WI: King Henry IV of France dies in 1592

What happens if during the Siege of Rouen, say on 23 March 1592, King Henry IV of France dies during battle?

That would have a huge effect on French/Spanish/European history, eliminating the House of Bourbon.

I wonder if he would even be known as Henry IV to us today. He wasn't recognized by the Catholic majority until the following year when he converted. I remember reading a book on French monarchs that listed his reign as "1593-1610".

I imagine that his death would be bad news for the country, as the Guises and Spanish weren't too keen on granting liberties to Protestants. The wars might drag on for much longer.
 
Well, the French succession becomes a mess. The legal heir should be the 3 year old Henry, Prince of Condé, posthumous son of his namesake father. The problem is that by then Henry was considered by many as a bastard - he was born in prison, as his mother was condemned for poisoning her husband and being an adulterer. While it's not certain if she ever did it, Henry's uncles never considered him legitimate. Even Henry IV didn't recognize him as his heir until 1595.
The next claimant is Henry's uncle, Francis of Conti, who was a Catholic but was allied to Henry of Navarre against the League. I imagine that he could be able to rally enough support to be accepted as king.
 
First thing to note is that there will be no Personnal Union between France and Navarra as Henri will be succeeded in Navarra by his younger sister Catherine, who will then be known as Catherine II.

That said, given the mess of the succession in France and given the fact that Catherine was in love with her cousin the Count of Soissons and that the obstacles that prevented the marriage from happening OTL have been removed (namely Henri IV himself), this might only delay the personnal union between France and Navarra. For an explanation, see the end of my post.
funnyhat said:
That would have a huge effect on French/Spanish/European history, eliminating the House of Bourbon.
It doesn't really eliminate the House of Bourbon: only the main line. The next in line are the House of Bourbon-Condé, which is a cadet branch of the House of Bourbon.
Gonzaga said:
Well, the French succession becomes a mess. The legal heir should be the 3 year old Henry, Prince of Condé, posthumous son of his namesake father. The problem is that by then Henry was considered by many as a bastard - he was born in prison, as his mother was condemned for poisoning her husband and being an adulterer. While it's not certain if she ever did it, Henry's uncles never considered him legitimate. Even Henry IV didn't recognize him as his heir until 1595.
Thing is that by right Henri de Bourbon-Condé was heir to the crown and will probably have supporters declaring him as King Henri V once Henri IV bites the dust. The real question though is how much support the three year old Prince of Condé would gather to his cause: it's probably not much given that the people in charge are his uncles who think he is a bastard. And the fact he would be three at the time of Henri IV's death ITTL certainly doesn't help because he is underaged: it opens the possibility of a regency sure but a ten year long regency isn't something you need at the time. Not to mention that even if the boy is raised as a Catholic, he is still the son of the Prince of Condé, which probably wouldn't sit well with the Ligue and wouldn't help with the pacification of France.
Gonzaga said:
The next claimant is Henry's uncle, Francis of Conti, who was a Catholic but was allied to Henry of Navarre against the League. I imagine that he could be able to rally enough support to be accepted as king.
If his nephew is indeed declared a bastard, then Francis of Conti is most likely well placed to become King François III of France. Him being Catholic removes the griefs of the Ligue against a Protestant being on the throne and Conti's heir is his brother, Count Charles of Soissons who is also a Catholic even if unmarried at the time. It's likely there would still be a bit of opposition from hard-line Ligueurs but given that even OTL they didn't succeed in having Salic Law repelled, Francis is most likely to sit on the throne.

That said, the future of the House of Bourbon isn't really assured. OTL, François de Conti had no children, though it's worthy to note that his first wife died in 1601 and he remarried in 1605: if he is King, it's possible he would have a different bride and have children ITTL. That said, if he still dies in 1614 like OTL, it's likely any son born to him would be underaged and in need of regency.

If Conti fails to have children, the next in line is his younger brother Charles, Count of Soissons. Charles didn't marry before 1601 but he did have children (though his son died in battle in 1641 in a rather stupid accident). That said, with Henri IV out of the picture, it's likely Charles would end up marrying Catherine de Bourbon, Henri IV's younger sister, who would also be Catherine II of Navarra ITTL. The main issue is that Catherine is 33: she probably can still have children but it's still pretty old. Another issue is that Catherine was a staunch Calvinist but it's possible that any children of her and Charles would be raised as a Catholic. If they have male children, then it's their son that will make France and Navarra unite.

If Soissons fails to have children, the the last in line coming from the House of Bourbon are the Montpensier line. Who OTL died in the male line in 1608. But that line could survive due to butterflies here.
 
If Soissons fails to have children, the the last in line coming from the House of Bourbon are the Montpensier line. Who OTL died in the male line in 1608. But that line could survive due to butterflies here.

Assuming that the Montpensier line still gets extinct, was there any other Capetian family that could be considered "Princes of the Blood"? I know about the Courtenays, but I'm not sure they would be acceepted. And if not, who could have more chance of being recognized as the successors of the Bourbons? The House of Lorraine? Or someone descended from a female line?
 
Gonzaga said:
Assuming that the Montpensier line still gets extinct, was there any other Capetian family that could be considered "Princes of the Blood"? I know about the Courtenays, but I'm not sure they would be acceepted.
I don't think were any other surviving branch between the Bourbons and the Courtenays so it's likely that if the House of Bourbon went extinct, we would only be left with the Courtenays. Which as far as I know where a very minor house and lacked the political power to press their claim. There might also have been a feud with the other Capetians as I vaguely remember Louis XIV considering foreign princes BEFORE the courtenays in the line of succession.
Gonzaga said:
And if not, who could have more chance of being recognized as the successors of the Bourbons? The House of Lorraine? Or someone descended from a female line?
I don't really know. That said, a bloodlink to the previous royal family would probably mandatory or at least give better chances to hold the throne. The House of Lorraine would probably stand the best chances because of its prestige and because one of their sons had married a daughter of Henri II.
 
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