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MiracleTortoise

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Enig og tro til Dovre faller: A Norway Death & Taxes AAR

Greetings to you all.

This will be my first AAR, and as indicated by the title, I will be using the Death & Taxes mod, and I will be playing as Norway. There was no particular long-term aim behind choosing Norway, I just haven't played them before and thought they could provide an interesting scenario.

This will be primarily a narrative AAR, and I will do my best to vary the personality of each ruler. I won't immediately seek to break the PU, either. I will happily take suggestions for goals, house rules, and so forth.

Rules:

- Don't go over the infamy limit.

- No cheating or save scumming. If Norway's back side is handed to her on a silver platter, then that will simply end the AAR.

Otherwise my plan is simply to have some fun in the process. I have no idea right now how actively I'll update this - it'll most likely vary on feedback and my mismatched schedule.

Contents:
War In The Baltic
Sub-Arctic Spring
An Auld Alliance Divided
The Road To Recovery
A Cold War
Scandinavia Divided
Full Circle
A Golden Age
Upsetting The Balance
A Few More Years
Scandinvia, She Comes
 
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War In The Baltic

The wise king, his majesty Eric Gryf VII of Pommerania sought to bring about the eventual full-fledged integration of the Kalmar Union by initializing a number of radical reforms, creating a number of new offices for profit under the crown to be taken up by clergymen and nobles alike, alongside the seizing of assets from a number of minor nobles and freemen. Of course, it was unsurprising when the common folk of Agder rose up in defiance when news of these reforms eventually trickled down to them, the impacts deceptively explained by a young gentleman by the name of Esben Egilsson who's lands had been made a part of a larger territory.

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The young gentleman quickly led those freemen and serfs alike willing to abandon their lands in the name of their cause to flee the wrath of the army before it arrived. A few stragglers were caught and dispatched as the rebels marched inland towards Eidsiva, and in turn, to the land of the Jämts, no doubt hoping the poorly defined borders of the hinterland there might persuade the Norwegian army to abandon chase. Meanwhile, his majesty issued a declaration of war upon the Teutonic Knightly Order in pursuit of an old claim to the isle of Ösel. Pirate vessels were plying the coasts of the North and Iceland almost immediately, and his majesty saw fit to allow the Norwegian fleet to secure her own shores before moving to fight the Teutons, confident that the Danish and Swedish fleets could handle fighting those of the Knightly Order.

The first victory came for the fleet after it dispatched a number of pirates around the Finnmark fjords, leaving the galley, Trondheim behind to be repaired by the colonists, and to protect them from the possibility of a pirate return. The fleet quickly moved on to the Shetland, Orkney, and Faroe isles, leaving a ship behind in several locations to keep watch against future pirate attacks, and finishing in Iceland to take on repairs. A few days later, and the fleet moved to return to Oslo, whilst news arrived in Copenhagen that the Teutonic Order had concluded a war with Novgorod, occupying Ingermanland in the name of the Catholic faith.

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The Norwegian fleet was then - at the king's request, deployed to protect the Öresund from the Teutons' galley fleet whilst the occupation of Gotland continued. Meanwhile, the serfs and freemen rallied around the home province of the rebel leader Egilsson, as more volunteers flocked to join the army in defiance of the rebellious attitudes of some of their peers, who were still fleeing through the mountain passes, with the army still picking off their stragglers in pursuit. On the 7th of January, 1401, the Admiral of the Teutons' galley fleet eventually worked up the courage to assail the Öresund, and the Danish fleet in port in Copenhagen reached the battle shortly, pitching 28 Danish and Norwegian ships against the Teutons 21. As the war in the Baltic continued, the king continued to use the Norwegian treasury to fund more colonists to settle the Finnmark coastline. The Teuton fleet was scattered and driven to the four winds, leaving the Scandinavian fleets to pursue and eventually capture two of her galleys, which were brought back to Oslo for repairs, whilst the Teuton fleet returned to port to recover from its bruises.

