Wettin TL

The TL explores the scenario of the Wettins gaining an upper hand in the Holy Roman Empire instead of the Habsburgs.

Wettin TL

Shortly after her birth (1242), Margaret was betrothed to Albert "the Degenerate", eldest son and heir of Henry III "the Illustrious", Margrave of Meissen. The marriage took place in June 1255, the bride receiving Pleissnerland (the towns of Altenburg, Zwickau, Chemnitz and Leisnig) as her dowry.

The couple settled at his residence in Eckartsberga and later moved to Wartburg, where she bore five children: three sons (Henry, Frederick and Dietzmann) and two daughters (Margaret and Agnes). Through her second son Frederick – later Margrave of Meissen – Margaret was the direct ancestor of the Electors and Kings of Saxony and English Queen consorts Margaret of Anjou and Anne of Cleves.

In 1265 her husband received the titles of Landgrave of Thuringia and Count Palatine of Saxony (German: Pfalzgräf von Sachsen) after the abdication of his father, who retained control of Meissen.

After the execution of her nephew Conradin (29 October 1268), Margaret, as the next legitimate relative, became the rightful Queen of Sicily and the general heiress of the Hohenstaufen claims over the Duchy of Swabia and the Kingdom of Jerusalem (despite the fact she was not descended from the Kings of Jerusalem, her father Frederick II had claimed the kingdom for himself). Her son Frederick assumed by some time this titles on her right.

The TL Diverges there

The schemes of Margaret of Sicily

On 1269, adultery of Albert the Degenerate was discovered by Margaret of Sicily and so he was not loyal to her and decided to devote herself on regaining the lands for her son.

Margaret of Sicily told her sons to gain her land, her first son Henry would be the one who will get her claims to Swabia and it will be Frederick who will get back Sicily and Naples.

The sons would quite object about the sudden change of character of their mother, and they would question her and told her, why would we want to regain the lands of our ancestor.

Margaret of Sicily would respond and told her sons that it is their rightful inheritance, she regains the control of Swabia with the help of her eldest son, Henry, one of the irritants is Rudolf of Habsburg who gained estates in Swabia whom they defeated in order to regain Swabia.

A few months after the defeat of Rudolf of Habsburg Margaret married his eldest daughter, Matilda to Henry of Meissen, her son, in order to get help to regain Swabia completely, Henry of Meissen, the Duke of Swabia revoked the Habsburg estates which forced the sons of Rudolf to Priesthood[1].

For Frederick of Meissen, he would marry Elisabeth of Hungary in order to ally with Hungary and protect them against the Premyslids and also to gain their help in regaining the Imperial crown for their lineage.

For the last son, Theodoric, the betrothal would be with the daughter of Gertrude of Babenberg, and the sister of Frederick of Baden, namely, Agnes of Baden.

For her daughters she is dreaming that Agnes of Meissen, she would marry a French Prince and Margaret of Meissen would marry a Polish duke, she was busy imagining the future for her own daughters as she told her servant, for the marriage of her daughter, Margaret, it would be the Kingdom of Arles that will be given to the French Prince as the dowry.

Her servant told her that she is too ambitious just because she was able to marry and betroth her sons and ensure that they will have future.


1. One of the sons of Rudolf Habsburg becomes the pope, the initial Habsburg lands go to the Wettins, what Margaret did was to eliminate the Habsburgs as a possible threat.
 
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Alliances and Battle plans
On the beginning of 1270, Elisabeth of Hungary and Frederick of Meissen are married in proxy and the bride will arrive on a few months, in this time Margaret of Sicily changed her mind Agnes of Meissen should marry a Polish duke and that is the young Henry IV of Silesia, this was to secure the borders between Meissen and Silesia and as well as the future Polish state, Margaret of Sicily was happy on the betrothal happening between the two, the future groom is 12 years old and the future bride is just eight, but Margaret is not wasting time for this, because this is what she needed - a fresh alliance against the Anjous in Sicily.

The Bride, Elisabeth of Hungary finally arrived, she was described to be a couple of months or a year younger or older than Frederick of Meissen and the two were described to be happy on their actual wedding and meeting up, this will also ensure that the Hungarians would have no problems, Clement of Habsburg is also betrothed to the eventual heir to Hungary, Ladislas, no one in Germany would recognize the Angevin conquest of Sicily, the next plans of Margaret of Meissen is in France, Agnes should marry the French Prince, Louis and was able to get the betrothal actually happen.

