Editing BattleTech eras

[[Catalyst Game Labs]], the current owners of [[BattleTech]], have divided history into eras and sub-eras. The products they release are grouped in this manner.<ref name=bt_eras>[https://bg.battletech.com/new-to-the-board-game/battletech-eras/ New to BattleTech? - BattleTech Eras]</ref>  To reflect how the 1,000 lightyear separation between the Inner Sphere and the Clans renders Inner Sphere-centric era titles meaningless, Catalyst created a concurrent but disparate Clan Homeworlds Era in 2021.<ref name="HF-BTE">''Heretic's Faith (2021 Edition)'': "BattleTech Eras"</ref>

<div style=display:inline-table>
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; width:95%; overflow: auto;"
|- style="font-weight:bold;"
! Era
! Symbol<ref name=bt_eras/>
! Chronology
! Years
! Description
|- {{anchor|Pre–Star League}}
| rowspan="2" | Pre–Star League
| rowspan="2" | 
| Pre-Spaceflight
| Before 1950
| style="text-align:left;" | Earliest era referenced - when humanity only resides on its planet of origin, [[Terra]].
|-
| Early Spaceflight
| 1950 – 2005
| style="text-align:left;" | Early spaceflight, restricted to the bounds of Sol. Notable events include the [[Cold Wars|Second Cold War]] and reestablished Soviet Union.
|- {{anchor|Age of War}}
| rowspan="2" | Star League<ref name=sl_era>[https://bg.battletech.com/new-to-the-board-game/battletech-eras/era-star-league-2/ New to BattleTech? - BattleTech Eras - Star League]</ref>
| rowspan="2" | [[Image:Star league era-BW.jpg]]
| [[Age of War (Chronology)]]
| [[2005]] – [[2570]]<ref name=sl_era/>
| style="text-align:left;" | The era of the [[Terran Alliance]], the colonization of the [[Inner Sphere]], the formation of the [[Successor States|Great Houses]], and the [[Age of War]].

[[KF Drive]] tech is introduced, beginning the [[Terran Exoduses|First Terran Exodus]] in the [[twenty-second century]]. In [[2235]] unrest sparks the [[Outer Reaches Rebellion]], the Alliance loses and issues the [[Demarcation Declaration]], setting most colonies free and sparking the Second Terran Exodus. Throughout the [[twenty-third century|twenty-third]] and [[twenty-fourth century|twenty-fourth centuries]] the first independent interstellar nations are founded throughout the Inner Sphere, and the [[Periphery]] is settled.

The Alliance transforms into the more powerful [[Terran Hegemony]] and the Great Houses forge their own empires as neo-feudalism becomes dominant. The Age of War begins in [[2398]] and will last until the [[twenty-sixth century|mid-twenty-sixth century]].

The [[Ares Conventions]] are introduced in [[2412]] to regulate warfare, and in [[2439]] the Terran Hegemony introduces the [[Mackie]], the first [[BattleMech]] design, revolutionizing warfare.
|- {{anchor|Star League}}
| [[Star League (Chronology)]]
| [[2571]] – [[2780]]<ref name=sl_era/>
| style="text-align:left;" | The time of the [[Star League|First Star League]] from its founding in [[2571]] to the fall of the Usurper [[Amaris Empire]] in [[2780]].

[[House Cameron]] of the Terran Hegemony unifies the other five [[Inner Sphere]] states by [[2571]] and then orchestrates the [[Reunification War]] to bring the recalcitrant [[Periphery]] nations into the union.

For nearly two centuries humanity is united under a single government. Advancements in science and engineering backed by the greatest military in history uphold nearly two centuries of peace and prosperity across all settled worlds. Save for minor conflicts dubbed the [[Hidden Wars]], the [[SLDF]] rarely sees true conflict until [[New Vandenberg Uprising|Periphery revolts]] break out in [[2765]].

These rebellions enable [[Stefan Amaris]] to destroy the Cameron dynasty and seize the Star League throne for himself, resulting in the [[Amaris Civil War]]. Although [[Aleksandr Kerensky]] and his SLDF ultimately defeat Amaris, the Hegemony and Star League are irreparably ruined.
|- {{anchor|Succession Wars}}
| rowspan="3" | Succession Wars<ref name=ss_era>[https://bg.battletech.com/new-to-the-board-game/battletech-eras/era-succession-wars/ New to BattleTech? - BattleTech Eras - Succession Wars]</ref>
| rowspan="3" | [[Image:Succession wars era-BW.jpg]]
| [[Early Succession War (Chronology)]]
| [[2781]] – [[2900]]<ref name=ss_era/>
| style="text-align:left;" | The collapse of the Star League is followed by two devastating [[Succession Wars]].

