A HISTORY OF THE HANSEATIC LEAGUE
Part 3: Rising from the Ashes (1544-1571)
THE SECOND HANSETAG
After the devastation of the 12-year war and the fall of the old Hansetag, the Hansa is forced to a quiet existence. Our military rebuilding will take years, and in 1544, the nation is almost totally defenseless and without allies.
We do not succeed in gaining new allies before 1549, when we enter the Russo-Danish alliance; the Russians and the Danes are not popular in the Council, but self-preservation is now our main goal. Even so, we cannot in good conscience support the Russians when they declare war on our old friends, the Teutonic Knights in January 1551; we manage, however, to re-enter the alliance in March. The war ends in the fall of 1552, when the Knights give Estonia and 250 ducats to Russia in exchange for peace. Later the same year, Bohemia declares war on Poland, which does not directly concern us; what is of concern, however, is the Russian war on Astrakhan, which we decide to support in spirit. This will cost us some ducats, but at the moment we are better off losing a little money and keeping our allies than the other way around.
Our renewed loan from the state bank expires in September 1553, and this time the Council has managed to gather enough money to pay it off. Now, rebuilding will start; the process gets some small financial help from our allies, when Astrakhan agrees to pay a small sum of ducats in exchange for peace. However, being a part of the Russo-Danish alliance also takes its toll; in the spring of 1554, we are called to arms again.
The Russo-Swedish War (1554-1549)
Russia declares war on Sweden on May 15th, 1554, and petitions Denmark and the Hansa for support. Both nations intervene, as does the Swedish ally, Georgia. The Hanseatic army never leaves home territory, but they stay vigilant against possible Swedish invaders. Large battles take place in Skåne and at the border between Sweden and Russia in the summer, and the Baltic also sees some large-scale naval action. Elsewhere in our vicinity, the Polish-Bohemian war rages on, and before the year comes to a close, Poland finds itself fighting two additional enemies: the English-Portuguese alliance declares war on them, as does the alliance of Scotland and several small Italian states. In August, the French and English alliances also go to war.
The Swedes have a good start in their war against our alliance; they gain control of Skåne before the end of 1554, and in the winter they also manage to conquer Ingermanland from Russia. The Danish province Østlandet is also occupied by Swedes in 1555. However, the luck changes on the following year: Denmark manages to gain some lost ground in the spring of 1556, and Russia liberates Ingermanland in May. In the other wars, Bohemia loses Silesia to Poland in a peace treaty in June, but Poland, in turn, is forced to give Posen to Parma just days later.
During the rebuilding phase after the end of the 12-Year War, our merchants have competed in the trading town of Hamburg in Holstein, with a modest amount of success. This comes to an end in November 1556, when the insolent bastard who tries to pass as the ruler in Holstein orders our traders out of the country, and arrests those who disobey his orders.
When the news reaches Lübeck, the Hanseatic Council convenes immediately. As usual, the Council can hardly agree on anything, but finally, after a close vote, a daring proposal wins: the Hansa has to teach Holstein a lesson. Holstein is still allied with France and Savoy, but the alliance is already waging war against England and Portugal. Perhaps, with the help of Denmark and Russia, we could catch them by surprise?
The Holsteinian War (1556-1561)
The Hanseatic League declares war on Holstein on November 15th, 1556. France and Savoy intervene immediately, but the Hanseatic allies Denmark and Russia respond by shutting Hansa out of their alliance. Again, we are alone, abandoned by our allies, against the French alliance, but this time they are already fighting a war elsewhere. Furthermore, this time Savoy agrees to an immediate white peace.
Immediately after the war declaration, we order a siege force of 18000 infantrymen and an artillery regiment to Holstein, where they start attacking the fortifications in December. The Holsteinian army marches to Bremen, and even though our second army force is unable to defeat them in battle, the Holsteinian numbers are drastically reduced, and they should have no chance against the garrison in Bremen. To our delight, France keeps her troops busy fighting England, and only sends a small fleet to patrol in the coast of Bremen.
The Hanseatic siege force in Holstein is left conducting its operations without harassment, and Holstein falls on August 28th, 1557; the province is annexed on September 2nd. Since France still refuses to accept a status quo peace, the conquerors of Holstein are immediately ordered to capture Eastern Pommerania, to provide us additional leverage in peace negotiations. They arrive in February 1558, defeat the small defense force of about 4000 men with ease, and start a siege.
