I can see Dania develop a culture that is different from the rest of Europe in the same way many views Russian identity as kind of different or not quite European today. The have some things in common. ( large geographical area on the border of Europe, different alphabet than most European countries)
An Age of Prosperity, The Kingdom of Denmark
- Thread starter Bastiram
- Start date
Excatly in many ways I see European view of Russia as a model for how Dania will seen by the rest of Europe. This large semi-alien realm on edge of Europe.
On the other hand Russia are directly connected with Italy ITTL with Black Sea Italians having replaced the Baltic Germans as the moderniser of Russia, so Russia may in fact be seen as more European ITTL.
Well that's convenient !Regarding the name of Denmark/Dania I just got my issue of SKALK 1/2018 in the mailbox last week. Apparently there was a polity named Dania by Gotho-Roman scholars on Danish territory in the 5. century.
The main population centers of Kronmark is around OTL Quebec and Montreal + OTL Newfoundland.
I got a pretty good idea how to create some tension between Kronmark and Dania in the future, which indeed will involve some settler shenanigans west of the Appalachia.
A rough population number for the colonies on the east coast, probably be around 110.000. So while Kronmark will stay the most populated, we won't see such a difference that happened between New England and New France OTL.
As for loyalty, Kuba and Nymark, will 1) have a lower population and 2) depend more on the trade networks of Dania, especially access to the West African Trading Forts. So in that regard I agree.
In my head France have roughly 17 million people (remember parts of OTL France is part of Lotharingia) So it its a bit larger than Dania's but not by a significant margin. Another note, is a difference in its development, it should by now, have roughly the largest population of Jews in Europe.
Following France and Dania; Russia, Lotharingia and Spain are the most populated nations in Europe at the moment.
the potato have not had the same demographic effects on Saxony, or other states really in Europe, as it have had on Dania so far. So there will be a certain catch-up, it is also the reason that Russia will overtake Dania again. I haven't decided if Lotharingia will have a higher or lower population than Dania. Both will be heavily industrialized so will enjoy population growth from that. We will see.
You know, originally when it was suggested that Saxony would be a colonial power I was against it. But the more I think about it I agree. Now the question is where, when ( they're currently in a war, and there is a big one coming up soon) One thing is sure it would be a small fish in a big pond, it won't be able to compete naval wise with the others.
Okay the above comments are a interesting line of thought.
I would find it hard to describe Russia as more European than Dania, due to just the Italian trade connection [Genoa really], remember Dania have a far more extensive and far reaching trade network than what Russia have.
On the other hand, Dania is now clearly forging its own path, with as pointed out a different alphabet a divergent religion which I argue is now seen as farther away from Catholicism, than Orthodoxy is. Which is quite ironic, since it is actually quite close. it is simply perceived as very alien. This is of course from both sides.
Meanwhile Russia, is influenced heavily by Italian and to a lesser degree Greek culture, so in that way, one could argue they are trying to integrate themselves future with Europe, while Dania is doing something.. not the opposite.. but different.
On the topic of Halych-Volhynia, it is really the odd man out really. First of all the dominant culture, is a mix of Ruthenians? (unsure if the culture of modern day Ukraine differed widely from modern day Russia, back then) It however certainly does in the 17th century in this TL. Further more it have mixed with Romanian/Moldavian culture of the Principality of Moldavia which was absorbed. This is the dominant culture in the western part of the Kingdom, especially now that the Polish areas have been lost. In the east much like in Russia, settlements appear but it is not fully settled yet.
The dynasty that rules Halych-Volhynia is the same as the one in Russia, the Rurik Dynasty.
Now Halych-Volhynia is influenced by two principal groups. Dania and the Italian city states, to be more exact Venice.
The Danish influence is old, Runes are likely very prominent, remember the monasteries (which still are there, Halych-Volhynia have remained its own weird version of Catholic) where generally founded or built by Danish influenced monks. So before Dania went its own way, Halych-Volhynia's Catholicism would have very much mirrored the Danish one, due to the Danish influence on the cleric. There is of course also substantial trade.
Venice, is jealous of Genoa's trade with Russia, and is trying to get a piece of the market. So far they have been unsuccessful, but the Black Sea coast of Halych-Volhynia have frequent contact with Venice, and various coastal settlements/towns/cities, have generous agreements with Venice, enough that there are Italian/Venice quarters.
I find it a bit hard to say if Russia/Dania/Halych-Volhynia is considered European or will be, simply because when I think about it, I think about it in the somewhat arbitrary line of East/West that we have today. This East/West split we have in today's world of Europe will not be a thing in this TL, not just because of butterflies, but because I am specifically aiming for it not to be.
I guess we have to wait and see
#BigBeautifulDania!!New Map
Changes:
Expansion of Pomormark, establishment of Skjoldmark in Dania.
Grand Kingdom of Moravia expands into Halych-Volhynia taking the Polish city of Lublin.
Kingdom of Halych-Volhynia takes control of the area around Minsk.
On another note, the Russian eastern border is not exactly what is shown here, it have begun its expansion eastwards.
Well that's convenient !
The main population centers of Kronmark is around OTL Quebec and Montreal + OTL Newfoundland.
I got a pretty good idea how to create some tension between Kronmark and Dania in the future, which indeed will involve some settler shenanigans west of the Appalachia.
A rough population number for the colonies on the east coast, probably be around 110.000. So while Kronmark will stay the most populated, we won't see such a difference that happened between New England and New France OTL.
