Timeline of the Laurasian Empire (1501-1700)

This is the second half of the Timeline of the Laurasian Empire. This covers the history of the Empire from 1501 to 1700. For the eighteenth century, see The Eighteenth Century.

16th century (1501-1600)
The sixteenth century commenced on January 1, 1501, and ended on December 31, 1600, of the Hyperdrive Era system.

1501

 * 1501, the 1st and opening year of the sixteenth century, was greeted with much celebration on Laurasia Prime, and joy throughout the Empire's dominions. By the beginning of the sixteenth century, the Empire's dominions spanned from Upper Angelica in the Wild Marshes to Nikki Lowell, Newman Victoria, and the northern reaches of the Kimanian Trade Run in the southeast (including Khagia, Dumbgwita, Beverly Hereidu, and the Ashlgothian Borderlands Territories). The preceding century had seen the Laurasian subjugation of all of the powers involved in the Great Briannian War, and the Empire's territorial expansion across the Middle Territories, into the Wild Marshes, and to the southwestern Barsar Regions. The subjugation of Lower Melorkia (1410); Solidarita (1412); Meredita (1417); Ashlgothia (1429); Polonia-Donguaria (1434); Beatrice (1440): Temperance and Way'tosk (1443-46); Hypasia (1443-84); the Kingdom of the Merlites (1474); the Hookiee Confederacy (1490); and Jageronia (1499), along with the acquisition of territories from Anastasia, Kimania, the Abbathian Dynasty, the Kingdom of Melanie Major, and most importantly of all, the Neo-Venasian Consortium (which was a vassal state to the Empire from 1422) had immeasurably strengthened Laurasia's position of power and influence within the Caladarian Galaxy. Yet Emperor Antigonus was confronted with the challenge of now securing the Empire's frontiers, and of vanquishing rivals in the Outer Borderlands. In particular, the Celestial Dynasty of Kimania continued to be an irritant to the Empire. The continued Laurasian subsidies to the Court of Kimania (valued at more than $1.2 trillion Laurasian denarius per annum), the provision of Laurasian technological specialists, advisors, military mercenaries, and agents, and the special transit privileges granted to Kimanian merchants, corporations, and starhoppers in the Ashlgothian Borderland Territories all provoked the Emperor. He was also agitated by raids, launched by freebooters and pirates operating from within Kimanian territory (such as the Zyggerian Pirates), directed against Brooke, Allison, Emily Deuistiania, Matthew, West, Mirohassani, Imma, Emma, Kathryn, and Baiteman, among other worlds in those regions.
 * Thus the Emperor, as early as November 1499, had begun preparing for renewed military conflict with the Kimanians to the south. In September 1500, he commanded the Imperial General Headquarters to formalize these plans of action, and to present him with a coordinated strategy. The Headquarters proceeded quickly to their work, and on December 22, 1500, Emperor Antigonus had been presented with their memorandums, at the Palace of the Greats on Americana. From this, the Emperor sought to gauge the opinions of his subjects and to rally the Empire's subjects to support his war efforts. It was on January 15, 1501, that the Governing Senate formally accorded, in a proclamation from the Imperial Court, its support for the Emperor's objectives. The Emperor of Laurasia, with this manifesto of support in his hands, moved swiftly to Jennings, establishing his military headquarters there, and in February 1501, issued an ultimatum to Decabolio Shogun, demanding that he renegotiate treaty arrangements with the Empire and restrain all pirate expeditions into the Borderlands Territories. The Shogun of Kimania, who was still possessed of the same arrogance as previously, and who did not believe that the Laurasians would be able to conduct a successful military campaign along the Kimanian Trade Run, refused. Thus it was, on March 7, 1501, that the Emperor of Laurasia issued a declaration against the Celestial Dynasty.
 * Laurasian units, already assembled at the chief strongholds of the Lower Melorkian Provinces and Ashlgothian Borderlands Territories, launched a series of swift offensives into Kimanian territory. Tolbiac on the Kimanian Trade Run became the site of an early Laurasian victory (March 19, 1501); by the end of March 1501, Laurasian units had stormed Shell, Earl, and Sandra, thereby inflicting a series of humiliating defeats upon overstretched Kimanian border garrisons. Kimanian counteroffensives against Cox, Henderson, Banks, Breha, and Constipex failed (April 1501), and on May 2, 1501, Dorothea was besieged by Emperor Antigonus's forces. The Siege of Dorothea lasted for ten days, and despite the efforts of the Kimanian Prince of Hutsia Minor, Dim-Sew, the world fell into Laurasian possession. From this vantage point, Emperor Antigonus secured Millard, Leseur, and Lange (May 5-19, 1501), and on May 22, blunted a Kimanian counteroffensive against Narra, Christopher, and Gilestis. Nanking was then captured (May 25, 1501), and on May 28, General Dim-Sew suffered another defeat in the Battle of Allen. Harrison, Novina, Preena, and Jarman now fell into Laurasian hands (June 1501), and by that point, the Imperial Laurasian Navy was launching raiding expeditions into the Hutsite Reaches and against Drea, Duana, Abshire, Riley, and Strongstine. Orion III was isolated from June 7, 1501, but did not fall to Laurasian Major-General Sir Lucius Quietus (1449-1518), until July 7. On that same day, the Battle of Offshora resulted in another victory for the Laurasian Empire; Goni and Reading were now under serious threat from Laurasian forces. Leo's Redoubt was sacked on July 14, 1501, and Gardiner was seized two days later. Dominguez, Susan, and Plath were occupied by the Empire's forces in August 1501. By that point, Decabolio Shogun, who had in vain strengthened the defenses of Rolle, Bookman, Chobania, and Messalina, now sought to move against the Laurasians, and to thereby regain the advantage. Launching a surprise offensive from Kimanis Mooria, the Shogun stormed Erevan (August 19, 1501), and then destroyed the Laurasian military repository on Turcmenchay; from here, Gilestis and Christopher were besieged by Kimanian units.
 * On September 4, 1501, Igdir and Nahikchevan were both seized by Kimanian forces. Emperor Antigonus, reacting vigorously to this threat, now determined to lure his Kimanian rival to the outskirts of Woolestone, and to thereby deal a decisive below to his forces. This strategy worked, and after a route of pursuit through Winehouse, Shell, Dumbgwita, Khagia, and Les Mans, the Kimanians were lured to Tapae, site of that first Laurasian victory in 1488 (September 11, 1501). The Second Battle of Tapae, as it was called, resulted in a decisive victory for the Laurasians; more than 350,000 personnel of the Kimanian Celestial Navy died in the confrontation, and Decabolio Shogun was forced to halt his offensive. Erevan and Igdir were both recovered on September 15; Nahikchevan on September 19. Turccmenchay would be back in Laurasian hands by the end of the September, and on October 9, Gilestis and Christopher were both relieved. Kimanian clashes with Laurasian units at Echimadzin, Gilan, Ganja, Qobi-Karabakh, and Hinds Prime accomplished nothing; on October 14, 1501, Bookman was besieged and conquered by Emperor Antigonus. Rolle followed on October 22, and on October 25, 1501, the Battle of Nelson resulted in a decisive victory for General Quietus. Acone and Plath were in Laurasian hands by the end of November 1501; then on December 4, 1501, the Battle of Hutsia Minor resulted in another victory for the Emperor Antigonus. As a result of this victory, Kelly, Caleb, and Dodson, Kimanian colonies in the outskirts of the Hutsite Reaches, were occupied. By the end of 1501, the Emperor Antigonus's forces were geared for further advances into Jarjanica and against the lower Kimanian Trade Run.
 * On March 21, 1501, the renowned Donguarian-Laurasian historian Flavius Josephus, who had written The Donguarian Rebellion (1488) and The Antiquities of the Galaxy (1491), died in Christiania, Laurasia Prime, aged sixty-three. Josephus's works would be major sources for the prominent historians of the eighteenth century, such as Gibboneous, Baron Monompahlaus, and Lady Vassalina.

