Difference between revisions of "Lyran Commonwealth"

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File:Lc-3052.png|The Lyran State of the Federated Commonwealth during [[Clan Invasion]] ([[3052]]).
 
File:Lc-3052.png|The Lyran State of the Federated Commonwealth during [[Clan Invasion]] ([[3052]]).
 
File:Lc.3067.png|The Lyran Alliance after [[Clan Invasion]] ([[3067]]).
 
File:Lc.3067.png|The Lyran Alliance after [[Clan Invasion]] ([[3067]]).
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File:Lc.3085.png|The Lyran Commonwealth in ([[3085]]).
 
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Revision as of 13:55, 5 June 2013

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Crest of House Steiner
Lyran Commonwealth
Faction Profile
Time period: 2341[1] – present
Part of Federated Commonwealth from 3055 to 18th September 3057
Named Lyran Alliance from 18th September 3057 to 3084
Classification: Successor State
Controlled systems: over 300
Capital world: Tharkad
Ruler title: Archon
Military: Lyran Commonwealth Armed Forces (LCAF)
Secret Service: Lyran Intelligence Corps (LIC)

The Lyran Commonwealth (also known as the Federated Commonwealth or the Lyran Alliance) is a large Inner Sphere Successor State in the BattleTech universe. The Lyran state is located in the coreward, anti-spinward part of Terra. For the majority of its history, the Lyran capital was located at the Triad on the icy world of Tharkad. While the Commonwealth was the realm of House Steiner, the Lyran Alliance was ruled by the Steiner-Davion family.

The Lyran Commonwealth is renowned for its strong economy, powerful nobility, and its military policy of promotion based on pedigree as well as talent. Unfortunately for the Lyran state, the promotion of so-called "social generals" has resulted in a military of varied capabilities. Even though incompetent "social generals" are not the rule, the prevalence of many poor officers has hindered the Lyran state throughout its history. Additionally, the Lyran Commonwealth Armed Forces tend to fight defensive campaigns with heavier BattleMechs.

Though the military history of the Commonwealth is filled with missteps, the Lyran state has endured for many hundreds of years based on the capabilities of its industrial base and by the merits of the rare, capable officers produced by the system.

History

Map of The Founding States, 2341

Main Article: History of the Lyran Commonwealth

Founding

The Commonwealth was founded in 2341 through the merger of three mercantile alliances, the Tamar Pact, Federation of Skye, and Protectorate of Donegal.[1][2] The three nations were trading partners whose respective specialties complemented each other well.[3]

The merchant princes realized the need for a larger nation and mutual defense because of the rise of large nations on their borders, the militaristic Draconis Combine, mercantile Free Worlds League, and powerful Terran Hegemony. Nonetheless, it was his nation's discovery of the Rim Worlds Republic that led Kevin Tamar to call a summit with his two neighboring leaders, Thomas McQuiston of Skye and Simon Marsden of Donegal in 2339.[4] They quickly agreed on the need to merge, but had trouble settling how to rule the nascent realm. It was Tamar's idea to model the government after classical Greek city-states, with a council of nine archons, including one Archon Basileus.[3]

The leaders also agreed to adopt the Greek lyre as their emblem. This crest inspired the name of their union, one which privileged none of the founding alliances over the others, Lyran Commonwealth.[4][3]

Crisis and Coup

The years after the Commonwealth's founding were not kind to the new nation or its people. It took five years to name the nine archons, but the council could not agree upon a leader. The Draconis Combine began a buildup of troops that threatened an invasion. The failure of the leadership to properly integrate the three separate economies created serious financial woes.[1] After twenty-five years of economic crisis and military uncertainty, the people had taken to the streets in protest. There was little trust in the new nation and there was tension to secede from all three founding alliances. Into this breach strode Robert Marsden. In August 2375, Marsden seized power in a populist coup, declaring himself Archon Basileus. He created a representative body made up of one person from each world, which swore him in. With the support of the military, Marsden brought resisting worlds to heel.[5]

Archon Marsden leaned on his strength and instituted a series of reforms in the financial sector, including the establishment of a new, nationwide currency and negotiating a trading relationship with the Terran Hegemony. It took fifteen years, but the Lyran economy recovered. Marsden poured the wealth of his nation into its military, giving it the strength to oppose the Combine.[6]

The military High Command launched an unprovoked assault on the Free Worlds planet of Promised Land in 2395. Weeks later, a heart attack killed Archon Marsden. The feared military takeover was averted when the High Command asked Marsden's brother, Alistair, to lead the Commonwealth. Though reluctant to do so, Alistair agreed. He became the second Archon of the Lyran Commonwealth.[7]

Age of War

The 2398 conflict between the Free Worlds League and Capellan Confederation that sparked the Age of War led Archon Alistair to order a buildup of the Lyran military. Years of peace dulled the Archon's efforts to keep the nation on alert, and no action was more at fault than his own marriage to Katherine Steiner in 2405. The entire nation was taken aback when the Draconis Combine led its first major offensive into the Commonwealth on 1 January 2407. The thrust surely seemed to be headed for the capital world, Arcturus.[8]

The Kurita invasion swept aside the ill-prepared Lyrans, and even the High Command's efforts to blunt the assault failed. Scorched-earth tactics barely slowed them down. Embarrassed and enraged, Alistair dismissed the High Command and took control of the national defense personally. He rallied his troops and was able to halt the Combine at Morningside, one jump away from Arcturus.[8]

With the seat of government in such a precarious position, Alistair invoked war powers to move the capital. Bureaucrats and representatives hustled to the now-centrally-located world of Tharkad. Alistair's wife Katherine Steiner, a professor at Tharkad University, oversaw the construction of the new capital.[9]

