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{{Infobox military conflict
| conflict    = Gjorkan–Ajak War
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| image       = File:Raevsky saltanovka.jpg
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| alt         = Ajaki Soldiers Attacking Gjorkan Barrack.
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| date        = 4 August 1754 – 15 February 1761<br />({{Age in years, months, weeks and days|month1=8|day1=4|year1=1754|month2=2|day2=15|year2=1761}})
| place       = {{flatlist|
*[[Gjorka]]
*[[Ajakanistan]]}}
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| territory   = No territorial changes; status quo antebellum
| result      = Ajaki invasion repelled
* [[Treaty of Baltimore (1761)|Treaty of Baltimore]]
| status      = 
| combatant1  = {{flagicon image|Ajaki Kingdom flag.png}} [[Kingdom of Ajakanistan|Ajakanistan]]
*{{flagicon image|Eastern Ajakanistan Company coat of arms.png}} [[Eastern Ajakanistan Company]] 
{{flagicon image|Flag of the Cossack Hetmanat.svg}} [[Khoroshiyans|Khoroshiyan]] Rebels 
| combatant2  = {{flagicon image|GjorkanMonarchyFlag2.png}} [[Third Gjorkan Kingdom|Gjorkan Kingdom]]
*{{flagicon image|GjorkanFlag4.png}} [[Gjorkan Settlers Militias in the Gjorkan–Ajak War|Gjorkan Settlers Militias]]
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| commander1  = {{plainlist|
*{{flagicon image|Ajaki Kingdom flag.png}} [[Yuri I of Ajakanistan|Yuri I]]
*{{flagicon image|Ajaki Kingdom flag.png}} [[Peter Kulakov]]
*{{flagicon image|Ajaki Kingdom flag.png}} [[Fyodor Kalenski]]
*{{flagicon image|Ajaki Kingdom flag.png}} [[Vladimir Donskoy]]
*{{flagicon image|Flag of the Cossack Hetmanat.svg}} [[Petro Kornijchuk]] {{KIA}}
}}
| commander2  = {{plainlist|
* {{flagicon image|GjorkanMonarchyFlag2.png}} [[Quintin III of Gjorka|Quintin III]]
* {{flagicon image|GjorkanMonarchyFlag2.png}} [[Horatio Greene]]
* {{flagicon image|GjorkanMonarchyFlag2.png}} [[George Griffith]]
* {{flagicon image|GjorkanMonarchyFlag2.png}} [[Marcus Hayes]]
* {{flagicon image|GjorkanMonarchyFlag2.png}}{{flagicon image|GjorkanFlag4.png}}  [[Lukas MacBride]]
}}
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'''Gjorkan–Ajak War''', also known as the '''Ajaki Invasion of Gjorka''', was a conflict fought between [[Kingdom of Ajakanistan|Ajakanistan]] and [[Third Gjorkan Kingdom|Gjorka]] from 1754 to 1761. In 1754,  [[Yuri I of Ajakanistan|Yuri I]] issued a declaration declaring all [[Khoroshiyans]] as subjects of the Ajaki Kingdom and immediately claiming all lands inhabited by them as territories of Ajakanistan, with the majority of this land being located along the [[Ajakanistan–Gjorka border|Ajaki–Gjorkan Border]]. Ajakanistan began an invasion into southwestern Gjorka (modern-day [[Rosemont]]), claiming the entirety of the region as ancestral Khoroshiyan territory. 

The initial Ajaki invasion in 1754 captured much of southwestern Gjorka but failed to reach its intended goal of [[Baltimore]]. The Gjorkan army made slow advances against the Ajaki army over the next two years of the war, with much of Rosemont still being under Ajaki control by 1757. Gjorkan general [[Marcus Hayes]] began an invasion of Ajakanistan to remove pressure off the Gjorkan reconquest. The invasion was a complete failure, with 60% of the Gjorkan invasion force being killed and all Gjorkan forces being withdrawn by 1758. In late summer of 1760, new Gjorkan general [[George Griffith]] led an offensive to reclaim Rosemont, joining forces with [[Gjorkan Settlers Militias in the Gjorkan–Ajak War|settler militias]] who had been organizing resistance in Ajaki-controlled territories. The offensive was a success and on February 15, 1761, the [[Ajaki imperial army]] surrendered, bringing the war to an end.

