Prospero's Prosperity: Spanish Habsburgs Don't Die Out 1700

TL based on the Infante Philip Prospero, son of Philip IV, living longer than historical with some interesting butterflies.

My focus is still on my Romano-Egyptian TL so this will be a secondary project and not be updated with the same frequency, at least initially.

Any ideas or suggestions are welcome.
 
No 'War of the Spanish Succession', then?
Britain presumably doesn't gain Gibraltar, which => lots of butterflies (or Minorca, either, which => some), and various other changes in ownership for assorted bits of Europe don't take place around then either. Some of those other changes not happening then would definitely also have noticeable effects on later events, for example with the Spanish Netherlands not transferred to Austrian rule the 'War of the Bavarian Succession' presumably doesn't happen either.

John Churchill, Earl of Marlborough, had already distinguished himself as a general IOTL, and if Britain gets involved in another conflict of comparable importance instead during the same general period he's probably our army's commander in that fight instead (but, of course, quite possibly with different results). However unless he does get that other opportunity at command -- and perhaps even if he does -- he might never get upgraded from Earl to Duke, and it's likely that Blenheim Palace is never built. How much this would plausibly change things for his descendants would be a matter of opinion... Maybe no WSC, for example?
 
If we butterfly away the War of Spanish Succession and Louis XIV doesn't get involved in a similarly massive war Absolutist France is probably in a much better position through the 18th century. War with Britain is likely over colonies in the Americas and India over the century but without the ruinous expenses and damage to the French military the war brought the French might hold onto their empire in America a lot longer and maybe expand in India. Might also be a bigger France in Europe since Louis XIV doesn't lose many of his gains in Italy, Germany and the Low Countries from previous smaller wars.
 

OS fan

Banned
Spain would be somewhat better off, but you could still expect absolutist France to fight the Habsburgs at the next opportunity.
 
Chapter I: Introduction, 1661 AD.

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The austere Felipe IV inherited the combined thrones of Spain, together with Portugal, Sicily, Naples, and a vast colonial empire on the 31st of March, 1621. He was just sixteen. He proved to be an ineffectual ruler, whose reign saw the loss of Portugal (with its vast colonial empire), Jamaica, Cerdagne, Roussilon, Artois and other parts of the Netherlands. At times he came close to losing even his native crown of Castille. His military incompetence also saw the loss of Moyenvic and Bar, the remaining possessions of his sole ally the Duke of Lorraine.

At the age of ten he had married Elizabeth of France, as part of a double marriage alliance with the Bourbons. She gave him seven children, but only one son - the Infante Baltasar Carlos. Of the six girls, only one (Maria Theresa), survived infancy.

Élisabeth's death in 1644 freed the King up to marry once more. The premature death of the Infante Baltasar Carlos at the age of sixteen in 1646, and the deaths of the King's brothers Carlos and Ferdinand in 1632 and 1642, impressed upon him the urgency of securing the royal succession. He opted for Baltasar's intended bride, the Archduchess Maria Anna of Austria. The new Queen Mariana, who was only twelve when they first became engaged, was also his niece. She dutifully set about providing him with the desired heirs: Margarita Teresa (born 1651), Maria Ambrosia (who did not long survive birth in 1655), the hoped-for male heir, Felipe Prospero, in 1657, and another son, Ferdinand Thomas, in 1658. Though this last prince did not make it to his first birthday, yet another pregnancy allowed the King enough lee-way to consent to his eldest daughter's match with his French nephew as part of the disastrous peace of 1660, on the proviso she renounce for herself and her heirs any claim to the Spanish throne.

Unfortunately, the succession was proving every bit as precarious as the King had feared. This fifth pregnancy proved to be the Queen's last; she expired shortly after the birth of a pudgy but sickly Infante [1]. Baptized Charles Eugene Felix, he was sickly and deformed, with herpes-like rashes on his face and atrophic genitalia [2]. His elder brother the Prince of Asturias was, comparatively, perfectly formed, but given to epileptic seizures and bouts of illness. As, if seemed likely, the two princes perished early or without heirs, the King determined to settle the succession on his younger daughter Margarita. She was promptly affianced, succession rights intact, to her uncle the Emperor Leopold.

