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| The Regency: Story Arcs | |
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| Topic Started: Dec 30 2013, 05:43 PM (326 Views) | |
| Katherine of Aragon | Dec 30 2013, 05:43 PM Post #1 |
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REGENT AND QUEEN DOWAGER
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[align=center]THE REGENCY STORYARCS[/align] In order to offer everyone (writers and potential members alike) with a picture of what is the overall new premise of the Site in relation with the Historical and AU factors we explore, I decided to write a bit of an explanation as to what the new Story Arcs of Saga are. The Main Story is divided into two arcs: Internal Policy and Foreign Policy of the reign of SAGA’s Regency of Katherine of Aragon and the Reign of her daughter Mary Tudor. Keep in mind that this is a fictional story set in an historical background, so many things you may know from history are subject to change and be different in Saga. INTERNAL POLICIES After the death of Henry VIII, Katherine of Aragon was proclaimed Regent of England in service of the Queen to be, Mary Tudor. Because of this, there are several plots concerning the internal matters of SAGA’s England. By 1533, there has been no precedent of a Female Ruler, especially one so young. In order to appease Parliament and the people, Katherine has taken control of the government with the hope that she could somehow stabilize the Realm and hand it over to Mary. There have been regencies before: Maud or Matilda, the daughter and heir of King Henry I of England, and even Katherine herself in 1513, but never in their history there has been a Female anointed as Ruler. In SAGA, before Henry VIII died, he put in place mechanisms of government that actually helped the cause of the Regency. By enacting the atrocious Act of Succession of 1533, he unwittingly gave a precedent for Katherine to take over. When Katherine assumed power, she found out very soon that Henry was leaving a bankrupt realm to his daughter Mary. The treasury -- even with the Trade Pacts with both Milan and the Borgias -- was bled dry by Henry and his many appetites. He neglected the fleet and the armies -- always a dangerous thing, ask any Roman Emperor -- and also neglected the highly needed refurbishing of the provincial capitals, not to mention the garrisons in the North. The situation is so precarious that the possibility of higher taxation rears its ugly head. The first order of business for the Regent would be to stabilize the financial situation. Another pressing matter that faces the Regent and the soon to be young Queen is the opposition by some of the Nobles. Although Katherine enjoys an unprecedented support by Parliament -- especially the House of Commons -- and the people of England. This is historically accurate. Katherine has always been regarded as one of the most beloved Queens in English History. Still, many nobles sees not one, but two female rulers as an abomination and would not rest in their attempts to undermine the young Queen and her mother. To combat this, Katherine will address Parliament and present Mary to them. She will urge loyalty for Mary -- she is her father’s daughter -- and in an unexpected and unprecedented move, she will give Parliament more autonomy that they have ever enjoyed, not even the many powers Henry VII gave them. This, Katherine believes, would keep Parliament on Mary‘s side. There is also the matter of Henry’s child with Anne Boleyn. It stands to reason that because of the Act of Succession of 1533, the child could and would be legitimize by a vote in Parliament. Still, because Katherine moved fast to abolish said Act, Mary became sole heir, but in order to appease many of the Nobles and even some members of Parliament, Katherine might accept the inclusion of the unborn child in the line of succession, thus creating a massive headache for herself. Now, once again, Anne Boleyn and Katherine of Aragon are on opposite side of a succession crisis. Another internal situation in England is the inroads the Reformation is making. Although as of yet we have not arrived to this in a consistent way, it is there, bubbling in the surface. Regardless of what people might think and the media portraits, Katherine was quite progressive -- as progressive as someone could be in 16th century -- concerning the Church. She herself had views that could be considered Reformist and her correspondences with Erasmus of Rotterdam attest to this. Especially concerning Education for women and their place in everyday life. Now that the Church of England might no happen, the Reformation could become one of the most interesting and fun aspect for writers to pursue. Would they tried to change the Church by appealing to Mary and Katherine, or would they try to bring down the Church? That is the question, is it not? The third Internal arc of the story has to do with Mary Tudor herself. As a young Ruler, she will face many conspiracies arising at court to either undermine