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Post by simon darkshade on Sept 8, 2021 3:33:56 GMT
Queen Anne had 17 pregnancies, all resulting in miscarriage, stillbirth or the death during childhood.
What if Prince William, the Duke of Gloucester, does not die at 11, but makes it to adulthood and succeeds his mother?
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Sept 8, 2021 5:55:38 GMT
Queen Anne had 17 pregnancies, all resulting in miscarriage, stillbirth or the death during childhood. What if Prince William, the Duke of Gloucester, does not die at 11, but makes it to adulthood and succeeds his mother? So the House of Stuart survives a bit longer than OTL. |
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Post by simon darkshade on Sept 8, 2021 6:06:42 GMT
More than a bit, if he marries and has an heir.
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Sept 8, 2021 6:15:38 GMT
More than a bit, if he marries and has an heir. Any suitable female that was in his age group if he had become a adult. |
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Post by simon darkshade on Sept 8, 2021 6:19:12 GMT
Quite a few Protestant princesses in Germany or, if we want to go top shelf, Ulrika Eleonora of Sweden.
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Sept 8, 2021 6:46:51 GMT
Quite a few Protestant princesses in Germany or, if we want to go top shelf, Ulrika Eleonora of Sweden. If she marries William that will cause butterflies in Sweden where here deceased older sister, Hedvig Sophia, had left a son, Charles Frederick of Holstein-Gottorp, who had the better claim by primogeniture, thus he will be king of Sweden if Ulrika Eleonora of Sweden becomes wife of William. |
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stevep
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Post by stevep on Sept 8, 2021 16:50:16 GMT
Queen Anne had 17 pregnancies, all resulting in miscarriage, stillbirth or the death during childhood. What if Prince William, the Duke of Gloucester, does not die at 11, but makes it to adulthood and succeeds his mother?
Well the obvious point would be no Hanoverian dynasty. Britain would still have strong interests in Germany as a check to French power in Europe so it might not make a massive difference in the short term in foreign affairs. Especially since Germany is the most likely place for Protestant princesses to marry British royals.
The other place its likely to make a difference is that the 1st two Hanoverians were predominantly Germany and their hearts were more in the later country as well as them spending a lot of time there. As such Britain was left largely to its own devices and the power of the monarchy declined somewhat compared to Parliament. The latter already had much power but the monarchy still had a lot of influence as George III showed when he sought to regain royal power. If Williams lives to be king it could be that the move towards a constitutional monarchy could take longer and see more conflict, hopefully political rather than violent/military but its not impossible.
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Post by SpaceOrbisHistory on Sept 10, 2021 4:17:09 GMT
Queen Anne had 17 pregnancies, all resulting in miscarriage, stillbirth or the death during childhood. What if Prince William, the Duke of Gloucester, does not die at 11, but makes it to adulthood and succeeds his mother? Ok so I did a fast Google on who this was and my thoughts are that had he not dead at 11 years of age the whole succession crisis is removed as there wouldn't be one to begin with. From what I could find he was her 7th pregnancy and the only one to not die in his babyhood. It also seems he couldn't talk until age three due to his late teaching in that area. So I would guess he wasn't a great conversationalist and may be a bit dumb. He was taught geography, mathematics, Latin, and French so he would have that going for him at least. Not too sure how useful knowing that would be but its better to have a thing and never need it then it is need it and not have it. It also says that he was knighted and became ill afterwards. So my best guess is he ate something and got sick. So just have it so he doesn't eat it or that he doesn't got sick from it and he should live to adulthood. How well he would be in ruling England I haven't a clue. When would he become the king? I would guess in the 1710-1720s. |
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Post by halferking on Sept 12, 2021 9:41:06 GMT
Queen Anne had 17 pregnancies, all resulting in miscarriage, stillbirth or the death during childhood. What if Prince William, the Duke of Gloucester, does not die at 11, but makes it to adulthood and succeeds his mother?
