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Description

Mostly a proof of concept.

The Christian League and Royal Protectorate of the two Saxonies, Franconia, Swabia, Westphalia and the Rhineland.

also known as THE CHRISTIAN PROTECTORATE

The Christian Protectorate was established in the middle of the 17th century after Sweden and several German principalities defeated the Holy Roman Emperor with the help of the French.

At first the Christian Protectorate existed inside the Holy Roman Empire as a loose alliance of several lutheran and calvinist principalities under the protection of the Swedish king Gustav II Adolf, but in 1662 after the death of the king the Habsburg emperor tried to break the Swedish dominance in the north of Germany. With the help of France the disunited protestants were saved and the Habsburgs were forced to accept the total loss of the northern share of the Holy Roman Empire. The Protectorate was transformed into a stronger federation under the Houseof Vasa.

Bernhard of Saxe-Weimar, the eleventh son of a minor prince, had been one of Gustav II Adolf most loyal geberals and was awarded with the Duchy of Franconia. He was a remarkable men and quickly established Franconia as one of the leading powers of the HRE and later the Protectorate. Following the second war with the Habsburg Bernhard became the mightiest man of the Protectorate and de-facto regent for the young King Charles X of Sweden. Bernhard's decendens would buildupon his succes and unite most of the land House Wettin/House Saxe under their rule. His grandson John II Ernest later made the office of "Councelor of the Realm" (Reichsrat/riksråd) a heridary position and centralised the army of the Protectorate. John's son, Bernhard II was rather unremarkable but his ambitious wife, Christina of Hessen would make sure that their offspring would one day rule the Protectorate in their own right. After Bernhard's death she acted as regent for their young son John. John was married to princess Hedvig the only child of the Swedish king and Protector Eric XV.

King Eric's eventual death would lead to the War of Swedish Succession and the fracturing of the Protectorate in 1769. The two pretenders were:

Princess Hedvig (initially backed by Franconia-Saxony and Poland)

Duke Gustav of Dalcarlia (uncle of Eric XV; initially backed by Denmark, England and France)

Duke Gustav died early in the war and his two sons, Charles and Magnus, were killed during a disastrous campaign in Poland. Hedvig and John were hated by the the Swedish Council of the Realm, which instead invited prince David of Scotland to take the throne, as he was an in-law of the Vasas. Hedvig and John in the meantime had to deal with their own peers as a Guelf led coalition was trying to break the dominance of the House of Saxe in the Protectorate, but after coronation of David I England switched sides and invaded their Scotish cousins to stop the formation of a mighty empire controlling both the Baltic and the North Sea. The Guelfs lost their English backers and fell victim to revolts of their own. The Guelfs were disposed and banished and their lands were taken by the house of Saxe. John and Hedvig defeated the last internal opposition in 1781 with the help of Poland and France. England in the meantime took the fight to Sweden, but had to accept the David as king in the end a few years later. After 15 years of fighting the Treaty of Liege ended the seemingly endless carnage of the war of Succesion. The mighty realm of Gustav II Adolf was no more. The male-line of the House of Vasa was eradicated. David I ruled Sweden. John and Hedvid ruled the Protectorate.

In 1791 John would gratiously accept the title King of Saxony, Protector of the Faith.

Description

Mostly a proof of concept.

The Christian League and Royal Protectorate of the two Saxonies, Franconia, Swabia, Westphalia and the Rhineland.

also known as THE CHRISTIAN PROTECTORATE

The Christian Protectorate was established in the middle of the 17th century after Sweden and several German principalities defeated the Holy Roman Emperor with the help of the French.

At first the Christian Protectorate existed inside the Holy Roman Empire as a loose alliance of several lutheran and calvinist principalities under the protection of the Swedish king Gustav II Adolf, but in 1662 after the death of the king the Habsburg emperor tried to break the Swedish dominance in the north of Germany. With the help of France the disunited protestants were saved and the Habsburgs were forced to accept the total loss of the northern share of the Holy Roman Empire. The Protectorate was transformed into a stronger federation under the Houseof Vasa.

Bernhard of Saxe-Weimar, the eleventh son of a minor prince, had been one of Gustav II Adolf most loyal geberals and was awarded with the Duchy of Franconia. He was a remarkable men and quickly established Franconia as one of the leading powers of the HRE and later the Protectorate. Following the second war with the Habsburg Bernhard became the mightiest man of the Protectorate and de-facto regent for the young King Charles X of Sweden. Bernhard's decendens would buildupon his succes and unite most of the land House Wettin/House Saxe under their rule. His grandson John II Ernest later made the office of "Councelor of the Realm" (Reichsrat/riksråd) a heridary position and centralised the army of the Protectorate. John's son, Bernhard II was rather unremarkable but his ambitious wife, Christina of Hessen would make sure that their offspring would one day rule the Protectorate in their own right. After Bernhard's death she acted as regent for their young son John. John was married to princess Hedvig the only child of the Swedish king and Protector Eric XV.

King Eric's eventual death would lead to the War of Swedish Succession and the fracturing of the Protectorate in 1769. The two pretenders were:

Princess Hedvig (initially backed by Franconia-Saxony and Poland)

Duke Gustav of Dalcarlia (uncle of Eric XV; initially backed by Denmark, England and France)

Duke Gustav died early in the war and his two sons, Charles and Magnus, were killed during a disastrous campaign in Poland. Hedvig and John were hated by the the Swedish Council of the Realm, which instead invited prince David of Scotland to take the throne, as he was an in-law of the Vasas. Hedvig and John in the meantime had to deal with their own peers as a Guelf led coalition was trying to break the dominance of the House of Saxe in the Protectorate, but after coronation of David I England switched sides and invaded their Scotish cousins to stop the formation of a mighty empire controlling both the Baltic and the North Sea. The Guelfs lost their English backers and fell victim to revolts of their own. The Guelfs were disposed and banished and their lands were taken by the house of Saxe. John and Hedvig defeated the last internal opposition in 1781 with the help of Poland and France. England in the meantime took the fight to Sweden, but had to accept the David as king in the end a few years later. After 15 years of fighting the Treaty of Liege ended the seemingly endless carnage of the war of Succesion. The mighty realm of Gustav II Adolf was no more. The male-line of the House of Vasa was eradicated. David I ruled Sweden. John and Hedvid ruled the Protectorate.

In 1791 John would gratiously accept the title King of Saxony, Protector of the Faith.