Amaris Civil War

The chain of events leading to Stefan Amaris's destruction of both the Star League and the Rim Worlds Republic began in 2751. The First Lord, the fair and just Simon Cameron, died in February as he toured a mining complex on New Silesia. This left 8-year old Richard Cameron as First Lord, ruler of the entire Human Sphere. Aleksandr Kerensky was named "Protector", but Stefan quickly penetrated the Terran Courts. The young Richard became paranoid and megalomaniacal under the tutelage of the Terran courtiers, including Stefan.

By 2762, when Richard came of age, Stefan Amaris was already a close confidant. Richard began by ordering all house armies disbanded, and forced to join the SLDF. When the Great House Lords refused, Richard accepted the refusal, but disbanded the Star League High Council, ruling the Human Sphere unilaterally. Richard then issued the Taxation Edict of 2763, a steep increase in taxes from throughout the Human Sphere, but especially upon the Periphery. As the tax increase was a clear infraction on the Reunification Treaties, the Periphery governments quickly became militarized, and prepared for another Inner Sphere invasion.

The Crisis, highlighted by the secession of 18 worlds within the Taurian Concordat in 2765, forced the SLDF and Aleksandr Kerensky to garrison the Periphery and prepare to suppress the uprising. The absence of SLDF troops within the Terran Hegemony was compensated by the deployment of the Rim Worlds Republic Military. By December, 2565, Stefan was ready. Stefan presented The First Lord with a ceremonial, jewel-encrusted laser pistol in the Star League High Council chamber, Unity City, Terra, and then shot the First Lord in the head. Stefan Amaris proclaimed himself First Lord of the Star League.

Stefan's first act was to order Aleksandr Kerensky to maintain operations (against the Taurian Concordat), which Kerensky refused. Both sides then requested aid, which was flatly refused by each Territorial State and each Inner Sphere State. Thus started the Amaris Civil War (2766 - 2780). Kerensky began his operations by conquering the Rim Worlds Republic, led by Stefan's regent, the patriotic Mohammed Selim, an unambitious administrator Stefan could trust. After cutting away Amaris's base of support, Kerensky began a campaign to liberate the Terran Hegemony. By 2779, the outcome of the war was a foregone conclusion, and on 30 September, 2779, Stefan Amaris was taken captive by the SLDF after Aleksandr Kerensky himself personally knocked down the palace doors in Unity City in his Orion.

Stefan and his accomplices were held humanely until enough evidence was found to confirm Stefan's atrocities. Stefan Amaris was executed by firing squad; the order came from Aleksandr Kerensky himself. The execution of Stefan Amaris began a bloodletting, both legitimate and vigilante, resulting in the deaths of the entire Amaris/Wong/Siever line, and anyone else with even a small claim to the Rim Worlds Republic throne.

There is no definitive end to the Rim Worlds Republic. Kerensky led the conquest of Apollo in 2769, and Terra fell in 2779. After the execution of Stefan, a long campaign was conducted, both officially and through vigilanteism, to end the Amaris line - anyone with a claim to the Amaris throne was executed or lynched.

Despite the end of House Amaris, the Rim World Republic might have endured. However, the loss of the core of the Republic to annexation by the Lyran Commonwealth, as well as the the power vacuum left by the death of the Amaris family and the Rim Worlds Republic Military, meant the remaining worlds, literally more than 24 systems, were left to fend for themselves. Several bandit kingdoms arose in the vacuum of the collapse of the Republic, financed by privateering and de facto mercenary deals (both the Lyran Commonwealth and the Draconis Combine hired pirates to raid one another); the rest persisted as Periphery independents or simply disappeared.