Difference between revisions of "Novic Civil War"

Revision as of 00:02, 22 February 2011

Novic Civil War
Date May 12, 1851 - May 9, 1855 Location {{{location}}} Result Royal victory Territorial integrity of Novmir preserved Increased central power Foundation of the United Empire of Novmir
Belligerents
Royalists Macovy Floresque	Separatists Pelargir Stuv Oz
Commanders
Clement Alexanders Pembroke Archibald Buchanans Havelock	Separatist leaders
Strength
A lot	A lot
Casualties
A lot	A lot

The Novic Civil War, also known as the War Between the Duchies among other names, was a civil war fought in the nation of Novmir. A number of Southern duchies, upset at recent favoritism given by the central monarchy towards the Northern duchies, declared their secession from the union and formed an alliance against Royalist attempts to force them back into the monarchy. The Novic royal government was supported by a number of northern duchies. These northern duchies had a much larger population and industry base than the southern duchies. After four years of bloody fighting, the South was defeated and reabsorbed into the newly-christened United Empire of Novmir. The bitter restoration of the union, and the harsh terms imposed on the South by the new Imperial government, would leave scars on the nation that would take years to heal.

In the Decree on the Opium Trade, King Clement Alexanders Pembroke ordered a heavy tax to be administered to all opium grown in the nation. However, most opium grown in the nation was grown in the southern duchies, which were already underrepresented on the Ducal Council and poorer than the industrial North. This new tax was seen by the South as the final insult of many from the Royal government, and on April 4 Pelargir became the first duchy to secede. On May 12, a Royal division sent to take the Pelargiri city of [City] was attacked by militia at the Battle of the Armory. The division was repulsed and [number] more southern duchies seceded in response to the perceived northern aggression.

The separatist duchies formed the League of Free States, a rough international union far more loosely organized than the Kingdom of Novmir. Despite their claims for independence, no nation recognized LFS or the independence of any southern duchy. Ultimately, the King of Novmir would make the complete outlawing of opium a war goal, which dissuaded most other nations with large addiction problems from intervening.

Though at first the Separatists won battles on land, the vastly superior Royal Navy successfully blockaded the Southern coast, stopping any exports from leaving the region; this action deprived the South of any source of wealth. For the four years of the war, LFS was forced to become a complete autarky. In 1853, however, the Royalist army finally began to gain steam on land, and were able to take the Separatist capital of [City] in early 1855. By late spring, the Royalists had forced the main Separatist army to surrender and almost four years to the day after the start of the war, LFS was forced to surrender.

The Novic Civil War was one of the first true industrial wars in the modern sense of the term. Trench warfare fought outside Southern cities foreshadowed the twenty-year long Great War. The war remains the most deadly in Novic history; 10 percent of all Northern males aged 20-45 were killed in the war, as were 30 percent of all Southern males aged 18-40. Victory for the Royalists meant the outlaw of the opium trade and the preservation of the union. The central government, which previously had much less power than Novic kings desired, became the absolute authority in the nation. Only months after the surrender of the Separatist forces, Novmir was officially changed into the United Empire of Novmir, lead by Emperor Clement Alexanders Pembroke.