1502

 * 1502 witnessed the conclusion of the Second Antigonid War of Kimania, though tensions continued to persist between the two states afterwards. The early months of 1502 saw a continuation of the string of Laurasian successes from the previous year. Wallace, Security, and Polk were occupied by Laurasian units (January 7-15, 1502), and on January 22, 1502, Emperor Antigonus won the Battle of Hutsia Major, thereby occupying that major stronghold. Drea, Duana, and Melvin then fell into Laurasian hands (February 1502), and the Laurasian hold of Preena, Novina, and Nelson was consolidated after decisive confrontations with Kimanian units at Leroy, Jones, Ward, and Derby during that same month. By March 1502, however, Decabolio Shogun had resolved upon a renewed counteroffensive into Laurasian territory, directed against the Ashlgothian Borderlands Territories. Seeking to bypass the Armenian Provinces, the Shogun sought to bring retribution to the Laurasian realms for Emperor Antigonus's attacks against him. This string of counteroffensives commenced on March 8, 1502, with a Kimanian move against Earl; the stronghold fell into Kimanian possession. Khagia, Tolbiac, and Dumbgwita were blockaded by Kimanian units; then on March 17, 1502, Kristin fell victim to a Kimanian assault. This world, whose units had been moved out in anticipation of further offensives into the Barsar Regions, proved no match to the Kimanians, and surrendered two days later. Hefner, Brooke One, West, and Jennings were then secured (March 18-April 9, 1502); on April 12, 1502, the Battle of Celestina ended in another victory for General Xi Jiaoping, who had become the Shogun's new field commander. Tahon, Bryce, and Peterslie then fell into Kimanian hands, and by the beginning of May 1502, Nandia and India were both threatened. The Kimanians, however, had now overextended themselves, and Emperor Antigonus struck back in a decisive manner. On May 19, 1502, he repelled a Kimanian move against Warren in the Battle of Jeopardy; Page, Ellen, and Winfrey then became the sites of Laurasian counter-assaults against Kimanian raiding expeditions.
 * On June 1, 1502, the Emperor won the Battle of Nicopolis, handing General Jiaoping a decisive defeat and forcing the Kimanian evacuation of Nick, Brad, Dragosh, and Hefner. Brooke One was recovered on June 8, and on June 11, 1502, the Battle of Louis ended in another victory for Emperor Antigonus. By the end of June 1502, Kimanian moves into the Borderlands Provinces had come to a halt. Strongstine was then conquered by General Quietus (July 8, 1502), handing a serious blow to the Kimanians. Knight, Vithian, and Olapia then saw further Kimanian humiliations, and Jennings was recovered by the Laurasian Empire (July 17, 1502). Tanning and Abshire then fell, and on August 9, 1502, Shell and Tolbiac were relieved. Then on August 24, 1502, the Battle of Adamclisi, fought near the outskirts of Armenia Minor, resulted in a decisive victory for the Emperor of Laurasia; Tahon, Bryce, and Peterslie were recovered, and the Kimanians suffered a reverse at Tyler. Decabolio Shogun, whose treasury was being drained by the conflict, and who saw Kimania's own defenses menaced by Emperor Antigonus's forces, now decided to reach a peace with the Emperor. The offer was made on September 4, 1502; Emperor Antigonus accepted in short order, and on October 9, 1502, the Treaty of Istria was concluded. Peaceful relations were thus restored between the Laurasian Empire and the Celestial Dynasty of Kimania. The Orion Cluster (with Dorothea, Lange, Leseur, Orion III), Millard, Filorean, and Reading were acquired by the Laurasian Empire. The Shogun of Kimania agreed to return all Laurasian fugitives, captives, and prisoners of war, and all subsidy arrangements with the Imperial Treasury were formally terminated. Moreover, the Shogun promised not to conclude any treaties without first obtaining the consent of the Emperor of Laurasia. Emperor Antigonus thus returned to Laurasia Prime in triumph; festivities were staged throughout the Empire to mark his victory; and Chief Procurator of the Holy Synod Sir Antiochus Wincheslia (in office 1493-1513), offered his thanks to the Lord Almitis. Yet Decabolio Shogun was not completely quiescent, and war would once again break out, leading to Kimania's final destruction and its incorporation into the Laurasian Empire.

1505

 * The years 1503 and 1504 saw the intensification of tensions between the Laurasian Empire and the Celestial Dynasty of Kimania. Decabolio Shogun, in spite of his obligations under the Treaty of Istria, and his pledge to remain on friendly terms with the Emperor of Laurasia, nevertheless acted in an aggressive and hostile manner against him, once more. Beginning in June 1503, the Shogun once more began to harbor fugitives from the justice of the Imperial Laurasian Government; he also encouraged renewed expeditions by the Izygian League of Skold and the Zyggerian Pirates into the Borderlands Territories. Emma, Tahon, Bryce, Peterslie, April, Soraya, Kathryn, and Abigail were all threatened by the Zyggerians and Izygians during the course of 1504, who inflicted more than $5 trillion denarius worth of damage, and kept the authorities of those regions on perpetual alert. Then in February 1504, the Shogun sponsored an assassination attempt against the Emperor of Laurasia. The Shogun sponsored the conspiracy of the Coales brothers, both of whom served in the Praetorian Guards, were veterans of the Emperor's first war against Kimania, and bore a grudge against him, believing that they had not been properly rewarded for their services.
 * The brothers, who had access to the King's Floor of the Quencilvanian Palace, sought to assassinate the Emperor in March of that year, while he was progressing with his commanders and Court to a service at the Old Westphalian Cathedral. This effort, however, was blunted before it could be launched, and on March 17, 1504, the Emperor had both brothers arrested and imprisoned at the Post Settlement of Hepudermia. Tortured, they soon revealed their ties with the Shogun of Kimania. On April 8, 1504, both brothers were condemned to death by the Governing Senate; their executions at the High Tower of Christiania on May 19 attracted a crowd of more than 150,000 persons. The Emperor of Laurasia, angered by this Kimanian-sponsored assassination plot, ordered for a strict surveillance to be placed on the activities of the Kimanian Ambasasador to Laurasia Prime, Xi-Chai; and in September 1504, he ordered for rearmament to commence. Decabolio Shogun, likewise, had engaged in efforts to strengthen his own military position, sponsoring the establishment of a new Kimanian headquarters on Samantha. Thus it was, on January 7, 1505 (two centuries before the convocation of the Conference of Sejucia, by which the Vectorian War of 1702-05 would be negotiated to an end), that the Emperor issued an ultimatum to the Kimanians, demanding that the Shogun disavow all ties to rebels within the Empire's realms; that Kimania concede the Hutsite Regions to Laurasia; and that all Kimanian military forces be disarmed. Decabolio Shogun, however, refused to adhere to these conditions, and in February 1505, staged a ceremony on Ryaa II in which he disavowed all treaties signed with the Laurasian power.
 * Emperor Antigonus interpreted this as a declaration of war, and on March 18, 1505, he issued the formal proclamation. The Emperor, who had already moved to Woolestone, moved swiftly. Repelling Kimanian moves against Caitlin, Moore, Hardwicke, and Hedemark (March 19-27, 1505), and securing the defenses of Breha, Antigonus proceeded into the Jarjanican Provinces. Betty, Sexton, and Schlumeister fell into Laurasian hands (April 1505), and on May 2, 1505, the Battle of White ended in a victory for Emperor Antigonus and General Quietus. Four days later, Hamilton and Ury were both stormed by Laurasian units; then on May 21, 1505, the Battle of Darrin ended in another crushing victory over the Kimanians. General Xi Jiaoping was killed in that confrontation. Harrison and Novina were in Laurasian hands by the end of June 1505; in spite of the failure of a Laurasian raiding expedition against Security, the Empire's forces nevertheless generally advanced forwards. The Battle of Madison (July 7, 1505), witnessed another victory for the Emperor Antigonus; then on July 18, 1505, he destroyed the Kimanian forces of General Hideki Tojo in the Battle of Plath. Plath fell into Laurasian possession; Skold, Jarman, and Allen had all been secured by September 1505. On October 5, 1505, the Battle of Preena ended in another victory for Laurasian arms; that world, along with Nelson, Novina, Harrison, Polk, and Rogers, all fell swiftly into Laurasian hands. Everett, McCloskey, and McDivitt were stormed, allowing for the Laurasians to attack, and to conquer, Hutsia Minor (October 27, 1505). Abshire, Drea, and Duana were besieged and conquered in November 1505; Riley followed on December 7, and by December 17, Chobania, Goni, Hutsia Minor, and Strongstine were all in Laurasian hands. Gardiner and Leo's Redoubt were taken on Ascentmas Day 1505; Samantha, Messalina, and Offshora were now under siege.

