TLC2: A Dropped Pen

[Geordie]

Originally Posted by pompejus

But you never know what the Netherlands will do now. They have a lot less colonies than OTL, so they might focus more on their army than their navy. They might be tempted to annex parts of Germany (to safe the German protestants from the evil Catholic Austrians, or something like that) and gaining a larger population than OTL. Or of course they might not. We will have to see about that.

On that point, did Gustav's intervention save the Reformists in Germany from annihilation? If so, how are they doing compared to OTL?

Keep the good work

[Jasen777]

Originally Posted by Geordie87

On that point, did Gustav's intervention save the Reformists in Germany from annihilation? If so, how are they doing compared to OTL?

Sweden has avoided involvement in Germany, they merely used the distraction to their advantage against Denmark. The 1560's disturbance was more peasant revolt than reformation, especially as seen from the outside. Here is the religious summary promised earlier.

Summary of Religious Differences from OTL as of 1600:

Holy Roman Empire: The Lutheran Reformation in the H.R.E. never happened. Instead they had the Muntzerian attempted reformation / peasent revolt in the 1520's. It was put down by force. Scattered Muntzerian rebellions in 1560 were put down with the help of Denmark (as the main imperial armies were deployed against the Ottomans). The H.R.E. is solidly Catholic, but with pockets of resentment among the lower classes.

Switzerland: The Zwinglian Reformation didn't spread as far, and was crushed by Catholic cantons. Switzerland is completely Catholic ITTL.

Sweden: Became an Apostolic state church, which is mainly Catholic doctrine with Muntzer's "new revelation from modern prophets" idea and monarchical leadership of the church. Muntzer's economic ideas and his more radical ideas about church hierarchy were not adopted. With the spread of Reformism, Sweden gradually began to deemphasize its Apostolic ties, and has tended to a moderate position between Catholic and Reformed doctrine. Similar to OTL's Church of England.

England: Henry VIII's followed Sweden's example and started an Apostolic state church. Later under Edwards VI (ITTL a healthy son of Henry and Anne Boleyn), it became a Reformed state church.

France: John Calvin launched what is considered the Reformation ITTL here. France adopted Reformism, which is pretty much OTL's Calvinism.

Netherlands: Has a Reformed state church, religiously not much different from OTL, but the country itself is.

Denmark and Scotland: Have remained Catholic instead of adopting Lutheranism and Calvinism respectively.

[Gonzaga]

Nice TL Jasen!

Just a question: has the Iberian Union still happened or Portugal is independent from Spain?

[Jasen777]

Originally Posted by Gonzaga

Just a question: has the Iberian Union still happened or Portugal is independent from Spain?

It hasn't. I was just getting to that actually.

Here's a map of 1600. Due to my limited map skills, it should probably only be considered a rough guide. Lines in the new world represent claims not backed by settlement. The white outlining of represents a vassal state of the interior color.

There's a few butterflies that I haven't previously covered. The two of note are that Spanish King has not inherited the crown of Portugal, and Prussia is an integral part of Poland-Lithuania.

[pompejus]

Originally Posted by Jasen777

It hasn't. I was just getting to that actually.

Here's a map of 1600. Due to my limited map skills, it should probably only be considered a rough guide. Lines in the new world represent claims not backed by settlement. The white outlining of represents a vassal state of the interior color.

There's a few butterflies that I haven't previously covered. The two of note are that Spanish King has not inherited the crown of Portugal, and Prussia is an integral part of Poland-Lithuania.

That is a big Netherlands. May I ask what is part of it? I assume that all the original Netherlands is, but on the map it looks like Liege is also part of (which would make more sense than France controlling it)

[Jasen777]

Originally Posted by pompejus

That is a big Netherlands. May I ask what is part of it? I assume that all the original Netherlands is, but on the map it looks like Liege is also part of (which would make more sense than France controlling it)

Curse those tiny borders!

The Netherlands is suppossed to be the territory formerly known as the Habsburg Netherlands + Liege.

France gained Lorraine, not Liege (my mistake).

[pompejus]

Originally Posted by Jasen777

Curse those tiny borders!

The Netherlands is suppossed to be the territory formerly known as the Habsburg Netherlands + Liege.

France gained Lorraine, not Liege (my mistake).

Ah, That does make sense. BTW is all if it reformed, including the southern Walloon parts?

[Jasen777]

Originally Posted by pompejus

Ah, That does make sense. BTW is all if it reformed, including the southern Walloon parts?

Yes. How I imagine it, they actually would have been the first to convert and then helped to spread it north.

