her OTL lifespan, it does away with Felipe's marriage to Mary I (meaning she might be more fondly remembered in England, even more if she doesn't marry a foreign king, but that's a stretch from the get-go) as well as Élisabeth de Valois.

As to the Marian Habsburg match, if Felipe and Max II are unavailable, it stands to reason Karl's gonna offer either a Portuguese cousin (ICR if Beja's still alive) or nephew (the duke of Savoy) or the Archduke Ferdinand of Philippine Welser fame.

What will be interesting, will be a marriage between D. Carlos and Élisabeth (since it was only because Carlos was already not high in his dad's affections that Felipe married her instead in the hopes of further male issue), not to mention how any children Felipe and Margarethe have might change the game (particularly sons).
 
Ferdinand's desire for Magdalena and Margarethe was that they follow a religious life, as Jonas said. But IIRC Ferdinand also refused to consent to the marriage fearing that Karl was gonna screw him over and name Felipe his heir in the Empire by presenting him to the Electors as married to a German/Austrian at least and therefore somewhat more palatable.

Personally that's something I never really got. Ferdinand was elected King of the Romans in 1530, so he was the heir to the Holy Roman Empire. Legally there was nothing Charles could have done and Ferdinand should have known that. The only way Felipe would have became Emperor is if Ferdinand died before Charles did/abdicated. Then there would have been an opportunity for him to gain the imperial dignity but not before.
 
Not quite Charles wanted to maintain Habsburg unity, though in the end he achieved the opposite.
In some was he was the last medieval universal emperor, not limited to the Holy Roman Empire, but to the theoretical whole Western Christianity.

He even failed to see, that his son would be a foreigner for the Prince-electors, who like his father would have too many obligations outside the Empire.
Ferdinand though basically raised as an Infante as a ruler never had any obligations outside the Empire, Hungary, Bohemia and Austria.

Up to this falling out, which IIRC was partly based on Charles' fear that separating the Habsburg domains would help the Reformation. The unravelling of Western Christian Unity was felt as threat and utter failure by Charles. He was a devout Catholic, who had urged the Papacy to some reforms of the Church; however like the Hohenstaufen before him, the Papacy was weary of being surrounded by such a powerful monarch (the wouldn't have liked a French* Milan and Naples either) and in some ways didn't mind political division in the Holy Roman Empire.
(*= controlled by the king of France)

Ferdinand had been very loyal to Charles and since he was King of the Romans, he would succeed Charles. However he had quite a large family (he did a better job at preserving the dynasty than Charles;)) and he wouldn't allow, that his own house would lose some of their patrimony.
The debate was about whom would succeed Ferdinand, Philip II, son of Charles, or Maximilian II, son of Ferdinand. In the end the compromise, devised by their sister Mary of Austria, was that Ferdinand would support the bid of Philip and Charles would support Maximilian. In the end it didn't quite work out, nor matter, but having Philip marry Margaret could have been done as a symbolic reconciliation.

I don't buy, that Ferdinand would have allowed them to become nuns, if** they could have served his dynasty. Both Charles and Ferdinand or any other contemporary monarch are quite unlikely to have acted in another way.

(**= that's an important condition)
 
Personally that's something I never really got. Ferdinand was elected King of the Romans in 1530, so he was the heir to the Holy Roman Empire. Legally there was nothing Charles could have done and Ferdinand should have known that. The only way Felipe would have became Emperor is if Ferdinand died before Charles did/abdicated. Then there would have been an opportunity for him to gain the imperial dignity but not before.

I think Ferdinand was just being cautious - although he had a stunningly Machiavellian grandfather who'd locked away his own daughter (who might not have been as crazy as made out, manic-depressives can still be functional in the real world if you subscribe to that theory of Juana's diagnosis), screwed over the French several times AND tried to disinherit both his mother and brother - it stands to reason Ferdinand might be wondering if his brother's gonna do the same to him. Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they're NOT out to get you.:D
 
Ferdinand and Isabella were gifted rulers, but I wouldn't sell Maximilian I short either, he unlike his father Frederick III was a talented ruler too.

As for Ferdinand and Charles, you could go back to the only other major conflict they had, which was about how the inheritance should be divided.
Charles eventually gave Ferdinand his Austrian share too, but initially Ferdinand had the desire to divide the entire inheritance.

IMHO the only plausible division of the entire inheritance (other than OTL) would have been, that one would get the Crowns of Castille and Aragon, whereas the other would get the Austrian Hereditary Lands, the Burgundian Inheritance and full* Habsburg support at the Imperial Election.
In fact there already was an idea floating around to make Ferdinand and not Charles the Habsburg candidate at the Imperial election (so no Charles V, but an earlier Ferdinand I).
IMHO when Charles would have been made to choose between Castille-Aragon and Austria-Burgundy, he would have chosen the former over the latter (though he wouldn't have liked giving up his homeland (Charles was born in Gent and raised in Mechelen)). Since Charles was the eldest, he would have had the first choice.

Anyway Charles probably felt he was generous**, but Ferdinand would initially have felt he might have deserved a bit more**.
However they soon reconciled, Ferdinand gaining Bohemia and Hungary helped a lot too; and even before Charles V ensured Ferdinand was elected king of the Romans he already acted as a de facto regent in the Empire for Charles (his title improved his legitimacy).
In a way Charles wanting Philip II to succeed Ferdinand, probably felt renegotiating the OTL delicate compromise.

(*= so supported by the other brother)
(**= the Habsburgs in the Habsburg hereditary lands, had like other Imperial dynasties, traditionally divided the inheritance amongst all male heirs, whereas in Castille, Aragon and Burgundy primogeniture was more common)
 
Top