Lords of the Danemark
Chapter II: Christian I
Part 3: Highway to Hell (1381-1385)
Home Before the Leaves Fall
"I present you with the markets of the Duchy of Mecklenburg." With those words to the Lubeck council, Christian I of Denmark committed himself to a campaign to subdue the duchy. Someone more versed in mercantile affairs could have told him Mecklenburg's ports were small and they traditionally traded through Lubeck anyway. Christian wasn't well versed however, and once he'd made his boast he wouldn't retract it.
Perhaps the worst thing he could do after such a rash declaration would be to wait, but wait he did. Denmark's army suffered cruelly from attrition and storming various strongholds in the Ingrian campaign and needed time to regroup.
(Manpower is about spent, so I'm not rebuilding quickly.) Maxmillian Goye, Duke of Ingria and effectively the marshal following Erik Akeleye's forced retirement, wasn't a clever administrator and spent more time subjugating his people than rebuilding his army.
This gave time for disloyal elements of the council to warn Mecklenburg, who activated their alliance throughout northern Germany and sent urgent pleas to the Emperor. Albrecht II of Austria's realm had strengthened considerably in the last few years and he had no intention of letting such a challenge to his authority go unpunished.
At Nyborg Castle the
Rigsraadet worried, but Christian remained confident. Henning Podebunk still served as de facto head of the privy council and the king's prime minister. He believed that if the council tried to reverse Christian's declaration then all of Denmark would be embarrassed, but he advocated caution. Finally Christian agreed to at least send agents into Austria to learn the state of their army.
With forty nine thousand soldiers, the Austrians outnumbered Denmark 2 1/2 to 1. Christian felt the Austrians wouldn't fight however, and even if they did the Poles would keep them busy. He planned to quickly siege Mecklenburger lands with Swedish troops coming in later to help stave off any counterattacks. Christian didn't trust the Norwegians after the debacle in Osel despite their being led by a new king from a different house, Haakon VII. The tiny statelets supporting Mecklenburg were non-factors, while the most serious threat might come from Brandenburg - hence the usefulness of Swedish troops.
In August 1381 Christian ordered the Duke of Mecklenburg to submit or face 'just punishment.' While he confidently waited for his allies to appear, he ordered a two-prong assault from Lubeck and Pommerania to overwhelm the duchy.
The first thing to go wrong was Duke Friedrich Wilhelm of Brandenburg marching to Mecklenburg's defense with thirteen thousand men, more than either wing of the Danish attack.
The second problem came when both Poland and Sweden declined the honor of joining the war. Poland had its own agenda and subjugated Opole instead, while the Swedes were still busy trying to force concessions from Novgorod. Haakon VII did much to restore Norway in Christian's eyes by signing on.
(DENMARK, Norway vs. AUSTRIA, Brandenburg, Mecklenburg, Braunschweig, Hoya, Magdeburg, Saxony)
The defections of Denmark's two strongest allies turned the war from a moderately easy victory to impossible. Christian's mood darkened, but he still felt the Austrians wouldn't bother marching across all of Europe while the Norwegians could take Sweden's place and help keep Brandenburg at bay. He curtly ordered Goye to merge his armies, destroy the Brandenburgers, then proceed with his conquest.
On August 26, Goye's western army destroyed those Mecklenburgers brave (stupid) enough to engage in a pitched battle. Two weeks later Friedrich Wilhelm appeared, followed three days after that by Goye's eastern force. The three armies jockeyed for position through the next month until Goye's combined force attacked in late September.
Like the Danes, Brandenburg and the other Imperial states were transitioning their armies from the haphazard feudal standard into a more heavily armored, better trained force.
(Land 8 for them as well) Knights in chain mail and lighter metal armors began investing in heavy plate and barding for their horses, while soldiers organized into recognizable units with pike and halberds replacing spears and crossbowmen organized under their own commands. Today the Danes had far more horsemen who simply outflanked the German formations. In many ways it was a draw, with a high number of Danish noblemen dying on German pikes, but the Brandenburgers withdrew around nightfall towards Altmark.