As for loyalty, Kuba and Nymark, will 1) have a lower population and 2) depend more on the trade networks of Dania, especially access to the West African Trading Forts. So in that regard I agree.
I don't think the Danes necessary will be able to overrun the east coast, but they can likely push into the Appalachies stopping any westward expansions in this region.
Also I think we will soon lack a player in Hudson Bay, I don't think Dania will be it, as Kronmark already give access to pelts and furs.
I think the French population are a little too big (I think 15 millions are more likely). As for Jewish population this is pretty interesting are they Yiddish or Ladino speakers?
Seem likely
I would lean with the existing border Dania having a bigger population than Lotharingia, yes they benefit from being the industrial heart of Europe. But Dania have had a synergy effects of being united. I lean toward modern Dania with the existing borders having 80-100 million people. Yes this is higher than in OTL, but the south Baltic Coast are significant under populated in OTL thanks to ethnic cleansing of the Germans and the demographic effect of communism. While the earlier introduction of cold resistant crops from America will have transformed the north Baltic.
I think of Saxony taking the Danish position: a minor colonial power. But military strong enough in Europe that it would be a bad idea to provoke them by taking their colonies.
There will also be how Dania see itself, everyone else see themselves as the heir of Rome, Dania see itself as not as a heir to Rome but as its equal (and likely as the heir to the Goths and Teutons). That will have a lot of effects on Dania for one thing it won't ape Roman styles but will push its own styles.
I would split Halych-Volhynia up in three demographic region. Belarus in the north relative heavy populated, Moldavia also relative heavy populated and Ukraine very thinly populated. I would split the population (ignoring foreign settler population) a 1/4 Moldavians, 1/3 Belarusians and the rest Ukrainians. Beside that we likely have significant populations of Jews, Germans, Italians, Moravians and Danes lioving in enclaves spread out over the country. We likely also have random groups of Tatars, Bulgarians, Hungarians, Greeks and Armenians.
The dynasty that rules Halych-Volhynia is the same as the one in Russia, the Rurik Dynasty.
Now Halych-Volhynia is influenced by two principal groups. Dania and the Italian city states, to be more exact Venice.
The Danish influence is old, Runes are likely very prominent, remember the monasteries (which still are there, Halych-Volhynia have remained its own weird version of Catholic) where generally founded or built by Danish influenced monks. So before Dania went its own way, Halych-Volhynia's Catholicism would have very much mirrored the Danish one, due to the Danish influence on the cleric. There is of course also substantial trade.
Venice, is jealous of Genoa's trade with Russia, and is trying to get a piece of the market. So far they have been unsuccessful, but the Black Sea coast of Halych-Volhynia have frequent contact with Venice, and various coastal settlements/towns/cities, have generous agreements with Venice, enough that there are Italian/Venice quarters.
I find it a bit hard to say if Russia/Dania/Halych-Volhynia is considered European or will be, simply because when I think about it, I think about it in the somewhat arbitrary line of East/West that we have today. This East/West split we have in today's world of Europe will not be a thing in this TL, not just because of butterflies, but because I am specifically aiming for it not to be.
I guess we have to wait and see
I think people will split Europe in a "Roman" part and "Gothic" part with the Rhine-Danube roughly functioning as the unofficial mental border of Europe.
Next update will be about The Second War Over Lower Saxony. hopefully out tommorow. next will deal with the other "frontiers" of Europe, so basicly what Spain, Hungary and the Italian states are up to. Don't know if I can do that in a single update or two. So the Balkans will be visited soon.
This will also be bad news for any of the Indians moving from the east coast. Kronmark is not exactly cooperative with Skraelings, due to the early years of the settlements.
About the Hudson Bay, England is probably the most likely, with France and Lotharingia second.
Well, so after France's religious civil war, combined with a generally upswing in increased intolerance of Jews across Europe, especially in Iberia and what is now Lotharingia. But also other notable places. Have seen Jews from across Europe flock to France, and to a lesser degree Moravia. So to answer your question, both. I imagine the south and east being Ladino speakers, and the North-East being Yiddish. Generally I imagine the North-east to have a relatively "dense" population of Jews. While the southern and eastern parts of France they're a bit more spread out.
Interesting, makes sense.
That's true, I've always planned for when nationalism becomes a thing, that during its height in Dania, there will be a rhetoric about how Dania and the Danish people ended the Roman empire (western) and the Holy Roman Empire, with the ladder being true.
On another note, Russia won't see itself as an heir to Rome either, so we could likely see a push from the Latin cultures to see Europeans as the heirs of Romes.
Yea I agree with this statement, with a quick note, the very thinly populated "Ukraine" can be split up in two parts, with the western part, still thinly populated. But with a noticeable effect from the settlement policies of Halych-Volhynia
Portugal is already there, Spain was second to arrive, from the OTL Americas. But due to uprising etc. they never capitalized on this, instead focusing on the Mediterranean. third to arrive is likely Dania, due to its considerable presence in west Africa, together with Lotharingia.
Edit: I generally consider the journeys for the North-west passages and North-East unsuccessful so far.
Edit: I generally consider the journeys for the North-west passages and North-East unsuccessful so far.
Last edited:
Battle of Dannenberg
The battle that happened just a few days after the Battle of Uelzen.
A few notes;
It is painted by the somewhat famous descendant of Christian Schultz in the early 18th century in Magdeburg.
Burggraf during this time have become a prominent title in the military of the Kingdom of Saxony.