The king then demanded that the army embark for an invasion of Prussia, but it was, much to his chagrin, still in pursuit of the rather wily Egilsson, who was still marching his ragtag band of peasants day and night, plundering the hinterlands for supplies as he went. However, this came to end on the 15th of March, 1401, when Egilsson took a gambit, and marched upon the capital. The army was, as always, hot on his heels, and his siege force was driven south from Oslo in to Bohuslän, south past Marstrand, and finally cornered against the sea, whereupon his rebels were surrounded. They were roundly defeated, captured and executed, with Egilsson himself being returned to the capital for a public execution to demonstrate his folly to the good people there.

This freed the army to assist Denmark in her war against the Order who had - right under the collective noses of the Scandinavian nations, smuggled an entire army of their own in to Skåne. This had been a blunder for them, as it enabled the Swedes to march in to aid the Danes, and the Teuton army, over 14,000 strong, was driven in to the sea and annihilated before the Norwegians could even reach Skåne. However, less than a month later, no doubt provoked by the lack of any response, the Hochmeister blundered again, and sent more men in to Skåne, now reinforced by troops from across the union. The Teutons were routed again, and this time, proud Norwegian troops were played their part in driving the knights in to Småland, where the scattered remnants of the army were captured, and turned over to Danish custody. The fleet that had deployed the troops - already battered and bruises, was intercepted by Norway's ships, which quickly drove them back to port, bloodying their nose further with the capture of a third galley. The army was then divided, with 3,000 troops embarking upon the fleet, ready to take the fight to the Order, as freshly raised recruits moved to reinforce those who remained in Skåne against the steadily more unlikely looking return of a Teuton invasion force.

However, when the Teutons emerged from Port a few days later after some frantic repairs and a freshly commissioned ship on her maiden voyage to reinforce their fleet, the king abandoned the Norwegian fleet, leaving her outnumbered as she fled to nearby Skåne. Sailors and soldiers alike voiced their malcontent, and the first bale of hay was mounted upon the donkey's back. The Swedes then tried their luck at ferrying a small army of Fins from Nyland to Estland across the gulf of Finland, and again the Teutons intercepted, and again the king's fleet was nowhere to be found. The Norwegian fleet made haste to rally the Swedes as their ships were driven westward towards Stockholm, showing the solidarity that the king would not. This time it was the Norwegians who had sallied forth from port, freshly repaired, and the battle-wearied Teutons were bloodied once more, capturing a new galley which was turned over to the Swedes as a sign of good faith.

No longer trusting the Danes to throw their galleys in where they were needed, the admiralty relocated to Stockholm, to be nearer the Swedish fleet, and as a generally well fortified location and well developed facilities to operate from and receive repairs at. The army began the long trek northwards to Stockholm, making ready for a second to attempt to bring the fight to the Order. Meanwhile, back at home, the king recognized the growing weariness of the freemen and clergy of Norway with the war, and decided to make some token gestures of gratitude for their sacrifices, hiring artists to build statues in the capital, alongside a handful of smaller towns, celebrating the Norwegian efforts in the Baltic thus far - which of course, did little to pacify Norwegian sentiments, but did, at least, give Norwegian artists the opportunity to undertake some great works.

The army wintered in Stockholm through December, before the army was once again divided, and troops started to embark throughout late January. The admiralty and generals had devised a plan independently of the king, and come the start of February, troops were landed in Ösel, whilst the Norwegian fleet blocked the straits between the islands and Kurland, whilst the Swedish fleet co-operated by simultaneously stopping the Teutons from moving across the straits to Estland. As the siege continued in Ösel, the king took to his bed in København, complaining of a particularly vicious cough. Physicians came and went, and despite numerous treatments and the import of leeches from England, he died on March the 9th, 1402. The new king, Maximilian Gryf, was still a mewling infant, and it fell to Christian Lindschold, a close friend of the now deceased king, and a man who had already been proclaimed as the count of Gotland, despite it not having been formally turned over to Danish rule, was to rule as regent in the child's stead.

