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The Polestar. A Sweden Magna Mundi Divine Wind Edition AAR

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Merrick Chance' said:
A great entry, and you've been rewarded with a great king!
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Such praise is a huge honor coming from you. (if there was a "Bow down" smiley it would be here)

WGPower said:
Brilliant. In this timeline will Karl supplant our Gustav I Vasa as the Father of Sweden?
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As far as "Father of Sweden" goes, I didn't really have to fight to gain independence. He holds much promise but only time will tell.

Jakethecap said:
Great Update.
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Thanks, I try my best :)
 
Chapter IV

The Nordic 8 Years War Part I
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The conflict known as the nordic 8 years war was in reallity a combination of two separate wars. First, the Danish attempt too conquer Slesvig, the second however takes some explaining. When the late king Eric invaded Warmia in his attempt to force the Hochmeister to officially cede him the islands of Gotland and Ösel the Swedish navy's capital ships combined with the fastmoving galleys of Denmark made it impossible for the Order to deploy its navy. Only by the martial skill of the Hochmeister and his entorage of Knights was the order able to turn the war around. However the ancending naval power of Sweden made the current Hochmeister Johan Kaspar very nervous.

As a further thorn in Johan's side Karl has recently struck an alliance with the Republic of Novgorod, something that could be considered Heretical if it wasn't for the fact the Johan is himself allied to the Prince of Moscow too whom he has promised much of Novgorods territory shold he follow Johan to war. So when he hears that Denmark has drawn Sweden into a conflict and Sweden subsequently focusing its resources in the south Johan sees his chance to strike a blow and "Rip the claws from the Lions Paws" as he put it. in the Fall of 1440 he summons his allies to a meeting in Königsberg and begins planning the offensive.

In 1440 the Danish king Hans is under great pressure from the Danish nobility too recover the prestige lost when Sweden and Norway gained independence. In order to please his sabre rattling nobility Hans begins to plan an invasion of Slesvig-Holstein whose duke Fredrik is still a minor. What Hans failed to take into consideration however was that Karl VIII had recently married one of the dukes sisters, Maria and in turn Karl has promised to safeguard the land of his wifes family against Danish agression.

Thus when Hans issues the declaration of war against Slesvig-Holstein Karl is swift to summon his armies and march south to dissuade the Danish king from continuing his attack on Slesvig-Holstein. Hans is however not by any means an inept leader of men. He swiftly draws up a plan for splitting his army sending one half towards Slesvig-Holstein and the other towards Sweden, to further his wareffort Hans calls for his ally, the king of Norway too invade Sweden from the West in order to draw Swedish military resources away from Denmark. A tactic that would work perfectly.

In the beginning of the war as Karl summons his forces 1/3rd of it is in the northernmost reaches of Sweden quelling a local rebellion by the Sami populace, thus the navy is swiftly dispatched north to retreive it while Karl takes his army south to face the Danish Army of Skåne whatich according to his scouts are just about to cross into Småland. There is no doubt that the Danish armys target is the fortified city of Kalmar on the Southwest coast of Sweden, control of Kalmar means control of most of southern Sweden.

The Danish army marching toward Kalmar and the Swedish army manouvering to block their path were of similar size, the Danes holding a slight numerical advantage however Hans has choosen poorly in invading Småland during Fall as what little roads that are in the province soon turn to mud after. The Danish armys supply train gets bogged down and comes under attack from Swedish partisans who wages a rather successful guerilla war in the forests of Småland where Hans heavy knights have little chance to mount a successful counterattack.

Meanwhile Karl and his army was having a rather easy time, while they too struggle in the mud they enjoy the full support of the local peasentry who provides food, intelligence and shelter for the advancing Swedish army.

Meanwhile discontent is spreading through the ranks of the Danish army and mutiny is not far away, Hans realizes he must accept battle with Karls army or lose his entire army and return to Denmark in disgrace. Fearing his nobles will abandon him and put his invasion of Slesvig- Holstein in jeopardy should he return empty handed from Sweden Hans marches towards Kalmar where the Swedish army is now encamped.

