Katherine Howard (
The list so far:
Margaret "Peggy" Howard, daughter of Edmund, niece to the Duke of Norfolk. A long shot.
Anne of Cleaves
Amalia of Cleaves
Anne Bourchier
Anne Stanhope
Who else?
And,
@isabella, I will need your feedback on which of the 'girls' in the lottery should also have 1 entry for the roll or extra rolls.
All others (and
@isabella) please submit more names.
Katherine Howard and Anne Bourchier (whatever is the marital history and personality of the latter) are the strongest candidate for him so they deserve the highest number of rolls, Anne Stanhope, Anne of Cleves, Amalia of Cleves and Catherine de Medici could work but are much less likely. France has already the Princess of Wales so they have no interest to give a princess of blood or another proxy to York, specially as they know his cruelty so Mary and Margaret of Bourbon, Marie of Guise, Anne of Lorraine and Isabella of Navarre are out of the list. The Danish girls are totally out of question as they are both too young and too valuable for York while Katherine Willoughby is out of question as she will be Edmund’s wife not John’s for both her age and the fact who Katherine of Aragon would want her for her third son not the second. Frances Brandon here do not exist and Margaret Douglas, if she existed, would NOT be taken in consideration as she would not bring any true advantage.
So as
@desmirelle asked me this is the list of possible brides for John:
Likeliest choices (extra rolls for both)
Anne Bourchier (she was her father’s heiress presumptive)
Katherine Howard (Norfolk’s eldest daughter, she would get a great dowry and has a very prestigious ascendency)
Unlikely but possible
Anne Stanhope (a decent heiress with good relationship with the Court, but more than two years older than John, likely 4/5 years older)
Catherine de Medici (niece of the Pope and the Duke of Albany, her family is barely of noble rank but on her mother‘s side she is a French heiress with good lands)
Longshot (only one entry each)
Anna or Amalia of Cleves (they would bring a decent dowry and foreign alliance, but neither England or Cleves have reasons for being much interested ATL and the Duke is far likelier to search a ruler/heir than the second son of a king, specially one with John’s reputation)
Margaret Howard: daughter of an Howard cadet, without money, need to be an elopement or a shotgun wedding
Not to be taken in consideration at all:
Katherine Willoughby: Edmund’s intended bride as long she has no brother
Mary of Guise, Mary of Bourbon, Marguerite of Bourbon, Anne of Lorraine and Isabella of Navarre: the King of France is nephew of Henry VIII and his half-sister is Princess of Wales so they have no need to waste a proxy on the Duke of York (specially considering his reputation) and England do not need another tie to France (unless that tie is the wedding of Mary Katherine or Eleanor to her cousin the King)
Dorothea or Christina of Denmark: too young and they will marry only rulers or heirs as they and their cousin Maria of Portugal are the only female relatives of their age who Charles V has available.