Goye split his army, ordering half under Gunnar Reventlow to proceed with finishing Mecklenburg off while the other half pursued Friedrich. In the first week of October these men found Friedrich Wilhelm's shaken, but still formidable army deployed to block the road in front of them. The commander sensed an easy victory against a beaten force and charged forward only to be riddled by crossbowmen hidden in the trees on both flanks. As the Danes withdrew to assess their position, swordsmen stepped out of the trees to protect their crossbows.
Austrian swordsmen.
Reventlow routed towards Braunschweig. Friedrich Wilhelm marched on Mecklenburg again as his Austrian allies paused waiting for the rest of their brethren to arrive.
Norwegians landed at Schwerin later that month and reinforced Goye's army to twelve thousand. Logistics quickly became an issue as the two armies devastated the countryside in search of food. Goye turned to the navy, who dispatched several merchantmen and galleys to escort supply ships from throughout Denmark to the army.
(Trading Boom: Skane. I don't dare split the army for reasons which will soon be apparent.)
In November the Austrians figured out what they were about as Friedrich Wilhelm engaged the Scandinavian force. For several days it looks like Goye might prevail despite pivoting his army to the west and therefore lifting the siege on Schwerin. He deployed in a defensive position near the Wakenitz River southeast of Lubeck, a heavily forested region with undulating hills. The trees nullified Goye's cavalry advantage but made it difficult for the Brandenburgers to use their numerical advantage. Friedrich Wilhelm pressed nonetheless leading to a confused, desperate melee before he retired around nightfall.
The battle left Goye's army out of position and short of ammunition. He planned to spend the next day reorganizing, but awoke to find ten thousand Austrians deployed in front of him with the still game Brandenburgers on either flank. Heated arguing between Goye and his Norwegian counterpart prevented any kind of response before the Austrians shattered a full Danish banner. The Scandinavian line splintered with Goye retreating towards Pommerania. The luckless Norwegians routed towards Lubeck only to be shattered outside the closed city gates by the pursuing force. Over the course of a week the Scandinavians lost over six thousand to thirteen hundred Imperials.
Setbacks
Reventlow was an inexperienced commander who would have preferred to focus on Braunschweig, but after receiving word that Goye had been knocked out of the war and with supplies running low he knew he'd have to risk everything or be destroyed hundreds of miles from home. He left a covering force and advanced on Magdeburg where he narrowly defeated the defenders.
(4000 vs. 3000 Magdeburgers. Losses: 900 vs. 1300) After the Magdeburgers tried unsuccessfully to lift the siege weeks later, he sent for reinforcements and chased them to Berlin where he destroyed the force in mid December.
Rather than withdraw to winter quarters or consolidate he tried to maintain pressure on Braunschweig, Magdeburg
and Brandenburg. It was an ambitious plan, and with the Austrians and Brandenburgers committed to sieging Lubeck it might have worked, but Reventlow forgot about the Saxons. Duke Georg I relieved Berlin with two thousand soldiers completely surprising and annihilating the Danish force. Reventlow escaped serious injury but spent the rest of the war as Georg's "guest."
In the north, Maxmillian Goye received urgent word from the
Rigsraadet that the Ingrians had revolted against their lawful duke and fought loyalists for control of Koporye. Snarling promises to burn the city to the ground he abandoned the Imperial war with his shattered army and rushed home.
During the Novgorod war his predecessor hired Swedes and Russians to help storm Olonets and so end the war. Several of those Russians remained in the Danish army afterwards and three in particular served in the companies transported on Goye's ship. They agreed that allowing Goye to return home would be disastrous for Ingria's future and ambushed him while at sea. No one ever found his body and its presumed he was thrown overboard.
(Rebellion of course. Goye died out of nowhere.)
The soldiers reached Koporye in January where they fought a desperate, chaotic melee through the winter. The Danish troubles lacked leadership and therefore unity with every banner fighting for themselves and appropriated most of Koporye's supplies, while the rebels lacked in equipment or experience. Street to street battles yielded to guerilla warfare and raids. On February 23 informants warned the Danes of a meeting of the rebel leadership at a local church. Two banners sent their own squads to attack the church and nearly attacked each other in the darkened streets. They finally reorganized and launched a coordinated assault which gutted the resistance. By March the Ingrians simply faded into the population by which time Christian needed his army back in Germany.
