Difference between revisions of "Successor States"

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{{Update Needed|[[Handbook: Major Periphery States]]}}
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The '''Successor States''' (named as such due to their being the "Successors" of the [[Star League]]) are the major military powers of the [[Inner Sphere]], each governed by one of the Great Houses and with its own customs and culture.  After [[House Cameron]] was wiped out in the [[Star League Civil War]], the five remaining Great Houses spent [[Succession Wars (History)|the next several centuries fighting each other]] to determine who would succeed as the next [[First Lord]].  By the [[31st century]] the Successor States found themselves bloodied and no closer to their original goal when the [[Clans]] invaded.  For a brief period of time they set aside their differences to face this new threat, eventually forming a [[Second Star League]] to beat back the invaders.  This peace was only temporary though, and with the dissolution of the second Star League the Successor States have continued their struggle for dominance into the [[32nd century]].
 
 
In the [[BattleTech]] universe, the '''Successor States''' (named as such due to their being the "Successors" of the [[Star League]]) are the major military powers of the [[Inner Sphere]], each governed by one of the Great Houses. Each Successor State has its own culture and customs.
 
  
 
==The Great Houses of the Successor States==
 
==The Great Houses of the Successor States==
 
===House Davion===
 
===House Davion===
{{seealso| Federated Suns| Federated Commonwealth}}
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'''House Davion''' has ruled the [[Federated Suns]] since the nation's founding in [[2317]] by [[Lucien Davion]], Prime Minister of [[New Avalon]], who negotiated a [[Crucis Pact|mutual defense and assistance agreement]] with several nearby star systems. From their capital of New Avalon, House Davion led the Federated Suns to become one of the largest and most militarily powerful states in the Inner Sphere. The Federated Sun traditionally sees itself as the champion of freedom, democracy, and human rights, especially compared to its authoritarian neighbors, although the reality is not so clear-cut. Additionally, the state's economic growth was uneven, with a small number of overdeveloped worlds making up for the larger number of underdeveloped ones.<ref>''House Davion (The Federated Suns)'', p. 4</ref>
 
 
Strongly influenced by Great Britain, United States, and France.
 
 
 
Capital world: [[New Avalon]]
 
 
 
The [[Federated Suns]] is an interstellar nation set within the BattleTech game universe, introduced by [[FASA]] Corporation in the 1980s. The Federated Suns have been ruled by the Davion Family, or [[House Davion]], since the nation's founding in [[2317]].
 
 
 
The FedSuns was founded in [[2317]] by [[Lucien Davion]], Prime Minister of New Avalon, when he negotiated a mutual defense and assistance agreement, known as the [[Crucis Pact]], with 20 nearby star systems. Lucien became the federation's first president and [[New Avalon]] its capital. A member of the Davion family has led the Federated Suns in unbroken succession for the past 700 years. Presently on the throne is [[Yvonne Steiner-Davion]], youngest sister to the former ruler, [[Victor Steiner-Davion]]. Both are children of [[Hanse Davion]] and [[Melissa Steiner]], whose marriage effectively sealed the Federated Suns' alliance with the [[Lyran Commonwealth]]. The Federated Suns claim approximately 400 inhabited star systems under its aegis, nearly double the number of worlds controlled at the beginning of the [[Succession Wars (History)|Succession Wars]]. In addition, uncounted other worlds are claimed and exploited by Davion forces.
 
 
 
Much of House Davion's growth over the past 200 years has taken place at the expense of Liao's [[Capellan Confederation]]. This was particularly true at the end of the [[Fourth Succession War]], when the Federated Suns took more than 100 worlds from [[House Liao]].
 
 
 
An even more serious enemy to the Federated Suns has been the [[Draconis Combine]], ruled by [[House Kurita]], which nearly succeeded in conquering the Davion realm during the [[First Succession War]]. By forging an alliance with the Lyran Commonwealth in [[3022]], Davion forced Kurita to spread its [['Mech]] resources along two frontiers, leaving many worlds thinly defended. Prior to the Fourth Succession War, Davion forces were able to exploit this vulnerability, seizing the Combine worlds of [[Tancredi II]] and [[Galatea]], as well as [[Star League]] storehouses at [[Galtor III|Galtor]] and [[Rowe]], while losing very few units themselves. With the outbreak of war, however, the Federated Commonwealth had to rearrange its priorities. By the end of the Fourth War, House Kurita had managed to seize 15 worlds, including Galtor, along its border with [[House Davion]].
 
