Elizabeth the Queen and her Brood

[Kynan]

The Religious Position of England during the Reign of Elizabeth I of England

At the beginning of Elizabeth of England’s reign there civil unrest due to the unpopular imposition of Catholicism during the reign of her sister, Mary I of England. The first religious based decision in the reign of Elizabeth I was to cease all burnings, using the argument:

“You are not saving their souls but merely giving the people false martyrs and saints that will lead them further astray.”

While may Protestants believed that the young Queen would champion their faith instead she retained England as a Catholic Nation but successfully gained the title of Governor of the Faith, in which she had many of the powers that Henry VIII had had as the Supreme Head of the English Church, but still deferring to the Pope.

Many noted that Elizabeth’s husband King Consort Edward seemed to have a strong hand in his wife’s religious stance, helping her stay in a ‘true and Catholic’ path while agreeing with most of her more lenient measures.

By the end of her reign something important was given to her, her legitimacy. By special order of the Pope Elizabeth was made one of the late King’s legitimate children. While this didn't change anything in her policy, there was definitely welcomed by the Queen who felt that this was the end of the snide remarks by other rulers.

 

[Analytical Engine]

So is England going to be like (a more lenient) Saxony, with a Catholic monarch but a majority protestant population?

 

[Kynan]

So is England going to be like (a more lenient) Saxony, with a Catholic monarch but a majority protestant population?

That's what I was going for

 

[Rich Rostrom]

The Religious Position of England during the Reign of Elizabeth I of England

While may Protestants believed that the young Queen would champion their faith instead she retained England as a Catholic Nation but successfully gained the title of Governor of the Faith, in which she had many of the powers that Henry VIII had had as the Supreme Head of the English Church, but still deferring to the Pope.

Can't be done. It was a fundamental doctrine of the Catholic Church that secular rulers have no authority within the Church. That was the point of the whole Investiture Controversy. The Popes fought with the Holy Roman Emperors for centuries over this point.

By special order of the Pope Elizabeth was made one of the late King’s legitimate children.

Can't be done. Elizabeth was born during the life of Catherine of Aragon, who was never divorced from and Henry never married Anne Boleyn in a Catholic rite. Not even the Pope can override that.

 

[Kynan]

Can't be done. It was a fundamental doctrine of the Catholic Church that secular rulers have no authority within the Church. That was the point of the whole Investiture Controversy. The Popes fought with the Holy Roman Emperors for centuries over this point.

Can't be done. Elizabeth was born during the life of Catherine of Aragon, who was never divorced from and Henry never married Anne Boleyn in a Catholic rite. Not even the Pope can override that.

1) It would be better than the alternative, which is that England is separated entirely from the Catholic Church. The Pope isn't stupid, and if Elizabeth still defers to him in the most important matters (royal marriages ect) then he can't complain, really.

2) In this case there was a special document that stated that King Henry VIII married Anne Boleyn under good faith and as such Elizabeth was legitimate. And when I state good faith I mean that it was decided that Henry believed that the union was real and it was similar enough to a true Catholic ceremony that Elizabeth was legitimized.

 

[JonasResende]

Can't be done. Elizabeth was born during the life of Catherine of Aragon, who was never divorced from and Henry never married Anne Boleyn in a Catholic rite. Not even the Pope can override that.

Considering that the Pope was willing to grant a dispensation for Mary Tudor to marry her half-brother Henry Fitzroy, I think the pope could be willing to acknowledge Elizabeth as the 'natural' if not 'legitimate' daughter.

 

[Kynan]

1573: The year in England begins with the final pregnancy of the Queen. Now entering her forties, Queen Elizabeth I was very frightened that she wouldn’t be able to handle it and die. So, as her pregnancy progressed she set in place things that would help her son in his short regency. Her husband had built up enough credibility both in the parliament and with the people to have no major troubles as regent but she was afraid that if no-one pulled him in he would rule the court as frugally as possible, which wasn’t what Elizabeth wanted for her country after her death.

But in August the Queen gives birth to a healthy baby girl, named Cecily for her great-aunt. A pretty baby, she is born with dark eyes and blonde hair, a mix of the Plantagenet/Tudor and Boleyn looks. Immediately doted on by her mother in ways her other children were not, baby Cecily is put in a nursery in the court and is visited daily by her parents.

