Confederation Dispute

Confederation Dispute
Hevesian Hussars charge Esztergromian line infantry during the Siege of Püspökladány.
Date 8 September 1730 – 17 October 1730 (5 weeks, 5 days) Location Ruvelka Result Debrecen-led Coalition Victory Aszód Armistice Dissolution of the Ruvelkan Confederation Foundation of the Ruvelkan Imperium
Belligerents
Debrecen-Led Confederation States Debrecen Panonia Esztergrom Karlovy Vary Bács-Kiskun Szolnok Moravskoslezsky Trnava Zemplen Vysocsina Rakovnik	Heves-Led Confederation States Heves Nagykun Komárom Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg Trenszín Zarand Karvina Csomutov
Commanders and leaders
Royal Princess Kíra	Crown Prince Vilmos
Strength
Total: 570,440 257,100 34,400 33,650 32,720 32,500 31,850 31,500 29,800 29,500 29,420 28,000	Total: 485,650 260,220 37,800 33,380 32,700 32,250 30,700 29,900 28,700
Casualties and losses
58,660	92,575

The Confederation Dispute, also known as the Confederation Civil War or the Ruvelkan War of 1730, was a short conflict fought between the Principalities of Debrecen and Heves supported by various member states throughout the Ruvelkan Confederation. It was part of a long-standing political rivalry between Debrecen and Heves but was primarily fought over the issue of the creation of a unified and central Ruvelkan government.

The war lasted only five weeks and saw considerable bloodshed. It ended following the victory of Debrecen-led forces at the Siege of Püspökladány and resulted in the cessation of hostilities as stipulated by the Aszód Armistice. A Confederation Conference was convened in October 1730 and, after several weeks of discussion, saw the Declaration of Derecske and the foundation of the Ruvelkan Imperium.

Background

Northwest Siduri had, for several centuries, consisted of dozens of large, medium, and small independent entities. Despite being ruled by the Makedonian Empire and later the Arkoennite Empire, most of these states operated in a largely independent and relatively autonomous fashion. By 1700, the end of the Arkoennite Empire saw the refracturing of the northwest once again into nearly two-dozen nation-states within the area around the Kurilla and Matra mountains primarily inhabited by Ruvelkan peoples. The development of the Articles of Alliance created the loosely united Ruvelkan Confederation, nominally an alliance of like-minded states that shared a common identity. Overall administration of the Confederation was non-existent and no other member-state was obligated to assist a fellow member at war, Although they were encouraged to provide military aid under the Articles of Alliance, there was no central authority to enforce said article.

The pretext of the conflict was found when the Duchy of Esztergrom appealed to the Confederation for assistance against Allamunnika in 1727 over the administration of the region of East Masovia. Only two members responded: the neighboring Principality of Panonia and the Principality of Debrecen. Kíra Prohászka, Royal Princess of Debrecen, began campaigning for the development of a central government soon after and later appealed to the Confederation Conference of 1728 to either begin development of a central authority or make amendments to the Articles. Although most of the Confederation’s members were generally in favor of autonomy, those states that shared borders with other nations understood the importance of a central authority as conflict became more common.

The issue was brought up again by the Royal Princess in 1730 and, despite having the majority vote of the Conference, met staunch resistance from Crown Prince Vilmos of Heves and his supporters. Despite citing the Articles and possessing the majority of the Confederation’s Support, the pro-Hevesian Coalition stated that they would not recognize the authority of a central government; the Crown Prince ordered a partial mobilization of Hevesian troops against Debrecen on 30 August 1730. Kíra responded by also declaring a mobilization of her troops soon after.

Alliances

The first development representative of a political alliance came during the first vote for centralization during the 1728 Confederation Conference; many of the states that allied with the Debrecen bordered other foreign powers such as Allamunnika, Makedonia, and Galania and were in favor of unification for fear of external threats. The Principality of Panonia, Grand Duchy of Kalovy Vary, and the Duchy of Esztergrom were very strong supporters of centralization and did not believe that the current Articles of Alliance guaranteed them support in the event of a foreign invasion. Other supporters included Bács-Kiskun, Szolnok, Trnava, Zemplen, and Vysocsina.

The power block that formed around Heves primarily centered around the central parts of Ruvelka and were more concerned with autonomy, fearing that the implementation of a central government would eventually result in an authoritarian state. Staunch supporters of the autonomous Articles of Alliance were the Principalities of Nagykun and Komárom, as well as the Duchy of Zarand and the Kingdom of Csomutov.

The Duchy of Moravskoslezsky and the Kingdom of Rakovnik had both initially voted against Debrecen in 1728 but eventually supported centralization following another conflict with the Clans in 1730.

Foreign powers abstained from the Confederation Dispute primarily as a result of their own internal turmoil at home. Allamunnika, for example, was struggling with its relationship with Arkoenn and was instead focusing on normalizing relations.

Aftermath

When the position of the pro-Hevesian forces became clearly untenable, Crown Prince Vilmos agreed to a ceasefire and to meet Royal Princess Kíra in person at the coastal city of Aszód in nearby Szolnok. Their meeting lasted several days and ended with the Aszód Armistice that brought about an official cessation of hostilities between the two involved parties and their allies. In an effort to help reconcile, Kíra did not request for Vilmos’ to abdicate and barred any notion of the annexation of Heves or the members of the Hevesian Coalition. However, this did leave the Principality of Debrecen the dominant power in Ruvelkan politics and directly resulted in future states of the Imperium to crowning Kíra as their first Queen in November.

The exterior threats found in Ruvelka’s neighbors ensured that animosity between the involved parties of the Confederation Dispute were not long-lasting. Crown Prince Vilmos relented to the newly established authority of Debrecen and remained active in politics after the foundation of the Imperium. While Heves abstained from the first Imperial Convention vote for monarch, he was present at Kíra’s coronation and eventually became a close advisor to the Queen despite their vastly differing political visions. Vilmos served as the Imperium’s first Imperial Secretary of Defense and was a major influencer in development of the structure of the Imperial Army.

The future flag of the Ruvelkan Imperium would primarily feature the colors of Debrecen and Heves, representative of the future union of Ruvelka’s two largest nation-states.