Tip of the sword -a Swedish AAR

Chapter 2 -a peculiar meeting

It was a magnificent party. The main hall of the castle was crowded with people. Servants were running around making sure that the guests had everything they wanted. Along the walls some prominent commoners, mostly soldiers from the guards regiment, stood watching the spectacle. The nobles sat along four very large oak tables placed in the form of a great square. Over 150 nobles were gathered in the room. In the open space in the middle jesters and dancers were doing their best to entertain everyone. Outside, on the courtyard commoners had gathered, and they too received a small share of the festivities. Count Magnus Bonde, the owner of the castle and one of the richest nobles in the country had ordered that even the commoners outside should be well fed. Large fires had been built outside to keep the commoners warm, because it was a very cold night, this new years eve 1418.

Officially, Count Magnus had invited most of the nobility in Svealand to celebrate the new year, but there was another reason too. All of the gathered noblemen had more or less openly declared that they wanted both a Swedish king and an independent country. Earlier that evening, before the festivities, a group of men had met secretly in the northern tower. Among these men were notably: Johan Horn, admiral of the Swedish navy. Karl Tolveson, commander in chief of the Swedish army. Magnus Bonde, owner of Uppsala castle, and probably the richest man in the Danish kingdom. Sven Ek, chief magistrate over the northern provinces (i e over Sweden, for some reason the Danes liked to refer to Sweden as their northern provinces). And finally Peter Sall , appointed responsible for the foreign relations by the current viceroy, he had lots of friends and contacts in the diplomatic world.

It had been decided that the time had come to cast off the Danish yoke of occupation. Open rebellion was out of the question, but as soon as the time was right, Sweden would declare her independence, and a new king would be chosen according to the old traditions. It was up to the army and the navy, with the support of the nobility to guarantee the survival of the country up until then. Any attempt by the Danish crown to annex the country must be met with military force.

The meeting ended with all the noblemen giving their support to Karl. A document was drafted, formally giving Karl the right to speak for the group in all matters regarding foreign relations. Magnus Bonde recieved a similar document giving him the right to speak for the group regarding all domestic matters. Effectively, a new government had been formed in that tower room that afternoon. A government with Karl Tolvesson as both minister of foreign relations, and leader of the Swedish army.

The Danish viceroy in the Swedish capital had little power, reduced as he was, to a mere Danish puppet. He still had the church on his side though, and that meant alot. The powerful archbishop of Lund was a Dane himself, and it was widely known that the Danish king had the full support of the church behind him. And he who controls the church controls the commoners. Thus open rebellion against the Danes was out of the question. Although most commoners despised the Danish king and his taxes, they dared not rebel against the church.

Close to midnight, Karl had retreated to his quarters. From downstairs the sound of the festivities could be heard. Apparently there were plenty of food and wine left. He was not in a festive mood however, as the responsibility of the future of the country weighed heavily on his shoulders. On the table in front of him he had placed a large map depicting most of northern Europe. He was deep in his thoughts on how to gain independence from Denmark. The Danish king was as ruthless as he was ambitious, and it was common knowledge that he wanted to extend his realm by the way of the sword. Undoubtedly his first, and primary targets lay to the south. Holstein, Bremen, Mecklenburg, all rich provinces, all relatively lightly defended. If the Danish king could incorporate these countries into his kingdom, he would more than triple his might. The small German states were allied however. If you went to war with one, you would face them all. Their military alliance also included Pommern, Prussia and the Teutons. Together these six countries formed quite a formidable foe. But, as it is with every alliance, also this alliance had its weak spot, Prussia. For some reason lost in the mists of time, Poland hated Prussia. Poland had a close and loyal ally in Lithuania. This combination made the eastern parts of Europe into a veritable hornet's nest.

A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts.
-"Enter." He said, not looking up from the map. He could hear the door open and close, followed by the sound of footsteps on the wooden floor. They stopped a bit behind him.

-"Yes?" He inquired, still looking at the map.

-"Why do you seek independence for this country" A soft female voice spoke -"Is it for the good of the people or for the benefit of your own pockets?"

Karl looked up, surprised by the sound of a woman.
-"My lady", he stuttered "please forgive my manners, I did not expect a lady at this hour", he said as he hurried to stand up and bow politely.

-"Please answer the question good Sire", she demanded, seemingly unimpressed by his polite manners.

Karl was a bit surprised by the question, but found himself answering it even before he realized it.

-"I seek independence from the Danish crown for I seek justice and freedom for my people." He said.

-"I care not about personal gain or wealth. While I was away in the Holy land I lost everything, land, money and family. But that journey taught me that there are more important things in life than money or personal power."

She looked at him for a while, as if she was trying to decide whether he spoke the truth or not. Eventually it seemed as if she made up her mind.
-"Very well my Lord, I shall serve you to the best of my abilities then." She said and kneeled in front of him.

Karl did not know what to make of this. Who was this girl, and what did she want from him? To have a strange woman enter a man's chambers after dark was unheard of. Was she mad? Yet there was something in her ways that made him doubt that. She had the manners and the language of a noblewoman. He took a long look at her. She looked to be in her twenties perhaps. She had long golden hair and clear blue eyes. Dressed as a noblewoman in an elegant blue and red gown. Who was this woman

-"Please rise" He told her. -"And please, let me know the reason of your visit."

-"I have come to help you, good sire" She answered, still on her knees.

-"But how could you possibly help me?" He asked? -"You are just.." He stopped in mid sentence.

-"A woman?" She filled in for him. -"That I am, and I cannot help that even if I wanted to" She looked at him.
-"But I can help, if you will just let me"

It was something in her voice that grabbed his attention.
-"Yes, please, my good lady, I need all the help I can get." He smiled.

