Queen of Five Thousand Days
- Thread starter Cate13
- Start date
Hahahaha! I love it, @Cate13
The idea of this Alt!Henry being both eager to needle the French and the Emperor and a knight in shining armour for eloping couples rings very true and the description of Charles's letter made me laugh out loud! Great job!
Also, wouldn't Margaret's title be Duchess of Anjou rather than Princess, much like Catherine Middleton is the Duchess of Cambridge?
The idea of this Alt!Henry being both eager to needle the French and the Emperor and a knight in shining armour for eloping couples rings very true and the description of Charles's letter made me laugh out loud! Great job!
Also, wouldn't Margaret's title be Duchess of Anjou rather than Princess, much like Catherine Middleton is the Duchess of Cambridge?
Eh, the match may be more prestigious, but there's no hint that Francis will ever forgive his son (he still hasn't forgiven Henri and Diane) so Charles may not get any political capital from the marriage. And it did mess with his plans for Italy.
If it makes you feel better, remember we don't have the original letter, so Henry VIII could be exaggerating.
I am unfamiliar with this gif?
So, I randomly made up her name. I’m guessing she shares it with a real person?
Chapter 23 - In which no one handles being sick well
“In the winter of 1541 various members of the French Royal family would contract measles. Two prominent family members would die, and King Francis I would never see again.”
“Francis III of Brittany, Dauphin of France, would pass away the second of January in 1542. His death would rock the Valois family: King Francis I was despondent (it was during his refusal to leave his son’s body that he would contract measles); the Dauphine was probably also despondent but due to the histrionics of the King was unable to take the time to grieve; and Prince Henry would take the opportunity to return to court.
Prince Henry would regret this for the rest of his days.”
“While Prince Henry had survived the measles in his youth and was now immune, his wife and children were not. Upon their arrival at the French court, Princess Diane and their two children would fall victim to measles. Princess Diane’s health hadn’t been the best since the birth of their daughter three years earlier; she would pass away sometime late in February. Jean de Valois de Orleans, Henry and Diane’s eldest, would recover but suffer brain damage.”
“…. Dowager Dauphine of France, her husband was dead, her father-in-law and brother-in-law seemed to be competing for who could grieve the most excessively, her mother-in-law was mostly ignoring her, and she was pregnant. (Thankfully Frances had contracted measles as a child and so was safe.)
With the King ill and the Dauphin dead, many worried and other saw opportunity for advancement. Frances would often appear in public with her son Charles and nephew Jean (Jean’s brain damage was yet unknown) reminding the public of the clear line of inheritance.
Additionally, Frances would summon Anne de Pisseleu d’Heilly back to court to tend to the King.”
“With the responsibilities she would shoulder, Frances’s grief had to be private thing. And while she would grieve quietly, she would grieve for the rest of her life.”
16th Century Europe: Everything That Happened by Irene Carter
“Francis III of Brittany, Dauphin of France, would pass away the second of January in 1542. His death would rock the Valois family: King Francis I was despondent (it was during his refusal to leave his son’s body that he would contract measles); the Dauphine was probably also despondent but due to the histrionics of the King was unable to take the time to grieve; and Prince Henry would take the opportunity to return to court.
Prince Henry would regret this for the rest of his days.”
Frances of France by Mariah Oliver
“While Prince Henry had survived the measles in his youth and was now immune, his wife and children were not. Upon their arrival at the French court, Princess Diane and their two children would fall victim to measles. Princess Diane’s health hadn’t been the best since the birth of their daughter three years earlier; she would pass away sometime late in February. Jean de Valois de Orleans, Henry and Diane’s eldest, would recover but suffer brain damage.”
Frances of France by Mariah Oliver
“…. Dowager Dauphine of France, her husband was dead, her father-in-law and brother-in-law seemed to be competing for who could grieve the most excessively, her mother-in-law was mostly ignoring her, and she was pregnant. (Thankfully Frances had contracted measles as a child and so was safe.)
With the King ill and the Dauphin dead, many worried and other saw opportunity for advancement. Frances would often appear in public with her son Charles and nephew Jean (Jean’s brain damage was yet unknown) reminding the public of the clear line of inheritance.
Additionally, Frances would summon Anne de Pisseleu d’Heilly back to court to tend to the King.”
Frances of France by Mariah Oliver
“With the responsibilities she would shoulder, Frances’s grief had to be private thing. And while she would grieve quietly, she would grieve for the rest of her life.”
Veronica Wells translation of François et Françoise de France
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😞😔😭
Holy sh##
And the last sentence sounds damn ominous.
Damn Cate, you are cruel.
