A Hohenzollern Poland and Empire
In 1424, Europe was seeing a surprising amount of change. In the west, King Henry V of England had perished before he could become King of France, as was laid out for him in the Treaty of Troyes in 1420. Instead, he was succeeded by his 10 month old son Henry VI with his uncle John, Duke of Bedford becoming regent before taking over affairs in France as his other uncle, Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester taking over english affairs as regent while France saw King Charles VI ‘the Mad’ be succeeded by his youngest son Charles VII, who, along with Joan of Arc, was able to rally the French people against the English and secure several key victories in the Hundred Years War by the 1430s, when Henry reached adulthood. At the same time, in Iberia, the Reconquista of the Iberian Peninsula from the Moors was becoming a clearer and clearer image of the success that was initially hoped for by the rulers of Navarre, Castille, Leon, Aragon, and Portugal that began it in the 8th Century, though christian infighting at times were leading the Kingdoms to be unable on taking Granada and ending the Moorish presence from the Peninsula.
In the center of Europe rested the mighty Holy Roman Empire, under the rule Emperor Sigismund, had underseen the brutal Hussite Wars that was the first hint of a potential reformation of the church that would come in later centuries, though the Hussites were put down after 15 years of fighting. In the East of Europe, the turkish Ottoman Empire slowly began to absorb more European land for themselves while Russia saw various Princes and Dukes, the largest and most powerful being the Grand Duke of Muscovy, pitted in various conflicts to free themselves from the rule of the Tartars and Mongols. Finally, in Poland and the Baltic Sea, the Polish King, Władysław II, sought allies in his wars with the Teutonic Order as he brought Lithuania to kneel to his reign, being declared its grand duke.
Poland shall be the focus of this part of the story, for here is where history matters most. In 1424, King Władysław had no male heirs to the throne, His first marriage with Queen Consort Jadwiga I had ended with the birth of Princess Elizabeth Bonifacia, both of whom dying several days later. So, in a second attempt, three years later, Anne of Cilli, who gave birth to his second daughter Hedwig Jagiellon, survived infancy. However, the problem was Anne had failed to produce a male heir to the Jagiellon dynasty by the time of her death in 1416 and, as the King was approaching old age, his time was running short. So, in a mad dash, the King married Elisabeth of Pilica, though she died just three years into their marriage without producing any children. Finally, the King married his final wife, Sophia of Halshany, with the hopes that she would finally produce the male heir the dynasty had been waiting for. Instead, tragedy struck for the final time as on the 31st of October, 1424, both the newly born Prince Władysław and Queen Consort Sophia died due to complications from childbirth. [1] As news reached the King, he became despondent and was silent for a time before admitting that perhaps God had willed for Hedwig to be his heir and so, he would respect God’s wishes and not try for any more children.
The young princess, 16 at the time of her step-mother’s death, was already betrothed to one of the most unsuspecting of choices. Despite the Polish having a mighty realm and wielding some influence in Eastern Europe, Hedwig wasn’t planned to marry a member of the much larger dynasties in Europe, but instead was given the son of the Margrave and Elector of Brandenburg, Frederick I, Frederick. In order to secure an alliance between the two powers that would assist each other in their conflicts with Pommerania and the Teutonic Order. The heir to Brandenburg was to marry Hedwig when he reached the age of 14 in 1427 before living in Poland to become accustomed to the language and the customs of the polish people. Ever since October of 1424, Frederick had been allowed to live in Krakow to be with his Fiance.
Despite mounting pressure from all sides to annul the agreement, Frederick and Władysław ensured it took place and even got support from Grand Duke Vytautas of Lithuania who wanted the succession of his realm to be as peaceful and calm as possible. In Early March of 1428, several months after Frederick reached the age of 14, he indeed married Hedwig in a public wedding that united the royal families of Hohenzollern with Jagiellon and forever linked Poland and Brandenburg’s destinies together. The two were quite inseparable and, in fact, unlike most other relationships of the time, the two truly did love each other and listened to one another when seeking advice. [2] Despite being young, the two were deemed a powerful and dangerous combination and became even more so when Vytautas signed a will on June 3rd, 1429 recognizing Frederick as heir to the Grand Duchy while King Władysław recognized him as heir to the throne of Poland, with his father declaring that Frederick would indeed inherit the electorate of Brandenburg upon his death.
This meant that, by age 16, Frederick and Hedwig, age 21, had the claims of three realms in their hands. This became further consolidated on April 11th, 1430, when the young princess was found pregnant with Frederick’s child, ensuring that Frederick’s claims were even more consolidated. The only real threat to his power was the Polish King’s brother Svitrigaila who wanted the Lithuanian throne and Frederick’s own younger brother Albert Achilles, the future Prince of Ansbach, though the latter made it clear he supported his brother when it came to Brandenburger succession. When the Lithuanian Grand Duke passed away in October of 1430, Svitrigaila made his move with the support of the Teutonic Order and several Rus princes despite Vytatus’ will. As Frederick fought for his first birthright alongside his father-in-law, this brought his own father into the mix and allowed for the capture of Neumark from Teutonic hands and, by 1434, Lithuania was under the control of Frederick while his nearly three year old son John von Hohenzollern, would be recognized as Lithuanian and Polish heir upon Frederick’s ascension to the Polish throne in June of 1434 after the death of King Władysław. In Polish, during his coronation, the newly declared King Fryderyk I of Poland announced “A new era has approached us, my friends! One of glory and prosperity that shall be rivaled by none and envied by all!”, a speech that would seem prophetic when looking back on it from the future.
