Edward IV’s Bourbon Bride: A Collaborative Timeline

[RedKing]

October 1464: At a feast in front of many of his vassals, Edward IV announces that he has negotiated his marriage to the Duke of Burgundy’s niece, Catherine of Bourbon as part of an alliance with Burgundy. This enrages Edward’s cousin and most powerful supporter Warwick, who was negotiating a marriage between Edward and the King of France’s sister-in-law. Regardless he puts on a smile and enjoys the rest of the feast.

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Rules:

1. Each post should cover no more than a year, though you can go into as much detail about the events that occurred in said year.
2. No contradicting previous posts.
3. You can make reference to a butterfly that occurred in a previous year, so long as it doesn’t contradict a previous post.
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6. Claim before posting.
7. You must wait until at least one person has posted after you before posting again.

 

[Reyne]

July 1465: Catherine leaves her confinement after having given birth to the newly christened Prince of Wales but two weeks prior. Edward of Windsor was a robust, large babe that gave no sings of ill health and proclamations were sent through England and France to spread the news of the child's birth. However, not everything was well, as Edward, taken by joy caused by the birth of his son and his growing love for his Bourbonese wife, refused Philip the Good's call to arms to help him quell rebellions in Liege and Flanders.

 

[isabella]

@RedKing: while I can see Edward marrying Catherine of Bourbon, that match would not happen with her as Burgundy-proxy as the Duke of Bourbon was an enemy of his Burgundian brother-in-law. Also the girl who Louis XI and Warwick planned to marry to Edward IV, was the sister-in-law of the French King not his niece (who was still too young for marrying now)

 

[Reyne]

@RedKing: while I can see Edward marrying Catherine of Bourbon, that match would not happen with her as Burgundy-proxy as the Duke of Bourbon was an enemy of his Burgundian brother-in-law. Also the girl who Louis XI and Warwick planned to marry to Edward IV, was the sister-in-law of the French King not his niece (who was still too young for marrying now)

Are you talking about John of Bourbon, the scourge of the English? If im correct, he was Duke Philip's nephew, not brother-in-law, and he wasn't anti Burgundian at all. He just wasn't pro-Burgundian, either. He was not a fan of the French monarchs but neither was he a fan of Philip and Charles' plans to take over much of Eastern France for themselves and make themselves seperate from Paris. Let us remember that John the II was even a member of La Ligue du Bien Public. He's probably the best French father-in-law Edward could ask for - he won't cave to either the crown or to the Duchy of Burgundy.

 

[RedKing]

@RedKing: while I can see Edward marrying Catherine of Bourbon, that match would not happen with her as Burgundy-proxy as the Duke of Bourbon was an enemy of his Burgundian brother-in-law. Also the girl who Louis XI and Warwick planned to marry to Edward IV, was the sister-in-law of the French King not his niece (who was still too young for marrying now)

I thought Philippe suggested the marriage as part of an alliance with England in OTL? I guess it could occur as part of an alt French proxy here. Also my bad about Bona’s connection to Louis XI, will go fix.

 

[isabella]

Are you talking about John of Bourbon, the scourge of the English? If im correct, he was Duke Philip's nephew, not brother-in-law, and he wasn't anti Burgundian at all. He just wasn't pro-Burgundian, either. He was not a fan of the French monarchs but neither was he a fan of Philip and Charles' plans to take over much of Eastern France for themselves and make themselves seperate from Paris. Let us remember that John the II was even a member of La Ligue du Bien Public. He's probably the best French father-in-law Edward could ask for - he won't cave to either the crown or to the Duchy of Burgundy.

I am talking about his father Charles as Catherine was John’s sister. Charles the Bold married Isabella (another sister of John and Catherine) as consequence of a truce because their father‘s were enemies and I doubt who his son would allow the Burgundians to use his sister as proxy, specially for an alliance against France.

