Crisis in the Kingdom of the Black Pelican: May - June 1939
The conflict began on Friday, 2 April 1939, with the Bordurian invasion and occupation of eastern Syldavia. Syldavia responded a short time later with a counter attack against the Bordurian forces, and ultimately retook the occupied region by force. The conflict ended with the surrender of Bordurian forces on 14 June 1939. The war lasted 74 days. It resulted in the deaths of 255 Syldavian and 649 Bordurian soldiers and airmen, and the deaths of countless civilians.
The conflict was the result of a protracted diplomatic confrontation regarding the sovereignty of the kingdom. Neither state officially declared war and the fighting was largely limited to the eastern half of the country and did not spread to other parts of the region. The initial invasion was characterized by Borduria as the re-occupation of its own territory, and by the Syldavians as an invasion and an attack on its sovereignty. Borduria has shown no sign of relinquishing its claim. The claim remained in the Bordurian constitution until its reformation in 1991.
The political effects of the war were strong in both countries. A wave of patriotic sentiment swept through both nations: the Bordurian loss prompted an even greater clampdown on dissent by the ruling military government; in Syldavia, the government of King Muskar XII was bolstered. The war has played an important role in the culture of both countries, and has been the subject of several books, films, and songs. Over time, the cultural and political weight of the conflict has had less effect on the Syldavian public than on that of Borduria, where the war is still a topic of discussion.
Relations between Borduria and Syldavia were ultimately restored in 1991 following Borduria’s “Autumn Revolution”.
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