After deposing Augustus and placing Stanislaus on the Polish throne, Charles veered north to retake Neva where Tsar Peter had created a Fortress which would later be known as St. Petersburg. Throughout 1704-1705, Charles tried increasingly to take the fort only to fail at taking the fort while successfully defeating the Russian armies near the area. This was a stalemate. In OTL, Peter offered to give up claims in Swedish Livonia and Estonia and Karelia in return for St. Petersburg and its immediate vicinity being ceded to Russia. In OTL, Charles XII denied the peace offer. In ATL, after finally listening to his advisers and generals, he agrees to end war with Russia on those terms. However he pushes for one more clause in which Sweden had rights to 40% of the shipping tolls in St. Petersburg for the next 15 years. Peter initially hesitates but after Charles begins negotiating an alliance with Stanislaus which would have been disastrous to Russia, Peter agrees.
The Treaty of Narva
1. Russia would give up all its claims on the Swedish Baltic and Karelia.
2. Sweden would cede the area of St. Petersburg and its immediate vicinity to Russia.
3. Sweden had rights to 40% of the shipping tolls in St. Petersburg for the next 15 years.
Signed: February 17th, 1706.
Now, with Russia out, Charles XII gave chase to Augustus. When he finally reaches Saxony he and Augustus meet each other at the battle of Gorlitz which decimates the remainder of Augustus's army. Charles XII provides an ultimatum to Augustus stating that if he gave up his claim to the Polish-Lithuanian throne, Augustus would keep his electorate of Saxony for just war reparations. Augustus reluctantly agrees. By the end of 1706, all actions in all fronts have ceased. Charles XII returns to Sweden and with the war reparations from Saxony begins investing into proper infrastructure across the empire. In a meeting with his sister, Ulrica Eleanor, he states that the poor conditions in the Russian countryside had inflicted huge losses to both the Russians and the Swedes and had cut through the time taken to supply the army and the civilian population too long and that investing in the infrastructure would insure the flow of supplies on time in future wars and ensure that the population within the empire could move about within the empire with ease. He also begins a massive assimilation program in Finland aimed at incorporating the Finnish culture within the Swedish culture. His government also starts reproduction propaganda to increase the population of Sweden eventually. He also stops the increasing influence of the nobility on the Swedish Riksbank and made it a private central bank with no external influence allowed. He also uses the war reparations from Saxony to slowly build up his fleet for the eventual confrontation with the Danes at 1709 when the truce ended. However, he believed that all the new infrastructural, economical and legislative reforms he was making would all be turned around if he went to war with the Danes. So in august 1708, he marries Princess Sophia Hedwig of Denmark whilst also diplomatically ending the war, slightly bluntly which disgruntles some danish politicians. In early 1711, Queen Sophia Hedwig gives birth to twins, Charles XIII and Frederick of Sweden. Charles begins grooming his elder twin son, Charles XIII to become king while he grooms Frederick to become the Grand General of the Empire to aid his brother in administrating and defending the empire in the future. In 1711, Archduke Karl becomes Emperor of Austria. He pleads with Charles to save the Grand Alliance. Charles XII, like the great strategist that he was, knew that the situation had developed too far in the War of the Spanish Succession for Austria to negotiate a harsh treaty on France. However, he accepted Karl's requested knowing that a proper Swedish response would simply once again cement Sweden's place as a major power once again. In 1712, he helps the Dutch and Austrians win the Battle of Dennai breaking through the French lines with ease. However, with Austrian and Dutch logistics extended thin, Charles XII could not pursue the French. However in the Peace of Utrecht, he pushes for some kind of reward for the Swedish. He also threatens saying that France was exhausted while Sweden was not and Paris was not a far distance away. In the end, the negotiators agree to cede French Martinique and Guadaloupe to Sweden and provide a good amount of reparations. Charles XII is satisfied with the deal and agrees. With a few Caribbean islands under his belt now, he also begins extending Swedish economy into the Sugar trade to bolster the national income.
In 1714, he and Stanislaus entered into a secret defensive pact stating that should either country be invaded by Russia, they would help each other. Charles XII passed many new laws and reforms regarding finance, economics and the military. In 1719, he began an ambitious project to create a new city in the Swedish Baltic which he intends to make the Swedish Baltic's capital. In 1722, the city of Charlesville is established south of Talinn, and north of Riga right at the Livonian-Estonian frontiers. The city is made to rival the cities of Vilnius, Riga and Talinn. Charlesville is soon after made the administrative capital of the Swedish Baltic. In 1718, Sophia Hedwig gives birth to Charles XII's 3rd child, Princess Amelia.