In other English news, Princess Elizabeth finally leaves England for Navarre, ready to marry the 20 year old Crown Prince. Accompanied by three maids all named Elizabeth (Elizabeth Stafford, Elizabeth Knights and Elizabeth Richers) she had an impressive wardrobe, complete with all purple and gold gowns to highlight her royalty and two large chests of jewellery because Queen Elizabeth sometimes went overboard.

In Scotland, Mary Stuart suffers a miscarriage midway into the year, a shock to the court. Decided by doctors to have been a boy, the Queen is devastated that her ‘son and heir’ was taken from her before he was truly even alive. Deciding to follow the standard of Claude de Valois, she names the dead child John.

In France, Princess Barbara of Poland is officially betrothed to the King and leaves late in the year to meet ad marry her husband. Elated that his wife to be is finally coming, the King celebrates with a new mistress, the low profile Lady Henriette Vunet, a minor country noble who happened to be at the right place at the right time.

The year for Spain opens with the birth of little Claudia Marianna, the fourth child of Don Carlos and Claude de Valois. Named after her mother, she becomes the favourite child of the now highly unstable Carlos, who actually seems to do well with children and nothing else at this point. Doted on by both parents, her nursemaid Lady Juana Rivera y Morales (who was Don Carlos’ mistress at the time) was to have said:

“She’ll be spoiled in a week if the Prince has any say into her life.”

Other than the birth of yet another Habsburg Princess, the search was on for wife number four for the King of Spain. Still handsome and quite the catch, he looked to England this time for a bride, casting his eye on the yet unbetrothed Princess Mary of England. Apparently a dark beauty, he wanted England tied to Spain, not anywhere else. But he was shocked when, out of the blue, the princess was taken off the marriage market and betrothed to Crown Prince Sebastian of Portugal.

 

[Kynan]

The Children of Elizabeth I of England

1-Edward Aviz: Prince of Wales (b. 1557)

2-Henry Aviz: Duke of York (b.1559: d.1564)

3-Elizabeth Aviz: Princess Royale (b.1559)

4-Mary Aviz: Princess of England (b.1560)

5-Thomas Aviz: Duke of Somerset then Duke of York. (b.1562)

6-Jasper Aviz: Duke of Gloucester (b.1564)

7-Edmund Aviz: Duke of Buckingham (b.1564: d.1564)

8-Anne Aviz: Princess of England (b.1566)

9-Richard Aviz: Duke of Buckingham (b.1567: d.1567)

10-Margaret Aviz: Princess of England (b.1567: d.1570)

11-Arthur Avis: Duke of Somerset (b. 1569)

12-John Avis: Dukes of Suffolk (b.1569: d.1570)

13-Unnamed baby boy (b.1570: d.1570)

14-Unnamed baby girl (b.1571: d.1571)

15-Cecily Aviz: Princess of England (b.1573)



The Children of Edward: Prince of Wales

1-Henry: Prince of England (b.1572)



The Children of Mary I of Scotland

1-Catherine de Valois: Crown Princess of Scotland (b.1563)

2-Margaret Dudley: Princess of Scotland (b.1572)

3-John Dudley: Crown Prince of Scotland (b.1573: d.1573)


The Children of Henry III of France

1-Elisabeth de Valois (b.1567)

2-Francis de Valois: Dauphin of France (b.1570)



The Children of Phillip II of Spain

1-Carlos: Prince of Asturias (b. 1545)

2-Phillip I of England (b.1559: d.1559)

3-Isabella: Princess of Spain (b.1568)

4-Juana: Princess of Spain (b.1571)



The Children of Carlos: Prince of Asturias

1-Phillip: Prince of Spain (b.1565)

2-Catherine Marie (also known as Catarina Maria): Princess of Spain (b.1568)

3-Henri: Prince of Spain (b.1570: d.1570)

4-Claudia Marianna: Princess of Spain (b.1573)

 

[Kynan]

Question: What would the last name be of Edward: Prince of Wales child be if he acknowledged it?

 

[Kynan]

1574: In England, there is a great celebration when, after years of petitions, Queen Elizabeth is granted her legitimacy. While many questioned the merit of such a document, Elizabeth was thrilled that no-one could ever mock her as a bastard again in any Catholic country.

