Gloriana and Hercules — A TL of Elizabeth and Francis' wedding

[SunZi]

Introduction:​

Gloriana and Hercules — A TL of Elizabeth and Francis' wedding​

I grieve and dare not show my discontent;
I love, and yet am forced to seem to hate;
I do, yet dare not say I ever meant;
I seem stark mute, but inwardly do prate.
I am, and not; I freeze and yet am burned,
Since from myself another self I turned.

My care is like my shadow in the sun --
Follows me flying, flies when I pursue it,
Stands, and lies by me, doth what I have done;
His too familiar care doth make me rue it.
No means I find to rid him from my breast,
Till by the end of things it be suppressed.

Some gentler passion slide into my mind,
For I am soft and made of melting snow;
Or be more cruel, Love, and so be kind.
Let me or float or sink, be high or low;
Or let me live with some more sweet content,
Or die, and so forget what love e'er meant.
​

On Monsieur's Departure​

This poem was written by Elizabeth I, Queen of England and Ireland, around the middle of the 1580s. These verses depict the sufferings and sentimental misfortunes that the queen experienced during the departure of Monsieur François (Francis) of Anjou , brother of King Henry III of France. These sufferings and these misfortunes follow on from the failure of the marriage between François and Elizabeth. Under negotiation since 1574, an engagement agreement was finally concluded in December 1580 and in April 1581, a French embassy was received in London to officially ask for the hand of the queen. However, negotiations around an alliance treaty inherent in marriage greatly slowed down the matrimonial union, and after a final twist where Elizabeth slipped a ring on Duke Francis' finger and declared to her ladies-in-waiting: "I have a husband, you people provide yourself if you want. " The queen quickly changed her mind under pressure from her entourage and Francis left England for the last time in November 1581.

However, more than ever, the Virgin Queen was close to being married. She who was throughout her life the bride of many suitors and who used this matrimonial question as a weapon of internal and external politics. When the marriage agreement was signed, nothing seemed to oppose it, but strangely the embassy was slow to be called by the queen. The wait was so long that it exasperated the Duke Francis who left England for France in order to consolidate a peace, between the Huguenots and the king, signed a few months earlier. The reason for this wait is perhaps to be sought from one of Elizabeth's courtiers and advisers; Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester. The English nobleman was a staunch opponent of marriage, leading opposition to the project within the court and state council, even threatening to exile himself if the project was continued. Talking with the queen, he manages to convince her to postpone the arrival of the embassy and thus to gradually abandon the marriage project.

Suppose, however, that Dudley mentioned his threats of exile? If they only appear in his correspondence with William Cecil, a proponent of marriage, he could very well bring them up in his discussion with the Queen. Dudley was not as powerful as before and too abrupt action could tip him into disgrace. Thus, if Dudley argues with the queen and he puts his threats of exile to execution. And that by surprise, the end effect is to push Elizabeth into Francis's arms? What direction would the history of England, France, Europe and the world have taken in this second part of the 16th century?

Elizabeth, Queen of England and Ireland and Francis, Duke of Anjou and Alençon​

 

[Deleted member 147978]

This is interesting.

Liked and Watched with great interest.

 

[SunZi]

This is interesting.

Liked and Watched with great interest.

Thank you very much.

 

[SunZi]

Chapter I: The union of the Queen and the Frog​

In mid-December 1580, the terms of the marriage were signed between Elisabeth and the French diplomat Jean de Simier. The latter, present in England since January 1579, had succeeded in less than a year where six years of negotiations had failed. De Simier a contemporary had said: "He was a refined courtier who had an exquisite knowledge of the gaiety of love and of the attractions of the court." And by this knowledge he seduced the queen, for the benefit of the Duke of Anjou but especially of her master the King of France.Conversing at length with her, influencing the very behavior of the English court for a more French style, this intimacy had become suspect for some advisers to see unbearable for Robert Dudley, who had seen in this gallant diplomat a formidable rival. The Earl of Leicester then organized attacks on Simier; once a soldier in the Queen's Guard attempted to assassinate the diplomat, but he defended himself and escaped the ambush. another time, in one of those boat trips which he took with Elisabeth on the Thames, a pistol shot from a skiff passing rapidly near that of the queen, wounded one of the oarsmen.

This had the effect of bringing Simier closer to the queen. In counterattack, the French diplomat dared what no one at court had dared; he told the Queen that Leicester was secretly married to Lettice Knollys, the widow of Essex. At this unexpected revelation, she entered into one of the angers of a lioness, she rolled on the ground; she curses all who approach her, she refuses to eat, she has Leicester locked up in one of the forts at Greenwich; without Sussex's careful intervention, she would have sent him to the Tower. Thus, the boulevard was open to the duke who came to England and successfully seduced the queen. Leicester at the foot of the wall asked for a final interview with Elizabeth. The content of this interview was never clearly known, but its consequences have remained famous. The night of 16-17 December 1580, Leicester embarked from London to arrive in Flushing on the 18th to join his friend William of Nassau, Prince of Orange. Over the next few days, Earl's property was confiscated and sequestered, and Lettice Knollys was locked in the tower. Leicester's disgrace is as complete as it is surprising. De Simier in a report to the diplomat Michel de Castelnau writes: "The name of Leicester is proscribed at the court, those who dare to say it in front of the queen run into serious trouble" and in this same report he indicates: "The prince and the queen are inseparable, they sleep in adjoining rooms every night. "

