WI: Otto of Greece had children

What happens if King Otto of Greece had children?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otto_of_Greece

Well, when would you like him to have kids? Before or after he's deposed? If before, and he's forced to abdicate in favor of his eldest son (assuming he has more than one), then Greece is in for another regency (the son would be 16 or younger, assuming a majority of 18/21). If it's after, there might be warming pan story for a 43-year old Amalie of Oldenburg producing a baby after 16 years of childless marriage.

AFAIK, the Greeks loved Queen Amalie of Oldenburg when she got to Athens, but due to her meddling in politics and her childlessness they soon grew disenchanted with her.

So, perhaps a decent POD would be to have the assassination attempt on her succeed. Otto can marry a new, fertile young wife - preferably Orthodox (or maybe Otto himself can convert if a Russian grand duchess is unavailable).

NOTE: There had been plans to marry Olga Nikolaïevna, daughter of Emperor Nikolai I of Russia to the Crown Prince of Bavaria. In the end she returned to St. Petersburg a spinster, and he married Marie of Prussia. Maybe she can marry Otto instead of the king of Württemberg.

But, she also refused a match with Archduke Stephan of Austria, Palatine of Hungary, because Metternich brokered it, and she refused to take a "paper crown" that Metternich could so easily take back.
 
Well, he married Queen Amalia in 1836, meaning that their children would be born c.1840. Otto was having affairs by 1845/6, so that gives a decade of potential brood-rearing, although the number of children would be limited, even without physical issues (OTL Amalia didn't possess a uterus due to Mullerian agenesis), by their mutual distaste.

So if an heir is born in the early 40s, then that would lead to a wave of patriotism and more trust in the absolute monarchy. The downfall of the Bavarian politicos in 1843 would be delayed and Queen Amalia's position would be strengthened. She seems to have been rather outspoken and politically engaged, which made her unpopular, but her fertility might improve her public image.

What would probably happen is a similar Revolution to that of 1843, except in 1848, which would obviously make everything very apocalyptic, etc. Otto gave in to the Greeks in 1843 despite his wife's vocal opposition, so he is likely to do the same in 1848, and even if he doesn't, he will be defeated by the Athenian mob. By this time the money was running out and the Wittelsbachs were losing their enthusiasm for the Hellenic adventure, so Otto is in the same position as OTL, or worse.

Thus, Otto is either deposed in 1848 and replaced with his minor heir (unlikely because the hated Amalia would want to be Regent and because Otto II wouldn't have close relationships to the major powers - just look up the referendum on Otto's 1863 replacement to see how much of a priority this was - and because a minority rule would be seen as unstable) or by his younger brother (equally unlikely, for obvious reasons) or by a completely different candidate; or he struggles on as OTL to the 60s. Otto might not be deposed in 1862 if he has a son, and even if he is, that son will probably be enthroned by the revolutionaries. Otto dies anyway in 1867. After that, everything depends on the character of Otto junior and his family.

I don't know how the Greek role in the Crimean War would be affected, if at all, by this POD.
 
Well, he married Queen Amalia in 1836, meaning that their children would be born c.1840. Otto was having affairs by 1845/6, so that gives a decade of potential brood-rearing, although the number of children would be limited, even without physical issues (OTL Amalia didn't possess a uterus due to Mullerian agenesis), by their mutual distaste.

So if an heir is born in the early 40s, then that would lead to a wave of patriotism and more trust in the absolute monarchy. The downfall of the Bavarian politicos in 1843 would be delayed and Queen Amalia's position would be strengthened. She seems to have been rather outspoken and politically engaged, which made her unpopular, but her fertility might improve her public image.

What would probably happen is a similar Revolution to that of 1843, except in 1848, which would obviously make everything very apocalyptic, etc. Otto gave in to the Greeks in 1843 despite his wife's vocal opposition, so he is likely to do the same in 1848, and even if he doesn't, he will be defeated by the Athenian mob. By this time the money was running out and the Wittelsbachs were losing their enthusiasm for the Hellenic adventure, so Otto is in the same position as OTL, or worse.

