Chapter 1

Original Time Line (OTL)

Long recognised as one of the greatest monarchs the United Kingdoms of England and Scotland has produced, Henry IX was a man seemingly destined from birth to be one of the great movers and shakers of history.

Born in Scotland (19th February 1594) at Stirling castle, the son of James VI of Scotland and Anne of Denmark. He was christened at midsummer and it is said that the central event in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, written shortly after, was based on the royal baptismal party.

His father had high expectations of his eldest and in 1598 wrote the "Basilikon Doron" (Royal Gift) giving guidelines as to how a successful monarch should rule his subjects.

(1594) Henry Stuart was born. He was immediately given the titles Duke of Rothesay, Earl of Carrick and Lord of the Isles, confirming him in the highest of Scottish titles.

(1603) Elizabeth I died and James VI becomes James I of England. He confirmed Henry as Duke of Cornwall.

(1605) The Gunpowder plot.

(1610) Henry was confirmed as Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester. Bringing together the titles which every male monarch who has subsequently occupied the throne of Britain has held. During this time Henry also befriended Sir Walter Raleigh as well as establishing a correspondence with Henry VI of France and Gustav Adolphus of Sweden. Though when his father suggested a French marriage, he answered that he was 'resolved that two religions should not lie in his bed'.

(1611) King James Bible published.

(1612) (This is the Point of Departure from the Original Time Line (OTL)). In November Henry decided to take an unseasonable swim in the Thames, subsequently contracted typhoid and was only saved by the intervention of his friend Sir Walter who, despite being in the Tower of London, procured some quinine to break the fever. (In OTL Henry died and Charles became the successor)

(1612 – 1625) During this time Henry added to his increasing popularity by living a fairly austere protestant lifestyle (as opposed to the decadence of the Jacobean court). He championed such causes as naval reform and reconstruction, and, with an eye to the future, colonisation especially of Virginia, as well as encouraging various "troublemaking" protestant sects to set up their own colonies in the New World. He also interceded with his father to stay the execution of his friend and mentor Sir Walter Raleigh. It was during this time that Henry was betrothed in marriage to Maria Elisabet of Sweden, daughter of Charles IX and his second wife Christina of Holstein-Gottorp. The marriage was ostensibly a happy one, though rumours abounded of internal strife between the young couple. Though an initial friendship with Henry IV of France's son, Louis XIII, had been established, this relationship became strained over the years as the influence of Louis' mother and her protégé Cardinal Richeleiu dominated Louis' life. Henry also became famous for chivalry and his patronage of artists, architects, and men-of-letters seemed to promise that the reign would be a potential golden age for Britain. His friendship with various members of Parliament (despite James having dissolved it) and his preparedness to listen to reason, even if it went against his views, frequently brought him into strife with his father. It is thought that it was at this time that Henry's later reforms of Parliament and taxation were formulated by his discussions and friendship with William Cavendish, John Byron and the lawyer, John Bradshaw. His knowledge of Robert Cecil's "Great Contract" undoubtedly played a part.

(1618) Henry and Maria's first child, a son, James Alexander was born.

(1619) Charles was married to Elisabeth von Nassau-Siegen.

(1621) Henry and Maria's second child, a son, Robert William was born.

(1624) Charles' wife died in childbirth as did the child, a daughter.

(1625) This year saw the death of James I of England, a man who started off in great popularity with the English but whose actions over the years, including his most cherished ambition – the union of England and Scotland – were thwarted by Parliament, who objected to James's wish to rename the joint realm 'Britain'. To Parliament, a new name meant a new kingdom in which James would be free to set himself up as an absolute emperor. In contrast, Parliament would be a mere provincial assembly.

James's reaction was to try to enact the Union symbolically, using his own powers under the royal prerogative. By proclamation he assumed the title 'King of Great Britain'. He then announced a new union currency, Royal Coat of Arms and flag.

Not content with symbols, he also practiced a union by stealth by filling his bedchamber, the inner circle of his court, almost exclusively with Scots. James took a more than fatherly interest in Scots lads with well-turned legs and firm buttocks, but recruiting them also suited him politically.

