First Etrancoasti Rebellion

The First Etrancoasti Rebellion was an at least partially religiously motivated peasant rebellion in the Earldom of Etrancoast.

Background
The years 273-274 AEKE saw the Hulran Invasion of Etrand - while the Kingdom of Hulra initially had the upper hand and besieged Grandfolk itself, eventually, the Kingdom of Etrand completely turned the war around, and counterattacked so hard, that they ended up putting all of Hulra under complete Etrandish military occupation. There were debates and varying opinions within the royal court about the eventual fate of Hulra, but eventually, the camp that won out was the one that favoured reorgnanizing Hulra into the Viceroyalty of Etrancoast, a semi-autonomous province of Etrand, with the eventual goal of full integration into Etrand.

However the material costs of rebuilding Hulra/Etrancoast, and the following the 159-years (274-433, whole existence of the Viceroyalty) military occupation proved to be rather costly, with one hundred percent of the burden falling on the Etrandish royal coffers, which had to be financed mostly through taxation. Due to the amount of burden Etrancoast was on the Etrandish budget and manpower, the government at many times hinted and teased at the possibility of loosening the leash, increasing Etrancoast's autonomy, or even letting go of Etrancoast completely. Indeed, Etrand even appointed two native Etrancoasti citizens - Archbishop Rikwi Carthan between 376-409 and Thonmir Bevoltr between 409-430 respectively - as the viceroys of Etrancoast. However, true independence - or even any noticeable loosening of the leash - was yet to happen. In fact, it didn't even happen at all.

At the time, the "independence movement" in Etrancoast was divided into two rival factions, with the latter being further subdivided into more moderate and radical elements. The nobles wanted more autonomy, and to be represented by a leader of their own choosing, rather than someone appointed by the King of Etrand. The peasants on the other hand existed on a spectrum of moderates and radicals: the moderates would have been happy with a laxer religious policy (tolerance for Human Paganism, as opposed to the previous policy of forced proselytization), lower taxes and some kind of political representation for the peasantry - in contrast, the radicals on the other hand wouldn't have been satisfied with anything less than the reinstatement of the Kingdom of Hulra, and sticking the heads of the appeasers on pikes. While the authorities showed some degree of openness to negotiating with the nobles, the idea of even acknowledging the self-appointed peasant leaders (let alone inviting them to the negotiations) was completely out of the question.

Instead, in 430, Etrand appointed Ladislaus Mirembald as the military governor of Etrancoast, making him the de facto Viceroy, and giving him the state's blessings to use any and all tools at his disposal to "do what he must to the heathens", to fabricate an excuse and manufacture consent for a violent crackdown on the pagan peasants. And thus, Mirembald would send agent provocateurs to infiltrate the peasant movements and empower the radicals at the expense of the moderates, provoking them into staging an uprising that the Etrandish military could be deployed to crush. followed by drastic measures.

Course of the conflict
The conflict began in 431 AEKE, when the radical peasant faction, instigated by agent provocateurs, staged a rebellion against the Etrandish occupation. The rebels were mostly armed with farm tools and improvised weapons, but they had the advantage of fighting on familiar terrain and were highly motivated by their religious beliefs, using mainly guerilla tactics.

At first, the Etrancoasti rebels managed to score some minor victories, attacking isolated Etrandish outposts and disrupting supply lines. However, their lack of military training and equipment soon became apparent, as they suffered heavy losses in pitched battles against better-equipped Etrandish forces, who also had the advantage of numbers. The Etrandish also employed scorched-earth tactics, burning crops and villages to deprive the rebels of resources and shelter.

Despite some initial setbacks, the rebels continued to resist for almost the entire year, engaging in hit-and-run tactics and ambushes, while avoiding direct confrontation with Etrandish forces. However, the Etrandish eventually gained the upper hand, thanks to their superior numbers, tactics, and resources. In the end, the rebellion was crushed, with many rebels either killed, captured, or forced to flee to the wilderness.

Aftermath
The aftermath of the rebellion was brutal and far-reaching, and also a complex and multifaceted situation. The Etrandish military carried out mass executions and forced deportations of rebel sympathizers, in order to quell any further unrest. Entire villages were razed to the ground, and survivors were either enslaved or forced to convert to Titanism.

While there were brutal crackdowns on the Etrancoasti peasantry (becoming further marginalized and dispossessed) and arrests of anyone suspected of being a rebel sympathizer, the Etrandish rulers decided to also appease the Etrancoasti nobility as a counterbalancing measure: negotiations were initiated, and after two years of discussion, a compromise was reached. Etrancoast was given more autonomy, led by a hereditary earl - the Earldom of Etrancoast - instead of a royally appointed viceroy (the Viceroyalty of Etrancoast). The province could now have its own laws and policies, although it was still required to suppress the old religion and swear fealty to the crown of Etrand as an autonomous vassal. The Etrandish military would gradually withdraw from Etrancoast, bringing an end to over one and a half century of perpetual military occupation and de facto martial law - however, this would also mean that the burden of suppressing any future rebellion would fall on the native Etrancoasti authorities and their military.

Despite this compromise, the rebellion had a lasting impact on Etrandish society and politics, with some factions advocating for even more repressive policies towards the Etrancoasti and other subject peoples. The memory of the rebellion and the perceived threat of internal dissent continued to haunt the Etrandish ruling elite for generations to come, and this would not be the last time the Old Gods would show their faces in a violent manner: Liudulf's Pagan Rebellion in 497-498, the Great Pagan Rebellion in 514 and last but not least Rikwi's Pagan Rebellion in 563-576 would all prove, that the Old Gods weren't quite dead yet, and that the dream of an independent Hulra would live on.

While officially, the pagan religion would remain illegal, in practice, the new policy was that everyone could privately worship whoever they wanted in the privacy of their own home, if they kept their mouths shut and did not make any overt anti-establishment moves, with only occasional visits from the Inquisition to worry about. This policy of uneasy religious "peace" would last until Liudulf's Pagan Rebellion.