Changes in the North
By the start of the XV century, Mecklenburg had initiated the process of unification of the lands around the Baltic Sea. The cities of Bremem, Hamburg, Stetin and Lubeck had joined under the ruleship of the Duchy of Mecklenburg.
The Duchy was allied to Sweden. When Sweden and Skane enter at war, the forces of Mecklemburg joined the war at the swedish side. War was long, but finally the raiders and pirates of Skane were subjugated and most of those lands joined Mecklemburg. The city of Visby, in the sland of Gotland, was the last one to surrender, but faced with the option of being annexed by the swedish or by Mecklenburg they choosed to join Mecklenburg.
Then war was made against the Saxons, and soon the lands of the saxons were part of the Duchy. Later, the cities of Danzig, Kustrin and the province of Silesia would join the Gran-Duchy of Mecklenburg.
Wars were a constant in the lands at those times. Norway had became a redute of pirates, and they atacked and annexed Skane, entering in Mecklenburgs zone of influece, for the Sund - the straints between Scandinavia and Germany was to strategic to the merchants of the cities of south germany. So war was declared against Norway. In two long wars Norways was defeated, but a third one was needed to give the final blow on Norway.
To finance the war, the dukes were each time more dependent of the merchants of the cities, who in exchanged wanted more privilegies. The aristocracy of those lands lost influence. The duke was surrounded by the burguesy of the most important cities.
It was the burguesy who influncieted the next war of Mecklenburg, for Finland was expanding and becaming rich and the merchants at Vasa were richer yet. They were competing the merchants of the cities. So war was declared against Finland and Finland was bought to its knee in a hard campaing consisting most of sieges that tooked months and even years, in the case of Vasa. The russian used the oportunity to steal the siege of ours allies, the Swedes, and take Narva and Vologd to them. The merchants - now the real force in the duchy - accept that, in exchange of Russian staying out of the rest of the Baltic coast, as negotiantions with the cities of Polostk, liderated by Riga, were being made, so those cities would joing the Duchy.
In 1478, the nobles made a last attemp to regain power in the duchy, trying to diminish the central power - controled by the Burguesy in the cities. That and the inability of the Duke of defending the city of Hannover from Flandern, forced the Burguesy to act...
Negotiantion between the four cities - Bremem, Hamburg, Stetin and Lubeck -and from Visby in the sland of Gotland, Vargan in Narvik, Vasa, Olofsborg, Kexholm, Visborg and Tavatehus - all in former Finalnd and from Danzig and Kustrin decided that it was time to move.
And, according to some historiers, even representants from cities in Sweden and from the free cities of Polostk, Prussia and Pomerann - including Konisberg and Riga were present at that meeting.
The army of the Duchy was composed mostly of infantary - all recruited and paid with the money of the cities. The navy was also controled by the cities, each city having to provide a number of gallyes for the war effort and safety of the baltic.
Only the cavalary, still composed by nobles, remain as a threat. But the key leaders were bought with gold.
On January 13 of 1480, a division of 20,000 man, liderated by general Kielgas, the conqueror of Karelia, advanced to the capital and arrested the old Duchy and his wife. They were accused of traison, and expulsed from the lands they former controled.
A counsil of merchants from the cities took power, protected by this might army. At the end of the day a proclamation was read to all:
The cities of Bremem, Hamburg, Stetin, Lubeck, Visby, Vargan, Bergen, Vasa, Olofsborg, Kexholm, Visborg, Tavatehus,Danzig, Kustrin, Alvsborg, Kalsbarg, Magdengburg, Berlin, Dassau, Aalborg and Kobenhavn have in this day joined in league to:
* Mantain the independence and prosperity of the cities belonging to the League.
* Protect merchants and trade in the baltic.
* Protect the interests of the merchants of the cities belonging to the League.
All the cities belonging to the League agree to:
* Provide soldiers and ships to the army of the League, and
* To defend each other from agression if any power atack one of the cities of the League.
Signed in 13 january of the year of 1480.
Whether you come down on the chicken or the egg, the rise of the middle class and the abolition of feudalism directly corresponded to the increased power and nationalization of the central government.
