The Auld Union - TL of a French-Scottish dual-monarchy

[SunZi]

The Auld Union
Timeline of a French-Scottish dual-monarchy

On 5 July 1560, Edinburgh signed a peace treaty. This treaty put an end to a civil war between the Catholic and Protestant Scots supported respectively by France and England. More than a civil peace, this agreement puts an end to one of the oldest alliances in Europe; the Auld Alliance (English: ''Old Alliance''; French: ''Vielle alliance'' ), which for 265 years bound France and Scotland against England. Paradoxically, this agreement puts an end to an aggrement which had been at its peak since 1558. Precisely since Mary Stuart, Queen of Scotland was the wife of the King of France, Francis II. Having to unite the crowns of the two countries, the couple nevertheless failed to produce an heir and 5 months after the conclusion of the treaty, the young king died on 5 December 1560, at the age of 16.

From this marriage, as from this reign, we have retained its brevity which nevertheless had enormous consequences, as much for France, Scotland, England as the rest of Europe. For after the death of Francis II, Mary experienced the drama of returning to a Scotland she did not know and that he rejected her, being finally deposed, imprisoned and later executed by her cousin, Elizabeth, Queen of England. In France, it is the rise of the brothers of Francis; Charles IX and Henry III, each of whom will come to an equally pathetic end in their own way in the midst of the torture of the wars of religion in France, marking the end of the reign of the Valois. However, Francis and Mary loved each other and had grown up together, if the doubt was carried on the consummation of the union and the capacity of the husband to be able to procreate, one could hope that a pregnancy occurs. And so they believed in the year 1560, when symptoms suggested she was incubating a pregnancy, but after several months she realized it was nothing.

What if Queen Mary had really become pregnant? What would be the fate of France and Scotland if a Valois-Stuart prince was born and reigned?

---

CHAPTERS:
1 - Son of the Lys and Thistle
2.1 - Regency: the days after
2.2 - Regency: the Estates of the Kingdom
2.3 - Regency: the Colloquy
2.4 - Regency: the First War
3.1 - Alba: after Edinburgh
3.2 - Alba: the Refuge
...​

 

[isabella]

Really interesting POD as that TOTALLY butterfly the role of Catherine de Medicis in the French politics, specially if Francis II still die early, as Mary would rule in France as regent for her son, while Scotland would continue to be ruled from Paris. Also the French wars of religion would be extremely altered by Mary as regent as she would rely a lot on her maternal relatives.

 

[SunZi]

Really interesting POD as that TOTALLY butterfly the role of Catherine de Medicis in the French politics, specially if Francis II still die early, as Mary would rule in France as regent for her son, while Scotland would continue to be ruled from Paris. Also the French wars of religion would be extremely altered by Mary as regent as she would rely a lot on her maternal relatives.

Thank you for the interest and for being always so clairvoyant.

 

[SunZi]

1 - Son of the Lys and Thistle​

Francis II, King of France and Mary, Queen of Scots​

---

On 12 September 1560, at the Château de Fontainebleau, Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots and France, gave birth to a child. Earlier in the year, the queen had shown promising signs of pregnancy and in May she was officially declared pregnant, prompting an intense promotional campaign by the authorities. The newborn is for the greatest happiness of the royal couple, a boy. Sixteen-year-old King Francis II is thrilled to be a father; this man with a pale complexion, physically frail and perpetually sickly, will be described by posterity as having an “exceptional vigor”, during this event.

On 19 October, the baptism of the boy takes place at the chapel of the Trinitarians where his father himself was baptized. It was during this ceremony that he received confirmation of his name; Francis James (fr: François Jacques; gla: Frances Seumas). His godparents are Francis de Lorraine, Duke of Guise and Philip II, King of Spain – the appointment of a noble from a minor ducal house alongside a powerful monarch underlines the importance of the Guises in France. Confirmed by the fact that the priest consecrating the child is Cardinal Charles de Lorraine, Archbishop of Reims, brother of Guise. The other important event of the ceremony is the confirmation, by Francis II and Mary, of the heirs titles granted to the prince; those of Dauphin of France and Duke of Rothesay.