Frederik of Brandenburg at this point was in fact not a Duke, he would be elevated to the rank after the war, due to his exploits during it.
The Schultz family is a prominent noble family in both Saxony and Dania. The origin of the the family was the Electorate of Brandenburg then under the control of the von Holland dynasty.
Back then it was a humble linage of well to do commoners/burghers/lesser nobility.
Being followers of Staupitz the majority of the family moved to Saxony during the religious conflict and pogroms that happened in the majority Staupitz Brandenburg under the rule of the Catholics von Hollands.
The Battle of Dannenberg resulted in a collapse of Saxony's defense of Lower Saxony, further ruined by the fall of Bremen to a combined siege and blockade by sea just a few months later in late August.
Furthermore the battle, combined with the one in Uelzen saw Christian Schultz recalled to Wittenberg due to allegation of cowardice and treason. Something his political opponents exploited.
The result of this was a shift as followers of Christian Schultz were removed from their military postings.
Burggraf August Haugwitz of Magdeburg (his rival) became the preeminent military commander of Saxony during the next two years. His inability together with his subordinates to stem the Danish advance would see Christian Schultz return to the field in the last year of the war.
The Saxon war
The war started in 1607 with a two-pronged assault by two Danish armies into the former Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg. As the war goal was to restore the Welf dynasty to the duchy, it would be vital to actually control it for the peace talks in the future.
Besides the two armies that invaded the former duchy, men had been mustered across the remaining border to deter a possible push into Mittelmark, from the royal heartlands of Saxony. Mittelmark by now had taken a position in Dania as a very valuable province. While it remained less urbanized than some places in Dania it had a large, only outdone by Denmark itself, and relatively rich rural population. More importantly the nobility was weak in the province. Something which was rare in the southwestern Marks of Dania, which meant that it had become a bastion of royal authority.
For the two armies going into the lands of Lower Saxony, crossing the Elbe River had been relatively painless. As Dania controlled one side of the river, and the infrastructure was good along it due to the close contact that the two previously had held.
The first skirmishes happened in and around Lüneburg where one of the Danish armies objective were to oust the Saxon garrison, secure it and then swing east and south to secure that part of the duchy. The fighting was hard. In the years that Lower Saxony had been under the control of Saxony, they had heavily invested in the defence of a few but vital strongholds. One of these was Lüneburg.
The first siege of Lüneburg did end in failure, a relief force combined with a well-timed sally from the garrison in Lüneburg managed to inflict a defeat on the besieging Danish army. However, it soon became clear that the relief force, even combined with the local garrison, was severely outmatched by the Danish army, which once again managed to cut off the city roughly a month later after the defeat.
The first real battle of the war happened to the west, as the other Danish army marching towards Stade, one of the other modern strongholds in Lower Saxony. Here the Danish army clashed with the army of Burggraf Claus von Der Deckens of Bremen. A native of the Duchy, the von Der Deckens had early on transfered their loyalty from the Welf dynasty to the Ascanian dynasty of Saxony.
The von Der Deckens had been raised to undeniable prominence in the northern and western part of the duchy, due to the loyalty shift. The young Claus von Der Deckens, had been quick to raise the forces of the area to oust the invaders. But his army did not consist of the disciplined and lethal troops of Saxony, but levies and a few remnants of the old army of Brunswick-Lüneburg. The core of his army was two regiments of Saxony infantry and one regiment of horse. Just shy of 5.000 reliable troops out of the 20.000 he commanded at the Battle of Steinkirchen. Compared to other battles of the war, this first one was relatively unremarkable and Marsk Sigurd Gyldenløve commanding both a larger army and one of better quality, was victorious in the this first clash. Resulting in the siege of Stade
Stade
One of the reasons that Dania was as successful as it were the first year of the war, can be explained with that Saxony was surprised by the declaration of war. The court of the Wettin dynasty had perhaps come to the conclusion that Dania was happy with the peace it had enjoyed for several years after the Russian War. This helps explain the inadequate relief force that had marched on Lüneburg, and the ragtag army of Claus von Der Deckens.
Nonetheless Saxony was quick to muster its men after the declaration of war, but the surprise had done its work, and before Saxony was ready to field a proper army, Lüneburg and Stade had fallen to the invaders.
The army that Claus von Der Deckens had raised, had weakened many of the garrisons in the western parts of the duchy, and that helps explain the relative fast fall of Stade, in the same note the Burggraf of Lüneburg was after the war accused of treason and in fact executed. No evidence of Danish bribery exists besides him being executed.
After the fall Sigurd Gyldenløve, would go on to take control of Vörde once an important stronghold, it had seen little of the investment that Stade, Bremen and Lüneburg had in the previous years. Following that Ritzebüttel, more of a pirate haven than a proper military fortress was conquered.
Siege of Vörde
Ritzebüttel was once built to protect the estuary of the Elbe from pirates, but after the enclave had fallen into the hands of Saxony, it had been used for quite the opposite and privateers had been a constant and serious pain for Hamburg during the last two decades.
A story goes that just a few hours after the pirate haven fell to the Danish forces, several ships from Hamburg arrived with soldiers and labours and immediately began to fortify it once again. While undoubtedly an exaggeration, Hamburg did indeed during the war build a new fortress at Ritzebüttel and man it with soldiers. Sigurd Gyldenløve would go on to establish his winter camp near Ritzebüttel.
