The North Remembers - Short(ish) AAR

[KaiserWilhelmI]

It would be rude to let the "free" English suffer the lack of your enlightened rule.

Yes, yes indeed.

Agreed. Now is the time for Knud den Store's empire to be fully reunited.

That is the dream of any true son of the North.

Great that the English have been subdued, but the question arises what if the common enemy of Scotland and Denmark has succumbed? Will border conflicts break the alliance? Will the British Isles become one big battlefield for domination? Interesting times ahead for sure.

Very interesting to be sure.

Happy Dharma release day!

Chapter VI - War in the North

At the end of the 1540's Sweden stood at the crossroad. After the failed rebellion in Norway, the country had been subjugated under Danish rule, and there were rumors about a new law that would end the Norwegian regency council and replace it with Danish governors. The Swedish nobility used these fears to agitate the people to revolt, so that what happened to Norway wouldn't happen in Sweden. Danish investigations found evidence of a Polish support for these rebellious nobles.

Meanwhile King Christian I had decided to make big changes on the Danish foreign policy. The alliance with Scotland had given the much to the union, but the alliance had already achieved everything it could, and now it was time to turn elsewhere. The alliance with France was sealed with the marriage of the kings daughter to the Dauphin of France, ensuring that the blood of the Danish kings would for ever flow in the future kings of France

In the east Vasili III had declared himself the "Tsar of all the Russias". The Union had no time to deal with this madness, for the situation in Sweden took a turn for worse.

In 1551 the Swedish regency council declared that the "Danish king" had overstepped his authority in Sweden and Gustav Vasa, the queen's brother, was elected king of Sweden. So began the Kalmar war.

The war quickly spread across the Baltic sea as Poland-Lithuania invaded both Livonia and Prussia. At sea the Danes quickly established superiority with their large fleet. The Poles were the real danger, Sweden would see reason and fall in line in the end.

The siege of Stockholm and Sweden's inability to defend the city worsened Gustav Vasa's popularity. Danish aligned Swedish nobles gathered to wait for the fall of the city, which happened in January 1553.
The war however was far from over.

(I love that moose just standing there)

Soon after the fall of the Swedish capital, a large French force under King Louis XII himself arrived to support their new allies, and support they needed. The Poles had managed to push the Prussians out of the war by besieging Berlin, and afterwards they advanced into Jutland with a large force.

Sleschwig-Holstein had already fallen by the time the Danes arrived to face their enemy at Kolding. The battle was a bitter Danish defeat at the face of the superior Polish-Lithuanian cavalry. But the fleet kept the enemy from reaching the capital. Former allies had become bitter enemies.

Sweden's situation was becoming critical despite Poland's successes. All of Sweden was in Danish hands and the king was legally recognized as the King of Sweden once again. The Polish army was finally forced to retreat with the arrival of the combined Franco-Danish army. Eventually the Swedish regency council had to accept the Danish king's peace terms and five years of rebellion came to an end. The Union survived, but it became more and more Danish. Former king Gustav Vasa had fled into Poland, skillfully avoiding the Danish blockade.

Christian I 'the Good' had died, rather embarrassingly, during the war after ruling over the union for forty years,. The new king Eric VIII had decided to punish the Swedes harshly, the execution of the rebels was not enough.

The scars of the war would be remembered in both Sweden and Denmark.

"So came the mighty king, who picked our land from the gutter and raised it into a nation among nations."
- Finnish noble man Oskar Gatenhielm after the peace terms became public.

Sweden's eastern provinces were separated from the Swedish crown and united into an autonomous "Grand Duchy of Finland", ruled by a Danish governor on behalf of the grand duke, the King of Denmark. Clearly Denmark's northern brothers didn't see the Union as they should have, as a guarantee of safety, justice, freedom, and security in an uncertain world.

The unification would have to wait, because the reformation had fueled the flames of war in Germany. It was time to see if God favored the reformers or the papists.

 

[Nikolai]

So IIUC, Sweden is again in the Union, but now Finland is a separate entity under Denmark?

 

[stnylan]

So you released Finland?

 

[KaiserWilhelmI]

So IIUC, Sweden is again in the Union, but now Finland is a separate entity under Denmark?

So you released Finland?

Love it how you both asked the same question and sound a bit shocked. Yes I did, not perhaps the smartest decision, but I'm roleplaying and weakening Sweden seemed like the right thing to do. And know I have to wait another 50 years...but Finland is an ordinary vassal so only ten years to wait.

 

[Tom D.]

Love it how you both asked the same question and sound a bit shocked.

