Records: Plantagenet-Scandinavia Alliance

## **The Viking Vortex**

After years of close relations between the House of Plantagenet and the Scandinavian Houses of Bjelbo/Estridsen, including the purchase of the Orkney islands near Scotland, the soft alliance paid off in spades for the Danish-Norwegians.

Despite early warnings during the transition from the Holy Roman Empire to the Kingdom of Germany, the Hanseatic League had been playing fast and loose with trade laws and restrictions. This included support from Swedish nobility, especially political strongman Bo Jonsson, in support of Swedish royal puppet Albert, King of Sweden.

There, like England prior to the rise of Prince Edward of Woodstock (and his sons), there was a powerful nobility and a hamstrung royalty. In Sweden, it led to a deposition of the Crown. Even though they had their puppet, they were as unsatisfied with his presence on the throne as the commoners were (largely because he wasn't doing anything about the nobility's abuses).

### **Grounds for Intervention**

When unauthorized military magic made its way to Sweden, that was the end of patience from the House of Plantagenet. The Ricardian Crown arrested Bo Jonsson and deposed Albert in the same stroke (when they were both in the Swedish throne room).

There was limited violence, but it was all non-lethal. The SA had executed the operation flawlessly, taking in several of the Swedish nobility in the same stroke.

### **The Swedish Audit and Rectification**

Within days, under truth fields and with evidence, both Bo Jonsson and Albert of Mcklenburg were found guilty of multiple counts of murder. As they were political-level criminals, they were sentenced to single combat against the Magus.

Rick *still* hadn't fully recovered from the demon attack, but that didn't stop him. Making a point about skill over arcane power, he faced his opponents without enchanted weapons. The longest duel took 17 seconds. The point was made clearly but not necessarily cleanly.

With Swedish and Finnish aristocracy there to witness the combat, the Ricardian Crown conducted a lightning Audit and Rectification of Sweden and Finland.

### **Delivering Sweden to its Rightful King**

By the end of the year, the Ricardian Crown held Bo Jonsson's lands and titles in Sweden and Finland.

Having de-fanged the local aristocracy, Rick gifted the crown of Sweden (and associated Finland) to Olaf of Denmark and Norway. Ricard performed homage to young King Olaf for the local lands, establishing precedent regarding local jurisdiction. Given the larger picture, it was widely considered a symbolic formality, but it was as important for Rick, if only to demonstrate humility.

With the Ricardian Crown as a significant noble presence in Sweden (and all but owning Finland), the Scandinavian connections to the CMC were getting deeper. Given the vikings' propensity for long-distance trade and proclivity for over-the-beach raids, Scandinavia became a powerful resource for the Plantagenets, especially for CMC Royal Marine recruitment.

### **A More Formal Union**

The Ricardian reunion of Sweden+Finland to the Norway-Denmark Crown had the possibility of creating an earlier and more stable version of the Kalmar Union. This was on northern minds as negotiations started with nobility and commons across the region toward adopting localized Great Charters, and eventual entry into the CMC.

In this respect, the Ricardian Crown had the possibility of solidifying Scandinavia into a CMC "sub-empire," which would have its own tax and trade benefits, much less a little extra prestige in the Commonwealth.