r/AlternateHistory • u/Free_YankeeRichard • 5d ago
1700-1900s RESTERNA AV ÖST! What if the Finnish war never happened?
# Gustav’s shaky alliance with Napoleon (1808-1812)
The Finnish war was fought over Sweden’s refusal to join the continental system, so the point of divergence comes in 1808 following the Treaty of Tilsit, Gustav IV Adolf is able to put his hatred aside to preserve Sweden’s territory after increasing pressure from France and Russia.
Is this realistic? No. Gustav hated Napoleon with a passion and was overly confident about Sweden’s frankly terrible army, gone were the days of Karl XII’s small army crossing the Dnieper against a stronger Russian force. But let’s just say Gustav sees the writing on the wall and joins the blockade of Britain.
So Alexander doesn’t have a big justification or his boyfriend’s blessing to invade and since Denmark is also France’s ally, the Dano-Swedish war (Caused by France and Britain forcing the 2 into a war they didn’t want) doesn’t occur, but what does occur is Russia breaking the continental system.
# The Final Coalition’s (1812-1815)
Napoleon still invades Russia and a typhoid outbreak, a brutal winter and burning of Moscow later, Napoleon begins to loose his streak of winning. Sweden is in the camp Austria and Prussia are in, and backstab France once it starts too loose ground
The war takes notably longer then in our own timeline because the Coup of 1809 not happening and Bernadotte never rising to power, Bernadotte was heavily important to the Sixth coalition even though the kingdom he ruled wasn’t, so Him remaining French will be a thorn in the coalition’s side. Meanwhile Gustav realises his dream and goes to war with Denmark which had remained a French ally.
Eventually, Russia captures Paris and Napoleon is exiled to Elba and very similar hundred days blah blah blah
# Congress of Vienna (1815)
But during the Congress of Vienna, Gustaf (with British support) desired Norway, he did dream of gaining it in the 1808 war with Denmark so I don’t know why he wouldn’t here, but Gustaf is way to ambitious for the coalition to accept all of his demands, so Swedish Pomerania is ceded to Denmark as compensation and Norway is granted semi-independence from Sweden to not majorly disrupt the balance of power.
I’ll probably make a sequel if this gets enough support, or remake it if this is bad since I probably know less about Swedish history than I think I do. So should I make a sequel?
4
u/Super_Jello9554 5d ago
Would Sweden be called the penis of Europe?
2
1
u/wille912 5d ago
Yes contiune! This could possibly lead to a united nordic nation/federation, as such sentiment where strong around the time germany was unifying. But sweden not helping denmark against prussia stopped it. This could lead to a possibility of where it happens.
1
u/Free_YankeeRichard 5d ago
if this sweden aided denmark in the second schleswig war, i think prussia still wins, but maybe this leads to closer cooperation and “Scandinavian nationalists” being more of a thing into the 20th century
7
u/bippos 5d ago
Make a sequel /a Swedish person XD
Norway was already semi independent under the union with Sweden and it even had its own army and parliament but foreign policy was managed by Sweden, reason it dissolved was because the Norwegians felt alienated by the Swedish rule.
However it’s not impossible that Denmark voluntarily joined as a form of Malaysia United Kingdom or straight up added to the Swedish/nordic kingdom. Scandinaviaism was pretty popular until Sweden failed to aid Denmark during the Prussian Danish war. A greater regional power Sweden might have joined and won or lost but kept Scandinaviaism alive.
Finland would probably be elevated to a kingdom status as well if nationalism began flaring up