[POTN] 1.4 - Treaty of Brömsebro

Following the campaigns in Jutland and Scania, King Christian IV felt that Copenhagen was increasingly threatened, and ordered for Norwegian units to invade Sweden, opening new fronts.

The Norwegians, in general, were vehemently against the idea. For them, it was a war about Scania, Sound Dues, and the Baltic dominance, and they were very reluctant to leave themselves open to further invasions by the militarily superior Sweden by initiating attacks. However, Torstenson's armies soon turned south to occupy the previously Danish-ruled Prince-Bishoprics of Bremen and Verden, symbolically dethroning the ruling Prince, Frederik, who had stayed in Copenhagen instead of actively ruling the German territories.

By late spring 1644, with the bloody siege ongoing at Mälmø, King Christian was increasingly cautious of the possibility of an all-out Swedish assault on Copenhagen, and greatly pressured Hannibal Sehested, the King's son-in-law and Governor-General of Norway, to invade Sweden from Norway.

Despite opposition from many Norwegians, Sehested disregarded their opinion, and launched an invasion from Jämtland in July 1644. The Norwegian Army, however, was poorly manned, poorly equipped, and poorly commanded. The surprise attack soon came to a halt, with Stockholm announcing further mobilisation for the new front.

The famed Finnish cavalry was redeployed to invade Jämtland by August, with the Norwegians losing key positions immediately afterwards. Chancellor Oxenstierna saw an opportunity for Sweden to occupy even more areas as bargaining chips in the coming negotiations. In September, Swedish troops were ordered to spread wider and invaded many Norwegian provinces at once. With the desperate situation in Copenhagen, the northern Norwegian lands were practically undefended. The Swedes soon took important towns, even reaching the Arctic and Norwegian Sea coasts in quite a few locations up North.

Jämtland itself was entirely occupied, and Swedish troops advanced as west as the market town of Hamar, only being driven back slightly by October, but still well west of the original border.

Before the Belt froze, Torstenson attempted a landing on Zealand in early November, but the attempt was thwarted by Danish defenses. While the Swedish Navy annihilated their Danish counterparts near Fenmarn in October, the Swedes in Scania were also unable to take advantage of this and land on Copenhagen.

One last landing attempt in mid-November by Gustav Horn was barely defeated by a Danish force led by a few young officers appointed by King Christian himself, locking the Øresund front into a stalemate. As the straits froze in late November, landing was no longer deemed possible, and the war largely became locked up, giving the Danes time to fortify their capital city.

Seeing that it was no longer possible to capture the Danish capital city, and in some ways pressured by Princess Kristina who stayed in Stockholm throughout the conflict, the Chancellor formally suggested peace to King Christian on Christmas Day, 1644. After a brief truce, negotiations formally began in Brömsebro on the original border of the two nations, in January 1645.

The Swedish delegation was led by the Chancellor himself, with several key ministers involved. King Gustav was allowed to participate in the negotiations as a secondary representative, but his words were not deemed decisive with the Regency still in place.

The Danish delegation, meanwhile, was led by the Danish Chancellor. Mediators from both France and the Empire were present. The negotiation progressed slowly, with staunch resistance about certain terms by the Danes. Still, with compromise from both sides, the Treaty of Brömsebro was officially signed on 13th May, 1645, and the Dano-Swedish War, dubbed the "Torstenson War" by later generations, officially ended.

The terms detailed in the Treaty of Brömsebro were largely as follows:

1) Hostilities immediately cease between the Kingdoms of Sweden, Denmark, and Norway. The Kingdoms of Denmark and Norway shall henceforth not intervene in the affairs of the Holy Roman Empire, nor question any Swedish involvement, as declared in the Treaty of Lübeck in 1629.

2) The Sound Dues, collected by the Kingdom of Denmark on Swedish vessels passing through the Øresund since the end of the Kalmar Union, shall henceforth be exempted for any Swedish vessels, any vessels owned by Swedish citizens, and any vessels legitimately bearing the Swedish ensign. This arrangement shall be permanent.

3) The Province of Halland shall immediately be ceded to the Kingdom of Sweden by the Kingdom of Denmark. Danish citizens residing in the province shall be free to choose either Danish citizenship or Swedish citizenship.

4) The Provinces of Jämtland and Härjedalen, along with the Regions of Idre and Särna, shall immediately be ceded to the Kingdom of Sweden by the Kingdom of Norway. Norwegian citizens residing in the areas shall be free to choose either Norwegian citizenship or Swedish citizenship.

5) The islands of Gotland and Ösel shall immediately be ceded to the Kingdom of Sweden by the Kingdom of Denmark. Danish citizens residing in the province shall be free to choose either Danish citizenship or Swedish citizenship. Selected ports on the islands shall open for Dano-Norwegian merchants to conduct business with a privileged tax rate.

6) The Counties of Troms and Finnmark shall be leased to the Kingdom of Sweden by the Kingdom of Norway for thirty years from 1st July, 1645, till 30th June, 1675. Citizens of the provinces shall not be automatically given the Swedish nationality, but shall be able to apply for it should they wish for it. The return of the provinces, on 1st July, 1675, shall be negotiated between the concerned parties in 1674.

7) The Kingdoms of Denmark and Norway shall altogether pay the Kingdom of Sweden an indemnity of sixty thousand Riksdalers. Before the indemnity is fully paid, the Swedish troops shall continue occupying the provinces of Scania and Blekinge, the island of Bornholm, and the other occupied Norwegian territories, with the costs of the occupation troops covered by the Kingdoms of Denmark and Norway.

8) Once the indemnity is paid in full, Swedish forces shall immediately withdraw from the aforementioned territories. A non-aggression pact between the three kingdoms shall then be signed, valid for ten years.

With that, the war was officially concluded. King Christian, despite his calm leadership, lost much popularity among Norwegians, who were bitter about him dragging Norway into the war.

Young Prince Christian, now 17, returned to Norway in June 1645, resuming his military career. In the following years, he would continue pursuing his love for the Norwegian culture, befriending many Norwegians and learnt about all of the tales they told him.

Treaty of Brömsebro (1645)