The Habsburg Queen of the Spanish Empire

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The Miraculous Heiress
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    • ordinarylittleme

    ordinarylittleme

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    The pregnancy of Queen Marie Louise of Spain surprised herself most of all: she knew she was not a virgin, but she had thought she would die without ever having had any children. She had quietly bore the criticism of the childless state of her marriage, even when she wanted to scream that it was more likely to be her husband's fault than hers. She had done all the fertility treatments, prayed until her voice faded, and viewed the children of her ladies-in-waiting with such envy, growing more and more homesick with every passing day...

    And yet God in his infinite goodwill and wisdom had finally granted her a child. She would not question what took Him so long, but only cherish this experience and pray that she carried this precious child to term. She gave up on the sweetened drinks that she so adored, and exercised as often as she was allowed to. She was going to be a mother, she was going to save the Spanish empire and prevent the vultures of Europe from falling upon the lands her husband ruled and breaking it apart like ravenous beasts...

    When she gave birth to a girl, she was allowed to name her. And so she did: Maria Magdalena, she who followed Christ as a follower, a myrrhbearer, and was one of His most celebrated disciples. Yes, her little daughter was going to one day rule, and she was going to be glorious.
     
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    • SavoyTruffle

    SavoyTruffle

    Thankfully, Spain is one of the few countries in Europe at the time where women could sit on the throne in their own right, alongside England and Sweden. But of course that's not gonna stop the vultures circling around.
     

    Janprimus

    darthfanta said:
    Now who is the lucky man to take her as wife?
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    Francis Stephen (François Étienne/Franz Stefan) of Lorraine was actually a good compromise candidate for Maria Theresia of Austria, since he combined the right pedigree with not being a major political disbalance. Can Spain find a similar candidate, which more or less has the same combination of the right pedigree for a Royal consort without dsiturbing the political balance too much.
    Savoy may already be too big, but maybe there's another dynasty in Italy, which can fit this bill?
     
    Avrorrange

    Avrorrange

    Janprimus said:
    Francis Stephen (François Étienne/Franz Stefan) of Lorraine was actually a good compromise candidate for Maria Theresia of Austria, since he combined the right pedigree with not being a major political disbalance. Can Spain find a similar candidate, which more or less has the same combination of the right pedigree for a Royal consort without dsiturbing the political balance too much.
    Savoy may already be too big, but maybe there's another dynasty in Italy, which can fit this bill?
    Click to expand...
    What about the otl Habsburg claimant(AKA Maria Theresa’s father)? Fits with the tradition of Habsburg incest.
     

    Janprimus

    darthfanta said:
    What about the otl Habsburg claimant(AKA Maria Theresa’s father)? Fits with the tradition of Habsburg incest.
    Click to expand...
    Depends on the court faction, another close relative, a Bourbon younger prince could then also be considered. This tradition, probably inherited from the Iberian side of the family, was hugely strengthened by the Reformation (and a few extinctions of Catholic dynasties), which robbed them of a larger pool of candidates from sufficient rank.
     

    Gonzaga

    darthfanta said:
    What about the otl Habsburg claimant(AKA Maria Theresa’s father)? Fits with the tradition of Habsburg incest.
    Click to expand...
    Considering the Habsburg mindset, he is the main choice (if he still exists in this TL). They would try everything to keep Spain and its territories with the family. It would be funny if this new Habsburg inbreeding would only delay in one or two generations the genetic bottleneck, so that when Charles and Maria Magdalena die (or if their offspring is infertile) both Austria and Spain would have a combined succession crisis.
     
    The Gybson Boy

    The Gybson Boy

    I know it's quite impractical, more why not an alternative italian prince, from Tuscany, Modena, or even Mantua, for example:
    An alternate child of Ferdinand De' Medici and Violante Beatrice of Bavaria (I'm considering Mary Magdalene was born in 1683 here), Francesco de Medici marries Mary Magdalene and becomes King (Jure Uoxuris) Francis I of Spain, and founds the house of Habsburg-Medici merging the Grand Duchy of Tuscany to the Habsburg dominions

    Rinaldo d'Este marries early and has a son in 1680, his son Francesco D'Este marries Mary Magdalene and becomes King Francis I of Spain, creating the House of Habsburg-Este and merging the Duchy of Modena and Reggio the Spanish Crown

    Ferdinando Carlo Gonzaga has a son in 1680, his son Carlos Gonzaga marries Mary Magdalene and becomes King Charles III of Spain, creating the House of Habsburg-Gonzaga and merging the Duchy of Mantua into the Spanish Crown
     

    Tupolev0247

    It is a good start. As for the possible husband of Mary Magdalene, although a Habsburg or Bourbon is realistically more likely, James Edward Stuart would be an interesting candidate in the case of a possible brother not aborted in 1683 or 1684.
     

    isabella

    Janprimus said:
    Depends on the court faction, another close relative, a Bourbon younger prince could then also be considered. This tradition, probably inherited from the Iberian side of the family, was hugely strengthened by the Reformation (and a few extinctions of Catholic dynasties), which robbed them of a larger pool of candidates from sufficient rank.
    Click to expand...
    Pretty unlikely who they would gift Spain to the Bourbons in that way. A French prince would be both stupid and useless…

    If Emperor Leopold has a son available that son would be the ONLY candidate taken in consideration for the Infanta
     

    Janprimus

    Gonzaga said:
    Considering the Habsburg mindset, he is the main choice (if he still exists in this TL). They would try everything to keep Spain and its territories with the family. It would be funny if this new Habsburg inbreeding would only delay in one or two generations the genetic bottleneck, so that when Charles and Maria Magdalena die (or if their offspring is infertile) both Austria and Spain would have a combined succession crisis.
    Click to expand...
    I'm not sure about this, since by this point, I admit rather late, other candidates were considered. And some prestigious Protestant houses were willing to let their daughters convert to Catholicism.
    With the Austrian Habsburgs considering other German candidates, I can see the Spanish Habsburgs doing the same with Italian candidates, intermarriages will still occur, but at a lower rate. Moreover a German or Italian candidate can be palatable for both, it excludes a French match.
     
    Princess of Asturias
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    • ordinarylittleme

    ordinarylittleme

    Maria Magdalena, Princess of Asturias was the apple of her parents' eyes. Having fulfilled her purpose in continuing the Habsburg dynasty, Marie Louise found her position at court had improved. The little infanta was quickly sworn in as heiress by the doting parents, who found themselves becoming closer than ever as both proved to be unusually hands-on parents. Charles II, who had already been in love with his wife, showed himself a man very devoted to his new family, much to the amusement of his court.

    Despite the general ill health that Charles II suffered, Maria Magdalena appeared to have inherited her mother's robust health, but the dark eyes, long nose and prominent chin were all features shared by her father. Thus, rumors about her paternity were not as bad as they could have been, with a clear visual resemblance able to be found. But it was her mental faculties that were most important. The infanta, while she would struggle her entire life to walk, proved herself to be very intellectually curious and active, often engaging in lively debates with her tutors. She received a Renaissance education like her father's, and occasionally accompanied him while he hunted. She also learned to dress well, to convey a strong impression upon all who saw her.

    The main problem of her childhood, really, was the struggle between her mother and grandmother...
     
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