The Gjorkan and Ajaki government signed the [[Treaty of Baltimore (1761)|Treaty of Baltimore]], where the Ajaki government relinquished all claims to Gjorkan territory and declared a status quo antebellum. The war resulted mass killings and organized deportations of Southern Khoroshiyans, resulting in a 90% loss of the Khoroshiyan population in Rosemont by 1770. Gjorka was left bankrupted by the war and resulting tax increases significantly increased tensions between the royal government and the wealthy merchant class, eventually resulting in the [[First Gjorkan Civil War]]. The war also effected Ajakanistan, tsars Yuri I standing with the powerful nobility and the military to dropped significantly. On 24 March 1762 Yuri was dethroned by his brother Sergei Vasiliev.

== Background ==

== Initial Invasion (1754-1755) ==
The initial Ajaki invading force numbered nearly 80,000 and was made of nearly entirely professional soldiers with proper training.[[Ajaki King]]'s military reforms had led to the modernization of the Ajaki Kingdom's army with the phasing out of part-time conscripts for a full-time trained force. In contrast, the Gjorkan army stood at around 120,000 in 1754 but was made up mostly of poorly trained conscripts. In addition, the Gjorkan force stationed in Roscommon numbered only about 10,000. The Ajaki army also had a significant technology edge over Gjorka as the modernization of the Ajaki army pulled them decades ahead of Gjorka. 

[[File:Kagula.jpg|thumb|left|320px|Depiction of the Battle of Moate]]

On August 4 of 1754, the Ajaki army crossed the [[Ajakanistan–Gjorka border|border]] and began the invasion without a formal declaration of war. The invading force was lead by [[Peter Kulakov]], an experienced general who had previously fought in [[Cherzia|Cherzian pacification campaigns]]. He split his force into three different armies intended to the capture the three strategically important towns of [[Cedonia]], [[Adare]] and [[Lisburn]] before unifying again for an advance on the region's capital of [[Baltimore]]. While the initial phase of the invasion saw no battles, the Ajaki army was harassed in skirmishes by local [[Gjorkan Settlers Militias in the Gjorkan–Ajak War|settlers militias]] who attempted to slow the Ajaki advance. The Ajaki captured all three towns and nearly 40% of Rosemont with little Gjorkan resistance by September. The first battle of the war came on September 3, when the Ajaki northern army met a force of 5,000 Gjorkan troops in the town of [[Moate]]. The region's governor, [[Brandon Nangle]], ordered the force to defend the town and hopefully force another of the Ajaki armies to assist the capture, stall their advance and allowing more time for the Gjorkan reinforcements to arrive. The Gjorkan force was [[Battle of Moate|completely crushed]] by the Northern army in the battle, losing nearly 700 soldiers to around 100 for the Ajakis.

By October, the Ajaki army had captured around 60% of Rosemont, re-unified and had reached the outskirts of Baltimore. The defense force organized by the Gjorkans numbered roughly 30,000 with 13,000 from neighboring regions and 7,000 being from local militias. The city had been preparing for the Ajaki assault for nearly two months and had constructed a series of defenses including trenches, improvised moats and chevaux de frise. The two sides met in an [[Battle of Towson|initial battle]] in the outskirts town of [[Towson]]. In contrast to the Battle of Moate, the Gjorkan force was made up entirely of settlers militia led by [[Lukas MacBride]]. The Gjorkan force held back the Ajaki assault for nearly two days before being forced to retreat, inflicting nearly double the casualties on the Ajaki side than they endured. In response to the fierce Gjorkan defense, Kulakov ordered his forces to surround the city in order to overwhelm the Gjorkan side with their superior numbers. 

