Frisian Civil War
| Frisian Civil War | ||||||||||
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 Military situation as of 31 January 2022 | ||||||||||
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| Belligerents | ||||||||||
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 People's Democratic Republic of Fryslân(6 August 2021 – 23 February 2022) |
Kingdom of Vidcom(12 January 2022 – 21 February 2022) | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | ||||||||||
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Friso Sânstra (POW) |
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| Strength | ||||||||||
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100 |
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| Casualties and losses | ||||||||||
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100 |
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The Frisian Civil War was a military conflict in Fryslân. The civil war started on 10 July 2021, when the Socialist Republic of Fryslân declared a revolution. A week later, they violated the NAP, which led to the conflict escalating, as Fryslân Corp. started taking action against them. The conflict ended with Fryslân Corp. retaining full control and was noted for its lengthy duration, high degree of factionalism, and the escalation of tensions that it brought to the Central Sea.
Background
The roots of the conflict extend to the earliest days of the country. Fryslân was founded upon the collapse of Mexico and the territory that it settled would be a small strip of land south of the Western Canal, under Earth Kingdom rule, and the northern frontier of the Water Tribe. Due to this highly strategic location, an emphasis on free trade and deregulation of business was made at a very early stage, leading to Fryslân becoming the world's first anarcho-capitalist state. This led to a steady decline in the quality of workers' conditions and pay, prompting the first unionisation drives and socialist organisations. Additionally, in order to capitalise on the Western Sea trade, Frisian ships would settle the strategic islands of what would become Nij-Fryslân. This position saw a vast amount of cultural exchange with many foreign nations, such as the Earth Kingdom, Andorra, and trading ships of the NFMC from Polaris, and increased organisation to emulate these foreign forms of government.
Tensions would begin with the prompt seizure of territory by the Socialist Republic of Fryslân on the strategic position of the Snitser Terp, a large hill near Snits. While this would constitute an act of rebellion in most nations, Frisian culture states the existence of a "Non-Aggression Principle", or NAP, which meant Fryslân Corp. were unable to respond with violence until the communists had inflicted violence first. The communists soon released a manifesto (PUT A LINK HERE) which stated several demands and barred Fryslân Corp. employees from accessing the hill. Simultaneously, the first Frisian Abolitionists would seize territory on the small island of Nij-Starum. While not a combatant, the abolitionists would interact with the NAP in a way that would fundamentally decide the outcome of the war.
At this juncture, many nations expressed a great deal of interest in the conflict, which largely consisted of support for the communists or in ending the civil war quickly. The Free Territory stated its unreserved support for the communists in a statement published in Mercenary Monthly, while Ratzores deployed a military attaché to their faction while openly questioning the legitimacy of Fryslân Corp.'s rule. The Quadruple Alliance worked with the Earth Kingdom to broker a peace, stating a wish to end any prospect of violence while the Earth Navy deployed considerable naval assets to the area.
Abolitionists would spread across Nij-Fryslân as well as seizing territory on West-Fryslân and Skylge, which the communists followed. The communists also successfully purchased a lot of territory on the country's west coast from Fryslân Corp. The first defection of the war took place as a communist gunboat defected to the abolitionists. On the 18th of July 2021, the NAP would be violated as communists took control of a sheep farm near Snits which saw one sheep injured. Simultaneously, a new monarchist faction known as the Kingdom of Fryslân seized territory on the island of Nij-Ljouwert as the rest of Nij-Fryslân was seized by abolitionists. These two events marked the beginning of the Frisian Civil War.
Timeline
23/07/21 - Anarcho-capitalist rule is broken on Nij-Fryslân with the territory partitioned between abolitionists and monarchists. Communist offensive to the west of Snits seizes some territory, while anarcho-capitalists launch an offensive of their own from the north. Abolitionists continue to expand across West-Fryslân, Skylge, and the north of Ljouwert.
27/07/21 - Anarcho-capitalist rule is broken on Skylge with the last of their territory seized by abolitionists. Abolitionists also continue to expand in West-Fryslân and the north of Ljouwert. Further communist offensives towards the western desert, while anarcho-capitalist forces retake the east coast. The monarchists stage an amphibious invasion of the mainland near the Western Canal.
04/08/21 - Communists on the small island of Gryn in West-Fryslân defect, surrendering the territory to abolitionists that continue to expand across the islands. The monarchist foothold expands, as do the abolitionists in northern Ljouwert, reaching the outskirts of Ljouwert Tower, the headquarters of Fryslân Corp. The communists continue to expand westwards in an attempt to reach their western exclave but continue to lose territory to the anarcho-capitalists around the coast.
