Hegemonic Wars

Hegemonic Wars
Map of Siduri at the start of the Hegemonic Wars
Date 163 BCE - 692 CE (855 years) Location Siduri Result Symmerian Victory Symmerian Empire gains hegemony over most of Siduri.
Belligerents
Symmerian Empire	Seyhad League (163 BCE-56 CE) Serikos (39 BCE-545 CE) Hannashka Empire (151-366) Sabrian Empire (656-692)
Commanders and leaders
Nikomakhos Arcidamus Phalaris Anaxandridas Rhoekos POW Alexarchus   Deinokrates III Prexinos I  † Prexinos II	Ahiram II Ashdanot Kamadyu the Magnificent Vitellia Ripana Artoria Flavina
Units involved
Ancient Symmerian army	Seyhad military Hannashka army Serikese military Sabrian Legions
Casualties and losses
Horrific	Beyond Human Comprehension

The Hegemonic Wars, also known as the Siduromachy (Symmerian language: Siduromakhia, literally "Siduri Battle"), were a series of conflicts fought between the Symmerian Empire and the various powers of Siduri between the years of 163 BCE and 692 CE, lasting for a total of 855 years. The Hegemonic Wars were not considered a single continuous conflict but is a term used by historians to denote the wars fought by the Symmerians on their path towards establishing hegemony over most of Siduri. A total of four major conflicts are typically identified as part of the Hegemonic Wars; the Seyhad Wars (163 BCE-56 CE), the Discovery Wars (39 BCE-545 CE), the Symmerian-Hannashka Wars (151-366), and the Sabrian Wars (656-692). Numerous other conflicts and civil wars occurred during this time period, but are usually not counted as part of the Hegemonic Wars.

Symmeria had grown to become a major power during the last centuries Before the Common Era, initiated by Orestes II who conquered large tracts of Ruvelka, Naran Dahyu, and Mansuriyyah. The latter two campaigns had brought the Symmerians into direct contact with Serikos and the Seyhad League, who began competing with the Symmerians for influence and power in Naran Dahy and Mansuriyyah respectively. The First Seyhad War (163-145 BCE) saw large loss of life with little change in territory and was brought to an end by the outbreak of Zarina's Civil War, which resulted in an uneasy peace between Symmeria and the League until the 1st Century BCE. The Second Seyhad War (44-40 BCE) was abruptly ended by Arcidamus, forcing his son Phalaris to launch another campaign (20-6 BCE) that was successful in driving the Seyhad from Siduri entirely. The Fourth Seyhad War ended with the Symmerian conquest of Yalunji in 56 CE after a four year long conflict.

While the Seyhad had been beaten, the Han of Serikos successfully resisted Symmerian encroachments in north-central Siduri. By the 3rd Century the Symmerians had been pushed out of central and western Shirvaniya. It was during the Han-Symmerian Wars that conflict betwene the Symmeria and the Hannashka Empire broke out over southern Mansuriyyah, northern Nalaya, Mavamahar, and Khaltia. The rugged terrain of much of south-west Siduri helped lead to numerous border conflicts throughout the 2nd Century, before escalating into open warfare in the 3rd Century. The Symmerians initially enjoyed considerable success against the Hannashka. By 250 CE the Symmerians had driven the Hannashka armies from Symmerian Mansuriyyah entirely, and had invaded Khatlia, including Mavamahar, Gahlighan, and had raided into Ganjarejan. The ascension of Kamadyu the Magnificent to the Hannashka throne in the latter half of the 2nd Century marked a turning point in the conflict; by 300 CE the Hannashka had reconquered eastern Mansuriyyah and driven the Symmerians almost entirely from Khatlia. The Symmerians would continue to lose ground in Nalaya throughout the 4th Century and by 400 CE only a few coastal holdouts remained. Hannashka hopes to drive the Symmerians from Mansuriyyah entirely were undermined by logistical difficulties of supporting an army across the Sahrat al-kabir desert and the closer proximity to Makedonian bastions in Ruvelka and Syara, leading to a peace treaty in 366 that favored the Hannashka.

Fighting against the Symmerians however had weakened the Hannashka and paved the way for their conquest by the Rideva Empire in the last years of the 4th Century, allowing the Symmerians to re-assert their influence in south-west Siduri. Wary of facing another southern empire, the Symmerians pursued peace with the Ridevans, which allowed the Empire to re-orient itself towards eastern Siduri. In the 6th Century the Symmerians invaded Serikos itself resulting in a prolonged 19 year struggle that eventually resulted in the devastation of much of Serikos and mass casualties for both powers. Serikos would remain in a state of near-perpetual rebellion for the duration of Symmerian rule until the 13th Century.

The conquest of Serikos placed Symmerian borders in contact with Quenmin, which itself was still recovering from the Second Quenminese Anarchy. Under Deinokrates III the Symmerian Empire invaded Quenmin, which brought Symmeria into direct contact, and eventual conflict, with the Sabrian Empire. The Sabrian Wars were composed of two conflicts; the First Sabrian War was waged from 656-661 and fought primarily within Quenmin. While the Symmerians were able to inflict decisive defeats on the Sabrians on land, at sea the Sabrian Navy repeatedly defeated the Symmerians, forcing a peace treaty that withdrew Sabrian holdings in Quenmin and Nagarcam. The uneasy peace between the two powers was broken with the Second Sabrian War 20 years later. Lasting from 980-692, the Symmerians invaded Knichus and afterwards utilized Symmerian Fire to achieve temporary naval supremacy. A subsequent invasion of Lirinya however ended with defeat at the Battle of Asakumo and forced a Symmerian withdrawal from Lirinya. Nevertheless, the ensuing peace treaty forced the withdrawal of all Sabrian forces from the continent of Siduri, effectively ending the Hegemonic Wars.

The Hegemonic Wars effectively brought an end to the multi-polarity of Siduri as it had existed since the Bronze Age and unified most of the continent under a single banner. Siduri instead settled largely into a dual-imperial dominion, with the Symmerians in control of the northern half and the Ridevans owning much of southern Siduri. The system however did not last; just a century after achieving hegemony the Symmerian Empire was struck with the Burning Plague, which triggered the Crisis of the Ninth Century and nearly led to the dissolution of the Empire. Although the Empire would recover most of its territory under Aristoxenus, the Later Symmerian Empire was a much weakened state that would eventually collapse and lose its territory in the face of rebellious provinces and the rise of the Adamdar Empire by the 13th Century.