Herravälde från Norden-Dominion from the North. A Sweden MM DW edition AAR

[Rifal]

Did Poland, busy pushing back the Muscovites, honour your alliance when Denmark attacked?

The choice of your 1st (that is 4th ) NI suggests Sweden is destined to become a naval power.

Yes they did. But they are understandably too busy to actually send troops that would have to walk through both Lithuania, the remains of Novgorod and Finland to actually ge to me so their absense is excused

I chose a naval Idea because
1. "Abhorrence of Naval matters" is a PITA.
2. If Sweden becomes a Naval Power the Danes can sit on their islands twiddling their thumbs while i walk all over them, and I like that.
3. Dominion of the Baltic will require a good navy. Galleys work surprisingly well there.

 

[Rifal]

Chapter II

The Baltic Trade War (1470-1471)
​

The sizeable expansion of the Swedish port at Älvsborg had greatly enraged the Danish king who had profited greatly from the Öresund Toll on Swedish shipping. Now that Sweden could ship its merchandise directly from its western coast and out towards France, England and the Iberian Peninsula a large chunk of coin elude the Danish treasury.

The Danish king Christian II takes this as the Swedes “Pouring salt into the wounds of Denmark” referring to the significant loss of Prestige that came with the massive defeat suffered by the Danes at the hands of Karl during the Bonde Conflict. Using this as an excuse for war Christian leads his army across Öresund and towards Älvsborg who are entirely unprepared for the attack and soon surrenders. Meanwhile the Norwegians march into western Sweden and recaptures Jämtland.

In the winter of 1471 Erik lands with his forces in Stockholm. Wasting little time he quickly replenishes his supplies and marches south towards the Danes who are laying siege to the fortified town of Linköping. The winter of 1471 had been quite harsh on the Danish army. Its cavalry had lost most of its horses and the soldiers where hungry, cold and miserable. A defeatist attitude had spread amongst the men and Christian knew that if he can’t take Linköping before Erik arrived with his army his campaign would be at an end. Christian’s fears are confirmed on the 3rd of January 1471 when he is informed that the Swedish army has been sighted only a few hours march away.

The Battle of Linköping (1471-01-03)
​

Prelude: With the Swedish army having approached to only a few hours march away due to Christian’s cavalry being largely immobilized because of the harsh winter and therefore unable to conduct proper reconnaissance it became obvious to Christian that his only chance is to defeat Erik in an open battle an use the ensuing despair in Linköping to force a surrender of the city.

By midday both armies are formed up on opposite sides of a great snow covered field. Christian orders his infantry forwards.

The Battle: With the Danish infantry crossing the field Erik’s army steels itself for the impact, their long pikes pointing menacingly at the approaching Danes. Twice the Danes throw themselves at the pikewall only to be repulsed. The third time they are met with a ferocious counterattack by the Finnish infantry detachment led by Finnish infantry General Tomas Horn. The Danish line buckles and crack under the pressure and the Danish line is split in two. Christian desperately sends what is left of his cavalry in to try to plug the gap but Horn’s Finns forms an impenetrable wall of pikes and the Danish cavalry suffers heavy casualties. By now the Swedish cavalry is rolling up the Danish right flank and the Finnish cavalry are annihilating the Danes left wing. Surrounded on all sides and with their line broken Christian flees head over heels back to Denmark and the remnants of his army surrenders.

​

Aftermath: The absolute disaster faced by the Danish army at Linköping effectively ended Denmark’s participation in the war. In one battle Erik has halved his enemy’s forces and virtually ended Denmark’s campaign. Now only Norway remains and on their own they are not a major threat.

As the winter turns into spring and the ice in Öresund melts away the Swedish navy sets out from Stockholm and sets up an extensive blockade of the Danish coast. The Danish navy was never prepared for the war and remains tucked away in port throughout the war. In addition to the almost complete blockade of their port Denmark loses its last glimmer of hope when Erik decisively defeats the Norwegian force in June 1471.

​

Having lost his standing army, his ally’s standing army and having all of his major ports blockaded King Christian realizes that he is finished and in a remarkable show of compassion Erik offers him a return to Status quo ante bellum. A humbled Christian Accepts and the two kings sign the treaty in Stockholm on the 8th of August 1471.