On the basis of strategic importance, Charles also begins building good diplomatic ties with Britain. In 1735, Stanislaus dies in a fire accident. His successor, Augustus III is very pro-russian and Charles XII begins looking elsewhere for allies. He reaffirms his diplomatic ties with Britain and creates an anti-russian secret defensive pact with Britain. Charles also began building up the Swedish Navy in the Baltic so that it could gain naval primacy and dominance against the rising prussians, the revanchist danes and a historical rival, Russia. He also invested in a strong colonial navy so that a repitition of the seizure of Swedish colonies in the past by the dutch and english dont happen again. Sophia Hedwig also leads the charge in bringing a new era of renaissance for swedish art and literature. In 1740, Queen Sophia died and was soon followed by Charles XII himself in 1742. After his death he was called Charles XII of Sweden the Great for his military prowess, victory at the Great Northern War, his reforms and for ushering an era of peace and prosperity for the empire.
He is succeeded by his son, Charles XIII of Sweden. Charles XIII starts trading British coal for Swedish steel to spur Sweden into the early Industrial era. He establishes the National Resource Agency which would monitor the total natural resources within Sweden along side their use, and preservation. In 1747, some members of the Nobility try to pressure Charles XIII into joining the War of Austrian Succession. However, Charles's only heir was his daughter, Princess Aurora and joining the war against Austria with Archduchess Maria Theresa leading Austria would put into question Princess Aurora's succession after Charles. Therefore, Charles opted not to enter the war instead helping the British maintain their trade in the Baltic against several naval raids made by the Prussian Navy. In 1754, Charles XIII started to end the era of absolutism in Sweden to a more onto the times monarchy as the power of the Parliament was restored, however there were many restrictions placed, one such being that the King or Queen of Sweden would have a quarter of the votes in the Parliament and that the Parliament could not vote to go to war against any country without the Monarch's approval. The Judiciary and Executive parts of the government were also made into separate bodies. In May 17th, 1759, Charles XIII would on a voyage to Great Britain after a French warship fired on it mistaking it for a British ship.
Princess Aurora ascended to the Throne and an immediate vote was held in the Parliament. Sweden was in an uproar over the death of its monarch. Princess Aurora approved of the Prime Minister's proposal for a war against France as retribution for the monarch's death. The vote passed overwhelmingly in the Parliament. Despite Charles XIII's blunt exterior, he was a well-loved monarch and known to be a kind person with the same level of ingenuity as that of his father. On June 15, Queen Aurora ordered the mobilization of the Swedish Army. A force that had remained an extremely well-trained and disciplined force across the decades. On October 27th, 1759, the Swedish Empire declared war on France.
France immediately requested Russia to declare war on Sweden however, Russia declined. Most of its armies were in Poland and Prussia fighting the Prussians. The remainder of its armies would be no defense against the onslaught of the Swedish. And because of St. Petersburg being so close to the Swedish border, Empress Elizabeth declined going to war with Sweden. Sweden amassing a huge amount of troops near its borders had helped. Swedish troops were given permission from Great Britain to enter Hannover as Swedish troops began to help the Hannoverians defend their homeland from French invasions. In the Battle of Quiberon Bay, the Swedish Livonian Fleet helped British Admiral Edward Hawke put down 21 French ship of the line which brought about the end of French plans to invade the British isles. In 1760, despite Sweden and Russia not being at war, Russian troops attacked the Swedish garrison at Kolberg. The Swedish defended it fiercely leading to the Russian retreat from Kolberg. In 1761, Queen Aurora received news that the Duke of Brunswick was retreating from a 92,000 strong French army with only a third of those numbers under his command. Queen Aurora personally took command of the 40,000 strong swedish army and joined the Duke of Brunswick at the Battle of Villinghausen defeating the French army. The French remarked that Queen Aurora was the Swedish Joan of Arc as they fled seeing Queen Aurora cut down so many troops. In 1762, after Russia left the war under Prussophile Peter the Third, Swedish troops in Brunswick managed to lift the strains on the Hannoverians by capturing the key city of Gottingen.
In the Swedish Caribbean, the Swedish Colonial Fleet helped the British Royal Navy blockade New France and bombarded Louisiana many times. A force about 5000 was mustered up under the Governor of Swedish West Indies managed to bombard Port Au Prince and capture the city after a long 3 month siege with help from the Swedish and Royal Navy. Haiti was soon overrun with Swedish forces. In contrast to the french rule, native Haiti people liked the Swedish rule more. In 1730, Charles XII had laid down law that the military would have to treat the people from occupied territories respectfully and properly like he had done in Poland. This rule had been followed and the anti-french Haitians become pro-swedish during their 2-year long occupation.
Finally in the Peace conferences, Sweden managed to gain huge war reparations from France and Austria. It also gained French Haiti and was given the rights to 2/3rd of the shipping tolls in French Louisiana for the next 25 years.