The Parliament of England passed the Act of Settlement in 1701 firmly establishing the line of succession on the grand-daughter of James I & VI - Sophia of Palatinate, Electress of Hanover and her male heirs. The purpose of the Act to force James Francis Edward, son of James II & VII and Maria di Modena, out of the line of succession.
Mary II died of smallpox in 1649 leaving her Husband and co-Monarch William III without heirs apparent or presumptive. William III died in 1702 of pneumonia and the Throne past to Mary's sister Anne. Princess Anne living son William, Duke of Gloucester died in 1700. When Queen Anne of Great Britain died in 1714 her successor Sophia who was much older than Anne had already died therefore the Throne past to Sophia's son George and with that the claim to the Duchy and Electorate of Brunswick-Luneburg also past to the male descendants of George I. The claim was divested from the Throne of Great Britain when Princess Victoria, by virtue of her gender, became Queen in 1819.
If William, Duke of Gloucester had survived he would ascend, at the age of 25, to the Throne of Great Britain as William IV upon the death of his mother in 1714 and the provisions pertaining to succession contained in the Act of Settlement 1701 would remain dormant. William would within months of becoming King face his first big challenge in the form of his half-uncle James 'The Old Pretender' in the Jacobite Rebellion of 1715, the outcome of which would be in flux and would test the young King's mettle. Facing a potential coup from within and from with out his Parliament William IV would have to move quick to determine who he could trust and then marshal troops to confront the Jacobite upstarts. If he fails his Government could fall and James III & VIII would seize the Throne putting him to death. If he wins - security.
His mother Anne was sympathetic towards her half-Brother's claim, but knew that he could never enforce his claim. It stands to reason that William would have a harder stance towards his half-Uncle and 'the young Bull', buttressed by his trusted advisers and defended by his loyal Government Minister, would be very aware of the threat a Catholic Monarch would represent to his Kingdom. He rises to the occasion and with His Loyal Government Forces the valiant King crushes the Rebellion. Then cometh the Purge. Many prominent Jacobites were put to death and their lands and titles confiscated. Rivers flowed with blood and the sky boiled with the hellish screams of those wretched souls subjected to the worst of all deaths - being hung, drawn and quartered. William 'the Young Bull' Stuart was in absolute no doubt that his response would ring true in the ears of those who thought it a good idea to make war against him. His half-Uncle had fled the battlefield, but returned in December of the same year in yet another attempt to take the Throne. This time James was confronted with a different political landscape the recent horrors and the harsher Government control he found people who were sympathetic to his cause in private, but denounced him in public and within a week of James arriving in Scotland he was betrayed and handed over to the custody of John Campbell, 2nd Duke of Argyll. In 1717 William's Government brought an end to the authoritarian regime with the Indemnity Act 1717 granting pardons. As a matter of historical record no-one is sure as to the exact fate of James...
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Post by halferking on Sept 20, 2021 18:49:43 GMT
Matters domestic:
Anne reigned over a politically divided country. The emergence of two parties The Whigs and The Tories during the later years of William III reign and by the time Anne became Queen the parties had just about sorted themselves out on the political spectrum.
The Tories, divided on the question of the Hanoverian succession, stood for Church, the Land, and the principles of passive obedience, i.e., obeying the law and accepting the consequences if one did not, and they favoured naval power over brute force.
The Whigs were firm in their belief that Parliament, and Parliament alone, had the right to determine the Line of Succession. They wanted to bring all measures forward to combat Catholic France's ambitions and were liberal on religious beliefs - when it came to Protestant dissenters.
Queen Anne's reign saw five General Elections, the 1705 Election was marred by mob violence. William IV reign would see the situation become more settled with General Elections fixed, for the most part, to five- year terms. The Whigs dominated Successive Parliaments and ushered in a period known as the Whig Supremacy.