She stood up and walked over to the map on the table.
- "Our first move must be to prevent any growth of the Danish realm."
She pointed at the map.
-"If we sit idly by and watch Denmark grow, we will soon find it impossible to break free. The Danish king will simply be too powerful"
Karl nodded.

-"At the same time we must strengthen our own economy." She continued,
-"Even if the Danish king would grant us independence today, we would not be able to elect a king, or support a kingdom, simply because we could not possibly afford it."

-"I agree" Karl said. A bit surprised by the knowledge this woman seemed to have in politics.

-"A storm is building in the east", she continued. -"A storm that will strike hard and relentlessly over northern Europe. Many lives will be lost, and many kingdoms will founder."

She pointed to the map.
-"Poland is about to strike down on Prussia, and further north the Muscovites are restless again, they will soon go to war against Novgorod."

-"Always the Muscovites" Her voice drifted off as if she was talking to herself, "never let your guard down against the Muscovites, for they hate this country for some reason I do not know."

She looked at him and smiled at his puzzled look.
-"I will give you an advice young sire. When news of this war reaches the realm, make all possible haste to go south with your army. For soon after this war has erupted, the Danish king will strike south."

-"Beat him to his prize, and you can win independence."

Karl nodded silently Who was this woman?

-"Can I ask you a question good lady?" He asked.

-"But of course sire"

-"As it is now, the Danish king has the support of the Church. As long as that support remains, the commoners will not openly rebel against him." He started.

-"Yes?" She inquired.

-"How can we compete with that? We cannot go to war with the church."

She walked over to the window and opened the window shutters. A freezing cold breeze flew through the room. She pointed down at the courtyard. -"Look at them", she said.

Karl walked over to the window and looked down on the commoners who were still celebrating the new year.

-"They are a fine people, the Swedes. Fiercely loyal, and skilled both in the trades of war and peace."

She turned to him.
-"But they must have someone to rally around, someone to follow. There lays the key to independence, a leader."

Karl nodded.
-"Yes, I understand." He said. -"But whom?"

-"You worry about the Danish king good Sire". She said, putting her hand on his shoulder as she leaned closer. -"I shall find them the leader they need." She whispered in his ear.

Karl looked at the people and realized she was right. A kingdom must be built around a king, it is not possible to first build a kingdom and then go look for a suitable king.

-"Who then?" He turned around as he asked her.

To his surprise he realized that he was alone in the room.

Where did she go? He looked around, but she was no where to be found. He distinctly remembered not hearing the door open again, and indeed it was closed now.

-"Uh?" He was truly puzzled now. He walked to the other side of the room as if expecting to find here there in the shadows.

Empty.






************

Two days later Muscowy declared war on Novgorod. And the day after that, on the 3rd of January 1419 Poland declared war on Prussia. As soon as the news spread across northern Europe, dispatch riders were sent to and from all the various courts as Holstein, Mecklenburg, Bremen, Pommern and the Teutonic order joined the war on the Prussian side, loyal to their alliance. Poland was joined by her ally Lithuania.

Two weeks later the news reached Uppsala. Karl who had anxiously awaited the news already knew what to do. Quickly he gave orders to the army to leave their encampments and start marching south to Småland. As dispatch riders headed off for the army camp, Count Magnus and Johan Horn arrived at his quarters.

-"What gives Karl?" Count Magnus inquired.

-"War is upon us my friends, and we must act quickly" Karl explained.

-"Yes, we have heard the news", Horn said, "but we are not at war, and this war does not threaten us in any way."

-"That is where you are wrong my friend" Karl answered, as Peter Sall and Sven Ek entered the room.

-"The Danish king is preparing to move south" Karl continued.
-"With the armies of Holstein and Mecklenburg on the way east to help their Prussian allies, their countries are vulnerable to attack."

-"Yes, but the Danish king will not dare attack," Peter Sall objected.
-"He cannot fight the entire Baltic alliance alone." This last remark was met with nods of agreement around the table.

-"Peter, you must remember that the Danish king is as ruthless as he is ambitious." Karl replied.
-"He will take any opportunity he can to extend his domains. He will probably strike south, towards Holstein and Mecklenburg, because those provinces are both rich and poorly defended."

-"How do you know that?" Count Magnus inquired.

-"I dont" Karl admitted, -"but we cannot take the risk of being wrong here."
-"Should the king of Denmark manage to annex Mecklenburg we can forget our dream of independence. In that case he will be so rich that he can buy enough mercenary companies to completely cover this land."

He looked around the table and was met with silent nods.

-"What do you propose?" Magnus asked.

-"We need more soldiers Count Magnus. Can you fund that?"
A silent nod was his reply.

-"Very well," he continued, "I will march with the army tonight towards Småland. Send the reinforcements to meet us there."

Count Magnus nodded and left the room to order the raising of another cavalry regiment.
[Bankloan: 20,000 Marks, 5 000 cavalry in Småland and 5 000 calvary in Svealand]

-"Can you have the fleet ready to embark my army in april?" Karl asked Johan Horn.

-"Yes, but if you plan to include cavalry in your army, we can only take 20 000 men at most. Those horses need special ships to carry, and we have precious few of those".

-"20 000 will have to do then." Karl nodded.

-"Gentlemen, I must leave now", Karl finished the meeting.

-"You all know what needs to be done". Nods were exchanged around the table.

Karl ordered his personal servant to pack everything, and catch up with the army as soon as possible, then he jumped on his horse and rode as fast as he could towards the army camp. One sentence running through his mind over and over again.
Beat the Danish king to his prize, and you can win independence...

He already suspected exactly what the Danish king was after, now all he needed to do was to get there first with his army. Something that was far from easy since he needed the recently ordered reinforcements before he could leave.

As he galloped along the frozen roads, he realized that he was in a race against time.

Yeah, that was the original plan.
IMO that has to be done as soon as possible, because it is really hard to rebuild the Swedish "economy" as a vassal.

