The New Years Prince - A Collaborative Timeline

[EdwardRex]

January 1, 1511: Catherine of Aragon, Queen of England to King Henry VIII, gives birth to a healthy baby boy, christened Henry after his father. The elder Henry is ecstatic to have a son with his beloved wife, especially since he is only 19 years old. Queen Catherine recovers well, especially after the difficulties that were involved in her first pregnancy, which resulted in a dead baby girl. The baby is christened in a grand ceremony on January 5.

February 22, 1511: Prince Henry seems to have suffered from a minor illness, but fortunately recovers and is brought back to live with his parents.

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1. Each post should cover no more than a year, though you can go into as much detail about the events that occurred in said year.
2. No contradicting previous posts.
3. You can make reference to a butterfly that occurred in a previous year, so long as it doesn’t contradict a previous post.
4. You don’t need to cover what’s happening in every country in a year, just write about what you want to or are knowledgeable in.
5. No random killing sprees/family tree extinctions.
6. Please add portraits.
7. You must wait until at least one person has posted after you before posting again.
8. If you mention a pregnancy, you must also mention the result.

 

[ordinarylittleme]

oh hello, my favorite what-if.
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February 1511: While Katherine is being churched, Henry VIII decides to arrange a betrothal for his son. As the French king, Louis XII, has recently had a daughter he decides to arrange an alliance by engagement. His wife will not be happy about it, but it's not like there are girls of suitable age for their precious son on her side of the family. Besides, his youngest sister, Mary is still engaged to Charles of Ghent, Katherine's nephew. She can deal with it, he supposes.

Renée of France, fiancée of Henry of Cornwall
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March 1511: Unfortunately for Henry's French plans, Louis XII has recognized Richard de la Pole as the king of England. Infuriated at this treachery, he decides to look for another potential future Princess of Wales, though he does not yet officially break off the betrothal. Katherine reminds him that they and their son are still young. And she is pregnant again, with hopefully a Duke of York.

 

[RedKing]

April 1511: Henry VIII writes to Emperor Maximilian and King Ferdinand, suggesting a betrothal between Henry, Duke of Cornwall and Catherine of Austria. Both prove receptive to the idea and negotiations move alone smoothly. All the while Henry VIII makes preparations to campaign in France as part of the War of the Leavue of Cambrai. He musters 20,000 men and plans to move to Calais and sweep south taking Boulogne, Ponthieu and Rouen within a handful of months.

May 1511: A handful of Catherine’s hand maidens come down with the flu. The King and Queen grow concerned at the outbreak and move from Richmond Palace to Eltham with their child, bringing new hand maidens with them, in hope of avoiding the illness.

 

[ordinarylittleme]

June 1511: Angered at the slight towards his daughter, Louis XII fights harder, recapturing Mirandola and Bologna. Henry VIII is not deterred, joining a new holy league against France as proclaimed by the pope Julius II. When the city Brescia revolts and garrisons itself with Venetian troops, Henry sends English troops on to help. England also captures Bergamo. Also in this month, Katherine herself falls ill with the flu. Though she would survive, she miscarries her child, which was going to be the Duke of York.

 

[Violet Rose Lily]

July 1511: Despite being eager to set off to war, Henry spends a little time with his wife, partly in hopes of getting her pregnant before he joins his father-in-law and the emperor in their wars against France.

August 1511: Richard de la Pole sends an envoy to Scotland in hopes of convincing the Scottish King to back his claim on the English throne. The envoy suggests finding a new bride of King James as the Tudor girl had proven unable to birth a healthy son. King James is enraged at the slight against his wife, and tells the envoy to leave before he decided to send him back to France in pieces.

September 1511: The treaty of Westminster is signed, confirming England's participation in the war of the League of Cambria. A fortnight later Henry would travel to Calais on his new flagship, the Mary Rose. He would leave Katherine as his regent.

October 1511: Emperor Maximilian was riding his horse at his favorite hunting lodge, only for his steed to stumble and fall, bringing its rider down with it. By the time, the grooms got the horse off the emperor, he was dead.

