WI the daughter of John of Asturias and Margaret of Austria survives?

As some people may know, John Trastámara of Asturias, the spanish ill-fated young prince who would have united the crowns of Aragon and Castile rather than his sister Joanna 'The Mad', died shortly before the birth of a stillborn daughter by his also young bride, the Habsburg archduchess Margaret of Austria and Burgundy.

What if the girl was born healthy? Politically speaking, how would this situation develop? Once again the crowns would be left to a female heir, potentially weakening Spain in face of many suitors for her hand, came from other royal houses of Europe.

IIRC, if such a thing happens of the young girl inheriting Spain, this would mean that the Habsburg brothers Charles and Ferdinand would be left to Austria and Burgundy, only. Also, I wonder if Ferdinand II would allow a marriage between his granddaughter and heir to her much-hated(-by-him) german cousins.

Although IOTL she wasn't baptized, let's randomly call her Beatrice to differentiate her from the tons of Isabellas and Marys existing at the time.

So I'd like to leave some subquestions:

1 - Is such a Beatrice x Charles match unlikely ITTL?
2 - If it is, who would she marry?
3 - If her cousin Miguel da Paz survives (I know that there are tons of threads about it, okay?), it's almost certain that they would be married off to each other. Consequences?

Outside the political-marriage thing:

4 - What about the Italian wars?
5 - What about the Colonization and Exploration?
6 - How would be the relations between her and her power-starving relatives from the HRE?

I hope you join (and enjoy) this thread :)
 
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I would say that if Miguel de la Paz lives, Ferdinand will definitely find him a better candidate for Beatriz's hand - a union of the whole of Iberia - than the son of his hated son-in-law Philip of Burgundy (who he went so far to remarry so as to prevent his German grandchildren inheriting).
 
Well, probably Miguel would be the best candidate, being the second child in line to the throne (assuming both survive their respective parents), as follows the (hypothetical) succession line:

> Ferdinand II of Aragon and (jure uxoris) V of Castile
>> John of Asturias (deceased/excluded)
>>>> Beatrice I of Spain [1]
>> Isabella of Aragon (deceased/excluded)
>>>> Miguel I da Paz of Portugal [2]
>> Joanna of Castile [3]
>>>> Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor [4]
>>>> Ferdinand of Austria [5]

I wonder if Spain will lose power in colonization/Castilian interests defense if Beatrice doesn't effectivelly rule, instead relying on her husband ruling both countries (Portugal and Unified Spain). Being the granddaughter of an Emperor, a sovereign duchess, a reigning queen and a powerful king I don't think she'd be weak to this point, but maybe some stretches can be made, dunno... They are not actually of my interest, I'd love to see a female version of Charles V kicking asses around... The difference is that ITTL both would co-exist. The greatest family feud of European history ahead?
 
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I would say that if Miguel de la Paz lives, Ferdinand will definitely find him a better candidate for Beatriz's hand - a union of the whole of Iberia - than the son of his hated son-in-law Philip of Burgundy (who he went so far to remarry so as to prevent his German grandchildren inheriting).

Even if he doesn't live, any future son of Manuel I would be the most probable candidate for her hand.
 
Even if he doesn't live, any future son of Manuel I would be the most probable candidate for her hand.

I suggested the survival of Miguel da Paz because, as many here know, he would have become the heir to the three Iberian kingdoms through the marriage of his mother Isabella to his father Manuel I of Portugal.

If Beatrice married him, it would be a much more secure match IMHO because it would potentially move away Habsburg plans for a possible Charles x Beatrice marriage that would throw Spain into a personal union with Austria-Burgundy just as IOTL.

Beatrice and Miguel would found an empire: the Kingdoms of Castile, Leon, Aragon, Sardinia, Naples, Sicily, Portugal (not to mention Galicia, Navarre, Asturias and Majorca) would be united under a single crown. Joining forces on colonization, it they are fast and smart enough, France, England and Netherlands would have no room for a colonization greater as Iberian's. Probably due to administrative reasons and in a way to split the inheritance more equally amongst any children they have, I believe that the Union with Portugal wouldn't be everlasting: probably Portugal would be received by a younger son as an appanage... But maybe it wouldn't happen, and probably this would be the case.

I have a question related to this "multiple kingdom inheritance": if a nominal empire is said to be the subjection of many crowns and kingdoms under a single sovereign, why kings of Spain never were styled "Emperors of Spain"? Charles V was called emperor because he was the emperor of the HRE, but not of Spain. Now with Portugal annexed to the Spanish heritage, perhaps now they will raise Spain's title from Kingdom to Empire?

Anyway, I'd like to see your views on it :)
 
I have a question related to this "multiple kingdom inheritance": if a nominal empire is said to be the subjection of many crowns and kingdoms under a single sovereign, why kings of Spain never were styled "Emperors of Spain"? Charles V was called emperor because he was the emperor of the HRE, but not of Spain. Now with Portugal annexed to the Spanish heritage, perhaps now they will raise Spain's title from Kingdom to Empire?
Because Catholicism isn't big enough for Two Empires. Essentially, any Christian Empire is going to style itself as the successor to Rome, just like the Orthodox Empire of Byzantium. Any Roman Catholic Empire, baring a "Byzantium Converts" timeline, is going to have to style itself as the Successor of the Western Roman Empire, and there can only ever be one of those in much the same way that Russia probably won't claim to be the Third Rome if the Second Rome is still around and kicking. That would just be Rude.

Now in this situation they might be willing to do that. I'm sure part of the reason the Spanish Habsburgs never tried was because they were friendly with the Austrian Habsburgs who held the Empire, but even without the familial relation I don't see Spain trying to get promoted to the status of Empire.

On the other hand, without the Habsburgs catching Hyper-Catholicism from Spain, the Reformation will play out much differently, and if the Habsburgs actually go Full Protestant and keep the Empire, then you'll probably see His Popiness trying to crown someone else as the Catholic Emperor, and in this situation there would only be two real candidates; France and Spain. With Spain having an iron grip on Italy, I think they would probably win out.
 
The Habsburgs didn't catch ''Hyper-Catholicism'' from Spain, certainly not initially.
Ferdinand of Austria, who was raised in Spain, for instance was more pragmatic in religious views than Charles V. However even Charles V was not against some reforming of the Roman Catholic Church, he even wanted a Council on such matters. What he and the rest of the Habsburgs did not want, was to break from the 'Mother Church'.
Just like their Protestant counterparts had various reasons to convert, so did Catholics have reasons to stay Catholic. What they both share is faith.

A match between Miguel and Beatriz does seem likely ITTL. Regarding the Habsburgs ITTL without branching out to Spain their core interest will remain the HRE and like IOTL they'll still want to regain Hungary and Bohemia for their house. Before OTL Louis II and Elisabeth of Hungary and Bohemia were born, HRE Maximilian already had a succession treaty with Ladislaus II of Hungary and Bohemia. I
 
I was mainly thinking of Ferdinand II, who was definitely hyper-Catholic compared to his predecessor Matthias. Although given that was educated in Bavaria I suppose I was remembering wrong. I remembered him being supported as Matthias' successor by the Spanish Habsburgs and assumed he had been raised in Spain.
 
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