I havent tried the GC as Sweden in EU2 yet, so this AAR is actually my first attempt at it. Undoubtedly I'm gonna make alot of rookie mistakes. But it should at least make for some interesting reading. Dont expect any Swedish world domination though

Chapter 3 -the headaches of a quartermaster

On the first of April 1419 five new cavalry regiments, each numbering 2 000 men, reported for duty to the quartermaster of the army. As soon as they received their regimental colors, they were sent south to join up with the army currently stationed in Småland. The march south took the better part of the month, as the troops in the new regiments were nothing but raw recruits. But each man had a horse, a lance and some rudimentary armor for protection. At the core of each regiment was a squadron of knights. Noblemen all of them, some even veterans of the battle of Falköping 1389 where the joint forces of Sweden, Norway and Denmark had routed the forces of Albrecht of Mecklenburg. As the regiments marched south to link up with the rest of the army, experienced sergeants began drilling the raw recruits into something at least resembling good cavalry regiments.

As the troops slowly made their way through the deep forests between Svealand and Småland, the Swedish fleet was gathering outside Kalmar. 10 warships protected a large transport fleet consisting of hundreds of vessels of various sizes. This was the entire Swedish fleet gathered in one place, something that had never happened before. All the good townspeople of Kalmar spent most of their days admiring the hundreds of ships outside the harbor. All the ships and masts looked like a floating forest. Longboats hurried back and forth between land and the ships, because the army had already started its embarkation. Some unlucky soldiers had spent more than a month aboard the ships already.

The quartermaster of the army had an enormous task of making sure that every regiment, battalion and company had some means of transportation. But that was only half the work, he had to make sure that they had food also. The office of the quartermaster grew in these months from a modest 400 men, to a record high 8 000 men. All these 8 000 men were combing the countryside for food, organizing transports to and from all the various ships, and last but not least, kept track on which battalions were on what ships.

In mid April the 5 newly formed regiments arrived outside Kalmar, adding another 10 000 men and horses to the quartermasters headaches. The Swedish army now numbered 6 500 infantry and 12 000 cavalry. Of these over 6 000 infantry had spent over a month aboard ships already. In those units, morale was at an all time low.

The 12 000 horses proved to be a nightmare for the unfortunate office of the quartermaster. Even the largest transport ships could only carry 500 horses. And even that was pushing the limits. Moreover, it was not possible to keep horses aboard ships too long. It was much easier with soldiers that way. So the horses had to be embarked last, as late as possible before the fleet sailed. And no one even wanted to think about what would happen should the fleet encounter bad weather... for some reason, the image of 12 000 swimming horses in panic kept haunting the poor quartermasters dreams.

Finally, after spending a week doing nothing but loading frightened and annoyed horses aboard various cargo ships, on the 5th of May, an exhausted quartermaster of the army could report to Karl that 6 500 soldiers and 12 000 cavalry were safely loaded aboard the fleet. Without hesitating a second, Karl ordered the fleet to depart for Lubeck. Under the command of Admiral Horn, the fleet set sail and headed south.

Karl himself remained ashore though, for he needed to keep an eye on how things evolved in the various wars being fought across northern Europe. In Kalmar harbor a fast sloop awaited him though, so he would be able to rejoin the army at any time he wanted.

* * *

On the 28th of May, a dispatch rider came to Kalmar castle. He came from the south, and he only carried one letter.

Karl dismissed the rider, and sat down at his table as he was opening the letter.

To the field commander of the northern armies of his most gracious ruler the noble King of Denmark, Sweden and Norway.

Sire

We are happy to inform you that his royal highness, the savior of the North, the master of the Baltic, the builder and protector of the Nordic countries, his most gracious owner and ruler of Denmark, Sweden and Norway, King Erik VII gives you the following orders.

We have decided to declare war upon the evil wrongdoers of treacherous Holstein.

We hereby call upon you to follow your pledge according to the treaty between us under the Union of Kalmar. You must therefore as soon as possible open up hostilities with the armies, navies and merchants of Holstein, and all her allies.

Should you fail to answer to this call of arms, we see no other option but to annex the northern provinces, to ensure the future compliance with his gracious, noble and magnificent king Erik's orders.

By decree and order on this glorious 28th of May A.D. 1419

Signed
Erik VII

-"So..finally war has come" Karl thought as he read through the letter one more time.

-"Olaf" he yelled to the closed door.

The door opened and Olaf came in. -"Yes sire".

-"See to it that this letter is delivered to Count Magnus in Uppsala, with recommendations from me that we declare war on Holstein. And prepare the sloop. We sail for the fleet tonight."

-"Yes sire" Olaf took the letter and left the room.

-"Field commander of the northern armies of the Danish king huh?" Karl thought to himself.
-"I'll show that arrogant bastard."

* * *

The journey took no longer than four days. The sloop was captained by an experienced sailor, who had sailed these waters countless of times before. When they had passed the coast of Skåne Karl could see a feverish activity along the coast. Apparently the Danish army stationed there was in the process of embarking some ships. Undoubtedly they had the same target as the Swedish army. But this time the Swedish army held the upper hand, and had a very good head start. They caught up with the Swedish fleet well south of Skåne, and approximately 4 days journey from Lubeck. Karl boarded the "Nyckeln", the flagship of the Swedish fleet where he was met by Admiral Horn. He quickly informed admiral Horn about the current situation, and the admiral dispatched several rowboats to carry new orders to all the vessels in the fleet. A process that would take most of the day. The new orders were to set sail for a small town some 40 miles east of Lubeck. There the army would debark as soon as possible.

* * *

The process of unloading the army took the better part of a fortnight. Again the poor quartermaster of the army had to endure a nightmare of horses and men. Everyone was happy to leave the hospitality of the navy though, both horse and man alike. Happiest of them all were the soldiers in the 3rd and 4th Battalions of the Dala-regiment though, for they were the ones who had been first to embark the ships. -In late February. After more than three months at sea, most of the men swore never to set foot on a ship again. On the 11th of June, the quartermaster reported to Karl that the army (minus some losses) was fully debarked and ready for land action.