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The Order's fleet sought to take advantage of the king's death, hoping that the Danish fleet would be in Disarray, and assailed the Norwegian Blockade around Ösel. The fleet was forced to stand firm around Ösel, lest the Teuton army be smuggled across the straits to slaughter the Norwegian troops there. However, the Teuton admiral made the dire mistake of underestimating the Norwegian fleet, the morale of her sailors bolstered by several victories already, and reinforced by captured galleys. They committed too many of their ships to attempts at boarding actions, and lost too many, too quickly, and yet another galley was seized as they were forced to flee yet again. The Teuton fleet made its escape from the Gulf of Riga, only to be intercepted by the Danes outside of Königsberg, where they lost several more galleys, their morale in tatters. With food supplies in Ösel running out, and the waters now firmly under Scandinavian control, the war was going well. To further bolster the mood in Oslo, news had come down from Finnmark that the colonists there no longer needed food and tools to be sent to them, and that they could now survive on their own.

As September came around, the news arrived that the garrison in Arensburg had surrendered to the Norwegian army there, and the troops began to organize their return to Stockholm. The fleet had no such luck, as the blockade had to be maintained to prevent Ösel's recapture. When the two armies were reunited, they promptly began to march back to Oslo. The fleet was now able to take on repairs at Arensburg, making it much easier to continue the blockade there.

Meanwhile, Count Landschold's leadership was not being well received throughout Norway, and after a particularly unpopular reform involving taxing fishermen based on the size of their hauls, the country's rather sizable population of fishermen, along with a number of dependent trades, began to do everything they could to dodge this, along with a number of other taxes.

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As the war continued in the Baltic, Muscowy - a long standing ally of the Teutonic Order's, and one of the belligerents in the ongoing war, concluded a peace arrangement with Novgorod that saw her acquire a path to the coast, culminating in the port at Noteburg. This, of course, created a border with Sweden that was quickly exploited - Swedish troops poured in to the province, soon to be supported by troops from Denmark. The Order's Russian allies rallied around, and soon the stage was set for some decisive battles. The Teuton army attacked Danish troops as they marched around the gulf in to Ingermanland, and had almost driven the Danes back when the Swedish army reinforced them - turning the balance of numbers in their favor. The Teutons were routed, and fled in to Livland, where most of the survivors were rounded up and captured. At this point, the Teutons quickly sent a missive to the Scandinavian generals in Livland, and another to København. Count Landschold was quick to accept the Orders' peace offering of the isle of Gotland, allowing the count to legitimize his status, whilst the Danish treasury was compensated for the costs of war. The Swedes and Norwegians were not so lucky. But the war was, at least, over.

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Suggestions for goals:

1) Unite Scandinavia
2) Conquer the Teutonic Order
3) Gain complete control of the Baltic coast
4) Reestablish the Greenland and Vinland colonies.
 
Suggestions for goals:

1) Unite Scandinavia
2) Conquer the Teutonic Order
3) Gain complete control of the Baltic coast
4) Reestablish the Greenland and Vinland colonies.

I'll almost certainly pursue no.4 somewhere down the line. The first one seems possible, depending on how diplomacy with the others plays out, and no. 2 and 3... Possible, but I don't see a reason for it any time soon.
 
Welcome aboard the AAR train! A good start. Your writing is very nicely done, and Norway is a most unusual choice for an AAR. I will be following!
 
Norway is indeed an interesting choice, and the start is very good. Subscribed!
 
Sub-Arctic Spring

With the war resolved, the admiralty took the opportunity to promote the young Rikard Torsson, a captain of repeated distinction during the war, was promoted to befit his skill, and celebrated as a war hero, and paragon of the Norwegian tradition of seafaring.