I'll add to that: "What's a Finland" ? Besides, that alliance with Scotland fell down quickly, I might just be able to predict the future!

 

[KaiserWilhelmI]

I'll add to that: "What's a Finland" ?

Where I'm from

Chapter VII - The Lion of the North

King Eric VII was remembered as the "Father of the Danish colonial empire". Danish explorers ventured all over Central America and competed with the Portuguese in the Caribbean. At the same time Norway was exploring North America, the Vinland of the vikings. However the Norwegian colonies were small and not nearly as productive as the Danish Central American possessions.

The time after the Swedish revolt lifted Denmark as one of Europe's leading countries. The years 1550-1610 are remembered as a golden age in Denmark, but not in the Union. The importance of the Union of Kalmar gradually declined as Denmark's power grew. The Swedes had not forgotten the atrocities committed by the Danes, and their forgiveness wouldn't come easily. But nevertheless Denmark prospered under brilliant men like Tycho Brahe.

In Germany the reformation tore the country apart. The old emperor Leopold had succeeded in maintaining the fragile peace through negotiations, and some concessions to the protestants. The kings of Denmark and Prussia were increasingly seen as the defenders of the German Protestantism, though the League was also supported by several non-protestant powers hoping to weaken the Hapsburg's, like Poland, France and the Turks.

In 1571 the Prince-elector of Brandenburg Albrecht IV, "King in Prussia" died at the respectable age of seventy.
He left no male heirs, so the throne went to his Danish relatives of the House Rosenkrantz-Hohenzollern.
This further deepening of the Dano-Prussian relations was received poorly in Vienna, as well as in Warsaw.

Few years later Emperor Leopold died, and was succeeded by his grandson Rudolf, a zealous Catholic.
The new Kaiser crushed the peace his grandfather had so carefully cultivated, and tried to force the empire back to the Pope's flock. War was coming to Germany.

Frederick II assumed the throne in the Union after his elder brother died suddenly in a hunting accident. The new king was a devout Protestant, and came to be seen as a sort of counter force to Emperor Rudolf. By the 1570's the situation of the German Protestants became unbearable. Imperial forces burned protestant churches, and even priests, all over Germany. Finally in 1580 King Frederick II decided to march his armies into Germany.
The great German war had begun.

The war engulfed much of Europe. Religious nature of the war was soon forgotten as lords and kings wanted to either gain land or weaken their foes.

Flames of war all over Europe from Edinburgh to Palermo and from Madrid to Moscow.

First order of business for the Danish armies was to "come to the aid of the Protestants" in Scotland, where Catholicism was still practiced by the King, but not by the people. The purpose of the invasion was to stop any attacks into the Danelaw itself, there were fears of an Iberian invasion. A strong Danish fleet patrolled the area continuously.

For the next eight years, blood was flowing in Germany. Successes and defeats were experienced by both sides. Casualties among the civilian population were huge. The Hapsburg's however couldn't bring the whole might of their arms against the Protestant's, as the Turks were invading their lands in the Balkans and in Hungary. And thus the armies of the Union campaigned all over Germany with impunity, particularly the Swedes distinguished themselves in burning of castles and villages.

In the spring of 1583 Frederick II invaded Bohemia in an attempt to force them out of the war. The King of Bohemia had converted to Calvinism, but supported the Kaiser, with his sights set on the rich lands of Saxony.
A strong Danish army, supported by the Turks, marched towards Prague, burning everything in their path.

Prague fell after a long and bloody siege. The city was looted and huge collection of artifacts were taken to Copenhagen. The civilian population suffered immensely and even after many decades, mothers would still scare their children with stories of how Danish soldiers come to burn children who don't eat their food.

The brutality of the siege of Prague was typical to the great German war. Never before had the civilian population suffered so much during a period of conflict. Scars of this war would be felt in Germany for generations to come.

The war was also brought to the colonies, for the first time in history. The crown of Aragon had a mighty empire in the Mediterranean, and a smaller one in the Americas, both of which their fleets defended vigorously.
The Danes didn't dare to cross the strait of Gibraltar, preferring to raid the Atlantic coasts of Iberia, like their ancestors had done so many years ago.

The war went on until it no longer couldn't. Emperor Rudolf V had been humbled by Frederick II of Denmark, often called the "Lion of the North".

Eight years of bloodshed ended with the treaty of Westfalen. Religious peace was declared, and thus the religion of every realm in the empire would be decided by the religion of it's prince, and his subjects would have to accept this or migrate elsewhere. Over 1.3 million soldiers had perished, in addition there were over three million civilian casualties, most of them Germans.