1506

 * 1506 witnessed the conclusion of the Seventh Laurasian-Kimanian War, and the final subjection of the Celestial Dynasty of Kimania to the authority of the Laurasian Empire. In January 1506, Emperor Antigonus, advancing from Armenia Major with the 22nd and 23rd Imperial Fleets, proceeded to complete the conquest of the Hutsite Regions and Lower Barsar Regions. The Battle of Perlman (January 7, 1506), ended in a decisive victory for the Emperor of Laurasia. Messalina, which was now buckling under Laurasian pressure, captiulated on January 18; McLean, Hugill, and Dolores followed on January 22, thereby completing the encirclement of Offshora. Kimanian counteroffensives against Goni, Breha, Narra, and Reading availed nothing; Offshora was seized on February 18, 1506. By the end of February 1506, Laurasian units had also secured Hutsia Major and Drea. Duana was stormed on March 4, 1506; then on March 17, Samantha finally fell into the Empire's possession. From hence, the Emperor of Laurasia inflicted decisive defeats upon Kimanian units at Damien, Cooley, and DeLourencio (March 22-April 9, 1506). On May 5, 1506, two centuries before the Battle of Irving in the War of the Dejanican Expedition, the Battle of Sergio was waged, ending in a decisive victory for the Laurasians. The Emperor's forces, having effectively secured the Lower Barsar Regions, now pushed with all deliberate speed to Kimania and Kimanis Mooria. Emperor Antigonus now organized his units into three columns. The first, comprised of the 29th Imperial Fleet and the 30th Imperial Army, followed the Cema, Tebisis, and Shanghai Lanes to Tibiscium, located eight light years to the southwest of Rolle (which had been seized in December 1505). From hence, they passed through the Kimanian colonies of Valea Certnei, Hateg, and Valea Streiluiui.
 * These units, commanded by General Sir Meleagus Sporus (1459-1533), then destroyed the Kimanian fortifications on Costesi, Bildaru, and Piatra Rosie. The second column, comprised of the 23d Imperial Fleet and the 31st Imperial Army, and commanded by General Quietus, seized Bookman and crossed to Sucidava. It then approached the Jin Colonies, linking with the first column at Tara Hategugui (June 1, 1506). The combined forces then seized the Suiranu Approaches, meeting fierce but sporadic resistance from the Kimanian garrisons of those systems. The third column, led by the Emperor himself, advanced through Muntenia, passed through the Kimanian systems of Bran, Bratocea, and Oituz, and destroyed Cumdivavia and Augstua Starbases, near Kimanis Mooria. Then, on July 2, 1506, the combined forces of the Laurasian Empire converged on Kimania and commenced their siege. Laurasian units blockaded Kimanis Mooria and destroyed the Kimanian fortifications of Derangy, Morangy, and Zirdava, thereby denying Decabolio Shogun reinforcements. The Siege of Kimania lasted for over two months, and was particularly fierce, as Decabolio's forces ceaselessly harried the lines of the Imperial Laurasian Navy. The Emperor of Laurasia had to lay a series of minefields around Kimania, to vigorously reorganize his offensive units, and to employ his turbocannon to bombard Kimania's defenses. Finally, however, on September 9, 1506, Kimania succumbed to the Laurasian Empire. Laurasian troops quickly overran Bejing and the other major cities of Kimania, securing the Celestial Palace of Kimania and the other major landmarks. Decabolio Shogun himself, along with his court and remaining retainers, fled on his personal starfighter, but made it only as far as Kodaisay, where he was forced to commit suicide (September 20, 1506).
 * On September 22, Kodaisay fell into Laurasian hands, and Decabolio Shogun's corpse was discovered by Colonel Sir Tiberius Claudius Maximus (1467-1545); he severed the Shogun's head with his vibroblade, and presented it to the Emperor himself. For this, Maximus would be promoted to the rank of Brigadier-General and in June 1507, be created the 1st Laurasian Earl of Kimanis Mooria. Emperor Antigonus, on October 5, 1506, formally proclaimed the annexation of the Celestial Dynasty of Kimania's remaining territories into the Laurasian Empire. He then returned to Laurasia Prime in triumph (November 1, 1506), bringing with him $11 trillion denarius worth of goods, more than three million Kimanian prisoners of war, and over two hundred Kimanian warships of the Celestial Navy. Decabalio Shogun's head had a prominent place in the triumph, conducted through the two Calaxies, Hepudermia, Jadia, and into the city of Christiania. The Chief Procurator presided over a Te Deum service at St. Katherine's Cathedral, and much praise was lavished upon the Emperor; in January 1507, the Governing Senate and Holy Synod would confer upon him the title Kimanius Maximus. The Emperor, over the remaining decade of his reign, pursued a systematic policy of resettlement in the Barsar Regions, importing Laurasians and other subjects from throughout the Empire; consolidating Laurasian rule over those regions; and engaging in numerous construction projects, to consolidate the Laurasian political and military position there.
 * His conquest of Kimania therefore meant that Laurasia now held virtually all of the territories once held by the Illkhanid Empire, which had disintegrated and collapsed in the mid tenth century, some six hundred years earlier. His campaigns benefited the Empire by the recovery of fugitives of justice; the seizure of the Kimanian Treasury and of the vast estates of the Kimanian Shoguns; and control over the prosperous Kimanian mineral and spice mines. The Zyggerian and Izygian Pirates would be exterminated by coordinated Laurasian expeditions in the Wild Marshes between 1507 and 1513, culminating in the Laurasian victory at Moigrad in the Hutsite Reaches. Decabolio Shogun's remains would be interred in the Imperial Mausoleum, on the Emperor's orders, in 1509. In 1756, on the orders of Empress Didymeia, they would be removed back to Kimania, and interred in the Great Imperial Mausoleum, alongside the remains of other Kimanian Shoguns and Kings. Emperor Antigonus, to commemorate his victories over Kimania, would commission Apollodorus of Dramis (1462-1539), in 1509, to construct Antigonus's Column in Christiania, both as a propaganda piece and a public monument; the Column would be dedicated in 1513, with a gold statute to the Lord Almitis on the top. In December 1787, this would be replaced with a gold statute of Emperor Antigonus himself, erected by Empress Aurelia the Great (as part of her efforts to drum Laurasian spirit for the ongoing wars with Spamalka and Marasharita).
 * Besides the destruction of the Celestial Dynasty of Kimania, 1506 was also marked by an act of territorial expansion for the Laurasian Empire in another theater: the final annexation of the Neo-Venasian Consortium, last of the contending states of the Great Briannian War. On June 9, 1506, Queen Mother Tethria III, the last in an ancient line which stretched all the way back to Konduchra, founder of the Consortium, in the 7th century BH, died on Venasia Prime. She was forty-eight years old at the time of her death, and had reigned for thirty-five years. Her heiress apparent was her daughter, Princess Amayia (1477-1565), but, in accordance with the terms of the Treaty of Venasia Prime, she had to be confirmed as Queen Mother by the Emperor of Laurasia. Emperor Antigonus, who did not share any of the vainities of Caligula or Vespasian (which had led them to permit for the Consortium's continued existence), and firmly convinced that the persistence of the Consortium was illogical and a burden upon the Imperial Laurasian Government, decided to take swift action. On June 22, the Emperor issued a formal decree of annexation from Oituz in the Barsar Regions, denying recognition to Amayia as Queen Mother and ordering for the direct incorporation of the Neo-Venasian Consortium into the Laurasian Empire. This came 350 years after Queen Mother Kennatha I had overthrown the Venasian Khanate and restored the independence of her species. Laurasian troops occupied Venasia Prime, Hapes, Venasia Secondary, and the other chief strongholds of the Venasian Cluster with little opposition, and the Cluster was absorbed into the normal administrative system of the Empire. As for Princess Amayia, she was granted an imperial pension by Emperor Antigonus, given the official rank of Dowager of Venasia, and allowed to retain all of her hereditary estates in the Venasian Cluster. She resided quietly in the Cluster, making routine visits to the Imperial Court on Laurasia Prime, until her death on November 15, 1565, at Hannis, aged eighty-eight.

1509

 * The prominent Laurasian historian, Sir Decabulus Aaori, completed his two primary works, The Annals of the Laurasian Monarchy and The Histories.

