The Prince of the Roses - A Tudor TL
- Thread starter BlueFlowwer
- Start date
The only way out that I see for Christian and Isabella to avoid ending up in complete disaster is to hope that the new emperor takes pity on them, although this possible escape will surely cost them very dearly in the future.
With a growing merchant class coming from abroad, Spain's internal politics will actually be more interesting in a few years with the crown constantly having to deal with power struggles between the merchant lords based mainly in the north and the Mesta to the south.
Ah, but will the new emperor be strong enough to help them or will he focus more on Germany instead? That is the question? And while I have another fate in mind for Christian, if it is a good one or not depends on how you see it. As far as for Isabella, she's gonna live longer than otl.
Would it be possible for them to bolster the domestic manufacturing in Spain? I know that Castile has problem with the sheeps being everywhere and destroying agricultural lands, but some weird part of me wants to introduce the potato much earlier and make it a staple of Spanish cuisine.
Chapter 6 - 1520
Chapter 6- 1520
In 1520 it had become obvious for the young king of Spain that he had lost his paternal inheritance in the Low Countries and Burgundy to both his sister Isabella and her Danish husband and the rapacious claws of France. As Ferdinand came of age and would begin to take personal control over the crowns of Castile and Aragon, he was faced with a huge dilemma. Would his focus be on retaking his ancestral lands in Flanders and Austria or to consolidate his mother’s realms? For three years, Ferdinand had been under the influence of the pro-spanish Cisneros until the latters death, and the almighty cardinal had not been a friend of the Burgundian cliché. His dying letters to his young charge had heavily emphasized that the destiny of Spain was the most importance, and that being muddled up with the affairs of France, and the distant Flemish troubles was to neglect Castile and Aragon. Peter Martyr also declared that the Flanders troubles had nearly brought Spain into a dark time, and that the king of Spain was the king of Spain. Queen Isabella was also a staunch proponent of the pro-spanish movement and she had quickly won her husband’s ear. If Ferdinand had possessed the grandiosity of Maximilian and Philip, perhaps he would have declared his claim to both the dutch lands and the Austrian kingdoms, but his personality was one of energetic consolidator, not a grandiose conqueror.
Castile, Aragon, Navarre, Sicily, Naples and Sardinia were to be the focus on his whole life from 1520 and onward. Not the far-flung imperial possessions, or the Low Countries. At the gathered courtes in 1521 he declared for all assembled that he was the king of Spain, not the emperor or a duke, much to the relief of many. A small faction of the courtes and courtiers was disappointed that the universal ambitions had fallen apart, but for many, the declaration was a sign of the blessings Spain had been given from God. Ferdinand also accepted the wishes of the courtes that no foreigners should be given important posts in the kingdom and that no precious metal would be brought out of the kingdom either. To replace the late Cardinal Cisneros as Archbishop of Toledo, Ferdinand appointed Alonso III Fonseca, the archbishop of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, a well-respected choice to fill the shoes the domineering giant had left behind.
The king and queen began a long royal progress across Castile in spring of 1520, leaving Prince Juan behind in the nursery of the Alcázar of Segovia, surrounded by trusted guardians. The vacuum left behind after Isabella’s death and the regency of Ferdinand II and Cisneros had left to a weakening of royal power and Ferdinand was firmly determined to take control of Castile and Aragon. Arevalo, Medina Del Campo, Valladolid, Palencia and Burgos enjoyed long visits, as well as Pamplona in Navarre, where Ferdinand struck down a rebellion against the Spanish, until he and Isabella reached Zaragosa in Aragon in the end of summer. Ferdinand and Isabella was jointly crowned in the Cathedral of the Savior in the traditions of Aragonese kings. Isabella was dowered with the cities belonging to her late grandmother and spent considerable time to refurbish the Aljafería Palace and the extended palace built by the catholic monarchs on the north side of the complex. The new queen of Aragon seemed to enjoy the company of Germaine of Foix, the widow of Ferdinand II.