Under his leadership, peace ruled over Poland-Lithuania as he strengthened the power of the monarch in Poland bit by bit, experience that would help him mightily in his later years, while at the same time he assisted his father in the conflict with Pomerania. In 1437, Frederick I willingly gave up the government of Brandenburg to his son while maintaining the status of Elector of Brandenburg after settling peace terms with Pommerania that ensured the end to the conflicts with cessation of Uckermark to Brandenburger hands. While Frederick himself showed little interest in Imperial politics, instead focusing on the idea of centralization, his father was much more focused on the wider picture of things. Frederick I, a veteran of the Hussite Wars, had some imperial ambitions and had seen the position of Emperor as the best possible place for his dynasty to end up. And, of course, with his son as King of Poland, this would give the electors a reason to vote in favor of him. In the 1438 election, however, only Frederick voted for his son, who himself was against being a candidate for Emperor. Instead, Albert, King of Bohemia, was elected. However, he died several months later and this time, Frederick made sure to rally support around his son and Queen Hedwig convinced him to actually go for it. With as much interest as he could muster, the emperor met with several electors and made agreements with them. When the Electors convened, the totals were : Frederick I of Brandenburg, Frederick II of Saxony, James of Sierk, and Dietrich Schenk von Erbach for King Frederick of Poland, while Louis IV Elector Palatine and Dietrich II of Moers voted for Frederick of Austria while Bohemia abstained due to its elector having not yet been born.
Some months after becoming Holy Roman Emperor by a 4-2 vote, Frederick would inherit the lands of his father and his brother Albert Achilles promised that Prince Jan (John), the eldest son of Frederick and heir to Poland, would become Prince of Ansbach upon his death. Thus, this would begin Hohenzollern dominance over Europe and the Empire and while this would begin the long Habsburg-Hohenzollern feud of the 15th and 16th centuries, it’d also signify the start of the uniting of the Holy Roman Empire into one viable nation state under one monarch and various nobles subservient to the Emperor.
Frederick I/II/III, Grand Duke of Lithuania (1432-?), King of Poland (1434-?) Holy Roman Emperor (1440-?), Elector of Brandenburg (1440-?)
[1] - POD right here. This didn’t happen otl and likely led to Hedwig’s potential poisoning.
[2] - At least, from Frederick’s perspective, this was true. I have no clue on Hedwig’s point of view.
Alright, first timeline here. I typed this all in one go and my back and hands are killing me for typing this. If any of you would be interested in helping me correct certain things, please PM me and I’d be glad to have help me in worldbuilding for this TL. Thank you.
In the center of Europe rested the mighty Holy Roman Empire, under the rule Emperor Sigismund, had underseen the brutal Hussite Wars that was the first hint of a potential reformation of the church that would come in later centuries, though the Hussites were put down after 15 years of fighting. In the East of Europe, the turkish Ottoman Empire slowly began to absorb more European land for themselves while Russia saw various Princes and Dukes, the largest and most powerful being the Grand Duke of Muscovy, pitted in various conflicts to free themselves from the rule of the Tartars and Mongols. Finally, in Poland and the Baltic Sea, the Polish King, Władysław II, sought allies in his wars with the Teutonic Order as he brought Lithuania to kneel to his reign, being declared its grand duke.
Poland shall be the focus of this part of the story, for here is where history matters most. In 1424, King Władysław had no male heirs to the throne, His first marriage with Queen Consort Jadwiga I had ended with the birth of Princess Elizabeth Bonifacia, both of whom dying several days later. So, in a second attempt, three years later, Anne of Cilli, who gave birth to his second daughter Hedwig Jagiellon, survived infancy. However, the problem was Anne had failed to produce a male heir to the Jagiellon dynasty by the time of her death in 1416 and, as the King was approaching old age, his time was running short. So, in a mad dash, the King married Elisabeth of Pilica, though she died just three years into their marriage without producing any children. Finally, the King married his final wife, Sophia of Halshany, with the hopes that she would finally produce the male heir the dynasty had been waiting for. Instead, tragedy struck for the final time as on the 31st of October, 1424, both the newly born Prince Władysław and Queen Consort Sophia died due to complications from childbirth. [1] As news reached the King, he became despondent and was silent for a time before admitting that perhaps God had willed for Hedwig to be his heir and so, he would respect God’s wishes and not try for any more children.