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Whilst the war was over, Landschold saw fit to let the Norwegian treasury begin to accumulate coin in preparation for various infrastructural, defensive, and economic investments over the coming few years. First and foremost was the perceived to need to fortify the northern coastal provinces. Fortifications were set up along the Trøndelag coastline. Peace was short lived, however, as come the spring of 1404, Denmark was at war again. This time with the Duchy of Brabant, and the Free City of Aachen. Brabant had recently annexed the Duchy of Holland in a dispute over the province of Zeeland, and Denmark has been pulled in to the war in a complex series of negotiations by Hungary, an ally of the now-occupied duchy. Whether or not Norway's troops were needed, it gave the newly promoted admiral a chance to flourish, leading the blockade against Brabant, while the troops remained at home.

Various belligerents opposed to Brabant who were part of the war by merit of diplomatic gesture alone, and shortly after, Hungary and Denmark concluded a white peace with Brabant, seeing no profit in the war's continuation, leaving the war but a brief month-long blockade as far as Norway was concerned. The fleet returned to Oslo, as the slow but steady renovation of Norway's less developed territories continued unfettered by pretenses of war. The selection of a new pope in Rome meant little to the people of Norway, but deserved an honorable mention. Norway's relations with the papacy would no doubt would be quiet, as always.

One year later, and the union was at war again. And again, it was at the behest of Hungary, who had perceived some weakness in their neighbours, the Osman Empire. Seeing their opportunity, they had attacked, summoning the Count's assistance, and again, he complied. The Norwegian fleet declined to assist, the Aegean too distant a battleground to merit its attention. Instead, the admiralty organized the funding and recruitment of some of the finest shipwrights the region had to offer, sponsoring a policy of ensuring that every Norwegian vessel that left port - new or old - would be crafted and fitted to a level unrivalled throughout Europe.

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It was not long before the Hungarian crusade was met with success, and Bosnia was freed from Islamic rule, and Norway was once again at peace. Meanwhile, a peace treaty between Scotland and England was concluded that shocked the rest of Europe.

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Peace, by now, was becoming a concept unfamiliar to the Norwegian navy, as the union was once again at war with Brabant, who now were attempting to incorporating the Duchy of Cleves under its dominion. This war, however, was entered at the behest of Cleves - not Hungary, and Scandinavian troops began to land in Holland to fight in earnest. The Norwegian army marched quickly and unopposed to Brussels, to begin the siege there, whilst troops from other parts of the empire, alongside Danish and Swedish troops, began sieges throughout the rest of the Duchy. After the capture of Brussels, the Norwegian troops returned to Oslo, to await the inevitably news of Brabant's surrender. Indeed, but a few days later, the former bishopric of Liege was restored, albeit now with a duke at its head.

Years of relative peace finally started to pass by, bringing with them the curious news that the Fins in western Novgorod had achieved independence, under a government that still preached their old Pagan ways. More colonists moved to settle inland in Lappland, hoping to make something of the frozen wastes, and bring civilization to the Sami there. Following the Count's continuation of Eric's reforms to the distribution of land and government roles in Norway, and the ongoing regency of the young Maximilian, an elderly man and minor nobleman by the name of Christian Jorgesson in Bohuslan proclaimed that Norway deserved a true king. The army was gathered together and marched south to meet him and the band of peasants he had gathered together. Jorgesson fled the country, and his army disbanded before the troops could even arrive. It was no surprise in 1412 when the settlers in Lappland reported that trapping would make for profitable industry in the area, and the news prompted another wave of settlers to be sent out.

The long period of relative calm continued with little news up until June, 1414, when the news that the settlers in Lappland no longer required aid came down to the capital, a cause for some celebration, and the instigation of the next project on the itinerary for developing Norway's infrastructure.

Come the 8th September, 1415, the regency period of the young Maximilian Gryf finally ended, and the Count Landschold was consequently dismissed after being politely thanked for his services to Denmark. The young king quickly agreed to aid Cleves in their bid to bring Christendom to the Fins who claimed independence for their pagan ways. No doubt he sought to strengthen the Swedish border in so doing, and Sweden quickly acquired a route to the icy Barents Sea, seizing the sparsely populated region of Karelia, leaving the Fins with only christian land, whereupon peace was concluded. Independently of the king, the nobles in the Faroe, Shetland, and Orkney isles took it upon themselves to act in a mindset befitting the Auld alliance, exchanging gifts and pleasantries with the highland clans and with Edinburgh itself, to the point that Scotland and Norway could be said to be friends.