After these two events, the child was handed over to his mother's nurses and brought up with great care at the Château de Blois surrounded by Scottish soldiers, the elite of the royal guard. He lived his early life there alongside his uncles and aunts, who were also children – Charles Maximilien, Duke of Orléans; Alexander Edward, Duke of Angoulême; Margaret and Hercule, aged 10, 9, 7 and 5 respectively.

The birth of the Dauphin had given the sign of the reinforcement of the authority of the Francis and of his person, but it was not. On 16 November, the king went hunting for Orléans and caught cold, complaining of headaches. This crisis heralds a serious deterioration in the sovereign's state of health, which the Guises seek to conceal, while the queen does everything to keep him alive. Suffering from otitis, the disease quickly affects Francis' brain, which shows fits of delirium. The king's surgeon, Ambroise Paré, suggests a trepanation in order to ease the pressure. A dispute breaks out between Mary and her mother-in-law, Catherine de' Medici on the direction of the care, leaving Francis in the agony. Finally the queen wins her case and authorizes the surgery, but the too late decision was fatal. On 5 December, while the operation was scheduled for the next day, Francis II died of a brain abscess.

---

Death of Francis II at Orléans​

 

[isabella]

Poor Francis… And right now I see Catherine and Mary’s relationship being worse than their OTL one as I doubt who Mary will ever forgive her for Francis’ death

 

[Sceonn]

RIP French cuisine!!!😭

 

[SunZi]

2.1 - Regency: the "days after"​

Francis III as a child​

---

"The king is dead, long live the king !" - Thus is proclaimed at the exit of the room of Francis II by the Duke of Guise, Grand Master of France, announcing the transfer of the throne from father to son. Aged 2 months and 23 days, Francis III becomes the new king of France - as well as the second youngest person to ascend the French throne, behind John I the Posthumous. Not being Orléans, a troop led by the Marquis of Elbeuf, brother of Guise, is sent to fetch the child-king while Mary, now a widow, mourns her husband. With the exception of the queen, no one had any illusions about the king's salvation, especially among senior officials. The days following the disappearance of Francis II, the royal council met to deliberate on the policy to be followed.

All the great names of French royalty are gathered at this council because the Estates General, which are eagerly awaited in the country, are to be held in Orléans. The most urgent and important question is the appointment of a regent. Two names are mentioned to ensure, that everyone fears to be, a long minority of the king: the Queen-Mother Mary Stuart and the First Prince of the Blood, Anthony of Bourbon. Although the first can legitimately claim custody of the child, the second by his rank, and in view of the situation, can claim the royal government - especially since the deceased king did not leave any instructions. Everyone can count on strong support; Mary to her maternal family, the House of Guise while Anthony to the high French nobility. But it is surprisingly a third actor who will decide the future direction of the kingdom; Queen Catherine de' Medici, Countess of Auvergne.

Set back under the reign of her eldest son, the Queen-Grandmother seems determined to raise the royal authority misguided under the Guises and threatened by the Grands. Through her opinions, particularly on religious matters, and as the mother of the heir and the Valois princes, Medici poses as a median figure.

Her first movement was to neutralize Bourbon - even before the death of Francis II, she had the royal guard deployed on Orléans on 2 December and reinforced the surveillance of Anthony's brother, Louis, Prince of Condé, who had been arrested on suspicion of led the Amboise conspiracy [1]. The same day, a meeting took place between Catherine and Anthony about taking over the regency. This with great surprise that the King of Navarre submitted to the party of the Queen-Countess. The disconcerting ease of this rallying is explained by the fragility of the forces of the Bourbons and above all by Anthony's lack of ambition.

The second movement is to compose with the Guises - the house of Lorraine has held power in France since 1559, Catherine at first had supported them but the failure of the repression of the Huguenots had convinced her of the sterility of such a policy. Having become unpopular with the French high nobility, who perceived them as foreigners, the Guises saw the rest of their legitimacy disappear at the same time as the breath of Francis II. Their ties of kinship with Francis III, is not enough for the Grands ones who openly question their monopolization of power. Thinking of being forced to give up their places, Francis and Charles of Lorraine are surprised to see Catherine as their main interlocutor but think they can take advantage of it.

