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 President Phillip Raposa Marshall George Horto The Emperor of Maurestania PM Jacques Vincent |
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The Maurestani War was a conflict which occurred over the former Empire of Maurestania from the 1st of April 299 to the 13th of May of the same year. The war started when a number of rebel movements erupted across Maurestania. The Emperor himself appealed to the nearby Republic of Ordland for help and, in turn, Ordland established a protectorate over Maurestania. Ordlandic and Maurestani forces then battled forces from several secessionist movements - most notably, Brolecia. Despite initial advances by the Ordlandic Army, the rebels inflicted a series of defeats over mid-to-late April.
The jingoistic government of Ordland under president Phillip Raposa, however, would quickly lose favour with the international community. A series of diplomatic blunders culminated on a naval blockade over the tiny nation of Kukuria, after that country decided to recognize the independence of Brolecia. An uprising by the anti-Raposa resistance led to the downfall of the government of Ordland, the end of hostilities and the independence of Brolecia and San Patricio.
Prelude to war[]
Maurestania had been engulfed in political and economical crisis since the early 280s. Riots continued to erupt in the Empire across the 290s. The Imperial government under prime-minister Jacques Vincent attempted to divert the people's attention with one last colonial adventure: on the 16th of April 298, Imperial Forces and mercenary troops landed in Thistland (nowadays part of Caledon and the UTFN), annexing the two northermost clans and ceding the rest of the territory to the pro-Maurestani Afrazurean government.
By the end of the summer, rumors of large-scale colonization by Mounist settlers triggered a series of riots amongst the predominant Cruisan population of Thistland. On the night of 30th of November, Clan McLeod raised against the Maurestani occupiers, as citizens took control of all key public buildings, radio and TV stations and post offices. The Imperial Army did not respond and retired to their barracks. On the next day, Clan McDougall also rebelled. The two clans joined forces and declared their independence as the Confederate Clans of Thistland. On the 1st of November, Afrazure opened negotiations with the ten clans on its occupation zone. On the 3rd of November, a treaty was signed between the clans, Maurestani and Afrazure, granting full independence to the entirety of Thistland.
The unpopular invasion of Thistland proved to be the final nail on the coffin for the Maurestani Empire. The high costs of the military operation only added to the economical crisis. Fueled by this recession and the mounting unemployment, the people once again took the streets of the Empire.
The conflict begins[]
A Brolecian armoured vehicle crossing a ruined city block in Liston.
Ordlandic tanks and APCs on their way to the frontline on a major avenue in Elmira, Guetaso. A refugee bus passes by.
Rebel tank firing on an Imperial position in downtown Batista.
Imperial soldiers advancing towards a Brolecian line near the Batista river.
A rebel unit.
Starting on the 1st of April 299, several political factions across Northern Melania quickly rebelled, mainly aided by mutining military units joining the popular uprisings. Some of these movements, such as the religious-inspired Daniloland in the northeast or the Rogeslandt rebellion in the eastern province of Zab, were quickly defeated by military forces still loyal to the Emperor. Others managed to gather enough popular support to last longer. Brolecia, led by Robbie Ellies, was the most important of these movements. The Brolecian uprising was initiated on the 16th of April 299 and was concentrated on the Arosian and Sanpatrician-speaking areas of western Maurestania and the Brolecia river valley.
On the 17th of April, disturbed by such internal disatisfaction, the Emperor of Maurestania declared a state of emergency and decided to appeal the Republic of Ordland to intervene. Even with no support from the United Nations of Vexillium Committee on Collapsed Nations, Maurestania was reorganized as an Ordlandic Protectorate, despite heavy popular opposition against what was (naturally) considered a foreign intervention against Maurestani sovereignty. The Emperor of Maurestania called for Ordlandic president Raposa to intervene militarly against the Brolecians. A state of war was then declared between the Republic of Ordland and Brolecia and all other separatist movements. Ordland immediatly transfered a good part of its armed forces, including over 300.000 troops and most of its Air Force and Navy, to Maurestani territory. The entire operation was commanded by George Horto, Marshall of the Ordlandic Navy.
On the 19th of April, the Federal Republic of Brolecia finally declared its independence from Maurestania. The Brolecians, after many important military victories and a steady guerrilla campaign, managed to gain control of most of the old Maurestani province of Oran (most of nowadays Porto Capital). Several states, such as Sempervirens and Mari'im, decided to recognize the independence of Brolecia, despite the threats from Ordland. Other countries, such as Zartania, kept considering the conflict as a civil war and decided not to take any sides. On the 6th of May, 75% of the Ordlandic forces in Northern Melania were withdrawn to the Oran-Batista line, near the Mauré peninsula, in order to protect the Emperor, the Maurestani puppet regime and most of the local aristocracy - that is, despite the false Ordlandic claims that the Brolecians controlled little more than their capital city of Liston.
