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| Myre Crisis | |
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| Years | 259 AC - 264 AC |
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The Myre Crisis was a conflict that raged between 259 AC and 264 AC in the seas surrounding the Kingdom of Myre. The Kingdom of Myre is one of the many nations in the continent referred to as Southwynd, south of the Regalian Archipelago. It was the last kingdom in eastern Southwynd that was still independent of the Regalian Empire and maintained its independence with a strong navy. Emperor Vilgemar presented the kingdom with an ultimatum to join the Regalian Empire early in his reign to retake Imperial prestige after the disastrous reign of Arch-Chancellor Morgan which made the Emperors look weak. Myre refused, however, and a very costly naval war ensued that saw several fleets engaged with the Myre navy. The war finally wrapped up when Arch-Chancellor Aliandre restructured the state budget and shifted from outright military conflict to shelling coastal cities and attacking civilian targets to wear down the population's will for the war. The kingdom surrendered shortly after, concluding the last real naval war where all battles were exclusively fought on the high seas.
Prelude
Following the execution of Arch-Chancellor Morgan in 256 AC, many questioned whether Emperor Vilgemar was fully capable of restoring the powers and prestige of the Ivrae Dynasty. The Seasonal Emperors Period saw many cousins, uncles, and brothers hold the title of Emperor in quick succession, with none of them leaving a lasting legacy beyond being the chancellor’s puppets. Taking inspiration from his predecessor Allestrain I, Emperor Vilgemar decided that the best way to restore faith in the Crown was to conduct a military campaign that would restore faith in the Emperor.
While the Imperial Army was fighting in the Perrion War to the west of Ithania at the time, the Navy remained uncommitted, allowing the Emperor to wage a naval war against one of the nations not under Regalian influence. The choice of opponent was the Kingdom of Myre, a naval power that had resisted the previous Southwynd campaigns of Emperor Allestrain I, maintaining its independence. Emperor Vilgemar sent envoys to the Myre Court, presenting an ultimatum to join the rest of eastern Southwynd in joining the Regalian Empire. The Myre King refused believing the Emperor to be a weak figurehead like his predecessors, justifying the Regalian Empire to begin the campaign.
Experience
Among Soldiers
Unlike the Perrion War which featured land-based combatants, the Myre Crisis was entirely naval-based, with the bulk of manpower being the sailors of the Regalian Navy. During the conflict, sailors rotated between maintaining the Regalian blockade of Myre, patrolling the nearby seas for enemy vessels, and returning to Corontium for maintenance. Sailors were responsible for the general upkeep of the vessels, such as cleaning the decks and maintaining the rigging, while also manning the cannons during conflicts with enemy vessels. While the Regalian Navy’s warships were the most advanced when it concerned the latest in cannon technology, the Myre Navy was only a few years behind in development and boasted capable sailors of their own. As a result, both sides were evenly matched when it came to direct conflict, and several battles saw ships exchange hands between both sides as trophies. Sailors thus were always on alert for enemy vessels, and slacking off on duty was harshly punished by officers.
Among Officers
Officers were responsible for overseeing specific parts of the ship, depending on their specializations. Some officers handled the general maintenance of the ship, while others were responsible for sailing and navigation. During combat, the gunnery officers took charge of the defense of the vessel, while requisition officers ensured that the crew was supplied with all they needed for their operations. In the senior-most positions were the individual captains who coordinated with the admirals regarding their standing orders, and set out to capture enemy vessels as trophies of their own. Several officers rose through the ranks quickly during the Myre Crisis, often due to successfully crippling or capturing an enemy vessel for the Empire. This often led to rivalries between different ships, as the honor of capturing a ship could only be given to one captain, creating a competitive nature within the officer corps that demanded competency over complacency.
Among Command
At the top positions were the admirals of the fleet. Each was responsible for one of the three campaign missions: blockade, scouting, and maintenance. Admirals in charge of the Myre blockade coordinated with their captains to ensure that enemy vessels did not slip past the Regalian warships to gather supplies from other nations. Scouting missions often saw an admiral in charge of a small group of ships tasked with capturing specific enemy ships which earned infamy during the conflict. More senior admirals would handle communications between officers from the back lines, and were critical in sending reinforcements to a fleet that had been engaged with the enemy, or needed resupplies. Lastly, the maintenance admirals were responsible for communicating between the Myre theater and the Marshalry back in the capital, delivering reports to the Emperor regarding the war.
End & Aftermath
Due to the competency of the Myre Navy, more and more resources were forced to be dedicated to the conflict. These mounting financial pressures, alongside the Perrion War’s hardships, ultimately forced the Emperor to reinstitute the office of the Arch-Chancellor in 263 AC, appointing Morgan’s eldest daughter, Aliandre, to the position. Unlike her father, Aliandre was a faithful administrator and took to her role with a sense of duty not seen since the tenure of Nicholas Kade. Believing that a quick conclusion to the war was the most financially wise decision, the Arch-Chancellor instructed the admirals to begin a coastal bombardment of civilian targets, rather than continue spending time and money hunting for enemy vessels for months on end. While there were some protests regarding the honor of such tactics, the Navy ultimately conceded to the Arch-Chancellor’s demands after further funding requests were denied.
The final months of the Myre Crisis are what earned the conflict its name, as the Navy began to fire upon the Myre Coastline. Scouting missions were halted as the blockade tightened around the Myre Coastline, resulting in the Myre warships at port engaging with a superior enemy bombardment. Soon, many of the Myre ships were sunk to the bottom of the bays, and the devastation to the ports left Myre civilians facing starvation from a lack of incoming supplies from blockade runners. Unwilling to let a famine take hold of the population, the King of Myre sued for peace, and in 264 AC, the Treaty of Myre was signed. The kingdom would join the Regalian Empire as a suzerain state, and in return, the Empire would oversee the rebuilding of the coastal cities.
Review
For closing comments, provide a short paragraph about how this conflict was remembered in the modern day. The Myre Crisis is remembered fondly in Regalian naval circles as the last conflict that saw the Navy in its golden age. Many senior officers owe their positions to the capture of enemy vessels as trophies, which in turn has maintained a sense of pride within the naval circles. Despite the civilian bombardments at the end, most Regalians accept that it was a necessary evil to end the war quickly and cite the immediate rebuilding efforts as proof that the Regalian Empire was not looking to annihilate the Kingdom of Myre. Finally, the Crisis did achieve the initial goal of Emperor Vilgemar, who was able to use the success of the war to implement many of his reforms aimed at alleviating the lives of the common Regalian citizens who suffered under the tyranny of Morgan Kade. As such, the common citizen views the Myre Crisis as an event that restored the majesty of the Ivrae Dynasty, allowing the next Emperors to rule competently.
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