Erik however had another reason for his eagerness to reach a peace with Denmark, one that if he knew about Christian may have been able to use as leverage at the negotiating table. Muscovite irregulars have been ravaging Eastern Finland in retaliation for the Swedish raids in Kexholm and Erik is eager to get back East to safeguard his realm.

Erik Returns to the Eastern front and in 1473 and resumes his raiding of Muscovite and Novgorodian territory. Novgorod soon has enough and withdraws from the war by paying minor war indemnities to Poland.

Sweden c. 1473
Erik XIII Tre Rosor (ADM:4 MIL:3 DIP:4)
By the Grace of God: King of Sweden and Grand Prince of Finland
​

Treasury: 272
GDP: -12.5 Ducats/Year

Standing Army: 10000 Pikemen, 4000 Cavalry
Navy: 1 Pinnace 18 Galleys 8 Cogs
Reserves: 25000
Discipline: 104.80%
Tradition: Army 48.20 Navy 1.90

Prestige: 66
Reputation: 0.0
Legitimacy: 0

 

[unmerged(63836)]

Cool battle description, and impressive victory for 3-Mil rating Erik.

 

[Rifal]

Cool battle description, and impressive victory for 3-Mil rating Erik.

Indeed. Colour me surprised when Erik just stomped all over the opposition. I guess that "people can surprise you" rings as true as always.
Anyway, just imagine what I could do with a 9 MIL ruler. *Insert evil maniacal laughter here*

 

[Derahan]

Indeed. Colour me surprised when Erik just stomped all over the opposition. I guess that "people can surprise you" rings as true as always.
Anyway, just imagine what I could do with a 9 MIL ruler. *Insert evil maniacal laughter here*

Clearly you would do the opposite....*nelson style ha-ha!*

On the other note i'm glad to see another of your AARs

 

[Rifal]

Clearly you would do the opposite....*nelson style ha-ha!*

On the other note i'm glad to see another of your AARs

I guess ill find out. I havn't played past 1473 yet as real life got in the way as it so regularly does. Hopefully ill have another update in the middle of the comming week.

 

[unmerged(90806)]

It seems you got lucky with the battle outcomes. White peace was the sensible option, containing the bear is clearly the priority.
I can see you're losing money fast; this mean time is not on your side, you should bring the war with Russia to a speedy end if you don't want to bankrupt your country.

 

[Funnyman320]

Nice AAR it's cool to see that MM has come to DW. Sweden really surprised me when it stomped all over the rest of Scandinavia! Keep it up

 

[Yeekim]

MM AARs are always appreciated!

 

[Rifal]

Chapter III

The Kexholm Issue and the end of Erik XIII
​

In January 1473 Erik had pushed the Muscovite forces back from eastern Finalnd and the Finnish army under General Inge Gathenheilm had managed to capture Kexholm. This is enough to coax a peace deal out of Muscovy. On January 27 a muscovite diplomat sent by the prince of Muscovy agrees to Eriks rather simple terms, or term really. Muscovy cedes Kexholm to Sweden. Poland would keep on fighting Muscovy for a few more years and emerge victorious.

The Annexation of Kexholm however puts an unneeded strain on Eriks already limited talents and the already unstable situation in Kexholm threathens to explode in full revolt. To prevent this Erik stations the Entire 6000 man Army of Finland in Kexholm in hopes that the native soldiers might calm the area more and prevent the loss of his new gain so early.

​

This proved to be a wise decision as the fiercely independent inhabitants of Kexholm are quite content with being under the watch of fellow Finns rather than Swedes or Muscovites. The Swedish government regains control of the situation as soon as the following year.
With the war over and Sweden’s Eastern border stabilized Erik returns to Stockholm in hopes of living out the remainder of his life in peace. On the 22^nd of July 1474 a delegation representing the Veterans of the war with Muscovy and Denmark arrives in Stockholm and requests an audience with King Erik. Having spent a large part of his reign either on battlefields or marching towards one Erik instantly grants the audience. What the delegation asks for is an improvement in the treatment of veterans. For Erik who had seen the horrors of the front line himself the decision is an easy one and a few days later construction begins on a great veteran’s home just outside the city of Kalmar in Småland.

