======First Wizarding War======
=====Overview=====
The **First Wizarding War** refers to the period of widespread conflict that began around 1970 and concluded on 31 October 1981. The war was instigated by [[Lord Voldemort]] and his followers, the [[Death Eater|Death Eaters]], who sought to overthrow the [[Ministry of Magic]] and establish a new world order based on [[pure-blood]] supremacy. The primary opposition was led by [[Albus Dumbledore]] and his secret organization, the [[Order of the Phoenix]], alongside the [[Ministry of Magic]] itself. The era was characterized by a climate of terror, disappearances, and open warfare, ending abruptly with [[Lord Voldemort]]'s first downfall when his [[Killing Curse]] rebounded upon him after he murdered [[James Potter|James]] and [[Lily Potter]] and attempted to kill their infant son, [[Harry Potter]].
=====History of the Conflict=====
The war did not have a formal beginning but escalated throughout the 1970s as [[Lord Voldemort]] gathered followers and began his campaign of terror.
  * **Rise of the Death Eaters:** After leaving [[Hogwarts]], [[Tom Riddle]] fully embraced his identity as [[Lord Voldemort]] and began recruiting followers, many of whom were his former [[Slytherin]] housemates or their descendants. These followers, known as [[Death Eater|Death Eaters]], were drawn to his power and his [[pure-blood]] ideology. Initially operating in the shadows, their influence and acts of violence grew steadily, creating a pervasive atmosphere of fear and paranoia.
  * **Reign of Terror:** By the mid-to-late 1970s, the wizarding world was in open warfare. [[Voldemort]]'s power grew to the point that it rivaled, and often overwhelmed, that of the [[Ministry of Magic]]. His followers used the [[Unforgivable Curses]] freely, and the [[Imperius Curse]] was employed to infiltrate the [[Ministry]] and force innocent people to commit atrocities. [[Voldemort]] also recruited dark creatures to his side, notably the [[Giants]], whom the wizarding community had ostracized, and the [[Dementors]] of [[Azkaban]], who abandoned their posts to join him.
  * **The Opposition:** In response to the [[Ministry]]'s inability to contain [[Voldemort]], [[Albus Dumbledore]] founded the [[Order of the Phoenix]], a vigilante group dedicated to fighting the [[Death Eater|Death Eaters]] directly. Members of the original [[Order of the Phoenix]] fought bravely but were heavily outnumbered and suffered immense casualties. Key members included [[James Potter|James]] and [[Lily Potter]], [[Sirius Black]], [[Remus Lupin]], [[Peter Pettigrew]], [[Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody]], and [[Frank Longbottom|Frank]] and [[Alice Longbottom]]. The [[Ministry]], under the leadership of officials like [[Barty Crouch Sr.]], Head of the [[Department of Magical Law Enforcement]], responded by authorizing its [[Aurors]] to use extreme measures, including the [[Unforgivable Curses]], against suspected [[Death Eater|Death Eaters]].
  * **The Prophecy and Voldemort's Downfall:** In 1980, a [[prophecy]] was made by [[Sybill Trelawney]] to [[Albus Dumbledore]], foretelling the birth of a child with the power to vanquish the [[Dark Lord]]. The [[prophecy]] was partially overheard by [[Severus Snape]], then a [[Death Eater]], who relayed the information to [[Voldemort]]. Believing the [[prophecy]] referred to the son of the [[Potters]] (though it could have also referred to [[Neville Longbottom]]), [[Voldemort]] marked them for death. The [[Potters]] went into hiding in [[Godric's Hollow]] under the protection of the [[Fidelius Charm]]. However, their [[Secret-Keeper]], [[Peter Pettigrew]], was a spy for [[Voldemort]] and betrayed their location. On 31 October 1981, [[Voldemort]] attacked the [[Potter]] family. After murdering [[James Potter]], he offered [[Lily Potter]] a chance to live, but she refused to stand aside and was killed while shielding her son. This act of sacrificial love invoked an ancient and powerful magic that protected [[Harry]]. When [[Voldemort]] cast the [[Killing Curse]] on the infant, the curse rebounded, destroying his physical body and reducing him to a spectral, powerless form. This event marked the end of the First Wizarding War.
=====Key Factions=====
  * **Voldemort's Forces:**
    * **Leader:** [[Lord Voldemort]]
    * **Followers:** The [[Death Eater|Death Eaters]], including prominent members such as [[Lucius Malfoy]], [[Bellatrix Lestrange]], [[Barty Crouch Jr.]], [[Evan Rosier]], and [[Antonin Dolohov]]. [[Peter Pettigrew]] and [[Severus Snape]] both served as spies within the opposition, though [[Snape]] later became a double agent for [[Dumbledore]].
    * **Allies:** [[Giants]], [[Dementors]], and various other dark creatures.
  * **The Opposition:**
    * **[[Order of the Phoenix]]:** A secret organization founded and led by [[Albus Dumbledore]]. Its purpose was to fight [[Voldemort]] outside the often-ineffective structures of the [[Ministry]].
    * **[[Ministry of Magic]]:** The official government of the British wizarding community. It struggled to maintain order and fought a desperate war against [[Voldemort]]'s forces through its [[Department of Magical Law Enforcement]] and its [[Auror|Aurors]].
=====Aftermath=====
[[Voldemort]]'s disappearance led to mass celebrations across the wizarding world. [[Harry Potter]] was hailed as a hero, becoming known as "//The Boy Who Lived//." In the ensuing chaos, many [[Death Eater|Death Eaters]] were rounded up and imprisoned in [[Azkaban]], such as [[Bellatrix Lestrange]] and [[Barty Crouch Jr.]], who were captured after torturing the [[Longbottoms]] into insanity. Others, like [[Lucius Malfoy]], claimed they had been acting under the [[Imperius Curse]] and evaded justice.
In one of the war's final tragedies, [[Sirius Black]] was framed by [[Peter Pettigrew]] for betraying the [[Potters]] and for murdering [[Pettigrew]] and twelve [[Muggles]]. [[Black]] was sent to [[Azkaban]] without a trial, while [[Pettigrew]] escaped and went into hiding. The end of the war ushered in a decade of peace, but also a sense of complacency that would later hinder the [[Ministry]]'s response to [[Voldemort]]'s eventual return.
=====Known Casualties=====
The war claimed countless lives. Notable victims mentioned in the novels include:
  * [[James Potter]]
  * [[Lily Potter]]
  * [[Marlene McKinnon]] and her family
  * [[The Boneses|Edgar Bones]] and his family
  * [[Gideon Prewett]]
  * [[Fabian Prewett]]
  * [[Dorcas Meadowes]]
  * [[Benjy Fenwick]]
  * Numerous unnamed [[wizards]], [[witches]], and [[Muggles]].
=====Behind the Scenes=====
  * The name "**First Wizarding War**" is a retronym, a term created after the fact to distinguish this conflict from the [[Second Wizarding War]]. Within the books, characters typically refer to this period as "//the dark times//," "//when You-Know-Who was in power//," or "//the first time he rose.//"
  * According to supplementary information from J.K. Rowling, the Ministers for Magic during this period were Eugenia Jenkins, followed by Harold Minchum. [[Millicent Bagnold]] was the Minister in office when [[Voldemort]] fell and famously said, "//I assert our inalienable right to party//" in response to [[International Statute of Secrecy]] breaches during the celebrations. (Pottermore)