Part 1: The War for Independence
I. The Winds of War
Kian Emperor William VII's reign had been characterized by a zealous suppression of non-flemingovianist religions, particularly in the northern provinces. It was an attempt to eradicate the cultures and traditions of the north, and the Northmen did not take the action lightly. By 1565 they were in full and open rebellion. It was a conflict that would come to be called the 2nd Northmen Rebellion and it marked the beginning of the long and gradual dissolution of the Kianese Empire. In 1567 the empire would be forced to recognize the independence of the north, the first time in its history the empire would admit defeat to a rebellion. It would not be the last. Even as the empire fought the Northmen another rebellion had broken out across the Sea on the continent of Icenia.
The end of the 1400s had seen great changes sweep across the Grand Duchy of Valdaegn. Aelostianism had risen to become the dominant religion, with Aelostian adherents coming to outnumber Flemingovians. Hastfradic was the culture of lords and commoners alike, and Vestrugatten was spoken by nearly all, replacing Mercanti as the language of the elite. In fact by the 1520s the duchy had little in common with the rest of the Kian Empire. The lords of the Grand Duchy had managed to obtain a great deal of autonomy from the rest of the empire despite not being an electorate. They had their own set of laws, their own courts, and their own judiciaries. Wealth was flowing into the duchy due to the ever increasing demands for iron, copper, lumber, and textiles. With an ever increasing number of conflicts abroad the empire’s demand for raw goods had increased exponentially, while on the other hand demand for imperial goods in Valdaegn was decreasing as new markets for luxury goods like silk, porcelain, and even cotton had opened elsewhere.
The war with the Northmen eventually came to a stalemate and the emperor needed more troops and more money to fight the war. In 1566, seeking to supplement his revenue and military strength, Emperor William turned his eye to many of the richest and most powerful of his vassals, both east and west, and the wealth and power that they wielded. While Valdaegn wasn’t the richest, nor most powerful, it was the first place where the Emperor demanded increased taxes to be paid directly into his coffers, as well as a demand for more troops to fight on behalf of the emperor. While the Hastfrads had long considered service to the emperor as a great honor, the very thought of agreeing to his unjust demands was an affront to their honor.
No one was more affronted then the Archduke of Valdaegn, one of the most powerful and respected men in the empire, Sherwin Aelriksen auf Halkon. Sherwin had been educated in the imperial palace and had grown to adulthood alongside the emperor. He had even fought on behalf of the emperor in nearly a dozen battles, leading entire armies with a knack for achieving decisive victories. Perhaps William had thought his old friend would be the most likely to agree to his demands, perhaps he thought Sherwin's loyalty outweighed his sense of honor. Whatever the case, when Sherwin received William' demands, he tore up the message and with little delay issued a proclamation of rebellion, stating that the Emperor had broken the sacred feudal bonds of lord and vassal, overstepped his rights as sovereign, and thus showed his unfitness to rule. The Hastfrads had long chafed under Imperial rule and had for three centuries looked to rule over themselves independently and Sherwin firmly grasped the opportunity that had been given him. The Archduke issued a call to arms. Count Aelwin auf Kennerwik of Lotherania, and Count Almarik Rasenwuold of Skaldania raised their levies and marched to join Sherwin at the fortress of Rakhaem. The counties of Eborum and Tiberus remained steadfastly loyal to the Kianese emperor.
The Count of Eborum, a Valdaegn born Kianese noble Gisard de Menatu, was raised to Archduke of Valdaegn in Sherwin's place by the emperor, and was charged with restoring order to the duchy and capturing or killing the rebelling lords. Though the emperor had promised reinforcements, it was uncertain when they would arrive, especially with the ongoing conflict against the Northmen. After mobilizing his forces, and the forces of the lords who had flocked to his banner, Sherwin marched north towards the city of Eborum, the historic capital of Valdaegn. They crossed the Elgenborn River and began laying waste to the countryside in an attempt to draw Gisard's forces onto the field. Gisard, however, marched his army behind the thick walls of the castle where he could await reinforcements from the rest of the empire.