In the east Duke Frederik of Brandenburg had taken control of the other Danish army, after the fall of Lüneburg, however, he did not have as easy of a time, his advance was checked by his own brother and him and his army would establish their winter camp on the Ilmenau river, just south of Lüneburg.
The second year would prove little better for Saxony, after a month or so Frederik Schultz of Brandenburg forced his brother into battle at Uelzen, a strategic crossing on the Ilmenau river and defeated him there, and just a single week later the decisive battle of Dannenberg happened. Which resulted in the political and militaristic opponent of Burggraf Christian Schultz of Dresden to take control of the Saxon war effort, while Christian Schultz had to defend himself and his actions in the capital of Wettin.
Meanwhile, Claus von Der Deckens would suffer his second defeat against Sigurd Gyldenløve, and withdraw to the city of Bremen. Bremen contrary to both Lüneburg and Stade would prove a hard nut to crack, even if it was cut off from aid both from land and sea. The garrison consisted not only of the original garrison that Claus von Der Deckens had led to war, but also the majority of the Saxon garrison of Stade, combined with the battered levies which also had withdrawn to the city, it was a surprisingly strong garrison. Sigurd Gyldenløve had little choice but try to starve the city or storm it which undoubtedly would mean his army would pay a high price.
Sigurd Gyldenløve would have preferred to starve the city into submission, deeming the risk associated with storming the city too high, but pressure from higher ranks eventually meant that the city would be taken by force. In late November four months into the siege, the infantry of Sigurd Gyldenløve overran the defenders and the city of Bremen, through two breaches in the wall. But it was not without cost as that day was the single bloodiest in the entire war.
The third year of the war would proceed very much like the previous two, meaning sieges with few actual battles. With Sigurd Gyldenløve marching his battered and bloody army towards Oldenburg. Now with his original objective, securing the northern and western parts of Lower Saxony, completed after the fall of Bremen. Though this time he would resist his superiors insistent on speed, and instead he settled for a long siege.
Meanwhile, much like Sigurd Gyldenløve, which had left Lower Saxony, and entered Westphalia, Frederik Schultz, marched from his winter camp at the Ilmenau river, into the heart of Saxony. This campaign year for Frederik Schultz and his army very much centred around the fortress of Wolfsburg as the army would take the entire campaign season to overcome the obstacle that Wolfsburg would prove to be. In May the Battle of Wolfsburg happened, where Frederik Schultz would prove his mastery over the Saxon commander, Burggraf August Haugwitz of Magdeburg.
This battle besides being a somewhat inconclusive victory for Dania, also resulted in Frederik Schultz not participating in the remaining war, due to one or several wounds he acquired during the battle. He survived, but was first returned to the occupied Lüneburg and later his estate in Mittelmark where he would recover.
Wolfsburg much like other Saxon fortresses, besides Oldenburg, eventually fell and the Danish army, now led by Valdemar IX himself made preparation to march on Magdeburg, the largest and richest city of Saxony.
The threat to one of the most important cities of Saxony, would see Christian Schultz return into favour again, and take command of the efforts to protect the city from the invading Danish army once again, during the latter months of the third campaigning season and early months of the fourth Valdemar IX and Christian Schultz armies would clash several times in indecisive skirmishes. But finally, at the Battle of Magdeburg, Saxony would find the victory they had been denied so far, in an arguably more decisive battle that Dannenberg earlier had been.
Yet the damage had been done and three years of near continuous losses on the battlefield, even if siege warfare had been the most prominent feature of the war had made its impact. The political infighting among Saxony’s high command had put them in a position where Dania quickly had gained their war goal of securing the former duchy, and with Oldenburg under siege and Danish forces mustering once again not far from Magdeburg. Saxony agreed to meet at the peace table during the early months of the fourth year of the war.
The peace of Magdeburg restored the Welf dynasty to the ducal throne of the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg, the former Danish enclaves across the Elbe was restored, to be specific Bremen and Ritzebüttel, which both fell under the influence of the Kronstad Hamburg, though Bremen remained far more autonomous than the other.
Saxony did gain several important concessions, which was instrumental in making them accept the loss of the duchy, these concessions where economical in nature. Saxon traders would gain the same rights that Danish ones did on the Elbe river, in essence while they lost control of the lower part of the river, their trade would not be hampered, and the lack of tolls would make several prominent merchant families in Saxony fabulous wealthy.
The second concession was a share of the tolls earned by Bremen at the mouth of the Weser River. This revenue was also immensely important to Saxony, Oldenburg which had stubbornly resisted the Danish siege would enjoy the most immediate benefits of this. It would replace Bremen as the Saxon strong point in the area.
The lessons that Saxony learned from this war, where important, it was by that point known that the Saxon armies could fight on equal footing with the larger and more establish “great powers” and this war did not change that. What Saxony could not afford was the infighting among the High command of Saxony, during such a war, it had crippled the war effort as Christian Schultz and August Haugwitz and their supporters had fought in letters and in person in the royal court of Saxony over how the war was supposed be conducted.
This lesson was certainly learned, and after the war August Haugwitz lost his prominent military position, and Christian Schultz on behest of the only real Saxon victory, the Battle of Magdeburg, remained, uniting the previously fractured court of Saxony.
In the Grand Kingdom of Moravia, the war had been followed closely with some worry. The war confirmed all but their biggest fears, as Dania continued with its aggressive border warfare, enlarging their already formidable realm. But contrary to the earlier Russian war, Moravia itself had been busy fighting to its south, and as such had been unable to intervene.
