Population of Franconia and Europe, 17th Century

This is (very) general background information. In the more than twenty years since this was originally written, there is undoubtedly more detailed information available online.

Franconia (as a whole)

Section 1. Outside the NewUS but inside the CPE

Brandenburg-Ansbach (Lutheran)

(At the partition of 1541, 689 square miles; about 110,000 people)

Brandenburg-Kulmbach-Bayreuth (Lutheran)

(At the partition of 1541, about 660 square miles; about 80,000 people)

Nuernberg (Lutheran, about 40,000 in 1600)

Just before the outbreak of the 30 Years War, the population of Nuremberg reached its peak (50.000).

Section 2. Inside the NewUS

Diocese of Wuerzburg (90 square miles; Catholic)

city population about 6,600 before 1500; Hochstift as a whole had about 170,000)

Diocese of Bamberg (65 square miles, Catholic)

I haven’t found a population figure for the city about 100,000 people in the Hochstift

Exclave possessions of the Archdiocese of Mainz (Catholic)

Aschaffenburg (this was an important city; in 1648 OTL, the mayor of Aschaffenburg, in his capacity as Chancellor of the Electorate of Mainz, was the first signatory to the Peace of Westphalia)

Section 3. Other

County of Hohenlohe (about 60,000 people)

Divided as of 1632 among three lines of counts, partly Catholic and partly Protestant

Other Franconian Imperial Cities

The Deutsches Staedtebuch should have population estimates, if anyone needs them. Figure that all were significantly under 10,000.

Hundreds of Reichsritterschaften and tiny principalities (population not statistically significant).

17th Century Europe

The population of Europe is one of those things on which BAW doesn’t really have much influence. The only way to figure out the political alliances is by reading 1632 and 1633. There is not a “monolithic” opposition, by any and there are a number of wild cards.

The United States of Europe (as it is coming into being late in 1633) contains about 10 million people, almost all German-speaking if you count the Platt as German rather than as a separate language. They are allied with Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden.

As of 1600, the population of Scandinavia was about 2 million; by 1650, it had increased to 2.6 million. I’m using Jan De Vries’s figures and don’t have a breakdown handy. Around 1650, the total population of Scandinavia was approximately 800,000 if we include Scania. When Scania was lost in 1660, this total fell to approximately 600,000, but by 1720 it had again reached almost 700,000. Since there were not a lot of people in Norway, it’s probably safe to assume that Sweden in itself has about 1 million. Finland is part of Sweden at this time, so you can stop worrying about gaining control of Finland. According to Peter Englund, in the early 17th century Denmark-Norway had about 1.2 million inhabitants, and Sweden-Finland about 900,000.

The rest of Germany: about 5 million (Bavaria, the southwest (Swabia), the northeast, etc.) Some of these territories are allied with Austria, but Austria isn’t in the League of Ostend, although the Spanish Habsburgs are. Some are still battlegrounds. Some, like Hamburg, are holding to a neutral position while waiting to see who is most likely to win.

The Netherlands (northern) as of 1600 had a population 1.5 million; by 1650, 1.9 million.

The Spanish Netherlands in 1600 had 1.5 million; in 1650, 1.9 million.

British Isles:

  • England in 1600 had 4.2 million; by 1650, 5.5 million. As of 1700, it was down to 5.2 million (the really big growth didn’t start until after 1750).
  • Scotland, 1 million in 1600, 1 million in 1650, 1.2 million in 1700.
  • Ireland, 1 million in 1600, 1.5 million in 1650, 2 million in 1700.

France: 20 million in 1600, 20.5 million in 1650.

Spain: 8.10 million in 1600; 7.1 million in 1650.

Portugal: 1.1 million in 1600; 1.2 million in 1650.

Austria-Bohemia: 4.3 million in 1600; 4.1 million in 1650.

Poland: 3.4 million in 1600; 3 million in 1650.

Switzerland: .9 million in 1600; 1 million in 1650.

Italian peninsula altogether: 13.1 million in 1600; 11.3 million in 1650.