Unfortunately, the regency period seemed doomed to continue, as Maximilian died under suspicious circumstances in a hunting incident in Småland, and his nephew - once again a mewling infant - Frans Gryf ascended to the throne on Wednesday 13th, August 1417. Count Lindschold made an unexpected return to power as a result.
 
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Mewling infant! I like that.

Great update. :)
 
Ah Norway, quite possibly the most lovely country in Scandinavia. I see the English are getting smacked around quite severely, why don't you hook up some longboats as soon as you've ditched Denmark and recreate the Dane... eh....Norselaw?
 
Brief Years of Silence

A brief period of rather uneventful peace followed Lindschold's return to power, although he did return to his slow renovations and modernization of Norway's infrastructure, building fortresses and beating out roads in the still-wild northern regions of Lappland and Finnmark. Money was scarce coming in to the Norwegian treasury, but her small navy and army made this bearable. Even so, the count found himself surreptitiously introducing coins to the Norwegian economy. Nonetheless, it was in quantities that would disturb only the most acutely aware merchants and clergymen.

Even so, this seemed to provoke a debate amongst some of the country's more prominent figures in trading and those in offices for profit under the crown. Days wore by without word from the regent until eventually he stepped in to settle the debate with a speech about the Argosies of old, and Norway's tradition as a trading nation within the Hanseatic league.

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The remains of Finland were annexed by Novgorod once were more, whilst the Lithuanians and Poles started to drive the Tatars back out of Europe. Peace in Norway came to end on 12th April, 1421, when the Scots, flushed with success in their war against England, declared war upon Norway, claiming some obscene right to the islands north of Caledonia.

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An Auld Alliance Divided

With diplomatic relations between Scotland and France strained, with Norway and Scotland at war, and with France and Norway both having a vested interest in defying further Scottish gains, it was safe to say that the days of the Auld Alliance were long past. Now there was simply a war to contend with - which it seemed Scotland was destined to throw away, committing a portion of her fleet to the Kattegat within days of their declaration arriving in Oslo. It was quickly intercepted by Norwegian and Swedish ships, and over several weeks ships were back and forth across the North sea, ships disengaging, more arriving, in a constant whirl of frenetic activity. The Scots took the opportunity to march on Orkney, seizing it while the Norwegian fleet was busied, and afterwards, in port taking on repairs after a solid victory, and a Swedish capture of a Scottish vessel.

The Irish kingdom of Munster - an ally of the Scots, deployed a small army to Iceland, which became the first focus for Norwegian retaliation. The fleet took up 5,000 men, and began to ferry them across the North Sea to the Faroe isles - which was to become the heavily burdened center of operations for the war. From the Faroes, the fleet took the troops to Iceland. The Irish army there - outnumbered almost 2-1 were caught by surprised, and were easily driven inland, where they were left to freeze in the Icelandic hinterland as December came around. The Scots made no further advances on Norwegian isles in this time, an assurance of her naval failings, and the fleet wasted no time moving the troops back to the Faroes, and with little intermission, on to Orkney, to dispatch the Scottish garrison there. The Scots made another attempt to break through the Kattegat, and were again met by Swedish and Norwegian ships barring her path.

War time seemed to make a good excuse for some folk to dodge their taxes, and there was some minor instability at home, whilst the count - noticeably absent from the war - continued his old policy of removing local administrative roles and merging provinces and districts in to larger regions for more efficient management. The fleet made it back to Orkney just in time to seek a flotilla of smaller vessels that was about to move the entire Scottish army to crush the Norwegians there. Instead, the Scots had to content themselves with lewd comments and blasphemies hurled from the shoreline. Torsson was illustrating his value to the country day by day.

