An interesting view on the effect of the Mongols on the Russians as well. Appears to be quite substantially different from OTL as well.
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Aha, so we're in very different alt-history territory with this one. Intriguing.
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Quite accurate to ck3 as of now. The Mongols are very weak and don't tend to make it as an empire. Let's be nice and say they spend every game focusing on China, so history isn't completely destroyed.
But every russia for a while that is created is going to be one that formed because of some native group unifying the rest, not a foreign power.
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I feel like it's apt, although it isn't very common.
Meh. This is my view on how the Mongols influenced Russia.
Not really. I might occasionally have alt-history interludes here, but those'll just be occasional, well, interludes. Not really part of the main narrative.
Fair. Haven't played much CK3, but that doesn't surprise me. Of course, technically, OTL's Russia was also formed by one group (Moscow) uniting the rest, but the Mongols had a lot of influence.
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Russia, Westernization, and the European Balance of Power
For long stretches of time, Russia didn’t really involve itself in European affairs. Most Europeans viewed them as a backwards Asian country, not “true Europeans”. This can be ascribed to the successful Mongol conquest in Russia, as opposed to the rest of Europe, which was spared from Mongol rule.
Russia’s relative isolationism from Europe probably didn’t help with this image. For much of their early history, Russia preferred to expand east, towards former Mongol lands. The only real influence they had on the wider European stage was their wars with Lithuania and Poland, few of which anyone of note in Europe cared about.
This would change in the early 1700s, when Russia was ruled by Peter the Great. Peter heavily disliked the fact that he had upon foreigners to build ships, so he sent Russians to the seaports of Venice and Leghorn (in Italy) and to Holland to learn how to do that. He also sent men to Germany to learn their ways of war (he was specifically interested in their military discipline).
In order to learn how Western countries were governed, he went - personally and incognito - on a tour of numerous countries. He omitted Spain and France because he viewed Spain as uncultured and France as too pompous.
While he did this, he left two lords with whom he had utmost confidence with the regency. In matters of importance, these lords were to consult with the rest of the nobility. After he made these arrangements, he began his journey.
His first stop was Riga, and he wished to examine that city’s defenses. The governor refused, and Peter held a serious grudge. In those days, Riga was a Swedish port.
After that, he went to Konigsburg, then capital of a measly state called Brandenburg, although that state would grow into the mighty Kingdom of Prussia. The elector received the Russians extravagantly. Once they had left Konigsburg, they went to Berlin and Hamburg.
Their new destination was Amsterdam. Apparently the tsar grew impatient with his entourage, for he abandoned them on the Rhine and arrived weeks before them. He interested the Dutch by his actions there, and they kept a diary of his actions.
All of this was part of Peter’s efforts to Westernize Russia. A Westernized Russia, Peter figured, would be a force to be reckoned with on the European stage. Peter also visited England during his educational trip, where he apparently learned astronomy.
He also went to Vienna, both to learn of the military discipline present there and to form an alliance against the Ottoman Turks.
As Peter was leaving for Venice, he received news of unrest in Russia. His sister, Sophia, was taking advantage of his absence to attempt to claim the Russian throne. She appealed to Russia’s sense of isolationism, arguing that Russia was in danger of being overrun by Western foreigners, who would abolish Russia’s customs. She also appealed to Russia’s Eastern Orthodoxy, arguing that Peter’s policies would lead to its effective end.
This rebellion was quickly crushed, but it did cause Peter to return to Moscow. All of the rebels were punished harshly, either killed or exiled. However, Peter also abolished the strelitzes - Russian guards - and created a new guard on the German model.
This was only the beginning of his reforms to Russian court life, though. He also abolished robes in favor of a new uniform that was more similar to Western styles. He greatly curbed military nepotism, requiring that nobles’s sons be common soldiers before they were officers. The Russian tsar also took direct control of enforcing the taxes of the nobles. He also order the nobles to shave their beards.
The church was also reformed. Peter declared that the current patriarch should have no successor. He assumed personal control of his revenues and ruled the church through bishops who couldn’t oppose him. He abolished clerical celibacy, requiring that all clergy marry, and that, whenever a member of the clergy lost a wife, he wouldn’t be allowed to perform clerical functions until he got a new one. He forbade anyone from taking the monastic vow if they were under 50.