After the war, Queen Aurora passed the consensus act of 1771 after her grandfather's reproduction propaganda had proven successful as the population rose exponentially from 1725 to 1770 and the need for a proper documentation system of the population began to grow. She continued to promote the propaganda knowing that increased manpower would mean Sweden would have a greater capacity to fight in any future wars and retain its standing as a great power. In 1772 she gives birth to the new Heir Magnus. In 1778 she also gives birth to another boy named Philip. During the American Revolution Aurora had sent a contingent of Swedish soldiers under British command to help the British put down the Americans. This led to the 'Delaware Massacre' in which the small swedish population residing near the Delaware were killed by the American patriots. Aurora was infuriated and ordered the Swedish Colonial fleet to blockade the Americans. Though the Swedish Empire never went to war with America officially, Sweden sunk many American ships and prevented American trade to fully develop throughout the war. In 1782, George Washington sent a personal letter of apology to Aurora over the killings of the Swedish population in America and personally vouched the lives of the remaining Swedish population in America. Aurora assented and the blockade was lifted on November 22, 1782. In 1788, Swedish explorers and traders also came into contact with Kamehameha the Great of Hawaii and was Kamehameha's major supplier of western goods. After unifying the Hawaiian islands Kamehameha also allowed a few Swedish settlers to live within Hawaii as a token of gratitude.
During the First Partition of Poland, Sweden participated in it and gained Courland. Sweden did not take part in the Second Partition like Austria however they participated in the Third Partition of Poland annexing Lithuania. In 1797, Lithuania was released as a country under a personal union with Sweden as the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.
In 1788, Aurora dies of stroke and her 16 year old son, Magnus becomes king of Sweden. In 1789, as the notions and ideals of the French revolution are brought to Swedish soil, the nobles demand the king to secure the rights of the nobles. The teenage king replies by famously saying "If you nobles have done nothing wrong against the people of the Swedish Empire, then you have nothing to worry against. If you have, then the consequences are yours to deal with."
However by 1803, tensions were mounting between Sweden and a resurgent France. Napoleon claimed that Haiti was French and had claimed the Swedish colony many times. Over high tensions, Sweden allowed the British to use Swedish Pomerania as a staging ground for the British in an war against Napoleon. On 9th August 1805, the Swedish Empire joined the 3rd Coalition. By the end of the war of the 3rd coalition, the Swedish Army had not engaged in anything other than small skirmishes. In 1806, when the Prussian King Frederick William III decided to declare war on France independently, France used the opening to invade Swedish Pomerania as well. The Swedes at first manged to push back the french at an initial victory at Greifswald however the larger forces defeated the Swedish at the Second Battle of Greifswald and besieged Stettin. Stettin fell on 15th January 1807 and along with it the rest of Swedish pomerania. the Swedish fleet had managed a desperate last minute evacuation of the Swedish army there alongside many civilians. Later Napoleon offered Sweden a peace treaty but Magnus refused the peace offer. He vowed that he would not stop until Swedish Pomerania had been liberated. Using the might of the Swedish Baltic Fleet, which was still the strongest fleet in the Baltic, Sweden ignored Napoleon's continental system and continued to trade with Great Britain. In August 1807, the Swedish fleet helped the British to capture the Dano-Norwegian fleet at Copenhagen. Soon Denmark-Norway had declared war on Sweden. The Swedish troops in Lappland and Skane immediately invaded Norway. Some setbacks were suffered however, Norway was cut into two as the Swedes lay siege to the city of Trondheim. A massive force was kept at Oslo to defend the city as well in case of Swedish invasion of Oslo.
In 1809, Polish forces under the new Grand Duchy of Warsaw invaded Lithuania and put Vilnius under siege. A force led by Magnus's brother Philip lifted the siege at the Battle of Vilnius which dealt a punishing blow to the polish forces. By 1810, Trondheim had fallen and the Swedish troops were making a massive flanking maneuver from the north to threaten Oslo. After diplomatically preventing a Russian invasion in 1808, the French had pressured Russia again. In March 5th, 1810, Russian Tsar Alexander demanded Sweden to surrender and join the Continental system. Sweden denied the ultimatum. Magnus immediately ordered that only garrison level troops be left in Norway as the rest of the troops were diverted east. Prince Phillip, Magnus's brother, and a well known tactician invaded the Principality of Pskov from Livonia after leaving the defense of Lithuania to the Governor of Lithuania. The Russians advanced towards Vyborg and captured the city. A russian army also captured Joensuu in the north after forcing the 1000 garrison to surrender. Swedish reinforcements arrived on May 24th , 1810 as the Swedes went on the offensive at met the Russian army at the Battle of Mikkeli with a force of 30,000 against a force of 75,000. Using the muddy and watery terrain to their advantage, the army personally led by King Magnus defeated the Russians and routed them. The Swedish fleet also began to blockade Russia. Prince Phillip who had laid siege to Pskov captured the city on September 12th, 1810. Joensuu was liberated on October 25, 1810. The Russians had been pushed back to the border. With Sweden directly threatening St. Petersburg as on November 29th, 1810, the Swedish navy bombarded and destroyed the entirety of St. Petersburg harbour and the Armies of Prince Phillip and King Magnus were starting to converge onto St. Petersburg. Russia asked for an armistice and the armistice was signed on Feb 7, 1811 ending the 1810-11 Russo-Swedish War with a Swedish victory which had returned the status-quo with Russia.