The Battle of Nybro (1440-10-21)
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Prelude: Upon hearing of the Danish armys aproach Karl quickly assembles his army and marches out too meet the Danes. The two armies comes face too face on a large muddy field south of the small village of Nybro about 2 days march West of Kalmar.

Karl Deployed his army as was commons at the time, his infantry in the centre with cavalry securing the flanks ready to move out andstop any attempt by the Danes to attack the Swedish flank. His infantry was made up of mostly Men at Arms, commoners trained and equipped by the wealthy and tax exempt nobility as per the system laid down bu Gustav. Karl himself took command of the heavy cavalry on the right wing of the Swedish army.

This meant that the avarage Swedish infantryman was better trained and equipped than most of the infantry in contemporary armies. The formation was as brilliant as it was simple, Swords in the first two ranks and spears behind them to be able to fight over the heads of the men infront. The extensive training of the Swedish infantry also meant that in the event of an enemy cavalrycharge the swords and spears could swiftly switch positions.

By comparison the Danish army was mostly a peseant levy backed by mercenaries in the form of heavy knights and pikemen from Germany, the Netherlands and from distant Croatia and Hungary came 500 Magyar horsemen.

The Battle: Karl opened the battle by commanding the bulk of his infantry to advance across the field and engage the danish infantry in melee. It was not long before the field was covered by the dead and dying as the two centres met. On the Swedish left flank the Danes attempted a cavalrycharge but met with stiff resistance from the Swedish cavalry under command of Bengt Skytte, the man who alongside Gustav created the Swedish army. King Hans commands more and more of his cavalry to the Swedish left and in doing so weakens his own left flank.

Seeing the Danish cavalry thinning out on their left flank Karl along with his personal retinue of knights charges the Danish army's left flank. The small cavalry remaining there are swiftly swept away and Karl now leads his cavalry around the Danish army and back to his own left flank crashing into the Danish cavalry fighting there from behind. This bold move broke the majority of the Danish cavalry who either fled in panic or died trying to make a stand. With the core of his army broken Hans sees no other choice but too sound a retreat, alongside his generals Hans personally fights valiantly in a rearguard action withdrawing his troops to Skåne.

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Aftermath: While the Battle of Nybro wasn't the crushing vitory Karl had hoped for it did force the Danes out of Swedish lands and freed up Karls armies to deal with the Norwegian Invasion taking place in Western Sweden. However it also allowed Hans to focus all his forces against Slesvig- Holstein.

Things go Awry
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Karls plan was now to wait for his navy to come down from Stockholm and ferry the 6000 man army of Finland ro Slesvig to aid in the defense while he himself takes the remaining 12000 northwest to deal with the Norwegian incursion, however before he can do this grave news arrives. The entire transport squadron that was meant o ferry his army to Holstein has been sunk by the Teutonic Order.

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Not long after reports stream in from the East that the Teutonic knights has formed an alliance with Lithuania and the Russian princes by prommising large swaths of Novgorod to Muscowy should they come to the Orders aid. A much more dire threat however comes from the west however in the form of the norwegian king's army of over 20000 men who are now rampaging through the Swedish countryside.
In Kalmar Karl leaves command of the Swedish navy to Patrik Eriksson and gives him free reign to "pursue and sink any enemy of the throne". In the middle of January 1441 Karl takes his 18000 strong army northwest to evict the Norwegian army.


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Sweden c. 1441
Karl VIII Vasa (ADM:8 MIL:8 DIP:8)
By the Grace of God: King of Sweden and Grand Prince of Finland
​

Treasury: 40,1 Million Daler (40,1 Ducats)
GDP: 35.2 Million Daler (352 Ducats)

Standing Army: 12000 Footsoldiers, 4000 Cavalry
Navy: 12 Carracks, 2 Galleys
Reserves: 12000
Discipline: 123.50%
Tradition: Army 15.20 Navy 1.90

Prestige: 15
Reputation: 0.0
Legitimacy: 16
 
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TheChalk said:
Great to see the AAR resumed, but looks like you're in a rather difficult situation
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I apolegise for the halt in updates, I have no real excuse other than "I was doing other things".
My situation is indeed somewhat tricky, I can only hope Novgorod slows them down enough.
 
