Hello, all. This will be my first attempt at an AAR of any kind and God only knows whether it'll be a success or a disaster. If I had to venture a guess, I'd say the latter.
Of the AARs that I've read, I definitely prefer those written in the 'history book' format and I suppose if I had to classify what I have in mind for this AAR it would fall into that category. I'll try to spice things up with appropriate visuals and screenshots just to provide something to look at.
Throughout this playthrough, I'd like to achieve the following:
1) Unify Scandinavia.
2) Compete as a naval and trade power.
3) Re-establish the Danes as masters of the Baltic coast.
As for frequency of updates, I haven't the slightest. I'll try to pump out an update several times weekly (I have no excuse not to considering how much I've been playing EU4 lately). With all of this preliminary stuff out of the way, let's get on with the AAR.
Additional info: I'm playing with the 1399 start date for no reason other than I'd like to milk the game for as much playtime as it's worth.
P.S. If you have any feedback whatsoever, don't hesitate to share.
Chapter One: The Ascension of Eric VII and The Slevsig Question
Eric of Pomerania (born Boguslaw of Pommerania), king of Denmark, Sweden and Norway from 1398 until his death, belonged to a family of Polish and German stock. His father held the title 'Duke of Pomerania' and his mother was the Duchess of Mecklen-Schwerin, a minor fief of the Holy Roman Empire. Eric's lineage was indeed a rich one; he was the son of the only surviving grand-daughter of Valdemar of Denmark, and he could also claim descent from the kings of Norway and Sweden. Eric's fate was decided in the late 1380s, when the young noble was adopted as heir by his aunt, Margaret of Denmark, the founder of the union between the three Scandinavian crowns. Shortly thereafter, he was hailed as the King of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, although his aunt continued to wield the better part of royal power within the kingdoms during Eric's minority. Eric's own authority within his nominal kingdoms was needless to say taken rather lightly during this period but in 1398 his aunt died without warning, leaving the seventeen year old Eric as the sole legitimate authority of the Kalmar Union. With his hands now unexpectedly unbound, Eric could pursue his lofty ambitions both foreign and domestic.
An etching of Eric VII as king of the Scandinavian realms
The king's first action as sovereign was to formalize an alliance between his kingdoms and the lands ruled by his kin in Pomerania. There was little need for coaxing on the part of the King of the Danes, and the Duke of Pomerania, eager to secure an alliance with a great power outside of the Emperor's authority, signed the treaty during the Eric's tour of Germany in 1398. Eric himself was equally pleased, as he now had the support of a mainland German territory, support he would need during the military campaign he was already planning.
Although the Danish had lost control of the duchy of Slevsig in 1227, the kings of Denmark continued to claim sovereignty over the duchy, a region that was populated for the most part by Danes but governed by the Dukes of Holstein.
The contested Duchy of Slesvig
To the young and confident (perhaps overconfident) king of Denmark, this situation was not only unjust but an intolerable offence to his dignity. The young ruler became convinced that if he could unite Slevsig with Denmark proper, he would silence his naysayers throughout the Kalmar Union and establish a reputation as a warrior king. As a fief of the Empire, the Holy Roman Emperor would no doubt come to the defense of the Holsteiners, but this was a risk Eric was prepared to take. In early 1399, three thousand additional men were levied from the countryside and added to the ranks of the Royal Army of Denmark. Eric marched the now eleven thousand strong army west into Jutland and when the weather took a turn for the warmer in late February, the king of the Danes issued a formal declaration of war.
"To the Duke of Holstein and the self-styled Duke of Slevsig:
As you have refused time and time again the reasonable and righteous demands of myself and those of my ancestors, you have left me with little recourse. On this day , against thee, Gerhard of Holstein, I announce war with fire and blood against thee, thy countries, thy subjects, thy allies until my rightful land of Slevsig has been returned"
Danish envoys were dispatched to Norway, Sweden and Pomerania, and as Eric had wagered , the three realms responded to his call to arms in the affirmative. The war was afoot.