 
 
Surprisingly, the [[Clan]] threat has done much to destroy the traditional Davion-Kurita rivalry. There is even rumor of a love affair between [[Victor Steiner-Davion]] and [[Theodore Kurita]]'s daughter, [[Omiko Kurita]], although official sources consistently deny the connection. It is known that [[Victor Davion]] led a mission to a Clan-held world to rescue Theodore Kurita's son, [[Hohiro Kurita II|Hohiro Kurita]] (the younger). With the Clan threat diminishing for a time, tensions will no doubt resurface. Clashes, at least minor ones, between Davion and Kurita forces will recur.
 
 
 
Common Nicknames: Davionist
 
 
 
Pejoratives: FedRat
 
  
====Notable characters====
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====Notable Personalities====
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* [[Ian Davion]]
 
* [[Hanse Davion]]
 
* [[Hanse Davion]]
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* [[Victor Steiner-Davion]]
  
 
===House Kurita===
 
===House Kurita===
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* [[Victor Steiner-Davion]]
 
* [[Victor Steiner-Davion]]
  
==ComStar==
 
{{seealso| ComStar}}
 
 
Capital: [[Terra]]
 
 
While not strictly defined as one of the [[Successor States]], [[ComStar]] is politically influential, as it maintains a monopoly over the [[HyperPulse Generators]] (HPG), which are crucial to interstellar communication; the threat of a communications blackout makes ComStar a significant power within the [[Inner Sphere]].
 
ComStar, itself, is composed of quasi-mystical technicians who tend the [[HPG]] arrays. They profess to be neutral to the politics of the [[Inner Sphere]]. [[Jerome Blake]] is something of a religious figure to ComStar; oaths such as "''By the blessed Blake''" or epithets such as "''Blake's Blood!''" are not uncommon. [[Jerome Blake]] was the original founder of ComStar, after the [[Star League]] fell, and is considered by those within ComStar to be the savior of the [[Inner Sphere]].
 
 
===Notable characters===
 
* [[Anastasius Focht]]
 
* [[Jerome Blake]]
 
* [[Julian Tiepolo]]
 
* [[Myndo Waterly]]
 
 
==Word of Blake==
 
{{seealso| Word of Blake}}
 
 
The [[Word of Blake]] was once part of [[ComStar]], but splintered from the order due to a difference in beliefs. It was founded by [[Demona Aziz]], the then-Precentor of Atreus. Created after the death of Primus [[Myndo Waterly]] and the [[Battle of Tukayyid]] that halted the [[Clan]] invasion, it at first received support and refuge from the [[Free Worlds League]], who employed them to control their hyperpulse communications network. However, it launched an invasion of [[Inner Sphere]] territory, and eventually captured [[Terra]] from ComStar in [[3058]]. When the [[Star League]] was disbanded in [[3067]], the Word of Blake launched a [[jihad]] against the rest of the [[Inner Sphere]]. The opening of the Jihad included an attack by allegedly rogue mercenary units on the [[Wolf's Dragoons]] homeworld of Outreach, as well as assaults on [[Tharkad]], [[New Avalon]], [[Luthien]] and several other important worlds. The goal of the Word of Blake Jihad was an extension of the original plans of ComStar's founder, [[Jerome Blake]], [[Operation Silver Shield]], to capture some of the [[Terran Hegemony]] worlds and hold them under ComStar's control.
 
 
However, resistance began to grow when Professor [[David Lear]] and the [[Republic of the Sphere]]'s future founder, [[Devlin Stone]], escaped from a Word of Blake reeducation camp and organized a local resistance movement that destroyed Word of Blake forces on [[Kittery]]. Soon, the resistance developed into a widespread organization that was joined by [[ComStar]], the Successor States, the [[Clans]], and the mercenary unit [[Wolf's Dragoons]]. Once united, they succeeded in pushing the Word of Blake back, until their final defeat on [[Terra]] in [[3081]].
 
