The Whaler's War

The Whaler's War
Brytisc infantry marching to the Battle of Contwaraburg (1597)
Date 4th April 1595 - 14th Jan 1597 Location {{{place}}} Result Castarcian victory Brytene loses majority of overseas territories The Drumhead Treaty signed
Belligerents
Template:Country data Castarcia Empire of Castarcia	Brytene
Commanders and leaders
Template:Country data Castarcia Empress Caroline Template:Country data Castarcia Admiral Aiden Griffiths	Queen Leila Admiral Edward Rutledge  † Ealdorman Torygg of Caldera
Strength
Template:Country data Castarcia 40,000 approx.	12,000 approx.
Casualties and losses
600 killed, 900 wounded, 300 missing approx. TOTAL: 1,800	800 killed, 1000 wounded, 300 missing, 1,600 captured approx. <100 civilians TOTAL: 3,800
See also: Battle of Port Aspen, Battle of Contwaraburg (1597)

The Whaler's War was a conflict between the Empire of Castarcia and the Kingdom of Brytene in the late 16th Century. It lasted for two years and saw the end of Brytisc hopes to build an international empire, culminating in the signing of the Drumhead Treaty which established friendly relations between the two countries and helped the Brytisc merchant shipping industry recover and thrive.

Background

In 1595, Brytene was attempting to develop a wide-reaching trade empire, with Brytisc ships and merchantmen plying valuable trade lanes across the world. The Royal Brytisc Fleet was large given the size of the Kingdom, and was proving expensive to run.

The Empire of Castarcia, meanwhile, was attempting to consolidate its position as a regional power, and resented the intrusion of Brytisc warships into areas traditionally considered Castarcian. This tension eventually led to the sinking of the Cheerful Cup, a Castarcian whaling ship, by the Antigua, a Brytisc frigate, upon the orders of Admiral Edward Rutledge, commander of Port Aspen, who felt that the Castarcians were encroaching upon rightful Brytisc waters.

Survivors from the Cheerful Cup were picked up by a passing merchantman two days later, and when news of the attack reached the Castarcian court the Empress Caroline opted to declare war, issuing letters of marque and ordering her admirals to capture or destroy any Brytisc vessels or outposts they could find.

Raiding

The first few Brytisc trading posts were mostly taken without bloodshed - Castarcian warships arrived with the element of surprise and ejected the Brytisc merchants, sending them home and destroying their establishments.

As word began to spread, however, and many Brytisc merchantmen and concerns began to withdraw from the area, others appealed to the Fleet for help. Scattered incidents of Brytons barricading their businesses or burning the buildings of Castarcian merchants resulted in a harsher crackdown in the following months. The death toll is unknown, but is believed by most historians to be somewhere in the region of a hundred civilians, mostly Brytisc, killed, along with a small number of Castarcian soldiers. Roughly 2,000 Brytisc citizens are believed to have been displaced by the conflict.

By June of 1595, Admiral Rutledge had mobilised all of his available warships to defend Port Aspen, the only sovereign Brytisc possession in the region, with a permanent population of just over 3,000.

Battle of Port Aspen

See also: Battle of Port Aspen

The Castarcian fleet vastly outnumbered the forces under Admiral Rutledge, although Rutledge had both of the fleet's largest ships, the Royal ships Solar and Lunar, under his command.

The Royal Fleet met the Castarcian fleet at Port Aspen on the 28th November, 1595. Despite stout resistance from the Brytisc warships, the Castarcians were victorious and destroyed a dozen of the Fleet's largest ships, putting the rest to flight and taking several hundred prisoners, as well as killing Admiral Rutledge.

The 200-strong garrison of Fort Aspen held out for another three days, repelling several attacks until offered safe conduct by the Castarcians, who had gained total control of the town. The beleagured garrison duly surrendered, and were disarmed and taken prisoner until the end of the war.

With the Brytisc navy badly depleted, the Empress Caroline made the decision to move against Brytene. It took some time to marshal the Castarcian navy and plan for the assault, but they eventually sailed in the autumn of 1596, arriving in Brytisc waters in December of that year.

Battle of Contwaraburg

See also: Battle of Contwaraburg (1597)

The Brytisc Fleet, after several inconclusive skirmishes around the Brytisc Isles, made the decision to fall back. The remaining warships of the Fleet were too valuable to be lost and so the Castarcians were allowed to make landfall uncontested, landing on the western end of South Brytene near Contwaraburg.

They marched relatively unopposed until they came to the western end of Contwaraburg, which had been fortified by the defenders, marshalling almost 4,000 professional soldiers and a further 5,000 militia volunteers. A contingent of Lantern Guards led by Queen Leila had come from Lundene to bolster the defenses.

The battle raged for several days, with multiple assaults repelled at heavy cost to both sides, until Queen Leila and Empress Caroline met on the field of battle. WIP

The Drumhead Treaty

So-called because it was drawn up on a drumhead on the battlefield, the Drumhead Treaty established peace between the Empire of Castarcia and the Kingdom of Brytene, as well as deliniating naval rights and trade understandings. The Brytisc merchants were invited back to Castarcian waters and promised protection by the Castarcian navy, on the understanding that they paid tax upon goods and services they shipped to or sold in Castarcian territory.

This Treaty is still effectively in force today, although it has been made redundant by additional agreements between the Allied Castarcian States and modern Brytene.

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