1751 military coup in the Confoederatio Aemilia

In the morning of 12.XII.1751, the first and second division of the Kriegskorps Ludwigshafen deployed to Stadt Taktwinkel, with infantry and Panzergefechtswagen II. Their goal was to overthrow the government of Princess Emilia Antoinette, who had lost a lot of support from the population since the Nazarene Uprising of 1748 and the Nazarene Uprising of 1749. Serious concerns existed that she would appoint her daughter Aimée Isabelle to the throne, making the monarchy hereditary, as the princess had hinted towards this in private conversations with government officials. There were also serious concerns that the federation was becoming less and less secular, and that there would be less and less room for other religions than witchcraft. Unlike during the Nazarene Uprisings, support for the coup had been widespread among the armed forces and the bureaucracy, although the princess did have many people still loyal to her.

The coup started with the procession of armoured vehicles driving up to the palace and circling it, infantry stormed the palace and abducted Princess Emilia Antoinette, the suspected crown-princess Aimée Isabelle and Merida Vala, the spouse of Princess Emilia Antoinette. They were incarcerated in the city jail under the suspicion of subversion of the socialist revolution and instigating reactionary sentiments. At the same time, in the Aemilian Senate, the senate president called for a special meeting, all members were required to pledge an oath to the socialist revolution and the Lanzerwald Republic, twenty members rejected this call and were subsequently arrested, but released the next day.

As the coup processed, envoys from the Mondosphere were desperately trying to find out what would happen to the Aemilian royal family and they did not find it jolly at all when they learned that the revolutionaries considered sending her to the guillotine for her alleged crimes. After veiled threats of invasion to liberate the princess were presented, the family was placed on a train and sent to Rossmarkt, where she was handed over to the Rossheim Dragoon Guards at the border.

Notable arrested individuals

Name	Role	Charge	Fate
Emilia Antoinette de la Rochelle	Princess of the Confoederatio Aemilia	Conspiracy to commit treason against the people of the Lanzerwald	Received asylum in Etzeland, was found guilty in a trial in absentia, sentenced to life in prison upon return.
Merida Vala	Spouse to the princess	Conspiracy to commit treason against the people of the Lanzerwald	Received asylum in Etzeland, was found guilty in a trial in absentia, sentenced to life in prison upon return.
Aimée Isabelle de la Rochelle	Intended heir to the throne	Conspiracy to commit treason against the people of the Lanzerwald	Received asylum in Etzeland, was found guilty in a trial in absentia, sentenced to life in prison upon return.
Charlène Jolicoeur-Schafenweide	Chancellor	Conspiracy to commit treason against the people of the Lanzerwald	Was tried and was convicted for the lesser charge of failure to report knowledge of a conspiracy to commit treason against the people of the Lanzerwald and sentenced to 2 years in prison.
Herodias Blutwasser	Princess of Walstadt	Conspiracy to commit treason against the people of the Lanzerwald	Was tried and found guilty, sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Razzie Waldfürcht	Partisan leader	Conspiracy to commit treason against the people of the Lanzerwald	Was tried and found guilty, sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Leah Nasir			Released after interrogation
Delilah Strandkoog			Released after interrogation
Jezebel Blutwasser			Released after interrogation
Amalia Blutwasser			Released after interrogation
Dolores Einhorn	Educator	Failure to report knowledge of a conspiracy to commit treason against the people of the Lanzerwald	Was tried and found guilty, sentenced to 6 months in prison
Thomas de la Rochelle	Father of Princess Emilia Antoinette	Conspiracy to commit treason against the people of the Lanzerwald	Received asylum in Etzeland, was tried in absentia but not enough evidence was found for his alleged role in the conspiracy.
Nathalie Backer	Mother of Princess Emilia Antoinette	Conspiracy to commit treason against the people of the Lanzerwald	Received asylum in Etzeland, was tried in absentia, was convicted for the lesser charge of failure to report knowledge of a conspiracy to commit treason against the people of the Lanzerwald and sentenced to 6 months in prison upon her return to the Lanzerwald.
Amour Rechter-Katzenfreund			Released after interrogation
Mondo Rechter-Katzenfreund			Released after interrogation
Emilia Schafenweide-Delfinenstrand			Released after interrogation
Kaspar Schafenweide-Delfinenstrand			Released after interrogation
Theodor Katzenfreund			Released after interrogation
Simon Katzenfreund			Released after interrogation
Arthur Delfinenstrand			Released after interrogation
Jonah Waldfürcht			Released after interrogation
Leela Jolicoeur-Schafenweide			Released after interrogation

Trials and settlements

After the coup, police performed criminal investigations on both the ancien regime that had been targeted by the coup and the instigators of the coup themselves. As they found evidence for a conspiracy to reduce the role of the Aemilian Senate and concentrate more power into the hands of a hereditary monarch, being Princess Emilia Antoinette, to be succeeded by Aimée Isabelle in the federal context, and Herodias Blutwasser trying to re-establish the hereditary monarchy of the Principality of Walstadt, charges were brought against these individuals and co-conspirators. Given that no violence had been used, the instigators of the coup were not prosecuted.

On 22.XIII.1751, judges found Emilia Antoinette de la Rochelle, Merida Vala and Aimée Isabelle de la Rochelle guilty of leading a conspiracy against the people of the Lanzerwald and they were sentenced to life in prison. As they had already found exile in Etzeland where they were protected by Mondo, the state sought a settlement with them, they would in no way interfere with Lanzerwald politics, instruct their followers to give up their efforts to restore the monarchy. Herodias Blutwasser and Razzie Waldfürcht were also found guilty, but were thought to have a less important role in the conspiracy, they were sentenced to 10 years in prison. Charlène Jolicoeur-Schafenweide and Nathalie Backer were also tried for being part of the conspiracy but the judges found that they had knowledge of it, but did not contribute to the conspiracy, so they were given lesser penalties for failing to report the conspiracy to authorities, they were sentenced to 2 years and 6 months in prison respectively. Dolores Einhorn was prosecuted for failing to report her knowledge about the conspiracy as well, she was sentenced to 6 months in prison.

Meckelnburgh involvement

At the time of the coup, cooperating naval vessels of military ally Meckelnburgh, the frigate TRMS Lady Heather and oiler RFAS Compatriot, were docked in Stadt Sankt Rosa. Forces on both vessels were ordered to general quarters at the beginning of the incident to defend against any hostilities from the revolutionaries. Preparation for armed conflict was suspended when the vessels’ safety was secured.

A legal representative from the Judge-Advocate-General’s Corps, accompanied by provosts of the Royal Marshalcy, were requested by the new government to observe the post-coup prosecutions, to instil confidence that the coup had not lead to anarchy in the Lanzerwald, but that the rule of law prevailed. Judge-advocate 1LT Wüllem Sjra, RN noted that, while no per se irregularities occurred, “the prosecutions were without want for haste.”

Concerted negotiations with the new Aemilian government for an orderly continuation of relations were undertaken beginning in XIII.1751.