In 2408, Archon Alistair headed to the Skye region to oversee the defense there, hoping that his presence would also help heal the rift between Donegal and Skye. At the head of a lage number of troops, a group split off to execute a heavy raid on Vega, which Alistair had learned was being used as a staging area. The raid was perhaps the most successful military endeavor in the Commonwealth's history; munitions stores, DropShips, and spaceports were in flames. Alistair traveled to Menkent to assist the defenders there against a Kurita raid. Three days after arriving on Menkent, Alistair was killed in combat.[10]

House Steiner

Alistair's widow Katherine pressed her claim to become Archon and, with the support of both Tamar and Skye, was confirmed by the Estates General in April 2408 over three other claimants. She reverted to using her maiden name, choosing to be called "Katherine Steiner", inaugurating the rule of House Steiner over the Lyran Commonwealth. She assigned Fatima's Duke Devon Reynolds (whom she would later marry) to lead the LCAF, allowing her to focus on domestic matters. She formed the Commonwealth Council, an advisory body, the Commonwealth Scout Corps to explore space, replaced the lyre with the Steiner fist as the emblem of the nation, and began instilling Germanic culture throughout the Commonwealth. Katherine created a new noble class with Teutonic titles, used German as the official language, and encouraged the kroner's establishment as the nation's currency. Katherine was a party to the Ares Conventions, and signed them in 2412.[11]

Katherine encouraged colonization of worlds within the Commonwealth's territory and spearheaded economic assistance plans to help the nation recover from war. These programs helped right the economic ship but also enriched House Steiner.[11]

In the meantime, the Commonwealth warred with the Free Worlds League. The powers traded worlds, but the League's seizure of the Bolan Thumb put the Commonwealth at a strategic disadvantage.[11]

The BattleMech

In 2445, Katherine abdicated the throne after thirty-seven years as ruler. She was succeeded by her son, Alistair Steiner.[12] Alistair inherited a militarily-weak nation that was losing ground against both of its aggressive neighbors. Alistair tasked the LCAF with a mission that required them to succeed where the Lyran Intelligence Corps had failed for a decade: steal the specifications for the Terran Hegemony's new war machine, the BattleMech. A 2455 commando raid on the Hegemony's BattleMech production facility on Hesperus II, a world jointly-held by the Hegemony and the Commonwealth, got them what they needed. Alistair ordered secret facilities built on Alarion and Coventry to produce this fearsome new weapon.[13][14]

Lyran 'Mechs made their first appearance in battle in 2459, halting an advance by Captain-General Geralk Marik, literally crushing the man known as "the Bloodthirsty" under the heel of a Lyran 'Mech on Loric. The battle showed off the might of the Lyran 'Mechs but also clued the Terrans in to the fact that their technology had been stolen. They hit the Lyrans with trade restrictions, but declined to take military action. Alistair's gamble had paid off. Before the other nations could field BattleMechs of their own, Alistair sent the LCAF on the offensive in 2463. Known as the Long March, the four-year offensive reversed many of the Commonwealth's territorial losses.[13]

Archon Alistair was assassinated in 2467, ushering in the era of Lyran history known as The Dark Years. Alistair was succeeded by his eldest son Michael. Hoping to improve the morale of the nation, Michael and his brother Steven were married in a double ceremony. Unfortunately, their goal was undermined by the suicide of their sister, Tatyana. An earthquake in Tharkad City killed Michael's bride and a number of Estate General representatives less than a month later. As the nation focused on disaster relief and grieving, the Draconis Combine struck at Nox. General Steven commanded the troops, but Michael raced to the front anyway. in his grief, he abdicated as Archon in favor of Steven and took command of troops on Nox. The Battle of Nox was the first major battle between BattleMechs and claimed the life of the former Archon four years after his abdication.[15]

Civil War

Margaret Olson

Steven Steiner was unprepared to be Archon. He was indecisive and inexperienced, and his wife Margaret Olson largely ruled in his stead. Unfortunately for the Lyrans, Olson relied heavily on mystics, gurus, omens, portents, and superstitions. The weak, ineffective leadership allowed the nobility to seize more power, so, when Steven died, Duke Samuel Natash of Tamar and Connor Gilderoy of Skye backed her for Archon. The Estates General refused to confirm Olson and convinced Robert Steiner, illegitimate son of the late Tatyana, to stand for the throne. The trio fled Tharkad to consolidate their power. In late 2503, the Estates General declared for Robert. Civil war was inevitable.[16]

Robert tried to capture Olson quickly, but she fled to Skye. Surging on a groundswell of public support, Robert captured Skye after a two-month battle, though Duke Natash's forces managed to spirit both Olson and Duke Gilderoy away to Tamar. Robert's troops caught up with them four months later. Tamar was ready for him, though, with fresh troops and well-prepared defenses. Robert's exhausted forces were no match. Now April 2505, a Terran Hegemony mediator arrived to negotiate a peaceful settlement. After only a day, the mediator gave up and left Tamar. As Robert's troops prepared for their final battle, Duke Nels Reynolds of Fatima arrived with fresh troops for Steiner. The combined might of Steiner and Reynolds spelled the end for Olson and the rebel Dukes. Finally confirmed as Archon in 2506, Robert Steiner stripped the holdings and titles of Tamar and Skye from their families and awarded them to two loyal families, the Kelswas and the Lestrades, respectively. Robert advocated for peace and shifted the LCAF to a defensive footing, though that didn't stop them from conquering Megrez in 2508.[17]

