Siege of Vacoas

Siege of Vacoas
Part of War of the Velaran Succession
Date 30 August — 17 November 1769 Location Vacoas, Morikz Result Miróist forces withdraw
Belligerents
Isles of Velar	Trellin
Commanders and leaders
Prince of Tavlar Marquess of Teyra
Strength
3,700	800

The Siege of Vacoas during the War of the Velaran Succession saw Velaran forces under the Prince of Tavlar and Marquess of Teyra, supported by a strong naval presence, attempt to seize the chief city on the island of Morikz from its Trellinese garrison during a siege that ran from 30 August to 17 November 1769. Vacoas, as one of the so-called Trophy Ports, was an important economic centre and considered a key strategic asset by those loyal to the Velaran claimant to the throne, Prince Miró of Txir. They hoped to remove the Trellinese presence from Morikz and interrupt lines of communication between Martheqa and the empire's southern provinces.

A major naval engagement of the War of the Velaran Succession was fought off the northern coast of the island at the Battle at Kalodin, in which the Arimathean navy destroyed a Velaran armada. Wrecking remained an important economic activity off Kalodin for several decades afterwards. The Velaran fleet had been stationed off Morikz to facilitate the ongoing Siege of Vacoas, which was abandoned after the defeat at Kalodin.

Forces

Coastal fortifications at Vacoas, depicted c. 1750

The Miróist army that assembled for the siege was a motley force. The bulk, some 2,700 men, was recruited from Rú Qoh and commanded by the Prince of Tavlar. This was augmented by 500 from Styuno under the Marquess of Teyra and a small contingent from Qaina. This army was joined by some Morikzan rebels and some siege engineers sent ashore from the Velaran fleet. This fleet varied in size during the siege; at the end there were sixteen ships of the line and eight frigates waiting offshore. This fleet was waiting to deter a Trellinese relief force and to ferry the Velaran army to Jajich to secure the ports of Durats and Tar Rethin.

The garrison at Vacoas was large enough for several thousand men, but at the time of the siege there were only 800 soldiers present in the city. Several dozen more had been relieved of duty for fear they held Miróist sympathies. Half of the garrison had been transferred out in preparation for the Siege of Parthenope planned by Modriq, Duke of Lindros. The city's defences were unsophisticated and outdated, but logistical errors deprived the Miróists of heavy enough artillery to break them.

The siege

Two thirds of the Miróists were disembarked some miles up the coast from Vacoas. The fleet then continued around the Isle of Mabris and disembarked the remainder of the army, under Teyra, south of Kaurapip. They marched north to join the main army, securing Kaurapip en route. Vacoas was thus encircled without incident. Indeed, the siege progressed with few incidents of any sort. Tavlar had received conflicting reports of the garrison's strength, and the last definite figure he knew was 2,000 men. Across the entire theatre, the Velarans did not have manpower to compare with Trellin's, and so he was reluctant to risk an aggressive assault against this unknown quantity.

Battle at Kalodin

Main article: Battle at Kalodin