1513

 * For seven years following the conclusion of the Sixth Kimanian War, Emperor Antigonus ruled in peace over the dominions of the Laurasian Empire, to the same acclaim and praise as before. He established a policy of moderation and prudence towards religious minorities and alien sects within his Empire; in 1509, the Emperor issued a general edict of toleration, forbidding the Holy Synod and the officials of the Imperial Court from trampling upon the rights of Dasian Cultists, the Arachosian Orders, or the Briannian Congregations. That same year, he issued the first of many confirmations of the privileges of the Venasian Matrons, and of the precedence and inheritance rights of Venasian noblemen within the Venasian Cluster; these privileges were to be confirmed by all of his successors, all the way to the reign of Aurelia the Great in the late eighteenth century. The Emperor also became known as a vigorous architect, sponsoring numerous projects throughout the Purse Region and in other regions of the Empire. Besides Antigonus's Column, Antigonus also constructed the Antigonid Trade Exchange in Christiania (between 1508 and 1512); the Baths of Antigonus (completed in 1516, one year before his death); and Kigonian Mansion (1511-12), which was to become one of the most renowned noble residences in the Empire. He also sponsored the expansion of the Diplomatic Palace, building the Palatia Imperium (1512-13), redesigning the Palace's security systems, and erecting a special Athletic Court. Christiania, Colombia, Constantinople, Soriana, Mendelevium, Ostia, Herkorim, and Beneventum were all beautified by the Emperor; in 1514, he rebuilt the Truist Temple of Maldaria, and dedicated the Grove of Ansum in Heliotrope. He was also a prolific builder of starbases, outposts, and garrisons; Cholidria Starbase near Acabania was built by him from 1509 to 1511. He reconstructed the Station of Dosch, expanded the Neuron Plantita Station, and in 1514, erected the Booms of Martina Mccasia. Mariana Prime, Blackria, Dennis, Shannon, Wendy, and Coen saw the complete redesign of their transportation systems, and in 1516, the Emperor sponsored the establishment of the Arts Gallery of Monderon. Between 1506 and 1517, more than 175,000 new edifices were raised by Antigonus throughout the Empire, including 2,000 starbases and 1,500 hyperspace terminals; he also extended the Empire's hyperroutes, chartering the Roxuli-Abraham Way (1512); the Dennis Trace (1514); and the Lower Angelican Military Highway (1509-13).
 * All total, more than 175,000 light years worth of hyperroute was chartered during his reign. Between 1511 and 1513, moreover, more than two thousand star systems would be colonized in the Barsar Regions and the Borderlands Territories on the Emperor's initiative, and populated with immigrants from throughout the Empire. The Via Antigonia (1512), was blazed to connect Narra with Peterslie, Warren, India, and the Borderlands Colonies. The Emperor also expanded the Empire's public welfare system through the enactment of the Community Laws (1508), which regulated obligations and terms of welfare provision for all lower-income inhabitants of the Empire; provided a fixed account for all local welfare, healthcare, and social services administrations in the Empire to utilize; and tied work to welfare obtainment. He also lowered tuition rates at the Empire's universities, encouraged the establishment of private charter schools, and lifted restrictions imposed upon the entry of merchants and others into the Empire's military academies. 1507 also saw the enactment of a currency decimialization; the Emperor decreased the silver purity of the denarius and reformed the sesterces value, tying it more directly to the worth of spices rather than of hard metals, which proved greater stability to the Empire's financial situation.
 * Yet by 1513, Emperor Antigonus had decided to embark upon his last military campaign: against the Huntite Caliphate. Ever since his accession to the throne in 1498, the Emperor had dreamed of conquering this state, of extending Laurasian jurisdiction over the eastern Outer Borderlands, and strengthening his Empire's contacts into the Galactic Void. He sought to thereby continue the intensification of Laurasian ties with the powers of the satellite galaxies and the Great Amulak Spiral, a policy pursued from as far back as the reign of Seleucus I. Moreover, Antigonus desired control of Hunt Major, Jasonia, and Samarkand, those worlds which had been the capitals of numerous previous empires in galactic history. From 1511, therefore, he had engaged in vigorous preparations for possible military campaigns. He issued new command instructions to the Imperial General Headquarters; imposed a new levy upon all tax contributions to the Imperial Estates; and commanded the officials of the Millian Provinces to provide all possible support for the military forces. Military spending underwent an upwards trajectory; by 1512, more than $400 hepmillion denarius were being spent on the Imperial Laurasian Military. The Emperor also implemented a new Code of Discipline in 1510, seeking to strengthen the cohesiveness of his chief units, and he expanded the Praetorian Guards, constructing for them a new barracks compound on Laura. Imperial units assembled at major strongholds in the Millian and Robertian Provinces; the garrisons of Robert, Meris, Wakedia, Meredita, Iego, Jeanne, Brenda, Dickinson, Shephard, Walters, Beharis, Hasselbeck, Predosur, and Hoohshikk all became hives of activity. Thus, by 1513, the Emperor of Laurasia was ready to make his strike. Events in the Kingdom of Melanie now provided a justification for war.
 * Ever since the conclusion of the Treaty of Elijahana in 1463, the Laurasian Empire and Huntite Caliphate had shared a protectorate over Melanie Major; all kings of Melanie were appointed by the Huntite Caliphs, and invested by the Laurasian Emperors. In succession, there had been Tiridates I (1451-58, 1466-88) and Sanatruk (1488-1510), both of whom had remained friendly with the Empire, had hired Laurasian mercenaries, and assured passage privileges for Laurasian merchants. Both had been invested by Laurasian Emperors; Tiridates by Antiochus III, and Sanatruk by Antiochus IV. Yet following the death of Sanatruk in July 1510, Huntite Caliph Vologravia I (1509-16, d. 1529), intervened in Melanie's affairs, and now installed the Huntite Prince Partamasir, who was the son of Vologravia's brother, Pacoria II (r. 1478-1505). He did this without consulting the Imperial Laurasian Government. Emperor Antigonus was enraged by this, and had begun his mobilization efforts. Yet it was not until March 1513 before he was ready to act. On March 19, 1513, in a proclamation from the Quencilvanian Palace, the Emperor declared that Huntite intervention into the affairs of Melanie was an "unforgivable" crime, and that it needed to be redressed. In April 1513, the Emperor proceeded from Laurasia Prime to Deborah, and from thence to Nottingham. It was not until June 2, 1513, however, before he launched his forces into Melanite territory, aiming to depose Partamasir. Artashat and Arahahat, both of whom had been colonized by the Melanites during the fifteenth century, fell swiftly into the Emperor's possession (June 8-14, 1513).
 * On June 22, 1513, the Battle of Pailbirth ended in a decisive victory for the Emperor of Laurasia; from thence, he captured Melania Minor, Ararat, and Tagankaeret, thereby inflicting humiliating losses upon Melanite forces. By the end of July 1513, Laurasian units had also secured Florania, Endaker, and Katharnovich, thereby depriving the Melanites of their sole footholds on the Kimanian Trade Run. Finally, on August 12, 1513, Melanie Major itself fell under siege by the Empire's forces. The Siege of Melanie Major lasted for over a month, but on September 19, 1513, the world fell into Laurasian possession. King Partamasir himself now fled to Pusarat, but was captured there by the Laurasians (September 25, 1513). He was, on October 7, 1513, forced by the Emperor of Laurasia to abdicate the Melanite throne. Then in November 1513, Antigonus, pursuing his ultimate goals against the Huntite Caliphate, proclaimed the direct annexation of Melanie Major into the Laurasian Empire. This action alarmed and angered the Huntite Caliph Vologravia, who now believed that preemptive action had to be taken. Assembling his units at Vickis, Uris, Choir, Samarkand, and the Sk'atha Cluster, Vologravia issued a ultimatum on December 9, 1513, demanding for Laurasian withdrawal from Melanie and the restoration of Partamasir to the Melanite throne. The Emperor of Laurasia refused, however, and instead strengthened the newly-installed garrison of Melanie Major. Thus it was, on December 21, 1513, that Vologravia issued a declaration of war, commencing the Antigonid War of Hunt.
 * Death of the Laurasian historian Pliny the Younger (son of the ill-fated Pliny the Elder), who was Governor of Shenandoah.

1514

 * 1514 witnessed the initial campaigns of Emperor Antigonus I into the Huntite Caliphate. The Huntite declaration of war, caused by the Laurasian invasion of Melanie Major and the annexation of that kingdom, nevertheless came to the advantage of the Emperor of Laurasia. Laurasian units, who had as previously described already been geared for war, in the Robertian and Millian Provinces, now quickly took the advantage. Emperor Antigonus now executed a series of offensives in the vicinity of Hoohshikk, and towards Samarkand, determined to secure his position in those regions. He besieged and captured the Huntite outposts of Juno, Ball, and Lucille (January 1514), thereby preventing any Huntite moves into Melanie Major. From this, Cameron-Bure, Patton, Rehnquist, and Dolly were then secured (March 1514), and the Emperor's forces now penetrated into the outskirts of the Sk'atha Cluster. Caliph Vologravia, who was surprised by this series of initial Laurasian successes, now strengthened the garrisons of Akmaaar, Jabul, Negro, and Gargonia, thereby seeking in vain to halt the Laurasian advance. He placed the garrisons of these star systems under the command of Prince Osroes, who had long advocated for preemptive action against the Laurasians. For a time, Osroes actually managed to gain a series of victories over the Emperor Antigonus's forces. He defeated General Sir Neuchrus Thramanius in the Battle of Schriver (April 1, 1514), and from there, overran Nottingham, Majoria Schall, and Boydaria, thereby driving a wedge into the Millian Provinces. He then recovered Lucille (April 22, 1514), and humiliated the Emperor's advance squadrons at Farley (April 28-May 2).
 * A Laurasian move against Claithbourne and Timur's Star failed in the Battle of Lucrilla (May 1, 1514), and on May 9, Pailbirth fell to Huntite units. Cameron-Bure and Patton were then stormed in May 1514. Emperor Antigonus however, pursuing a similar strategy to that in the Sixth and Seventh Kimanian Wars, allowed for the Huntites to overextend their supply lines. On June 2, 1514, he launched a decisive counteroffensive from Cagasania, blunting the Huntites in the Battle of Nicholas. From thence, he cleared Huntite units from Cameron-Bure, Patton, and Nottingham. It was not until July 2, 1514, however, before Majoria Schall fell back into Laurasian hands, and not until July 11 that Boydaria did so. Darrow, Christin, and Caitlin Allioh then became the scenes of confrontation between Laurasian and Huntite units (July 15-22, 1514). On August 1, 1514, Gargonia was blockaded by the Emperor's forces; its fall on August 12 humiliated the Huntite Caliph. Negro then fell into Laurasian hands (August 24, 1514), followed by Horne (August 29, 1514), and then Jodie (September 3, 1514). Laurasian expeditions were now penetrating into the Mauryan Provinces, storming Huntite garrisons on Little Maurya, Amira, Ashanti, and Dovani (September 1514); the Battle of Allavaha (October 1, 1514), ended in another victory for the Emperor's forces. Then on October 8, Legate-General Sir Lucius Quietus advanced from Araxes to Gilhan and Choir; he then defeated the Huntites in the Battle of Malatia, and thence stormed Gilhan (October 19, 1514).
 * Timur's Star was then blockaded by a Laurasian expeditionary fleet, and fell on November 5, 1514, dealing a severe blow to the Huntites. Then on November 11, 1514, the Emperor, after seizing London and Alexa, advanced upon Jasonia, once the capital of the Huntite Khanate, Rudorita, and Halegothica. After four days, the Empire's forces reached the outskirts of that star system, and imposed a comprehensive blockade. The Siege of Jasonia lasted until December 9, 1514, when, after a failed counteroffensive by Caliph Vologravia, the world finally fell into the Laurasian Emperor's possession. Emperor Antigonus himself, attended by his courtiers and his military commanders, surveyed the conquered star system. He visited the Great Palace of the Khans and the Palace of King Theodoric the Great (who had been dead for 287 years), viewing the great Halegothican King's crypt, and the crypts of the Huntite Khans. The Emperor also basked in the acclaim of many on Jasonia, who considered him a liberator from the despotism of the Huntite state. Three hundred and thirty-eight years had passed since the fall of the Huntite Khanate, and its core was now in Laurasian hands.