Isabella of Aragon dies after a difficult pregnancy and given birth to a son on 1271, the name of the child is Peter, it was said that it was due to the stress of the war and she was said to be emotionally stressed of the pregnancy, she was only 23 years.

Philip III of France instead offered himself as the groom to Agnes of Meissen so that Louis would be freed for a much more grander match and Margaret of Sicily agreed.

The Pope, Gregory X, who was from Italy wanted to crown Henry of Meissen as the Holy Roman Emperor seeing that he is the most eligible of the claimants, in this time, Margaret of Sicily, the Duchess of Swabia was able to try to resume her marriage with her estranged husband, Albert the degenerate of Meissen in just one month but decided to stop and focused on other things, this caused her to become Pregnant again and bear a daughter named Kunigunde(1271), the pope made an ultimatum that he will support Henry of Meissen as emperor and support the claims to Sicily if the two domains remain separate and not combined.


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Margaret of Sicily from the Miniseries, the Wettins

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The Start of the Fall of the Premyslids and the crowning of Henry of Meissen
Unfortunately, for Ottokar Premysl, his wife Kunegunde of Galicia would never give birth to a son, she just gave birth to a daughter in 1270, that was said to be the end for the Premyslid Dynasty and no more legitimate male issue will be produced.

Henry of Meissen, Duke of Swabia was crowned in Aachen Cathedral on 24 August 1273. To win the approbation of the Pope, Henry VII renounced all imperial rights in Rome, the papal territory, and Sicily, and promised to lead a new crusade, it was his brother, Frederick that would be the King of Sicily. Pope Gregory X, in spite of Ottokar II of Bohemia's protests, not only recognized Henry of Meissen himself, but persuaded King Alfonso X of Castile (another grandson of Philip of Swabia), who had been chosen German (anti-)king in 1257 as the successor to Count William II of Holland, to do the same. Thus, Henry surpassed the two other heirs of the Hohenstaufen dynasty that he had earlier served so loyally, Rudolf of Habsburg was made content being the man beside the king or the Kingmaker, it was said that if only Henry of Meissen was not chosen, he would have been the Emperor.

In November 1274 it was decided by the Imperial Diet at Nuremberg that all crown estates seized since the death of the Emperor Frederick II must be restored, and that King Ottokar II must answer to the Diet for not recognising the new king. Ottokar refused to appear or to restore the duchies of Austria, Styria and Carinthia with the March of Carniola, which he had claimed through his first wife, a Babenberg heiress, and which he had seized while disputing them with another Babenberg heir, Margrave Hermann VI of Baden, apparently the ultimate heir to these is Theodoric of Meissen who had just married his new wife Agnes. Henry refuted Ottokar's succession to the Babenberg patrimony, declaring that the provinces reverted to the Imperial crown due to the lack of male-line heirs (a position that however conflicted with the provisions of the Austrian Privilegium Minus). King Ottokar was placed under the imperial ban, for Theodoric of Meissen, he would be given the lands of Austria.

Margaret of Sicily would make another dowry for the future queen of France, Margaret of Meissen and that is the Kingdom of Arles, now that Margaret of Sicily has the power to regain the rightful inheritance for herself, she will be pushing for it to be regained, she knew that the Kingdom of Arles is already breaking up and that France is the one that is getting it piece by piece.

Note:
We have three Branches of Wettin

-Saxony-Lusatian(HRE) Wettins
-Sicilian Wettins
-Austrian Wettins
 
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The death of a saint
On 1270, The Duchess of Poland, Kunigunde of Hungary is said to be beloved by the population but seen as a threat due to being sterile was assassinated by a noble, she was chaste and very saintly.

It was said that she just drank wine and became very sickly and died and the Polish nobility was blamed for her death.

She said to her husband before she died that she lived a very noble life as a queen and was petitioned to be canonized as a saint of both Poland and Hungary.

The Dying Queen changed her mind and decided to finally consummate her marriage and died after that.

I will die and be a saint, that is the last words of the Pious Kinga of Hungary.

Boleslaw the Chaste was remarried to a Dutch Princess, Maria of Brabant, shortly after the death of his wife, the new wife was said to will provide children for the high duke, that his previous did not want to do.

Maria of Brabant spoke German with her elderly Polish husband.

note:
The OTL second Wife of the French King Philip does become the Duchess of Poland instead, there will be a-lot of negative effects of the marriage since she gave birth to many sons.
 
Maria of Brabant’s children

Maria of Brabant, compared to the previous wife of Boleslaw the Chaste was very excited to have children and to bear heirs to Poland.