 

[FalconHonour]

October 1511: Henry VIII strikes out from Calais, aiming to take Amiens and then Rouen so as to distract France from Imperial ambitions in Italy and Navarre. Unfortunately, his troops are soon bogged down in unseasonably damp weather, which critically slows their progress. Katherine writes to her husband from London, informing him that his efforts in the summer have borne fruit and she is around three months pregnant.

January 1512: After much debate, the Electors of the Holy Roman Empire declare that, no matter how talented the young Duke of Burgundy may be, they cannot have an underage Emperor, particularly not in a time of crisis such as this war. As such, they elect Maximillian's nephew William IV of Bavaria, as the new Holy Roman Emperor instead of his grandson Charles. Charles's Regents contest this election.

April 1512: William's election as Emperor is upheld, but Charles's Regents win one major concession. The unmarried William is promptly wed to Charles's thirteen-year-old sister, Eleanor, despite their consanguinity, in order to unite the claims to the Empire. Meanwhile, in London, Katherine gives birth to a healthy baby girl, whom she names Elizabeth after both the child's grandmothers. Henry, waiting out the winter in Boulogne-Sur-Mer, declares himself delighted with the choice of name. However, it will be a while before he meets his new daughter, as the advent of spring means a resumption of hostilties.

 

[ordinarylittleme]

May 1512: Infuriated at the denial of what he sees as his birthright, Charles decides to go to Spain where he is received by his grandfather and brother, both named Ferdinand. He offers support to his brother but this is not well seen by his grandfather, who distrusts him. The young boy works hard to charm his old grandfather and younger brother with mixed results. Meanwhile, Eleanor of Austria, Holy Roman Empress has experienced her first menstrual cycle. Due to her small stature, it is feared that she could possibly die in childbirth, but proof of fertility is celebrated. Over in England, Katherine as regent has proved remarkably competent, except for the fact that she has constant conflicts with the Dukes of Norfolk and Buckingham, as well as her husband's favorite, the cardinal Wolsey. Though she appreciated Wolsey's competence and talent in both military and foreign policy, she felt very threatened by his prominence as well as the fact that the turnover of rulers threatened to diminish England's importance.

June 1512: The queen of France, Anne of Brittany, gives birth to twin sons christened Louis and Charles, respectively. This infuriates Louise of Savoy and her son, the young and ambitious Francis of Angouleme, who had been rumored to use witchcraft to kill Anne's previous sons. Despite the twins' sickliness, they cling to life. Thus, Louis XII arranges a marriage for his young cousin to Anne of Navarre. Spain begins its conquest of the Iberian part of Navarre, while the troops of the Holy League successfully drive French troops out of Milan. However, they reclaim Brescia.

 

[Reyne]

June to November 1512: Having been stuck in Pas-de-Calais for months, Henry seethes with rage at the inability of his allies in Germany and Spain to proppel his success. Having been defeated at the Battle of Rouen by Francis, Henry is forced to retreat back to the Pale of Calais, but he is not without his victories. Having secured French Artois with his conquest of Boulogne, Arras and Lens, the English use this region as a way to bridge the resource gap into Amiens, which, having been rapidly fortified by engineers coming from England, is able to hold back a French assault. Henry, proud and arrogant at having managed to hold off against Francis leaves the security of Amiens with 25000 men. On the field of battle, the massed French army once more defeats the English one although they are able to retreat in good order, but forward positions such as Péronne and Montdidier are lost. Henry, weaning off his injuries in Calais with a young Flemish noblewoman, the English are given respite from the French as Louis shifts his forces to face Ferdinand of Aragon in Navarre.

Henry's advisors and some new-faces at the English court, such as the Boleyns but especially Henry's eternal companion, Charles Brandon, newly made Duke of Suffolk and Baron of Montreuil, convince the King that perhaps the war against France is no longer profitable enough any longer - but right up North, traitorous Burgundy (whom "left" the war after the death of Emperor Maximilian) lies very open indeed. Giving command of operations to the Duke, the English quietly take and siege many cities in western Flanders, establishing a line from the coast to Dunkirk to Lille, while a bridge is established in Hainault, with cities such as Tournai and Antoing falling. The Burgundians resist heavily, and Henry is unable to push further in any front. He has expanded the Pale of Calais greatly, but now he must hold it, and both Burgundians and French circle around it.