II. The Battle of Jorvik
The reinforcements were slow in coming. Sherwin laid siege to Eborum with the bulk of his forces, while a smaller army moved south to secure Karthied from an expeditionary force led by the Marshal of Jenova. On September 7 Sherwin crowned himself King of Esplandia Valdaegn, or Splendid Valdaegn, later shortened to Esplandia. It was a symbolic gesture, showing the lords that they would refuse to be subject to the empire. Winter came and passed before the first wave of Imperial reinforcements arrived.
Harold Pallenteg, Marshal of Jenova, landed at the mouth of the Elgenborn just outside the siege lines of Sherwin's army, and after a short fight broke through to relieve the city. Eborum had been well into a siege by Sherwin's forces and the defenders were close to starvation. Lord Harold's arrival effectively put an end to the siege and Sherwin retreated back across the Elgenborn. Sherwin avoided a pitched battle against the larger force and continued his retreat southward. By mid August much of Sherwin's personnel holdings were under Harold and Gisard's control, and on September 7 1567 (a year after Sherwin was crowned) the city of Karthied fell to the loyalists.
Lord Harold, who was Gisard's most experienced and capable general, commanded the main forces. Harold lead the center column in the advance, the left flank was led by Gisard, and the right was comprised of foreign mercenaries under their own leaders. The loyalist army was comprised of heavy infantry, archers, and heavy mounted knights. It was a large and formidable force from dozens of Imperial provinces.
The rebels waited for them to approach. The center of the rebel army was held by Count Aelwin, the most experienced of the three leaders, while Amalrik and Sherwin held the left and right flanks respectively. The rebel army was comprised of light infantry, archers using composite bows, and light cavalry with around a hundred and fifty heavy knights.
The rebel archers inflicted heavy losses on the advancing army. Sherwin's flank was the first to buckle under Gisard's assault and was slowly driven up the hill. The mounted knights under the command of Sherwin's eldest son, Irwin, rallied to his father and was able to stem the advance. On the far flank the mercenary line collapsed, and Amalrik brought his flank around, pinning Harold's forces between the rebel's center and flank.
Harold sent his cavalry charging against Amalrik's flank, but they were driven back as the archers entered the melee, using small war axes and polearms to dismount and kill the knights. Finally around sunset the loyalist center collapsed and the army routed. Gisard withdrew his army back north, but the rest of his forces were chased down and received large numbers of casualties. The next morning Sherwin marched his army into Jorvik and began preparing for the coming winter.
III. The War for Esplandian Independence
When spring came Sherwin marched his armies back north towards Karthied where the loyalists had wintered. The winter had not been kind to them. Harold had died of pneumonia and once again Gisard was in full command of the loyalist army. Gisard abandoned the city and headed down the Klarvatter towards Genova where new forces, numbering near twenty thousand had arrived from across the sea. These forces were lead by Leopold McMaster, the Crown-Prince of the empire and future Emperor Leopold VII.
The three rebel leaders held a council at Karthied and decided that another pitched battle against the larger enemy numbers would certainly end in defeat. Sherwin also knew Leopold and knew he was a formidable opponent. They divided their armies up, Sherwin and Aelwin marched south into Lotherania, then swung east into Tiberus, while Amalrik headed north towards the massive stronghold at Rakhaem which marked the northern frontier. Their plan was to draw out and divide the imperial forces, then wear them down through skirmishes until a decisive battle could be won.
News had also reached the King that the Emperor had been forced to recognize northern independence, an unprecedented action that boded well for their own war. Furthermore, the King of Gothelif (an independent Hastfratic kingdom to the southwest) had sent overtures of peace to the rebels and suggested possible military aid. The Gothels had long resisted conquest by the empire and an independent Esplandia would mean a far more secure future.
While the loyalist leaders did split up the army, it would be months before they came after Sherwin's forces. One army marched back through the heartland and recaptured Karthied again after a short battle with the cities garrison. The second army commanded by Gisard debarked from Jenova, sailed across the Kerstalglas Bay, and captured the town of Belog. Spring dragged into summer, and still the loyalists made no move to march against Sherwin. Many small skirmishes throughout the rest of the year and into the next showed the loyalists were unwilling to come to battle. It was obvious that they were waiting for more reinforcements. They would never come. With fears of additional rebellions the Emperor had decided to hold what forces he had in reserve. Gisard and Leopold would have to put down the rebellion alone.
