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: 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
Commanders and leaders
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 26,500 32,000 13,000	150,000
Casualties and losses
27,615 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 schism between the Polianian Episemialist Church and the main Episemialist Church on the issues of iconoclasm within Episemialism. In 1386, Polianian monarch Neritsomir II severed communion with the Episemialist Church and declared a separate church based in Poliania, which refused to practise iconodulism on the belief it was against the divine will of God. Poliania's schism was not recognised by much of Euclea, but was granted increased legitimacy as the Realm of Thorns declared its adherence to iconoclasm shortly after. Following almost 20 years of extremely tense relations and minor religious conflict, the Duchy of Pavatria declared war on the Kingdom of Poliania in 1409, aiming to restore the original Episemialist Church to absolute authority in Western Euclea. Supported by Ecumenical Patriarch Alexander III, at the time in exile in Pavatria, the iconodulic faction was joined by many other smaller states, including the Banate of Visnagrad within Poliania.

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 Polianian-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 Polianian 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.