her authority or to gain favors from her. Katherine is a savvy political operator and all her actions would be consistent with this. She knows that Mary has a long way to go to solidify herself as Ruler and it will be up to Katherine to guide her daughter while juggling the many problems they both shall face. There is a Land Reform, one that Henry never got to accomplish, which affects the nobles and creates a new class of New Nobles at court. This new nobles would play an important part in the stories we want to tell with this new path in Saga. Included with this is the ambitions of certain families and individuals and we are eager to see what schemes and plots come out of this. There is also the possibilities of internal strife and even the prospect of war that we believe gives everyone a wide range of stories to explore. Now… on to … FOREIGN POLICIES During the Great Matter, Henry felt the heat from the other three realms around him and this will play a major part during the Regency. Scotland, still recuperating from the disaster at Flodden (Ironically, when Katherine of Aragon was Regent in 1513), is now probably looking for ways to exploit the instability in England concerning the young Mary Tudor. James V has a claim on the English throne -- albeit a strenuous claim at that -- and there is a chance Scotland would try to set the Queen Dowager, Margaret Tudor as co-regent with Katherine, using as an excuse that Margaret is Henry VIII‘s sister. Of course, Katherine is not naïve. There is no way the English nobility will accept this, especially considering the low opinion they have of Margaret and the Scots in general. Scotland was -- during Henry VIII’s reign -- working to neutralize any possible threat from England by maintaining a close connection with France and trying to enforce the Treaty of Rouen with the French. But with a young and UNMARRIED Mary Tudor on the Throne, they might examine other possibilities. Before, they were trying to gain some sort of understanding with Henry (a movement spearheaded by Annabella Stewart, Princess of Scotland) and also the possibility of the greatest price… an alliance with the powerful Holy Roman Empire, but now, all bets are off. Scotland has been busy in Saga and it has been one of the most interesting developments in Saga’s Foreign Policies story arcs. France is not without its own internal and external problems. They are surrounded by enemies (the HRE, England and the Principalities of Italy) and inside they had a crisis. Mainly, Marguerite of Navarre. Henry was supporting Marguerite’s idea of a take over of the French crown and a huge chunk of money from the English treasure was channeled to her efforts. Marguerite -- with her greater supporter gone -- would have to decide on whether to continue with her plans in a different matter or give up on them. Marguerite has a massive work before her, because France is even more prejudiced concerning Female Rulers than the English are. This is accentuated by the fact that Francis I, the King of France, is still rattling his sword at the Holy Roman Empire, and the possibility of a war between them is in the air. Now, with the Regency in England, Francis might think it would be a good idea to test the new government. Katherine and Mary, though, sit on a very interesting and unique position. The Regent and the Queen to be are family to almost half the rulers in Europe and enjoys the love and protection of her nephew, none other than the powerful Charles V. Not only that, but she has a strong support from the Vatican. It is quite possible that Katherine -- looking to hand over to Mary a strong realm -- would seek the coveted alliance with the Holy Roman Empire and she is in a more advantageous position to do so than Henry ever was. That alone could spell frustration for Scotland and France and happiness in many at the English Court. During the Sitewide Event, The Meeting of the Kings, Henry managed, thanks to Thomas Cromwell, to get Charles V to agree to a pact of non aggression. Katherine could expand on this and because her relationship with Charles, it is probable that she would be more successful than Henry. The Vatican and Italy are also pieces of the puzzle. Rome was not happy with the Act of Succession -- of course not, they saw it as legitimizing adultery and that is a big no no for the Catholic faith -- but are now elated to see the Regency. Still, they are not happy concerning the Pacts with the principalities of Italy, something Katherine has every intention to continue, which could signal some problems between the Regency and Rome. Also, Katherine is more lenient concerning the Reformation and she -- historically as well as AU -- is against the inquisition and persecutions. This also would create some friction between England and Charles V. And here is where we stand. I hope this is of help for our wonderful writers and the future wonderful writers that will join us in writing this new chapter of The Tudors Saga… |
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3:10 PM Jul 11