Fereldan Rebellion

The Fereldan Rebellion is the uprising of Ferelden against the Orlesian Empire during the second half of the Blessed Age. Ultimately, the rebellion was successful, resulting in the country's liberation from its Orlesian overlords and the restoration of the Theirin line to the throne.

Background
Ferelden was invaded by Orlais in 8:24 Blessed by Emperor Reville, also known as the "Mad Emperor". The conquest was successful and completed by 8:44 Blessed as a number of Ferelden nobles conspired with the Orlesian invaders in return for power and privileged places in the new regime. For the next fifty eight years, Orlais held Ferelden as one of its provinces, extorting harsh taxes from the populace to support the Empire, denying both the nobility and the common folk their ancient rights.

Control was maintained through a combination of brutal punishments inflicted on the populace for defiance, the presence of both Fereldan collaborators who aided the occupiers out of greed and fear, and the legions of chevaliers sent by the Empire to crush any resistance. This became particularly evident during the reign of the sadistic and mercurial usurper King Meghren, whose utter contempt for his subjects led to a constant atmosphere of royally-enforced terror and persecution.

A series of battles between the Highever and Amaranthine forces during the rebellion took place, which however cannot be placed chronologically. Arl Tarleton Howe of Amaranthine, an old but sharp man supported the Orlesians. However the Couslands were loyal to the rebels and after a series of bitter battles, the Couslands managed to capture the town of Harper's Ford and Tarleton. The Arl of Amaranthine was then hanged for his treachery.

Brandel Theirin's years of leadership
After the death of Brandel Theirin's father, King Vanedrin Theirin in the Battle of Lothering, didn't manage to unite the nobility behind him and eventually the whole country was occupied in 8:44 Blessed which earned him the epithet "the Defeated". However, Vanedrin continued fighting the Orlesian rule however the resistance was scattered and disorganized. This was partly due to a lack of charisma on Brandel's own part and because of the belief of the Fereldan nobility that the country was fully lost.

Moira Theirin's years of leadership
Full-scale insurrection began in the years when Moira Theirin, commonly known as the "Rebel Queen", assumed the command of the leadership. Her first act as leader of the rebellion was to raid an Orlesian armory in Lothering. Outnumbered and backed with only limited support, the rebellion focused mostly on small-scale hit-and-run attacks, hoping to stay alive as long as possible while they attempted to gather support from the rest of Ferelden.

Moira, unlike her father, was much more charismatic and inspired her men and the rebellion. She was also daring as she willingly allowed herself to be captured by Arl Rendorn Guerrin knowing that Rendorn's conscience would get the better of him, so eventually the Arl instead of handing Moira over to the Orlesians, he joined her cause while he sent his family to the safety of the Free Marches. Rendorn became the commander of the rebel forces and proved himself as an effective but also conservative leader.

Eventually, Moira found her end when she was lured out by the promises of assistance against the Orlesians, and slain by Bann Ceorlic and several other disloyal nobles, leaving her untested young son Prince Maric to assume command. The events of Dragon Age: The Stolen Throne start to unfold after Moira's death.

Battle of Southron Hills
When Maric and the rebel Loghain had arrived at the rebel camp (after fleeing from the loyalist's forces who had attacked Gareth of Oswin's bandit camp), Maric was told that the rebel camp would soon be attacked and caught between two separate armies of the usurper, one from the north and one from the south.

It was suggested that Maric would slip away with only a handful of men while the rebel army itself would stay and fight (and likely be destroyed). However, Maric refused, and the outlaw Loghain made a suggestion which would save both Maric and the rebels. Loghain would impersonate Maric and flee to the north, straight past one of the armies to draw it off, enabling the rebels to fight and defeat the other without risk of encirclement.

While the rebels fought the southern army (along with Maric), Rowan (daughter of Arl Rendorn Guerrin) took her men on horseback to reinforce Loghain, killing the Orlesian commander and routing the second army. The plan worked, and the rebel army had lived to fight another day, which surprised King Meghren and his advisor Severan.

Aftermath
However, the losses that the rebel forces sustained were also heavy. In the upcoming months, the rebels tried to regain their power by hiding in the remote corners of the country while Maric travelled around the country to inspire the rebellion once more, since few believed that Maric was capable of liberating the country, especially since his brilliant mother failed to do so. Maric in his travels met Grand Cleric Bronach in the Kinloch Hold as well as Arl Byron Howe of Amaranthine. The latter joined Maric's cause along with his men.