​

The rest of Erik’s Reign would pass peacefully until the 14^th of January 1481 when Erik passes away in his sleep aged 67. His now 20 year old son Karl IX Gustav is crowned soon after as the new king. The house of Tre Rosor was still however considered very illegitimate by most of the Swedish nobility but as long as the army is loyal to the king there is nothing they can or dare to do about it.

​

Sweden c. 1481
Karl IX Gustav Tre Rosor (ADM:5 MIL:6 DIP:3)
By the Grace of God: King of Sweden and Grand Prince of Finland
​

Treasury: 156
GDP: 27.4 Ducats/Year

Standing Army: 10000 Pikemen, 4000 Cavalry
Navy: 1 Pinnace 18 Galleys 8 Cogs
Reserves: 30000
Discipline: 104.80%
Tradition: Army 48.20 Navy 1.90

Prestige: 60
Reputation: 2.7
Legitimacy: 13

 

[Merrick Chance']

Woah, a whole 23 legitimacy, the Tre Rosor family must be living in the lap of luxury

 

[Rifal]

An announcment

Circumstance has forced me to replay and subsecuently Rewrite the entry regarding the war with russia. This will cause a bit of delay with future updates. I hope this is not to much of a problem for my readers.

 

[Omen]

I'm really liking this AAR, and it looks like you have a really nice Queen as a ruler as well. I can't wait to see what she does next.

 

[Funnyman320]

Circumstance has forced me to replay and subsecuently Rewrite the entry regarding the war with russia. This will cause a bit of delay with future updates. I hope this is not to much of a problem for my readers.

No worries here. As long as it isn't abandoned!

 

[Rabid]

Following this, enjoying the style though a few more maps would be nice

 

[Rifal]

Following this, enjoying the style though a few more maps would be nice

If it is the will of my readers to see a sortof "State of the Realm" update I will make one when my current ruler dies

 

[Omen]

I'm always glad to see what is happening in the rest of the world in these games.

 

[Bthunder]

Very nice, enjoying this style, which is completely different from my "Wall of images" one. Hopefully i can learn something while reading this AAR.

It'd be nice to see maps as already said, i would show at least the baltic, but another image with the map of europe would be nice.

 

[Rifal]

Chapter IV

Ofreder i Öster
​

The rise of Karl IX Gustav to the Swedish throne was met with some opposition among the nobility. They rallied around the banner of Lars Eka, count of Bergslagen and fierce opponent of the House of Tre Rosor. Lars managed to muster 4000 men and lay siege to the town of Västerås before Karl took command of the Royal Army. The Royal Army was now 8000 man strong and full of confidence Karl marches East to confront the pretender.

Against the semi professional soldiers of the Royal army Lars haphazard collection of petty nobles and disgruntled peasants stood little chance of victory. Being caught between the walls of Västerås and Karl’s army they put up little resistance before surrendering en masse. Lars Eka fled south towards Denmark but was captured half way by Swedish cavalry Lars was brought to Stockholm and beheaded on Stortorget (The Grand Square)

The army reform of Karl IX
​

The Swedish army had from the days of Karl VIII relied almost entirely on pikes to conduct warfare. Advancing en masse with pikes stretched out in front of the front lines much like the armies of Alexander had done so long ago. Now however a new weapon saw the light of day in the Swedish army. The wheellock musket, while being more reliable than the previous matchlock arqebuses it was also much more expensive which limited its use. By 1485 around 1/3rd of the Swedish infanty was armed with Wheellock muskets. This opened up a whole new dimension in Swedish warfare. Armor was now nearly useless and the important role that cavalry had played in medieval warfare was fading fast. Cavalry was moving to a more supportive role.

​

This new style of warfare would require a whole new way of training troops and so a whole new training regime is laid down making the Swedish army one of the best drilled armies in the world. Swedish forces would become known for not making use of mercenaries unless it was absolutely necessary. This gives the Swedish army a sense of unity and comradeship that is simply not found in other armies of the time.

