Is there any chance Ferdinaid would marry Anna of Hungary instead of Isabella of Portugal? Let's say the marriage happened before he was declared Prince of Austrius. I know that means no husband for Isabella but Anna is one of the reasons the Hapsburg didn't die out sooner thanks to all the inbreeding they did.
No way in the hell who Ferdinand (of Austria) is engaged to Anna while he is under the custody of his grandfather Ferdinand. The boy would be available for her ONLY after the death of Ferdinand of Aragon and ONLY if he do not get Spain (in the latter case he will be already engaged to Isabella of Portugal AND King of Aragon and Castile with Catalina or Germaine and Catalina as regents).
PLUS STOP TO SAY WHO THE HABSBURGS WERE IMBREEDED AS THEY WERE NOT. The imbreeding was a tendency of Trastamaras and specially Avis so the line of Charles and Mary Tudor will be safe AND for the one of Ferdinand and Isabella you need to have their children marrying outside the Spain/Portugal circle.
 
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No way in the hell who Ferdinand (of Austria) is engaged to Anna while he is under the custody of his grandfather Ferdinand. The boy would be available for her ONLY after the death of Ferdinand of Aragon and ONLY if he do not get Spain (in the latter case he will be already engaged to Isabella of Portugal AND King of Aragon and Castile with Catalina or Germaine and Catalina as regents).
PLUS STOP TO SAY WHO THE HABSBURGS WERE IMBREEDED AS THEY WERE NOT. The imbreeding was a tendency of Trastamaras and specially Avis so the line of Charles and Mary Tudor will be safe AND for the one of Ferdinand and Isabella you need to have their children marrying outside the Spain/Portugal circle.
When I said the Hapsburgs were inbreed I meant the Hapsburgs of Spain who probably would have died out a lot quicker if not for Anna of Hungry because as I recall from Philip II of Spain to Charles II, there was no breathing room from the Uncle and Niece and the Cousins marriages or at least there was no heirs from the marriages outside their dynasty.
But yes that was not the Hapsburgs tridition as it was the one of the Trastamaras.
 
1511
Thomas Wolsey found himself with a problem. King Henry viewed him as a father figure and was planning on rising him quite high, in fact if Wolsey played his cards right, he might of become Lord Chancellor instead of merely being on the Privy Council. The new monarchs did not have a close relationship with him and while they did not look down at his humble roots, they were both very pious and therefore were not pleased by his acknowledged mistress and bastard. Another thing that separated Queen Margaret and her brother was unlike Henry, Margaret was determined to be involved with the governing of her realm, refusing to leave the reigns of government in his hands.
Perhaps the only thing keeping his place on the privy council was the fact that he was a Canon of Windsor [1], not as high as Bishop Foxe or Archbishop Warham, but high enough that the new monarchs were willing to keep him.

Knowing he could not rely on royal favor, Wolsey began to search for new ways to rise higher in his position, so he made a suggestion of merging the crowns of the British continent together so they could be one kingdom much like the crowns of Castile and Aragon were merged to form Spain. [2]. Although it would take some time for the countries of Britain to get behind the move, the future Cardinal Wolsey is credited with being the one to start the discussion.

In more personal matters, Queen Margaret's relationship with her sister is tested when Mary is discovered in compromising position with Sir Charles Brandon. Although she insists she was only comforting him over the loss of his wife [3], Queen Margaret still decides to send Sir Charles to Calais, officially to become Lord Deputy of Calais. Unofficially to keep him far away from her sister as possible.

Mary is quite distraught and she and her sister engage in a screaming match where Mary swears she will never marry anyone but Charles Brandon to which Margaret responded that is a fool if she would throw away a chance to be the future Holy Roman Empress to be the wife of a knight. King James, freshly returned from business in Scotland, plays mediator between both sisters, gently reminding Margaret how apprehensive she was about marrying him, convinced he was a womanizing brute until they got to know each other and then assuring Mary that they would never force her to marry anyone she didn't want to but also pointing out that her mother, sister and brother were all arranged to be married and they fell in love with their chosen spouses.

