Tumultuous 20
Beginnings:Following the fall of Sorthania in Vulcan by the armies of Serdio and Meria, Zelpha finally gained a hard-earned breather, a chance for peace. A coup d'état in the Holy Lands saw the fall of Feng's xenophobic government and the coronation of Garn. Peace was signed shortly after, humbling the Celestial Empire and shattering the myth of the military invincibility of the Celestials. The new nation of Meria and the ancient Kingdom of Serdio emerged stronger than ever from the struggle against Celestial Imperialism, Mortikanian Revival, and the evils that were Sorthania. For the first time in Zelphian history, a dark cloud of destruction did not hang over the world. There were hopes this would be for the better, but it also resulted in a tirade which would lead to the break down of the Old Order of the world.
In Serdio, the hard-earned victory had come at a difficult price. The nation was in ruins, Government finances, antiquated and mishandled since the days of Graith Rlugia, had reached their breaking point. While the war had cost Meria (financially) nearly as much as Serdio, Meria's finances were far more advanced and capable of paying off such a large debt. Meria moved forward into Constitutionalism and Capitalism, while Serdio, jaded by their victories, retained the systems of the past. For Serdio, the war had been an empty victory. The debt in Serdio continued to grow by the day, and the Mystice court proved unable to fix it. With increasing debt came inflation and price revolutions, all influenced by the introduction of Capitalism around the globe, a result of the war which had shook the world.
This financial insecurity of the Serdian state only fueled unrest and hate for the nepotist regime at Mystice. While the nobility and royal family lived decadent life-styles, the people starved. Finances were lop-sided, and the burden of taxes fell upon the lower classes. Taxes such as the extremely unpopular gabelle (salt tax) were contracted out to private collectors who were permitted to raise taxes far higher than the government requested. These systems led to an arbitrary and unequal collection of many of Serdio's consumption taxes. The peasants also owed several obligations to their landowners. Other taxes the peasants were required to pay included a tenth of their income or produce to the church, a tax to the state, a 5% property tax and a tax on the number of people in the family. Further royal taxes were collected in the form of compulsory labor.
Unlike nations were public offices were set for only terms, in Serdio, positions were purchased from the crown, along with the right to make the position hereditary. This meant that judges, magistrates, tax collectors, and other men and women who held their positions held them due to birth, and not merit. Because these positions were paid for, the holders tried their best to make them profitable. For instance, in a civil lawsuit, judges had to be paid some fees by the parties. This put justice out of reach of everybody but the wealthy classes.
The tax system excluded both the church and the aristocracy from the payment of taxes, an abuse that the Rlugian kings, from Graith to Drake attempted to change, and failed in doing so. This meant that the burden of taxation did not fall equally upon all classes, but rather, upon the peasantry, wage earners, and the professional and business classes. These groups were also cut off from most positions of power in the regime, causing massive unrest.
This unrest and hatred evolved into a full out revolt. The countryside fell into anarchy, and the government of the court seemed ineffectual to stop the violence. Pressed by the liberals, Drake agreed to relocate his government to Esto Gaza, leaving Mystice behind. Despite the relocation and promises for true reform, the brief period of work between both sides of the government did little to help Serdio. Debts were annulled and taxes canceled, but nothing worked. Worst still, a liberal constitution was proclaimed, much to the King's hatred. The period of compromise ended with Drake's botched attempt to overthrow the Constitutional assembly. The result was the
Glorious Days revolt resulted in the imprisonment of the Serdian Royal Family and the abolition of monarchy.
Revolution & Reaction:The Constitutional Assembly's first order of business was to abolish the monarchy and the Constitutional Charter of '36, deeming it too monarchial to remain part of the government. From the beginning, the Assembly had little legitimacy, and few regarded it as the true government of Serdio. The problems they promised to fix, the starvation and taxation, seemed impossible, for the first time the radical assemblymen realized what they were facing. Indeed, the early days of the Republic seemed little changed from the monarchy, with the old taxes still in collection. Many remarked in those days, that "Serdio was a kingdom without a king."
Very few supported the Assembly in it's current form. The provinces were up in arms, with little control exerted, while monarchist plots were abound to restore the King and the monarchy. The Assembly however, refused to dissolve in the face of these crises. The Royal military was liquidated, and a national one formed. The aged province system was abolished in favor of Departments, and a fairer tax system was established. The Guillotine was adopted as the instrument of execution, and slowly, the Assembly rooted out traitors and restored order to the provinces. During these times many were sent to their death, and the Assembly slowly gained the support they needed to remain in power. For sure, Jacobin policies would remain in Serdio. With the publishment of a new Constitution, the Assembly was prepared to dissolve to make way for the new Legislature of the Republic. However, their last goal was to be the execution of the king and his family.
