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The Road to Recovery

Norway's treasury had, for the most part, endured the war, as had her people. But she was in no shape to fight another war against any dangerous foe. She had less ships than she should, and if she had to pay for her soldiers to fight abroad, she would have to take a far more painful blow to her economy than she had as of yet. Priorities were jumbled, but amongst them was the restoration of the fleet, and thereafter followed by the building of a small reserve of coin, and then finally, the continued renovations of the wildernesses of Finnmark and Lappland. But as the months following the war wore on, ill news hit the Norwegian high command.

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Torsson, the man who had dominated Norwegian efforts in the war, seemed to have died of niggling war injuries. He had not been a general, but he had seen far more combat, and was more the hero than any soldier in Norway. Norway would miss him, and as things stood, there was no candidate to succeed him. Meanwhile, relations with Denmark continued to suffer, as the people of Norway began to wonder if Denmark would ever produce a king, or if the union was simply the plaything of a once again landless noble who had done little to aid the other elements of the union come war time. However, it was only 5 years before England was at war with Denmark again.

This time, however, the Norwegian high command simply abstained. Embittered by the lack of Danish aid in the last war, and incapable of fighting the current, Norway looked on as Denmark was invaded by the English. Sweden still honored the union, although many in Oslo felt that a second war with England would see the union dissolved. The ongoing regency under an ailing Denmark was not what was right for Norway, nor Sweden. Norway was metaphorically playing her fiddle as Denmark burned. The generals used the treasury to continue to develop Lappland and Finnmark, and even began to expand upon the docks in Oslo. Long years of peace passed by - for Norway, as she returned to health and fighting form, and the count desperately summoned the Norwegian army to assist, time and again. And time and again, the generals declined to move. This was no longer just spite, but simple pragmatism. England had brought war to Denmark this time with more allies, more ships, and more troops, and for Norway to make a target of herself would be simple madness.

The war was eventually concluded with the count ceding the province of Skåne to the English, giving them a naval base within the baltic, and suggesting further ambitions therein.

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Awesome updates. The naval focus in the wars as well as the status as a junior under Denmark make this truly unique stuff.
 
Great update! England's takeover of Skane is worrying however.
 
A Cold War

Following the war, Denmark stationed her troops in the Norwegian hinterland, marching them through Lappland and Jämtland and taking harsh winters in Lappland. No doubt they were hoping to settle Norwegian frustrations with Danish rule, but this very much put the high command's hackles up, and the army was marched away from the Swedish border, wary of a potential surprise conflict in the future.

Peasant revolts broke out in Denmark however, as the serfs there expressed their malcontent with the rule of the Gryfs and their count, and the poor handling of English diplomacy and war. This provoked the Danish army to abandon its station in Norway and begin the long march to København to suppress the rebels there. This in turn allowed the high command to relax - now Denmark could not even manage her own people, let alone those of Sweden or Norway.

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There were, however, more peasants rebelling against the king than there were loyal soldiers, and the rebellion began to spread from the capital to adjacent isles. The king was forced to flee København and join the army - watching as his capital burned. There was little doubt throughout Scandinavia that the Gryfs did not have God's blessing to rule - it was now simply a matter of the king's passing away, and more deserving rulers to replace them. With the Danish serfs now commanding the straits, shipping passing through freely, and the capital turning over none of its revenue to the king's treasury, Denmark was in a state of economic collapse. On the continent, the warmongering Joseph De Bourgogne was excommunicated by Pope Xystus IV, for his crimes against the faith, and it seemed inevitable now that France, or perhaps the Habsburgs would swoop in to carve the Grand Duchy up as a result.

Rebellious sentiments spread through the Danish peninsula next, with the German serfs in the south creating an army under the banner of 'Hannover', despite their distance from the city itself, they proclaimed that it signified their culture and identity, and would be the moniker of their nation. And it seemed that Denmark could do little to defy them, as she continued to watch her serfs riot in the towns and the capital. Indeed, with the rise of the Hannoverian army, the king surrendered to his rebels, acknowledging Hannoverian independence, and making a number of concessions to his own peasantry.