In 1812, Napoleon launched an invasion of both Russia and the Swedish Baltic overunning the stunned Lithuanians with ease. Riga was besieged and Riga fell. The French and Swedes exchanged a battle at the Battle of Tartu in which Prince Philip was killed in battle after forcing a stalemate with France. Magnus vowed revenge against France for the death of his brother. The Swedes aided the Russians with their superior infrastructure to resupply the Russians faster and deployed an army to help the Russians. In October as Napoleon retreated from Moscow, the Swedish Imperial Army under king Magnus together with Tsar Alexander and the Russians gave chase to the French armies. In January 1813, Riga was liberated by Magnus. In October 1813, after a devastating Battle of Zlotow where the Swedish army had inflicted a major blow to the French, Magnus entered Stettin, the capital of Swedish Pomerania victoriously as the people cheered and celebrated.
Magnus and the Swedish army together with Tsar Alexander and the Russian army entered Paris on March 31, 1814. In 1815 during the War of the Seventh Coalition, Sweden helped the Prussians flank the French at the Battle of Waterloo. For Sweden's contributions in the war and unwavering stance remaining at war from 1805 to 1815 the longest of the all the powers except Britain, Sweden was gifted the entirety of the French West Indies as well as French Guyana along with a hefty amount of war reparations. There was talk about creating an independent King of Norway under the personal union with Sweden however Magnus declined the talk and annexed Bornholm and made Denmark pay hefty war reparations and had them pay war indemnities. Trondheim would remain occupied until 1820.
During the war from 1812-1815, Magnus and Tsar Alexander had developed a good friendship fighting the French together and signed a Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation in 1818 in St. Petersburg with Russia and Sweden signing a non-aggression pact for 75 years (until 1893). After the Napoleonic wars Sweden enters an era of peace and prosperity as in 1839, the country begins building early railway all across the empire. In 1842 Magnus dies at the age of 69 and is succeeded by his son Philip (who was named after his brother). Magnus is labeled Magnus the Determined for his absolute grit in the Napoleonic Wars after his death. King Phillip abolishes Slavery in 1843 and in 1848 allows the Parliament to pass liberal laws and policies to alleviate the tension among the normal citizen during the Revolutions of 1848. During the Crimean War, both Russia and Britain courted Sweden to try and involve them in the war, however Phillip declined the offers to retain the economic prosperity of the nation.
In 1864, the second Schleswig war started between Denmark-Norway and the German Confederation. The Rise of Prussia was concerning to Sweden. So a volunteer corps under General Karl Gustavus is sent to fight for Denmark. The Swedes also allow the Danes to use the Malmo railway to transport the troops fast from Norway to Sweden protected by the Swedish navy. Sweden also threatens war with Prussia if Schleswig is annexed by the German Confederation. Prussia at first seems unrelenting but as teh Swedish Navy begins to come out in droves in the Pomeranian gulf, the Prussians back down and only Holstein and Saxe-Launberg is annexed with Schelswig remaining Danish.
In 1868, King Phillip died of cancer and was succeeded by his son, Oscar.
At the Berlin Conference, King Oscar overrode King Leopold of Belgium and managed to secure the Congo as a Swedish colony. In 1883, King Oscar died from stroke leading to his only child, the 17 year old Princess Camilla to ascend to the throne as Queen Camilla of Sweden. In 1885 a treaty is signed between the German Empire and Swedish Empire. Sweden would cede Pomerania to Germany in return for German Togoland and a quiet a sum of money. Germany also guaranteed the rights of all the Swedish population living in Pomerania ending the 250 year long Swedish rule over Pomerania.
In the 1890s a naval arms race erupted between Germany and Britain. This inevitably led to the buildup of the German Baltic Fleet. This sparked outrage in Sweden which had dominated the Baltic Seas for more than a century. So as a naval arms race began in the north sea between Britain and Germany, a naval arms race began in the Baltic between Sweden and Germany.
*Statistics of the Swedish Empire in 1900*
Monarch: Queen Camilla
Government: Parliamentary Monarchy
Capital: Stockholm
Regional Capitals: Malmo, Helsinki, Charlesburg
GDP: 4th Largest in the World (After UK, Germany and UK)
Population (Remember that in this timeline a reproduction propaganda has been followed through for the last 200 years, the population will be substantially higher)
Population of Sweden: 6.6 Million
Population of Finland: 3.4 Million
Population of Estonia: 1.5 Million
Population of Latvia: 2.3 Million
Population of Swedish West Indies: 0.5 Million
Population of Swedish Haiti: 2.5 Million
Population of Swedish Togoland: 1 Million
Population of Swedish Congo: 14 Million
Population of Swedish Guyana: 100,000
Total Population: 32.1 Million
Military:-
Army of Skane: 135,000
Army of Lappland:25,000
Army of Finland: 150,000
Army of Livonia: 200,000
Army of the West Indies:25,000
Army of Guyana:5,000
Army of Togo:10,000
Army of Congo:50,000
Total Active Personnel: 600,000
Reserves: 900,000
Navy:-
1. Home Fleet (Base Gotland)
2. Finnish Fleet (Base Helsinki)
3. Livonian Fleet (Base Riga)
4. West Indies Fleet (Base Port Au Prince)
5. African Colonial Fleet (Base Lome)
END OF CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2 will cover 1900 to 1939
PLZ deliver only constructive criticism plz
Army of
The Treaty of Narva
1. Russia would give up all its claims on the Swedish Baltic and Karelia.
2. Sweden would cede the area of St. Petersburg and its immediate vicinity to Russia.
3. Sweden had rights to 40% of the shipping tolls in St. Petersburg for the next 15 years.
Signed: February 17th, 1706.
