anyone like to join in a 'what if' thread?

[FloPen]

I think history is full of interesting 'what if's'.
Mine is, what if Henry VIII hadn't married Catherine of Aragon? But would be interested to hear other's.

What if Germany had won WWII?

My what if is similar to your’s, OP. I want to know what would have happened if Catherine of Aragon has had a surviving son or two.

What if the Restoration hadn't happened and we'd remained in a Protectorate? Would it have happened later - might we have ended up with a different line of succession if so? What would this country be like if we'd been a republic for the last 370 years or so?

What if being gay/lesbian hadn't been taboo?

All those duty marriages which wouldn't have taken place. All those marginalised outsiders who wouldn't have been. Blackmail and murders committed around the secretiveness of people's sexuality... all unnecessary.

What if Edward Vi hadn't died young? He was a staunch Protestant, far more so the Elizabeth. We wouldn't have had Mary or Elizabeth as Queens and a whole different history possibly without the American colonies.

Similarly, what if children being born outside marriage hadn't been considered disgraceful and worthy of punishment in so many places?

The lives that would have been so, so different...

what if the princes hadn't been murdered in the tower (by, or not by, Richard III)

I'm not up on the princes in the tower, but did the future henry vii invade claiming his line of inheritance was stronger than Edward iv and Richard iii. So, if the princes had survived, they were just as vulnerable.

What if communism had actually taken over in the early 30's/40's? Apparently the powers that be in Europe preferred socialism to communism, hence the rise of the nazis....

Would Britain still be a monarchy?

What if President Hindenburg has refused to appoint Hitler as Chancellor in 1933? Support for the Nazis was falling and the German economy was starting to recover. Had they peaked as a political force? Would they have faded out of history if Hindenburg hadnt gone against his own judgment and been persuaded to appoint Hitler?

I often wonder what the world would be like our the computer hadn't been invented, or if we hadn't made such strides in medicine. Eg, no antibiotics.

*if

What if Harold Godwinson had beaten William?

I've often wondered about the various Princes of Wales who died before they inherited the throne. Arthur Tudor (Henry VIII's elder brother and Katharine of Aragon's first husband) and Henry Stuart (Charle's I elder brother) both died as older teenagers so something of their character is known as they'd both entered public life. I suspect both of them would have done a better job than the 'spare' that actually ended up on the throne each time!

What would London look like now if the Great Fire of 1666 had never happened?

What if Hitler was Jewish?

What would the world population be if the plague hadn't struck.

What would Australia and America be like if the British hadn't gone over and took over.

What if the 2nd world war hadn’t happened?

Henry VIII changing the countries religion is the one I think about, had it not happened- either via Arthur Tudor not dying or Catherine of Aragon having a surviving son.

What if John Smith (labour leader) hadn't died when he did?

What if the land to the south of England and east of England was still above sea level. We'd still be attached to Europe

@AlpacaLypse I'm not so sure about Arthur but Henry Stuart seems to have been a remarkable and talented young man. I suspect there would've been no civil war had he lived, he was far more able than his younger brother.

What if Rod Hull hadn't needed to adjust his TV aerial? #EMU

What if the Romans never left Britain and their empire never collapsed?

Hedgehogblues I was reading a book on Gordon Brown and thinking this only last week. Our political landscape would be completely different I think, although I don’t know in what way or for good or ill.