In the fall of 1558 France signs a peace treaty with England, which causes great concern in the Council. However, luck soon swing our way: only days after the signing, Spain declares war on France, and they should again have more pressing issues than one small Germanic state far away from their mainland. Thank God for back-stabbing bastards!
Eastern Pommerania proves to be a hard nut to crack, however. the siege goes on through all of 1559, and the fortifications do not show serious signs of faltering until the latter half of 1560, when our siege force has been reinforced by another artillery regiment. Part of the costs were covered by an indemnity which the Russians won from Sweden in November 1559, and graciously shared with their former allies.
The Spanish army is evidently keeping the French busy in 1559 and 1560, and the small French army force sent to rescue Eastern Pommerania in the spring of 1561 fails miserably. The local garrison surrenders on September 3rd, 1561, and peace negotiations begin five days later.
While the Hanseatic League has undisputed historical rights to Eastern Pommerania, the Council decides not to demand that province from France, for two reasons: first of all, we want to end the hostilities immediately. Our rebuilt army is no match to the French, if they get the chance to concentrate their efforts against us. Second, to the East of Eastern Pommerania lies Poland, a severely weakened but aggressive nation, and at the moment it does seem reasonable to have a small buffer zone between them and us; besides, we can still ask for a sizable ransom from the French, and that extra gold is always welcome. On September 8th, 1561, we sign a peace treaty with France and gain 250 ducats.
When Holstein fell, our conquering heroes found copies of world maps in the late monarch's estate. These maps finally convince us that the rumors of a new continent beyond the Atlantic Ocean are actually true. And where there is land, there is trade; in 1562, the first Hanseatic colonists cross the ocean and start a new colony in Bangor. Early in 1563, a trading post is erected in neighboring Penobscot. Later, Hansa trading posts are also built in Sitka and Yukon, on the other side of the American continent.
The Hanseatic Council, while officially Catholic, has been harboring ill feelings toward the Pope for a long time; the 12-Year War has not been forgotten. Now that the Hansa has an official, valid peace treaty with France, and the Papacy is now allied with some insignificant small powers in Italy, the time is ripe for a conversion once again. The Council seizes Church properties throughout the nation in February 1563, and declares the Hansa officially Protestant. Madgeburg and the predominantly Catholic colony of Bangor rebel instantly; Madgeburg is subdued quickly, and the expeditionary force of 3000 men that is sent to Bangor meets only nominal resistance.
Elsewhere in Europe, Russia continues taking Poland apart and pushing her borders westward. In early 1564, the Teutonic Knights propose a military alliance to Hansa, but as they are even weaker than us, we decline. A little bit later Russia declares war on the Knights, and annexes them in early 1565. Meanwhile, Hanseatic diplomats ferry gifts and flattering letters to the King of Sweden. The Council needs allies, and we have had enough of the untrustworthy Danes and the treacherous Russians. Sweden, on the other hand, looks like a rising power, and they are the leader of an alliance which also includes Georgia and the Netherlands. We are able to arrange a royal marriage with them in 1566, but they are still unwilling to accept us into their alliance.
Our economic situation has been improving slowly but steadily; however, in 1566 a new trade center emerges in Holland, which severely undermines the importance of Holstein. Better news are in stock for 1567, as the French alliance declares war on Spain; better them than us. However, in 1568, the Hansa finds itself in an armed conflict again.
The Danish War (1568-1571)
Denmark declares war on the Hansa on July 20th, 1568, but fortunately they are just as alone as we are; the Russo-Danish alliance has been dissolved. A Hanseatic siege force of over 20000 men is sent to Jylland, where they defeat a small defending army and start a siege in October. The Danes, on the other hand, attack Bangor, but are unable to defeat our colonial forces despite a numerical superiority. They do, however, burn the trade post in Penobscot after suffering a humiliating defeat in Bangor.
The year 1569 begins with a victory, as our fleet defeats Danish ships outside Bremen. Denmark tries to drive away our siege force from Jylland, but to no effect; Jylland is forced to surrender on May 14th, 1569. Denmark takes control of our colony in Bangor a week later, and the Danes are unwilling to sign a peace treaty. To gain additional leverage in the negotiations, the Council sends a small army of 3000 men to take the unfortified, undefended Danish colony in Iceland. Sweden, seeing how the battles against Hansa have weakened Denmark, declares war on the Danes in the summer.
