Denmark (The Kalmar Union)

Denmark is a medium sized constitutional monarchy centred on the Jutland peninsular in Northern Europe. The portion known historically as Viken borders Hordaland, Svealand and Gothenland. Denmark itself has a detached portion known as Skane bordering Gothenland. To the south Denmark borders a variety of Holy Roman Empire member states, including Fryslân, Münster-Westphalia, Brunswick, Lüneburg, Brandenburg, and Güstrow. The volatile Pomeranian region to the South-East has a border with Poland-Lithuania and Gothenlandic Pomerelia.

The capital is Copenhagen but the largest city is Hamburg. The population is around 15.5 million.

The Head of State is King _.

It uses the Danish Krone (DKK).

The official languages are Danish, German, Pomersk and Ranish.

Early Denmark
Danish Vikings had been extremely active in Western Europe from the 8th century onwards raiding the more settled coastlines of England and the Low Countries. Eventually they formed both Normandy in Northern Francia and the Danelaw in England as well as proving a formidable foe to the Empire of Charlemagne and his successors.

United and Christianised by Harold II Bluetooth Denmark quickly took advantage of the fractured situation in Scandinavia, playing Denmark's rivals off against one another. Through shrewd and ruthless politicking he secured the crown of Viken and prevented the union of Gothenland and Svealand, cementing Danish supremacy.

Under the reigns of Sweyn I and Cnut II they extended their writ westwards into the British Isles. There they arranged the division of England into Wessex and Anglia and ensured a dynasty of Danish kings in Anglia until 1610.

After Harthacnut's death in 1042 the kingdom of Denmark passed to the Magnus of Viken but he was succeeded by Cnut II's nephew Sweyn II Estridsson. The Estridsson family would soon have branches ruling over Denmark, Viken (sometimes in union), Anglia and, briefly, Gothenland and Svealand.

During the 12th century Denmark ventured south, repeatedly crusading in Pomerania. They briefly tolerated it as a vassal but increasing interference from the Holy Roman Empire and revolts against their presence led them to exile the native counts and take the region for the Danish crown. They also supported the nascent Duchy of Sorbia as a bulwark between the German lands and those of the Baltic. Crusades were undertaken in Estonia, often in direct competition to the German crusading orders.

Mostly however, Denmark's early history was taken up with a inordinate amount of interference in its northern neighbours affairs.

Viken
Once a part of Harold Farihair's united Norway, Viken split from its neighbours Hordaland and Lade decisively after Harold's death. Viken's crown however came with the title of 'High King of Norway' which made it a powerful draw for ambitious men. While both Hordaland and Viken indulged in ever increasingly violent succession struggles, Viken would soon fall under Danish influence. It was ruled by the Danish kings from 970 with gaps, until 1035.

Thereafter Magnus I briefly took his turn in ruling Denmark from Oslo but then Denmark reasserted itself. The Estridsson family would in time divide their realms and Viken became much more active in interfering in Svealand's struggles. However it would soon be inherited by the House of Rugia.

Rugia
The island of Rugia was christianised by successive waves of Danish missionaires as part of Denmark's general policy of increasing control over Pomerania. It was seen as separate to the Pomeranian mainland however and the freshly baptised principality eagered married into the Scandinavian world. It received some settlement from Gothenland but otherwise the Ranish paid fealty to Denmark and were generally left to their own devices, avoiding the general movement of German settlers into the old pagan Slavic lands.

Hildegard of Rugia was chosen as queen of Viken in 1185, picked mainly as the lords in Viken wished to have more freedom from over-mighty kings. This inaugarated a succession of rulers from the House of Rugia, whom generally

left the Viken lords to do what they liked and lavished attention on their island principality, expanding it into the Pomeranian mainland. A cadet branch also ruled Svealand for a time. Tensions arose with Denmark as Danish-Imperial relations threatened Pomerania and Rugia with it. Emperor William I beseiged the island in 1275 but was driven away by the Gothenlandic navy. A year later Viken-Rugia invaded Denmark, protesting Denmark's failure in Pomerania and the Sound tolls that were harming Viken's trade with the Baltic, but they were soon reconciled.

The succession of the young Olaf III to the throne of Viken-Rugia would completely change Scandinavia. After securing his rule at home he launched a war against Svealand, claiming, as heir to Magnus III that Carl I was usurping Olaf's rightful throne. By 1342 Olaf was installed as King of Svealand after Carl I's death and the defeat of all other claimants to the Svealandic throne. From there Olaf would campaign against Novgorod, extending Svealand into Norrland and Finland north and eastwards. Ten years later he seized upon the continued in-fighting that followed Emperor Gunther's death to invade Germany and begin his candidacy for the Imperial throne, using Viken's considerable wealth and Svealand's latent military ability to further his aims. After two years of blistering campaigns he had secured the Imperial throne and began to direct Germany's power to the south to reclaim Italy and westwards to shatter France.

