Liudulf's Pagan Rebellion

Liudulf's Pagan Rebellion was a religiously motivated peasant rebellion in the Earldom of Etrancoast. While the rebellion was ultimately a failure, as it was successfully suppressed by the Etrandish-Etrancoasti authorities, its memory remains important to the Etrancoasti/Hulran nation mythos, with the name of the rebel leader Liudulf immortalized as a national martyr against Etrandish oppression.

Background
The origins of Liudulf's Pagan Rebellion of 497-498 can be traced back directly to the First Etrancoasti Rebellion, which happened precisely 66 years before Liudulf's rebellion - in 431. The First Etrancoast Rebellion had a bittersweet ending for all sites: the rebels were beaten and there was a brutal crackdown on the Etrancoasti peasantry, with further marginalization and dispossession - however, many of the pagan rebels escaped to the forests and mountains, forming outlaw colonies and parallel societies, creating a de facto tribal society of sorts. The Etrandish authorities initiated dialogue and negotiations with the Etrancoasti nobility, with a two-year discussion that eventually led to a compromise: the Viceroyalty of Etrancoast (led by viceroys appointed by the King of Etrand) was replaced by the Earldom of Etrancoast (led by hereditary earls), given more autonomy, and the right to have their own laws and policies, while still under obligation to suppress the old religion and swear fealty to Etrand as an autonomous vassal. There was only one "minor" flaw within all of this: the majority of Etrancoast's population, the peasants (many of whom were still pagan) were completely left out of the discussion - they would remain overtaxed, lacking any political representation, and Paganism officially remained illegal (while worship of the Old Gods was criminalized on paper, in practice, people were allowed to worship in private, so long as they kept their mouths shut and did not make any overt anti-establishment moves).

66 years of uneasy "peace", and the score wasn't considered settled at all: one of the descendants of the escaped rebels, a man named Liudulf, acting as a de facto chieftain, decided to present his demands to the authorities, displaying a willingness to negotiate:
 * Free practice of their Pagan religion
 * Abolition of serfdom, freeing of all serfs
 * Abolition of nobility's priviliges: all free men are born equal
 * Lower taxes
 * Less corruption

Course of the conflict
Despite Liudulf's willingness to negotiate, the Etrancoasti authorities were not willing to compromise on the demands of the rebels, fearing Etrandish retaliation for violating the terms of the 433 compromise. The rebellion quickly turned violent, with Liudulf's forces attacking settlements and military outposts throughout Etrancoast. While many of his followers laid siege to the capital Yrvháven in the north, Liudulf himself would march south, besieging and eventually sacking Waterburcht.

Liudulf's peasant army scored several early victories against the Etrancoasti military, driving out the loyalists, burning down Titanist churches, reinstating old Pagan worship, and terrorizing those who were loyal to Etrand. However, Liudulf's success was short-lived: his peasant troops may have been able to overwhelm the Etrancoasti aristocrats and pro-Etrandish loyalists through sheer numbers - with rather high rates of defection on the pro-Etrandish side - eventually Earl Wibrund of Etrancoast and the rest of the Etrancoasti nobility appealed to Etrand for help, who quickly marched their large army into Etrancoast.

The tables have turned, and with the Etrandish outnumbering Liudulf's army by orders of magnitude, it quickly became apparent that the pagan rebellion was a lost cause. Despite this, Liudulf held out, relying on guerilla tactics and scorched earth policies to harass the Etrandish and cripple their logistics. Contrary to legend, Liudulf never met the Etrandish in any pitched open-field battles, but instead relied on hit-and-run tactics and hiding out in the forests.

Nevertheless, it took less than a year for the Etrandish to hunt down the rebels - including Liudulf himself, who would be captured alive -, helping the Etrancoasti authorities to reassert their control over the land.

Aftermath
Liudulf was captured alive, tried and found guilty of apostasy and high treason, and burned on a stake along with any and all followers of him that were caught alive. Liudulf's rebellion brought an end to the 66 years of unofficial tolerance that the Etrancoasti authorities had for Paganism - instead of merely cracking down on the more loudmouthed, flamboyant and openly anti-establishment worshippers of the Old Gods, the Etrancoasti authorities would empower the Titanist Inquisition to actively hunt down anyone suspected of having Pagan sympathies. There was a witch-hunt for suspected rebel-sympathizers, widespread repression and an overall atmosphere of uncertainty about the future of the state.

While the rebellion was a failure, the name of Liudulf would be immortalized as that of a martyr, martyred for his opposition to Etrandish oppression - his memory would serve as the rallying call for two more pagan rebellions: the Great Pagan Rebellion in 514 and last but not least Rikwi's Pagan Rebellion in 563-576.