The War for the Marian Succession was a civil war that struck Eremere in the mid 8th century. It saw
Prince Oather, styling himself as King Oather II, press his claim for the throne following its seizure by his father,
Brandon I Anders. Although Maria's death in 734 is often used to mark the start of the conflict, fighting didn't begin until around 740, and this was limited. Total war, involving most noble houses, proceeded following the Council of Beaucroft in 744.
Prelude
In 714
King Oather I was killed in a hunting accident near Crow's Rest. The events surrounding the incident were unclear, but following the war blame has been placed on Brandon Anders, who was present. The king was succeeded by his only child,
Maria I. Just two months earlier, she had given birth to Prince Oather and was still recovering from the difficult birth. Her husband, King Consort Brandon, took care of her royal duties during this period.
Following Maria's recovery, Brandon continued to act as a king regnant, and he established himself as a co-reigning monarch rather than a consort. Royal documents required his signature in conjuncture with Maria's as early as 720, and in 724 the first document requiring his alone was signed. Queen Maria was seen less and less in public and when she was, she was accompanied by her husband.
During this time, Brandon alienated his son, who feared a forced marriage to a low noble or commoner. With the help of his friend, Lyrian Tarnell, he married
Amanda Horril, a lady of Shearhill in Springmore, in 732. Brandon discovered this and demanded the marriage be annulled, but the high alban refused. Oather and Amanda's son,
Ambrose, was born that year. They hid the child with Lyrian Tarnell.
In 734, Prince Oather was sent on a tour of northern Tembra, visiting the
Kalyrian Triarchy and the Northern Principalities. While in Hygraw, he received news of his mother's death from the prince of Mernia. He also learned that he himself had been declared missing, presumed dead, and Brandon had taken sole ownership of the throne.
Prior to Oather's tour, his wife Amanda had conceived another child,
Midah. Her pregnancy prevented joining Oather, and she gave birth in Crow's Rest, believing her husband to be dead. To avoid the wrath of King Brandon, she faked a stillbirth with the help of her handmaidens and sent Midah to Beaucroft. Brandon only learnt of the existence of his grandsons after Oather's landing in Eremere.
Early Years (734-739)
For the first five years of the war, no fighting happened. The consensus in Eremere was that Oather was, in fact, dead. King Brandon held an extravagant funeral for his son and embarked on an extraordinary propaganda campaign. As such, Oather couldn't gain a foothold in the kingdom and was branded a pretender. Instead, he sought out those who knew him by sight. These included Prince Jeradis Merne of Mernia and the triarchs of Kalyria. He also tried to contact those in Eremere who knew him, mostly sons of earls, but these attempts proved unsuccessful. He met with his allies outside of Eremere at the Council of Hygraw in 739, which was quickly followed by preliminary invasions of the Rocklands.
In 738, Oather convinced Amanda he was no imposter, and she fled Eremere with her two sons to take refuge in Hygraw. That year, she gave birth to their third child,
Gadriel.
Limited War (739-744)
With Oather now representing a threat to his father, multiple assassins made their way to the prince. They were all foiled. Additionally, with the backing of respected polities like Mernia and the Triarchy, Oather received envoys from his friends in Eremere who began to doubt he was dead. Chief among these was
Sir Lyrian Tarnell, the heir to Lylelor, who had grown up with Oather. With Lyrian's help, Oather collected Ereman allies who signed their names to his cause at the Council of Beaucroft in 744.
Total War (744-755)
With Oather's credibility as the true king spreading across Eremere, more and more nobles flocked to his side. At the outset, his chief support came from
House Tarnell of Lylelor, House Horril of Shearhill, and
House Brawnby of Arkenstead. Violent civil war broke out across the kingdom, with vassals turning against their lieges at a rate not seen before nor since. Most nobles had to decide to support Oather on the flip of a coin, as the only proof he was who he claimed to be came from the support shown by second-hand, self-interested parties.
King Brandon died in 746, but during Oather's exile he had remarried and produced heirs to the throne of House Anders. His twin sons,
Brayman and Brandon, were supposedly born in 734, but is was later proclaimed by Oather's sons that the boys were in fact born as bastards in 732. Brayman succeeded his father.
In 749, at the
Battle of the Fastings, Prince Ambrose, the heir apparent of Oather, died. He was survived by an daughter,
Nyra. His wife,
Daria Thornton, miscarried their second child.
In 752, Oather the Exile was cut down in battle. His cause was continued by his sons, Midah, Gadriel, and the newborn
Adair.
In 753, after the successful siege of
Siege of Glendale, High Earl Lyrian Tarnell had King Brayman executed on the steps of the castle in an act of revenge for the death of Oather. He was punished by Midah. Later that year, Syrincore forces captured Crow's Rest.
In 755, King Brandon II fell into the hands of House Syrincore. After fleeing to
Knightsmire with his lord sentinel
Sir Bartholomew Whitemount, Brandon had hid with House Whitemount. In 753, Sir Bartholomew was killed at Castle Anders, relinquishing House Whitemount of ties to the throne. In 755, they imprisoned King Brandon and exchanged him for a pardon from the victorious King Midah III. Brandon II was executed in Crow's Rest, and House Syrincore was officially restored to the throne.
Aftermath
Following victory, Midah III stripped House Anders of all their lands in Glendale and granted them to
House Ravenwood. They were also ripped from the
Blue Book. Some prominent supporters of House Anders were captured and executed, but those who acted out of coercion or ignorance were pardoned in the name of realm stability.
The impact of the war was huge. Oather the Exile was never crowned, and while he is considered a king by House Syrincore, this sentinment is not shared by many in Eremere. His eldest son, Ambrose, was one of Eremere's most promising princes, but his line ended with his daughter. Midah III never married or fathered children, and some sages cite the war for his reclusiveness. He was assassinated in 769 by a lord sentinel who claimed support for House Anders.
Midah was succeeded by his brother, King Gadriel II, but Gadriel died in 788 of wounds sustained on the battlefield during the conflict. This is usually seen as the last casualty of the war.
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