Earl Humphrey of Buckingham lives

[Ricardolindo]

What if Humphrey, 2nd Earl of Buckingham had not died at 18? Who would he have married? What would be his role in English politics? What side would the House of Gloucester take in the Wars of the Roses?

 

[TR1996]

Wars of the Roses are 50+ years from the POD, no guarantee they'd eventuate. Even if you assume that Henry V still dies on schedule, and none of his brothers still have no issue, the existence of another extant branch of the Plantagenet family would change the dynamics of Henry VI's regency somewhat.

In the short term, there'd be potential for tension between Humphrey and the Lancasters over the Bohun inheritance- which remained something of a live issue for several decades IOTL (desire for the other share of the Bohun inheritance may have partly motivated Humphrey's great-grand-nephew's support of Richard III, IIRC?)

 

[Ricardolindo]

Wars of the Roses are 50+ years from the POD, no guarantee they'd eventuate. Even if you assume that Henry V still dies on schedule, and none of his brothers still have no issue, the existence of another extant branch of the Plantagenet family would change the dynamics of Henry VI's regency somewhat.

In the short term, there'd be potential for tension between Humphrey and the Lancasters over the Bohun inheritance- which remained something of a live issue for several decades IOTL (desire for the other share of the Bohun inheritance may have partly motivated Humphrey's great-grand-nephew's support of Richard III, IIRC?)

Sorry. I should have said "if not butterflied".
On the other hand, Humphrey would be thankful for the Lancasters for overthrowing Richard II, who killed his father Thomas of Gloucester, and rehabilitating his family.

 

[TR1996]

On the other hand, Humphrey would be thankful for the Lancasters for overthrowing Richard II, who killed his father Thomas of Gloucester, and rehabilitating his family.

True. Could potentially bubble under the surface for a few decades (or generations, even), though.

What could the Lancastrians do to bind him further to the regime- there's the Dukedom, obviously. What sort of marriage would be on the cards for young Humphrey?

A lot of this is dependent on Humphrey's personality, and difficult to infer given he's such a blank slate historically. He could end up a reasonably solid Lancastrian loyalist like his namesake nephew the 1st Duke of Buckingham IOTL (in which case there's another trusted royal floating around for use in France and the potential for him to be a stabilising influence/elder statesman type during the regency if Henry V still croaks early), or he could be grasping and over-ambitious like the 2nd Duke of Buckingham (in which case there's a major wildcard added to the early difficulties the Lancastrian dynasty already faced IOTL).