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In Britain, England began a war to reclaim ground she had lost from Scotland, and in the European mainland, France and the Empire alike began to war upon the Grand Duchy, leaving it quickly at the mercy of their demands. England's war ended in success within a couple of years, reclaiming all of her lost ground excepting Northumbria, and returning her to her position as the pre-eminent power in Ireland, too. Similarly, France seized a great swath of the Duchy's territory.

The death of another very wealthy trader in Oslo quickly funded the construction of a workshop in the city to bolster the city's revenues for decades to come. Several long years of silence later, and some very important news reached Oslo...

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The Gryf Dynasty had ended in Scandinavia, and now a Habsburg sat on the Danish throne, whilst Sweden and Norway were once again masters of their own destiny. This meant little immediate change for much of Norway, but in the long term, it had much potential. Christoffer Bildt, a nobleman of some repute and a former General had taken the throne, forming a new dynasty for Norway, and his first task was to prove that he was indeed destined to rule. He began by marrying away his children in quick succession - to the newly formed Swedish dynasty, and throughout the Germanic Empire. Bildt had many daughters, but as of yet, no sons, and this was of great import. The Tsar of Moscow sent a missive as soon as he received word, and Norway and Moscow rather quickly became allies - comforting the new king that the border with Sweden was made that much more secure.

The Muscovites capitalized on this, summoning the Norwegians to their war with the Teutonic Order, and Norway, made confident by previous successes in the Baltic, gladly complied. The fleet was dispatched to blockade Konig, and the Teutons moved to intercept. As with the first war, however, the Teuton fleet was no match for superior Norwegian naval capacity, and the Teutons were forced to port. After the battle, the fleet took on repairs in the Muscovite Baltic port, before moving to continue the blockade. The Order was quick to request that Norway agree to a mutual white peace, which Christoffer simply interpreted as panic on the part of the Hochmeister, and promptly declined, seeing an opportunity for his treasury to profit from a blockade. Bafflingly, the Order opted to retaliate by landing a single regiment of troops in Orkney, and on the fleet's return journey through the Kattegat, it was again engaged, and it quickly tried to fleet, with 2 more ships being sunk before it reached port. But before the war could go further, Moscow extracted a peace deal, seizing slightly more of the Baltic coastline, and a healthy amount in reparations.

The February of 1451 saw Christoffer with his first son, whom he named Harald, and quickly named his heir. News came from Moscow shortly afterwards, announcing that Moscow was now to call itself the true master of all the Rus. She was now the land of the Rus, and such she would be called. Russia had been born, a power to rival the greatest in Europe.
 
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Ah, free at last. ;) Denmark seems to be down big time, but a Habsburg? :eek:

We haven't really seen the Russian area in a while, have we? Obviously they're strong since they formed Russia, but how strong?
 
Ah, free at last. ;) Denmark seems to be down big time, but a Habsburg? :eek:

We haven't really seen the Russian area in a while, have we? Obviously they're strong since they formed Russia, but how strong?

Hold on, I'll load up and give you a screenshot. She's supporting a good 50-60k men, now.

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Norway is free at last! It's a shame you got a fairly average King.

Now the thing to watch out for is Sweden declaring war on you!
 
Hold on, I'll load up and give you a screenshot. She's supporting a good 50-60k men, now.

Thanks. Good, they certainly appear to be powerful enough to keep the Swedes in check. ;)
 
I clutching for straws here, but is it possible to annex some of the irish minors? All to limit England and divide her armies in case of war.
 
I clutching for straws here, but is it possible to annex some of the irish minors? All to limit England and divide her armies in case of war.

Well, if she got the conquer Ireland mission, that'd backfire by giving her a CB. In terms of game play, current plans likely revolve around stealing a Swedish province or two with Russian assistance, and expanding in to Greenland > Canada.
 