The Ajaki army planned to begin their coordinated assault on the city on October 17, but bad weather the morning of caused Kulakov to delay the attack till the next day. When the weather cleared in the afternoon, a status update order from Kulakov was misinterpreted by a Lieutenant general as an order to attack, causing his to hastily begin an assault on the city from the east. Upon seeing the assault from the eastern contingent, the Lieutenant general of the southern contingent also believed the assault on the city had been ordered and hastily assembled his forces. Without the support of the two contingents, the two Ajaki forces were unable to overwhelm the Gjorkan defenses and suffered heavy casualties before the assaults were ultimately called off. Heavy losses from half of forces prompted Kulakov to further delay the assault on the city. By this point, additional settlers militias had begun gathering around Baltimore to harass the Ajaki siege.

[[File:Battle of Fontenoy 03.jpg|thumb|right|320px|Depiction of the first assault on Baltimore.]]

Worried about the prospect of the approaching winter, Kulakov began the assault on the city against the advice of his officers on October 31. Similar to the first assault, the Ajaki forces were unable to break the Gjorkan defenses. As the day wore on, the Ajax's numbers began to overwhelm the Gjorkans whose casualties also began to mount. In a last attempt to save the city, MacBride was able to get a messenger of the city ordering the milita units that had gathered around the city to begin an assault on the eastern Ajaki units to relieve pressure on the Gjorkan defenses. The militias quickly gathered and began a disorganized assault on the eastern Ajaki position. Despite the disorganization, the Ajakis mistook the militia for Gjorkan reinforcements and withdrew from their assault on the city. Seeing the retreating Ajakis, some Gjorkan defenders became emboldened and began to chase after them to break the siege. In the confusion of facing a two sided Gjorkan assault, many Ajaki soldiers fled the eastern battlefield and retreated to other units. This mass disorganized retreat spread the chaos to the southern and northern continents, completely throwing the Ajaki assault into disarray and forcing a general retreat from captured areas of the city by nightfall. In total, the Ajaki army faced a complete disaster as they faced heavily casualties, failed to capture the city and had lost their encirclement of the city. 

With high casualties and his army's morale at a low, Kulakov opted to forgo another assault on the city and settle into a siege for the winter. In early November he re-captured the eastern outskirts of the city and began constructing permanent Ajaki field bases for the winter. The Gjorkan side also began prepping for a siege, bringing in additional food supplies and troops during the brief break in the siege. By the start of winter, the Gjorkan force in the city had been reduced to 25,000 by disease or battle while the Ajaki side had reduced to 70,000.

== First Gjorkan Offensive (1755-1758) ==
The formation of a Gjorkan army to respond to the initial invasion was an extremely slow process. The Gjorkan army's large size and reliance on conscripts made it difficult to rapidly assemble. Only 13,000 men from regions bordering Rosemont were able to arrive to Baltimore in time. By the spring of 1755 however, the Gjorkan force of 100,000 had finally been mobilized and reached the outskirts of Baltimore led by General [[Horatio Greene]]. Fearing the ability of his withered Ajaki army against a numerically superior enemy after facing a harsh winter, Ajaki general Kulakov withdrew from his siege of the city. Despite predicting the Gjorkan army to chase him, General Greene instead choose to remain in Baltimore, hosting several military parades commemorating the Gjorkan "recapture" of the city. Greene also choose to sideline milita leader MacBride, ordering the settler's militias to disperse. 

In late may of 1755, Greene finally left Baltimore and began the Gjorkan offensive to re-capture Rosemont. Greene split his army in two, intending a two-pronged advance in the north and south. Greene and Kulakov first met in the [[Battle of Fontnair]], where Greene personally led a force of 50,000 against a force led by Kulakov of 40,000. Kulakov was able to lure Greene into a valley before attacking down from the hills in a three sided attack. The battle was a complete victory for the Ajaki's with nearly the Gjorkan side facing nearly 2,000 casualties and retreating. Following the rout, Greene became much more cautious, picking and choosing his battles with the Ajakis carefully. In total, 1755 only saw 5 more battles between the two sides, all of which Ajaki units lost to a vastly numerically superior Gjorkan side.   