The conflict between the Kingdom of Bavaria and the Habsburgs of Hungary had broken out. In the Duchy of Austria, which was under a personal union with Hungary, had lands in Swabia, and for decades relations had been frosty with the Kingdom of Bavaria, which in turn believed that the lands of Swabia should belong to them, especially the cities of Augsburg and Ulm. A belief that was not unfounded, both cities had been granted to Bavaria following the religious wars nearly a century before. But before Bavaria could lay its claim to the two cities, the armies of the Habsburgs had taken them by force.
The western part of the Habsburg realms, with the Austrian enclave and Swabia which Borders the Swizz confederacy, Duchy of Würtemberg, and the Kingdom of Bavaria.
The uneasy status quo had stayed liked that for near on a century, until anew ambitious King of Hungary had unfolded his plan to enlarge the lands he owned in Swabia. Bavaria had not been unprepared for such events and had made allies with some of the few remaining duchies in the area, and of course with Moravia.
The Habsburg realm was unable to deal with both the forces of Moravia, Bavaria and its ducal allies, while at the same time expanding into the Balkans. The loss of the Swabian lands and its western enclave was a prestige loss for the young new King. But it would later be regarded as a blessing in disguise, as the focus of the Habsburg fully settled to its East and South. Where the upheaval of the Ottoman fracture very much still could be felt.
Besides the two armies that invaded the former duchy, men had been mustered across the remaining border to deter a possible push into Mittelmark, from the royal heartlands of Saxony. Mittelmark by now had taken a position in Dania as a very valuable province. While it remained less urbanized than some places in Dania it had a large, only outdone by Denmark itself, and relatively rich rural population. More importantly the nobility was weak in the province. Something which was rare in the southwestern Marks of Dania, which meant that it had become a bastion of royal authority.
For the two armies going into the lands of Lower Saxony, crossing the Elbe River had been relatively painless. As Dania controlled one side of the river, and the infrastructure was good along it due to the close contact that the two previously had held.
The first skirmishes happened in and around Lüneburg where one of the Danish armies objective were to oust the Saxon garrison, secure it and then swing east and south to secure that part of the duchy. The fighting was hard. In the years that Lower Saxony had been under the control of Saxony, they had heavily invested in the defence of a few but vital strongholds. One of these was Lüneburg.
The first siege of Lüneburg did end in failure, a relief force combined with a well-timed sally from the garrison in Lüneburg managed to inflict a defeat on the besieging Danish army. However, it soon became clear that the relief force, even combined with the local garrison, was severely outmatched by the Danish army, which once again managed to cut off the city roughly a month later after the defeat.
The first real battle of the war happened to the west, as the other Danish army marching towards Stade, one of the other modern strongholds in Lower Saxony. Here the Danish army clashed with the army of Burggraf Claus von Der Deckens of Bremen. A native of the Duchy, the von Der Deckens had early on transfered their loyalty from the Welf dynasty to the Ascanian dynasty of Saxony.
The von Der Deckens had been raised to undeniable prominence in the northern and western part of the duchy, due to the loyalty shift. The young Claus von Der Deckens, had been quick to raise the forces of the area to oust the invaders. But his army did not consist of the disciplined and lethal troops of Saxony, but levies and a few remnants of the old army of Brunswick-Lüneburg. The core of his army was two regiments of Saxony infantry and one regiment of horse. Just shy of 5.000 reliable troops out of the 20.000 he commanded at the Battle of Steinkirchen. Compared to other battles of the war, this first one was relatively unremarkable and Marsk Sigurd Gyldenløve commanding both a larger army and one of better quality, was victorious in the this first clash. Resulting in the siege of Stade
Stade
One of the reasons that Dania was as successful as it were the first year of the war, can be explained with that Saxony was surprised by the declaration of war. The court of the Wettin dynasty had perhaps come to the conclusion that Dania was happy with the peace it had enjoyed for several years after the Russian War. This helps explain the inadequate relief force that had marched on Lüneburg, and the ragtag army of Claus von Der Deckens.
Nonetheless Saxony was quick to muster its men after the declaration of war, but the surprise had done its work, and before Saxony was ready to field a proper army, Lüneburg and Stade had fallen to the invaders.
The army that Claus von Der Deckens had raised, had weakened many of the garrisons in the western parts of the duchy, and that helps explain the relative fast fall of Stade, in the same note the Burggraf of Lüneburg was after the war accused of treason and in fact executed. No evidence of Danish bribery exists besides him being executed.
After the fall Sigurd Gyldenløve, would go on to take control of Vörde once an important stronghold, it had seen little of the investment that Stade, Bremen and Lüneburg had in the previous years. Following that Ritzebüttel, more of a pirate haven than a proper military fortress was conquered.
Siege of Vörde
Ritzebüttel was once built to protect the estuary of the Elbe from pirates, but after the enclave had fallen into the hands of Saxony, it had been used for quite the opposite and privateers had been a constant and serious pain for Hamburg during the last two decades.
A story goes that just a few hours after the pirate haven fell to the Danish forces, several ships from Hamburg arrived with soldiers and labours and immediately began to fortify it once again. While undoubtedly an exaggeration, Hamburg did indeed during the war build a new fortress at Ritzebüttel and man it with soldiers. Sigurd Gyldenløve would go on to establish his winter camp near Ritzebüttel.
In the east Duke Frederik of Brandenburg had taken control of the other Danish army, after the fall of Lüneburg, however, he did not have as easy of a time, his advance was checked by his own brother and him and his army would establish their winter camp on the Ilmenau river, just south of Lüneburg.