The two sisters eventually reconcile and Mary promised to give Archduke Charles a chance. Something she will be glad she does in years to come.

As the year comes to a close, Queen Margaret makes an announcement, in April she shall give birth to her fourth child.[4]

Meanwhile in Spain, Catalina of Aragon has emerged from her almost year-long seclusion in a nunnery, weeping over her shattered dreams to return to her mother's court, where her father has named her regent. Although some are worried that like her sister, grief had turned Catalina mad, the twice widowed Spanish Princess proves to be a capable ruler like her mother and wins the love of her sister's people within weeks. She writes to her father, that she knows what her purpose is now, mantining her mother's legacy. She also writes that when she left England she thought she would never be a mother or a wife again. Now she understands that she married Castile and its' subjects are her children.

Over in France, the Duke of Suffolk enters the French court and is treated like he is already King, with King Louis ordering his subjects to refer to the Duke as Your Majesty, throwing him a lavish party where King Louis assures the Duke that if he can get an army, the French shall the back the true ruler of England. He even suggests a marriage agreement between one of his relatives and Edmund.

The Duke of Suffolk is pleased by the French King's support and when he hears of the suggested Union of Crowns, he is certain that God is showing favor to his enterprise as England and Scotland will never accept such a proposal. Even the news of the Queen's pregnancy does little to damper his mood. He writes to his brother that the False Queen with birth her brat in the Tower of London.

  1. He was made the Dean of Windsor in 1511 OTL but I decided to have him be it a little earlier.
  2. I was discussing this with @VVD0D95 and while I think it would take just as long as it would in OTL, I might shorten the time. Nobody is calling it the United of Kingdom of Britian or Great Britian just yet.
  3. Charles Brandon had two wives before Mary Tudor. One he divorced and the second who died in 1511.
  4. OTL James V, in this TL Henry Stewart.
 
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Interlude II
An excerpt from chapter Eight of The Thistle and the Rose by Jean Plaidy
King James had only just returned from Scotland, fresh from settling a dispute between the Earl of Angus {1] and the Earl of Lennox [2]. He had not expected to be brought into another petty squabble, this time one between his wife and her foolish sister.

"You would give up a chance to be a Holy Roman Empress for a social upstart who only became a knight because our brother was found of him!" Margaret shouted.

"I love him," Mary cried, unshed tears shining in her eyes.

"You only think you love him. You are but a silly little girl, you couldn't possibly know anything about real love," Margaret exclaimed.

"What do you know about real love? You married for duty!" Mary countered, her voice rising. "Well I won't be forced into a marriage with a man I have never met!"

"Then you shame your family for not doing your duty as I did," Margaret shouted.

"And were you not scared, my love? Did you not feel afraid of being in a strange country, married to man over a decade older than you? Did you not look at me as though I was a savage brute who might gobble you up?" James asked gently, giving his wife an encouraging smile as if to assure her that he would not be offended if she said yes.

"I was fifteen and yes, a little nervous but then I got to know you and realized what a noble and loving man you are," Margaret replied, smiling fondly.

James kissed her hand before walking over to Mary, putting his hands on her shoulders. "Of course we would never force you to marry anyone but look at the history of arranged marriages in your family, each one blossomed into love. Your mother and father. Your brother and Katherine of Aragon. Even Margaret and I. Perhaps if you would give Archduke Charles a chance, you might fall in love with him," James suggested. "Will you at least try for us?"

Mary chewed her lip, searching James' earnest expression for a hint of guile. For her, James was a second father, coming into her life so shortly after she had lost both her father and her favorite brother, going out of his way to dote on her as if she was one of his daughters.

She found it wasn't as easy to argue with him as it was her older sister.

"For you, I'll try."

  1. Archibald Douglas, Earl of Angus a.k.a OTL Margaret's second husband.
  2. John Stewart Earl of Lennox, a distant cousin of the King of Scots. Great-Grandfather of OTL King James VI.
 
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1512
(OT: I updated everything else so it seemed only fair).

As it turned out Queen Margaret did not birth her fourth child in the Tower of London but instead in Palace of Richmond. It was a third boy. Queen Margaret decided he would be Prince Henry of Richmond, making him his grandfather's namesake in more ways than one. King James is understandably thrilled that he now has three sons, declaring that God has blessed all of Britain.