Robert abdicated in favor of his son and heir Craig in 2528. An assassination attempt in 2529 prompted him to modify the throne room to allow for two BattleMech guards. Craig largely continued his father's attempts to rule peacefully, going so far as to sign the Treaty of Megrez in 2531, which called for the Terrans to garrison peacekeepers on all worlds contested between the Commonwealth and the Free Worlds League. Archon Craig's business loan policy, coupled with migration from densely populated worlds in the Federation of Skye to newly-settled Protectorate of Donegal worlds, created an economic boom and increase in industrial output. Craig also created the Commonwealth Supreme Court, sharing some of his power with the judicial body. In 2554 Craig named his niece, Chief Justice Tracial Steiner, as his heir. He died in 2555. The Age of War officially ended the following year.[18]

Star League

Viola Steiner-Dinesen
The Lyran Commonwealth in 2571

On 25 May 2558, Tracial signed the Tharkan Accords, which pledged the Lyran Commonwealth to the nascent Star League. Tracial spent the rest of her reign advocating and preparing her nation for the creation of the League. She died on 6 January 2570, inaugurating the rule of her daughter, Viola Steiner-Dinesen. Viola signed the Star League Accords in Geneva along with the other House Lords on 9 July 2571.[19]

The growing pains of joining the League were apparent almost immediately. The Commonwealth spread the tax burden out to each planet equally. The increased taxation was not much of a burden to highly-populated and industrialized worlds, such as Skye, but was a serious problem for poorer or less well-developed systems. This culminated with the Main Street Tax Revolt of 2573, which saw rioting and strikes in several worlds on the Coventry Province Periphery border, centered on Main Street. Viola opted not to send in the military. Instead, she invited the leader of the "Rich Worlds Coalition", Duke Carlo Lestrade, to have a debate. The Archon's proposed reform carried the day and the Estates General, endearing her to the common person. With reform passed, the revolt ended.[20]

Reunification War

House Cameron had never been shy about their intention to unite all of humanity under their banner. It was no surprise when the Star League began to rattle their sabres in the direction of the Periphery, four nations who refused to join the League. A series of incidents led to First Lord Ian Cameron issuing the Pollux Proclamation in 2575, which threatened the Periphery states with war if they did not join the Star League peacefully. All four nations refused.[21]

The war against the Rim Worlds Republic was codenamed "Operation Mailed Fist". President Gregory Amaris was actually pro-Star League, but his administration had been toppled in late 2575 and replaced with a provisional government, which refused entry into the League. The Star League, already at war with the Taurian Concordat and Magistracy of Canopus, gathered eighteen Star League Defense Force units, nine from the Free Worlds League Military, and three from the LCAF. The SLDF planned a campaign they thought would take about five years and hinged on driving directly for the Rim Worlds capital of Apollo. Archon Viola, who did not support the invasion, convinced them to change the plan to include a broader offensive to reduce the number of Republic troops available to counterattack into the Commonwealth.[22]

When they entered the fight in 2584, Viola led the Lyrans personally, leaving her heir, Archon-designate Kevin Steiner-Dinesen, to rule with the assistance of the Dukes of Skye and Tamar, Aldo Lestrade and Selvin Kelswa, respectively. The career military officer saw the offensive bog down badly, with the coalition making virtually no progress after eight years. Poor worlds suffered under the strain of supporting the campaign.[22][23]

At home, Kevin attempted to lower taxes in 2589 to appease those who were suffering under the strain. Pressure from the Star League forced him to reverse his decision, which prompted criticism, especially from the Estates General Steering Committee. On 13 July 2591, Kevin was kidnapped. Suspicion immediately centered on Dukes Lestrade and Kelswa, especially after they fled Tharkad. When Viola received word on 10 September, she saw red. The Archon assaulted the Twenty-fifth Skye Rangers and Tamar Tigers. Her guard was drawn into the fight and over one hundred Lyrans were dead before SLDF troops could intervene and stop her "Day of Rage". Archon Viola was badly wounded and lay in a coma for a month.[24]

The SLDF released the Archon to deal with her internal crisis. She returned to Tharkad to find the LIC cleared the Dukes of all wrongdoing, instead fingering Speaker Graf Henry Gram. The Archon arrived at the Government House with LCAF and LIC operatives just as Gram was able to break the filibuster and pass a bill to secede from the Star League. The Archon and her Loyalist forces seized the Government House, crushed Gram under the foot of her Warhammer, and disbanded the legislative body. Viola attempted to make amends, but the rift between House Steiner and Skye and Tamar became irreparable.[24][25]

Viola reinstalled her son as her regent and returned to the front. On 24 March 2595, Archon Viola led her command into the inner defense of the provisional government on Apollo and was severely wounded. The Republic government surrendered on 3 September 2596.[24]

Star League Years

The 27th century was a golden age for mankind and the Commonwealth, which prospered under the free trade of the Star League thanks to its industrial and economic might.[26]

The beginning of the end came in 2741 when a "pirate" attack resulted in the massacre of five hundreds Lyrans on The Edge. The bandits, who used BattleMechs, were tracked back to Butte Hold and were determined to be mercenaries in the employ of House Kurita. On Terra, Archon Michael Steiner II confronted Coordinator Takiro Kurita, and both nations rattled sabres by shuffling around troops on their border. The supposed pirate raids continued for ten years, prompting First Lord Simon Cameron to embark on a Sphere-wide goodwill tour in 2750. Tragedy struck when an accident with a mining robot resulted in the First Lord's death.[27]