The matter of the King's remarriage was immediately brought up. A healthy young bride of sufficient rank was sought for him in the four corners of Christendom. The fourteen year old Louisa Maria of the Palatinate was given some consideration, being favoured by both Paris and Vienna. Though destitute, she was the cousin of the Empress-Dowager Eleanora Gonzaga and of the Duke of Mantua, a loyal ally of the Empire; she also the niece of the Queen of Poland, of the Elector Palatine and of the Electress of Hanover. The Duke Alfonso IV of Modena had two sisters, Leonora and Maria, in their late teens, but the Spanish sovereign had little wish to ally himself to so loyal a servant of France. A far richer and more prestigious union presented itself in the thirteen year old Françoise Madeleine d'Orléans, a princess of the blood royal of France and cousin of King Louis XIV. She was also the niece of Charles IV, Duke of Lorraine, who avidly promoted the union, seeing in it the surest means of recovering his patrimony. The Emperor also put forward his younger sisters, the Archduchesses Eleonora Maria and Maria Anna Josepha, though these were yet children and the half-sisters of Felipe's previous queen. Alternatively, he suggested a cousin, Archduchess Claudia Felicitas of Austria, or her sister Maria Magdalena, though both were still children also.​


[1] Our first POD. OTL Queen Mariana survived her husband and played a significant role in the reign of her son Charles II.

[2] According to this source, Charles had a single atrophied testicle and posterior hypospadias. They seem to be basing this primarily off "the confession of Queen Maria Luisa of Orleans that the king suffered premature ejaculation that prevented him from consummating the marriage". For the sake of this TL, Charles' hypospadias will not be quite as severe as they have determined in their study.
 

elkarlo

Banned
Nice. Also just be interesting how the alliances would turn out. As Spain may not be sucked into France's orbit.

But losing the Spanish Netherlands is only a good thing for Spain.
 
No 'War of the Spanish Succession', then?
Britain presumably doesn't gain Gibraltar, which => lots of butterflies (or Minorca, either, which => some), and various other changes in ownership for assorted bits of Europe don't take place around then either. Some of those other changes not happening then would definitely also have noticeable effects on later events, for example with the Spanish Netherlands not transferred to Austrian rule the 'War of the Bavarian Succession' presumably doesn't happen either.

John Churchill, Earl of Marlborough, had already distinguished himself as a general IOTL, and if Britain gets involved in another conflict of comparable importance instead during the same general period he's probably our army's commander in that fight instead (but, of course, quite possibly with different results). However unless he does get that other opportunity at command -- and perhaps even if he does -- he might never get upgraded from Earl to Duke, and it's likely that Blenheim Palace is never built. How much this would plausibly change things for his descendants would be a matter of opinion... Maybe no WSC, for example?

No War of the Spanish Succession, at least not like OTL. As Charles II still marries Catherine of Braganza, the English still get Tangiers ITTL, so I wouldn't rule out them angling for Gibraltar at any opportunity that presents itself.

As for Churchill, unless his military career takes a drastic turn for the worse, I dare say the careers of his wife and sister will still see him becoming every bit as prominent OTL. As for WSC, I think by the time he comes around butterflies might be too considerable for him to exist in any recognisable form? Not sure on that.

If we butterfly away the War of Spanish Succession and Louis XIV doesn't get involved in a similarly massive war Absolutist France is probably in a much better position through the 18th century. War with Britain is likely over colonies in the Americas and India over the century but without the ruinous expenses and damage to the French military the war brought the French might hold onto their empire in America a lot longer and maybe expand in India. Might also be a bigger France in Europe since Louis XIV doesn't lose many of his gains in Italy, Germany and the Low Countries from previous smaller wars.

Interesting, thanks for that. Without the Spanish succession in jeopardy, what would you say Louis XIV's main priorities will be abroad?

Spain would be somewhat better off, but you could still expect absolutist France to fight the Habsburgs at the next opportunity.

Exactly. After all, if Felipe V was a disappointment, one cannot expect his "challenged" sons to make for significantly more competent monarchs. :( Wars are inevitable at this point.

Nice. Also just be interesting how the alliances would turn out. As Spain may not be sucked into France's orbit.

But losing the Spanish Netherlands is only a good thing for Spain.

Not having a Bourbon Spain has a lot of interesting butterflies, for both Spanish and French policy, as well as dynastic marriages, which in turn affects which monarchs get born, which lines die out, etc.