On 6 December, the body of the king is exposed to the public at the Hôtel Groslot. At the same time, at the Cordeliers convent, the Countess, carrying the heir to the throne in her arms, receives the Crown Jewels and the oath of the Grands, recognizing his authority [2].

---

___

___

Queen Catherine de Medici, Countess of Auvergne / Francis of Lorraine, Duke of Guise / Anthony of Bourbon, King jure uxoris of Navarre

_____________

Michel de L'Hospital, Chancelor of France / Cardinal Charles of Lorraine, Archbishop of Reims​

---

The rest of December will see the confirmation of this new government arrangement. The Queen-Countess had the expansion of the Royal Council ratified by relying on the presence of the former advisers of Francis I and Henry II, as well as on their consultations. The important thing is to bring about a reconciliation of the nobles, the basis, for Catherine, of a well-ordered state, guarantor of internal peace and also to ensure the best support of the Grands in power. Thus, little by little a precarious and fragile balance was created between the different aristocratic houses.

Above all, Catherine seeks to obtain the confidence of the official holder of the direction of the kingdom; his daughter-in-law Mary Stuart. If for a few days, the question of sending the queen back to Scotland was raised, it was indeed the Countess of Auvergne who demanded that she be kept in France. Barely 18 years old, Mary had gone from heir wife to queen and mother to widow in at most 2 years, and was faced with responsibilities she had not been taught all of this mingled with the deep sorrow that she lives. For a week, the two queens did not leave each other and Catherine isolated her from the rest of the court - we do not know the exactness of the conversations but in view of the letters exchanged later between the two women, we can assume that the countess is based on the common tragic experience to get closer to the queen.

Mary Stuart takes her first step into politics by opening the Estates General on 13 December, convened by Francis II in August 1560. It's during this opening that the control of the Queen-Countess over the Queen is revealed; the two women appear side by side with the young Francis III and Michel de L'Hospital, Chancellor of France and faithful to Catherine, makes the inauguration speech. The Chancellor's harangue describes the policy thought by the Medici; conciliation of the nobles and fidelity of the people in the service of concord and of the king. The deputies of the three orders pretend to accept but after the first session each deliberates separately in order to constitute their demands.

On 15 December, the decision is made to extend the council to other princes - the Cardinal of Bourbon, the Duke of Montpensier and the Prince of La Roche-sur-Yon are appointed. On 17 December, the Prince of Condé was released - escaping the certain death promised to him by the Guises, this release was a gift to the nobility. But the deputies did not comply in return. It's the failure for Catherine of a peaceful conciliation who must now opt for a forced reconciliation.

Sure of the support of the council and the queen, Catherine pushes for the maintenance of the convocation of the Estates General but she postpones the harangue of the three orders to next month. On 21 December, a publication organizes the government, imposing the regency at all costs and then summons the heads of the orders, with the obligation to designate the opponents. Finally, she lands the queen in silence, which has the effect of creating dissension among the deputies who fear this muteness. On 31 December, loyalist deputies from the nobility demanded that the queen continue to govern and on 1 January 1561 the Estates officially recognized her authority. The regency of Mary Stuart can officially begin, and the ministry of Catherine de' Medici continue.

---

Mary Stuart in widow's dress​

---

---

---

Notes
[1] "The Amboise conspiracy, also called Tumult of Amboise, was a failed attempt, in March 1560, by a Huguenot faction in France to gain control over the young king Francis II and to reverse the policies of the current administration of Francis, Duke of Guise and Charles, Cardinal of Lorraine through their arrest, and potentially execution...". Link to the wikipedia page: The Amboise conspiracy

[2] I want to emphasize the uselessness of the mentions of places, but it adds to the realism of my story and it makes discover the places of Orleans, largely unknown.

 

[twovultures]

Fascinating topic! I look forward to seeing what the union will look like for Scotland.

 

[SunZi]

Fascinating topic! I look forward to seeing what the union will look like for Scotland.