Following the Star League's dissolution Kerensky and most of the [[SLDF]] [[Operation EXODUS|leave]] the Inner Sphere in [[2784]]. Within two years the five [[Successor States]] are waging total war (including heavy usage of [[Nuclear Weapons|nuclear weapons]]), each aiming to restore the Star League with its own dynasty at its head. The resulting [[First Succession War|First]] and [[Second Succession War|Second Succession Wars]] span three generations and result in the loss of billions of lives, hundreds of worlds depopulated, and much scientific knowledge lost.

[[ComStar]] emerges from the last surviving ministry of the Star League, and by the end of the era has become a quasi-religious order. Establishing itself on [[Terra]] the outwardly neutral order utilizes its monopoly on [[Hyperpulse Generator|interstellar communications]] to manipulate the ongoing wars for its own agenda.

Beginning in [[2866]], the [[Third Succession War]] reflects the general decay across the Inner Sphere as it is an ongoing state of low-level conflict involving small units and raids rather than large armies and massive offensives.

|-
| [[Late Succession War - LosTech (Chronology)]]
| [[2901]] – [[3019]]<ref name=ss_era/>
| style="text-align:left;" | With much of the Star League's knowledge gone, the [[Third Succession War]] continues.

Advanced technologies have become [[LosTech]], and in contrast to the preceding wars the Third Succession War is a constant low-intensity conflict throughout this period. Combat grows more ritualized and medieval amongst 'Mechs, with duels being fought between [[MechWarrior|MechWarriors]] in an effort to preserve what technology remains.
|-
| [[Late Succession War - Renaissance (Chronology)]]
| [[3020]] – [[3049]]<ref name=ss_era/>
| style="text-align:left;" | The [[Third Succession War]] ends, [[House Steiner-Davion]] becomes the Inner Sphere's most powerful dynasty, and the [[Helm Memory Core]] is rediscovered, beginning a techno-industrial renaissance.

The status quo is upended with the marriage of [[Hanse Davion]] and [[Melissa Steiner]] and the resulting union of the [[Lyran Commonwealth]] and the [[Federated Suns]]. In the ensuing [[Fourth Succession War]] the [[Capellan Confederation]] is reduced to a rump state and the [[Draconis Combine]] suffers heavy losses.

As a result of his nation's defeats [[Theodore Kurita (31st c.)|Theodore Kurita]] reforms the Combine military with ComStar's aid and grants independence to the [[Free Rasalhague Republic]]. His efforts ensure that the nascent [[Federated Commonwealth]] fails to win a similar victory against the Combine in the [[War of 3039]], though it remains the overwhelmingly dominant state in the Inner Sphere. By [[3049]] a Fifth Succession War and/or [[House Steiner-Davion|House Steiner-Davion's]] reestablishment of the Star League seems likely.

The discovery of the [[Helm Memory Core]] in [[3028]], coupled with other scientific efforts, begins a technological renaissance during the next two decades. The Inner Sphere slowly begins climbing back towards Star League-era levels of technology.
|- {{anchor|Clan Invasion}}
| Clan Invasion<ref name=ci_era>[https://bg.battletech.com/new-to-the-board-game/battletech-eras/era-clan-invasion/ New to BattleTech? - BattleTech Eras - Clan Invasion]</ref>
| [[Image:Clan invasion era-BW.jpg]]
| [[Clan Invasion (Chronology)]]
| [[3050]] – [[3061]]<ref name=ci_era/>
| style="text-align:left;" | [[Galactic Directions|Coreward]] of the Inner Sphere, a new faction strikes from the [[Deep Periphery]] in early [[3050]] and changes the Inner Sphere forever.

With superior weaponry, unique [[OmniMech]] designs and [[Elemental (Battle Armor)|Elemental]] infantry, these [[Clans]], with their warriors [[Trueborn|genetically bred]] for war, cut through all opposition. During this [[Operation REVIVAL]] the Draconis Combine and Lyran half of the Federated Commonwealth lose many worlds, while the Free Rasalhague Republic is almost subsumed entirely. Eventually these invaders' origins become known: they are the descendants of the [[Star League-in-Exile]] returned to reestablish the Star League.

