It looks as though The Netherlands will be a kingdom under the Oldenburg Dynasty. I'm probably gonna have John II's second son Canute (mentioned in Part 11 of this TL) take the Dutch throne, but I'm wondering what the role of the second son of the king was in the Danish monarchy. If he was made a ruler of some smaller territory like a duchy, that could dissuade him from taking the Dutch throne. If that's the case, it'll be John II's third son Christian (also mentioned in Part 11) that ascends to the Dutch throne.
Union of The Three Crowns: The History of The Nordic Empire
- Thread starter Gabingston
- Start date
The second son had no role at all at this time, he has the right to inherit parts of the duchies of Schleswig and Holstein and become co-duke, because of the duchies inherence laws. So a big part of his older brother job was to find younger brother some position to make him give up his claim to the duchies. Christian III and Frederik II fail to buy all their brothers out which gave rise to the duchies of Gottorp and Sönderburg. Christian IV bought his brothers out by buying a German Lutheran bishoprics (non-inheritable) to one and arrange a marriage with a Russian archduchess for another (he died before the marriage). He also bought his own younger sons out by buying Lutheran bishoprics to both. So here supporting one of the two younger sons for the Dutch crown would serve to buying them out.
ye. I do want them to keep it just for it to be a cool trivia thing. Maybe they change the lyrics and set it to a different major scale to differentiate it.
I think we'd also get things like Nordic myths be changed in america, like how the wild hunt became the ghost rider.
I mean, Scandinavia isn't going to go back to worshipping Thor and Odin, they'll stay Lutheran up until the 20th Century, possibly to the present if this world winds up being more conservative (although some degree of secularization is inevitable due to scientific discoveries like evolution). i do however agree that Norse mythology could be even more popular ITTL as a subject for art and media than it is in our own, which is saying something considering how the Norse gods have been turned into comic book characters in our world.
Tbf I was thinking of things like American trolls having their own castle on a particularly treacherous mountain or huldras and elves assuming different features in America (maybe depicted as looking more like native Americans for example, or the huldras assuming wolf tails). And maybe we'd see some native American myths get incorporated too, but they'd be sparse. No one would be actually be pagans.
I don't think it can get bigger than it is right now, I am getting Edda Fatigue
Chapter 15: The Dutch Revolt Succeeds
Union of The Three Crowns: The History of The Nordic Empire
Chapter 15: The Dutch Revolt Succeeds
Chapter 15: The Dutch Revolt Succeeds
After 15 years of rebellions and warfare, the Dutch rebels had finally declared their independence from the Spanish crown. What had long been a rebellion for more autonomy and less intrusive governance had now become a full on war of independence, with the Dutch now wanting to become an independent state in their own right. With this, the Dutch rebels would now be able to seek foreign support for their rebellion, which they would wind up getting from a few sources. They’d gone for French support by offering Francis of Anjou the role of Protector of the Netherlands, but they would seek additional support from other European powers. This included England, who were a major trading partner of the Dutch and also had a pro-Dutch, Protestant monarch in Queen Elizabeth. The English would join the war on the side of the Dutch a few years after the Act of Abjuration, although they never officially declared war on the Spanish.
One more power the Dutch were seeking the support of was the Kalmar Union. This made a ton of sense, as the Kalmar Union was a major trade partner, had become Protestant early in the Reformation and had a king, the now elderly John II, who had long been keeping an eye on the Dutch Revolt but hadn’t officially intervened. With the Act of Abjuration, though, Hans decided that it was time to reach out to the Dutch rebels and offer his support. He wrote a letter directed toward William of Orange in 1582, offering military aid to the new Dutch state. William wholeheartedly accepted the offer, and by 1583 an expeditionary force of a few thousand Nordic troops had been deployed in The Netherlands, alongside a decent slice of the Nordic navy, which by this point had become one of Europe’s strongest.
This wasn’t without Francis of Anjou, dissatisfied with his limited role in Dutch governance, tried to forcefully take over Brabant and Flanders in early 1583, but was ultimately repelled and returned to France in the middle of that year. This also soured the reputation of William of Orange, who’d been a long time supporter of Francis of Anjou’s claim to the Dutch throne. When combined with a sizable bounty that Philip II of Spain had placed on his head, assassination attempts on Orange were pretty much bound to occur (and had already occurred). After an assassination scare in early 1585, Orange decided that he should keep a lower profile, retreating to one of his country estates, although he’d still be involved in a less prominent manner (IOTL Orange was assassinated in 1584, but it was butterflied ITTL).
