War of Tongues

War of Tongues
Date 6 April – 2 July 1959 (2 months, 3 weeks and 5 days) Location Tevitheim Result Reformist victory Constitution of 1960 adopted Imprisonment or exile of pro-Theosen leadership Territorial changes New Trondheim and the Northwestern Republic readmitted into Tevitheim
Belligerents
Reformists Federalist Party Western National Party Christian Social Party Secessionist States: Northwestern Republic New Trondheim	Loyalists Worker's Rights Party
Commanders and leaders
Valter Rancini Jens Vealund Håvard Uzhtank Elliot Chambers	Stroom Theosen Torgeir Hovda Gjermund Skogen

The War of Tongues, alternatively known as the 1959 Conflict or the Tevitheimer Civil War was a brief civil conflict over perceived democratic backsliding and authoritarianism by the administration of oberjarl Stroom Theosen in wake of the 1959 election for oberjarl, the head of state and government of the Republic of Tevitheim. Taking advantage of vague constitutional clauses, Theosen and his Worker's Rights Party essentially overturned the results of the election and reinstalled Theosen as oberjarl, removing Valter Rancini of the Federalist Party from office. This removal sparked an upcry, and anti-Theosen forces in several jarldoms declared independence.

The War of Tongues was won by Reformist and Secessionist forces, who captured Alna by mid April, then went on the offensive against pro-Theosen forces. Theosen and his cabinet would flee to Koross but, where several members were captured by forces of the Second Republic of New Trondheim. Theosen boarded a submarine captained by a Loyalist officer and fled to Kherni. Theosen would live the rest of his life as an exile in Kherni, dying in 1971. With the fall of the Theosen government, Secessionist forces agreed to rejoin the country if a new and signficantly more federalized constitution was adopted. The Constitution of 1960 was considered sufficient.

The conflict left Tevitheim divided for a generation. Despite the overturning of secession, secession groups and sympathies were common in parts of Tevitheim. Håvard Uzhtank, who served as President of the Northwestern Republic from 1959 to 1961 and Grand Chancellor of Tevitheim from 1971 until his death in 1975 lamented that he saw the tricolor of the Northwestern Republic as much, if not more, than the flag of Tevitheim whenever he visited his home in Ditka. National politicians from Loyalist regions struggled for decades, only the election of James Clinton in 1989 broke the streak of politicians from Reformist or Secessionist regions winning national elections.

Background

1959 Election

Federalist candidate Valter Rancini won the 1959 oberjarl election. While the opposition had struggled to form a coalition in the 1953 election, a unified campaign by all major anti-Theosen factions managed to unseat Theosen. Oberjarl elections were conducted as a "one jarl, one vote" election where each jarldom held one vote. With 15 total votes, 8 were required for victory and Rancini won 9 votes. The election was considered a surprising result that showed the broad divisions of the country. Northerners, Westerners, and New Trondheimers formed the primary basis of Rancini's support. Theosen maintained that the election had been stolen and that Worker's Rights party members should not recognize the Rancini government. Several prominent Worker's Party politicians refused to acknowledge the Rancini government and leaders in Devold threatened secession if the "proper government" of Tevitheim were not restored. Despite this rhetoric, leadership of the Jarlaråd appeared poised to work with Rancini when he took office in March of 1959.

Results of the 1959 oberjarl election. Dark blue indicates jarldoms won by Federalist candidate Valter Rancini. Red indicates jarldoms won by Worker's Rights candidate Stroom Theosen. Dark gray indicates territories that could not vote. Rancini won the election, nine to six.