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Good job against the Bear - would you be happy with some anti-Russian defensive alliance, or would you actively try to cripple them/expand eastwards?
No. The world is actually quite calm right now. No weird borders or anything.
I hope that Russia will be to busy with the hordes to actually be able to threaten me. My alliance with Poland-Lithuania should be enough to keep the Russians at bay for now. But should the alliance shatter...
Also, Denmark has an alliance with Russia now. *Gulp*
An explanation
Hi Guys!
The Reason why there hasn't been any updates in a while is because Im currently working 12 hour nightshifts. So what little free time I have is either spent sleeping or with friends. The next update will probably come towards the weekend, maybe a bit earlier depending on the whims of "reality"
Cheers.
Hi Guys!
The Reason why there hasn't been any updates in a while is because Im currently working 12 hour nightshifts. So what little free time I have is either spent sleeping or with friends. The next update will probably come towards the weekend, maybe a bit earlier depending on the whims of "reality"
Cheers.
Take your time, I don't want this to be abandoned cause you feel to pressured to update. We'll wait patiently for a return
Chapter V
The Sami question and the end of Karl IX Gustav
The Sami question and the end of Karl IX Gustav
In the wake of the war with Russia cam internal problems for the Kingdom of Sweden, its northern parts were populated by many Heathens from the old days and also a significant Sami population. While the Swedish army was away fighting in Eastern Finland they had staged a revolt in an attempt to gain greater autonomy and an acceptance of their faith. In the beginning Karl doesn’t pay them much attention but in July 1491 the Sami people rise up in arms, they kill the local Swedish governor nad burns his house to the ground. Karl has no choice but to respond in kind. In August he sends several Cavalry squadrons and many priests and bishops under the command of Sigvard Stenbock towards Lappland with orders to slay any non Christian who refuses to convert and pledge loyalty to the King.
What follow was a ruthless campaign against ant and all heathens. Thousands of civilians were killed and villages reduced to little more than smoldering ashes by Stenbock’s men as they swept across the countryside taking little heed of women and children caught in their way as they flushed the rebels out. By the end of August 1491 most of Lapland was in ruins, with a large part of its heathen population having been driven out of the country. Over 5000 men women and children had been slain in Stenbock’s ruthless advance. Very few had actually chosen to convert saying they would rather die than convert; Stenbock was quick to oblige them.
The massacre of the sami population would be the last deed of King Karl IX Gustav as the following winter in November 1492 he falls gravely ill and perishes on the evening of the 1st of December leaving the throne to his merely 10 year old daughter Katarina.
As is common for such a young ruler the coronation will have to wait and the nation will be ruled by a council of senior nobles until the day Katarina is deemed old and competent enough to take the throne.
Sweden c. 1493
Regency Council in the name of Katarina I Tre Rosor
Queen of Sweden, Grand Princess of Finland and Duchess of Ingria
Regency Council in the name of Katarina I Tre Rosor
Queen of Sweden, Grand Princess of Finland and Duchess of Ingria
Treasury: 211
GDP: 48.4 Ducats/Year
Standing Army: Currently recruiting
Navy: 20 Galleys, 8 Transports
Reserves: 30000
Discipline: 107.80%
Tradition: Army 48.20 Navy 1.90
Prestige: 63
Reputation: 5.2
Legitimacy: 8
Yes, a really short chapter but the comming ones will make up for it. (I hope, I havn't actually played much further).
Is that RC 7/7/3? Couldn't really ask for much better in a regency, really
That regency is amazing, I have never had any regency with a stat over 5 before.
Most likely yes. Next chapter will be mostly about Katarina's reaction to her fathers premature death. A sort of semi narrative. It will take a while as I am horrible at writing narrative's that feel even remotely real.
Chapter VI
Katarina the Orphan
Katarina the Orphan
When the news of King Karl’s death reached the ears of Queen Jolanta and Crown Princess Katarina who were currently in Warsaw visiting King Zigismund of Poland-Lithuania they quickly abort their visit and hurry back to Stockholm. There they find out that Karl’s death was no doubt due to a curse put on him by the Heathen shamans cowering in the forests of the north. It is at this point that Katarina’s ferocious hatred of the Sami people takes root.