As for the Netherlands, I don't think the Habsburgs would see it that way :D
 
Interesting TL and a promising start; I'll be following this TL. :)

IMHO another interesting POD could be the survival of Baltasar Carlos.
 
Interesting TL and a promising start; I'll be following this TL. :)

IMHO another interesting POD could be the survival of Baltasar Carlos.

Thank you. It would, but I didn't want this to start off as too much of a wank (which Felipe dieing with a grown son plus two spares would feel like). :p

Of the available brides, do you guys have any preferred choices for King Felipe?
 
Interesting TL Velasco!

I think Louisa Maria of the Palatinate makes the most sense out of all of Felipe IV's potential third wives. Not too closely tied with France and capable of bearing an heir relatively quickly. Furthermore her family, in particular her mother, would add an interesting element to Spanish court politics as she strikes me as a woman of ambition.

Assuming Felipe does die around the time of OTL with living descendants you're still going to run into the problem that the heirs are still going to be minors. Furthermore Spain's still not going to be able to pay the dowry for Maria Theresa which will cause Louis XIV to make a play for the Spanish Netherlands along the lines of OTL's war of Devolution.
 
Chapter II: Damsels for Spain, Part One

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At the age of fifty-seven, King Felipe V of Spain decided to embark on his third matrimonial journey. The bride of choice was Françoise Madeleine d'Orléans, daughter of the recently deceased Duc d'Orléans and first cousin of King Louis XIV. She fulfilled the main pre-requisites, being of impeccable royal lineage and suitable age for the breeding of heirs. Her sister Marguerite Louise had recently received a dowry of 900,000 livres in marriage to the Grand Duke; the King of Spain could reasonably expect the same or more. Though it paled in comparison to what Felipe had recently pledged for his daughter (the grand sum of 500,000 écus), it was a standard dote for a French royal princess. Recent wars had bled both France and Spain dry; Spain was still committed to the reconquest of Portugal (whose resistance was partially funded by the French). As such, neither crown was in position to actually afford such lavish sums - let their heirs wrangle over them in future negotiations.

The Baron de Banteville was accordingly sent forward into France. The Baron had for the past months been in England, attempting to arrange a marriage between the recently restored King Charles II and the Dowager Empress. When this union failed - the English King drily commenting that the Dowager was "poor in money, rich in years" - Banteville promoted a union between Charles and the princess Maria Caterine Farnese of Parma. In order to make up for her inferior birth, Felipe offered to adopt the princess, providing her with the title and rank of an Infanta and the dowry of one. Charles' counter proposal that he marry a true infanta, Margarita Theresa, and that her intended spouse (and uncle) the Emperor be compensated with the hand of his sister, Henrietta, was promptly shot down. Other pro-Spanish matches with ladies of Saxony and Denmark were similarly discarded. Shortly thereafter the Princess Henrietta married her cousin the Duc d'Orléans, and Charles consented to a union with the Infanta Catherine of Portugal, who brought him a ridiculously extravagant dowry including Tangiers and Bombay.

With the Stuarts drawing closer to the French and the Braganza usurpers in Portugal, Felipe desired to counter-act this by contracting a profitable marriage to a French princess. King Louis, however, was less than enthusiastic about the union. So grand a union necessitated an equally grand dowry, which he had no desire of paying. He did not particularly feel like pledging to pay it either. Nor was he enthusiastic about any project involving King Felipe's marriage to a young fertile bride who might give him yet more sons, to the detriment of Louis and his wife's own claims. King Louis promptly consented to the Orléans girl's match to the Duke of Savoy, to the great displeasure of her mother and uncle.

The snub would have infuriated Felipe, were it not for the fact that his attention was already elsewhere. The marriage with Louise Maria of the Palatinate was increasingly favoured, at home and abroad, where it received the support of several notable sponsors. The eldest daughter of the Prince and Princess Palatine, she was well-bred and well-connected, although unfortunately related to the Haus Habsburg only distantly. Women of her house had, of late, served as royal consorts with great distinction; her aunt Marie Louise was twice Queen of Poland and her cousin Eleanora recently Holy Roman Empress. Her mother the Princess, "whose manner and address were said to be those of a Queen, her appearance eminently graceful and majestic", was a close friend of Felipe's sister, the Queen Dowager of France. At Felipe's behest Queen Anne interviewed the girl in order to assess her suitability for a future as consort of Spain. To her mother's barely concealed delight, she passed with flying colours.

