The Magnate's Revolt

The Magnate's Revolt was the single largest war since the The Gwerrithon Wars. It effected every corner of the Lordship in some way, whether through direct conflict, or the rolling wave of economic collapse that followed it. The Revolt was the culmination of three generations of economic and political neglect by the Lords. First, Gouthas' outright rejection of the Seat's responsibilities laid the foundations for the Lord's power to be eroded and decentralised amongst the The High Council of Gwendor. Then, Gwain's unfortunate circumstances of inheritance and prior connections entrenched guild-masters and other careerists as agents and benefactors of the state, rather than its beholden and regulated servants. Finally, Gadrik's blissful ignorance of any problems beyond the The Giritath left those corruptive wounds of administrative decay to fester into a state of total financial anarchy. The cities of Central Gwendor were reduced to greed-ridden bazaars run by the fickle armies of treacherous men. All this well-stocked bonfire needed was a match. Gadrik's assassination was just that. Though it wasn't unexpected, the death of a head of state is always a testing time for the Lordship, especially an unnatural one under which lurked a political agenda. At the time of Gadrik's death, the Lord's Seat and its Council were at their weakest: their authority and legitimacy rested on aging precedent, and their powers were in the hands of soon-to-be-traitors. As a result, Gadrik's death provided the Magnates an opportunity to step into the last vacuum to be filled, and a chance to sweep aside the restricting apparatus of the state once and for all. Fighting broke out first in Gerreach where government hold was weakest, and soon Dorröhaven and Gwendor, Lord's Redoubt followed. Thornpassage was the site of the least fighting as guild's struggled to rival the established universities and other local authorities in influence or power. In Gerreach, fighting was fiercest as administrative distance from any central authority allowed guild rivalries to become increasingly brutal, and loyalist forces to act without oversight, leaving whole neighbourhoods destroyed. Coupled with the massive influx of refugees from the surrounding areas as farmland was pillaged by all sides for supplies, the situation quickly became a full-blown crisis. These conditions persisted until Seriticus' interventions in the capital, at which point outright conflict came to an abrupt stop, leaving only the social and economic crisis to deal with. Unlike the majority of the Lordship, the aftermath in Gerreach was the entrenchment of economic inequality, as the paragons of stability ended up being the super-rich rather than any community leaders: the wholesale disbandment of guilds and unions allowed heirarchical wealth control the city without accountability from government or the community. In Dorröhaven, the clique of Dorrochk-affiliated guilds and instituitions was resilient enough to eventually put down any rebellion. The city's near total autonomy from the wider Gwedorian state gave its local government more direct powers to address any unrest. Not only this, but the lack of Gwendorian influence distanced the city's administration from the issues that fuelled the revolt, leaving the aggreived guilds with little legitimacy in their claims of poor governance when faced with the internal stability and efficacy of Dorröhaven's administration. Casualties were light as a result, with few attempts as revolution gaining traction beyond occasional street-fighting. In the aftermath of the conflict, after the Magnate's execution, the economic landscape of Gwendor irreversibly changed. Never again would the Lords let guilds grow to such size and influence, and the Council was quietly purged of rebellious members. The guilds controlled by the ringleaders of the insurrection were dismantled, with their assets absorbed into state-controlled local industries, or divided between loyalist leaders as rewards for their efforts. Not only this, but other community institutions such as workers unions and workers committees that were deemed rebellious were subject to disbandment and redistribution. Seriticus' choice to mass recruit from disenfranchised urban communities paid off dividends as these men returned from militia service innoculated against any counter-state narrative. These men shifted seemlessly from underpinning Seriticus' army reforms, to providing a loyal and efficient workforce.

Conflict Type

Civil War

Battlefield Type

Urban

Start Date

4430 MRE

Ending Date

4440 MRE

Conflict Result

Widespread Guild Disbandment,

Belligerents

The Magnate Coalition

Government and Loyalist Forces, under Seriticus

The Gwendorian Army

Led by

Seriticus Broadbane

Strength

150,000-300,000~ combined estimated strength across all coalition member organisations

60,000 (Gwendorian Army)
70,000~120,000 (Independant Local Loyalist Forces)

Casualties

75,000-150,000~

18,500 (Gwendorian Army) 30,000~60,0000 (Independant Local Loyalist Forces)

Objectives

Whole faction: Overthrow the Lord's government and establish a guild-led confederation Individual organisation: Consolidate powerbase in preparation for the expected post-revolution power struggle. The conflict also provided a stage for preexisting inter-guild fueds and debts to be settled amidst the fog of war.

Gwendorian Army: Contain rebellion, quell resistance and maintain rule of law.
Independant Local Loyalist Forces: Combat guild infringements, dismantle anti-state organisations and force out rebel sympathisers

Maps

Estanon
Gwendor, Lords Redoubt