War of Secession

The War of Secession, 12-9 BBY or Confederate War of Independence, began as a war between the Galactic Empire and thirteen Imperial systems, and concluded in a galactic war between several great powers.

The war was the culmination of the political Confederate Revolution, whereby many of the systems rejected the legitimacy of the Imperial Senate and Emperor Palpatine to govern them without representation and freedom, claiming that this violated the Rights of Life kind. The First Confederation Congress met in 13 BBY to coordinate relations with the Emperor and the by-then thirteen self-governing and individual systems, petitioning Palpatine for intervention with Imperial Senate, organizing a boycott of Imperial goods, while affirming loyalty to the Imperial Throne. Their pleas ignored, and with Imperial soldiers billeted throughout the galaxy, by 12 BBY the Provincial Congresses formed the Second Confederation Congress and authorized a Confederation military. Additional petitions to the emperor to intervene with the senate resulted in the following year with Congress being declared traitors and the systems to be in rebellion. The Confederates responded in 11 BBY by formally declaring their independence and secession as one new nation — the Confederate Systems of the Galaxy — claiming their own sovereignty and rejecting any allegiance to the genocidal and oppressive Imperial Sith monarchy.

The Rebel Alliance's government under Mon Mothma secretly provided supplies, ammunition and weapons to the rebels starting in 12 BBY, and the Confederate's capture of a Imperial army in 12 BBY led the Alliance to openly enter the war in early 12, which evened the military strength with the Empire. The Smugglers' Alliance and Jabba the Hutt's Empire – Rebel Alliance allies – also went to war with the Imperial over the next two years, threatening an invasion of Coruscant and severely testing Imperial military strength with campaigns in the Inner Rim — including attacks on Minorca and Gibraltar — and an escalating global naval war. Smugglers' involvement culminated in the expulsion of armies from the Outer Rim, securing the Confederate systems' southern flank.

Throughout the war, the Imperials were able to use their naval superiority to capture and occupy Confederate capital systems, but control of the countryside (where 90% of the population lived) largely eluded them because of the relatively small size of their land army. Rebel involvement proved decisive, with a Rebel naval victory in the Sullust leading at Bastion in 11 BBY to the surrender of a second Imperial army.