Relations between Parliament and William were cordial, but never more than two steps away from all out hostility. Politicians had seen how efficient William could be when it came to dispatching his enemies. William knew that His Whig Government preferred to keep a tight leash on the Palace and were not exactly plussed about his Stuart proclivities – William had adopted the Stuart ‘fondness’ for France. William was also aware that his natural allies in Parliament, those in favour of the restoration of James, his half-Uncle, weakened by the fallout of the Jacobite Rebellion could not mount enough opposition to combat what was an army of Politicians, both Whig and Tories, who during his mother’s rule sought to place his crown on the head of some German noble and could still do so should the wind change direction. William was aware that his status – single - and lacking a bloodline to inherit the Crown meant that the ever-present Spector of Hanoverian rule loomed large in his life. That said Parliament did not always have its own way. William, contrary to the advice of Sir Robert Walpole, had with a degree of skill manoeuvred his own people into prominent positions at Court. The King clearly had his favourites and that annoyed the Whigs who felt locked out.
William’s father, His Royal Highness Prince George of Denmark and Norway, the Duke of Cumberland and his mother had a convivial marriage he often disagreed with Anne’s views in private and was quite often at odd with his brother-in-law William III, but other than that he had no ambition other than to live a quiet life. Prince George and the Lady Anne’s marriage was arranged by Anne’s father James, Duke of York, favoured the marriage more for its design than its emotional ties. The union sought to diminish the power of Stadtholder William III of Orange. It didn’t help that George, son of a King, outranked William. On the death of King William III George, the King Consort, was made Captain-General of the Honourable Artillery Company and Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports. Anne had hoped to persuade the States-General of The Netherlands, but ultimately failed, to win the Captain General of all the Dutch Forces thus ending the unified command of Anglo-Dutch maritime union. George died in 1708, at the age of 55. of severe Asthma and Dropsy. It was thought that although as strong as an ox the young William may also have suffered from the same maladies.
War with Spain…
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stevep
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Post by stevep on Sept 21, 2021 13:04:49 GMT
Matters domestic: Anne reigned over a politically divided country. The emergence of two parties The Whigs and The Tories during the later years of William III reign and by the time Anne became Queen the parties had just about sorted themselves out on the political spectrum. The Tories, divided on the question of the Hanoverian succession, stood for Church, the Land, and the principles of passive obedience, i.e., obeying the law and accepting the consequences if one did not, and they favoured naval power over brute force. The Whigs were firm in their belief that Parliament, and Parliament alone, had the right to determine the Line of Succession. They wanted to bring all measures forward to combat Catholic France's ambitions and were liberal on religious beliefs - when it came to Protestant dissenters. Queen Anne's reign saw five General Elections, the 1705 Election was marred by mob violence. William IV reign would see the situation become more settled with General Elections fixed, for the most part, to five- year terms. The Whigs dominated Successive Parliaments and ushered in a period known as the Whig Supremacy. Relations between Parliament and William were cordial, but never more than two steps away from all out hostility. Politicians had seen how efficient William could be when it came to dispatching his enemies. William knew that His Whig Government preferred to keep a tight leash on the Palace and were not exactly plussed about his Stuart proclivities – William had adopted the Stuart ‘fondness’ for France. William was also aware that his natural allies in Parliament, those in favour of the restoration of James, his half-Uncle, weakened by the fallout of the Jacobite Rebellion could not mount enough opposition to combat what was an army of Politicians, both Whig and Tories, who during his mother’s rule sought to place his crown on the head of some German noble and could still do so should the wind change direction. William was aware that his status – single - and lacking a bloodline to inherit the Crown meant that the ever-present Spector of Hanoverian rule loomed large in his life. That said Parliament did not always have its own way. William, contrary to the advice of Sir Robert Walpole, had with a degree of skill manoeuvred his own people into prominent positions at Court. The King clearly had his favourites and that annoyed the Whigs who felt locked out. William’s father, His Royal Highness Prince George of Denmark and Norway, the Duke of Cumberland and his mother had a convivial marriage he often disagreed with Anne’s views in private