Thus, Otto is either deposed in 1848 and replaced with his minor heir (unlikely because the hated Amalia would want to be Regent and because Otto II wouldn't have close relationships to the major powers - just look up the referendum on Otto's 1863 replacement to see how much of a priority this was - and because a minority rule would be seen as unstable) or by his younger brother (equally unlikely, for obvious reasons) or by a completely different candidate; or he struggles on as OTL to the 60s. Otto might not be deposed in 1862 if he has a son, and even if he is, that son will probably be enthroned by the revolutionaries. Otto dies anyway in 1867. After that, everything depends on the character of Otto junior and his family.

I don't know how the Greek role in the Crimean War would be affected, if at all, by this POD.

I had no idea that Amalia's childlessness was because of a condition she had. I always just thought/assumed that they were just a bad match genetically - like some other royal couples. Or that they were just mutually antipathic to each other.

And with Otto II (if his philhellenic grandpa in Munich doesn't get a say in his name and he becomes Alexander or Constantine or something like that) the lack of connections can be easily made up for by his marriage. Marry a daughter of Christian IX or Queen Victoria and you're related to most of Europe in a generation anyway. Or even a Russian grand duchess - maybe Alexandra Alexandrovna can survive or Maria Alexandrovna marries a Wittelsbach instead of a Coburg.

Also, Otto II would have an interesting tie to the Washington dynasty. His maternal aunt, Friederike, was married to Jakob, Baron von Washington (a Bavarian creation for a relative of George Washington). He might play on that to encourage ties with America.
 
And with Otto II (if his philhellenic grandpa in Munich doesn't get a say in his name and he becomes Alexander or Constantine or something like that) the lack of connections can be easily made up for by his marriage. Marry a daughter of Christian IX or Queen Victoria and you're related to most of Europe in a generation anyway. Or even a Russian grand duchess - maybe Alexandra Alexandrovna can survive or Maria Alexandrovna marries a Wittelsbach instead of a Coburg.

For the connections thing I was talking about Alt-1848, when Crown Prince Constantine would be at most 11 years old - not really marriage material. So we'd be looking at approx ten years of rule by a minor, brought up in the back of beyond, isolated from all the major dynasties and their Foreign Ministries. Its a no-go. Either Otto manages to weather his storms until the 60s or his fertility changes nothing outside of the vagaries of Chaos Theory.

In terms of marriage (probably the dullest aspect of this kind of POD) the common Greeks were overwhelmingly pro-British (again, see the referendum I mentioned in my last post) so a daughter of Queen Victoria would extend the lifespan of Wittelsbach Greece the most, but they're prime real estate and they weren't married off to just any jumped-up Teuton sitting in the Elgin-Marble-denuded Acropolis of Athens. Constantine needs internal stability to get a decent wife, and he needs a decent wife to get internal and external stability. He'd probably manage a Russian Grand Duchess, bearing in mind their Orthodox hegemonic interests. The only Danish princess whose OTL husband he outranks is Thyra, who would be about a decade younger than him.

That Washington thing is interesting. I don't see how much of an effect it would have, given that the Oldenburgers don't seem to have been too bothered about one of their princesses marrying an American. Maybe some minimal trade links would eventuate, but its a pretty slim deal. Were/Are the Washingtons even held up on a pedestal in the USA?
 
In terms of marriage (probably the dullest aspect of this kind of POD) the common Greeks were overwhelmingly pro-British (again, see the referendum I mentioned in my last post) so a daughter of Queen Victoria would extend the lifespan of Wittelsbach Greece the most, but they're prime real estate and they weren't married off to just any jumped-up Teuton sitting in the Elgin-Marble-denuded Acropolis of Athens. Constantine needs internal stability to get a decent wife, and he needs a decent wife to get internal and external stability. He'd probably manage a Russian Grand Duchess, bearing in mind their Orthodox hegemonic interests. The only Danish princess whose OTL husband he outranks is Thyra, who would be about a decade younger than him.

That Washington thing is interesting. I don't see how much of an effect it would have, given that the Oldenburgers don't seem to have been too bothered about one of their princesses marrying an American. Maybe some minimal trade links would eventuate, but its a pretty slim deal. Were/Are the Washingtons even held up on a pedestal in the USA?

Just for interests sake, the Baron von Washington Friederike married was born in Holland, orphaned at 11, and served the Bavarian king for most of his life - there was nothing really American about him. But, if Betsy Patterson could become the toast of American society simply for her marriage to a Bonaparte, I can't see that a Washington in America might not draw paralellels between America and Greece in the 1850s/60s - especially if he wanted to run for public office etc.
 
Top