alternatehistory.com

1491 - 1498 AD:

By the close of the 15th century, the most prestigious, if not the most powerful, monarchs in Christendom were undoubtedly Queen Isabella of Castile and King Ferdinand II of Aragon. Through their marriage, nearly all of the Iberian penisula was united and the Reconquista completed. But all of their achievements would mean nothing if they had no one to to pass their domains onto. The marriage had been fertile and relatively successful, producing four daughters - Isabella, Joanna, Maria and Catherine - and one son - John - whom Isabella and Ferdinand adored and placed all their hopes for the future on.

The Catholic Monarchs had made a number of strategic marriages and betrothals with their children which were mainly anti-French in nature. The eldest, Isabella, had married Alfonso, Infanta of Portugal. John and Joanna had married Margaret of Austria and Philip of Burgundy, daughter and son of the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian, and Maria and Catherine were planned to be betrothed to King James IV of Scotland and Arthur Tudor, Prince of Wales. Most of these marriages were unusual (I won't say 'lucky' for reasons I shall mention later) as they became genuine love matches. Princess Isabella fell in love with Alfonso and was genuinely popular with the Portuguese people. Unfortunately, in 1491 Alfonso died during a riding accident. Isabella was heartbroken and returned to Spain, starving and scourging herself and declaring that she would never marry again. Again, this was not to be. Alfonso's father, John II of Portugal, died in 1495 and was succeeded by his cousin, Manuel. Manuel immediately sought the hand of Isabella. After initially refusing, Princess Isabella herself finally agreed on the condition that he deal with the Jews in his kingdom, who she blamed in part for the death of her beloved Alfonso. And so the two wed in September of 1497, and Manuel gave the Jews in Portugal the choice to either convert or leave.

Prince John and Margaret of Austria had more luck. Both were well-educated. John was a talented singer and poet while Margaret was fun-loving and had a sharp sense of humor. A true love match, which some say went beyond the mere lust that Philip felt for Joanna. Suddenly, on October 4th, John contracted tuberculosis at Salamanca. The prince had always been frail, but this time it seemed as though there was no hope. Ferdinand rushed to his son's bedside and held his son in his arms. Against all the odds, John pulled through, but was confined to his bed for months, too weak to witness the birth of his daughter. Still, his survival was seen as a miracle and the infant was named Maria as thanks to the Virgin Mother.

The year 1498 brought a mixture of hope and tragedy for the family. Princess Isabella, after years of self-denial and constant fasting, died within an hour of giving birth to a son, Miguel. Maria's planned betrothal to King James was broken off and she became Manuel's second wife. Joanna and Philip had a daughter, Eleanor, and John and Margaret were well enough to try for another child, despite the rumors that John's illness was brought on by sexual over-exertion. Shortly after Christmas, Margaret gave birth to a son, Ferdinand.
__________________________________________________
Well, I did it. I finally got off my arse and tried to do another TLIAW (or however long it takes). Byzantine history was usually my speciality, but there's only so many times you can write about the Komnenoi or the Palaiologoi. I've recently become more interested in the rest of Europe, including Spain. The title is Latin for "The Angel of Spain". I chose this because Queen Isabella always referred to John as 'my angel'. If it's not an accurate translation, I'll change it to something else.

Anyway, the POD here is that John, Prince of Asturias and Girona doesn't die in 1497 and so Hapsburg rule remains confined to the Holy Roman Empire, including Austria, Burgundy and the Netherlands. IOTL, Margaret of Austria gave birth to a stillborn daughter shortly ater John's death. She and Miguel of Portugal won't be the only ones I'll a throw a bone to in this TL. I've planned to take this from the survival of John to the end of his son's reign, but first I'd like to test the water and get some feedback before going in unprepared.
Top