Commanding General Aleksandr Kerensky ruled as Regent for Richard Cameron, who was eight years old when his father was killed. President Stefan Amaris of the Rim Worlds Republic ingratiated himself to the young heir. The Council Lords levied heavy taxes on the Territorial (Periphery) States and increased the sizes of their military forces, both edicts that were technically illegal because they lacked Kerensky's signature. For their part, the Lyrans raised thirteen new BattleMech regiments. When Cameron came of age in 2762, his first edict called for the disbanding of the House armies. The ridicule he earned for it isolated him further from everybody, save Amaris. The New Vandenberg Revolt signaled a full-scale rebellion in the Periphery (except for the Rim Worlds). Kerensky sent SLDF troops to quell the revolts, allowing Amaris to garrison Hegemony worlds with Republic troops. In 2766 Amaris' long plan came to fruition; he assassinated every Cameron he could find and took the Terran Hegemony in a coup, then declared himself Emperor of mankind.[28]

General Kerensky quickly extricated the SLDF from the rebellious Periphery states and converged on the Rim Worlds Republic. His troops conquered the nation and used its industry to rebuild. None of the House Lords openly supported Kerensky's offensive on the Hegemony, though a few, including Archon Robert Steiner II, allowed him to stage from their nations. Robert's decision not to openly support Kerensky made him very unpopular among his own people. Droves of Lyrans left to the Republic to pledge themselves to Kerensky's cause. At great cost, the SLDF troops were able to liberate the Hegemony and Terra.[29]

When Kerensky abandoned the Periphery in 2772 to liberate the Hegemony, House Steiner moved in to garrison the Rim Worlds Republic. They found pockets of resistance and some military forces still loyal to Amaris. Over one hundred LCAF regiments secured and pacified the Republic in an undeclared war.[30]

Following the liberation of Terra, the Council Lords assembled in 2780, but could not agree on which of them should accede as First Lord. They stripped Kerensky of his title of Protector of the Realm and appointed Jerome Blake to rebuild the shattered HPG network. The Lords declared the League disbanded in 2781. Shortly after this announcement, Archon Robert contracted pneumonia and died, leaving his sister Jennifer to succeed him. Each of the House Lords prepared for war, including by trying to hire SLDF and Rim Worlds troops on as mercenaries or House troops. In 2784, rather than wait for his forces to be bought away, Kerensky led eighty percent of the SLDF into exile, removing the last barrier to bloodshed.[31]

First Succession War

Map of the Lyran Commonwealth after the First Succession War

The Commonwealth went on the offensive to begin the First Succession War, so named because the House Lords were ostensibly fighting over which of them would become First Lord. In May 2785 LCAF troops attacked Bolan, then controlled by House Marik, in response to reports of a troop buildup there. The FWLM forces lost, but used nuclear weapons and scorched-earth tactics to deny the Lyrans any substantive advantage from their conquest. This signaled the beginning of a different kind of war, one that ignored the Ares Conventions in favor of total war.[32]

The Draconis Combine distracted House Steiner with a raid on Bone-Norman. Remembering their "bandit" raids of years past, the LCAF redeployed to the Periphery border to counter the threats. The DCMS then struck at Skondia in 2786, devastating the planet and running circles around the Lyran defenders. Coordinator Minoru Kurita decided that the Lyrans were too weak to even pose a challenge for his troops, so he turned them on the Federated Suns. The Lyrans matched their rivals in securing worlds of the collapsed Terran Hegemony. In December, Minoru declared himself First Lord. Though she believed that the Star League was dead and gone, Archon Jennifer Steiner made the same assertion.[32][33]

The Commonwealth traded worlds with the Combine and Free Worlds over the course of the war. Archon Jennifer Steiner was killed in action in 2791 on Styx. She was succeeded by her son Richard. In 2811, the Commonwealth defended against a Marik assault on Poulsbo. The Lyran victory forced the Mariks to abandon the Bolan Thumb. By 2812, commerce was at a standstill and the economy was in shambles. Even the Estates General found it too difficult to convene due to a lack of JumpShips, forcing Speaker Timothy Aths to disband the legislative body. The Commonwealth and League began peace talks in 2820, and those talks were formalized with the Bella Accords. No formal treaty was signed, but the conflict with the Combine ground to a halt in 2821, signaling the end of the First Succession War.[33]

Inter-War Period

After reigning for thirty years, Archon Richard Steiner's nation was broken. They had lost thirty star systems, a greatly reduced military that was barely operational, dozens of major industrial facilities wrecked, a mostly-destroyed navy, greatly-diminished capacity to produce JumpShips, and shipping that was so thoroughly disrupted that basic supplies that made worlds habitable were difficult to come by. Richard called the Estates General to session and presented them with a plan for reconstruction that focused on heavy industry first. To deal with the worlds conquered from the Rim Worlds Republic decades earlier, Richard created Archonettes. Each Archonette hailed from a world that was wealthier than those within one jump and had total authority over the nobility and bureaucracy of that region to coordinate the reconstruction of those worlds, ensuring that each receive a balanced number of supplies. Once each world in the region was able to at least provide for itself, the Archonette's job was done and he or she would be rewarded with a land grant and title on an interior world.[34]

Richard was succeeded by his son Marcus in June 2823. Marcus released all transports that had been conscripted for military service, though he required that each one deliver supplies to three needy worlds. Marcus opened up House Steiner's coffers to help industrial centers of national importance move from border systems to interior worlds, an opportunity few passed up on. Marcus's major error in rebuilding was a tax on ComStar. Then-Primus Conrad Toyama countered by shutting down the HPG on Tharkad. After a year of blackout, Marcus relented and rescinded the tax.[35]

