The Spanish Rose: TL

Well this is my second attempt at making a TL about Edward, Son of Henry VI, marrying Isabella of Castile. I ran into some difficulties the first time around but i hope this time around it will be a better read...

1468: In England King Edward of York ruled safely and happily. This year had seen the fall of castle Harlech which had been under Yorkist siege since 1461. However the kingdom was ready to burst due to the tensions growing between the King and the Earl of Warwick. Also in the north two Lancaster rebellions had been crushed and following these rebellions Henry VI feel into the hands of Edward. In France, Edward the Prince of Wales sits in exile with his mother plotted his return. On October 14, Charles the Bold and King Louis XI signed the treaty of Peronne.

1469: Edward of York became increasingly unpopular with the noble and peasants, when he increased taxes to pay for reconstruction costs. Many of the nobles that had fought hard to gain Edward of York the throne felt snubbed by the honors being lavished upon the Woodville family. Warwick attempted to have his eldest daughter marry Edward's brother Clarence but he was refused royal consent. Warwick then began to plant seeds of rebellion into the minds of disgruntled nobles. While at the same time Warwick encouraged some peasant rebellions. These rebellions destroy the fragile peace in England and Edward was forced to put them down. Warwick mustered his forces and at the battle of Edgecote Moor defeated the Yorkist army. He then he captured the king, who is freed shortly thereafter by his younger brother Richard. Warwick and Clarence flee to Calais, where Clarence married Warwick's eldest daughter. POD October 19 1469- Isabella of Castile does not marry Ferdinand of Aragon. As a result of not breaking the treaty between her and her half brother King Enrique, Isabella remains the heir to the throne of Castile.
 
year 1470

1470: Edward IV control over England waned in part due to high taxes and the influence of the Woodville Family. The family's growing influence angered the members of Neville family that remained loyal to Edward of York and other important nobles. However John Neville’s, Earl Warwick’s brother, support of Edward allows Edward IV to keep the throne. John Neville had recently been rewarded for driving out the Lancastrians in Northern England. He was created Earl of Northumberland. This title had long been held by the Percy family, but they were in disgrace. However, when Henry Percy was rehabilitated in 1470 John was forced to give up the earldom and many important offices in favour of his former foe. This led to John joining his brother in arms against Edward. Margaret and Edward Lancaster agreed to meet Warwick on the urgings of King Louis XI of France. Louis has become annoyed at the pleas of his cousin to restore her son's kingdom. He rationalized that if he couldn't get young Edward on the throne then the Kingmaker could. Margaret agreed to grant the Neville's many important privy council seats, more lands and titles, and the restoration of the Earldom of Northumberland to John. Once this was agreed upon, Warwick began to write letters to his many vassals telling them to prepare for war. Margaret sends Warwick to meet her cousin about gaining some money to raise some mercenary units. In England, Edward is dealing with minor Lancastrian uprisings but nothing dangerous to his thrones safety.
 
POD October 19 1469- Isabella of Castile does not marry Ferdinand of Aragon. As a result of not breaking the treaty between her and her half brother King Enrique, Isabella remains the heir to the throne of Castile.

Take note then even that will not stop the civil war- Joanna remains the King's only daughter, and the teatry between Enrique and Isabel will be wet paper as soon as he dies. If Enrique and Isabel younger brother has survived, there would be no conflic -but well, he died :D.

On that war, Isabel would have the legitimacy, unlike OTL, but she would not have the help of Aragon's troops -and I doubt England is on any condition to lauch an invasion of Castille, so she would only have her own troops.
Joanna would lack the legitimacy -and the OTL rumors about her being the daughter of the king's favorite (probably started by Isabel on the first place) would still appear. But, on her side, she is a young girl on need of a Regent, and, possibly, a husband (she was twelve in 1474, when her father died, and did not marry the King of Portugal -her uncle- until 1475), so many ambitious nobles would rush to her side. If her marriage into Portugal is already arranged, she would have portuguese troops, too.

The one of more important results of Isabel reign, actually, was not the Fall of Granada (a certianty by at least a century) of the Americas (would need a few decades before it went beyond a mere curiosity). Isabel (and Fernando) learned the lesson of the civil war and destroyed the power of the nobles to raise their own armies, ending the feudal era of Spain and turning the country into a more modern state as we understand the term (ruled by a Head of State, with an army, a goverment, and so on).
Since her new husband is also on a civil war, made possible by the too powerful nobles and their private armies, this lesson should be earned too, whether she wins or loses the war.
 
yep the Spanish Civil War is going to be interesting.... also Isabella is going to be the domestic ruler in all but name while Edward focuses upon Yorkist rebellions. I decided the Joan is going to marry the young duke of Navarre http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francisco_Febo

This could lead to French support for Isabella, because King Louis wouldn't want Navarre to unite with the stronger Castile because Navarre was considered apart of France. He also would want to keep the Iberian kingdoms disunited for his own benefit. Also even if Isabella loses the war it will be interesting for any children born to Edward and Isabella because they would have a potential claim to the throne.

Also the Neville family is going to be the only family that doesn't have its powers reduced for awhile due to the immensity of their holdings and that the Lancasters need them till the Yorkists are defeated, other lords and nobles are a differant story. It's going to suck to be the Percy family or any family thats pissed of the Nevilles
 
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