1687 Florencian crisis
| 1687 Florencian crisis | ||||||
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| Belligerents | ||||||
 Mulej
| Council of the United Isles Kunsill tal-Kosta
|  Benacia Command
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The 1687 Florencian crisis began as a series of conflicts between supporters of the Kamra ta 'l-Għelieqi (Chamber of the Fields), the representative body of the inland communes of Florencia, and the Kunsill tal-Kosta (Council of the Coast), elected by the merchant houses and burghers of the island, for control of the island.
Initial disturbances
In 04.II.1687, the Mulej, elected prince of Florencia for a life term, ordered the re-establishment of the Esercito Florentiana (Florencian Army) and the Corpo dei Carabinieri (Carabineers Corps), as a means of curbing the rise of brigandry throughout the island. In spite of the proposed force being of only modest size, and in line with historical precedent, the Kunsill immediately sought to veto its establishment - fearing that an armed force at the command of the Mulej would inevitably be used to curb the liberties of the merchant houses, who had no desire to relinquish the great freedom of action they had acquired for themselves following the expulsion of the Black Legions. In spite of the Mulej offering to compromise and limit the forces raised to a smaller unit of Carabinieri alone, the delegates of the Kunsill, now seeking to formalise their supremacy over the executive, rejected the proposal and voted to withhold supplies from the Mulej for so long as he persisted with his plans. This in turn enraged the Kamra, whose communities had been sorely affected by the rise of organised crime on the island, and who voted to support the Mulej by withholding supplies to the merchant houses and by imposing tolls upon road traffic into and out of the cities along the coast. Unsurprisingly the Kunsill was further outraged at this development and denounced the members of the Kamra as being brigands and highway bandits in their own right.
The Mulej meanwhile, constrained to rely upon the resources of his own house, unfurled the civic gonfalone from the Governor’s Palace in Capitolia on 08.II.1687 and summoned his comrades from the War of Independence and the armed retainers of his house to the defence of his person and his office. 581 armed fighters heeded his call and helped to fortify the Governor's Palace. The members of the Kunsill, alarmed at this provocative act, called upon their supporters to assemble at their grand town houses and there to receive arms in turn.
On the following day, as news spread across the island and barricades began to be erected in Capitolia, the Kamra sent out a warning to the communes to arm their nightwatchmen and constables and to deputise men of fighting age to assist in the defence of their communities. In Capitolia itself the Kunsill busied itself hiring local unemployed youths to protest in the plaza before the Governor's Palace. The initially peaceful demonstration turned violent when the fighters within the palace sallied to disperse, with cudgels and rifle butts, an impromptu street market run by known black marketeers which they feared was being used as a cover to establish an encampment in the plaza from which a siege of the palace could be sustained. The attempted eviction turned into a massed brawl as the stallholders desperately fought to defend their wares whilst the protesters began to pelt the Mulej's fighters with rocks and broken up portions of pavement slabs. One such rock struck an inexperienced young fighter, sending him sprawling to the ground, dropping his M1656 submachine-gun - a weapon notorious for its accidental discharges and going off half-cocked if suddenly jolted. So it would prove in this instance, resulting in a burst of sudden gunfire that panicked the crowd of demonstrators and convinced the defenders of the palace that they were being fired upon. Fearful of being rushed by the stampeding mob, the gunmen now fired into the crowds of civilians, killing sixteen and sending the rest scattering in terror. As news of the killings spread the fury of the mob knew no bounds. Properties belonging to known supporters of the Mulej, along with homes and businesses belonging to individuals from the inland communes were set ablaze. An unknown number of individuals were slain by the rampaging mob during the ensuing night of violence, though reports of assassinations, stabbings, lynchings, rapes, and beatings were legion. By morning's light a pale of smoke hung over the city and upwards of twenty-thousand terrified citizens were fleeing for the highlands of the interior.