Second Succession War

Map of the Lyran Commonwealth after the Second Succession War

The Draconis Combine's first action of war after 2821 came in 2825 and became known as the Chain Gang raids. The Combine equipped criminals with poor BattleMechs to raid the Lyrans, intending to set back reconstruction. The Commonwealth waited for further assaults, but none came. The LCAF sent their own raids in 2826 and 2827, to which the DCMS responded. Tensions on the Free Worlds League front were increased after failed prisoner exchange talks broke down and the Commonwealth delegate was killed.[36]

The Combine launched an invasion on multiple fronts on 14 March 2830, and House Marik did the same later that year. The Second Succession War was just as brutal as the first, with total war the name of the game. In 2843, Archon Marcus contracted meningitis on Loric and returned to Tharkad. With no heir, his wife, Melissa Nin, declared her intention to become Archon. This claim was shortly followed by a similar one from Claudius Steiner, CO of the Second Lyran Guards. When Marcus passed away, the Estates General, led by Speaker Harlan Dinesen, declared Nin to be Archon in 2844. Five months later, the Second Lyran Guards and Claudius Steiner assaulted Tharkad City and defeated the defending forces. Both Nin and Dinesen were captured, charged with high treason, and executed. Claudius dismissed the Estates General and declared himself Archon, ruling with an ever-tighter grip. Claudius neglected the borders, allowing the Combine and League to launch assaults. The nation breathed a sigh of relief when he died in 2849.[37]

The Estates General met again and created a regency council for nine-year-old Elizabeth Steiner, Claudius's daughter. The council consisted of her mother Rebecca Morgan, Speaker Henry DeCalidore of Furillo, and Duchess Ilysa Aten of Skye. The Triumvirate ruled when the Lyrans successfully defended Hesperus II from the DCMS in 2853. Elizabeth became Archon in her own right in 2859, overseeing the end of the Second Succession War in 2863. Again, the Lyran state was damaged, its economy in downturn, and industries needed repair.[38]

The Lyran Alliance

Crest of the Lyran Alliance
Lyran Alliance
Faction Profile
Time period: 30573084
Classification: Successor State
Controlled systems: 350+
Capital world: Tharkad
Ruler title: Archon
Military: Lyran Alliance Armed Forces
Secret Service: Lyran Intelligence Corps

Genesis

The Lyran Alliance was created when Katherine Steiner-Davion invoked Emergency Powers and seceded the Lyran half from the Federated Commonwealth. She used her brother's apparent duplicity and the war that followed as her rationale. To prevent the Free Worlds League from discontinuing supplies for the war against the Clans to the rest of the Inner Sphere, Victor Ian Steiner-Davion had substituted a double in place of Thomas' son, Joshua Marik, since the boy had died of leukemia despite his treatment in the New Avalon Institute of Science. When Thomas was informed of the deception, he launched a war, allied with Sun-Tzu Liao and his Capellan Confederation, to retake worlds he lost to Victor's father, Hanse Davion, in the Fourth Succession War. Victor directly controlled the half of the Federated Commonwealth formerly known as the Federated Suns, while Kathrine was his regent in the half formerly known as the Lyran Commonwealth. Thomas sent a message to Kathrine reassuring her that he had no quarrel with her, and accordingly would not attack any of her worlds, though he would understand if she sided with her brother and would bear no ill-will. Instead, Kathrine decided to give Victor no support and to effectively sever her half of the realm and christen it the Lyran Alliance (not reverting completely to the original name of Lyran Commonwealth because she claimed Victor's actions had tainted the word 'commonwealth.')

Almost immediately, however, there was opposition. Victor still had supporters in Lyran half of his realm, the most powerful of whom was Morgan Kell. Kell used his title as Duke of Arc-Royal and his position on the Clan Jade Falcon border to create what was effectively an independent state known as the Arc-Royal Defense Cordon. Grand Duke Morgan Kell paid lip service to Archon Katherine, but ran his affairs to his own liking. The ARDC became a haven for military units, House and mercenary alike, that did not approve of Katherine's secession and maintained loyalty to Archon-Prince Victor.

Jade Falcon Incursion

The creation of the ARDC seemed fortuitous, because in 3058 Clan Jade Falcon launched an invasion. This invasion, however, was initially confused for a pirate raid as it came from a vector that originated in the Periphery, not the Clan Occupation Zones. This was compounded by the fact that Archon Katherine (or "Katrina," as she preferred to be called) was on a secret diplomatic mission to the Clans, so her chief advisers, General of the Armies Nondi Steiner and Tormano Liao had to deal with the problem in her name while maintaining the secrecy of her absence.

The invasion was led by Khan Marthe Pryde herself and, while the Lyran leaders did not know it at the time, her goal was simply to blood her warriors. Because life in the Inner Sphere was more peaceful than that of the Clan homeworlds, her warriors did not have the same battle-hardened edge of other Clan warriors. In addition, the tremendous losses of the Refusal War forced her to give warrior status to some sibko members before they were ready, as well as allowing more freebirth warriors in the Clan's touman than normal. Marthe also needed to make her Clan look powerful in the eyes of the other Clans so that they would not attack the Falcons or call for Absorption. Because of this, she decided to execute a series of raids that penetrated deeper and deeper into Lyran space, rather than initiating a more traditional offensive across a broad front.

