ENGLISH HOUSE OF HAPSBURG

Updated Sunday 15 May, 2011 12:18 PM

ENGLISH HOUSE OF HAPSBURG
PART ONE

QUEEN ELIZABETH I 1558-1574

Queen Elizabeth was nothing more than the regent until her nephew, Philip, was at the age of majority. History progressed pretty much as OTL. Elizabeth wasn’t a Hapsburg, but the last Tudor.

KING PHILIP I 1574-1615

Philip was the son of Queen Mary of England and King Philip II of Spain. Philip’s reign had many problems from the start. First, the Protestant majority of England didn’t want a Catholic king, and furthermore, they didn’t want the King of Spain (Philip was suppose to inherit that title in 1598). Philip’s parents had separated in 1555, the year after Philip was born. They formally divorced in 1561, something that was frowned upon by Catholics.

Philip converted to Protestantism in 1579, quelling a lost of fears from Protestants. But that move wasn’t well accepted in Catholic Spain. In 1580, Philip abdicated his role as the heir presumptive of the Spanish throne, to be replaced by his half-brother Miguel.

There were also problems in North America. At that time, England and Spain were competing powers in North America. When Philip was born, it was thought that the two powers would unit under one kingdom. But when Philip denounced his claim to the Spanish throne, that whole idea was put into whack. Philip ordered mass colonization of North America, ranging all down the Atlantic coast.

The Netherlands were in open rebellion against Spain, and England was a likely ally against the Spanish. Most Dutch, though, were wary of the English Hapsburgs help. William was assassinated in 1584, he was without an heir. The Dutch looked every where for an ally, and quite possibly an heir to the Dutch throne. In 1585, King Philip proposed that his second eldest son, Richard (born in 1575) as the heir to the throne.

The Dutch agreed, and England joined the Sixty Years’ War in the winter of 1585. English influence was realized early on, but the English fleet (rebuilt under Philip and sustained as a national fleet) was able to help the Dutch fleet defend the Dutch coast line.

The English prospered at the expense of the Spanish over the next thirty years, aiding the Dutch in their war of independence. Some historians think that it’s ironic that the Dutch started their war against the Hapsburgs, but ended up with a Hapsburg king. Philip died peacefully in his sleep on June 1^st, 1615.

KING PHILIP II 1615-1621

Philip II was one of the many English monarchs who few people remember. Philip was said to be mentally unstable, and not really fit to rule. From 1618 on, his younger brother, John, was his regent. Under Philip, though, the English North American colonies expanded. Several colonies were formed, including Virginia (named after his great-aunt Elizabeth, the Virgin Queen) and New England. Also under Philip II’s rule, the Sixty Years’ War was coming to a close, while the North American theater, the Nine Years’ War, was just begging.

KING JOHN II 1621-1629

King John II was one of the most loved English monarchs, even though his reign was cut short by an assassin’s blade. Under King John II, the Sixty Years’ War and the Nine Years’ War both came to their ends under the Treaty of Amsterdam and the Treaty of Essex. Under the Treaty of Amsterdam, northern Spanish Netherlands became the United Dutch Republic and the southern half became English Flanders. John’s older brother, Richard, became Stadtholder Richard I.

In 1629, England fought another war against Spain called the Two Years’ War that was fought mostly in the Mediterranean. Under the Treaty of Syracuse, the English king became the King of Sicily. England prospered, and her North American colonies grew stronger.

KING ALBERT I 1629-1652

King Albert was the son of King John II. Albert also ‘inherited’ the Kingdom of Sicily from King Miguel I of Spain. Albert’s eldest daughter, Anne, married King Robert IV of Scotland and his other daughter, Charlotte, married the King of France. Like most English Hapsburgs, Albert expanded the American colonies. Under Albert, the colonies of Connecticut, Baltimore, Rhode Island, New Haven, and New York colonies were formed. King Albert’s youngest son, Henry, married Queen Mary II of Scotland, begging the Scottish Hapsburg family.

The Twenty-five Years’ began in 1620 after a group of Bavarian citizens through their local rulers out the windows. The war’s main motive, though, was religion. The Catholics were allied against the Protestants. King John II had gotten England involved in the Twenty-five Years’ War by launching an attack in Brittany against France.

Spain also tried to reconquer the Netherlands, but the English fleet was able to hold off the Spanish fleet. France also then tried to invade Flanders, to no avail. In response, English forces invaded Brittany. But most of the Twenty-five Years’ War was fought in the Holy Roman Empire.

In the North American theatre, called the King Albert’s War, English forces raided Cuba and Florida and other Spanish possessions, eventually taking Cuba and the Yucatan Peninsula

In 1645, the war ended with the Treaty of Westphalia ended the Twenty-five Years’ War. Under the treaty, England gained Cuba, Yucatan, and Brittany. King Albert placed his son Robert as the King of Brittany. But despite this, there was trouble in the kingdom in 1650. The English Civil War began in 1651.

KING RICHARD IV 1652-1656

The English Civil War had begun in 1651 under Richard’s father Albert. The Republicans were lead by radical Richard Fairfax and most of Parliament. The country was divided, with most of the support going to the Republicans. Through several key battles, the English Monarchist Army was destroyed. Richard was captured by Fairfax in 1655, then executed a year later. The British Commonwealth was declared in 1656 with Fairfax as the President-Minister.

FIRST BRITISH COMMONWEALTH 1656-1660

Richard Fairfax was a military dictator through his five years as the President-Minister of England. Richard was without an heir, so the heir to the English throne was King Robert V of Scotland. Fairfax sent several armies into Scotland to defeat Robert, but those attempts failed, and eventually backfired. In 1659, a Commonwealth Army was defeated, and Robert’s army marched onto London.

KING ROBERT I OF ENGLAND 1660-1679

KING ROBERT V OF SCOTLAND 1657-1679

King Robert I/V restored the Hapsburg monarchy to England. Robert had the massive support of the rebuilt (and mostly Scottish) Royal Army. Robert defeated several Republican attempts from Ireland to replace the monarchy with a republic, and Robert eventually invaded Ireland and crushed the Irish Commonwealth. Robert added the title ‘King of Ireland’ to his list of titles.

Robert focused on not only America, but also Asia. In 1668, the British established several bases in South-east Asia and India. Robert also stimulated trade with the Middle East and other regions of the Earth.

In 1673, Switzerland exploded into civil war as the German speaking cantons wanted inclusion into the Holy Roman Empire. The other cantons didn’t want this, and fought the German cantons back, but with Imperials support, were nearly crushed. The Coalition (basically the non-German cantons) requested British aid, and the aid was sent. In 1678, the Swiss Civil War ended with the defeat of the German Alliance. Under the Treaty of Bern in 1678, Prince John of England was crowned the King of Switzerland.

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