In those days, the Russian year began on September 1st. Peter brought the Russian year in synchronicity with the rest of Europe’s year in 1700.
The tsar established a great shipyard at Voronise on the Don River, which would allow him to build a fleet on the Sea of Azov. He hoped that this would allow him to take control of the Black Sea.
However, Peter was also interested in the Baltic. This is where they would establish their spot on the European Balance of Power.
The war that would cement this began with Livonia, which Sweden had annexed from Poland. The Livonians didn’t like how Sweden was governing them, so they complained to the Swedish king in Stockholm… and were executed for their trouble. A few survived and appealed to Poland, Russia, and Denmark. Peter (and Russia) was offered Ingria and Karelia, provinces that his ancestors had lost. These states answered the call, and they attacked Sweden, which had an eighteen-year old king and, therefore, should have been easily defeated.
This assumption would cause no end of trouble for the allies.
Russia’s relative isolationism from Europe probably didn’t help with this image. For much of their early history, Russia preferred to expand east, towards former Mongol lands. The only real influence they had on the wider European stage was their wars with Lithuania and Poland, few of which anyone of note in Europe cared about.
This would change in the early 1700s, when Russia was ruled by Peter the Great. Peter heavily disliked the fact that he had upon foreigners to build ships, so he sent Russians to the seaports of Venice and Leghorn (in Italy) and to Holland to learn how to do that. He also sent men to Germany to learn their ways of war (he was specifically interested in their military discipline).
In order to learn how Western countries were governed, he went - personally and incognito - on a tour of numerous countries. He omitted Spain and France because he viewed Spain as uncultured and France as too pompous.
While he did this, he left two lords with whom he had utmost confidence with the regency. In matters of importance, these lords were to consult with the rest of the nobility. After he made these arrangements, he began his journey.
His first stop was Riga, and he wished to examine that city’s defenses. The governor refused, and Peter held a serious grudge. In those days, Riga was a Swedish port.
After that, he went to Konigsburg, then capital of a measly state called Brandenburg, although that state would grow into the mighty Kingdom of Prussia. The elector received the Russians extravagantly. Once they had left Konigsburg, they went to Berlin and Hamburg.
Their new destination was Amsterdam. Apparently the tsar grew impatient with his entourage, for he abandoned them on the Rhine and arrived weeks before them. He interested the Dutch by his actions there, and they kept a diary of his actions.
All of this was part of Peter’s efforts to Westernize Russia. A Westernized Russia, Peter figured, would be a force to be reckoned with on the European stage. Peter also visited England during his educational trip, where he apparently learned astronomy.
He also went to Vienna, both to learn of the military discipline present there and to form an alliance against the Ottoman Turks.
As Peter was leaving for Venice, he received news of unrest in Russia. His sister, Sophia, was taking advantage of his absence to attempt to claim the Russian throne. She appealed to Russia’s sense of isolationism, arguing that Russia was in danger of being overrun by Western foreigners, who would abolish Russia’s customs. She also appealed to Russia’s Eastern Orthodoxy, arguing that Peter’s policies would lead to its effective end.
This rebellion was quickly crushed, but it did cause Peter to return to Moscow. All of the rebels were punished harshly, either killed or exiled. However, Peter also abolished the strelitzes - Russian guards - and created a new guard on the German model.
This was only the beginning of his reforms to Russian court life, though. He also abolished robes in favor of a new uniform that was more similar to Western styles. He greatly curbed military nepotism, requiring that nobles’s sons be common soldiers before they were officers. The Russian tsar also took direct control of enforcing the taxes of the nobles. He also order the nobles to shave their beards.
The church was also reformed. Peter declared that the current patriarch should have no successor. He assumed personal control of his revenues and ruled the church through bishops who couldn’t oppose him. He abolished clerical celibacy, requiring that all clergy marry, and that, whenever a member of the clergy lost a wife, he wouldn’t be allowed to perform clerical functions until he got a new one. He forbade anyone from taking the monastic vow if they were under 50.