and was quite often at odd with his brother-in-law William III, but other than that he had no ambition other than to live a quiet life. Prince George and the Lady Anne’s marriage was arranged by Anne’s father James, Duke of York, favoured the marriage more for its design than its emotional ties. The union sought to diminish the power of Stadtholder William III of Orange. It didn’t help that George, son of a King, outranked William. On the death of King William III George, the King Consort, was made Captain-General of the Honourable Artillery Company and Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports. Anne had hoped to persuade the States-General of The Netherlands, but ultimately failed, to win the Captain General of all the Dutch Forces thus ending the unified command of Anglo-Dutch maritime union. George died in 1708, at the age of 55. of severe Asthma and Dropsy. It was thought that although as strong as an ox the young William may also have suffered from the same maladies. War with Spain…
Was there a Stuart 'fondness' for France? The early Stuarts saw Spain as the greater threat and France was recovering from bitter internal conflict. Then after the restoration Charles II was willing to become a satellite of Louis XIV to gain independence from parliament but fortunately this was defeated. Britain fought France during the bulk of Louis XIV's reign because it was the great threat to British independence. [Not clear has the act of union still occurred here but assume so?] However by the time of William IV Spain is very much a spent force and also if we have had the same result to the Spanish Succession conflict as OTL it has Bourbon king that largely ties it in alliance to France. France is the great power that poses the prime threat to independence of other states and is emerging as the prime challenger in terms of empire in N America, the Caribbean, India etc. As such its difficult not to see France as the prime threat to Britain and hence seeking friendship with it would be a very difficult move for the king.
I know there was a brief exception in the War_of_the_Quadruple_Alliance, which saw Spain trying to regain some of its territorial losses, especially in Italy, which saw Britain, France, Austria and the Netherlands combined against it but that was a brief incident and the defeats that Spain quickly suffered showed it was no longer able to act alone.
Steve
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Post by halferking on Sept 21, 2021 20:03:22 GMT
Matters domestic: Anne reigned over a politically divided country. The emergence of two parties The Whigs and The Tories during the later years of William III reign and by the time Anne became Queen the parties had just about sorted themselves out on the political spectrum. The Tories, divided on the question of the Hanoverian succession, stood for Church, the Land, and the principles of passive obedience, i.e., obeying the law and accepting the consequences if one did not, and they favoured naval power over brute force. The Whigs were firm in their belief that Parliament, and Parliament alone, had the right to determine the Line of Succession. They wanted to bring all measures forward to combat Catholic France's ambitions and were liberal on religious beliefs - when it came to Protestant dissenters. Queen Anne's reign saw five General Elections, the 1705 Election was marred by mob violence. William IV reign would see the situation become more settled with General Elections fixed, for the most part, to five- year terms. The Whigs dominated Successive Parliaments and ushered in a period known as the Whig Supremacy. Relations between Parliament and William were cordial, but never more than two steps away from all out hostility. Politicians had seen how efficient William could be when it came to dispatching his enemies. William knew that His Whig Government preferred to keep a tight leash on the Palace and were not exactly plussed about his Stuart proclivities – William had adopted the Stuart ‘fondness’ for France. William was also aware that his natural allies in Parliament, those in favour of the restoration of James, his half-Uncle, weakened by the fallout of the Jacobite Rebellion could not mount enough opposition to combat what was an army of Politicians, both Whig and Tories, who during his mother’s rule sought to place his crown on the head of some German noble and could still do so should the wind change direction. William was aware that his status – single - and lacking a bloodline to inherit the Crown meant that the ever-present Spector of Hanoverian rule loomed large in his life. That said Parliament did not always have its own way. William, contrary to the advice of Sir Robert Walpole, had with a degree of skill manoeuvred his own people into prominent positions at Court. The King clearly had his favourites and that annoyed the Whigs who felt locked out. William’s father, His Royal Highness Prince George of Denmark and Norway, the Duke of Cumberland and his mother had a convivial marriage he often disagreed with Anne’s views in private and was quite often at odd with his brother-in-law William III, but other than that he had no ambition other than