Vrebsicourgi Wars
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| Vrebsicourgi Wars | |||||||||
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| Part of The Great Heldervinian Unification Struggle | |||||||||
   Clockwise from top: Death Amongst the Vrebsicourgi, aftermath of the Seige of Neu Vrebsicourgi, aftermath of the Siege of Pardecius | |||||||||
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The Vrebsicourgi Wars or the Second Unification War (1 July 1849 - 30 June 1857) was a series of armed conflicts between two major coalitions: the United and Imperial Powers. The vast majority of fighting took place in the Superior Monarchy of Heldervin. Several participating nations invested full economic and scientific resources into the total war, in turn leading to over 136 million casualties, with over 101,000,000 civilian casualties, the majority of which were caused by genocides. Disease, famine, and blockades also contributed to civilian deaths, contributing to over 67% of total citizen casualties. In the wake of the Imperial Powers defeat, both sides were tried for war crimes.
Increasing diplomatic tensions reached an all-time high following the claim made by Heldervin for the city of Old Vrebsicourg. Following this, a Verdelainiatic spy named Dominique Gagneux assassinated President Ishmael Steinmann, president of the Vrebsicourg Republic, in May of 1849. The Republic held Heldervin responsible, and, following an attempt to try the government for crimes, the Superior Monarchy declared war on the Vrebsicourg Republic in May.
Background
Political and military alliances
For much of the early nineteenth century, the major powers of the area maintained a strained balance of power, enforced by Ledonia. After 1836, this was violated when Heldervin unified and entered into a state of anarchy due to the fact that there was a lack of a federal capital. The 1837 Verdelainiatic Civil War led to the Verdelainiatic Empire withdrawing into complete isolation, while victory in the Berushian-Vrebsicourgi War allowed Empress Rosenmarielle Luther IX to consolidate the Holy Saletry Empire of the Berushians into a global superpower. Recovering of the province of provinces of Presbury and Bordendofinia (then known as Vel Ledoniaticus) became an obsession for Heldervin.
To isolate Heldervin and Berushia and avoid a possible war on several fronts, Emperor Ägid Möller VII of South Ledonia negotiated the Imperial Powers Treaty, which allied themself, the Vrebsicourg Republic, and for the first time in millennia, North Ledonia. For Möller, the purpose of this alliance was to isolate Berush by ensuring that they were surrounded by a potential rival alliance; when this was threatened by Berush and Heldervin allying, forming the United Powers, the Emperor signed the Protection Treaty, a secret agreement for Verdelain and the Imperial Powers to protect each other in war. When this agreement lapsed in 1844, tensions began rising between Verdelain and South Ledonia.
Berush viewed peace with the Verdelainiatic and Salajón nations as the foundation for continued stability, and accepted them into the United Powers in 1844 and '45 respectively. During the Montmorency Crisis, Berushian, Heldervinian, and Salajónian support for Verdelain reinforced their allyship, while increasing Berushian-Ledonian tensions.
Arms race
Vrebsicourgi industrial strength significantly increased in the mid-30s, fueled by the immigration of people into the Republic, Salajónian debt, and the annexation of several islands. Backed by President Amadore Caruso, Admiral Filiberto de'Locatello used this economic growth to develop new weapons, leading to the first super-battleship being built, namely the VNS Vrebsicourgia. Following this, the Empire of Berush created the BNF Berushia, the second super-battleship. Ultimately, the naval race saw both nations divert huge amounts of resources into creating navies large enough to antagonize the other.
Prelude
Vrebsicourgi assassination
In May of 1849, the stability of the continent chain was largely dependant on treaties, secret agreements, and alliances.
On 27 May 1849, President Ismael Steinmann visited the city of Old Vrebsicourg, one of the major population centers of the Vrebsicourg Republic. During his flight, Dominique Gagneux, Gul Travert, Felicienne Linville, and Josephine Favreau, part of the Verdelainiatic Intelligence Agency, took up positions around the private aircraft, to try and ground him and capture him. Supplied with arms by both the Verdelainiatic and Berushian Empires, they hoped to stagnate Vrebsicourgi growth.
Travert hailed the plane, warning the president to land immediately. The pilot of the private aircraft refused, and Travert launched two torpedos at the plane, one of which hit the engine and sent it falling to the sky. The rest opened fire on the aircraft, which ended in the plane crashing just seven kilometers south of Old Vrebsicourg.
Following the crash, the spies landed and readied their weapons. Felicienne fired her rifle at Ishmael; the wound was not fatal, and thus Gagneux threw a grenade at the president, killing him.
Progression of the war
Opening hostilities
War breaks out
On 24 May 1849, Heldervin sieged the City of Old Vrebsicourg after having initially demanded that the Vrebsicourg Republic had given up the city. The first Heldervinian attack of the war was largely unsuccessful, when the soldiers behind the wall dumped Greek fire on the attacking soldiers. South Ledonia responded by issuing an ultimatum for Heldervin to cease all military actions, and on 1 July, after Heldervin refused the ultimatum, South Ledonia declared war on Heldervin, followed by North Ledonia and a partisan group in favour of the House of Möller. Berush, Verdelain, and Berush City joined the conflict on the side of Heldervin.
On May 18th, Vrebsicourgi soldiers reached the Heldervinian suburbs neighbouring Vrebsicourg. Over the next week, the army encircled the garrison and successfully defeated the defending army, taking various prisoners of war. Following the invasion, the Vrebsicourg Republic annexed all of the land they occupied, before small parcels were given to North Ledonia. On 17 July, President Tito Gallo issued a public peace overture to Heldervin and Berush. The proposal was rejected, and Gallo ordered an immediate offensive against Verdelain.
After the outbreak of conflict in Verdelain, Emperor Benoît Jourdain XVI threatened the Vrebsicourg Republic, North and South Ledonia, and House of Möller with military invasion, forcing South Ledonia and North Ledonia to allow the opening of military garrisons from the Verdelainiatic Empire. The Vrebsicourg Republic, on the contrary, refused to allow garrisons, and subsequently, Verdelain invaded the Vrebsicourg Republic in early June of 1849. Despite overwhelming air superiority, the Empire only had a modest victory, with minor plots of land being exchanged.