Amicus Optima Vitae Possessio
In many ways, the conquest of Estonia marked the peak of Eric’s power. He had fulfilled his two main expansionist ambitions and, in a sense, finished the work that had begun under Valdemar Atterdag and continued under Margaret. But when you’re at the top, there’s only one way to go, and from the late 1430’s and going forward Eric would be increasingly more focused on internal matters than international activity.
One of the main reasons for this shift in priority for the King was the death of Sigismund of Luxembourg. The Holy Roman Emperor had not only been a dominant figure in European politics for decades, shaping the landscape of power from the Balkans to Scandinavia, he had also been Eric’s cousin and dear friend. The relationship between King and Emperor had meant that Eric could rely upon approval and support for his policies. This had been critical in Eric’s resolution of the conflict in Schleswig, his relationship with the Hanseatic League and a prime concern when it came to the alliance with Poland. It is fair to say that without Sigismund, Eric could not have attempted many of the things he accomplished.
The new King of the Romans was however Albert of Habsburg, a man Eric had never met and was not related to in any meaningful way. It was clear that Eric would not consistently be able to rely on imperial favor when it came to disputes in northern Germany anymore and thus, he was anxious to make new connections with the imperial court. Emissaries were dispatched to suggest a betrothal between Eric’s son Christopher and either one of Albert’s daughters Anne or Elizabeth. Albert wasn’t necessarily opposed to the idea of the engagement, an alliance with the north could prove valuable, but as conflict quickly flared up in Bohemia between Albert and Wladyslaw of Poland the King of the Romans doubted Eric’s willingness to support him against the Poles. Thus, nothing came of these initial negotiations, and it became clear that Eric’s relationship with the imperial throne would not be as smooth as it had been in the past for the time being.
This change in the political landscape, as well as Eric’s adventures to the east had reinvigorated an old enemy. Since 1433 the divided County of Holstein-Rendsburg had been reunified as Count Adolf of Schauenburg became the last standing of three brothers. With Eric distracted in Estonia, he could start small new attacks on Eric’s southern border, probably secretly supported by the Hansa who were looking for covert ways to harm Eric’s position. While these attacks could not threaten major fortresses like Gottorp, they disrupted trade and served as a constant reminder of the Schauenburger’s claim to Schleswig. The westernmost part of Schleswig, North Frisia, saw the brunt of these raids.
Eric’s carefully constructed network of friendly actors in northern Germany also slowly began to unravel. A few years after Sigismund of Luxembourg’s death, conflicts and feuds between various alliances and coalitions of minor Mecklenburger, Pomeranian and Markish lords and knights would break out again. It was likely the watchful gaze of Eric that had kept these traditional rivals in check, but again, as the King focused on his Estonian ambition, he could not stop the latent hostilities from flaring up again. Ironically Eric’s nephew Christopher, son of John of Neumarkt, would be one of the leading figures of these conflicts. Having earned battlefield experience in the Hussite wars and being given more and more powers and responsibilities by his father in the late 1430’s, Christopher didn’t have any personal feelings of gratitude towards his uncle in Scandinavia or love for his Pomeranian cousins.
But more than rumblings in Germany, it was very important domestic matters that would come to dominate the King’s politics when he returned from Estonia. Eric’s son Christopher was growing into a healthy young boy and his education to prepare him for his future responsibilities was paramount. Having been raised largely by his adoptive mother, Eric did not doubt the ability of women to instruct future rulers, and Christopher’s early education would largely by headed by Queen Philippa. This meant that Christopher would spend much of his childhood in Sweden where Philippa held most of her personal estates. He had been born in Vadstena, and some of Christopher’s earliest memories would be of the chanting of the monastery’s brothers.
Yet, Christopher’s exact status as the King’s son was not entirely clear and would prove to be a contentious matter. Denmark and Sweden were of course both elective monarchies, and thus had no clear concept of an ‘heir apparent’. The sons of Danish kings had sporadically received titles such as Duke or Junker, but these did not necessarily imply the right to inherit the throne after the King’s passing. Even in the traditionally hereditary Norway the question was raised if Christopher automatically would be considered his father’s heir. After all, more senior claimants had been skipped over when Eric had been crowned King of Norway all the way back in 1392, and to some this meant that Norway was not strictly a hereditary monarchy and that the privy councils should at least have some say in choosing of the King’s successor.