Wedding Bells
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Swedish-Polish relations had been high ever since the the Polish-Muscovite war and in 1481 and this relation between Poland and Sweden is further solidified when Karl Gustav marries Princess Jolanta, daughter of the Polish king. Jolanta quickly takes a liking to the young and charismatic king Karl. In a little over a year she speaks almost fluent Swedish but still retains a noticable polish accent. and in April the following year she gives birth to a baby girl. The Girl is baptized and given the name Katarina, Crown princess of Sweden. The succession of house Tre Rosor is Safe.

The Bear Rises
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The Muscovite Principality had long been subjugating the other Russian states culminating in the vassalization of the once former dominant Russian power Novgorod. This gives Muscovy all the reason it needs to declare a sovereign Russian nation. A unified Russia with de facto access to the Baltic sea is an immense threat to Sweden. However a direct assault on Russia would surely be suicide. In an attempt to stop Russia’s rapid rise Karl Forges an alliance with Pskov, one of the few remaining independent Russian states. The Russian Declaration of War soon follows.

​

The War of Pskov
​

Swedish forces station themselves in Eastern Finland. The Royal Army under the Command of Karl IX Gustav, a mediocre commander at best. The Finnish army is led by General Sigvard Stenbock, a competent but inexperienced man. He is first to see action as the Russian army under command of General Artamon Yermak, a man who has spent his entire life on the Eastern frontier fighting the nomad hordes. By comparison Sigvard is a raw recruit with a numerically inferior army. The one thing saving the Finnish army is the quality of the Russian army. It is still a motley rabble of peasants mostly armed with a Bardishe. The Russians also suffer from significantly worse morale compared to the Swedish army. The Result is an initial disappointment for the more numerous Russians who were excpecting an easy Victory.

​

With the Russians forced to withdraw from Finland King Karl confidently leads his forces toward Pskov where he routs a Novgorodian force and captures both Neva and Ingermanland. Further than that however is impossible to go. Russia is simply too vast and Karl is not willing to risk his meager forces in a foolish venture towards Moscow. The war is essentially a large series of minor battles and skirmishes along the Swedish-Russian and Russo-Pskovian borders.

In an effort to break this stalemate Karl IX for the first time calls upon his ally Zigismund of Poland-Lithuania. This request puts Poland in a predicament as they also have an alliance with Russia. Zigismund is however swayed in Swedish favor by a plea from his daughter Jolanta, wife of King Karl.

With the Russian army once again busy on its eastern border Polish and Lithuanian forces stream across the border in to Russia Laying siege to most major cities including Moscow itself coming under siege by a combined Polish and Swedish force. Soon after Polands entry into the war Novgorod Surrenders to Swedish forces and the Russian army faces a crushing defeat in the East. This brings Tsar Ivan III to the Negotiating table.

The Treaty of Nöteborg is signed by Ivan III on the 31st of May 1488 where Russia cedes the provinces of Neva and Ingermanland (Henceforth known as the Duchy of Ingria) to Sweden and frees the city of Novgorod from the bonds of vassalage.
This had a major impact on Swedish influence in the Baltic sea as it completely cut’s its greatest rival in the East off from the Baltic and gives Sweden direct control of the Trade running from Moscow though the River Neva and out into the Baltic.

​

At this point Karl must have realized that this would not be the last he would hear from Russia.

Sweden c. 1490
Karl IV Gustav Tre Rosor (ADM:5 MIL:6 DIP:3)
By the Grace of God: King of Sweden, Grand Price Of Finland and Duke of Ingria
​

Treasury: 268
GDP: 42.4 Ducats/Year

Standing Army: 16000 Pikemen, 4000 Cavalry
Navy: 20 Galleys, 8 Transports
Reserves: 30000
Discipline: 107.80%
Tradition: Army 48.20 Navy 1.90

Prestige: 99
Reputation: 7.4
Legitimacy: 8

 

[Rifal]

There. Now im in synch with the game again. While this update may seem a bit rushed trust me the war was very boring. Much more interesting things are comming.