In her letter to her fiance, Mary writes of how lucky she is to be a witness to her sister's joy for there has been little to celebrate these past years and now it seems that England is growing stronger by the day. She is certain that not even the dreadful Duke of Suffolk can ruin this most splendid golden age England, Scotland and Wales were in.

King James decides to get to work uniting all four kingdoms and he starts negotiations with Ireland's remaining Chiefs to see what would take to bring them under the ruler ship of Queen Margaret. Although he waits untill Margaret is churched before he heads off to Ireland.

The Duke of Suffolk was pleased that James of Scots is busy with Ireland as that means he will not be interfering with the Yorkist invasion. With his brother at his side, he rallies his army to England, landing on the south coast shores of London. As they marched towards central London, they are greeted by England's army headed by an armor clad Queen Margaret.

That is not the only surprise the Edmund and Richard de la Pole get. Instead of going into formation, the French soldiers instead surrounded the mercenaries the Poles have brought with them.

"King Louis promised you that he would send an army to bring you back to England but he never said he was going to let you win the war," the French general remarked with a toothy grin.

Not one drop of blood was shed that day and the Londeners cheer when Queen Margaret brings the traitorous de la Poles back to London in chains, sending them to the Tower of London, their rebellion over before the day was even out.

Although King James does not mange to get through to the Irish chiefs he and Queen Margaret were pleased to announce the betrothal between the Princess Reene and Prince James of Wales, ending the Hundred Year War for good.

In a short letter to her fiance, Princess Mary notes that it could not be clearer to her that King James and Queen Margaret had plotted this from the beginning, making plans with King Louis even before the French Princess was born. "My sister is a clever woman and my brother is shrewd man. Put them together and all of Europe better watch out for they are a power couple like no other."
 
(OT: I updated everything else so it seemed only fair).

As it turned out Queen Margaret did not birth her fourth child in the Tower of London but instead in Palace of Richmond. It was a third boy. Queen Margaret decided he would be Prince Henry of Richmond, making him his grandfather's namesake in more ways than one. King James is understandably thrilled that he now has three sons, declaring that God has blessed all of Britain.

In her letter to her fiance, Mary writes of how lucky she is to be a witness to her sister's joy for there has been little to celebrate these past years and now it seems that England is growing stronger by the day. She is certain that not even the dreadful Duke of Suffolk can ruin this most splendid golden age England, Scotland and Wales were in.

King James decides to get to work uniting all four kingdoms and he starts negotiations with Ireland's remaining Chiefs to see what would take to bring them under the ruler ship of Queen Margaret. Although he waits untill Margaret is churched before he heads off to Ireland.

The Duke of Suffolk was pleased that James of Scots is busy with Ireland as that means he will not be interfering with the Yorkist invasion. With his brother at his side, he rallies his army to England, landing on the south coast shores of London. As they marched towards central London, they are greeted by England's army headed by an armor clad Queen Margaret.

That is not the only surprise the Edmund and Richard de la Pole get. Instead of going into formation, the French soldiers instead surrounded the mercenaries the Poles have brought with them.

"King Louis promised you that he would send an army to bring you back to England but he never said he was going to let you win the war," the French general remarked with a toothy grin.

Not one drop of blood was shed that day and the Londeners cheer when Queen Margaret brings the traitorous de la Poles back to London in chains, sending them to the Tower of London, their rebellion over before the day was even out.

Although King James does not mange to get through to the Irish chiefs he and Queen Margaret were pleased to announce the betrothal between the Princess Reene and Prince James of Wales, ending the Hundred Year War for good.

In a short letter to her fiance, Princess Mary notes that it could not be clearer to her that King James and Queen Margaret had plotted this from the beginning, making plans with King Louis even before the French Princess was born. "My sister is a clever woman and my brother is shrewd man. Put them together and all of Europe better watch out for they are a power couple like no other."
I am wondering is the Valos dynasty in France will still day out if that my lead to an second hundred years war in the 17th and 18th century I am puncturing an United Kingdom of Britannica vs France.
 