Scandinavia Divided

Sweden had, for a long time, held territory once controlled by the Republic of Novgorod, and now this was land that Russia saw as rightfully hers. This led inevitably - and quickly, to a declaration of war upon Sweden by Russia. And of course, Norway - Russia's faithful ally - was called to lend her army to Russia's cause.

Sweden had clearly anticipated this, as her armies had gathered in Finland in the hopes of being able to defend against Russia's enormous numbers. Sweden's somewhat less prestigious allies in the duchy of Brabant honored their alliance too. Unfortunately, they pursued the ludicrous belief that their fleet might be able to break through the Kattegat to deploy troops to assist Sweden in Russia. Four ships, however, would not the Norwegian navy defeat. As the army marched in to the south of Sweden, a missive from the Habsburgs arrived, informing Christoffer that the Danish treasury would subsidize Norway's war against Sweden.

The Swedes arrived in Russia before the Russians arrived at their own borders, but this simply left Sweden under the deceptive impression that the Russian army was busy - it was, quite simply, marching, and in the summer of 1452, it arrived to deliver a hammer blow to the Swedish armies on the Russian baltic coast. Swedish armies were quickly driven out of Ingermanland, and back in to Nyland, where Russia began her occupation of Swedish soil in earnest. As a token of appreciation for the support of the Habsburgs in Denmark, Christoffer concluded a marriage of Harald to the youngest daughter of Christian Von Habsburg. In Sweden, the surrender of Västergötland enabled the army to march back in to Norway to dispatch a small Swedish occupation force. The king took the opportunity to join and lead the army personally, seeing opportunity for glory, and to further galvanize the legitimacy of his rule.

The occupation of Västergötland also forced the Brabantian fleet from port there, and the Norwegian fleet chased it across the coast of northern Germany, managing to sink every ship before they reached Dogger Bank, and then returning home. The Swedes in Jämtland were caught with their pants down by the Norwegian army in the depths of winter, rounded up, and marched to the dungeons in short order, before the army marched south to continue her occupation efforts once more. As the war continued, news arrived from Iceland that some of the fisherman there had spotted possible landing sites in Greenland, along with ruined buildings. This sparked some excited discussion is Oslo, before a ship was outfitted to explore the Greenland coasts.

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The exploring ship quickly crossed the high waters of the ocean, and, whilst charting the western coastline, spotted on a particularly clear day, the tell tale signs of land further west. The explorer took the initiative, and investigated this further, following the coastline there south and west.

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The news came back to Norway that seemingly unsettled lands not dissimilar to those of northern Sweden were being observed along the coastline of this land. When news returned to Oslo of the voyage, scholarly discussion was sparked, in spite of the war. The name 'Vinland' came in to the discussion a number of times, and suggestions were made about sending Norwegian settlers to exploit the land there, and to expand the realm. However, the king's court was still preoccupied with the war. And they were vindicated, as Norway's naval dominance was turned to shreds when Sweden somehow managed to secure an alliance with Portugal in her war. Within the same month, the entire Swedish army was caught up in battle with almost twice as many Russian troops. Work began on the addition of a new ship to the fleet, whilst the king became more aggressive, assaulting the walls instead of waiting to starve Swedish defenders out in a bid to bring the war to a close quickly.

Portuguese troops began to land in Iceland and the Faroes, but the Russian army had completely annihilated the Swedish, and slain their king in battle - the only barrier to peace now was time. The Norwegian army marched on the capital, and the nobles there - flustered and in a panic, agreed to a peace that could quite possibly swing the balance of power in Scandinavia in Norway's favor for decades to come.

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Very nice gains! Good job grabbing that much despite the always present threat of Russia peacing out early. Is their war still going on, probably so?

You should have a good situation in inter-Scandinavian matters as long as you manage to keep the Russians by your side.
 