By the time the Falcon assault force landed on Coventry, most Inner Sphere observers were of the belief that the Falcons intended to cross the Tukayyid Truce line and reignite the Clan Invasion, with themselves already in possession of a hefty head start. With this in mind, the Lyrans decided to make a stand at the important industrial world of Coventry, a mere two jumps from Tharkad and barely above the truce line. In the meantime, Archon Katherine returned with news that she had signed a secret pact with Khan Vlad Ward of Clan Wolf. She had been captured by Vlad during a naval battle that her Lyran flotilla had happened upon, and the two leaders negotiated a mutual defense agreement aimed at Clan Jade Falcon, with whom they both shared a border. In order to improve the defense of Coventry, the Lyrans hired elements of Wolf's Dragoons as well as the Waco Rangers. The intense enmity between the two mercenary commands led to a lack of command cohesion that threatened the defenders.

Also around the same time, a large war-game was scheduled with participants from around the Inner Sphere at Tukayyid. When Prince Victor got wind of the Battle of Coventry, he decided to divert the massive force there in order to stop the Falcons. Katherine allowed the erstwhile Archon-Prince to come at the head of the expeditionary force because she hoped that he would be killed in the fighting and she could take over the Federated Commonwealth. In addition, while Khan Phelan Kell could not spare a detachment of his Wolves for the fight, he did lend Victor Star Captain Ragnar, the captured son of Rasalhague Prince Haakon Magnusson. Victor landed with his force amid reports that Clan Wolf had launched an invasion of the Falcon Occupation Zone. However, Clan honor dictated that the Falcons stay until they won. On the advice of Ragnar, Victor and Caradoc Trevana (one of the few officers who had led a successful campaign against the Falcons) offered Khan Pryde hegira, the privilege of a defeated enemy to leave unmolested. Khan Pryde, eager to extricate her forces from the battle, accepted the offer. Archon Katherine was furious, however, as it denied her the opportunity to see Victor dead in battle.[39]

New Star League

The cooperation fostered from this venture led the Inner Sphere leaders to desire further cooperation against the Clans. Archon Katherine, in the spirit of the Battle of Coventry, offered for Tharkad to be the site of the summit that came to be known as the Whitting Conference. The leaders of all the Inner Sphere powers were present at the Whitting Conference, and they decided to fight the Clans by giving them their objective: the resurrection of the Star League. The new Star League Council also decided to take the fight to the Clans by annihilating one of them. While Archon Katherine argued for that Clan to be the Jade Falcons, the decision was made to attack Clan Smoke Jaguar instead, because they were more powerful and a defector had provided ComStar with a route to the Smoke Jaguar capital of Huntress.[40]

Lyran units participated in Operation Bulldog. The 10th Lyran Guards also accompanied Prince Victor on his follow-up mission to help the Task Force Serpent forces that assaulted Huntress.[41]

FedCom Civil War

Katherine took advantage of Victor's absence to usurp her sister's regency of the Federated Commonwealth, which necessitated her presence on New Avalon. She left Nondi Steiner as her regent on Tharkad in the meantime. When Arthur Steiner-Davion was presumed dead after the stadium he was giving a speech in was bombed in 3062, Victor decided that he could not stand idly by and placed the blame for Arthur's death on Katherine. He also called on anybody who resisted Katherine's rule to arms and began a bloody civil war. This conflict lasted until 3067.

Damage to the LAAF was not as great as what occurred to the Armed Forces of the Federated Suns. This was mostly due to the fact that most Lyran units were united in their support of Katherine, and most of the units that did not support her moved to the ARDC. Despite this, major conflicts did break out on some worlds, such as Dalkeith. It would be three other events that caused damage to the Alliance.

First, Victor was on Mogyorod at the time of his declaration. From the first, he planned to cut a swath through the Alliance, into Federated Commonwealth space, and ultimately to New Avalon. He quickly ran afoul of Adam Steiner on Newtown Square, then was harassed by General Maria Esteban. Victor did eventually break through to the FedSuns, but not before securing important worlds like Coventry and York for his cause. After he received news of the death of his lover, Omi Kurita, Victor retreated to Muphrid and mourned for her for a year before finally pushing on to Tikonov.

Secondly, Clan Jade Falcon launched an invasion in 3064. Khan Pryde sought to take advantage of Lyran distraction by actually making real gains for her Clan this time. The invasion unified elements of the Lyran people, and they came together to fight the Falcons. Loyalist General Adam Steiner and hero of the Allied cause General Archer Christifori jointly led the defense and counter-assault. While the Lyrans retook Blackjack (though its infamous private military academy had been dismantled), the Falcons were able to capture the theater headquarters of Pandora. History repeated itself as Clan Wolf launched an invasion of Falcon territory, and both Lyran and Falcons sought an end to the conflict. In a unique arrangement, the borders were left as they were occupied, and the world of Blair Atholl became a jointly-held world intended to be a sort of live-fire training ground for the Falcons. The Blair Atholl Agreement ended the invasion in 3065.

Third, Skye Province attempted to secede from the Alliance. Skye Province (and the Isle of Skye before it) had been a hotbed of discontent, but, with Duke Robert Kelswa-Steiner imprisoned, his chief military adviser John Dundee attempted to formally break away. Maria Esteban went over to Free Skye and led a new unit known as the Skye Guard. Skye forces were able to secure the provincial capital of Skye and the theater headquarters of Freedom, but Esteban did not have sufficient forces to wrest the all-important industrial world of Hesperus II from the Lyrans. With that defeat, the rebellion collapsed and the Skye forces were vanquished.