1513
In Spain, Catalina, former Queen of England, works hard to repair the relationship between her sister Juana and her father. It seems that with her sister at her side, Juana's madness subside and she comes out of where she is confined and once again walks among her people. Catalina suggest her father that perhaps Joanna can be co-monarch of Spain with her son Ferdinand. Her father is still weary that Juana's mental faculties are not up to the task of ruling so he makes Catalina promise to never leave her side. Oddly enough, Juana doesn't seem to mind having the one person who actually believes in her at her side at all times.

In France, King Louis is eager to make the Treaty of Perpetual Peace offical [1]. He suggests they meet in Calais next year to do so. Although the marriage betrothal between Prince James and Princess Renee will stand both his and his wife's deaths will prevent the meeting for another five years.

In Burgundy, Princess Mary Tudor arrives to meet her future husband, Archduke Charles. Although Mary is four years older than him, the thirteen-year-old is instantly smitten, stating that her portrait does not do justice to her beauty. It is a good start to a happy and fruitful marriage. As for Emperor Maximilian, he arranges a betrothal between Louis of Hungary and Bohemia and his granddaughter Maria. As for Anna of Hungary and Bohemia, there is some debate on who the young girl should marry. In order to mantian the alliance as Louis is not so healthy, Maximilian finally decides that he will marry the girl himself despite their age difference.

In England, Scotland, and Wales, Queen Margaret and King James are quite pleased with themselves, having secured a dynastic match with France and the Holy Roman Empire. They are now searching for brides and husbands for their young sons and daughters. James suggests that perhaps the remaining lord of Ireland would be willing to come under their rule if they offered their daughter or one of their sons for a marriage. Margaret recalls Thomas Boleyn from France and sends him to Ireland to search for a suitable Irish bride for Arthur or Irish husband for Princess Dorothea [2]. In other news, the Duke of Suffolk and his brothers are tried and executed for treason, ending the Yorkiest claims.

  1. Yes, the one King Francis and King Henry tried to make in 1520 in OTL
  2. Not mentioned, but Princess Dorothea was born in May 1513. In OTL Margaret did actually having a daughter named Dorthea with her third husband.
 
1514
In England, Queen Margaret and King James are pleased to welcome their fourth son Prince Alexander. King James declares it a blessing from God as he had given Britain four princes, for each corner of their parents' kingdom. This causes King James to become even more determined to have a united kingdom and he sends a letter to the new Pope Leo, requesting for he and Margaret to be recognized as the King and Queen of Ireland. Something that irks the Irish Lords. King James issues an ultimatum, either submit the their authority or he will take it by force. Although James is not a violent man by nature, he is now convinced that his son will become King of a United Britain and he is determined to see it through.

For her part, Queen Margaret summons her council to discuss an official union of the crowns. The Duke of Norfolk notes that there is still much animosity between Scotland and England. Four years had not been nearly long enough to wipe away centuries of feuds. Margaret understands, however she still wishes to introduce the idea, allowing the Scots and the English to consider it.

In Spain, Catalina and Juana travel to Portugal to reunite with their sister Maria and discuss plans for a marriage between Infante Ferdinando and Infanta Isabel of Portugal. Maria is bit hesitant as she knows her older nephew Carlos might press his claim to the Spanish thrones and she does not want her elder daughter to be married to a second son. Catalina assures Maria that they along with their father have stubbornly resisted the efforts of young Charles to convince his grandfather to name him as heir and that Ferdinaind the Younger will be King of Spain as a joint monarch with his mother.

In France, Anne of Brittany dies, leaving King Louis without a wife or a male heir. He is desperate for a new, young and fertile wife. Unfortunately there are few women of suitable age and in the time it takes to look for one, the old monarch's health is growing worse by the day. By the end of the year, nobles of the French court are flocking to young Francois, the next King of France.
 
