Viceroy of Valencia Johann Hohenzollern from Franconian line of House of Hohenzollern, second husband of Germaine de Foix, step-grandmother of Emperor Charles V died childless in 1525 aged 32. What if Johann lives longer (say he outlives Germaine and dies in 1545) and have surviving sons with Germaine (say they have 3 sons-Juan, Carlos, Federico. Born in 1521, 1523, 1527)? So Johann would remain Viceroy untill his death, but what about his sons? Would they just merge with Spanish higher aristocracy? Initially it would not have significant impact on history, but assuming, that descendants of Johann's older brothers would be extinct in male line like IOTL (last of them, Georg Friedrich of Ansbach died in 1598) these Valencian Hohenzollerns would inherit Franconia, and later-Ducal Prussia, as closest male-line relatives of Duke Albrecht Friedrich.
Valencian Hohenzollerns
- Thread starter Jan Olbracht
- Start date
Well, they'd be Catholic, when the rest of the family (except the Swabian branch) is going Lutheran. Could make for interesting times if things run as OTL and a Catholic Spaniard winds up inheriting either Prussia or Ansbach etc.
One problem though: if they marry amongst the Spanish nobility, these marriages might not be regarded as equal (non-morganatic) by German standards.
It also means that the duke of Calabria might marry someone else and be able to pop out a few kids (rather than marrying a menopausal grandma).
One problem though: if they marry amongst the Spanish nobility, these marriages might not be regarded as equal (non-morganatic) by German standards.
It also means that the duke of Calabria might marry someone else and be able to pop out a few kids (rather than marrying a menopausal grandma).
Sons of Johann would propably intermarry with Valencian nobility (Johann's brother Georg married Croatian noblewoman, so that would not be something unusual), unfortunately 16th century Valencian nobility is not my field. In 1545 (the year of TTL Johann's death) Charles V would still be alive, so perhaps he would made Johann's son next Viceroy? In Spanish Empire viceroys succeeded by their sons were not something unusual too. Career as commander of Spanish troops also seems likely for Johann's sons.
So maybe Johann's oldest son (Juan de Franconia?) would marry daughter of this guy:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfonso_de_Aragón,_Duque_de_Segorbe
Much younger than him, but say, that as young man Juan was too busy to marry, fighting for Spain in Italian Wars. Third generation of Valencian Hohenzollerns would be born during 1560s.
And about unequall marriage-Hohenzollerns IOTL intermarried with Croatian (Frankopan) and Lithuanian (Radziwiłł) noble families, so that marriage would not be any worse. Add the fact, that these Spanish Hohenzollerns fought for Habsburg case, they would not be denied their Franconian homeland.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfonso_de_Aragón,_Duque_de_Segorbe
Much younger than him, but say, that as young man Juan was too busy to marry, fighting for Spain in Italian Wars. Third generation of Valencian Hohenzollerns would be born during 1560s.
And about unequall marriage-Hohenzollerns IOTL intermarried with Croatian (Frankopan) and Lithuanian (Radziwiłł) noble families, so that marriage would not be any worse. Add the fact, that these Spanish Hohenzollerns fought for Habsburg case, they would not be denied their Franconian homeland.
Weird idea came to my mind...
Johann, Viceroy of Valencia is more lucky ITTL, so to counterbalance it I'd make his Brandenburgian cousin Johann Georg, son of Joachim II, less lucky-he will die childless in 1545, Just before his first marriage. His younger half-brother Sigismund (1538-1566) became heir to Brandenburg, he married Sophia of Ansbach (b. 1535) niece of Viceroy Johann. Unfortunately all children from that marriage died in infancy, so after death of Elector Joachim II Brandenburg is inherited by Georg Friedrich from Franconian branch (1539-1603), who, like IOTL, dies childless. So now the only Hohenzollerns left are:
-Albrecht Friedrich, menthally ill Lutheran Duke of Prussia.
-very distant Catholic cousins from Swabian branch
-Spanish Catholic descendants of Johann and Germaine.
Johann, Viceroy of Valencia is more lucky ITTL, so to counterbalance it I'd make his Brandenburgian cousin Johann Georg, son of Joachim II, less lucky-he will die childless in 1545, Just before his first marriage. His younger half-brother Sigismund (1538-1566) became heir to Brandenburg, he married Sophia of Ansbach (b. 1535) niece of Viceroy Johann. Unfortunately all children from that marriage died in infancy, so after death of Elector Joachim II Brandenburg is inherited by Georg Friedrich from Franconian branch (1539-1603), who, like IOTL, dies childless. So now the only Hohenzollerns left are:
-Albrecht Friedrich, menthally ill Lutheran Duke of Prussia.
-very distant Catholic cousins from Swabian branch
-Spanish Catholic descendants of Johann and Germaine.
