Henry the Great.

[Quiet_Man]

Originally Posted by Grey Wolf

I did some looking into things for you on your Breton expulsions situation, and you have a perfect role model in Granada. A decree of 1 Nov 1570 expelled 50,000 Moriscos from their land and resettled them in Castile, and between 1569-1573 overall it is likely that 80,000 were moved. As a corollary some 50,000 Old Christians, mostly from elsewhere in Andalucia were settled in their place

Best Regards
Grey Wolf

Thanks, I'm glad there is some form of corollary in OTL, though this is the first I've heard of in Europe itself. I must admit I thought had taken the idea to a bit of an extreme, though it was necessary to the timeline.

Again thanks.

[Quiet_Man]

(1653) June. The British and Danish armies split with the British heading north towards the Lithuanian capital at Vilnius and the Danes marching towards Lublin. Both armies fight a series of light skirmishes en-route, though scouts report larger armies forming ahead of them.
The Joint Danish, Swedish army breaks the siege of Tallinn sending the Russians back towards Novgorod. Leaving the town adequately garrisoned the Army swings south towards Tartu and the Latvian border.
The Dutch, Swedish army at Krakow continues to lay siege to the town as the defenders desperately hold on hoping for relief, with Plague and famine are running rampant behind the walls. There are a lot of minor battles fought against Bavarian and Austrian mercenaries, though there seems no concerted effort to relieve the city.
Bodhan Khmelnytsky having agreed terms with the Russians to leave the Ukraine swings his army south to engage the Crimean Tatars hoping to capture the Black Sea port at Cherson.
The Russian Parliament starts talks with the Northern Alliance seeking an end to hostilities.
King Casimir of Poland ignoring the advice of his noble council summons another host to “destroy the heretics.” This causes splits within Poland and Lithuania with many ignoring the call demanding the King seek terms with others flocking to the Kings banner. Many of the nobles in Lithuania simply refuse to fight seeing no gain in throwing away a generation of fighting men against what appears to be an unbeatable foe.

In Britain Henry is strongly involved in the rebuilding of London, putting his seal of approval on all manner of buildings (though notes from his chronicler suggest it was actually Queen Maria who gave the final seal of approval) The classical styles used set the pattern for future generations and many new techniques that have become commonplace were tried and tested during this period.
The British Parliament received a request from the Tsalagi to join the Commonwealth of British North America.
Jewish immigration to Florida has now reached over 10,000. Many are also having their way paid to the Southern island of New Zealand boosting the British colonial efforts there. Some though are also choosing to settle in the highlands of Scotland where they are mostly left alone to follow their religious practices.
Arriving in Bristol are two regiments of colonial militia and several units of Haudenosaunee auxiliary scouts under General George Monck. They march to Dover to sail to Calais and deployment in Poland. The differences in dress and equipment of the colonials are the talk of London society with their buckskin trousers and coats showing none of the colour of a European army.
The British Parliament formally approves the founding of a North American Parliament to take over the day to day formalities of the colony. Revenue and foreign policy remain in the hands of Britain though.
Britain agrees to discretely arm, train and supply Koxinga in China in his rebellion against the Manchu dynasty hoping that he’ll allow better trade in any ports he captures.
The talk in North America is of the deployment of their militia abroad, there is a great deal of pride in the fact that they are able to come to the aid of their King and this is thought to be the start of the tradition of serving in the colonial militias and forging a loyalty to Britain that has never been broken.

In France the army of Duc d’Enghien moves in to Aquitaine to stifle the rebellion there. Another French army under Cadet la Pearl moves to Provencal and are soundly defeated by De Melo and his tercios.

Spain continues to try and expand its colonies in South America with many new investments in plantations and mines. Colonial infrastructure is also being expanded and although life is harsh for many of the natives it is slowly improving.
Philip rebuffs an attempt by Poland to involve himself in the northern war, trade with Britain and British colonies is growing and becoming a necessary component of Spanish wealth and mercantile growth and whilst there is no great love between the two nations, at the moment peace is more profitable than war.

Ferdinand III of the HRE though disturbed by the Northern Alliance victories in Poland can offer little but verbal support to the Poles save only allowing them to recruit mercenaries from his lands. His advice to Casimir to come to terms as quickly as possible falls on deaf ears.

[DAv]

Russia had a Parliament back then? Didn't know that... Anyway, good update and it looks as if the dismemberment of Poland could happen a century early at this rate.

[Quiet_Man]

Originally Posted by DAv

Russia had a Parliament back then? Didn't know that... Anyway, good update and it looks as if the dismemberment of Poland could happen a century early at this rate.

