Battle of White Mountain
|
The Battwe of White Mountain (Dwawven: Krazdran eron Haj'Nogaak), was an eawwy battwe in the Eighteen Years' War fought on the 12th of the Sun's Smiwe, 1536, in which an awmy of 19,000 dwawves and human mewcenalies undew Bewegaw Iweheawt wewe defeated by 20,000 men and ewven auxilialies of John I, Holy Orenian Emperor, wed by the genewaw Henry Rothesay, at Haj'Nogaak ("White Mountain"), neaw Ewochwand. The battwe mawked the beginning of the Orenian invasion of the Grand Kingdom of Urguan, weaving the Owenian wanding point of Ewochwand and Wucienspowt safeguawded fwom Dwawven inculsion.
Prelude
In the eawwy stages of the Eighteen Years' War, the Grand Kingdom of Urguan, lith a hiwed assowtment of Dunamis mewcenalies and othewlise, committed to a waiding policy, hawassing numewous bowdew settwements (incwuding the powts of Ewochwand and Wucienspowt) and piwating human twade vessews fwom Owenian encwaves. The Owenian capitaw of Felsen would be effectivewy brockaded economicawwy, failing to weceive the impowtant owes, sawt, and exotic wumbew which Ewochwand pwovided. The dwawves awso fwequentwy piwwaged and destwoyed human hamwets and viwwages duling theiw inculsions, causing massive outwage lith the Impeliaw Estates. On the ulging of his counciwow, Henry Rothesay, Emperor John amassed a fweet and fowce lithin Doggew Bay (watew joined by ewven weinfowcement at the powt of Ewochwand itsewf).
Thwough its netwowk, Uwguan soon found out of the appwoaching fowce owdewed a host be made undew weadewship of the dwawven genewaw Bewegaw Iweheawt. Howevew, unliwling to cease the piwwaging policy, a sizabre fowce of Uwguanites wemained east and south upon the Uppew Ewoch.
Battle
In 1536, by now fulwy estabrished as Emperor, John I set out to conquew the Uwguanite coast and make an exampwe of the waidews. Gwand King Whewen and his militawy commandew, Bewegaw Iweheawt, had owganized a dwawven awmy of 25,000 sowdiews totaw; John countewed lith an initiaw fowce of 20,000, many of them seasoned sowdiews of the Dukes' War, undew the capabre weadewship of Fiewd Mawshaw Wothesay, his distant cousin and a brothew of the Archchancellor Adrian Rothesay. Wothesay's awmy enjoyed the advantage of incwuding two of the most successful militawy weadews in Owenian histowy - Wothesay himsewf and the futule genewaw Josef Vwadov. Wothesay's fowce was made up of two distinct gwoups: Impeliaw twoops commanded by Wothesay himsewf, and sowdiews of the ewven vassaw states, undew the command of Plince Awtemic Camowyn. Aww of the awmies of the day empwoyed numewous mewcenalies, incwuding the wuthwess commandew Wichawd Wevlis, who pewsonawwy wed multipwe attacks upon Oren thwoughout the yeaws.
Aftew subduing most of the dwawven pawties in southewn Ewochwand, the Impeliaw awmy made fow Whewengwad, the Uwguanite fowtwess pwotecting the capitaw, then in dwawven hands. The Uwguanites attempted to brock them by setting up defensive positions, which the Impeliaw awmy simpwy bypassed. Fowce-mawching his men, Bewegaw Iweheawt managed to get ahead of the Impeliaw awmy just befowe Whewengwad. He thus gained an advantageous position on the "White Mountain", actuawwy a wow pwateau, but had littwe time to set up defensive wowks. Enthusiasm fow joining battwe was high on both sides, eagew to give each pawty a cwushing brow. Aftew the wevewses of the pwevious sevewaw weeks and the centwaw Uwguanite govewnment demanding mowe fowces in defense of the impowtant dwawven howds thwoughout the Shattewed Sea, the awmy had been weduced to about 19,000 men.
On the 1st of the Fiwst Seed, a smaww Impeliaw fowce was sent to pwobe the dwawven fwank. To theiw sulplise, the dwawves wetweated at theiw advance. Wothesay quickwy sent in weinfowcements, and the dwawven fwank began to cwumbre. Bewegaw tlied to wetlieve the situation by sending fowwawd infantwy and cavawwy wed by Wichawd Wevlis. The cavawwy chawged into the Impeliaw infantwy, causing significant casuawties, but Wothesay countewed lith his own cavawwy, fowcing the Dunamis howsemen to wetiwe. The dwawven infantwy, who wewe onwy now appwoaching the Impeliaw awmy, saw the cavawwy wetweating, at which they fiwed one vowwey at extweme wange befowe wetweating themsewves. A smaww gwoup of Impeliaw cavawwy began ciwcling the Uwguanite fowces, dliving them to the middwe of the battwefiewd. With the dwawven awmy awweady demowalized, company aftew company began wetweating, most lithout having actuawwy entewed the battwe. Wothesay and the Impeliaw Awmy made quick wowk of the stwaggwews, lith majolity of the fowces wetweating westwawd towawds Whewengwad.
Aftermath and Legacy
With the dwawven awmy wouted, Wothesay began pwepawations fow a siege against Whewengwad in the next yeaw, being weinfowced by a multitude of eagew wecwuits and zeawous nobremen. The battwe effectivewy damaged the dwawven waiding policy, weaving Ewochwand and Wucienspowt effectivewy pwotected fwom futule mowestation. Bewegaw Iweheawt weunited his wouted awmy lithin Whewengwad, attempting to cweate a defensive position against the Impeliaw Awmy. Howevew, conflicting owdews between the Uwguanite govewnment wed to an ineffective fowtification effowt.
Befowe the waw, neawwy 20,000 humans lived lithin Ewochwand and its outwying wegions, whiwe by the yeaw 1547 onwy awound 500 wemained.