The 2850 Military Coup

The 2850 Military Coup was a coup d'etat and a turning point in the history of the Kingdom of Mittelrijk, occuring in the year 2850 and taking place in the capital city of Karlerburg. During the coup, members of the Mittelrijkian Rejuvenation Movement working with the military, led by Prince Gustaf III, seized power in the capital, ousting the prince's older brother King Henrik IV from the throne, and taking over the Kingdom of Mittelrijk. The event was a decisive moment in Mittelrijk's history, signalling the beginning of Mittelrijk striking out on its own as a new power, and as a result the waning influence and control the Conoilithian Empire held over Eithlith.

BACKGROUND
For much of its history, ever since the founding and expansion of the Conoilithian Empire, Mittelrijk had been little more than a vassalating ally and client state to its northern neighbour, which was vastly superior in wealth and military power. This state of affairs persisted for well over 6 centuries. Over time, however, cracks began to show in the image of Conoilithian supremacy; the devastating First Conoilithian Revolution and the smaller Second Conoilithian Revolution exposed the weaknesses of the Conoilithian Empire to the Mittelrijkians, and the myth of Conoilithian invincibility was put into question. Additionally, money had been taken away from public funds in Mittelrijk in order to pay the tithe, and many of the dikes in the west of the country had fallen into disrepair and collapse, causing several floods. Thousands were displaced, and were forced to move into the cities. Poor weather also meant that not enough food was available for the growing urban population, and Mittelrijk had lost its monopoly over trade in the eastern sea. Not enough government funds could be diverted to opening up soup kitchens and providing housing for them. A group of Mittelrijkian nationalists, predicting that the Conoilithian Empire would soon fall, decided that it was time to take action, and formed the Mittelrijkian Rejuvenation Movement.

The Mittelrijkian Rejuvenation Movement (MRM) was very popular among members of the upper class and nobility, and the Mittelrijkian Royal Army, who felt that they were subservient to the Conoilithian Empire; among the lower classes, it failed to gain as much traction, as the working class was either complacent despite their difficult situation, or simply clueless as to a solution fro their problems. It was founded and headed by Ziel Hondelar, a wealthy gentleman who owned an estate in the countryside, alongside Maurice Kolk, a silver mine magnate in the north; they enjoyed the fervent support of Field Marshal Heinz Klauserwitz, the commander of the Royal Army at the time. Among the MRM's upper-class endorsers was Prince Gustaf III, a popular figure among the military and people, who was persuaded to join the ranks of the MRM during a dinner he had with their leaders, as he was interested in learning more about their movement. Many generals in the Royal Army had also secretly joined the MRM, and many of the officers and troops under them also supported and endorsed the MRM's ideas for a variety of reasons.

The MRM sought to create a strong, independent and self-reliant Mittelrijk, free from foreign influence of any sort and capable of defending its borders and projecting its newfound power internationally with a powerful military. They promised to improve education in Mittelrijk, both to ensure Mittelrijk would advance and develop in the fields of technology and culture, and also to commit more funding and attention to the military, and crack down on corruption in the process.The MRM's promises of development, power and international influence was enticing to many Mittelrijkian patriots, nobles and military personnel, as opposed to King Henrik IV's policy of continuing Mittelrijk's attitude of appeasement towards the Conoilithian Empire.

DAY ONE
On the first day of the coup, troops in Karlerburg’s Royal Army garrison woke up at dawn and prepared for the coup. A cover-up story had been made, claiming that the Royal Army would be marching through the city streets in a sort of impromptu parade. When a company of soldiers marched out of the barracks at 9:30, they were dressed in full parade uniform, with a band of musicians leading them; however, their muskets were loaded, but not cocked. Other units remained on standby, ready to assist the troops on parade if resistance from the palace guard was too strong for them to handle. The soldiers paraded from their barracks through the city, moving towards the Royal Palace. At 10:15, Prince Gustaf III sat down to meet with his older brother King Henrik IV for morning tea. However, Gustaf had invited leading members of the MRM to the morning tea, and eventually they decided to confront Henrik. It was at this point that Hondelar pulled out his pistol, declaring that they would be seizing power, requesting Henrik IV to give them his support and abdicate. However, Henrik IV called for the guards, and a struggle ensued.