I've put it down as parliament, it was actually the Boyar Duma or council of nobles.

[Quiet_Man]

(1653) July. The Dutch and Swedes take Krakow as the local population force the town leaders to open the gates, starvation and disease have decimated the population and most are relieved as the joint army moves in and distributes food as well as allowing other supplies into the town. The Dutch then march north to link up with the Danes whilst the Swedes move east to Lvov

The British marched one army under Fairfax north towards Gdansk stopping only long enough to take the ports surrender and confirm its free city status. Ships from the Alliance were soon calling into the port bringing supplies and reinforcements including the Colonial Militia who were attached to Montrose’s army. A further march north took the British up to Königsberg which also duly surrendered not wishing any part of a war which disturbed trade. A second British army under Leslie moved towards Vilnius to meet emissaries from the Grand Duchy of Lithuania who requested that the British accept their non belligerent status. The British then regrouped to move south to Kiev and a meeting with Bodhan Khmelnytsky.

In the far north the Danes and Swedes continued to drive a demoralised Polish army south out of Estonia and back into Latvia. Riga opens its gates to the allies and resistance in the north collapses.

The Cossack Hetmanate continues to drive the Crimean Tatars from their lands bordering the Black Sea. The war is one of movement, raid and counter-raid, though the Cossacks concentrate on trying to seize Cherson.

The Danish army occupied Warsaw and continued to scout out the countryside of the surrounding areas, they are aware of a large Polish army assembling towards Brest, though are not prepared to move out of prepared positions to attack them yet.

In Ireland the new Kings Highways were being completed linking most towns to Dublin, land reform had increased farm size and the land had become the breadbasket of the British union.
Several of the new forts in Normandy were nearing completion and land reform similar to Ireland was taking place although there was no wholesale driving of the population off the land.
North American Mounted Militia come in contact with the Kiowa tribe, contact is friendly though the militia are warned to proceed no further.

In France desperate fighting by the rebels in Aquitaine only delays the inevitable and the Duc d’Enghien smashes the final resistance in Bordeaux to bring all but Provencal back under French rule.

[DAv]

Looks as if Poland is soon going to be out with Warsaw gone. I'm just wondering what this will do to Eastern Europe. It could very well leave Sweden the power of the Baltic Sea for the forseeable future.

[Grey Wolf]

How are the economics going ? Is Britain having to pay for everything, or has it managed to get other people to pay for its army ?

Best Regards
Grey Wolf

[Quiet_Man]

Originally Posted by Grey Wolf

How are the economics going ? Is Britain having to pay for everything, or has it managed to get other people to pay for its army ?

Best Regards
Grey Wolf

Britain's economics are sound, the tolls they pick up from the Panamanian Isthmian Highway plus extensive trade to and from India, China and Japan as well as North America mean that they can afford a standing army unlike OTL plus supply it too. The biggest problem they have is piracy which is far more rife than OTL and interferes massively with trade.

[arctic warrior]

Looks like the Danes are holding their own with extended trade around the world, holdings in North Germany all transported on Danish-Norwegian merchantmen and the Dutch paying raised Oeresound toll. And indeed they should be able to in this TL. But also be in the stages of raising a national army.

[Quiet_Man]

Originally Posted by arctic warrior

Looks like the Danes are holding their own with extended trade around the world, holdings in North Germany all transported on Danish-Norwegian merchantmen and the Dutch paying raised Oeresound toll. And indeed they should be able to in this TL. But also be in the stages of raising a national army.

That they have, Christian is raising it from freed serfs after forcing reform on the nobles. He's determined not to be reliant on mercenaries and sees a properly trained and equipped army as essential to Denmark's new status in Europe.

[Jammy]

Originally Posted by Quiet_Man

Britain's economics are sound, the tolls they pick up from the Panamanian Isthmian Highway plus extensive trade to and from India, China and Japan as well as North America mean that they can afford a standing army unlike OTL plus supply it too. The biggest problem they have is piracy which is far more rife than OTL and interferes massively with trade.