Though welcome, it was not his sister's endorsement that fanned the flame of Felipe's ardour. As fortune would have it, the girl's grandmother, Elizabeth of England, sometime Queen of Bohemia, and her uncle, prince Rupert of the Rhine, were then at the English court, where Rupert (recently made Duke of Cumberland) sat on the Privy Council and was the King's closest male relative besides his brother. This Prince wielded great influence over the King Charles. The King's recent marriage with the Portuguese infanta excited fears of hostilities between England and it's traditional ally Spain - hostilities which would certainly injure the Kingdom's highly profitable trade with the Spanish Low Countries. A marriage between the King's cousin and the Spanish King was the surest way of pacifying these subjects. A concerted effort from the girl's parents, uncle and grandmother soon convinced both the English and Spanish Kings of the propriety of the marriage.

Despite his blatant disregard for Spain the past year, the English King was the first to take active steps towards promoting the marriage. He called the girl's father, the Prince Palatine Edward, to England, ostensibly for a meeting of the knights of the Garter. Though Catholic, the prince was inoffensive and affable, benefiting greatly from the popularity of his brother Rupert. Charles elevated him to the peerage as Duke of Cambridge - albeit with reserve to male heirs only - and settled upon him a healthy pension of ₤3000.

Felipe was appropriately encouraged, but the matter of the girl's dowry posed the next greatest issue. Her parents had hitherto relied primarily on the generosity of the French King, their fortune now bolstered by the favour of England. Neither of these incomes were so substantial as to afford anything near a suitable dowry for a future Queen of Spain. Felipe showed himself amenable to a dowry of 860,000 livres, which was only slightly more than what had been promised for the English King's sister (she was given 840,000). King Charles was prevailed upon to provide the bulk of this sum, whereupon negotiations stalled somewhat. Banteville therefore advanced a proposal that the recently acquired port of Dunkirk, hitherto a Spanish possession, be pawned back to the Spanish crown as security for the payment of the dowry. If not Dunkirk (which the English intended to sell to the French for half a million), Felipe would accept Tangier, which he viewed as his rightful possession as de jure King of Portugal (the Braganza usurpers having no right to dispose of it as their daughter's dowry). To sweeten the deal, Felipe even showed himself amenable to recognising English ownership of Jamaica.

Alarmed by this sudden re-approximation, King Louis attemped to halt, or at least delay, the concretion of this union. He proposed Felipe marry his cousin, La Grande Mademoiselle Anne Marie Louise d'Orléans, elder sister of the other Orléans girl. A marriage between Felipe and La Grande Mademoiselle had been discussed before, and she had been tentatively pledged to his brother Ferdinand at the time of the Infante's death. She was the greatest heiress of her time, an educated and accomplished woman who would make a perfect choice for step-mother to Felipe's children. Most importantly (for Louis), her advanced age greatly diminished the likelihood of any extra heirs being produced.

As for Felipe, he was most interested in the potential acquisition of her vast personal fortune, complete with the sovereign principality of Dombes, which adjoined his own Franche Comté. Louis saw in the match a means of securing the bulk of Mademoiselle's vast lands and incomes for his son and brother, while simultaneously preventing his father-in-law from siring more heirs. He was, however, loathe to see the Spanish gain Dombes, and insisted that the few lands which she might retain - the Mademoiselle adamantly refused to give up certain titles and properties - be prevented from ever being held in conjunction with the Spanish crown.

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La Grande Mademoiselle

One princess - young, poor. The other, old and rich. Louisa Maria's lack of an appropriate dowry slowed negotiations with the English, which were not aided by the mixed opinions of Charles' councillors - particularly Edward Hyde, who cared little for the Spanish. Mademoiselle's whimsical disposition and Louis' fears of Spanish encroachment upon his realm did not particularly allay Felipe's uncertainty about allying himself with a barren spinster.

