Keene Revolution

The Keene Revolution was a series of violent clashes between the popluation of Bjeria and the military, beginning in 5.918 and forcing Bjeria to withdraw from the war in 5.919. The revolution reached its climax with the execution of the Imperial family in 5.921, but Imperial sympathies remain high throughout the country and the fledgling Bjerian Republic remains fragile.

Etymology

Keene is a corruption of the Noːkãian word "kæn" (bureaucracy). Originally used derogatorily, it echoes the East Bjerian rural accent and attempts to paint the revolutionaries as manual labourers, ill-equipped for running a government.

Causes

The Keene Revolution had no singular cause - suppression of anti-imperial speech had been ongoing since the early rule of Emperor Iaenric Eadfrith, the 5.892 breaking of the general strike and ensuing union-busting effectively neutered the Bjerian guilds and unions and led to widespread resentment, and prolonged hardship caused by and losses during Mage War, exacerbated by the brutal winter of 5.916 have all been cited as major factors.

East-West divide

Culturally distinct from the Western Empire, Eastern Bjeria was long dissatisfied with the status quo and, bordering Sroia and Kirh, was the worst affected by the war.

Events

Lord General Vesela Cech, the governor of Felkirrin, declared themself head of the new Independent Felkerbach Estate in 5.916 and addressed the Magisterium leadership, formally withdrawing the Felkirrin and Weilerbach territories from hostilities. Pre-empting the inevitable retaliation from the Emperor, Cech enlisted the help of the Ironwrights to counteract the threat posed by the Imperial Kingsmagen, and ordered the army to march on Tuuha.
With the majority of the army engaged at the Front, Cech's approach on Tuuha was largely unopposed until the Søkstuun valley, where they clashed with the reserves of the Mounted Forest Guard. The Mounted Forest Guard were working with information that was several days old, and Cech's army had since doubled in size, as soldiers and support were redirected from the front, and residents of the the local city of Pieksylaki came to their aid. The Imperial troops were routed and Cech and the newly-dubbed Keene Army crossed the Søkstuunand entered the Vakmaa region.

Siege of Tuuha

Although Emperor Sigfrid Iaenbeorht attempted to forestall Cech's army, the majority of military resources were already committed, and only a half-division of Kingsmagen were present in Tuuha. Land around the the city was cleared and the gates barred against incursion. Messages calling on Srenland, Kanmaa and Kijarle provided little aid. Concerned that Cech's army meant to invade, Kanmaa, whose capital Tulpuhavis is less than fifty kilometers from Tuuha, blockaded the Tulpuhavis pass, a move which ultimately prevented the imperial family from escaping to safety and forcing them to flee south. The siege lasted three months before the walls were breached. The army captured the city and Cech's Ironwright divisions assaulted the palace, engaging the Kingsmagen in a battle that lasted four nights and three days, culminating in the deaths or execution of all 150 Kingsmagen present, including the Kingsmage commander, His Imperial Luminance Elstan Iaenbeorht. Ironwright losses were substantial; although no precise figures exist, Commanders Steffon Mattix and Tirion Poyner are known to have been killed in combat. Large portions of the palace, palace complex, and surrounding residential areas were destroyed in the fighting. The destruction of the kennels released the Emperor's pack of hunting skuh into the wild. Their significance was not understood at the time, but they are believed to have been responsible for as many as one out of every 17 civilian deaths.

End of the monarchy

Emperor Sigfrid Iaenbeorht, Empress Hildenise and the two youngest Imperial children, Oslafa and Berchta were captured trying to cross into Kanmaa at the Vitkønii Crossing. They were brought to Tuuha and executed.

The Conflict

Outcome

• Dissolution of the Kingsmagen
• Proclamation of the Republic

Aftermath

• Bjerian civil war
• Collapse of the Allied Forces, ending the Mage War

Included under Conflict

The Mage War

Conflict Type

War

Battlefield Type

Urban

Conflict Result

Revolutionary victory

Location

South Erwa