Queen Jolanta’s reaction is to isolate herself in her chamber refusing to interact with anyone, even going as far as shunning her daughter. After a few days the royal bodyguard starts to fear for Jolanta’s safety and 5 of them together manages to force the heavy oak door to Jolanta’s chambers open. In the room they find a grizzly sight. Queen Jolanta is lying on the large bed in the center of the room, its sheets drenched in blood. The queen has in her grief slit her own throat. At the sight of this grizzly scene crown princess Katarina who had entered the room right after the soldiers sees her dead mother and breaks down completely, she does not cry but falls to her knees in simply sits there looking at the corpse of her mother.
The harsh blow of losing both her parents at such a young age sends Katarina into a state of Catatonia. She spends all her time in her chambers completely unresponsive to any outside stimuli. To avoid Katarina starving to death the court physician is has no choice but to force feed her with great difficulty as she refuses to chew or swallow any kind of food.
The Swedish court’s highest priority now becomes the survival of the only remaining heir to the throne. Katarina is put under guard every minute of the day and during the night at least two chamber maids are always present in her room. Initially this seems to have little effect other than preventing Katarina from killing herself as well thereby causing a succession war between the higher nobility.
After almost three years of treatment Katarina seems to be on her way to recover, she now speaks short but coherent sentences and eats by her own will. External events however will force Katarina to hasten her own return to sanity.
(Russian support for Heretics erupt in open war)
The Ingrian War
Danish forces gather in Copenhagen awaiting the arrival of the Danish navy for transport over into Danish Scania. Norwegian forces are somewhat swifter to act owing to the direct land border between Sweden and Norway. The Ingrian war has begun in earnest.
Back in Stockholm the court is in Panic. Katarina is in no shape to take charge of her Kingdom yet and the Swedish army stands without a clear commander in chief.
The Swedish navy will be instrumental in this as it will blockade the entire Danish coast and force a swift peace to allow Sweden to shift its focus to Russia. Swedish Naval dominance is established in November 1495 when the Swedish navy defeats the much larger Norwegian one and puts the Danish coast under blockade. This forces Denmark out of the war rather swiftly when Princess Katarina offers the return of some of the lost revenue. Norway follows suit after being defeated by Mikael Wallenberg and the Royal Army soon after crossing into Sweden.
(The Norwegians and the Danes are quickly forced/coaxed to withdraw from the war)
With the withdrawal of Denmark and Norway from the war Swedish forces are shipped with great haste to Finland where Sigvard Stenbock is desperately fighting to hold back the steady stream of Russian soldiers pouring over the border.
Sweden c.1496
Regency council in the Name of Katarina I Tre Rosor
Queen of Sweden, Grand Princess of Finland and Duches of Ingria
Regency council in the Name of Katarina I Tre Rosor
Queen of Sweden, Grand Princess of Finland and Duches of Ingria
Treasury: 238
GDP: -12.1 Ducats/Year
Standing Army: Casualties not calculated
Navy: 18 Galleys, 8 Transports
Reserves: 30000
Discipline: 107.80%
Tradition: Army 48.20 Navy 1.90
Prestige: 76
Reputation: 6.0
Legitimacy: 6
I'm playing Sweden right now as well and I'm pretty much at the stage you are. I don't really know how to stop the Russian bear as yet, but I bet the logical Polish-Lithuanian alliance is the key to it.
Poland-Lithuania is deffinetly a good ally against Russian ambitions in Finland and Eastern Europe. It also helps that the nomads constantly seems to attack Russia whenever they are about to get the upper hand against me. It also helps to stay a few land tech levels ahead of them and have good Generals ofcourse (I Really hate how Paradox decided that Female rulers can't lead armies. That's just silly in my opinion)
Chapter VII
Katarina’s coronation and the War of Ingria
The war of Ingria was not so much a war as a series of skirmishes in the Ingrian border. While the Poles sent great numbers of soldiers towards Russia they failed to ever engage in an open battle as Russian commander preffered to use the was emptiness of Russia to try to trick their enemies into following them deeper and deeper until they are sufficiently weakened. Neither side dares to make any major move.Katarina’s coronation and the War of Ingria
While Russia currently is home to some of the greatest military leaders alive they are also aware that with the current quality of the Russian army any attempt at an organized offensive towards Sweden will end in disaster.
