alternatehistory.com

1148 AD would be known in France as the Year of Tragedy. King Louis VII took up the cross to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem and to defend the Holy Land. While travelling across the rugged landscape of Anatolia, the French crusaders were ambushed by the Seljuk Turks near Mount Cadmus. In the chaos of the battle, King Louis, while climbing a rock, was hit on the head by a stray stone. This left him dazed long enough to be purposefully shot in the neck. Seeing their king fall, the French's already low morale collapsed, and they fell into a route. Among the slain were Louis' brothers, Robert of Dreux and Peter. Sources clash on the exact fate of Louis' wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine. Some say that she was killed in the rout. Some say that she was captured and died in captivity. Others believe that she escaped but fell ill and died trying to get home.

In a single day, the flower of the House of Capet had been cut down. The king had left behind him his three-year old daughter, Marie, his nephew, Simon of Dreux, his sister, Constance (married to Eustace of Blois), and his younger surviving brothers, Henry and Philip. When news filtered back to France of the catastophe at Mount Cadmus, it became apparent that a new king needed to be elected. Unfortunately, Louis had not elected a successor, so their was some heated debates about who it should be.

Marie? - She was Louis VII's only child, and now Duchess of Aquitaine. But she was underaged, and no woman had ever ruled France in her own right.

Simon of Dreux? - Robert's son was only seven years old, and his father had been a younger brother of the king.

Henry? - Henry, aged twenty-seven, was now the oldest surviving member of the direct House of Capet, but he had spent the last two years as a Cistercian monk. Did that mean he had renounced his claim to the throne? Even if he hadn't, could a man of the clothe renounce his vows without offending God?

Eventually, the nobles came to an agreement, and they sent messages to...
Top