Great Peloponnesian War

The Great Peloponnesian War was a major conflict in the Peloponnese during the Years of Sorrow. It was fought between the Greek Peloponnesian Front and the Arab Emirate of New Tunis. It was one of the deadliest conflicts in Greece since the Great War.

Background
Following the Great War, Greece was devastated and divided. Athens, the capital of Greece, was wiped off the map by a nuclear missile, along with the highly populated city of Thessaloniki. More than 10% of the population of Greece was lost. The entire governing cabinet perished in the explosions, and despite attempts by the surviving regional governments to maintain order, mainland Greece fell into complete anarchy within only 5 years.

This period of anarchy within Greece left it defenseless against the migrations of other Europeans, Middle Easterners and North Africans into Greece. The Peloponnese was quickly settled by Arabs (primarily Tunisians and Libyans) who were fleeing economic troubles and harsh post-nuclear weather conditions. They formed dozens of successful coastal trade cities, though these settlements would only unite during the Great Reorganization in the 2060's. After a short period of infighting, the Emirate of New Tunis emerged as the dominant Arab state in 2070. In a response to this, the various Greek city-states in the Peloponnese united to form the Peloponnesian Front in 2071.

War
Although the Peloponnesians had intended to immediately invade the New Tunisians, their influential leader, Philippos Kallis, died unexpectedly in early 2072. The Peloponnesians were forced to deal with multiple rebellions and a power struggle which delayed a conflict. The next decade would, as a result, only involve some minor skirmishes between the Peloponnesians and New Tunisians. This stalemate ended in 2081 when the Peloponnesian Front finally invaded.

2081
The Peloponnesians attempted to capture New Tunis, the capital of the Emirate. It was expected that capturing the city would result in a collapse of the Emirate. However, the New Tunisians halted the advance of the Peloponnesians at the Battle of Krokees. The Peloponnesian army was forced to retreat and rebuild itself. Although there would be a few minor skirmishes, the rest of 2081 would mostly involve both sides expanding their armies.

2082
With both sides now having larger armies, the conflict turned active once again in mid-2082. The Peloponnesians sent small raiding bands to the western settlements in an attempt to distract the New Tunisian army, while the main force would once again attempt to capture the city of New Tunis. However, the New Tunisians had already prepared for this by establishing local militias to defend the settlements. As a result, the raiding bands found little success and the main New Tunisian military force was left free to face the main Peloponnesian force. The Peloponnesian force advanced along the eastern coast this time and the two forces engaged in an indecisive skirmish at Peleta. With the winter approaching, both sides established encampments and entrenched themselves.

2083
After the conclusion of the winter, the two forces engaged in combat again, and the Peloponnesian army found a minor victory at the Battle of Kosmas. However, their original plans of capturing New Tunis remained thwarted and far out of reach. The Peloponnesians decided to instead try and capture the ancient city of Sparta, a location that had remained legendary even after the nukes. This culminated in the largest and most decisive battle of the war, the Battle of Sparta. The New Tunisians had sent parts of their army through the rugged mountain passes north of Sparta, and the Peloponnesian army was surrounded and defeated. This defeat dealt a major blow to the moral and strength of the Peloponnesians who were forced to go on the defensive for the rest of the war. This also contributed to the secession of the Achaean Empire later that year.

2084
In the final year of the war, the New Tunisians were reluctant to launch a full scale offensive despite their victory at Sparta. They feared the potential of having to deal with a Greek insurgency if they were to conquer the Peloponnesian territory. Although a few minor raids and skirmishes would take place, 2084 would not see any major battles. Both sides met and agreed on a status quo ante bellum peace, and all hostilities ceased by late 2084.

Postwar
Both sides faced major economic issues as a result of the war due to both sides mobilizing a large part of their populations. The Peloponnesians also faced another power struggle as a result their military defeat, and this allowed the Achaean Empire to seize about 1/3rd of their territory. The New Tunisians faced discontent over the lack of gains in what was perceived as a clear victory against an invader. Emir Abd al-Aziz III was assassinated in 2085, and the Emirate of New Tunis was dissolved after splitting into the Islamic Republic of Messenia and the Emirate of Laconia in 2086. This political situation remains nearly identical 40 years later as the effects of the war have diminished the ability for either side to wage another war.