Chapter V

The Nordic 8 Years War part II
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Having sent the Danes packing back across the sound but being unable to follow them Karl was now marching North towards Värmland. The Norwegian army had split in two armies of about 11000 men each, one laying siege to Örebro while the other was marching through Dalarna towards Mora. The first Norwegian army at Örebro swiftly withdraws all the way back to Oslo as the Swedish army aproached, however the army in Dalarna choose to instead initiate a series of hit and run tactics using the snow covered forsets too their advatage.

In january 1441 however they are forced to give battle as the Swedish army decends upon their main camp. Once again Karl displays great personal courage as he leads his knight in a charge straight towards the centre of the camp. Despite the courage of the king and their significant numerical advantage the Norwegians are quick to assemble in defense and performs a fighting retreat making it impossible for the Swedes to achive anything even resembling a desisive victory.

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After having pushed the Norwegians back the war on land entered a bit of a standstill. Denmark was focusing all its efforts on Slesvig-Holstein, Norway was not ready to face the Swedish army in open battle and the Teutons along with their Russian allies were bogged down in the war with Novgorod. At sea the Swedish fleet won a few naval skirmishes and effectively forced both the Danish and Teutonic navys into port leaving Sweden in complete control of the Baltic Sea.

The Hero of Savolax
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The mid spring 1441 saw Eastern Finland comming under attack from the Teutons and various Russian forces. When the local nobility are told that they can expect no aid for atleast a year they start to form resistance groups and performing hit and run attacks against russian supplylines just as the peasants of Småland did against the Danes. One of the most prominent (and feared) partisans is friherre (roughly the Swedish equvalent of a Baron) Patrik Prinz, the youngest son of Fredrik Prinz, one of the few noblemen who held land in the easternmost reaches of the kingdom.

When the Russians invaded Savolax they seized and burned all of the Prinz familys holdings and took most of the family hostage, Patrik himself however managed too escape and while wandering aimlessly in the Finnish wilderness he was found by the partisans. It didn't take him long too gain leadership of his own group of partisans amd soon they were spreading ear and dread amongst the rank and file of the Russian and Teutonic forces. In a particullarly daring raid they manage too steal 200 horses from the Teutonic cavalry, these horses would then be used to great effect in savage hit and run attacks throughout the Finnish countryside and later be officially intergrated into the Swedish army as the dreadedHakkapeliittahttps://www.google.se/search?safe=o...&sa=X&ei=4PDMUdORHorHtAbcxoCAAQ&ved=0CCgQBSgA.

When Karl heard of this he immideatly orders that the partisan leader be brought too him, Karl and Patrik met in July 1441 and after relaying all he knew of the Eastern front Karl promtly places Patrik in command of the army of Finland, now deployed in Western Sweden too guard against any further Norwegian assaults while the king marches towards Halland in hopes of forcing the Danes to end the war and allow Karl to finally turn East.

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In October 1441 Patrik Prinz sees an opportunity to strike hard at the Norwegians, their army has camped not far from the Swedish border. By now Prinz had managed to get his Cavalry partisans from Finland back over to Sweden and intergrated into the Army of Finland. In the cover of night he surrounded the Norwegian camp and a single blow of the horn the Entire army of Finland swarmed from the forest like locusts, the sleeping Norwegians didn't stand a chance. It was here that the Swedish policy of offensive warfare was born. A very simple but brutally effective tactic of: Get in close, hit them hard and be the only thing comming out the other side.

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This victory virtually wiped out any military capacity the Norwegians had and secured Swedens Western flank for the remainder of the war.

Slesvig Surrenders, Karl Marches East
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During the Winter 1441-42 the situation was desperate in the Slesvigean capital of Flensburg, half the Garrison had frozen or starved to death, the civilian population was getting desperate and the Duke was running out of time, realizing that no Swedish aid was comming he surrenders to the Danish king on the 1st of February 1442 giving half his lands to Denmark and pay war indemities to Denmark.