First Battle of Gwaren
After two more years of making alliances with nobles and replenishing its numbers, the rebel army attacked Gwaren, which had recently been given to one of Meghren's cousins. The militia offered little resistance, but the true fight was yet to come. An elven messenger, Katriel, informed Maric that Arl Byron Howe of Amaranthine and his forces, which were used a distraction, would soon be defeated, and an army of the King's forces was on its way to Gwaren. Unable to defeat this new Orlesian host in pitched battle, thanks to the losses sustained in taking the town, the rebels elected to conceal themselves in Gwaren and ambush the Orlesians in its narrow confines. The Orlesians were defeated and retreated, but Maric was wounded. After the battle, Loghain was promoted to Commander, subordinate to Arl Rendorn Guerrin.

Several mages from an Orlesian Circle of Magi participated in the fight too. However as several of them were lost in this battle, the Orlesian mages ceased supporting King Meghren's war effort.

Battle of West Hill
Upon hearing that West Hill was the location of a large amount of money intended as pay for the chevaliers, the rebel army resolved to attack West Hill. Without the resources to pay and equip the chevaliers (who composed the true backbone of the Orlesian occupation), Maric reasoned that Meghren's army would begin to crumble, leaving the usurper defenseless. However, this was a trap in which the army was led into by Katriel. Half of the rebel army, including Arl Rendorn, was killed.

Aftermath
The forces that remained fled back to Gwaren and the King's forces soon surrounded the Brecilian Forest, preventing the rebels' escape. However, Maric, Loghain, and Rowan survived and with the help of Katriel, reached Gwaren via the Deep Roads. Along the way they made new allies, the Legion of the Dead, who saved them from death at the hands of the darkspawn, during their time in the Deep Roads.

Second Battle of Gwaren
The rebel army seeing their prince being alive, considered it a miracle from the Maker which gave them a boost in the coming battle. The rebels were also assisted by a regiment of the Legion of the Dead. In the upcoming battle, the loyalist army experienced tremendous losses but was able to force the rebels into retreat. Half of the chevalier force was slain by the Legionnaires. However as the loyalist army entered Gwaren, a riot started and the townfolk turned against the loyalists. This created a large confusion in the Orlesian camp which Maric gained as he ordered his retreating forces to turn back to Gwaren. Eventually, Meghren's forces were defeated and left Gwaren to the rebels.

Aftermath
Word of Maric's survival reached Meghren and the rumor that the prince had risen from the dead by the Maker Himself started spreading throughout the rest of Ferelden. Riots began in Redcliffe and its Arl asked assistance from King Meghren. The Bannorn could not sent their troops to suppress the riots for fear of their own lands rebelling against them. In response, Meghren attempted to subvert support for the rebellion by demanding that Grand Cleric Bronach tell the people that Maric is a demon impostor. However, this caused Bronach to flee Denerim and proclaim Maric the true heir to the throne and Meghren a dangerous tyrant.

Katriel was slain by Maric shortly after she severed all ties with Severan. Bann Ceorlic and the other nobles who had betrayed Queen Moira were also killed shortly afterwards, when Maric invited them to a Bannorn Chantry under the pretence of forming an alliance; when they came, Maric had them all killed.

Battle of White River
Little is known about the Battle of White River, other than that it was a devastating defeat for the rebel forces, from which only fifty rebels escaped, including Bryce Cousland, Rendon Howe and Leonas Bryland.

Battle of River Dane
A High dragon rampaged west of the Frostback Mountains before the battle of River Dane.

The Battle of River Dane occurred in 8:99 and was a pivotal battle during the Fereldan rebellion. Two legions of chevaliers crossing the River Dane were ambushed and killed by rebels and Legionnaires led by Loghain Mac Tir, who then claimed the Orlesian commander's armour for his own. At least a full legion of the Empire's finest warriors perished, and the significant loss of both life and treasure was enough to convince the Orlesian Emperor Florian to abandon his support in Meghren as he saw little point in squandering so many resources to secure what had become an ungovernable and rebellious province. The dwarven regiment was also lost in the fight as well as its leader, Nalthur.

At the same time, Prince Maric infiltrated the King's camp in Denerim, and under the instructions that Katriel had given to him, found and killed in combat King Meghren's most effective advisor, Severan.

Aftermath
Even after the victory at the River Dane, it took the rebels three more years of fighting until Ferelden was truly freed in 9:2 Dragon. Finally, after a long and bloody siege, Denerim fell to the rebels, and King Meghren and the remnants of his court fled to and barricaded themselves inside Fort Drakon. Maric challenged Meghren to a duel and killed him in single combat, ending his rule and the Orlesian occupation. The Fereldan rebels had won their independence, but diplomatic relations were not resumed until the accession of Empress Celene I to the Orlesian throne. Even in the years after, the shadow of Meghren's rule and the occupation had a profound influence over Ferelden society and politics, and nearly every sitting noble at the time of the Fifth Blight was either a veteran of the rebellion, or a descendant of one.