20th Century Noveaux
Noveaux suffered several major calamities in the early and mid twentieth centuries that would forever change the people. Some might venture to say that it was the two civil wars that shaped modern Noveaux, while others would say it was the steady and unyielding leadership of Satine Remanti from 1952 onwards that steadied the nation.In truth it was the sum of the events of the twentieth century that shaped modern Noveaux, the civil wars did just as much for the people as the peacetime reigns of the Emperors and Empresses of House Remanti.
Early 20th Century and the First Civil War
Going into the twentieth century most political observers could see that the internal issues and frustration from the previous century was simply carried over and began to boil beneath the surface once again. While the Medare Incident in the latter half of the nineteenth century had done well to alleviate some of the issues, it was the choice by Emperor Caspar I Lassiter in 1905 to revoke the Crown Accord which was the only thing standing between the Eastern Realms and the Western Realms going to all out war. The Crown Accord afforded the Eastern Realms some rights that they had been clamoring for since unification such as self-rule and devolved central powers such as raising a military.
While the political situation seriously eroded following Caspar's revocation of the Crown Accord, all out war did not seem or was it absolutely inevitable. High level talks were underway in Calpheos to see if they could navigate the situation and do so peacefully. The talks seemed to stall the conflict though and it was when Caspar I died in 1908 that Noveaux found itself on the brink of a major catastrophe unlike it had ever seen. However his successor, Julien II Severov who was the King of Alteil, present Noveaux with an opportunityt to move forward. Julien II hailed from an Eastern Realm and was the first Sovereign from the East. Their grievances were now heard by the highest authority in all of Noveaux. No longer would the excuse of their efforts falling on deaf ears be enough to get others to clamor about. While the opportunity was there to fix the issues at the heart of the problem facing Noveaux, it was not destined to be as Julien II was assassinated not even a year into his Imperial Reign. The stage was set for a confrontation of the worst kind.
Julien II was succeeded by Cassien I Remanti, the King of Auvatoria. While he was a moderate and more than willing to negotiate with the Eastern Realms to bring about a positive end to the strife, the Eastern Realms viewed the election of yet another Western Sovereign to the Imperial Throne as a major stab in the back. The East had rallied behind King Brage III of Altannen. Brage was beyond a doubt the most vocal critic of the Western Realms, the Confederation, he also commanded the largest military in the Confederation with over one hundred thousand professional soldiers at his command. With King Brage's refusal to acknowledge Cassien Remanti as the legitimate successor to Julien II, the nation quickly divided into three factions. In the West you had the Legimates led by Cassien of Auvatoria. The Republics of Balenos and Calpheon and the Kingdom of Esaur joined Auvatoria as recognizing the legitimacy of Cassien. In the East you had the Consates led by King Brage of Altannen. The Consates were joined by Franz VII of Alteil, William III of Colline and Garnot Ancel, the Archon of Coure. The non-aligned faction known as the Narates were led by Renaud II of Mitan, who was joined by the Ecclesiarchs of Val Calais and Sant Resia along with the Prince Gabriel II of Lille.
For the duration of 1909 the conflict was confined to some border skirmishes on the boundaries of Esaur and Collin. Mitan, Lille and Coure refused military access to both the Legimates and Consates so as to preserve their neutrality in this conflict. King Brage assumed that violation of this matter would lead to the Narates joining with the Legimates which would certainly overwhelm the eastern alliance of Consates. The Cataline Mountains that ran the length of the border of Colline and Esaur proved to be difficult to traverse in any season but summer. In the winter the passes were snowed in, in the spring the flooding caused deluges down the mountain sides. Autumn was simply a race against the clock as strong storms and winds made movement difficult as thick fog that would last for days would set in making it impossible to see more than a meter in front of one's self. The slugging match that ensued forced both the Legimates and Consates to consider the possibility of violating the neutrality of the Narates so as to open up another front on the lowlands. In early 1910 to hopefully support the war effort King Brage ordered the assassination of Renaud II of Mitan. Renaud III believed the assassination to be the work of Brage but the Realm of Mitan was teetering on the verge of total civil war with itself so he fabricated evidence to implicate Philippe Landry the Archon of Balenos thus swaying public opinion against the Legimates. This caused Mitan to leave the Narates and enter the war on the side of the Consates.
With access through Mitan the armies of the Consates quickly delivered devastating blows to the armies of the Legimates in southern Esaur and eastern Balenos. The advancing armies of the Consates forced the Legimates to fall back constantly to the point that most of Balenos and Esaur were completely occupied by the Consate armies. It was at this point in 1913 that King Brage offered an armistice to the Legimates with the term that a new sovereign election would be held, signed by all the Consates, the offer also stated that they would accept the election regardless of the outcome. Historians believe that it was a hotly debated topic by the leaders of the Legimates considering this would end the war and prevent further suffering of the people. This opportunity however was not taken by the Legimates who refused the offer and as such another six years of war would ensue.
