Felix Austria: A More successful Hapsburg timeline

[johnreiter]

This is a timeline where events of the late 16th and early 17th century go even better for the Hapsburgs

1554
Mary I of England does actually get pregnant, and gives birth to a healthy son, named John

1570
the Holy League does not immediately disband, and goes on to save Cyprus from the Ottoman invasion next year

1573
the Duke of Alba wins the Siege of Alkmaar, and goes on the successfully crush the Dutch revolt

1580
The Iberian Union still happens

1587
Emperor Rudolf II decides to throw his support behind his brother, Maximilian III, in his attempt to become King of Poland. Maximilian defeats Sigismund and becomes King of Poland, founding the line of Polish Hapsburgs

1592
Giulio Antonio Santori is elected pope

1594
Henry of Navarre refuses to become Catholic, and Isabella Clara Eugenia (daughter of Philip II of Spain) becomes Queen of France. She marries a suitable French nobleman (I'm not sure who, I'm open to suggestions)

1605
Poland decisively defeats Russia, seizes large amounts of territory, and successfully places the False Dmitry I on the throne as their puppet Tsar

1618-1648
With the support of England, France, and Poland, the Hapsburgs win the Thirty Years War, and force concessions from all the protestant powers

After this, what would happen? How would the world be different?

All the Hapsburg cousins have their own goals, which I assume they would follow after the war. The Polish Hapsburgs would be focused on holding down their Russian puppet and gradually converting them to Catholicism. In particular, they would forbid any Russian expansion eastward, as this would make the Russians too powerful. The Austrian Hapsburgs will be tightening their grip on the Holy Roman Empire, while concentrating on their ultimate goal of driving the Ottomans out of the Balkans. In the short term, they will probably launch another attempt to conquer Transylvania and restore it to Hungary. The Spanish Hapsburgs would be fully supportive of their Austrian cousins, since they want to see the Ottomans driven from the Mediterranean. Maybe they would get together at some point to launch a new Crusade? The English Hapsburgs will be very occupied with their long-time struggle to conquer Ireland. The Spanish, Portuguese, and probably (now that they are fellow Catholics and close relatives) the French and the British will all be busy expanding their colonies and converting the heathens (and bringing all that wonderful wealth back home to the mother country, of course).

 

[Evil Crusader]

By 1618, it's quite possible the Thirty Years' War does not start at all.
I would work through the changes piecemeal, rather than go in spite of a nail; when you do, the picture will show itself naturally.

 

[BoleynBuff]

I assume Mary I still dies her OTL death date? If not, Elisabeth of Valois probably marries Don Carlos and Isabella Clara Eugenia is butterflied. Well, I suppose she could still exist just as Carlos’ daughter, though if Elisabeth had a son, every major kingdom in Europe would be ruled by a Habsburg.

 

[Lalli]

At least you should stop Habsburgs (speciality Spanish ones) being so notoriously inbred. Perhaps Spain could defeat Dutch or another option is some new branch of Habsburgs which follow more tolerant religion policy. And of course at some point Austrian Habsburgs could unite Germany and Tuscan branch could unite Italy.

Perhaps there could be way get Habsburgs to French throne but not really sure how it could happen. Bourbons at least should go completely extinct.

 

[Kellan Sullivan]

This is a timeline where events of the late 16th and early 17th century go even better for the Hapsburgs

1554
Mary I of England does actually get pregnant, and gives birth to a healthy son, named John

1570
the Holy League does not immediately disband, and goes on to save Cyprus from the Ottoman invasion next year

1573
the Duke of Alba wins the Siege of Alkmaar, and goes on the successfully crush the Dutch revolt

1580
The Iberian Union still happens

this last one opens the question of D. Carlos. He would've had a better claim than his dad and so would've likely become king of Portugal instead of his dad. If he marries Élisabeth de Valois instead of his dad, then that means a whole different line of "less" inbred Spanish Habsburgs. Since if you give Mary, Queen of Scots a daughter by François II then John II and Marie Catherine of France and Scotland will be a perfect pairing. Just need to keep Mary, QoS from remarrying or having a son.

John II would thus be king of England and duke of Burgundy, while his wife is Queen of Scots. Their kids would likely marry to their half-cousins (kids of D. Carlos and Élisabeth de Valois/Anna of Austria) and bring enough new genetic material into the family to mitigate them being cousins

1587
Emperor Rudolf II decides to throw his support behind his brother, Maximilian III, in his attempt to become King of Poland. Maximilian defeats Sigismund and becomes King of Poland, founding the line of Polish Hapsburgs

think there was a plan OTL that Maxi would marry Anna Wasa, so it would ensure new blood again

1592
Giulio Antonio Santori is elected pope

Not sure what this changes

1594
Henry of Navarre refuses to become Catholic, and Isabella Clara Eugenia (daughter of Philip II of Spain) becomes Queen of France. She marries a suitable French nobleman (I'm not sure who, I'm open to suggestions)

This is assuming that Felipe II remarries to Élisabeth de Valois with a surviving (healthy) second son. Otherwise John II's son by Marie Catherine of France and Scotland is a likelier option. Especially if a son were to marry the daughter of Charles IX to tie up loose ends.

1605
Poland decisively defeats Russia, seizes large amounts of territory, and successfully places the False Dmitry I on the throne as their puppet Tsar

Poland attacking Russia when it did relied on Boris Godunov dying as suddenly as he did OTL. IIRC his death was due to kidney problems, but not guaranteed to be when it was OTL. He could've lasted a few months longer. And Dmitri's forces were already dispersing when news of Boris' death rallied them. Given that Boris had a plan to marry first his niece (Feodosia Feodorovna) then his daughter (Xenia Borisovna) to Archduke Leopold V of Austria OTL (he turned back when he heard of Boris' death), the Habsburgs could "easily" acquire the Russian throne if they wanted to.

By 1618, it's quite possible the Thirty Years' War does not start at all.
I would work through the changes piecemeal, rather than go in spite of a nail; when you do, the picture will show itself naturally.

the causes of the 30YW had been bubbling since the Peace of Augsburg, and it was a mess of overlapping flashpoints (the Pomeranian inheritance, the Julich-Kleve-Berg succession, the Prussian inheritance*, Austria's Bruderzwist, the Ottomans on the offensive again, Denmark and Sweden gearing up etc etc) that aren't going to magically disappear. And that's not even listing the "internal" problems of the Counter-Reformation that the Habsburgs themselves will have to deal with: the Huguenots in France, the Protestants in Austria, Bohemia, the Netherlands and Britain, aren't just going to be magically waved aside

*OTL Zygmunt III granted this to Brandenburg because he needed allies against Sweden, Maxi would- theoretically- have no reason for Zygmunt to go to war against him (or certainly wouldn't need to grant it to an ally in Brandenburg)