Thanks for the interest. The articles on Scotland will be produced after the first war of Religion in France.

 

[ImperialxWarlord]

Very interesting! Going to be interesting to see where this goes!

 

[PGSBHurricane]

Very interesting topic. How different will the colonization of the New World be as a result?

 

[FalconHonour]

This is fascinating! Watched!

 

[SunZi]

Very interesting topic. How different will the colonization of the New World be as a result?

Thanks for the interest. For colonization I did not specifically look into it. You are the author of La Caroline; so you have an idea of the context of French colonization in the second part of the 16th century. I don't really know if it will experience a substantial change with Scotland "linked" to France, but it's something to think about. So for now, I'm going to stick with an OTL-like process.

 

[Sceonn]

I take it back, the Medici are there so French cuisine is fine.

 

[SunZi]

2.2 - Regency: the Estates of the Kingdom​

France in the middle of the 16th century​

---

The Estates General of 1560-1561, are the first assemblies gathered in France for more than 76 years - the last were convened in 1484 under the reign of Charles VIII. In 4 decades the kingdom has undergone enormous changes, and the reign of Francis II has brought them to light but it is above all rendered incapable of mastering them. Beginning with the treaty of Cateau-Cambrésis which marks the relegation of France on the international level and the beginning of the Spanish hegemony in Europe. The finances of the kingdoms are at their worst; the deficit is huge, the revenue meager, the administration unpaid and the tax system completely disrupted by the reforms made by the Guises. The religious divide is widening; the Reform progresses despite the policies of repression, and particularly affects the nobility who seeks to put an end to the persecution by all means. Finally, the political leadership is enormously weakened; in barely 1 year, three succeeded each other, going from a strong figure that was Henry II, to a weak figure that was Francis II, to end with an absent figure that was Francis III at the beginning of his reign and of his life. The imposition of the regency around Mary Stuart thus ends up accentuating these divisions.

After the month of waiting imposed by Catherine de' Medici, the Estates General can finally do their work. Having presented their grievances to the council and the regent, the Estates seek to remedy the problems of kingdoms by advising various radical reforms.

On finances, the Third Estate, composed of secretly reformed deputies, formulates the proposal to lower the charges made to the nobility, in particular that of foreigners, and to levy income on the confiscation of certain property of the clergy. The Nobility defends itself, and calls for the reduction of taxes but joins the Tiers, on the levy of the Cclergy. This last order refuses any levy, proposing instead a loan from the Church to the crown at low interest.

The most important subject is the religious question. Third Estate and nobility agreed on the proclamation of religious tolerance and the meeting of a theological council - while the third demanded the grace of the conspirators of Amboise, the Nobility called for a free choice of faith based on Declaratio Ferdinandei of the Peace of Augsburg [1]. Above all, the vices of the clergy were commonly denounced and calls were made for the election of prelates by representatives of the orders. Of course, the Clergy was resistant to any demands, only defending their privileges and calling for the simple extermination of heresy.

The work of the Estates in Orleans was inconclusive for the Royal Council, in particular for Catherine de' Medici who still observed opposition to the regency of Mary Stuart. On 31 January, the Estates General are closed and reconvened for March in Pontoise.

---

Sessions of the Estates General of Orléans
​

---

The election of the new deputies raises many concerns at the court, even before the meeting of the Estates. The Protestants sought to obtain a strong representation, to defend their existence and to obtain new rights - instructions were even drawn up by the reformed chiefs before the sellections were held. The Royal Council decided to postpone the Estates opening for several months and even to reduce the number of deputies to the strict minimum, based on the 13 existing generalities designating 3 representatives - contrary to the classic representation based on the hundreds of senauchées and bailiwicks .

The opening is made on 1 August, in an electric atmosphere. Throughout the process of constitution of States, the court has tried to avoid the formulation of too radical requests and to avoid the clashes of the assembly of Orleans. Queen Mary expects complete submission from the assembly and seeks only subsidies from it. However, during the preparation of the requests, the deputies of the Third Estate of Ile-de-France had expressed their opposition; they demanded the prohibition of clerics from sitting on the council, the transfer of the regency to the King of Navarre, the expulsion of Mary Stuart from France and that Francis III be educated by the Admiral de Coligny and the Count of La Rochefoucault, two nobles close to the Reformation ideas. In exchange, the kingdom's debts would be greatly reduced.