King Brage would die in the Third Battle of Aslein when a lucky shot of artillery from the Legimate lines detonated a hidden ammo store destroying most of Fort Aslein. he would be succeeded by his daughter Esther I who would later be forced to abdicate along with Franz VII of Alteil at the end of the war. The conflict left most of Mitan, Esaur, Balenos, Colline, Lille and large swaths of Alteil and Altannen in shambles. It would not be until the end of the second civil war in the late 1940s that the nation would economically recover from the first civil war.
Interwar Period 1919-1942
Noveaux's Interwar Period was a time of relative peace. Cassien I Remanti was confirmed as the Imperial Sovereign following the end of the First Civil War. The Consates disbanded their alliance and agreed to cede the power to raise armies to the central government in return for help rebuilding. The war had lasted ten years, devastated large swaths of central Noveaux, along with causing not only a food shortage throughout the nation but also manpower shortage due to the large number of deaths in the war. Several of Noveaux's largest and most economically important cities were husks and shells of their former selves. The manufacturing base of Alteil and Altannen had been destroyed, the mines of Colline and Esaur had been destroyed in the intense fighting in the mountains and would need to be re-excavated, while the pastures and farmlands of Lille and Mitan were scorched and covered with unexploded ordinance. It would be years before the land would be healed and farming to resume as normal. The nation went into serious debt during this reconstruction period as importing food and raw materials drained the national coffers.
Civil Strife was rife throughout the nation as sporadic attacks against nobles and patricians occurred. The populace viewed the Royals, Nobles and Patricians as the ones that had gotten them into the current mess. The citizens of Noveaux began to doubt the central government, the Imperial Administration and the looseness of the realms. This gave rise to a nationalist movement that sought to implement a more "efficient" system that would prevent another civil war based upon succession to the throne. It was during the 1920s that the people flocked toe political movements that were against the ruling elite, these include the emergence of the Novean Communist Movement led by Maxime Daladier. In addition to the communists the nationalists coalesced around the Première Parti Nationale (PPN) that formed in 1927 following the Purge of 1926 by Cassien I. The PPN was founded by three friends named Henri Tousseau, Emile Renault and Regina Cattel. The three would lead the party to victory in the regional elections of Alteil in 1929. Over the next few years they consolidated their political hold on the east. In 1935 after Cattel gave a speech to 900,000 people about the central government's corruption. Fearing that the PPN was going to attempt a coupt d'etat the central government with the approval of the ailing Emperor Cassien ordered the PPN to disband and upon their refusal locked up Cattel and Renault with Tousseau fleeing into hiding. A three time weekly radio broadcast from Tousseau highlighted the corruption of the central government and began to reveal dark scandals that had been perpetrated against average Noveans. Large protests coupled with strikes saw in the winter of 1935 the collapse of the ruling government and snap elections called for Spring 1936, the PPN was restored to legal status and allowed to run in the elections. Cheers and great jubilant celebration swept the nation as Tousseau emerged from hiding and personally freed Cattel and Renault from their prison.
Riding on a wave of national popular support the PPN became only the second party in the history of Noveaux to take a super-majority in the Imperistarium come the spring of 1936. At this time they were able to appoint their loyal sycophants to any position throughout the government and promote those in the military to ensure their power would remain intact. Tousseau initially refused to be named High Chancellor but relented when Renault was killed by a liberal assassin. Seizing on this opportunity Tousseau immediately turned popular support against the left and began to consolidate his power through increasingly authoritarian reforms passed by the Legislature.
While their rise to power was over the course of nearly two decades, their efforts to consolidate the power was anything but patient. They came to official government in 1936 but unlike their slow rise, their efforts to consolidate their hold was fast. By the summer of 1937 just over a year since taking office they introduced wide ranging reforms to immigration, national defense, education and foreign policy. With their fiery speeches and the wave of nationalism sweeping over the nation, the Praesidium which comprised the highest ranking members of the PPN became the most important organ of governing even though it existed outside the government. The PPN also began to seriously relate that anything going wrong in Noveaux was because of foreigners leaching off the state and causing issues. Any group or person that railed against the PPN disappeared or fled the nation in fear. Centrist politicians began to disappear faster than almost any group, only outpaced by foreigners.
The Imperial Government which had been sidelined through an unprecedented reform on Imperial Power which failed to get the proper endorsement from three quarters of the Realms since it would amend the Foundation Charter, began to see nobles leaving the nation on vacation and simply not returning. In 1938 this became a serious public point of interest as over one hundred nobles of various ranks fled in the same week in what became called the Flight of the Blue Bloods. Behind closed doors the Praesidium consulted with the Emperor about the ongoing situation. In late 1938 Emperor Cassien I who had been coronated at the end of the First Civil War passed. The Imperistarium selected Cassien's son to be the next Emperor, Alphonse I was crowned on October 15, 1938 to jubilant celebration nationwide.