While Karl was dissapointed that he had failed to protect Slesvig- Holstein he was rather pleased that he could now focus solely on the war in the East which had now become a really large threat. Despite a titanic effort from the Garrisons and partisans in Savolax and Viborg the two provinces fell to Russians and Teuton forces in August 1442 just as Karl and Patrik Prinz landed with their armies in Åbo on transports that the Swedish fleet had captured from the Teutons in a series of naval skirmishes (I now have six of them again, lucky me)

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Togheter they had 18000 men split in two corps of 9000 each but through most of the Finnish Campaign they would keep togheter in an effort to limit the numerical superiority of their foes.

Upon hearing the the Swedish army had landed in Finland the Teutonic Hochmeister immediatly made signed a peace with Novgorod and despite controling substantial amounts of territory they demanded none nor did they allow any territory to be seized by Muscowy, this breach of agreement would lead to great difficulties in cooperation among the Russians and the Teutons for the remainder of the war.

Sweden c 1442
Karl VIII Vasa (ADM:8 MIL:8 DIP:8)
By the Grace of God: King of Sweden and Grand Prince of Finland
​

Treasury: 44,1 Million Daler (381 Ducats)
GDP: 33.2 Million Daler (332 Ducats)

Standing Army: 12000 Footsoldiers, 6000 Cavalry
Navy: 12 Carracks, 2 Galleys, 6 cogs
Reserves: 14000
Discipline: 125.50%
Tradition: Army 16.20 Navy 10.90

Prestige: 39
Reputation: 0.0
Legitimacy: 18
 
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Sorry for the lack of updates recently, I have been busy sorting out some personal things and for the comming week Work will keep me very busy. Another update will hopefully be up around the middle of next week.
 
The Finnish cavalry is almost a joke. Small, badly fed horses with thick furs. Sure, they would survive well in winter conditions, but when it comes to proper medieval cavalry charges, southern stallions would carry the day.
Unless you are ofc fighting in several feet deep snow in arctic landscape. :p

Anyway, I will try to follow this AAR.

Please don't get too many Finns killed :p
 
Personal life stuff is a legit reason to not write! Don't worry
 
Great AAR, well-written, will definitely be following.

Good luck beating those stubborn Danes!
 
Chapter VI

The Nordic 8 Years War part III
​
Karls arrival with the entire Swedish army in Finland led to almost panic within the Teutonic and Russian high command. Having expected Karl to be tied up with the war against Denmark long enough to atleast occupy all of Finland. Rather than risking a confrontation with the battlehardened Swedes the Russian commanders, angered with the Hochmeisters betrayal regarding the Novgorod situation withdraws back into the vastness of Russia.
Likewise the Teutons withdraws back to the Baltic statesleaving only skeleton garrisons behind to slow Karls advance. At this they were successful as the last enemy garrison at Viborg castle dosen't surrender until the Spring of 1444. At this point Karl recieves interesting news from Europe. The Margrave of Brandenburg has with the blessing and aid of the Holy Roman Emperor invaded Pommerania. With a large number of Pommeranian nobles swearing fealty to to Hochmeister the teutons has no other option than withdrawing troops from the north to fight in the south.

Likewise the Rus is facing increaingly intense border raids in the east by the Mongols of the Golden Horde forcing the Tsar to withdraw the majority of his armies to the East leaving Finland mostly devoid of hostile forces. (Seriously, as soon as I landed in Finland the Russians and Teutons cleared out).

At this ponint a Teutonic emmissary arrives in Viborg where Karl has set up his court. The emmisays requset for a return to "status quo ante bellum" as rapidly cast aside by Karl who, habing failed to sheild Slesvig-Holstein due to teutonic interference now seeks to punish the Order. Further more Karl's spies have told him about the Imperial sanctioned invasion of the Teutons Pommeranian vassals, thus Karl sees no reason to prematurely end what would most likely be an easy war.