Anyway, back to the actual war. The new Governor-General of the Spanish Netherlands, Alexander Farnese, Duke of Parma, was a skilled military commander, and when combined with him being more tactful than the previous Duke of Alba, the Spanish began to see a lot of success in the war. The Spanish retook much of Flanders by the end of 1584, and were attempting to take Antwerp once again. However, the combination of Dutch Hellburner fireships and Nordic troops, now numbering around 10,000 in the Netherlands, were able to repel the Spanish (a different outcome than IOTL, where Antwerp fell in August of 1585). This victory was able to change the tide of the war, as the successful defense of Antwerp was a big boost to Dutch morale. Combine that with the entry of the English, and things would start to turn around. During 1586, the combined Dutch, Nordic and English forces would retake much of Flanders, along with parts of the north that had been under Spanish control since the war’s beginning. By 1588, the borders had been restored to their state in 1580, plus the aforementioned northern area that the Dutch had conquered. Combine that with a failed Spanish invasion of England in that summer, and it looked as though the new Dutch state was secure. It was finally at this moment that the Spanish and Dutch/Nordic/English alliance agreed to a truce, which would last for ten years. While the Spanish wouldn’t officially recognize Dutch independence, the Netherlands were de facto an independent country at this point, and were recognized as such by many other European states. Now, they just needed a ruler…
After the Act of Abjuration in 1581, the new Dutch state would go about searching for a monarch. As mentioned earlier, they’d first tried to get the French royal Francis of Anjou the throne, but that didn’t ultimately work out very well. The Dutch would also offer the King of France and Elizabeth I of England the throne, but were turned down both times. There was one more option that the Dutch had for a monarch, though, that being the Oldenburg dynasty of the Kalmar Union. The now elderly King John II of the Kalmar Union had produced three surviving male children. The first of them was Frederick, who, being the heir to the Nordic throne, wasn’t really an option. No, the Dutch were looking at John’s other two male children. There was Canute, who was the second son of King John. Canute was no longer second in line to take the throne, as the aforementioned Frederick had married in 1573 and had a son of his own, named John after Frederick’s father, as well as two daughters for that matter. He’d gotten married by this point and had given birth to two daughters, so while a male heir was lacking at the moment, it was still within the realm of possibility to eventually occur. He’d also been to The Netherlands on several occasions and had some knowledge of the Dutch language, so he wouldn’t be a total stranger. Thus, Canute would accept the offer to become King of The Netherlands, though he’d wait to be officially crowned until after the truce. In July of 1588, after the truce had been declared, Canute arrived in Antwerp, still the capital of The Netherlands despite the attacks and sieges, in order to be crowned. Thus, Canute (or Knoet in Dutch) would officially become King Canute I of The Netherlands, becoming the third major country to fall under the rule of the Oldenburg Dynasty. The Dutch Revolt against the Spanish may have been long, but it was ultimately successful, and while things would likely erupt again as soon as the truce ended, they’d have a decade to prepare for the inevitable. For the Oldenbergs, taking the Dutch throne further solidified them as one of Europe’s premier royal houses. While they may not have been as OP as the Habsburgs, even after they lost most of The Netherlands, they could still throw their weight around to a sizable degree, and were arguably the most influential family in Northern Europe. Having the wealthy, mercantile region of The Netherlands under their thumb would prove to be a huge boon for the Oldenburgs over the coming century, but that’ll be a story for another time. Hopefully I can squeeze in another update before the year is out, but if not, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Honestly, losing the Netherlands was the best thing that happened to the Spanish in the long term.
I think they hold all of the Spanish Netherlands ittl. Antwerp is shown to be one of the cities that the rebels control. Tbf a map would make things clearer.
Without that buffer, they'll actually have to dedicate themselves to defending against France personally. The Spanish Netherlands were basically a cash/troop hog that was used to defend Dutch and English interests. Wonder if this means the Union will become involved in all these conflicts.
Considering an Oldenburg is on the throne the Kalmar Union will definitely be part of the conflicts. I could see Scandinavian soldiers striking into France all the time.
tbf will we see an Oldenburg dynasty for England at one point?
OK, I should clarify that the territory of TTL's independent Netherlands is OTL's Dutch Republic plus Flanders. The Spanish still do have Wallonia and Luxemburg.
Considering the importance of Flanders to the Spanish Netherlands even with blockade of Antwerp, it's really only a question of when this shrunken Spanish Netherlands falls when France starts running rampant.
It honestly seems that in this timeline France will not be able to expand much in Europe.
Country: Netherlands
Adjective: Dutch
Country: Scandanavia
Adjective: Nordic
All hail the Oldenburg League of Confusingly Named Nationalities!
Adjective: Dutch
Country: Scandanavia
Adjective: Nordic
All hail the Oldenburg League of Confusingly Named Nationalities!
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