On the other side of the world, in the southeast of Griffiona, sits another kingdom once grand that has now fallen to strife and hard times. That kingdom being Kingdom of Aquiliea, known for its wine(second to the Strawberry Dutchy of Central Griffionia), strange arts and architecture. Oh and of course, revolution.
In 980, the ancient ruling dynasty Discret was forced to flee their ancient lands after the nations peasants revolted, having grown sick of incompetent and cruel leaders abusing them (one might begin to notice a pattern in these revolts). After a short but bloody revolution, the King was deposed, his entire line along with any noble who had refused to help banished on pain of death and the nation turned into a Republic, possibly the first on the continent.
The first sparks of the Aquilian Revolution came on July 14th when citizens of Aqulia, hungry and tired from a days long strike at a nearby factory, stormed the local prison freeing workers and strike leaders while gaining access to its small armory in the process. The riot turned into a bloodbath when the prisons warden was murdered, his decapitated body strung up over the prisons main gate, and many more on both sides joined him in the ensuing firefight. Many in the underground media reported the incident as a slaughtering of peaceful workers under the kings order, leading to more uprisings and revolts throughout the countryside, several other riots and massacres taking place just in Aqulia alone. Eventually, the King managed to lower tensions temporarily through repression and likely phoney promises for reform in his corrupt and decadent government. It almost seemed he might be able to hold onto power against the unorganized and undersupplied yet numerous revolts. That was until the Friends of The Republic got involved.
The Friends of the Republic was a group of workers, small merchants, wealthy peasants, sympathetic and often minor nobility, lawyers, aristocrats, students who had almost all traveled abroad and taken upon ideas almost unknown in the country or even the continent. Moreover, and despite their name, they were a coalition of Republicans, Socialist, Conservatives, Liberals, Social Democrats, Nationalist and various other groups whose main connection was opposing the king. While far from having all in favor of a republic, the most prominent groups wanted some type of democratic system rather than an autocratic state.
“The Discrets can claim they are the state all they want: the people won’t stand for it.”- Aquiliean Republican in ‘La Vérité du Peuple’ (The Peoples Truth), popular underground newspaper prior to the revolution
This coalition had been preparing for revolution for years and had supplies and funding for one, but lacked the support of the people. Not only was their recruitment limited due to being forced underground, but their ideas were not looked upon favorably by the complacent and simple-ambitioned. The strife not only allowed them to openly recruit in the secluded parts of the nation but to spread their propaganda so well and so efficiently that almost every literate grif had read the writings which called for a free Aquilean people. Internal conflict rocked the group constantly as class and political divides threatened to fraction the steadily growing coalition and ruin all their hard work. Several strong leader heads managed to keep them together, including Theodore Verany, Victor Allad and Cecile Gaudreau who each spoke for several factions within the group.
Finally, full on revolution came when in the dead of the night when numerous supporters of the cause were taken from their beds by the police and soldiers who tortured the supporters to gain not only confessions but names of others. In the morning, the battered and bloody griffions and ponies were dragged into the middle of Vangees and left there. The city, full of almost militant loyalist, beat them to death and are said to have even crucified or decapitated their bodies. Seeing how very soon their efforts could be undone by similar acts, the Council of The People or the preselected temporary governors of the nation and leader figures among the Friends to The Republic cause called for revolution.
The militias and their commanders had eagerly awaited this and followed through thoroughly stunningly quickly and efficiently with their plans: Loyalist forces were surrounded and neutralized, armories were seized, major industry taken, military commanders and nobles arrested or otherwise dealt with. Soon, the kings military held power only the capital, Vangees and pockets of the countryside, where almost anyone who could fight was drafted and given a rifle to fight the encroaching Republicans. But within 3 months, the King and his family followed dozens of other nobles and fled the country to the home of a family member in Wingbardy, swearing to get his crown back with no money, no army, and no outside support.
When their king having abandoned them, the military stood down along with the poor griffion who’d been left in governance of the country. Victory was declared by the Council who quickly took up their place in an indoor tennis court not far from the palace as their temporary chambers, ordering not only the creation of a new council chamber but the establishment of a new national holiday to celebrate their victory. After a meeting of every member of the Friends of The Republic, and a representative from every town, city, and village in the country, minus Vangees who refused, it was decided a constitutional republic was the direction to go with the Councils most powerful member and commander in chief Theodore Verany as its first president. Even once loyalist celebrated their new found freedom when the nation's constitution was signed.