The year was relatively boring for England. Elizabeth forged further alliances, sending her daughter Mary off to Portugal to marry Prince Sebastian. She also managed to get a betrothal in place between Spain and England with a match between Princess Anne and Prince Phillip of Spain. Another match between Prince Henry (her grandchild) and Princess Margaret was arranged, to the delight of all parties.

One other interesting titbit was the birth of a royal bastard from the Prince of Wales. Prince Edward had taken in a mistress by the name of Lady Mary Ughtred, the only child of Sir Henry Ughtred and court beauty. While the Queen attempted to have the child, a girl named Isabelle, sent away to live in the country with her mother; the Prince did not listen and had the child sent to live with his son. The person who actually supported the child the most however was Victoria de Valois, who wished to please her husband in any way possible. The Lady Mary was placed as Princess Victoria’s lady-in-waiting and actually grew close to the royal by the end of the year.

In Scotland, the Queen of Scots brought her daughter and future son-in-law to court in an attempt to forge stronger bonds between herself and her daughter, who hadn’t seen her mother since the birth of Princess Margaret two years prior. While the Crown Princess was initially careful and wary around her mother the charm of May Stuart won out and the two became confidants.
In France, Princess Elisabeth was granted her first marriage proposal. Sent from England, it suggested a match between the girl and Prince Jasper: Duke of Gloucester. While not the most prestigious match, there were not many other options so the request was granted, for now.

In other news, the Polish Princess Barbara arrived in France. A plain, shy woman, she was welcomed warmly by all but the King; a shock to the deeply naïve princess. But the marriage took place and by the end of the year she was expecting. In the meantime King Henri continued with his favourite Lady Joan Syvillè, who began taking an interest in politics.

In Navarre, the Princess Elizabeth Aviz was having a wonderful time, enjoying her husband’s affection and learning from the Queen how to govern well. But most of this fun came to an end when, at the end of the year, she discovered that she was pregnant. While delighted at the possibility of children, she was scared that she would not be able to bear childbirth.

In Spain, the King now looked for a new wife. While he was put out that the English Princess had not been given to him, he hoped that he might find a wife soon. So he cast his eyes to other areas, first looking to Poland. The Princess Maria Jagiellon was turning 15 this year and might was young enough to provide him with a ‘spare’. Other candidates are Sibylle of Jülich-Cleves-Berg, who apparently was willing to convert to Catholicism and was ‘quite beautiful’, Elisabeth of Austria, who was also ‘very gorgeous’ and still young and finally Maximiliana Maria of Bavaria, a last resort of sorts. So he sent out ambassadors and hoped for the best as soon as possible.

 

[Kynan]

1575: In England, the royal family was dealt a harsh blow when King Consort Edward died early in the year. While he had been sick for a short while late the last year, the death of the family patriarch (no matter how much he differed to the Queen) came as a blow to the royal family. The Queen in particular felt the blow hard, taking to wearing black (for mourning) and dark green (Edward’s favourite colour on her).

Other than this, another thing happened to the English royal family; this time good. The Princess of Wales entered the year by announcing a pregnancy. While she had hoped that it would come at a less sad time, it did help the Queen cope as she spent time with the Princess as the year progressed. Due in July, it wasn’t until early September that Victoria gave birth. The child was actually two, a boy and girl named Edward and Catherine respectively. The children seemed healthy and became favourites of the Queen, right behind baby Cecily.

In Scotland, Queen Mary also entered the year pregnant, to her joy and delight. Again hoping for a male heir, she had her daughter stay with her during her confinement. But her hoped were not fulfilled when, on Christmas Day, she gave birth to another daughter. Named Matilda, the girl was again healthy and pretty, this time gaining the dark hair and eyes of her father.
Also, the year brought the marriage between Prince Thomas: Duke of York and Princess Catherine of Scotland. After years of waiting, the two young (and surprisingly in love) royals were married. Many commented on the funny sight of their heights, as the young Princess towered over her husband at 6 feet to his 5 foot 6 inches. But the two seemed happy and the Princess received a treasured gift from her mother, a pearl necklace that had been a gift to Queen Mary on her first wedding day.

