Maverican Wars
The Maverican Wars (日南之役, njit-nem-tje-liak) are two conflicts between Themiclesia and various forces around the Halu'an Sea over rights to what is today Norfeld, Maverica. The first conflict occurred in 1768–69, seeing Maverican rebellion after egregrious misgovernment by Themiclesian authorities and colonists, and the second, 1791–96, which ended in Norfeld's exit from Themiclesia power and joining the Maverican Unions.
Themiclesian governance of Norfeld
In the 1400s, Themiclesia enjoyed a prolonged peace with the powerful Galvisti Empire, whose population and wealth then exceeded that of Themiclesia, in modern-day Maverica, backed by flourishing commerce cross the border. To prevent conflict, the two states agreed to a treaty of friendship that established a permanent border between them. Cadets of Ostlandic noble houses, who were disinherited in their native country, gradually came to led companies of men in search of a new territory in Hemithea and settled in the land between Themiclesia and the Galvisti Empire. In [1608], the cadets led a rebellion against the Galvisti Empire; Themiclesia mobilized her forces to aid the Galvisti Empire to crush the rebellion. As a result, the Galvisti Empire offered condominium over the Ostlandic-settled areas and half of commercial revenues there collected to Themiclesia. Yet when the Ostlandic settlers rebelled again in [1680], they forged a secret agreement with the Themiclesian court, that if Themiclesia refrained from deploying to assist the Galvist Empire, Norfeld would be ceded to Themiclesia in toto. To this the Themiclesians assented and watched as the Galvisti Empire succumbed to Ostlandic insurrection, gaining the other half of revenues collected in Norfeld immediately.
Across the Halu'an Sea, Themiclesia's colony of Camia grew restless over mouting military expenditure and the imposition of regular taxes to the metropole, both to be defrayed by the local populace. In 1678, a rebellion by a combination of Anglian and Themiclesian militias had barely been suppressed, by the Colonial Army, and in 1680 it was doubled in size in anticipation of intensifying Hallian aggression from both the north and west. Finally, in 1693, one half of the Colonial Army mutinied in sympathy with the local populace, beginning the Camian Rebellion (昭昌之亂) that led to its independence. Meanwhile, the other half of the Colonial Army and a significant number of counties and prominent clans remained loyal to Themiclesia. The war resulted in a stalemate roughly with the southern half of the colony in rebel hands and the northern half in the loyalists'. The rebels proceeded to declare a general boycott and exclusion of all Themiclesian merchant activity, which almost turned Camia into a revenue-negative area (previous to this, Camia remitted revenue towards Kien-k'ang). In 1703, the Themiclesian court, financing another war in Meridia, had no resources to reinforce the loyalists for a decisive victory and decided to concede with several conditions: Camia could not use the title of "emperor", impose duties on Themiclesian goods in transit, or bar Themiclesian civilians from entering and exiting its territories. The negotiators concurred in 1703.
The final condition proved a difficult one for both Camia and Themiclesia. Immediately after the war, the loyalist portion of the Colonial Army and a large amount of civilians petitioned the Themiclesian court to return to the metropole; though emotionally soothing for the Themiclesians, finding land to settle them proved a challenge. Thus, it was decided to settle the loyalists in the newly-acquired territory of Norfeld, which had been remitting taxes to Themiclesia but was otherwise not subject to Themiclesian administration. These 20 years of autonomous government would become a motive for Norfeld independence later. While the intentions of the Themiclesian government may not have been such, the loyalists interpreted that Norfeld, including anything and anyone on it, was granted for their enjoyment by court. This is reflected in literature from Camian Loyalists, asserting that Norfeld was a reward for their loyalty to the Themiclesia. The ties between the Camian Loyalists, who became a political faction in Themiclesia, and the Colonial Army were firm and bilateral, as Camia had become highly integrated into its military forces, to serve the metropolitan desire to stem Hallian and Tyrannian influence converging on what remained of Themiclesia's possessions in the continent.[1] The Colonial Army therefore behaved both as a military and a government in Norfeld, using force to back the Loyalists' settlement and activity of every kind. Discriminatory policies were imposed against both Ostlandic and Gramuchan locals, against existing customs and, in many cases, Themiclesian law. Nevertheless, settlement continued, and by 1750 about 400,000 Loyalists lived in Norfeld.
First Maverican War
| First Maverican War | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Maverican Wars | ||||||||||
| ||||||||||
| Belligerents | ||||||||||
| Norfeld rebels and Camia |
 Themiclesia |
Themiclesia | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | ||||||||||
| John Doe | General Haw Mrei-mjuk | Admiral Yup Kih | ||||||||
| Units involved | ||||||||||
| Ostlandic and Gramuchan militias | Loyalist Colonial Army | Themiclesian Navy | ||||||||
| Strength | ||||||||||
| c. 30,000 | c. 14,000 | 178 ships | ||||||||
- ↑ It is debated why Themiclesia did not impose stricter laws over settlement to ensure peace in the process. One view is that the Themiclesian court was concerned that the highly trained Colonial Army could mutiny again if they were not satisfactorily settled, and Themiclesia's home militia, having deteriorated for years, would not be an equal to them.