WI: Netherlands Hapsburgs?

When Charles V passed his immense but unwieldy heritage to his successors in 1554-1558, he divided it between his brother Ferdinand and his son Philip.

Ferdinand inherited Austria and its associated dominions. He also became the next Holy Roman Emperor (which had actually been decided many years before), and held the Hapsburg claim to Hungary (which was actually his and never Charles').

Philip got Spain, with its colonial empire, the Italian possessions (Milan, Naples, Sicily, and Sardinia), and the former Burgundian lands (Franche-Comté, Luxemburg, and the Netherlands).

There was no other male Hapsburg to inherit anything. But what if there had been? This could be either a younger brother to Charles and Ferdinand, or the son of a late brother, or a younger brother to Philip.

Is it possible this man (Maximilian) might be made heir to the Netherlands, which was very distinct from the other Hapsburg dominions? His line would become a third branch of the House of Hapsburg.

There is a further possibility. If Max had lived in the Netherlands for many years, he might join his subject in becoming Protestant. This means the Hapsburgs, like the Hohenzollerns and Wittelsbachs, would have Protestant and Catholic branches.

This would also elide the Eighty Years War, and possibly the division of the Netherlands into Protestant and Catholic areas.

It might even be possible for the Dutch Hapsburgs to become the Protestant champions in the German wars of religion.

The Netherlands, rather than seeking separation from the HRE, could be the major Protestant leader in it. Max's descendants might even contend for the Imperial title as Protestants. Suppose they succeed? Could they take the HRE out from under the Pope's aegis?
 
... or a younger brother to Philip.
This one is probably the best option. A brother of Charles and Ferdinand is going to come under the remit of Ferdinand as Holy Roman Emperor for the various territories that made up the Austrian Netherlands which could cause friction, a nephew at least means that Ferdinand has the added age advantage to help reinforce his stature. Alternatively a brother could start champing at the bit and start plotting to try and remove his territories from the Empire and his brother's overlordship, IIRC Charles the Bold of Burgundy was looking at trying to resurrect one of the old kingdoms before he dies which might help trying to legitimise things.
 
This guy will be fucked. This thread is just sadistic.

He has to accept Protestantism, guarantee freedom of religion and quit centralizing if he wants the Dutch to accept him. Doing this will cause him to lose the support of the other Hapsburgs, which will make him an easy target for France.
 
Charles V

Carlos V in life should have legitimized his illegitimate son Don John of Austria:

www.nndb.com/people/856/000101553/


In Otl was the victor of Lepanto:

http://www.traditioninaction.org/His...1_Lepanto.html


http://historyofandalus.wordpress.c...n-john-of-austria-and-the-death-of-ibn-ummaya


And as such heir to a part of the empire rather than being recognized as a brother by King Felipe II when he began his reign (by the will of his father).

http://www.amazon.com/The-Last-Crusader-Novel Austria/dp/1586174142


www.cse.dmu.ac.uk/~mward/gkc/books/Common_Man.txt
 
This guy will be fucked. This thread is just sadistic.

He has to accept Protestantism...

Suppose he gets converted?

guarantee freedom of religion

Why? The Reformed Protestant Dutch didn't care much for the religious freedom of other sects in the country.

and quit centralizing if he wants the Dutch to accept him. Doing this will cause him to lose the support of the other Hapsburgs, which will make him an easy target for France.

France is rather busy having its Wars of Religion? Suppose the Netherlands supports the Huguenots? That could tip the balance to the Huguenots.

Also, Spain is not pouring resources into the Netherlands quagmire; that makes them more likely to bother France.

And finally - the Dutch successfully resisted Spain, a greater power than France; why should France be able to conquer the Netherlands easily?
 
Suppose he gets converted?



Why? The Reformed Protestant Dutch didn't care much for the religious freedom of other sects in the country.



France is rather busy having its Wars of Religion? Suppose the Netherlands supports the Huguenots? That could tip the balance to the Huguenots.

Also, Spain is not pouring resources into the Netherlands quagmire; that makes them more likely to bother France.

And finally - the Dutch successfully resisted Spain, a greater power than France; why should France be able to conquer the Netherlands easily?

Plus, the *Netherlands (to be taken in the context of the Seventeen Provinces in total, not just the ones that formed the OTL Republic) didn't really completely embrace the Reformation. Granted, part of it was that the Spanish in OTL managed to hold down the South enough that the Counter-Reformation worked, but still. There's no reason for a Habsburg prince of the Netherlands to have to convert, but I think that they'll be less religiously stringent (think more on Austrian lines than Spanish lines).
 
France at least had a land border with the Netherlands, and was also the premier land power of the day IIRC
actually it wasn't until the 30 Years' War that France surpassed Spain, the Army of Flanders was the largest in Europe at the time at 100,000 men (well usually 45,000 i believe but the book I have in hand states Spain built the largest army in Europe to control the Spanish road to the Netherlands.)

So France wasn't the land power it would become under Louis XIII, Spain was waning as a sea and land power and Britain and France stepped in to fill the voids.
 
This guy will be fucked. This thread is just sadistic.

He has to accept Protestantism, guarantee freedom of religion and quit centralizing if he wants the Dutch to accept him. Doing this will cause him to lose the support of the other Hapsburgs, which will make him an easy target for France.

He wouldn't be fucked, but he and his successors will be in need of allies.

Accept Protestantism? Not really, perhaps be a bit more tolerant and bide time till, if wanted/needed a Counter Reformation.
Even centralizing efforts will be easier for a local monarch than for an OTL distant one (post Charles V), though IMHO a unitary state will remain hard.
 
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