Christian Goes Mad
Through the winter of 1381-82 Christian brooded. His southern army, deprived of any clear leadership, huddled in two groups sieging the towns and castles of Magdeburg and Braunschweig. His northern army, similarly leaderless, fought for control of Ingria. Possibly the only thing to go right was in Lubeck, where loyalists secured the gates and towers of the city before those who still dreamt of the city's freedom as an Imperial city could step in. The Lubeckers now had twenty thousand Imperials from Austria, Brandenburg and Magdeburg outside the walls but thanks to supplies arriving by sea the city could hold for years. Tension in the city itself spiked with riots through a hot, hungry summer.
Christian began devising plans for a final defense of the Danish homeland. He believed that with naval superiority the archipelago and therefore Skane were safe. Even should the Imperials take all of Jutland, they would not be able to force terms on him. He didn't plan to abandon Jutland however, but instead began slowly recruiting a new army.
(I would have preferred mercs to hastily raise a force, as money isn't currently an issue, but all the mercs were 'old' troops. Raising a 'real' army takes longer of course, and as you can guess my manpower is strapped.)
He could be a generous winner: He sincerely meant to reward the Lubeck council for voting in his favor. Being frustrated and deprived of his prize however brought out the worst in Christian. He'd never taken a wife after Brigit for various reasons including enjoying the freedom of having anyone he wanted without any emotional attachment. Women more interested in adventure than morals dreamt of a night with him and vied for the opportunity. Now his tastes turned brutal and more than one dream ended as a fiery nightmare.
An unwitting Polish diplomat arrived in Copenhagen and, hearing of Christian's mood, asked to address him in front of his court. He hoped witnesses would force the king to honor his word and hold his temper. At dinner he spoke of past promises to defend Poland against all invaders.
(I still had a guarantee going.) While the Danes fought Mecklenburg, the Poles hoped for an easy victory over Opole.
Polish diplomat said:
...And yet the Baltic Orders intervene in what is clearly a private matter. All of Poland is well aware of Christian's integrity and honor, therefore we call on you to honor your word and join us in our rightful cause. In exchange Osel will be yours, as well as all of Estonia that you can seize for yourself.
Christian stood but didn't answer immediately. As silence filled the hall the Pole thought Christian was merely mastering himself before honoring the agreement. Finally he lifted his drink as if saluting, downed it, and
smiled.
Christian I said:
I would assume this is a joke, but humor requires wit and everyone here knows that wit and intellect are absent in the Polish race. It is the cowardice and treachery of your master that leads to our suffering, and if the Baltic Orders choose to punish him they do so with my blessing. Indeed, you can be certain that once we deal with the Austrians we will be joining them. That is not of your concern however. Guards!
The diplomat paid a visit to Copenhagen's lighthouse.
Soon afterwards Erik Akeleye arrived in the city. Officially he volunteered to coordinate between any increasingly nervous
Rigsraadet and their sovereign. Unofficially he wanted his old position as marshal and, with Goye out of the way and both armies effectively leaderless, thought Christian had no choice.
Erik Akeleye said:
He failed you, my liege, whereas I never have. His armies would have broken in Novgorod had I not arrived. Now he dies by dubious means before he could complete his mission and hold Koporye. He deceived you and brought us to the edge of ruin. You may now correct your mistake. Send me to Pommerania and I will redeem the situation while there is still time.
Christian I said:
Only a fool would speak ill of the dead. (Goye) was a friend of mine, and the greatest commander of this age. I warned you it would be healthier if you retired. Now you will find out why.
Akeleye also visited the lighthouse while Christian watched. At dawn, with the last embers dying out, he marched to the harbor with an honor guard and boarded a ship to Nyborg Castle. Once there he gave the
Rigsraadet a simple order: End the war.
