Iconoclast Wars

Iconoclast Wars
Famous painting depicting the Battle of Losniza in modern-day Poliania. Iconodulic forces on the left holding the Banner of Sotiras face off against Iconoclast forces on the right, who often fielded nation banners or no banner at all.
Date 1409–1441 Location Western Euclea Result De facto stalemate; de jure Iconoclastic victory
Belligerents
Iconodules: Empire of Tengaria Duchy of Pavatria Principality of Radushia Zalyk Khanate Unio Trium Nationum (1440–1444) Banate of Višnagrad (1411–1417)	Iconoclasts: Kingdom of Lemovicia Kingdom of Poliania Realm of Thorns Apolitan Kingdom
Commanders and leaders
Vasil II Ivan III (1409–1431) Tomislav II (1431–1441) Büden Khan Aliaksandr II  † (1409–1419) Aliaksandr III (1419–1430) Uladzimir I (1430–1441) Manuel the Good (1440–1444)	TBD TBD George II  † Premysl IV  † Neritsomir III Gheorghe II † (1409–1421) Mihai I † (1428–1435) Ioan IV † (1435–1444)
Strength
118,000 56,000 26,500 32,000 13,000	150,000
Casualties and losses
27,615 killed, wounded or missing 13,992 killed, wounded or missing 4,011 killed, wounded or missing 10,294 killed, wounded or missing 3245 killed, wounded or missing	43,800 killed, wounded, or missing

The Iconoclast Wars (see names) were an extensive, widespread conflict in Western Euclea over the beliefs and stances of its Episemialist patriarchates on the use of iconography. It is one of the most well-documented and studied conflicts in Western Euclean history and was one of the largest conflicts ever until the Ten Years' War in the 18th century. At its height, the war involved over half a million military personnel and affected millions of people across Western Euclea during its near forty-year-long period.

The main precursor of the war was the theological controversy in the Episemialist Church over the issue of icons and holy images, with iconodules promoting the use and veneration of icons, and the iconophiles believing these were against the divine will of God. This culminated in the iconoclast rebellion in the dying Empire of Arciluco, which by 1385 had resulted in the Empire's final destruction and the beginning of the Realm of Thorns. In 1386, Ravnia followed suit, granting increased legitimacy to the iconoclastic movement. In primary opposition to the schism were the Empire of Tengaria, proclaimed as the to successor to the Empire of Arciluco by exiled Ecumenical Patriarch Alexander III and defenders of true Sotrianity, and the powerful northern Duchy of Pavatria, to where Alexander later remained in exile. Following almost 20 years of extremely tense relations and minor religious conflict, at Alexander III's request, the Duchy of Pavatria and the Empire of Tengaria declared war on the Kingdom of Ravnia and the Realm of Thorns in 1409, aiming to restore the original Episemialist Church to absolute authority in Western Euclea. They were supported by other minor states.

Battles involving tens of thousands of soldiers were commonplace throughout the wars, and was one of the bloodiest wars in history at the time. Conflict was centred around the Ravnian-Pavatrian border as well as Lake Min, with both seeing immense amounts of bloodshed throughout the war. Throughout the early periods of the wars, the iconoclast faction saw notable victories against Pavatria, notably at the Battle of Gritsky in 1417, where a combined Pavatrian-Radushian force of around 65,000 was decisively defeated and pushed back by a Ravnian force of 50,000, who later began to advance towards many of Pavatria's urban centres. By the end of the war, with tens of thousands of casualties on both sides, the conflict had devolved into a bloody stalemate, by which both sides agreed to a ceasefire. In 1441, a policy of cuius egio, eius religio was implemented in Western Euclea, achieving de facto recognition of the existence of both churches by their respective sides, although their heretical nature is still maintained to this day.

One of Euclea's most pivotal and largest conflicts, the Iconoclast Wars achieved mass acceleration in military technology between the sides, employing weapons such as early hand cannons during the war. It is an extremely significant conflict in Episemialism, with some historians going as far as arguing that the wars led the basis of early religious freedom in Euclea. The iconoclast churches benefitted with some recognition immediately after the war, but the decline of the Realm of Thorns and rise of the subsequent iconodulic Unio Trium Nationum as well as the formation and centralisation of Narozalica in the north ultimately contributed to Poliania's decline from the west's leading power.

Iconoclastic schism

Iconoclast Controversy and the Fall of Arciluco

The origins of the controversy began in the early 1370s in the decaying Empire of Arciluco between several prominent Church theologians. Faced with a crumbling Empire, and longstanding concern over the nature of the veneration of icons led to XXXX to challenge the Church's position on icons in 1372. His position soon became popular, speading through the city and other parts of the Empire. Many accepted the usage of such images as the cause of the fallen state of the Empire. Eventually Ecumenical Patriarch Alexander III declared XXXX to be a heretic, but the controversy had already begun to spread throughout Euclea. The anathema on XXXX did little to settle the debate in Amathia itself, and soon the popular iconoclastic Order of the Thorns gained prominence.

The Iconoclast ideas fared differently to the different places they spread. In the Grand Principality of Tengaria, a vassal of Arciluco, the iconodule and pious Grand Prince Vasil V worked to stamp out iconoclasm from his lands, with the Holy Synod of Tengaria declaring it to be heretical in 1374. In the following years, the synods of various nations declared one way or the other, with the Duchy of Pavatria and Radushia going iconodule, while the Kingdom of Ravnia and the Apolitan Kingdom went iconoclast.