04/08/21, again - Ljouwert Tower is surrounded by abolitionists and the majority of the city falls. The anarcho-capitalists continue to push deep into communist territory while they still push west towards their exclave. Monarchists continue to expand slowly on their foothold. West-Fryslân continues to fall to the abolitionists.
06/08/21 - Monarchists attack abolitionists on Nij-Ljouwert and take full control of the island. Abolitionists consolidate their hold on Ljouwert as the dirt hut and the tower are fully surrounded, but anarcho-capitalist forces push the communists into retreat on all fronts. Monarchists on the mainland continue to seize territory. Abolitionists on West-Fryslân continue seizing territory.
11/08/21 - Anarcho-capitalists stage an amphibious invasion of Nij-Ljouwert and seize control of the island's port. Further anarcho-capitalist offensives on the mainland against monarchists and communists while the abolitionists continue to take control of the country without resistance. The western communist exclave formally breaks away from the Snits-based communists, forming the People's Democratic Republic of Fryslân, which expands in all directions. Abolitionists continue to move across West-Fryslân.
14/11/21 - The Water Tribe sends its fleet to Ljouwert Baai to broker a peace. This is often seen as the beginning of direct foreign intervention in the conflict. Frisian leaders would state a response on 15/11/21 demanding the Water Tribe forces to leave its borders and to apologise for the violation of Frisian sovereignty, promising to broker an agreement.
08/12/21 - All Frisian factions sign the International Conventions on the Law of War, restricting factions from the use of certain war crimes, and the Order of the Red Flower's charter. The Air Nation, Cassland, and Water Tribe would contribute to Order of the Red Flower initiatives in Ljouwert for humanitarian purposes following this.
11/12/21 - The negotiations armistice ends, as the Water Tribe fleet leaves. Anarcho-capitalists retake the Water Tribe border area from the communists, isolating them to the hill, and also push the monarchists back to the Earth Kingdom border. An anarcho-capitalist offensive on Nij-Ljouwert sees the monarchists almost pushed into the sea. Abolitionists continue to seize most of the mainland and West-Fryslân. Western communists continue to expand ni all directions.
12/12/21 - West-Fryslân falls to abolitionists entirely. The last monarchist positions on the mainland are taken by anarcho-capitalists. Western communists continue to expand in all directions. Abolitionists control most of the mainland while anarcho-capitalist offensives against the communists on the Snitser Terp continue.
13/12/21 - The last monarchists are eradicated with the fall of Nij-Ljouwert to anarcho-capitalists. Anarcho-capitalists lose most of their territory in the centre of the mainland, forced to formerly-monarchist positions, a small island on the west coast, and Snits.
13/12/21, again - Abolitionists return to Nij-Ljouwert's docks. The western communists violate the NAP for the first time. The anarcho-capitalist forces in the north of Fryslan are partitioned between communists and abolitionists, while abolitionists begin to seize the final stronghold of Snits. On the west coast, a small island is all that remains of anarcho-capitalist rule.
14/12/21 - Abolitionists continue to expand into Snits. The Snits communists officially capitulate, ending the Socialist Republic of Fryslân. Abolitionists on Nij-Ljouwert expand. Anarcho-capitalist offensive on the west coast island takes territory from the communists there. Earth Kingdom ships are deployed to the canal as a threat to Frisian intruders.
16/12/21 - The first and only naval battle of the war, the Battle of Ljouwert Baai, takes place between Skylge communists and anarcho-capitalists. Anarcho-capitalists win but their ship, Yarrsje, is critically damaged. The Water Tribe and Earth Kingdom impose a sea blockade known as a "Search and Inspect cordon" on Ljouwert indefinitely.
18/12/21 - Nij-Fryslân and Skylge both come entirely under abolitionist control. Despite holding 5 isolated pockets on the mainland, the anarcho-capitalists continue to make successful offensives against the western communists while abolitionists mop up Snits.
21/12/21 - Frisian efforts to avoid the blockade by air are met poorly. Relations with the Water Tribe and Earth Kingdom continue to decline. Nij-Grinslân is settled in the Atlas Sea.
24/12/21 - Snitser Terp is taken by abolitionists, eliminating an anarcho-capitalist pocket. The anarcho-capitalists continue to attack the western communists successfully as almost all of Snits falls.
26/12/21 - More anarcho-capitalist attacks on the west coast against communists. Abolitionists seize all of Snits, removing the anarcho-capitalists from the east coast entirely except for the besieged Ljouwert Tower and dirt hut.
12/01/22 - A new monarchist faction, known as the Kingdom of Vidcom, forms behind anarcho-capitalist lines on the west coast. Anarcho-capitalists expand rapidly against the communists.
