WI: Ferdinand, brother of Charles inherits Spain?

[Alvedus]

There was a pretty useful thread on this here a few months back: https://www.alternatehistory.com/fo...ft-aragon-etc-to-ferdinand-of-austria.472691/

But it only skimmed the surface of what would be necessary for that to happen. After all, a more manageable and split Habsburg Empire seems to good to be true. What prevented Ferdinand of Aragon from naming his favorite grandson as heir in OTL?

And where is the most likely focus, in your opinion, of Spain if this does happen? Do they still get as wrapped up in continental affairs? How does not having the Netherlands change their trajectory?

(I'd comment on it, but I feel it's a gravedig at this point.)

 

[isabella]

There was a pretty useful thread on this here a few months back: https://www.alternatehistory.com/fo...ft-aragon-etc-to-ferdinand-of-austria.472691/

But it only skimmed the surface of what would be necessary for that to happen. After all, a more manageable and split Habsburg Empire seems to good to be true. What prevented Ferdinand of Aragon from naming his favorite grandson as heir in OTL?

And where is the most likely focus, in your opinion, of Spain if this does happen? Do they still get as wrapped up in continental affairs? How does not having the Netherlands change their trajectory?

(I'd comment on it, but I feel it's a gravedig at this point.)

Failed mostly for the opposition to the plan from the regents of Castile who decided to stick with the succession for primogeniture and continued to recognize Charles as heir instead of replacing him with his younger brother. If Maximilian I had died before Ferdinand II and so Karl V had become Emperor (or at least King of the Romans if his other grandfather was able to arrange the election for him) before being King of Spain is likely the Cortes of Castile would have accepted Ferdinand as heir. An older Ferdinand, likely already married or at least engaged to princess Isabella of Portugal, and able to rule without any regency would also be more attrattive for the Cortes of Castile (specially in confront to the foreign HR Emperor).
Spain’s focus would stay on his own lands so Mediterranean for Aragon, colonies for Castile with a lot of attention to Portugal (their main ally, specially if prince João marry infanta Catalina, the only spanish sister of young Ferdinand). Their main enemies will be France and Ottomans (on sea and African coasts). No Burgundy/Netherlands (who will be likely the main seat or at least a seat of the Emperor) and no Milan will free Spain from a lot of continental rivalries as the relations between Karl V and Ferdinand (the brother who he has never met and who has stolen a big part of his inheritance) would be tense but giving the common enemies (France and Ottomans) is likely who they would be at least occasionally allies for necessity.
I see likely a Spanish Portuguese crusade for freeing Morocco and Algeri from the Muslims and similar other tentatives on the islands of Mediterranean Sea.