[fortyseven]

Good timeline Jasen.

[Jasen777]

Originally Posted by fortyseven

Good timeline Jasen.

Thanks


1st Great Northern War (War of Russian Ascendancy)

The immediate cause of the war was the Polish-Lithuanian King Batory's desire to form a grand alliance against the Ottomans. The Habsburgs expressed interest, but the other wing of Batory's envisioned alliance, Russia, firmly declined the invitation. It's thought that Tsar Feodor II was offended by the tone of the Polish diplomat, which gave him the impression that Russia would be a rather junior partner in the affair.

Feodor's reply enraged Batory, who began to plan an invasion of Russia. He launched the invasion in 1608, after having secured an alliance with Sweden. Sweden under the Vasa Kings had remained aloof from continental European affairs, but Gustav IV saw the war as an opportunity to gain land from the Russian Baltic and independent Baltic territories.

That war started well for the Polish-Swedish alliance, as Sweden successfully gained it's Baltic objectives, and Poland had entered Russian territories and defeated two Russian armies before winter halted the campaign. The following spring, a joint Polish-Swedish army advanced on Moscow and occupied it after a battle outside the city. Feodor however had escaped. This was to mark the high point of both Polish and Swedish power.

In the winter of 1609, while the allies were discussing how to divide the spoils of war and what to do with Russia (there was talk of either putting a relative of Batory's on the Russian throne, or joining Russia to the Polish Commonwealth), Batory died. This, as was to often the case, plunged the Commonwealth into civil war. It also marked one of the most dramatic turnarounds in history. The Polish army disintegrated and/or withdrew to Poland to participate in the multi-sided civil war. This left the Swedes in Moscow, but with no real hope of holding the country without the Poles, they withdrew after facing the beginnings of a popular revolt organized by Orthodox priests.

As 1610 dragged on with no clear victor in the Polish civil war, a group of Polish nobles offered the crown of Poland to Gustav IV. Gustav accepted, but faced several rival claimants. Meanwhile, Feodor had reappeared in Moscow, and had organized a large army. In the spring of 1611 the army successfully moved against he lightly defended Swedish positions in the Baltics. The army then marched south, facing little opposition until meeting a Swedish lead army at Wilno. The resulting Battle of Wilno on August 6th 1611 resulted in a route of the worn-out Swedes, and marked the accession of Russia to great power status.

Aftermath

The result of the peace settlement saw Russia occupy the Baltics and the Russian-Swedish border restored to status-quo ante bellum. Polish-Lithuania did not escape as easily, as Feodor made Lithuania into a Russian vassal state, as well as created the new Duchy of Ukraine. Eventually, these states were annexed into Russia proper.

This left a rump Poland, consisting of around half the crown lands of the former Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The Polish Civil War continued, until the noble Jan Sawicki secured the Polish throne in 1613. Sawicki proved a shrewd administrator, and was able to centralize the new Poland to a good degree.

Questions remain about some of his methods, such as the possible mistreatment and expulsion of ethnic minorities from the realm and the questionable deaths of several Polish nobles. In any case, the state was more Polish than it ever had been, and it became increasingly so in the few decades after the war. Thus, some historians consider it the first true modern nation-state, put together on the basis of nationality rather than on the basis of feudal rule.

[Jasen777]

Map of the territory of the former Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth after the 1st Great Northern War.

[Jasen777]

Akerism

Richard Akers was an English scholar in the theology department at the University of Paris. He grew disenchanted with the increasingly hard-line stance taken towards predestination by the university. This led him to an intense study of the doctrine, and ultimately to his rejection of it. Akers came to believe that the Bible taught that people had free will and that the Reformed doctrine of souls being predestined to heaven or hell before the creation of the universe painted an unfavorable picture of God. Stemming from this, he also rejected infant baptism, as he believed that people should only be baptized after making a profession of faith.

Akers' teachings were quite controversial, and were not meet with approval from the University of Paris or the French Church. In 1602, he was expelled from the university, and a year later, the French Church found his teachings to be heretical. Akers moved to London, and gained a few hundred followers before his death in 1606. Akers' death didn't hinder the growth of the movement at all, and by 1610, Akerism had a few thousand followers throughout England.

The Church of England was quite alarmed at this growth, and wanted them declared heretical. Henry X was slow to act however, as the Akerites agreed with the King's headship of the church, and did not seek to break from it. however, he finally agreed to place restrictions of the practice of Akerism in 1612. He also thought to get rid of the problem by encouraging them to emigrate. Some went to the new world, but more went to Germany.

