WI/AHC: More (Fruitful) Marriages Between Germany and Italy from the mid-17th Century

OTL, there weren't many of these (specifically, ones that actually produced issue), and by the 19th century, the Bourbon and Habsburg cadets that ruled the various states in Italy were horrendously inbred. (to paraphrase one user's sig, so much so, we can call them a sandwich) and you had uncle-niece marriages happening on a regular basis.

Off the top of my head, the only German (excluding Habsburgs)-Italian (excluding Savoy) marriages that took place between 1650 and 1750 were:

  • All three children of Cosimo III, Grand Duke of Tuscany (no issue)
  • Rinaldo, Duke of Modena to Charlotte Felizitas of Brunswick (had issue)
  • Enrichetta d'Este, dowager duchess of Parma to Leopold of Hesse-Darmstadt (no issue)
  • Antonio Ferdinando, Duke of Guastalla to the aforementioned Leopold's sister, Theodora (no issue)
  • Giuseppe, Duke of Guastalla to Maria Eleonora "Lori" of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg (no issue)
  • Oddoardo II, Hereditary Prince of Parma to Dorothea Sophie of Neuburg (had issue)
  • Francesco Maria, Duke of Parma to the aforementioned Dorothea Sophie (no issue)
Now, as you can see these marriages didn't usually produce issue (though I think we can eliminate Theodora or Lori as being the problem, since their marriages were either pretty short, or their husband was insane; Enrichetta and Leopold's match was contracted pretty late in her life).

But what if such marriages were more common? These Germans were in general Catholic scions of Protestant houses (Brunswick, Hesse and Schleswig-Holstein) and some were even the (children of) electors (two of Cosimo's kids-in-law). I'm not sure it could hurt getting an injection of fresh blood (the Hesse-Darmstadt kids had a de Croy for a mother), and maybe even prolong the native Italian houses?
 
Eyyyy! :p

in regards to the matter, a lot less Hasburg and Bourbon domination of Italy.
it might keep italian disunited for much longer, and most likely, survival of the dynasties.
 
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