Great Upheaval

Great Upheaval
Clockwise from top: The Burning of the Royal Residence (1790) Mathys de Garlande and the People's Militia in Alberrai The Battle of Colombe The Compromise at the Congress of Sabaria (1816)
Date	1790 – 1826 (36 years)
Location	Predominantly Auressia and Marceaunia
Caused by	The War of the Tyrnican Succession The popularisation of Enlightenment ideas Rise of absolute monarchies in Auressia Taxation of Marceaunian colonies to fund Auressian wars
Resulted in	A revolutionary wave across Auressia and Marceaunia, leading to a decline in absolute monarchies and the independence of several Marceaunian colonies

The Great Upheaval, or simply the Upheaval, is the term used to encompass the revolutionary wave and ensuing revolutionary wars that swept through Auressia and Marceaunia during the late 18th and early 19th centuries, usually framed as the 36-year period from 1790 to 1826. The early stages of the Upheaval were characterised by the popular movements that supported Enlightenment ideals such as constitutionalism and parliamentarianism against the preponderance of absolute monarchy, but the movement soon led to the popularisation of ideas like decolonisation, abolitionism, and planted the seeds of self-determination that would evolve into Romantic nationalism.

The War of the Tyrnican Succession is usually seen as the most immediate precursor to the Upheaval. The victory of the constitutionalist states Blayk and Tyrnica against absolutist Rythene and Vervillia had immediate consequences: the isolated Vervillian Revolts began in 1787, and the full-scale Rythenean Revolution broke out in 1790. The success of the Rythenean revolutionaries by 1793 inspired other revolutions in Auressia and abroad. The Palian Revolution occurred in 1795. The Rebellion of 1796 saw Amandine begin to chafe under the absolutist Gilbert II of Blayk, who had succeeded Phillip III in 1789. Aillaca-Rocia became the first Marceaunian state to declare independence from Palia in the 1797 Lacasine Rebellion. The Blaykish Civil War, the Amand War of Independence, and the Sulatian Revolution all began in 1801.

The turn of the century resulted in the formation of a reactionary coalition amongst the monarchist states in Occidental Auressia: Barcia, Elessia, Draite, Vervillia, and Casmire were staunchly opposed to republican sentiment, and were particularly alarmed by the Palian Julian Nápoles and his intent to set up sister republics in the Occident. The absolutists were intent on restoring the exiled monarchs, and particularly seeing John III of Palia crowned as Sabarine Emperor, which made Sabaria itself a focal point of the developing conflict. The 1805 Vervillian Revolution led to its withdrawal from the conflict. In 1808, the remaining monarchist states convened to elect one of their own as Emperor without the consent of the imperial electors, firmly pitting absolutism against republicanism in the Empire. In 1809, the radical Orpanists gained power in Blayk and aligned with the Palian Republic, staging invasions of royalist Rythene and Avilême. The invasion of Avilême drew Vervillia and Tyrnica into the conflict, opposing the radicals and absolutists alike. The ensuing period was the most turbulent point of the Upheaval in Auressia, until the 1811 death of Nápoles led to the rise of the moderate Juca Avaliani in Palia and the liberal Mathys de Garlande in Blayk in 1812. Avaliani’s government recognised the independence of Aillaca-Rocia in 1812, and Palia and Blayk both aligned with the Tyrno-Vervillian coalition, which fought the reactionaries to restore peace to the Occident by 1816.

Tyrnica and Palia were most instrumental in organising the 1816 Congress of Sabaria, which established the Compromises of the Great Upheaval between the existing powers. It legally recognised the independence of several colonies from their former metropoles: most notably, it separated Albrennia, Audonia, and the Catherinese Republic from the restored Rythenean monarchy to avoid a prospective civil war across the Hesperian. It guaranteed principles of sovereignty and self-determination among states, and left the status of the Second Sabarine Empire to be configured after a ten-year interregnum under the consulship of Juca Avaliani. The 1826 Congress of Karsfjord resulted in the formal dissolution of the Empire and the recognition of the Occidental Confederacy. The new system of international relations established in the aftermath of the Upheaval solidified Tyrnica’s rise to power after the end of the Blaco-Vervillian Union, and the remainder of the 19th century was characterised by its preeminence among the great powers.

