Part II: From Chaos to Order (1614-1789)
'There is no man who desires as passionately as a Russian. If we could imprison a Russian desire beneath a fortress, that fortress would explode.' Joseph de Maistre (1753-1821)
As he takes the reins of power in 1614, Czar Michael I desires two things: stability and revenge against the Poles. But he knows that he must tread carefully, for he has many enemies both without and within. Turkey, Sweden and Poland are arguably at the height of their power, and the boyars are on guard. The country's infrastructure is extremely poor, both in terms of physical capital and administration. However, Russia is rich in natural resources like iron and leads the world in the output of furs and copper. Annual income is a respectable 660 ducats. Russian trading posts stretch to the Pacific and Russian Cossacks control territory down to the Black Sea. The population of the Russian Empire totals over 260,000 souls. This gives Moscow a huge pool of cheap cannonfodder for its army; in fact, 1000 soldiers cost just 4 ducats and 1000 cavalry cost merely 14 ducats to equip. The downside is that Russia is at least a century behind Turkey and Sweden in terms of military technology (in game terms, five tech levels behind).
Czar Michael focuses his resources initially on establishing a network of court officials throughout the country. He is wary of the boyars and intends to continue Ivan the Terrible's efforts to concentrate more power in the hands of the czar. He also builds up Russian fortifications on the Swedish border. Finally, investment in military technology becomes a major priority.
The czar faces a serious crisis in the 1620's when the province of Kuibyshev in the Western Urals converts to Catholicism with the complicity of Polish agents. Godunov's legalization of serfdom continues to be a source of discontent for the peasants, and many are swayed by Polish promises of fairer treatment. The Russian army is occupied for decades with massive revolts in the region.
In 1622 and again in 1627, Turkey unleashes its military machine at Poland and gains three territories, including Krakow. In the second war, Czar Michael orders General Chuisky to recapture the provinces lost to the Poles during the Time of Troubles. Russia eventually annexes Kursk, Welikia and Tula, pushing the Polish border to a safe distance from Moscow and Novgorod. Russia then agrees to an alliance with Denmark to give it some leverage against the Swedes in the event of war. But Stockholm is not to be outmaneuvered and forms an alliance with Turkey and its Crimean vassal.
Turkey and Austria have a dramatic showdown in 1633. Austria eventually loses badly but does not surrender any territory. Meanwhile in Poland, Wladislaw IV has invested a great deal in rebuilding his army. In 1637, he attacks the Turks and proves their equal, though it must be said that Turkey was still recovering from its clash with the Habsburgs. Wladislaw's initial success goes to his head, and one year into the war he also attacks Russia with the active support of his Latvian (Kurland) allies. The war initially goes remarkably well for the Latvians, who are able to occupy several Russian territories after a number of decisive battlefield victories. The situation becomes dire for Russia in 1639, when Sweden invades Norway and the Danes call for help. Michael immediately dispatches an ambassador to Stockholm to negotiate a peace, and to the great relief of the Russian court, the Swedes and their allies agree. Denmark is forced to surrender two provinces. By 1644, Russian armies eventually prevail, and Poland concedes Belgorod and Smolensk.
Wladislaw is enraged by his loss and immediately issues a declaration of war against Sweden in 1644. It is a colossal act of folly. Polish armies battle Sweden to a white peace but the Turks seize Lithuania and Podlasia. This effectively separates Polish Ukraine from the rest of the country and moves the Turkish border to within a day's march of the Polish capital.
In Russia, the death of the Czar brings Alexis I to power in 1645. Alexis is a devout and rather mediocre ruler. Instead of exploiting Poland's weakness, he prefers instead to focus on a handful of pet projects. The most important of these is the construction of a lavish Imperial Academy of Art in Moscow, which is to serve as the focal point for Russia's emerging sense of religious and cultural identity. Alexis also commissions an expedition under Brigadier General Poyarkov to subdue the troublesome tribes in the expanses of Central Asia as well as to scout the frontier with China. Alexis' reign is also characterized by the rise of powerful merchant syndicates in Novgorod that extend their monopoly from Novgorod south to Persia. By 1650, territorial expansion, investment in infrastructure and commercial successes have more than doubled Moscow's annual income to 1600 ducats. In 1655, Alexis is entangled in an embarrassing court scandal and eventually hands over much of the decision making to his minister of state Yeremenko. Yeremenko proves to be a brilliant leader, and his appointment comes none too soon.
