The Durey Revolution (1886)

The Durey Revolution of 1886 was a political uprising in Whitmount, led by the Durey Yudutut, as well as the famous Ngånism proponent, Sveinn Mitchell, in which 10,000 workers and farmers stormed the Royal Palace, to seize power from The Frail King. This was in response, partly to ingrained anger over the 1588 reinstatement of the monarchy after a democratic coup, but mostly to the Young Regents’ comments about workers wives, saying that they “[sic] are better for slaughter than for children, but still good enough to handle”.

Planning for the revolution started in 1884, when Sveinn Mitchell, (writer of A Chance for Social Democracy – Ngånism, Mobility and Revolution), whilst on leave from his national service period, met in Ditutu with his friends, Hilmar Mas (a leader of the Dixuri poet movement) and Lassi Martí (former diplomat to the Catalan-Aragonese Confederation). They came to the conclusion that something must be done about the current monarchy, which at the time was headed by the Young Regent, Waldobert Kaj Atte, after his father, Olov IV, had suffered a series of strokes, but with no laws regarding abdication, he was technically still in power.

Mas, who by that point had become a leading light in the cultural arena in El Viejo Mundo for his realistic portrayal of farmers living under the Atte regime, had many enemies within the ruling class. But he also had many friends; most notable of which was Francis Luuk, the undersecretary to Egill Flavianus, Head of the Armed Forces. Through a series of letters, both Mas and Luuk conspired to feed the armed forces of Whitmount subliminal propaganda that would sway them towards their cause. This was as complicated as trying to get generals sacked from senior posts to be replaced with pro-Ngån sympathisers, to as simple as changing the wording of official documents from “By Order of His Majesty, The King” to “By Order of This Honourable Government”.

Martí, on the other hand, whilst having various contacts within the army as well (who helped Mas with his campaign), had bigger fish to fry. His relationship to the CAC was, although fractured, good enough to procure weapons for the farmers and militia of Ditutu, Duxiyr and Ngethångus. His relationship with Prince Henry of Bourbon-Parma, Count of Bardi meant that the movement also had a financial backing as well.

As for Mitchell, his speciality was enthusiasm; the people of Whitmount, as many historians have said, are mostly timid people unless provoked. He worked closely with the Durey Yudutut (especially its leader, Fredrik Laukkanen) to consolidate his political ideologies around the main towns and cities of the country, as well as using them to help him into hiding, after missing his re-conscription.

On May 13 1886, one day after the 87^th birthday of The Frail King, the palace was stormed. Some sources say that the original plan was to storm the palace a week after the king’s birthday, but that the people were so riled up about the Young Regents’ comment earlier that day that they had no choice but to go through with it. The King was sent to Duchy of Neopatras, which at the time had the best healthcare in the known world, whilst the Young Regent was forced to change to constitution back to the democratic process. After he had done this, he was sent to live with his father.