Queen Catherine of England, with a heavy heart, sends a letter to Henry that he must seek peace with France as England's funneling of resources into their continental holdings is creating a small crisis. Henry accepts, and sends emissaires to Paris, but his return to London is cool - Catherine is not happy at all at Henry's betrayal of her nephew Charles.

 

[ordinarylittleme]

December 1512: The deaths of Louis XII of France and Ferdinand II of Aragon send shockwaves across Europe, as now France and Spain are ruled by underage kings: the newly coronated Louis XIII of France and Charles I of Spain. Queens Anne of France and Katherine of England are also pregnant again. Meanwhile, Francis of Angouleme marries Anne of Navarre while his sister, Margaret of Angouleme, announces her first pregnancy with her husband Charles of Alencon. The young infanta Isabella of Portugal, daughter of Manuel I and Maria of Aragon, contracts a high fever.

January 1513: Princess Mary Tudor is shipped over to Spain in order to marry her betrothed, Charles I of Spain. Despite the age difference, the couple found each other very attractive and got along well. The mysterious disappearance of the confined Queen Joanna causes a mild crisis as nobody is willing to admit fault for the event. Queen Maria of Portugal prematurely gives birth to a small baby girl who is named after herself. The newborn infanta is betrothed to the prince of Wales instead of the older Catherine of Austria.

 

[Reyne]

March 1513: The Alcázar revolt breaks out as the majority of the Spanish nobility rise in favour of deposing Charles of Burgundy and his Flemish regency. The revolt rapidly spreads through both Aragon and Castille and two sides quickly form, with the Duke of Frías in support of the "Carlistas" and the Duke of Alba at the head of the "Fernandine" faction. The Fernandines start the war on the right foot, as they obtain the submission of Seville and Cadiz, maintaining a connection to the Americas. The Duke of Alba also obtains the support of Portugal for his liege, the ten-year old would-be King Ferdinand as King Manuel is offended at Charles' repudiation of his daughter Isabella. Charles is sent to Santander and from there sails to Flanders to assure his security. His regency organizes what they can and prepare for a fight.

 

[ordinarylittleme]

April 1513: Queen Joanna is found in England, having reunited with her sister, Katherine. She asks for shelter and military aid. Katherine is only able to promise the former.

 

[EdwardRex]

July 1513: Charles, Duke of Berry, second son of Louis XII and Anne of Brittany, and thus brother to Louis XIII dies of a childhood illness, devastating Queen Anne. Regent Anne worries about her only sons’ health, and is suspicious that Louise of Savoy might have poisoned him, so her son Francis could be King, with his new bride, Anne of Navarre, as Queen. In reality the younger of the twins had always been frail. Catherine of Aragon, Queen of England, gives birth to a second daughter, Princess Margaret. Henry celebrates his second daughters’ birth with a grand christening ceremony. He desired another son, but he was young and had many more years to have sons. Princess Elizabeth is betrothed to Louis XIII.

August 1513: Anne, Dowager Queen of France, gives birth a month late to a healthy son, christened Jean after St. John the Baptist. She recovers well and this little boy soothes her grieving heart. Renee of France is unofficially betrothed to the Prince of Wales.

Anne, Duchess of Brittany, in mourning for her husband

October 1513: James, Duke of Rothesay, dies.

 

[ordinarylittleme]

October 1513: Charles of Ghent's supporters rise up stronger against the Fernandines, much easier to do when the duke of Alba is killed and the two brothers are reunited and shipped off to England, with their mother and aunt. Henry VIII, who absolutely did NOT want to get involved (or so he claimed - this was a great chance for him to step into the power vacuum) generously offered the two poor boys shelter, in exchange for Ferdinand's betrothal to the Princess Margaret. He also offered for a betrothal between one of the Portuguese royal children and Katherine's next child. Yes, Katherine is pregnant again - and Joanna has notably been looking very wistfully at her sister's baby bump. She herself had not been pregnant in many years, ever since she lost her beloved husband.

