The War of The Spanish Succession/Great Northern War

[Stig]

The Republic of the Seven United Netherlands


Economy:

At this time The Republic is still one of the richest countries in the world. All the Dutch money comes from their colonies in both West and East India.
In India the Republic has colonies on the islands of the Indonesian archipelago and Ceylon. Here it makes good money of trade in spices, bringing it back to Europe to sell to the many countries that don't have colonies.
The Republic also has a small colony at the Cape of Good Hope. Every ship going East has to pass this point and with this the Republic can control the trade to the East would they want it.
In the West the Republic has colonies in Guyana and Suriname, here too it makes more than good money from trade. It also has smaller colonies on numerous islands in the Caribbean.
Here it also makes good money from slavetrade, being one of the few that does this. It has a small colony on the Gold Coast to import slaves from and from their slaves are brought to the New World.
The trade is done by the Dutch India Companies, the VOC and the WIC.


Military:

Because of the dangers facing the Republic it always has an strong army ready to fight. The army exists of 90,000 professional soldiers, but the numbers most of the time stays the same in peace and war. The Republic doesn't have the manpower to call on a big army during wartime and mainly relies on it's professional army.
The main Dutch strenght is in it's navy. The time of the great commanders, De Ruyter, Hein and Tromp and Tromp is over however the navy is still strong. It's divided in 5 Admiralties; Maze (Rotterdam), Amsterdam, Friesland, Noorderkwartier and Vlissingen. The navy can field a total of over 100 ships, some of which big heavy lineships, and even some with 100 cannons.
The Navy is the most important employer in the Republic, not only are there the 5 Admiralties, next to that there is the VOC and the WIC, these too have a few own warships.



[I'm doing this in parts, as last time I accidently deleted everything, more to be edited in]

[ELITEofWARMANGINGERYBREADMEN88]

I can't find alot of info about Austia, anyone know good websites for me to look at??

[King Jan III Sobieski]

I too, shall be posting mine in two or three parts.

History of Poland
The time after the end of the Thirty Years' War is generally considered a time of decline for Poland. Its constitution at the time is generally considered to be weak, and many of its rulers shared this weakness. The last major triumph for the nation came with the lifting of the Siege of Vienna in 1683 via the leadership of Jan III Sobieski. Poland's important role in aiding the European alliance to roll back the Ottoman Empire was rewarded with some territory in Podole by the Treaty of Karlowicz (1699). However, the succeeding decades were marked by increased foreign interferance. Frederick Augustus I, Elector of Saxony and King of Poland (aka Augustus II the Strong), King of Poland from 1697 – 1706, and 1709 – 1 February 1733, involved Poland in Peter the Great's war with Sweden, incurring another round of occupation and devastation by the Swedes between 1704 and 1710.

[Tran]

This map of Europe at 1700 might help?

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Or alternatively this one:https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...urope_1700.jpg
.

[Franconicus]

Excellent maps!

This one may help too:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

DoH: Will there be an end of the game, a year when the story reaches its end? Will there be targets for the players?

[Franconicus]

[QUOTE=Franconicus]Excellent maps!

This one may help too:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Besides La Nouvelle France, these are my colonies:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

As the French empire in North America expanded, the French also began to build a smaller but more profitable empire in the West Indies. Settlement along the South American coast in what is today French Guiana began in 1624, and a colony was founded on Saint Kitts in 1625 (the island had to be shared with the English until the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713, when it was ceded outright). The Compagnie des Îles de l'Amérique founded colonies in Guadeloupe and Martinique in 1635, and a colony was later founded on Saint Lucia by (1650). The food-producing plantations of these colonies were built and sustained through slavery, with the supply of slaves dependent on the African slave trade. Local resistance by the indigenous peoples resulted in the Carib Expulsion of 1660.

The most important Caribbean colonial possession did not come until 1664, when the colony of Saint-Domingue (today's Haiti) was founded on the western half of the Spanish island of Hispaniola. In the 18th century, Saint-Domingue grew to be the richest sugar colony in the Caribbean.