The Assembly failed in that matter, however. A monarchist coup in the royal palace where Drake and his family were kept prisoner, allowed them to escape. Nadia, Sage, Nina, and Drake, all were able to escape the clutches of the revolution. However one woman, Marie Saqueloin, was not able to escape. Being held in a separate place, she did not know of the escape, at least not until the next day. When the Assembly discovered their prime prisoners were escaped, they were furious, and thus the execution of Marie Saqueloin was ordered and carried out. She would be the only royal execution during the Revolution.
In '37, the Assembly was dissolved and elections were held for the the Congress of Serdio, which would place the new Republican Constitution into effect. The electoral results brought to power a large Jacobin majority. The Assembly had left behind domestic turmoil, a undisciplined army and navy, and an empty treasury. The Assembly had fixed some problems, but it was up to the new Congress to fix them totally.
The Terror & The Coup of Autumn:The elections for the Congress had brought to power the Jacobin party, radical republicans who believed it was their duty to export the Revolution of Serdio abroad. Despite these high wishes, the nation was in no state to dance off to war: the treasury was empty, the cities and countryside in turmoil, and the army and navy more mutinous than they had ever been in Serdian history. The Assembly had made some strides forward, but over all, things seemed even worse than they had been under the monarchy, except that this time there was no decadent social class to blame for the problems.
Yet the Congress refused to accept the cries laying down. Under the influence of many outspoken men, known as
The Four, the Congress was guided towards increasingly violent motives. The Four demands that blood needed to be split for the better of the liberties of the people, and so it was done. The Liberal constitution of '37 was suspended, as were civil liberties. All vestiges from the old world were purged, from former nobles, to the Zelphis church.
In Meria, a similar backlash came against the government, although it was certainly not as radical as their southern neighbor. The true Merian backlash came from the Merian Congress, due to the execution of Marie Saqueloin, not to mention that the fact that Imperial government had done almost nothing to free her. Combined with the fact that the Empress allowed Serdian émigrés and even the deposed royal family to take up protection in Meria, society was ripe with discontent against Empress Sabriel. It was so great, that for a time Drake Rlugia feared a revolution in Meria in an prepared to leave. However, Sabriel agreed to the demands of the Congress, and her single rule ended, when Leto became Emperor and co-ruler. Shortly after this tumult, Drake agreed to remain in Meria, and indeed married the Empress, Sabriel.
The Terror gripped Serdio for over a year. As '37 came to an end, the Serdian Congress was suspended for good, and
The Four proclaimed to the people of the Esto Gaza that they would guide the nation into the ideals of the Revolution. They stated they would rule for the better, but it would not be. Monarchist revolts broke out across the nation, and the military was more violent than ever.
The Four, while eloquent speakers, were hardly statesmen, and thus only ordered further blood to be split when problems roared their ugly head. Soon enough however, discontent spilled over the poor handling by
The Four.
The so-called 'Coup of Autumn' was led by the Esto Gazan commune, the city most profoundly effected by the policies of
The Four. Arming themselves with weapons from the armory, thousands of men and woman paraded themselves to the Serdian Congress hall, amidst the screams of
The Four. A mock trial was carried out by the head of the Commune, and
The Four were found guilty of treason and executed through their own cruel device, the guillotine. Following the execution of
The Four, Esto Gaza erupted into an orgy of anarchy, with the Commune assuming total power over both the city the nation. The first act of the Commune was to ban the Jacobin party from future elections, and empowering all Serdians to murder anyone suspected of having anything to do with the now illegal party. The 'Autumn Government' lasted until December of '38, when it willingly dissolved it's self to write a new Constitution. The bloodiest period in Serdian history had ended, and around 60,000 people had perished, due not to war or famine, but rather petty politics.
The Directory & The End of the Revolution:'39 dawned with a Serdio in turmoil. There was a lack of central government, and indeed the nation was inflamed a violence that had captured the nation with the fall of
The Four. The Jacobin party was exterminated from Serdian politics, and radicalization was replaced with a more moderate policy. Serdio sighed heavily, but the troubles were far from over. Early in the year, monarchists in the Vâldense rose up in revolt, declaring that they would restore Drake to his rightful throne, along with the rightful government. For a time, it seemed likely that the revolt might be a success, for the Esto Gazan Commune contemplated entering into negotiations with the would-be rebels. A botched attempt to seize the capital failed, and the Commune sent the General Terence Valonia to crush the revolt, which he quickly did.