In those days, the Russian year began on September 1st. Peter brought the Russian year in synchronicity with the rest of Europe’s year in 1700.
The tsar established a great shipyard at Voronise on the Don River, which would allow him to build a fleet on the Sea of Azov. He hoped that this would allow him to take control of the Black Sea.
However, Peter was also interested in the Baltic. This is where they would establish their spot on the European Balance of Power.
The war that would cement this began with Livonia, which Sweden had annexed from Poland. The Livonians didn’t like how Sweden was governing them, so they complained to the Swedish king in Stockholm… and were executed for their trouble. A few survived and appealed to Poland, Russia, and Denmark. Peter (and Russia) was offered Ingria and Karelia, provinces that his ancestors had lost. These states answered the call, and they attacked Sweden, which had an eighteen-year old king and, therefore, should have been easily defeated.
This assumption would cause no end of trouble for the allies.
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Sweden v Russia. And it looks like both have mighty Kings ruling them...
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Fascinating trip round Europe Peter went on. One would imagine he’d learn a great deal – and it does indeed look like he has – but the isolationists may still have something to say about it yet.
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Dunno why but I find my self rooting for Charles XII (assuming it is him). I don't know if him not being injured before the Battle of Poltava would have made a difference, but it would be interesting if he did.
However I suspect this is not that story, so let us see what does happen.
However I suspect this is not that story, so let us see what does happen.
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Time for Brandenberg to crank out an amazing leader too to really make things interesting...
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Oh come on. What are the chances of that happening?
Vaguely related - August II "The Strong" liked Fox Tossing. Which apparently actually was a 'sport' in Central Europe.
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I won't throw stones. In Ireland, we used to go for a round of stag boxing every so often.
At least according to the award winning documentary, Ged's Existential Nightmare.
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Indeed...
Perhaps they will, or, maybe, just maybe, they're dealt with.
Let us see indeed.
Perhaps they will.
It doesn't matter what the chances are. Even the lowest chances can occur.
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The Great Northern War: Part 1: The Battle of Narva
First of all, it’s worth mentioning why the alliance thought Sweden would be easy pickings. The current king was Charles XII - a young man of 18. This meant that Sweden had an inexperienced monarch, and the allies assumed that also meant that Sweden had an incompetent monarch.
This was blatantly untrue. The assumption wasn’t a stupid one, but a smarter move might’ve been to wait to see what kind of monarch Charles would be like.
However, what’s done is done. Charles XII began the war by attacking Denmark, which was brought to heel within less than six weeks.
After that, he turned his attention to the Russians. He led his fleet across the Baltic and entered the Gulf of Finland. From there, he marched - through wintery terrain - to Narva.
Going by numbers alone, Russia should’ve utterly destroyed the Swedish army. They had somewhere between thirty thousand and eighty thousand men and more than a hundred pieces of artillery. In contrast, Charles XII had a paltry nine thousand men.
But, of course, in warfare, numbers aren’t everything. Tactics matter. Charles XII led his men personally, and, perhaps, that contributed morale to his soldiers, except that doesn’t explain his crushing victory because Peter - not yet known as great - was also present among the Russians. The battle was to be a clash of titans - the Swedish and Russian monarchs fighting against each other. That was not to be, however. Peter left Narva before the battle began.
No one is quite sure why this was. Contemporarily, his departure from the battlefield was viewed as an act of cowardice. Many modern historians doubt this, noting that the Tsar had put himself in physical danger before. They propose other explanations. Perhaps the Tsar didn’t believe the Swedes would have the sheer gall to attack such a numerically superior army, and that, if they did, they would be easily crushed. Maybe the Tsar was preparing for battle in other ways, such as preparing for reinforcement and planning on negotiating with his ally, the King of Poland.
Whatever the case, Peter the Great wasn’t present at Narva.
The Russians prepared for a defensive battle, as they believed that the Swedish force couldn’t have been the main Swedish army. It was clearly just a vanguard. There were too few soldiers in it for it to be anything else.
The Swedes, meanwhile, prepared their artillery. They sent their cavalry to cut off the retreat paths of the Russians.