The Swedes played their part - dispatching troops to Ireland to remove Munster from playing any important role in the war, quickly occupying the capital. Peace however, would have to come at the count's leisure. The Scottish garrison in Orkney surrendered in the October of 1422, threatened by the prospect of another winter without supplies in so remote a location. Seizing upon the continued dominance of the Norwegian fleet, the troops were then smuggled throughout the undefended Western Isles of Scotland. The count eventually came to terms with the fact that Munster had no money he could extract from them in a peace deal, instead opting them to free the occupied lands of Tyrone, and to annul their alliance with Scotland. More importantly, this freed the Swedes for a potential invasion of Scotland.

The death of a wealthy Norwegian Hanseatic trader made possible a sporadic continuation of Norway's long-term ongoing infrastructural development, in spite of the ongoing war, and as January came around, new constructions in Lappland were begun, named in his honor.

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Meanwhile, the Scots attempted to break the blockade dividing the Highlands and Orkney, sending their finest admiral to face Rikard Torsson in pitched battle, 9 Scottish ships against 5 Norwegian ships, albeit quickly reinforced by 5 more from around the western isles. For weeks, the fleets exchanged blows around the coastal regions of Caledonia. But eventually, as spring began to creep up from the south, the Scots fled the battle, outmatched by Rikard Torsson, outclassed by the superior Norwegian ships, and overpowered by the superior seamanship of true Norwegian sailors. The fleet was now forced to juggle ships in and out of port to maintain the deterrent to the Scots, whilst rapidly building up much needed repairs - something the Scots could undertake at their leisure.

It seemed that the Scottish admiralty had given up on breaking the Norwegian fleet now, and made yet another attempt to break through the Kattegat - and this time they went unimpeded - until they reached København, where they were intercepted. But not by Danish fleets - the duchy of Cleves committed her 4 ships to the seas to fight to the Scottish fleet, now battered and bruised. And, in a blow to the pride of any true Scot, the duchy sank two of the Scottish ships, including her flagship.

The war took a sudden turn for the worse, however, when the king of England - presumably trying to curry favor with the Scots - declared war on Denmark. Torsson wasn't willing to commit ships to England to learn more of their fleets, and confidence in the blockade was shaken - but it continued, albeit paranoia now hung around the fleet. The English had put many ships to sea in the past, and it was quite possible they would do so now. Indeed, 40 ships sailed from London to break the Norwegian blockade. Little could be done to defy them, although the core of the fleet managed to go to port before it was caught. The English landed troops in Ireland to fight the newest Danish allies in Ulster - it was just a matter of time before it fell, and those troops were then moved on to fight the Norwegians stranded in the Western Isles.

English squadrons quickly dispatched Danish and Swedish fleets, sending them back to port, and creating a very difficult situation for the union. As one English Squadron passed Orkney by on its way in to the North Sea, Torsson took a gamble, sallying forth from the isles to engage the English, hoping to sink or damage as many English vessels as possible before they were reinforced. As 11 Norwegian ships sought to annihilate 7 English, the war reached a stage of frenetic activity, as the Swedes managed to outmaneuver the English and land an army to right theirs in Ireland. The Scots broke through the Kattegat, finally, and began a blockade of the Danish straits in earnest, whilst the Clevian and Danish fleets sunk a Scottish ship - and began to fight an English squadron along the eastern English coast.

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Unfortunately, the English Squadron survived intact, if rather battered, when reinforcements arrived, forcing Torsson to disengage and return to port before ships could be lost. The English then deployed a small occupation force in Orkney, which could prematurely force Torsson out of port if it was quickly successful. It also freed the way for the Scots to march across - they seemed reluctant, however - perhaps still wary of the wily Norwegian navy, even if it was now heavily outnumbered. English troops started to arrive in the Norwegian mainland - quickly outnumbering those Norwegian troops in the capital, who were forced to stand fast and wait for reinforcements from Sweden, whilst the Danish army stood idle in their capital. If only to cement their naval superiority, England then summoned their long standing allies of Portugal in to the war.