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1515-1520
In 1515, Francois becomes King of France after the death of his cousin. His reign begins with a victory, reestablishing French control over Milan. His wife Claude gives birth to two daughters, Louise and Charlotte before giving birth to a son, Francois, in 1518 and a second son in 1519. Unlike his cousin, Francois is not quite sure about the English alliance, fearing that with Queen Margaret's sister as future Holy Roman Empress, not to mention the fact that Queen Margaret insists on using the title Queen of France, despite the absurdity of that notion, they might decided to side with France's enemies. However, despite his misgivings, he renews the betrothal agreement between Reene and Prince James and wholeheartedly agrees to meeting the British monarchs.

On October 8, 1516, Margaret gives birth to another daughter who she names Mary after her sister. With four sons growing strong in the nursery, all of Britain is ecstatic to welcome the new Princess none happier than King James himself who would call Mary the pearl of his world. As she is the couple's last child, she is doted up greatly.

Wanting to expand Britain's riches, King James and Queen Margaret began to invest in explorers, compelling them to search for new land to colonize. They also expend their trading routes and looking for new alliances to make and finding dynastic matches for their younger children.

In 1518, the two monarchs travel to France for the Field of the Cloth of Gold where they met the new King Francois, his wife Queen Claude and Prince James' fiancee, Princess Renee. The meeting in France goes splendidly, with Prince James, a boy of eleven, treating his bride to be warmly. It is decided that Princess Renee will take the French Ambassador, Thomas Boleyn's daughters as her companions so she can learn about English culture while she is still in France. Renee will especially become friendly with younger daughter, Anne.

When King Ferdinand of Spain becomes ill, his grandson Charles tries to convince him to declare him heir instead of his younger brother. However, his aunt Catherine, knowing that her younger nephew is the preferred heir among the Spanish people, quickly takes steps to stop his efforts. First, she sends a letter to her former sister, now niece, Mary, asking for her help in convincing Charles that this isn't a good idea. She then sends a letter to Maria, reminding her that if Ferdinand became King of Spain, Isabel would become his Queen so perhaps Portugal might want to support him. Then she, Maria, and Joanna, who has grown quite close to her second son, tag team their father, strong-arming him into agreeing to call his second-born his heir. When the old king dies, Infante Ferdinand is quickly crowned with his mother, becoming King Ferdinand VI of Spain, marrying his cousin Isabel just a few months later. Catherine continues to work with her sisters to strengthen the bound between the countries of Iberia. Unfortunately, the Aragon Trinity is cut short by a heartbreaking loss.

In Portugal, Maria of Aragon dies in 1517, shortly after the wedding of her eldest daughter and the new King of Spain. After spending a long time in mourning, King Manuel searches for another wife. He suggests marrying Catherine of Aragon, having become fond of her when she and her sister were reconnecting. Another option was Bona Sforza, granddaughter of the King of Naples, a suggested bride of the King of Poland before he married Eleanor of Austria. Despite keeping a warm friendship with Catherine, Manuel decided that his third wife would be the younger Bona Sforza.

The Holy Roman Emperor knew his grandson was not pleased that he had been passed over in his inheritance of Spain, and worked extra hard to make sure Charles succeeded him, making him the King of the Romans and having him meet with the electors of the empire so they could get to know their future monarch. Charles's temper was also cooled by his loving wife who gave birth to a son in 1516, named Maximiliano after his great-grandfather. She also gave birth to a daughter, who they chose to name Anna, after Charles' step grandmother.

Emperor Maximilian died in 1519, leaving Charles and Mary to become the Emperor and Empress of the Holy Roman Empire. The young couple were completely devoted to each other even though Charles would often be away at war. Mary would often be trying to keep the peace between her husband and his brother, she would also try to maintain warm relations with England despite them becoming decidedly friendly with France.

The Dowager Holy Roman Empress, Anna of Hungary and Bohemia, was now a sixteen-year-old widow. At first her relationship with her step grandson was warm and he promised her that he would find a suitable husband for her, something he would regret being lax about seven years later when Anna eloped with an unlikely suitor.
 
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I enjoyed this chapter! It's nice to see we have an Alt!Princess Mary, and I'm glad James and Renee are getting along well. The Auld Alliance stands strong, I see.

