Storming of the Ant Hill

Storming of the Ant Hill
Part of the Invasion of Rythene
Artist’s impression of the Battle at the ‘Ant Hill’
Date 18 September 1047 Location Ant Hill Castle
Belligerents
Principality of Casmire	Petty Kingdom of
Commanders and leaders
Alaric the Great
Strength
7,000 infantry 4,000 cavalry	200 house guards
Casualties and losses
very few dead, 20 wounded	600 dead, unknown injured

The Storming of the Ant Hill, also referred to as the Regent’s Massacre, was a confrontation on 18 September, 1047 in which two hundred men from Alaric the Great’s army stormed the hold of a petty king during the invasion of Rythene. The petty king’s name was lost throughout the years, but many songs and accounts from the period titled him as the ‘King of the Ants’, and his keep and castle the ‘Ant Hill.’

The dispute resulted in very few deaths for the Casmireans, however most of the house guard and citizens inside the main keep were slaughtered, including the Ant King himself. Only the petty king’s eldest daughter and wife survived, pledging fealty to Alaric when confronted by soldiers headed by one of his war council members. After the initial massacre, the rest of Alaric’s army flooded the surrounding countryside continuing the onslaught of death in the name of their future King. Whilst accounts from the era believed that several thousand lives were lost in the conflict, modern day estimates place the death count at around six hundred people.

Background

During the beginning of the Rythene Invasion, Prince Regent Alaric of Casmire was aware of a lack of provisions for his army, and marched his force for three days until he came across a small castle belonging to a petty king. The king’s name throughout history remains unknown, however, accounts from the time refer to him as the ‘King of the Ants.’ With the persuasion of an imposing army outside his walls, the Ant King begrudgingly welcomed Alaric into his hold.

Many of the Casmirean higher officers were housed in the small keep, whilst the rest of the army were either within the castle walls, or in the majority’s case, camped outside them. Regardless of the Ant King’s hospitality, he couldn’t afford to maintain the demands of the military force. In an action of defiance, the petty king confronted Alaric with an ultimatum; take leave or perish. Upon this demand, Alaric was reminded of his purpose in Rythene, to conquer. He had remained civil to the King of the Ants out of necessity, and to avoid early bloodshed. However, his stay had informed him that the castle was poorly armed and ill-prepared for a siege, not that one would be required. Alaric informed the Ant King of his intentions to leave the dawn of the next day, and notified his men of his true motive.

Incident

On the evening of September 18, Alaric held a meeting with a portion of his war council, and made the decision to remove the risk of the petty kingdom calling for aid through bloodshed. It was decided that any soldiers in the hallways of the keep would be met with steel, and that the royal and other residents would be spared if they didn’t resist. With little else to discuss, the council disbanded and the higher officers distributed the orders to the required men in private.

As the evening progressed, men armoured themselves for battle whilst it is believed that Alaric dined with the King of the Ants, unaware of the impending massacre. Although the attack was ordered to occur in the middle of the night, it started unexpectedly early. Historians argue as to why this occurred, however the most promising and consistent report is that Alaric’s men were discovered arming themselves, and the plan was outed to the house guard. Despite the challenges faced by a readied opposition, the experience and skill of the Casmirean soldiers heavily outweighed the ability of the Ant King’s small military presence, who were outnumbered on a ratio of 10:3. The fighting between soldiers lasted only for an estimated thirty minutes, but the rest of the keep was under attack for another two hours. Although Alaric prided himself on the discipline of his army, they ran rampant through the castle, slaughtering innocent people who were cowering in their rooms. According to songs surrounding the incident, the petty king himself was killed by Edmund Ironarm, a member of Alaric’s war council, who stabbed him through the heart in his bed chambers.

By midnight, Alaric had established total control over the castle, and in the coming days the petty kingdom itself.