Skallagrim
Banned
Every country and every era has its typical potential for shameless wanking. England, prior to the modern era, has quite a lot of potential. There were several instances where the untimely death of one person ened up putting another (typically less suited) person on the throne. And quite regularly, the OTL sequence of events could easily have been avoided. My question to you is: which of these pre-modern England-wanks is your favourite? Feel free to elaborate!
(If you have another favourite Anglo-wank scenario that can be achieved by a simple POD after William's conquest in 1066 and before Henry VIII starts fucking everything up, then go right ahead and choose 'other'-- and most certainly feel free to elaborate, in that case...)
The stand-out PODs that I have identified are as follows:
1. The White Ship doesn't sink, 1120. As a result, William Adelin survives. The Anarchy is averted, and the House of Normandy lives on.
2. Richard the Lionheart stays out of the crossbows' range, 1199. He lives at least a decade longer, and is succeeded as king by Arthur, the son of his late elder brother Geoffrey. (As was the intent in OTL.) King John's reign is averted, and he doesn't get to piss almost the whole Angevin Empire away. To be sure, Philip Augustus is still going to be a major challenger to Angevin power on the continent— but a longer-lived Richard, succeeded by literally anyone other than John, will have a better chance to hang onto (some of) the Empire.
3. Edward of Angoulême doesn't die of illness at age five, 1370. As a result, the health of his father—Edward, the Black Prince—doesn't collapse utterly. The Black Prince's health still deteriorates over time. He lives on until 1390 or so, dying c. 60 years old (having ruled as Edward IV from 1377 onward). Edward of Angoulême then succeeds him as Edward V, aged 25 and secure in his position. Presumably, he won't have the same problems as his brother Richard (OTL Richard II). The Plantagenet Empire is bolstered, and the Wars of the Roses get averted.
4. Henry V doesn't fall ill, 1422. He inherits the French throne, lives for several more decades, and stabilises Lancastrian rule. When Henry VI finally succeeds to the throne, his father has already destroyed or side-lined the enemies that defeated him in OTL. Henry VI inherits a Plantagenet Empire that has become a complete Anglo-French Union.
5. Richard III wins at Bosworth Field, 1485. Henry Tudor dies. This ends the Wars of the Roses with a definitive Yorkist victory. Soon thereafter, Richard marries Joanna of Portugal, further solidifying his ties to that country through the marriage of Elizabeth of York to the future King Manuel I of Portugal.
6. Arthur Tudor doesn't die of illness at the age of fifteen, 1502. Seven years later, he succeeds his father as King Arthur of England. This keeps Henry VIII off the throne. Presumably, Arthur and Catherine can produce an heir. England stays Catholic, there is no highly destructive dissolution of the Monasteries, and the alliance between England and Spain is solid (allowing for a stronger check on any French ambitions).
And yes, before you ask, number five is partially (...largely...) there because I'm a shameless Ricardian and I genuinely believe Richard III was a better King than Henry VII. (Also: Yorkists rule, Lancastrians drool.)
(If you have another favourite Anglo-wank scenario that can be achieved by a simple POD after William's conquest in 1066 and before Henry VIII starts fucking everything up, then go right ahead and choose 'other'-- and most certainly feel free to elaborate, in that case...)
The stand-out PODs that I have identified are as follows:
1. The White Ship doesn't sink, 1120. As a result, William Adelin survives. The Anarchy is averted, and the House of Normandy lives on.
2. Richard the Lionheart stays out of the crossbows' range, 1199. He lives at least a decade longer, and is succeeded as king by Arthur, the son of his late elder brother Geoffrey. (As was the intent in OTL.) King John's reign is averted, and he doesn't get to piss almost the whole Angevin Empire away. To be sure, Philip Augustus is still going to be a major challenger to Angevin power on the continent— but a longer-lived Richard, succeeded by literally anyone other than John, will have a better chance to hang onto (some of) the Empire.
3. Edward of Angoulême doesn't die of illness at age five, 1370. As a result, the health of his father—Edward, the Black Prince—doesn't collapse utterly. The Black Prince's health still deteriorates over time. He lives on until 1390 or so, dying c. 60 years old (having ruled as Edward IV from 1377 onward). Edward of Angoulême then succeeds him as Edward V, aged 25 and secure in his position. Presumably, he won't have the same problems as his brother Richard (OTL Richard II). The Plantagenet Empire is bolstered, and the Wars of the Roses get averted.
4. Henry V doesn't fall ill, 1422. He inherits the French throne, lives for several more decades, and stabilises Lancastrian rule. When Henry VI finally succeeds to the throne, his father has already destroyed or side-lined the enemies that defeated him in OTL. Henry VI inherits a Plantagenet Empire that has become a complete Anglo-French Union.
5. Richard III wins at Bosworth Field, 1485. Henry Tudor dies. This ends the Wars of the Roses with a definitive Yorkist victory. Soon thereafter, Richard marries Joanna of Portugal, further solidifying his ties to that country through the marriage of Elizabeth of York to the future King Manuel I of Portugal.
6. Arthur Tudor doesn't die of illness at the age of fifteen, 1502. Seven years later, he succeeds his father as King Arthur of England. This keeps Henry VIII off the throne. Presumably, Arthur and Catherine can produce an heir. England stays Catholic, there is no highly destructive dissolution of the Monasteries, and the alliance between England and Spain is solid (allowing for a stronger check on any French ambitions).
And yes, before you ask, number five is partially (...largely...) there because I'm a shameless Ricardian and I genuinely believe Richard III was a better King than Henry VII. (Also: Yorkists rule, Lancastrians drool.)
(More modern Anglo- or Britwanks are relatively easy and more often seen. Meanwhile, I'm specifically interested in England-as-we-understand-that-term, which in my mind came into being with William's conquest. A Cnut-wank or an Anglo-Saxon wank etc. are of course great fun, but not really what I was aiming for here.)