It was not a moment too soon. Four days ago, two scouts had reported a large cavalry force leaving their quarters outside Lubeck. Close to 6 000 horses, and the better part of the force was made up of armored knights. Undoubtedly this was the cavalry reserve Mecklenburg had kept at home. Their infantry army was somewhere east fighting Poles and Lithuanians. But they had kept their best troops at home as a safeguard. Perhaps the Mecklenburgers weren't that stupid after all. Perhaps they had expected a strike from Denmark. Perhaps the Swedish army had walked straight into a trap set for the Danes?

Against this force of 6 000 seasoned knights, the Swedes could muster 6 300 infantry and 11 800 Cavalry. An impressive force on paper, but most of the Swedish infantry was still suffering from the journey across the Baltic, and as good as all of the cavalry was untried and of highly questionable quality.

Karl spent most of June 13th on horseback, scouting the countryside together with the regimental commanders of Nyland, Finland and Dala regiments. They rode together with the quartermaster of the army and a company of armored knights as escort along the main road from Lubeck, the road the Mecklenburger knights were bound to use. After a couple of miles they reached a large open field. To the south lay a large forest, and towards the coast, a series of small hills stretched from east to west. Karl held his horse and surveyed the countryside.

An idea began to form.

-"Colonel Mark" He turned to the regimental commander of the Dala regiment. A short, rather overweight colonel who had to struggle to stay in the saddle. Apparently he was unaccustomed to be mounted. It didnt matter though, since his regiment was widely famous for having the premier crossbow units in northern Europe, two battalions of crossbows were attached to his regiment. The men from Dalarna and Bergslagen knew their crossbows like they knew the back of their hand.

-"Yes sir?" He answered.

-"I want you to position your troops along those hills" Karl said and pointed to the north.
-"A single line, make it stretch as far as possible from that hill, to that hill" Karl pointed at two hills.

-"Yes sir" Colonel Mark replied.
-"When do you want us there?"

-"As soon as possible." Karl replied. -"Oh, and I want you to release two companies of crossbows to me"

Colonel Mark nodded and turned to one of the knights of the escort company, and gave him a quick order. The knight turned his horse and sped off along the road.

-"Colonel Klaave" Karl turned to the commander of the Nyland regiment. A tall giant of a man, the complete opposite of Colonel Mark. Colonel Klaave was the epitome of a noble knight, and indeed he had spent most of his life on horseback as an armored knight.

-"Yes sir" Klaave replied.

-"Is it possible for you and your men to hide in those woods" Karl asked and pointed to the forest in the south. -"And charge across the field on my command?" The Nyland regiment was a "pure" cavalry regiment, and it was one with proud traditions. In fact it was the only "real" cavalry the swedish army had. Not counting the 10 000 new recruits naturally...

Klaave looked over to the forest, and back to the road. It is widely known that mounted knights dont like fighting in enclosed areas very much. And should they get caught in the forest by infantry or pikemen, they would most certainly be slaughtered.

-"Sire.." He started, clearly not overly fond of the idea.

-"I will give you two companies of crossbows and one regiment of infantry as flank protection" Karl interrupted him.

Klaave looked at Karl.

-"You see, sometime tomorrow the Mecklenburg knights will come along this road." Karl started to explain.
-"They will find Colonel Mark and his men on the hills to the north. And with any luck, they will position themselves to attack the Dala regiment in a cavalry shock. That means they will be on or close to the road, maneuvering to get their front to the north. At that moment, I want you and your knights to emerge from the forest in their back and charge their rear." Karl explained his plan.

-"But sir" Klaave objected.
-"They will most probably have their own scouts out. And those scouts can hardly miss two thousand mounted knights in the forest".

-"I know" Karl replied.
-"That is why I'm giving you command of two battalions of crossbows too. Use the crossbows to take out their scouts before they can report anything. It should not be too hard to set up ambushes inside the forest."
Klaave still looked hesitant.

-"I will also put two more regiments of cavalry under your command colonel, so you will in fact have to hide 6 000 men inside that forrest. Together with 2 000 infantry and your 400 crossbows. Can you pull it off? Yes or no?" Karl asked.

Klaave smiled. -"Of cource I can."

-"Good." Karl nodded, -"then it is settled."

-"I will be with the Dala regiment, as will the rest of the army to fatten the bait some." Karl continued.

-"Now good sires, we all have alot to do, so I suggest we spare no time."

-"Quartermaster, I want the supply train moved to behind those hills." And I want the army, with the exeption of Klaaves force to take night quarters on and around those hills."

The quartermaster nodded and rode off towards the army. Now he had another headache. How to move 18 000 men and 7 000 auxiliaries in the supply column five miles before dark…and then somehow find quarters for all of them.

-"Well," he thought,
-"its all in a days work for a quartermaster."

-"And it can hardly be worse than getting those bloody horses aboard those bloody ships" he added with a dry smile.

Sometimes he hated his job.

Chapter 4 -War comes to Lubeck.

14th of June 1419.

Dawn at the Mecklenburger army camp.

Grand Duke Wilhelm Krause von Hollerstein, commander of the Black Legion, the 6 000 strong cavalry force with roots back to the third crusade, had been awake all night. The previous night his scouts had found a large Swedish force camped near the main road between Lubeck and Pommern. At dusk, he had ordered his knights to find night quarters about 2 miles from the Swedish camp. His scouts were sent out to determine the exact location and composition of the Swedish force. He was a careful man, and he had reasons to be careful. Beside the 5 000 men garrison of Lubeck, his Black Legion was the only force that was left to defend his tiny but remarkably rich country. He needed to buy time. Dispatch riders had been sent to the expeditionary force in Poland. Once they received word, they would immediately turn around and hurry back to Mecklenburg. Once they arrived, Lubeck would be safe with another 10 000 well trained and well equipped infantry manning its walls. But the dispatch riders had left only a week ago, and they had probably not even caught up with the infantry yet.