In August 1569, a large Danish force sent in from Norway manages to drive away the Hanseatic army occupying Jylland. However, we manage to eventually defeat them in the winter after two unsuccessful attacks. Our colonial army retakes Bangor in January 1570 and slaughters the remainders of the Danish invasion force in the process. Just days later, the Danes succeed in driving our forces away from Jylland once again, but again our troops return victoriously in August. After the battle, the Hanseatic army is ordered to track the fleeing Danes to their capital province Sjælland; there, they defeat the defenders, and start sieging Copenhage in November.
The fortifications around Copenhagen start showing first signs of collapse in the Spring of 1571. The Danes ship whatever troops they can spare from their Norwegian battlefields to Jylland, where they make a desperate last-ditch attempt to liberate the province; the invaders are beaten, and survivors flee to their death in Sjælland. Copenhagen falls on October 6th, 1571, and in the October 10th peace treaty, the Hanseatic League gains Jylland, Iceland, and a 250 ducat ransom for Sjælland. This historic peace treaty marks the first-ever major military victory for the Hansa.
The 250 ducats gained from the Hansa are immediately put to use; the Council upgrades the war-tattered fortifications in Jylland, and a part of the gold is sent to the King of Sweden as a personal gift, to support his war against Denmark. The King shows his gratitude by finally letting us officially join the Swedish Alliance on November 13th, 1571.
In the last quarter of a century, the Hansa's luck seems to have changed. We started the period as a poor, defenseless nation, reduced in size and shunned by former friends; now, the nation is still not rich by any means, but it is more prosperous than ever before. The territorial losses brought by the 12-year war and the subsequent revolution have now been offset by the conquest of Holstein and Jylland, and the Hanseatic League also has a colonial presence in the New World. We are not a military superpower, but our soldiers are vigilantly guarding our borders, and the alliance with Sweden, the Netherlands, and Georgia should be a deterrent to many would-be attackers. However, our military success has not brought us new friends outside the alliance; and if we have been lucky in our military operations in the last 25 years, isn't it possible that bad luck could bring us down just as fast?
Part 3: Rising from the Ashes (1544-1571)
THE SECOND HANSETAG
After the devastation of the 12-year war and the fall of the old Hansetag, the Hansa is forced to a quiet existence. Our military rebuilding will take years, and in 1544, the nation is almost totally defenseless and without allies.
We do not succeed in gaining new allies before 1549, when we enter the Russo-Danish alliance; the Russians and the Danes are not popular in the Council, but self-preservation is now our main goal. Even so, we cannot in good conscience support the Russians when they declare war on our old friends, the Teutonic Knights in January 1551; we manage, however, to re-enter the alliance in March. The war ends in the fall of 1552, when the Knights give Estonia and 250 ducats to Russia in exchange for peace. Later the same year, Bohemia declares war on Poland, which does not directly concern us; what is of concern, however, is the Russian war on Astrakhan, which we decide to support in spirit. This will cost us some ducats, but at the moment we are better off losing a little money and keeping our allies than the other way around.
Our renewed loan from the state bank expires in September 1553, and this time the Council has managed to gather enough money to pay it off. Now, rebuilding will start; the process gets some small financial help from our allies, when Astrakhan agrees to pay a small sum of ducats in exchange for peace. However, being a part of the Russo-Danish alliance also takes its toll; in the spring of 1554, we are called to arms again.
The Russo-Swedish War (1554-1549)
Russia declares war on Sweden on May 15th, 1554, and petitions Denmark and the Hansa for support. Both nations intervene, as does the Swedish ally, Georgia. The Hanseatic army never leaves home territory, but they stay vigilant against possible Swedish invaders. Large battles take place in Skåne and at the border between Sweden and Russia in the summer, and the Baltic also sees some large-scale naval action. Elsewhere in our vicinity, the Polish-Bohemian war rages on, and before the year comes to a close, Poland finds itself fighting two additional enemies: the English-Portuguese alliance declares war on them, as does the alliance of Scotland and several small Italian states. In August, the French and English alliances also go to war.