Now, with Russia out, Charles XII gave chase to Augustus. When he finally reaches Saxony he and Augustus meet each other at the battle of Gorlitz which decimates the remainder of Augustus's army. Charles XII provides an ultimatum to Augustus stating that if he gave up his claim to the Polish-Lithuanian throne, Augustus would keep his electorate of Saxony for just war reparations. Augustus reluctantly agrees. By the end of 1706, all actions in all fronts have ceased. Charles XII returns to Sweden and with the war reparations from Saxony begins investing into proper infrastructure across the empire. In a meeting with his sister, Ulrica Eleanor, he states that the poor conditions in the Russian countryside had inflicted huge losses to both the Russians and the Swedes and had cut through the time taken to supply the army and the civilian population too long and that investing in the infrastructure would insure the flow of supplies on time in future wars and ensure that the population within the empire could move about within the empire with ease. He also begins a massive assimilation program in Finland aimed at incorporating the Finnish culture within the Swedish culture. His government also starts reproduction propaganda to increase the population of Sweden eventually. He also stops the increasing influence of the nobility on the Swedish Riksbank and made it a private central bank with no external influence allowed. He also uses the war reparations from Saxony to slowly build up his fleet for the eventual confrontation with the Danes at 1709 when the truce ended. However, he believed that all the new infrastructural, economical and legislative reforms he was making would all be turned around if he went to war with the Danes. So in august 1708, he marries Princess Sophia Hedwig of Denmark whilst also diplomatically ending the war, slightly bluntly which disgruntles some danish politicians. In early 1711, Queen Sophia Hedwig gives birth to twins, Charles XIII and Frederick of Sweden. Charles begins grooming his elder twin son, Charles XIII to become king while he grooms Frederick to become the Grand General of the Empire to aid his brother in administrating and defending the empire in the future. In 1711, Archduke Karl becomes Emperor of Austria. He pleads with Charles to save the Grand Alliance. Charles XII, like the great strategist that he was, knew that the situation had developed too far in the War of the Spanish Succession for Austria to negotiate a harsh treaty on France. However, he accepted Karl's requested knowing that a proper Swedish response would simply once again cement Sweden's place as a major power once again. In 1712, he helps the Dutch and Austrians win the Battle of Dennai breaking through the French lines with ease. However, with Austrian and Dutch logistics extended thin, Charles XII could not pursue the French. However in the Peace of Utrecht, he pushes for some kind of reward for the Swedish. He also threatens saying that France was exhausted while Sweden was not and Paris was not a far distance away. In the end, the negotiators agree to cede French Martinique and Guadaloupe to Sweden and provide a good amount of reparations. Charles XII is satisfied with the deal and agrees. With a few Caribbean islands under his belt now, he also begins extending Swedish economy into the Sugar trade to bolster the national income.
In 1714, he and Stanislaus entered into a secret defensive pact stating that should either country be invaded by Russia, they would help each other. Charles XII passed many new laws and reforms regarding finance, economics and the military. In 1719, he began an ambitious project to create a new city in the Swedish Baltic which he intends to make the Swedish Baltic's capital. In 1722, the city of Charlesville is established south of Talinn, and north of Riga right at the Livonian-Estonian frontiers. The city is made to rival the cities of Vilnius, Riga and Talinn. Charlesville is soon after made the administrative capital of the Swedish Baltic. In 1718, Sophia Hedwig gives birth to Charles XII's 3rd child, Princess Amelia.
On the basis of strategic importance, Charles also begins building good diplomatic ties with Britain. In 1735, Stanislaus dies in a fire accident. His successor, Augustus III is very pro-russian and Charles XII begins looking elsewhere for allies. He reaffirms his diplomatic ties with Britain and creates an anti-russian secret defensive pact with Britain. Charles also began building up the Swedish Navy in the Baltic so that it could gain naval primacy and dominance against the rising prussians, the revanchist danes and a historical rival, Russia. He also invested in a strong colonial navy so that a repitition of the seizure of Swedish colonies in the past by the dutch and english dont happen again. Sophia Hedwig also leads the charge in bringing a new era of renaissance for swedish art and literature. In 1740, Queen Sophia died and was soon followed by Charles XII himself in 1742. After his death he was called Charles XII of Sweden the Great for his military prowess, victory at the Great Northern War, his reforms and for ushering an era of peace and prosperity for the empire.