In Germany Louis VII, the Palatinate Elector, welcomed the Akerites. Louis was famous for his staging of theological debates, and was interested in learning about Akerism. He liked what he heard a lot, and soon came to be an open supporter of Akerism. In 1622, he renounced Catholicism and announced the foundering of the Church of Palatinate. Most signs point to this being a genuine conversion, but some historians think he merely had his eye on the territory of nearby bishoprics. In any case, the stage was now set for the Great Religious War.

[fortyseven]

good update

[Jasen777]

A Brief Overview of the 40 Years War

The Forty Years War is sometimes referred to as the Great Religious War. That name is misleading, as many other issues were at stake, including: France vs. the Hapsburgs for European supremacy, the rivalry between German States, the backlash against religious power over secular affairs in general, and proto German and Italian nationalism. The term "Forty Years War" is also a bit misleading; since it implies one war, when the conflict is more accurately described as a series of wars, sometimes separate, sometimes overlapping, with little break for 40 (38 would likely be more accurate) years.

The immediate cause of the conflict was the decision of Hesse-Kassel to declare a state church after the example of Palatinate in 1626. The H.R.E. Emperor, Maximilian III, had had enough with this heresy and gathered his imperial forces to put an end to it (and not uncoincidentally increase his power over the empire). As the series of wars are too complicated to detail here, what follows will be a run down of the participants.

Austria (Hapsburgs) - Started the war to ensure religious uniformity and to establish a greater authority for the imperial crown in the Empire. It failed in these goals. Many of the imperial cities came under the control of states, and the Peace of Geneva provided for the ruler of a state to freely determine the state's religion. The war wasn't a complete loss for the Hapsburgs however, as they gained Bavaria and most of Switzerland.

Denmark - Entered the war in support of the Hapsburgs, specifically seeking to prevent Sweden from gaining influence in Germany, which they were able to do.

France - Emerged as the major winner of the war and the supreme power in Europe. Under the able diplomacy of Charles X and Louis XII, France was able to line up its opponents, manipulating alliances for their benefit. France fought against Switzerland with the Hapsburgs, with the Akertie and Italian states against the Hapsburgs, and with the Swedes and Netherlanders both for and against other German states. This lead to famous quote, "And whose side are the French on today?" thought to be first said by Augustus II. The end result however was quite positive for the French, as they gained significant territory on their eastern border, gaining part of Switzerland, and various pieces formerly part of the H.R.E. including most of what was held by the Spanish.

German States - Palatinate and Hesse had prompted the war by turning from Catholicism; they (with Mecklenburg) formed the three Akerite states after the war, having been successful and gaining recognition of their state churches. Other winners were Brandenburg, Saxony, and Wurttemberg, all of whom emerged from the war with more territory and influence then they had before. The big loser in Germany was the Catholic Church. Nearly all the scared land holdings were secularized, and the three bishoprics were removed from elector status. They were replaced by the new duchy of Switzerland, and by the elevating of Hesse and Wurttemberg to elector status.

Italian States - Savoy and Milan, greatly aided by France, successfully fought against the Hapsburg attempt to keep them in the empire (or reincorporate them, depending on who you ask). The Papal States were excluded from the Empire by the comment consent of everyone except the Pope.

Netherlands - Was not that interested in the war, preferring to seek trade opportunities elsewhere. They did however get involved occasionally, and were essential to the defeat of the Hapsburg army at the Battle of Munster in 1653.

Poland - A Relatively minor player in the war, the kingdom was a strong, but occasional, ally of the Hapsburgs. Their cavalry gained a ferocious reputation, and was central to the defeat of the Swedish lead army at the Battle of Cottbus in 1650.

Spain - Often fought on the side of their Austrian Hapsburg cousins, but sought to avoid too direct of a conflict with France. The end of the Spanish Hapsburg line with the death of Phillip III in 1662 was a major factor in the winding down of the war. The Spanish Crown passed to the Castilian Miravalle line, and Spain was once again bankrupt and unable to conduct war. In the Peace of Geneva, Spain had to renounce all claims to territory in the H.R.E.

Sweden - Under the leadership of the Vasa kings, Sweden often intervened to assist the Akerite states or against the Hapsburgs. Sweden sought to gain influence in northern Germany. They were successful for a time, but largely withdrew from the war after Cottbus.