In the climactic [[Battle of Tukayyid (3052)|Battle of Tukayyid]] ComStar's [[Com Guards|military arm]] wins a victory and a [[Truce of Tukayyid|truce]] which halts the invaders for fifteen years. The Successor States frantically upgrade their armies for the inevitable hostilities while the Clans seethe at the enforced peace. ComStar undergoes reforms aimed at secularizing the organization, but dissident zealots exile themselves and form the fanatical [[Word of Blake]] in response, later seizing [[Terra]].

The next two major conflicts erupt in [[3057]]. [[Clan Wolf]] wages the [[Refusal War]] against [[Clan Jade Falcon]] to prevent a resumption of the invasion. At the same time [[Operation GUERRERO]] results in the [[Free Worlds League]] and [[Capellan Confederation]] reclaiming worlds lost during the Fourth Succession War - and sundering the Federated Commonwealth when [[Katherine Steiner-Davion]] orchestrates the secession of the rechristened [[Lyran Alliance]].

The [[Jade Falcon Incursion (3058)|Battle of Coventry]] in 3058 leads to the Successor States forging the [[Second Star League]], with the express purpose of ending the Clan Invasion. They accomplish this when [[Operation BULLDOG]] and [[Task Force Serpent]] conclude with the annihilation of [[Clan Smoke Jaguar]]. After the reborn SLDF wins the [[Great Refusal]], the other Clans agree to end the invasion permanently.

|- {{anchor|Civil War}}
| Civil War <ref name=cw_era>[https://bg.battletech.com/new-to-the-board-game/battletech-eras/era-civil-war/ New to BattleTech? - BattleTech Eras - Civil War]</ref>
| [[Image:Civil war era-BW.jpg]]
| [[Civil War (Chronology)]]
| [[3062]] – [[3067]]<ref name=cw_era/>
| style="text-align:left;" | While the Clan threat is ended, the new Star League does not herald a new era of peace but several wars within the Inner Sphere itself.

Taking advantage of the rift in the former [[Federated Commonwealth]] and his own realm's ''[[Xin Sheng]]'' movement, Chancellor [[Sun-Tzu Liao]] continues reclaiming former Capellan worlds. His efforts culminate in the [[Capellan-St. Ives War]] which ends with the reabsorption of the [[St. Ives Compact]] into the Confederation.

While [[Katherine Steiner-Davion]] secures the throne of the Davion half of her parents' realm, her tyrannical rule and tensions within both states finally erupt in [[3062]]. The five-year [[FedCom Civil War]] between Katherine's [[Loyalist|Loyalists]] and [[Victor Steiner-Davion|Victor Steiner-Davion's]] [[Allies (FCCW)|Allies]] intent on dethroning her ravages both realms and their militaries before Katherine is finally defeated.

Numerous smaller conflicts are fought around the Inner Sphere during this period, most of them derived from the larger civil war. The Jade Falcons [[Jade Falcon Incursion (3064)|attack]] the Lyran Alliance again, while the Draconis Combine finds itself mired in border wars with both [[Clan Ghost Bear]] and the Federated Commonwealth's [[Draconis March]].

During these years the [[Word of Blake]] expands its power base outward from Terra, as well as building up its military might. Dismissing the fanatics as posing little danger, the rest of the Inner Sphere does not interfere.

|- {{anchor|Jihad}}
| Jihad<ref name=ji_era>[https://bg.battletech.com/new-to-the-board-game/battletech-eras/era-jihad/ New to BattleTech? - BattleTech Eras - Jihad]</ref>
| [[Image:Jihad era-BW.jpg]]
| [[Jihad (Chronology)]]
| [[3068]] – [[3080]]<ref name=ji_era/>
| style="text-align:left;" |The Second Star League dissolves, prompting the Word of Blake to begin a [[Jihad]] that engulfs the entire Inner Sphere.