Omg, poor Frances and she had been so happy once. 😢
Aw! Frances doesn't get to be Queen of France after all? 😢😢 I was looking forward to her having a long happy reign...
Though, if these book titles are anything to go by, I'm guessing she gets to be Regent for her young son at some point...
And also, a Prince with brain damage and a blind King? I'd say you're beating even my record for being cruel to the French!
Though, if these book titles are anything to go by, I'm guessing she gets to be Regent for her young son at some point...
And also, a Prince with brain damage and a blind King? I'd say you're beating even my record for being cruel to the French!
Eh, don’t count her out yet, Queen might not be in her cards but I think you’ll like what’s happens
It wasn’t on purpose, it just sort of happened. I realized I gave Francis and Diane the same death s date and it spiraled from there.
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Seems like she's likely to become Regent, if she has a son to succeed François I.
Following the French tradition yes, Frances would be her son’s regent without any doubt
Chapter 24 - In which everyone listens to Frances
“One of the great French history debates is when the La Période Francienne truly started. For while Dowager Duchess Frances would reign as regent for her young son for ten years from fifteen forty-seven to fifteen fifty-seven, the extreme influence she wielded did not begin there.
It is the works intention to assert that Dowager Duchess Frances’s influence began in fifteen forty-two, and that by the end of the year the Dowager Duchess had assumed almost complete control of the French Court. After all there wasn’t anyone to challenge her: King Francis was newly blind and particularly dependent on his mistress, her close friend, Anne de Pisseleu d’Heilly; Prince Henri was deeply mourning the death of his wife; Prince Charles was still in England; and Queen Eleanor never had any power to begin with.”
“One of the Frances Brandon’s first acts during the Nebulous Years [1] was sending for Prince Charles and Princess Margaret. As soon as they had returned she sent them to Emperor Charles to wrap up the negotiations that had stalled at their elopement. France would have to yield Savoy but there would be no war.”
[1] The years between King Francis’s blinding and his death
“If the Holy Roman Emperor expected to find Savoy an ally in the coming years he was disappointed. After all Emanuel Philibert had seen how willing his erstwhile ally was to give away his inheritance. And then further complicating any alliance between Savoy and the Holy Roman Empire, Emanuel Philibert would fall head over heels for Princess Margaret de Valois.
This would be the one elopement that King Francis would celebrate.”
It is the works intention to assert that Dowager Duchess Frances’s influence began in fifteen forty-two, and that by the end of the year the Dowager Duchess had assumed almost complete control of the French Court. After all there wasn’t anyone to challenge her: King Francis was newly blind and particularly dependent on his mistress, her close friend, Anne de Pisseleu d’Heilly; Prince Henri was deeply mourning the death of his wife; Prince Charles was still in England; and Queen Eleanor never had any power to begin with.”
Queen In All But Name by Beatrice Vance
“One of the Frances Brandon’s first acts during the Nebulous Years [1] was sending for Prince Charles and Princess Margaret. As soon as they had returned she sent them to Emperor Charles to wrap up the negotiations that had stalled at their elopement. France would have to yield Savoy but there would be no war.”
Veronica Wells translation of François et Françoise de France
[1] The years between King Francis’s blinding and his death
“If the Holy Roman Emperor expected to find Savoy an ally in the coming years he was disappointed. After all Emanuel Philibert had seen how willing his erstwhile ally was to give away his inheritance. And then further complicating any alliance between Savoy and the Holy Roman Empire, Emanuel Philibert would fall head over heels for Princess Margaret de Valois.
This would be the one elopement that King Francis would celebrate.”
The Love Matches of the Children of Francis I by Nance Lawrence
Hehehe! Okay, now I feel a bit better, seeing Frances in such an influential position at the French Court. That book's got it right, she's Queen in all but name. Also, Nebulous years. Nice phrase. 
Francis's dependence on Anne Pisselieu de Heilly - which I'd love to see more of at some point - reminds me of Edward III's relationship with Alice Perrers. Deliberate, I assume?
Francis's dependence on Anne Pisselieu de Heilly - which I'd love to see more of at some point - reminds me of Edward III's relationship with Alice Perrers. Deliberate, I assume?
Niiice. So things still turn out well for Frances in the end. And hopefully Marguerite and Emmanuel Philibert can have more children ITTL, considering that she isn’t well into her thirties when they marry.
Hmm, not quite. Anne's no where near as hated as Alice was; she's got a good propagandist in Frances. It's a lot more, "Dear selfless Anne, attending to the King's needs (and making sure he agrees with Frances)" then "grasping opportunistic witch."