Great Wars

The Great Wars were a series of regional and global military conflicts waged mainly between the Aidisese and the Cedarinian Empires and their proxies, vassals, and allies from 4570 AY to 4814 AY. The term "Great Wars" generally refers to the time period from which these wars lasted and not exclusively the actual wars themselves, as there were several periods of prolonged peace in between the conflicts. For several centuries before the Great Wars, Aidis and Cedarin expanded into large, centralized empires capable of fielding armies of hundreds of thousands - if not millions - each. Tensions along their borders, along with rapid improvements in military capabilities, led to conflict in the late 46th century.

Although warfare lasted for almost three centuries, the borders between the two chief belligerents - Aidis and Cedarin - changed little for much of the period. Neither side had the logistical strength or manpowder to control much land beyond their own territories and that of their proxies, vassals, and allies for the early and middle parts of the war. The middle part of the war coincided with the development of so-called "crossbow trench warfare," which resulted in a horrific style of warfare that led to hundreds of thousands of deaths on both sides. While Cedarin was able to temporarily occupy a large majority of Aidisese territory (including the capital of Don Holden after a particularly bloody siege) for several decades during the late 47th and early 48th centuries, Aidis eventually managed to secure a devastating blow to Cedarin by the late 48th and early 49th centuries in the later stages of the conflict. The Great Wars ended with the siege and capture of the then-capital of Cedarin, Kubai.

Although Aidis and its allies technically won the war, the expense of resources and manpower proved catastrophic for both empires. Prolonged conflict over the course of several centuries led to a collapse of the political, social, agricultural, and economic systems that had prospered before and during the early years of the wars. The great loss of life was so great that it may have caused a cooling of the planet. In fact, the decline was so severe that it was only until the Industrial Revolution five centuries later that Arteran as a whole was able to recover to pre-Great Wars levels. Even then, some scholars have argued that the effect goes beyond the Industrial Revolution, and it was only until - ironically - Aidis and Cedarin declared an alliance or sorts in the 62th century was Arteran able to truly begin recovering.

Etymology
The wars between Aidis and Cedarin were already known as the "Great Wars" as early as the early stages of the war, with several goverment officials in Cedarin referring to the constant warfare between the two empires as a "Great Wars" (Dei Kyohozi in Imperial Cedarinian) around 4600 AY. However, common usage does not appear until the middle stages of the Great Wars, when Aidisese propagandists, writers, and artists referred to the conflict as such. Usage spread considerably after the Cedarinian occupation of Aidis. By c. 4750 AY the term "Great Wars" was widespread on both sides, and has been referred to as since.

During the wars proper, however, several other names were used. The "Atosanic Wars," "War of Empires," and "Arteran War" were common in various time periods and regions. In Keintapa, the wars were known as the "First Patriotic War."

Legacy
Expectedly for a conflict that lasted two and a half centuries (and arguably one of the most devastating in Arteran's history), the Great Wars was a significant impact on the culture, society, and politics of most - if not all - of Arteran's peoples. Particularly for the Aidisese and Kensalan cultures - the conflict between the two for influence and expansion (and not that of Aidis and Cedarin per se) which was, as argued by many scholars, to be the general trend of this era - the war left a lasting legacy in their nationalistic ideologies.