Tennish War of Independence

The Tennish War of Independence (1806-1812), otherwise known as the Tennish Front of the Hundred Years' War, was initiated by the Gaelic regions of the Holy Empire of Middle Vesperia as a result of their objection to being drafted to fight on behalf of Vazandia against the Empire of Grand Acronia.

Background and Political Developments
After 92 years of fighting between Acronia and the Holy Empire, both sides were nearly broke, and Vazandia became increasingly reliant on galvanizing resources from Volgaria and Tenburg to keep its forces strong. This resulted in fierce opposition and unrest, and when Vazandia responded with punitive measures against the Tennish, the Underground Parliament was formed in 1804 to formally demand allowance of secession from the Empire. When Vazandia refused, Michael Pierce met in secret with Emperor Alphonsus II to secure both trade a military alliance.

War Breaks Out
Fighting broke out on 13 June 1806 when the Vazandian garrison at Glandore were dispatched to County Breffny in search of the Underground Parliament, and were met with resistance from Breffish militia. In July, the Parliament voted to appoint a commander to form Tenburg's first army. Their candidate was Lieutenant-General Eamonn McCollugh, at that time a general in the Imperial Army, but privately a rebel sympathizer. Upon meeting with Fiona Mac Ateer, a rebel spy, McCollugh accepted the command in secrecy, and fled the Vazandian army on the night of 1 August 1806, followed only by his most trusted officers and soldiers, "but perhaps a dozen in all". The news of his departure was a public relations disaster for the Empire, and suddenly, Tennish draftees were deserting the army by the hundreds every week. As one Vazandian officer noted in his journal, "They take with them only their guns and their bread". In September, Marshal Henri de Villenueve was dispatched to oversee McCollugh's growing army, along with three brigades of Acronian infantry, and he was "aghast" at his findings, as he reported in a letter to the Emperor: "These men are not soldiers, but rabble; undisciplined, rowdy and violent. They are dirty, with a sickening odor; most do not even have shoes, let alone uniforms." The feeling was mutual, as McCollugh wrote in his journal: "He is pretentious, arrogant, and obnoxious; I suspect he has not endured a hard day's work in his entire life." He went so far as to question Acronia's commitment to the Tennish cause, asking:"Is [Villenueve] truly the best they could send, or simply the best they could afford to lose?"

Battle of Glendalough
The first major battle of the war was the Battle of Glendalough on 15 October 1806, when Imperial force marched on the Army of Breffny outside of Glendalough, County (something). Many Vazandian aristocrats and politicians, believing the battle would be a quick victory, rode from Glandore and picnicked on a hill to the right and rear of the Imperial line. The Empire had the upper hand at first, almost surrounding the Tennish-Acronian line. But a gallant charge by Tennish Col. Colin MacGregor and his Highlanders captured the Imperial guns and turned them against their own. It is here where the "rebel yell" was first heard. As Villenueve wrote in his journal: "Then arose to my ears the most demonic of screams; the whole army seemed to sing a song from Hell herself, all at once." The sudden turn of events sent the Imperials into confusion. The Imperial right flank was compromised, and the Acronian 2nd Infanterie were sent to take the hill upon which the picnickers sat. One spectator wrote, "They arose like ghouls from the smoke... we left the food and ran for our lives." Once they took the hill, the Tennish left flank swung around and faced down on the Imperial right, affecting many casuaties and forcing a rout. The result was an astounding victory, and the Vazandians knew they had a serious enemy in the Tennish.