James had inherited a substantial debt from Elizabeth. He also had a large family to maintain and wanted to spend money on his favourites and pleasures. The crown's 'ordinary income' from land and custom duties was hopelessly inadequate, and there was no choice but to ask Parliament for more money. But Parliament saw no reason why tax payers' money should end up in the pockets of Scots favourites.

Upon his accession, in 1625 Henry was crowned, despite Parliament's objections, as King of Britain. However one of his first acts as King was to assemble Parliament to sort out the Royal finances and, despite his inclination towards the divine right of Kings, Henry accepted a modified version of the Great Contract, allowing his household an income of £250,000 per annum. In return Henry gave up his feudal privileges and despite the occasional bouts of acrimony a working relationship (of sorts) was established. Indeed Parliament saw the need to strengthen the Kingdom both militarily and financially and, with the support of the King, looked for means to increase commerce and trade in order to pay for naval and military reconstruction.

At this time Henry also dismissed all of James I's favourites from the court including George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham, a man whom he distrusted greatly and whom he had prevented inveigling his dying father into declaring war on Spain. Removing several of his titles in the process, Henry had Villiers exiled to Scotland. Henry then appointed the capable John Pym to represent him in France in negotiations with Cardinal Richelieu over concerns with the Huguenot Protestants currently in revolt at La Rochelle in France. This Pym managed successfully, despite his disdain for Catholicism, allowing an earlier Huguenot exodus to England and Ireland with a corresponding transfer of dissidents in return. The resulting gain to the English and Irish economies further boosted Henry's attempts to revitalize Britain. Henry also appointed Thomas Wentworth, as his President of the Council of the North after dismissing Emmanuel Scrope, Earl of Sunderland from his position for suspected Catholic sympathies. Henry, although like his father being tolerant of other faiths, was determined always to have control over the organizations that controlled them. Henry was also able to recruit Ernst Von Mansfeldt to advise him on military affairs. This after Maria had persuaded him not to get involved in funding a Danish attempt to seize the Palatinate, despite it being his sister's husband's original demesne.

(1626) Henry appointed his brother Charles to represent the "King" at the Scottish Parliament. This was meant to free Charles from his entanglements with extreme Protestant groups and isolate him from various influences within the royal court. All this led to was Charles coming under the influence of James' old cabal, including Buckingham, who resented their loss of influence (and wealth) within the "British" court.

(1627) Henry and Maria's third child, a daughter, Christina Elizabeth, was born. The labour was difficult and the subsequent fever left Maria barren and prone to bouts of weakness, though she still remained her husband's enduring love. It was at this time that Henry, horrified at the actions of the doctors, actively started to seek out "men of knowledge, science and the arts" It was his desire to see his kingdom as a shining beacon of light and progress.

(1628) By now Henry had consolidated his position as monarch in England, though still struggling to sort out the nations finances to his satisfaction (and advantage). In order to increase his influence, Henry proposed to Parliament a review of the Magna Carta with a view to "expanding the influence of the realm in its dealings with all good men". Henry's main thoughts at the time, according to his chronicler, were towards increasing the size of Parliament by including new boroughs as well as denuding Parliament of its rotten ones (and increasing his influence by patronage). He immediately faced opposition in the form of Robert Devereaux, 3rd Earl of Essex, a man who had been married to Frances Howard, Countess of Suffolk, in 1606, but was divorced by James I so that she could marry his favourite. A man who hated the Stuarts with a passion, Devereaux's first act was to gather up like-minded men in an attempt to limit the King's power and to tie him to Parliament's tail by causing Henry to dissolve Parliament as his father had and foment dissent within the country. By constant thwarting of debate by means of gerrymandering and prevarication all Devereaux managed to do was isolate himself and his followers from the moderates within Parliament who wanted reform. Henry himself spent little time debating. Being a man of action he was currently using his new wealth to support and finance endeavours abroad, as well as having the keels laid of a new generation of warships. He preferred to leave debate in the hands of his confidants, William Cavendish, John Byron and the lawyer, John Bradshaw. At length though, Parliament produced a set of proposals to which the King felt himself able to give assent.