French colonial expansion was not limited to the New World, however. In Senegal in West Africa, the French began to establish trading posts along the coast in 1624. In 1664, the French East India Company was established to compete for trade in the east. Colonies were established in India in Chandernagore in Bengal (1673) and Pondicherry in the Southeast (1674). Colonies were also founded in the Indian Ocean, on the Île de Bourbon (Réunion, 1664).

[Tran]

Kingdom of England (in personal union with Scotland and United Netherlands/Provinces)



William III held England and the UP in a personal union, but it would be silly to say it formed one state. This would only have been the case if William had been an absolute monarch. On the other had we see that in the era of William III the armies and some leaders of it had become intertwined. Though William's death in 1702 would severe all formal ties, their common interests created a lot of goodwill and by it a very intense co-operation.

In this war we see them jointly hiring troops and bringing allies into the war and supporting them through subsidy treaties. To foreign politicians they appeared as a confederacy nicknamed the 'seapowers'. This close co-operation rested primarily on the co-operation between Heinsius and Marlborough that had already started before William's death. In their correspondence we can see them jointly directing foreign policy and coordinating the war effort of the two nations. John Churchill, later made Duke of Marlborough would also become the military leader of the joint armies (see 1702 for particulars). This is why 'the seapowers' continued to exist as an entity in international politics.



Since the peace treaty of Rijswijk in 1697 the position of William's Junto ministers had considerably weakened. From that time William and his government had been attacked on issues such as the size of the army, the influence of foreigners (Dutchmen and Huguenots) at his court, and his grants to his favorites. By the 1699-1700 session of Parliament it was clear that it would no longer be possible to govern with the Junto ministers.

The hostility of this parliament as long as the Junto was in power showed itself in many ways. From the start it had busied itself with an investigation into William's land grants in Ireland, and tacking it to a tax-bill. To the modern observer this might seem to have been a noble cause, but it was not. The Whig defense of the king was that if parliament was in anyway sincere it should also investigate the grants made in the reign (James's) that had been declared illegal. It did not and the Commons soon showed to be after the booty for itself. Anyway, a law annulling the grants of William was soon in the making. The insistence on the irresponsible reduction of the army was another affair that given its theoretic foundation (a standing army was seen as a tool of absolutism) can be explained as directed against the king. To top it of the Commons petitioned on 10 April 1700 that William should evict all foreigners from his councils. William did however get something useful out of 1699-1700 session, and that was the Common's ratification of the second partition treaty in March 1700. However sharply Portland and others were attacked for signing it without their knowledge. William was probably quite sick and tired of the Commons when he prorogued parliament on 11 April.

Perceiving the fact that his government would sink to impotence if he did not appoint Tories to take responsibility in government, William was prepared to change his course signaled by Somers dismissal. This became even more necessary when Queen Anne's only child died in July, overthrowing all plans for his and Anne's succession, and opening up perspectives for the pretender. After his return from the United Provinces in October 1700, William then held talks with Godolphin, Harley and Rochester. In these it was probably decided to appoint bring the Tories into the ministry, to make a new settlement for the succession, and to make some constitutional changes. When Philip of Anjou was proclaimed as king Felipe V of Spain on 16 November 1700 parliament was not willing to go to war. This probably had a lot to do with the financial troubles that had originated from the previous war. Parliament was thus all to willing to be reassured by Louis XIV's reassurances of not uniting the two empires, and Louis' envoys reported that the England would recognize Felipe V. Parliament was then dissolved on 19 December 1700

The English army

Short history of the English Army
From 1660 to 1684

Britain is an island and therefore has always had far more need for a strong fleet than for an army. For a long time this circumstance had naturally stiffened the English Parliament in its opposition to the idea of a standing army. The English Army was therefore of a quite recent creation. Apart from Cromwell's New Model Army the traditions of the British Army go back to 1660 when the Commons authorized the raising of a standing army to protect the restored King Charles II. This was the composition of the English army from 1660 till 1685:

* First Foot Guards, formed in 1656 by combining two older regiments 1)
* The Lord General's Regiment of Foot Guards, which had been Monck's Regiment of Foot of the NMA