Sanaman forces on the island, consisting of the I and II Marine Expeditionary Units totalling 3,200 troops, of which the first one was based in Capitolia, initially remained passive during the crisis. When the extent of the unrest became apparent, the I MEU moved to secure and hold Capitolia port, while II MEU secured Capitolia's main airport. The official reason was to provide routes for both relief and evacuation efforts.
Escalation
Beginning on 10.II.1687, fearing that the occupation of the airport and the harbour, effecting the de-facto closure thereby, by Sanaman forces was intended to reinforce the landward blockade of the capital by the inlander communes, protesters, led by armed-retainers from the leading merchant families, began to establish barricades along the roads leading to both locations. An attempt by the I MEU to negotiate safe-passage for a supply convoy to troops deployed in the harbour district resulted in an exchange of gunfire and the forcible dispersal of the protesters, leaving behind two dead, an unknown but considerable number of wounded, and one slightly injured Sanaman marine.
On 11.II.1687 a forceful communique from Benacia Command was received at the office of the Representative of the United Isles denouncing the incident, placing the blame solely on the "partisans" of the Kamra ta 'l-Għelieqi, and promising an appropriate response to the insult upon the dignity of Raspur Pact forces deployed in the United Isles. In response to this ominous message the Representative, Pasquale Paoli, felt obliged to summon the delegates from the Chamber of Cannons on the Council of the United Isles to discuss the status of defensive preparations on the isles. Upon re-reading the message it became apparent that Benacia Command had confused the Kamra ta 'l-Għelieqi with the Kunsill tal-Kosta, but debate then ensued as to whether attempting to point this error out would only exacerbate the ill-temper of the Raspur Pact's continental theatre command towards them.
Towards 8 p.m. on 11.II.1687 it was decided to establish dialogue with the Sanaman garrison on the island, to ascertain its intentions, deescalate tensions, and hopefully - discretely - to correct any misapprehensions distorting the perspective of Benacia Command regarding the situation on the island. Accordingly Tlato Mengs, the Iridian representative of the Chamber of Ships, approached the I MEU force compound to open a dialogue with its commanding officer. Having been brought into the compound and taken into an interview suite, Mengs was kept waiting for forty-five minutes before a major of the marines entered the room. The interview was brief and succinct, the major brushing aside all attempts at offering an explanation - concluding the unsatisfactory interview with a brusque instruction to the shocked representative that it was now time to "make all necessary arrangements for an orderly transition" as actions had now been set in motion that could not be undone. Shocked, and immediately discerning the meaning of what had been said, Mengs asked for the use of a phone and the opportunity to speak with his colleagues. This being granted Mengs was given the opportunity to put a call through to Paoli. After a brief discussion, Paoli concurred that the sudden change in attitude on the part of the Sanaman forces on the island could only betoken one thing. Mengs was instructed to return immediately while the Council returned to its deliberations and urgently sought to put into motion its plans, such as they were, for the defence not only of Florencia but all of the United Isles.
Intervention
Between 9.15 p.m. and 10.30 p.m. gongs were sounded and horns blown in cacophonous alarm in temple courtyards throughout the length and breadth of the coastal communities of Florencia, in the prearranged invasion warning alarm - the din being taken up and spread still further by the sounding of crude sirens operated by the local civil defence committees and by the banging of pots and pans by teams of youths racing up and down the streets in relays, hollering at every passer-by and pounding on every accessible door with such enthusiasm as to raise the dead. Warning messages, and summonses for militia members were soon being widely shared across the island via the hand-held communications devices which had proliferated since the Kalirion Fracture.
The initial chaotic reaction to the alarm saw militia bands taking to the streets in Capitolia, Fucconara, Buccisi and Lapano, and further groups piling into trucks to drive out of town to secure the coastal artillery emplacements on the Saena, Pietra, and Scarponi. These last groups generated some stand-offs and uncertain fire fights with the watchmen raised by the inlanders to defend the boundaries of their communes. The reports of gunfire on the edge of city prompted the Council of the United Isles to proclaim a state of siege in Capitolia, a move mirrored by the thoroughly alarmed merchant guilds in cities and towns in coastal towns around the island as word, amplified by rumour, spread.
