Duel for the Nation

The Duel for the Nation was a shootout between Novacian forces lead by Chancellor Peter Rioux against insurrectionist forces lead by William McCario, who had seized control of the colony a few months earlier. It was the climax of years of tension between McCario and the Chancellor as well as the culmination of his flight from Novac following a failed coup the previous June. Chancellor Rioux killed McCario but sustained fatal injuries, dying aboard the NWS Monitor shortly after. 
The shootout and death of the Chancellor was a shock to the international world, and lead to the election of Oliver Petrovich as the Second Chancellor of Novac. His win is attributed to accusations that Edward Madison, who had been elected and a was a member of McCario's party, had cheated in the election. Chancellor Rioux is regarded as a martyr and the father of Novac, while McCario is often viewed as a warning against the dangers of populism and as a silver-tongued devil. The Duel is viewed as the final act before the Republic of Novac transitioned from a community struggling for political survival to a true nation, shedding its 'naiveté.' 
The Duel for the Nation is one of the most discussed events in Novacian history, followed by the Great War and the Treaty of 232. It is covered in Father of a Nation: The Life of Peter Rioux, a book written by the Chancellor's son, who was less than two years old at the death of his father. While historians often debate the true necessity of such a dangerous and 'unbecoming for the leader of a nation' fight, most common Novacians think of the event as a microcosm for the Republic's victory over the forces standing in its way of peace and internationally recognized statehood, as well as a shining moment in their history.
Category:Novac