15/01/22 - Water Tribe special forces liberate Fokke Terpstra, former leader of the Socialist Republic of Fryslân, from imprisonment in Nij-Grinslân. Frisian-WT relations sharply decline.
17/01/22 - Outbreak of the Water Tribe Civil War. Fryslân Corp. states support for the rebels.
31/01/22 - Kingdom of Vidcom violates the NAP. Anarcho-capitalists continue to attack the western communists, who are almost wiped out. Frisian rhetoric against the Water Tribe and Earth Kingdom radicalises.
04/02/22 - Completion of the Brandaris lighthouse on Skylge.
05/02/22 - Order of the Red Flower shifts policy away from refugees and healthcare towards food, as famine plagues Ljouwert during the blockade.
11/02/22 - End of the Water Tribe's civil war.
18/02/22 - Expansion of Nij-Grinslân.
21/02/22 - Capitulation of the Kingdom of Vidcom. Western communists are almost eradicated as anarcho-capitalist rule on the west coast is now unquestioned. Continued deterioration of Frisian-EK/WT relations.
23/02/22 - Capitulation of the People's Democratic Republic of Fryslân. Official end of the Frisian Civil War.
Belligerents
Fryslân Corp.
Socialist Republic of Fryslân
People's Democratic Republic of Fryslân
Kingdom of Fryslân
Kingdom of Vidcom
Weaponry and warfare
The war was notable for its sheer length and brutality. No area can be said to have been spared, as seemingly every location changed hands at some stage. At the latter stages, the development of early guns and tanks became notable. The war also saw the first and only pitched battle at sea, the Battle of Ljouwert Baai.
Humanitarian impact
The war was instrumental in the creation of the Order of the Red Flower, due to the massive humanitarian impact. Numerous waves of refugees fled Fryslân towards the Water Tribe, Air Nation, and Cassland. Citizens also starved as Frisian trade was massively disrupted by the conflict, made worse by the beginning of the blockade. The Order's humanitarian efforts in Ljouwert Baai eased these crises.
Peace process and de-escalation efforts
Shortly after the war began, the Quadruple Alliance cooperated with the Earth Kingdom to produce the Treaty of Borealis, establishing a democratic system and demilitarization. While the Socialist Republic signed this document, no other faction did due to a belief that there was more to be gained through violence. The Mexican War promptly ended the interest of the alliance in this initiative, effectively ending the prospect of it bringing peace, but the document was significant in splitting the western communists from the east, forming the People's Democratic Republic. This was because the west believed they still stood to gain from continued fighting, whereas communists in Snits simply wished to resign.
A second initiative came with the Water Tribe's intervention. This succeeded in brokering a truce which lasted a few days, and saw the signing of International Conventions on the Law of War and pan-Frisian participation in the Order of the Red Flower, but the the overall effect was to sour Water Tribe relations with Fryslân and achieve no tangible effects. As relations with the Water Tribe and Earth Kingdom soured, large border walls were constructed by Fryslân Corp. for defensive purposes, adorned with the message "REFUGEES WELCOME".
Following the end of the civil war, abolitionists ended the siege of Ljouwert Tower on the 19th of March 2022 by storming the CEO's office. In exchange for their demobilization and alignment to the anarcho-capitalist's line regarding communism and calls for election, the abolitionists gained the creation of two border crossings, the creation of a national militia, and the abolition of bending licenses that had not been enforced. While the war had ended roughly a month prior, this act saw the nation of Fryslân reunified.
Media coverage
The war was almost exclusively reported internationall by Omrop Fryslân, an anarcho-capitalist publication. Omrop was noted for its particularly hardline and radical reporting, often threatening invasions of the Water Tribe and Earth Kingdom and describing graphic depictions of the "communists" that threatened Fryslân. During the Skylge Conference, greater editorial oversight of Omrop Fryslân was requested by the coalition diplomats.
International reactions
The outbreak of the war saw a large international response, but further efforts often petered out or were ended early. The beginning of the war saw Ratzores and the Free Territory state their support for the communists, although this support did not last beyond diplomatic disputes. The Treaty of Borealis was the first concerted peace effort by the Quadruple Alliance and Earth Kingdom, failing due to the outbreak of the Mexican War distracting the coalition as well as a lack of uptake by Frisian factions.
The Water Tribe intervention brought renewed international interest to the conflict, although the initiative saw only limited efforts towards peace. Notably, the Water Tribe and Earth Kingdom began to align their Frisian policy at this point onwards and would go on to jointly enforce a blockade of Ljouwert. This would continue after the war, resulting in the Skylge Conference and the outbreak of the Frisian War.