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Say that Juan de Franconia (1521-1592), oldest son of Johann and Germaine, would marry Juana de Aragón (b. 1542), daughter of Duke of Segorbe, they will have two sons, Juan, born 1563, and Alfonso (he would continue line of Dukes of Segorbe after his brother would inherit Brandenburg and Franconia), born 1567.
After death of Juana's brother in 1572, Hohenzollerns would inherit title of the Duke of Segorbe.
Juan would marry around 1585 with Serafina Bragança, sister of Duke Teodosio. This Spanish-Portuguese Catholic couple after death of Georg Friedrich in 1603 would be Elector and Electress of Brandenburg.
After death of Juana's brother in 1572, Hohenzollerns would inherit title of the Duke of Segorbe.
Juan would marry around 1585 with Serafina Bragança, sister of Duke Teodosio. This Spanish-Portuguese Catholic couple after death of Georg Friedrich in 1603 would be Elector and Electress of Brandenburg.
The inheritance problem wouldn't be a thing during Karl V/Ferdinand I's reign. It'd be during Maximilian II/Felipe II's reign. Felipe has little to no power in the empire - and his sister, the empress, can beg, plead and protest with her husband and later sons (assuming it goes as OTL) that these Spanish Hohenzollerns be allowed to inherit, the emperor doesn't have to listen. The last time the electors of Brandenburg went extinct (with the Askaniers), the emperor (a Wittelsbach) confiscated the place despite there being another line (the later dukes of Saxe-Wittenbergs) to inherit. Same when the Askaniers died out in Saxony. The Saxe-Lauenburgs were passed over in favour of the Wettins.
Ergo, while these Spaniards might inherit the Franconian territories (and even, perhaps, Prussia), it's no guarantee that they would get the electorate.
But's lets work with this idea: Georg Friedrich inherits the electorate in 1571. He only married his first wife in 1579 OTL. Here, he could marry differently and beget kids. But, assuming that he or his wife are still barren, that means that by the 1590s things are going to start looking serious (is the Cleves inheritance crisis still happening on schedule? Cause then it could have interesting repercussions - especially if one of the half-Habsburg daughters of Wilhelm der Reiche of Cleves marries a son of Juan de Franconia). The Franconian/Prussian inheritance is fine, those were finalized in 1598 OTL. It's the electorate that's the problem. Brandenburg's been Protestant for a few decades by this point. When Joachim Friedrich tried to enforce a conversion to Calvinism, he came up against opposition. I have a feeling, the Brandenburger/imperial estates, are going to be even less cooperative with a margrave who is a) a foreigner (who's probably pretty chummy with archCatholic King Felipe of Spain) and b) a Catholic. If these Franconians are anything like Karl V's kids, their Catholicism is going to be of an unbending kind (in Felipe II's case it was more pragmatic than dogmatic - Protestantism overseas was alright (if it suited his purposes - like Elizabeth of England), just not in his realm (like the 80YW in the Netherlands). Felipe III & IV were more, Protestantism bad, Spain smash (whether Spain had the finances was another matter entirely. But they didn't care); his sisters were more inflexible. Maria of Spain's comment when she returned to Spain that "she was glad to be returning to a country with no heretics" and Juana's purported being the only woman Jesuit ever, demonstrating the more unyielding side..)
If Juan is the same type of Catholic as Sigismund Vasa he could manage situation (personally devout, but pragmatic enough to recognize Lutheranism as dominant faith in Sweden, Sigismund being mad zealot controlled by Jesuits is a myth).
Makes sense. But how would the other secular electors feel about this? 100 years later the emperor was obliged to create a new Protestant electorate when the Elector Palatine became Catholic (although he didn't repeat this stunt when the elector of Saxony converted). How would the electors view this Catholic Spaniard in their midst? Or does Juan/Johann simply send a younger son to be regent in Berlin/Franconia while he remains in Spain's service (a la Alessandro Farnese)?
Georg Friedrich would be aware during his last years, that he is going to die childless, perhaps he will call his cousin from Spain (son of Juan and Serafina, also named Juan) to indroduce him in rulling, and would try to use opportunity to change his religious views?
Inheriting Brandenburg could cause problems, but Franconia should be easy-say, that Georg Friedrich dies in childhood and Albrecht Acibiades is still troublemaker like IOTL. So at the time, when Albrecht is placed under Imperial ban Charles V is still Holy Roman Emperor, so he could give Franconian Margravites to his loyal supporter Juan de Franconia, his brothers Carlos and Federico would stay in Spain and continue Valencian line.
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To what end? The Hohenzollern viceroy of Valencia is pro-Habsburg, so he would have little to gain by allying with the French, unless there are butterflies that are flapping that I've forgotten about. Not to mention they're cadets of a senior line in Germany, simply living in Spain. François could get the same bang for his buck by marrying his niece to the Comte de Nevers, resident in France, instead of his cousin, the duke of Cleves - difference being that Nevers actually has lands in France.