Meanwhile, Margaret of Angouleme gives birth to a healthy son, christened for his father. This slightly improves her marriage, but her relationship with her sister-in-law is still as stormy as ever. In England, Henry also gets along well with Queen Joanna, he tries to persuade her to remarry to a man who could be advantageous to help her sons. Katherine thinks this is a good idea but Joanna is appalled. Luckily there is no dispute that comes from this, as no such man currently exists. Queen Maria of Portugal gives birth to a daughter named after herself, Maria, as her previous daughter had died. In France, the suspicion of Queen Anne boils over and she decides to create Louise of Savoy as ambassador to England, a prestigious position (which conveniently gets her OUT of France and away from her precious sons).

 

[EdwardRex]

November 1513: Charles and Ferdinand are returned to Spain. Charles agrees to be heir to the Holy Roman Empire, Ferdinand agrees to be King of Castile and Aragon. A miracle is reported when the pregnant Catherine of Aragon heals a serving boy by praying over him.

December 1513: Anne of Navarre, Countess of Angouleme, gives birth to a healthy son named Francis.

January 1514: Former Queen Juana is glad to be rid of her unwanted crown. She announces she has eloped with the handsome best friend of her brother-in-law, Charles Brandon, who will soon be elevated to Duke of Suffolk. She is also very glad to announce she is pregnant. Henry VIII finds the whole ordeal hilarious, and while Catherine thinks Juana could have done better for herself, she is happy that Juana is happy.

February 1514: Maria, Queen of Portugal is pregnant again.

March 1514: Mary Tudor, Queen of the Romans is pregnant. Henry writes to his sister congratulating her and also ask her to be the newest baby’s godmother.

April 1514: Margaret Tudor, Queen of Scotland finally welcomes a healthy son, John, Duke of Rothesay. He joins Princess Eleanor (b. 1513) in the Royal nursery.

May 1514: Catherine of Aragon gives birth to a second son, Edward, who will soon be made Duke of York.

Catherine, Queen of England, with her son, Edward, Duke of York

June 1514: Regent Anne of France officially betroths Princess Renee to Henry, Prince of Wales. Prince Henry is growing into a tall and healthy boy, studious and pious as his mother.

July 1514: Joanna, Duchess of Suffolk bears a healthy daughter, Lady Eleanor Brandon.

August 1514: Mary Tudor, Queen of the Romans, gives birth to a stillborn daughter and nearly dies.

 

[Violet Rose Lily]

September 1514: Despite seeming to recover a few months previous, Mary sickens with a fever, and dies, much to her husband's despair. Charles would mourn the loss of his first love deeply. King Henry of England would also grieve over the loss of his beloved sister, calling her the fairest Tudor rose.

October 1514: Maria gives birth to a son, she and Manuel name Duarte. With six healthy sons, Portugal rejoices for surely the Avis dynasty is secure now. They also betroth their daughter Isabel with King Fernando IV of Spain while Crown Prince João of Portugal is engaged to Catherine of Austria.

November 1514: In England, the Trastámara sisters have a surprise for their husbands, they are both pregnant. Henry boasts to Charles that they are the luckiest men alive to have such fertile wives. This seems to lift Henry's spirits after the death of his sister.

December 1514: Charles is angered when his regents tells him that they are searching for a bride for him, noting it has only been four months since the passing of his wife. Not to mention he is not even fifteen yet, young enough to be able to wait a few years before getting a new wife. His regents insist on at least looking for a bride. They give him two options, Claude of France, heiress to the Duchy of Brittany, and Anna of Hungary and Bohemia, sister to Mary of Austria's fiancee Louis. Charles decides to marry the Hungarian princess, but he insists that the marriage takes place after a year.

