Ascanium Massacre

Coup d'état of 12 April 1945
Part of Social War
Date 12 April 1945 02:02-10:34 WBT Location Curia Ancia & Imperial Palace, Alexandria, Latium Result Execution of Emperor Constantine XIX, John Prince of Youth, Prince Michael of Latium, and courtiers; capture of Empress consort Marie Christine. Eastern and northern counties in control of Orestes Cotta Beginning of Social War
Belligerents
Praetorian Guard	Latin Social Republic
Commanders and leaders
Constantine XIX   Damianos Tornikes  †	Orestes Cotta
Units involved
Praetorian Guard	Voluntarius Militia National Obequio

The Coup of 12 April 1945 was a violent overthrow of Latin Emperor Constantine XIX by Consul Orestes Cotta and the Voluntarius Militia National Obequio. The coup is seen as the start of the Social War and resulted in the deaths of not only Emperor Constantine, but his two young sons, numerous courtiers and allies of the Emperor, and eventually Empress consort Marie Christine.

The Coup

Imperial Palace

At around 2:00 am local time, the paramilitary wing of Consul Orestes Cotta National Social Workers Movement, the Voluntarius Militia National Obequio, ambushed the Imperial and Praetorian Guard patrolling outside the Imperial Palace in Alexandria. The guards were quickly overrun by the Obequio and sleeper agents within the guards, allowing Cotta nearly unimpeded access to the building. Sources say that Cotta walked into the throne room of the palace, where the Obequio brought Constantine XIX and all of his family, except his two daughters who were not in the capital. Cotta ordered the execution of Constantine XIX, his two sons, and a number of important courtiers including Stephen Bellienus, 1st Lord of Durocortorum, Prince Albert of Ghant, 1st Duke of Ravenna, among others.

Senate

Since his first term as Consul, worked to significantly marginalize his opposition in the Senate through any means necessary. Most often this was by temporary arrest of his opponents or to use archaic laws to expand the number of seats in the Senate without Imperial Assent, always filling the new seats with members of his NSWMP.

Following the execution of Emperor Constantine XIX and his sons, Cotta ordered the arrest of all Senators who had spoken against him in support of the Emperor since he took office. Over 500 members of the Obequio entered the building to make the arrests. As many as 100 Senators were killed in the Senate chamber for resisting arrest. Cotta was unable to apprehend one of his most vocal opponents, [[Jason Claudius, 36th Duke of Adrianople, who was censured in the weeks preceding for allegedly threatening to cut off Cotta's hands and remove his tongue during a speech on the Senate floor. Adrianople would later lead the war effort against Cotta and the republicans.

Aftermath

Cotta declares himself Sustentet

During his televised speech, Consul Cotta dissolved the monarchy and proclaimed the reformation of the state into the Latin Social State. He assumed the title of Sustentet, which translates roughly to " the one who guides". The position effectively placed total control of government capabilities into a single position.

Failure to capture Princess Diana

Many historians point to the failure to capture Emperor Constantine's daughters as the largest oversight in the coup. At the time, princesses Diana and Zoe were traveling to Alexandria from a visit to their great-grandmothers in southern Latium, a fact that was not known to Cotta. Once Princess Diana and her supporters met with other Cotta detractors including Jason Claudius, 36th Duke of Adrianople, the Imperial war effort was largely believed to overpower Cotta within two years.

See Also

• Social War