Second Insurrection
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| Second Insurrection | |||||||||
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 Insurrectionist Forces enter the city of Sudentor | |||||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
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Reformists
1842 Onwards
1849 Onwards
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
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| Strength | |||||||||
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Pre-1842 220,000 Regulars Post-1842 1,280,000 Regulars |
Pre-1842 450,000 Peasants 80,000 Civilians Post-1842 1,700,000 Peasants 320,000 Civilians 52,000 Regulars | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| Approximately 120,000 Dead | |||||||||
The Second Insurrection (Brumenese: Zweiter Aufstand) was a period of political and societal turmoil that engulfed the entire nation of Brumen from 14 May 1821 and ended on 24 April 1850. It was a civil war between those that were loyal to the Monarch of Brumen (referred to as Stoics) and various insurrectionist factions referred to as the Reformists. These were comprised primarily of peasants led by members of the middle-class such as merchants, artisans & scholars who were not of noble descent. Historians have generally agreed that the primary cause of the Second Insurrection was a due to a combination of various political, social & economic factors. For the peasants the continued usage and enhancement of feudal practices angered an already large and suppressed population. For the merchants, artisans & scholars, it was due to their demands for more participation in their country's governance. Prior to the insurrection, only the Monarch and members of the nobility were able to actively participate in the governing of Brumen. Members of the Oberhaus, the Kingdom's unicameral legislative body, was elected only by members of the nobility. All other classes of society were not permitted to take part in the election process but were expected to abide by all laws passed by the Oberhaus and the Monarch. The Second Insurrection is divided into two distinct phases: the first phase is known as the Awakening (1821 - 1842), and the second phase known as the Revolution (1842 - 1850). The Awakening was mostly centered around sporadic uncoordinated armed conflicts between the Grand Army and various armed groups of peasants. The Revolution however saw major battles between the Grand Army and organized groups of insurrectionists.
Unlike the First Insurrection which was relatively bloodless, the Second Insurrection saw significant losses of life on both sides. The nature of warfare also changed dramatically. While the Grand Army is well rehearsed in the field of modern warfare at the time they have had little experience against opponents who utilized guerilla tactics. Various strategies & tactics utilized by the Grand Army were largely ineffective against the insurrectionists who avoided direct confrontation with them, preferring hit and run tactics in an urban environment. In spite of this, several decisive large scale battles in open fields did take place although this did not take place until in the final stages of the insurrection. At its early phases participants of the insurrection were limited to sporadic peasant & civilian uprisings in various cities. These early revolts were largely isolated incidents with little to no coordination between the various insurrectionist factions. It was not until after 1842 when the Brumen's societal middle-class threw their support for the peasants did the insurrectionist factions became a major threat to the Grand Army. The Mercantile Alliance and Guild Confederation, a loose association of merchants, traders, weaponsmiths & artisans, provided small arms for the peasants. Meanwhile commissioned, non-commissioned officers and enlisted members of the Grand Army abandoned their posts and joined the insurrectionists, swelling their ranks with much needed professional manpower. The influx of equipment, logistics, funding, manpower & competent leadership allowed the insurrectionist factions to evolve from an uncoordinated group of peasants into a large-scale coordinated rebellion, able to challenge the Grand Army in both unconventional & conventional warfare.
Fighting continued to a stand still between Loyalists & Insurrectionists from 1842 until 1849. Taking advantage of the Loyalists weakened state, House Hoffmann, the second most influential noble family in Waldreich convinced several other noble houses to depose House Gustav. Many officers and enlisted troops of House Hoffmann occupied positions of strategic position in the GAR's hierarchy and preparations were made to decapitate House Gustav's command of the GAR in a single decisive blow. Messages were relayed to officers loyal to House Hoffmann via messengers.
Factions
Stoics
Reformists
Background
Serfdom & Feudalism
Universal Suffrage
Course of Conflict
Prelude to War
Prior to the outbreak of armed conflict Leslie IV, the-then Queen of Brumen, had proposed various reforms to improve the lives of peasants such as the gradual abolishment of serfdom and feudalism in the Kingdom. These proposals were highly opposed by the nobility, many of whom relied upon a cheap and readily available source of labor in the form of the peasants. The nobles plotted to forcefully remove the queen from the throne and secretly kidnapped her son. In exchange for her son's return, the Queen would abdicate and in her place, appoint Karl II from house Baumann as her successor. Karl II would in effect become a puppet of the nobles