In Poland, Sigismund Augustus has been maneuvering for some time to support his cousin, William of Brandenburg, the Archbishop of Riga, in his efforts to turn the domains of the Livonian Order into a secular Duchy--thus duplicating the act which turned Prussia into a Polish vassal. However, this is proving difficult--the Livonian Order may be dwindling, but much of it is opposed to such a move. Further, Ivan of Russia has his own ambitions in the area, and thus Sigismund must be cautious. And so, when William asks Sigismund for troops to allow him to suppress his enemies, the King of Poland hesitates. This proves to be disasterous for William, whose enemy, William von Furstenburg, attacks and captures him. And so, Sigismund finds himself HAVING to do something.
This is from Space Oddity's TL, Now Blooms The Tudor Rose. And what I was wondering, since the footnotes say that this event was pretty much all OTL, is if it were possible for a Hohenzollern duchy of Livonia to be established a la Prussia? Or even if Magnus of Denmark's attempts at being king of Livonia were more successful. Sure, this state probably wouldn't be much of a player on the world stage - unless, like Prussia or Courland, it gets itself inherited (read: annexed) by a larger power - but how would events in the Baltic play out with one more player?
Could Wilhelm succeed? Or Magnus of Denmark?