Acknowledging that the weak Second Star League is now purposeless, its members vote to end its existence. The Blakists impulsively react to the news by attacking [[Tharkad]] and [[New Avalon]], beginning a war that eventually pits the Word against the rest of the Inner Sphere. The Blakists also target other capitals and important industrial worlds, create a "white-out" of the [[HPG]] network that adds to the chaos, and using their [[Shadow Divisions|"hidden" armies]] carve out a [[Word of Blake Protectorate|Protectorate]] at the heart of the Inner Sphere.

Multiple border wars erupt elsewhere in the Inner Sphere, and the Draconis Combine is savaged by a three-way conflict involving the Blakists, the rebel [[Black Dragon Society|Black Dragons]] and Kuritan loyalists. The [[Captain-General of the Free Worlds League|Captain-General]] of the [[Free Worlds League]], [[Thomas Marik (False)|Thomas Marik]], is exposed as an imposter, destabilizing the League and leading to its fragmentation in [[3079]]. The [[Invading Clans]] become embroiled in the [[Wars of Reaving]] that sunder them from the [[Clan Homeworlds|Homeworlds]] before joining in the fight against the Blakists.

Eventually a [[Stone's Coalition|coalition]] of nearly every major power in the Inner Sphere forms under the leadership of the mysterious [[Devlin Stone]]. Stone and his allies crush the Blakists and liberate their conquered worlds, but the Inner Sphere has suffered massive industrial and military damage, and entire worlds have been rendered uninhabitable.

|- {{anchor|Dark Age}}
| rowspan="2" | Dark Age<ref name=da_era>[https://bg.battletech.com/new-to-the-board-game/battletech-eras/era-dark-age/ New to BattleTech? - BattleTech Eras - Dark Age]</ref>
| rowspan="2" | [[Image:Dark age era-BW.jpg]]
| [[Republic Age (Chronology)]]
| [[3081]] – [[3130]]<ref name=da_era/>
| style="text-align:left;" | Devlin Stone's reforms usher in a new era of peace as the Inner Sphere rebuilds after the Jihad.

Following the Word of Blake's defeat by [[Stone's Coalition]], [[Devlin Stone]] and [[David Lear]] form the [[Republic of the Sphere]] from the liberated worlds of the Word of Blake Protectorate. This new power at the center of the Inner Sphere leads a [[Military Materiel Redemption Program|disarmament program]] that decommissions BattleMechs and other tools of warfare, downsizes armies and removes any such matériel from the hands of private individuals. Stone and Lear attempt to build a new kind of nation, with the Republic home to citizens originating from all major Houses and Clans.

While raiding and some small-scale wars occur during this time, the overall state of affairs throughout the Inner Sphere is one of peace. Devlin Stone disappears in 3130 but his ideals are expected to continue upholding the status quo.
|-
| [[Dark Age (Chronology)]]
| [[3131]] - [[3150]]<ref name=da_era/>
| style="text-align:left;" | [[Blackout|The collapse of the HPG network]] opens a new age of war with massive changes to the Inner Sphere.

The chaos in the Republic of the Sphere arising from the HPG Blackout leads to the militarization of [[IndustrialMech|IndustrialMechs]] and other civilian equipment, as splinter factions fight to advance their own agendas. The Great Houses and the Clans attack the Republic and each other, with wars engulfing the entire Inner Sphere by the mid-3130s.

The Republic's [[Prefecture X|core systems]] isolate themselves via [[The Wall|the Wall]], an impenetrable barrier to JumpShips, with the remaining Republic worlds abandoned to its neighbors. The Lyran Commonwealth invades the former Free Worlds League along with Clan Wolf, which abandons its occupation zone to migrate ''en masse'' farther into the Inner Sphere. The League's former members reunite in [[3139]], while the Wolves turn on their allies and carve out the [[Wolf Empire]] from its new conquests. Clan Jade Falcon takes off, under the leadership of [[Malvina Hazen]], with the [[Mongol Doctrine]] of terror warfare. The Lyran Commonwealth survives constant attacks from the Wolf Empire and Jade Falcons but is left severely weakened.

The Draconis Combine undergoes [[Draconis Combine Civil War|a civil war]] ending in the annihilation of [[Clan Nova Cat]], following which it mounts an all-out invasion of the Federated Suns that culminates in the fall of New Avalon. Attacked by the Capellan Confederation as well, the Federated Suns manages to avoid total destruction but is left on the brink of collapse.