I thought Philippe suggested the marriage as part of an alliance with England in OTL? I guess it could occur as part of an alt French proxy here. Also my bad about Bona’s connection to Louis XI, will go fix.

I doubt it. Catherine was simply the best French bride available for Edward once Madeleine of France and Marie of Brittany were out of question

 

[RedKing]

I doubt it. Catherine was simply the best French bride available for Edward once Madeleine of France and Marie of Brittany were out of question

I see, I’ll go change it to be a part of a French alliance then.

 

[Zygmunt Stary]

I see, I’ll go change it to be a part of a French alliance then.

Can we add posts before you change it or not?

 

[Ivan Lupo]

I see, I’ll go change it to be a part of a French alliance then.

Bro, keep it the way it was. It's up to the subsequent posters to alter or correct things as they see fit within the context of your OP, even if it's not entirely likely. It's not fair for your original to get hijacked like this and I like this out of the box arrangement and marriage as it is. You already set up what seems to be the goal of this timeline, which is further tension between Edward and Warwick because of a marriage Edward made on his own to a respectable, but out of the box choice.

Anyway.

March 1466 - The revolt against Philip the year was subdued later in the year than expected, as the Liege militia was able to avoid a complete route the year before at Montenaken. The Flemish rebellion was successfully subdued by Philip's son Charles, but Líege held out a few months longer with aid and supplies from Louis XI. However, Líege ultimately capitulated in December, but at a heavy cost. Charles fell seriously ill after the war and it was clear that he was not going to recover. Philip's carefully laid plans turned to ashes before his eyes, so he opened secret negotiations with Edward to marry his sister Margaret with all haste.

Philip and Margaret were wed in early March, weeks before Charles finally died. His rival Louis sneered at the last ditch attempt to secure the Burgundian succession, even after Margaret became pregnant, with conception more than likely occurring on the wedding night. Even if Margaret gave birth to a son, Burgundy would be in a regency for several years and be in a significantly weaker position compared to Louis, as Philip was not likely to live much longer himself.

Philip, however, had the last laugh. Virtually on his deathbed while Margaret lay in confinement into December, he lived long enough to see Margaret give birth to a son, named John. Within days, Philip was dead and the newborn became John II, Duke of Burgundy.

 

[Ivan Lupo]

How do I add the above post to the threadmarks?

 

[Zygmunt Stary]

April 1466 - John II of Aragon dies, while choking on lamprey pie. He is succeeded by his 14-year son Ferdinand, but king John's sudden death throws royalist forces to disarray. Peter, constable of Portugal, acclaimed Peter V of Aragon by Catalan estates takes advantage of that and his forces manage to defeat Ferdinand. Ferdinand is forced to flee the country, taking refuge on court of his Castilian relative, king Enrique IV. Peter is forced to accept great weakening of royal power in favor of estates in exchange for getting his crown.

 

[RedKing]

Can we add posts before you change it or not?

I followed @Ivan Lupo ’s advice and changed the marriage back to being a part of a Burgundian alliance. So it’s still cannon that Edward is allied with Burgundy.

How do I add the above post to the threadmarks?

Only I can add threadmarks so I’ll go do so in a moment.

 

[Zygmunt Stary]

I followed @Ivan Lupo ’s advice and changed the marriage back to being a part of a Burgundian alliance. So it’s still cannon that Edward is allied with Burgundy.

OK, my OG idea would be unusable anyways with Edward being allied to Burgundy and Ivan Lupo's post.

 

[RedKing]

October 1467: Edward IV and Catherine celebrate the 3rd anniversary of their marriage and in that time have brought forth 3 children, Edward (B. 1465), Catherine (B. 1466) and Cecily (B. 1466). Edward also shows his commitment to the Burgundian alliance be vowing to protect Burgundy from France. This seems ever more likely since Louis XI now has a son of his own, Louis (B. 1465) and has expressed interest in marrying him to Charles’s daughter Mary, so that he might press her claim to Burgundy and annex the Duchy into France. This vow proves a hurdle in Louis's plans, though he is determined to overcome it.