He is succeeded by his son, Charles XIII of Sweden. Charles XIII starts trading British coal for Swedish steel to spur Sweden into the early Industrial era. He establishes the National Resource Agency which would monitor the total natural resources within Sweden along side their use, and preservation. In 1747, some members of the Nobility try to pressure Charles XIII into joining the War of Austrian Succession. However, Charles's only heir was his daughter, Princess Aurora and joining the war against Austria with Archduchess Maria Theresa leading Austria would put into question Princess Aurora's succession after Charles. Therefore, Charles opted not to enter the war instead helping the British maintain their trade in the Baltic against several naval raids made by the Prussian Navy. In 1754, Charles XIII started to end the era of absolutism in Sweden to a more onto the times monarchy as the power of the Parliament was restored, however there were many restrictions placed, one such being that the King or Queen of Sweden would have a quarter of the votes in the Parliament and that the Parliament could not vote to go to war against any country without the Monarch's approval. The Judiciary and Executive parts of the government were also made into separate bodies. In May 17th, 1759, Charles XIII would on a voyage to Great Britain after a French warship fired on it mistaking it for a British ship.
Princess Aurora ascended to the Throne and an immediate vote was held in the Parliament. Sweden was in an uproar over the death of its monarch. Princess Aurora approved of the Prime Minister's proposal for a war against France as retribution for the monarch's death. The vote passed overwhelmingly in the Parliament. Despite Charles XIII's blunt exterior, he was a well-loved monarch and known to be a kind person with the same level of ingenuity as that of his father. On June 15, Queen Aurora ordered the mobilization of the Swedish Army. A force that had remained an extremely well-trained and disciplined force across the decades. On October 27th, 1759, the Swedish Empire declared war on France.
France immediately requested Russia to declare war on Sweden however, Russia declined. Most of its armies were in Poland and Prussia fighting the Prussians. The remainder of its armies would be no defense against the onslaught of the Swedish. And because of St. Petersburg being so close to the Swedish border, Empress Elizabeth declined going to war with Sweden. Sweden amassing a huge amount of troops near its borders had helped. Swedish troops were given permission from Great Britain to enter Hannover as Swedish troops began to help the Hannoverians defend their homeland from French invasions. In the Battle of Quiberon Bay, the Swedish Livonian Fleet helped British Admiral Edward Hawke put down 21 French ship of the line which brought about the end of French plans to invade the British isles. In 1760, despite Sweden and Russia not being at war, Russian troops attacked the Swedish garrison at Kolberg. The Swedish defended it fiercely leading to the Russian retreat from Kolberg. In 1761, Queen Aurora received news that the Duke of Brunswick was retreating from a 92,000 strong French army with only a third of those numbers under his command. Queen Aurora personally took command of the 40,000 strong swedish army and joined the Duke of Brunswick at the Battle of Villinghausen defeating the French army. The French remarked that Queen Aurora was the Swedish Joan of Arc as they fled seeing Queen Aurora cut down so many troops. In 1762, after Russia left the war under Prussophile Peter the Third, Swedish troops in Brunswick managed to lift the strains on the Hannoverians by capturing the key city of Gottingen.
In the Swedish Caribbean, the Swedish Colonial Fleet helped the British Royal Navy blockade New France and bombarded Louisiana many times. A force about 5000 was mustered up under the Governor of Swedish West Indies managed to bombard Port Au Prince and capture the city after a long 3 month siege with help from the Swedish and Royal Navy. Haiti was soon overrun with Swedish forces. In contrast to the french rule, native Haiti people liked the Swedish rule more. In 1730, Charles XII had laid down law that the military would have to treat the people from occupied territories respectfully and properly like he had done in Poland. This rule had been followed and the anti-french Haitians become pro-swedish during their 2-year long occupation.
Finally in the Peace conferences, Sweden managed to gain huge war reparations from France and Austria. It also gained French Haiti and was given the rights to 2/3rd of the shipping tolls in French Louisiana for the next 25 years.
After the war, Queen Aurora passed the consensus act of 1771 after her grandfather's reproduction propaganda had proven successful as the population rose exponentially from 1725 to 1770 and the need for a proper documentation system of the population began to grow. She continued to promote the propaganda knowing that increased manpower would mean Sweden would have a greater capacity to fight in any future wars and retain its standing as a great power. In 1772 she gives birth to the new Heir Magnus. In 1778 she also gives birth to another boy named Philip. During the American Revolution Aurora had sent a contingent of Swedish soldiers under British command to help the British put down the Americans. This led to the 'Delaware Massacre' in which the small swedish population residing near the Delaware were killed by the American patriots. Aurora was infuriated and ordered the Swedish Colonial fleet to blockade the Americans. Though the Swedish Empire never went to war with America officially, Sweden sunk many American ships and prevented American trade to fully develop throughout the war. In 1782, George Washington sent a personal letter of apology to Aurora over the killings of the Swedish population in America and personally vouched the lives of the remaining Swedish population in America. Aurora assented and the blockade was lifted on November 22, 1782. In 1788, Swedish explorers and traders also came into contact with Kamehameha the Great of Hawaii and was Kamehameha's major supplier of western goods. After unifying the Hawaiian islands Kamehameha also allowed a few Swedish settlers to live within Hawaii as a token of gratitude.
