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The Boleyns would make awesome werewolves
Which is why I'm giving some serious thought to writing a Tudor werewolf novel. I mean, I've thought about it before, but when ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
madlee276 was down here recently, we watched season two of the Tudors, and that has me thinking about it more seriously. Like how I'd actually do it. What parts of history I'd change, and how the court of Henry VIII being comprised largely of werewolves would affect things.
Right off the bat, I'd get rid of Jane Seymour. No way werewolf Anne Boleyn would let that prissy little tramp wriggle her way into Henry's bed when she could just have her torn apart in a "hunting accident." I'd keep Katherine of Aragon. I toyed with having her die giving birth to Mary, but then you either have to get rid of the entire break with Rome, or find another reason for it happening. So instead I think Mary would be stillborn (maybe Katherine shapeshifted too much during the pregnancy? And so when Anne falls pregnant with Elizabeth, Henry is all OMFGNOSHAPESHIFTING FOR NINE MONTHS!!! and she's just laid up in bed getting more and more impatient and claustrophobic). So, anyway, Mary is stillborn, so Henry has a flap about not having an heir, and legitmises Henry Fitzroy, leaving the way clear for Bessie Blount to compete with Anne for the position of mistress, and ultimately queen. And with Henry the legitimate heir, Anne has to work that much harder to secure any kind of future for Elizabeth. No Jane Seymour means no Edward VI. No Mary means it's just Henry Fitzroy and Elizabeth competing for the heir position...
No Jane Seymour also means Anne probably wouldn't be executed, at least not in 1536. Maybe Henry's eye still wanders after all the miscarriages and stillborns, and he'd probably still take Katherine Howard as a mistress. I could cut out Anne of Cleves, but not Katherine Howard. I mean, she was an utter airhead who probably deserved to be executed, but she'd be a fun character to have around. And the idea of some smackdown between Anne and Henry over his giggly childish mistress is pretty appealing. I mean, eventually Anne would have to go, but I see her lasting a lot longer than she did in real life, and maybe even having another child.
Anyway, as for the rest of the country, I figure that whilst the royal and noble houses are mostly werewolves, the commoners, not so much. The first thing Henry VII did when he took the throne was implement a law to have common werewolf children drowned at birth. Means the chances of a bloody werewolf revolt against the new, unpopular king was less likely to happen. And it showed those pesky peasants who the boss was. So werewolves are pretty rare amongst the lower classes, and probably all end up being shipped off to monastaries or nunneries to hide them from the Wolf Finders, or something. I guess Henry VIII would be a bit less militant about it, because all he really wants to do is start fights with Francis I.
Anyway... I have no idea when I'm going to write this. But I feel I must!
madlee276 was down here recently, we watched season two of the Tudors, and that has me thinking about it more seriously. Like how I'd actually do it. What parts of history I'd change, and how the court of Henry VIII being comprised largely of werewolves would affect things.Right off the bat, I'd get rid of Jane Seymour. No way werewolf Anne Boleyn would let that prissy little tramp wriggle her way into Henry's bed when she could just have her torn apart in a "hunting accident." I'd keep Katherine of Aragon. I toyed with having her die giving birth to Mary, but then you either have to get rid of the entire break with Rome, or find another reason for it happening. So instead I think Mary would be stillborn (maybe Katherine shapeshifted too much during the pregnancy? And so when Anne falls pregnant with Elizabeth, Henry is all OMFGNOSHAPESHIFTING FOR NINE MONTHS!!! and she's just laid up in bed getting more and more impatient and claustrophobic). So, anyway, Mary is stillborn, so Henry has a flap about not having an heir, and legitmises Henry Fitzroy, leaving the way clear for Bessie Blount to compete with Anne for the position of mistress, and ultimately queen. And with Henry the legitimate heir, Anne has to work that much harder to secure any kind of future for Elizabeth. No Jane Seymour means no Edward VI. No Mary means it's just Henry Fitzroy and Elizabeth competing for the heir position...
No Jane Seymour also means Anne probably wouldn't be executed, at least not in 1536. Maybe Henry's eye still wanders after all the miscarriages and stillborns, and he'd probably still take Katherine Howard as a mistress. I could cut out Anne of Cleves, but not Katherine Howard. I mean, she was an utter airhead who probably deserved to be executed, but she'd be a fun character to have around. And the idea of some smackdown between Anne and Henry over his giggly childish mistress is pretty appealing. I mean, eventually Anne would have to go, but I see her lasting a lot longer than she did in real life, and maybe even having another child.
Anyway, as for the rest of the country, I figure that whilst the royal and noble houses are mostly werewolves, the commoners, not so much. The first thing Henry VII did when he took the throne was implement a law to have common werewolf children drowned at birth. Means the chances of a bloody werewolf revolt against the new, unpopular king was less likely to happen. And it showed those pesky peasants who the boss was. So werewolves are pretty rare amongst the lower classes, and probably all end up being shipped off to monastaries or nunneries to hide them from the Wolf Finders, or something. I guess Henry VIII would be a bit less militant about it, because all he really wants to do is start fights with Francis I.
Anyway... I have no idea when I'm going to write this. But I feel I must!
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Also, Henry could have learned from the whole Joan of Arc thing that peasant werewolves would not be a good idea. There can still be civil unrest due to the peasant wolf policy.
This opens up all kinds of funtimes for the later shenanigans, such as Charles II, his exile, and then the plague/Great Fire of London and Restoration. AND OMFG FRENCH REVOLUTION WEREWOLVES. THUS ALL THE BEHEADINGS OF THE ARISTOCRATS.
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This is all plenty of ammo for Henry to justify his actions. Funtimes later if Henry Fitzroy is legitimised, as Elizabeth would probably still be relegated to princess and possibly declared illegitimate when Anne is executed/fallen out of favour? And then something happens with Henry and Elizabeth gets to avoid execution and take the throne.
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And then, yeah, there would be short story tie-ins and sequels! And eventually I'd write my WWI trench warfare werewolf story.
But, the Tudors. Yes. I figure the Boleyns would keep manoeuvring to get Henry Fitzroy out of Elizabeth's way after Anne's death, possibly by casting some doubt on his paternity? Or even the fact that he's not a werewolf, so can't possibly be considered for the throne. So maybe Henry VIII is all "oh noes, my only son, a puny human! What is a king to do?" and hurriedly marries Katherine Howard even though she's a total airhead and Anne hated her. In fact, Anne hating her might even be an incentive to marry her! And he gets her up the duff - or so he thinks! But she was having so many affairs it's impossible to tell who the father is, so he's no better off anyway!
OMG. I'm exhausted.
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I have no idea what Spain is doing in any of this, unless Philip is pissed that Henry's run off and decided not to marry the wee!Isabella, and extra chagrin because Liz is rockin' the single ladies gig.
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