1515

 * 1515 saw the continuation of Laurasian offensives into the Huntite Caliphate. Emperor Antigonus, who had now secured Jasonia, the former capital of the Huntite Khanate, and had ended Huntite moves into the Middle Territories, now decided to direct the thrust of his military forces from the Robertian Provinces, intent upon subduing the Northern Huntite Provinces and the remaining Huntite strongholds in the outskirts of the Middle Territories. For this operation, he had moved swiftly from Jasonia to Roastafaria Minor, leaving General Quietus in charge of maintaining the security of that stronghold, and thence to Hasselbeck. The goal of the Emperor's new offensive was to drive towards and seize Samarkand, and to thereby deprive the Huntites of their hold of the Sk'atha Cluster. The Emperor's new offensive commenced on January 11, 1515, with his seizure of Qora, a Huntite base on the Rebeccan Galactic Trade Route. From Qora, the Emperor's forces subdued Bagavan, Doridunk, and Bolan (January 17-29, 1515), thereby securing Hasselbeck, Walters, and Beharis from Huntite moves. He now proceeded directly to Goldberg, which blocked a Laurasian advance towards Leah and Lorna. Goldberg was placed under siege beginning on February 7, 1515; the Siege of Goldberg lasted for nearly two months, as the garrison of that star system, under the command of General Tyries, proved to be a formidable obstacle for the Imperial Laurasian Navy. Successive Laurasian assaults against the world's defenses were blunted, and the Emperor was forced to call for reinforcements from Beharis, Shephard, Walters, Temperance, and Robert in order to maintain the offensive. Ultimately, however, Goldberg fell (April 1, 1515), by which time Laurasian units had already conquered Whoppi, Ber Bachmann, and Zachary. Leah followed in short order (April 12, 1515), and on April 21, 1515, Emperor Antigonus won a decisive victory in the Battle of Smoot, capturing Huntite Prince Sopraies in battle.
 * From Smoot, he secured Hill, Yeh, and Bergeman (May 1515). Garnett fell into Laurasian hands on May 23, 1515, but Lorna proved to be more difficult; it required a siege of nearly a month before Lorna surrendered on July 2, 1515. By the end of July 1515, Uris and Vickis had also been stormed by Laurasian units, while the Laurasian hold over Choir had been consolidated. Beginning in May 1515, General Quietus moved from Majoria Schall, Boydaria, Shenandoah, and Melanie Major, performing a successful pincer maneuver against Morsia, Clathbourne, and Hunt Minor. By the end of August 1515, all of these strongholds were in Laurasian hands; Jabul and Akamaar had capitulated to General Quietus; and Gedrosia Max was under siege. Emperor Antigonus and General Quietus then came together to complete the siege of Gedrosia Max; its fall on October 6, 1515, capped the Laurasian successes of that year. Timur's Star and the Sk'atha Cluster, including the bases of Root, Philipsen, Mitch, and Dalton, were secured in November 1515. Then on December 2, 1515, after capturing Maurya Major, Emperor Antigonus proceeded to Sheldonia and there received the submission of King Abgaros II of Upper Morsia, the Huntite Caliphate's chief vassal, who ruled over Sheldonia, Gabriella, Outer Maurya, and the Eastern Wild Marshes. Abgaros recognized the Emperor of Laurasia as his suzerain, and pledged his absolute support to him in further military offensives against the Huntite Caliphate. The Emperor of Laurasia now established his winter headquarters on Winslet, and sent a flood of communiques back to the Senate and Synod on Laurasia Prime, declaring his victories to his subjects.

1516

 * After having relaxed at his headquarters on Winslet, Emperor Antigonus renewed, in January 1516, his military campaigns against the Huntite Caliphate, with the view of subduing the Huntite Home Region and completing the subjugation of that state to the authority of the Laurasian Empire. The results of the ensuing military campaign almost completely backfired on the Emperor and did much damage to his more ambitious plans. The 23rd Imperial Fleet, operating from Lorna, re-captured Jabul and Akamaar (January 19-22, 1516), which had been briefly recovered by the Huntites at the end of December 1515. Huntite ties to the Sk'atha Star Cluster were then sundered. Adiabene and Adenystrae, which had originally been colonized during the reign of Theodoric the Great three centuries earlier, were both stormed by Laurasian troops (February 1516). Emperor Antigonus himself advanced from Dura, sweeping through Ozogardana, Hunt Minor, and Gargonia (February-March 1516). At Hunt Minor, the Emperor's troops would erect a triumphal arch in his honor, commemorating his recent victories over the Huntites. He then captured Estella and Gedrosia Minor (April 1-9, 1516), and besieged the defenses of Hunt Major. Then on April 12, 1516, the Emperor of Laurasia received the submission of Athambelus, the Laurasian Governor of Samarkand. The conquest of Samarkand finally brought this jewel into Laurasian possession, 511 years after the death of Timur the Devastator himself. Antigonus, who was enthused by this major achievement, conducted a triumphal procession through the streets of Timur's City; had turbocannon fired as a tribute by his fleets in the outskirts of the star system; and on April 19, ordered for a statute of himself to be erected at the Dasian Market. Four days later, the Emperor stormed Charax, and this system, capital of the Huntite Principality of Charax, and one of the Caliphate's leading economic entrepots, fell into Laurasian possession.
 * Then on May 1, 1516, Emperor Antigonus sent the Senate and the Synod an official communique, along with Huntite military armor, goods, and other spoils of war. Brimming with confidence and glee, the Emperor haughtily declared in his communique that the war was coming to a close. Furthermore, he bemoaned that he was too old to go on any further and emulate the conquests of Sargon the Conqueror, Devlet-Giray, Genghis Khan, and Timur the Devastator. Coinage, from February 1516, was struck by the Imperial Treasury to commemorate the Emperor's victories. One gold solidus depicted the Emperor on the obverse; on the reverse, he was shown, garbed in military armor, standing over the standards of Upper Morsia, Melanie, and the Huntite Caliphate. However, as the Emperor departed (May 5, 1516), to command the final siege of Hunt Major, a sudden outburst of Huntite resistance, led by Sandgruthia, a nephew of the Huntite Caliph, imperiled the Laurasian hold on Hunt Minor and the regions of the Sk'atha Cluster. Sandgruthia reconquered Timur's Star, Hunt Minor, Uris, Vickis, Adiabene, and Udall (May-June 1516), penetrating through Laurasian command positions. Emperor Antigonus ordered General Quietus to advance against the Huntite bases in the Sk'atha Cluster, while General Appius Santra (1475-1516, formerly Governor of Way'tosk), was dispatched to subdue Grumman's Star, Northop, Clarise, and Jodie. General Quietus was successful, recovering the strongholds mentioned above from Sandgruthia by August 3, 1516. General Santra, however, was not so lucky, and he was ambushed and killed at Rolle (August 11, 1516), by Huntite starfighter detachments.
 * Emperor Antigonus, rousing again, took command of a military force assembled against Sandgruthia, with General Quietus and the legates M. Erucius Clarus and Tiberius Julianus as his subordinates. Departing from the outskirts of Hunt Major on August 20, 1516, he defeated Sandgruthia in the pitched Battle of Jodie (September 1, 1516): the Huntite Prince himself died in the confrontation. Hunt Major was then finally stormed by the Laurasian forces (September 25, 1516). The Emperor conducted a victorious triumph into the star system and then proceeded to business. Vologravia I, who had been captured towards the end of the siege, was formally deposed as Caliph of Hunt; the Emperor of Laurasia installed his son Parthamapsies as Caliph, and compelled him to take an oath of allegiance and vassalage to him (October 1516). The Emperor's forces then completed the conquest of Jodie, Northrop, Clarise, and Grumman's Star (November 1516), completing the subjugation of the Gedrosian and Jasonian Districts. Hatra, however, a Huntite stronghold located five thousand light years to the east of Hunt Major, continued to defy the Emperor's forces. Emperor Antigonus moved against the stronghold on December 1, 1516, and himself directed the siege efforts, but in spite of this, Hatra continued to remain defiant. The Emperor, who had planned to launch campaigns against the Mellorite Empire of Homidinia and the Neo-Anastasian Empire in the Barsar Regions, now found his military forces dealing with multiple pressures. Huntite units, operating in the vicinity of the Caroline Asteroid Belt, continued to harry the Laurasian garrisons around Hunt Major; Hatra remained defiant; and moreover, the Hasbranian Rebellion had erupted in the Zennethian Provinces. Zennethia, Nosauria, Zutagia, Zesia, Denver, Jared, Galich Major, Volodmoria, Dorris, Anthony, Frogglesworth, Rupert, Watson, and other strongholds were ravaged by a series of revolts against the imperial authorities of those star systems. The Hasbranian Rebellion was to last from November 1516 to November 1518, and would result in the Emperor being forced to strengthen the garrisons of the southern Core Worlds, to contend with the troubles. Disturbances in the Millian Provinces, Carina, Seejay Prime, and the Constantine Cluster also concerned the Emperor.