During the First Partition of Poland, Sweden participated in it and gained Courland. Sweden did not take part in the Second Partition like Austria however they participated in the Third Partition of Poland annexing Lithuania. In 1797, Lithuania was released as a country under a personal union with Sweden as the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.
In 1788, Aurora dies of stroke and her 16 year old son, Magnus becomes king of Sweden. In 1789, as the notions and ideals of the French revolution are brought to Swedish soil, the nobles demand the king to secure the rights of the nobles. The teenage king replies by famously saying "If you nobles have done nothing wrong against the people of the Swedish Empire, then you have nothing to worry against. If you have, then the consequences are yours to deal with."
However by 1803, tensions were mounting between Sweden and a resurgent France. Napoleon claimed that Haiti was French and had claimed the Swedish colony many times. Over high tensions, Sweden allowed the British to use Swedish Pomerania as a staging ground for the British in an war against Napoleon. On 9th August 1805, the Swedish Empire joined the 3rd Coalition. By the end of the war of the 3rd coalition, the Swedish Army had not engaged in anything other than small skirmishes. In 1806, when the Prussian King Frederick William III decided to declare war on France independently, France used the opening to invade Swedish Pomerania as well. The Swedes at first manged to push back the french at an initial victory at Greifswald however the larger forces defeated the Swedish at the Second Battle of Greifswald and besieged Stettin. Stettin fell on 15th January 1807 and along with it the rest of Swedish pomerania. the Swedish fleet had managed a desperate last minute evacuation of the Swedish army there alongside many civilians. Later Napoleon offered Sweden a peace treaty but Magnus refused the peace offer. He vowed that he would not stop until Swedish Pomerania had been liberated. Using the might of the Swedish Baltic Fleet, which was still the strongest fleet in the Baltic, Sweden ignored Napoleon's continental system and continued to trade with Great Britain. In August 1807, the Swedish fleet helped the British to capture the Dano-Norwegian fleet at Copenhagen. Soon Denmark-Norway had declared war on Sweden. The Swedish troops in Lappland and Skane immediately invaded Norway. Some setbacks were suffered however, Norway was cut into two as the Swedes lay siege to the city of Trondheim. A massive force was kept at Oslo to defend the city as well in case of Swedish invasion of Oslo.
In 1809, Polish forces under the new Grand Duchy of Warsaw invaded Lithuania and put Vilnius under siege. A force led by Magnus's brother Philip lifted the siege at the Battle of Vilnius which dealt a punishing blow to the polish forces. By 1810, Trondheim had fallen and the Swedish troops were making a massive flanking maneuver from the north to threaten Oslo. After diplomatically preventing a Russian invasion in 1808, the French had pressured Russia again. In March 5th, 1810, Russian Tsar Alexander demanded Sweden to surrender and join the Continental system. Sweden denied the ultimatum. Magnus immediately ordered that only garrison level troops be left in Norway as the rest of the troops were diverted east. Prince Phillip, Magnus's brother, and a well known tactician invaded the Principality of Pskov from Livonia after leaving the defense of Lithuania to the Governor of Lithuania. The Russians advanced towards Vyborg and captured the city. A russian army also captured Joensuu in the north after forcing the 1000 garrison to surrender. Swedish reinforcements arrived on May 24th , 1810 as the Swedes went on the offensive at met the Russian army at the Battle of Mikkeli with a force of 30,000 against a force of 75,000. Using the muddy and watery terrain to their advantage, the army personally led by King Magnus defeated the Russians and routed them. The Swedish fleet also began to blockade Russia. Prince Phillip who had laid siege to Pskov captured the city on September 12th, 1810. Joensuu was liberated on October 25, 1810. The Russians had been pushed back to the border. With Sweden directly threatening St. Petersburg as on November 29th, 1810, the Swedish navy bombarded and destroyed the entirety of St. Petersburg harbour and the Armies of Prince Phillip and King Magnus were starting to converge onto St. Petersburg. Russia asked for an armistice and the armistice was signed on Feb 7, 1811 ending the 1810-11 Russo-Swedish War with a Swedish victory which had returned the status-quo with Russia.
