Salovian Civil War: Difference between revisions

|place= [[BaykaliaBiramura]], [[Volova]], [[Nolova]], [[Nilovia]], [[Tuvaltastan]], and parts of [[Oscrelia]]

|combatant1a= [[File:BaykaliaArF.png|23px]] [[Armed Forces of BaykaliaBiramura|BaykalianBiramuran Armed Forces]] </br><small>(repl. Salovia 1992-2005)</small>

The '''Salovian Civil War''' was a series of conflicts and battles related to the collapse of [[Salovia|The Grand Republic of Salovia]]. Spanning over twenty years, the civil war included a variety of belligerents, primarily ranging from small guerilla forces, the Salovian government itself, and the revolutionary forces of the Lovelian and Khermali regions. The war is often split into three primary phases: The Revolutionary Phase, categorized by the final years of Salovia and the rise of the Lovelian and Volovan forces, this phase seeing the most bloodshed; the Post-Collapse Phase, marked by the fall of the Salovian government and the replacement of which by BaykaliaBiramura, and the military intrusion by Oscrelia into the northeastern portion of Salovia; and the Stabilization Phase, a period of decreasing military action and a realization of the modern borders officially established by the [[Treaty of Astravili (2005)|Treaty of Astravili]].

There is no singular catalyst for the civil war, considering the wide range of sociopolitical and geopolitical variables that preceded the war by centuries. However, the events often used as the prelude to the civil war are a series of events known as the [[Novugdidi Crisis]], which culminated with the assassination of Chancellor [[Ivan Strovani]] on 18 June 1985. His assassination is widely used as the symbolic beginning of the war (though other conflicts had occured prior to his assassination), followed by a string of uprisings focused around the [[Shagonar]] metropolitan region and the cities straddling the [[Khermali River]]. Though most of the riots were anti-Salovian in nature, there were a few pro-Salovian protests that had begun in cities like [[Chita]], Neril'stkeli, and Volutsku. By 1990, most loyalist civilian militants had been quashed by Volovan and Lovelian forces, and in that same year a second wave of uprisings and riots began in the northern Salovian strongholds of Chita and Irkula. By 1992, these revolutionary forces had captured the majority of strategic Salovian locations, and in 21 September of that year, Salovia officially collapsed with the exodus of its major governmental officials to the surviving military forces. By 2001, the new political landscape had reached its modern arrangement, and in 2003 all infighting ended with the MBE-EPTO Ceasefire. Two years later, the Treaty of Astravili was signed, officially declaring the end of the war and the formation of [[BaykaliaBiramura]], [[Kostromastan]], and [[Tuvaltastan]].

The civil war has had long-lasting and consequential effects on the geopolitical landscape of Aurora, most notably the debate on which nation would become the legal successor nation, this debate mainly concerning the Salovian colonies in [[Gondwana]] and the debate on which nation, if any, should replace Salovia's [[Auroran Continental Assembly]] membership. After months of deliberation, a trilateral agreement between BaykaliaBiramura, Kostromastan, and Tuvaltastan had been reached wherein Tuvaltastan would gain the Salovian colonies and the southern islands, Kostromastan would replace Salovia in the ACA, and BaykaliaBiramura would gain all remaining Salovian assets, including the right to claim ''de jure'' historical succession. Over time, Tuvaltastan would be seen as the ''de facto'' successor to Salovia, especially after its military operations to re-assert control over the small island kingdom of [[Avutili]], and its successful defense against Kostromastan in late 2009 and early 2010 after an invasion attempt on the easternmost regions of Tuvaltastan to gain coastline.

For most of Salovian history, unity and order was maintained through the existence of the [[Boliari]], a collection of individuals from the various ruling classes whose personal interests (be it commercial, political, or otherwise) relied on the existence of Salovia and most importantly the uninterrupted connection between the northern and southern coastlines of Aurora, Salovia's most important geopolitical asset that was first realized with the absorption of the Melit'hasa Kingdom. Barring a few periods of instability, the Boliari and the Salovian Monarchs held the nation together. This stability would permanently fracture with the advent of the Era of Unrest in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, the [[Posolic Wars]] marking the shift away from a unified nation and a drifting towards ethnic, regional, and cultural nationalist movements. Though the Grand Republic eventually coalesced into a working replacement for the monarchy and the Boliari, the cultural differences first instilled during the [[Salovia#Salovian Interregnum|Salovian Interregnum]] had been magnified during the Era of Unrest, resulting in an irreversible cultural drift that was exacerbated by the unpopular involvement of Salovia in the [[Auroran Imperial War]]. Additionally, the outsized influence of BaykalianBiramuran individuals in Salovian politics further complicated the efforts towards maintaining national unity.

The unpopularity of [[Victor Victrovavich]] and his administration's policies led to his electoral loss in 1980 to Ivan Strovani. Though members of the same party, the Zedakhli placed their support with Strovani for his more populist outlook on government, and subsequently became Chancellor. Initially promoted as a vehicle for structural change, especially in regards to reversing many of the governmental cessions made to re-integrate BaykaliaBiramura after the Posolic Wars (known as the Deal of 1816), it became evident by 1984 that Strovani had no intention to implement any changes to the government. His administration was made up of individuals who had served under Victrovavich, which only further angered much of Salovia's Lovelian and Khermali populations.