In late 1384, the Order of Thorns launched an uprising in Amathia, defeating Imperial forces and driving them back towards Arciluco, eventually laying siege to the city itself. Grand Prince Vasil raised his forces to combat the rebels, but failed to reach the city in time before it fell in January of 1385. The Emperor was killed, and the Order declared the end of the Empire and the establishment of the new Realm of Thorns. Alexander III escaped the fall of the city and fled to the Tengarian army, which was unable to retake the city, although it was able to prevent the Order from taking the western marches of Amathia. Vasil invited all the other iconodule Amathian bishops and clergy protection from the iconoclast persecution which was ongoing in the lands controlled by the Realm. In gratitude, the joint iconophile bishops of Amathia and Tengaria elected Vasil as the next Emperor of the Solarians, with Alexander III crowning him.

Council of Lenovo and Schism with the Papacy

After making a temporary truce with the Realm of Thorns, one of Vasil's first acts as Emperor was to call the Council of Lenovo, an Ecumenical council for all of the bishops of the Churches in the Western part of Euclea to address the controversy and to come with a definative solution, in the city of Lenovo. All Bishops were granted safe-passage, and soon Lenovo was filled with Bishops from all over the Western portions of Euclea, although many arrived with armed escorts. From the beginning, the Council was frought with strife and discord between the few factions, even resulting in several physical scuffles on the Council floor.

A week into the Council's proceedings, two Papal legates arrived, demanding that the Council be dismissed at once. When asked why, they say that Vasil had no authority to call a council in the first place, as a so-called "Emperor" had no right to call councils, as that perogative only properly belonged to the Pope. Furthermore, the Holy Father was concerned that none of the Bishops of the East had been called to the Council. Problems also occured from the fact that although Papal legates had been customarily invited, the Council had begun without them. The Council, already hostile to each other, rejected the demands of the legates out of hand and dismissed them from the Cathedral. Vasil and some of the bishops attempted to work out a compromise, explaining that only the areas involved in the controversy had been invited to come, as had happened in several Western Ecumenical Councils in the past, but Eastern Bishops could come if they wished. However, the legates refused to back down from their position, citing Vasil's lack of authority and the lack of authority of the synods and councils without Papal approval.

The Papal legates returned to the Council, this time excommunicating all the Bishops who participated, and the Council likewise put forward an anathema against the legates and any who would try and usurp the authority of a Council, the first formal act of the council. These acts were the breaking point solidified the schism between the Solarian Catholic Church and the Episemialist Church, which had already had several political and theological crises beforehand. These crises, such as disputes about married clergy, liturgical language and theological methods were brought up again and used as further justification for each side to split. The Papal legates departed back for Solaria, and the Council continued.

Iconoclast Schism and Build Up to the War

The central issue of the Council itself was the usage of Icons, and for several weeks Bishops and Theologians from both sides argued vehemently that the other side was in fact heretical. The iconoclasts argued that the usage of icons was unscriptural, harmful to a careful understanding of Sotirias in His two natures, and that the practice of most iconodules essentially amounted to the worship of idols. The iconophiles, on the other hand, argued that Holy Images and relics were part of the Holy Tradition of the Church from the very beginning, and that the Incarnation of Sotirias meant that images of Him was acceptable. However, despite the excessive disputations, most Bishops refused to leave the positions they were in prior to the convoking of the Council. Eventually, Alexander III, who was presiding over the council, asked the Bishops to confirm or to deny a statement which declared that Iconoclasm is heretical. The resulting vote fell mostly upon national lines, with the number of Bishops in favor of the statement outnumbering those against it.

In outrage, the iconoclast Bishops, calling the Council a farce, departed from the Council, and travelled together away from the city to Arciluco, where they set up a rival Council. Several of the iconophile bishops demanded that Vasil take the heretical bishops into custody; however, Vasil granted them safe passage, as he had sworn to do, an act which later was praised by several of the iconoclast bishops, despite their opposition to his firmly iconophile stance. In the rival Council, they repudiated it as being illegitimate and heretical, affirming that it was in fact heretical to use icons, while affirming the canons against the ideas of the papal legates.

In the continuing Council of Lenovo, however, they reaffirmed the heretical nature of iconoclasm, drawing canons to proclaim the movement as anathema. They also denounced the new Council as illegitimate. In addition, they affirmed that Vasil indeed have the authority as Emperor as given to him by the Holy Synods of the Imperial territories, as well as making provision for the excommunication and nominal deposition of Amathian clergy who now had taken the place of exiled bishops. The Council had failed to provide closure to the issue, but firmly entrenched both sides in their theological camps; eventually, both councils ended, and the Bishops returned to their sees.

For the next two decades, there remained an uneasy peace between the countries which believed in each. Emperor Vasil did not press war immediately, but instead inisited upon building up the new Imperial infrastructure and education in Tengaria, claiming the need to lay the groundwork for a reconquest of the rebel lands in Arciluco. This, however, allowed for the Order of Thorns to cement its rule over most of Amathia. Ecumenical Patriarch Alexander III eventually headed north to Soravia, where he pressed the powerful Duke of Pavatria to go to war against the iconoclast Ravnians. Only on the death of Vasil I did his grandson Vasil II say that it was time to defeat Iconoclasm through the force of arms.