And So It Ends
Podebunk hoped for generous terms considering the Ingrian army was back in Mecklenburg, having landed in Pommerania and routed the Mecklenburgers defending Gostrow. Norwegians sieged Schwerin while isolated units forced Braunschweig and Magdeburg to the brink of surrender. Imperial diplomats believed Saxons would soon relieve Magdeburg while the Mecklenburgers would attack Schwerin. They refused to consider anything less than complete surrender.
(At this point I had a +6 war score. I offered Lubeck (-30) and Austria refused.
The war raged on for four more months with Georg of Saxony losing most of his army at Magdeburg while the Norwegians held firm. The Lubeckers did as well, and when most of the Danish navy escorted a small armada of supply ships into the city's harbor to relieve a hungry population Imperial officials negotiated in earnest. The Swedes offered their service as a neutral mediator and they met with Christian and Podebunk at Kalmar in August. The terms were lenient, for Albrecht II of Austria had taken ill and wanted one less matter to worry about.
Peace of Kalmar said:
1. The Kingdom of Denmark accepts all responsibility for their illegal attack on Mecklenburg.
2. The Kingdom of Denmark acknowledges Mecklenburg's position as a vassal of the Holy Roman Empire.
3. The Kingdom of Denmark repudiates all claims involving the Duchy of Mecklenburg.
4. The Kingdom of Denmark promises not to threaten or attack any vassal of the Holy Roman Emperor for the duration of the Emperor's life.
From a theoretical maximum of eighteen thousand, the Danish army now numbered less than three. It was time for cooler heads to prevail, and Gustav I Adolf of Sweden offered to renew his alliance noting that his war with Novgorod was approaching a successful conclusion. Christian coldly agreed.
(Sweden peaced out with Novgorod. They seized two colonies and forced Nov. to relinquish their claims. I doubt Sweden can hold them, but if they manage then I think they have access to the Siberian corridor.)
Once out of Kalmar, he ordered Podebunk arrested as a traitor for failing to negotiate better terms. Ignoring the diplomat's protests and threats to have him impeached he replied:
Christian I said:
You have brought shame on the crown, therefore you have brought shame on Denmark. Your death shall serve as a beacon as well as a warning.
Henning Podebunk said:
I am not the one who's brought shame on the crown.
Someone apparently agreed to the extent that he gave Podebunk a relatively painless death. Guards found him the next morning with a slit throat. Christian ordered the ship searched but never located the culprit.
Once home Christian found the
Rigsraadet both hostile and scared. He sought allies and found a Flemish captain who served as a mercenary in the last war and displayed a gift for army reorganization. Willem Vandervecken advocated a system of payments where the king would effectively 'rent' levies and trained soldiers from his nobles in time of war. The crown could afford it at present, it would appease the aristocracy, and effectively circumvent the privy council's ability to stop him from waging war. Christian initially rejected the idea, but thought enough of it to make him his new marshal.
(Army Reformer-6. I purchased him on the open 'market', then saved the game to change his name and reset his service time to 0.)
Over the next year Vandervecken worked to rebuild the army. Marti Amic, the Bishop of Roskilde and new
drost (Prime Minister) of the
Rigsraadet, stopped short of condemning Christian but warned him not to expect any further cooperation. For several months the Danes effectively had two governments, with those loyal to (or fearful of) Christian operating out of Copenhagen while the council held Nyborg Castle.
Across Europe several wars ended and one intensified. England collapsed under the weight of a dozen rebellions and splintered into its component states.
How pretty.
Albrecht II of Austria's illness worsened through the winter, and in February he died at age 85. He outlived all of his children leading to a crisis regarding the succession. Several claimants stepped forward, but the strongest ended up being Petru III Musat, King of Moldavia and Albrecht's son in law by his daughter Margarete.
The Imperial electors had no intent of kneeling to a Moldavian. The Austrians, who while Albrecht lived enjoyed a clear majority and did much to restore Imperial prestige and authority, received no votes. Instead the prince-electors unanimously endorsed young Jiri I of Bohemia.
In Iberia the Castillians finished their
Reconquista by conquering the Emirate of Granada in May 1383.
Revenge!