Though Olaf's son declined the Imperial throne, fearing that the campaign against France that Olaf had begun was close to over-reaching, Olaf's heirs would still shape Europe for centuries to come. His grand-daughter Elizabeth of Viken married the heir of Denmark joining the lands of the House of Rugia with those of the House of Estridsson.

Kalmar
Signed in 1431, the Treaty of Kalmar dealt with the problem of Elizabeth and Eric VII's son Eric VIII's inheritance. It effectively created a 'Greater Denmark' whereby Copenhagen ruled not only the Danish, Ladish, Pomeranian and Estonian lands as it had previously done, but also the Viken, Rugian, Svealandic and Finnish lands. The full realm would be inherited by Eric on Elizabeth's death and was supported by both Hordaland and Gothenland, who essentially had little choice but to go along with it). In return for their support Denmark signed a defensive alliance with both promising its help against any enemy powers. The Kalmar Union was born and Denmark would prove to be its driving member.

Svealand however soon grew tired of rule from Copenhagen and would repeatedly rebel, as would Lade. As Denmark effectively bankrupted itself conducting the War of Anglian Succession (1493-1523) it could no longer suppress the rebellions, allowing first Lade in 1523 then eventually Svealand in 1554 to split away. The Svealandic split was delayed somewhat by infighting between the Svealandic nobility and military help on the Danish side from the newly freed Ladish lords.

With its 'Greater Denmark' dream essentially shattered Denmark turned instead to a new role: Protector of the Lutheran faith. Long at odds with the Empire over Pomerania and general church abuses it embraced Lutheranism by 1525 and was exporting it Northwards with gusto. Christopher II converted on his deathbed whilst his son Eric X allied Denmark and the Kalmar Union to the Lutheran German princes who formed the Schmalkaldic League. When the Catholic Emperor finally rallied his supporters to crack down on the League in 1544 Denmark came to its aid and distinguished itself on on the battlefield whilst the Kalmar Union as a whole proved a firm ally to the beleaguered German princes, helping them cede away from the Catholic Empire.

The 2nd Schmalkaldic War was an equal success and had the fortunate effect of reconciling Denmark to freshly independent Svealand's new rulers. It also saw the creation of the Schmalkaldic Empire; a rival Protestant Empire to the Catholic one to the South. And at its head Cnut VIII was elected Emperor, pulling Denmark and many of its Kalmar allies into the Empire with him.

Schmalkaldic Denmark
With a new raft of territories to legislate for and negotiate with, the new Imperial court of Denmark largely left its crown territory to its own devices, fostering a sense of membership to the Danish crown. Estonia was allowed to form its own local government and its branch of Estridsson Dukes became fully Estonian-ised. Though the sovereign princes that formed the German portion of the Schmalkaldic Empire urged a greater missionary effort to convert Catholic Europe, in the main Denmark respected the lines of confessional control. However when Prague revolted and directly appealed to the SE for assistance. Emperor Eric II (Eric XII) felt honour-bound to agree and so committed the Empire and the Kalmar Union to see the utterly devastating Fifty Years War to its conclusion.

A good start with the capture of Bohemia was slowly eroded away as Luxembourg and other anti-Kalmar powers slowly joined the war multiplying the fronts and destroying huge areas of central Germany and northern Italia.

Denmark hired extremely capable generals who managed to fend off armies many times stronger than Denmark's force and would keep Danish territory largely unsullied by enemy forces. During the course of the war it quickly lost the ability to properly defend its Schmalkaldic partners and its breakaway Empire ceased to exist in 1639. However it did secure the inheritance of Oldenburg as the orphaned Catherine of Oldenburg married Prince Christopher. This laid the foundations of Denmark's German territory.

The peace dicussions to end the war were held in Bonn, however the treaty was signed in Copenhagen and it saw the old Schmalkaldic League rejoin the Empire. However, Denmark was awarded Bremen and Hamburg as compensation (not only for the loss of the Empire but as to renounce the Bohemain throne). A last minute offer for Denmark to join the Empire as a new electorate was rejected by a downright hostile Emperor. In response Denmark removed itself and all of its German territory from the Empire.

... The 1800 saw it move decisively into Africa and India, and its trading fort holdings multiplied. As discovery and trading opportunities continued eastwards into the Roasjoinn it followed, occupying a section of the Australische continent and several chains of Polynesian islands.

