The House of York

Sorry for the delay in the new update - more will follow in the next few days - just been a bit bogged down with work!
 
Damn man. I have been thinking of doing something similar for my first TL, but you beat me by months (not that that's a problem or anything).

Damn, this is a good TL. I would like to see how far you are willing to go here. You actually surprised me with all of the marriages here that you placed all of the Yorkist children into. Brittany, i think, was definitely a given. Securing that Dukedom and making the dynasty practically English in everything but name.

Burgandy and the Holy Roman Empire though, that was not what i was expecting. Well, Burgundy already had Edward IV sister... The marriage between ENdgland and Scotland, between Cecily and James. Nice move. Secures the northern border, even though, as it is shown in OTL, that that never works.

but i do wonder though how you are going to play the Richard of Gloucester card. Given that "how we believe him to be" in OTL, he seems to be moreso successful here and now.

Want more. Good luck.

:):):):):)
 
Good work mcdnab!

I like this, it's well plotted and highly plausible. I especially like the appropriate peace deals, and the use of Richard of Gloucester. He really is one of the most unfairly abused men of English, if not world history.
 
Very nice. Well written, well researched and plausible. Perhaps we may see something like this appear:

Now is the Winter of our Discontent
Made Glourious Summer by this Son of York
And all the Clouds that laor'd upon our House
In the deep bosom of the Ocean buried

from King Edward V.
 
Spain 1490's to 1506:

In 1497 Prince Juan of the Asturias - the great hope of his house fell seriously ill - his heavily pregnant young wife was kept from the Prince on the orders of the King and Queen who feared that the tragedy would cause the Princess to miscarry.

By Late summer/early autumn the court of Spain had given up all hope and duly on October 4th the Prince was dead. His parents were devastated at the death of their only son - his death provoked a major succession crisis - if his wife Catherine of York produced a daughter she would duly be heir to Castille but what of the throne of Aragon?

All of Europe waited news - Catherine of York, Princess Dowager of the Asturias took to her lying in chamber on the 11th October surrounded by ladies of the court and an anxious Queen Isabella. On the 16th after a labour of 8 hours the Princess was delivered of a male child declared to be in perfect health. When the news was delivered to King Ferdinand it is claimed he wept openly in front of his entire household. The infant Prince was named Juan in honour of his father and immediately proclaimed Prince of the Asturias and granted his own household.

Catherine of York's position at most courts as mother of the heir, in spite of her widowhood, would have been a strong one. But soon she found herself merely attached to her mother in law's court and was once again back spending time with her unmarried sisters in law. Many have suggested it was a wish by the Queen to have her daughter in law close others believed the King wished to save money and for it be seen as an insult to the Princess and her brother Edward V who had never paid the final installments of her dower.

The Dowager was a most attentive mother though and frequently was seen with the son she adored despite the fact that both his devoted grandparents frequently interferred with the regulations of his household and the agenda for his education which was intended to make the Prince the most gifted in Europe.

With her widowhood at just 19 it was unsurprising that the Princess became on object of marital interest. However in a letter to her brother she stated that she wished to stay in Spain with her son and had "no desire" to remarry. In the first few years she didn't figure in her father in law's machinations as he was more interested in providing appropriate husband's for his remaining daughters.

Juana had been betrothed in 1495 to King Ferdinand II of Naples but forced from his throne by the French the marriage had never happened and the Infante had remained at the Spanish Court growing increasingly unhappy. In 1500 anxious to gain new allies in his continuing fight with France he decided that Juana should marry the young widowed Duke Philibert II of Savoy (b1480) the couple married and all seemed well - they made an extremely handsome couple - their only daughter Isabella was born in 1503. The Duke died at just 24 in 1504 and was succeeded by his brother. The widowed Duchess returned to Spain with her infant daughter.

The next infante, Maria, was married to her sister Isabella's widower Emanual II of Portugal in 1500.

The youngest Infante Catherine was still without a husband though she'd been briefly mooted as a bride to the young Gaston of Foix four years her junior. But that marriage faded after Gaston's father John lost his battle to gain the Throne of Navarre.

Ferdinand spent much of the late 1490's and early 1500's fighting in Italy and arguing with his French neighbour as well as interferring in the Navarese succession, which would see him gain control of all of Spanish Navarre in the early years of the new century.

During negotiations for the short lived Treaty of Granada with France both Juana and Catherine were mooted as possible brides for the ageing King Louis if he could dispose of his second barren wife. In the end no deal was included in the treaty but by the Treaty of Lyons Louis was desperate for an heir and Ferdinand offered him the Infante Catherine of Aragon - Queen Isabella was sick though appalled at the offer her mood wasn't helped when Louis indicated that he would prefer the widowed Catherine of York - it might seem an odd choice as her dowery would be negligible but the fact that she had produced a male heir for Spain and was a known beauty may have had more to do with Louis' desire.

