WI: Eustace of Boulonge becomes King of Jereusalem

Tempered Zen

Tempered Zen

OTL, he was offered the crown after his younger brother died in 1118 and made it to Apulia until he got word that his kinsman, Baldwin of Edessa, was crowned King.

So what if Eustace was crowned? He would live on until 1125, when OTL his lands were inherited by his daughter, Matilda, wife of Stephen of Blois. Would Matilda and Stephen inherit Jereusalem? Would William Adelin still die in this scenario? Who would inherit Boulogne?

Comment your thoughts below.
 
Tempered Zen

Tempered Zen

GauchoBadger said:
Honestly, events in the English Channel may be too distant from those in the Levant to be affected in such a short time.
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That would be true, except for the fact that Stephen of Blois would be in Jereusalem during the time of the accident in this timeline, instead of England. That POD alone, along with two years of butterflies running around, could have caused them to embark later than OTL, so the one in a million accident of hitting some rocks off the coast would be slim to none.
 
GauchoBadger

GauchoBadger

Alexander Helios said:
That POD alone, along with two years of butterflies running around, could have caused them to embark later than OTL, so the one in a million accident of hitting some rocks off the coast would be slim to none.
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I do think that's true, but even then, we could consider any sort of PoD before 1120 as sufficient to butterfly away the shipwreck.
 
The Professor

The Professor

It's unlikely Stephen would even be married to Matilda if she comes with a claim to Jerusalem. Their marriage was arranged in 1125 by Henry I of England as part of his shoring up of alliances in the wake of William Adelin's death to counter any claim by William Clito.
If Eustace does become king then Boulogne probably goes to his nearest male relative.
His daughter is possibly married to Fulk of Anjou became king OTL by marrying Baldwin's daughter on request as his second wife. Eustace might make the same calculation.
 
Tempered Zen

Tempered Zen

The Professor said:
It's unlikely Stephen would even be married to Matilda if she comes with a claim to Jerusalem. Their marriage was arranged in 1125 by Henry I of England as part of his shoring up of alliances in the wake of William Adelin's death to counter any claim by William Clito.
If Eustace does become king then Boulogne probably goes to his nearest male relative.
His daughter is possibly married to Fulk of Anjou became king OTL by marrying Baldwin's daughter on request as his second wife. Eustace might make the same calculation.
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Though we can't rule out Stephen as a possibility. Baldwin II, who was pro-Capet, wanted a pro-Capet noble with wealthy lands to wed his daughter as her consort. Eustace, who was pro-Norman, would want a pro-Norman noble with wealthy lands to wed his daughter as her consort. Stephen of Blois, a nephew of Henry I and his lands in Kent and Blois, would fit the bill perfectly.
 
The Professor

The Professor

Alexander Helios said:
Though we can't rule out Stephen as a possibility. Baldwin II, who was pro-Capet, wanted a pro-Capet noble with wealthy lands to wed his daughter as her consort. Eustace, who was pro-Norman, would want a pro-Norman noble with wealthy lands to wed his daughter as her consort. Stephen of Blois, a nephew of Henry I and his lands in Kent and Blois, would fit the bill perfectly.
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Stephen only became wealthy on marrying Matilda with her lands in Kent and Boulogne though Henry certainly gifted him as much as possible: Honours of Eye, Lancaster, and County of Mortain.
Henry wants a local ally not a distant one so it's unlikely he'll arrange it himself.
 
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