So they don't run as much risk as Spain (in OTL) as self exploding

[Quiet_Man]

(1653) August. The Polish army attacks the Danes outside of Warsaw, King Casimir has gathered a huge host thinking he can overwhelm the Danes by sheer numbers before any of the other allied armies can come to their aid. This is a last throw of the dice for Casimir, in less than a year he has seen all his gains stripped away from him and should he be defeated, the dissolution of the Commonweath as his Lithuanian nobles and their Parliament (sejmik) refused to aid him and sought separate terms with the Alliance.
The battle of Warsaw was a disaster for Poland, going down in their history as the blackest days they’d ever faced. Attacking the Danes who were securely positioned, amply supplied and armed behind huge earthworks the Poles broke themselves making mass charge after mass charge and were thrown back with massive casualties every time. At the end of the first day the Poles had lost almost 15,000 men to the Danes 300. The following day the Poles concentrated their attacks along one front trying to seize the defensive earthworks finally driving the hard pressed Danes from their secured position only to have to withdraw as the fast marching Dutch army arrived on the field. Caught out of position from not having kept scouts out the Poles were driven off the field in disorder, harried and decimated by the sallying Danish and Dutch lancers.
Polish losses were estimated at almost 47,000 to the Danes 8,000 and the Dutch’s 2500. Casimir fled the field with his royal guard only to be seized later that night by a Danish patrol hiding in a church, betrayed by one of his own guards.

The rest of the month saw Northern alliance forces move from town to town disbanding or exterminating any forces loyal to Casimir or those who had turned to banditry. Though never particularly welcome anywhere, the alliance troops at least had a reputation for fair dealing with the populace and violent incidents were few and far between.

The treaty of Warsaw signed later that month changed the face of Northern Europe. Poland was forced to recognise the Cossack Hetmanate (Ukraine) as a separate country, the Commonwealth was divided and Lithuania no longer tied to Poland. Poland also ceded the German speaking regions of Prussia, Pomerania and Silesia and lost all access to the Baltic. King Casimir was forced to give up all claims to the Swedish throne.
Sweden gained Estonia in the north and also gained Lithuania as an independent protectorate (at Lithuania’s request), though at Danish insistence lost Brandenburg and Saxony in the South.
Brandenburg, Saxony, Silesia, Pomerania and Prussia formed a new German dominated state known as the Baltic Federation based loosely on the Dutch republic.
Britain Denmark and the Netherlands received an indemnity of £500,000 each and agreed to keep some of their troops in the Baltic federation until its constitution could be sorted out.

In London the request of the Tsalagi for commonwealth status is debated and passed. There is also some discussion of what to call a colony after the colonial phase has passed, though as yet no-one could make up their minds.

The missing Regents from the VOC are finally traced to Formosa, though the governor there refuses to hand them over to the representatives of the Staten-Generaal.

Balthasar Charles of Spain, Prince of Asturias and Portugal dies in Provencal from over indulgence at a feast. De Melo has his body transported back to Spain and awaits Philip’s judgement on the event.
During this time the French again try to reconquer province and are beaten back by De Melo’s army.

In France Aquitaine is “cleansed” of all rebels to the crown in a reign of terror that lasts for over a year. No-one whether young, old, noble or commoner were spared, from execution, nor were their families.

A revolt in Florence was brutally suppressed by the Savoyard army.

[DAv]

Just wondering but what is Britain's status at this time? Are they seen as an unstoppable force against any foe?

[Grey Wolf]

During this time the French again try to reconquer province and are beaten back by De Melo’s army.

I think you mean Provence ? Or maybe 'the province' ?

Best Regards
Grey Wolf

[Grey Wolf]

Russia must be rubbing its hands, someone just deleted its enemies and replaced them with rather loose or unsteady states...

I don't see longevity for a Swedish-Lithuanian partnership, but of course I could be wrong !

What happened to Courland/Kurland btw ?

Best Regards
Grey Wolf

[Quiet_Man]

Originally Posted by DAv

Just wondering but what is Britain's status at this time? Are they seen as an unstoppable force against any foe?

Pretty much so, they are a professional army, similar in fashion to Cromwell's New Model Army, identically armed and trained to a very high standard, the officers are subject to a high degree of training and know that position in society will not stop them being demoted or carpeted for incompetence.

[Quiet_Man]

Originally Posted by Grey Wolf

I think you mean Provence ? Or maybe 'the province' ?

Best Regards
Grey Wolf

Yes Provence, or Provencal as word keeps on insisting I should spell it.

[Quiet_Man]

Originally Posted by Grey Wolf

Russia must be rubbing its hands, someone just deleted its enemies and replaced them with rather loose or unsteady states...

I don't see longevity for a Swedish-Lithuanian partnership, but of course I could be wrong !

What happened to Courland/Kurland btw ?

Best Regards
Grey Wolf

The Russians would be, but for the fact that this is pre Peter the Great (and his army reforms) and Sweden is part of the Northern alliance and wont want to see them involved in the Ukraine, Poland or Lithuania.
Courland was seized by Sweden back in 1629 as part of its war against Poland Lithuania.

[Quiet_Man]

Map 1654.

[Grey Wolf]

Very nice map - but you knew that

Best Regards
Grey Wolf