The death of Isabella in 1504 - caused numerous problems - the Castillian Cortes immediately proclaimed the 7 year old Prince Juan as King Juan III of Castille - the English representative suggested that his mother Catherine be formally declared Regent but the Cortes were reluctant and there was much division in fact it wasn't until 1506 that Ferdinand finally gained the regency.

In 1505 Louis finally received his annulment from the Pope and Bianca Sforza joined the growing number of abandoned French Queen's. Louis again approached Ferdinand on the matter of a Royal marriage this time his preference was again the widowed Catherine of York - but he was also interested in the widowed Juana who was, with Juan III's accession, heiress presumptive to the throne. Ferdinand refused point blank to permit Juana's remarriage to be truthful her health was failing and she was obssessed with the memory of her husband. Catherine of York refused saying she wouldn't leave her son and gained the support of the Castillian Cortes to that view. Ferdinand offered the unmarried Infante Catherine but then to the great insult of the Princess Catherine (according to one italian diplomat) Louis offered his 10 year old heir Francois of Angouleme as a husband for the widowed 26 year old Catherine of York whilst he would wed her sister in law. Whilst that offer was declined the memory of it lingered at both the Spanish and French courts.

In 1506 the Infante Catherine duly left the Spanish Court and headed north - still mourning her mother she was heading north to marry a man who had already divorced two wives and was so much older than her and who had spent almost his entire reign at war with her father. Her reception in France wasn't particularly rapturous - though her attractive personality and obvious youth impressed her husband.
 
The Low Countries:

Duke Philip of Brabant sometimes referred to as the "Fair" and his English wife were at the centre of a magnificent court - the young couple were both attractive and popular and whilst their marriage appeared perfect cracks had begun to appear.

Philip wasn't the most faithful of husbands and the young Duchess was forced like her mother had done to turn a discreet blind eye. Matters hadn't been helped by her failure to produce a brood of little Hapsburgs.

Her first pregnancy in 1495 ended in a stillborn son as did her second in 1496. In 1497 she was delivered of a daughter - after much discussion of names the child was named Marie in honour of Philip's mother, a second daughter Elizabeth was born in 1499 and in 1501 a third daughter Margaret was born. Finally in 1504 a son was born to the Ducal couple christened with great pomp with the name of his great grandfather Charles.

Philip's reign in his numerous territories saw him try unsuccesfully to unite the seperate Duchy's and counties with some kind of central authority - however the authority of the wealthy towns and cities thwarted any kind of regal authority.

His continuing dislike of his French neighbours to the south was also a growing problem - whilst he was willing to abide by the treaties of the 1480's and 90's he still smarted over the loss of parts of his patrimony.

The Duchess Anne had some support in the person of her aunt the Dowager Duchess Margaret and after her escape from France the French Queen Dowager Margaret of Austria, who was close of her nieces and baby nephew. But in 1505 her father recalled her to his favourite residence at Innsbruck as he wished her to care for her orphaned half siblings after the sad death of Elizabeth of York.
 
Nice chapters Mcdnab!

Just a minor nitpick: the king of Portugal would be Emanuel I, not "II" (or even only Emanuel, if ITTL there is no other monarch with this name ;)).
 
A further update dealing with The Empire.

Maximilian I from the majority of his eldest son had concentrated his concerns on the Empire and the Hapsburg family lands. He was largely successful in forcing reform of the Empire in the Diets of Worms to make its structures more workable however it would take years before the reforms were fully working and it was certainly no attempt to centralise the Empire under the control of the Emperor.
Switzerland would remain a thorn in his side - the confederacy had been drifting further and further from the Empire and was increasingly reluctant to accept any Imperial reform that placed more power in the hands of the Hapsburgs. Finally after refusing to accept the reforms made at the Diet of Worms, Maximilian went to war. In 1499 the conditions were ideal for Maximilian, on paper, he'd concluded the Treaty of Mechelin with Louis XII which should have given him a free hand, however Louis had no wish to see the Swiss fall into Maximilian's sphere given the potential threat to France. The long drawn out campaign during the summer of 1499 demoralised Maximilian's troops and saw him gain very little. His failure or rather stalemate forced him to sign the Treaty of Basel at the end of the year which effectively ended for the time being any chance of the Swiss remaining a full part of the Empire. Maximilian infuriated and frustrated bided his time.