King Wladislaw's death in Poland has brought the more level-headed Jan Kazimierz to power. Kazimierz is a cunning diplomat, and he succeeds in crafting an alliance with Persia while his military engineers strengthen the fortifications in the Ukraine. Polish diplomats also convince Persia to shut down Russian commercial operations, which costs the treasury hundreds of ducats in trade revenue. Yeremenko surmises that the Polish king is positioning himself for another war with Russia by neutralizing Turkey. When the alliance with Denmark expires, Russia joins an alliance of three German states led by Brandenburg. This momentarily thwarts Poland's plans, but Moscow is unable to renew its pact with the Germans in 1658 and the Poles immediately declare war. Yeremenko had prudently ordered General Khovanski to prepare for an invasion of the Ukraine, and those preparations result in a decisive victory. Sweden enters the war with its Turkish and Prussian allies in 1661, and Poland agrees to surrender Donetsk, Poltava and the Ukrainian capital Kiev in order to deal with the new threat. The Swedes gain Belarus and Livonia shortly thereafter.
The annexation of the Ukraine necessitates the integration of the Russian and Ukrainian branches of the Orthodox Church, and Patriarch Nikon's effort to introduce reforms triggers a severe religious crisis in Russia (in game terms, a major stability event). Czar Alexis eventually suppresses the traditionalists in the clergy and the schism ends peacefully. Many of the so-called Old Believers seek refuge in Russia's Siberian settlements, and in 1670 a large community on the Istrych River founds an cultural center that emerges as a complement to the Imperial Academy of Art in Moscow. This second art academy plays an important role in shaping a sense of common cultural identity in Russia's expanding empire.
The Turko-Swedish axis demonstrates its potency with worrying speed in the 1670s. In 1673, the Swedes wrest another piece of Norway from the isolated Danes as well as another Polish territory. This gives the Turko-Swedish alliance a continuous chain of territory between Poland and Russia. Yeremenko successfully races the Crimeans to annex Poland's last two provinces east of the Dniepr River in 1676.
When Alexis dies in 1676, Czar Fyodor III takes over full control of the state apparatus from Yeremenko. Fyodor has a knack for military engineering and diplomacy. He renews the alliance with Denmark and enhances ties with Vienna. Fyodor focuses the empire's resources on a further increase in research as well as the fortification of the border with Turkey. In 1681, Denmark mounts a campaign to recover its Norwegian provinces. Sweden has drawn the Hansa into its alliance with Turkey, however, and the Danes fail to gain any ground. Russian armies fight off half-hearted probes by the Turks and win an indemnity from Sweden. But Sweden and Turkey have also fortified their borders, and the Russian army is unable to crack the defenses.
Meanwhile, in the 1680s the situation in Germany evolves with intriguing consequences for the balance of power in Eastern Europe. Spain had annexed Hessen and vassalized Bavaria earlier in the century. In 1666, Spain's representative in Munich encouraged the Bavarians to annex neighboring Wuerttemburg. The Austrian branch of the Habsburg dynasty had come to view Spain's German intrigues as an encroachment on its sphere of influence in the Holy Roman Empire. In 1683, Austria breaks its long-standing alliance with Spain and Bavaria. In 1685, Brandenburg peacefully annexes its vassal Saxony and forms a strong alliance with its vassals Thuringia and Prussia. Austria is diplomatically isolated and sapped by skirmishes with the Turks, and in 1689 the Prussian alliance wages a successful war against Austria to establish its position as the leading power in Germany.
Elsewhere in the world, Portugal and the Netherlands have emerged as the leading colonial powers after Spain. Portugal decisively won a showdown with the Mogul Empire in 1641, which allowed them to annex two populous Mogul provinces and extend Portuguese dominance to most of India by the end of the century. The Dutch have a well-fortified presence in Canada, Taiwan, the East Indies and the Caribbean. In fact, Holland is the wealthiest state in Europe and wields the most powerful navy. Sweden has also emerged as a minor colonial power with three cities and three trading posts in the Caribbean. England has grappled with significant internal unrest in the 17th century that stunts its development. Aside from a handful of cities and trading posts in North America, the English have really failed to secure a significant source of wealth. Their only accomplishment of note may be a solid alliance with the Dutch. France's position is outright feeble. Despite repeated attempts, it fails to annex Lorraine until 1689 and builds up almost no colonies overseas.
The lessons of the Austro-Prussian war make a strong impression on Peter the Great, who ascends the Russian throne in 1689. The relative backwardness of the Russian army is as extreme as it was at the beginning of the century, and victory against the Turko-Swedish axis is impossible without military reform. Despite this disadvantage, Peter inherits a Russia that is significantly stronger than it was a century ago. The wrenching internal reforms and investments of his predecessors have equipped Russia with the best infrastructure in Europe. The power of the boyars has been diminished through the appointment of governors in key provinces who answer to the central government in Moscow. Russia controls two gold producing provinces, four new cities in Asia and an extensive network of trading posts extending to the Pacific Ocean. In addition, the prices of three of Russia's key export products (grain, wool and furs) are up about 20%. The value of the trade flowing through Novgorod is more valuable than all of the northern European trade centers combined. Russia clearly has the financial means to challenge the Turko-Swedish alliance. The dilemma for Peter the Great is to strike the right balance between diplomacy and military spending.
. btw, where do you live, we might be able to set up a multiplayer game depending on the time differences...
