Emerald War
 | This article is incomplete because it is pending further input from participants, or it is a work-in-progress by one author. Please comment on this article's talk page to share your input, comments and questions. Note: To contribute to this article, you may need to seek help from the author(s) of this page. |
| Emerald War | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 The battle of Lauvère, a decisive Pecarian victory | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
| ||||||
The Emerald War (also known as Guerre de l'Émeraude in Lysian) was a war fought between the Lysian colony of Côte d'Émeraude and the Kingdom of Pecario. This conflict occurs for the Pecarian control over the resources of the Lysian colony and to prevent a rival power from establishing a lasting presence around Manamana Bay. This conflict destroyed any future Lysian attempts to colonize the Manamana Bay.
Context
The colony of Côte d'Émeraude was founded in 1637 to the east of the Kingdom of Pecario. At the time, Pecario did not concern itself with the settlers, being too busy stabilizing and rebuilding the lands they had just conquered. The Lysian colony, taking advantage of this situation, expanded to reach a territory of 100,000 square kilometers by 1660. Despite its large size, the colony struggled to develop as it heavily relied on supplies brought by the Governorate of Florentia and was greatly outnumbered.
By 1680, Pecario had experienced exponential growth and undergone a significant demographic boom due to La Gran Peregrinación. The kingdom then began to seek expansion of its borders and looked eastward. Brief diplomatic exchanges were made between the Lysian governor and Pecarian diplomats, but nothing was officially signed, with the burning question of borders left unanswered.
In 1685, King Gilete de Orozco of Pecario, frustrated by the situation, issued an ultimatum to the colony: the Lysians must unconditionally cede a large part of their colony to the kingdom in order to hope for signing a non-aggression pact. Lysian Governor Charles de la Roncière formally refused, and the Kingdom of Pecario declared war on the colony in March 1687.
Course of the War
The precarious situation of the Lysian colony and the significant population difference with Pecario led Lysian Governor Charles de la Roncière to adopt a defensive position with the aim of awaiting potential external reinforcements or forcing the enemy to retreat.
1687
In April 1687, the Pecarian fleet established a blockade of the Lysian colony with the aim of preventing the Governorate of Florentia from resupplying Côte d'Emeraude. Simultaneously, the Pecarian army, under the command of General Antonio Ramirez, began the siege of Fort Gris, the main Lysian fortress in the north of the colony.
Reacting promptly, Lysian reinforcements led by Henri Martin were sent to prevent the fall of the fortress and secure the north of Côte D'Emeraude. The reinforcements arrived near Lauvère, where they fell into a Pecarian ambush on June 20, 1687. Sergeant Henri Martin was killed, and his surviving forces dispersed.
In August 1687, receiving no reinforcements and lacking supplies, Captain Antoine de Fougeraie capitulated with his forces, and Pecarian forces overran Fort Gris. The fall of Fort Gris was a decisive victory for the Pecarian army, opening the way to the south of the colony and its capital, Saint-Louis. In December, Lysian Admiral Lucien Beauchamp attempted to break the Pecarian blockade, but without success. Messages were sent to Florentia requesting reinforcements, but they went unanswered.
1688
Lysian forces attempted to halt the Pecarian advance on the capital during the Battle of Rivière-Claire in February 1688. Pierre Leclerc emerged victorious against the troops of Golarte de Villaquira, despite being outnumbered. However, this victory did not prevent the capture of the town of Châtions.