War of Imperial Restoration

The War of Imperial Restoration was fought between forces loyal to the Emperor of Shenewa and those loyal to the Warlords who had de facto ruled the country since 1908.It ended with the reinstatement of the Emperor as the de facto ruler over all of Shenewa and introduction of Shenewa's first constitution.

=The Palace Coup= The Wars of Imperial restoration began with a palace coup on February the 18th 1943. Since the beginning of the warlord states period, the commanders of the Imperial Guard had been complicit in keeping the Emperor in his role as little more than a figurehead, being rewarded handsomely in bribes by the warlords for it. Many of their subordinates were in no hurry to change this arrangement, content to live out their days as ceremonial soldiers in the comforts of the capital. However, in the 35 years since the warlords took power, a movement had taken root amongst junior officers of The Guard, the (?). This group of officer believe that Shenewa was being held back by the greed and conflicts of the warlords. Looking to other states in Avalonia and the progress they had made whilst Shenewa had stagnated, they determined that only an Imperial Restoration and reform of government could place Shenewa back to its rightful place. On February the 18th, these officers led their men in a palace coup, arresting or killing the commanders of the Imperial Guard and those who stayed loyal to them. This done, they presented the Emperor with a choice: sign the Constitution which they had drafted and lead them against the warlords or step down in place of his young son. Faced with this, the Emperor signed the constitution, agreeing to advisory elections and the abolition of the system of military governorship put in place by the First Emperor.

The Emperor then issued a proclamation: all officers of his army would swear an oath to uphold the provisions of the new constitution or be guilty of treason and face execution. However, much of the country was de facto ruled by the Warlords and they had no reason or desire to abide by the laws of this constitution. The Emperor's writ still extended little further than the limits of the capital and he had few professional soldiers, relying on the loyal elements of the Imperial Guard. Consequently, many Warlords saw this writ as yet another meaningless piece of paper from the palace, nothing to interrupt their own affairs for. =The Naval Mutiny= =Opening Campaigns= =(Placeholder)= =Imperial Restoration= =Aftermath=