Even though the Alliance was relatively quiet, and the Loyalists were on the run in the Federated Commonwealth, Nondi Steiner still held power on Tharkad. Morgan Kell convinced Peter Steiner-Davion to come out of his self-imposed exile on Zaniah III and fight for the throne. Peter led a pan-Lyran coalition to Tharkad that was composed of national regiments, a Skye Ranger unit, mercenaries from the ARDC, and Phelan Kell with some of his Wolves. The Battle for Tharkad was hard-fought, but, after Peter secured his alma mater the Nagelring, he was able to take the fight to the capital itself and defeated his great-aunt Nondi in single combat amid the bitter street-to-street fighting. With her death, resistance collapsed and Peter was acclaimed Archon by the Estates General in 3067 after Victor officially abdicated in his favor.[42]

Word of Blake Jihad

3067 saw the return of the Whitting Conference to Tharkad. Despite that, Peter announced his intention to pull out of the League, citing financial constraints. His sentiment was echoed by Prince-Regent Yvonne of the Federated Suns. Chancellor Sun-Tzu Liao was more scathing in his absentee remarks, but he also announced his intention to pull the Capellan Confederation out of the Star League. First Lord Christian Mansdotter admitted the provisional members, including the Taurian Concordat and Word of Blake, and called for a vote of no-confidence in the hope that such a vote would succeed and the other members could force them back in. The measure did have the required majority, however, and the Star League disbanded once more. The Word of Blake, however, was not content. A radical element placed a great deal of hope of their interpretation of a prophecy that included the Star League. They attempted to force the Lyrans and FedSuns back into the League with a show of force around their capital worlds.[43] This failed, however, and they lashed out in a brutal war that lasted for 14 years and engulfed all of humankind.

The Blakists attacked the Lyrans savagely and repeatedly because they desired control of the Lyrans' massive industrial base. Worlds such as Tharkad, Coventry, Hesperus II, Donegal, and Alarion suffered tremendously. In the meantime, the Blakists sought to expand their Blake Protectorate at the expense of Lyran worlds including Thorin and New Earth.[44]

The Jihad ended in 3081 when forces under the command of Devlin Stone conquered Terra.[45]

At some point, the Brotherhood of Cincinnatus gained enough power and influence to depose Peter Steiner-Davion as Archon and put in his place his cousin, General of the Armies Adam Steiner as part of a plan to put a "pure" Steiner onto the throne. The plan was discovered by Adam and he had the order purged and their headquarters on the planet Gacrux destroyed as a result of their betrayal.[46]

Lyran Commonwealth once again

In 3084, the Lyran Alliance was renamed "Lyran Commonwealth" since the Federated Commonwealth reverted to its usage of Federated Suns.[47]

Military

Since the fall of the Star League, the Lyran Commonwealth's High Command had a reputation for being bloated, inept, and ineffective. Early in its existence, the Commonwealth created the title of "Social General" for those important individuals who lacked other titles. Social generals are not unique to the Lyrans, but there is a preponderance of them compared to other nations. These individuals are officers (not necessarily high-ranking, despite the term) who received their position through networking as opposed to martial talent. These social generals decided in time that they possessed military authority and began overseeing actual military operations. Rank and awards were handed out like so many party favors and the structure soon became top-heavy. The incompetent leadership of the Lyran military has been responsible for many a bad decision, and poor leadership has reflected in the performance of their troops.

To compensate for the shortcomings or their High Command, the Lyrans are known for their use of large 'Mechs. Using their well-established industrial base, the LAAF fields a higher ratio of Assault 'Mechs than any other nation in the Inner Sphere. This has not always been a boon, however, as their enemies have been able to use more balanced forces to outmaneuver and defeat the Lyrans on many occasions.

The problems with the Lyran military only began to be reduced during the Archonship of Katrina Steiner, but even then, the command structure was often distrusted by the regular troops that engaged in battle. During the Third Succession War, the Commonwealth lost several worlds to the Draconis Combine due to poor planning, logistics, and support by the Lyran command structure despite strong commitment by ground forces. The Federated Commonwealth Alliance did much to change that, even eliminating social generals for a short time. Though the Federated Suns tried to help the Lyrans bring their military up to par with the Armed Forces of the Federated Suns, much of that effort was undone when Katherine seceded the Lyran Alliance and removed many of the quality officers because they remained loyal to her brother. In addition, Katherine brought back the so-called "social generals."

Recruits can enter the Lyran Commonwealth Armed Forces (LCAF) at the age of sixteen. The LCAF has and does implement drafts to bolster unit strengths, especially in periods of intense warfare (such as the start of the Fourth Succession War in 3028).

Military Ranks

The military ranks for the Lyran Commonwealth were originally established in 2413 by Archon Katherine Steiner's Brandenberg Edicts. They were merged with those of the Federated Suns during the formation of the Federated Commonwealth, but re-established after Katrina Steiner-Davion separated the nation from the FedCom, forming the Lyran Alliance.

Manufacturing centers

A detailed list of some Lyran manufacturer and companie centers.

Heavy Aerospace Industry[48]

3067

Major Defense Industries[49]

3067

Politics

Lyran Commonwealth (and Lyran Alliance) was basically a feudal monarchy with an assembly that served in a largely advisory capacity. This does not mean, however, that the people do not have rights and freedoms. The Steiner Archons have traditionally been rather liberal rulers, allowing their people the right to assembly, freedom of speech, and freedom of the press. Indeed, occasions in which these rights were taken away have been cause for crisis in and of themselves.

Archon

The Archon is the head-of-state of the Lyran Commonwealth. He or she is also the commander-in-chief of the Lyran Commonwealth Armed Forces and has the authority to make any and all decisions relating to domestic and foreign policy.