 
Common Nicknames: Blakist
 
 
Pejoratives: Wobbie
 
  
==Mercenaries==
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==References==
Also not a true Successor State, mercenaries play a large role in the [[Inner Sphere]], and some of the larger groups ([[Wolf's Dragoons]], for one) have considerable political and military influence.
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<references/>
  
===Notable Units===
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==Bibliography==
* [[Wolf's Dragoons]]
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*''[[House Davion (The Federated Suns)]]''
* [[Eridani Light Horse]]
 
* [[12th Star Guards]]
 
  
{{wikipedia|92703649}}
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[[Category:Factions]]

Revision as of 17:59, 25 June 2016

The Successor States (named as such due to their being the "Successors" of the Star League) are the major military powers of the Inner Sphere, each governed by one of the Great Houses and with its own customs and culture. After House Cameron was wiped out in the Star League Civil War, the five remaining Great Houses spent the next several centuries fighting each other to determine who would succeed as the next First Lord. By the 31st century the Successor States found themselves bloodied and no closer to their original goal when the Clans invaded. For a brief period of time they set aside their differences to face this new threat, eventually forming a Second Star League to beat back the invaders. This peace was only temporary though, and with the dissolution of the second Star League the Successor States have continued their struggle for dominance into the 32nd century.

The Great Houses of the Successor States

House Davion

House Davion has ruled the Federated Suns since the nation's founding in 2317 by Lucien Davion, Prime Minister of New Avalon, who negotiated a mutual defense and assistance agreement with several nearby star systems. From their capital of New Avalon, House Davion led the Federated Suns to become one of the largest and most militarily powerful states in the Inner Sphere. The Federated Sun traditionally sees itself as the champion of freedom, democracy, and human rights, especially compared to its authoritarian neighbors, although the reality is not so clear-cut. Additionally, the state's economic growth was uneven, with a small number of overdeveloped worlds making up for the larger number of underdeveloped ones.[1]

Notable Personalities

House Kurita

Strongly influenced by Japanese culture.

Capital world: Luthien.

The Free Rasalhague Republic (FRR) was once part of the Draconis Combine.

In the BattleTech universe, House Kurita is the ruling family of the fearsome Draconis Combine. The only Great House that proclaims unabashedly its right to rule all of the Inner Sphere, House Kurita has dominated the Draconis Combine since its founding in 2319. Its progenitor was Shiro Kurita, the first Coordinator of the Draconis Combine. The current Lord of House Kurita is Coordinator Theodore Kurita, who succeeded his father Takashi Kurita in 3054. House Kurita has had a long history of antagonism with and aggression against its neighbors. Though its official symbol is the serpentine Chinese dragon, humorist Homer Kellogi thought the octopus a more appropriate symbol, since House Kurita's tentacles are everywhere. Though driven by an archaic sense of honor spelled out in the Dictum Honorium, House Kurita is not above using subterfuge and guile to further its goals.

A massive tome comprising many volumes, the Dictum Honorium would require several lifetimes to master. It spells out in fine detail the code of conduct for all citizens of the Draconis Combine, from the Coordinator to his Samurai to the lowest Unproductive. Due to its length and general impenetrability, few manage to read more than a few pages, and the Dictum has little actual effect on daily life. Several passages, such as the special rules allowing the taking (instead of summary execution) of prisoners of war valuable to military intelligence and ransom are kept secret from the public.

Common Nicknames: Kuritan

Pejoratives: Drac, Draco, Snake

Notable characters

House Liao

Strongly influenced by Chinese, Russian, and Scottish culture.

Capital world: Sian

The Capellan Confederation has long been considered the underdogs of the Inner Sphere, known for mentally unstable leaders that are often violently oppressive towards their own people and great military losses in each succession war leading them to a shadow of their former size.