After the assassination of Ivan Strovani, Grand Minister [[Lara Tarasovna]] inherited the Chancellery, though only from a strictly constitutional sense; no official confirmation vote ever took place during her seven years as the ''de facto'' Chancellor. Despite this, the people still loyal to the Salovian government rallied around Tarasovna, who declared war on the three revolutionary forces. Still maintaining the significant military infrastructure and thus the advantage, Tarasovna led a counter-insurgency focused around the Khermali region and the [[Sea of Tranquility]] coast, deeming these two regions to be the most strategically important by her military leadership. This intentionally neglected the Shagonar-based Lovelian insurgents, who took the opportunity to expand their territory eastwards towards the major city of [[Akhalibisi]], their primary military objective. It is believed by many that the decision to neglect military action against the Lovelians was in part due to an agreement reached in secret between the Salovian government and Lovelian insurgency wherein the Lovelian region would gain similar political footing as the BaykaliansBiramurans had in 1816. Such an agreement has not been confirmed nor denied since the war's conclusion, and no participants on either side have expressed knowledge of such. It is believed that part of this agreement survived to the present day in the form of amnesty for any belligerants deemed to be enemies of Salovia or Lovelia. As a result, the Salovian military focused efforts towards the Nilovian Coalition and the Volovan Independence Front during the final years of its existence.

By 1989, the Salovian government had been increasingly successful in their efforts to eliminate the Volovan and Nilovian insurgencies, almost entirely removing them from every major strategic location. However, as 1990 rolled around, new uprisings in Irkula and Chita threatened the Salovian government more directly than any prior riot or revolt that preceded it. The populist uprising quickly spread throughout the northern Suvolic region, and eventually engulfed the whole area, resulting in the total collapse of the Salovian government and its subsequent surrender to the newly-formed BaykalianBiramuran government. A handover treaty was signed by Lara Tarasovna and BaykalianBiramuran leader Hugo Durgaliuri that symbolically ended the reign of Salovia over Chita, which was signed on 21 September 1992. This date is often used as the official end of Salovia.

===Oscrelia and BaykaliaBiramura===

Upon the collapse of Salovia, Oscrelian officials opted to claim territory in the northeastern portion of the former Salovian territory under the justification of ensuring stability. Their campaign into Salovian territory resulted in territorial gains into cities like Cape Onera, Menoria, and Dulorien at the expense of BaykaliaBiramura. Realizing this, and seeing an opportunity to expand southwards, the BaykalianBiramuran authorities opted to establish an agreement with the Oscrelians, wherein a demarcation line is enforced that neither side could cross, but beyond this line either side could claim as much land as they had the capability to gain. This agreement allowed both Oscrelia and BaykaliaBiramura to begin a campaign southwards against Volova. The line established between BaykaliaBiramura and Oscrelia remains the official border to this day.

Though initially enjoying significant territorial gains upon the collapse of Salovia, both the VIF and NSPNS began to experience significant resistance from the north, east, and west, in the form of the newly-created TAC and BaykaliaBiramura, and the more established power of Oscrelia. Realizing the ramifications of such a significant geopolitical shift in military priorities, both the Volovan Independence Front and NSPNS reorganized into the Kostro-Nilovian Independence Front in 1998 to further integrate their militaries to prevent the collapse of either side. Though this unification would slow the advances of BaykaliaBiramura, Oscrelia, and the TAC, it would still see a slow reduction in their overall territory.

The TAC's goal of unifying their two territorial regions together was finally realized in 2001, thus marking the shift into the Stabilization period. During this time, all participants in these conflicts would see a slow continuation of the status quo, with the Kostro-Nilovian Front (KNF) slowly losing territory to the TAC while holding the frontlines against both BaykaliaBiramura and Oscrelia. Split into two regions by the TAC, the KNF struggled to maintain its hold in areas south of Lake Nilovi, and by the end of 2002 the KNF-held territory had been reduced to two cities. By 2003, a ceasefire initiated by the MBE and the EPTO was signed among the four belligerants, and for the final two years of the war, no significant losses of life ocurred. In 2005, the Treaty of Astravili was signed, which finalized the borders of BaykaliaBiramura, Oscrelia, the newly-formed Kostromastan, and the newest organized region of Tuvaltastan.

(OOC: Pending Dylan) The Lovelians reached a deal with the government of Matriarchal [[Ethalria (Matriarchy)|Ethalria]] to fund and assist the relatively unscathed western part of the Lovelian territory. When they gained independence in 2005, Tuvaltastan was very economically and geopolitically close to the Matriarchy. BaykaliaBiramura postured itself as the true Salovian successor and buddied up with the MBE to cement that position. Kostromastan found itself close to the Ethalrian Republic (maybe? still gotta figure that out)