The main proposals were:

• No taxes to be levied without consent of Parliament;

• No subject to be imprisoned without cause (this reaffirmed the right of habeas corpus);

• Enfranchisement of all men having a value in property of over £1,000;

• Constituency reform in that all voting boroughs shall have an equal number of voters;

• Parliament to be increased to represent the new franchises.

At this time Parliament agreed to properly finance the King in order to expand the Navy, in return the King would give up his right to the Sea Tax, Knight's tax and various other means monarchs had used to obtain additional income without recourse to Parliament.

Parliament also allowed Henry the tonnage and poundage (customs) income to be allocated towards the Navy.

(1629) With a guaranteed income from the state to meet the needs of his modest court and economic growth within the country, Henry's mind was turned to what he saw as the greatest threat to the internal peace of the realm, religion. Though a devout protestant believer himself, Henry had become alarmed over the years at the treatment of other fine men who had other beliefs, indeed he was aware of the possibilities of this treatment driving them into the arms of those extremists who wanted a Catholic takeover.

Yet the Protestants had very good reason to fear foreign Catholic powers and their influence.

In the 1550's Bloody Mary had burned nearly 300 Protestants.

The Spanish Inquisition was still a force to be reckoned with abroad.

(1560) The Spanish Duke of Alva massacred Protestant civilians in the Netherlands.

(1573) The St Bartholemew Massacre in Paris, where Catholics had murdered 5,000 Protestants in cold blood, took place.

(1558) The Spanish Armada and several Catholic plots against Elizabeth were dealt with.

There was still the Catholic Church's threat to recover all the land stolen from them by Henry VIII.

Indeed his own father had been the subject of the Gunpowder plot. So the fears were very real.

Henry called a conclave of religious leaders to discuss the issues involved, hoping for a solution as he himself resolved to make Britain so tough a nut to crack that foreign adventurism would be looked at as an act of desperation by the Catholic super-states of France or Spain.

(1630) The Conclave held in York was currently stalemated, often resulting in brawls between various factions and churchmen. That no-one had died was more the result of Henry's royal guards searching the attendees for edged weapons than any act of God. Many of the Puritan representatives had threatened to boycott the Conclave when they were made aware of the need to include some Roman Catholic laymen. Only a personal appeal by the King and Queen brought them unwillingly to the debate.

The first of the new naval craft built by Henry took to sea. Looked upon as the most heavily armed ship of its type in the world, its duties were to patrol the English channel to deal with various pirates and slavers operating in the area. Others were near completion and would be used to extend British influence both around the islands and in the New World.

(1631) The "Great Conclave" finally yielded results, though they were not to anyone's great satisfaction they produced a compromise most could live with. The most controversial was the call for a "Freedom of Religion" whereby no man could be forced to worship in a manner he found not to his taste. This would essentially mean that Roman Catholicism would be tolerated again (though not loved). The Puritan influence within Anglicanism was salved by moves to unite with Lutheranism (the puritans, being essentially patriarchal, nevertheless had a great admiration for Henry's Queen and her "simple piety"). There was recognition too for such groups as the Quakers and other dissident religious organisations. The downside from Henry's point of view was that the Conclave concluded that he could no longer be the head of God's Church in England. This meant in essence that he was being asked to hand over to the church various religious properties he still held in trust as its head. The downside from Parliament's view was the conclave asking them to remove the laws requiring mandatory attendance at an Anglican church. Not that removing a law was difficult, but because of the rancorous debate that followed on the "probable decline in moral standards". The one thing all agreed upon was the Conclave's statement that "All men must come to God, though it is to the weakness of man that God has provided many paths in His church. Yet all good men must be subject to the laws of this land and its King, seeking not to undermine that which is good and proper". And so it was decided. Church and State must separate. As later historians put it, "It was not easy and it was not immediate and were it not for Henry's decision to allow free transport to the New World for those who could not live in peace together then the circumstances which followed would have been so much worse".

