Second Amarillian Civil War

The Second Amarillian Civil War, also known as the Amarillian Revolution, was fought from the April 3, 2023 to the April 9, 2023.

The conflict took place in two phases, the initial Revolutionary period and the ensuing Interregnum period. It resulted in the disestablishment of the Amarillian Empire, the abolition of the Amarillian monarchy in the Ragdon peninsula and Onumozaki, and the restoration of republican government in Amarillo. The revolutionary Republican faction prevailed in the battlefield and established the Second Republic of Amarillo. Following the conflict, Amarillo was divided, lost Mikanie and Western Pizczeck, and became a member of Zie Western Drakaes under duress.

The war began after the partial failure of a counter-coup against Empress Connie I's self-coup by a revolutionary group of Amarillian militants and political opposition groups. The revolutionaries were a coalition of anti-Connie groups, including Pan-Drakaenists, Liberals, and Republicans. The Empress was supported by the loyalist remnants of the Imperial Army and volunteers from Pasifa.

The revolution was supported by the Mohadi lands and the city of Etruia. However, revolutionaries in Puerto Amarillo did not gain control and the city remained subject to the Empress. Meanwhile, the Shogunate of Onumozaki, the Province of Islas Doradas and the cities of Romantello and Verdesburg declared neutrality. This left Amarillo politically and militairily divided. The Revolutionaries and Imperial government fought for control of the country. The Revolutionaries were supported by the Takavian Expeditionary Force, while the Imperial side received volunteers from Pasifa. Other countries, primairly those in the Drakaeslands, continued to recognise the Imperial government but followed a policy of non-intervention.

Etruia was swiftly captured by Imperial forces from the capital immediately after the Puerto Amarillo Uprising was suppressed. The Revolutionaries and the Takavians advanced from their strongholds, from the north of the country, capturing Torham by April 4. Subsequently, they liberated Etruia on April 5, which caused the immediate dissolution of the Imperial government and the deposition of the Empress, who would die later that night. Following the state collapse, the revolutionary coalition fell to pieces, initiating the Interregnum period. During this period, the Republicans, the Despotists and the Royalists struggled to be the ones to emerge as the sole authority in Amarillo. Finally, the Republicans would become the dominant power in Amarillo upon decisively defeating the Despotists and the Royalists in the Second Battle of Puerto Amarillo on April 8.

Background: The Empress and internal instability
Empress Connie de Porphyropolis had ascended to the Amarillian throne upon the abdication of her father and reigned continiously by acting out of her own incentive while minimally cooperating with elected officials. As her reigned progressed, this became increasingly true as the frequency in whcih legislative bodies convened decreased and the Empress failed to include the Prime Minister in several state matters, instead resorting to the Imperial Council (The realm's judicial body, which was appointed by her) to make these decisions.

Since the collapse of the Twilight Empire, Anarillo had suffered of significant instability, being unable to organise governments with popular support and lacking competent monarchs. This polarized the population, as many perceived that the only way to prosper once again was to embrace pan-Drakaen ideals, while others stood for Amarillian nationalism and individualism. In addition to this, Republicans, who had been suppressed since the First Civil War, surged in popularity once again.

The Empress' Authoritarianism
Throughout her reign, Connie often performed state duties independently and without having even discussed matters with her Prime Ministers. Instead, she typically took the advice of the Imperial Council and Prime Counselor Tania Kyani. An example of this is Ashai-Amarillo Mutual Defence Pact, which lacked any involvement from then-Prime Minister, and was largely dependent on the Prime Counselor's existing connections. One of the Empress' last Prime Ministers once remarked that he had "no idea of what the Empress may be signing." as he was excluded from negotiations for weeks until the very end when his signature was required.

In addition this, the Empress appeared to loathe elected officials whenever she did work with them. It was common for Connie to blame any mishap on elected officials and attempt to punish them harshly. A prominent occassion of this happening was Connie attempted to impeach the Deputy Prime Minister, due to having produced an outcome in diplomatic negotiations that she disliked, by falsely claiming that the official had negotiated without her permission. Although the impeachment would fail, it damaged the Empress' reputation as the public became increasingly aware of her dubious allegiance to demcoracy.

