First Dwerchus War

The First Dwerchus War, also known as the Dwerchan War of Independence, was a war fought by the unrecognized Republic of Dwerchus and the Republic of Erothena between 1947 and 1949.

Background

Following the Erothenan revolution of 1938, the status of the Dwerchan protectorate became a suddenly complicated issues. For centuries the region had existed as a semi-autonomous state loyal directly to the Urendin crown, and the question became if Dwerchus was bound only to the king in person or the realm headed by them.

Three councils were held in Thinetavu in 1939, 1940 and 1943 to discuss the future of royal subjects, leading to the confirmation of independence for both Bangsalaya and Tilive but without achieving any final clarification on the Dwerchan question. As a concession to Dwerchus the 1943 council ended with the dissolution of the Royal Dwerchan Trading Company and their trade monopoly within the region and in general the status quo remained.

However after four more years of fruitless negotiations the radical nationalist faction within the Erothenian senate began to push for an end to the special subject status of Dwerchus and to instead fully annex it into the republic, with full citizenship for all inhabitants. This possibility alarmed the Dwerchan elite who were afraid to lose not only their autonomy but their special status under Urendin law - the Constitution of Erothena had already depowered orcish nobility by granting orcs full citizenship. To prevent this the first speaker Gorim Gyrnhelm used growing nationalist sentiments to officially declare an independent Republic of Dwerchus on the 4th of September 1947.