Thus, the opposition to the union between Francis and Elisabeth had just lost its leader and almost all the credits. In the Council of State, in addition to William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley, it is necessary to count as a supporter of marriage, Thomas Radclyffe, 3rd Earl of Sussex and after days of debate, Francis Walsingham, until then opposed, ended up taking sides for the project. At Christmas 1580, the queen in front of the court made the gesture which definitively confirmed the union. The Queen was walking, the Duke by her side, in one of the long galleries of Greenwich Castle, when Castelnau asked to be presented. Going to meet him with quite French politeness: "Monsieur the ambassador," she said to him, "write to the king your master that the duke will be my husband." And taking a ring from her finger, she passed it to that of the duke; then, turning to her bridesmaids, wondered: "I have a husband," she said, "you provide yourself if you want."

Queen Elizabeth puts a ring on Duke Francis' finger
​

At the end of December, the queen summons a French embassy so that they can make the official marriage proposal. At this news Leicester tried by all means to recontact the Queen and return with good grace to her, but de Simier inflamed Elizabeth's resentment towards her former favorites. Leaving Dudley's demands dead. The embassy left on 10 January 1581 from Calais, it included both statesmen and great lords; at their head the Duke of Montpensier, the Count of Soissons and Marshal de Cossé. After a long series of feasts, during which Elisabeth strove to rival the magnificence of the French court, the articles of the contract were discussed, and the agreement having been easily established, the wedding day was set at six weeks. after their ratification. If the desire for a prior treaty of alliance between France and England was mentioned in the negotiations, it was finally set aside so as not to disrupt the proper conduct of trade. On 12 January, the Duke of Montpensier signed the marriage treaty with Walsingham.

After six weeks, as agreed, the date of the wedding arrived; 21 February 1581. As the ceremony approached, those involved expected resistance. The feelings of the English people and in particular of London were the most awaited and watched by the government of Elizabeth, already during the negotiations the churches resounded with hostile allusions; malicious pamphlets circulated from hand to hand. Most violent of all was the work of a Lincoln law professor named John Stubbes. The title alone was an insult: "the Gouffre which must engulf England by means of the marriage of France." The Duke of Anjou was despised there, France insulted. If the author and his accomplices were executed, the hatred of France in part of the population increased. The Puritan movement has been at the head of the opposition since the disgrace of Robert Dudley, their leader in court, for them marriage was too big a concession in the face of the "popery" they are fighting. The difficulties also arose from the Holy See. The pope of the time; Gregory XIII, was a declared opponent to Queen Elizabeth and to the marriage of a Catholic prince brother of the king of France said "Most Christian" and "eldest daughter of the Church" with "the Queen of heretics" could not but arouse his indignation Henry III and Catherine de Medici suspected it in advance, and had previously endeavored to soften the papal inclinations against marriage, by sending embassies and by arguing that the union would be beneficial for English Catholics. If the Pope renounces his threats of excommunication against Francis of Anjou, he decides not to recognize the validity of the marriage until after the reestablishment of Catholicism in England. Faced with this, Elisabeth and Francis remain united, the queen uses her full power at the head of the Anglican Church to avoid the slightest lack of discipline in the clergy. The Duke protested in the face of papal stubbornness, recalling that his sister Marguerite was married to the Protestant King Henry of Navarre and that the papal exemption was obtained without great difficulty.

On the wedding day, Francis and Elisabeth were married in Westminster by the Bishop of London, John Aylmer. The Sermont written by William Cecil greeted the groom and placed the ceremony under the sign of religious harmony and loyalty to the Queen. François decides to participate in the Anglican office inside the abbey, this concession is well received and the organized parties, of which he finances part, aim to make it more sympathetic in the eyes of the population. The testimonies of the various chamberlains let think that the consummation of the marriage went well, the “young” married people suffered from apparent bodily marks; the nose struck by the traces of smallpox for Francis and the body for Elisabeth, but that would not have bothered them at all. Thus the court was struck by the gaiety of the queen in the weeks which followed the union and the extreme complicity of the two spouses. To avoid repeating the case of the marriage of Mary Tudor with Philip II of Spain, a law was adopted by the parliament "Act for the Marriage of Queen Elizabeth to Francis of France", which made provisions even more binding on the groom but granting Francis the rank of Prince Consort of England. The Duke of Anjou is doing very well, the mere fact of being married to The Queen was for him an immense prestigious feat, he will be confirmed on 20 April, by being crowned at Westminster. This ceremony was a revenge for the Queen, for the coronation was the first done in Anglican rites; that of Elizabeth was done in Catholic rites in 1559.