The Battle of Ingria
For two years the war is at a standstill until Tsar Boris himself takes command of the Russian Imperial army. He finally orders an assault and enters into Ingria and besieges the Swedish fortress there. Sigvard Stenbock and Mikael Wallenberg responds and on the 12th of September the Swedish army forms up for its attack on the Russian siege lines. At 10:00 Stenbock gives the signal to attack and the Swedish infantry charges towards the Russian line.
At first the attack goes well, the Swedish and Finnish infantry smashes the first Russian line with ease and the reforms for a attack on the Second line. Here Boris has stationed his Elite units including his household Guard cavalry. As the Swedish army storms forward the light snowfall that had been going on since the start of the battle picks up and develops into a fullblown blizzard that hits the Russian army in the back completely blinding the advancing Swedish forces.
Boris sees his opportunity and orders his Cavalry to circle around the Swedish line under cover of the snowstorm. Meanwhile he sends his elite infantry forward in a counterattack against the Swedish center. With the blizzard having greatly slowed down the Swedish advance the Russians have little trouble breaking their line. The Swedish army falls into disarray and Russian boyar cavalry cuts down any and all who attempts to retreat.
By 14:00 the entire Royal army has been annihilated and the Finnish army reduced to less than half its original strength. Stenbock and Wallenberg organize a retreat of the remnants of the army towards the coast where the Swedish navy picks them up.
If Tsar Boris had now ordered a full advance into Finland with all his forces it is very likely that he would have destroyed Sweden as a major power in Northern Europe. Luckily Sweden’s ally Poland is putting enough pressure on Russia to deter such an attack. Russia is also beset heavily on its Eastern border by the ever restless nomads and Boris offers Katarina a return to the Status quo and a stop on all Russian support for ingrian rebels.
(The only real battle of the War of Ingria, a massive defeat)
Katarina’s coronation
The peace is celebrated with Katarina’s official coronation in Stockholm on the 5th of December 1497. The coronation was a simple one. Katarina cares little for the extravagancy of the aristocracy, it had served her no good when she lost her parents and it would certainly not serve her any good in trying to quell the rebellious Ingrians and in taking revenge on the heathen Sami.
(Queen Katarina c:a 1500. Romanticized Painting)
Sweden c. 1500
Katarina I Tre Rosor (ADM: 7 MIL:4 DIP:8)
Queen of Sweden, Grand Princess of Finland and Duchess of Ingria
Katarina I Tre Rosor (ADM: 7 MIL:4 DIP:8)
Queen of Sweden, Grand Princess of Finland and Duchess of Ingria
Treasury: 718
GDP: 45.1 Ducats/Year
Standing Army: Under Reconstruction
Navy: 20 Galleys, 8 Transports
Reserves: 30000
Discipline: 107.80%
Tradition: Army 48.20 Navy 1.90
Prestige: 69
Reputation: 3.1
Legitimacy: 16
Katarina Tre Rosor, the Peasant Queen (as the Aristocracy like to call her behind her back)... gosh do I like this LP! I'm excited to see where it'll be going!
Ouch. Russia sure showed you! Luhood is right, she may be a Peasant Queen, but I'm looking forward to her reign.
This war with Russia proves that next time you have to be 'readier' or you might lose to sheer numbers. Poland may be a useful ally but if it suffers from internal issues or get gang-banged they may prove a liability and then you're exposed to Russia-Denmark threat without anyone to help. Is allying Kazan a possibility?
Considering Katarina became queen at age 15 (and paradox refuses to let women lead armies, sexist bastards
) she will likely be araound for a long while. I will admit to have run a test game to see and she lived past 1560.Russia will be back sooner than you think. Currently being allied with Poland is a blessing but it could swiftly turn into a curse as Poland is starting to show signs of weakness. Crimea often invades them and with the atrocious horde system (Again, what the F*** was Paradox thinking) in place there is nothing I can do but murder my economy with subsidies. Allying Kazan won't work as they are a horde and therefore under the opressive regime of the DW horde system.
Katarina seems to have the elements of an 'Enlightened Monarch' character, which I can only see as good for Sweden.
The lack of military acumen is a downer, however, what with what will likely be consistent wars with Russia. What remains to be seen is will Katarina lean on her generals (which could be indicated by her high admin abilities), or will her 'enlightened monarchy' leave the military in the dust
The lack of military acumen is a downer, however, what with what will likely be consistent wars with Russia. What remains to be seen is will Katarina lean on her generals (which could be indicated by her high admin abilities), or will her 'enlightened monarchy' leave the military in the dust