Fhainnin Civil War

The Fhainnin Civil War was a conflict which took place within Fhainnlannachaeran from 1906-1914 (some sources contest the end year as being as late as 1916 at the beginning of the Eight Years' Terrors, while others include the Terrors as part of the war, placing its end date in 1924). The war started over the issue of granting voting rights to male landowners to elect candidates for their ruling Vicariate along with large-scale anti-monarchy uprisings which had increased in intensity since the 1880s.

Causes

Constitutional Crisis

As stated above, the war is primarily considered to have started over the issue of granting voting rights to male landowners to elect candidates for their ruling Vicariate, which was intended to add a popular voice to the appointment of local governors and ensure that local Vicars were relatively sympathetic and knowledgeable about the regions they ruled. In addition, there was an undercurrent of belief that elections for Vicarial candidates would create a republican tradition within the government and lead to further reforms.

The initial issue stemmed from the shift of Fhainnlannachaeran from an absolute to a constitutional monarchy in 1830, when Rih Luthais Suthar-Màrtainn chose to put a clause in the new constitution which would force the Throne to address the issue of allowing the suffrage of landed male voters for Vicarial seats in 1900. In the immediate term, the document allowed local officials to be elected, but Vicars remained an appointed rank rather than elected. In 1900, the reigning Rih Ruaridh Suthar-Màrtainn attempted to ignore the clause entirely, and when clamor for it by the popular movements of the time grew to a fever pitch, he unilaterally amended the constitution to simply remove the provision from the document. This kicked off a major constitutional crisis until he yielded on the issue in the winter of 1905.

However, he did little to initiate the creation of a voting system or registry, and immediately began appointing new, loyal Vicars to those seats which had most fervently clamored for reform. In response, the majority of the remaining Vicars who had pushed the reform through demanded a further concession that their seats in particular be not only exempt from the reform, but that they be tied directly to their bloodlines again to ensure their families did not lose their own seats due to the large wave of anti-monarchy sentiment welling up into the landed middle class by that point.

Republicanism and Socialism, Fourth Kin War and Industrial Reform

In addition, numerous other issues such as the loss of the New Aenglia Vicariate to Fiannria in the Fourth Kin War in 1887, along with a general disinterest by the Throne in regards to regulating business practices or labor safety standards, created a great deal of unrest across large parts of the country, in particular the lower class. These tied in heavily with the exponential growth of populist political movements, namely the Fhainnin New Century Republicans under Callac Cananach, and the smaller but more militant Fhainnin Popular Party, the largest Socialist/Communist party within Fhainnlannachaeran at the time.

At the same time as the Vicariates were demanding alterations to the constitutional reform of 1905, the New Century Republicans and Fhainnin Popular Party jointly began to set up electoral processes independent of the government's auspices, technically committing treason. The justification being that the government refused to actually set up an electoral system, the Republicans additionally formally demanded the creation of a popularly-elected senate with the sovereign power to levy taxes and control spending, which outraged the Royal Court and lead directly to the Throneswatch being ordered to kill Socialist and Republican ringleaders.

1906 Bombing

- king orders ringleaders of populists shot, vicars who wanted further reforms to be tried and likely hung

- royal train bombed on way to inspect navy at Sethsport

Conflict

1906-1908

- sides organize

- monarchists and Constitutionalists split Vicarial gov'ts, Republicans overthrow some major cities and begin mass uprisings, socialists try but significantly smaller

1914-1916

Pre-Civil War Fleet (1906):

Battleships: 2 (all Royalist, 1 sunk) Battlecruisers: 6 (4 royalist, 1 sunk, 1 defected) Heavy Cruisers: 34 (19 Royalist, 3 sunk, 2 defected) Light Cruisers: 2 (all royalist, none sunk, 1 defected) Destroyers: 68 (30 Royalist, 12 sunk, 5 defected) Torpedo Boats: 19 (13 Royalist, 8 sunk, 2 defected) Submarines: 4 (3 Royalist, 1 defected) 3 airships (2 royalist, 2 destroyed, 1 defected)

Post-Civil War Fleet (1916): 1 Battleship 4 Battlecruisers 29 Heavy Cruisers 1 Light Cruiser 51 Destroyers 9 Torpedo Boats 3 Submarines 2 airships (both built midwar)