Scandinavia, She Comes
Despite the relative safety of Norwegian holdings in the war, it had been made clear that some of the fortifications - particularly those in and north of Scotland, would be more ideal if they were enlarged, renovated, and reinforced with larger garrisons. A war fought in a series of isolated theaters in the future would be much more viable if each of the isles could last as long as conceivably possible before the fleet and army could relieve it. With such strategic principles in mind, the young king and the court commissioned engineering and construction works in a long-term project to expand the castles of Norway.
Very quickly, Norway was at war again - this time summoned by her newly acquired allies in Spain. The war was a scarcely relevant one, however, in which Spain had agreed to protect Transylvania from Bulgarian aggression. A few months passed, and with them came the news that Novgorod - allies of Bulgaria - would lend their aid in the war. The republic had, since Muscowy's ascension in to the kingdom of Russia, lost all her ports, and become a landlocked nation. She did however, border Finland, who were more than willing to give passage to a Norwegian army. The entirety of the republic was quickly surrendered to Norwegian occupation, and Spain thereafter concluded a peace annulling Novgorod's alliances.
Meanwhile, news arrived in Oslo of a religious movement beginning to sweep across the empire. From nobility, through clergy to serfs, men were crying out in anger against the catholic church and the pope, citing innumerable grievances with how the church handled the common man, and many of its practices. Spreading at first from the Duchy of Cleves, soon the empire was embroiled in a bitter dispute over how the church should practice, and entire duchies turned in to what were being known as Protestant states. The court had mixed feelings about this, but felt that this was an issue for the empire. This mentality however, seemed to be an underestimation. Within but a year, many of the protestants on the continent were codifying their philosophies and practices, and one of the most major sects was that of the Reformed Church, which had swept across the Teutonic Order, on the Empire's periphery.
Even this however, underestimated the scale of religious unrest, as news came in from Sweden and Scotland that the peasantry were up in arms against the catholic church, siding themselves with Protestant beliefs. This new religious tension amongst the peasantry started to lead small groups of Swedes to begin seeking freedom for their people once more. In the August of 1504, the king's allies in the empire - the Bishopric of Liege, called for Norway's aid. They were at war with England. Eager to reclaim Scandinavian soil, the court accepted, and the armies immediately began marching. Fyn and Skane both were occupied before the English could land an army in Sjaelland and blockade the straits. Even more fortuitously, Norway's long-standing rivals in France, saw their opportunity to strike at England, and this diverted the fleet away. The English had landed a large army in Sjaelland, but it was felt that it could be overwhelmed with numbers and fortune. Leifsson was unfortunately killed in action sinking an English barque, but a replacement of equal skill was quickly found.
The English had already deployed a large army to the former Danish capital, but it was felt that numbers and fortune could overwhelm. Unfortunately, the initial assault on the English there was beaten back, and it fell to the fleet to intercept English attempts to pursue the army across the straits. After several months of hard negotiations, the Scots agreed to allow the Norwegian army in the highlands through to England. It was now that news arrived that the English fleet was preoccupied not fighting France, but had in fact sailed for the Indies just before the war had begun, and was not likely to return soon. This was extremely good news, as it gave Norway local naval superiority, and possibly even the edge needed to take the last of Scandinavian soil from England. It took 3 individual battles to whittle away the English army in København, but it was eventually overwhelmed. With the Liegians reporting that that the French and they had already defeated 3 separate English armies, and this was a sign that Britain herself might be vulnerable to invasion.
Indeed she was, England had left but one small army to guard her border, and the kingdom of Leinster's troops had already occupied Ireland on Norway's behalf. The English army in Yorkshire was run down in days, whereupon the English quickly agreed to surrender Skane and Fyn to Norwegian rule.