Europe after the great German war. Denmark was one of the victors, gaining territories in Britain as well as in Russia. Poland-Lithuania could also count itself among the victors, she gained territories in Russia, bringing the border very close to the city of Moscow. Austria lost Serbia to the Turks and the areas around Venice to the ruler of Milan. the German map was practically redrawn. On the other hand the Hapsburg's got to keep their Imperial title, though it had lost much of it's former prestige.

Nations fighting for the Protestant's rose to greatness.
(Yes, Ming is not on the list at all...could it be the good old Mingsplosion?)

The war ended a bit abruptly I know, but I defeated the Catholics a lot quicker than expected. I chose to impose religious peace rather than declare Protestantism as the official faith, as the idea of a strictly protestant "Holy Roman Empire" just doesn't seem right, the Imperial title was connected to the Roman church in so many ways.

 

[Nikolai]

The Lion roars. Good showing in Germany!

 

[stnylan]

Nice to see a Protestant League victory.

 

[KaiserWilhelmI]

The Lion roars. Good showing in Germany!

Thanks, your own show in Germany seems to be going just as smoothly.

Nice to see a Protestant League victory.

I actually went with religious peace, rather than full Protestant victory, though I could have made Protestantism the one true faith.

Chapter VIII - The Second Kalmar war

After the Great German war peace reigned for only four years, before everyone's favorite Northerners, the Swedes, decided that the Union wasn't for good enough for them. The nobles complained about how all the Swedish death's in Germany only bought power for Denmark. The previous rebellion happened only forty years ago, and was still in fresh memory to some who participated, or lost loved ones, in it, and it wasn't hard to push the people to revolt against the "oppressive" Danish rule.

The Second Kalmar war began on 12th of June 1593, once again with Polish backing, this time the king and his allies in Berlin were ready. The king in Prussia invaded Poland with French support.

At the start of the conflict, the king had only two daughters, and the older one of them, princess Christina, was ten years old. The king made it absolutely clear that she was his heir, and would remain so. The Swedes used this as a justification for their rebellion, they didn't want a woman to rule over them, despite the success of the previous Danish queens.

At the start of the conflict the mighty Danish fleet secured the Baltic sea from the fledgling Polish navy. This severely hampered their war effort, and hurt their trade, as Danzig was blockaded.

The invasion of Poland was bold, as the Prussians were outnumbered, but their king was expecting French reinforcements, and the Danes too would come to their aid once the Swedes were dealt with. The invasion was successful at first, but the Prussian forces were later pushed back.

Quite surprisingly the Swedes chose to invade and pillage Finland. They were finally caught and defeated by a Swedish born general Kasper Brahe, who was wanted in Sweden for treason, but rewarded by king Frederik II for his loyalty. The Finns loved him, and he later served as governor-general of Finland.

After defeating the Swedish invasion, the Danish council decided to end the Finnish autonomy, as the Swedes had burned and pillaged their way through the country almost unopposed, though they were constantly harassed by Finnish guerillas. Danish administration was in introduced in the realm and most laws dating back to the Swedish era were replaced by the Danish common law.

Once again the Swedes had proven too disunited to offer significant resistance to the Union forces, though they fought admirably against the occupation. It took over seven years to suppress the last revolts in the lands of the Swedish crown. Now it was time to punish Poland.

By the end of 1596 the Poles had pushed back the initial Prussian attack's and were busy invading France of all place's (Sometimes you got to wonder just what the h*ll the AI is thinking) Way to the Polish heartland laid open for the combined Danish-Prussian army.

Warsaw was taken by the allies on September 9th 1598 and the war ended three days later. Like with the fall of Prague few years earlier, the Danes looted Warsaw castle and took a huge pile of loot back to Copenhagen. Poland was humiliated.

In the peace treaty Poland-Lithuania lost most of it's coast line. Prussia was able to connect it's territories and Danzig became a free city, under Danish protection of course. Additionally Southern Livonia was seceded to Denmark. Sweden paid for their rebellion in gold and blood, and the country was pacified yet again.

The Union had been preserved, but there was more to the Swedish revolt than Polish support, for the Swedish arms had been paid with pound sterling bearing the arms of the Lannister's Lancaster's.

 

[stnylan]

Sounds like matters are unfinished with England.

 

[Nikolai]

Thanks, your own show in Germany seems to be going just as smoothly.

My current AAR is in Stellaris with elves, are you confusing me with someone? (or am I dense and missing something? Just as likely. )

 

[KaiserWilhelmI]

My current AAR is in Stellaris with elves, are you confusing me with someone? (or am I dense and missing something? Just as likely. )

Oh, I'm so sorry I'm following so many AAR's it's sometimes hard to keep up with the alerts. I am also following the story of your elves.