Through the spring and summer of 1383 word arrived from Danziger and Rigan traders of the 'War of Chastisement' against Poland. With Opole subjugated their enemies now included the Teutonic and Livonian Orders, Bohemia, Austria, Hungary, Brandenburg, Saxony, Texas and the Horsehead Nebula. Poland's only allies were its past conquests: Pommerania, Tessin and Halych-Volhynia. Christian sent congratulatory letters to Teuton Hochmeister Karl Joseph von Aderkas and the child emperor. The Teutons reacted cooly while the Bohemian court replied with tentative interest.
Bohemian Response said:
So long as the King of Denmark agrees to respect Imperial interests, we have every reason to respect Danish interests and look forward to a long, friendly relationship.
Reports from agents in Krakow and Warsaw spoke of general unrest and chaos. Krakow itself was in Bohemian hands, while the Teutons held Warsaw under siege. Their last army camped near the village of Lodz some distant southwest while the armies of four nations ravaged the countryside.
This was too good an opportunity to pass up, and Christian I unilaterally declared war on Poland in early August in retaliation for 'gross cowardice.'
(DENMARK, Sweden, Norway vs. POLAND, Tessin, Pommerania, Halych-Volhynia)
Christian's plan called for two armies, one led by Gunnar Reventlow
(F1 S2 M1 Sg0) and the other captained by Willem Vandervecken. They would overwhelm Pommerania, who it was expected would honor their overlord's commitments, and wrest a piece off for Denmark. The emperor could hardly object as a co-belligerent.
Once more the plan didn't go smoothly, for when Vandervecken arrived off the Pomeranian coast he found the Brandenburgers, Saxons and Livonians already sieging most of the country. He landed near Stargard and waited for an opportunity while the fleet returned for Reventlow's men.
Meanwhile, the
Rigsraadet refused to authorize the war. Marti Amic spoke on behalf of the majority:
Marti Amic said:
It is not enough that we lost the war against Mecklenburg - badly. It is increasingly clear that God has commanded us not to fight fellow Catholics. Your experience with the Baltic Orders should have made that clear, and failing that what can Mecklenburg be but a dire warning? Our army is weak and will be for some time. Our people need to rest. We say no and request Christian return the levies to their rightful masters in accordance with his Coronation Charter. They are unavailable.
Christian refused, but now he did enact Vandervecken's plan for 'renting' troops raised by local nobles. Enough went along, lured by the promise of easy money, to discredit Amic's refusal. Without the council's support it proved difficult to acquire enough supplies to keep the army well stocked and fed.
(To reflect their infighting I'm fighting this war at half maintenance...and actively trying to avoid battle.)
Through the autumn first Hungary then Bohemia bowed out of the war, and the true nature of the conflict became clear. Neither nation demanded land or severe indemnities but instead stripped vassals from the helpless state.
(Poland releases Tessin and Opole in two separate agreements.) The Bohemian court asked Christian to sign an agreement promising not to take land. Christian fumed, but as he had no interest in Polish territory and little hope of acquiring land in Pommerania he agreed.
Both Danish armies swept into Poznan before the Poles could recover from Bohemian domination and stormed the last castle in January. Reventlow's army then marched south to Krakow while Vandervecken moved to Plock. A small Swedish contingent landed in Danzig (a privilege denied Danes) and joined a Teuton siege northeast of Warsaw. Thrice local militias rose up to repel the Danes, but despite a lack of supplies (especially ammunition) the invaders prevailed.
May 1384
Through a hot, tense summer the Poles continued to mass around Warsaw with the bulk of their army while Vandervecken camped in easy striking distance. Both sides raided each other repeatedly leading to a fierce skirmish in mid-July, but were too preoccupied to commit to a major battle. Despite a superiority in numbers King Stanislaw I refused to risk his only remaining army worthy of the title apparently unaware of the Danes' increasingly desperate supply situation.
On August 3, 1383 Krakow fell to Reventlow's army and he opened an envelope Christian sent months earlier in the event that Krakow fell before the war ended. His orders were clear, concise and unmistakable:
Christian I said:
He allowed thousands to flee the city as soldiers moved through the streets smashing windows and throwing flaming brands into every building. By nightfall a dozen blazes merged into a single inferno that engulfed Krakow. Along with a handful of buildings near the marshy shores of the Vistula River a handful of buildings survived including St. Mary's Basilica, where a trumpeter played the
Hejnal mariacki before cutting off abruptly due to smoke inhalation.