1517

 * By the beginning of 1517, the 17th year of the sixteenth century, Antigonus I, who had been exhausted by the military campaigns against the Huntite Caliphate, and the outbreak of rebellion within some regions of the Empire, had decided to make his leave from the theater of conflict. In January 1517, the Emperor fainted while overseeing the siege efforts of Hatra, and this convinced him that it was imperative to withdraw from active participation in the military campaigns within Hunt as soon as possible. He now retired to Jasonia, and there attempted to take treatments at the planetary spas. By March 1517, however, his condition had shown no signs of improvement, and the Emperor now sought to retire back to Laurasia Prime. On April 7, 1517, he departed from Jasonia, and proceeded slowly to the Kimanian Trade Run, passing through Clarise, Jodie, Northrop, Horne, Nikki Lowell, Newman Victoria, Filorean, Constipex, Millard, Cox, Banks, and Henderson. By the time he reached Kimania, he was exhausted, and experienced a further fainting spell in his personal bedchambers. The Emperor now consulted his personal physicians; on May 18, 1517, they informed him that he had developed the terminal Sorones's disorder, which affected the brain, heart, lungs, and liver.
 * No cure for this disease existed at the time (and would not exist until the eighteenth century). Emperor Antigonus was disheartened, and realizing that his health would not permit him to make the full journey back to Laurasia Prime, decided to make a detour. He now proceeded to Leo's Redoubt, determined to die on this world renowned for its resorts and its beautiful countryside. The Emperor's decline had at first been shielded from his subjects, but it was now made plain by the Governing Senate, in a proclamation from the Imperial Court (June 1517). A bronze bust of the Emperor, dedicated on June 5, 1517 at the Ankaran Gallery of Art on Ruttum (founded 1471), clearly showed the Emperor as aged and emaciated. Once at Leo's Redoubt, Antigonus's physical decline accelerated. On August 2, he took the Last Rites and delivered his final address to his troops from his chambers. He was attended by his wife, Empress Consort Pompeia Plotina (1456-1522). It was on August 7, 1517, at the Loredian Castle on Leo's Redoubt, that Antigonus I, "the Conqueror", one of the most successful military campaigners in Laurasian history, and one of the Empire's greatest rulers, died, aged 63. The Emperor's reputation, already legendary by the time of his death, would survive unblemished for centuries thereafter. In the eighteenth century, he would be praised by all of the major historians. Following his death, the Senate would, until the time of Neuchrus I, hail every new Emperor with the hope that they would be "as wise as Seleucus [I] and as successful as Antigonus." Yet to the moment of his death, the Emperor had never publicly named a successor.
 * His widow, the Empress Dowager, however, was able to convince the Senate, Synod, and the Empire's subjects that her husband had named Legate-General Sir Lysimachus Hadrianus, Duke of Colombia, as his successor on his death bed. General Hadrianus was the Emperor's cousin, and he, like his cousin, was popular with the military and Guards. His service in the Kimanian Wars had demonstrated his commitment and dedication to the Empire, and he had distinguished himself as Quaestor of the Imperial Treasury (1509-11), Praetor of Laurasia Prime (1514-17), and commander of the Quencilvanian Palace Control. Thus, his accession was unchallenged, and hours after Antigonus's death, he was proclaimed Emperor as Lysimachus I. The new Emperor Lysimachus, then on Hunt Major, moved to immediately consolidate his position. In September 1517, he dismissed General Quietus from his position of command in the Huntite Provinces. He followed this by issuing a series of proclamations to the Imperial Court, announcing his intention to govern with prudence and to adhere to the dictates of the Almitian Church.
 * The Emperor also rewarded his supporters such as the Praetorian Prefect, Sir Publicus Attianus (1473-1519), who had served as Prefect since 1514. In October 1517, however, the incident was to occur which would blemish the Emperor's standing with the Governing Senate. Attianus, who claimed to be acting on behalf of the new Emperor, ordered for Quietus, who had returned to Laurasia Prime, and twenty other Senators to be arrested and imprisoned at the Post Settlement of Hepudermia. Then on November 9, 1517, following extensive interrogation by the Prefect and his officials, Quietus and his accomplices were attainted, publicly humiliated, and then executed at the High Tower of Christiania. Afterwards, Attianus appeared before the Councils of State, and read out documents, purportedly signed by Emperor Antigonus, formally recognizing Lysimachus as his heir. The two bodies were cowed, while Emperor Lysimachus, who expressed his "regrets" over the deaths of Quietus and the others, nevertheless affirmed the Prefect's acts. Thus, relations between Lysimachus and the Senate were irreparably damaged; he would control them in an autocratic manner for the rest of his reign. As for Antigonus, his body was brought back to Laurasia Prime, and he was, on November 17, 1517, formally interred at the Imperial Mausoleum in the Old Westphalian Cathedral. His wife, Empress-Dowager Plotina, was formally confirmed in all of her dower rights and estates by Lysimachus; she would continue to remain active at the Imperial Court until her death in Osraninpolis, Laurasia Prime, on July 27, 1522, and would be interred next to her husband. By December 1517, Lysimachus, having consolidated his position, switched his attention to three tasks: completing the suppression of the Hasbranian Rebellion; seizing Hatra; and formally eliminating the Huntite Caliphate.

1518

 * 1518 was marked by two major events: the final fall of Hatra, and the consequent elimination of the remnants of the Huntite Caliphate, and the suppression of the Hasbranian Rebellion. To the Emperor Lysimachus, the first of these goals was undoubtedly the most important. In January 1518, the Emperor established his command headquarters on Ber Bachman, and from thence reorganized the forces then in place around Hatra. He now designated Legate-General M. Erucius Clarus as the supreme commander of Laurasian forces in that star system. Moreover, the Emperor brought in substantial reinforcements from Leah, Lorna, Garnett, Meredith, Iego, Jeanne, Abuza, Abrianna, Brenda, and Dickinson, comprised primarily of the 40th and 41st Imperial Armies; he was determined to leave nothing to chance. Hatra's defenses, which had already begun to wilter, now collapsed under this renewed Laurasian onslaught. The Commander of the Garrison of Hatra, the Huntite Prince Mugguthia, found that he could not effectively oppose the Imperial Laurasian Navy. On February 7, 1518, Hatra's defenses were finally breached by the forces of the Laurasian Empire; within four days, the stronghold had been occupied. Prince Mugguthia himself managed to escape, and now attempted to lead a resistance against Laurasian units. He sacked the newly installed Laurasian garrison of Amida (February 9, 1518); penetrated to the outskirts of Negro (February 12-17); and on February 22, breached the defenses of Zachary, inflicting severe damage upon Laurasian positions in that star system. The Battle of Doug (February 27-March 1, 1518), also was another victory for these erstwhile Huntite forces. Emperor Lysimachus himself, however, now brought this string of counteroffensives to an end. On March 7, 1518, he lured Mugguthia and his units to Nasala, located two hundred light years to the northeast of the Caroline Asteroid Belt. The ensuing Battle of Nasala resulted in a decisive victory for Laurasian forces; more than 75,000 Huntite troops died in the confrontation. Prestley and Natazdha became the sites of further confrontations between Laurasian and Huntite forces (March 1518).
 * Finally, on April 2, 1518, Mugguthia was defeated and captured by the Emperor of Laurasia's forces at Lura. Bound in chains, he was presented to the Emperor personally. Lysimachus, impressed by Mugguthia's bravery, decided to spare his life. Mugguthia, who would be allowed to retain the title of Hereditary Prince of Hatra, was able to retire to Hunt Major. There, he would become an early ally of the Imperial Laurasian Government, thereby ingratiating himself with his new masters. This allegiance, however, would prove to be shallow. Lysimachus now turned to the task of eliminating the remnants of the Huntite Caliphate. On April 17, 1518, the Emperor moved to Hunt Major with his forces, and effected a landing upon the planetary surface. Huntite Caliph Parthamapsies, who had been installed on the throne less than two years before, was quickly apprehended. Then on May 5, 1518, the Emperor compelled the Caliph to abdicate, and, before an assembly of the Huntite Ba'klar (Hereditary Council), announced the formal annexation of the Huntite Caliphate's territories into the Laurasian Empire. Thus Hunt was now under Laurasian rule. Parthamapsies would be imprisoned on Iego in June 1518; Lysimachus was fearful that rebel elements within the newly-dubbed Huntite Provinces would use him as their puppet. By the end of July 1518, with Hulio, Dantrise, and the Jabba Colonies in Laurasian hands, all of Hunt had been firmly consolidated under the Empire's rule. Emperor Lysimachus, on his part, was now able to turn his full attention to the suppression of the Hasbranian Rebellion.
 * In August 1518, the Emperor commanded the Governor of Horacia, Marcus Turbo (1479-1534), to apprehend the Zennethian rebel leader Lukuas, and to bring an end to his rebellion. Governor Turbo advanced swiftly. Zesia was assaulted by his forces (August 9-14, 1518); in spite of the efforts of Lukuas and his subordinates, it fell four days later. Watson, Sherlock, and Rupert were then secured (August 20-24, 1518), and on September 3, 1518, the Battle of Maschinga ended in a decisive victory for Turbo. Rawling and Ildoch then became the scenes of confrontations between Laurasian and rebel forces; by the end of September, both strongholds were back in the Imperial Government's possession, and rebel units had been ejected from Doris, Frogglesworth, and Ula. Then on October 7, 1518, Galich Majoria was relieved, and Lukuas was forced to retreat to Montel; he would be captured here on October 14, and presented to General Turbo in chains. By the end of October 1518, Wronzaz, Polonia Minor, Xuia, and Anthony were firmly in Laurasian hands, and the Hasbranian Rebellion had been suppressed. On the orders of General Turbo, Lukuas's two brothers, his subordinates Julian and Pappius, who had been leaders of the rebellion, were attainted and then executed on Dasinae (November 4, 1518). Lukuas, himself, however, was brought on a prison transport to Laurasia Prime, where on November 19, 1518, he was tried by the Governing Senate. The Senate wasted no time in convicting him, and he was sentenced to death (November 21, 1518). Four days later, the sentence was carried out at the High Tower of Christiania, and witnessed by a crowd of more than 200,000 persons. By the end of 1518, therefore, Emperor Lysimachus had consolidated his position in Hunt and in the Outer Core. He was now, however, to contend with rebellion in the Barsar Regions, and war with the Anastasian Empire.

