- Location
- Derbyshire
This one requires a bit of background info, so bear with me.
While the Second Defenestration of Prague in 1618 kicked off the Bohemian Revolt (and by extension the Thirty Years' War), it wasn't until the following year that matters really started coming to a head. Emperor Matthias died in March 1619, having been outmanoeuvred by various members of the family to ensure that Ferdinand (his cousin) had been established as his heir, including being elected King of Bohemia in 1617. Historically his election as Emperor was one of the triggers for the formal repudiation of this act and the decision to grant the crown to Frederick V of the Palatinate, with all the consequences thereof.
But despite his eventual victories, Ferdinand started the revolt off very much on the back foot, and in June 1619 (while the Electors were gathering in Nuremberg no less) a Bohemian rebel force besieged Vienna, trapping Ferdinand in the Hofburg. He was supposedly rescued by the timely arrival of a force of cavalry. But what if that force hadn't arrived? Ferdinand is unlikely to have been able to hold out indefinitely, and in the kerfuffle perhaps the Archduke meets his death (defenestrated?)
The ripples from this are fascinating. Perhaps the Protestant elites of Lower and Upper Austria decide this is the trigger to join the Confederation being organised in Prague (albeit much like Moravia and Silesia potentially not entirely willingly). Ferdinand's eldest son, Johann-Karl, was 14, but was to die in December of that year. The future Ferdinand III was 11, Leopold Wilhelm 4. Presumably Johann Karl inherits Inner Austria briefly before it passes on to Ferdinand, both under a regency council. There's a possibility here for another family war within the Habsburgs.
Then there's Bohemia- Frederick V was only elected King in August of 1619, though it's perhaps still the most likely thing to happen. On the one hand, there's no question of rebellion- Bohemia's crown was elective, so with Ferdinand dead there is no legal monarch and the estates are theoretically free to elect their ruler. On the other, the various Habsburgs and Maximilian II of Bavaria are sure to object, though whether any is strong enough on their own (or even together) to force the question is another matter.
And then there's the elephant in the room over the potential union of the Electoral Palatinate with the Kingdom of Bohemia- and during an electoral vote for the next Emperor no less. Maximilian II was already seeking an electoral title himself, perhaps there's the opportunity for a deal to be made?
So with no clear Habsburg heir to Ferdinand and the Bohemian question in the air, it's possibly something of an open seat for the Empire. I think there's 4 potential candidates for the Imperial Title:
The Continuity Candidate: The Electors essentially just plump for whichever Habsburg emerges as the strongest candidate. This is perhaps the least likely option, if only for the fact that it's quite difficult to tell which one this could be, and between the disastrous reign of Rudolf II, the 7 year reign of Matthias and the Brothers' War splitting the Habsburg family, they're not looking very stable at this point- especially now the candidate everyone was being lined up to back is dead.
The Catholic Contender: The three ecclesiastical electors would obviously prefer a Catholic ruler, and with Bohemia potentially in abeyance (Frederick either not being recognised as its King, or only being considered to have one vote?) there's an even split between Catholic and Protestant electors. Perhaps Maximilian II ends up as Emperor as part of some sort of grand deal- Frederick confirmed as King of Bohemia with all the territories of the Confederation, Maximilian gets an Electoral title and the Empire to preserve the religious status quo. This one perhaps requires an unusual degree of restraint fro Frederick V.
The Religious Radical: Is there is a possibility for the strongly Calvinist- near millenarian in fact- Frederick V to acquire Bohemia and the Empire at the same time? He'd certainly be angling for it, but his lack of allies in the Empire would probably make this less likely (though the apparent act of god in ensuring that Ferdinand is dead could sway things a bit). Overall, I suspect this one is just too much at once for the Elector Palatine.
The Protestant Peacemaker: Not mentioned so far is Johann Georg of Saxony, a Lutheran moderate who placed peace and the law above religion. Perhaps between the ultra-Catholic Maximilian and the Ultra-Calvinist Frederick he could emerge as the compromise candidate offering the hope of guiding the Empire through difficult times with a sense of stability.