In France, the Queen entered the year with a pregnancy and gave birth to a beautiful baby girl in June. Named Joan for the late sister of the King and the Queen of Navarre, the child was a blessing to the King, who loved young children very much. Queen Barbara was rewarded for her child with a particularly beautiful ring and necklace set done in silver, pearls and emeralds.
In Navarre, the English Princess have birth to a healthy, if tiny, baby boy. Born a month earlier than expected, the child was still healthy enough to live and became a favourite of the Queen, Joan of Navarre. Named Antoine for his grandfather, the child was immediately betrothed to Matilda of Scotland, at both the English and Scottish ambassador’s suggestions.

In Spain, the marriage proposals came back. The Polish Princess was a definite no, as she had decided to join a religious order. So he looked at his other options. Elisabeth of Austria was a strong ‘maybe’, as she wished to stay with her family. Sibylle of Jülich-Cleves-Berg was very willing but her father was squirming when it came to the dowry. Finally there was Maximiliana Maria of Bavaria, who was willing, ready but not really what the King wanted. But then another contender threw their hat into the ring. Catherine de Bourbon, the young princess with connections to Navarre, France and England. At 16 she was the right age, and with her supposed beauty she would be an asset to his court. So he opened communication with Navarre.

 

[Kynan]

The Children of Elizabeth I of England

1-Edward Aviz: Prince of Wales (b. 1557)

2-Henry Aviz: Duke of York (b.1559: d.1564)

3-Elizabeth Aviz: Princess Royale (b.1559)

4-Mary Aviz: Princess of England (b.1560)

5-Thomas Aviz: Duke of Somerset then Duke of York. (b.1562)

6-Jasper Aviz: Duke of Gloucester (b.1564)

7-Edmund Aviz: Duke of Buckingham (b.1564: d.1564)

8-Anne Aviz: Princess of England (b.1566)

9-Richard Aviz: Duke of Buckingham (b.1567: d.1567)

10-Margaret Aviz: Princess of England (b.1567: d.1570)

11-Arthur Avis: Duke of Somerset (b. 1569)

12-John Avis: Dukes of Suffolk (b.1569: d.1570)

13-Unnamed baby boy (b.1570: d.1570)

14-Unnamed baby girl (b.1571: d.1571)

15-Cecily Aviz: Princess of England (b.1573)



The Children of Edward: Prince of Wales

1-Henry: Prince of England (b.1572)

2-Lady Isabelle Fitzedward (b.1574) *illegitimate

3-Edward: Prince of England (b.1575)

4-Catherine: Princess of England (b.1575)



The Children of Mary I of Scotland

1-Catherine de Valois: Crown Princess of Scotland (b.1563)

2-Margaret Dudley: Princess of Scotland (b.1572)

3-John Dudley: Crown Prince of Scotland (b.1573: d.1573)

4- Matilda: Princess of England (b.1575)



The Children of Henry III of France

1-Elisabeth de Valois (b.1567)

2-Francis de Valois: Dauphin of France (b.1570)

3-Joan de Valois (b.1575)



The Children of Phillip II of Spain

1-Carlos: Prince of Asturias (b. 1545)

2-Phillip I of England (b.1559: d.1559)

3-Isabella: Princess of Spain (b.1568)

4-Juana: Princess of Spain (b.1571)



The Children of Carlos: Prince of Asturias

1-Phillip: Prince of Spain (b.1565)

2-Catherine Marie (also known as Catarina Maria): Princess of Spain (b.1568)

3-Henri: Prince of Spain (b.1570: d.1570)

4- Claudia Marianna: Princess of Spain (b.1573)

 

[Wendell]

Not to nitpick, but why are you inconsistent with the nams, using local language forms for some (Henri), but not for others (Philip)?

 

[Kynan]

Not to nitpick, but why are you inconsistent with the nams, using local language forms for some (Henri), but not for others (Philip)?

Sorry, I'm just using the one's I'm used to.

 

[Jammy]

Jeez Marie that is one fertile family

Keep up the good work, enjoying this TL very much

 

[Kynan]

Jeez Marie that is one fertile family

Keep up the good work, enjoying this TL very much

Thanks for the support And yes, Elizabeth's family is currently very fertile

 

[Rich Rostrom]

1) It would be better than the alternative, which is that England is separated entirely from the Catholic Church. The Pope isn't stupid, and if Elizabeth still defers to him in the most important matters (royal marriages ect) then he can't complain, really.