While he struggled over his own matrimony, the King found it much easier to suitably bestow his eldest surviving son, the Prince of Asturias, in marriage. At the age of just five the young Felipe Prospero was pledged to his aunt, the eight year old Archduchess Maria Anna Josepha of Austria. In case of his death, she would wed his brother Charles Eugene, or his father King Felipe, whichever was available; in case of her premature death, he would wed her sister the Archduchess Eleonora Maria. In this way the ties between El Escorial and Wien were reaffirmed once more, ensuring the succession of the surviving branch should the other ever fail.
 
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Interesting TL Velasco!

I think Louisa Maria of the Palatinate makes the most sense out of all of Felipe IV's potential third wives. Not too closely tied with France and capable of bearing an heir relatively quickly. Furthermore her family, in particular her mother, would add an interesting element to Spanish court politics as she strikes me as a woman of ambition.

Assuming Felipe does die around the time of OTL with living descendants you're still going to run into the problem that the heirs are still going to be minors. Furthermore Spain's still not going to be able to pay the dowry for Maria Theresa which will cause Louis XIV to make a play for the Spanish Netherlands along the lines of OTL's war of Devolution.

Thank you Fearless Leader! :p

You're right - I'm particularly attracted to having Louisa as Queen because of her mother. It's not hard to imagine the indomitable Anne Gonzague causing all kinds of havoc as some sort of power-behind-the-throne once Felipe dies. At the same time, her ties to England make her an interesting bride in 1662's political climate. She's appropriately Catholic and royal, main issue is her lack of money. I'm not sure I can see Charles, much less Louis, forking out the kind of dowry she'd be expected to have, and I can't see Felipe settling for less than he's worth as the mighty King of Spain etc etc.

On the other hand, a French marriage could bring a nice rich dowry which would abate what Felipe owes to Louis, with plenty of potentially interesting butterflies in future. La Grande Mademoiselle as Queen Dowager might make as interesting a Regent as young Louisa of the Palatinate.
 
Thank you Fearless Leader! :p

You're right - I'm particularly attracted to having Louisa as Queen because of her mother. It's not hard to imagine the indomitable Anne Gonzague causing all kinds of havoc as some sort of power-behind-the-throne once Felipe dies. At the same time, her ties to England make her an interesting bride in 1662's political climate. She's appropriately Catholic and royal, main issue is her lack of money. I'm not sure I can see Charles, much less Louis, forking out the kind of dowry she'd be expected to have, and I can't see Felipe settling for less than he's worth as the mighty King of Spain etc etc.

On the other hand, a French marriage could bring a nice rich dowry which would abate what Felipe owes to Louis, with plenty of potentially interesting butterflies in future. La Grande Mademoiselle as Queen Dowager might make as interesting a Regent as young Louisa of the Palatinate.

Actually, you make a good point about the dowry. I had been operating under the somewhat naive assumption that Felipe would be willing to forego the dowry for a fertile wife. Given his importance and ego I could see the dowry becoming a sticking point for any marriage to Louisa Maria. Furthermore I doubt Charles II would be willing or able to pay for her dowry if it were substantial I don't think it would go over well at home and the gains made from such a match would be minimal...

Come to think of it, a French match would make much more sense...
 
Actually, you make a good point about the dowry. I had been operating under the somewhat naive assumption that Felipe would be willing to forego the dowry for a fertile wife. Given his importance and ego I could see the dowry becoming a sticking point for any marriage to Louisa Maria. Furthermore I doubt Charles II would be willing or able to pay for her dowry if it were substantial I don't think it would go over well at home and the gains made from such a match would be minimal...

Come to think of it, a French match would make much more sense...

I think that'd be the sensible thing to do, but the Habsburgs weren't always the most sensible men. On the other hand, King Louis isn't the most reasonable man, so negotiating with him is likely to be a pain too.
 
Chapter III: Damsels For Spain, Part Two

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After much careful consideration, Felipe decided to pursue the hand of La Grande Mademoiselle. Though considerably older than Louisa Maria of the Palatinate, a daughter of France outranked and surpassed the daughter of a junior Palatinate prince in every other way imaginable. She was the niece of his beloved first wife and resembled her greatly. Most rare for royal marriages, he did not have to rely on other's reports of her appearance and manner - he had met her recently, at the marriage of his daughter the Infanta with King Louis XIV. He had heard with interest her refusal of a proposal from the would-be King of Portugal, who she thought likely to lose his throne to Felipe. A marriage with her would therefore underline his own undisputed sovereign status in opposition to the questionable legitimacy of the Braganza's claimed royal status. It would also reaffirm the ties between Spain and France, hopefully driving a wedge between the French and their now rejected Portuguese allies, who would have to look elsewhere for a Queen. Mademoiselle brought with her a vast fortune which Felipe hoped to gain access too, and the principality of Dombes bordering his Franche-Comté. Lastly, she would provide a much needed mother figure for his two impaired infant sons, who would likely to be orphaned sooner rather than later.