Dance ball celebrating the marriage of Elisabeth and Francis​

 

[RedKing]

Very interesting so far!

 

[SunZi]

Very interesting so far!

Thank you

 

[SunZi]

If you have any questions or suggestions, I'm listening.

 

[The_Most_Happy]

This is such a cool idea! Subscribed!

 

[Viking25]

Don't think they are going to be any children as Elisabeth is already past menopause. Still a very interesting idea though!

 

[Deleted member 147978]

@SunZi

Oi, could you cover the ramifications of Elizabeth and Francis's wedding as the marriage changed the English Succession ITTL?

 

[SunZi]

Don't think they are going to be any children as Elisabeth is already past menopause. Still a very interesting idea though!

This a high probability but given that Elizabeth's "pregnancy" capacities are unknown, I decided to take advantage of it and give her an only child, and what is more, a male child. You can obviously imagine all the issues that this will raise.

 

[Viking25]

This a high probability but given that Elizabeth's "pregnancy" capacities are unknown, I decided to take advantage of it and give her an only child, and what is more, a male child. You can obviously imagine all the issues that this will raise.

Alright what's his name? Henry I am assuming or maybe Edward though I assume Mary Queen of Scots will not be happy at all with this turn of events

 

[SunZi]

@SunZi

Oi, could you cover the ramifications of Elizabeth and Francis's wedding as the marriage changed the English Succession ITTL?

I take it into account

 

[SunZi]

Alright what's his name? Henry I am assuming or maybe Edward though I assume Mary Queen of Scots will not be happy at all with this turn of events

I lean between the classic name Henry or the more particular one Francis, even if the young Prince of Wales could bear the name of Francis Henry or Henry Francis. And indeed it will affect Mary Stuart, even if, I reveal it to you, she will know the same fate as in OTL.

 

[Viking25]

I lean between the classic name Henry or the more particular one Francis, even if the young Prince of Wales could bear the name of Francis Henry or Henry Francis.

Personally I would use Francis as a middle name though as Henrys more English and It might calm fears that he'll grow up a puppet of his father and his French relatives.

 

[Jonathan1997]

@SunZi

Oi, could you cover the ramifications of Elizabeth and Francis's wedding as the marriage changed the English Succession ITTL?

I believe Elizabeth my have one or two children if it's just a girl Elizabeth II , Margaret or Mary II than that child will not become king of France. There would a danger of a future grandson of Elizabeth wanting to claim the Franch throne.

If it's a son let's call him Robert III of France and Robert I of England his existence could destroy the balance of power in Europe. It would set the Hasburgs and Tudor/Valos dynasty at war. But with that stated the Valos and Bourbon dynast was fight the Hasburgs 3 centuries.

 

[Viking25]

I believe Elizabeth my have one or two children if it's just a girl Elizabeth II , Margaret or Mary II than that child will not become king of France. There would a danger of a future grandson of Elizabeth wanting to claim the Franch throne.

If it's a son let's call him Robert III of France and Robert I of England his existence could destroy the balance of power in Europe. It would set the Hasburgs and Tudor/Valos dynasty at war. But with that stated the Valos and Bourbon dynast was fight the Hasburgs 3 centuries.

The Authors already said that its only one child and its a boy who's named either Francis or Henry

 

[SunZi]

Personally I would use Francis as a middle name though as Henrys more English and It might calm fears that he'll grow up a puppet of his father and his French relatives.

You are absolutely right, even if the name of Francis will have a more positive meaning in this universe. I am still thinking about the names, you will have the final answer in the next chapters.

 

[FouDuRoy]

I always found very weird the project of marriage between Francis and Elizabeth.
Elizabeth was a Protestant, at a time when the kings of France had to deal with Protestant rebels since decades. Marrying Elizabeth to a man in line for the French throne would've been an enormous problem.
What if they had a son and this son inherited the throne of France?
Would this son be Catholic or Protestant?
Him being Catholic means succession crisis in England. Him being Protestant means succession crisis in France.
Of course, Elizabeth was much older than Francis and unlikely to produce a child. But this is precisely another problem: a marriage with her would probably prevent Francis to perpetuate the Valois lineage.
In both cases (having a son or not having one), that leads to trouble. This marriage was the worst thing to do.
I fail to see how Francis saw the future. Did he assume his brother Henry would have a son to secure the French succession?
It would've been quite stupid as Henry notoriously had trouble to produce a surviving child (his wife miscarried soon after their marriage and never got pregnant again).

Of course, it does not mean your timeline is unlikely. Actually, it is pretty likely as this marriage actually was intended in OTL (though I fail to understand why).
Reading your chapter, I already see the troubles coming, with the pope refusing to recognize the marriage.

This a high probability but given that Elizabeth's "pregnancy" capacities are unknown, I decided to take advantage of it and give her an only child, and what is more, a male child. You can obviously imagine all the issues that this will raise.

I am curious how things will turn out.

 

[The_Most_Happy]

Henry was the name of both of their fathers, so I can see them using that name