He had expected the first strike to come from the north. From Denmark. Everyone knew that the Danish king had cast his greedy eyes on the wealth of Lubeck for a long time. Lubeck was the key to the trade in the Baltic. Filled with merchantmen the city guaranteed its owner rich taxes. Should it fall to the Danish king, he would alone control over 90 % of the incomes in the Baltic. When the word of the Danish declaration of war against Holstein reached Mecklenburg, everyone realized immediately that the Danish king had his sights set for both Hamburg and Lubeck.

The first strike came from the south however, and it surprised everyone. When the Grand Duke received words that the Swedish army had landed in his country he was utterly surprised. And troubled. He decided to strike against the Swedes first, finish them off, and then turn his attention to his main foe, the Danish force that was heading south towards Holstein. Undoubtedly that force would sooner or later enter his own lands, and when it did, he needed to defeat it. Or at least delay it long enough so his infantry reinforcements could come home from the east.

And now he had finally found the Swedes. They were positioned along some small hills. Apparently they knew he was coming and they had sought defensive positions already. That was the problem with the Swedes, always careful, not having the nerves for battle on equal terms. The initial reports from his scouts indicated that the Swedes had some 5 000 infantry and perhaps 5 000 cavalry. On paper that would be a hard battle, since his own force only numbered 6 000 cavalry. But on the other hand his 6 000 were the Black Legion. Each one of his knights counted as 3 normal knights, of this he was certain. And the scouts had reported that the Swedish cavalry was second rate at best. In fact it looked more like raw recruits than anything else. They would quickly crumble before a massive attack by the Black Legion. It would be a quick battle. The Grand Duke was certain of it. His Legion would ride the Swedes down, throw them into the sea. Then they could return to Lubeck and prepare for the Danish king..the real foe.

As dawn was breaking he anxiously awaited news from his scouts. He was in a hurry, because he did not like being outside his capitol like this. Especially not when no one knew when the Danes would arrive at the gates. He had dispatched 30 scouts earlier that night. Some to scout the Swedish camp, some to pin point the location of the Swedish supply train, some to search for any reinforcements further down the road, and some to scout the battlefield, to make sure no nasty surprises were hidden anywhere. Almost all the scouts had returned. In fact, all but the five men sent to scout the woods to the south had reported their observations to him. Apparently the Swedish supply train was located behind the hills, and there were no reinforcements further down the road. But where were the five remaining scouts? He did not have time for this. He wanted to strike the Swedish army down at first light, and be back in Lubeck by tomorrow morning. He ordered another 20 scouts to be dispatched to search through the southern woods. But he did not have the time to wait for their report before moving his army. Besides, what could possibly be in those woods? He gathered his squadron commanders and gave some quick orders. An hour later the camp was broken and the Black Legion was on its way to the field of battle.



Noon at the Black Legion command post.

Grand Duke Wilhelm Krause von Hollerstein sat on his horse carefully observing the Swedish lines. His knights were deployed in a large wedge pointing east. To his left he could see the Swedish lines. It appeared to be something between 5 -6 000 infantry. A bit to the right of the Swedish line he could see squadron after squadron with cavalry. They too seemed to number 5-6 000 men. He almost laughed when he saw them though. It would be a grave insult to knights everywhere to call that disorganized rabble "cavalry"…mounted peasants was more like it. His knights would crush them in one blow. The same observation was made by most of the knights. Some even laughed openly at the poor Swedes. This would be a slaughter.

The Duke's only concern was the 20 scouts he had dispatched this morning. They still had not returned to report their findings. He looked over at the forest. They were probably all gotten lost in those woods somehow. Incompetent fools. He knew that it was easy to get lost in that forest though. The place was littered with paths and dirt roads, and it was hopeless to keep your sense of direction among the trees. He would have to deal with those clumsy scouts later, now he had more pressing business to attend to. He turned to his captain.
-"Have the men form a single line against the Swedes, and prepare to attack, direct charge."

The captain nodded and smiled as he turned to give the order. Lets get this over with he though....Poor bastards.




Night at the field of battle

Karl shook his head slowly as he looked over the scene. Poor bastards, he though as he rode across the battlefield. It seemed as if every inch of the field was covered with dead or dying horses and dead or dying men. So that had been the Black Legion, he thought as he looked at a dead knight. On the helmet the knight had 3 black rooster feathers, the sign of the Black Legion. How sad Karl thought. Here on this field, a 300 year old tradition had died.

His plan had worked to the letter. When the Mecklenburg knights turned their line towards the Swedish defences, Karl had ordered Colonel Klaave to attack. Just as the Black Legion was preparing for their assault, 6 000 Swedish knights charged into their rear. The surprise was so complete that some of the Black knights probably never even understood what happened. The distance between the woods and the road was less than a thousand paces, and Colonel Klaave had proved to have nerves of steel. Karl could actually see the 6 000 swedish knights emerge from the woods behind the Mecklenbug cavalry, and Klaave actually had his knights form straight lines outside the trees before ordering the charge. For the Swedish defensive lines on the hills it seemed to take an eternity, and every second they expected to see the Black line turn and face the new threat. But, apparently the Black Knights were overconfident, and they only had eyes for their prey on the hills. Without a sound Colonel Klaaves knights set off on their charge. At that exact time Karl ordered the untried 6 000 Swedish cavalry on the hills to attack as well. The poor bastards never had a chance. First they were hit in the rear by heavy cavalry, then as they desperately tried to turn and fight this deadly foe, they were hit again from the rear, this time by the untried Swedish formations. A group of the Black Knights had tried to break free, but in the confusion they tried to flee directly through the Swedish lines. The pikemen had finished them off without own losses. In fact, the total Swedish losses after the battle was ridiculously low. 59 knights and 147 infantrymen were lost. The Black Legion on the other hand was annihilated to a man, 5 875 knights lost their lives on that day. It was a victory that would send shockwaves through Europe. With the victory Sweden became a serious contender for the control of the Baltic.