Germaine had only born one child to her husband, a short-lived son in 1509, and since then she had resided in court as a cherished second mother to Ferdinand. Her support in Aragon proved invaluable to Ferdinand during his first years and she soon became a trusted friend and mentor to Isabella. Ferdinand arranged the marriage between her and Ferdinand, Duke of Calabria in 1520 shortly after his arrival and designated them as Viceroys of Valencia. The marriage would become a very happy one, as the couple enjoyed music, poetry and literature and Germaine began to carefully integrate Valencia itself into the castile dominated Spain. Despite her failure to bear heirs to Ferdinand II, she did successfully deliver one to her new husband. In 1524, Germaine gave birth to her only child, Isabel of Calabria, named in honour of the queen, whom carried the baby to her christening. As a gift to her god-daughter, Isabella gave 133 large pearls to Germaine and promised her that she would one day have a great place in her court.
The winter of 1520 saw Ferdinand and Isabella celebrating in the city of Cordoba, where the queen would delight her husband once more, as she announced in secretly her second pregnancy and then publicly to the court after the new year’s celebrations had come to pass. It had been a good year for Spain, and as the kingdom had mostly settled with their new monarchs, Ferdinand decided to focus on the constant plague that was at the borders of the Iberian peninsula: The Barbary Pirates.
Isabella of Portugal, Queen Consort of Castile and Aragon in 1525
Isabella was not the only royalty expecting a child or being delivered of one in 1520. Isabella of Austria had delivered of a stillborn child in late April, while across the channel, their aunt was expecting once more. The last pregnancy of Catherine of Aragon had shocked both her and the court, as neither had expected her to quicken once more after the Duke of York in 1518. As she was only 36 at this time, the queen seemed determine to use her last childbearing years for England’s use and the prayers of all in court was in unison for the sake of her health and that of her child. The king himself had praised it as a miracle and that he was certain the child his wife was carrying was a third son, his Duke of Bedford. Catherine wrote to her dear friend, Maria Salinas, that while she prayed for another son, she knew that regardless of the outcome of this pregnancy, that it would be her last. If she bore a son or daughter to her husband, she prayed to the Virgin Mary that this child would live and that she would be spared the pain of yet another lost child.
The end of the year saw the preparations of Catherine’s eldest son departure from the nursery in Eltham Palace to begin his duties as the Prince of Wales. Catherine had been anxious for her son taking up residence in Ludlow Castle, as it had been the place where Arthur had died and she herself had fallen ill. Henry had also been concerned for his heir and in 1516, after Edward’s birth, he had ordered the castle torn down as it was falling into decay. Henry ordered a new and improved castle built on the same spot, and it was finished in the autumn of 1520. To improve sanitation, the livestock had been ordered to be penned in, rather than walking around everywhere and the corridors of the castle regularly swept. The new palace also had beautiful gardens and a tennis court for the prince and his company to enjoy. Henry continued to add improvisations during the next years and Edward seemed to delight in his new home when he arrived in the beginning of summer of the next year.
Palace of the Prince of Wales in 1525
Catherine was saddened by Edward’s leaving, but her other son, Hal of Nottingham was still in London and as her pregnancy continued to grow, the Queen allowed herself to relax as the end of the year came with great festivities once more.
Author's Note: So here we go with the year of 1520. Ferdinand makes the decision to abandon the Low Countries to focus on the Spanish empire instead, Germaine avoids the abusive shitbag she married as her second husband and little Ned goes off to Wales and his shiny new palace, while his mum in expecting her last child back in England.
In 1520 it had become obvious for the young king of Spain that he had lost his paternal inheritance in the Low Countries and Burgundy to both his sister Isabella and her Danish husband and the rapacious claws of France. As Ferdinand came of age and would begin to take personal control over the crowns of Castile and Aragon, he was faced with a huge dilemma. Would his focus be on retaking his ancestral lands in Flanders and Austria or to consolidate his mother’s realms? For three years, Ferdinand had been under the influence of the pro-spanish Cisneros until the latters death, and the almighty cardinal had not been a friend of the Burgundian cliché. His dying letters to his young charge had heavily emphasized that the destiny of Spain was the most importance, and that being muddled up with the affairs of France, and the distant Flemish troubles was to neglect Castile and Aragon. Peter Martyr also declared that the Flanders troubles had nearly brought Spain into a dark time, and that the king of Spain was the king of Spain. Queen Isabella was also a staunch proponent of the pro-spanish movement and she had quickly won her husband’s ear. If Ferdinand had possessed the grandiosity of Maximilian and Philip, perhaps he would have declared his claim to both the dutch lands and the Austrian kingdoms, but his personality was one of energetic consolidator, not a grandiose conqueror.