I also love the idea of a Ferdinand VI - anything to stop Charles getting too powerful - but would it actually be doable? As Ferdinand of Aragon's eldest surviving grandson, wouldn't Charles automatically be his heir?
 
I enjoyed this chapter! It's nice to see we have an Alt!Princess Mary, and I'm glad James and Renee are getting along well. The Auld Alliance stands strong, I see.

I also love the idea of a Ferdinand VI - anything to stop Charles getting too powerful - but would it actually be doable? As Ferdinand of Aragon's eldest surviving grandson, wouldn't Charles automatically be his heir?
Not really. The Cortes can exclude him in favor of his younger brother if he has already other lands (in OTL Ferdinand tried to have his namesake grandson as heir but was unable to get cooperation from Castile so was forced to renounce to his plan). Divisions of lands between siblings, specially if too big for being ruled by the same monarch happened...
 
1520-1523
In late 1520, the Duke of Buckingham gets into a fight with James Douglas, 3rd Earl of Morton [1] which ended with the two men brawling. No one knows exactly why the fight started, but the end result was Edward Stafford being banished from court, nursing a grudge against the Earl and the Queen who had sided with her husband's subject over her own.
However, it was not Queen Margaret, he spoke out against, but instead he began to stir up anti-Scottish feelings, proclaiming King James as a knave who was controlling his wife, using her as a mouthpiece for his own agenda. He called for men to rise up against the Scottish mongrel and chase back to the cold wastelands where he belonged.
King James was furious, but he shrewdly said nothing, allowing his wife to take charge. "After all he is your fool, not mine," he said to Margaret during a state dinner. Queen Margaret was just as angry if not more so. After all, Buckingham's anti-Scottish fervor would not just affect her husband, but also their children. She ordered the Duke of Buckingham to come to court to answer for his actions.
In April of 1521, the Duke of Buckingham [2] started his journey to London, but he did not come alone. He decided to take a leaf out of his father's book and incite a rebellion against an unworthy King, using King Richard's reputation to convince his followers that history was repeating and King James intended on ruling England for himself and they needed to rescue Queen Margaret from his evil clutches least she disappear like the princes of the Tower.
Prince James had been on route to London for his brother's birthday when this happened and there was a bit of a mad scramble to intercept him before his household could be captured by the traitorous duke. To everyone's surprise, the fourteen-year-old Prince of Wales ignored his parents' frantic message and instead continued to march towards London, saying that he would rather be captured than allow the Duke of Buckingham to harm a hair on his parents and siblings' heads while he hid away like a coward.
Word of the Prince's approach spread through neighboring towns and many soldiers raced to his side, wanting to protect their future liege.
King James and Queen Margaret weren't exactly unprotected as they had their own army to defend them. Despite only having a few weeks warning of Buckingham's rebellion, the royal army was still made up of thousands and was led by King James and Queen Margaret to meet with the rebels.
"By God, we have our own King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella," the Earl of Derby wrote to his son after seeing the monarchs dressed in their armor and giving a speech to the troops.
Meanwhile, Prince James and his men had caught up with Buckingham's forces in Northhampton. The Duke was dismissive of the young prince, calling him a foolish boy, trying to play hero, pointing out at that he was not even a man yet and he was greatly outnumbered as well as outmatched.
Prince James conceded the Duke's points before making some of his own. He would legally be a man in less than a year's time, his father had chosen the most skilled men to guard him and teach him the ways of war. Besides he would gladly die for his future kingdoms if he had to.
To everyone's great relief, Prince James did not fight in the battle that took place, although years later, he would note it had taken the pleading of his teacher and mentor Thomas Cromwell [3] for him to ignore Buckingham's taunting.
Just when it looked like Buckingham would win, the royal army came marching to the field, attacking the rebels before they had a chance to catch their breathes. While King James entered the fry, Queen Margaret went straight for her son and after checking to make sure he was unharmed, smacked him hard enough, several soldiers could swear they had heard it from the battlefield. "Not even his Uncle Henry had ever been so foolish," Margaret notes in a letter to her sister who reportedly sent her nephew armor for the next time he decides to go racing off into battle.
After the defeat of Buckingham, he and his allies were carted off to the Tower, King James, Queen Margaret and Prince James were welcomed back to London with cheers. As impulsive as his actions had been, the young prince's bravery had won over many English hearts.
On May 21 1521, the Duke of Buckingham was executed for his crimes, his lands and titles stripped from him.
King James managed to improve his standing with the English people when he wrote a pamphlet defending the Catholic Church from Martin Luther, receiving the title of Defender of the Faith [4]. King James and Queen Margaret had little tolerance for Lutheranism and would work hard to keep it from spreading, even pressing Lord Chancellor Lord Thomas Wolsey to be harsher on those who refused to recant their heresy.
There had been talk of betrothing Princess Margaret to the son [5] of King Christian II of Denmark, but the exile of Christian and his family [6] made those talks moot. His successor Fredrick [7] had a son [8] who was just a few years older than Margaret. Or perhaps the new King of Sweden [9]. James decided that it would be better to wait and see where the land lay before making any commitment.
Although their oldest and youngest daughters' marriages were yet to be decided, a betrothal agreement between the Duke of Ferra's son [10] and Princess Dorothea was drawn up, strengthening the relations between Britain and Italy.
As for the couple's younger sons, Margaret felt that her father had the right view and to avoid another civil war, it would be better to keep her sons unmarried for the time being. King James who had two young brothers proceed him and of course was well aware of how his wife got to the English throne, disagreed. They argued for a while before deciding on a compromise, they would wait until Prince James and Princess Renee were living together as man and wife, before they would look for suitable wives for their younger sons.

