WI: Charles VI was born female

Vitruvius

Donor
Leopold issues a very different succession law than OTL. It also severely weakens the Habsburg claim to Spain since there is no possibility of separating Spain and Austria. Only having one male Habsburg in Joseph I's generation will change all the negotiations and marriage politics surrounding the Spanish Succession, at least on the allied side. So this probably effects the marriage prospects of Maria Elisabeth and maybe Maria Anna. *Carolina* would be the third daughter so she would not be all that important in her own right. I assume that Leopold dictates that if Joseph has no sons his daughter inherits Austria while perhaps he puts forward his eldest daughter as an anti-French candidate for the Spanish throne. The problem is who to match her with.

All three daughters would probably be too old for a marriage to a Savoyard prince, which would otherwise be a convenient solution to the question of the Spanish inheritance. A Portuguese match presents problems with an Iberian Union, unless you have two Portuguese matches, still tricky. Bavaria is too pro-French plus Charles Albert is too young. Its tough to find a European prince suitable to Austria, the Netherlands and Britain and also strong enough to enforce his wife's claim. So if anything it may make a negotiated settlement more likely, one that sees the allies agree to Philip d'Anjou ascending in Spain, possibly even with parts of Spanish Italy, at least Sardinia and probably Naples and Sicily, while some minor German prince or Portuguese infante gets the Netherlands and or Milan.

As time goes on and its clear that Joseph will not have a son (assuming butterflies don't change that situation) then a second Habsburg Succession crisis develops perhaps before the first, Spanish one is even fully resolved. As the eldest Maria Josepha would be Joseph's natural heir which would probably preclude her marriage to Augustus of Saxony. Maybe Louis George of Baden, Manuel of Portugal or a Sulzbach Count Palatine. Although I think Charles Alexander of Wurttemberg would be an interesting Dark Horse candidate. I suspect that a longer war, or perhaps on and off series of wars, finally resolve the Austrian and Spanish Habsburg successions by 1720 or so. Depending on the how the wars go and the nature of the settlements Spain or Austria could come out either weaker or stronger under their new rulers.
 
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