First Kopen Uprising

First Kopen Uprising Dāgobonnī Şoge Kopen
Extent of the Duchy of Jijo in the 1320s.
Date 1320-1325 Location Flatstone Southern Ivili Clan Result Stonish Victory Annexation of Jijo and Umudin provinces by the Southern Ivili Clan Limitation of the religious authority held by the Jijo Clan Force the Jijo Clan to guarantee religious freedom to followers of the Geologist faith Designation of the Kopen religion as a heretical faith by the Stonish Crown Umudin appointed capital of the Southern Ivili clan
Belligerents
Southern Ivili Clan Flatstone (Northern Ivili, Taverkny Clan)	Duchy of Jijo
Commanders and leaders
Stepanī Gundo Albejta Dukkanī Mikel Luge	Jonnas Moska
Strength
Up to 4,500 500+ (Volunteers)	8,000+
Casualties and losses
Unknown	7,000+ (Estimated)

The First Kopen Uprising is a period of political unrest in Stonish history that largely plagued the Umudin peninsula. Separatist movements had spawned out of a political opposition to the crown comprised of the regions peasantry and serfs, whom had been backed and funded by the local nobility and a coalition of disturbed landlords who had suffered from that years summertime famine, having struck after a lack of centralization combined with increased wartime taxes and expectations due to the nations failures during its invasion of Hoterallia leading to the drying up of crops in agriculturally dominant regions of Flatstone. Political loyalty had remained out of the question up to this point as loyalty to the state was dictated by the Geologist faith, which was widespread in Flatstone at the time.

The Kopenists were a breakaway religion with political motives seeking economic independence from the state; what made the Kopenists different from any other separatist movement was their ability to manipulate the regions population to their viewpoint. Monopolizing on the desperation of the Southern Ivili population in Umudin, many were easily persuaded by promises of peace and prosperity to be granted by the Kopenist nobles, who had attempted to frame themselves as the father figures of the peninsula. Ultimately, the rebellion would be crushed swiftly by a Southern Ivili response, however because of the dire economic situation that had swept throughout the archipelago, the religion was allowed to remain in order to maintain national integrity. The acceptance of the Kopenist faith into the nation would allow for it's gradual growth in popularity, surging most in times of peril.

Background

Jonnas Moska was a controversial figurehead at the time. He had possession over large swathes of valuable farmland passed down to him by his predecessors, providing him with an easy access to power and wealth whenever he required it. However, he had also openly denounced the Stonish war effort in Hoterallia, referring to it as having a lack of purpose. This was considered heresy by many as any invasion conducted by the nation of Flatstone was in the name of the Geologist faith in accordance with Stonish law, and so any disagreement with the state is seen as a disagreement with god. Many of Jonnas's peers had grown to distrust him, keeping their distance from the young noble out of fear of their own reputations'. Jonnas wouldn't play any important role in the political climate of the Umudin peninsula around the time of the Stonish Invasion of Hoterallia until the war started to take a toll on him directly. As the demand for food increased, so did the labor requirement. After multiple years of being overworked, many of Jonnas's properties had dried up and no longer served any purpose as a farm. He was forced to sell up to one third of his properties for less than half of what they were originally worth prior to the beginning of the war. Jonnas was devastated, and had become fed up with the state as had many of his peers. Many of Jonnas's rivals lost their hatred for the young noble, as their former disagreements had evolved into agreements, and a mutual hatred for the state as many lost access to their source of wealth leading to the formation of new alliances and coalitions against the state. Jonnas Moska was quick to gain a prominent position amidst the chaos due to his dedication to his anti-war sentiments, as well as the fact that he had protested the states actions prior to the decline of economic prosperity in the region.