[[File:Alexander von Kotzebue - Battle of Kunersdorf on 1 August 1759.jpg|thumb|left|320px|Depiction of the Battle of Kera]]

Facing pressure from the Gjorkan king [[Quintin III of Gjorka]], Greene began 1756 with a plan to to recapture the town of Cedonia. With 20,000 additional soldiers, Greene bolstered his two armies and began marching for the town. The northern advance led by major [[George Griffith]] was largely successful, capturing several villages and routing the Ajaki army in three straight battles to arrive on the outskirts of Cedonia. The southern advance led personally by Greene faced much more problems. During the winter, the Ajaki forces received reinforcements in the form of [[Khoroshiyans|Khoroshiyan]] volunteers who rallied to help aid the Khoroshiyans in Rosemont. Many of these Khoroshiyans were experienced fighters from Gjorkan pacification campaigns and knew Gjorkan tactics well. These rebels led by [[Petro Kornijchuk]], harassed Greene's advance in hit and run tactics. When Greene's army finally reached its first objective, the town of [[Hadik]], he believed he found the local Khoroshiyan headquarters. Believing he was facing the disorganized Khoroshiyans in a more equal assault, he rushed his forces to assault the town. However, the local Ajaki brigadier general had disguised his professional forces into native Khoroshiyan clothes. The advancing Gjorkan waves were cut down by the defending soldiers and once again Greene's forces were soundly defeated in a bloody battle. Without any support from the south, Griffith's northern forces were eventually forced to retreat, after he was defeated in the [[Battle of Senio]] by a much larger Ajaki force. 

Greene switched tactics and unified the two Gjorkan armies for a singular direct assault on Cedonia, hoping to use Gjorka's numerical advantage. Once again the invading force's advance was continually harassed by the guerrilla tactics of the Khoroshiyans. Greene was able to achieve a victory over Kulakov in the [[Battle of Kera]], catching the Ajaki general off-guard with a cavalry charge that forced him to withdraw from the village. Emboldened by his first victory over the Ajaki general, Greene ordered the army to move at rapid pace and chase after the Ajaki force, harassing their retreat. Once the two forces arrived at Cedonia, the town had been reinforced by additional Ajaki divisions as well as by the local Khoroshiyan forces. Despite his subordinate officers advising him to let his army rest for attacking the entrenched Ajaki position, Greene opted to attack quickly before the main Ajaki force could become firmly part of the town's defenses. Once again the Gjorkan force were massacred by the Ajakis and ultimately forced to retreat (which was also harassed by the Khoroshiyans). For his failure to achieve any significant gains Greene was sacked by Quintin III as General and replaced by [[Marcus Hayes]]. Quintin III supported the Gjorkan force with an additional 30,000 troops, including his 10,000 strong royal guard which was a professional force. However, the 30,000 troops were not granted to General Hayes but promoted General Griffith, who was also bolstered with an additional 30,000 troops from Hayes's force to be used to invade Ajakanistan and draw away Ajaki troops. 

During the Invasion of Ajakanistan, Hayes was ordered to not significantly attack Ajaki positions and wait for the withdrawal of Ajaki forces to protect from the invasion. However, the Ajaki forces never significantly withdrew due to the Gjorkan's invasions lack of advance. Hindered from using his forces, Hayes developed a relationship with Lukas MacBride. He gave MacBride supplies and armaments to use in guerrilla attacks by settler militias behind enemy lines. The presence of two guerrilla forces behind Ajaki lines led to a conflict known as the '''Guerrilla War''' between the two. The fighting between the Khoroshiyans and settlers militas became more intense, and eventually resulted in a major battle between the two sides. The [[Battle of Ep's Forest]] saw nearly 10,000 combined forces between the two sides fight. The Khoroshiyans were routed in the battle with nearly 4,000 surrendering to the Settlers and Kornijchuk being killed in the battle. With their commander killed, the Khoroshiyan rebels were unable to stay united and dissipated as a major fighting force. 
=== Invasion of Ajakanistan (1757-1758) ===

== Peace of 1759 ==

== Second Gjorkan Offensive (1760-1761) ==

== Other campaigns ==
=== Northwest Gjorka ===
=== Inner Kingdom ===

== Aftermath ==

== See also ==
* [[First Gjorkan Civil War]]
* [[OU military intervention in Ajakanistan]], sometimes referred to as the Second Gjorkan–Ajak War



{{Gjorka topics}}
[[Category:Ajakanistan]]
[[Category:Gjorka]]
[[Category:Wars]]