It wasn’t that there was much actual opposition to Christopher succeeding Eric as King whenever the aging King finally would leave this world, in fact he was seen as the most logical heir in all three countries, rather it was a matter of principles. Though the magnates in all three countries had no particular opposition to one day see young Christopher ascend as King, they all wished for this to be due to their approval, not some hereditary right as the King seemed to prefer. It may seem frivolous, but Eric’s reign was very much a time where the nature of royal power hanged in balance. Was the King elected by the men of his Kingdoms, and could he thus be deposed by them should they wish, or was he divinely anointed and only beholden to God? In this matter the King and many of his vassals seemed to have parting views.
The unenthusiasm that Eric faced in having his son recognized as his lawful heir was understandably frustrating for the King. There had been many complaints when he had pushed for having his cousin recognized as heir in the 1410’s, complaints that he had placated by promising to not favor Bogislaw over any child born to Eric and Philippa. Yet, now that such a very son in the form of Christopher stood before them, they still complained and delayed in recognizing him as heir. It dawned on Eric that the real problem had never been who was to succeed him, but rather who would have the final say in the matter. Thus, with his territorial ambitions largely fulfilled and the political landscape of Europe becoming unfavorable for further foreign ventures, Eric’s prime concern became the recognition of Christopher’s hereditary rights.
There were many ways Eric could imagine this being done, Junior Kings were not unheard of, not least in Denmark, though Eric would prefer a method that would guarantee his son’s succession in all three countries. As such he decided to focus on the Kingdom where he believed having Christopher recognized as heir would be easiest. Norway had after all followed a strict line of succession before the ascension of Eric to the throne and thus should be able to do so again in the King’s mind. Eric believed that if Christopher’s unquestionably could be recognized as heir to Norway, the other countries would be forced to fall in line. He based this on some clauses of the Kalmar letter, which stated that the three kingdoms were to have a single monarch. According to the King’s logic, this would mean that once Christopher was recognized as heir to Norway, it would be unlawful for any other candidate to be elected in either Denmark or Sweden, an excellent starting point for eventually enforcing a hereditary monarchy in those countries. Naturally, the legitimacy of the Kalmar letters was questionable, they had never been fully ratified, but Eric was convinced that he as so many times before would be able to enforce his interpretation of legal documents as reality.
Cousin Bogislaw had however become an awkward piece in the succession puzzle for Eric, who slightly started to regret having given him lands in Denmark. They had been intended to give Bogislaw a power base in the Kingdom to enforce his succession if it was not widely recognized, but now that he no longer was Eric’s favored heir, they could ironically be used to challenge Christopher’s succession, should Bogislaw be so inclined. Eric was tempted to confiscate the lands, but doing so would risk angering Bogislaw and thus throw the Nordic alliance with Poland into jeopardy, since it relied upon the marriage between Hedwig Jagiellon and Eric’s cousin. In either case Bogislaw showed no tendencies to be anything but loyal to King Eric, and as such Eric chose that it would be better to not act on his concerns, yet anyway,
Instead, Eric would journey to Norway in the late 1430’s and spend more time there than he had done in decades. His last longer visit to the country had been all the way back in 1405. This was partly due to Norway’s status as the least wealthy and thus most marginalized part of Eric’s three Kingdoms, but more than that Eric had a pragmatic approach to where he based himself. When there had been war in Schleswig he had mostly stayed in Denmark, in the leadup to the war in Estonia he had spent his time mostly in Sweden, but before now there had not been any pressing matters in Norway, which had proven easy to control from a base in Denmark either way. For this task however, the King felt that his personal presence was required.
Eric’s physical presence in Norwegian castles and towns, Akerhus, Bergen and Trondheim being the three he would frequent the most, would have much the same effect as his time spent in Sweden had. It allowed him to meet personally with many of his neglected Norwegian vassals and reestablish trust that had faded in the decades past, as well as deal with many local grievances. Many of these grievances were because many perceived ‘foreigners’ occupied important positions in Norway, another demonstration of the entirely different view of the Union that the King held from his vassals. To Eric, a Norwegian, Swede, Dane or Schleswiger was never a foreigner in his domains, but on the local level the perception was different. Eric did not appoint men on the basis of nationality, rather he did so based on his trust in their loyalty and competence, and since he rarely visited Norway, he knew few Norwegians that he trusted. Now however, he was able to meet and build a rapport with many Norwegians that he could appoint to various offices. One such was Amund Sigurdson, who had brought many of these complaints to the King and in time would become a lensman in Østlandet. As such, though Eric had come to Norway to further his dynastic goals, the visit would also prove to have a stabilizing effect for this part of the Kingdom.
It'll be exciting to see if Erik can be succesful in his Norwegian endeavors
