AAR: The German Coalition

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Exert from:
The Encyclopedia Europa
copyright 2001 AD
Von Heinlin Publications
Magdenburg, German Coalition

German Confederation

Early History:
The foundations of what was to become the German Coalition were planted in the early 1400's, when several German states began to react to the growing influence of the Hapsburgs of Austria. Several German states began to form alliances, playing for power within the Empire, as well as trying to forge a shield agaisnt any of the other alliances.

By the 1450's, the alliance of Saxony, Brandenburg, Pommeria and Thurnigen had become one of the most solid in the Holy Roman Empire. Massive interbreeding between the Royal families of these states had created, in affect, one large governing family which ruled four seperate countries. As the powers of the Hapsburgs grew, as did other external powers such as Poland, the states began to act more in sync with one another.

At the Council of Berlin in 1466, envoys of these four states drew up a charter for a unified country which was to be ruled by a Prince, as well as by a Reichstag. It was nto a Democracy in the modern sence, or even as advanced as the English PArliment, instead the Riechstag was to be an assembly hall for minor nobels to act as advisors to the Prince, as well as to enforce some level of local freedom. For the position of Prince, the differant envoys agreed on Otto, the son of the ruling Kingof Saxony and Brandenburg, who was well respected as a just and intellegent ruler. Upon Otto reaching maturity, Brandenburg, Saxony, Thurnigen and Pommeria would merge into one state, the Coalition of German States or, the German Coalition

Otto I(The Great) came to power in 1490, officially beginning the life span of the German Coalition(see Otto I). From the onset the state was faced with several problems. Although the differantl ands had been united in the upper branches of government, there was no unified code of law, also the Coalition faced many enemies abroad, including France, Spain and Austria. To make matters worse, the Coalition lagged behind in technology as well as finances

The High Prince, as the monarch had come to be called, immediatly embarked on a plan to create a unified tax code by designating regional tax collectors in all of the Coalition's provinces.

Although the military strength of the Coalition was not weak, having inherited three armies of about 20,000 soldiers each from the old states, Otto was not content. He began to consolidate and bolster the troop coutn as well as invest a large portion of the monthly budget into the miltiary sciences.

The last major area of interest to the High Prince was the improving of diplomatic relations. He set n a plan to tie the Coalition together with many othe neighbors with a system of royl marriages. The Coalition also entered into an alliance with Bavaria, Kleves and Cologne, Hungary and Poland which would have a huge impact on it's early life.

Soon after the alliance was signed, there were signs of The Coalition and Bavaria moving closer together. Both nations had much in common, perhaps the most important being a shared fear of the Hapsburg dynasty. For his part, High Prince Otto I was known to send several personal gifts to the Bavarian king. By 1500 Bavaria was a Coalition vassal and, with the signing of the Treaty of Unification, it was absorbed into the Coalition as a full member.

All was not well for the coalition, however. The annexation of Bavaria had caused the nobility to grow greedy. In 1510 The Coalition declared war on Bohemia while the Slavic state was momentarily seperated from her alliance with Austria. The Coalition hoped to win away The Sudenland as well as Silesia from Bohemia. However, despite intitial gains, Bohemia was able to keep the Germans away from the caital of Prague. The war soon devolved into a guerilla struggle, decimating the armies of the Coalition. Although Otto sacked several provinces, he was unable to win the decisive citroy that would have allowed him to annex the chosen lands. In the end the government was forced to settle for gaining a mere 250 duckets as a 'reperation fee'. The war had sapped Otto's coffers, deciamted his military, and Bohemia was able to survive on the onslaught largely unscathed. It is considered by many German historians to have been a fiasco.

Although Otto participated in several other small wars on the behalf of his allies, the Coalition made few if any gains. Although a gifted admistrator, diplomat and even general, The High Prince did not possess the resources needed to expand the Coalition through war. With his passing, The Coalition entered into a period of neutral rulers who merely expanded on the foundations set by their great prececesor. It was not until the onset of the Austro-German war that the Coalition would become a force in Central Europe.


Otto I: 1474-1520
The First High Prince of the German Coalition. A gifted administrator, diplomat and General, it was his job to forge the states of Saxony, Pommeria, Brandenburg and Thurnigen into one cohesive state.

