Dulebo-Gurkhan War (1899-1902)
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| Dulebo-Gurkhan War of 1899-1902 | |||||||||
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| Part of Dulebo-Gurkhan Wars | |||||||||
 Siege of Balchevsk (1900), by Ivan Sukhodolski. Oil on canvas, 1905 | |||||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
 Dulebian Empire |
 Gurkhan Empire | ||||||||
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| Strength | |||||||||
| 100,000 | 126,000 | ||||||||
| Events leading to the Great War | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Dulebo-Gurkhan War of 1899-1902 was a major conflict that took place on the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries between the Dulebian Empire and the Chaghanid Empire, more commonly known at the time as the Gurkhanate or the Gurkhan Empire. The war is often considered the third in a series of conflicts between the countries that took place between the 18th and 20th centuries. Fought in the region known as Pomoria, the war saw the rise of Pomorian nationalism and a number of revolts against the 5 century-long rule of the Gurkhanate in the region, a movement that was actively supported by the Dulebian Empire.
During the conflict, Dulebian forces crossed the Haydushki Mountains and advanced into the Pomorian lowlands, capturing the major ports of Alanya (later renamed to Balchevsk) and Aksaray (renamed Bakhchi-Sarai). Dulebian forces performed a naval invasion on the Bacala Islands, capturing them in 1901, while the Dulebian First Endotheric Squadron, later reclassed as the First Endotheric Fleet, largely disabled all Gurkhan military ships in several naval battles in the first months of the war. The Dulebian army continued its advance into the inner parts of the Gurkhan Empire, but the threat of intervention of other Berean powers into the confict forced the Dulebian Emperor to order ceasefire and start a peace treaty. As a result of the 1902 Treaty of Ekaterinoslav, Dulebia kept most of the historic region of Pomoria as well as the Bacala Islands.
The occupied Pomorian lands were not granted complete independence by the Dulebian Empire. Instead, they were added to the imperial possessions as a semi-independent state, receiving the title Condominium of Pomoria. The region was one of the most ethnically diverse within the empire, even considering the fact the empire itself was already the most ethnically-diverse state in Berea at the time. This situation would lead to a number of revolts, and ultimately the separation of the region and the declaration of independence during the Dulebian Civil War. The primary result of the war, however, was the establishment of Dulebia as a major power on the Endotheric Sea, which was historically dominated by the Lavarian Kingdom for as long as the kingdom itself had existed: this fact worsened the relations between the two states and was a significant precursor of the Great War.
Background
Military campaign
Crossing of the Haydushki Mountains
Siege of Alanya
Advance into the inner Gurkhanate
Aftermath
The primary result of the conflict was the strenghtening of the Dulebian positions in the Endotheric Sea. In the same manner as the Karsk sea, the Endotheric was viewed by Dulebian politicians as an important asset that should have been added to the Empire. And, just as in the case with the Karsk Sea War three decades earlier, the outcome of the war was a new round in the diplomatic conflict between Dulebia and Lavaria, that was steadily escalating with every year and became harder to regulate. The increased presence of Dulebia in the Endotheric, and the formation of the First Endotheric Fleet, directly threatened the colonial possessions of Lavaria on the Eastern coast of the sea; furthermore, the naval presence of Dulebia, which as a result of the war became significant, threatened the main trade routes to Eastern Pamira, which were the primary source of wealth and material for Lavaria. It was feared that if Dulebian advance in Pamira continued, the very integrity of the Lavarian economy could be in danger. In order to protect its interests in the region, Lavaria was forced to concentrate all its naval forces in the Endotheric sea: a fact that would play a significant role in the opening weeks of the Great War. Lavaria was also pushed into closer relations with the Gurkhanate: up until the start of the Great War, Lavarian diplomats attempted to secure the support of the Gurkhanate and form a military alliance, a process that was, however, being slowed down due to the Lavarian colonial presence in Pamira, with its assets being claimed by the Gurkhanate itself.
Another significant outcome was the rising nationalism and public unrest in Pomoria. While the Dulebian Empire started the war in an attempt to help the several revolts against Gurkhan rule in the region, after the war the decision of how to govern Pomoria was simple. Pomorian peoples had proven to be unreliable allies, as the Balkarians had shown in the course of the past century, and the importance of the Endotheric sea was not to be put under risk. Fearing possible Lavarian influence over independent Pomorian states, Alexander III and other Dulebian statesmen took the strategic decision to make a compromise: all Pomorian peoples were united under one ruling authority, the Condominium of Pomoria, and given a degree of autonomy within the Dulebian Empire. This compromise, however, was not welcomed by most of the freedom movements within Pomoria, a fact that sparkled a two decade-long struggle for independence within the region. While Pomoria was significantly smaller than other duchies and territories within the empire, it was a home for almost a hundred ethnicities and representatives of all major religions in the world: this status made any attempt to govern it as a single entity in the 20th century destined to fail. With the degree of unrest rising during the 1910s, it reached its culmination after the Dulebian capitulation in the Great War and the subsequent civil war. Pomorian peoples would receive their independence only as a result of the Treaty of Lehpold in 1917.