Britain's fleet at this time had now increased to 60 ships of the line, ten of which were the new type based on the "Sovereign of the Seas" with a further fifteen under construction.

At this time Henry and Parliament also made major investments in the New World, expanding the colonies and building two new shipyards and ship repair facilities. At this time also the colonists came into conflict with those of New France and New Holland. A low key war of raid and counter-raid commenced, with both sides picking off each other's outposts and shipping. The British colonists however had the advantage of numbers and infrastructure as their King and Parliament had been encouraging growth and industry in their lands since before he became King.

(1632) France however had other plans for dealing with Britain and its upstart people. Henry's spies in the French court had got wind of plans to invade Ireland. This was a ruse to take Henry's eye off what was about to happen in Scotland. It meant that the British Navy was out in strength around the Irish coast when the real plan was sprung.

Charles, his brother, under the influence of various Scottish and English nobles who were fearful of losing their influence and power, was crowned King of Scotland in Stirling. Bankrolled by France and promised French troops in support, many (though not a majority) in Scotland rallied to his side seeking independence. To add to Henry's woes, the Devereaux uprising began with Essex and Kentish militias seeking to free their counties of pernicious foreign influences (Huguenots) forced on them by the King.

The British Civil war had begun.

(1632) Robert Devereux, 3rd Earl of Essex, and now rebel against the crown, was a seasoned military commander and Parliamentarian, having served three times abroad in the Bohemian rebellion and war of the Palatinate (OTL 30-years war). His distaste for the House of Stuart, stemming from losing his wife, Frances Howard, Countess of Suffolk, in 1606, in divorce by James I so that she could marry James' favourite, had hardened into hatred over what he saw as the betrayal of the Palatinate by the refusal of Henry to support any foreign adventures during the time of national rebuilding. Gathering together various disgruntled and ambitious nobles, many of whom were facing financial ruin due to the inflation of James I reign by having fixed rents on their land tenants along with poor investments abroad. Taking advantage of a poorly organised local rebellion in Essex and Kent against the Huguenots, Devereaux gathered an army with the intent of marching on London and restoring England's rightful place in the world. Many historians have argued over the years just what Devereaux's intentions actually were. Was he a republican or just a usurper? No one, not even Devereaux, seemed to know for sure. Many of the nobles and their personal retinues fighting for Devereaux seemed to have their own agenda, though all seemed to agree this "Merchant" King must go. The Rebellion in Scotland seemed perfect for them to get what they wanted and divide up the spoils after. Unfortunately for them, Charles' seeming indecision in Scotland after taking the Scottish crown (he was in fact waiting for French reinforcements), left them the first to face Henry.

Henry however had his own problems, the calling out of the various militias to face Charles and Devereaux was not going well. Though having many loyal supporters, there were also many who had decided to sit on the fence, deciding that a problem in Scotland was not their problem. So it took several months for Henry to assemble a force of 10,000 men to face Devereaux and his 8,000 in Essex.

Henry's chronicler noted the King's reaction to the march to face Devereaux. "His majesty is not amused by the damage to his kingdom that the militias perform. Theft, arson, rape, and murder seem to follow in the wake of the armies billeting on the roads to find the rebels. The noble commanders seem to have no control over their men. Indeed many seem not to know where their men are."

Devereaux led the King a merry dance with his army never engaging, until finally, some weeks after the King's army set off, a tired, cold, hungry and increasingly rebellious army faced up to Devereaux's rested and ready army.

