The Two Hundred Years War

Term for the Salaqi semi-permanent state of war since 931. In the Salaqi constitution, a state of war is an exception granting the king absolute power, whereas the king in peacetime is merely the greatest noble. In 931 the Salaqi king Casimir IV, the Grand Duke Konrad of Hardnit, the Penboynian King James VII and the Veslandic King Kestutis I decided to conquer Kangrisorn after a summit on Kartria (see the Kangrisorn Wars). Casimir IV died in battle at Duneval, and was succeeded by his brother Lothar V, who led the Salaqi forces at the conquest of Kangrisorn in 941. Lothar V returned with his army to Salakand, but refused to call of the state of war, as the Ontainians still threatened Kangrisorn. But Lothar V died in 955 without fighting any more battles. Thinking that he too would enjoy the dictator-like powers of his father, Lothar's son Novolon IV continued the state of war. But Novolon had not led Salaqi troops in battle, and the nobles grumbled. In 960 the nobles assembled to call off the state of war, but Novolon interrupted the assembly before this could happen, and a ten year long civil war resulted. Novolon finally proved triumphant and replaced the dead, imprisoned or exiled nobles with his allies. Fearing to insult the gods, he did not dare to change the constitution, but now no nobles dared to call for an assembly declaring Salakand in a state of peace. This condition remained more or less unchanged until 1031, when the Tarnlas dynasty's first king Ridjon VII came into power. Ridjon did not have the close ties to the nobility of his predecessors, and to pre-empt any declaration of peace, he invaded Hardnit, which at that time was very weak. This unprovoked and successful attack made Rovia declare war on Salakand, though the intended attack never came. Since then Salakand has been at war with Rovia (Salakand and Hardnit made peace in 1098). In 1098 part of the nobility tried to suggest that the king's powers be restricted in peacetime so as to resemble that of other regents, rather than stripping him totally as per the constitution. But as Ridjon IX would not hear of it, the nobles decided against another attempt at declaring Salakand to be in a state of peace, and instead set up a duke as a rival king. The rebellion had some support, notably from the city of Ployd, but was finally crushed in 1102, when Ployd fell to Ridjon's loyal troops