Jontadain Civil War

The defining event in the recent history of Jonquiere-Tadoussac was the Jontadain Civil War. This war, lasting approximately six months, changed the political landscape of the country, constituting a revolution in which the elected monarchy was overthrown and a consular council put in its place.

Beginning Ferments

The roots of the Jontadain Civil War stretch back to the Fusion Accords of 1837 and the Armée du Liberation du Tadoussac. The true beginning of the war, however, do not occur until the end of 2004.

(See related article: Political System of the Constitutional Monarchy of Jonquiere-Tadoussac)

In November 2004, King Roland XXXI enacted a new law, which became popularly known as the November Law, requiring the list of candidates for the royal elections to be approved by the reigning monarch. Though Roland XXXI claimed the change was being made to help ensure no extremists would be elected to the throne, popular opinion agreed that the change was aimed at ensuring the continuing power of a single group no matter what the choice of the people. Though the November Law was overturned by the National Assembly in December 2004, with 90 per cent of the representatives voting against this law, its introduction changed the dynamics of the monarch/population relationship. The public felt they could no longer trust the monarch's decisions. Political apathy sky-rocketed. At the same time, membership in the Armée Communiste du Jonquiere-Tadoussac (ACJT), the primary group resisting the current administration, increased five-fold within a month, to more than seven per cent of the population.

Royal elections were to be held in July 2005. Both of the frontrunners, Jean-Marc Martin and Georges-Émile Arsenault, were strongly endorsed by Roland XXXI. As a result, the people in general became disillusioned with the process, feeling that the spirit, if not the letter, of the November Law was being enacted. By the close of the poll, fewer than 50 per cent of voters actually cast their vote. According to election law, the result was declared invalid, and the election failed. Two subsequent elections, both held in late July, also failed to meet the 50 per cent margin and had their results disqualified. Without a monarch, the government was practically inactive, as no other body possessed the power to create legislation. Though a meeting of the Popular Assembly was called to rectify this, it was only sparsely attended, and its voting results were also declared invalid.

Full Scale War

Rise of the ACJT and the fall of the Government

Seizing on its increased support and the chaos of the government, the ACJT threatened to take over the capital city of Jonquière and become the new ruling power of the country. In response, the Jontadain military occupied Jonquière and instituted martial law. This was the limit of the action they could take without a king, however, and the ACJT was free to sow discord throughout the countryside. They did not remain alone, however, as the resulting strife led to the rise of numerous factions, which each sought to install their own puppet king on the throne.

Faced with this threat, the crippled National Assembly tried to bring peace by ordering the military to suppress the rebellious factions. This effort was an utter failure. The Lord General in Chief refused to act without orders from an official elected monarch, and kept his forces on station in the capital and in their bases on the Îles Jontadains. The attempted order was also met by vehemence from the population. It was opposed so strongly that the remnants of the government were actually toppled by a popular coup on August 4, 2005. With the last vestiges of official government stripped away, the entire country dissolved into full-scale civil war, while the Jontadain military stood by doing nothing.

Division into Factions

Originally, more than 200 small armed groups appeared, each fighting the other in a bid for supremacy. Most were locally based, operating out of their local towns. Confused street-fighting broke out in every city on the mainland as the pre-existing gangs escalated their turf wars into full armed conflict. Law enforcement was helpless in the face of such popular chaos, and managed to only gain control of small “safe zones” in each city. Only the city of Jonquière was immune to mayhem, thanks to the martial law enacted by military forces. The disorganization could not continue, however, as different groups made ever expanding alliances. By early September, most of the small groups had consolidated into one of four factions: the ACJT, the Démocratiques, the Jontadains pour un pays puissant (JUPP), and the Royalistes.

These four factions became bitter enemies, each holding approximately a quarter of the country. The ACJT had their strongest support in the northern areas of the country, which had a higher rate of dissidents than the other areas. The Démocratiques had their power base in Tadoussac centred at the city of L'Unité. JUPP strongholds were most common in the west, especially Chicoutimi, where a fear of Baranxtu and the subsequent Baranxtuan occupation led to a semi-fascist movement. The east was held by the Royalistes, as the eastern province of Côte-Saint-Jean was the home of the disqualified monarch-elect Jean-Marc Martin.

Though each was opposed to the other, some of the factions had rough understandings with the others. Though they did not share the same desire for a political system, both the JUPP and the Royalistes had a desire for a strong country. The JUPP and the Démocratiques also shared many democratic values, while the ACJT and the Démocratiques had strong social consciences. Most strongly opposed were the JUPP and the ACJT, as the goals of each were directly opposite one another.

