The Keltoic Unification War (Vae victis!)

The Gallic Unification War
Part of Vae victis!
Date 1 BC to 13 AD Location Gaul Paris (1 BC - 8 AD) Normandii (9 AD - 11 AD) Brittorcay (10 AD - 13 AD) Result Victory for Orleans The Gallic Empire is founded, a massive empire that will last for half a century Orleans becomes a major city in European Politics The Gallic Empire indirectly causes other Germanic and southern Gallic states to centralize
Belligerents
Orleans Paris (After 6 AD) Senone Auxiliaries (After 8 AD) Normandii (After 11 AD)	Gallic Alliance Paris (1 BC - 6 AD) Normandii (6 - 11 AD) Brittorcay (6 - 13 AD)
Strength
7,700 - Total 5,000 - Orleans 1000 - Paris 800 - Senone 700 - Normandii	8,000 - Total 3,000 - Paris 3,300 - Normandii 1,700 - Brittorcay
Casualties and losses
1,700	2,100

The Gallic Unification war was, along with the third Safinei War, the most influential wars in the ancient world. It would shape the history of Gaul, and even set Germania on a path towards expansion. It would also create the Gallic Empire, which would be the most powerful nation in the world for hundreds of years to come. In fact, while the third Safinei war is far more famous, it is arguably the less important war, with this war coming out on top.

Background

After the economic failure across Europe, Orleans was left in by far the best position out of the rest of the Gallic states. This advantage was magnified when Heldarc rose to power. He greatly increased the strength of the Orleanian military, and was easily able to use the already growing economy of Orleans to this end. Meanwhile, he limited trade to the other Gallic states to stop their growth. With this advantage, Heldarc gathered an army and began to march towards Paris.

Fighting

Fall of Paris

As the army Heldarc had raised moved towards Paris, the Parisians tried to raise an army to defend the nation. While they managed to recruit 2,700 troops - just under Orleans' 3,000 - most of these troops were short on training, and had no idea how to fight as a group. Despite this, they manged to hold out for almost a year before they lost badly enough to be forced to retreat. After this, the war went vastly downhill for Paris, as their army was chased around their territory, repeatedly being beaten by Orleans. Finally, in 6 AD, a failed attack allowed the Orelanians to push the Parisian army to the side, and Paris was captured. Shortly afterward, the remainder of the Parisian arm was destroyed, and Orleans effectively annexed Paris.

Battle for Paris

After Paris was taken by Orleans, Heldarc began to rally his forces to move onto Normandii. However, the opposing nation got the first punch in, and managed to get Brittorcay on board for a counter offensive. The combined army of these two cities far outweighed that of Orleans, and their first conflict lead to a horrific defeat for Orleans. Now on defense, Orleans was forced to set up outside Paris, trying to prevent Norman and Brittoric troops from taking back Paris. With their backs to a wall, the Orleanian army was forced to hold their ground without flinching, and as a result had to take massive casualties. Meanwhile, the opposing army took minimal casualties, and simply resolved to essentially starve the Orleanians out.

After managing to desperately hold out for a year, a huge advantage materialized for Orleans - the Norman army had fallen back to recoup, leaving the Brittoric army to defend the area. Rallying his tired army, Heldarc launched a devastating attack on the remaining army, forcing them backwards. This gave Orleans way more room to maneuver, and evened the battlefield. From there, the Orleanian army won a series of battles against the coalition, pushing them out of former Parisian territory. After this, Paris was basically secured for Orleans, and both Brittorcay and Normandii were sent reeling. Both would soon be forced onto the defensive themselves. Ultimately, instead of the battle for Paris defeating Orleans, it would put the nation into a better overall position and make its victory inevitable.

Fall of Normandii

After the bloody battle in and around Paris, the Orleanian army - now reinforced with Parisian troops and Senone Auxiliaries - began to move northwards towards Normandii. Meanwhile, Brittoric support began to wane, as they realized taking back Paris was a lost cause. Instead, they focused on trying to defend there own nation, leaving Normandii to fend for themselves. Abandoned by their ally, Normandii was left with a powerful army marching towards them and nothing but their decimated army to defend the nation. Orleans steamrolled this meager defense, and within only two years, Normandii was taken by Orleanian forces. Brittorcay was left alone to face the Orleanian onslaught, and Normandii would not be independent again for several hundred years.

Fall of Brittorcay

Although there had been some fighting in Brittorcay beforehand, after Paris and Normandii had fell, the fighting picked up drastically. Orleans had once again recuperated over a winter, and rebuilt their army to face the last remaining city. In order to maximize their chances, the Brittoric army set up around 40 miles from the city, creating a large buffer zone. However, the Brittoric army was drastically outnumbered and as a result they were forced backwards rapidly. When the Orleanian forces arrived at the city itself, the Brittorics gave up quickly. This easy victory would mark the end of resistance towards Orleans, and the beginnings of the Gallic Empire. It was probably the most significant battle of the war, but also the easiest to win.

Aftermath

The Gallic Unification war woul lead to many importent events, the most obvious being Gallic Unification - the war marked the beginning of the Gallic Empire, which would become something of a superpower for almost 600 years. This new entity would influence the Senone Republic, Etrusca, and even Carthage on occasions. However, its most significant impact was probably another wave of centralization. This wave would create states across Germania, as well as Iberia, while most of Gaul was taken over by the Empire. The war would also result in most of the Gallic cultures merging into one, something that would remain prominant long after the collapse of the Gallic Empire.