Unlike his father Alphonse was incredibly active in politics. Not only did he align directly with the Grand Order but very much railed against the PPN and the way it was maintaining power. For a time the PPN simply ignored the Emperor's frustrated speeches which they began to term as Hot Air. In time though public support of the PPN began to slide and this was most evident in the 1939 regional elections when the party lost seats in a landslide in several western realms and even fell to Opposition status in the realm of Auvatoria. Tousseau and his fellow leaders of the Praesidium railed against this cowardice and they began to blame foreign involvement and influence. He personally plotted revenge for this by staging a coup against the PPN and pinning it on the Centrist parties and the monarchy.
On January 18, 1940 several regiments in the Imperial Guard under the false impression of getting an order from the Emperor seized key locations throughout the western city of Auvon. By noon the supposed coup erupted across the nation causing serious protests to take over in the east. At this moment when the Emperor was informed he made a decision that very well could have gone the other way. The Emperor took to national radio and denounced the coup and announced that he would not shield the Imperial Guard. This act save the Imperial Family and the High Nobility from being culpable. This outcome though was not what Tousseau expected or desired and in the last moments of the coup did one final act to woo public support. Tousseau ordered a military plane that was escorting Emile Renault from Medici, Alteil to Lieu-de-Lys in Mitan to shoot the small passenger plane that was carrying Renault. This tipped public support from possibly dividing the nation to supporting the PPN for being the victim.
A state funeral for Emile Renault was held on January 28th. In addition to only continuing to outlaw major opposition parties, public curfews in the west and taking control of the media outlets; the PPN disbanded the Imperial Guard choosing to guard the Imperial Family with the Chapeaux Blanc, who were the Secret Police used by the PPN. The PPN's actions of consolidation and oppression remained present but the public went into a content bubble as society was secure and provided for. In 1941 the Emperor again began to rail against the PPN for what they were doing but now it fell on mostly deaf ears. The PPN seeing the Emperor as an enemy and a threat moved against him by confining him and his family to their country estate. In the summer there was a failed assassination attempt on the Emperor but it claimed the life of his wife the then Empress Cynthia. By fall the Emperor had grown grossly paranoid and an escape plan was hatched. In October the Imperial Family, most of the Imperial Court and indeed the overwhelming majority of the nobles left in Noveaux fled into neighboring nations like Sekia, Neuvu and Eraphalia. The Emperor upon arriving in Eraphalia proclaimed a government in exile and began the arduous process of garnering support among the international community. The scene was thus set for the war that would come.
Second Novean Civil War 1942-1949
The Second Novean Civil War raged from 1942 until 1949. While it is classified as a civil war fought between the Novean National State of the PPN and the Imperial Government in Exile, the actual fighting was between the National State, it's Neuvuan proxy called Elliegia and the Allied Forces of Eraphalia, Sekia and the Free Neuvuan Forces. To sum up the conflict it raged primarily along the borders of Noveaux and Eraphalia, Neuvu and Sekia until the latter third of the conflict which was fought well within Noveaux before the National State capitulation in early 1949 and the surrender in March of 1949. The PPN was outlawed and the nation underwent a three year occupation so as to de-nationalize while the Imperial Government was restored.
Post War Years 1949-2000
The period after the Second Civil War saw the Allied Occupation from 1949-1952. During the reconstruction period the nation was liberalized and the Imperial Administration of Alphonse II was restored. At the conclusion of the Occupation in 1952, Noveaux formed a strong economic and military alliance with Eraphalia and Sekia while signing other deals with Neuvu. In 1952 Alphonse II died and his 12 year old daughter Satine was elected to succeed him leading to the Regency of Lord Castel from 1952-1958 at which time the young Empress came of age. Throughout her reign Satine embraced a moderate position politically, fostering respect abroad and at home. She was seen as a major cornerstone in the nation's recovery and through the efforts of the Lord Regent, the Realm Lords and the Empress the nation economically recovered by the 1960s and began to enjoy great levels of economic prosperity that would only slow down in the 1992-1994 recession. Satine Remanti is also attributed with having supported the rebels in the Sieg Republic, believing their cause was just and to the point that when Atariia was proclaimed Noveaux was the first nation to recognize the new entity supporting it full heartedly. At the turning of the 20th Century Noveaux was a Northern Theodosia power in terms of influence, pushing for the beginning of talks to form what would become the Prosperity Alliance.
Overall the 20th Century was time of great conflict and upheaval in Noveaux. The nation nearly tore itself apart completely twice and faced many challenges both head on and indirectly following both conflicts as the people struggled to rebuild. The determination of the Imperial Sovereign and that of the common citizen shows that when united a people can recover from anything. The conflicts experienced might have hardened the hearts of the people of another nation but for Noveaux they showed what it was to become ignorant. The nation took up a vow of neutrality and pursued a close relationship with its neighbors that eventually would see the creation of an entity that would tie them together for the benefit and prosperity of those involved.
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