Third Chryse War

Third Chryse War
Syaran cavalry and infantry marching in Chryse.
Date 14 March - 12 November 1905 Location Chryse, Sanguine and Sundering Seas Result Treaty of Chryse
Belligerents
Górska	Republic of Syara
Commanders and leaders
Kacper Wilkosz Leokadiusz Kołodziejczyk Gabriel Płonka	Penko Todorov Deliivanov Lucio Kochanova Ljudevit Mikulčić
Units involved
Górska Defense Forces	Armed Forces of the Syaran Republic
Strength
133,000 troops 1,122 guns 43 warships	179,000 troops 1,850 guns 78 warships
Casualties and losses
12,588 killed 32,689 wounded 21 warships sunk	15,031 killed 37,804 wounded 13 warships sunk

The Third Chryse War, also known as the Górskan-Syaran War, (Syaran: Горска војна, Gorska vojna, "Górskan War") (Górskan : Wojna Syarańska, "Syaran War") was fought between the Republic of Syara and the Republic of Górska in 1904 over control of the island of Chryse. The war is usually divided into two theaters; the land war fought on the island itself, and the naval campaign fought in the Sundering and Sanguine Seas between the two nations.

The Second Chryse War had ended in 1859 with the Kingdom of Makedon controlling roughly 70% of the island and a non-aggression pact between the Makedonians and the Górskan Republic to last for 25 years, after which the political division of the island would be revisited. The Ruvelkan-Makedonian War however had spurned the Unification of Syara, resulting in the creation of the Republic of Syara which claimed ownership over Chryse. While Górska had been a peer opponent of the Makedonians, the combined Syaran Republic outstripped Górska in economic, industrial, and military terms, leading to fears among the Górskan government that the Syarans would seize control over the entire island. Such concerns were elevated to national priority by the election of Councilor Kacper Wilkosz who began preparing to settle the "Chryse Question" by entering negotiations with the Syaran Republic over the future of the island.

With Syara now in a position of power between the two nations, Zovahr insisted on terms that would solidify Syaran dominion of the island, including the establishment of a Syaran controlled transportation network, and port facilities to be manned and guarded by Syaran troops. Wilkosz broke off negotiations and convinced the rest of the Federal Council to pursue military action to try to seize Chryse by force, hoping that a rapid victory would stun Zovahr and force the Syarans to accept Górskan control of the island. The Górskan Federal Navy began hostilities with a surprise attack on the Syaran fleet at Sena on 14 March 1904. The next day the Górskan Federal Army invaded Syaran controlled Chryse, advancing as far south as Svajec.

After recovering from the initial shock, Syara dispatched Syaran army reinforcements to Chryse while the Navy of the Syaran Republic engaged the Górskan Federal Navy in battle around the island and in the waters of the Sundering Sea. The Syarans successfully pushed the Górskans back to the center of Chryse, but were unable to advance beyond what became known as the Tihomir Line. While Górska was able to maintain a stalemate on land, at sea the Górskan Federal Navy was unable to match the Syaran Navy, which began striking targets along the Górskan coast, culminating in the raid on the Górskan Naval Headquarters at Kalikie. Facing defeat at sea and a stalemate in Chryse, Górska requested a ceasefire. Although President Penko Todorov Deliivanov wanted to continue the conflict and reclaim all of Chryse, civil unrest in Syara convinced him to accept the offer. The fighting ended on 2 November and the Treaty of Chryse was signed 10 days later, settling the borders of the island where the front lines had ended.

The outcome has been in dispute since it ended. Górska gained 4,527 square kilometers of Chryse, but had fallen short of the pre-war desire to completely control the island. The destruction of much of the Górskan navy also weakened Górska's strategic power, leaving it in poor position to contest Syaran control of Chryse and the surrounding waters. While many foreign observers expected a "Fourth Chryse War" in a few years it never occurred; the outbreak of the Syaran-Ruvelkan War would permanently fixate Syaran strategic focus towards Ruvelka, where it would largely remain until the dissolution of the Republic in the Refusal War. The Treaty of Chryse remains in place, and was reaffirmed by the Syaran Commonality in 1989.