She was found pregnant on 1272, just after their wedding and gave birth to a daughter, the initial giving birth was difficult but she was able to give birth to a daughter, she named as Anna, Anna of Poland will be the most favorite daughter of Boleslaw the Chaste.

Maria of Brabant gave birth to a son named Konrad on 1274, the birth was the most waited by Boleslaw the Chaste, Maria of Brabant would have further children named Casimir(1276) and a daughter named Maria(1278) and another son named Leopold(1282) and have the duchy of Sandomir divided between the three sons.

The three sons of Maria of Brabant would later fight for the succession of Lesser Poland and the Children meant that the Kuyavian Piasts would not inherit any claims to Sandomir which was near to Krakow.

Note:
This would butterfly the succession of Wladyslaw the Elbowhigh and the Bohemian acquisition of Poland, I am planning something about Wladyslaw but this will be regarding the Bohemian throne itself.
 
Margaret of Meissen’s wedding and Dowry

The King of France has gone impatient of the marriage betrothal to Margaret of Meissen, so Margaret of Meissen was married in proxy to Philip III on the latter part of 1274, the marriage in proxy was celebrated in Swabia, Agnes felt that she was unready for the marriage but was forced to agree.

She is excited to meet her new husband and she was able to join the court of the King of France a few months after the marriage on 1275 and married him at St. Denis, the King of France commented that the bride was very fragile and young for him, so he decided to wait a few years before consummating the marriage.

The Dowry to Margaret of Meissen was the Kingdom of Arles and so the Kings of France also became the Kings of Arles, this would mean a part of Piedmont, the Turin area which is held by the Savoyards will be a part of France.
 
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Margaret of Sicily m. 1255 to Albert of Meissen

Henry (b. 21 March 1256), Duke of Swabia, Meissen and Lusatia
Frederick (b. 1257), King of Sicily
Theodoric(b. 1260), Duke of Austria
Margaret of Meissen (b. 1262), Queen of France.
Agnes of Meissen (b. 1264), Duchess of Silesia, Wroclaw, married to Henry IV the Virtuous.

Now, we might see the Habsburgs pull a Borgia in this TL but we will wait and see..

I will add the defeat of Przemysl Ottokar and the marriage of Agnes of Meissen and Henry IV of Silesia.
 
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The statue of the last Premyslid Premysl Ottokar II

Defeat of Premysl Ottokar II
a new election for the Imperial German throne took place in 1273. However, the Bohemian king was again not the successful candidate, as the electors voted for the heir of the Hohenstauffens, Henry of Meissen, Ottokar's last and finally victorious rival.

Přemysl Ottokar refused to acknowledge Henry's election, and urged the Pope to adopt a similar policy. At a convention of the Imperial Diet at Nuremberg in 1274, Henry decreed that all Imperial lands that had changed hands since the death of the last Hohenstaufen emperor Frederick II must be returned to the crown. This would have deprived Ottokar not only of the Egerland, but also of the Austrian, Styrian, and Carinthian duchies. In 1275 Henry placed Ottokar under the Imperial ban and besieged Swabia, while the Bohemian lands were shaken by a rebellion led by the Vítkovci noble Zavis of Falkenstein. This compelled Přemysl Ottokar in November 1276 to sign a new treaty by which he gave up all claims to Austria and the neighboring duchies, retaining for himself only Bohemia and Moravia.

On 1276, Agnes of Meissen married Henry IV the Virtuous, Duke of Wroclaw, which neutralized him as an ally to Ottokar.

Two years later, the Bohemian king made a last attempt to recover his lost lands by force. Přemysl Ottokar again found allies in Bavaria, Brandenburg and Poland. He collected a large army to meet the forces of Henry of Meissen, Duke of Swabia and his allies King Ladislaus IV of Hungary, Boleslaw the Chaste in the Battle on the Marchfeld on 26 August 1278, where he was defeated and killed.
note:
This is the end of the line for the legitimate line of the Premyslids, as he left no legitimate son.

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Vladislaus II of Bohemia

A marriage for Kunigunde
The daughters of Ottokar, namely, Kunegunde(1265), Agnes(1269) and Maria(1271), were sought as heiresses.

On 1278, the thirteen year old Kunegunde married to a nobleman named Wladyslaw of Kuyavia, the son of Euphrosyne of Opole and Casimir of Kuyavia, he was unlanded because his siblings already inherited land.

While for the two girls, Agnes and Maria would remain under her care, the rulers of the Holy Roman Empire, the other sisters of Kunigunde would drift away from her[1].