1519

 * The year 1519 witnessed the continuation of military conflict for the Laurasian Empire. Although the Huntite Caliphate had now been completely suppressed, and the Hasbranian Rebellion quelled, tensions still persisted in other regions of the Empire. In particular, the recently-subdued Kimanian Provinces, which had now been under Laurasian rule for just over a decade, brimmed with dissent against the Emperor Lysimachus's regime. As early as September 1517, protests and riots had broken out on Kimania, Kimanis Mooria, Gardiner, Hutsia Major, Derangy, and Morangy. By early 1519, these tensions had coalesced into definite rebellion against the Imperial Laurasian Government. It was on January 18, 1519, that Hiai-Jiao of the House of Chin, one of Kimania's leading hereditary princes, announced from his estates on Goni that he could not tolerate the continued presence of the Laurasian "foreigners", and that the integrity and independence of the Kimanian realms needed to be restored. Within a short time, Jiao, who received substantial reinforcements from throughout the Eastern Barsar Regions, had advanced his position forth. Offshora, Reading, and Chobania quickly fell into his hands (February 1519); on March 2, 1519, he repelled a government offensive in the Battle of Plieser, and from there stormed Dominguez. Shell, Earl, Sandra, and Tolbiac then defected to the rebel, and on March 22, 1519, he overran the garrison of Breha. Preena, Novina, and Nelson soon found themselves threatened by rebel expeditions, and Prince Jiao imposed a blockade of Messalina, preventing Laurasian units from moving into the Hutsite Reaches. Riley then surrendered to Jiao (April 8, 1519), and he then stormed the outposts of Acone, Kelly, Caleb, and Dodson. Tarbell and Wasatch then followed (April 19-22, 1519), and on May 2, 1519, Messalina finally succumbed. Emperor Lysimachus, alarmed by the outbreak of this rebellion, had reacted swiftly.
 * Still engaged in efforts to consolidate Laurasian rule of Hunt Major and the surrounding star systems, the Emperor ordered General Turbo, on March 24, 1519, to take command of the government's response against the rebellion. Turbo acted swiftly, and on April 1, he had departed from Zennethia. He proceeded quickly to Roastafaria Major, and organized a vigorous defense of government positions in the Ashlgothian Borderland Territories. Thelma, Jennings, Tea, and Matthew were all threatened by rebel units (April-May 1519), and on May 12, 1519, the Battle of Isaac was waged, in which Jiao attempted to breach the defenses of Peterslie, Wes, and Moran. These efforts failed, however, and on June 5, Turbo recovered Breha in a decisive counteroffensive. He then stormed Kelly and Caleb (June 8-13), secured the defenses of Leo's Redoubt (June 12), and reconquered the repository of Acone (June 16). Dodson proved a tougher nut to crack, and was not recovered by government units until the end of June 1519. Lange, Ruya II, and Leseur became the sites of confrontation between rebel and Laurasian units (July 1519), and on July 9, 1519, the Battle of Musania ended in a decisive victory for Turbo. Finally, on August 5, 1519, the Battle of Riley was waged, and ended in a decisive Laurasian victory. Prince Jiao himself managed to flee, but was captured near Allen (August 12, 1519). He was then placed in chains and brought to General Turbo; on September 2, 1519, the Prince would be attainted and executed on Harrison, on the orders of the Emperor. By the end of September 1519, all remaining strongholds which had been seized by Kimanian rebel forces, including Goni, were back in Laurasian hands. Turbo then suppressed disturbances on Derangy and Morangy (October 1519).
 * Yet the Neo-Anastasian Empire, now ruled by Guddari I (who had acceded to his throne in 1514), was alarmed by the Laurasian conquest of Hunt and Kimania, and by the victories obtained by the Emperor Lysimachus's generals. Guddari, determined to forestall the Laurasian threat, had since 1516 pursued a policy of military mobilization and rearmament. Caesearea, Ruumlist, Helen, Grenada, Hospallia Major, and Masia all saw extensive reinforcement by the Anastasian Emperor; moreover, he launched reconnaissance expeditions into the Merlite Provinces, attempting to gather information on the state of Laurasian defenses in that region. Then, on October 4, 1519, the Emperor of Anastasia issued a declaration of war, decrying the Laurasian "aggression" at the expense of every other reasonable power in the Galaxy. He advanced swiftly. Sejucia fell into Anastasian hands (October 8-14, 1519), being followed by Redia (October 22), Nicole (October 24), and Trebek (October 26). He then isolated the defenses of Ashlgothia Minor, Leslie, and Knight; Beatrice was sacked on November 4. From thence, Courtney and Tahon became victims of the Anastasian offensive (November 8-14, 1519). Anastasian units, by December 1519, were ranging to Aretha, Alec, Austin, Evan, and Ryan Barlak, thereby seriously threatening Laurasian positions in the Merlite and Ashlgothian Provinces. Emperor Lysimachus, however, now sought to launch a decisive counteroffensive, allowing the Anastasians to tire themselves out. Assembling his units at Peterslie, Bryce, Baiteman, Emma, Imma, Mirohassani, West, and Madison, he advanced swiftly to Nandia (December 8, 1519). On December 13, 1519, the Battle of Byron resulted in a decisive victory for the Empire. Trebek was then recovered, and on December 22, a Anastasian move against Warren was repelled. By the end of 1519, Laurasia had taken the offensive.

1520

 * 1520 witnessed the conclusion of the Laurasian-Anastasian War of 1519-20, and the consolidation of Laurasian rule over the Eastern Barsar Regions as a consequence. On January 7, 1520, the Battle of Cyrus III ended in another victory for Emperor Lysimachus; Kristin, Hefner, and Dragosh were definitively secured. Sejucia and Redia were then recovered in February 1520, and on March 3, the Emperor relieved Ashlgothia Minor. Leslie and Knight obtained similar relief on March 14. By the end of March 1520, Laurasian units began to penetrate into Anastasian territory. Granada was besieged and captured (April 2-4, 1520), followed by Helen (April 18); Churchill (April 22); and Hospallia Major (April 28). Anastasia Minor was isolated from April 29, 1520; its fall on May 4, 1520, compounded the earlier series of Anastasian humiliations. By the end of May 1520, Laurasian units had penetrated to Ruumlist and Masia, seizing both strongholds. Angela Masia, Tiesting, and Damasacus then fell into Laurasian hands (June 1520), inflicting another humiliation upon the Anastasians. It was the Battle of Teutonica (July 2-4, 1520), however, that finally compelled Anastasian Emperor Guddari into making peace with the Empire. On August 1, 1520, the Truce of Rhodes was signed, thereby leading to the suspension of military hostilities. A conference then convened on Thathel Prime, from August 19, 1520, and lasted for over two months; General Tullo, Chief Procurator of the Holy Synod Sir Walterius Reynoldia, and Chancellor, Major-General Sir Gaius Clarus (who had also become Praetorian Prefect in 1519), served as the Laurasian plenipotentiaries. Finally, on October 21, 1520, the Treaty of Thathel Prime was signed.
 * By the terms of this treaty, the Emperor of Anastasia agreed to recognize the Laurasian acquisition of the Huntite Caliphate, and Laurasian dominance over the Eastern Barsar Regions. Ginger, Zoo, Stephanopoulos, and Strahan were conceded to the Laurasian Empire, thereby consolidating its rule of Beatrice; moreover, the Anastasians agreed to release all prisoners of war and to compensate the Imperial Laurasian Government for military expenses. The Treaty of Thathel Prime, ratified by both governments by the end of November 1520, thereby brought the Empire's realms to a state of peace. Emperor Lysimachus, who had supervised pacification efforts on Kimania, in the aftermath of Jiao's Rebellion, was pleased by its conclusion. On November 22, 1520, the Emperor finally commenced his long-awaited progress to Laurasia Prime. Proceeding rapidly from Kimania, up the Kimanian Trade Run, he finally reached the outskirts of his star system on November 26, more than three years after his accession to the throne. The Emperor proceeded through the Outer Worlds, the two Calaxies, Jadia, Hepudermia, and into the city of Christiania. He was greeted by a volley of turbocannon; by the acclaim and adoration of his subjects; and by a performance of Christiania Police, Praetorian Guards, and the Imperial Garrison of Laurasia Prime. The Emperor then reached the Quencilvanian Palace, was greeted by the Governing Senate and Holy Synod, and delivered a formal address to his subjects. On December 15, 1520, he announced that his coronation would be held in February of the following year.

