WI Eleanor of Aquitaine's brother survives?

Gonzaga

Eleanor of Aquitaine's life is a common subject here in AH.com, generally in threads about alternate marriages, or alternate children. However, I would like to discuss a different POD here: the survival of her younger brother William. IOTL he died aged 4, and she became the heir of William X of Aquitaine. But, if her brother lived to adulthood, and had children of his own, how would it change the fates of Aquitaine, France, the Capets and the Plantagenets?
For example, if she isn't the Duchess of Aquitaine, would she still be married to Louis VII?
 
The Professor

The Professor

The question is roughly similar to her marriage as a heiress/duchess: how will her marriage improve the role of Aquitaine and add strength to its ruler.
Louis will still be a useful ally to have. Will he be the best one though?
A marriage alliance with Castile might be more useful here to maintain Aquitaine's independence from the French crown.
 

Gonzaga

The Professor said:
The question is roughly similar to her marriage as a heiress/duchess: how will her marriage improve the role of Aquitaine and add strength to its ruler.
Louis will still be a useful ally to have. Will he be the best one though?
A marriage alliance with Castile might be more useful here to maintain Aquitaine's independence from the French crown.
Click to expand...
Well, Louis VI was made guardian of Eleanor IOTL, so it's likely he would be made the guardian of William XI of Aquitaine as well. As he was a child Eleanor is his heir, so It would still make sense for Louis VI to engage her to the heir of France. However, he has the option of marrying William to his daughter Constance, and use Eleanor as an option for other alliances.
 
Avrorrange

Avrorrange

Gonzaga said:
Well, Louis VI was made guardian of Eleanor IOTL, so it's likely he would be made the guardian of William XI of Aquitaine as well. As he was a child Eleanor is his heir, so It would still make sense for Louis VI to engage her to the heir of France. However, he has the option of marrying William to his daughter Constance, and use Eleanor as an option for other alliances.
Click to expand...
If Eleanor was not the heir,wouldn’t her father be more free to engage her to someone else before he died?
 

Gonzaga

darthfanta said:
If Eleanor was not the heir,wouldn’t her father be more free to engage her to someone else before he died?
Click to expand...
Well, maybe. But, in the other hand, if he didn't feel pressured to solve the problem of her marriage when she was the heiress, why should he rush ITTL when she isn't?
 
Avrorrange

Avrorrange

Gonzaga said:
Well, maybe. But, in the other hand, if he didn't feel pressured to solve the problem of her marriage when she was the heiress, why should he rush ITTL when she isn't?
Click to expand...
Thing is,as the heiress,he can’t really marry her to anyone without the permission of the king.
 
Avrorrange

Avrorrange

Gonzaga said:
Was that true in France at that time? I thought royal power over the vassals was quite weak before Philip II.
Click to expand...
When Eleanor married Henry,Louis declared the two of them rebels and fought a war over it.Besides that,royal power was starting to recover under Louis VI.He most likely would not tolerate another vassal getting increasingly powerful by getting the entirety of Aquitaine.
 
The Professor

The Professor

darthfanta said:
When Eleanor married Henry,Louis declared the two of them rebels and fought a war over it.Besides that,royal power was starting to recover under Louis VI.He most likely would not tolerate another vassal getting increasingly powerful by getting the entirety of Aquitaine.
Click to expand...
So Navarran or Castilian-Leonese is more likely?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top
Top