At 10:30, Hondelar's pistol went off accidentally, grazing Henrik IV on the cheek, and the palace guard commander gave the order to use lethal force on the MRM leaders. Gustaf and the conspirators fled; at the same time, the Royal Army regulars assigned to the parade had arrived outside the palace, and, hearing gunshots from within, they readied their muskets and began forming a firing line facing the palace. When the prince and the MRM leaders came running out of the palace trying to flee from the guards, the coup soldiers fired on their pursuers, allowing Gustaf and the MRM leaders to escape. The palace guard soon gathered in strength however, and the regular soldiers were unable to attack and capture the palace, instead blockading the streets surrounding it and bringing out artillery. At noon, light cannons arrived, but the coup soldiers did not open fire, as Gustaf was afraid of the collateral damage it would cause.

Word soon got out of the events which had happened, and soon much of the city was in confusion and panic. Under the belief that either the soldiers or the palace guards had gone rogue, in some neighbourhoods the citizenry formed militias with the police, and barricades were constructed. In response to this, fearing an armed revolt, the entire city garrison, consisting of a full regiment was mobilised, with more troops being sent to reinforce the siege around the palace, and to suppress any uprising. The capital was blockaded, and military patrols frequented the streets, but there was no fighting for the rest of the day, except for occasional shots being exchanged outside the palace.

However, at 18:30, disgruntled members of the populace began a protest in front of one of the blockades. With tempers running short, and a group of alcohol-fuelled protesters, a brawl soon began, forcing the soldiers to open fire. They initially fired blank rounds, hoping to make the crowd disperse. This was successful, until the protesters returned 10 minutes later, armed with bricks and stones and a militia group protecting them. A skirmish ensued, ending in the soldiers firing into the crowd with live rounds; over 17 were killed and dozens more injured in the narrow confines of the street. The protesters withdrew, but all over the city barricades were built and militias were armed. At 21:00, an attempt to exact revenge on the Royal Army regulars on sentry duty at the blockade came in the form of a night-time assault, ending in more troops driving away the militia, although with 3 soldiers killed and 7 wounded. There was no more fighting for the rest of the night.

DAY TWO
The militia which had attacked the blockade was traced back to Wagenfahrerstrasse, a neighbourhood in the west of the city, and soldiers were given the order to flush out the militia (this order applied only to the Wagenfahrerstrasse militia; no other militias had yet participated in fighting). At 5:00, a company of regulars charged the barricades, but were repelled by strong resistance from the rebels, with bricks being thrown from the rooftops. The company returned with light artillery pieces, and threatened to start firing their cannons into the street; whether this threat was explicitly ordered by Royal Army generals, or made in the heat of the moment is still debated. The militia surrendered, and their leaders were quickly lynched by angry soldiers.

At the same time, the palace guard attempted to sally out of the Royal Palace, and a firefight ensued; eventually, however, the palace guard retreated back into the palace. By now the rest of Mittelrijk had heard about the coup, and a few Royal Army regiments were already assembling with the intention to march on the capital and suppress the MRM and its military supporters. However, the influence of the MRM on Mittelrijkian army command was so great that many high-ranking officers refused to have their units moved. Nevertheless, 2 infantry regiments and 1 cavalry battalion still loyal to Henrik IV had been mobilised, and were advancing towards Karlerburg.

For the rest of the day, the siege on the Royal Palace continued, with occasional firefights breaking out between small groups of soldiers. The palace guard had prepared an attempt for the king to escape through a rear gate, planning to hide him among a group of the palace staff leaving the building, with the hope that the army regulars would let them pass and return to their homes, but coup soldiers refused to give permission. Nobody was allowed to leave the palace until either the guard surrendered, or it was taken by force.

In the late afternoon and evening, the situation among Karlerburg’s population was getting tenser. Many militias were incensed by the treatment of what they called the ‘Wagenfahrerstrasse Street Uprising’, while others were afraid of the consequences, and lay down their arms.