* Royal Regiment of Foot, which returned to England for the restoration, Renamed to 1st Foot in 1751
* The Tangier Regiment was raised in 1661, In 1663 it absorbed two others Renamed to 2nd Foot in 1751
* The Holland regiment was formed in 1665 from English troops serving the Dutch. Renamed to 3rd Foot in 1751
* The 2nd Tangier regiment was raised in 1680. Renamed to 4th foot in 1751

* Four troops of Horse Guards (4th disbanded in 1683)

* The Earl of Oxford's Regiment, this was a cavalry unit of the NMA which became the Royal Horse Guards Blue in 1750
* The Tangier Horse, formed in 1661, in 1751 named 1st Regiment of Dragoons

From 1685 to 1688

The Monmouth rebellion was the opportunity James II needed to raise a larger army. He raised 9 new infantry regiments and 7 cavalry regiments. Raising extra regiments in times of crisis had been done before, but this time James succeeded in holding on to these extra units. The British army had become a serious military force after these units had been added:

* The Royal Regt of Fuzileers, in 1751 renamed to 7 Foot
* The Princess Anne of Denmark's Regiment, in 1751 renamed to 8 Foot
* Henry Cornewall's Regiment of Foot, in 1751 renamed to 9 Foot
* The Earl of Bath's Regiment, in 1751 renamed to 10 Foot
* The Duke of Beaufort's Regiment of Foot, in 1751 renamed to 11 Foot
* The Duke of Norfolk's Regiment of Foot, in 1751 renamed to 12 Foot
* Earl of Huntingdon's Regiment of Foot, in 1751 renamed to 13 Foot
* Sir Edward Hales's Regiment of Foot, in 1751 renamed to 14 Foot
* Sir William Clifton's Regiment of Foot, in 1751 renamed to 15 Foot
* The Queen's Regiment of Horse, in 1751 renamed to 1 Dragoon Guards
* Earl of Peterborough's Regiment of Horse, in 1751 renamed to 2 Dragoon Guards
* 4th Horse (Earl of Plymouth's), in 1751 renamed to 3 Dragoon Guards
* Princess Anne of Denmark's Regiment of Horse, in 1751 renamed to 4 Dragoon Regiment
* Earl of Arran's Regiment of Cuirassiers, in 1746 renamed to 1 (Irish) Horse
* Shrewsbury's Horse, in 1746 renamed to 2 (Irish) Horse
* Duke of Somerset's Regiment of Dragoons, in 1751 renamed to 1 Dragoon Regiment

From 1688 to 1697

After the Glorious Revolution William III enlarged the army still further and began to engage it in serious warfare. The first pitched battle the English Army fought in Ireland was the battle of the Boyne. Here at least 15 infantry and 11 cavalry regiments fought the French and Irish. Other major engagements were the siege of Athlone and the battle of Aughrim. On the continent units were fighting in the war of the League of Augsburg. Here they fought in the battles of Walcourt, Steenkirk and Neerwinden and the 1695 siege of Namur. By the time of the peace of Rijswijk in 1697 England had a considerable and experienced army.

From 1697 to 1702

After the peace of Rijswijk parliament was bent on economizing. In December 1697 it stated that the English Army should count 7,000 men, the army in Ireland would count 12,000 men and that all regiments should consist of native Englishmen 2). Roughly this meant that excepting the abovementioned regiments all troops would be dismissed. It also meant dismissing 6 Scotch regiments (Lauder, Murray, Colyear, Strathnaver, Mackay and Hamilton), the Brandenburg Regiment, The Gardes du Corps (Blue Guard) and the (Dutch) Horse Guards, all of which returned to Dutch establishment. Especially cold hearted was the dismissal of the Huguenot regiments that had fought so valiantly for England.

Though the dismissal of the foreign troops was indeed executed we cannot be so sure about the native troops. Of the native English infantry regiments that William III had erected (later 16, 17, 19, 20, 22, 23, 24, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32) we find that most still existed in 1751, even though 5 had been disbanded for a time. This of course says nothing about the strength of these regiments or the number of companies they contained. Anyway, to me the actual effect of the Commons' dictate seems to have been somewhat less dramatic than one would expect.