After the battle, Colonel Klaave had told Karl that the crossbow companies hidden in the woods had killed more than 20 scouts. Karl could not believe his luck. How utterly stupid and careless of the Mecklenburgian commander. He shook his head at the waste. That commander had effectively killed all his men with one simple mistake. Karl prayed he would never make a mistake like that himself. He pushed his thoughts away and turned to Colonel Klaave.
-"Good work Colonel."

-"Thank you sir" Colone Klaave answered.

-"Have your men move on Lubeck at once. I want the town surrounded before dawn tomorrow.

-"Right away sir." Klaave nodded and rode off on his horse.

-"Colonel Mark" Karl turned to the short infantry commander.

-"Sir?"

-"Have the men leave the field at once. We cannot camp here tonight. Move the army at least three miles closer to Lubeck before making night camp."

-"Yes sir" Colonel Mark hurried off.

Karl turned his horse and headed back to the supply train. He needed to get a hold of the quartermaster and make sure everything was prepared for the siege of Lubeck."

When dawn came to Lubeck on the 15th of June 1419, the wealthy burgers and merchantmen suddenly realized that the war had arrived at their front gate. And that they had almost no means to defend themselves. Things looked grim for the rich city. A couple of days later a rumor began to spread across the city though. The infantry army was on the way back as fast as they could march. Together with the Black Legion they would trap the Swedes against the walls of the city and kill them all. It was only a matter of time. Help was near, if only the city could survive a little while longer.

Thanks for all the kind words

I have spent most of the day playing, and I can guarantee some really intense action in the future, and a couple of BIG surprises. Next chapter should be on monday (for some strange reason I only seem to have time to write the chapters from work )I'm gonna try to get a couple of screenshots posted aswell.

Wasa -close..but not too close. Born and raised in Gävle, live there now too

Norgesvenn -You are gonna LOVE this AAR. Let me give you a short taste of what's to come: In the game I've played to 1470 right now, and Norway is still an independent country. Norway is also larger than Denmark and with a larger army and navy...I've never seen anything like it. For some reason the Danes never annexed Norway when I did the end of the Kalmar union, and then the Norwegians have been roaming free all over the Baltic. lol they even took a province from Prussia (and they still have it)

Faelin -But before we get those leaders it is really hard... I would kill for a Gustaf right now...no matter what number

Screenshot:

A bit ahead of its time, I thought I'd try to post it nevertheless.

Lubeck is about to fall to the victorious Swedish army under the command of our hero, Karl Tolveson. The siege of Bremen has just started, and in the north the vile Danes have surrounded Hamburg.

Also note the situation in Hannover. I had built up a pretty good relation to Hannover (+150), as I figured they would be a useful ally protecting my southern flank. Unfortunately Magdeburg cast their greedy eyes on Hannover too. A couple of months after this screenshot I made a crucial misstake when I decided to send my armies to break that siege and liberate Hannover. More about that later...

Originally posted by Wasa
why is Norway still independant? It´s the most important task for every player, playing Sweden, to subjugate these guys. Do that before event x occurs (Norway gets superior skiers ) then they will be almost impossible to beat..

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Why is Norway independant? lol, well, for starters their army is about twice the size of the Swedish army (in 1470). Then they have a fleet large enough to ensure that the army can get wherever it wants. The Norwegians has risen to become a true contender for domination over the Baltic. The Danes are pretty much whipped, reduced to 4 provinces, but the Norwegians are brutal. At one time they held Oldenburg, Memel and Kurland. Now they have lost Oldenburg and Kurland, but they still hold Memel. And the kind of peace deals they are getting? "Prussia pays Norway 200 for peace", "Teutonic Order pays Norway 75 for peace" etc. In short, they are rich, they have a large army and a large fleet.

But their time will come...I want Iceland sooner or later.

Chapter 5 -The siege of Lubeck

On a small hill overlooking Lubeck, in a farmhouse, Karl had set up his new headquarters. Located perhaps half a mile south of the old city, the hill dominated the terrain completely. Not that it was very high or anything, it was just that it was the only hill in the area. When standing on the roof of a large barn you could see very far in all directions. To the south large open fields stretched down towards the Elbe, which could be seen as a small silvery band near the horizon far, far away to the south and east. The scouts reported that the river was over two days hard ride away.

To the north lay Lubeck. From the Swedish headquarters, it was possible to see most of the city. And what a prize she was, a true gem among cities. As head of the Hansa, a position she had held since the mid 13th century, the importance of the city was hard to overestimate. From the city, almost all of the trade to and from the Baltic region was controlled, in fact, Lubeck was probably the most important city in Northern Europe at the time. The city had six churches, as well as an old cathedral, completed in 1210. All of these could clearly be seen from the Swedish headquarters, the bells could even be heard if the wind was right.

A large wall surrounded the city, something that did not make the city unique in any way, on the contrary, most cities were. But Lubeck was every attacker's nightmare for a completely different reason, the largest part of the city lay on a small island. Two causeways lead to the city, one from the east and one from the south. Any attacker had to come over these causeways. Making it virtually impossible to stage a direct assault on the walls. No, should Lubeck ever fall, the city would have to be starved or bombarded into submission.

On the upside though, the Swedish army knew that the garrison in the trapped city was hopelessly small after the defeat of the Black Legion. And to make things even worse for the poor Mecklenburgers, their protector and ruler, Grand Duke Wilhelm Krause von Hollerstein was among the fallen Black Knights.