The Swedes have a good start in their war against our alliance; they gain control of Skåne before the end of 1554, and in the winter they also manage to conquer Ingermanland from Russia. The Danish province Østlandet is also occupied by Swedes in 1555. However, the luck changes on the following year: Denmark manages to gain some lost ground in the spring of 1556, and Russia liberates Ingermanland in May. In the other wars, Bohemia loses Silesia to Poland in a peace treaty in June, but Poland, in turn, is forced to give Posen to Parma just days later.
During the rebuilding phase after the end of the 12-Year War, our merchants have competed in the trading town of Hamburg in Holstein, with a modest amount of success. This comes to an end in November 1556, when the insolent bastard who tries to pass as the ruler in Holstein orders our traders out of the country, and arrests those who disobey his orders.
When the news reaches Lübeck, the Hanseatic Council convenes immediately. As usual, the Council can hardly agree on anything, but finally, after a close vote, a daring proposal wins: the Hansa has to teach Holstein a lesson. Holstein is still allied with France and Savoy, but the alliance is already waging war against England and Portugal. Perhaps, with the help of Denmark and Russia, we could catch them by surprise?
The Holsteinian War (1556-1561)
The Hanseatic League declares war on Holstein on November 15th, 1556. France and Savoy intervene immediately, but the Hanseatic allies Denmark and Russia respond by shutting Hansa out of their alliance. Again, we are alone, abandoned by our allies, against the French alliance, but this time they are already fighting a war elsewhere. Furthermore, this time Savoy agrees to an immediate white peace.
Immediately after the war declaration, we order a siege force of 18000 infantrymen and an artillery regiment to Holstein, where they start attacking the fortifications in December. The Holsteinian army marches to Bremen, and even though our second army force is unable to defeat them in battle, the Holsteinian numbers are drastically reduced, and they should have no chance against the garrison in Bremen. To our delight, France keeps her troops busy fighting England, and only sends a small fleet to patrol in the coast of Bremen.
The Hanseatic siege force in Holstein is left conducting its operations without harassment, and Holstein falls on August 28th, 1557; the province is annexed on September 2nd. Since France still refuses to accept a status quo peace, the conquerors of Holstein are immediately ordered to capture Eastern Pommerania, to provide us additional leverage in peace negotiations. They arrive in February 1558, defeat the small defense force of about 4000 men with ease, and start a siege.
In the fall of 1558 France signs a peace treaty with England, which causes great concern in the Council. However, luck soon swing our way: only days after the signing, Spain declares war on France, and they should again have more pressing issues than one small Germanic state far away from their mainland. Thank God for back-stabbing bastards!
Eastern Pommerania proves to be a hard nut to crack, however. the siege goes on through all of 1559, and the fortifications do not show serious signs of faltering until the latter half of 1560, when our siege force has been reinforced by another artillery regiment. Part of the costs were covered by an indemnity which the Russians won from Sweden in November 1559, and graciously shared with their former allies.
The Spanish army is evidently keeping the French busy in 1559 and 1560, and the small French army force sent to rescue Eastern Pommerania in the spring of 1561 fails miserably. The local garrison surrenders on September 3rd, 1561, and peace negotiations begin five days later.
While the Hanseatic League has undisputed historical rights to Eastern Pommerania, the Council decides not to demand that province from France, for two reasons: first of all, we want to end the hostilities immediately. Our rebuilt army is no match to the French, if they get the chance to concentrate their efforts against us. Second, to the East of Eastern Pommerania lies Poland, a severely weakened but aggressive nation, and at the moment it does seem reasonable to have a small buffer zone between them and us; besides, we can still ask for a sizable ransom from the French, and that extra gold is always welcome. On September 8th, 1561, we sign a peace treaty with France and gain 250 ducats.
When Holstein fell, our conquering heroes found copies of world maps in the late monarch's estate. These maps finally convince us that the rumors of a new continent beyond the Atlantic Ocean are actually true. And where there is land, there is trade; in 1562, the first Hanseatic colonists cross the ocean and start a new colony in Bangor. Early in 1563, a trading post is erected in neighboring Penobscot. Later, Hansa trading posts are also built in Sitka and Yukon, on the other side of the American continent.