In 1812, Napoleon launched an invasion of both Russia and the Swedish Baltic overunning the stunned Lithuanians with ease. Riga was besieged and Riga fell. The French and Swedes exchanged a battle at the Battle of Tartu in which Prince Philip was killed in battle after forcing a stalemate with France. Magnus vowed revenge against France for the death of his brother. The Swedes aided the Russians with their superior infrastructure to resupply the Russians faster and deployed an army to help the Russians. In October as Napoleon retreated from Moscow, the Swedish Imperial Army under king Magnus together with Tsar Alexander and the Russians gave chase to the French armies. In January 1813, Riga was liberated by Magnus. In October 1813, after a devastating Battle of Zlotow where the Swedish army had inflicted a major blow to the French, Magnus entered Stettin, the capital of Swedish Pomerania victoriously as the people cheered and celebrated.
Magnus and the Swedish army together with Tsar Alexander and the Russian army entered Paris on March 31, 1814. In 1815 during the War of the Seventh Coalition, Sweden helped the Prussians flank the French at the Battle of Waterloo. For Sweden's contributions in the war and unwavering stance remaining at war from 1805 to 1815 the longest of the all the powers except Britain, Sweden was gifted the entirety of the French West Indies as well as French Guyana along with a hefty amount of war reparations. There was talk about creating an independent King of Norway under the personal union with Sweden however Magnus declined the talk and annexed Bornholm and made Denmark pay hefty war reparations and had them pay war indemnities. Trondheim would remain occupied until 1820.
During the war from 1812-1815, Magnus and Tsar Alexander had developed a good friendship fighting the French together and signed a Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation in 1818 in St. Petersburg with Russia and Sweden signing a non-aggression pact for 75 years (until 1893). After the Napoleonic wars Sweden enters an era of peace and prosperity as in 1839, the country begins building early railway all across the empire. In 1842 Magnus dies at the age of 69 and is succeeded by his son Philip (who was named after his brother). Magnus is labeled Magnus the Determined for his absolute grit in the Napoleonic Wars after his death. King Phillip abolishes Slavery in 1843 and in 1848 allows the Parliament to pass liberal laws and policies to alleviate the tension among the normal citizen during the Revolutions of 1848. During the Crimean War, both Russia and Britain courted Sweden to try and involve them in the war, however Phillip declined the offers to retain the economic prosperity of the nation.
In 1864, the second Schleswig war started between Denmark-Norway and the German Confederation. The Rise of Prussia was concerning to Sweden. So a volunteer corps under General Karl Gustavus is sent to fight for Denmark. The Swedes also allow the Danes to use the Malmo railway to transport the troops fast from Norway to Sweden protected by the Swedish navy. Sweden also threatens war with Prussia if Schleswig is annexed by the German Confederation. Prussia at first seems unrelenting but as teh Swedish Navy begins to come out in droves in the Pomeranian gulf, the Prussians back down and only Holstein and Saxe-Launberg is annexed with Schelswig remaining Danish.
In 1868, King Phillip died of cancer and was succeeded by his son, Oscar.
At the Berlin Conference, King Oscar overrode King Leopold of Belgium and managed to secure the Congo as a Swedish colony. In 1883, King Oscar died from stroke leading to his only child, the 17 year old Princess Camilla to ascend to the throne as Queen Camilla of Sweden. In 1885 a treaty is signed between the German Empire and Swedish Empire. Sweden would cede Pomerania to Germany in return for German Togoland and a quiet a sum of money. Germany also guaranteed the rights of all the Swedish population living in Pomerania ending the 250 year long Swedish rule over Pomerania.
In the 1890s a naval arms race erupted between Germany and Britain. This inevitably led to the buildup of the German Baltic Fleet. This sparked outrage in Sweden which had dominated the Baltic Seas for more than a century. So as a naval arms race began in the north sea between Britain and Germany, a naval arms race began in the Baltic between Sweden and Germany.
*Statistics of the Swedish Empire in 1900*
Monarch: Queen Camilla
Government: Parliamentary Monarchy
Capital: Stockholm
Regional Capitals: Malmo, Helsinki, Charlesburg
GDP: 4th Largest in the World (After UK, Germany and UK)
Population (Remember that in this timeline a reproduction propaganda has been followed through for the last 200 years, the population will be substantially higher)
Population of Sweden: 6.6 Million
Population of Finland: 3.4 Million
Population of Estonia: 1.5 Million
Population of Latvia: 2.3 Million
Population of Swedish West Indies: 0.5 Million
Population of Swedish Haiti: 2.5 Million
Population of Swedish Togoland: 1 Million
Population of Swedish Congo: 14 Million
Population of Swedish Guyana: 100,000
Total Population: 32.1 Million
Military:-
Army of Skane: 135,000
Army of Lappland:25,000
Army of Finland: 150,000
Army of Livonia: 200,000
Army of the West Indies:25,000
Army of Guyana:5,000
Army of Togo:10,000
Army of Congo:50,000
Total Active Personnel: 600,000
Reserves: 900,000
Navy:-
1. Home Fleet (Base Gotland)
2. Finnish Fleet (Base Helsinki)
3. Livonian Fleet (Base Riga)
4. West Indies Fleet (Base Port Au Prince)
5. African Colonial Fleet (Base Lome)
END OF CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2 will cover 1900 to 1939
PLZ deliver only constructive criticism plz
Army of