The garrison, hopelessly small and outnumbered could do little but wait, wait for reinforcements or death. Whatever would come first. Any attempt to break the siege from the inside was doomed. The same problems facing an attacker would also face this garrison, should they attempt any attacks against the Swedish positions. In a normal siege, the attacker had to have at least two lines of defense. One facing towards the city, guarding against any attack from the beleaguered garrison, and one facing outward, from the city, guarding against any relieve attempts from the outside. This siege was somewhat different. The causeways were covered by large Swedish forces of archers and crossbows, that was about it. There were no outer perimeter to speak of. A think skirmish-line surrounded the city, but its function was more to prevent anyone trying to sneak out of or in to the city. Instead the cavalry handled the outer defense of the siege. 12 000 men were stationed in various locations outside the city, patrolling the countryside. The terrain surrounding Lubeck was ideal for heavy horse cavalry, and the Swedish army had plenty of it.

Karl had also sent out plenty of scouts in all directions. Some of which were sent as far away as Hannover to the south or Stettin to the east. Karl was determined not to get ambushed like the former ruler of Lubeck. Meanwhile, the Swedish fleet lay anchored off Lubeck, making sure that no ships could enter or leave the port. Also, the presence of the fleet would ensure that no surprises would come from that direction, the last thing he wanted was to have 10 000 Prussian knights land behind his troops. "Qui mare teneat, eum necesse rerum potiri" was a truth Karl was well aware of... whoso can hold the sea has command of the situation. A truth all too easily overlooked by most generals who measured strength in number of men or number of horses.

The precautions of the Swedish commander would prove prudent indeed. On the 23rd of June, Swedish long range scouts spotted the Mecklenburg army outside Stettin. 17 000 men were on a forced march to the west. About one third were cavalry. Undoubtedly they were heading for Lubeck and the Swedish siege. The two scouts returned to the Swedish army as soon as they could, and after a very hard ride, they reported to Karl on the 2nd of June. Karl summoned his officers to a meeting the same afternoon, and it was decided to call on reinforcements from Sweden. Three infantry regiments and one cavalry regiment was stationed in Västergötland, totaling 5 000 infantry and 1 000 cavalry. Orders were dispatched to the fleet to immediately pick them up and bring them to the army in Mecklenburg. It was generally agreed that the Mecklenburg army would not reach Lubeck before the end of July at the earliest, so there was plenty of time to prepare the defenses.

On the 14th of July, scouts from the north reported that the Danish army had finally arrived outside Hamburg, over 20 000 Danish infantry had surrounded the city, and the siege was progressing rapidly. The Danes outside Hamburg were aggressive to the point of recklessness, advancing their lines towards the city at a very rapid pace.

Two days after the Danish siege of Hamburg started, a large Danish fleet arrived outside Lubeck. Some fourteen frigates took up position outside the harbor. Karl was actually thankful for this, since most of his own fleet was away to pick up reinforcements from Sweden.

On the 26th of June, those reinforcements arrived from Sweden. The unloading would take more than a week, and the Mecklenburg army was close to the border between Pommern and Mecklenburg, so Karl ordered the four regiments to unload to the north of Lubeck. He did not want to endanger his new troops by unloading them within striking range of the Mecklenburg cavalry.

On August the 4th, the army of Mecklenburg was some twenty miles east of Lubeck. After carefully considering his options, Karl decided that this was the time to strike. Close to midnight he dispatched his cavalry force under Colonel Klaave. They were to move as quickly as possible during the night, in order to be able to strike at the Mecklenburg army as early as possible the next day.

* * *

The second battle of Mecklenburg

And so, dawn broke on the 5th of August 1419. As the Swedish knights galloped east along dirty roads, a bright red sun rose ahead of them, as if showing them the way towards the battlefield. The Mecklenburg army was breaking camp at the same time. Most of the men were extremely tired since they had been on march more or less constantly for the better part of 5 weeks. But they were in a hurry, and no one complained. They had heard news from the peasants in the area. Horrible news about the defeat of the Black Legion and the siege of Lubeck. They were hungry for revenge. First they would throw the Swedes into the sea, then they could rest. As the sun rose above the horizon and spread its warmth across the lands, the army started moving west in a long column, stretching several miles along the road towards Lubeck. Their commander dispatched his scouts, and he dispatched his cavalry to take flanking positions to the north and south of the army. Well ahead of the column, two cavalry squadrons rode ahead of the column, acting as pickets.

Around noon, the Swedish scouts spotted the Mecklenburg picket line. Colonel Klaave halted his men, and made his final plans for battle. The Mecklenburg army was not prepared for battle. Instead they were stretched out in a long column, several miles long along their marching route. The Mecklenburg infantry probably expected to meet a Swedish army on the defensive outside Lubeck. Instead they met a Swedish attack well outside the city. Perhaps it was not their fault. Had the siege of Lubeck been normal in any way, there would indeed have been a Swedish defensive ring outside Lubeck facing out from the city. But now, as have been described earlier, there was no real defensive line. Instead there were lots of Swedish cavalry.

Colonel Kleeve quickly seized on this opportunity to strike. He sent out his cavalry in two large columns, one to the north of the Mecklenburg army, and one taking up positions directly west of it. They rode hard, pressing their horses as hard as they dared. It was all about time now, as soon as they could force the Mecklenburgers into battle, the better. As the northern force thundered along the very same heights the Swedes had defended against the Black Legion, the stopping force formed two lines and headed east for their foe. The Mecklenburger pickets quickly realized they had no chance of stopping the Swedes, and quickly retreated west towards the army. A disaster was in the making.