to live a quiet life. Prince George and the Lady Anne’s marriage was arranged by Anne’s father James, Duke of York, favoured the marriage more for its design than its emotional ties. The union sought to diminish the power of Stadtholder William III of Orange. It didn’t help that George, son of a King, outranked William. On the death of King William III George, the King Consort, was made Captain-General of the Honourable Artillery Company and Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports. Anne had hoped to persuade the States-General of The Netherlands, but ultimately failed, to win the Captain General of all the Dutch Forces thus ending the unified command of Anglo-Dutch maritime union. George died in 1708, at the age of 55. of severe Asthma and Dropsy. It was thought that although as strong as an ox the young William may also have suffered from the same maladies. War with Spain…
Was there a Stuart 'fondness' for France? The early Stuarts saw Spain as the greater threat and France was recovering from bitter internal conflict. Then after the restoration Charles II was willing to become a satellite of Louis XIV to gain independence from parliament but fortunately this was defeated. Britain fought France during the bulk of Louis XIV's reign because it was the great threat to British independence. [Not clear has the act of union still occurred here but assume so?] However by the time of William IV Spain is very much a spent force and also if we have had the same result to the Spanish Succession conflict as OTL it has Bourbon king that largely ties it in alliance to France. France is the great power that poses the prime threat to independence of other states and is emerging as the prime challenger in terms of empire in N America, the Caribbean, India etc. As such its difficult not to see France as the prime threat to Britain and hence seeking friendship with it would be a very difficult move for the king.
I know there was a brief exception in the War_of_the_Quadruple_Alliance, which saw Spain trying to regain some of its territorial losses, especially in Italy, which saw Britain, France, Austria and the Netherlands combined against it but that was a brief incident and the defeats that Spain quickly suffered showed it was no longer able to act alone.
Steve
Politics and the Monarch became semi-detached when Mary II and William III ascended the Throne. Policy was more the purview of the Politicians and Parliament rather than the Crown. The Stuarts always had an affinity with France Mary, Queen of Scot's mother was none other than the very influential Marie de Guise, Duchess of Longueville until the death of her first husband Louis, Duke of Longueville in June 1537 and Queen Consort as the second wife of James V of Scotland from 1538 to 1542 and then as Regent from 1544 to 1560. James V first wife Madeleine of Valois, daughter of Francis I of France, died of TB. James V was keen to ensure the longevity of the Franco-Scottish Alliance to an attempt to hold England(Henry VIII, James V maternal Uncle) in abeyance. Henry VIII had tried to woe Marie de Guise in an attempt to stop the union, but given his reputation for matching and dispatching she wisely chose to give him a wide berth. Louis XIV and William III, William IV uncle, formed an alliance during the War of Spanish Succession in an attempt to stop the Habsburg's from claiming the Throne of Spain. As it was the House of Bourbon won and Phillippe became Felipe V. The Monarch had his ideas and Politicians had theirs and sometimes these ideas peacefully coexisted and other times not so much. The Whigs weren't fans of Catholic France. The Stuarts were. |
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stevep
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Post by stevep on Sept 22, 2021 15:19:24 GMT
Was there a Stuart 'fondness' for France? The early Stuarts saw Spain as the greater threat and France was recovering from bitter internal conflict. Then after the restoration Charles II was willing to become a satellite of Louis XIV to gain independence from parliament but fortunately this was defeated. Britain fought France during the bulk of Louis XIV's reign because it was the great threat to British independence. [Not clear has the act of union still occurred here but assume so?] However by the time of William IV Spain is very much a spent force and also if we have had the same result to the Spanish Succession conflict as OTL it has Bourbon king that largely ties it in alliance to France. France is the great power that poses the prime threat to independence of other states and is emerging as the prime challenger in terms of empire in N America, the Caribbean, India etc. As such its difficult not to see France as the prime threat to Britain and hence seeking friendship with it would be a very difficult move for the king.
I know there was a brief exception in the War_of_the_Quadruple_Alliance, which saw Spain trying to regain some of its territorial losses, especially in Italy, which saw Britain, France, Austria and the Netherlands combined against it but that was a brief incident and the defeats that Spain quickly suffered showed it was no longer able to act alone.