The battle of Braintree (September 1632) was a victory for the Royal forces however as recorded by Henry's chronicler. It was at best a draw, with fortuitous circumstances at the end. Both sides faced each other on each side of a small valley with mixed musketeer and pikemen regiments to the fore, cavalry on the wings and heavy cannon to the rear. At 11am the Royal army advanced to engage the centre of the rebels only to find their advance studded by caltrops causing their squares to break formation. Devereaux having more heavy cavalry swung around them to outflank the foot soldiers, only to face Henry's artillery and cavalry reserve. A general melee ensued, during which Henry attempted to extricate his mixed musket and pikemen. It was at this stage that Devereaux's cavalry broke through to engage the Royal party itself. Henry was only saved by a small troop of volunteer cavalry from Huntingdon, led by a landowner named Oliver Cromwell, throwing themselves into the fray and allowing Henry's men to seek safety within the regiments of foot. Seeing the disarray his army was facing Henry determined to go down fighting. Removing his lower armour (quite a feat in itself), he moved his Royal guard to the front of the regiment, had his royal banner unfurled and sounded the advance. To the astonishment of Devereaux and the rebel commanders the entire front line of Henry's army followed their King into the face of a torrent of artillery and musket, not marching but advancing at a run. Seeing the royal banner and the maddened Royals bearing down upon them the rebels, despite seemingly looking like winning the day, broke and fled. Devereaux himself was carried off the field by his personal guard cursing and struggling and eventually ended up joining the army of Charles in Scotland having set sail from Ipswich. Many of the rebel officers were cut down by their own men as they made vain attempts to rally them. Others though abandoned their men and fled north to join Charles, some making it, but many were caught and hanged by loyalist sheriffs as they tried to avoid Henry's men's wrath.

The aftermath was quite as bad as Henry thought. He'd lost over 3,000 men with more sure to die from their wounds. Henry himself had lost the tip of an ear though he had no recollection how. The rebels however had dissolved, losing somewhere in the region of 2,500 men. The majority, having scattered back to wherever they came from, weren't to be a threat again, though the area suffered from brigandage for a number of years after.

Henry's further thoughts on the matter are well known. His next move was to request Parliament to finance a standing army, with a properly organised commissary to stand in defence of the realm. He also offered a Royal Commission to one John McGregor to sort out the King's Highways to a standard fit to march an army over. McGregor had approached the King years before with such a proposal using a cut stone base with crushed gravel for road surfacing graded to a constant size of chippings (similar to Roman roads). This the King had put on the back burner for years, simply not having the means to finance it. This Parliament agreed to finance using the seized holdings of the "Traitors" along with captured prisoners to actually do the work. Although Henry was never able to march to war over such a road, within ten years the travel times in Britain had been cut by two thirds.

Henry also commissioned a survey of Britain's coastal defences with the long term view of keeping the Islands secure. Other measures taken were the building of "manned light-towers" to guide shipping into the harbours of the realm safe from rocks and shoals. A request was made to Jeremiah Horrocks to see if spyglasses could be improved. William Harvey was also asked to see to the setting up of an army corps of surgeons. Many great scientists were also moving to Britain's universities, attracted by Henry's support of the sciences, including Johann Baptista van Helmont, William Oughtred, Hans Janssen; and his son, Zacharias, who brought with them their first crude microscope.

Further honours went to Oliver Cromwell, knighted on the field of battle and given the title of Earl of Essex for saving the King's life. He and the King became fast friends. Henry liked the man's practical turn of mind. He allowed him, Sir Thomas Fairfax and Ernst Von Mansfeldt to build and standardise the "New British Army". It was Cromwell who solved the age old problem of pikemen, sawing off the last two feet of their pike to make carrying it easier by introducing a socketed pike that could be split in half for transport. It was Mansfeldt who oversaw the introduction of a socket bayonet to fix onto the New Army's flintlocks, giving them a form of defence as well as the ability to reload and fire. Both musketeers and pikemen were given a steel helmet as well as a steel front-plate. No back-plate was supplied, the reasoning being that this army would never retreat.

The army consisted of a total of 22,500 men, broken down in the following way:

Type No of Regiments No in each Regiment Total

Cavalry 11 600 6,600

Infantry 12 1,200 14,400

Dragoons 1 1,000 1,000

Artillery 5 100 men 12 guns 500 men 60 guns

The infantry were issued with royal blue uniforms to replace their existing regiment's colour. Cavalry were issued with light headpieces, armour front and back, and a buff coat of leather.

