The New World and Holy Roman Empire 1500-1640
1640
With the Ottomans on the Baltic, Holy Roman Emperor Charles IX (King Charles V of Burgundy) (born 1586) and King Christian V of Denmark (b 1603 @1618) lead a joint army against them
Notes on the New World and The Empire : 1500 - 1640
OTL a united Spain had Aragon's financial, military and personnel resources.
BUT due to the Habsburg inheritance AND Aragonese inheritance it had massive financial outgoings which came primarily from the crown of Castile, which also contracted the massive debt
Conquest in the Americas was very much a private affair, the bravery of the Conquistadores and the enterprise of independent merchants etc, rather than paid for with government finances.
Settlement in the Americas came mainly from within Castile
So, in this ATL things balance out. Castile has less resources (though Aragon contributed IIRC 1/5 only of Spain's revenues) but less outgoings, and we can allow the New World to go more or less as per OTL
The main differentation comes in the 1600-1620 Wars of Religion, and to an extent in the 10 years following it during the civil war in Portugal which takes up most of Castile's attention.
- first with the Burgundians ravaging the Indies, seizing bullion fleet and making landings and invasion in South America
- then with England-France effectively blockading the Americas, seizing bullion fleets, seizing Jamaica etc
As part of the 1620 peace Castile-Portugal will have to accept these territorial losses, and in the ten years from 1620-1630 it is no position to challenge Burgundian exploitation of its new colonies, settlement in Pernambuco, Bahia and the Guyanas etc
Portugal remains part of the joint kingdom after 1630 and after the extermination of the Braganza rebellion the crown of Portugal is merged more fully with that of Castile. This brings about a merger of Castile's empire with that of Portugal's.
By mid-century the joint kingdom is generally becoming known as 'Spain', mainly as a result of the general use of 'Navarre' for the neighbouring kingdom of Navarre-Aragon, which removes the objections of many who had contested that there could be no Spain without Aragon, for now there is no Aragon on the national map of Europe
The Holy Roman Empire
In 1511 the Teutonic Order of Knights which had been established in Prussia sicne 1229 elected Albrecht of Hohenzollern-Ansbach as Grand Master
OTL in 1625 he secularised the Order, married and took Prussia as a dukedom as a vassal of the King of Poland
In the ATL the Reformation takes the form of a Catholic Reformation, eventully emerging (aka OTL's Counter Reformation) with policies to address multiple benefices, absenteeism, ignorance of the clergy, reform of the liturgy, the preaching of sermons and the problem of co-habitation
The Teutonic Order thus survives and after Grand Master Albert's death in 1568 elects a non-Hohenzollern successor
By this time its fortunes, in the decline by the start of the 16th century, have changed rapidly. Vienna's fall to the Ottomans in 1529 provided a wake-up call and the absorption of the rest of Hungary brought the Ottomans to the Polish borderlands
With a general invasion underway, the Pope declared a Crusade and for 5 years (1550-1555) campaigns across Poland finally succeeded in driving the Ottomans out, but confirmed their possession of Vienna and Hungary
The Teutonic Order which had grown during the Crusade and fought a large part with distinction is granted lands in Galicia
In time it translates these into a large sovereign holding in Galicia, surrendering all of Prussia except Konigsberg to the King of Poland
The Teutonic Knights provide an effective barrier to further Ottoman aggression and form one wing of Poland's defences against them, the other being anchored on possession of Bohemia (acquired by 1555 by reversion on the death of Frederick, Duke of Austria)
These defences hold, though the secession of Bohemia threatens it in 1606, but this kingdom is later regained by Poland
The involvement of the Ottomans in the Wars of Religion blasts Poland's position vulnerably open. Bohemia is ravaged and Prague sacked, though the Ottomans withdraw and a weakened native rule resumes control of the kingdom, its independence within the Holy Roman Empire being confirmed by the 1620 peace.