November 1467: The Lancastrian Prince and heir, Edward of Westminster arrives in France alongside his Mother, Margaret of Anjou and his household. Upon their arrival they are welcomed by Louis XI, who recognises Edward as the true Prince of Wales. Louis soon offers his niece, Anne of Savoy's hand to Edward in a bid to create an alliance between himself and the Lancastrians. Margaret and Edward accept the proposal and the marriage is scheduled to occur in 1470.

 

[Zygmunt Stary]

December 1467 - Young Edward, son of Edward IV dies because of unspecified ilness. His mother falls into grief and despire, meanwhile his father seeks consolation in the arms of Elizabeth Woodville, who soon falls pregnant.

 

[Jonathan]

2nd January 1468 - John Tiptoft, 1st Earl of Worcester, who has served as Constable of the Tower of London since 1461, is brought before King Edward IV in chains.

Disposed king, Henry Lancaster, who has been held captive in the Tower of London, since July 1465, was found naked and dead on his cell floor, having succumbed to a fever caused by the harsh cold winter.
It was found that the guards had been celebrating the new year and had not been checking on the prisoner regularly.

Edward IV does not want to punish his ally, however knows that he has to make an example of him. He demands time to think and consult with god before passing punishment.

 

[Reyne]

I am talking about his father Charles as Catherine was John’s sister. Charles the Bold married Isabella (another sister of John and Catherine) as consequence of a truce because their father‘s were enemies and I doubt who his son would allow the Burgundians to use his sister as proxy, specially for an alliance against France.


I doubt it. Catherine was simply the best French bride available for Edward once Madeleine of France and Marie of Brittany were out of question

Charles de Bourbon died 10 years before the pod.

 

[Reyne]

9 August 1468: Elizabeth of Woodville gives birth to an healthy son, and Henry Fitzroy's screaming are like an axe severing the connection between the King and Queen of England. The Queen refuses to lay with her husband until the "Rivers whore" is expelled from court, but King Edward pointedly refuses to do so. The Earl of Warwick, who had been away from the affairs of court since 1466, comes to court to lend support to his King in these troubled times.

In Hispania, the newly crowned Peter the V of Aragon, the first of the house of Aviz there, marries the young Isabella of Castille, who had been intented to marry young Ferdinand of Trastamara before his death from disentery. Despite the difference in age, the couple seems very apt for each other and Isabella proves to be the perfect wife in Peter's objectives for Aragon. Despite his earlier promises, the King, now with a cemented power base, put in place the very policies that his own father and his Aviz' cousins had put in place in Portugal, that of a radical centralization of power. The nobles, cajoled by the fear of war with France and the premise that their King might one day need to enforce his wive's claim to Castille, refuse to put up much resistance as Isabella soon announces her first pregnancy.

 

[Zygmunt Stary]

September 1468 - former loyalists of John II began planning to install his daughter Juana as Queen of Aragon. To gain foreign support they intend to tie her claim to the one posessed by Anjou-Lorraine, and thus they propose her as a bride to John II of Lorraine's eldest son, also John. The proposal is accepted and Juana marries John at 21st September.

 

[RedKing]

February 1469: Queen Isabella of Aragon gives birth to her and Pedro's first child, a boy named Enrique, after his Uncle. Pedro quickly sends Ambassadors to Castile to negotiate a marriage between his son and the Princess of Asturias, Juana.

March 1469: The second son of Edward and Catherine, Richard is born. Warwick stands as his Godfather and is made his Guardian. Edward also allows his brother George to marry Isabel Neville, the eldest daughter of Warwick, though he hopes to marry his brother Richard to Margaret of Scotland, so that an alliance with is northern neighbour may be formed. Edward also betroths his son Henry, to Mary Hungerford, Baroness Hungerford so that he may be provided for.