So Henry Radcliffe is providing annotations now! A good way to avoid the Unreliable Narrator problem, unless of course Henry is letting his own biases get to him.Perhaps he, in his struggles, temporarily forgot he was the future King, but you can bet nobody else did. Reading this really saddened me. I never realised how desperately he sought to convince himself that nobody was aware of his position. Or how early the self-deception began. Certainly, my father and others were aware. They spent the next few decades advancing on the basis of those winter afternoons.
Great closing paragraph. What could be on the horizon? Judging from what you've shared so far, he'll be going through a lot of personal turmoil, even if England isn't going through political turmoil.The small casement window was open where I sat. A hot gush of wind came rushing through, causing the torches of my chamber to dance. Far on the horizon, I could see the bright flashes of Zeus. Storms were on their way.
Nice to see young Arthur is holding pretty well, though the chains of royalty must oh so tug at him at times.
He's not too whiny and self-reflective, though, is he?
He's not too whiny and self-reflective, though, is he?
Agreed. He's got a lot to live up to as heir to the throne. And unless you drown it in false bravado like OTL Henry VIII did, it's bound to get to you. And Arthur is looking back on his teenage years from afar, so he's probably overemphasizing his emotional state a little, because he remembers it so vividly.I've seen worse. He's reasonably adjusted for a young man, and doubly so for a royal.
Just considering as a future story idea for someone, there is a recording of a shipwreck by Joanna the Mad and Philip the Handsome on their way to Castile which forced their stay in England. WI that ship had sunk in a storm?
The Burgundian line would be practically extinct, with Lady Margaret of Savoy the next heir and after her, I think it was John III, Duke of Cleves (and father of the OTL famed Anne of Cleves). Would he be allowed to inherit through a tenuous females line separated by 150 years? Curious if anyone can advise? Perhaps it would be another cause of ongoing contest between the HRE (as protector of Cleves) and France (as overlord of Burgundy).
I also found records of a suggested marriage between Henry VII and Margaret of Savoy, but she was not interested. And an idea matching OTL Henry with Sabina or Sybille, daughters of the Duke of Bavaria.
If Joanna dies, the throne passes to the offspring of Maria of Aragon, Queen of Portugal, uniting the Castilian and Portuguese thrones.
Anyway, throwing the idea out there for someone who wants a confusing POD.
I think Margaret of Savoy could be either remarried to OTL Henry VIII or she could be remarried to the duke of Cleves who have claims in Burgundy.
He doesn't seem that whiny, I agree it is probably pretty normal stuff for a near adult with responsibilities
Nice insight into what may be the tenor of Anglo-Spanish relations TTL. Cordial, even if the two may not be very close.
Nice to see that the future Henry of Wales is well on his way. I expect that, though you didn't mention it explicitly, Joan of Naples is also pregnant, seeing as her daughter is going to be named after the Queen who is presently visiting England. Is it because Arthur didn't want to admit it to himself? Or was he out of the loop at the time, wrapped up in his own wife's pregnancy?
Also interesting that Arthur doesn't seem to think much of Philip the Handsome. Makes a nice counterpoint with OTL Henry VIII, who idolized him and viewed him as a role model... and we all know how that turned out.
I like how Arthur was behaving in this update. He carried himself remarkably well, a fine representative of England and of his father. Looking forward to the next update - I imagine Henry and Joanna will both be gracing us with their presence.
Well, the opening phases of the War of the League of Cambrai are fast approaching - and whether or not Arthur joins in 1513 is going to be the first major foreign policy decision of his reign. So it's definitely good for us to know his thoughts on all the major players.Henry will be born in the next installment, named for his grandfather. I won't be focusing on the royal visit, because they will mainly be in company with King Henry and Queen Joan. I think that Arthur will also be positing on Pope Julius II, who has formed a new army and laid the foundation stone of the new St Peters Basilica. I am considering throwing in an event which might lead to a rebellion before Arthur assumes the throne.
Well, the opening phases of the War of the League of Cambrai are fast approaching - and whether or not Arthur joins in 1513 is going to be the first major foreign policy decision of his reign. So it's definitely good for us to know his thoughts on all the major players.
I had thought that Mary would have been born (or stillborn, rather) between Arthur and Henry, given the three year gap, but I guess she's coming between Henry and Elizabeth? Or did Arthur just not feel up to mentioning yet another tragedy?
Finally, I forgot to mention Sebastian Cabot before. Looking forward to seeing where he goes. I'm wondering if his discoveries will be along the lines of Jacques Cartier, or of Henry Hudson... or maybe someone entirely different!