Background

Eleven Years’ War (1748–1759)

• Clear parallel to the Seven Years’ War, so needs more involvement to delineate some differences. Not as pertinent to the Great Upheaval, though, so probably low-priority. The Tyrno-Rythenean enmity first develops here in its modern sense, with Tyrnica receiving the France treatment (although not to the same extent). The position of Chancellor of Tyrnica first develops into its strong Prime Minister-style office during the war. Blayk also has a similar thing going on during the reigns of Phillip I and Phillip III, but it only becomes consistent post-Civil War.

War of the Tyrnican Succession (1783–1787)

• Tyrnica roughly fills the British role in the Age of Enlightenment in that the existence of an “enlightenment period” at all is in doubt, but that many prominent scholars and philosophers contributed strongly to the actual Enlightenment (Rutherford, Locke, Burke, et cetera).
• Assumption that absolutism is mostly an innovation of other areas of the Occident (i.e. the SSE) and gets copied. Compare with the popularisation of absolutism in Europe after Louis XIV of France, so would be good to figure out which Occidental country could fill that role. I assume Palia or Barcia would work best. By contrast, the future Commonwealth countries traditionally had powerful elected legislatures and monarchs kept in check by the parliament, closely linked to the parallel development of the common law in those countries as well.
• Vervillia begins developing absolutism in its monarchy beginning with Matthieu XII (1744–66). Rythene probably follows suit soon afterwards as well. They do not get rid of the parliaments entirely, but they must start to supersede their authority. When Charles IV and Matthieu XIV (1771–1805) oppose the claim of Nicholas II and put forward their own candidate, Blayk and Tyrnica (monarchs and legislatures) are chiefly concerned about the intent to install a more absolutist candidate. As such, the War of the Tyrnican Succession is predicated on a predominantly monarch-led attempt to subvert the Tyrnican Rechtzuhör’s intended candidate with their own more favourable pick. Blayk and Tyrnica emerge victorious.
• The Rythenean and Vervillian monarchs are obviously discontented by failing to achieve their goals, but more problems emerge soon afterwards. Charles IV revokes the International Market Act to prevent Tyrnica from reaching the possessions that it gained in the Treaty of Porz, which has bad economic implications for Rythene’s prominent merchant class. Similarly, wealth no longer flows to Vervillia from Amandine since Blayk essentially expelled Vervillia from their administrative union in 1787. Both countries face popular discontent. Matthieu XIV is more successful in putting off the inevitable until 1805, whereas Charles IV faces the Rythenean Revolution quite soon.
• Phillip III of Blayk dies in 1789 without a clear heir. The Blaykish Parliament eventually selects Gilbert II of Sarbéliard. At this time, Sarbéliard is a Tyrnican possession and Gilbert II is ethnically Tyrnican, but Tyrnica probably opposes Gilbert II for the same reason that they opposed Rythene and Vervillia’s choice for the Tyrnican crown — Gilbert II is way too absolutist for their liking. They likely would have preferred Leopold I of Blayk.

Early revolutions (1790–1800)

Rythenean Revolution (1790–1793)

Main article: Rythenean Revolution

Later revolutions and reactions (1800–1816)

Amand War of Independence (1801–1807)

Main article: Amand War of Independence

War in the Occident (1801–1816)

• Here are a few thoughts about the perception of republicanism on the international stage. The reactionary coalition would presumably take a similar tack to the Coalitions against France in the Revolutionary Wars, in that the neighbouring monarchies probably don’t want to have their monarchs' heads chopped off. However, none of the early revolutions (Rythene, Blayk, Palia) except Sulatia actually execute their monarchs. Partially my fault, since I suggested that Charles IV should escape Insular Rythene; the Rythenean Revolution is more comparable to the American Revolution than to the French Revolution. Something to ponder.
• The war should essentially occur in a few stages:
  

1. 1801–1808: Radical Palia (under Nápoles), aiming to establish sister republics, against the absolutist monarchies, aiming to restore the exiled Auressian monarchs but especially John III of Palia. Probably supported by Sulatia from the beginning.
   
