Nevan-Arkiasian War
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The Nevan-Arkiasian War (Nevan: Arkinmaan sota, literally "Arkiasian War") was fought from 17 May 1899 until 10 December 1901 by the Nevan Realm against the Republic of Arkiasis. The war ended with the Treaty of Arkkengels in 1901, mediated by Sjalhaven. While historically significant for both nations the war ended in status quo ante bellum with no territorial changes.
Background
In Arkiasis, the Arkiasia Revolution of 1895 saw the abolition of the Monarchy of Arkiasia and the establishment of a Republic. All remaining nobles were either executed or exiled and had their land seized including several dozen Nevan nobles who owned land in Arkiasia.
In Nevanmaa, Kustaa IV had become the King in 1889 following the death of Julia III. Kustaa IV was considered to be a weak king who was easily swayed by his advisors. The important role of the king coupled with his indecisiveness led to severe economic trouble, which quickly made the new King unpopular among the people.
Kustaa and his advisors were worried about a possible republican revolution in Nevanmaa and were deeply concerned about the rise of the republican government in Arkiasis. Kustaa also wanted to boost his rapidly decreasing popularity The fact that several Nevan nobles had been imprisoned and their lands confiscated, gave Nevanmaa a casus belli.
On 12 May 1899, the Nevan government issued an ultimatum to the Arkiasian government, demanding immidiate return of confiscated land, reparations to the families of nobles who had been executed, restoration of noble titles and resignation of the incumbent government. Arkiasians refused these demands on 16 May. The next day, Nevanmaa declared war on Arkiasis.
Warfare
After the declaration of war, a full-scale mobilization took place in Nevanmaa. Nevan government requisitioned merchant navy ships to carry troops to Arkiasis, while the Royal Nevan Navy began attacking Arkiasian Navy ships. Still recovering from the revolution, the Arkiasian Navy suffered heavy losses during the first weeks of the war.
Initial strategy involved neutralization of the Arkiasian Navy, a massive neval bombardment of major coastal cities followed by an amphibious invasion of the ciites of Vremsby and Ilford. Plans called for troops then convening and attacking the capital of Leighton from north and west.
By mid-June both cities had been taken and the troops started advancing towards the capital. While troops from Ilford (now called the Southern Army) initially advanced rapidly towards the capital and captured the city of Edith in late June, they were stopped at the Melchet River and were unable to cross. In Vremsby, the troops (now called the Northern Army) faced heavy resistance and were unable to advance either, though they did manage to cut the important Leighton-Aspatria railway.
By August, the frontlines had mostly settled with neither side being able to advance. In addition, the Southern Army was forced to request reinforcements in an attempt to take the provincial capital of Conneaut where several attacks had been launched against the Nevan troops.
The plan was put into action in October, when an amphibious landing south of Conneaut assisted by a direct land attack from Ilford took place. In the north, the troops captured Gedling though were unable to cross the River Otford and advance into Selston. In Conneaut, Arkiasian troops resisted heavily and though Nevans did capture most areas around the city, they could not advance into the city itself which been heavily fortified. Unable to capture the city, Nevans continued to siege the city until the end of the war. Due to persistent artillery shelling by Nevans, the city center was almost completely destroyed, and tens of thousands of civilians were killed. The city was rebuilt after the war.
For the next twelve months, the frontlines remained static with Nevanmaa controlling the province of Welborne and large parts of Easton, Vergetend and Tidvand. However, in November 1900 the Arkiasian Army began a massive attack against the Northern Army in Tidvand. In the ensuing battles, Nevans were forced to withdraw back into Vremsby. After much discussion, Nevan General Staff opted to evacuate the city, with mixed success. Although a majority of the troops were evacuated successfully, thousands of Nevans were captured by Arkiasian troops.
By 1901, the Arkiasian Navy had largely recovered and the Royal Nevan Navy found it increasingly difficult to protect troop transports. Though Nevanmaa had a numerical advantage, it relied on mostly outdated battle plans and strict hierarchy, whereas Arkiasian Navy was much more mobile and its officers could improvise more.
In April 1901, Nevans were pushed out of the province of Easton but managed to stop the Arkiasian advance at the River Astwick which separated the provinces of Welborne and Easton. Though they were able to stop the Arkiasian advance, the discontent among Nevan troops was growing. The Hunger Winter of 1901-02 had sparked protests in Nevanmaa, and calls to end the war were growing. In May, Nevan government asked for a ceasefire and the fighting mostly stopped..
Peace and Aftermath
Treaty of Arkkengels
Though the war was initially popular with the Nevan people, by 1900 a large portion of the population was against escalation of the war. The Realm was certainly capable of sending more troops, but the poor state of the economy combined with famine made the war extremely unpopular. Kustaa IV elected to negotiate peace so he could concentrate on internal matters.
Both sides accepted the offer of Sjalhaven to mediate; meetings were held in Arkkengels, Sjalhaven, with Deputy Foreign Minister Artturi Heldenberg leading the Nevan delegation and Harry Slater, an Arkiasian diplomat, leading the Arkiasian Delegation. The Treaty of Arkkengels was signed on 10 December 1901, officially ending the war.
Conditions outlined in the treaty included the return of all seized assets of Nevan nobles back to Nevanmaa and the release of all remaining jailed nobles.
Political Consequences
The war had severe effects on Nevan-Arkiasian relations and resulted in nearly half a century of animosity between the nations.
Effects in Arkiasis
As the first international war for the new republican government, the war was seen as a victory in Arkiasis as they had successfully defended their borders from an invasion and helped legitimized the Republican government on the world stage. The outcome gave republican-oriented Arkiasians confidence and was used to stimulate a new sense of Arkiasian republicanism and nationalism which would dictate national politics for the next 30 years.
Effects in Nevanmaa
Despite recieving some concessions in the Treaty of Arkkengels, the war was seen as a defeat among Nevans and coupled with the famine, led to sharp drop in popularity of king Väinö. Protests against the war eventually escalated into the Constitutional Revolution, leading to a reform of the Diet.
International Reaction and Participation
- File:Ceresnian Empire.png Ceresnian Empire – Ceslaus of Ceresnia reacted almost imminently after the start of the conflict, expressing his full support for the Nevan Empire in a speech. Additionally, this speech was the first radio airplay which was broadcast in Ceresnia. After Ceslaus' death in 1900, new Emperor Miroslav asked for Ceresnia's involvement in the conflict to come to an end.