Ializa Schism

The Ializa Schism was a civil war in the Kingdom of Ializa from 2275-2281 in which the kingdom broke into four rival states. One of these states was conquered during the civil war but the war ended with the kingdom divided into three parts which have not subsequently been reunited. The war began because the King of Ializa, Ziaoumei III, died along with all of his living legal heirs in a rockslide in 2275, leaving the kingdom without a legal monarch. Rival claimants to the throne battled and staked out rival kingdoms during the ensuing conflict.

## Background

Ializa is a strong central monarchy led by a king who rules over feudal chieftains who directly administer smaller territories known as chiefdoms. Succession followed the kingdom's standard laws for inheritance, which, in the absence of a will stating otherwise, named as primary heir a person's sons, then daughters, then brothers, then sisters, then father, then mother, then uncles, then aunts, then first cousins, then grandparents, then second cousins. If a person with no living relatives closer than second cousins died, they were considered to have died intestate and their estate passed to the state. No special legal consideration was ever given to the title of King, in particular. Several kings had died without children historically, but all had named a successor in their will and all would have had a more distant blood relation had this not been the case.

King Ziaoumei III was the only child of his parents to survive childhood, both of his uncles and two of his aunts died as children, and his other aunt died during a still birth of what would have been her first child. He thus had survived all more distant members of his family who would have been his heir after his children. This fact was little noted at the time as Ziaomei had four healthy children, two sons and two daughters, so his line of succession seemed secure. His will did not name an heir contingent on the death of his entire family.

Ziaoumei and his family used a royal summer home in the hills above Buroovasha frequently during his reign and he often held court there. He and all of his children were at the home when it was buried in a rockslide in 2275 with no survivors. Legally he died intestate, meaning that there was no legally legitimate King of Ializa after his death.

## Conflict

Following Ziaoumei's death, many rival claimants attempted to claim the throne. A number of nobles in Buroovasha had, or at least claimed, some royal descent and at least 7 attempted to press a claim to the throne, but the lack of any legal or traditional guidance about the strength of these claims made them difficult to differentiate. Outside of Buroovasha, several chieftains claimed that the line of the king had ended and cited ancient folk traditions, which were in fact little more than folklore and not of genuine ancient origin, to claim that a chieftain should ascend to the throne. These were Chief Miaizou mia Bireitiriae in Loushiraziae, Chief Tiashiraze mia Nalie in Keiviraziae, and Chief Buremi mia Piamiaebure in Biroreida. All three made unique claims based on various "ancient" folklore asserting that their tribe was best suited to lead Ializa.

The chiefs consolidated power around their chiefdoms and sought allegiance from neighboring chiefs. In Buroovasha, meanwhile, the large number of claimants made it impossible for anyone to consolidate and assert their power. This concerned the royal courtiers who still controlled the palace. These officials held no legal authority, as they were formally merely servants of the king who administered the government on his behalf and at his pleasure, but in practice they held a great deal of influence and authority and grew extremely wealthy from their positions. They grew concerned that chaos in Buroovasha would allow the chieftain claimants to seize control of the kingdom and move the seat of its government away from Buroovasha, which would lead them to lose their power. They conspired with one of the wealthier and more popular claimants, Miaburomei mia Zoutodiae, to eliminate the competition. They invited all of the royal claimants to the palace to mediate a solution and assassinated all except Miaburomei, declaring him the clear legal heir and declaring all the others traitors for denying the claim. They crowned Miaburomei as Miaburomei XIII.

Miaburomei commanded all Ializa chieftains to attend his coronation. None of the rival claimants attended, and neither did the remaining 4 chieftains of the Leivilei Valley, the Chief of the Chei, or the Chief of the Zavi. The remaining 6 chiefs in the Meroureida Valley and the two chiefs in the Loomia region did attend. Miaburomei ordered the execution of the rival claimants for treason when they failed to attend but offered clemency to the other chieftains on condition they recognize his claim. None did, but nobles in Tiashiraze's court assassinated him and his sons, sending their heads to Buroovasha and pledging fealty to Miaburomei.

A state of stalemate ensued as neither Miaizou or Buremi renounced their claims and the other chiefs of the Leivilei valley and Chei region allied with them. Zaviza refused to recognize any claimant and in 2277, the government in Eirevira officially declared that the title of King of Ializa had been vacated and that all duties and oaths owed to the throne of Ializa were terminated, essentially declaring Zaviza an independent state. They renamed their kingdom Saiveela, the Saivee name for the region. It remains independent to this day.

Miaizou died in 2278 but his son Loomiadiae continued to press the claim of the Bireitiriae from Loushiraziae. Both Miaburomei and Loomiadiae pressed assaults into Piamiaebureza in the following years, with Buroovasha loyal forces seizing Shiliaemeina in 2279 and Loushiraziae loyal forces sacking Biroreida in 2780. Having severely damaged the city's defenses during the assault, the forces occupying Biroreida quickly realized the city was indefensible and chose to raze the city rather than allow an approaching Buroovasha army the chance to take it. Buremi was captured trying to flee the destruction of the city and executed in Loushiraziae.

With neither side possessing a clear advantage and both sides short on resources, Miaburomei and Loomiadiae agreed to an armistice in 2281, though neither recognized the legitimacy of the other's rule and both claimed the title King of Ializa.