Finland (Papilio Mundi)

The Greater Kingdom of Finland was a monarchy in Europe, forming in 1531 A.D, after declaring itself a sovereign state, following the highly successful Finnish war of independence.

Civil war and early independence
In 1526, Swedish peasants rose up across the country in rebellion, demanding lower taxes. Gustav I, king of Sweden was assassinated in Karlstad on a royal visit in 1528, launching Sweden into utter chaos.

Jarkko Gluskie, a Finnish noble at the time, took advantage of the high unrest, and gathered other nobles together to form a conspiracy against the Swedish government. Gluskie sought support from Sweden's main rival, the Union of Denmark-Norway, whom agreed to sign a treaty of independence in 1529.

On the eve of October the 8th 1530, Jarkko Gluskie, declared Finland's unilateral independence, and declared war on the Kingdom of Sweden, quickly silencing pro-Gustav supporters and mobilizing a local army.

Denmark-Norway shortly after, declared war on Sweden, sending Danish ships north to blockade Stockholm, and began multiple offensives on the Swedish mainland. Meanwhile, Gustav's army found itself facing mass-desertion by Finnish-born soldiers, joining the Gluskie's revolutionary army.

Guerrilla warfare occurred along the Swedo-Finnish border, with groups of rebels repelling the Swedish attacks with high ferocity, while Danish and Norwegian forces connected with each other during the Battle of Gothenburg, which resulted in a decisive Dane-Norwegian victory. In November, Sweden attempted a naval invasion of Abo, Finland's de facto capital, which was crushed by the Danish navy in the Battle of the Åland Islands, and cost Sweden many lives. In December, Jarkko Gluskie led a major Winter Offensive across the Torne river, rapidly invading the Swedish north, while the Danish-Norwegian army marched to Stockholm, and laid siege to the city.

On February the 18th 1531, Gustav I sued for peace, with the Finnish army reaching as far as Sundsvall, and Danish-Norwegian forces besieging the capital. Denmark-Norway agreed, and with Jarkko Gluskie coming as well, Sweden signed the Treaty of Abo, citing the following: After the treaty was signed, Jarkko proclaimed Finland a monarchy and made himself king, much to the discontent of the republican traders, whom staged multiple rebellions throughout the kingdom's history. Next, Finland announced its rivals Poland and the now-weakened Sweden.
 * 1) Finland will be made an independent and sovereign state.
 * 2) Sweden will cede Kronoberg, Jönköping, Kalmar and Östergötland to Denmark.
 * 3) Sweden will cede the Åland Islands to Finland.
 * 4) Sweden will give Finland 10% of their income for ten years as war reparations.

The Reformation
During the mid-1530s, Lutheran ideas spread to Denmark-Norway & Sweden, soon spreading to Finland. King Jarkko I was a devout Catholic, and in 1545 attended the Council of Trent, afterward embracing the Counter-Reformation in Finland, introducing the death penalty for converts to the Protestant faith. This displeased Christian III, king of Denmark-Norway which was Lutheran, and it caused him to formally end the alliance with Finland, leaving the kingdom to itself.The kingdom of Finland was subject to many rebellions during the mid-16th century, mostly republicans and Protestant zealots, contributing to the public's apathetic attitude towards its Protestant & Orthodox neighbors.

After Denmark-Norway formed an alliance with Muscovy to the east, Finland sought diplomatic relations with its neighbors across the Baltic Sea. In 1537, Jarkko I entered into a royal marriage with Alseta II of Lithuania, whom had been threatened by Muscovy to the east as well, and with Poland to the west, which had cut-off ties after Lithuania's refused to enter into a personal union with Poland.

Shortly after the royal marriage, Jarkko offered an alliance to Anton Von Schafer, Grand Master of the Teutonic Order, which had expelled its previous leader Albert after he converted to Lutheranism. Anton, with Protestant rivals to the west, and Poland to the east, accepted the offer, and so began the Finno-Teutonic alliance.