The English Army in 1702

When the crisis of the Spanish Succession escalated the Commons were of course somewhat more motivated to invest in the army. Recently disbanded regiments were hastily reformed and new ones established. This meant that on 1 January 1702 the English army was composed like this: (Look here for an exact Order of Battle 3))

* The Household Cavalry; consisting of 5 independent troops and 1 regiment
* The Guards; consisting of 2 regiments of Foot Guards
* The Cavalry consisting of 12 Dragoon Regiments
* The Infantry consisting of 22 Foot regiments (14 regiments would be added in 1702)

Obviously the information is incomplete, and I might update them once I have found reliable sources
OOC: It looks like I'm going to have uneasy time with France

[Stig]

OOC: It looks like I'm going to have uneasy time with France

Same here, but luckely you have the land force, while the Dutch have the ubernavy.


Tho 2 years into the game Willem III will die, breaking the alliance the Republic and England ... tho in real they stayed allied.

[Tran]

Same here, but luckely you have the land force, while the Dutch have the ubernavy.


Tho 2 years into the game Willem III will die, breaking the alliance the Republic and England ... tho in real they stayed allied.

A. Each turn will be three months of real time.

Well, eight turns are long enough before things start to get nasty.

But it's alternate history anyway, so who knows what might happen?

[seireikhaan]

Would anyone happen to know where I could find an OOB for the Ottomans? I've found some decent 'generic' stuff, but I'm having trouble finding specifics.

[Marshal Murat]

I also think the UK has Highland regiments as well.

[Franconicus]

Kingdom of England (in personal union with Scotland and United Netherlands/Provinces)

OOC: It looks like I'm going to have uneasy time with France

Do not worry, noble King of England and Scotland! France is a peaceloving country and so is Her King, Louis Le Grand.


==================================================

Some information about the Ottomanian military:


The total strength is about 320,000 men.

The Ottoman Army is divided into:
- Central Troops at the Sublime Porte or directly under the command of the Porte (kapikulu) – 120,000
- Troops of the Provinces (ejalet askeri) – 200,000

In former decades, the vast majority of the army had been light cavalry from the Provinces. Lately, the share of the central troops has been increased significantly. Main body is the Janitschar infantry. This made the army much less mobile than it had been before.

CENTRAL TROOPS
Central Guard Cavalry (about 15,000):

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

6 different guard regiments (alti bölük haki), composed of socalled bölük, of 1,000 soldiers. Each bölük had companies (ortas) with 60 - 100 soldiers..

1. Guard Regiment: Sipahi – 7,800 men
2. Guard Regiment: Silahdare - 6,000 men
3. Guard Regiment: Ulufeciyani jemin (mercs of the right wing) – 2,000
4. Guard Regiment: Ulufeciyani jessari (mercs of the left wing) – 1,500
5. Guard Regiment: Gurebai jessari (foreigners of the right wing) – 1,000
6. Guard Regiment: Gurebai jessari (foreigners of the left wing) – 1,000

Central Guard Infantry (Janitschar) – 80,000

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Divided in three unequal divisions:
cemmat (the core of the Janitschars)
sekban (dog watchers)
hellebardiere (guard)

cebeci: arm smiths – about 6,000

topci – artillery: 10,000 men

top arabaci – transport of the cannons – 3,000 men

kumbaradci – miniers – 1,000 men


Troops of the Provinces ((ejalet askeri)
Cavalry: (155,000)

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Spahis: 15,000 (these were soldiers, that had a feud)
Cebelis: 70,000 (each Spahi had to pay cebelis, these had extreme low quality)
Tartars: 70,000 light cavalry without fire arms from the Crimea
Mameluks: cavalry of former slaves in Egypt

Infantry of the Provinces
Azaps: 30,000 light infantry, often used as garrison or on ships
Many others

[Don Corleone]

Of the Swedish Empire and her noble rulers, the Vasa Dynasty



Sweden is a rich land that occupies a large portion of the Scandinavian peninsula. It is bordered by Norway to the West and Denmark to the South (across the Skanerag) . In 1700, Sweden had holdings around the Baltic, including most of Livonia, Karelia, Ingria, Estonia, Upper Pomerania, parts of lower Pomerania, the Isle of Wollin (with the right to all of Lower Pomerania, should the Hohenzollerns of Brandenburg expire). We also control access to the 3 major rivers in Northern Germany: the Oder, the Elbe and the Weser. In addition, we have a vote in the Imperial Diet of the Holy Roman Empire, and along with France, we stand as co-guarantors of the Treaty of Westphalia.