The young princess, 16 at the time of her step-mother’s death, was already betrothed to one of the most unsuspecting of choices. Despite the Polish having a mighty realm and wielding some influence in Eastern Europe, Hedwig wasn’t planned to marry a member of the much larger dynasties in Europe, but instead was given the son of the Margrave and Elector of Brandenburg, Frederick I, Frederick. In order to secure an alliance between the two powers that would assist each other in their conflicts with Pommerania and the Teutonic Order. The heir to Brandenburg was to marry Hedwig when he reached the age of 14 in 1427 before living in Poland to become accustomed to the language and the customs of the polish people. Ever since October of 1424, Frederick had been allowed to live in Krakow to be with his Fiance.
Despite mounting pressure from all sides to annul the agreement, Frederick and Władysław ensured it took place and even got support from Grand Duke Vytautas of Lithuania who wanted the succession of his realm to be as peaceful and calm as possible. In Early March of 1428, several months after Frederick reached the age of 14, he indeed married Hedwig in a public wedding that united the royal families of Hohenzollern with Jagiellon and forever linked Poland and Brandenburg’s destinies together. The two were quite inseparable and, in fact, unlike most other relationships of the time, the two truly did love each other and listened to one another when seeking advice. [2] Despite being young, the two were deemed a powerful and dangerous combination and became even more so when Vytautas signed a will on June 3rd, 1429 recognizing Frederick as heir to the Grand Duchy while King Władysław recognized him as heir to the throne of Poland, with his father declaring that Frederick would indeed inherit the electorate of Brandenburg upon his death.
This meant that, by age 16, Frederick and Hedwig, age 21, had the claims of three realms in their hands. This became further consolidated on April 11th, 1430, when the young princess was found pregnant with Frederick’s child, ensuring that Frederick’s claims were even more consolidated. The only real threat to his power was the Polish King’s brother Svitrigaila who wanted the Lithuanian throne and Frederick’s own younger brother Albert Achilles, the future Prince of Ansbach, though the latter made it clear he supported his brother when it came to Brandenburger succession. When the Lithuanian Grand Duke passed away in October of 1430, Svitrigaila made his move with the support of the Teutonic Order and several Rus princes despite Vytatus’ will. As Frederick fought for his first birthright alongside his father-in-law, this brought his own father into the mix and allowed for the capture of Neumark from Teutonic hands and, by 1434, Lithuania was under the control of Frederick while his nearly three year old son John von Hohenzollern, would be recognized as Lithuanian and Polish heir upon Frederick’s ascension to the Polish throne in June of 1434 after the death of King Władysław. In Polish, during his coronation, the newly declared King Fryderyk I of Poland announced “A new era has approached us, my friends! One of glory and prosperity that shall be rivaled by none and envied by all!”, a speech that would seem prophetic when looking back on it from the future.
Under his leadership, peace ruled over Poland-Lithuania as he strengthened the power of the monarch in Poland bit by bit, experience that would help him mightily in his later years, while at the same time he assisted his father in the conflict with Pomerania. In 1437, Frederick I willingly gave up the government of Brandenburg to his son while maintaining the status of Elector of Brandenburg after settling peace terms with Pommerania that ensured the end to the conflicts with cessation of Uckermark to Brandenburger hands. While Frederick himself showed little interest in Imperial politics, instead focusing on the idea of centralization, his father was much more focused on the wider picture of things. Frederick I, a veteran of the Hussite Wars, had some imperial ambitions and had seen the position of Emperor as the best possible place for his dynasty to end up. And, of course, with his son as King of Poland, this would give the electors a reason to vote in favor of him. In the 1438 election, however, only Frederick voted for his son, who himself was against being a candidate for Emperor. Instead, Albert, King of Bohemia, was elected. However, he died several months later and this time, Frederick made sure to rally support around his son and Queen Hedwig convinced him to actually go for it. With as much interest as he could muster, the emperor met with several electors and made agreements with them. When the Electors convened, the totals were : Frederick I of Brandenburg, Frederick II of Saxony, James of Sierk, and Dietrich Schenk von Erbach for King Frederick of Poland, while Louis IV Elector Palatine and Dietrich II of Moers voted for Frederick of Austria while Bohemia abstained due to its elector having not yet been born.
Some months after becoming Holy Roman Emperor by a 4-2 vote, Frederick would inherit the lands of his father and his brother Albert Achilles promised that Prince Jan (John), the eldest son of Frederick and heir to Poland, would become Prince of Ansbach upon his death. Thus, this would begin Hohenzollern dominance over Europe and the Empire and while this would begin the long Habsburg-Hohenzollern feud of the 15th and 16th centuries, it’d also signify the start of the uniting of the Holy Roman Empire into one viable nation state under one monarch and various nobles subservient to the Emperor.
Frederick I/II/III, Grand Duke of Lithuania (1432-?), King of Poland (1434-?) Holy Roman Emperor (1440-?), Elector of Brandenburg (1440-?)
[1] - POD right here. This didn’t happen otl and likely led to Hedwig’s potential poisoning.
[2] - At least, from Frederick’s perspective, this was true. I have no clue on Hedwig’s point of view.
Alright, first timeline here. I typed this all in one go and my back and hands are killing me for typing this. If any of you would be interested in helping me correct certain things, please PM me and I’d be glad to have help me in worldbuilding for this TL. Thank you.