Much like Emperor Charles, they would regret being so lax when one of their sons took matters into his own hands.

1. James Douglas, 3rd Earl of Morton was married to King James' illegitimate daughter, Catherine and I always like to believe that Margaret has some sort of friendship with her stepchildren.

2. Think of the Earl of Essex and his coup d'état against Queen Elizabeth's councilors.

3. Yes, I know he is a bit early, but I think he is clever enough to have impressed both the Queen and King and convinced them to make him the Prince of Wales' tutor.

4. This is based off of King Henry VIII doing the same thing. King James was historically very religious as was his son (who again is Prince Henry of this timeline) and I assume his wife is the same way.

5. That would be Prince John who lived from 1518-1532.

6. In 1523, King Christian was removed from the Danish throne as well as Sweden gaining its independence.

7. His Uncle Fredrick was elected to the crown of Denmark and Norway soon after.

8. That would be Christian III of Denmark who was born in 1503 and I can't for the life of me figure out when he was betrothed to his future wife.

9. King Gustav of Sweden born in 1496. His sons were not of sound mind.

10. Ercole II d'Este was Renee's real life husband and I don't think it would be that out there for a second princess to marry an Italian duke.
 
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Interlude- a Scene from William Shakespeare's King James Of Britian
Act I, Scene III
Enter PRINCE JAMES and CROMWELL. (Stage directions: PRINCE JAMES should be trying to join the battle off stage while CROMWELL does his best to stand in his way every time).

PRINCE JAMES: That vile traitor Buckingham calls me a foolish boy. I cannot let his insults stand, Crumb. Let me pass so I may cut him down to size.

CROMWELL: Your Highness, many men, both trained soldiers and peasants with only hoes and pitchforks as weapons have run to your side because they know that you are too precious to England and Scotland to be on a battlefield.

PRINCE JAMES: I am the Prince of Wales, Duke of Rothsmey and Cornwell. I am old enough to lead my armies to victory. Stand aside, Crumb, I will not allow these brave men to die for me while I stay safely out of the way.

CROMWELL: If you die, sire, you will have caused these brave men's sacrifice to be in vein. Your kingdom, your subjects, and your parents need you alive. (aside) and I need you alive as I am certain you will be the monarch who frees us from the shackles of Rome.

PRINCE JAMES(facing offstage): Hark, I hear the sound of drums and trumpets. Look there, Crumb, it is the royal army. My father has now joined the battle while my mother comes this way.

Enter QUEEN MARGARET. CROMWELL bows as QUEEN MARGARET rushes to embrace PRINCE JAMES.