Switzerland - Was one of the major losers in the war. For the first part, they were content to set the war out and merely send mercenaries to all sides. This changed when during the chaos of the middle years of the war when they tried to grab some land in Swabia. This managed, in a rare period of cooperation, to bring down both the French and the Hapsburgs on them. The Swiss fought valiantly, and they still possessed some of the best pikemen in the world. They were worn down and defeated however by the superior musketry and artillery of the French and Austrians. At the Peace of Geneva in 1666, Switzerland was divided largely on language lines. The French speaking area were annexed by France, while the rest was incorporated into the H.R.E. as the Duchy of Switzerland, under the rule of one of Maximilian's innumerable cousins.

Summation

The Forty Years War was a confusing series of wars fought for religious, dynastic, and proto-nationalistic reasons. It was hardest of the German peasantry; with perhaps 15% of the prewar population dying of various war related causes.

The major results were:

Establishment of French supremacy
The principal of rulers' right to establish religion
The Hapsburgs desire for greater imperial control largely thwarted
A more secular and more German Holy Roman Empire
The extinguishing of many small German territories

[There will be a map eventually, but not until after a couple of more updates]

[fortyseven]

Cool. I'd like to see the map.

[corourke]

This is looking really, good, great job so far.

[Jasen777]

The War of English Succession and the Irish Rebellion

The Tudor line of English Monarchs came to end with the death of Queen Jane in 1630. This lead to a succession crisis, because the most legitimate claimant to the throne was Robert V, King of Scotland. The English populace nor Parliament were prepared to accept a Catholic king, and Robert was not willing to forswear Catholicism (which would disqualify him from the Scottish throne). Parliament declared for Arthur Pole, a more distant Tudor relative (ironically a York).

Robert, backed by a few English allies, led a Scottish army into England in the spring of 1632 in an attempt to enforce his claim to the throne. He was defeated however by Pole's army at Pickering on June 2. This effectively established Arthur's reign.

In revenge, Arthur ordered the invasion of Scotland in 1634 with the intent of ending the Scottish problem once and for all by conquest. The English campaign met with initial success, and gained the support of a fair number of people in the southern part of Scotland. Robert (who had escaped from the battle of Pickering) remained elusive, and the further north the English pushed the less success they had. Thus the English hold was still tenuous in 1636 when an Irish Rebellion broke out.

It wasn't long before England was on the verge of bankruptcy in the effort to both invade Scotland and put down the Irish rebellion. Frustrated by the failure to break Scotland to heel, the English finally withdrew in 1640. Arthur was able to force an official recognition of his English kingship from Robert, who publicly renounced his claim to the English throne. England was then freed up to focus solely on putting down the Irish rebellion. The rebellion proved remarkably tenacious, but was finally extinguished in 1649.

[fortyseven]

What's Arthur's regnal name?

[Jasen777]

Originally Posted by fortyseven

What's Arthur's regnal name?

I was thinking he'd keep Arthur (likely be Arthur I).


North American Settlement 1610-1666

The established colonies saw little additional immigration from Europe during this period, what growth they experienced was from internal sources. There were however, two significant new colonies established during this time.

Vasaland

Gustav V of Sweden ascended to the throne in 1615, and it soon become evident that he had an interest (an obsession according to most of the Swedish nobility) in founding a colony in America. Because of his drive, the Swedish colony of Vasaland was established on the North American continent, to the south of the Netherlander possessions. Centered around the town of Gustavia, the colony struggled initially because its plan of fur trapping proved unsuited to the environment, as well as a mixed reception from the local American Indians.

The colony failed to attract many settlers from Sweden and was in danger of failing completely. The new governor appointed in 1630, Lord Friggeberg, was able to solve the settler issue by attracting several thousand German colonists over the course of the Forty Years War.

Henry's Land

This colony was founded by English Akerites, who where discriminated against in England and were encouraged to emigrate. Henry X grated them permission to set up a new colony north of the Spanish possessions in America. This colony allowed the Akerites to freely practice their religion. Although they were still technically a part of the Church of England and acknowledged Henry as the head of the church, in practice they decided church issues for themselves, apart form the rest of the hierarchy of the English church.

The colony was a success, as it attracted a steady stream of colonists from England. The colonists were able to grow food crops as well as tobacco and cotton for export. As the colony grew, slaves were imported from the Spanish Caribbean or Africa to work in the fields.

[Jasen777]

Map of 1666, after the Peace of Geneva. Lines in new world show claims not backed by settlement or actual control. I couldn't get Portugal's color right, it keep looking like the Ottoman's, so I got mad and just made them the black and yellow stripes (that where gray on the last map, but that's actually the border color of the HRE).

The map of the American coast wasn't very detailed. The Swedish colony is supposed to be in OTL Virginia and the new English colony is supposed to be in the OTL Carolinas, roughly from Charleston to Wilmington.