In 2003 it invaded Portugal at the behest of its pro-monarchist government, barely holding back well supplied Republican forces. After small successes the situation has deteriorated and now the Kalmar Union and the official Portuguese government only control a strip of coastline from Lisbon to the Leonese border.

It now has to deal with an increasingly volatile Pomerania, the ongoing stalemate in Portugal, the expensive and suffocating arms race with Luxembourg and Mexica, and as well as its own role within the Kalmar Union. Pesimists are quick to point out it can only lead towards one thing: another general war..

Government
Denmark is governed by a bicameral Riksdag in Copenhagen. Elections are held every four years. The head of state is King and the Prime Minister is Anders Søvndal.

Both Rugia and Pomerania are regions of the Holy Roman Empire meaning Denmark has seats in the Imperial Diet in Frankfurt. Both regions also have legal recourse to the Diet although only Pomerania uses it. All the German regions of Denmark were removed from the Empire following the Fifty Years War.

The Danish Kingdom was once divided into 5 separate entities; Denmark, Viken, Pomerania, Rugia and Lower Saxony, but these individual crowns were abolished after Estonia was granted independence and a new Act of Union was signed in 1846. The old designations are still used but have no legal meaning (apart from in Pomerania). Also there are two Danish regions in the Antipodes that are administered separately.

Pomerania
Pomerania is run as a special region with its own Diet and governmental organisations. The 'Pomeranian Question' is a defining issue of Danish politics and consumes much of the Riksdag's time and effort.

Pomerania sees itself as a conquered province rather than the other Danish lands which see themselves as inherited and therefore have more allegiance to the crown. Any Pomersk politicians that are seen as overtly pro-Danish have police protection as various Pomersk sepratist groups have targeted them. Denmark has tried to give Pomerania limited autonomy in the past and has allowed it to remain within the sphere of the Holy Roman Empire. This is because it is an electorate (under the terms of the 1668 Treaty of Copenhagen) and gives Denmark certain leverage over the Empire and Emperor. However this has now backfired as Pomersk groups can, and often do, petition Frankfurt over any rulings from Copenhagen they dislike, and many leading Imperial members are calling for Pomerania's status to be normalised, either removing it from the Empire (which would enrage Pomersk groups) or granting it independence from Denmark and the Kalmar Union. Both options are unacceptable to Denmark.

Danish Australische
The colony of Danish Australische is formed of the South-East corner of Australische. The population is around 3.3 million and the capital is Australskobing. The territory's inhabitants are usually known as 'Australsk' or 'Julianaians'.

The discovery and charting of Australische led to a scramble for the virtually uninhabited continent in the 1860s. The Danes, aware that other members of the Kalmar Union slightly resented it for its monopoly on decisions, only took a small portion of the southern coast, leaving the other Kalmar claimed areas for Gothenland and Svealand. It

Sparsely inhabited for the first 20 years of Danish rule, this changed rapidly after gold was discovered. The subsequent gold rush drew tens of thousands of settlers and prospectors, not only from Denmark but from right across Europe. People of Scots and Irish descent form a significant minority and St Patrick's Day is a well observed unofficial holiday.

The colony's unofficial name is 'Juliana' after the Queen at the time of settlement: Juliana Amalie. The debate whether to officially change the name of the colony occasionally surfaces during quieter political moments but so far no government has put their weight behind it.

Danish Polynesia
Denmark began to occupy various island chains in the central Roajoinn in the 1870s, chiefly as a barrier to the spread of Mexic and Japanese power. They had been inhabited since around 300 AD by the seafaring Polynesians and later discovered by Tawantinsuyu as they explored westwards towards Asia.

Denmark would later cede the easternmost islands to Tawantinsuyu after they complained that they had always protected the islands without feeling the need to annex them. It would also cede the southernmost island chain to Fryslân in the Kalmar-Fryslân Treaty of 1916.

Language
Language is a very hot subject within the kingdom. The policy of Danish first, others second, means Danish is taught from an early point in school whereas the other official languages (even if they are the ones spoken locally) are only brought into the classroom after several years.

Danish is a Nordic language and is mutually intelligible to Götamål, Sveamål and Norwegian (and Icelandic and Faroese to a lesser extent). It remains the chief language of the Kalmar Union.

German is the main language of the southern portion of Denmark. However, due to the 'Danish First' policy German is slowly being pushed out of business and government. Hamburg is expected to be a majority Danish speaking city by 2045.

Both Pomersk and Ranish are West Slavic languages related to Sorbian and Polish. After the massive devastation and depopulation of Pomerania during the Fifty Years War both languages declined in use. However they have had a resurgence during the last century as both groups reingage with their old cultures.