Velorenkan Revolution

The Holy Veloren Empire entered into proxy hostilities with Haksarad and Ventora in 1905 at the height of a budgetary crisis and growing social and economy inequality. Anti-war and anti-government sentiments reached a head when workers at the Zwaelchik Armaments Plant in the Dutchy of Fyodithesir declared a general strike and occupied the industrial complex. The duke of Fyodithesir ordered the factory reopened and a bloody confrontation between the workers and ducal militia, sparking further social unrest and igniting a general strike within the Dutchy. The aging Emperor at the time XXX, entered into talks with leaders of the general strike but died of mysterious circumstances leading to the coronation of XXX, who refused negotiations. A further attempt by the ducal militia to reopen the Zwaelchik Armaments Plant was repulsed after heavy casualties on both sides and led to the proclamation of an insurrectionary commune inspired by Noyonist and Passionary philosophy. The uprising was put down by the arrival of imperial troops but lead to an erosion of public trust in the new emperor and loss of support among urban workers.

To ease the empire's budgetary crisis and stave off depression the emperor and imperial diet began to pass a successive amount of taxes that targeted the peasantry as well as Veloren's growing middle class. In 1907 the imperial diet launched an ambitious program to further industrialization and infrastructure development by opening the empire up to foreign investment and selling vast tracks of peasant owned land to wealthy investors or the aristocracy. Opposition to these policies was suppressed by the empire to promote stability to foreign investors and the Imperial Armed Police was expanded to quell internal dissent and put down peasant revolts such as the 1909 XXX Peasant Uprising.

A number of Velorens began to organize resistance against Emperor XXX, most notably the Society of Free Patriots, a proto-revivalist political organization aimed at establishing a constitutional monarchy, reducing social inequality, securing rights for ethnic minorities, and most importantly deposing Emperor XXX.

In 1915, on the ten year anniversary of the Zwaelchik Armaments Plant Strike workers in St.Yazdoikakh gathered in protest of the Emperor, heightened taxes, and the introduction of food rationing due to a historical low crop yield. The Imperial Armed Police violently suppressed the protest and killed famed actor XXX and his fiancé who had been part of the protest in what is known as the Yazdoikakh Massacre. Having occurred in the center of the capital and with such high profile persons slain by imperial security forces, the emperor was unable to censor newspapers from reporting on the event. Popular discontent with the Emperor exploded into open rioting in the capital and other major urban centers. Imperial barracks were seized and organizations such as the Society of Free Patriots and other republican groups began to agitate in the open and organize militias, calling for abdication. The assassination of the Emperor on XXX would mark a major turning event in the revolution as the consolidation of authority had been centered around him and he lacked a heir apparent. The Imperial government's disintegration was hastened as the imperial diet declared a collective regency council and duke xxx crowned himself the new emperor. Without clear central authority or orders many imperial units mutinied to the side of the revolutionaries or stayed neutral.

Future Lazh Raes Khosravi would join the organization in 1911 and quickly rise to a leadership position, becoming under-secretary in 1914. Khosravi was radicalized after being ejected from the Imperial Air Service for accusing a superior officer of sexual assault against herself and another woman. She became chairwoman of the movement in 1915 and