Heckel-Cleves War (Pacifica)

Heckel-Cleves War
Part of the Elbonian Wars
The Battle of Nassoben, the bloodiest battle of the war
Date 4 March 1624 - 9 August 1688 Location Kingdom of Heckel, Kingdom of Cleves Result Hecklian victory Treaty of Rodenne Unification of Heckel and Cleves Declaration of the Elbonian Empire Territorial changes Annexation of Cleves into Heckel
Belligerents
Template:Country data Kingdom of Cleves	Template:Country data Kingdom of Heckel
Commanders and leaders
Josef II Vilhemm I Adolp I Conrad von Nassoben Erwin von Bissenne Johannes Bosh Kilian Graf Kurt Berger	Lutvig I Karol I Lutvig II Nomann Hosse Wolfgang Braun Gereon von Sommer Karol von Tossallin Bastian Kapsner
Strength
486,000	524,000
Casualties and losses
82,000 killed 91,000 wounded 111,000 captured	78,000 killed 94,500 wounded

The Heckel-Cleves War, known in Heckel as the Elbonian War of Unification, was a conflict between the Elbonian Kingdom of Heckel and the Elbonian Kingdom of Cleves. Lasting from 4 March 1624 to 9 August 1688, the war was caused primarily by Heckel's ambitions of becoming the main Elbonian power, the boiling rivalry between Heckel and Cleves from as early as the 14th century. The war became a part of the much larger Elbonian Wars, and the victory of Heckel paved the way for Elbonian domination from the 17th to 19th century.

Hecklian forces mobilized for war on 1 March, and Clevian forces returned the gesture the following day. Negotiations to end hostilities before war broke out occurred between 2 and 3 March, however historians believe that these negotiations were just a way so that Heckel could prepare further. Hecklian troops started the war by invading Cleves on 4 March 1624.

The war would continue for another 64 years, before finally seeing the end after the disastrous battle of Bissenne on 7 August 1688, which saw the capture of Clevian king Adolp I, alongside 84,000 of his men. Prince Erwin, alongside several of his men, crossed the border into Hohenland on the same day, to prevent themselves being captured by the Hecklian forces. King Adolp was then forced to sign the treaty of Rodenne on 9 August, which marked the end of the war.

The war's impact was one that would define Sugovian history for the next 2 centuries, hailing the period of the Elbonian Wars. The war also saw, for the first time, a unified Elbonian state, under the Hecklian dynasty.

Background

Rivalry between Heckel and Cleves

Before the war, the Elbonian peoples have never been unified under a single state or political entity. Most Elbonians felt more loyalty towards their tribes, and in time, these tribes became what were known as the Stem Duchies. While the other Almannic migrants also formed their own stem duchies, the Elbonians were noticeably late in adopting and dropping the system. In 1312, as the other duchies have formed into larger entities of their own, the Elbonian duchies remain divided by stem lines. However, between the 15th and 17th century, many of these duchies were consolidated until eventually only two of the original 16 duchies remained, the Clevians under the Kingdom of Cleves, and the Hecklians under the Kingdom of Heckel.

This longstanding blood feud between the Elbonian peoples were a massive driving force in Heckel-Cleves relationship, as both sides now believe that the other is blocking their path to unify Elbonia.

Hecklian ambitions

Despite both claiming that they would be the ones who would unify the Elbonias, historians agree that the Hecklians were far more motivated and ambitious compared to their Clevian counterparts.

Hecklian and Clevian mobilization

On 1 March, the Hecklian forces mobilized for war. It was unclear what caused the sudden mobilization as many contemporary sources have different reasonings they got from hearsays. The gesture was answered by Cleves a few hours later when they also mobilized their forces, meaning both kingdoms were ready for war.

Between 2-3 March, both sides tried to diffuse the situations via negotiations.

Timeline of the war

The Seven Years, coronation of Vilhemm I to the XX (1655-1662)

Main article: The Seven Years (Pacifica)

The Battle of Nassoben would mark the first turning point in the war. The constantly shifting back-and-forth between Heckel and Cleves would be broken by Clevian victory at Nassoben, beginning a period known as the Seven Years, where, for a brief moment, Cleves reigned supreme over all of Elbonia. Following his victory at Nassoben, Vilhemm I led a campaign up and down the Elbonian plains and disturbed Hecklian supply lines.

Aftermath

Elbonian ultimatum to Hohenland

Following the unification of Elbonia, many Clevian loyalists fled in the cover of night to the neighboring kingdom of Hohenland. Many in the Elbonian Empire saw this as an act of aggression and sent an ultimatum to Hohenland. Due to the demands, including allowing Elbonian troops into Hohenlander soil, were too much, the Hohenlander kingdom rejected the ultimatum, starting the Hohenlander War.