Very nice gains! Good job grabbing that much despite the always present threat of Russia peacing out early. Is their war still going on, probably so?

You should have a good situation in inter-Scandinavian matters as long as you manage to keep the Russians by your side.

Well, when they called me to arms, I used intervention CB. Russia actually white peaced as soon as I peaced, presumably to fight the horde. This is better for me though, as it means they keep their CB on Sweden, and I can take another bite later.
 
Brilliant! The Swedes have been humbled, and Vinland rediscovered. Fantastic progress!
 
Full Circle

With the Swedes humbled, Christoffer had initially wanted to start sending good Norwegian freemen to settle in Swedish lands, and show them how to live like true Scandinavians. He was, however, dissuaded by his court, being told this would cause more trouble than it was worth, and that the Swedes were already Scandinavian enough. Those who needed civilization were the rugged ice folk of Greenland, who could stand to benefit from Norwegian settlement, and to that end, settlers were dispatched to Greenland to do just that. With settlers on their way west, a new exploration vessel was outfitted, and in the spring of 1454, The Oslo sailed from port to explore the southern continuation of Vinland, to determine just how large the island was. As Bolt sailed his ship further and further however, it became clear that this was not just an island, but an entirely new world.

The settlers in Greenland started to thrash out a village for themselves from the icy landscape, and the natives began to patrol the area, observing the Norwegians go about their business. The colonists took the initiative, and began to trade goods from the capital for furs and blubber with them, and already Christoffsfjord was showing the signs of becoming a - rather icy - trade hub. Or at least being more prosperous than had been anticipated. Within just a few months, several hundred colonists had been dispatched from throughout Norway, and were settling in Greenland in earnest, whilst exploration of Vinland continued.

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This continued for some time, and indeed, was uninterrupted, when the news of a superpower to rival that of Russia, and perhaps even the empire, had entered the European theater. The newly crowned Habsburg king of Poland and Lithuania, had abolished the latter's throne, unifying the country in to a single power dominating eastern Europe and the Black Sea.

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This new Poland was no immediate threat to Norway, but with the Polish king now ruling lands considered a part of the Russian patrimony, it seemed quite likely that Norway would be pulled in to conflict with her soon enough - and more importantly, this would divide Russia's interests from dominating Sweden. Of course, the good king Christoffer Bildt seemed oblivious to this fact, too focused was he on news from Greenland. The fact that the colonists had taken to fishing and were now feeding themselves was very much good news, and naturally, new waves of settlers were sent in to benefit from this. Even the natives were seeing the success of the colonists, and a steady trickle began to join them, settling in the town alongside them and learning the language.

Meanwhile, the explorer, Bolt, had charted the oceans between Norway and Vinland, and found no new islands or landmasses of import, other than the Portuguese-settled archipelago of the Azores, where the locals had been bemused to see pale-skinned Scandinavians in port.

In the February of 1456, Christoffer's only son unfortunately fell ill, and, despite the attentions of a professional Medicus from the empire, died on the 18th, in his bed. This left Christoffer without an heir, and he took to his quarters to brood for extended periods of time, leaving the court to make many decisions on his behalf - much as they had already been doing, but now without the need of persuading him first. Indeed, they continued the policies of settling Greenland and slowly constructing new ships for the fleet, with little deviation. As the year continued, England was at war in Scandinavia once more. Border disputes over what exactly England ruled on the Peninsula led her to invade Sweden this time, whilst, in a simultaneous but unrelated conflict, England's long-term ally of Portugal was at war with Denmark - the irony being that she had answered the summons of Sweden to fight Denmark.

The war was - of course - quickly concluded. Sweden and Denmark ceased their fighting to preserve themselves, and England crept further up the baltic coast, seizing Smaland from the Swedes, much to the concern of the court in Oslo, fearing further English ambitions on the peninsula, and her new border with Norway. These concerns seemed to be vindicated, as England turned on Denmark next, continuing her now ridiculous seeming border disputes to aggressively attack Denmark as she tried to recover from her wars. In this war, however, England's king seemed to realize just how threatening he was appearing to the rest of Europe, and ended his war with Denmark in exchange for but a pittance of coin.