When word reached Warsaw, Stanislaw sent an urgent message to Vandervecken asking to parlay rather than see more of his country's heritage burned. In accordance with Christian's agreement with the emperor he offered lenient terms:
Danish Standoff
On the one hand, Christian had done it. Not only did he get revenge, but he did so without the
Rigsraadet's consent and won anyway. This pointed to a major power shift away from Nyborg Castle. Christian triumphant could be as excessive as Christian oppressed, and once more Copenhagen filled with festivals, parades and circuses. On October 10, 1384 he opened the prisons and forgave all but the most grave offenses against the state. Over the winter his reputation with 'the fair' slowly recovered.
The
Rigsraadet emerged shaken by Christian's victory and worried he might seek revenge. While the king celebrated, Amic consolidated his hold over the country and invited Dominicans to build a monastery in Sjaelland outside of Copenhagen. The Dominicans became his de facto spies warning Amic of those nobles and clergymen 'defecting' to Christian's side while looking for any behavior that might qualify as heresy.
By Christmas he felt confident to publish an opinion as Bishop of Roskilde that the king's divine right to rule depended entirely on his submission to the church. Using language remarkably similar to the 'Unam Sanctam' issued by Boniface VIII in 1302, Amic asserted that spiritual authority trumped secular, that all members of the Church must submit to religious authority, and that secular authority like the right to rule depended on said submission. While this would seem to threaten the entire aristocracy, Amic filled the
Rigsraadet with enough nobles with religious or spiritual aspirations to make the point moot.
Christian awoke to the potential danger in January and issued his own statement. First, he repudiated his Coronation Charter as a document signed by his regents and therefore not binding on his person. Then he addressed the question of church supremacy:
Christian I said:
My authority stems directly from God. While I am willing to listen to those who believe they have insight into His will, it does not change the fact that God appointed me from the moment of birth, God coronated me, and only God can take it away.
Should Papal representatives choose to counsel me on His will, they will receive the kindest consideration. (The Bishop of) Roskilde's statement convinces me he has fallen far from God's grace and is no longer fit to serve.
Even as the two traded jabs, members of the Council and Christian's court met to reach a compromise. In February 1385 the two met in Odense with their staffs and bodyguards to iron out a new agreement. Bishop Amic submitted the terms Christian eventually agreed to:
Odense Charter said:
1. The Coronation Charter of 1371 is recognized as legal, valid and binding by all parties.
2. The Rigsraadet agrees not to pursue any claims regarding the Crown's behavior and actions. The Rigsraadet acknowledges Christian as their lawful sovereign.
3. The Crown shall not pursue any claim against the Rigsraadet or members thereof due to behavior and actions predating this document.
4. The heir (Christian II) shall remain in Church custody for the duration of his minority, whereupon he will be remitted to his father.
In many ways Amic clearly won the negotiation. He effectively reset the clock back to the beginning of Christian's reign with the only concessions being renewed oaths of fealty and promises to forgive/ignore Christian's past transgressions. In exchange the king promised the same, acknowledged his restrictive charter, and gave up his son's training to the Church.
From Amic's point of view the last part was the most important, for while Christian the elder was clearly a lost cause that could at best be contained from excessive mischief, the child would one day inherit. Brought up properly he would make an excellent
paw representative of the Church and lead Denmark back on the path of righteousness.
For his part, Christian won some badly needed stability for by now even he realized the country and its army needed time to rest and recover. Pacifying the
Rigsraadet gave him one less enemy to worry about and the chance to focus on things that interested him. Like fire.
Plus, he foresaw the day when he - or perhaps his son - wouldn't even need the Church anymore...
. Good thing you didn't make Vandervecken into an admiral, there's only room for so many immortal flying dutchmen in the world. I hope he'll serve your armies well and that the next campaign brings forth many fruits.
