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Joseph I (1678-1711) was the eldest son of Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I, whom he succeeded in 1705. He unexpectedly died in 1711 and was succeeded by his younger brother, Charles VI. Joseph I had married in 1699 to Wilhelimna of Brunswick-Lüneburg with whom he had three children:

  • Maria Josepha (1699-1757) who would marry Augustus III of Poland
  • Leopold Joseph (1700-1701)
  • Maria Amalia (1701-1756) who would marry Charles Albert, Elector of Bavaria (who later became Holy Roman Emperor Charles VII OTL)
What would be the consequences of Joseph I leaving a male heir upon his death in 1711?

You can look at the problem from the following angles:
1)Maria Josepha is born as a boy.
2)Leopold Joseph survives infancy.
3)Maria Amalia is born as a boy.
4)Joseph has a second son, born between 1702 and 1711.

If you look at the following possibilities though, you can see that Joseph I's son would only be 12 at best upon his father's death. Could he be considered too young to rule as Emperor? If so, what are the chances of Archduke Charles (OTL Charles VI) of getting the Imperial throne in the name of his nephew?
And if the Electors were to chose a non-Hapsburg Emperor at the time of Joseph I's death, who would stand the best chances?
Lastly, how does that affect European events?
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