As the Mecklenburg pickets reported Swedish forces ready for action not even a mile away panic erupted in the Mecklenburg ranks. Under normal conditions it would take the better part of a day to reorganize the army from their marching order into battle ready units. Time the Mecklenburg commander did not have. He quickly ordered his cavalry, currently riding flank protection on his both flanks, to move up to the front of the column and take defensive positions in front of the army. All in all it was not a bad idea, and it might have saved the Mecklenburg army, had it not been for one tiny detail. As the cavalry was forming a protective line in front of the Mecklenburg infantry, Swedish cavalry was spotted on the northern flank of the army. There along the ridge some 4 000 men came crashing down towards the hopelessly disorganized Mecklenburg infantry battalions.

As the Swedish buglers sounded the attack order, the Mecklenburg battalion commanders were desperately trying to maneuver their units into defensive positions. To no avail however. In a desperate attempt to buy time for the infantry, a cavalry regiment turned north and rode towards the Swedish charge. It was an heroic attempt to save the Mecklenburg army, but it was too little, too late. Outnumbered, disorganized and strung out they bore the brunt of the first Swedish attack. And despite their desperate cries and prays for victory, they quickly melted away before the determined Swedish attack.

At the same time the Swedish cavalry approached from the west, striking the cavalry squadrons protecting the front of the Mecklenburg army. Here the battle was hard, as the Mecklenburg commander had been able to organize several battalions of pikemen and archers into defensive formations before the Swedish cavalry arrived.

On the northern flank however, things looked grim for the Mecklenburg troops. Several squadrons of Swedish cavalry broke through and got into position to attack several regiments of infantry still marching along the road. In the first hour of battle the Mecklenburg infantry was routed in several places, their positions untenable. The Mecklenburg commander had little to do but to order a general retreat east. The retreat quickly degenerated into a rout though. The Swedish forces managed to surround various formations of infantry, and soon the Mecklenburg troops began to surrender. Before long it was all over. As the Swedish squadrons reached the supply train at the end of the long column, the Mecklenburg commander realized the hopelessness of his situation and ordered a general surrender.

In a few hours, an army of 10 000 infantry and 5 000 cavalry had been defeated by a Swedish force numbering 6 000 infantry and 12 000 cavalry. In reality it was a greater victory than that, since the sweetish infantry had not been used at all in the battle.


* * *

September 9th 1419

Karl was sitting alone in his room. Well within the safety of the army camp outside Lubeck. The siege was entering its third month. It was hard to completely block off a port, and some amount of food could always be found in the water. Most of the Danish fleet still lay outside the harbor making sure that no ship larger than a rowboat could enter or exit the city. But at night, some brave, or desperate rather, burgers would row out in small boats and try to catch some fish by emptying hidden nets.

His room was rather sparsely equipped. A bed, a table, a stove. A wardrobe and some chairs. That was about it. He was sitting at the table reading a scout report for the tenth time. On the 30th of August, an army leaving Bremen had been spotted by a Swedish long range scout team. Roughly 8 000 men, half of which were cavalry was moving east towards his positions. A month earlier, a Swedish merchantman inside Bremen had managed to get word out to the Swedish army that the city's garrison numbered 4 000 cavalry and 9 000 infantry. If these two reports were correct, then no more than 5 000 men remained in Bremen.

Karl pondered what to do with this latest information. His own forces numbered well over 13 000 cavalry and close to 10 000 infantry. He realized that this situation was developing into a golden opportunity to strike at Bremen itself. He stood and walked over to the door.

-"Olaf" He called for his adjutant who was sitting at the fireplace in the kitchen. Olaf quickly stood and ran over.

-"Yes Sire?"

-"I want to see Colonel Geer right away".

-"Yes sire" Olaf replied and hurried away in the night.

A few minutes later Colonel Geer appeared at the door.

-"You sent for me Sir?"

-"Yes, come on in Colonel, and grab a chair". Karl pointed to a chair.

Colonel Geer, a man in his mid forties entered the room, and walked over to the chair and sat down. He was the commander of the four regiments that had arrived in early August. Yet untried in battle, but he seemed to be an able man.

Karl pointed at the map.
-"An army has left Bremen, and is heading this way. 8 000 men, of which half is cavalry"

-"Good" Colonel Geer replied.

Karl nodded.
-"Yes, we shouldnt have any trouble with them".

-"I want you to take your four regiments, and I will also give you command over 1st and 3rd Finnish Cavalry. That will give you a force of 6 000 cavalry and 5 000 infantry. I want you to set an ambush for the Bremen army here" Karl pointed at the map.
-"As they cross the Elbe river."

Colonel Geer nodded.

-"After the battle, I want you to order the Finnish cavalry back here, and I want you to take your men to Bremen, and lay siege to the city."

-"Yes Sir" Colonel Geer replied.

-"We will join you as soon as Lubeck capitulates" Karl finished. -"Talk to the quartermaster about provisions and supplies. Good luck Colonel". Karl stood and shook hands with the Colonel.

-"Thank you sir" Colonel Geer replied, and left the room.

* * *

Karl went to bed early that night. He woke up in the middle of the night by the eerie feeling that someone was in his room. He looked up, and immediately realized that he was correct. Over at the table, a candle was lit, and someone stood there, apparently studying the map Karl had left there. Just as Karl was about to call for the guards, the figure turned around and faced him.

-"You..." Karl blurted.

Originally posted by Lord Durham
Very well done. I like the narrative. Just one question. All this writing and you're only up to June of 1419? This thing will be a monster if you can keep up the pace. Just don't go burning yourself out too early.

Good luck.

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Yeah..but with chapter 5 I have reached september 1419 already..hehe, in 5 short chapters too

I'm gonna *try* to keep the story roughly the way it is right now. But there will be periods of time with very little to write about. I'm planning to use these inactive periods for switching main character aswell, and in the gap between two characters, there might be periods of time I skip altogether (how fun is it to follow 5 years of placing merchants, appointing tax collectors, and the occational personal letter to some unknown country )