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New England War
Beginning:

July 18, 1493

End:

September 13, 1496

Place:

Edward's Land

Outcome:

New England (Edward's Land)

Major battles:

Battle of Foulden, Battle of New Manchester

Combatants

New England Freedom Army

England

Commanders

Leo Skinner, Andrew Schofield

Alexander Arnold, Scotia Joyce

Strength

21,220

35,403

Casualties and Losses

8,303

8,993

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Several years after the Vinlandic War of Independence, the English made a similar mistake as the Danish-Swedish. Wanting to make sure their main colony in Erikson was preserved, around six thousand troops were moved to secure their interests.

This could have been a simple move for the English, but at the time they were also beginning to become a major power on mainland Europe. They also began to pass several tax laws on New England, and gave soldiers almost unlimited authority on taking them. Although taxes were bad by themselves, another part of the law filled that gap; the fines. The fines were large. For example, any unapproved gathering of more than ten people was banned. Soldiers were able to stay in peoples' houses at will. Extreme limitations on free speech were installed as well. Refusing to abide by these laws could result in a fine greater than the average weekly pay as well as higher taxes. Within a year, average taxes were higher than they had been in Vinland, and almost everyone was in massive debt.

Then came the radical revolutionary, Andrew Schofield. In 1489, he began organizing small riots against soldiers. By, 1490, however, he decided to try larger. He frequently gathered people to kill the tax collectors, or at least attempted to. The so called "Schofield Rebellions" took place during the summer of 1490, and consisted of raids on English forts and other defensive positions. These rebellions killed dozens on each side, with perhaps one hundred casualties in total. These rebellions ended with the execution of Schofield on January 16th, 1491, and the surrender of the people he had raised the summer before. Despite the minimal damage the rebellions had done, the English leadership responded with more troops deployed in New Thetford.

Eventually, the taxes became to much for the local population. Led by Leo Skinner, a former helper of Schofield, several revolutionaries marched to a English fort, taking it with minor struggle and killing six English soldiers in the process. This inspired a fighting spirit throughout both New Thetford and Henricia, and soon an army of almost four thousand was formed in the town of Salisbury (located in south New Thetford). For almost a year, this army fought hard and well against the English soldiers, and won about half of their battles. They grew in size quickly, and became more efficient as the months went by. Major resistance from the British was scarce, as they were untrained and had little way of communicating back to England. The British were almost completely defeated.

However, major reinforcements did come by early-1495. The second year of the war was marked by the English burning the large town of New Manchester, killing over three hundred civilians. This served only to enrage the population further. The English were met with harsh resistance as they tried to spread out from New Manchester. Over time they were stopped and jailed, with most resistance stopped soon after. But they continued to fight for another year after, in battles along major cities in Henricia. They moved inland somewhat, and much of the fighting took place in eastern Blue Ridge as well. By Summer of 1496, the English only had one major base left, that being Fort Foulden, Ozark. It would last until September 16th, when it collapsed in the Battle of Foulden, ending the New England War.

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