The anarchy which had consumed Serdio for so long ended when the Constitution of '39 was proclaimed. It established the Serdian Directory, and in its final shape, the constitution of the Directory period centered on a parliamentary system of two houses: a Council of Five Hundred and a Council of Ancients, 250 in number. Members of the Five Hundred needed to have reached at least thirty years of age, members of the Ancients at least forty. The system of indirect election of the Convention period continued, but the constitution abandoned universal suffrage. Electors needed a moderate qualification in the first degree, a higher one in the second degree. After the election of 750 people, they had the duty of choosing the Ancients from their own number. A legislature had a period of three years, with one-third of the members renewed every year. The Ancients held a suspensory veto, but no initiative in legislation. The constitution specified the executive as consisting of five directors, chosen by the Ancients out of a list elected by the Five Hundred. One director faced retirement each year. Ministers for the various departments of State aided the directors. These ministers did not form a council and had no general powers of government.
When the constitution went before the primary assemblies, most electors held aloof, 1,050,000 voting for and only 5,000 voting against it. In September it became a law. Then all the parties which resented the limit upon freedom of election combined in Esto Gaza to rise in revolt. The government entrusted its defense to Terence Valonia, who had the use of a few thousand regular troops and of a powerful artillery. In early October, the ill-equipped and ill-led Esto Gazan insurgents saw their insurrection quelled almost without loss to the victors. Further resistance seemed impossible, and the Esto Gazan Commune dissolved it's self to let the new government take power.
The elections clearly showed how the electors felt at the time. Among those who had sat in the Congress, the anti-Jacobins generally prevailed. Leaders of the old Right sometimes won the mandate in many departments.On a whole though, the Parliament was very moderate and conservative, owing to the electoral laws which had disenfranchised a very good portion of the population. For the first time since the very beginning of the Revolution, the radicals were in the minority, and those in the majority did not hesitate to do what they could to retain their power. Further purges were carried out in '39 against the Jacobins, reducing them to all but a fringe movement in name.
After the selection of the Council of Ancients, the Directors were chosen. It was decided that those people needed to hold the spirit of the Revolution. The Ancients chose Belanger, Charron, Royer, Travere, and Vipond.
Belanger was a military man, and wanted nothing more than to export the Revolution abroad; Charron was able, but rash in his actions; Royer was the only woman Director, devoted to the Church, and suspecting of Royalist sympathies; Travere was a mere pawn of Belanger, and Vipond was strictly business, and possibly the only Director competent enough to lead the government.
The establishment of the Directory marked the end of the Revolution. Those who wanted to restore Drake, or those who wanted to renew the Terror, were few in number. Nevertheless, the four years of the Directory were a time of arbitrary government and chronic disquiet. Despite this, there were some troubles: in '42, the worst Winter in all of Serdian history hit the nation, forcing many to go without bread, and to which the government was blamed with inaction. Other reasons influenced them in this direction. The finances had been so thoroughly ruined that the government could not have met its expenses without the plunder and the tribute of foreign countries. If peace were made, the armies would return home and the directors would have to face the exasperation of the rank-and-file who had lost their livelihood, as well as the ambition of generals who could, in a moment, brush them aside. The Assignot continued to plummet in value, and the corruption of the Directors was widely known, and widely criticized.
Yet the Directory lived on, fed by the military successes of the army. Yet in a way, they were not a true success. In no way was Meria humbled by the Directory, nor did Serdio manage to regain Vulcan. Indeed, the wars which shook Serdio were limited entirely to Bellterra, and was successful for neither side. Indeed, it was a never ending circle: Serdio would occupy parts of the Sudland or Meria, only to be repulsed some time later, The victories were hardly enough to keep the Directory on solid footing.
Belanger, Travere, and Vipond sought the aid of the armies of Serdio, for petty political motives. By '43, Royalists formed a large portion of the Parliament, and were openly accused of attempting to restore the monarchy. Valonia sent troops to the capital, and carried out a coup, not in the name of the Directory, but his own. The Directory was sustained, if not for a bit longer: Liberty of the press ceased. Newspapers were confiscated and journalists were deported wholesale. All former nobles were all declared to be foreigners and were forced to obtain naturalization if they would enjoy the rights of other citizens. A formal bankruptcy of the state, the canceling of two-thirds of the interest on the public debt, crowned the misgovernment of this disastrous time.
