Cattalian War of Independence

The Cattalian War of Independence (1917-1918), also called the Winter Uprising and the Cattalian Revolution, was a guerilla war fought by the army of the Principality of Celestine alongside pro-monarchist and nationalist militias in Cattala against the Italian Government and its forces in Cattala.

Background
Cattala had been ruled as a colony by the British between 1815 and 1861, until it was attacked and occupied by a surprise Italian invasion, from the sea and by nationalists landing in the north. Cattala had been fiercely independent of Italy for centuries, and the population did not support Italian rule.

An insurrection by Crown Prince Amadeus, heir to the Cattalian throne, led to a compromise and he was granted the Principality of Celestine in return for ending the guerilla conflict against Italy in 1861. His government was controlled by Italy and he had little control over matters of state.

Amadeus and his son, Prince Roger both used their own private wealth to invest and construct plans for the reunification of their lost kingdom, the rest of which was ruled by a President in Calora, a puppet of the Italian state. It was Prince William who used this extensive personal wealth to militarise a private army for the Principality between 1910 and 1914. He persuaded the President that it was simply for his protection as the threat of war intensified in Europe.

Around 100,000 Cattalian soldiers were killed or disappeared during the First World War. This placed severe pressure on the island's farming communities and saw food prices and labour costs rise extraordinarily throughout the war, peaking in June 1917. Crowned Radicals encouraged Prince William to use the chaos to create a revolution in Jennai and Fieranti, akin to that ongoing in Russia, which would allow the principality to sweep eastwards and restore full control. Crowned Nationalists opposed this, claiming it could risk the toppling of the monarchy altogether, as would eventually happen in Russia.

The Conservative Party of Cattala was born out of the political strife in Celestine and began backing armed insurgency against Italian rule. Sir Walter Crawton, a landowning baron from the edges of the principality, financed both the political party and the Proel Army, a militia named after the Latin for "Fight".

Wheat Riots
On the 12th December 1917, rioting broke out in Cape Point and Almae, two towns in the rural, agricultural Lessito Province of Italian-ruled Cattala. Farmers and merchants clashed over the price of wheat and the Carabinieri were called in. 13 people were killed during the clashes.

Rioting spread to Jennai and Calora once news of the violent police reaction reached the cities. Wheat prices spiralled and bread at one point cost more than a bottle of champagne. The army were called onto the street and 32 people died during violence in both cities.

In Celeste, wheat had been stored and additional supplies imported during the crisis to ensure prices remained stable. Refugees began arriving from the border regions, where looting and police brutality by Italian officers was reported.

Calora Insurrection
The rioting continued until the 16th December, when a general strike was called by the City Council of Calora, which was anti-Italian. Police and Army operations in the city ground to a near halt as city officials and citizens began actively blocking roads and refusing to serve or assist the Italian military and the puppet government.

Crawton's Proel Army had been heavily armed over the summer and was ordered onto the streets of Calora by their leadership in Celeste. Calora quickly descended into urban, guerilla warfare and the Italian forces were overwhelmed by the Proel Army and untrained civilian militias as well. By Christmas Day, the city was captured by nationalist forces and the President of Cattala was forced to flee to Jennai.

Italian Counter-offensive
Despite the Principality of Celestine declaring it played no role in the insurrection, Italy accused it of arming the rebels, which it had done indirectly. Italy began border skirmishes, breaking the rules of the Celestine Treaty, and Italian troops were spotted nearing Celestine by the Prince's military plane.

The Principality declared its support for the Calora Insurrection and pledged to openly arm the rebel militias. Fighting broke out in all major towns and cities, and the Proel Army was relieved of duty in Calora by the Celestinian army. By the 1st January 1918, two of Cattala's major cities were under royalist control and the war was going well for the nationalists.