[POTN] 2.12 - Traty of Oliva

From the start of the war in 1655, Prince Christian and his family stayed mainly in Bergen, amidst King Frederik's ever-worsening paranoia. The fact that Christian's elder brother served in the Swedish army dismayed Frederik greatly, the latter noticing the obvious Swedish plan of installing Valdemar on the Danish throne should conflicts begin. Thus, Frederik ordered heavy guards against Christian, spying on him and reporting all his actions back to Copenhagen. Christian was aware of the constant spying, but he was unable to stop Frederik.

The death of Valdemar brought much relief to Frederik, but he did not cease spying on Christian. If anything, the spying only worsened, with Frederik eager to prevent Christian from secretly allying wth the Swedes. Even in this oppressive atmosphere, Christian and Maren continued their frequent intimacy, with Maren again pregnant by the end of 1656.

A rather difficult pregnancy followed, and the couple was in much stress, with Frederik's spies around them all the time. Christian, unwilling to draw Frederik's attention, largely stayed at home with his family, taking care of his six children as his wife was heavily pregnant.

After a period of prolonged pain, a small boy was finally born on 11th January, 1657. The boy initially seemed fragile, but managed to survive with care from the nurses and midwives that had served the family for years. Upon baptism, the boy was named Harald Sigurd, after the unifier of Norway, Harald Fairhair. Various prominent Norwegian figures were made his godparents, in a subtle act of defiance against the Danish authority.

Soon after that, however, the tension between Denmark-Norway and Sweden rose drastically. With Swedish forces tied up in Poland and Ingria, King Frederik saw a golden opportunity to retake what was lost to Sweden in 1645 after the Tortenson War. Following failed negotiations in May 1657, King Frederik seized three Swedish ships crossing the Øresund, displaying open hostility against Sweden for the first time in years.

War was officially declared on 1st June, 1657, and Frederik ordered immediate mobilisation, despite the Norwegian unwillingness to go to war over largely Danish territories. Many of Christian's allies in the Norwegian army were also ordered to move to Scania to wage an offensive. Stockholm, meanwhile, was caught in a difficult situation. Unwilling to plunge the nation into devastation, King Gustav largely ordered for defensive tactics on the Scanian front, hoping to secure the existing frontline with minimal manpower, as Swedish troops and mercenaries fought on the other fronts.

Meanwhile, in Poland, Prince Karl was still insisting to launch an all-out offensive against the Lesser Poland areas held by the Polish King. Many ill-prepared attempts were made, with little success, and the Poles forcibly conscripted by Karl on the occupied territories paying the price, often deployed as cannon fodders.

Karl's forces suffered over three times the losses that royal Polish forces suffered, but the overwhelming majority of them were Poles conscripted by Karl. Karl refused to cease the offensives with the staggering death tolls, instead opting to conscript even Polish women and children for war. Still, under Karl's command, continuous and systemised looting occurred throughout the occupied lands. Polish cities, towns, and villages were regularly pillaged, anything with a worth taken by the Swedes or the mercenaries, the people scattered or conscripted into Karl's army.

Many Swedes looted countless valuables and sent them back to Sweden for their families, and Karl permitted that after taking one fifth of all loots to send to Gustav for the national treasury, so that the latter would not dismiss him with his questionable combat results starting from 1656. As Denmark declared war on Sweden, however, Gustav became less satisfied with part of the army looting and waging meaningless offensives against Poland. Swedish diplomats were sent directly to the Polish King, discussing peace. Brandenburg-Prussia, despite not particularly eager for peace, was also forced by Stockholm to engage with the possibility of a peace, even with concessions compared to the original maximalist ideal.

In early July, diplomats representing Sweden, Poland, and also Brandenburg-Prussia had a meeting in Sweden-ruled Stettin. By Gustav's command, the Swedes agreed to concede far more than expected, limiting their demand in search of a quick peace to focus on the war against Denmark. The Elector of Brandenburg, meanwhile, was eager to secure as much territories as possible. The Brandenburger delegation demanded for all Prussian lands, from Elbing to Danzig, to be absorbed into the Duchy of Prussia, a condition that the Poles vehemently rejected.

Sweden, however, was desperate for peace. Gustav issued a threat against Elector Friedrich Wilhelm in mid-July, warning the latter to conclude peace with the Commonwealth alongside Sweden, or otherwise there would be dire consequences. Thousands of Swedish troops under Karl's command were still occupying Greater Poland, able to march into Brandenburg upon command. The Elector did not wish to engage the Swedes, especially with the Brandenburger manpower already drained by the war since 1655.

On 23th July, 1657, high-ranking diplomats representing Sweden, the Commonwealth, and Brandenburg-Prussia meeting in Oliva near Danzig signed the Treaty of Oliva, officially ending hostilities between the parties. The Commonwealth was given very lenient peace terms, considering the scale of defeat the Poles suffered in the beginning of the war. The Treaty of Oliva was largely as follows:

1) Hostilities shall immediately cease between the signing parties. Armies commanded by Sweden and Brandenburg-Prussia shall withdraw from the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth as soon as possible.

2) The King of Poland releases the fealty sworn to him by the Duke of Prussia. The Duchy of Prussia shall henceforth be a fully sovereign state, recognised as such by the signing parties.

3) The King of Poland recognises Gustav Karl Vasa as the rightful monarch of Sweden, and shall henceforth drop all Polish claims on the Swedish throne. The territories of Livonia and Riga shall also be recognised as Swedish dominions, ceasing the Polish claim.

4) The King of Poland releases the fealty sworn to him by the Duke of Courland and Semigallia. The Duchy of Courland and Semigallia shall henceforth be recognised as a Swedish fief, following the fealty sworn by the Duke to the King of Sweden.

5) The Kingdom of Poland shall cede the Prussian territories east of the river Vistula to the Duchy of Prussia, while retaining the rest of Royal Prussia, centred around the port of Danzig.

6) Sweden and Brandenburg-Prussia shall take the Polish side diplomatically, should conflicts again resume between the Commonwealth and the Tsardom of Russia.

Both the Elector of Brandenburg and Prince Karl were highly dissatisfied with the peace. The former believe that Brandenburg-Prussia had been denied a rightful amount of lands to be annexed, while Prince Karl hated the fact that the war ended before his offensive even succeeded. Still bitter against the Poles, Prince Karl deliberately withdrew his army very slowly, devastating every inch of Polish land they passed through. Large scale of looting and massacres took place, with Karl declaring no quarter for any captives. All Polish lands were scorched again right before the Swedes left the areas.

Thousands of Polish women, taken as de facto slaves by Karl's army, were executed privately. Karl's wrath also meant that any Polish buildings remaining after the looting were burnt to the ground, so the areas could not be inhabited again. Meanwhile, Denmark-Norway had begun their offensive. The Swedish fief of Bremen-Verden was occupied by Danish forces in August, catching the Swedes with surprise. Gustav thus ordered for Karl to evacuate the Commonwealth as soon as possible, and reach Bremen-Verden by land through Brandenburg to retake the Duchy. The Elector of Brandenburg, already dissatisfied with the peace, wished to reject the Swedish request.

Nonetheless, Gustav again threatened Berlin into allowing Karl's army to pass through the Electorate, with threats of an invasion. The Elector, having no choice but to agree, became even more bitter against Stockholm. and began distancing his realms from the Swedes diplomatically.