Nobility

The Lyran nobility is very powerful. For instance, in the time of the Lyran Alliance, the state was divided into five provinces named for their capital worlds, Alarion, Bolan, Coventry, Donegal, and Skye. The rulers of these planets hold the title Duke or Duchess, and also serve as provincial rulers for those areas. They could essentially serve as head of state in their province so long as they did not override the authority the Archon. Indeed, some of these rulers were powerful enough to challenge the central authority.

Other noble rulers existed at every possible spectrum. Some ruled multiple worlds, while others ruled a city or tract of land. For every layer of nobility, a ruler could exercise his or her authority so long as he or she did not infringe upon the rights of the people or go against what a higher authority decreed.

Estates General

The Estates General was integrated into the governance of the Federated Commonwealth rather than subsumed. The Estates General is an assembly that meets on Tharkad and is theoretically composed of one individual from each world in the Lyran state, but in fact the least populous worlds are not represented. A member of the Estates General is elected to a six-year term and cannot hold a title more powerful than Baron.

The primary function of the Estates General is confirming the Archon, though this is often little more than a rubber stamp that grants legitimacy to House Steiner. In fact, it was originally created in 2376 by Robert Marsden in order to grant his coup legitimacy. Despite its origins, the Estates General has taken a leading role in determining who holds position of Archon, as it did in 3007 when it voted no-confidence in Alessandro Steiner, paving the way for his niece Katrina to take power.[50]

Era Specific Data

3130

  • Location (Terra relative): Coreward and Anti-Spinward quadrant[51]
  • Total (Inhabited) Systems: 319
  • Estimated Population (3130): 955,000,000,000
  • Government: Constitutional Monarchy (with German feudal stylings)
  • Dominant Language(s): German (official) , English, Scottish Gaelic, Italian, French
  • Dominant Religion(s): Christian (Protestant), Judaism, Muslim
  • Unit of Currency: Kroner (1 kroner = 2.13 C-Bills)

Maps

See Also

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Handbook: House Steiner, p. 14, "False Start: Reign of the Nine"
  2. Handbook: House Steiner, p. 14, "The Three Who would become One"
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 Handbook: House Steiner, pp. 12-13, "Foundation of the Lyran Commonwealth"
  4. 4.0 4.1 House Steiner (The Lyran Commonwealth), pp. 11-12, "Hegemony, Prosperity, and Foundation"
  5. Handbook: House Steiner, pp. 14-17, "Rebirth: The Marsden Coup"
  6. Handbook: House Steiner, p. 17, "The Commonwealth Recovery"
  7. Handbook: House Steiner, p. 17, "Alistair's Ascension"
  8. 8.0 8.1 Handbook: House Steiner, pp. 17-18, "Age of War"
  9. Handbook: House Steiner, p. 18, "Relocation"
  10. Handbook: House Steiner, p. 18, "Death and Rebirth: The Steiner Dynasty"
  11. 11.0 11.1 11.2 Handbook: House Steiner, pp. 18-19, "Steiner Takes the Helm"
  12. Handbook: House Steiner, p. 19, "Turning the Tide"
  13. 13.0 13.1 Handbook: House Steiner, pp. 19-20, "Turning the Tide"
  14. "Prometheus Unbound (Proliferation, Part II)"
  15. Handbook: House Steiner, pp. 20-21, "The Dark Years"
  16. Handbook: House Steiner, pp. 21-22
  17. Handbook: House Steiner, pp. 22-23, "Civil War" & "Aftermath"
  18. Handbook: House Steiner, p. 23, "Golden Years"
  19. Handbook: House Steiner, pp. 23-24
  20. Handbook: House Steiner, p. 24, "Period of Adjustment"
  21. Handbook: House Steiner, p. 26, "The Reunification War"
  22. 22.0 22.1 Handbook: House Steiner, pp. 26-27, "Operation Mailed Fist: The Commonwealth Front"
  23. Historical: Reunification War, p. 152
  24. 24.0 24.1 24.2 Handbook: House Steiner, pp. 27-28, "Crisis at Home: Day of Rage"
  25. Historical: Reunification War, pp. 56-57, "Henry Gram"
  26. Handbook: House Steiner, pp. 28-29 , "Rise and Fall of the Star League"
  27. Handbook: House Steiner, p. 30
  28. Handbook: House Steiner, pp. 30-32
  29. Handbook: House Steiner, pp. 32-34
  30. Handbook: House Steiner, p. 34, "The Taking of the Rim Worlds Republic"
  31. Handbook: House Steiner, pp. 34-35, "Dawn of the Succession Wars"
  32. 32.0 32.1 Handbook: House Steiner, p. 35, "First Succession War"
  33. 33.0 33.1 Handbook: House Steiner, p. 37, "Timeline: The Commonwealth and the First Succession War"
  34. Handbook: House Steiner, p. 39, "Second Succession War (2830-2864)"
  35. Handbook: House Steiner, p. 39, "Reconstruction"
  36. Handbook: House Steiner, p. 39, "Preludes to War"
  37. Handbook: House Steiner, p. 42
  38. Handbook: House Steiner, pp. 42-45
  39. Malicious Intent
  40. Grave Covenant
  41. Prince of Havoc
  42. The FedCom Civil War
  43. Dawn of the Jihad
  44. Jihad Hot Spots: 3070
  45. Ghost War
  46. Mechwarrior: Technology of Destruction
  47. Technical Readout: 3085, p. 60
  48. Strategic Operations, p. 14
  49. Tactical Operations, p. 14
  50. House Steiner (The Lyran Commonwealth)
  51. Touring the Stars, p. 55

Bibliography