Devlin Stone emerges from cryogenic storage to resume control of the Republic, and drops the Wall in [[3149]] to unleash new forces upon the Republic's enemies. But despite some setbacks both Clans Wolf and Jade Falcon position themselves right on Terra's doorstep, ready to claim humanity's homeworld.

|- {{anchor|IlClan}}
| ilClan<ref name="RS Clan Invasion">''Record Sheets: Clan Invasion'', p. 4: "BattleTech Eras"</ref>
| [[Image:ILClan_Era.jpg]]
| [[IlClan (Chronology)]]
| [[3151]] – Present<ref name="RS Clan Invasion"/>
| style="text-align:left;" | The once-invulnerable [[Republic of the Sphere]] lies in ruins, torn apart by the Great Houses and the Clans as they wage war against each other on a scale not seen in nearly a century. Mercenaries flourish once more, selling their might to the highest bidder. As [[Fortress Republic]] collapses, the Clans race toward Terra to claim their long-denied birthright and create a supreme authority that will fulfill the dream of [[Aleksandr Kerensky]] and rule the [[Inner Sphere]] by any means necessary: the ilClan.

After the [[Battle of Terra (3151)|fighting on Terra]] ends with the Republic and Stone's downfall, Clan Wolf wins the [[ilClan Trial]] to become ilClan. [[Alaric Ward]] declares himself First Lord of a [[Star League (3151–)|new Star League]], with the Jade Falcon survivors and reborn Clan Smoke Jaguar swearing allegiance to him. As news of these events slowly spread across the Inner Sphere, numerous other wars rage. The defenseless Jade Falcon Occupation Zone becomes the [[Hinterlands]], a zone fought over by new proto-states and adjacent powers. The Free Worlds League spars with its neighbors as local factions within that realm begin seizing worlds from the beleaguered [[Wolf Empire]]. The [[Federated Suns]] reclaims its capital and drives the [[Draconis Combine]] out of its heartland while fighting a [[Pleiades War|short war]] with the [[Taurian Concordat]]. A referendum on joining the new Star League plunges a divided Rasalhague Dominion into a [[Dominion Civil War|short but brutal civil war]].
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; width:95%; overflow: auto;"
|- style="font-weight:bold;"
! Era
! Symbol<ref name="HF-BTE"/>
! Sub Era
! Years
! Description
|- {{anchor|Clan Homeworlds}}
| rowspan="2" | Clan Homeworlds
| rowspan="2" | [[Image:Clan Homeworlds era-BW.jpg|50px]]
| [[Clan Homeworlds (Chronology)]]
| [[2786]] – Present<ref name="HF-BTE"/>
| style="text-align:left;" | In [[2784]] General [[Aleksandr Kerensky]] launched [[Operation EXODUS]], and led most of the [[Star League Defense Force]] out of the Inner Sphere in search of a new world, far away from the strife of the Great Houses.  After more than two years and thousands of light years, they arrived at the [[Pentagon Worlds]]. Over the next two-and-a-half centuries, internal dissent and civil war led to the creation of a brutal new society—the Clans.  And in 3049, they returned to the Inner Sphere with one goal—the complete conquest of the Great Houses.<ref name="HF-BTE"/>
|}
</div>
== References ==
<references />

==Bibliography==
:* ''[[Blake Ascending: A Jihad Compilation]]''
:* ''[[Dominions Divided]]''
:* ''[[Era Digest: Age of War]]''
:* ''[[Era Report: 2750]]''
:* ''[[Field Manual: 3085]]''
:* ''[[Field Manual: 3145]]''
:* ''[[Field Manual: Crusader Clans]]''
:* ''[[Field Manual: SLDF]]''
:* ''[[Field Manual: Updates]]''
:* ''[[Field Manual: Warden Clans]]''
:* ''[[First Succession War (sourcebook)|First Succession War]]''
:* ''[[Handbook: House Davion]]''
:* ''[[Handbook: House Kurita]]''
:* ''[[Handbook: House Liao]]''
:* ''[[Handbook: House Marik]]''
:* ''[[Handbook: House Steiner]]''
:* ''[[Handbook: Major Periphery States]]''
:* ''[[Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 1]]''
:* ''[[Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 2]]''
:* ''[[Historical: Operation Klondike]]''
:* ''[[Second Succession War (sourcebook)|Second Succession War]]''


[[Category:Time Periods]]
[[Category:History]]