The main issue for the marriage with La Grande Mademoiselle was her consent, which was easily obtained once the offer was officially made. The second issue was the disposition of her vast fortune and landed property within the French Kingdom. On her insistence it was agreed that she retain her beloved estate of Eu, recently purchased from the Guises to the tune of 2.55 million livres, and her mother's Duchy of Montpensier. She also retained the principality of Dombes, valued at some 3 million livres, and the counties of Bar-sur-Seine and Mortain. These properties were to be her exclusive personal possessions, independent of her husband and the Spanish crown, and a security for her in her widowhood.

She exchanged with the King the duchy-peerage of Châtellerault, together with the duchy of Saint-Fargeau, the dauphinate of Auvergne and the principality of La Roche-sur-Yon for his co-sovereignty of the tiny principality of Andorra straddling the Pyrenees. It was far from a fair trade but a gesture greatly appreciated by her intended husband. She sold the marquisate of Mézières for 180,000 livres to Hortense Mancini, niece and heiress of the recently deceased Cardinal Mazarin, and leased the rest of her counties and baronies to her cousin Philippe, the Duc d'Orléans. There was little likelihood of her receiving the promised payment, but it was a small price to pay for the dignity of the consort's crown of Spain. Her outstanding debts, which were not inconsiderable, became the responsibility of Orléans, to be abated from the owed sum. The lease also permitted her, or her heirs, to redeem the leased properties at the sale price. Finally she she nominated Orléans as her universal heir in the occassion of her childless, in accordance with King Louis' wishes.

The betrothal was solemnised at the end of June 1662, whereafter the French court travelled south for the marriage. Arriving in Bordeaux in July, she dallied there three weeks. The King of Spain met his bride on the isle of Pheasants, the traditional meeting place of the French and Spanish courts - he had met his first wife there, and most recently his daughter Maria Theresa had met King Louis. She was married by proxy to Felipe on August 5th at Saint-Jean-de-Luz and then in a Spanish service on August 10th at Fontarabia.

Ecstatic, vindicated, triumphant, the new Queen of Spain said goodbye to her countrymen and regressed with her gloomy husband back to his monastery-palace of El Escorial where she would - finally - preside as the undisputed mistress of her very own court.

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Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial
 
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So the French match is made!

At 36 another pregnancy wouldn't be impossible...a tad risky in the 17th century but not impossible. A healthy child would do wonders infusing new blood into the Spanish Hapsburgs though...

I wonder how she'll get along with John Jose (John of Austria the Younger) Philip IV's illegitimate son? That relationship is going to define Spain's course following the death of Philip IV. Given her proclivities in OTL and her attempted marriage to the duc de Lauzun I could see her falling for John of Austria the Younger (He's only 2 years younger than her...) that would certainly make things interesting!

Also how will the French Match in TTL affect the War of Devolution? Will Louis still try to make an issue of the dowry owed to him by Spain, or will he focus on his wife's claim to the Spanish Netherlands due to her birth order?
 
So the French match is made!

At 36 another pregnancy wouldn't be impossible...a tad risky in the 17th century but not impossible. A healthy child would do wonders infusing new blood into the Spanish Hapsburgs though...

I wonder how she'll get along with John Jose (John of Austria the Younger) Philip IV's illegitimate son? That relationship is going to define Spain's course following the death of Philip IV. Given her proclivities in OTL and her attempted marriage to the duc de Lauzun I could see her falling for John of Austria the Younger (He's only 2 years younger than her...) that would certainly make things interesting!

Also how will the French Match in TTL affect the War of Devolution? Will Louis still try to make an issue of the dowry owed to him by Spain, or will he focus on his wife's claim to the Spanish Netherlands due to her birth order?

Yep! I struggled with it, because I'm sure Louisa Maria could have made an interesting teen queen, and her mother an interesting schemer and plotter. But ultimately I think it is far more plausible that Felipe would opt for Mademoiselle, and the butterflies from that are very interesting too.

