Edvardian Civil War
Taking place between 2124-2134, this period will always be remembered as the bloodiest decade in the history of the Holy Empire of Edvardus
Background
After two decades of political gridlock in Parliament, the Edvardian people became tired of their do-nothing government. The Arab Baath Party had been successful in blocking most of the legislation proposed by the Union of Christian and Centre Democrats and the Republican Party while the latter two have done likewise with Baath legislation.
Empress Valeria and the Prime Minister decided that Edvardus needed foreign assistance. Turning to an officially secular nation and also one with strong Islamic influences, Edvardus extended an invitation to Turkish diplomats to facilitate dialogue between the three parties of Edvardus in 2118.
Once negotiations and a plan had been drawn up, the Turkish advisors arrived on 2120. They were welcomed to the empire by many, because many viewed these foreigners as one of their last chances to reform the government. The Arab Baath Party banked on the Turkish advisors to knock some sense into their UCCD and Republican counterparts. However, the Turkish advisors told Baath leaders to cooperate with the other parties. Baath members suppressed their newfound anti-Turkish sentiments and were told that the Turks knew what they were doing.
In 2121, the Edvardian people elected a new president, Armand Châtillon, known for his tough stance against the Baath Party. He rallied Parliament and the majority of the UCCD and Republicans to pursue a subliminal campaign to end all support for the Arab Baath Party. This undermined the role of the Turks in Edvardus and the citizens began to turn away from the idea of government reform.
The Baath Party suffered heavy losses in political support as a result of this new campaign in 2122. In fact, hundreds of rebellions broke out in the northern provinces of Ilario, Bernardo, and Pietro the following year calling for the end of Parliament and the entire political system. They are extreme supporters of the monarchy and believe that Edvardus needs to rest all political decisions in the hands of the empress. Empress Valeria condemned the ideals of the rebels and reaffirmed her commitment to expanding the economic strength of Edvardus and increasing democracy within the empire. It was under her reign that the Arab Baath Party came into existence and she believed (and still does) that more political parties will be beneficial to democracy.
The Baath Party took advantage of this political chaos in what seemed like a last attempt to gut the UCCD and Republican Party. In 2123, Ali Ahmed, Fahed Fouzan, Faiq Iqbal, Ejaz Khan, Hafiz Manzoor, and Mustaq Patel were found guilty of treason of attempted kidnap of President Châtillon by the Supreme Court. Many assumed that the Baath was behind the kidnap attempt. As a result, Parliament passed a vote of no-confidence in the Baath Party and their political party status was revoked in subsequent elections. The president also arranged for the expulsion of the Turkish advisors, which the Baath saw as an attempt to take back the empire. The civil war had officially begun.
Annihilation of Baath
In 2124, the Baath claimed themselves as the legitimate government of Edvardus and moved the capital to Dimissa. President Châtillon sent the Military Police to destroy the Baath insurgents, arresting thousands of Baath members in the Nile Valley. The Baath struck back and attempted to take over the Nile Valley and Capitale Occidentale. The takeover failed but the Edvardian government was able in severely weakening the Baath.
Fearing that the Military Police would face a two-front battle, Châtillon returned his focus to suppressing the rebellion in the northern provinces. Within a year, he had succeeded but not before making some enemies along the way.
Undercover Baath party members convinced three of Châtillon’s generals to defect and take the northern provinces for themselves. However, Châtillon soon discovered plans of the coup and executed the traitorous generals. The failed coup reminded the nation of the Baath kidnap attempt a few years back and fueled anti-Baath sentiments.
In 2127, Châtillon launched his first campaign to eliminate the Baath once and for all. The following year, the second campaign was even more successful. It appeared that the end was in sight. Even with heightened police presence in all major cities, the Baath utilized the lack of police in rural areas to recruit support, starting as far back as after the Capitale Occidentale incident. There were massive secret meetings around the nation among Baath sympathizers. In 2128, Châtillon died in his sleep and his vice president, Luther Disegni, assumed the role of president. He renewed his predecessor’s fervor to eliminate the Baath with a third campaign in 2129, but the Baath used the change in command to their advantage. Disegni was successful the at first, but when Disegni sent troops into the Baath stronghold in the Ephrem province in 2130, Baath troops severely mauled Edvardian troops and forced Disegni to reconsider his options.
The Mistake
After the embarrassing attempt to invade the Ephrem province, Disegni did the unthinkable in Year 2131: using the Imperial Armed Forces against the rebels, who were still considered Edvardians under international law. The Imperial Marines launched an amphibious attack along the Nile in an attempt to end this decade-long war. Disegni made a tactical error when he deployed a small attack on Dimissa and a larger attack on Autocontrolla, where the Baath stored their ammunition. This allowed the majority of the Baath leadership to flee Dimissa, cross the Sinai Peninsula, and approach Capitale Occidentale. However, the Baath did not intend to attack the capital. Instead, they sought to reach their allies in the northern provinces and in Turkey.
Disegni did not catch on to their plans and instead fortified Capitale Occidentale. Ironically, a small battalion guarding the border along the Jordan River was the one that spotted the Baath. The Baath crossed the river into the Arabian Desert, knowing that the Edvardus government would not dare attack them in foreign soil. For the next few months in 2132, things died down as the remaining publicly loyal Baath members were jailed. Many Baath leaders and supporters died in the Arabian Desert, but a handful found their way back into Edvardus only 100 miles north of Citta Imperiale. They spent the rest of that year holding underground meetings in the countryside and built up their support without the Edvardian government noticing. They did this all the way up the Euphrates and eventually reached the northern provinces and Turkey in 2133. Meanwhile, the Edvardian government faced mounting political pressure from the other Arab nations, notable Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates, to allow the Baath to participate as a political party and to stop killing party supporters. The Arab nations were outraged and furious that the Edvardian government has killed over 15 million Baath supporters in the last decade.
The End
Throughout this entire ordeal, the aging Empress Valeria did less and less. Despite Parliament members requesting her abdication and letting her daughter, Crown Princess Mona to accede the throne, Valeria refused. She would not allow any changes in the royal family until the democracy of Edvardus resolved this civil war. Parliament members decided in 2133 to motion for a vote of no confidence in President Disegni under the condition of use of the Imperial Armed Forces against Edvardians. The Edvardian President justified his actions under the condition that the nation was in a state of emergency. The motion did not receive the number of votes it needed causing speculation that the democracy in place had failed. Therefore, only the Empress could remove Disegni from office. Fed up with stalemate talks in the escalating tension with its neighbors, and unbeknownst to the people, the Prime Minister of Edvardus ordered the secret kidnapping of President Disegni ten days before Christmas in 2133. The Prime Minister disguised himself as he reasoned with Disegni. After threatening to kill Disegni should he not cooperate and some persuasion, Disegni agreed that he would allow the Baath to participate as a political party once more and was released on Christmas Eve.
In 2134, Disegni launched a private investigation into his kidnapping and inside sources pointed to the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister denied all accusations but was found guilty by the Supreme Court and subsequently removed from his post. In a special election, the Edvardian people lost faith in the Prime Minister’s party, the UCCD, and instead, elected someone from Disegni’s own party. The new Prime Minister proved to be sympathetic towards Disegni’s cause and talks with the Arab nations ceased.
Empress Valeria transferred many of her powers to her daughter, who resumed talks. These talks were too little too late.
Near the end of the year, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates invaded Edvardus. All major cities were bombed and left in ruins, forcing the royal family to flee to neighboring Leefleslovakia. Within days of holding back foreign ground units, Edvardus sued for peace.
