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The Red Uprising, also called the Dragenthal Rebellion or the Heartland Uprising, was a conflict that raged between 271 AC and 272 AC. This is one of the few internal military conflicts of the Regalian Empire where military command was deployed to deal with internal uprisings. Normally smaller rebellions would be dealt with by the feudal lords, but the Red Uprising became so large (including many barons and counts of the Heartland provinces) that the Dukes could not contain it. The conflict arose due to the extreme taxation and civil abuse by the van Sherburne (formerly Calontir) family, and due to Emperor Justinian II's repeated refusal to lower taxes. The Heartland bore the brunt of the financial recovery after several wars, and small rebellions formed into a major uprising across the whole province. The uprising was short and eventually got put down, but it is historically significant because a great number of politicians and statesmen died while trying to put down the rebellion. The rebels also effectively succeeded, executing the Chancellor, and getting the Emperor to concede on a tax reduction, one of the extremely rare cases of the Regalian Empire internally appearing weak to its citizens. This would also signal the official settling of the Regalian Pessimism in the minds of the Empire's denizens.
| Red Uprising | |
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| Years | 271 AC - 272 AC |
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Prelude
When Emperor Vilgemar executed Chancellor Morgan Kade, many assumed that the subsequent purges of the Kades from government offices would see a return to normalcy. However, the Dragenthal region of the Regalian Archipelago would see few changes enacted by their overlords, the House van Sherburne. A cadet branch of the once esteemed Calontir family that was responsible for running the State bureaucracy, infighting saw the van Sherburnes survive to take over the great house’s territorial possessions on both sides of the Schoenn River, the major artery of trade coming into the Empire’s heartland. The van Sherburnes were great admirers of Morgan’s policies and grew to have a similar reputation of wasteful spending and tyrannical taxation on their vassals, especially under Prince Olgorr when it reached a climax.
Outside of Dragenthal, the Regalian Empire had just completed the Dunden War, which saw Southwynd fully conquered by the military at a great cost. Following a decade of military campaigns, the next Chancellor Aliandre Kade had struggled to keep the State’s finances stable, working herself to death in the process. Her successor and brother, Nornen, lacked his sister’s dedication to the office and opted to raise taxes across the Empire as a quick fix that required little effort on his end. With Nornen’s taxes coupled with van Sherburne's tyrannical taxation, several provinces in Dragenthal started to buckle under financial pressure.
After a petition to Prince Olgorr failed to gain any attention, several Dragenthal Barons approached Emperor Justinian II to ask that the State lower their tax burden implemented by Nornen. Ultimately the Emperor refused the petition, as the State taxation was universal, and favoring Dragenthal over all other realms would create a sense of favoritism by the Crown which was politically unwise. This left the Barons with no choice, and soon they refused to pay the so-called “death taxes” of the van Sherburnes, leading to the arrest of tax collectors and riots breaking out, with looting following soon after. Prince Olgorr was quick to respond, mustering a personal army of mercenaries to crack down on the riots. Worried that their forces would not fare well against the van Sherburne host, the barons agreed to an amnesty agreement. In this agreement, the barons were granted pardons to travel to Norrenburg Castle to reinstate their oaths of fealty to Prince Olgorr and to work on alleviating the tax concerns.
Hundreds of barons traveled to the Norrenburg Conference, where they enjoyed several days of feasting to smooth over any lingering animosity. On the third day, December 14th, 271 AC, Prince Olgorr invited the barons to the main hall, where he proceeded to issue the following proclamation:
"While we honor our end of the bargain with regards to amnesty, and cleanse you of your foul treason against our most gracious rule, the State has decided to hereby end your lives and those of your followers. Your crimes against my realm have been forgiven. However, in damaging Unionist Temples and looting their sanctuaries, you have committed heresy. The punishment for heresy is death, beheading, quartering, and drowning. Guards: take them away!"
In what became known as the Bloodbaths of Norrenburg, all of the barons were executed by the van Sherburne forces over the screams of bystanders. As a direct result of this betrayal, the counts aligned to Olgorr also began to revolt, with the entirety of the van Sherburne holdings declaring open rebellion against their overlord. Forming the Barons Army in memory of those who were executed, the rebels swelled in numbers, causing the Regalian State to intervene in the uprising.