We have no alliances per se, but we are always friendly with France and lately have found friends among the Ottomans. We have recently defeated Denmark. We also have long standing feuds simmering with Saxony and Russia. Occasionally, hostilities erupt with Poland and or Prussia.

Wealth-wise, the Swedish crown enjoys great wealth, due to the rich natural resources of Sweden itself as well as our new holdings. We've also benefited from an extended period of autocracy, backed by the will of the people (in the form of the Riksdag, or Swedish parliament). This means that nobles freuently see their fiefs returned to the state, and those that hold their lands do so tenuously, and pay heavy taxes. Sweden's resources include timber, furs and metal ores.

The Swedish navy is modern and new, headquarted at Karlskrona. Our fleet boasts a total of 43 ships, manned by 11,000 men and over 2648 guns, one of the most powerful in the world.

Our army is relatively small but highly trained and skilled. Sweden maintains one of the best standing professional armies in Europe, and we have drilled our men to a point where they can maintain the highest rate of fire of any European army. The standing army in 1700 remains at 77,000. Morale of the troops is second to none.

And course, there's our secret weapon, the Bikini Team.

Our principal problems include: for controlling so much territory, we have a rather small population; almost all of our neighbors hate us and conspire together to deprive us of our glorious empire; our young king (Charles XII) who while tactically gifted, is an utter imbecile at long term strategy and diplomacy.

[Tran]

Do not worry, noble King of England and Scotland!

You forgot Netherlands! Our minions friends might take that as insult

Some information about the Ottomanian military:

Is that so? What do your spies know about our glorious kingdom then?

[seireikhaan]

Ok, one question: we will have to deal with some non-playable factions in our efforts, right? If so, I'm assuming that we would conduct diplomacy with them via DoH. Am I correct in this thought process?

[Franconicus]

Is that so? What do your spies know about our glorious kingdom then?

- more than you might want to know

This is the latest (and propably) last report of my intelligence:

NAVIES:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ships_of_the_line_of_Spain
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of..._line_of_Italy
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...ps_of_the_line
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_galleons_of_Spain
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of..._sail_frigates
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...line_of_Russia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...Dutch_Republic
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of..._sail_frigates
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of..._sail_frigates
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...se_naval_ships

Northern war:
Sweden:
could field about 100,000 soldiers (including mercenaries) oh highest quality and equipment; best part was the cavalry, that did not bother firing their pistols but charged everything
Navy: between 38 and 42 ships-of-the-line and 12 fregates with total number of guns 2,700 cannons

Denmark:
35,000 soldiers, 33 ships-of-the-line and 7 frigates

Kursachsen: 30,000 soldiers

Poland: no permanent army

Russia: in a phase of restructuring; at the beginning of the war, the Russians won’t be able to deploy more than 35,000 soldiers (plus peasants etc. for work and supply). Not enough guns!

[Stig]

Nice list with ships Franc, however there are far more ships than just ships of the line

[Franconicus]

Nice list with ships Franc, however there are far more ships than just ships of the line

Right! Please do not heitate to list them.

By the way, the list includes ships with more than 30 cannons. I do not think that smaller ships did play an important role in the 18th century naval warfare. Maybe fire ships, I do not know. Of course there are also merchant ships, but I do not have a clue about them.

[Stig]

Well I know the Dutch had loads of smaller ships, mainly to suit some support role. They were quicker as well.

[Franconicus]

Well I know the Dutch had loads of smaller ships, mainly to suit some support role. They were quicker as well.

Well, I remember! Tourville mentioned it when he gave the reports of Beachy Head and Lagos. He said that the Dutch ships were quicker - err - inflamed.