The surrender of the Scots in the western isles freed up Norwegian troops, and Torsson decided to take the risk of ferrying them to Orkney to ward away English advances there. The garrison surrendered as he made his return trip, forcing a more difficult landing, and paranoia set in once more. Rightly so. The English fleet forced Torsson to port in the Faroes, abandoning Norwegian troops - just victorious over the English occupation force - stranded as the Scottish army marched in. It was here that the duchy of Cleves did something both insane and incredibly valiant - sacrificing her fleet to halt the armies of Scotland - losing 4 of her 6 ships to the English to save Norwegian lives. With a foothold in Agder, the English marched on Oslo, and finally, the Danish began to march. But with her fleets sunk, she could not reach the mainland. She had waited too long, and was at the mercy of the English fleet.

As much as Torsson wished to continue his constant pin pricking of England's fleet, the orders came through to return the army to Sweden, so as to be able to fight the English at home. It was the Portuguese who took advantage of this, curiously. Landing troops in the Faroes, it seemed they were more dedicated to their alliance than was expected. Oslo fell within months, leaving the high command to fleet to Stockholm, to conduct their war from there, whilst the fleet was trapped outside of the baltic, with the Oresund blockaded by the English and Portuguese.

As the English fleet returned to port after several months of operating in the Baltic, Torsson spotted an opening. He sailed the fleet out from Bergen and in to the straits, engaging the one English squadron now blockaded Denmark, and quickly sent it trailing back to port. This freed the Danish army to march on to Sweden - and in turn, Norway, to fight the English back. Oslo fell as they marched, and the English did they best to drive the Norwegian army northwards, whilst Swedish and Danish troops began to pursue from the south. But as the English reached Lappland, the lack of infrastructure ironically saved the day. The Norwegian army was bested there, but as it retreated through familiar terrain, the English were trapped by blizzards. The rest of the union's armies simply waited for the shattered remnants of the English to emerge from the icy wasteland in spring, whereupon they set upon them, annihilating the army.

The Scottish by now, had lost faith in their war - and were desperate to bring a peace to deal with internal issues, freeing the English province of Northumberland as an entirely independent kingdom - under the protection of the Union, of course.

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This was of course, a blunder by the regent, as England immediately declared war upon the newly formed kingdom, and within a couple of months, had annexed it. Some small reassurance for the war came however, when Castille declared war on Portugal, which would hopefully see a reasonable share of England's naval power dismissed. Orkney was once again turned over to English occupation, but with Torsson operating out of the Danish capital now, the isles would simply have to stay under foreign occupation for the time being. A white peace with Portugal saved Norway some heartache, as occupying troops left Iceland and the Faroes, but it was only a matter of time before the English replaced them. And indeed they did. With the Union's fleets trapped in port, the war continued with England being able to pluck the isles away at its leisure, leaving the Norwegians at home ever resentful of the Danes whose war they were suffering for.

The English blockade of the Oresund allowed it to seize the Count's own lands, too - Gotland was unreachable so long as the blockade continued. But, it wasn't long before the English squadrons sought repairs, and again, Torsson emerged from hiding to try and sink as many English ships as he could as entrap. The Danes, and their remaining 3 galleys made a bid to assist, but as the English squadrons returned from London, the ongoing skirmishes saw the Danes pay, while Torsson's foresight enabled his escape. Torsson continued to sail in and out of port, essentially acting as a privateer, despite his pedigree. His success was the only way England could be fought, and that entailed gambling with Norwegian ships. But of course, the bulk of the English fleet returned to the Kattegat and Oresund, and Torsson was forced to port once more.

With English naval superiority confirmed, but unable to make further gains, Landschold was forced to agree to the most humiliation peace agreement possible under the conditions.

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Now it was Norway's work to recover from the war, and the work of the dynasty to remind Sweden and Norway that Denmark was not the enemy.
 
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Ouch! War with England is never good, especially in death and Taxes where England gets about twice as many ships as in vanilla (Seriously, they had 137 big ships by 1500 in one of my games)
 
Great update! That was quite a bruising war. I'm glad you survived!