Experience
Among Soldiers
In the Barons Army, the common soldier was often just a regular civilian who had grabbed their pitchfork to march against a tyrant prince, unwilling to suffer further oppression by out-of-touch overlords. Despite the uprising in full swing, these soldiers had little difficulties traveling throughout Dragenthal, as brigands roving the countryside were likewise fighting against the van Sherburnes, offering shelter and safe passage where applicable. In the villages and towns around the region under the control of the rebels, a soldier was often met with similar hospitality, and life seemed to move on as normal. In the cities and towns aligned with the van Sherburnes and State, however, a rebel soldier was met with immediate hostilities and often was hanged outside the town as a warning for others to stay away.
In the van Sherburne Army, the common soldiers were predominately mercenaries, hired by Prince Olgorr to put down the rebellion and take whatever they wanted as payment. They held no loyalty to the rebels they fought against and simply saw the uprising as a way to continue making a living after the Dunden War concluded. Unlike the rebels, traveling the countryside was slower for the mercenaries, with temporary camps often set up by companies as they moved from village to village. When a company did make it to a rebel village, raids and looting would be carried out, with the houses burned as the mercenaries moved on. In general, the goal of the mercenaries was to lower the morale of the rebels, while taking as much loot as possible as payment.
In the State Army, most soldiers of this time were either feudal levies called up by the dukes of neighboring regions such as Calemberg, Anglia, and Vixhall, or professional mercenaries taking up a service contract. Both groups were supplied with standard equipment from the duke, or brought their own, and thus were more uniform than the Barons Army. Like the van Sherburne Army, countryside movements were difficult due to ambushes by rebels and brigands, though such attacks were far less frequent due to the size of the army. Camps were frequently set up while traversing the countryside, divided by units in a uniform setup. When entering rebel towns and villages, the State Army enacted martial law and rounded up any remaining rebels to face prosecution. Contrasted with the brutality of van Sherburne mercenaries, the State Army only looted what was necessary to feed the troops on campaign, often using settlements as logistical outposts as the campaign moved further into the Dragenthal interior.
Among Officers
The Officers of the Barons Army were mostly the heirs of the barons killed at Norrenburg, local aldermen who were the leaders of smaller villages, and the occasional mercenary who decided to throw their lot in with the rebels. Interestingly, numerous Bloodcast Knights also found themselves leading rebel forces against the van Sherburnes, believing that Prince Olgorr’s tyranny was detrimental to the stability of the Empire, and thus needed to be removed from power. These Officers often had similar experiences to the soldiers under their command, as the very nature of a rebel army meant that forces were irregular and divided, only sharing a common hatred of the van Sherburnes. Officers often slept in the same tents as soldiers, walked the same roads as them, and ate the same food. This even went for many barons, who at best had a slightly larger tent and better equipment than their subordinates.
Officers within the van Sherburne and State Armies had similar characteristics, as both were usually the most seasoned soldiers who rose through the ranks to leadership positions. While mercenary officers usually had a bit more camaraderie with their soldiers, there was still a defined separation of authority, as officers often kept to their ranks when in the camps and cities. Officers likewise were responsible for leading the raids and enacting martial law on rebel villages, carrying out the orders of their commanders. Most of the experiences of the Armies’ soldiers were shared with the officers, though the context of these experiences was shifted from the individual to the unit, as officers were responsible for all the soldiers under their command, and thus worked to handle logistics and decision making.
Among Command
The Commanders of the Barons Army were the counts that joined up after the Bloodbaths of Norrenburg, as well as barons who refused to take the amnesty agreement and never trusted the van Sherburnes to act in good faith. Their role in the uprising was to coordinate attacks between the various disjointed rebel units while relaying information about enemy movements around the region. Despite their numbers swelling over time, commanders avoided pitched battles with both the van Sherburne and State Armies, opting for smaller skirmishes and raids instead. The rebels knew the State could not field the Army for an extended campaign, as both the coffers and the morale of the soldiers could not handle it.