At 2 pm, the battle began. The Swedes were hit by a stroke of luck here, though. The weather got colder, and the wind changed directions. Now, the snowstorm was blowing towards the Russians. Some of the Russian army probably cursed. Others might’ve thought that the Swedes wouldn’t attack in the middle of a snowstorm.
Indeed, even some Swedish soldiers wanted to wait until the end of the storm. They likely thought that the storm could change directions at any time, and it wasn’t worth the risk. Charles didn’t share these fears, though. He advanced, using the weather to his advantage.
They moved south and north, attacking the Russian defenders. It was here that a problem that Peter had overlooked made itself known. The Russians were inexperienced and unused to battle. Their lines were quick to break. In addition, some of the foreign officers that Peter had brought to train his soldiers were killed by their own soldiers. The man in charge hurried to surrender. Thousands of Russians attempted to escape over the Narova River. So many, in fact, that the bridge over that river collapsed from the pressure.
On the northern flank, two regiments did retain their lines. Charles attempted to attack this center of the resistance, but the Russians managed to force his retreat. On the southern flank, the general in charge, Weide, was wounded at the battle’s beginning, but the men under his command didn’t panic and held the line. Indeed, they even managed to counterattack the Swedes.
Still, these holdouts were the exception and not the rule. To make matters worse, they weren’t a united resistance - General Weide and his men weren’t able to escape to the northern flank. The Russian high command had already decided to surrender.
The northern flank capitulated first. The Swedes were tired, and they accepted this capitulation. It would take longer for General Weide’s men to capitulate, and, for that, they were forced to hand over their weapons and banners. The Swedish army also took control of artillery. The officers were captured and declared hostages.
After that, the Swedish army actually aided the Russians in repairing the bridge that had been destroyed. The cavalry marched south along the left bank of the Narva River and thereby escaped captivity.
The battle was a crushing defeat for the Russians. If Charles had capitalized on it, it is theorized by some that he could have defeated Russia then and there - an attack on Pskov and Novgorod would’ve done the trick.
It is also unique in history. It is one of the only battles in history where a force attacking Russia in the winter succeeded. Indeed, it is definitely the only battle in history where a European force attacking Russia managed to decisively defeat the Russians. Here, that was because the wintry weather aided the Swedes.
On that wintry night, Charles XII likely had the entire history of Russia within his palm. He could’ve easily crushed it, although he did not.
This was blatantly untrue. The assumption wasn’t a stupid one, but a smarter move might’ve been to wait to see what kind of monarch Charles would be like.
However, what’s done is done. Charles XII began the war by attacking Denmark, which was brought to heel within less than six weeks.
After that, he turned his attention to the Russians. He led his fleet across the Baltic and entered the Gulf of Finland. From there, he marched - through wintery terrain - to Narva.
Going by numbers alone, Russia should’ve utterly destroyed the Swedish army. They had somewhere between thirty thousand and eighty thousand men and more than a hundred pieces of artillery. In contrast, Charles XII had a paltry nine thousand men.
But, of course, in warfare, numbers aren’t everything. Tactics matter. Charles XII led his men personally, and, perhaps, that contributed morale to his soldiers, except that doesn’t explain his crushing victory because Peter - not yet known as great - was also present among the Russians. The battle was to be a clash of titans - the Swedish and Russian monarchs fighting against each other. That was not to be, however. Peter left Narva before the battle began.
No one is quite sure why this was. Contemporarily, his departure from the battlefield was viewed as an act of cowardice. Many modern historians doubt this, noting that the Tsar had put himself in physical danger before. They propose other explanations. Perhaps the Tsar didn’t believe the Swedes would have the sheer gall to attack such a numerically superior army, and that, if they did, they would be easily crushed. Maybe the Tsar was preparing for battle in other ways, such as preparing for reinforcement and planning on negotiating with his ally, the King of Poland.
Whatever the case, Peter the Great wasn’t present at Narva.
The Russians prepared for a defensive battle, as they believed that the Swedish force couldn’t have been the main Swedish army. It was clearly just a vanguard. There were too few soldiers in it for it to be anything else.