The pay was set at eight pence a day for infantry, and two shillings a day for cavalry. Those in the cavalry had to provide their own horse. Promotion was now done strictly on military prowess, and no longer on a family or monetary basis. Henry was commander-in-chief, Fairfax and Mansfeldt his generals, with Cromwell his Quartermaster General, a task he seemed born for.

Further developments this year were Henry removing Thomas Wentworth from his position as Lord-President of the Council of the North and sending him to Ireland as Lord-Lieutenant with the instruction to keep the Irish under control. Wentworth had evolved the policy known as "Thorough" by which he managed the Northern nobles for the administration of the State before the period of the British Civil War. Wentworth systematically applied this policy in Ireland. He dominated the main power groups by clever manipulation of the Irish Parliament and by securing firm control of the army in Ireland. Schemes were introduced to develop trade and industry of every kind: financial reforms to increase Ireland's revenue were enforced; the piracy that was rife around the Irish coast was suppressed. The interests of the Crown and the British Parliament were his priority, at the expense of all private interest and many indeed thought Wentworth's methods were ruthless and despotic. He alienated the predominantly Catholic "Old English" aristocracy in Ireland by promoting the interests of the new wave of Protestant English and Scottish settlers. The policy of driving the native Irish population from their lands was continued and extended under Wentworth's administration and under instruction from Henry none were allowed to the New World but were permitted to "escape" to France.

In the port of Calais 70 French merchantmen escorted by 25 ships of the line set sail for Dunbar carrying 3,000 hardened troops, a siege train and a war chest of £200,000. Caught out of position, elements of the British fleet could only play catch up as the French steadily made their way north towards Charles.

(1632) The weather and winds favoured the French fleet and in September they lay off the coast of Scotland and began disembarking men, arms and money. Within days the Rebel forces had made contact and moved to link up with their French allies. For all Charles figured prominently in the campaign to free Scotland, he was not a particularly happy man. The terms of French aid included a marriage to a French princess and separate command of the French forces to a French commander. Spending a few weeks to sort out various command differences the rebel army split, one (15,000) set out south for Edinburgh with Charles, the other smaller (12,000) set out for Glasgow under the command of the Head of Clanranald, one of the larger more belligerent Scottish highland clans. The idea being to secure both cities and then link up through the midland valleys of the Forth and Clyde. On reaching Edinburgh, Charles had his first major setback in that the gates were shut in his face and the wall manned with the city militia. The Scottish rump Parliament having decided that Charles was no "King o' theirs". Discussions with his commanders ensued and a siege was initiated. The French siege train was brought up and defensive lines were dug to protect the army, whilst off the Forth the French men of war gathered to close off any seaborne aid. After two weeks of relentless shelling a breach in the Flodden Wall was made and enlarged. At dawn on October 2nd an assault was made on the city. Despite the valiant efforts of the defenders the maddened Highlanders seized the walls and poured into the city, killing, raping and looting. Whole swaths of the Old Town were burnt to the ground, including the Parliament building. It is estimated almost 9,000 people died in the siege and ensuing atrocities out of a population of around 25,000, driving a permanent wedge between relations of the Lowland and Highland Scots. Only the Castle on its promontory still held, though its commander was forced to surrender five days later when hope of relief was dashed by the retreat of the Earl of Newcastle's relieving army who were outnumbered by the rebels almost two to one.

The Argyll led army had better luck when Glasgow opened its gates to prevent a siege and possible atrocity. Leaving a garrison behind, Argyll marched east to join with Charles who was moving to lay siege to Berwick.

(1633-A) The siege of Berwick was lifted after winter set in and Charles' army retreated to the Midland valley to billet and winter in (relative) comfort. Over the border in England there was panic in many towns who feared the Scots were just over the horizon, as well as frantic repairing of town and city walls, even as far south as Stamford. Questions in Parliament were raised as to the competency of the Earl of Newcastle, though much of the debate was stifled by Francis Pym who declared that any member who wished to lead an army north against a much greater foe was more than welcome to the command. This was the cause of one of the few rifts with Parliament Henry had, as he was under the impression it was "his" army.