I’m working on a timeline where the male line of the Habsburgs continues through the sons and grandsons of Archduke Ferdinand Josef Alois, youngest child of
Ferdinand III and his third wife
Eleonora Gonzaga (who in OTL lived a bit over one year and died in 1658, months after his father). I basically butterflied Ferdinand Josef’s death (maybe 30-40 years) long enough that he had sons.
Basically my history begins with his oldest son - let’s call him Ferdinand Karl - who is born somewhere around 1680 - and would place him as a contemporary of his cousins Joseph I and Charles VI. In contrast to his cousins, Ferdinand Karl and his wife (I’m not sure who she could be - perhaps Isabel Farnese - that would change history wouldn’t it?) have several sons (the oldest of course another Ferdinand, say Ferdinand Leopold, born around 1710).
The questions I have - how dramatically would a cadet line of male Habsburgs surviving change things?
I assume no Pragmatic Sanction and that an aged Ferdinand Karl or younger Ferdinand Leopold inherits the Empire after Charles VI dies. In this timeline I assume FL marries one of Charles VI’s daughters (they are Habsburgs after all). Rationally that would probably still be Maria Theresa (though my preference would be butterflying away the early death of
Maria Amalia and have her be the Empress - so the Habsburg-Lorraine alliance and OTL House of Habsburg-Lorraine still happens - perhaps inheriting something else?). This means no War of the Austrian Succession? Consequences? If the Austrians can avoid that conflict and its subsequent concessions what does that do for Europe?
Is there still an Austro-Prussian War over Silesia? Does Frederick II still make a play? If he doesn’t what does that mean for future Prussian dominance considering Hohenzollern ambition?
How about the role of the Habsburgs in Italy (which I always thought was a negative for the empire overall)? Considering that the original Ferdinand Josef was half-Gonzaga, with a claim to the Duchy of Mantua and presumably if his sons/grandsons don’t marry fellow Habsburgs it would be Italian princesses, the Italian quagmire of claims would continue?
On the smaller side, does anyone have ideas for the brides of the various Ferdinands (Josef, Karl, Leopold?) considering they would have to be “equal” to maintain their succession rights?
Any other outcomes, for the Empire or even for the other European powers?