Negotiation

A coalition of influential landlords from throughout the eastern Umudin met together with Jonnas Moska at his manorial residence in order to discuss a coarse of action to be taken against the Stonish crown. Over the course of the next few days little is known as to what took place, however it is likely that Jonnas came to the conclusion that the arrogance of the Stonish monarchy wouldn't allow for a peaceful resolution; war had become inevitable. Jonnas was well aware that the mobilization of local troops by the Southern Ivili clan would be significantly delayed by the fact that many of the nobles in the Umudin held loyalties and sympathies to the Kopenist movement. This meant that the local serfs couldn't be rallied against Jonnas but could instead be rallied by Jonnas against the crown. Jonnas had expected to make smaller demands at first, acquiring his cause an assortment of advantages before issuing his actual ultimatum in order to give himself the best chance possible. However, this wouldn't come to be. Jonnas drafted his first ultimatum, getting the signatures of over one hundred powerholders from across the Umudin. Jonnas signed it himself and dispatched it to Vedoti with high hopes, only to be rejected fourteen days later when his response returned. He had requested that the state do two things: Relinquish garrisoned Southern Ivili troops in the city of Umudin itself in order to restore some of the power to the local nobility in a form of appeasement, and to reduce their expected quotas for that years harvest.

The crown rejected both of these proposals, claiming that it was not up to Jonnas to make decisions for the state. Jonnas, feeling defeated by the unexpected resilience of the Stonish crown, decided that it was now or never and demanded that an army of 20,000 be assembled. This was an extremely unrealistic expectation as an army that size would've completely depleted the Umudins supply of able-bodied men, not to mention that the region had a severe shortage of weaponry and sophisticated armor.

Revolt

Two years after the initial demands, in 1321, the Kopenist movement had managed little more than 8,000 men. Most of which lacked sufficient equipment, utilizing makeshift weapons such as logs, branches, or farming equipment. Jonnas Moska had effectively built the nations first peasant army. Jonnas took direct control of the contingent, dividing it up into three subdivisions and placing them under the control of his allies. He dispatched each subdivision to different regions of the peninsula and began orchestrating a series of hit-and-run attacks on the Southern Ivili military garrisons in the region. It was through these attacks that the Kopenist movement established a foothold in the region, securing a number of smaller forts, large quantities of equipment, and the experience needed to rival the Southern Ivili army. This gave the movements claim to the region a much-needed boost in legitimacy as well as hundreds of loyal supporters who had lost their faith in the Southern Ivili clan's judgement. While the bulk of the Kopenist movement conducted raids across the Umudins countryside, Jonnas took his own contingent of roughly 1,500 men to the city of Umudin directly, the capital of the Umudin region and the economic capital of the Southern Ivili clan. The city, although strategically important to both sides, was still dominated by the Geologist faith, posessing only a minority of Kopenists that possessed little to no influence inside the city. This made it difficult for Jonnas to secure the support of the people against the cities garrison.

Despite multiple raids having been conducted in and around the city of Umudin against the Southern Ivili garrisons stationed there, sieging the fortress proved an extremely difficult task for Jonnas's inexperienced men. He lacked adequate siege weapons and lacked the logistical advantage that he had maintained up to this point. While the Southern Ivili army was unable to funnel supplies into the city due to it being surrounded on all sides by the Kopenists, the city possessed a thriving port that served as its lifeline against the invaders. The cities garrison had also earned the favor of the people, with many within the city participating in its defense and aiding the defending soldiers in any way they could. Additionally, even though it was tied up in an overseas conflict in which most of its economy was dedicated to, the Northern Ivili clan had dispatched a small contingent of ships and footsoldiers to assist the Southern Ivili in ensuring that the city remained under the control of the clan. The Northern Ivili soldiers filled in the ranks of the men that the Southern Ivili had lost thus far during the siege. On top of all of this was the fact that communication was practically impossible between both sides. The war had taken place during a time when the linguistical outlook of Flatstone was still largely decentralized. The Northern Ivili speakers of Umudin were largely unable to communicate with the Southern Ivili speakers of the Kopenist movement, as the city was dominated by the Northern Ivili language due to its colonization by the Northern Ivili clan in the centuries prior.

In the east, the remaining 6,000 or so Kopenists had succesfully captured the majority of the peninsula. A large amount of these troops, roughly 2,000 or so, we dispatched to Umudin to assist in the siege effort. The remainder marched westward past Umudin in order to secure the cities flank and prevent any Southern Ivili reinforcements from interrupting Kopenist progress. However, by this point, the Kopenist movement was no longer operating in secrecy. The Southern Ivili and Northern Ivili had become well aware of their presence and had begun regional military buildup in order to contain the rebellion. The Northern Ivili fleet had detached a small quantity of vessels to blockade the coasts of Kopenist-controlled regions in the Umudin. By 1323 the region was starving and without money or food, The 4,000 Kopenist irregulars that had been responsible for garrisoning the Umudin west had experienced large scale mutinies and now lacked the advantage in both numbers and experience. A messenger was dispatched to Umudin by the officers of the Western Kopenists, however the messenger was arrested by the Southern Ivili army stationed in the region after making a wrong turn just ten kilometers south of Umudin. The Southern Ivili had assembled an army of 4,300 trained regulars to deal with the Kopenist insurrection and had stationed large sums of soldiers dangerously close to their Kopenist counterparts, although no clashes of any significance between the Southern Ivili and the Kopenists ever took place.