The Kukurian blockade[]
An Ordlandic ship participating on the blockade to Kukuria, as seen from a Ferratan vessel. On the background, two cargo ships attempting to break the blockade.
After a series of diplomatic blunders, such as the attempt to forbidden a football match between the Brolecian and Bowdani teams in Liston under threat of arrest of the Bowdani players, Raposa began to lose favour with the international community. Another blow came on the 6th of May 299, when Ordland announced its intention to comence a naval blockade against Kukuria after that country recognized the independence of Brolecia. Fifteen ships of the Ordlandic navy were dispatched to international waters outside of Kukuria and threatned to sink any vessel, commercial or otherwise, attempting to enter or leave the country.
Ordland was quickly considered a rogue state. On the 6th of May, Mari'im condemned the Ordlandic blockade and offered aid to the Brolecian rebels in the form of military advisors. On the 7th, Ferrata, Caboteniasa and Lendosa diverted a part of their navies to counter the Ordlandic blockade. Even a part of the old Maurestani navy on Brolecian hands was sent to the Kukurian coast. Westria, acting as a protector of Kukuria, also threatned Ordland with its fleet and also economical sanctions if the blockade weren't lifted. Zartania decided not to directly involve itselft on the situation, but assured Ordland that it would not join any possible Westrian-led embargo.
On the night of the 7th of May, the Ordlandic fleet arrived on the coast of Kukuria, lying half a kilometer from the IWK territorial waters. Several small fishing boats attempted to cross the blockade, but turned back. Merchant ship carrying food or medicine were allowed into Kukuria, after being searched by the Ordlandic military. On the night of the 8th ob May, the Ferratan and Westrian fleets arrived on the scene and surroundered the Ordlandic ships. On that same night, three merchant vessels managed to break the blockade, raising suspections that Ordland would not attempt to enforce the blockade once it was confronted by foreign navies.
On the 9th of May, a major rebellion started to struck Ordland. First, the People's Movement for Uncensored Press of Ordland took over the signal of state-owned OTV and broadcast an anti-government message calling for an uprising against president Raposa. Later that day, the Paladin, one of the Ordlandic cruisers part of the blockading fleet, defected and entered the Kukurian port of Subrata. The 542 crew members of the Paladin had mutinied, arrested their senior officers and requested political asylum in Kukuria.
On the 10th of May, a merchant vessel from the Yellow Free State, the Alan Schlesinger, was reported sunk by an Ordlandic military ship, the Octavianus, with the loss of 52 crew. This was quickly denied by all parties involved on the scene, and later investigations revealed the Alan Schlesinger was lost due to mechanical failure.
Conclusion of the Maurestani War[]
Map of Melania, following the conclusion of the Maurestani War and the JEC referendums.
At the height of the war, Ordlandic and Maurestani forces were in control of what is now Mauré and southern Bajapez, with the frontline being composed of an arc ranging from the northern suburbs of Oran to the city of Batista. Ordlandic troops also held the province of Zab, Nova Luxa and the island of Joos.
On the 13th of May, the People's Movement for Uncensored Press of Ordland occupied the Ordlandic government buildings and the military headquarters in Newton. President Raposa was taken to prison and a new revolutionary pro-democracy cabinet was formed. The blockade against Kukuria was terminated and all military operations in Northern Melania suspended. The fighting against Brolecia ceased, and Brolecia was then de-facto independent. On the eastern side of former Maurestani, the United State of San Patricio also declared its independence on the 13th of May. The new Ordlandic government recognized the independence of both Brolecia and San Patricio, while commiting itself to the protection of the territories that had joined neither of the two new nations. The Westrian embargo against Ordland was also lifted.
Despite the entire uprising's short duration (43 days), the conflict, specially following the Ordlandic intervention, was quite intense. According to independent observers, close to 15.000 people perished during the war, with 90% of these casualties being rebels or regular troops from all sides - since most of the heavier fighting occured outside the main cities, civilian casualties were relativelly low. Even so, it is estimated that circa 250.000 people all across Northern Melania were temporarily or permanently displaced.
The borders in Northern Melania were finally settled on the 3rd of June 299 following a series of referendums organized by the Joint Election Comission (JEC) held across Northern Melania. All residents of the former Empire of Maurestania over 18 years of age decided if their locales were to join newly-independent Brolecia, San Patricio or to be kept as a part of the Maurestani Empire under Ordlandic Protection. The regions of Mauré, Joos and Nova Luxa, mostly tied to the elites, voted for the integration in the Ordlandic Protectorate. However, most other parts of the former Empire decided to join either San Patricio and the Federal Republic of Brolecia.
The old Maurestani province of Zab, home to the failed Rogeslandt rebellion, was placed under temporary UNV administration, until it too was handed to San Patricio on July 299. Joos opted out of the Ordlandic protectorate on the 26th of August 299, joining Morania as the province of Gius, before returning to Ordland in October.