The Hanseatic Council, while officially Catholic, has been harboring ill feelings toward the Pope for a long time; the 12-Year War has not been forgotten. Now that the Hansa has an official, valid peace treaty with France, and the Papacy is now allied with some insignificant small powers in Italy, the time is ripe for a conversion once again. The Council seizes Church properties throughout the nation in February 1563, and declares the Hansa officially Protestant. Madgeburg and the predominantly Catholic colony of Bangor rebel instantly; Madgeburg is subdued quickly, and the expeditionary force of 3000 men that is sent to Bangor meets only nominal resistance.
Elsewhere in Europe, Russia continues taking Poland apart and pushing her borders westward. In early 1564, the Teutonic Knights propose a military alliance to Hansa, but as they are even weaker than us, we decline. A little bit later Russia declares war on the Knights, and annexes them in early 1565. Meanwhile, Hanseatic diplomats ferry gifts and flattering letters to the King of Sweden. The Council needs allies, and we have had enough of the untrustworthy Danes and the treacherous Russians. Sweden, on the other hand, looks like a rising power, and they are the leader of an alliance which also includes Georgia and the Netherlands. We are able to arrange a royal marriage with them in 1566, but they are still unwilling to accept us into their alliance.
Our economic situation has been improving slowly but steadily; however, in 1566 a new trade center emerges in Holland, which severely undermines the importance of Holstein. Better news are in stock for 1567, as the French alliance declares war on Spain; better them than us. However, in 1568, the Hansa finds itself in an armed conflict again.
The Danish War (1568-1571)
Denmark declares war on the Hansa on July 20th, 1568, but fortunately they are just as alone as we are; the Russo-Danish alliance has been dissolved. A Hanseatic siege force of over 20000 men is sent to Jylland, where they defeat a small defending army and start a siege in October. The Danes, on the other hand, attack Bangor, but are unable to defeat our colonial forces despite a numerical superiority. They do, however, burn the trade post in Penobscot after suffering a humiliating defeat in Bangor.
The year 1569 begins with a victory, as our fleet defeats Danish ships outside Bremen. Denmark tries to drive away our siege force from Jylland, but to no effect; Jylland is forced to surrender on May 14th, 1569. Denmark takes control of our colony in Bangor a week later, and the Danes are unwilling to sign a peace treaty. To gain additional leverage in the negotiations, the Council sends a small army of 3000 men to take the unfortified, undefended Danish colony in Iceland. Sweden, seeing how the battles against Hansa have weakened Denmark, declares war on the Danes in the summer.
In August 1569, a large Danish force sent in from Norway manages to drive away the Hanseatic army occupying Jylland. However, we manage to eventually defeat them in the winter after two unsuccessful attacks. Our colonial army retakes Bangor in January 1570 and slaughters the remainders of the Danish invasion force in the process. Just days later, the Danes succeed in driving our forces away from Jylland once again, but again our troops return victoriously in August. After the battle, the Hanseatic army is ordered to track the fleeing Danes to their capital province Sjælland; there, they defeat the defenders, and start sieging Copenhage in November.
The fortifications around Copenhagen start showing first signs of collapse in the Spring of 1571. The Danes ship whatever troops they can spare from their Norwegian battlefields to Jylland, where they make a desperate last-ditch attempt to liberate the province; the invaders are beaten, and survivors flee to their death in Sjælland. Copenhagen falls on October 6th, 1571, and in the October 10th peace treaty, the Hanseatic League gains Jylland, Iceland, and a 250 ducat ransom for Sjælland. This historic peace treaty marks the first-ever major military victory for the Hansa.
The 250 ducats gained from the Hansa are immediately put to use; the Council upgrades the war-tattered fortifications in Jylland, and a part of the gold is sent to the King of Sweden as a personal gift, to support his war against Denmark. The King shows his gratitude by finally letting us officially join the Swedish Alliance on November 13th, 1571.
In the last quarter of a century, the Hansa's luck seems to have changed. We started the period as a poor, defenseless nation, reduced in size and shunned by former friends; now, the nation is still not rich by any means, but it is more prosperous than ever before. The territorial losses brought by the 12-year war and the subsequent revolution have now been offset by the conquest of Holstein and Jylland, and the Hanseatic League also has a colonial presence in the New World. We are not a military superpower, but our soldiers are vigilantly guarding our borders, and the alliance with Sweden, the Netherlands, and Georgia should be a deterrent to many would-be attackers. However, our military success has not brought us new friends outside the alliance; and if we have been lucky in our military operations in the last 25 years, isn't it possible that bad luck could bring us down just as fast?
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