What if Anna of Prussia is born male?

This male heir would secure the existence of Prussia as a polish fief with no personal union with Brandenburg. How would the conflict of the Jülich-Cleves succession play out if it's not the Elector of Brandenburg but the Duke of Prussia from the Brandenburg-Ansbach branch contesting the title? How would Prussia develop either with or without Cleves? Is Prussia comparable with Courland or is it mightier through it's important dynasty and slightly bigger size?
Is the long term goal of reuniting with western Prussia a possibility? After all Albrecht I of Prussia tried to get it in the negotiations prior to the treaty of Krakau in 1525. However Sigismund of Poland slammed this down and gave him money in exchange. Albrecht even had to give the cities he conquered in Warmia back.
 
I doubt Duke of Prussia would be able to claim Jülich, but his cousin George Frederick of Ansbach could make him heir of Franconian Margravites (Ansbach and Bayreuth).
 

krieger

Banned
This male heir would secure the existence of Prussia as a polish fief with no personal union with Brandenburg. How would the conflict of the Jülich-Cleves succession play out if it's not the Elector of Brandenburg but the Duke of Prussia from the Brandenburg-Ansbach branch contesting the title? How would Prussia develop either with or without Cleves? Is Prussia comparable with Courland or is it mightier through it's important dynasty and slightly bigger size?
Is the long term goal of reuniting with western Prussia a possibility? After all Albrecht I of Prussia tried to get it in the negotiations prior to the treaty of Krakau in 1525. However Sigismund of Poland slammed this down and gave him money in exchange. Albrecht even had to give the cities he conquered in Warmia back.

The western Prussia problem is rather easy to solve. Just have Duke of Prussia be elected as a king of PLC after Vasa extinction and both Prussias are reunited under one ruler.
 
The western Prussia problem is rather easy to solve. Just have Duke of Prussia be elected as a king of PLC after Vasa extinction and both Prussias are reunited under one ruler.
Vasas and Prussian Hohenzollerns could intermarry (Sigismund III wanted his sister to marry Hohenzollern, Sigismund's daughtet was proposed for Great Elector) , so it is possible.
 

krieger

Banned
Vasas and Prussian Hohenzollerns could intermarry (Sigismund III wanted his sister to marry Hohenzollern, Sigismund's daughtet was proposed for Great Elector) , so it is possible.

Yes, and it means no vivente rege campaign (Hohenzollern born from union with Vasa princess could marry Marie's Louise niece).
 
With Anna of Prussia gender flipped not only whole line of Brandenburg Electors is butterflied away, but also wife of Gustav Adolf. John Sigismund of Brandenburg could (and likely would, although there would be no need for OTL triple marriage between Electoral and Prussian line) marry another daughter of Albert Frederick and still claim Jülich-Cleves inheritance.
 
With Anna of Prussia gender flipped not only whole line of Brandenburg Electors is butterflied away, but also wife of Gustav Adolf. John Sigismund of Brandenburg could (and likely would, although there would be no need for OTL triple marriage between Electoral and Prussian line) marry another daughter of Albert Frederick and still claim Jülich-Cleves inheritance.
But wouldn't male Anna's claim be way stronger? He would be the nephew of the last duke as the son of the oldest sister. Of course all protestant Hohenzollern branches and protestant States of the Holy Roman Empire would support the claim against the Catholic Wittelsbach claimant who's also a nephew of the last duke. How would Poland see this with their vassal potentially getting a new powerbase in Germany?

Also in the event of male Anna getting maybe Mark and Ravensberg how likely would a division after his death be? If he decides to divide his realm would they name it duchy of Prussia-Mark or Margraviate of Brandenburg-Mark? After all Prussia is a polish duchy and in the empire they're just Margraves of Brandenburg.
 
The western Prussia problem is rather easy to solve. Just have Duke of Prussia be elected as a king of PLC after Vasa extinction and both Prussias are reunited under one ruler.
Is this even possible if the Prussian Hohenzollern stay protestant?
 

Vitruvius

Donor
But wouldn't male Anna's claim be way stronger? He would be the nephew of the last duke as the son of the oldest sister. Of course all protestant Hohenzollern branches and protestant States of the Holy Roman Empire would support the claim against the Catholic Wittelsbach claimant who's also a nephew of the last duke. How would Poland see this with their vassal potentially getting a new powerbase in Germany?

Also in the event of male Anna getting maybe Mark and Ravensberg how likely would a division after his death be? If he decides to divide his realm would they name it duchy of Prussia-Mark or Margraviate of Brandenburg-Mark? After all Prussia is a polish duchy and in the empire they're just Margraves of Brandenburg.

I agree, male-Anna would have a claim superior to his own sisters (obviously) as well as to his Neuburg cousin. Though I would add only that the Neuburg Count in question was Wolfgang William, who was Protestant. His son, Philip William, would only convert later on after the Succession conflict had started so in the beginning the two claimants were both Protestants as against Rudolf's attempt to sequester the inheritance pending Imperial adjudication (he for some reason favored Saxony).

So anyways I would think it would boil down to how strenuously male-Anna wants to press his claim. Being outside the Empire probably adds a wrinkle, maybe making Rudolf less inclined to take his side. It might give Wolfgang William a leg up too if he can leverage connections with Protestant Princes in the Empire to his side, though male-Anna could always reach out to France.
 
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