The second year would prove little better for Saxony, after a month or so Frederik Schultz of Brandenburg forced his brother into battle at Uelzen, a strategic crossing on the Ilmenau river and defeated him there, and just a single week later the decisive battle of Dannenberg happened. Which resulted in the political and militaristic opponent of Burggraf Christian Schultz of Dresden to take control of the Saxon war effort, while Christian Schultz had to defend himself and his actions in the capital of Wettin.
Meanwhile, Claus von Der Deckens would suffer his second defeat against Sigurd Gyldenløve, and withdraw to the city of Bremen. Bremen contrary to both Lüneburg and Stade would prove a hard nut to crack, even if it was cut off from aid both from land and sea. The garrison consisted not only of the original garrison that Claus von Der Deckens had led to war, but also the majority of the Saxon garrison of Stade, combined with the battered levies which also had withdrawn to the city, it was a surprisingly strong garrison. Sigurd Gyldenløve had little choice but try to starve the city or storm it which undoubtedly would mean his army would pay a high price.
Sigurd Gyldenløve would have preferred to starve the city into submission, deeming the risk associated with storming the city too high, but pressure from higher ranks eventually meant that the city would be taken by force. In late November four months into the siege, the infantry of Sigurd Gyldenløve overran the defenders and the city of Bremen, through two breaches in the wall. But it was not without cost as that day was the single bloodiest in the entire war.
The third year of the war would proceed very much like the previous two, meaning sieges with few actual battles. With Sigurd Gyldenløve marching his battered and bloody army towards Oldenburg. Now with his original objective, securing the northern and western parts of Lower Saxony, completed after the fall of Bremen. Though this time he would resist his superiors insistent on speed, and instead he settled for a long siege.
Meanwhile, much like Sigurd Gyldenløve, which had left Lower Saxony, and entered Westphalia, Frederik Schultz, marched from his winter camp at the Ilmenau river, into the heart of Saxony. This campaign year for Frederik Schultz and his army very much centred around the fortress of Wolfsburg as the army would take the entire campaign season to overcome the obstacle that Wolfsburg would prove to be. In May the Battle of Wolfsburg happened, where Frederik Schultz would prove his mastery over the Saxon commander, Burggraf August Haugwitz of Magdeburg.
This battle besides being a somewhat inconclusive victory for Dania, also resulted in Frederik Schultz not participating in the remaining war, due to one or several wounds he acquired during the battle. He survived, but was first returned to the occupied Lüneburg and later his estate in Mittelmark where he would recover.
Wolfsburg much like other Saxon fortresses, besides Oldenburg, eventually fell and the Danish army, now led by Valdemar IX himself made preparation to march on Magdeburg, the largest and richest city of Saxony.
The threat to one of the most important cities of Saxony, would see Christian Schultz return into favour again, and take command of the efforts to protect the city from the invading Danish army once again, during the latter months of the third campaigning season and early months of the fourth Valdemar IX and Christian Schultz armies would clash several times in indecisive skirmishes. But finally, at the Battle of Magdeburg, Saxony would find the victory they had been denied so far, in an arguably more decisive battle that Dannenberg earlier had been.
Yet the damage had been done and three years of near continuous losses on the battlefield, even if siege warfare had been the most prominent feature of the war had made its impact. The political infighting among Saxony’s high command had put them in a position where Dania quickly had gained their war goal of securing the former duchy, and with Oldenburg under siege and Danish forces mustering once again not far from Magdeburg. Saxony agreed to meet at the peace table during the early months of the fourth year of the war.
The peace of Magdeburg restored the Welf dynasty to the ducal throne of the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg, the former Danish enclaves across the Elbe was restored, to be specific Bremen and Ritzebüttel, which both fell under the influence of the Kronstad Hamburg, though Bremen remained far more autonomous than the other.
Saxony did gain several important concessions, which was instrumental in making them accept the loss of the duchy, these concessions where economical in nature. Saxon traders would gain the same rights that Danish ones did on the Elbe river, in essence while they lost control of the lower part of the river, their trade would not be hampered, and the lack of tolls would make several prominent merchant families in Saxony fabulous wealthy.
The second concession was a share of the tolls earned by Bremen at the mouth of the Weser River. This revenue was also immensely important to Saxony, Oldenburg which had stubbornly resisted the Danish siege would enjoy the most immediate benefits of this. It would replace Bremen as the Saxon strong point in the area.
The lessons that Saxony learned from this war, where important, it was by that point known that the Saxon armies could fight on equal footing with the larger and more establish “great powers” and this war did not change that. What Saxony could not afford was the infighting among the High command of Saxony, during such a war, it had crippled the war effort as Christian Schultz and August Haugwitz and their supporters had fought in letters and in person in the royal court of Saxony over how the war was supposed be conducted.
This lesson was certainly learned, and after the war August Haugwitz lost his prominent military position, and Christian Schultz on behest of the only real Saxon victory, the Battle of Magdeburg, remained, uniting the previously fractured court of Saxony.
In the Grand Kingdom of Moravia, the war had been followed closely with some worry. The war confirmed all but their biggest fears, as Dania continued with its aggressive border warfare, enlarging their already formidable realm. But contrary to the earlier Russian war, Moravia itself had been busy fighting to its south, and as such had been unable to intervene.