 

[ordinarylittleme]

January 1515: Claude of France is instead married to the Duke of Savoy, Charles III. Despite the massive age gap, the couple get along well, and the marriage is consummated immediately.
February 1515: Maria, queen of Portugal, announces another pregnancy. As does Anne of Navarre, and Marguerite of angouleme.
March 1515: Margaret, queen of Scotland, slips down a flight of stairs and she miscarries her child. She is bedridden for months afterward and she grieves deeply.
April 1515: another episode of sweating sickness breaks out, the Duke and duchess of Suffolk both fall ill, but luckily survive.
May 1515: The prince of Wales trips while running and cracks his head against the wall. The furious king and queen order the dismissals of all his servants and hunt for new, attentive people.
June 1515: Anne of Bohemia and Hungary arrives for her wedding, she is accepting of her husband's grief and does not push for consummation. (She herself is young and small, unsuitable for childbirth.)
July 1515: Anne of Brittany passes away, her many years of childbirth wore her out. A struggle erupts over the regency of her son. The wedding between Ferdinand of Spain and Isabella of Portugal also happens then.

 

[EdwardRex]

August 1515: Queen Catherine of Aragon announces she is pregnant again. In response, Henry VIII begins an affair with Lady Elizabeth Blount.

September 1515: King Louis XIII’s little brother, Jean, sickens after his mothers death. With the mad scramble to get the regency, Francis of Angouleme neglects the baby’s health and he dies. Louis will forever resent regent Francis for this grave injustice.

October 1515: The widowed Eleanor of Austria marries John, Prince of Portugal.

Eleanor of Austria, Princess of Portugal

November 1515: Maria, Queen of Portugal gives birth to a son, Infante Antonio. The birth nearly kills Maria and it is thought she will never have another child.

December 1515: Eleanor of Austria, Princess of Portugal miscarries.

January 1516: Lady Elizabeth Blount realizes she is pregnant with King Henry’s child. King Henry promises to acknowledge the baby.

February 1516: Queen Catherine of Aragon gives birth to a healthy and beautiful baby girl, named Mary.

March 1516: Queen Margaret Tudor gives birth to a daughter, christened Margaret after herself.

 

[ordinarylittleme]

April 1516: The Prince of Wales had long recovered from hitting his head against the wall. He does not seem to have had severe long-lasting consequences. But the king and queen are paranoid, and order a team of physicians to be near the prince at all times. However, Henry remembers his own youth and forces his wife to allow their son some freedom - though with the physicians nearby. Eleanor of Austria, Princess of Portugal is pregnant again. Marguerite of Angouleme gives birth to a son named for her grandfather. Louis XIII, too, is kept under permanent watch surrounded by physicians. Francis of Angouleme does not get the regency - his sister, Marguerite, does. She had deposed him after claiming that his inaction caused the death of the king's brother. This causes a rift between the siblings.

 

[EdwardRex]

May 1516: Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon settle on marriages for their children. Henry, Prince of Wales, is betrothed to Princess Renee of France. Princess Elizabeth is betrothed to Louis XIII, King of France. Princess Margaret is betrothed to John, Duke of Rothesay. Edward, Duke of York and baby Mary remains unbetrothed, but seeing as they are so young, there is plenty of time to arrange their marriages.

Henry, Prince of Wales

June 1516: Regent Margaret of Angouleme asks for Henry and Catherine to send young Elizabeth to the French court where she can be raised. Seeing as Elizabeth is Henry’s favorite child, he refuses, but does agree to a meeting between the English and French monarchies to solidify peace.

July 1516: Lady Elizabeth Blount gives birth to King Henry VIII’s first illegitimate child, Lady Philippa Fitzroy. The King is quite glad with her and openly acknowledges the pretty and healthy infant as his own daughter.

August 1516: Eleanor, Princess of Portugal gives birth to a son named Alfonso.

September 1516: Isabella, Archduchess of Austria, is married to Christian II, King of Denmark.

 

[ordinarylittleme]

November 1516: Isabella, Queen of Denmark announces a pregnancy, much to her husband's joy. Queen Katherine also announces another pregnancy, and declares that this child shall be raised with its sibling, Philippa Fitzroy. The king is delighted with her kindness towards his natural daughter - Katherine knows this child will never be a threat to her. After Renee of France is shipped to England, Henry can no longer delay shipping Elizabeth over, which he does reluctantly. Maria, Queen of Portugal dies after a miscarriage and plunges Portugal into mourning. The Queen of England and the Duchess of Suffolk, both pregnant, wear black mourning for months. Eleanor, Princess of Portugal announces another pregnancy while Manuel, King of Portugal falls ill after the burial of his wife.