QUEEN MARGARET: Oh, my darling boy. Are you well? Are you unharmed?

PRINCE JAMES; I am most well, Mother. I---

QUEEN MARGARET slaps her son and then uses her hat to hit him.

QUEEN MARGARET: Oh, you wretched child, how you could be so cruel? Putting yourself in danger like that, terrifying me. Did you not know how afraid I was that Buckingham would capture you and kill you? How I swooned when I heard that you were seeking to engage that traitorous duke.

PRINCE JAMES(as he uses CROMWELL as human shield): Mother, forgive me, but when I learned of Buckingham's wicked plot, I knew I would never forgive myself if I hid while you, Father and my siblings were in danger.

QUEEN MARGARET(sighs): A foolish act, but a most noble one.

A HERALD runs onstage.

Herald: Buckingham has fallen. King James is victorious!

QUEEN MARGARET: Come. I am certain that your father will want to speak to you. Let us make haste.

CROMWELL, THE HERALD, PRINCE JAMES AND QUEEN MARGARET exit.
 
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Interlude--a scene from the award winning Spanish film: La Trinidad de Aragón
(Upon stumbling on the magnificent TL by @curlyhairedhippie, I felt the urge to write a scene about the Aragon trinity).

Maria (enters and hurries over to hug her sister): Juana, I am so pleased to see you. I am so happy that you are well.

Juana(smirking): I am fine thanks to my knight in shining armor.

Catalina: Oh, Juana, really, I did nothing.

Juana: Even my own sons were perfectly content to leave me to rot in that nunnery. Although at least, little Freddie had the deceny to be guilty about it. The only people who decided I wasn't crazy were my youngest sisters.

Maria(as she hugs Catalina): I'm just glad we are all together again. Although I wish that you did not have to suffer so much before coming home to us, dear Lina.

Catalina(her face crumbles and she looks as though she is fighting back tears): I will not lie and say I am not bitterly disappointed over my failures---

Juana(angrily): Your failures! England and the Tudors failed you not the other way around!

Catalina(sends her sister an annoyed look before continuing): I believe God had another plan in mind for me. I will be a mother to the people of Castile, and make sure they have the ruler they want.

Juana: Ah, yes, the matter for which we came to Portugual. We need your help, Maria. As you know, my oldest son, Carlos is Maximilian's heir and has grown up in Flanders making him a foreigner in the eyes of Spain. However, being our father's grandson, he does not care a wit for such semantics and despite the agreement that Freddie shall be my co-monarch in Spain, he insists on being our father's heir.

Maria(raises an eyebrow): And you expect me to help you because if I don't I won't be able to marry my eldest daughter to the King of Spain.

Catalina: That's why we expect you will help, but we hope you will help because you are our sister and you love us very much.

Maria(unsure): Well I do love you very much and with Carlos already being married, I most certinally have few options for an unmarried heir for my oldest girl. But do you really think we can convince Father not to give into Carlos' demands.

Juana: Not to worry, my knight in shinning armor has friends in Flanders, a former sister-in-law of hers.

Catalina(fighting a smirk): I have asked for nothing nor do I expect anything. Mary is just a dear girl who is very eager to help me in any way she can.

Juana: Such modesty, Lina, we all know that you only have to bat your pretty eyes at Father and he will give in instantly. Why you need Maria and I to do anything is beyond me.

Catalina: Because we are sisters, our sainted mother's daughters, sweet Juana, and we must stick together.
 
I just had a thought and I wanted to run it by you guys. What do you think of Ferdinando Jr. legally changing his name from Hapsburg to Trastámara?
 
I like the idea but I have no idea if it could be done. Also I'm enjoying this timeline. Especially Catalina getting to rule Spain and finding happiness in a different way without Henry to ruin her life.
 
I just had a thought and I wanted to run it by you guys. What do you think of Ferdinando Jr. legally changing his name from Hapsburg to Trastámara?
We are much earlier than the time in which such things were done and the changing of surnames (or names of dynasties) when the son of an heiress inherited were not seen as a problem. Also Ferdinand would be called more “of Austria” than Habsburg as that was the name who was used more often for his family/dynasty
 
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