The Battle of Jonquière

Key to victory in the civil war would be the control of the capital city. Along with being a symbolic gesture, control of the city would lend tactical advantages to the victor, as the city lay at the meeting of all four factions' territorial lines. It was also believed that whichever faction controlled the city would have the support of the Jontadain military, if not on the field then behind their status as rightful victors.

It was thus inevitable that a battle should be fought at the capital. This battle, the most important of the war, took place on October 13, 2005. By coincidence, each of the four factions had gathered a force to attack the city on the same day, and committed to the attack at the same time. On the day of the battle, each of the factions was approaching the city when each became selectively aware of the others. The ACJT and the JUPP, adversaries from the beginning and unknowing of the other two armies, moved to engage one another before attacking the city. Unknowing of this, and oblivious to one another, the other two factions moved to attack the closest army. The Démocratiques moved to engage the JUPP, while the Royalistes headed for the rear of the ACJT. As the two primary antagonists joined their lines of battle, each was met in the rear by another force. The result is the most chaotic battle of Jontadain history. At first the Démocratiques and Royalistes plowed through their respective enemies, and then emerged onto the respective front lines where they ran into each other.

At the end of the day, the Démocratiques emerged as the overall victors, though with severely depleted forces. The ACJT and JUPP armies left the area in shambles, having been each caught between two foes. The Royaliste army, which had been the smallest, fared little better than these two, and retreated from the city in general disorder. Impressed by the victory of the Démocratiques in such confused circumstances, the Jontadain military turned control of the city of Jonquière over to the Démocratiques, along with their official support. This proved to be the turning point of the war. Holding the capital, the Démocratiques had a tactical position favourable for launching attacks into the territories of all three other factions. In addition, they gained a legitimacy that none of the other factions could approach. As a result, they became the favoured faction for international dealings, especially with Baranxtu, as well as increasing their recruitment three-fold.

The Protectorate of East Baranxtu

The civil war and the discord in the general population of Jonquiere-Tadoussac led their western neighbour, Baranxtu, to consider how to ward off this threat. Baranxtuan politicians, especially those of the leading parties, feared if the situation deteriorated further, there would be growing unrest among the voters, who would let the major, more moderate parties suffer in favour of extremist parties.

On August 30th, the parliament of Baranxtu decided to establish a Protectorate of Baranxtu. This protectorate was to begin with an installed government, which would later be replaced by a cabinet elected in turn by a democratic parliament. To achieve this goal, elements of the Baranxtuan military were dispatched into the western parts of the Jontadain province of Chicoutimi, from there to extend their reach over the entire country. This Protectorate of East Baranxtu was ruled in name by the Governor for the region, who would have control over the whole country. In reality, the Governor's sway only held in the westernmost areas, which were the only ones the military could control. In addition, the population of the westernmost part of the province were among the most eager for outside intervention. Respect for outside assistance grew, however, and in November 2005, the Governor was able to choose a small group of leaders from the winning Démocratique faction to form a legitimate provisional government. This group, working out of Jonquière, was to aid in the transition of Jonquiere-Tadoussac to stability and peace.

The End of the Civil War

The Démocratique victory at Jonquière brought a vast change in public opinion. Whereas before the population had been split in roughly equal proportions among the factions, by December 2005 more than 60 per cent of people across the country expressed support for the Démocratiques.

Despite this, the war continued for several months after the Battle of Jonquière. The devastation of the Démocratique forces along with all of the others meant that this faction could not declare an outright victory. Fighting continued, with an alliance declared between the JUPP and the Royalistes (known as the R+JUPP) in late November. Several other engagements resulted in victories for the R+JUPP and the ACJT, routing the Démocratique forces. However, several ill-conceived raids by the Royalistes on the military-controlled Îles Jontadains, combined with Baranxtuan suppression of JUPP forces in Chicoutimi, led to a the disbanding of these factions in mid-January. Following this and a defeat at Iberville in late January, the ACJT surrendered their arms on January 31, 2006.

Early in February 2005, the winning Démocratique faction, in its new guise as the Parti Socialiste démocratique de Jonquiere-Tadoussac, drafted a new constitution for the Confederacy of Jonquiere-Tadoussac, returning the independent status of the nation, and putting the government back in the hands of the people. The installed government created by the Baranxtuan incursion effectively ended, with general elections being held on February 9, 2006. The Baranxtuan assistance was recognized through the ceding of the western part of Chicoutimi, which had been thoroughly stabilized by Baranxtuan troops, as the Kingdom of Cikoutimi.