In 1501 Maximilian I had met with the King of Hungary and Bohemia - the childless Vladislas was desperate for an heir and a new wife. The Emperor offered the King his eldest daughter by his second marriage, Eleanor, despite the disparity in the couple's ages. The little Archduchess was married to the King in 1502 and crowned Queen of Hungary and Bohemia on the day of her marriage.

Maximilian was also concerned over the eventual dispersal of his own patrimony. In 1503 he met with his eldest son and concluded the family pact sometimes referred to as the Treaty of Innsbruck. In the event of Maximilian's death he would be succeeded in Austria by his second son Archduke Frederick. If Frederick were to die without male issue then Austria would pass to Philip or his heirs. In 1508 the Archduke Frederick would be elected Roman King and accepted as heir to his father as Emperor.

Other marital alliances were explored but the priority was finding a wife for the young Archduke Frederick. As part of Maximilian's continuing attempts to force the French out of Italy an alliance with Milan was considered (now ruled by the French) intially with the abandoned Queen Bianca of France however in 1508 the young Archduke was betrothed to Bona Sforza (b1494) the only surviving daughter of Gian Galeazzo II of Milan and his widow Isabelle of Aragon Duchess of Bari. It was this marriage that would eventually ensure that Austria would gain control of Milan but not until after the Great European War of 1509.

It is said that the Emperor's interest in affairs declined following the death of his second wife in 1504 and he was particularly devestated by the death of his favourite daughter the Archduchess Eleanor in childbirth in 1508, he was cared for by his widowed eldest daughter Margaret who also acted as mother figure to her two remaining half sisters - the Archduchess Elizabeth (b1494) and the Archduchess Anne (b1503).
Marriage offers for the younger Archduchesses had been forthcoming but many offers fell by the way side The Archduchess Elizabeth was married in 1516 to Sigismund I of Poland and would wield considerable influence as Queen.
Emperor Maximilian & Elizabeth of York (b1466 d 1504 )
1a) Archduke Frederick of Austria (born 1486) King of The Romans.
married 1508 Bona of Milan (b1494)
1b) Archduchess Eleanor of Austria (born 1487 d 1507) married 1502 Vadislas II King of Hungary and Bohemia (as his third wife)
1ba) Ladislas II of Hungary and Bohemia (b1505)
1bb) Eleanor of Hungary (b1507)
1c) Archduke Charles of Austria (born 1491 d 1492)
1d) Archduchess Elizabeth of Austria (born 1494) m 1516 Sigismund I King of Poland
1e) Archduchess Marie of Austria (b1497 d 1498)
1f) Archduke John of Austria (b1501 d1501)
1g) Archduchess Anne of Austria (b 1503) unmarried.

Next updates will be - a refresher on the balance of power in Europe in 1509 and the treaty obligations and marital alliances that resulted in the Great War.
 
Why does everybody split the Habsburg empire even when they do not inherit the Spanish kingdoms? Secondly IMHO it does not make sense to make Frederick the new king of the Romans, when Philip is still around, since Philip is the eldest son. (With the exception of Flanders, Artois, Charolais and the titular Duchy of Burgundy, the Burgundian Netherlands was historically a part of the Empire.) So IMHO Philip the Handsome as the eldest son would be the most likely Habsburg candidate to be elected king of the Romans...Although Frederick would have ended up with with Inner- or Further Austria; splitting the Habsburg possesions probably is a likely outcome, since it was common practice in the empire (OTL Ferdinand also did it).
 
Last edited:
In 1493 - Also that same year with the agreement of Richard Duke of Gloucester a new settlement was reached over the Warwick inheritance. All the properties that had been owned by the late Earl of Warwick the Kingmaker had been settled on his two son in laws as had the properties of his wife the heiress Anne Beauchamp. Under the new agreement the King would be entitled to keep the entire estate but would in new grants restore those lands held by Gloucester to his uncle. If Gloucester died without issue his estate would revert to his nephew, Edward Earl of Warwick who was also confirmed as Earl of Salisbury (in succession to his grandparents and great grandparents). Warwick had been brought up in his uncles' household since the execution of his father and was close to him, as Gloucester had failed to remarry it had long been thought he was grooming his nephew to succeed him in his estates.

Interesting timeline, hope to see more.

It seems odd that Richard would not have remarried by 1493. He was only 32 when his wife died and he had arranged to marry Joanna of Castile, but was killed before it could happen in OTL. Previous Plantagenet widowers typically remarried and had issue. (The exceptions were significantly older than Richard.) Also, Richard had an illegitimate son, John, who was Captain of Calais in 1485 and would have been about 23 in 1493.
 
Top