With both Moscow and Königsberg occupied elsewhere Karl reforges his alliance with the Republic of Novgorod and arranges treaties of military access. In September General Patrik Prinz Drives the Muscovite defenders from Pskov and occupies the city while Karl marches on Estland.


(The First proper battle on the Eastern front)
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Karl's wife, the sister of the Count of Holstein had often grown borded of being pampered at court in Stockholm while her husband led armies in the opposite end of the realm, thus she would often make the perilous jurney too the front line of the war to visit her husband. 9 months after such a visit she gave birth to her first child in November 1444. In the abscence of the Father she names the baby Erik, the heir apparent to the Swedish throne.


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The news of his sons birth reaches Karl just as Reval surrenders to his forces along with all of Estland. Karl now has a foothold in Livonian territiry and his occupation of Pskov blocks any attempts by Moscow to send reinforcments. To counter this the Livonian Grandmaster and the Prince of Moscow once again join their forces for a joint attack on Pskov in January 1445.

The Battle off Lake Peipus (1445-01-24)
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Prolouge: Upon hearing that Karl was gathering his army on the Western shores of the frozen Lake Peipus Grandmaster Johann marches the majority of his Livonian/Russian army to the eastern shore, leaving only a token force to continue the siege of Pskov. The two armies comes face to face at the narrow sound connecting the southern and northern parts of Lake Peipus.
While he enjoys a numerical advantage over his foes, Karl is hesitant to attack as his enemy holds the eastern shoreline and an attack across the ice could prove disasterous should the ice break.

The Battle: With Karl hesitant to order an attack across the ice the two armies stood for the better part of the day freezing in formation waiting for the other to make a move. Just as dark was beginning to settle on over the lake the wind picks up blowing much of the loose snow covering the lake right into the face of the russian army.
Seeing this General Patrik Prinz, commander of the Army of Finland stationed closest to the lake shore orders his army to charge across the ice without consent from king Karl. Prinz personally led his Vanguard of 500 Hakkapeliita light cavalry.

The Russians on the other side of the lake never even saw the charge comming and as the army of Finland reached the opposite shore they broke the Russians instantly and secured the shoreline. Grandmaster Johann led his Knights in a counter attack but got lost in the whirling snow, some of his knights blundered right into the waiting army of Finland where many of them where captured and held for ransom. The Grandmaster himself was last seen fleeing south with a small retinue of officers.


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Aftermath: The shattered remanants of the Livonian army was cought in Livland and put to the sword, the Russian remnants fled deep into the Russian wilderness where they knew the Swedes would not dare to pursue them. For his bold charge across the ice Prinz was greatly rewarded by king Karl with large amount of money to use for restoring his family's land once the war was over.

The Battle of lake Peipus broke both Livonian and Russian morale and over 1445 Livonian castles and cities fell one by one and by the beginning of 1446 all of Estonia, Livonia and Wenden was in Swedish hands, including the Islands of Ösel, Dagö and Gotland. The Livonian Grandmaster had fled to Königsberg to plead with his nominal overlord to send his army north to drive the Swedes out. He was met only with refusal however as the war with Austria and Brandenburg had greatly depleted the Teutonic army.

On the 22nd of February 1446 the Grand Prince of Moscow sends his son the sign the Treaty of Pskov with Sweden where Moscow releases Pskov as an independent state and pays a war indemity. All in all it was not the most crushing of terms but it did serve too free up Swedens Eastern flank allowing Karl to focus on defeating the Teutons.

Sweden c 1446
Karl VIII Vasa (ADM:8 MIL:8 DIP:8)
By the Grace of God: King of Sweden and Grand Prince of Finland
​

Treasury: 49,6 Million Daler (496 Ducats)
GDP: 30.2 Million Daler (302 Ducats)

Standing Army: 12000 Footsoldiers, 6000 Cavalry
Navy: 12 Carracks, 2 Galleys, 6 cogs
Reserves: 11000
Discipline: 125.50%
Tradition: Army 39.20 Navy 11.90

Prestige: 69
Reputation: 0.0
Legitimacy: 22
 
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