But Poland is in turmoil, with a schismatic Crusader church and a Pope in Krakow, Sweden achieving its independence, and Michael Romanov of Russia menaching Kiev
The late 1630s sees an Ottoman invasion. The Teutonic Knights battle to hold them back, but with Poland's attention divided are not properly supported, Poland's main army trying to defend Krakow.
1640 sees the Teutonic Knights annihilated as a military force, Galicia over-run, Krakow fall and the schismatic Pope fleeing to join the king in Warsaw where they are promptly besieged by one wing of the Ottoman army, the other surging North to the Baltic at Danzig.
The Teutonic Order exists now only in Konigsberg with a token surviving military force
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In 1637 the last Duke of Pomerania dies and (as far as I can see in a claim dating back to c1200 AD !) the Elector of Brandenburg assumes the succession as his right
In this ATL Brandenburg has no claim on Prussia at all, nor on Cleves and Julich (or Mark or Ravenstein) because in OTL the Elector's claim came through the marriage of the Duke of Prussia (former Grand Master Albrecht) to their heiress, transmitted through his grand-daughter to the main Electoral line. Here there IS no Duke of Prussia, Albrecht remaining a celibate Grand Master
It is far more likely that a King of Burgundy would contract this marriage to the heiress of Cleves and Julich instead and Burgundy eventually acquire the territories for itself
This need not change the descent of the Electors of Brandenburg too much, in fact, as it was Joachim Frederick (d 1608) whose second wife was the granddaughter of the Duke of Prussia, and he had an heir from his first marriage, John Sigismund (b 1572)
It is only with John Sigismund that the ATL Margraves of Brandenburg change as he also married a granddaughter of the Duke of Prussia in OTL. Here he would contract a different marriage, and it wouldn't be too far-fetched for this to be to a daughter of King Charles III of Burgundy/Emperor Charles VII whose children are in date of birth from 1564 to 1580 (Margaret, the youngest who married the deposed Richard IV of Navarre)
Thus we could say, Elector John Sigismund of Brandenburg (b1572 @1608) marries Anne of Burgundy (b 1574). John Sigismund dies in 1619 and is succeeded by his eldest son, born in 1595
OTL his son was called George William (I know not why) but in the ATL it seems more likely he would have Charles in his name as a nod to his maternal Burgundian heritage
Thus let us call him, Elector Charles William (b 1594 @ 1619) and it is he who in 1637 advances the claim to Pomerania and in this ATL gains all of it for Brandenburg (OTL he had to share it with Sweden)
We can posit that Charles William's Brandenburg had been an early Collegiate power and a staunch ally and supporter of Burgundy in the 1600-1620 Wars of Religion
We can allow Elector Charles William (b 1595 @1619) to make an equivalent to OTL, to a princess of the Palatinate (presumably an ATL analogue of the OTL one) in c 1616
Again we can posit a son born around 1620, who succeeds on the death of his father in 1640. We can probably go with the name Frederick William as well
Thus, in 1640, Elector Frederick William of Brandenburg will be found alongside Holy Roman Emperor Charles IX and King Christian V of Denmark in leading an army against the Ottomans in the Baltic
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Since Charles IX is leading an Imperial army it would also contain contingents from many other Holy Roman Empire states. Saxony would be obvious, as a state menaced directly by the putative collapse of Poland, and the same for Bohemia, though it is likely that they have not fully recovered from the wars, especially from their Ottoman 'liberation'.
Bavaria, Austria (Tyrol/Styria) and Savoy, whose rulers all owe their positions entirely to the Empire (junior branches propelled to rule by the Settlement of 1620) would be obliged to send contingents
The situation within Poland would be chaotic. The schismatic King and Pope have fled to Warsaw and are holding out against a siege, whilst the main Ottoman thrust was to the West, attaining Danzig on the Baltic
In the East the vassal Duke of Kurland will have an intact force, and also a naval contingent to hand. In something of an ironic move, considering recent history, Sweden is probably sending a contingent to serve alongside this army !
In the South-East, Tsar Michael Romanov sees no gain from Christian unity and lays siege to Kiev...
Best Regards
Grey Wolf