Steve
Politics and the Monarch became semi-detached when Mary II and William III ascended the Throne. Policy was more the purview of the Politicians and Parliament rather than the Crown. The Stuarts always had an affinity with France Mary, Queen of Scot's mother was none other than the very influential Marie de Guise, Duchess of Longueville until the death of her first husband Louis, Duke of Longueville in June 1537 and Queen Consort as the second wife of James V of Scotland from 1538 to 1542 and then as Regent from 1544 to 1560. James V first wife Madeleine of Valois, daughter of Francis I of France, died of TB. James V was keen to ensure the longevity of the Franco-Scottish Alliance to an attempt to hold England(Henry VIII, James V maternal Uncle) in abeyance. Henry VIII had tried to woe Marie de Guise in an attempt to stop the union, but given his reputation for matching and dispatching she wisely chose to give him a wide berth. Louis XIV and William III, William IV uncle, formed an alliance during the War of Spanish Succession in an attempt to stop the Habsburg's from claiming the Throne of Spain. As it was the House of Bourbon won and Phillippe became Felipe V. The Monarch had his ideas and Politicians had theirs and sometimes these ideas peacefully coexisted and other times not so much. The Whigs weren't fans of Catholic France. The Stuarts were.
Except this was before France was the clear threat/rival to Britain, other than during the war of the Spanish Succession and while William III didn't want the Hapsburgs to get the entire Spanish empire it was the French they fought, for long, bloody years to prevent the Bourbons getting it all either. Similarly William III was a Stuart and he wasn't a fan of Catholic France and I doubt any monarch of Britain could be in the decades ahead.
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Post by halferking on Sept 23, 2021 6:03:55 GMT
Politics and the Monarch became semi-detached when Mary II and William III ascended the Throne. Policy was more the purview of the Politicians and Parliament rather than the Crown. The Stuarts always had an affinity with France Mary, Queen of Scot's mother was none other than the very influential Marie de Guise, Duchess of Longueville until the death of her first husband Louis, Duke of Longueville in June 1537 and Queen Consort as the second wife of James V of Scotland from 1538 to 1542 and then as Regent from 1544 to 1560. James V first wife Madeleine of Valois, daughter of Francis I of France, died of TB. James V was keen to ensure the longevity of the Franco-Scottish Alliance to an attempt to hold England(Henry VIII, James V maternal Uncle) in abeyance. Henry VIII had tried to woe Marie de Guise in an attempt to stop the union, but given his reputation for matching and dispatching she wisely chose to give him a wide berth. Louis XIV and William III, William IV uncle, formed an alliance during the War of Spanish Succession in an attempt to stop the Habsburg's from claiming the Throne of Spain. As it was the House of Bourbon won and Phillippe became Felipe V. The Monarch had his ideas and Politicians had theirs and sometimes these ideas peacefully coexisted and other times not so much. The Whigs weren't fans of Catholic France. The Stuarts were.
Except this was before France was the clear threat/rival to Britain, other than during the war of the Spanish Succession and while William III didn't want the Hapsburgs to get the entire Spanish empire it was the French they fought, for long, bloody years to prevent the Bourbons getting it all either. Similarly William III was a Stuart and he wasn't a fan of Catholic France and I doubt any monarch of Britain could be in the decades ahead.
