Roland Gueant

Roland Gueant was a Revolutionary Leader often accredited with the "New Republic" movement, or the insurrection originating around Ancona and spreading across Altia's Northern provinces in the early days of the Wars of May. Born the son of a bourgeois clerk and peasant in the region of Erlangen, Gueant would possess a charisma and fervor essential to stoking the Revolutionary cause in the discontent figures of the North. A rallying hero-like figure, his last words "''I die that countless thousands may follow my example!" ''have immortalized him in the annals of the Revolution, even if his actual strategic and political significance are of dubious holistic importance.

Early Life and Education
Born the son of a clerk, little is known about Gueant's childhood and early years. Up until the age of 15, he worked for his father and other merchants in Ancona. Although a poor student, he would be politically active early on, demonstrating keen interest in radical socialist movements. Although a keen democrat and supporter of universal suffrage, Gueant's politicization and aspirations would focus mainly on economic rather than political equality. Starting at around the age of 18, he would join several illegal worker's unions and help stage a general worker's strike in Ancona in 348, action which saw him imprisoned to a brief sentence of five years. Gueant would languish here as a political prisoner without much note until the outbreak of Revolutionary Fervor in 351.

Ancona, the "New Republic" and the "Triad of Republics"
The establishment of a Provisional Government in Altia led to numerous uprisings of varying intensity and violence throughout the Patrician Republic. Most notable among these was the wide-spread (though unorganized) insurgency in the north that would deem itself "The New Republic." While loosely aligned with the Second Republic, the so-called "New Republic" would not recognize the authority of the provisional government without first seeing the fully drafted constitution and full implementation of various policies guaranteed by the revolutionary front. This divergence would ultimately shape the two factions' respective fates.

Ultimately, the "New Republican Movement" would radiate out from the industrial and historically significant city of Ancona. Being the third largest city in the Republic, Ancona's sudden capitulation, in the heart of the Patrician Republic, would senc shockwaves through the already reeling forces of the old regime. The declaration that patrician property would be requisitioned for revolutionary purposes and the rumors (not entirely untrue) of calls for retribution against nobles still in the city shook the nation to its core.

Roland Guand would figure largely during this time, rapidly publishing a series of socialist, revolutionary pamphlets that aimed at redistributing land and executing resistant landowners. Gueant's publications would prove exceedingly popular with the masses, and his reputation would rise dramatically as a result. Still, rather than saving his critique exclusively for the old government, Gueant would consistently criticize the Provisional Government in Altia for not being radical enough. While lauding the revolution for having occured, Gueant would rebuke any notion that righteous uprising could be monopolized by the city of Altia. His words would prove prophetic. While Ancona would initially seem to be simply another part of the great movement that had erupted in the south, the bloody events of July would disprove this view entirely.

On 7 July, two generals, Brigadier General Frederic St. James and Major General Quintus Hemsworth, were sent by the Provisional Government to help secure and administrate Ancona. The situation on the ground would immediately be tenuous. The previous month had seen violent fighting against counterrevolutionary forces hired by the nobility, and various radical militia, unaligned with any particular group, had emerged. Following the slaughter of civilians by several of these groups, the Provisional government's representatives would demand the disarmament of the various militia and vigilante units within the city. The response, and sudden rise to power of Roland Gueant, would be catastrophic.

Thrown into a frenzy by the exhortations of Roland Gueant, the offices of the Provisional government would be sacked and the Provisional Government's mission in Ancona massacred. Meanwhile, the Patrician population would be massacred and homes and buildings of historical significance would be torched. An orgy of violence and bloodshed would follow, all directed against elements of 'counterrevolution.' A new, parallel republic would be established shortly thereafter, and Ancona declared its capital.

Thus, while the Second Republic would ultimately be the threat of greater potential owing to its distance from the patrician strongholds, the "New Republic's" widespread following and more savage nature would garner greater attention from the Patrician armies, who would prepare over the following months for a crackdown of the "New Republic" in Ancona.

Capture and Execution
The following year would see the start of a repressive campaign throughout the provinces of the north intended to break the back of the "New Republican Movement." While the 'Second Republic' in the south would be viewed as an invariable threat that would need to be addressed, the brutality of the New Republic warranted popular support. Mobilizing from bases in Ferraio, Erlangen and Kunstgradt, Patrician armies would advance on Ancona, easily routing the New Republican defense forces. By August 351, the string of redoubts and fortifications erected outside the city boundaries had been effectively eliminated. Ancona would be surrounded.



The next two months would see increasing pressure within the city as food supplies ran low and disease began rapidly to spread throughout the populace. Roland de Gueant would be a key figure in sustaining the spirit of resistance. He would insist upon the presence of counterrevolutionaries and throughout the period, the urban populace would execute hundreds of suspected counterrevolutionaries, a fact only accelerated as the situation grew worse.

On 13 October, 351, the Patrician Expeditionary force, under the command of Frederick Augustus Rafale, the Duke of Ferraio, would launch tha final assault. The outskirts of the city would fall with relatively little resistance. Artiller positioned on the fortified redoubts of the city would give a covering barrage of cannon fire. By the evening of 15 October, 351, the council chambers would be captured, and enemy resistance essentially relegated to a few isolated pockets. The following weeks would see remarkable amnesty by the Patrician forces as Ancona descended into chaos, with widespread starvation and lawlessness. Still, the extent of clemency would notr each the architects of the struggle, and particular individuals, such as Roland Gueant would be among those executed en masse. His body would be dumped outside the city limits in an unmarked grave.

Legacy
Roland Gueant's legacy would largely be that of radical liberalism and the danger of anarchy. While he would be hailed as a heroic figure early in the war, his death inspiring thousands in both occupied Patrician territory and the Second Altian Republic, history would be less kind. Ultimately, Gueant's willingness to use violence and authoritarian tendencies would render him a dark if not charismatic figure of the early stages of the Wars of May.