WI: Henry VI of England Born a Girl?

Remember who Bolingbroke was never a regent and needed something for replacing Richard II who was an adult male and the indisputable male heir in the male line of Edward III, so he used the Crouchback’s legend first (and then said who Philippa of Clarence being a female and daughter of a son dead before the father was not entitled to a place in the line of succession or at least not to an higher place than her father’s younger brothers). In any case considering who Edward IV in affirming his right on the crown make an explicit reference to Edward I being his father's oldest son and Crouchback’s the younger is almost sure who the Lancasters used that story for claiming the crown.
You've still not given a historical source for Bolingbroke using that legend as his claim to replace Richard. And it's much more reasonable for him to use his right (legal or otherwise) as hereditary High Steward of England, and thus able to stand in for the king when the king cannot rule, than to make up a story why Richard isn't even king anyway.
 
You've still not given a historical source for Bolingbroke using that legend as his claim to replace Richard. And it's much more reasonable for him to use his right (legal or otherwise) as hereditary High Steward of England, and thus able to stand in for the king when the king cannot rule, than to make up a story why Richard isn't even king anyway.


There's a quite detailed discussion of the matter at https://docs.google.com/document/d/1TK9CmllKrdXiMRlRqAT8FJ9bHt-uITYs5-Kl-3epPmQ/edit#!
 
Given the whole regency thing in OTL, John II in the short run isn't going to do that much differently...

Might improve the chances of getting peace with France.

A Regent couldn't sign away the rights of the sovereign by giving up his claim to be King of France. A king could, though whether he would is of course another matter.
 
A Regent couldn't sign away the rights of the sovereign by giving up his claim to be King of France. A king could, though whether he would is of course another matter.

Um...Prince Xaver of Saxony - as regent for his nephew - signed away the Saxon claim to the Polish crown after his brother died, didn't he? But then again, the Polish throne wasn't hereditary at that point...
 
Might improve the chances of getting peace with France.

A Regent couldn't sign away the rights of the sovereign by giving up his claim to be King of France. A king could, though whether he would is of course another matter.

It's true he could give away the claim to France, but it seems pretty stupid to throw away his brother (and his own) gains so far.
 
It's true he could give away the claim to France, but it seems pretty stupid to throw away his brother (and his own) gains so far.

Who's to say he would. Peace with France is not necessarily the same as handing them all of England's gains in France back. There'll probably be some serious haggling over everything though.
 
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