The Swedes, meanwhile, prepared their artillery. They sent their cavalry to cut off the retreat paths of the Russians.
At 2 pm, the battle began. The Swedes were hit by a stroke of luck here, though. The weather got colder, and the wind changed directions. Now, the snowstorm was blowing towards the Russians. Some of the Russian army probably cursed. Others might’ve thought that the Swedes wouldn’t attack in the middle of a snowstorm.
Indeed, even some Swedish soldiers wanted to wait until the end of the storm. They likely thought that the storm could change directions at any time, and it wasn’t worth the risk. Charles didn’t share these fears, though. He advanced, using the weather to his advantage.
They moved south and north, attacking the Russian defenders. It was here that a problem that Peter had overlooked made itself known. The Russians were inexperienced and unused to battle. Their lines were quick to break. In addition, some of the foreign officers that Peter had brought to train his soldiers were killed by their own soldiers. The man in charge hurried to surrender. Thousands of Russians attempted to escape over the Narova River. So many, in fact, that the bridge over that river collapsed from the pressure.
On the northern flank, two regiments did retain their lines. Charles attempted to attack this center of the resistance, but the Russians managed to force his retreat. On the southern flank, the general in charge, Weide, was wounded at the battle’s beginning, but the men under his command didn’t panic and held the line. Indeed, they even managed to counterattack the Swedes.
Still, these holdouts were the exception and not the rule. To make matters worse, they weren’t a united resistance - General Weide and his men weren’t able to escape to the northern flank. The Russian high command had already decided to surrender.
The northern flank capitulated first. The Swedes were tired, and they accepted this capitulation. It would take longer for General Weide’s men to capitulate, and, for that, they were forced to hand over their weapons and banners. The Swedish army also took control of artillery. The officers were captured and declared hostages.
After that, the Swedish army actually aided the Russians in repairing the bridge that had been destroyed. The cavalry marched south along the left bank of the Narva River and thereby escaped captivity.
The battle was a crushing defeat for the Russians. If Charles had capitalized on it, it is theorized by some that he could have defeated Russia then and there - an attack on Pskov and Novgorod would’ve done the trick.
It is also unique in history. It is one of the only battles in history where a force attacking Russia in the winter succeeded. Indeed, it is definitely the only battle in history where a European force attacking Russia managed to decisively defeat the Russians. Here, that was because the wintry weather aided the Swedes.
On that wintry night, Charles XII likely had the entire history of Russia within his palm. He could’ve easily crushed it, although he did not.
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Small gripe, you missed some letters in your Swedish fix, although it's not hard to say Swedish fish instead.
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Fixed. What I get for not editing.
Announcement to everybody following this: Okay, so I'lll try to update this on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
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Hmm. Sounds like Russia are about to have an incredible stroke of good fortune fall their way.
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The Great Northern War, Part 2: From Narva to the Building of St. Petersburg
When Peter heard this, he responded that, while the Swedes would have the advantage of them for quite some time, they would eventually teach the Russians how to beat them.
After that, he collected what was left of his army at Novgorod. He then sent orders to Moscow to melt many church bells so that they could cast into cannons and mortars. Peter waited for these new weapons at Novgorod, as he rallied his army.
Charles XII, meanwhile, likely believed Russia defeated. He turned his attention to Poland, where he hoped to dethrone Augustus. Peter, for his part, encouraged Augustus to fight on rather than seek a negotiated peace. To sweeten this offer, he sent the King of Poland twenty thousand soldiers.
Even despite this, Charles XII still continued to score constant over his enemies. Indeed, the Swedes were doing so well that Peter viewed it as surprising when a Russian force of eight thousand beat a Swedish force of four thousand.
Peter desperately wanted a port on the Baltic. That was the true reason why he fought against Charles XII. It is also likely that he hoped that, if Sweden lost the Baltic, they might be... more willing to negotiate a peace favorable to Russia. To achieve the goal of a Baltic fleet, the tsar launched a fleet upon an inland sea that connected to the Gulf of Finland by way of the River Neva - Lake Ladoga. However, if Peter hoped to cut Sweden off from the Baltic with this fleet, he would be sorely disappointed. The fleet was attacked by numerous Swedish fleets, although these were eventually beaten back.