No, no, no. This is like the U.S. government consenting to the establishment of a hereditary monarchy in a state.

Also, the Pope would almost certainly prefer to "lose" England than concede this point to any monarch, because all the others will want the same deal. I put "lose" in quotes because the obvious alternative is to restore England to the Church by force, and with Spain on side for such a campaign, it looks fairly easy.

Incidentally, the most important matter is governance of the Church; that is, appointment of bishops and archbishops. If the Pope gives that up, he's nothing.

2) In this case there was a special document that stated that King Henry VIII married Anne Boleyn under good faith and as such Elizabeth was legitimate. And when I state good faith I mean that it was decided that Henry believed that the union was real and it was similar enough to a true Catholic ceremony that Elizabeth was legitimized.

Again, this is impossible. At the time of Henry's marriage to Anne, he had applied to the Pope for an annulment of his marriage to Catherine and been refused. He married Anne in a secret ceremony and then had his marriage annulled by his pet Archbishop of Canterbury. Next he had Parliament declare him head of the Church in and abolish Papal authority there, at which point the Pope excommunicated him.

To call this marriage "under good faith" and somehow valid under Catholic rules would be complete nonsense. The Pope might as well announce that Catherine never existed, or that Elizabeth was actually Catherine's child.

If Catherine had died first, it could be done. Maybe. But not otherwise.

Incidentally, the ceremony was not "similar" to a Catholic ceremony, it was a Catholic ceremony.

 

[Wendell]

That's what I was going for

It will be interesting to see what shape Protestantism takes in England in the long term under these circumstances.

 

[Kynan]

1576: In England, Queen Elizabeth is offended when King Phillip of Spain offered himself as husband number two. Shocked and appalled, the Queen sends him a message that effectively tells him that he should go marry a cow and roll in said cow’s dung; but in a diplomatic way.

After this she offered him her daughter Anne, provided he wait four years. Of course, she knew this wasn’t going to happen; she just wanted to seem polite. So when he declined, she instead vouched for Princess Catherine of Navarre, pushing the case of someone she actually liked.

Other than that bit of annoyance there were celebrations the birthdays of all the royal children, with the Queen wearing her customary black and green. One who was noticed by a young courtier was one Henry Stuart, the son of the popular Lord Darnley and heart-throb of the court. Tale and blonde, he looked the perfect man to the impressionable Princess Anne, who was merely ten years old but an early developer. This ‘love’ was noticed by her older brother Jasper, who challenged the boy to a duel and ended up scarring him across the face while also gaining a scar on his left arm. Queen Elizabeth was not amused by this and had both boys publically apologise and Princess Anne sent to the country for five months as punishment.

In Scotland, the heir apparent surprised Queen Mary with the announcement that she was pregnant. At fourteen and thirteen Prince Thomas and Princess Catherine seemed very young for children but what was done was done. So, the court waited until, in December Catherine brought a pretty, but small, baby girl into the world. Named Blanche after a favourite of Catherine’s, the girl was not thought to live long due to her size.

Not to be outdone by her daughter, the Queen Mary triumphantly announced a new pregnancy. It seemed to be going well until, in late July the Queen miscarried at 4 months. Obviously a boy, the child was again named, this time James, then buried in an unmarked grave. While the Queen seemed to bounce back, there was a cruel joke said to her that caused her much stress as her husband current mistress Barbara Keith was pregnant and had twin boys, who both seemed healthy and were named Mathew and William.

In France, the royal family happily played, well, family. With a semi-stable country the King had some time to spend with his family, particularly the highly intelligent 9-year-old Elisabeth, whom the proud Henry described:

“She is as intelligent as a King and twice as witty.”

The Princess was still, however, an ugly thing with thin blonde hair and watery blue eyes. But she was growing up better than thought, with her jaw impediment growing less obvious and her stepmother buying the Princess pretty wigs that she grew fond of.

In Navarre, the beloved Queen Joan III died in May. While most were sad that the strong Queen had died, one who was extremely happy was her son, who had wished to begin ruling for a long time. But the Queen did not just leave him with a kingdom; she left him with a sister in need of a husband. And Catherine begged him to try and finalise her marriage to King Phillip. So he tried to do just that.