It's commonly speculated that the Connie's authoritarian beliefs and disdain for elected officials stemmed from her father's reign as King. During Potatus Peruno's permierships under King Soro I, public offices were inefficent. The King reacted by assuming a greater degree of power, which meant he ruled almost absolutely. The King's stepping up is believed to have earnt much admiration from the then-princess. Furthermore, during her reign Connie's psychological health deteriorated significantly due to her longevity, which might've helped cause the radicalisation of her authoritarian ideas.

Political and Social Instability
Following the dissolution of the Twilight Empire of Amarillo, Amarillo suffered of political instability due to the inefficent bureaucracy that was left after countless officials resigned in protest to the the Treaty of Varasopolis. The new government neglected reorganising its bureaucracy while it focused on setting up the structure of the new Amarillian Empire. The ensuing governments failed to adress the situation because they kept collapsing due to their lack of popular support. Amarillo had three different Prime Ministers in the Empire's first month, all of which did very little to ease the situation.

After this period of instability, the newly elected government attempted to qwell bureaucratic issues. However, the period of instability had led to the formation of several anti-government groups, including: Republicans, Pan-Drakaenists and Aurican Separatists. These groups continously threatened the stability of the government. The government was ultimately undermined follwoing the Aurican Crisis, which occured after a failed boycott of the Aurican indpendence process by Empress Connie. From that point on, the political tensions in Amarillo would continue to escalate and the government's authority dwindled.

The Self-Coup: Dissolution of the legislative bodies
On the dawn of April 3, several members of parliament were detained in Puerto Amarillo. In the morning, the state bulletin included an Imperial decree in which the Empress dissolved the legislative bodies, assumed control of the legislative process and dismissed Crown Princess Josefina of Porphyropolis-Kyani from the office of Prime Minister. Connie did not posses the legal authority to do this, having violated the Imperial Mandate.

Reaction in Puerto Amarillo
Word of the detainment of members of parliament made its way to opposition cells within the city before the morning, who hastily came together to form the Amarillian Revolutionary Movement to oppose what began to be theorized to be a coup. Within an hour of the publication of the Imperial decree, Revolutionaries mobalised their supporters, who demonstrated and rioted in protest to the decree. The Empress responded by declaring martial law in Puerto Amarillo and mobalising the city garrison to attempt to empty the streets. By midday the Revolutionaries took up to arms and the scuffles between Imperial forces and protestors escalated into urban warfare. The ensuing battle would become known as the Puerto Amarillo Uprising.

Reaction in the Mohadi lands
In response to the Imperial decree, Jameel Ajaxi'tizadshah, Shah of the Mohadi, issued a condemnation of the self-coup in which he demanded that the Empress abide by the Mandate and threatened a Mohadi rebellion. Subsequently, Mohadi reservists were mobalised, the distinguished Mohadi cavalry paraded through the streets of Alefpamohadi as a show of power and the the Shah performed a rite in the Dy'lonist Mosque of Alefpamohadi praying for Dy'lon to grant his people great strength. When the Puerto Amarillo Uprising broke out, the Shah declared the state of war against the Imperial government and temporarily assumed full administrative power over the Mohadi lands, aligning himself with the revolutionaries. Jameel's close ties with the Takavian monarchy would be one of the main causes for the intervention of Valariik Takavia in the conflict.

Reaction in Etruia
As news from the demonstration in Puerto Amarillo reached all corners of the Empire, opposition cells throughout the country were quick gather in the city of Etruia. There cells of opposition movements merged into political fronts representing their respective movements, which convened in the Revolutionary Council of Etruia and declared their allegiance to the Amarillian Revolutionary Movement. After the Puerto Amarillo Uprising began, the council intitiated preparations to send reinforcements to the capital but never acheived to do so.