In the van Sherburne Army, the Commanders included Prince Olgorr himself and the Dukes who remained loyal, as well as the leaders of various mercenary companies in the field. Olgorr was not a military man, and thus kept to his palaces most of the time, leading to the Dukes and mercenary commanders to handle most of the planning. Unfortunately, the Prince insisted that he sign off on the final decision, which often led to delays in the field, which created tensions with the mercenary companies. However, as they were given free rein to loot whatever they came across, the mercenary commanders continued to play along with the Prince’s incompetence, though also slowly started to realize that they were running out of places to loot. The main focus of the van Sherburne commanders was the interior of Drgaenthal, as the State Armies were situated around the border and slowly advanced into the realm.
The State Army was under the command of Chancellor Normen, who often delegated to the Generals of the Army to carry out the campaign as if he wasn’t there. Unlike the van Sherburne host, this was well-received by the Generals, who knew the Chancellor was an apathetic individual and thus would’ve got in the way of planning the campaign. Generals often moved from city to city with their individual armies, setting up garrisons and restoring order before marching further into Dragenthal and repeating the process. Communications were frequent between commanders, and often two forces met to combine forces and replenish supplies. While interactions with van Sherburne commanders occurred, such engagements often led to the Generals speaking with the Dukes who had no plans, while the mercenary commanders simply gave brief information about their campaigns in the interior of Dragenthal.
End & Aftermath
As the State Armies captured city after city and moved further into Dragenthal, the rebel forces were forced to withdraw and form up with the rest of the Barons Army. Prince Olgorr also eventually marched out to meet the Chancellor, where the two combined forces as they marched on the last rebel stronghold of Lausitze. There they met the remnants of the Barons Army, commanded by Count Aeldrich von Leberecht, and attempted negotiations. However, von Leberecht refused to surrender so long as Olgorr remained in power, forcing the pitched battle to take place the following morning.
The Battle of Lausitze took place on March 15, 272 AC, with the combined State and van Sherburne Army outnumbering the Barons Army three to one. Morale was low for the rebel forces, as they were under-equipped to face off against the professional mercenaries of the van Sherburned that began to advance on the Barons Army. However, their fortunes would soon turn for the better as the mercenary commanders ordered their forces to turn around and march on the State Army, catching the Chancellor and Prince by surprise. What followed was chaos in the State Armies ranks as the mercenaries and rebels broke through the lines, killing the Chancellor and Prince, and capturing several Dukes. With hostages secured, the Barons Army made a list of demands to the State to end the uprising. While initially the State refused to concede to traitors, the next Chancellor Moriarty Kade was forced to accept the terms, as each day a Duke was being executed by the rebels in response to the State’s rejection of terms.
The Treaty of Axelland was signed on March 26th, 272 AC. While terms such as amnesty and pardons for the Barons Army, and a reduction of the State taxes were expected, two stipulations were of notable significance. First, the House van Sherburne was dispossessed of their feudal holdings and princely status, effectively dividing Dragenthal up into several new duchies and counties. The second and more consequential stipulation was the formation of the Regalian Senate, which effectively stripped the powers of the Chancellor into a ceremonial role, and made the Regalian Emperor a constitutional monarch, beholden to the Senate’s authority. While the Barons Army initially envisioned the Senate as a way for disenfranchised barons and counts to check the tyranny of the dukes, the Senate eventually decayed into a corrupt organization where various factions delayed any meaningful legislation from being passed.
Review
Very little can be said positively of the Red Uprising, if any. The conflict ultimately set off the Regalian Pessimism, a time when faith in the Empire was at an all-time low as the Senate’s political infighting prevented any real progress from being made. In Dragenthal, political intrigue reached a new high as various families plotted against each other based on which side of the Uprising they supported, with the Barons Army turning into its political faction to keep the region a hotbed of anti-State sentiments until recently. Finally, the revolt left a warning to future rulers of the consequences of ignoring the concerns of their people, as minor protests can turn into revolutions if not adequately addressed.
Trivia
- Dragenthal remained a strong anti-Imperial realm until the reign of Emperor Cedromar, who took it upon himself to execute the surviving members of the Barons Army, replacing them with Kade-loyal viscounts to stabilize the region, to great success.
- House van Sherburne still exists to this day, though they have devolved into real estate magnates following their dispossession, with several apartment buildings in the Regalian capital managed by them.
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