Imperial Civil War

The Imperial Civil War, also known as the Succession Crisis or the Succession War, was a global conflict that took place between I.E. 453 and I.E. 470. Fought primarily between several competing Imperial court factions and later by military and aristocratic alliances.

The crisis was triggered by the death of Emperor Theodore-Wilhelm IV, who left no natural-born sons to inherit the throne. He had, however, designated an heir prior to his death: Crown Prince Alexander-Marinus von Veigtheim. Alexander-Marinus was not a direct descendant of Theodore-Wilhelm IV, but was related through the extended family, being the third cousin of the late Emperor. This choice of successor was controversial and the succession became a contested issue.

In the immediate aftermath of Theodore-Wilhelm IV’s death, a number of potential claimants and their respective factions began to rally support for their causes. One of the most prominent contenders was the Emperor’s eldest daughter, Anneliese. Another formed around Lucius von Hallerstein, the first cousin of the late emperor, and a promising young armour officer in the Imperial Army.

The first five years of the war were primarily a dynastic dispute but as the conflict widened, ideological movements, local rebellions, and the breakdown of imperial authority became larger factors in the motivations and strategic considerations of the belligerents. During this latter phase of the war, as the scale of battles and territorial changes expanded, the primary importance of the various formal military factions became more prominent.

After 17 years of civil war, the landscape of the Empire had changed dramatically. The formal power and prestige of the Imperial Dynasty and by extension the Imperial Household had been greatly diminished. The personal rule of the Emperor had been curtailed an a written constitution had been adopted. The Imperial Congress, that had previously been a pro forma legislative body that ratified the laws passed down to them from the Imperial Household, gained some prominence, representing a nascent form of democratic progress. But the biggest winners of the war were the Imperial Defence Forces and the Imperial Aristocracy, who gained permanent seats within the Imperial Diet.

Background

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Prelude

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Campaigns

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Aftermath

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