Second White~Black Succession
The Second White-Black Succession lasted for about three years and is also called the War of Blunders. The war earned this moniker because of the high number of critical mistakes made by the house of Angara prior to and during the war. In isolation, almost none of the blunders would have been disastrous but in conjunction they were fatal. The first blunder, or rather series of blunders, were initiated by the Empress Megawati Angara. As domestic violence began to spread between the Satraps loyal to the Empire and those opposed to it in the years following the First White~Black Succession, Megawati, instead of using diplomacy or strength of arms to enforce peace, did little to curb the violence. This inaction led to a severe decline in imperial prestige and made the newly crowned Empress appear impotent. When Megawati finally decided to act, her first action was to use heavy handed diplomacy in an attempt to force disloyal Satraps to capitulate to the Satraps Megawati considered more loyal. When this attempt produced no results Megawati proceeded to dispatch the imperial army, in violation of custom and agreement, directly into each Satrapy and force them to capitulate. This action infuriated the Satraps, even those loyal to the crown. To add insult to injury Megawati then demanded that every Satrap, even the loyal ones who had fought with her, pay a indemnity to the throne as restitution for her "intervention." The final straw came when Megawati named her youngest son Sriwidadi Angara as her heir. This flagrant disregard for the precedent that had been set and fought over during the First White~Black Succession (the precedent that the eldest child of the Emperor/Empress and the imperial king/queen-consort should become the heir) caused the nation to erupt into civil war. Agents loyal to the Mosals were able to free the imprisoned family, and upon their release the matriach of the family and oldest living descendant of the family (not the oldest child of Kusnadi Mosal), Utari Utami Mosal declared herself the rightful empress. This declaration led to a minor insurrection in the Mosal ranks which was quickly quelled by Utari's agreement to make Kusnadi's eldest son her heir, passing over her own children (this was to later cause significant trouble). Megawati herself was to die within six months of the war's onset, and after a somber battlefield coronation her youngest son, Sriwidadi Angara claimed her crown for the house of Angara. (Megawati's older three children eventually, under duress, declared their support for Sriwadadi. The eldest of them, Hecai Angara, was to play a critical role in the Third White~Black Succession.)
The Conflict
Prelude
Upon the escape of the Mosals from their captivity three Satrapies (Arismat, Satita, and Valpalal) declared for the Mosals. Sonui, Western Lilira, and Narapus declared for the Angara. Eastern Lilira declared neutrality.
Deployment
Narapus was quickly overwhelmed within a year by the forces of Arismat, but continued a campaign of resistance in the many mountains throughout the Satrapy. Satita was invaded from the north by Western Lilira and the south by Sonui which eventually stalemated after about two years. Valpalal sent raiding parties into Sonui to burn the countryside. The Imperial Army invaded Arismat.
Battlefield
There were three key decisive battles: The first was between the combined forces of Satita and Valpalal (Blacks/Mosal) against Sonui (Whites/Angara). The Black coalition held off and forced back an army in the mountains between Sonui and Satita. (This battle earned the mountains their current name and moniker The Wulan Mountains (The Mountains of Blood)). The second battle, between Arismat (Blacks/Mosal) and Narapus (Whites/Angara) ended with a shattering of Narapus' vastly smaller army. The third battle, between the Imperial Army (Whites/Angara) and Arismat (Blacks/Mosal) was a defeat for the Whites in which Sriwidadi Angara was killed.
Outcome
The short-term effects of the Second White-Black Succession were three-fold. First, the deaths of both Megawati Angara and Sriwidadi Angara and the subsequent deaths or imprisonment of most of the Angara family and their power base cleared the way for Utari Utami Mosal to become Empress. Second, the three Satrapies (Sonui, Western Lilira, and Narapus) that had supported the house of Angara declared independence the day Utari Utami Mosal announced the death of Sriwidadi Angara. Third and finally, the house of Kosal was liberally granted lands, gaining much of northern Artamus and western Narapus, for their service in the conflict. (The Kosals only acquired lands from Narapus following their subjugation.)
Aftermath
The long-term effects of the Second White Black Succession were similar to that of the first. Division hardened among Yura and her citizens, and violence became even more endemic. The short war that followed to subjugate Sonui, Western Lilira, and Narapus caused great disruption in those Satrapies and great resentment among their rulers and citizens. The power of the Kosal family was also solidified.
Historical Significance
The Second White-Black Succession involved far more troops than the first and as such has been studied by more military historians than the first. This increased troop count, however, led to a far more devastating loss of life (68,000 men as opposed to 27,000 from the First White~Black Succession). The plurality of deaths, both civilian and military were suffered by the smaller Satrapies of Narapus and Valpalal. This loss of life was what is credited with laying the groundwork for the The Ako {Unity} Pact, though not for many years, as the two sides remained bitter rivals.Legacy
The legacy of the Second White-Black Succession, as with the first, was one of continued violence. Far bloodier than the first, the war fully demarcated what was to become the Satrapal sides that supported the house of Angara (Sonui, Western Lilira, Narapus) and those who would support the Mosals (Arismat, Satita, Valpalal). The most lasting legacy of the Second White-Black Succession would be that regarding borders, as the borders established following the succession and the short subsequent loyalist revolt would establish what were to be the roughly permanent borders codified by Koin Angara, Emperor of Yura at the conclusion of the Fifth White~Black Succession.
Included under Conflict
Conflict Type
War
Battlefield Type
Land
Start Date
1209 A.C.
Ending Date
1211 A.C.
Conflict Result
Sriwadadi was killed and most of the Angara family and their supporters were killed or imprisoned
Location
Belligerents
Strength
~60,000 (Infantry, Cavalry, Magic Users)
~90,000 (Infantry, Cavalry, Magic Users)
Casualties
Sriwidadi Angara
~38,000 Men
~28,000 Men
Objectives
Defeat and surrender of the Mosal rebels
Defeat and surrender of the Angara rebels
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