Don Juan José is away in Portugal fighting, and is likely to stay there for a while. At least initially I can see the two getting along quite well, so long as Juan is respectful of her superior status. Not having a Queen consort opposed to him from the outset is good for his career. (If I recall correctly, Queen Mariana wasn't his biggest fan and had him removed from his command in Portugal).

Mademoiselle being an adult woman will probably be able to command both her husband and court a lot more competently than Mariana OTL. A mésalliance or lover would be a bad move, but I think she's just about silly enough to commit that kind of mistake... :p Don Juan is out of bounds though, it'd be too much like Charles V's affair with his step-grandma Germaine de Foixe. I mean, it's not impossible, but it has the makings of a political minefield - so much as a rumour of it could completely ruin her position.

The main butterflies here are for the War of Devolution. Marrying Mademoiselle allows Felipe to make his daughter's dowry payments. On the other hand, Louis still wants the Spanish Low Countries, and can count on the Emperor's support/neutrality as long as the heir to Spain is a sickly little boy. For the sake of this TL I'm going on the assumption that Louis hadn't thought up the whole idea of devolution etc in 1662, at which point he couldn't be certain his wife's dowry would go unpaid.​
 
Chapter IV: Queen At Last

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The new Queen of Spain was henceforth no longer referred to as La Grande Mademoiselle. She was now Su Católica Majestad Doña Ana Maria Luísa de Orleans, Por la gracia de Dios, Reina de Castilla, de León, de Aragón, de las dos Sicilias, de Jerusalén, de Navarra, de Granada, de Toledo, de Valencia, de Galicia, de Mallorca, de Menorca, de Sevilla, de Cerdeña, de Córdoba, de Córcega, de Murcia, de Jaén, del Algarve, de Algeciras, de Gibraltar, de las Islas Canarias, de las Indias Orientales y Occidentales, de las Islas y Terrafirme del Continente Oceánico, Archiduquesa de Austria, Duquesa de Borgoña, de Brabante, de Atenas y Neopatria y de Milán, Condessa de Absburg, de Flandres, del Tirol y de Barcelona, Señora de Vizcaya y de Molina, etc etc. She was now without human superior, save perhaps for Pope and Emperor, and had the distinction of being mother (and therefore senior, in some manner) of her step-daughter the Queen of France, and by extension, to her former master and liege-lord, King Louis.

Early on she earned the respect of her new spouse by her earnest resolve to win the affection of her new subjects. In their sombre superstition and melancholy, the Spaniards were the very reverse of her frivolous countrymen. Brought up at the gayest court in Europe, accustomed to the perpetual fêtes that made up its life, it was expected that she would be given over to homesickness and depression. Certainly, she was to miss the incessant movement of the court, the hunting-parties and open-air of the great chateaux, but she prized the conquest of her husband and new nation's affection above these and all other pleasures.

Welcomed with enthusiasm, after the fashion of the country the Spaniards showed their joy by burning heretics and slaying bulls. Bull fights and autos-da-fé greeted her arrival in every town from the moment she crossed the frontier till she reached Madrid. Though the sight of blood and smell and crackle of burnt flesh caused her great misery, she assisted each spectacle and earnt their admiration in the process. He rewarded her by allowing her to keep some of her French attendants, to the chagrin of the camarera mayor del palacio Margarita Zapata de Mendoza, who she despised.

Though she was the niece of his first wife, Queen Isabel, she was not as proximately related to him as most consorts of Spain had been. Her grandmother Maria de Médici was the first cousin of his mother, the Archduchess Margaret; by virtue of the many intermarriages between the Austrian and Spanish Habsburgs, Maria de Medici was also a second- and third- cousin several times over to both of Felipe IV's parents. Queen Ana Maria closest kinship to her husband was as a second cousin once removed, decidedly foreign given the previous marriages of the Habsburg monarchs to closer cousins and nieces.

