The League of Ostend (or Ostend Alliance) was an alliance established in 1633 in response to the arrival of the time-displaced town of Grantville, and the alliance the town established with Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden. It was established through the machinations of Cardinal Richelieu, and included the countries of France, Spain, England, and Denmark. The League's primary goal was to capture the Baltic Sea, crush the independent Netherlands, and, eventually, eliminate the growing power of the United States of Europe. Luckily, the Alliance's initial attacks were thwarted at Luebeck and Wismar, in no small measure through the impact of American technology, hastily adapted for war.