Thoughts everyone?
While the Second Defenestration of Prague in 1618 kicked off the Bohemian Revolt (and by extension the Thirty Years' War), it wasn't until the following year that matters really started coming to a head. Emperor Matthias died in March 1619, having been outmanoeuvred by various members of the family to ensure that Ferdinand (his cousin) had been established as his heir, including being elected King of Bohemia in 1617. Historically his election as Emperor was one of the triggers for the formal repudiation of this act and the decision to grant the crown to Frederick V of the Palatinate, with all the consequences thereof.
But despite his eventual victories, Ferdinand started the revolt off very much on the back foot, and in June 1619 (while the Electors were gathering in Nuremberg no less) a Bohemian rebel force besieged Vienna, trapping Ferdinand in the Hofburg. He was supposedly rescued by the timely arrival of a force of cavalry. But what if that force hadn't arrived? Ferdinand is unlikely to have been able to hold out indefinitely, and in the kerfuffle perhaps the Archduke meets his death (defenestrated?)
The ripples from this are fascinating. Perhaps the Protestant elites of Lower and Upper Austria decide this is the trigger to join the Confederation being organised in Prague (albeit much like Moravia and Silesia potentially not entirely willingly). Ferdinand's eldest son, Johann-Karl, was 14, but was to die in December of that year. The future Ferdinand III was 11, Leopold Wilhelm 4. Presumably Johann Karl inherits Inner Austria briefly before it passes on to Ferdinand, both under a regency council. There's a possibility here for another family war within the Habsburgs.
Then there's Bohemia- Frederick V was only elected King in August of 1619, though it's perhaps still the most likely thing to happen. On the one hand, there's no question of rebellion- Bohemia's crown was elective, so with Ferdinand dead there is no legal monarch and the estates are theoretically free to elect their ruler. On the other, the various Habsburgs and Maximilian II of Bavaria are sure to object, though whether any is strong enough on their own (or even together) to force the question is another matter.
And then there's the elephant in the room over the potential union of the Electoral Palatinate with the Kingdom of Bohemia- and during an electoral vote for the next Emperor no less. Maximilian II was already seeking an electoral title himself, perhaps there's the opportunity for a deal to be made?
So with no clear Habsburg heir to Ferdinand and the Bohemian question in the air, it's possibly something of an open seat for the Empire. I think there's 4 potential candidates for the Imperial Title:
The Continuity Candidate: The Electors essentially just plump for whichever Habsburg emerges as the strongest candidate. This is perhaps the least likely option, if only for the fact that it's quite difficult to tell which one this could be, and between the disastrous reign of Rudolf II, the 7 year reign of Matthias and the Brothers' War splitting the Habsburg family, they're not looking very stable at this point- especially now the candidate everyone was being lined up to back is dead.
The Catholic Contender: The three ecclesiastical electors would obviously prefer a Catholic ruler, and with Bohemia potentially in abeyance (Frederick either not being recognised as its King, or only being considered to have one vote?) there's an even split between Catholic and Protestant electors. Perhaps Maximilian II ends up as Emperor as part of some sort of grand deal- Frederick confirmed as King of Bohemia with all the territories of the Confederation, Maximilian gets an Electoral title and the Empire to preserve the religious status quo. This one perhaps requires an unusual degree of restraint fro Frederick V.
The Religious Radical: Is there is a possibility for the strongly Calvinist- near millenarian in fact- Frederick V to acquire Bohemia and the Empire at the same time? He'd certainly be angling for it, but his lack of allies in the Empire would probably make this less likely (though the apparent act of god in ensuring that Ferdinand is dead could sway things a bit). Overall, I suspect this one is just too much at once for the Elector Palatine.
The Protestant Peacemaker: Not mentioned so far is Johann Georg of Saxony, a Lutheran moderate who placed peace and the law above religion. Perhaps between the ultra-Catholic Maximilian and the Ultra-Calvinist Frederick he could emerge as the compromise candidate offering the hope of guiding the Empire through difficult times with a sense of stability.
Thoughts everyone?