Queen Mary's Heirs

[isabella]

Elisabeth of Valois, too, had given birth to healthy triplets: boys named Charles and Maximilian, and a girl named Claude. This was cause for mass celebrations, again. It was a good year for the Tudor-Habsburgs, as the children were known as. Meanwhile, the regent Elizabeth was puzzling over what she should do with Scotland's unstable religious situation. The regent, Marie of Guise was being threatened by the growing influence of the Scottish Protestants. Although Elizabeth liked the tolerant stance that she took, she also knew that Philip II of Spain did not. Meanwhile, Francis II of France and Mary, Queen of Scots began to display the arms of England in their blazon, causing murmurs of concern.

Without English support, Scottish Protestants will not go much far and here they will have none. Mary and Francis will NOT claim England here as Mary Tudor’s children are clearly ahead of the Scottish Queen in the English succession

 

[isabella]

Yes, so Elisabeth will wed Don Carlos. Well, with her fertility record IOTL, we can only hope for the best...

She need to have just an healthy surviving child: a girl would still be good enough to inherit the Spanish realms (including Portugal if Sebastian died childless) and can always marry either John or an Austrian cousin

 

[ordinarylittleme]

Without English support, Scottish Protestants will not go much far and here they will have none. Mary and Francis will NOT claim England here as Mary Tudor’s children are clearly ahead of the Scottish Queen in the English succession

Yes, there will be no English support, but the instability began before Elizabeth's accession to the throne...

 

[ranichi17]

Can she not be? I couldn't find much information on that. Plus, who else would be regent? Philip can't as he needs to travel, and it's not like their Scottish family can help out...

Taking the vows means you retire from all public life, so no, she's not allowed to be regent, and I don't think Mary's privy council would let her either.

 

[ordinarylittleme]

Taking the vows means you retire from all public life, so no, she's not allowed to be regent, and I don't think Mary's privy council would let her either.

Hm. OK, I can edit that out. Who would make a suitable regent besides Elizabeth?

 

[ordinarylittleme]

Elisabeth of Valois, too, had given birth to healthy triplets: boys named Charles and Maximilian, and a girl named Claude. This was cause for mass celebrations, again. It was a good year for the Tudor-Habsburgs, as the children were known as. Meanwhile, the regent Elizabeth was puzzling over what she should do with Scotland's unstable religious situation. The regent, Marie of Guise was being threatened by the growing influence of the Scottish Protestants. Although Elizabeth liked the tolerant stance that she took, she also knew that Philip II of Spain did not. Meanwhile, Francis II of France and Mary, Queen of Scots began to display the arms of England in their blazon, causing murmurs of concern.

Elizabeth was panicking over what to do with Francis and Mary of Scots. As regent, not queen, she had no power to execute the daring royal couple the way she so dearly wished to at this moment. She had responded vaguely to a letter sent by Marie of Guise and hoped it was enough. Besides, she had more things to worry about - a sweeping epidemic had breeched London and began killing off vast numbers of people, including some members of the nobility.

 

[isabella]

Elizabeth would NEVER EVER have the power to execute the King and Queen of France also if she was Queen. As Queen she would be “free” to execute ONLY HER PWN SUBJECTS (reason for which she was condemned for the execution of Mary Stuart, who was NOT, but NOBODYm at least foreign, would protest if Henry VIII or Edward VI executed Mary for high treason OR Mary executed Elizabeth for the same reason).
Also with the line of Mary I‘s still extant Mary Stuart and Francis would NOT claim the English crown as Mary would be without doubt BEHIND the children of the late Queen in the English succession (while she was the rightful Queen as heiress of Henry VII’s elder daughter IF Elizabeth was excluded as illegitimate, something perfectly valid from a Catholic point of view)

 

[ordinarylittleme]

Elizabeth would NEVER EVER have the power to execute the King and Queen of France also if she was Queen. As Queen she would be “free” to execute ONLY HER PWN SUBJECTS (reason for which she was condemned for the execution of Mary Stuart, who was NOT, but NOBODYm at least foreign, would protest if Henry VIII or Edward VI executed Mary for high treason OR Mary executed Elizabeth for the same reason).
Also with the line of Mary I‘s still extant Mary Stuart and Francis would NOT claim the English crown as Mary would be without doubt BEHIND the children of the late Queen in the English succession (while she was the rightful Queen as heiress of Henry VII’s elder daughter IF Elizabeth was excluded as illegitimate, something perfectly valid from a Catholic point of view)

Note how I said she DIDN'T have the power to execute them, she is just so upset at the moment that she WANTED to do that.

 

[ordinarylittleme]

Elizabeth was panicking over what to do with Francis and Mary of Scots. As regent, not queen, she had no power to execute the daring royal couple the way she so dearly wished to at this moment. She had responded vaguely to a letter sent by Marie of Guise and hoped it was enough. Besides, she had more things to worry about - a sweeping epidemic had breeched London and began killing off vast numbers of people, including some members of the nobility.

Philip II of Spain had decided to come to England with his cousin/brother-in-law, Maximilian II. Oh, for goodness' sake. As if Elizabeth had nothing better to do than to entertain them and their entourage. But they were the father and the uncle of the king, and she was just the lady aunt, so she ordered the court to host a dance and feast for the two kings.

 

[ordinarylittleme]

Philip II and Maximilian II arrived in England, and they did not leave for a year. During this year they were almost physically attached to the young king, and neither of them particularly liked how Elizabeth had been raising the children and running England. Elizabeth took her leave to Scotland to help deal with the mess going on there. She did not offer any support to the lords of the congregation, though she wanted to.

 

[ordinarylittleme]

While in Scotland Elizabeth found herself quite attracted to Henry Stuart, a dashing Scottish nobleman who reminded her a little of Robert Dudley. She did not pursue it - as abbess, such things were forbidden to her now - but they struck up such a close friendship that gossip began to spread about her scandalous behavior, so reminiscent of her mother's. The situation in Scotland was dangerous and complex, and Elizabeth took care to say as little as possible. The queen of Scotland, Mary, wrote in a letter that such behavior proved her unsuitability as regent and offered to send some of her own trusted advisors to England. Elizabeth, knowing which way the winds were blowing, fled back to England, having achieved little in Scotland.

 

[ordinarylittleme]

Elizabeth could not help but burst out laughing upon realizing that Henry Stuart found himself assassinated by a jealous Scottish nobleman after he had seduced his wife. This laughter was a little mixed by sadness, as she truly had liked him, but knew that marriage and children was no longer an option for her. She had obeyed Philip and Maximilian and hired some Catholic tutors who were, if she said so herself, more zealous than her late sister...if she had been queen, this wouldn't have happened. But of course, God had decided she was to settle for a life of spinsterhood. She sent some of her trusted physicians to deal with the epidemic, and took care to have some places for isolation to be built for those exhibiting strong symptoms. Francis II and Mary of Scots were still proclaiming themselves as rightful rulers of England, stating that the children of Philip and Mary were produced by some devilry that rendered them illegitimate. England's councils revolted at the idea of being controlled by France, and even though the king was more Spanish than English, he was at least physically in England and able to be controlled by Englishmen and women until his majority...