1716 Ludwiggian Restoration

1716 Ludwiggian Restoration
Date 12.X.1716 - Location Lanzerwald
Belligerents
Army of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Sankt Ludwigshafen	Army of the Republic of the Sovereign Lanzerwald

The 1716 Ludwiggian Restoration was a successful attempt by Ludwiggian insurrectionists to destroy the Lanzerwald Republic and restore the Republic of Sankt Ludwigshafen. The seed of the insurrection was planted in late 1715 when the Lanzerwald Thing, of the Realm of the Sovereign Lanzerwald outlawed motorised vehicles following the debacle of the Schorpioen I Pantserstrijdwagen medium tank that was being developed by Osthügel Motorenwerke but was so expensive it bankrupted the Republic of the United Cities in the Lanzerwald in VI.1715.

Osthügel Motorenwerke's director Wilhelm von Streußbergen, the factory's management and staff of Osthügel Motorenwerke, who were overwhelmingly of Ludwiggian descent, were outraged by the ban but did not protest in public knowing very well that public opinion was against them at the time. Instead they worked in secret to finish the armoured vehicle, which was now named Panzergefechtswagen I and of which one hundred twenty units were produced and stored in the factory's underground storage. Von Streußbergen sought alliances with other Ludwiggians who were annoyed with the course of the Lanzerwaldian Republic. With several other industry tycoons and disgruntled politicians did he found a provisional government for a new Republic of Sankt Ludwigshafen, and the militias of Stadt Sankt Ludwigshafen, Lanser and Moorheim agreed to participate in an insurrection. Ludwiggian minorities in Grenstad, Oudorp, Vulcuria and Hamstadt were also incorporated in the secret Army of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Sankt Ludwigshafen.

Timeline

X.1716

• 12.X.1716: The provisional government of the Republic of Sankt Ludwigshafen issues the proclamation of the Fifth Republic of Sankt Ludwigshafen, claiming that it would govern all land that was until that moment occupied by the Republic of the Sovereign Lanzerwald. The militias of Stadt Sankt Ludwigshafen, Lanser and Moorheim tear down all Lanzerwaldian flags from public buildings and replace them with the banner of the Ludwiggian Republic. In the cities that they control, the Ludwiggians order that Cibolan-Saxon is from that moment onwards the only official language used by the state. Riots erupt in Stadt Sankt Ludwigshafen which has sizeable Zandarinian minorities but the militia's response is vicious and the rioters are either killed or dispersed from the city.

• 13.X.1716: The general synod of the Ludwiggian Restored Church gathers in Oudorp to discuss the events that had unfolded the previous day. By a great majority, the synod condemned the actions of the Ludwiggian insurrectionists and called for them to lay down their weapons and restore the status ante quo.

• 14.X.1716: The Steden-Generaal meets in an emergency session for the first time since the uprising began, the session descends into chaos as its president Ludwig Schafenweide does not arrive in person but sends a courier instead, that delivers the gavel of the Steden-Generaal, cut into pieces, and a letter that conveys the president's support to the Ludwiggian insurrection. Stadtholder Hendrik Martenszoon presides over the session in his stead and the Steden-Generaal resolves to expel all members that refuse to condemn the insurrection. Thirty-seven representatives leave the Steden-Generaal and join the provisional government in Stadt Sankt Ludwigshafen. After their departure, the Steden-Generaal resolves to require all members of the military to declare in an oath that they reject the goals and demands of the insurrectionists and that they will fight for the Lanzerwald Republic, the order is sent to all military units spread throughout the republic.