The conflict between the Kingdom of Bavaria and the Habsburgs of Hungary had broken out. In the Duchy of Austria, which was under a personal union with Hungary, had lands in Swabia, and for decades relations had been frosty with the Kingdom of Bavaria, which in turn believed that the lands of Swabia should belong to them, especially the cities of Augsburg and Ulm. A belief that was not unfounded, both cities had been granted to Bavaria following the religious wars nearly a century before. But before Bavaria could lay its claim to the two cities, the armies of the Habsburgs had taken them by force.
The western part of the Habsburg realms, with the Austrian enclave and Swabia which Borders the Swizz confederacy, Duchy of Würtemberg, and the Kingdom of Bavaria.
The uneasy status quo had stayed liked that for near on a century, until anew ambitious King of Hungary had unfolded his plan to enlarge the lands he owned in Swabia. Bavaria had not been unprepared for such events and had made allies with some of the few remaining duchies in the area, and of course with Moravia.
The Habsburg realm was unable to deal with both the forces of Moravia, Bavaria and its ducal allies, while at the same time expanding into the Balkans. The loss of the Swabian lands and its western enclave was a prestige loss for the young new King. But it would later be regarded as a blessing in disguise, as the focus of the Habsburg fully settled to its East and South. Where the upheaval of the Ottoman fracture very much still could be felt.
Bastiram, I'm loving this Dania you are creating. I don't really have anything else to say, but I just wanted to comment to show my support and to ask that you continue your amazing writing. Thank you!
Thanks much appreciated!
Certainly planning on it, I know I don't update it as much as I previously did, but unfortunately time is somewhat limited. Still, no plans for quiting, in fact I have several good ideas not only for this century and next century, so really looking forward to explore these.
We won't see a German identity in this TL like the one in OTL. The closest will likely be whatever nationalism that pops up in Saxony, though both the Habsburg Realms and Lotharingia will have a nationalistic "uprising" influenced by their Germanic heritage.
The Habsburg Realms are gonna be more cohesive than their OTL counterparts, even with the Capital being Buda(-pest) rather than Vienna, it have a large population of "Germans" both in its Austrian lands but also the crown lands of Hungary which saw far more Saxon settlers than OTL.
Lotharingia will have a population that stems from 3 "different" areas, the low countries, Burgundy and the Rhineland. the majority as such can be regarded as descendants from Germanic Tribes, but the French/Romance spreaking population of Burgundy will also play a prominent place and very much influence the culture of Lotharingia.
When it comes to the Germanic culture, I find it very likely that Dania will push for them to be seen as the descendants of the Germanic people, its culture is very much influenced by it, with the use of runes, and the establishment of the Nordic church which distances itself from the roman world.
I find it likely that while many European nations will claim or try to some sort of tie to Rome, Dania will go the opposite direction and claim to be the people that humbled and eventually ended Rome.
I hope that makes sense.
The “Frontiers” of Europe I
The “Frontiers” of Europe, Portugal
Portugal had been ruled by the Afonsine dynasty for centuries, in the early 17th century, it was Emmanuel II that sat on the throne of the southern European Kingdom. The Portuguese Kingdom had unlike many other European Kingdoms known piece in its little corner of Europe for many years. It was prosperous and wealthy and was regarded as one of the most prominent seafaring nations in Europe if not the most prominent one.
Diplomatically Portugal had secured its border by remaining friendly with its only and larger neighbour Spain. It had been a policy for quite some time to keep the ties between the Spanish Trastámara’s and the Portuguese Afonsine’s friendly. Which, can only be described as successful.
Beside the dynastic ties to its neighbours there was one other European realm, that Portugal had diplomatic ties to, and that was the Kingdom of England.
The Anglo-Portuguese alliance originally originated due to a conflict with neighbouring Castille, now Spain, and while that enmity had waned during the previous decades, the alliance, trade agreements and other benefits were still very much valued on both sides and the relations between the two catholic Kingdoms remained impeccable.
Portugal was in the early 17th century, arguably the most accomplished European nation when it came to colonies, The Portuguese colonial empire was spread out on four continents, something no other nation had accomplished at the time.
Driven by the Portuguese exploration of Africa, Portugal had the largest presence of any European nation in Africa, and the most sophisticated network of trading post and forts on the large continent. Furthermore, it remained the only European nation to have established a presence on the eastern side of the African continent.
Like many other European nations Portugal had also established a presence in the New World, though its discovery of the land which now was a host to a relatively large population was more of an accident during Portugal’s exploration to the South, than any explicit effort from their own part.
Terra da Santa Cruz was nonetheless a welcome addition to the budding Portuguese Empire, which brought considerable wealth to the crown and other involved. Located on the southern continent of Terra Nova* in the New World, Portugal would avoid the squabbles that the northern colonies would result in, in the 17th century.
The Crown Jewel and money maker of Portugal were and had been for quite some time, its possessions in the sub-continent of India. Portugal had waged wars in this far off corner of the world to establish itself and reap the benefits of the wealth of India. First to tumble the Mamluks and take over the spice trade, and while the Mamluks, with the assistance of Venice had fought admirable Portugal had won out in the end.
That did not mean the troubles were over for Portugal, India dwarfed Portugal in size and population both, and as such Portugal could not hope to subdue the patchwork of entities on the sub-continent. Instead strategic harbours and cities were acquired and from which the spice trade could be controlled.
The big breakthrough was the acquisition of the island of Ceilão, the Portuguese presence on the island had been just another part of its policy of controlling trade in the area, over time it had resulted in controlling substantial parts of the island, and finally in 1601 the last resistance on the island was smothered and the control of the island was fully in the hands of Portugal.
