Fifty Years ' War The Fifty Years ' War is a conflict from " Final Fantasy Tactics " that happened before the game ' s start and was fought between Ivalice and Ordallia , its neighboring kingdom to the east . At the end of the war , many peasant soldiers were denied their pay , leading to the formation of the Corpse Brigade . Origin . Ivalice was ruled by King Denamda II , while its neighboring kingdom , Ordallia , was ruled by King Devanne III . Ivalice was defended by the Order of the Northern Sky Knights , led by Ramza ' s father , Barbaneth Beoulve , and the Order of the Southern Sky Knights led by Cidolfus Orlandeau . Another squad , the Order of the Eastern Sky , also served Ivalice under the leadership of Goffard Gaffgarion . Gustav Margriff and Wiegraf Folles served within the Order of the Northern Sky . Strife erupted at Zelmonia , a once independent province near to Ivalice ' s border and now under Ordallian rule . About a century ago , Ordallia invaded and assimilated Zelmonia . Ivalice had secretly provided means to weaken Ordallia ; however , the Zelmonian nobles decided to petition for King Denamda ' s direct intervention . King Devanne III died without naming a successor . His cousin Varoi VI was named as successor , but King Denamda II proclaimed himself as rightful heir , being Devanne ' s uncle , and declared war against Ordallia . Events . The Viura Campaign . King Denamda II led the Ivalice army towards the Ordallian capital of Viura . On their way , knights of the three Orders fought valiantly , winning battle after battle . As they were reaching the Ordallian border , King Denamda II fell ill and died soon after , never able to return to his kingdom . The Ivalician army became lost and confused due to their leader ' s death and used as an opportunity for Ordallia to strengthen their army and defend the Ordallian borders . The war was fought fiercely , reaching a stalemate . A successor to Denamda II , Denamda IV , was pulled to the throne to replace his father . Romanda ' s invasion . During the stalemate , Romanda ' s armies crossed the Rhana Strait in an invasion upon Ivalice . Romanda is a military nation ruled by King Varoi VI ' s blood relative . King Denamda IV and his Ivalician army held off the invasion through the aid of Fovoham ' s ruler , Grand Duke Gerrith Barrington , and his assassination squad Khamja . After three years of fighting Romanda retreated . King Denamda IV was a fearless warrior who personally led his armies in battles against the combined forces of Romanda and Ordallia . The outbreak of Black Death within Romanda also led to their retreat . Denamda IV ' s death . With Romanda ' s retreat , Ivalice continued on with the war against Ordallia . Denamda IV died suddenly , believed to be assassinated . He was succeeded by King Ondoria Atkascha III , although the king was a weak - willed man and unfit to rule , and all his decisions being made by Queen Louveria . Ordalia ' s ruler Varoi VI also died , and was replaced by Prince Lennard . Due to Ondoria ' s weakness , Ordallia forced Ivalice to cease fighting . Ivalice ' s surrender . The last battle between Ivalice and Ordallia took place in Zeltennia , and though the Knights of the Orders fought bravely , Ordallia invaded Zeltennia . Ivalice and Ordallia agreed to a mutual peace treaty though whispers persist that in reality , Ivalice had surrendered . Aftermath . After the Fifty Years ' War Ivalice suffered a great loss as the people harbored ill feelings and dissatisfaction to the nobles and the royal family who placed them in the meaningless war . Farmers staged riots and revolted , and many turned banners to join the Corpse Brigade . Ivalice ' s economy suffered as payments could not be made to the knights who had fought in the war due to the spending on weapons and defenses . Many were discharged from the army , and with less food and little money , there was high unemployment and disloyalty to the ruling factions grew . King Ondoria ' s two sons died , and the king adopted his younger sister , Princess Ovelia , as his daughter . Soon after , Queen Louveria gave birth to Prince Orinus , causing a conflict over who to become King Ondoria ' s successor , setting the stage for the War of the Lions . Rumors spread of King Ondoria ' s failing health . Since his collapse during Prince Orinus ' s birthday celebration , it was obvious he was on the brink of death . His advisers , the Board of Chamberlains , delivered news the king was getting better , but the people knew the truth . Soon rumors surfaced that Queen Louveria and other nobles had argued over his successor . Goffard Gaffgarion was dismissed from the Eastern Sky , and Gustav from the Northern Sky , both on charges of misconduct during the war . Gaffgarion turned to the life of a mercenary , claiming allegiance to the highest bidder .