In July of 1567 Sherwin lead a fraction of his forces north into the heartland and began disrupting the enemies supply lines. He skirmished a couple times with a few battalions, inflicting heavy losses before retreating. He became such a nuisance that the army in Karthied was mustered and marched out to find him.
Sherwin’s scouts reported the armies advance, and he made preparations to return south. First he needed to cross the Klarvatter, which only had three crossings. The nearest one was between his forces and the approaching loyalists. The next nearest crossing was at Rathberg Castle to the southeast, and the third was at Jenova. Sherwin's army headed towards Rathberg.
As Sherwin approached the crossing his scouts returned with alarming news. The crossing was held by the second half of the army of the loyalists. Without hesitation, Sherwin turned north and headed for Rakhaem and Amalrik’s forces. The pursuing army from Karthied followed, while the rest of the loyalist army under Gisard marched out from Jenova at last, turning south and heading for Tiberus where Aelwin's army waited.
IV. The Battle of Errentsberg
Aelwin quickly prepared for Gisard's advance. He marched away from the city of Tiberus, where his army had been waiting, heading eastwards into the Tiberian highlands. He left a large garrison to hold the city. He knew that Gisard was a cautious man, and that he would likely move to take the city instead of seeking combat.
In this Aelwin proved to be right. Gisard stayed near to the coast and headed towards Tiberus. Aelwin sent a part of his force to slow their approach, fighting two battles around the Tiber Fords, before Gisard could cross. Upon arriving at the city, the loyalists laid siege. This was when Aelwin left the hills and returned to the city. He encircled Gisad's lines, ringing him in to keep the loyalist forces from escaping. Aelwin hoped he could easily destroy the loyalist army, but over the next couple days he learned it would not be that easy. The two sides clashed continuously every day, but without great success. Soon both sides were deeply entrenched in a stalemate.
Meanwhile Sherwin had marched into the Akadaegn Hills. His original plan had been to reach Rakhaem and join his forces with Amalrik's, but the pursuing army had marched up the Loern Valley and was positioned to cut him off. Sherwin sought about recruiting from the People's of the Akadaegns, who were descended from the pre-Kianese Skaltic inhabitants of Valdaegn. He was able to gather 1500 archers and near half as many riders to bolster his forces. The new destination was the mill town of Errentsberg on the Elgenborn River.
Once there Sherwin defeated the loyalist garrison, allowing most to escape and report his position to the larger force which was commanded by Prince Leopold. Errentsberg had only a low stone wall, meant to deter raiders and not to stop an organized assault. Still it had a small castle on the southern side of the town and a large fortified monastery. Sherwin set about preparing what defenses he could. He needed to give his archers an advantage, while disadvantaging the heavy troops of his enemy. To this end he set his archers atop the city buildings and created barricades across streets to force the enemy down a single path directly under the walls of the monastery.
On September 2, 1568 the last army of loyalists arrived at Errentsberg. Sherwin lead an initial skirmish on the road leading into town, before falling back to the town center. The entirety of the loyalist army followed. Sherwin's plan worked near flawlessly. The heavier troops were forced to advance along the towering walls of the monastery as arrows rained down on them from above. Periodically Sherwin's lighter infantry would dash out of hiding amongst the buildings and barricades, and inflict severe injury on the loyalists. Despite being outnumbered six to one, Sherwin had found a way to inflict heavy casualties while keeping his own troops relatively safe.
The loyalists advanced beyond the monastery and reached the center of the town. By this time their force had been greatly diminished and demoralized. Here Sherwin waited with the remainder of his force, which immediately beset upon the advancing soldiers. After only two hours of fighting, the enemy surrendered, beaten utterly. Prince Leopold fled the defeat eastward towards Eborum, with Esplandians in pursuit.
The day following the battle, word reached Sherwin that two very important events had occurred. First that the Gothelif King had pledged support to the rebels, and second, that Leopold had been captured less than a kilometer from the gates of Eborum. With both the prince and Gisard in custody, Sherwin would be able to force his demands on the emperor. For all intents and purposes, he had won the war.
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