2. 1808–1812: The same as above, except now the absolutists select one of their own to be Emperor. Ideally we would have Nápoles and the heretofore-unnamed Emperor both fill the role of “Napoleon” in terms of wide-reaching imperial conquests. In 1809, Tyrnica and Vervillia move against Orpanist Blayk.
   
3. 1812–1816: After Juca Avaliani and Mathys de Garlande come to power in 1811 and 1812, the war shifts to being the constitutional monarchies and the moderate republics versus the absolute monarchies. War ends with the Emperor !Napoleon being deposed.

Compromises (1816–1826)

Congress of Sabaria (1816)

• The Congress does not impose systems of government, which is how it has been characterised previously. As such, it does not mandate the restoration of Gilbert II and John VII to their respective thrones in Blayk and Rythene. When they’re deposed (again), the Congress system only mandates that their subsequent revolutions are constrained within national borders.
• The Congress probably “strongly recommends” the implementation of Upheavalist-style elected legislatures among the remaining absolutist states in the Occident.
• The Congress does impose the ten-year interregnum that gives Avaliani time to work out the structure of the new Occidental Confederacy.
• The Congress does impose the independence of Albrennia, Audonia, and the Catherinese Republic against the Rythenean monarchy. This is in part due to Tyrnican pressure, and also because Audonia in particular would probably not countenance being subject to the monarch again. Albrennia might have done, though. Unclear about the status of Surrow and Sovar. Needs more coordination with Rythene.

Congress of Karsfjord (1826)

• Officially dissolves the SSE and replaces it with the Occidental Confederacy. It ought to have a rotating capital to take away Sabaria’s “imperial” power, and to allow for the Lanzists to make Montemolín the permanent capital in the lead-up to the Second Great War.

Legacy

The balance of power that was established in the wake of the Great Upheaval persisted for most of the 19th century. The system was designed to permit self-determination within a nation's borders, including revolutionary sentiment, but was not supposed to permit the spread of political ideology in other revolutionary waves. The flexibility of the system became immediately apparent when the abdication of Gilbert II and execution of John VII did not spark interventions from international observers. The most immediate and notable threat to the concert set up by the Great Upheaval was the Tyrno-Rythenean enmity, which had lain dormant during the First Republic but was stoked again by the Second Republic. Their conflict did not contravene the ideals of the Upheavalist compromises: they did not come into conflict because one was a republic and one was a monarchy. Indeed, many major Upheavalist republics (Sulatia, Palia, Audonia, Aillaca-Rocia) were staunch Tyrnican allies, whereas Rythene counted several monarchies amongst its supporters (Blayk, Vervillia, Kasaria, Songha). Their dispute was motivated by factors that had come to a head before the Upheaval, and might have been exacerbated by its conclusion as well.

The Upheavalist system was not actually dismantled by the First Great War. The treaties of 1913 and 1914 only acted to end the period of Tyrnican preeminence that had merely coincided with the implementation of the Upheavalist system. Rythene’s rise to the top of the global order did not meaningfully change the way that relations were conducted. The principle of self-determination that had begun to evolve in the Upheaval were upheld — Rythene and its Coalition allies did not push for an end to monarchical systems of government in the nations that they occupied. For this reason, it has been suggested that the first real challenge to the Upheavalist system was actually the Second Great War. GW2 was sparked by the spread of Rengelist and Lanzist ideologies by force and coercion. Ideas that were enunciated in the Congress of Karsfjord (freedom of navigation, for example) were threatened more by the Second Great War than the First: Albrennia’s entire motivation for its war against Songha was the Songhese attempt to dominate the Sea of Qes. This hypothesis is sometimes used to explain the sudden Tyrno-Rythenean reconciliation. Tyrnica was not compelled to join the war, but its intervention was motivated by what it perceived as a threat to the international system (that is, the Upheavalist system) that it had historically supported.