The Summer Uprising
The Summer Uprising (Year 842 - 850) was a significant period of upheaval in Aesor during the 9th century. It was characterized by the Alarian peasantry's long-suppressed desire for emancipation from oppressive monarchy. After enduring centuries of subjugation, the downtrodden peasants finally united to challenge their fate.
For centuries, the Alarian peasantry had been relegated to a life of servitude, toiling under oppressive conditions that mirrored slavery. Their suffering was exacerbated by a monarchy that was indifferent to their plight. King Leothal, the reigning monarch at the time, epitomized this indifference with his hubris and disregard for his subjects' suffering. Years of petitions and pleas to King Leothal had fallen on deaf ears, leading to growing discontent among the peasantry. Secretly, the word of a revolutionary movement began to spread throughout the countryside, fueled by the peasants' burning desire for freedom.
King Leothal's greatest flaw was his unwavering arrogance. He failed to recognize the simmering discontent among his subjects, believing that they would never dare to rise against him. This arrogance would ultimately become a catalyst for the impending revolt.
In the summer of 842, the peasantry's movement gained momentum as it swept across the kingdom, seizing control of smaller settlements with little resistance. However, they did not stand alone in their fight. The Public Ministry, while officially maintaining neutrality, secretly lent their support to the peasants' cause. They funneled resources and assistance to the burgeoning rebellion, playing a crucial role in its early successes.
King Leothal's dismissive response to the growing rebellion inadvertently named it. He famously declared, "This uprising started in the summer and will end this summer, mark my words." Ironically, the peasantry took this as a jest and mockingly named their movement the Summer Uprising, highlighting the king's inability to quell the revolt. As the years passed, King Leothal's inability to suppress the rebellion turned him into a laughingstock. The Summer Uprising continued to gain ground and support, with craftsmen and city-dwellers joining the cause. The joint forces of the peasantry and urban citizens eventually overran larger cities, resulting in the first major battle. It concluded with a humiliating defeat for the king's forces, plunging the kingdom into chaos.
The king's downfall was attributed to several key factors:
Many soldiers had family members fighting for the uprising, leading to a loss of morale and numerous desertions.
King Leothal's arrogance and detachment from his people eroded any loyalty from his soldiers.
Most soldiers were simply unwilling to harm their own kin and countrymen at this point in time.
After eight years of defeat and chaos, King Leothal's only brother, Harwo, known as the Bookmuncher, returned to Alar. Previously dismissed as a weak bookworm who had left to study abroad (mostly in the Magistrate academies), Harwo assessed the dire situation and convinced his brother to abdicate for the kingdom's sake. In a hasty coronation, Harwo was crowned as king and gathered the nation's citizens, aristocrats, soldiers, and rebels for a historic announcement.
The gathering began with King Leothal addressing the crowd. He acknowledged his brother's succession and issued a rare apology to the people, expressing remorse for the suffering he had caused Alar. However, in a shocking turn of events, as King Leothal spoke to the gathered masses, Harwo, his own brother, stabbed him in the back, ending his life with a single fatal stab. This act sent shockwaves through the crowd, leaving them in stunned silence.
With King Leothal's lifeless body before them, Harwo launched into a passionate speech. He pledged to make Alar great again, characterizing the slain king as a tyrant. Harwo promised rights, land, food, and all the things the beleaguered populace had yearned for during the years of oppression. Harwo's speech continued with a call for unity. He emphasized that the path to a better Alar required cooperation between himself and the people. Harwo urged everyone present to engage with their leaders, advocating for a new government.
Harwo's charismatic and persuasive speech found fertile ground among the peasants, the Public Ministry, citizens, and even the soldiers. Many voted willingly, while some resorted to force to ensure their leaders attended the King's new government meeting.
The meeting concluded in a massacre perpetrated by the King's Crownguards. Harwo revealed his true intentions and ruthlessly eliminated the leaders of the Uprising. While the masses had celebrated on the streets, believing in the promise of a new government, they soon witnessed the Crownguards leaving the hall with bloodied swords. It became clear that Harwo had deceived them.
Harwo swiftly launched an offensive against rebel towns and cities, offering them a stark choice: side with the monarchy or face dire consequences. King Harwo succeeded in winning back the loyalty of his generals and soldiers through fear, regaining control over the Windbreak Pact. After two more years of fighting against the remaining rebels in the South, Harwo won against the mob and initiated his own rules and policies that none dared to question.
King Harwo instituted the Brotherhood, a previously insignificant cult that believed in the law of Alar as divine words. Its beliefs soon became the kingdom's official religion, enforcing strict obedience to Alar's laws (Harwo’s). Numerous theories persist about Harwo's intentions, including speculation of espionage from the Magistrate or questioning the Brotherhood's true nature. However, none of these theories have been definitively proven.
In two years, Harwo ended the uprising that his brother couldn’t dream of in 8 years and destroyed all of his main enemies in the matter seconds. A defining chapter in Alar’s history that will be remembered until the very end of times.
General Information
Date - Year 842 - 850
Cause - Suppressed and enslaved peasantry
Outcome - Won by the Revered Orders - Chaplet Ring (King Harwo)
King Harwo (Chaplet Ring) VS Rebel Peasants (Year 850 - 850)
Allegiances & Sides
Alarian Civil War King Leothal (Chaplet Ring) VS Rebel Peasants (Year 842 - 850)King Harwo (Chaplet Ring) VS Rebel Peasants (Year 850 - 850)
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