| The Third Safinei War |
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| Part of Vae victis! | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
Etrusca
| Safineim | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
21,700 - Total
| 18,000 - Total
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| Casualties and losses | |||||||
6,700 - Total
| 11,600 - Total
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The Third Safinei war was the final and most devastating conflict that was fought between the Safinei and the Etruscans. While it was technically an Etruscan victory, both sides would ultimately collapse. Neither side really gained anything - instead, it just put the corrupt and powerful Dardanian family in control of both nations. All in all, it was one of the worst periods in history for Etrusca, and would end up creating the most corrupt and totalitarian Nation to exist in Italy.
Background[]
Before the war began, Europe had been in a bad economic state. While this defiantly hurt Etrusca, the Safinei took way more economic damage, and as a result were greatly weakened. Normally, this would have gone unnoticed by Etrusca, they had after all past up good opportunities to invade Safineim before, but this time, a particularly ambitious king had recently risen to power. Setting his eyes on Safineim, he ordered Etrusca to rally an army. By 2 AD, the army consisted of 40,000 men and was ready to invade Safineim.
Fighting[]
Initial Attack and Stalemate[]
To start the war, it looked like the Etruscans had an insurmountable advantage and would take over Safineim within months. However, to this end, the Etruscans made a fatal error. They launched their attack on the Safinei coast, allowing the inferior Safinei force to pin them down and fight on nearly even terms. With their plan thwarted, the Etruscans were forced to continue fighting as Safinei reinforced their position with more troops. Within three months, the fighting was a mess. High casualties rocked both sides, and each nation began throwing everything they could at the Stalemate.
Radarca's Attack[]
As the stalemate in the west began to weigh heavily on both sides, the new Etruscan Prince, Radarca, decided he needed to do something to even out the combat. He gathered an army of around 15,000 men, and attacked down the eastern coast of Safineim. This served as a devastating blow to Safineim - with no forces in the region to block the assault, Radarca's army ravaged the landscape, destroying huge swaths of land. While token attempts at an effective defense were made, Nothing was able to stop Radarca from arriving in southern Italy an reorienting his army to the west. After cutting across Southern Italy, He again reoriented his army, this tome to the north, and began moving back towards Etrusca.
As Radarca's army moved north, the Safieni started to panic. Facing one army wads hard enough, but another from the other direction could easily finish them off. Understandably in a panic, The Safienim started a massive and uncontrolled assault on the Etruscans. This caused massive casualties on both sides, and chaos ensued. The battle lines began to become unclear, and neither side had any real control over their forces. By the time Radarca arrived, it was not unheard of for Safinei units to fight each other or the same to happen with Etrusca. While Radarca continued to be successful, any chance of a coherent end to the war was lost for good.
Chaos and Collapse[]
Following Radarca's attack and his subsequent return to Etrusca, the last shreds of order collapsed. Bands of Etruscans began to go raiding across Safineim, destroying whatever they could, and stealing what they couldn't. Many Safinei soldiers joined them, while others tried to stop them. At this point, neither side really had a standing army, but were still supporting upwards of 20,000 men each. This caused huge amounts of economic strain on both nations, and in Etrusca, massive riots started over the war and shortages it caused. over the years, the situation only worsened for both sides. Finally, in the summer of 13 AD, Safineim Collapsed. Etrusca followed just three weeks later.
Aftermath[]
After the collapse of both nations, the Italian peninsula dissolved into anarchy. While both The Etruscan government and the Safinei government maintained some of their troops, most of them moved in favor of local warlords. Eventually, the powerful Dardanian family was able to unite the area, and create the nation that would eventually be known as Dardanian Etrusca. This powerful, centralized, and totalitarian state would largely dominate Mediterranean politics until its fall in 666 AD. This war would set the stage for the next six and a half centuries of European and world history.
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