Decline of the Kopenists

In 1324, the tide of war turned towards the Southern Ivili after Jonnas Moska was struck by a stray arrow outside of Umudin while he was relieving himself in a nearby tree line. He was left to bleed out alone, and his body wouldn't be discovered until multiple days after his perishing as his men were under the influence that Jonnas had departed from Umudin to check in on the southern contingent like he said he was going to two days earlier. To make matters worse, in January of that years only two weeks after the prophets death, the Southern Ivili army made its first advances against the Kopenist army in the south since the beginning of the insurrection. Small border skirmishes preluded the bulk of the Southern Ivili army engaging the Kopenists in a batch of open fields encompassed by multiple hills on which the Kopenists had dug themselves in. Arrows rained down on the advancing Southern Ivili army, whom sustained minimal losses due to their excessive usage of shields and an abundance of plated armor. The Kopenists dispatched several small detachments of cavalry in order to secure the Southern Ivili flank and prevent Southern Ivili archers from occupying Unli hill, the largest hill situated within the perimeter of the battlefield. The Kopenist horsemen were ultimately unsuccesful, having been cut down by Southern Ivili pikemen whom had been rearranged to counter the Kopenist cavalry charge. Kopenist footsoldiers numbering in the hundreds left their fortified positions in an attempt to reinforce the struggling Kopenist cavalry regiments, but were too late, engaging the Southern Ivili after the remnants of the Kopenist cavalry had fled or retreated. The bulk of the Kopenist infantry force, numbering no more than nine hundred, was swiftly cut down by the numerically superior Southern Ivili army, which had suffered little to no losses up to this point. Kopenist officers responsible for the offensive manuever were quick to lose control over their men, the Kopenist army having been divided into two by the now advancing Southern Ivili infantrymen. The Kopenists, realizing that their chances of victory had been reduced to zero, ordered a retreat and began to flee back to their fortified positions.

This effort was futile, as the scattered Kopenists footsoldiers were made quick work by Southern Ivili archers, who rained hell down on their retreating opponents. Amidst the chaos, the Kopenist general was struck in the neck by an arrow, snapping his spine and killing him instantly. The loss of their commanding officer was the final blow to the armies morale, resulting in its complete distruction. Fewer than one hundred men escaped the battlefield alive, and an additional nine hundred or so being taken as prisoners by the Southern Ivili army; most of whom were subsequently executed. The destruction of the southern contingent enabled the Southern Ivili army to sweep through the Umudin, recapturing the entirety of the peninsula in a matter of days and encircling the remainder of the Kopenist army outside of Umudin. The Kopenist army, starving and without proper leadership, surrendered to the Southern Ivili in 1325, effectively putting an end to the First Kopen Uprising.

Aftermath

The conclusion of the rebellion lead to a series of consequences inflicted upon the Kopenist population of the Umudin: The Duchy of Jijo was significantly reduced in size, losing much of its western territories to the greater Southern Ivili clan, as well as many Kopenist civil liberties within the Kingdom of Flatstone. The Kopenist religion was outlawed within the city of Umudin and Umudin was declared the new Capital of the Southern Ivili clan in 1327. Additionally, the Kopenist leadership of the Duchy of Jijo was no longer able to enforce religious unity onto its population, meaning that Geologists living within the Duchy of Jijo could not be forcefully converted to the Kopenist faith by the local authorities. The Southern Ivili increased its military garrisons of the region tenfold, arresting hundreds of influential Kopenists and hanging dozens in a period known as the "dead summer", lasting four months in 1329 in retribution for the Kopenist crimes against Geologist southern Ivilians in the region during the events of the Sacking of Umudin and the Black Purge, two examples of the many Kopenist Crimes Against Humanity at the time.