Much of this had been the result of the policies of Emmanuel II’s father and continued under Emmanuel II's reign, where Portugal had enacted a more aggressive policy, and Portugal had essentially more than tripled its land holdings in the Indian subcontinent under the rule of Emmanuel II and his father.
Portuguese presence on the island of Ceilão, before its conquest in 1601
Of course, Portugal could not expect to keep the wealth of the east for itself, this had been proved when Spain had tried, successfully, to discover a route from the New World to the east in 1578.
However, due to indigenous uprisings on the continent of Terra Nova, Spain would lose much of its territory in the New World, and importantly for Portugal, lose interest in this new route to the East.
Nonetheless both Danish and Lotharingian ships had become a somewhat common sight in the Indian Ocean in the early 17th century, which most certainly worried Portugal, especially the presence of Dania, as it, after Portugal, had the second largest presence in Africa. As such, the presence of Danish ships and when discovered trading posts on the island of Madagascar, would put Portugal on edge over Danish ambitions in the Indian Ocean.
This is the first part of four planned updates about Portugal, Spain, Habsburg Hungary and Italy** hope you enjoyed
* I’m toying with the idea of naming South America Terra Nova and with Markland becoming the name of North America, thoughts?
** Italy part might require more than a single update, we will see.
Edit: added pictures, because I'm not a smart man.
Portugal had been ruled by the Afonsine dynasty for centuries, in the early 17th century, it was Emmanuel II that sat on the throne of the southern European Kingdom. The Portuguese Kingdom had unlike many other European Kingdoms known piece in its little corner of Europe for many years. It was prosperous and wealthy and was regarded as one of the most prominent seafaring nations in Europe if not the most prominent one.
Diplomatically Portugal had secured its border by remaining friendly with its only and larger neighbour Spain. It had been a policy for quite some time to keep the ties between the Spanish Trastámara’s and the Portuguese Afonsine’s friendly. Which, can only be described as successful.
Beside the dynastic ties to its neighbours there was one other European realm, that Portugal had diplomatic ties to, and that was the Kingdom of England.
The Anglo-Portuguese alliance originally originated due to a conflict with neighbouring Castille, now Spain, and while that enmity had waned during the previous decades, the alliance, trade agreements and other benefits were still very much valued on both sides and the relations between the two catholic Kingdoms remained impeccable.
Portugal was in the early 17th century, arguably the most accomplished European nation when it came to colonies, The Portuguese colonial empire was spread out on four continents, something no other nation had accomplished at the time.
Driven by the Portuguese exploration of Africa, Portugal had the largest presence of any European nation in Africa, and the most sophisticated network of trading post and forts on the large continent. Furthermore, it remained the only European nation to have established a presence on the eastern side of the African continent.
Like many other European nations Portugal had also established a presence in the New World, though its discovery of the land which now was a host to a relatively large population was more of an accident during Portugal’s exploration to the South, than any explicit effort from their own part.
Terra da Santa Cruz was nonetheless a welcome addition to the budding Portuguese Empire, which brought considerable wealth to the crown and other involved. Located on the southern continent of Terra Nova* in the New World, Portugal would avoid the squabbles that the northern colonies would result in, in the 17th century.
The Crown Jewel and money maker of Portugal were and had been for quite some time, its possessions in the sub-continent of India. Portugal had waged wars in this far off corner of the world to establish itself and reap the benefits of the wealth of India. First to tumble the Mamluks and take over the spice trade, and while the Mamluks, with the assistance of Venice had fought admirable Portugal had won out in the end.
That did not mean the troubles were over for Portugal, India dwarfed Portugal in size and population both, and as such Portugal could not hope to subdue the patchwork of entities on the sub-continent. Instead strategic harbours and cities were acquired and from which the spice trade could be controlled.
The big breakthrough was the acquisition of the island of Ceilão, the Portuguese presence on the island had been just another part of its policy of controlling trade in the area, over time it had resulted in controlling substantial parts of the island, and finally in 1601 the last resistance on the island was smothered and the control of the island was fully in the hands of Portugal.
Much of this had been the result of the policies of Emmanuel II’s father and continued under Emmanuel II's reign, where Portugal had enacted a more aggressive policy, and Portugal had essentially more than tripled its land holdings in the Indian subcontinent under the rule of Emmanuel II and his father.
Portuguese presence on the island of Ceilão, before its conquest in 1601
Of course, Portugal could not expect to keep the wealth of the east for itself, this had been proved when Spain had tried, successfully, to discover a route from the New World to the east in 1578.
However, due to indigenous uprisings on the continent of Terra Nova, Spain would lose much of its territory in the New World, and importantly for Portugal, lose interest in this new route to the East.
Nonetheless both Danish and Lotharingian ships had become a somewhat common sight in the Indian Ocean in the early 17th century, which most certainly worried Portugal, especially the presence of Dania, as it, after Portugal, had the second largest presence in Africa. As such, the presence of Danish ships and when discovered trading posts on the island of Madagascar, would put Portugal on edge over Danish ambitions in the Indian Ocean.
This is the first part of four planned updates about Portugal, Spain, Habsburg Hungary and Italy** hope you enjoyed
* I’m toying with the idea of naming South America Terra Nova and with Markland becoming the name of North America, thoughts?
** Italy part might require more than a single update, we will see.
Edit: added pictures, because I'm not a smart man.