At thirty-five, she was considered old and past the ideal age for child-bearing. Given the ill health of the two infantes it was still hoped, however, that she would provide her husband with spare sons. If she failed, the succession would be entailed on the King's younger daughter the infanta Margarita - pledged to her uncle the Emperor - though it was not thought likely that his elder daughter the Queen of France would sit idly by if it came to it. The King did not share her bed often, but consummated the union and visited her frequently. She was distraught when she abruptly aborted a barely discernible foetus shortly before the start of Christmas celebrations. United by their anguish, the King (who had already seen the death of nine children) was encouraged by this almost immediate proof of her fertility and became more assiduous in his visits. The Queen was also encouraged - perhaps a baby would help lessen her grief. More importantly, a baby would assure her place in the oncoming regency; sidelining the mother of a royal heir was a far harder task than sidelining a peripheral royal widow.

Ambition, encouragement and the earnest intercession of concerned subjects, friends and allies from Paris to Vienna to Rome soon availed themselves and the Queen was with child once more (knowingly, for the first time). Finally on September 29th, 1663, she was delivered of a healthy infanta. Though the sex of the child was disappointing, the infanta endured her first days and showed every promise of survival. She was baptised Maria Luisa Micaela, in honour of the Virgin, of her mother the Queen, and of Saint Michael the Archangel, on whose day she had been born. The new mother was besotted with her child and lavished upon her all sorts of presents.

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Peace with France had freed Spain up to focus it's resources on the reconquest of Portugal. The death of the valido Luis de Haro gave Don Juan José, the King's natural son, ready access to his father's ear, obtaining whatever supplies or reinforcements he requested. Don Juan was able to take almost the whole province of Alentejo, subduing the towns of Aronches and Alconchel. He thereafter turned to ravaging the country, ignoring the strong towns of Estremos and Villa Viçosa. The heat of the climate encouraged the spread of diseases which decimated forces which had been provided by the Emperor, while Don Juan's proclivity to waste time besieging insignificant towns slowed down his progress. The joy at the Infanta's birth breathed new airs into the aged King, as well as giving the Queen her first taste of power as he began to admit her presence in important audiences and meetings of his council. It was said to be at her behest that Don Juan José was commanded to march upon Elvas, where Spanish forces had been crushed a few years before, and secure that place before progressing further into Portugal.

Felipe's better treatment of his other bastards was also attributed to her. When Fernando Valdes y Uribeondo [1] was granted the governorship of Novara in Milan, he wrote to his royal step-mother to thank her for her good graces. She had the young Don Carlos [2] brought to court and placed in her household as a menino, while Juan José's sister Sor Luisa Orozco Calderón [2] was taken from the convent where she had lived twenty years to attend on the Queen. She also invited his other bastards to court and endowed the monasteries where they lived, befriending especially the Bishops of Malaga [4] and Oviedo [5]. Success in Portugal and a live baby in her arms made Christmas 1663 notably more joyous than that of the year before.

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[1] Fernando Valdés y de Uribeondo (1638-1702), born to Felipe and Ana María de Uribeondo (1620-1703). Governor of Novara since 1661, he married Anna Maria di Capece (1642-1685) in 1660. Also known as Ferdinand-Gonzalez de Valdez, sometime Master of the Ordinance for the Duchy of Milan.

[2] Luisa Orozco Calderón said to be the full sister of Juan José. Daughter of La Calderona, she was at Valfermoso de las Monjas in 1648, two years after her mother's death as Abbess there. She is called Ana Maria elsewhere. (Matilde Muñoz. Historia del teatro en España. I. El drama y la comedia. Editorial Tesoro, 1965, p. 69.)

[3] Don Carlos de Austria was a bastard of Felipe IV, of unknown mother and fate.

[4] Alfonso Enríquez de Santo Tomás (1634-1692), born to Felipe and Tomasa Aldana (1617-1676). He was Bishop of Osma (1653-1692), Plasencia (1657-1692) and Málaga (1664-1692), Great Inquisitor of Spain.

[5] Alonso Antonio de San Martín (1636-170, born to Felipe and Mariana Pérez de Cuevas. Monk since 1650, Bishop of Oviedo (1656-1664) and Bishop of Cuenca (1664-170.​
 
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I am really enjoying this TL and I am hoping the La Grande Mademoiselle gives birth to a son because the Spanish Hapbsburgs really need an infusion of new blood
 
Interesting seeing the better relationship with the bastards...I wonder how this will affect things down the line?

When are you planning for Felipe to kick off in TTL? Is it safe to assume that he'll get a few more years?

Keep it up!!!
 
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