And lots of them!
1) Lady Mary (b. 10 Nov 1421)
2) Lady Blanche (b. 31 Aug 1423)
3) Lady Catherine (b. 8 Sept 1424)
4) Lady Isabelle (b. 20 Oct 1425, posthumously)
So, the POD for this WI is that Henry V consummates his marriage with Catherine of Valois slightly earlier than OTL, resulting in the birth of a daughter instead of a son, who is named Mary after Henry's mother. Still enamored with his new wife, Henry decides to take Catherine on campaign with him when he returns to France in June 1421 after his brother the Duke of Clarence is killed.
By chance, he avoids catching the dysentery that killed him OTL, and is present in France when his father-in-law King Charles VI dies in October 1422. In accordance with the Treaty of Troyes, Henry is duly crowned King Henry II of France at Reims in a rushed ceremony and spends the winter of 1422 with his wife in France, resulting in the birth of another daughter nine months later (named Blanche after the King's sister and grandmother). Still, the English grip on France is still relatively weak and the royal coffers eventually run dry, so Henry is forced to return to England, where his third daughter is born.
Henry is in the middle of planning yet another French campaign in May 1425 when he suddenly drops dead, leaving his wife four months pregnant. Accusations of poison are leveled, but no one is formally charged, and so Henry's younger brother John duke of Bedford assumes the regency during Catherine's pregnancy as England waits to see whether the child is a boy or a girl. That October, Catherine gives birth to Henry V's posthumous daughter, who she names Isabelle in honour of her mother.
1) Who becomes the next King of England and France? Will it be John duke of Bedford (as King John II) or Lady Mary? The Lancastrians appear to have preferred male-only succession, but I can't remember if the entailment devised by Henry IV (which settled the crown on the descendants of his sons) was male-only or not. Is the succession smooth or contested?
2) If John duke of Bedford prevails, how does John II deal with the situation in France? With no petit roi godon, does England stand a better chance of retaining some of the continental possessions? Despite being happily married to Anne of Burgundy, John is childless; does he seek an annulment so he can begin siring heirs? How does his childlessness affect the marriages he arranges for his four nieces?
3) If Mary prevails, does John duke of Bedford handle the regency the same way he handled Henry VI's OTL one? Or do the optics of a female ruler (even in name only) affect how he handles things? Who is Queen Mary betrothed to? Her sisters?
Any mistakes are mine, and please don't hesitate to point them out!
1) Lady Mary (b. 10 Nov 1421)
2) Lady Blanche (b. 31 Aug 1423)
3) Lady Catherine (b. 8 Sept 1424)
4) Lady Isabelle (b. 20 Oct 1425, posthumously)
So, the POD for this WI is that Henry V consummates his marriage with Catherine of Valois slightly earlier than OTL, resulting in the birth of a daughter instead of a son, who is named Mary after Henry's mother. Still enamored with his new wife, Henry decides to take Catherine on campaign with him when he returns to France in June 1421 after his brother the Duke of Clarence is killed.
By chance, he avoids catching the dysentery that killed him OTL, and is present in France when his father-in-law King Charles VI dies in October 1422. In accordance with the Treaty of Troyes, Henry is duly crowned King Henry II of France at Reims in a rushed ceremony and spends the winter of 1422 with his wife in France, resulting in the birth of another daughter nine months later (named Blanche after the King's sister and grandmother). Still, the English grip on France is still relatively weak and the royal coffers eventually run dry, so Henry is forced to return to England, where his third daughter is born.
Henry is in the middle of planning yet another French campaign in May 1425 when he suddenly drops dead, leaving his wife four months pregnant. Accusations of poison are leveled, but no one is formally charged, and so Henry's younger brother John duke of Bedford assumes the regency during Catherine's pregnancy as England waits to see whether the child is a boy or a girl. That October, Catherine gives birth to Henry V's posthumous daughter, who she names Isabelle in honour of her mother.
1) Who becomes the next King of England and France? Will it be John duke of Bedford (as King John II) or Lady Mary? The Lancastrians appear to have preferred male-only succession, but I can't remember if the entailment devised by Henry IV (which settled the crown on the descendants of his sons) was male-only or not. Is the succession smooth or contested?
2) If John duke of Bedford prevails, how does John II deal with the situation in France? With no petit roi godon, does England stand a better chance of retaining some of the continental possessions? Despite being happily married to Anne of Burgundy, John is childless; does he seek an annulment so he can begin siring heirs? How does his childlessness affect the marriages he arranges for his four nieces?
3) If Mary prevails, does John duke of Bedford handle the regency the same way he handled Henry VI's OTL one? Or do the optics of a female ruler (even in name only) affect how he handles things? Who is Queen Mary betrothed to? Her sisters?
Any mistakes are mine, and please don't hesitate to point them out!