“Had I known what I was truly fighting for, I might have just turned my rifle around.”- Ex Loyalist officer after the declaration of the new republic's constitution, which guaranteed the right to vote for all citizens, freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and a right to bear arms among other rights.
But not all was fine within the country, as with its overthrow of the nobility came the loss of the money and jobs they provided. Almost a quarter of the country's GDP reportedly took flight across the world where they were accepted by other nobility. Already ongoing hunger grew worse when peasants once tied to their land by debt to landowning nobles flocked to the city for a perceived better quality of life and better-paying jobs, leaving many farms empty and fields to rot. On top of this, the coalition was splintering, the radicals and above all the radical socialist, feeling the new reforms and rights did not go far enough. The country soon found itself also plagued by internal woes from those still loyal to the Discrets who fought the country's new government, often using the same tactics the revolutionaries had to build up strength to the point many were worried they may attempt to raise up.
"ça ira."(It’ll be ok)- Aquilliean economic minister when asked about the country's potential economic collapse following the revolution that became a popular revolutionary phrase
Finding himself leading a now desolate country that was starving, broke and filled with enemies, the president was forced to form various new temporary committees in an effort to fix the situation quickly. Along with arguably breaking the constitution that he had just signed his name to. By suspending the right to protest, having numerous radicals exiled or forced to leave the Council, disallowing travel between villages for ‘safety’ concerns, issuing martial law across loyalist areas and increasing the power of the military and police, he in some minds was no different then the tyrant he helped overthrow. The worst of all these acts might be the creation of The Committee of Public Safety, which was given incredible powers to rid the government and country of loyalists which led to the bloody execution of not only many of those who had been on Council but were considered threats due to their wealth or high birth, but even peasants did not escape the guillotine which became favored for its marketed merciful death. It's well documented that many crimes which in no way were Anti-Revolutionary were punished as such and minor crimes were death sentences once judges were ordered to no longer issue prison sentences for the accused no matter the crime.
The most tragic event to come of this committee is the “Week of Terror” that happened in the city of Vangees, where the massacre to finally spark the revolution happened, when not only did the committee begin to execute griffions as fast as it could, but the army sacked the town in a revenge for the ‘Republic Massacre’ as it had been named. In the end, nearly 15 percent of the cities population was killed and nearly half of it destroyed. Appalled by the reports from Vangees and other cities, the president decided to disband the committee and jail the head of it. The loyalism that they had attempted to root out only grew stronger and perhaps turned many people against the government as just more tyrants by different names.
Despite all of these setbacks, the decisive actions taken by the president allowed the nation to recover and soon, many of these were reversed or not given priority. Yet, they left one crucial part of the Republic weak; it’s newly reformed army which had many of its officers stripped of rank, arrested or killed as suspected traitors, leaving the officers corp in shambles and the bulk of forces lacked equipment due to damaged industry. So, not even 4 years later, the King and his best commanders launched a successful counter-coup from Vangees which had always held out as a loyalist stronghold. The counter-coup was as short and bloody as the revolution and led to far more death as the King, once firmly back in power, went about killing anyone that had breathed Republicansm who hadn’t already fled and officially exiled on pain of death any who had. This Reign of Terror was far worse than even the worst killings after the revolution and the only area spared was the ‘vanguard’ of the king Vangees who current name Vanguardio comes from this constant stubbornness. Like that, the light of revolution should have died out and been finished… But embers remain.
The griffions of Aquiliea seem to refuse to accept their once deposed king and it appears the revolutionary spirit seems to live on despite the many attempts by the king and his family across the kingdom to finally kill it. Many see another uprising as almost inevitable should extreme measures not be taken and ask when it will take place, rather than if. While I am not to express my personal opinions here, one might be able to look upon the people of this even more inept ruler than most on the continent with a sympathetic glance as they fight to regain the Republic that for even a short moment, they held so close and dear.
“Our first mistake was not beheading that rotten egg born bastard!”- Exiled Republican on why the Republic fell
“I will sooner burn this kingdom down than allow it into the claws of those who think themselves above their lowly station and I should have you shot for such a question.”- King Morisect on a possible second revolution
“Inbred, inept and in trouble. What’s new on the continent?”- Skyfallian trader after leaving Aquiliea during the Revolution after the exile of the Discrets