[Don Corleone]

A summary of the Swedish army (navy was given above) at the onset of the war.

The Swedish army is comprised of two types of troops: Indelinsverket and Varvade (uhmlaut on first a).

The Indelnsverket was the backbone of the Swedish army. Unlike most European nations that conscripted peasants in an ad hoc fashion, Sweden instituted a system where each province had to provide a regiment of regular infantry (1200 men each) and some also had to provide a regiment of cavalry (1000 men each). Unlike peasant conscripts, these men were professional soldiers for most of their lives. The men themselves were provided by the local 'rote' or military ward. Basicially, to avoid conscription, each large farm agreed to provide a full-time soldier. When the soldier wasn't busy with soldiering, he came home and lived in his own house, provided by the rote. Sweden raised 20 infantry regiments and all 8 of its cavalry regiments this way.

There was also the Varvade, or the enlisted units. These provided additional infantry regiments as well as the artillery. These were hired soldiers raised by means of direct recruiting in cities and larger towns. In terms of training, there was little difference between infantry regiments raised through the allotment system versus the enlistment system.

Land Forces:

In 1700 (outbreak of hostilities), Sweden commands an army of 77,000 men. During the course of the war, this number will swell to 120,000.

Infantry:

-20 regiments (1200 men each) of Indelnsverket; regional units.
-28 regiments (1200 men each) of Varvade; (guard units, grenadiers, etc).

Unlike most European nations, which were fighting in squares (rank fire), Sweden used a very aggressive tactic when in the field. Essentially, they would charge up to within 50 yards of the enemy. Their rear 2 ranks would fire. They would then run another 25 yards, where the front 2 ranks would fire. They would then charge the enemy and engage in hand to hand combat. To support this aggressive tactic, Sweden fielded all men with bayonets and 1/3 of the men actually held pikes, not rifles. When standing in squares and engaging in rank fire, Swedish infantrymen had the highest rate of fire of any troops in Europe.

total: 57,600 men

Cavalry:
-12 regiments (1000 men each)
total: 12000 men

Swedish cavalry is almost all curaisser (heavy shock) type. The Swedish army does not use dragoons (mounted infantry) and only use very little light infantry. During the course of the war, they did pick up some light infantry in the form of an alliance with the Prince of Kiev (Ukranian forces) seeking independence from Peter's Russian Empire. These were cossacks, very similar to Russian cossacks, however Sweden did not field very much in the way of light cavalry themselves.

Artillery:
-15 brigades (500 men each)
total: 7500 men

I can't find a number on the guns. I'll keep looking.

Swedish artillery is more advanced than other forms of artillery of the time. Not only have the Swedes developed more advanced metallurgical techniques, they are one of the very few armies in Europe that do not rely on civilians to transport, limber and unlimber their guns (the civilians departing for the battle, thus rendering the guns immobile). In fact, the Swedes invented horse artillery at this time. They also added side racks to the caissons, to allow 3 men per rack to move their field pieces, even after they had been unlimbered.

Regiments were only used for mustering purposes. In battle, the Swedes divide their infantry regiments into 2 battalions (600 men apiece). These were further divided into 4 companies (150 men apiece). Each battallion had its own field commander. Cavalry regiments were divided into 4 squadrons (250 men each). Each squadron had its own field commander.

[King Jan III Sobieski]

The first Polish Army was created in the 10th century kingdom of Poland, under Piast dynasty. The prince's forces were composed of a group of armed men, usually mounted, named drużyna. Their key role was the protection of the monarch and supporting the taxation effort. Their organisation was similar to other such armed units of other Slavic rulers, and were often of foreign origin.

Commonwealth armies were commanded by four hetmans. The armies comprised:

Wojsko kwarciane: Regular units with wages paid from taxes (these units were later merged with the wojsko komputowe)

Wojsko komputowe: Semi-regular units created for times of war (in 1652 these units were merged with the wojsko kwarciane into a new permanent army)

Pospolite ruszenie: Szlachta levée en masse Commonwealth hussarspiechota łanowa and piechota wybraniecka: Units based on peasant recruits

Registered Cossacks: Cavalry made up of Cossacks, who were recruited until 1699

Royal guard: A small unit whose primary purpose was to escort the monarch and members of his family

Mercenaries: As with most other armies, hired to supplement regular units Private armies: Usually paid for and equipped by magnates or cities.