Castile, Aragon, Navarre, Sicily, Naples and Sardinia were to be the focus on his whole life from 1520 and onward. Not the far-flung imperial possessions, or the Low Countries. At the gathered courtes in 1521 he declared for all assembled that he was the king of Spain, not the emperor or a duke, much to the relief of many. A small faction of the courtes and courtiers was disappointed that the universal ambitions had fallen apart, but for many, the declaration was a sign of the blessings Spain had been given from God. Ferdinand also accepted the wishes of the courtes that no foreigners should be given important posts in the kingdom and that no precious metal would be brought out of the kingdom either. To replace the late Cardinal Cisneros as Archbishop of Toledo, Ferdinand appointed Alonso III Fonseca, the archbishop of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, a well-respected choice to fill the shoes the domineering giant had left behind.
The king and queen began a long royal progress across Castile in spring of 1520, leaving Prince Juan behind in the nursery of the Alcázar of Segovia, surrounded by trusted guardians. The vacuum left behind after Isabella’s death and the regency of Ferdinand II and Cisneros had left to a weakening of royal power and Ferdinand was firmly determined to take control of Castile and Aragon. Arevalo, Medina Del Campo, Valladolid, Palencia and Burgos enjoyed long visits, as well as Pamplona in Navarre, where Ferdinand struck down a rebellion against the Spanish, until he and Isabella reached Zaragosa in Aragon in the end of summer. Ferdinand and Isabella was jointly crowned in the Cathedral of the Savior in the traditions of Aragonese kings. Isabella was dowered with the cities belonging to her late grandmother and spent considerable time to refurbish the Aljafería Palace and the extended palace built by the catholic monarchs on the north side of the complex. The new queen of Aragon seemed to enjoy the company of Germaine of Foix, the widow of Ferdinand II.
Germaine had only born one child to her husband, a short-lived son in 1509, and since then she had resided in court as a cherished second mother to Ferdinand. Her support in Aragon proved invaluable to Ferdinand during his first years and she soon became a trusted friend and mentor to Isabella. Ferdinand arranged the marriage between her and Ferdinand, Duke of Calabria in 1520 shortly after his arrival and designated them as Viceroys of Valencia. The marriage would become a very happy one, as the couple enjoyed music, poetry and literature and Germaine began to carefully integrate Valencia itself into the castile dominated Spain. Despite her failure to bear heirs to Ferdinand II, she did successfully deliver one to her new husband. In 1524, Germaine gave birth to her only child, Isabel of Calabria, named in honour of the queen, whom carried the baby to her christening. As a gift to her god-daughter, Isabella gave 133 large pearls to Germaine and promised her that she would one day have a great place in her court.
The winter of 1520 saw Ferdinand and Isabella celebrating in the city of Cordoba, where the queen would delight her husband once more, as she announced in secretly her second pregnancy and then publicly to the court after the new year’s celebrations had come to pass. It had been a good year for Spain, and as the kingdom had mostly settled with their new monarchs, Ferdinand decided to focus on the constant plague that was at the borders of the Iberian peninsula: The Barbary Pirates.
Isabella of Portugal, Queen Consort of Castile and Aragon in 1525
Isabella was not the only royalty expecting a child or being delivered of one in 1520. Isabella of Austria had delivered of a stillborn child in late April, while across the channel, their aunt was expecting once more. The last pregnancy of Catherine of Aragon had shocked both her and the court, as neither had expected her to quicken once more after the Duke of York in 1518. As she was only 36 at this time, the queen seemed determine to use her last childbearing years for England’s use and the prayers of all in court was in unison for the sake of her health and that of her child. The king himself had praised it as a miracle and that he was certain the child his wife was carrying was a third son, his Duke of Bedford. Catherine wrote to her dear friend, Maria Salinas, that while she prayed for another son, she knew that regardless of the outcome of this pregnancy, that it would be her last. If she bore a son or daughter to her husband, she prayed to the Virgin Mary that this child would live and that she would be spared the pain of yet another lost child.
