Recent content by Gonzaga

Exactly. This kind of dispensation was no trouble to the Catholic Church. It was done in Portugal to Manuel, in Poland (both Sigismund II and Sigismund III) and in Parma with Dorothea of Neuburg. People think it was a problem due to the case of Henry VIII, but it only shows that the origin of...

Personally I think that Rio de Janeiro would still be the French best bet, if they improve their alliance with the Tupinambas. The Portuguese victory in Guanabara Bay could be considered actually a victory of the Tupiniquins (helped by the Portuguese) over the Tamoios Confederation. And the...

If you need a setting to write about French colonial adventures, IOTL there was, in 1550, the amazing Royal Entry of Henry II in Rouen, also know as the "Brazilian Party" or the "Cannibal Party". It was organized by Norman merchants and shipmakers in order to get more royal support to colonial...

With John of Trastamara dead and a minor as king could the attempt of John of Gaunt to claim the Castilian throne be successful? IOTL he invaded Castile in July 1386, maybe ITTL he could do a bit earlier?

Love the idea of the vignettes! Maybe is too early for this character, because IOTL he only became "important" when Catherine de Medici was queen, but personally I think it would be funny to read something about Nostradamus.

Even OTL the Iberian Union was kinda a fluke. Manuel I had 9 sons that could have kept the dynasty going. Three of them died in infancy, but all the others reached adulthood. If you avoid them entering the Church and marry them early enough, there would be a lot of "Avizes" around.

Just a correction, Cagliari doesn't matter in this problem, the House of Savoy only became kings of Sardinia in 1720. The death of Charles II in 1701 (assuming that the Spanish Charles II dies in 1700) means that the English succession will happen against the backdrop of War of the Spanish...

With Charles II still on the throne, how would English neutrality affect the Nine Years War?

HBO should make a series based on this Scottish court. I'd pay to watch it!

Are the Spanish possesions really so threatened? The closest território to them would be Southern Italy, but Hungary provides a avenue of expansion without the need for a naval invasion. There is Algeria, but it was only a vassal state, not an Ottoman territory. Morocco, that threatened Spanish...

Now that we have an anti-Habsburg Hungary, couldn't it mean a reversion of roles regarding France and the HRE and their relations with the Ottomans? Hungary is still an avenue for further conquest for the Porte, but now the Habsburgs do not have a direct border with the Ottomans, só they aren't...

Great twist! Just a thought: IOTL one of the conditions for Francis' release from captivity was to be replaced by his sons. Charles can't do it (he lost his son and his daughter is just born). So probably his only option would be to order Ferdinand to replace him as a prisoner. It would be...

I wonder if a female Ferdinand would mean that Charles of Viana would have more power (and luck), living enough to become king of Aragon.

First, welcome back, Drake! 🙂 I really enjoy your writing! Regarding the TL, maybe a "Sebastianist" movement could rise up in Castile later, with Philip as the "hidden prince" that will save the nation. Also, I like the small differences that down the line will have huge differences. Charles...

Depending on the year he dies the heir could be Don Carlos of Asturias,the son of Philip II and Maria Manuela of Portugal. If Sebastian dies after Don Carlos, then the next heir would still be Cardinal Dom Henrique. But by then Duarte, Duke of Guimarães, the brother of Catherine, Duchess of...