William III was a Dutch Protestant from the Royal House of Orange-Nassau. He married Mary Stuart, daughter of James II & VII, who with her sister Anne, was raised in the Protestant faith. Charles II converted to Catholicism on his death bed and James II & VII was a known practicing Catholic and when he married his second wife Maria di Modena, also a Catholic, they had a son James, who was a Catholic. The English Parliament were determined to stamp out what they perceived as a Catholic threat so they invited Mary and William over to depose her father. At this point in time William III held the Throne of England, Scotland and Ireland and as titular Prince of Orange he was also Stadtholder of the United Provinces of The Netherlands and when the War of Spanish Succession broke out William and the English Parliament were aligned in their belief that the Habsburgs shouldn't be able to lay claim to the vacant Throne of Spain. The war was about political power rather than religious belief so William and the English Parliament were not adverse to the idea of an deal with a Catholic power, in this case France. Parliament had two options let a powerful Habsburg dynasty reign supreme over all of Europe or an alliance with Catholic France. They opted for an alliance with France based on the fact that this was about protecting British interests i.e., a dominant Catholic Monarch controlling most of the continent was bad for British trade and bad for British security. In the Tudor times and before religion was power - control what people believed you held the power. By the time William III took the throne yes religion was still a consideration but it had started to be and was continuing to be supplanted by trade and wealth creation - control the trade, control the money, control the political arena. |
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stevep
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Post by stevep on Sept 23, 2021 12:03:34 GMT
Except this was before France was the clear threat/rival to Britain, other than during the war of the Spanish Succession and while William III didn't want the Hapsburgs to get the entire Spanish empire it was the French they fought, for long, bloody years to prevent the Bourbons getting it all either. Similarly William III was a Stuart and he wasn't a fan of Catholic France and I doubt any monarch of Britain could be in the decades ahead.
William III was a Dutch Protestant from the Royal House of Orange-Nassau. He married Mary Stuart, daughter of James II & VII, who with her sister Anne, was raised in the Protestant faith. Charles II converted to Catholicism on his death bed and James II & VII was a known practicing Catholic and when he married his second wife Maria di Modena, also a Catholic, they had a son James, who was a Catholic. The English Parliament were determined to stamp out what they perceived as a Catholic threat so they invited Mary and William over to depose her father. At this point in time William III held the Throne of England, Scotland and Ireland and as titular Prince of Orange he was also Stadtholder of the United Provinces of The Netherlands and when the War of Spanish Succession broke out William and the English Parliament were aligned in their belief that the Habsburgs shouldn't be able to lay claim to the vacant Throne of Spain. The war was about political power rather than religious belief so William and the English Parliament were not adverse to the idea of an deal with a Catholic power, in this case France. Parliament had two options let a powerful Habsburg dynasty reign supreme over all of Europe or an alliance with Catholic France. They opted for an alliance with France based on the fact that this was about protecting British interests i.e., a dominant Catholic Monarch controlling most of the continent was bad for British trade and bad for British security. In the Tudor times and before religion was power - control what people believed you held the power. By the time William III took the throne yes religion was still a consideration but it had started to be and was continuing to be supplanted by trade and wealth creation - control the trade, control the money, control the political arena.
I'm not talking about religion, although it still has an impact. Talking about practical power politics. France will be the big threat to Britain, both because its now clearly the strongest continental power, as shown by the coalitions it took to keep Louis XIV in check and because its interests in trade and colonies clash with Britain more than any other power. Spain and the Netherlands to a lesser degree but the latter are largely out as a competitor and Spain is now tied to France by the Bourbon alliance. As such the point you mentioned above, which was also important earlier, is exactly why Britain and France will be competitors.
The only exception would be if there was some pact between London and Paris where Britain gave France a free hand on the continent and France in return accepted Britain having a similar hand outside Europe. Anyone of intelligence in Britain would see that as a great danger as a France that made the sort of gains Louis XIV desired they would be so powerful that Britain would be largely defenceless against them. At the same time a free hand for Britain outside Europe would cost a lot in lost trade in many areas - even if France kept its current territories - and is likely to cause problems when British and Spanish interests clash, as they would inevitably do.
IIRC - don't have time to check it now - the 'alliance' you mention happened when the anti-French alliances candidate for the Spanish throne, who was an Hapsburg but not in line to inherit their Austrian territories, died. Which meant the only valid candidates were Louis XIV's grandson or the current Hapsburg emperor. Neither were acceptable to Britain and the Netherlands - probably also other members of the alliance. As such they got a deal where the French candidate inherited Spain and its overseas empire with an agreement he would be excluded from the French line of succession, to prevent the two kingdoms coming under a common monarch and that all Spain's European lands outside Iberia went to the Hapsburg's. Such as their lands in Italy and probably most importantly of all what later became Belgium. [Spain may have kept Sardinia IIRC].
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