Peter, meanwhile, was clearing Russia of Swedish forces. He knew that his opposing monarch viewed his soldiers with contempt, and that he saw his own forces as vastly superior. Therefore, he figured that Charles believed that further conflict with Russia was unnecessary. He used this information to assume that the Swedish king wouldn’t be invading again. This allowed him to defeat several small Swedish armies with impunity. Then, he made a move reminiscent of propaganda in future centuries - he ordered a celebration of these victories in Moscow. This allowed him to raise morale among his armies.
As soon as Peter had taken control of Lake Ladoga and the River Neva, he celebrated. His method of celebration was rather unique, though. He built a new city there, at the mouth of the Neva. He named this city St. Petersburg, a tribute to his ego, although he had won no great victories deserving of such a high honor as a city. The area was low and marshy, but it was, to Peter’s credit, easy to defend against naval attack.
Strategically, that was pretty much the only virtue of its location. Previous events had proven that the Lake itself wasn’t that hard to conquer, and it was extraordinarily close to Sweden. If Charles XII wasn’t so distracted with Poland, he could have easily taken the city, which would have humiliated the Russian tsar.
Short OOC Note: This is an in-universe document. The views reflected here don't necessarily match my own. They do, however, reflect the biases of the time in which the author lives.
After that, he collected what was left of his army at Novgorod. He then sent orders to Moscow to melt many church bells so that they could cast into cannons and mortars. Peter waited for these new weapons at Novgorod, as he rallied his army.
Charles XII, meanwhile, likely believed Russia defeated. He turned his attention to Poland, where he hoped to dethrone Augustus. Peter, for his part, encouraged Augustus to fight on rather than seek a negotiated peace. To sweeten this offer, he sent the King of Poland twenty thousand soldiers.
Even despite this, Charles XII still continued to score constant over his enemies. Indeed, the Swedes were doing so well that Peter viewed it as surprising when a Russian force of eight thousand beat a Swedish force of four thousand.
Peter desperately wanted a port on the Baltic. That was the true reason why he fought against Charles XII. It is also likely that he hoped that, if Sweden lost the Baltic, they might be... more willing to negotiate a peace favorable to Russia. To achieve the goal of a Baltic fleet, the tsar launched a fleet upon an inland sea that connected to the Gulf of Finland by way of the River Neva - Lake Ladoga. However, if Peter hoped to cut Sweden off from the Baltic with this fleet, he would be sorely disappointed. The fleet was attacked by numerous Swedish fleets, although these were eventually beaten back.
Peter, meanwhile, was clearing Russia of Swedish forces. He knew that his opposing monarch viewed his soldiers with contempt, and that he saw his own forces as vastly superior. Therefore, he figured that Charles believed that further conflict with Russia was unnecessary. He used this information to assume that the Swedish king wouldn’t be invading again. This allowed him to defeat several small Swedish armies with impunity. Then, he made a move reminiscent of propaganda in future centuries - he ordered a celebration of these victories in Moscow. This allowed him to raise morale among his armies.
As soon as Peter had taken control of Lake Ladoga and the River Neva, he celebrated. His method of celebration was rather unique, though. He built a new city there, at the mouth of the Neva. He named this city St. Petersburg, a tribute to his ego, although he had won no great victories deserving of such a high honor as a city. The area was low and marshy, but it was, to Peter’s credit, easy to defend against naval attack.
Strategically, that was pretty much the only virtue of its location. Previous events had proven that the Lake itself wasn’t that hard to conquer, and it was extraordinarily close to Sweden. If Charles XII wasn’t so distracted with Poland, he could have easily taken the city, which would have humiliated the Russian tsar.
Short OOC Note: This is an in-universe document. The views reflected here don't necessarily match my own. They do, however, reflect the biases of the time in which the author lives.
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Nice account of the founding of St Petersburg. Had no idea it was so recent (relatively speaking)
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Thanks! Yeah, St. Petersburg is a relatively recent city.
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