Some units of the Commonwealth used fairly unique tactics. These units included:

Hussars: heavy cavalry armed with lances; their charges were extremely effective until advances in firearms in the late 17th century substantially increased infantry firepower.

Cossacks: general name for all Commonwealth units of light cavalry, even if they did not contain a single ethnic Cossack; fast and maneuverable like oriental cavalry units of Ottoman Empire vassals, but lacking the firepower of European cavalry such as the Swedish rajtars.

Tabor: military horse-drawn wagons, usually carrying army supplies. Their use for defensive formations was perfected by the Cossacks, and to a smaller extent by other Commonwealth units.



Still looking for numbers, I am.

[Don Corleone]

You've also got the Saxony army at your disposal, right King Jan? In fact, aren't you technically Augustus the Strong, a Saxon, sitting on the Polish throne?

[ELITEofWARMANGINGERYBREADMEN88]

Found some stuff about Austria

The alternative candidate was the Holy Roman Emperor, Leopold I , of the Austrian Habsburg dynasty. He was a first cousin of the King of Spain, his mother having been another sister of Philip IV; moreover, Charles II's father, Philip IV, had given the succession to the Austrian line in his will. This candidate, too, posed formidable problems, for Leopold's success would have reunited the powerful Spanish-Austrian Habsburg empire of the sixteenth century. In 1668, only three years after Charles II had ascended, the then-childless Leopold had agreed to the partition of the Spanish territories between the Bourbons and the Habsburgs, even though Philip IV's will entitled him to the entire inheritance. In 1689, however, when William III of England required the Emperor's aid in the War of the Grand Alliance against France, he promised to support the Emperor's claim to the undivided Spanish empire.

I'm guessing I'm going from Leopold the First, since he died in 1705, to Charles VI, since he was the HRE leader from 1711-1740?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles..._Roman_Emperor

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_of_...ish_Succession

[Tran]

- more than you might want to know

Show me

[Franconicus]

Let me summarize:

The strength of the armies during peace time was in 1700 (some could be raised significantly, esp. Poland and Russia):

Austria: ???
Bavaria: 11,000
Brandenburg: 7,000
Denmark: 35,000 (+5,000 of Norway)
Dutch: 90,000
England: 25,000
France: 400,000
Kursachsen: 30,000 (Poland had no permanent army?)
Russia: 35,000
Spain: ???
Sweden: 77,000
Otto Emp.: 320,000

[Stig]

Note the Dutch always had 90,000 men, in peace and war.

[King Jan III Sobieski]

You've also got the Saxony army at your disposal, right King Jan? In fact, aren't you technically Augustus the Strong, a Saxon, sitting on the Polish throne?

Ja, ja, I am.

[Marshal Murat]

Franc, Poland levied troops by demand...

I would put them at 100,000 troops (possibly). Plus the Saxon infantry and artillery, which could by 30,000 men.


Polish Demographics

[Franconicus]

Right!

So there is still Austria and Spain. Could not find anything.

So let me guess :

Austria is certainly stronger than Bavaria or Brandenburg and certainly weaker than France. It has armies in the west, in the east and in the south. I assume that the total strength of its armies at war including contingents from its non Austrian counties should be 90,000 to 120,000.

The Austrian also command forces of the Empire. I think these came more or less from the smaler duchies, and only if those agree. I think the minor duchies (like Holstein or Hannover or Würtemberg may have around 5,000 each.


Spain does not seem to have a big army. It is no longer a superpower. The population is small, (many left the country and went to the new world) and the finances are ruined by the wars against France. The trade monopoles are breaking (slaves!!!).

My guess is that Spain has about 30,000 soldiers at Spain and another 20,000 at Italy. I guess it mayb be able to raise many militia. Additionally, it has a significant numbers of soldiers in the colonies, but these are hard to rate.

Do you have a better idea?