Next Chapter: The German War, or "Eric Triumphant"
Of the AARs that I've read, I definitely prefer those written in the 'history book' format and I suppose if I had to classify what I have in mind for this AAR it would fall into that category. I'll try to spice things up with appropriate visuals and screenshots just to provide something to look at.
Throughout this playthrough, I'd like to achieve the following:
1) Unify Scandinavia.
2) Compete as a naval and trade power.
3) Re-establish the Danes as masters of the Baltic coast.
As for frequency of updates, I haven't the slightest. I'll try to pump out an update several times weekly (I have no excuse not to considering how much I've been playing EU4 lately). With all of this preliminary stuff out of the way, let's get on with the AAR.
Additional info: I'm playing with the 1399 start date for no reason other than I'd like to milk the game for as much playtime as it's worth.
P.S. If you have any feedback whatsoever, don't hesitate to share.
Scandinavian Ambition: A History of the North from the Pre-Modern to Modern Age
Chapter One: The Ascension of Eric VII and The Slevsig Question
Eric of Pomerania (born Boguslaw of Pommerania), king of Denmark, Sweden and Norway from 1398 until his death, belonged to a family of Polish and German stock. His father held the title 'Duke of Pomerania' and his mother was the Duchess of Mecklen-Schwerin, a minor fief of the Holy Roman Empire. Eric's lineage was indeed a rich one; he was the son of the only surviving grand-daughter of Valdemar of Denmark, and he could also claim descent from the kings of Norway and Sweden. Eric's fate was decided in the late 1380s, when the young noble was adopted as heir by his aunt, Margaret of Denmark, the founder of the union between the three Scandinavian crowns. Shortly thereafter, he was hailed as the King of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, although his aunt continued to wield the better part of royal power within the kingdoms during Eric's minority. Eric's own authority within his nominal kingdoms was needless to say taken rather lightly during this period but in 1398 his aunt died without warning, leaving the seventeen year old Eric as the sole legitimate authority of the Kalmar Union. With his hands now unexpectedly unbound, Eric could pursue his lofty ambitions both foreign and domestic.
An etching of Eric VII as king of the Scandinavian realms
The king's first action as sovereign was to formalize an alliance between his kingdoms and the lands ruled by his kin in Pomerania. There was little need for coaxing on the part of the King of the Danes, and the Duke of Pomerania, eager to secure an alliance with a great power outside of the Emperor's authority, signed the treaty during the Eric's tour of Germany in 1398. Eric himself was equally pleased, as he now had the support of a mainland German territory, support he would need during the military campaign he was already planning.
Although the Danish had lost control of the duchy of Slevsig in 1227, the kings of Denmark continued to claim sovereignty over the duchy, a region that was populated for the most part by Danes but governed by the Dukes of Holstein.
The contested Duchy of Slesvig
To the young and confident (perhaps overconfident) king of Denmark, this situation was not only unjust but an intolerable offence to his dignity. The young ruler became convinced that if he could unite Slevsig with Denmark proper, he would silence his naysayers throughout the Kalmar Union and establish a reputation as a warrior king. As a fief of the Empire, the Holy Roman Emperor would no doubt come to the defense of the Holsteiners, but this was a risk Eric was prepared to take. In early 1399, three thousand additional men were levied from the countryside and added to the ranks of the Royal Army of Denmark. Eric marched the now eleven thousand strong army west into Jutland and when the weather took a turn for the warmer in late February, the king of the Danes issued a formal declaration of war.
"To the Duke of Holstein and the self-styled Duke of Slevsig:
As you have refused time and time again the reasonable and righteous demands of myself and those of my ancestors, you have left me with little recourse. On this day , against thee, Gerhard of Holstein, I announce war with fire and blood against thee, thy countries, thy subjects, thy allies until my rightful land of Slevsig has been returned"
Danish envoys were dispatched to Norway, Sweden and Pomerania, and as Eric had wagered , the three realms responded to his call to arms in the affirmative. The war was afoot.
Next Chapter: The German War, or "Eric Triumphant"
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