Speaking of Phillip, he was growing fonder and fonder of Catherine de Bourbon’s portrait. At the suggestion of the Queen of England and a large circle of courtiers he broke off talks with Elisabeth of Austria and Maximiliana Maria of Bavaria, as their prospective dowries were barely half of what Catherine might bring. They were also all very good friends with Henry III of Navarre.

Other than Phillip’s marriage woes, there was the matter of Don Carlos. While he seemed very…enthusiastic about fulfilling his duties as a husband in the way of children he was not able, or willing, to take over any type of governmental power. And his mental state, which had seemed to level out after the birth of Claudia Marianna got worse after the death of friend of his, Manuel Arroyo y García, a servant that happened to be of similar age and good at making Don Carlos feel intelligent. Some even claimed that Carlos had had a sexual relationship with the man, but the Prince himself dealt with these rumours by taking a mistress by the name of Maria Lopez. This mistress became pregnant and died giving birth to a daughter named Manuela. While Claude de Valois was annoyed with her husband, she accepted the child and had her raised with Claudia Marianna for the time being. And she was happy that her husband returned to her after Maria Lopez’s death and became pregnant by December.

 

[Kynan]

The Children of Elizabeth I of England

1-Edward Aviz: Prince of Wales (b. 1557)

2-Henry Aviz: Duke of York (b.1559: d.1564)

3-Elizabeth Aviz: Princess Royale (b.1559)

4-Mary Aviz: Princess of England (b.1560)

5-Thomas Aviz: Duke of Somerset then Duke of York. (b.1562)

6-Jasper Aviz: Duke of Gloucester (b.1564)

7-Edmund Aviz: Duke of Buckingham (b.1564: d.1564)

8-Anne Aviz: Princess of England (b.1566)

9-Richard Aviz: Duke of Buckingham (b.1567: d.1567)

10-Margaret Aviz: Princess of England (b.1567: d.1570)

11-Arthur Avis: Duke of Somerset (b. 1569)

12-John Avis: Dukes of Suffolk (b.1569: d.1570)

13-Unnamed baby boy (b.1570: d.1570)

14-Unnamed baby girl (b.1571: d.1571)

15-Cecily Aviz: Princess of England (b.1573)



The Children of Edward: Prince of Wales

1-Henry: Prince of England (b.1572)

2-Lady Isabelle Aviz (b.1574) *illegitimate

3-Edward: Prince of England (b.1575)

4-Catherine: Princess of England (b.1575)



The Children of Mary I of Scotland

1-Catherine de Valois: Crown Princess of Scotland (b.1563)

2-Margaret Dudley: Princess of Scotland (b.1572)

3-John Dudley: Crown Prince of Scotland (b.1573: d.1573)

4- Matilda: Princess of Scotland (b.1575)



The Children of Catherine de Valois: Crown Princess of Scotland

1-Blanche Aviz: Princess of Scotland (b.1576)



The Children of Robert Dudley: King Consort of Scotland

1-Margaret Dudley: Princess of Scotland (b.1572)

2-John Dudley: Crown Prince of Scotland (b.1573: d.1573)

3-John Dudley: Crown Prince of Scotland (b.1573: d.1573)

4-Matilda: Princess of Scotland (b.1575)

5-Mathew Dudley (b.1576) *illegitimate

6-William Dudley (b.1576) *illegitimate



The Children of Henry III of Navarre

1-Antoine de Bourbon: Crown Prince of Navarre (b.1575)



The Children of Henry III of France

1-Elisabeth de Valois (b.1567)

2-Francis de Valois: Dauphin of France (b.1570)

3-Joan de Valois (b.1575)



The Children of Phillip II of Spain

1-Carlos: Prince of Asturias (b. 1545)

2-Phillip I of England (b.1559: d.1559)

3-Isabella: Princess of Spain (b.1568)

4-Juana: Princess of Spain (b.1571)



The Children of Carlos: Prince of Asturias

1-Phillip: Prince of Spain (b.1565)

2-Catherine Marie (also known as Catarina Maria): Princess of Spain (b.1568)

3-Henri: Prince of Spain (b.1570: d.1570)

4-Claudia Marianna: Princess of Spain (b.1573)

5-Manuela Lopez (b.1576) *illegitimate