Ellana Novia

"The 5th century was the low ebb of the Republic. A resurgent alliance of Ryvan countries assembled to attempt to extinguish a nation weakened by decades of war. Meanwhile internal politics threatened to destroy the Republic from within. Ellana Novia was not the sole saviour of the Republic, yet it is far from certain that the Republic would have endured if not for her."

— The Histories of the Elven People.

At the beginning of the 5th century the Republic was at the high of its power. Hoping to crush the growing human kingdoms on the island of Ryva the Republic dispatched their armies to subjugate the island in 402 IC. The war had begun well, with plentiful elven victories. Yet the constant warfare had attrited the elven armies. The human kingdoms on the island, once divided had allied under the leadership of the Great general Leonard Aaron Mendel. Under his leadership they changed their tactics on the battlefield and their strategy of war. By the 440's the elves were pressed back to their one last stronghold on the island, the Sister Republic of Magnis. In 444 IC this last fortress fell to the human armies. However, it would not end the war between the League and the Republic.
For ten years there was a lull in the fighting. Naval skirmishes continued, but the Republic believed the war finished. This was not so. The Holy League spent the decade between 444 and 455 to build a massive invasion fleet, which they launched in spring of 455. This fleet was met by an elven fleet of the Northern Spur of Midvale. A furious battle ended with a naval defeat for the Republic, with most of the battle fleet lost. Only luck and loss of nerve prevented the invasion of the Republic itself. The League fleet had suffered significant losses, especially since a squadron of Republic warships had gotten in amongst the troop transports and sunk many of them. Admiral Josiane Mendel felt she no longer possesses the forces required for a siege of the Republic capital. Instead she diverted her forces to invade Midvale, which was the occupied by Republic forces.
It was under these circumstances that Ellana Novia was elected one of the two consuls for the year 456. With an army that was still weak from the war on Ryva a decade earlier, and a fleet which could barely scrape together a dozen major warships, the situation looked hopeless indeed. Ellana's co-consul Vitruvian argued that the Republic must make peace with the Holy League at any cost. Ellana vetoed any measures to that effect. 
In Midvale the League was bogged down besieging the fortresses dotted about the island, while they gathered a new war fleet in the Harbour at Ravensby. Late in 456 Ellana personally led a daring mission to Midvale. Taking the remnants of the fleet and army the fleet - cloaked by magic - entered the harbour at Ravensby and launched a surprise attack on the anchored fleet. Taking the overconfident League forces entirely by surprise. The League fleet burned. The Elven army proceeded to occupy the city and imprison the League leadership, many of them the sons and daughters of the most prominent lords of the nations of Ryva. 
With these captives in hand Ellana reached out to the League to negotiate peace. In the following peace treaty a human king was installed in Midvale, but a Republic garrison was granted a presence in Ravensby. The hostages were released and a 50 year truce was declared. 
A greateful Senate granted Ellana many honours, while the tribunes enacted legislation which established a new holyday.  The "Dies Reipublicae" celebrates the survival of the Repubic through adversity.