However, in more recent years, the Capellan Confederation has strengthened incredibly under the leadership of Sun-Tzu Liao. Often manipulative but the best leader the empire has seen in years, the Confederation has a strong alliance with the Free Worlds League, resulting in rapid technological increase, as well a social reformation among the people (known as Xin Sheng) restoring their pride. This culminated in the Confederation re-taking a pocket of territory on the Davion border known as the St. Ives Compact which revolted with Federated Commonwealth help in the 4th Succession War, during Sun-Tzu's grandfather's rule.

More recently the Confederation has gained strong alliances with both major Periphery factions on its borders, giving it access to the rear guard of both the Free Worlds League and Federated Commonwealth (Federated Suns in the post civil war era), as well as strong but technologically inferior military allies. This leaves the Confederation as one of the strongest factions in the post-civil war classic period.

Notable characters

House Marik

Multicultural, with strong European, American, and Indian overtones.

Capital world: Atreus

The Free Worlds League is notable as the first successor state founded in the Inner Sphere. While their history is wracked with many vicious civil wars and tensions along the Liao border, much of the Leagues territory there originally belonged to the Capellan Confederation. The dawn of the Clan invasion changed their role in the galaxy considerably as one of the two untouched nations and, until Operation Serpent, neutral factions in the war.

This led the Free Worlds League to becoming an economic powerhouse, supplying materials ranging from food to 'Mechs, to other factions in need; often trading for advanced Clan technology. During this time the split between the Word of Blake and Comstar impacted the League as well, making them the first House to remove Comstar from control of House communications, in favor of the Blakeists.

The Free Worlds League has a strong emphasis on combined arms tactics, with almost all of their regiments featuring a large number of infantry, armor and aerospace assets, as well as one of the largest navies in the Inner Sphere. The focus on 'Mechs, however, does exist within their elite regiments that make up the Knights of the Inner Sphere, in an effort to return to Star League tradition of minimizing loss of life by reducing war to just a handful of combatants. Near the end of 3067, the Free Worlds League had a space navy that greatly outpaced those of the other Successor States.

After the Word of Blake Jihad, the Free Worlds League dissolved and is now a defunct power.

Notable characters

House Steiner

Greatly influenced by Scandinavian and German culture.

Capital world: Tharkad

The Lyran Commonwealth was considered the Inner Spheres greatest economic power. While as much involved with the Succession Wars as every other state, their focus had historically been on defense and border skirmishes, rather than invasion. The Lyran Commonwealth is frequently contested by the Draconis Combine and the Free Worlds League, which no doubt helped lead to the creation of the Federated Commonwealth in later years, when the Lyran Commonwealth merged with the Federated Suns.

The Lyran Commonwealth is also classically known for inept military commanders, who gain their status through social settings and favors rather than training and skill, often hailing from rich families. This has been known as a crippling factor for the successor state, as their equipment and technology easily outpaced their rivals in the first three succession wars.

Notable Characters

House Steiner-Davion

Capital worlds: Tharkad and New Avalon

The Federated Commonwealth came into being with the marriage of Hanse Davion and Melissa Steiner, joining the Federated Suns and the Lyran Commonwealth into what was the most powerful of the Successor States.

The union lasted only 20 years, as unrest caused by the Clan invasion and the assassination of Melissa Steiner-Davion enabled Melissa and Hanse's second child Katherine Steiner-Davion to seize much of the former Lyran Commonwealth from her brother, Victor Steiner-Davion's control. Katherine went on to stage a coup against her younger sister, Yvonne Steiner-Davion and took control of the former Federated Suns half of the Commonwealth while Victor was off fighting Clan Smoke Jaguar. This lead to a civil war which raged for five years before Victor's allied forces successfully defeated Katherine and her supporters.

Rather than try to reforge the union of the two nations, Victor opted to aid the healing process by returning both nations to their prior separate constitutions and abdicating as Archon-Prince in favor of his surviving younger siblings; Archon Peter Steiner-Davion and Regent Yvonne Steiner-Davion.

Notable characters


References

  1. House Davion (The Federated Suns), p. 4

Bibliography