The so-called 'rump' Directory carried into '44, although it was all but under the control of Terence Valonia, who had made himself the sole Director. In '44, a new Constitution was proclaimed which abolished the Directory and set up the Consulate. For the next fifteen years, the fates of Serdio, and indeed, Bellterra, would be wound around this man.
Consul & King:Terence Valonia was a military man. He lived, slept, and breathed it. He was arbitrary, cruel, and autocratic. In many ways, he held traits suitable for a ruler, although certainly not a King. Terence Valonia was to be Zelpha's first dictator. He did not rule from behind a throne, nor did he possess a crown. He ruled Serdio frankly, as he did his armies. The fate of Valonia would serve to be the fate of Serdio for the next fifteen years.
The government which he proclaimed, the Consulate, hearkened back to the Hyu Republic. He promised utmost political freedoms, but none were granted. Universal Suffrage was restored, but elections highly supervised. The legislature of the nation composed of a singular House of Representatives, staffed mostly with supporters of Terence. He was the named the Consul of Serdio, and given absolute executive power. The Parliament served only as a rubber-stamp to his various policies. Yet despite this autocracy, Terence was a competent politician and restored Serdio after years of weariness. The finances were stabilized and the Asignot became a stable currency.
Yet Terence was a man of war. Thus, Serdio would be faced not with fifteen years of peace and prosperity, but rather with fifteen years of bloodshed and war. The economy and indeed the state were reformed, for to gear the nation towards war. Terence loathed the Rlugian dynasty and all it stood for, and even for so, hated the Merians for housing them. Thus, the Consulate would exist solely for the fact of warfare and vengeance, to which it was successful, to an extent.
Fifteen years of war, fifteen years of suffering, that is what came to Bellterra under Terence Valonia. He reformed the Serdian army into one of the most feared armies in all of Bellterra. Under Valonia, Serdio reached it's greatest heights, although it failed in duties of exporting the Revolution, as so many had hoped. Galastar, which had been freed from Serdian rule during the Revolution, was annexed. The Sudland was occupied, for a time, Serdian influence into the groves was great, inciting several rebellious Elven tribes to reject the authority of their Daimyo, who was also the Empress of Meria. Valonia also succeeded occupying vital parts of southern Meria, although just as in earlier wars, the success was short lived. The Merian army brutally put down the Elvish revolt, and the Serdians were ejected from Meria and the Sudland, although they were able to maintain Galastar. Time and time again Serdio was foiled in her plots, yet the government survived.
Despite all his hate for the Rlugias, Valonia owed the survival of the Revolutionary government to Drake. Drake was far too passive to ever consider forcing himself upon the Serdian throne. Indeed, whenever the Merians drew close to invading Serdian soil, Drake always made his place known, forcing the Merians to cancel all invasion plans. Drake knew the strength of the Merian forces, and their capability to restore him to his throne. Yet despite this, Drake rebuffed all attempts. He neither wished to force himself unto his rightful throne--nor did he wish to owe his positions to the Merians. He made that quite clear to the Empress Sabriel, and thus following the initial Serdian gains, from '48 and onward, the wars repeated a cycle of Serdian invasion and ejection from Imperial territories.
Valonia had garnered a flush of popularity from his initial fights against Merian Imperialism, yet after '48, he saw his popularity decline. The autocracy and despotism, in the eyes of many, was no better than the former King. The dreaded Solkran, the secret police of Meria, also caused trouble by stirring up public opinion against the Consul. Ever so slightly, Drake began to stir from his slumber of passivity. The Merian forces fought back with even more ferocity, breaking the military hegemony Serdio held. By the mid '50s, things were rapidly changing. Valonia had little support, the House of Representatives openly mutinous, and the army and navy as restless as ever. Valonia planned yet another campaign, this time to seize the Sudland and Eden, but it would be his last. Whilst in Galastar, news arrived of the Dauphin being heralded at Yalyn, and a token Merian force crossing the border. All resistance collapsed, and Méran, the Commander of Esto Gaza, opened the gates for the Merian troops. Valonia attempted to rally the troops at Mystice, but to not avail. He was captured by a group of Merian soldiers and brought to Esto Gaza, where he was deposed and exiled to the Jewel Islands. The old constitution and the House of Representatives were abolished, and Méran became the head of the provisional government.
A few days later, Drake arrived in Esto Gaza. After twenty-three years of struggle, the monarchy had finally won.