The end of the year saw the preparations of Catherine’s eldest son departure from the nursery in Eltham Palace to begin his duties as the Prince of Wales. Catherine had been anxious for her son taking up residence in Ludlow Castle, as it had been the place where Arthur had died and she herself had fallen ill. Henry had also been concerned for his heir and in 1516, after Edward’s birth, he had ordered the castle torn down as it was falling into decay. Henry ordered a new and improved castle built on the same spot, and it was finished in the autumn of 1520. To improve sanitation, the livestock had been ordered to be penned in, rather than walking around everywhere and the corridors of the castle regularly swept. The new palace also had beautiful gardens and a tennis court for the prince and his company to enjoy. Henry continued to add improvisations during the next years and Edward seemed to delight in his new home when he arrived in the beginning of summer of the next year.
Palace of the Prince of Wales in 1525
Catherine was saddened by Edward’s leaving, but her other son, Hal of Nottingham was still in London and as her pregnancy continued to grow, the Queen allowed herself to relax as the end of the year came with great festivities once more.
Author's Note: So here we go with the year of 1520. Ferdinand makes the decision to abandon the Low Countries to focus on the Spanish empire instead, Germaine avoids the abusive shitbag she married as her second husband and little Ned goes off to Wales and his shiny new palace, while his mum in expecting her last child back in England.
Europe will breath a sign of relief at this. And so does Spain. Isabella I is doing backflips in her grave.
Yep, plus the italian dominions too! gotta keep cozy with the pope beign so near.
And happy for dear cath as well! Hoping for a daughter!
Yes, the iberian Hapsburgs are gonna look rather different in this TL.
We shall see if Catherine's baby is gonna live or not in the next chapter and maybe she gets a third son.
That they will. Hopefully more healthy and fertile.
Yep, and a little baby catherine would be adorable
Very good chapter, I hope Catherine has another son. Great that Ferdinand and Isabella are focusing on Spanish affairs instead of events with France and the Netherlands, I hope Spain conquers their section of North Africa soon. Keep up the good work 👍 👍 👍.
Good on Ferdinand for focussing on Spain. It’ll be better in the long run I imagine.
And lucky Cat gets a surprise final pregnancy here it seems! Perhaps there’ll be a Princess Mary after all
And lucky Cat gets a surprise final pregnancy here it seems! Perhaps there’ll be a Princess Mary after all
I must admit that after the twist that hit Charles V, I lost a bit of interest in the story, but I still think it is very well done and entertaining, However, I am happy that Katherina a has children with Henry , at least here she will be happy, now I only hope for two things: the first is that the Wittelsbachs get the old archducal possessions in their entirety ( Wurttemberg included, as Ulrich was such a dick to his poor Bavarian wife, this would be sweet revenge towards him ) and exploit to their advantage an ATL Peasants' War 1521 - 1523 ( so that some Catholics remain in the HRE, the rest of Germany can go to hell ) while for Italy that all the " barbarians " present are definitively expelled from the peninsula ( be they French or Spanish or Protestant German ) is that a local dynasty can unify at least minimally the region ( not the Savoys, please ).... the Ghost of Pope Julius II, It possessed me for a moment 😂😅
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I shall see what I can do!
I could not see Ferdinand going on the 'everything is mine' thing that Charles did. He was far to cautious and not a good enough military commander for that. He and Isabella will stay in Spain, where there is plenty of things to do.
She does get a final pregnancy here as a last stroke of luck.
We shall see the Wittelsbachs soon enough and the new emperor as well!
Thanks!
Great! can't wait to see who will get the austrian holdings too.
Well, Christian and Isabella have their hands busy with keeping the Low Countries and the North, so Austria isn't gonna be a high priority for them.