Wladyslaw the Short of Kuyavia is crowned with his wife, Kunigunde of Bohemia in Prague as Vladislaus I, the Wettins would view Bohemia as a reverted fief.


1.This is similar to what happened to her OTL nieces Anna and Elisabeth of Bohemia..

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So, a new dynasty rise in Bohemia... I had always liked the Premyslid...

What happens in Sicily and Hungary?

What I am planning to do is for a war of Succession to happen in Bohemia just like what happened when Elisabeth of Bohemia married Henry of Luxembourg, one of the sisters would win and marry a Wettin, the ruler of Lusatia, for Sicily and Hungary, I have plans for the the Sicilian Wettins..

The Arpads will survive for longer but Clementia's son with Ladislaus will look like Charles Robert, her OTL son..
 
This is basically what I am planning but I will not spoil the children only the marriages

Albert the Degenerate m. Margaret of Sicily
1.Henry VII (b.1256), Holy Roman Emperor
2.Frederick (b. 1257), King of Sicily
3.Theodoric(b. 1260), Duke of Austria.
4.Margaret of Meissen(b. 1262), Queen of France[1]
5.Agnes of Meissen (b. 1264), Duchess of Silesia

Philip III of France m. Isabella of Aragon(d.1271)(a) m.Agnes of Meissen(b)
1a. Louis X(b. 1263)
2a. Philippe(b. 1268)
3a. Robert(b. 1269)
4a. Charles(b. 1270)
5a. Pierre(b. 1271)

Edward I of England m. Eleanor of Castile
1.John (b.1266) m. Anna of Poland(Anna Boleslawowna)
2.Henry (b.1268) m. Joan I of Navarre[2]
3.Eleanor (b.1269) m. Alfonso I of Aragon
4.Joan (b.1272)
5.Alphonso(b.1273)
6.Margaret (b.1275)
7.Mary (b.1279)
8.Elizabeth (b. 1282
9.Edward(b.1284) m. Margaret of Scotland

1. Her dowry is the Kingdom of Arles.

2. He also inherited the remaining Angevin possessions in the Continent, namely Pointhieu and Aquitaine and combined it with his wife’s possessions of Navarre and Champagne.
 
The battle of Sicily
Elisabeth of Hungary gave birth to a son named Conrad, named after the uncle of her husband, Frederick on 1272.

On 1276, the Sicilians have shown to dissatisfied of the Angevin rule and wanted the rightful rulers back, the Hungarians and the Germans troops led by Frederick of Meissen would descend upon Southern Italy killing the allies of the French King of Sicily, Charles I on their path.

In this point, Flordelis of Sicily, a daughter of Manfred and Helena Doukaina is married to Prince Charles of Sicily, causing him to gain some claims to Southern Sicily.

The people of Southern Italy would support Elisabeth of Hungary and Frederick of Meissen resulting in the expulsion of the French in Sicily, the Anjous were expelled.

Elisabeth of Hungary followed her husband, as well as her son, Conrad in Sicily.

John Procida was present in the coronation of Elisabeth of Hungary and Frederick of Meissen as the King and Queen of Sicily, this was a happy event for every one involved, the Sicilians showed their love for the new rulers who are the rightful rulers of the Sicilians.

King Frederick II of Sicily was credited in freeing the Kingdom of Sicily from the French invaders and the battle would be still be remembered in the present as a heroic win for the sicilians.
 
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Anna of Poland

Anna of Poland

Prince John of England married Anne of Poland in order , Anne's relative was the one ruling a majority of Europe's population and territory.
The marriage was against the wishes of many members of his nobility and members of parliament, and his own father, Edward I, the marriage came into being due to the idea of John to neutralize a French-German alliance, there was no real available German Princess, Kunigunde was, the youngest daughter of Margaret of Meissen was impossible to marry for John due to them being descendant of John I, later Anna of Poland and Prince John were betrothed in 1276 and married in Proxy in 1282.

On her arrival in December 1285, Anne was severely criticised by contemporary chroniclers, probably as a result of the financial arrangements of the marriage, although it was quite typical for queens to be viewed in critical terms. The Westminster Chronicler called her "a tiny scrap of humanity", a chronicler related a disastrous omen upon her arrival, where her ships smashed to pieces as soon as she had disembarked. Nevertheless, Anne and Prince John were married in Westminster Abbey on 10 February 1286. Tournaments were held for several days after the ceremony, in celebration. They then went on an itinerary of the realm, staying at many major abbeys along the way.

The marriage would lose its own value after Anne’s father, Boleslaw the Chaste dies on 1290, the marriage was very successful and they had many children.

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