Editing Political Century

The '''Political Century''' was a period of time in [[Clan]] history directly following the [[Golden Century]].  It was characterized by sharp increases of inter-Clan conflict and political maneuvering, and gave rise to the [[Dragoon_Compromise#History:_The_Great_Debate|Great Debate]] and the eventual invasion of the [[Inner Sphere]].  The Political Century ended with the [[Outbound Light]] incident and the beginning of [[Operation Revival]].<ref name=ED:GCp10>''Era Digest: Golden Century'', p. 10 - ''Early Clan History: A Comparative Timeline, Cont.''</ref><ref name=TC:WOKp16>''The Clans: Warrior of Kerensky'', p. 16 - "Drive to War"</ref>

==General Overview==
After the murder of [[ilKhan]] [[Corian Tchernovkov]] was uncovered in [[2947]], resulting in the downfall and execution of her direct successor, ilKhan [[Tobias Khatib]], few in the [[Clan Homeworlds]] felt any further need for an ilKhan to oversee Clan relations.  All Clans felt more than capable of managing their own affairs.<ref name=TC:WOKp16/><ref name=FM:WCp42>''Field Manual: Warden Clans'', p. 42 - "Righteous Vengeance"</ref><ref>''Field Manual: Warden Clans'', p. 119 - "Clan Snow Raven, Absolute Power (2825 - 2976)"</ref> 

With the passing of a few decades, the modern [[Clan]] political landscape began to take shape as the Clans drifted further and further from one another philosophically.  Initially, [[Clan Jade Falcon]] would bring to the fore a growing desire to return to the Inner Sphere in order to conquer it and restore the Star League, with the Clans holding all power of leadership.  This was based on their interpretation of the words of the Great Kerenskys, including the [[Hidden Hope Doctrine]] of [[Aleksandr Kerensky]]'s [[General Order 137]], as well as the words of the Founder, [[Nicholas Kerensky]].<ref name=TC:WOKp16/><ref name=JFSp17>''Jade Falcon Sourcebook'', p. 17 - "Call to the Crusaders"</ref>

Other Clans of similar mindset began to back their vision, including [[Clan Smoke Jaguar]], forming the basis for what would become the [[Crusader Clans|Crusaders]].  Those who opposed the growing Crusader movement were called the [[Warden]]s.  Though they maintained that the Kerenskys had meant for the Clans to protect the people of the former [[Star League]] from either themselves or from some greater but as yet unseen threat, the political advantage that they held in the [[Grand Council]] was slowly evaporating as time wore on.  The fabled wealth and relative luxury of the [[Inner Sphere]] realms (compared to the harsh existence in the [[Kerensky Cluster]] and [[Pentagon Worlds]]) began to take on a mythic quality, especially in the downtrodden lower castes who began to foster ideas that the worlds of the Inner Sphere, especially those of the former [[Terran Hegemony]], were akin to paradise.  Commonly told stories began to suggest that General Kerensky and his followers had been exiled against their will by the avarice and greed of the [[Great Houses]], instead of choosing to take his path as all of them had done.   Various Clan [[Loremaster]]s encouraged these stories and perpetuated them in many cases. Hatred for the Spheroids that had begun to take root during the Golden Century bloomed into the attitudes that many Clansmen held prior to and during [[Operation Revival]] and beyond.<ref name=TC:WOKp16/><ref name=FM:CCp25>''Field Manual: Crusader Clans'', p. 25 - "The Call to Invade"</ref><ref>''Wolf Clan Sourcebook'', p. 24 - "Crusader's Call"</ref>

==Political Century Major Events==
While technological and scientific advances along with growth and expansion characterized much of the [[Golden Century]], the '''Political Century''' was marked by confrontation as the Kerensky Cluster's habitable and marginally habitable worlds began to fill.  An unspoken but steadily growing discontent was felt by many of the Clan's lower castes, manifesting in the growing agitation to conquer the Inner Sphere that only grew more pronounced as the decades progressed.<ref name=TC:WOKp16/><ref name=JFSp17/>  

* Murder of [[ilKhan]] [[Corian Tchernovkov]], subsequent impeachment of ilKhan [[Tobias Khatib]].<ref name=ED:GCp10>''Era Digest: Golden Century'', p. 10 - ''Early Clan History: A Comparative Timeline, Cont.''</ref>
* War between [[Clan Hell's Horses]] and [[Clan Ghost Bear]] rages unabated.<ref>''Field Manual: Crusader Clans'', p. 56 - "The Horse and the Bear"</ref>
* The [[Blood Scandal]] rocks [[Clan Coyote]] to its foundation, though the Coyote Warden faction prevails over the upstart Crusaders.<ref name=FM:WCp42,43>''Field Manual: Warden Clans'', p. 42, 43 - "The Blood Scandal"</ref>
* [[Clan Snow Raven]] [[Khan]] [[Liam Howell]] releases genetically bred predator to kill the Sea Fox of [[Strana Mechty]].<ref name=FM:WCp60>''Field Manual: Warden Clans'', p. 60 - "Natural Selection"</ref>
* [[Clan Sea Fox]] opts to change its name to [[Clan Diamond Shark]] in honor of the predator after a hard fought trial.<ref name=FM:WCp60/>
* [[Clan Wolf]] stalls the looming invasion of the Inner Sphere by proposing the [[Dragoon Compromise]].<ref name=WCSp24,25>''Wolf Clan Sourcebook'', p. 24, 25 - "Dragoon Compromise"</ref>
* ''[[Outbound Light]]'', a [[Comstar]] exploration vessel, finds [[Huntress]].  [[Smoke Jaguar]]'s [[Leo Showers]] elected to be first [[ilKhan]] in 101 years.<ref name=TC:WOKp16/>
* The Political Century ends as the Clan Invasion Era begins with [[Operation Revival]].

==References==
<references/>

==Bibliography==
* ''[[Era Digest: Golden Century]]''
* ''[[Field Manual: Crusader Clans]]''
* ''[[Field Manual: Warden Clans]]''
* ''[[Jade Falcon Sourcebook]]''
* ''[[The Clans: Warriors of Kerensky]]''
* ''[[Wolf Clan Sourcebook]]''

[[Category: Time Periods]]