These requests are ignored and dismissed from the rest of the assembly. Again, the Third Estate proposes to relieve the finances by puncturing the goods of the Clergy and the Church; lands, profits, offices and balances would be taken by the Crown and if that was not enough, their sales could bring enough to fill the coffers. The strongest reaction came from the Constable of France, Anne de Montmorency, a very Catholic great nobleman, who threatened to hang the speakers for their insults. The Clergy then proposed counter-solutions which would avoid having to levy on the goods of the order; a large donation of several tens of millions of pounds is presented but unsatisfactory for the crown, after several negotiations, an annual annuity of one million was agreed.

After this agreement, the Estates showed themselves more docile to the queen and on 27 August the closing of the assembly was done. An ordinance containing the conclusions of the work was drafted by Chancellor de L'Hospital, and presented to the Parliament of Paris. The institution refused to register the document, denouncing the authoritarianism of the request as well as the procedural flaws which lead to the sanction of the document. The Chancellor had to come back to the charge in November to obtain, by dint of threats of punishment and accusations of usurpation of legislative power, the registration of the document.

The conclusions of the two Estates General of Orleans and Pontoise, are quite dull for the kingdom. The assembly was to provide solutions to the country's problems and support the action of the crown, but the opposite was true. The proposals of the orders often face each other, demanding from the orders the necessary effort that they are reluctant to make. The royal authority, but especially the regency, is hardly recognized and is disputed. For the first time, the Protestants formulates claims of political orders to the crown, while the defenders of Catholicism are radicalized to the concessions made.

At the end of the year 1561, France was on the brink of explosion but an assembly gathered in the refectory of a priory would seek to give a definitive solution to the divisions.

---

Engraving of the Royal Castle of Pontoise​

---

---

---

Notes
[1] The declaration allowed nobles of the Holy Roman Empire to freely practice a religion different from their overlords. Link to the wikipedia page: Declaratio Ferdinandei

 

[ordinarylittleme]

Oooh, I'm a little more interested in how Elizabeth deals...I mean, she's NOT going to allow her cousin's son aka THE FRENCH KING to inherit. That's going to be a repeat of the 100 years war.

 

[SunZi]

Oooh, I'm a little more interested in how Elizabeth deals...I mean, she's NOT going to allow her cousin's son aka THE FRENCH KING to inherit. That's going to be a repeat of the 100 years war.

There is still a certain margin of time before Elisabeth's succession poses a real problem and is dealt with in my articles. But indeed, François de Valois is a dynast to the English crown. In any case, thank you for the interest expressed.

 

[Tudorfan]

Remember, when Elizabeth died, legally, the Scottish line should have been skipped as Henry VIII's 1543 act of succession was never repealed and thus, legally, they had no claim.
That could be used to keep Mary - and Francis III - off the English throne if the English so desire it.

 

[Avrorrange]

Remember, when Elizabeth died, legally, the Scottish line should have been skipped as Henry VIII's 1543 act of succession was never repealed and thus, legally, they had no claim.
That could be used to keep Mary - and Francis III - off the English throne if the English so desire it.

Problem is do they have the means of preventing the French from just taking it?From Catholic pov,Henry VIII’s throne was forfeit the moment he rebelled against the pope, England’s nominal liege lord wince John I pledged allegiance.Elizabeth herself was a bastard.With Scotland on the side, the French have a convenient landing site.

 

[Tudorfan]

Problem is do they have the means of preventing the French from just taking it?From Catholic pov,Henry VIII’s throne was forfeit the moment he rebelled against the pope, England’s nominal liege lord wince John I pledged allegiance.Elizabeth herself was a bastard.With Scotland on the side, the French have a convenient landing site.

Uh, no. In the eyes of Catholics, Henry was excommunicated, but he was still legally King. He inherited it legitimately from his father. It's his marriages that are the problem.