 

[Nikolai]

Oh, I'm so sorry I'm following so many AAR's it's sometimes hard to keep up with the alerts. I am also following the story of your elves.

Hehe, no problem. Just glad for having a happy readAAR. Thought perhaps you somehow confused me with @Tom D.

 

[Tom D.]

Hehe, no problem. Just glad for having a happy readAAR. Thought perhaps you somehow confused me with @Tom D.

Could very well be, I think my AAR is currently the only one on BRA/PRU/GER (in EU4), besides the recently one started by jazzathecutts. I was quite surprised by the second Swedish revolt, hopefully there won't be a third, is LD such an issue in your game?

 

[KaiserWilhelmI]

Could very well be, I think my AAR is currently the only one on BRA/PRU/GER (in EU4), besides the recently one started by jazzathecutts. I was quite surprised by the second Swedish revolt, hopefully there won't be a third, is LD such an issue in your game?

Musta have been you I was thinking

I don't really have problems with LD, in both cases PLC simply started supporting the Swedes, causing their LD to immediately go from 0 to 100%, I guess it's because PLC is so strong compared to Denmark, at least on paper.

 

[KaiserWilhelmI]

Chapter IX - The Empire

The beginning of the 17th century saw the emergence of global trade routes as the spice trade was reinvigorated and goods from America were transported across the Atlantic into Europe. Danish merchants traveled all across the world and Copenhagen grew into a wealthy global city.

The old king Frederik II died in 1606 after ruling the Union for 27 years. The throne now went to his eldest daughter Christina, who was very different from her father. The reign of two brothers Eric VIII and Frederik II had seen the rise of Danish power in the Union, both kings had seen themselves as Danish first and Scandinavian second. But the new queen understood that the Swedes would continue to resist unless their rights and laws were guaranteed and the people treated equally to their Danish brothers. Christina gave her coronation oath in both Swedish and Danish, and was the first monarch of the Kalmar Union to do so.

The new sovereign inherited the problems of the old one. The conflict between Denmark and England had been going on for over 120 years. England financed both the Poles and the Swedes during the second revolt, but their own land was in chaos.

Religious conflicts had plagued the land for several decades. King James II was a catholic, ruling over largely protestant population. Many protestant nobles had fled into the Danelaw and had requested king Frederik II to save the English people from the tyrant king. A reward from this was the crown of St.Edward the Confessor, and a coronation at Westminster Abbey. So only few months before his death the king had marched his armies into England once again. It was this conflict that the queen inherited.

"The Fourth English War" should have been more accurately called the "Siege of London". The country had suffered badly and resistance was minor. Danelaw in contrast was a wealthy and stable land, and many refugees had crossed the border in search of a better life. The war was over in only a year after the Danish forces had beaten the English under the Duke of Buckingham.

The peace treaty allowed the Lancasters to rule the southern parts of the country, and their colonies, from the city of London, but king James had to recognize Christina's rights to the English throne. Furthermore the English parliament agreed that Christina's heir would also be the heir to the English throne, bringing about the union of the two kingdoms in the near future.

English trade stations on the African coast also came under Danish control, and path to India was opened.
(Too bad I didn't wait for Dharma with this. )

In the year 1612 Norway was in dire situation, a botched colonial venture had bankrupted the country and only a union of crowns could save the situation. So from that point onward Denmark and Norway would be but a single kingdom. The queen now wanted to win over the hearts of every Swede and achieve a true Nordic union.

The Kalmar union was one of the strongest nations of it's time with only the Ottoman Turks surpassing them on land. The Nordic fleet however was the mightiest in the world, and the queen would expand it even further.

Nordic colonial empire in the America's, with the Norwegian Northern America and the Danish South.

 

[stnylan]

England requires one final hearty meal.

Who else is active in the new world?

 

[KaiserWilhelmI]

England requires one final hearty meal.

Who else is active in the new world?

Common colonizers really, except Castile who was mostly eaten by Aragon. The Dutch and the Scots have a large number of colonies. The English are only active in South America, and are acting as the Spanish of this time line. France is only in Mexico.

 

[Tom D.]

Norway out, now only the Swedes to come - true unity will bring true unity to the New World, a Scandinavian union!

 

[Nikolai]

Norway out, now only the Swedes to come - true unity will bring true unity to the New World, a Scandinavian union!

Sweden’s rightful place in the world is as a province anyways.