Denmark saw no respite, however, invaded next by the empire, for a diverse array of reasons, but almost undeniably the ease with which it could now be done was foremost. The Swedes in Norway were meanwhile in uproar over their perceived mistreatment. This provoked the king from his slumber, and he marched with the army to put down rebels in Vastergotland, only to return to his chambers when he returned to Oslo, brooding once more.

Christoffer's first response to the messenger that arrived with news for the court on Monday, 4th November, saw him break out in to a fit of laughter that took several minutes to end, the king wheezing and coughing - many of the nobles also laughed, some as an initial reaction, others in response to that of the king's.

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The king then went back to brooding in his chambers, seeming even more embittered than before.

In the spring of 1460, the court received the news that the Christoffsfjord no longer required supplies to sustain its population, and the court promptly sent out the supplies for the locals to build themselves a fortress to guarantee the town in the future. The focus in colonization then moved on to Torssonfjord, the second town in Greenland, and now the primary location for colonists to arrive. Later that year, the king emerged from his chambers far more regularly, until in August, he finally delivered the news that the queen was undeniably with child. His mood had picked up dramatically, and he began to issue orders and edicts, until he realized that the court had managed perfectly fine without him. He did not return to brooding, but did seem to lose a lot of his excitement when he learned that the country had not really needed her king.

Nonetheless revitalized, he took to killing rebellious Swedes with vigor as a new rebellion sprung up, and was all-roundedly more active in court. He ended up in another fit of laughter when the court helped him catch up with news in Europe - specifically when he learned that the duke of Holstein, was also the king of Denmark, now. It was a beautiful piece of irony. That union was short-lived, however, and Denmark, gripped in throes of a war for the throne already, was assailed by Sweden once more. Sweden, occupied the capital, but found herself incapable of fighting the Danish pretenders, and thus extracting a paltry sum of 7 ducats before leaving again. With the pretender Vilhelm Moth now sitting on the throne, Christoffer was persuaded by the court to do something drastic.

He laid claim to the throne of Denmark, asserting that a true son of Scandinavia should rule the country, and one who could protect her - as she clearly could not protect herself. God was not on the side of any Danish-born dynasty, nor a German, and had not been for almost a century. Christoffer, eager to do the one thing he did well - fight - promptly declared war upon Denmark, denoting that the new king had no right to his throne, whereas the Bildts were deeply intermarried with the previous Habsburg dynasty.

Sweden, who had guaranteed the independence of Denmark, declared war upon Norway as a response. Bildt felt this mattered little. As soon as he secured the Danish crown, the Swedes had no justification to continue the war. Vindicated by that knowledge, the fleet deployed him and the army to the undefended Danish capital, blockading reinforcements across the straits in the process, and trapping the Swedish fleet in the Baltic. not that the latter was necessary, as the Swedes were having difficulty even managing piracy in Bothnia. The Swedes quickly marched in to their former territories, lightly defended, and filled with rejoicing serfs who were glad to see the army pass. Despite quick Swedish occupations right up to the outskirts of Oslo, they were not quick enough. The Norwegian army had occupied the entirety of Denmark by the April of 1464, and Moth was left with no choice but to abandon his throne.

Christoffer was now king of both Norway and Denmark, and - at the behest of the court's insistence - began to funnel coin in to Denmark to illustrate that Norway was not the enemy. The Russians had refused to join the war, meaning that Norway now stood alone. Most of those holding the reins of power in Norway knew however, that she could do just that. Her strongest opposition now came from Sweden, who she could eventually overwhelm, given the time and coin.

Denmark was, however, a kingdom in tatters, and was of little value to Norway in her current state.
 
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