History Literature / NowBloomsTheTudorRose

Eventually, a clever, charming, and manipulative young courtier named Anne Boleyn caught his eye. Henry had already bedded her older sister, but Anne was more prudish; she would ''not'' sleep with him unless and until they were married. For that to happen, Henry would have to end his marriage to Catherine. Thus began what history remembers as his "Great Matter".

* TheConsigliere: Duke Augustus von Wetten of Saxe-Weisenfels serves the rest of the Wettins in this fashion, balancing out his cousin, John Frederick II's HonorBeforeReason philosophy with pragmatic diplomacy and common sense advice.

* FootnoteFever: To the point of having '''66''' footnotes in his post covering the year 1563.

* ReluctantPsycho: Erik XIV genuinely ''suffers'' from his mental illness, which increases the tensions of [[ChainsOfCommanding being King of Sweden]], and renders him incapable of ruling during one of his spells.

* NoodleImplements: The incident that got Ercole of Ferrera kicked out of the church involved "a brothel, an almoner, a barrel of wine and a mule".

* NamesTheSame: A few historical figures have "siblings" in this timeline with the same names, but who are different people. This includes Elizabeth Tudor (here said to be a brunette who strongly resembles her mother); Charles, first son of Philip II; [[MaryOfScotland Mary, Queen of Scots]]; and most of Henri II's children.

* StreisandEffect: In the midst of religious controversy in France, one of Henri II's young sons (his namesake, at that) decides he's a Huguenot; his father's harsh overreaction makes him even more devoted to what might have been a passing phase otherwise (which happened historically when his mother handled it).

* ConspiracyTheorist: Ivan IV tends to spout off half-a-dozen of crazy theories of who wants to kill him whenever things don't go his way. As he's Tsar of Russia, this makes his court quite dangerous.

* EpicFail: Numerous instances. Examples include the young Earl of Lennox's attempt to two-time the Stewart sisters.

* EveryoneHasStandards: John Knox falls afoul of this twice. He mocks the staunchly Protestant Earl of Argyll for being upset at the death of Catholic women and children, whereupon the Earl punches him out. Then he completely botches his meeting with [[spoiler:the newly-Huguenot Princess Antoinette]] by insulting her late mother.

* RefugeInAudacity: [[spoiler:Dispatched by his father to suppress rebellion in the Low Countries, Prince Charles marches into their stronghold and says hello]].

* HeroicBSOD: Ferdinand of Austria seems to have fallen into one since the beginning of the Second Schmalkaldic War.

* IJustWantToBeNormal: The Archduke Ferdinand's quiet domestic relationship with his mistress is largely an expression of this.

* LordErrorProne: Archduke Charles Francis of Austria has spent his military career in the Second Schmalkaldic War alienating Hapsburg allies, and making their over all situation worse.

* TookALevelInBadass: John Christian of Schleswig-Holstein-Haderslav has grown from an obnoxious, tight-fisted, horny teenager to a DeadpanSnarker financial wizard who's also Tycho Brahe's pen pal and ahead of his time in his treatment of DAnish commoners.

** Janos Sigismund Zapolya, the Prince of Transylvania, advocates religious pluralism... in the sixteenth century.

** John William of Saxony's pastimes include "[[DrowningMySorrows trying to drink the sad away]]."

* ObsfuscatingStupidity: Charles von Hapsburg, Prince of the Asturias strikes a French ambassador sent to see him as a pliable weak-willed young man, thus making him the ideal prospect for marriage to a French princess who might be able to... [[PuppetKing get him to see thing's France's way.]] [[MagnificentBastard Which is exactly what Charles wanted him to think.]]

* ObsfucatingStupidity: Charles von Hapsburg, Prince of the Asturias strikes a French ambassador sent to see him as a pliable weak-willed young man, thus making him the ideal prospect for marriage to a French princess who might be able to... [[PuppetKing get him to see thing's France's way.]] [[MagnificentBastard Which is exactly what Charles wanted him to think.]]

* ObsfucatingStupidty: Charles von Hapsburg, Prince of the Asturias strikes a French ambassador sent to see him as a pliable weak-willed young man, thus making him the ideal prospect for marriage to a French princess who might be able to... [[PuppetKing get him to see thing's France's way.]] [[MagnificentBastard Which is exactly what Charles wanted him to think.]]

* NastyParty: "Mughal Emperor" Akbar is the recipient of one by his host Shah Tahmasp, though it ends in his arrest, rather than his murder. [[spoiler: That comes when he reaches the court of Islam Shah Suri.]]

* ReassignedToAntarctica: Happens to Don Antonio, Prior of Crato when he meddles in a Portuguese regency dispute; he's dispatched to the colony of Malacca.

* AwesomeMomentOfCrowning: [[spoiler: Janos Sigismund Zapolya is crowned King of Hungary in early 1565, at a lavish ceremony in Buda, by his chaplain, the Unitarian "Archbishop of Esztergozem", Ferenic David]]. Although his title is hotly contested in a war of succession that is, itself, part of an even larger war, he is shortly thereafter acknowledged as the sole, legitimate ruler by most of the major powers in Europe.
* TheBeautifulElite: Played straight with some such as Henry IX Tudor, subverted for many others, such as Charles, Prince of the Asturias, or his cousin, Charles Francis of Tyrol.

* TheAlcoholic: Suleiman's son Prince Selim is hinted to be an incipient one. John William of Saxony's pastimes include "[[DrowningMySorrows trying to drink the sad away]]."

* NastyParty: "Mughal Emperor" Akbar is the recipient of one by his host Shah Tahmasp, though it ends in his arrest, rather than his murder.

* HotBlooded: Arthur Fitzroy

* BadassBureaucrat: Duke Edward.

* LargeAndInCharge: Several examples
** Henry IX is 6'4"
* LikeFatherLikeSon: John Maurice Oldenburg of Holstein-Schleswig-Haderslev, the "loud, gluttonous, stinky" son of John Christian, the wholly unpalatable son of Mary Tudor (daughter of Henry VIII). Even his father acknowledges he's "odiferous."