Otto's career was marked with great set backs as well as victories. He was able to align his nation with a major power alliance, as well as annex Bavaria in his life time. However, he also fought two wars which deciamted the Coalition miltiary, the "War of Bohemian Survival" as well as takin part into the "Great Eastern War" where we was unable to even annex the small state of Prussia.

Otto died in 1520, leaving the throne to his son Georg, who would continue many of his father's policies. Today Otto's birthday is still celebrated in the lands of the German Coalition, and he is cosnidered one of the msot gifted statesmen of his time.

 

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nice twist.

 

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After the Annexation of Bavaria, and the two failed wars against the Teutonic Order and Bohemia, the German Coalition entered into a phase of internal rebuilding stability. Much of the country's resourses were placed into the military to rebuild it after the previous disasters. Futhermore, much money was spent on diplomacy to ensure that the Coalition would be safe.

German History took another turn with the arrival of Georg and Richard von Shliefen in Pommeria. These two, along with 5 ships and 5 thousand men, set out on a quest of discovery. They landed in Newfoundland on September 6th 1506, and founded the first German colony in the region. Soon, two other colonies were found, one of this island, and the other in the land of Nova Scotia.

The Coaltion, under Otto II was soon to set out on a campaign of conquest against their hated Hapsburg rivals. Having spent years building up their military from its shatterd ruisn after the "War of Bohemian Survival", the Coalition seemed ready to stretch forth its arms.

The "War of Dominance"(See :War of Dominance), as it has come to be called was not nearly as much of an all out German victory as many historians would like people to believe. Although a majority of the war was fougth on Austrian soil, and Vienna was sacked, Bavaria fell to Austrian troops, and Saxony was put under seige by Bohemian troops. In the end, however, Coalition forces were to strong for the Austrians, who were forced to cede Ostmarch and 250 duckets for reperations.

The Coalition was well on its way to becoming the most powerful of the German states, but all was not well. Credit for the German Victory over Austria was in the hands of their superior troops and technology, not High Prince Otto II. Otto was a mediorce ruler at best, and was not a skilled diplomat. The Coalition had managed to alienate many of their potential allies. Also Colonization efforts were beginning to stall due to a lack of potential settlers.

As if this were not enough, A new herecy had begun to spring up in Germany, and several states had already officaly cut off contact with the Pope in Rome.(see Luthernism) Otto II then took the tremendou step of following suit and cutting off ties with the Pope. Coalition stabiltiy plummeted, and she was denounced by even her own allies.

Luckly, the Coalitions' secluded location, and stable military was able to disuade anyone from attacking the Nation. And so, the Coalition simply put down all revolters and began plans to create a large North American Empire.

Entry: War of Dominance (1510-1512)
Austro-German war in the Early 16th Century. The Official cause of the war was the harsh treatment of German Coalition merchants in Austrian territory. However, little or no evidence has ever been uncovered that would verify this claim. Instead it would seem that High Prince Otto The Second of The Coalition wished to make up for past failures and humiliations in the previous two wars, as well as humbling the Hapsburg monarchy.

The war was hard fought, mostly due to the High Prince's relunctance to call on allies assistance in the war fearing, fearing their gains into territory he felt was his by right. Coalition forces pushed into Northen Austria, meanwhile Austrian troops entered into Bavaria through Tyrol and lay seig to the capital. The Bohemians, allies to Austria, also attempted to capture Thurnigen from the Coalition.

Despite the persoanl bravery of the Austrian troops, the generals and troops of the Coalition over came them, sacking Vienna and forcing the mperor to sign a humilating peace, granting Ostmatch to the Coalition, as well as forcing them to pay 250 duckets for reperations.

Entry: Luthernism
Chiristian Denomination, which spring up in Germany in protest to the corrupt policies of the Catholic Church of the time. Religion is often thought to ahve begun with Martin Luther, of which the denomination gains its name, rnailing a thesis of 95 statements to the doors of a church in his native Wittenburg. The First Luthern Nation was the Electorate of Hessia, and was quickly followed by the German Coalition as well as the Nordic States Today over 95 percent of Northern Germany in Luthern, and are a alrge minority in Southern Germany as well.