1521

 * 1521 began with the Laurasian Empire restored to internal and external tranquility. Emperor Lysimachus, who had consolidated the conquest of both Hunt and Kimania, and had conducted a short but victorious war in the Barsar Regions, was now determined to turn his attention to the Empire's internal affairs. The Emperor proved to be a fair and just ruler, earning the acclaim of many on Laurasia Prime, and elsewhere throughout the Empire, for his prudence and toleration. He maintained the financial and religious policies of his predecessor, Antigonus the Conqueror, and sought to promote the Empire's culture and infrastructure. The Emperor's coronation was the first manifestation of his intentions; on February 9, 1521, he crowned himself Emperor at the Old Westphalian Cathedral, received the allegiance of his subjects, and in his remarks at the Quencilvanian Palace, indicated his desire to remain at peace with the Empire's neighbors. The Emperor now revealed himself to be sophisticated and culturally aware: he was to become known as the "Cultivated" by his subjects, and had interests in fields ranging from philosophy and theology to architecture, music, dance, theater, and history. Lysimachus was multilingual, speaking, besides his native Laurasian, Dasian, Arachosian, Lacian, Briannian, Polonian, Solidaritan, Millian, Huntite, Robertian, and Kimanian. He also had a perceptive understanding of several other languages, including Homidinian, Brestord, Halegothican, and the ancient Marauder tongue. The Emperor liked to write poetry and other works in Old Laurasian; he produced numerous architectural studies; and in 1526, published, by the auspices of Phlegon of Treles (1460-1544), his personal secretary from 1527 to 1535, his memoirs of the Kimanian and Huntite Wars. Many of Lysimachus's works were to later be compiled into the Palatine Anthology, which would be published by Sir Constantine Cephalas (1542-1619) in 1606, and become one of the most renowned collections of poetry in Laurasian history.
 * It comprised of more than 7,000 poems by various Laurasian authors, extending as far back as the fourth century BH. Moreover, the Emperor sponsored many artists, musicians, actors, architects, and authors throughout the Empire, including the historians Sir Suetonius Tranquillius (1469-1540) and Sir Arrian Nicoredia (1486-1560); the former was renowned for his Lives of the Emperors and his histories on Laurasian customs and historical figures, while the latter was renowned for his Anabasis of Sargon (1535), the most comprehensive account ever compiled of the exploits and conquests of Sargon the Conqueror. He also sponsored the philosophers Baron Sir Epicetus Moragria, 1st Baron Moragria (1455-1535); Sir Heliodorus Emessa (1469-1531); and Baronet Sir Favornius Areltia (1480-1560). Lysimachus himself published several works of philosophy, the most notable being The Arts of the Laurasian Mind (1529). The Emperor also reintroduced an old facet of Laurasian culture: the beard. As part of his initial reforms in 1298-1300, Seleucus the Victor had forbidden the nobility, clergy, officials, and most prominent personages of Laurasia from possessing any facial hair. The King himself had shaved the faces of many of his courtiers and associates, and in the course of time, had imposed a beard tax upon his non-noble, Laurasian male subjects, which they were to pay if they wanted to retain their facial hair. The beard tax had remained in place until its abolition under Antiochus the Great in May 1372.
 * Nevertheless, for nearly two centuries after Seleucus's death, this particular innovation of his had persisted. The Empire's nobility, clergy, officials, and personages were clean-shaven; every Emperor, from Seleucus himself through Antigonus I had no facial hair. This was the complete opposite of the earlier situation which existed before Seleucus; every Laurasian sovereign since Honorius the Liberator prior to his reign, had been bearded and mustached. Lysimachus, however, who admired aspects of Laurasian culture from the Dasian Yoke and Third Laurasian Period, took to once again growing a full beard and mustache. The custom which he established would be followed by several of his successors: every remaining Emperor of the sixteenth century, as well as Demetrius Severus I, Caracalla, Geta, Macrinus, Gordian IV and V, Pupienus, Balbinus, Aemillian, Gaillenus, Claudius Vectorius, Quintillius, Aurelian, Demetrius Severus II, Florian, and Probus. The other remaining Emperors of the period (Elagabalus, Alexander Severus, Gordian VI, Philip I, Philip II, Trajan Decius, Herennius Etruscus, Hostillian, Trebonianus Gallus, Volusianus, Valerian, Titus II, Neuchrus I, Demetrius II) would remain clean-shaven. Antigonus III would also until 1736, growing a beard afterwards. Among the Laurasian noble and ecclesiastical elites, the resurgence would be more marked. It would become especially so after 1750.
 * Besides these cultural innovations, 1521 also witnessed another landmark for the Laurasian Empire: the 200th anniversary of its formation. On November 25, 1521, Emperor Lysimachus presided over the festivities marking the Empire's anniversary, as his predecessor, Tiberius II, had done a century earlier. Two centuries after the end of the Great Briannian War, the Laurasian Empire had become the most powerful state in the Caladarian Galaxy. The Empire, by 1521, extended its jurisdiction over territories extending from the Angelican and Hypasian Provinces in the northwest, to the outskirts of the Eastern Outer Borderlands. All of the Core Regions now answered to the authority of the Imperial Laurasian Government. Melorkia, Ashlgothia, Solidarita, and Polonia had all been subdued by the Laurasian Empire during the first third of the fifteenth century; during the other two-thirds, the Empire had advanced through the Middle Territories and into the Barsar Regions. The Kingdom of Upper Morsia, encompassing Gabriella, Sheldonia, and parts of Gedrosia, was at this stage still a vassal state of the Empire, and the Empire had forced concessions from the Iffians, Cosites, Donathians, and Anastasians. Laurasian authority now extended over twenty-five million inhabited star systems, and the Empire controlled the most prosperous portions of all the major galactic trade routes with the exception of the Galactic Frontier Route.
 * With this in mind, Emperor Lysimachus, determined to demonstrate his wide-reaching authority and to inspect the vast dominions which he ruled, commenced his progresses throughout the Laurasian Empire in this year. As a military commander, he had already traveled extensively throughout Laurasian territories, and had participated in the Kimanian and Huntite Wars of Emperor Antigonus I. More than half of his reign would be spent outside of the Laurasian Purse Region. Since the reign of Tiberius II, most Emperors had restricted the range of their travels to the immediate vicinity of Laurasia Prime, generally going farther only when staging military campaigns. Antiochus III had visited Melorkia Major, Nathaniel, and Sanegeta, and was condemned for his self-indulgence. Lysimachus, by contrast, traveled as a fundamental part of his governing, and made this clear to the Imperial Laurasian Government and his subjects. The Emperor had detailed plans for the administration and maintenance of his dominions. His intention was to strengthen the Empire from within through improved infrastructure, as opposed to conquering or annexing perceived enemies. This was often the purpose of his journeys, commissioning new structures, projects, and colonies. The Imperial Laurasian Court became ever more complex as a result of the Emperor's progresses, and the economies of the star systems and sectors he visited expanded as a result of the Household's presence. The tradition thus reintroduced by the Emperor would be followed by all of his successors, ultimately culminating in the grand progresses of Empress Aurelia the Great in the late eighteenth century.
 * On April 26, 1521, the future Emperor Antigonus II the Philosopher (1561-80), was born in Christola, Ralina Vixius. He was the son of Sir Marcus Annius Verus (1482-1524), Praetor of Ralina Vixius from 1517 to 1524, and one of the most respected nobles in the Laurasian Empire. Antigonus's mother was Lady Domitilla Lucilla (1490-1561), who was the daughter of the Earl of Rashid, one of the wealthiest magnates in the Core Regions. The young Lord Verus would be raised in great wealth and privilege, though his father was to die when he was only three years old. Afterwards, he would be raised by his grandfather, the 2nd Baron Verus (1458-1537), who had been a Governing Senator since 1516. The young Antigonus would obtain an excellent education during his youth, at the hands of the tutors Sir Alexander Coitea (1470-1550), Baronet Trosius Aper (1495-1565), and Sir Tucitius Proculus (1489-1554).

1522-1524

 * Emperor Lysimachus, who had in August and September 1521, conducted a tour of the chief strongholds of the Rebeccan Galactic Trade Route (the first of his progresses), now embarked, on January 5, 1522, from Courdina V, for his journey to the Hypasian Provinces. This region, which had taken the Empire's military forces four decades to subdue, had recently experienced further turmoil. The Valerian Revolt had erupted on Bach Dang in March 1519, and had dragged on for more than two years, spreading to Valeris V, Huerta Mongol, Trasha Dakai, Song Dhu, and Sogan, before it was finally suppressed in September 1521. Moreover, the Iffians and Cosites, who were now themselves under pressure from the encroaching Marasharite Empire and Haynsian Despotate (to become enemies of the Laurasian Empire later on in the century), continued to harass the outskirts of the Hypasian Provinces, with Van Klep, Thang Lang, and Masia becoming targets of their raids. Emperor Lysimachus, therefore, was determined to maintain Laurasian authority over Hypasia, and to provide better security. He arrived at Hypasia Minor on January 18, 1522, and from there proceeded through Saigon, Ho Chi Minh, Huerta Mongol, Qu'emia, Van Klep, Hypasia Major, and the other major strongholds, a journey which lasted for more than four months.
 * It was while he was at Harm Buhamidal, in the outskirts of the Wild Marshes, that Lysimachus, on April 15, 1522, issued the first instructions to the Imperial General Headquarters, and to the garrisons of the Hypasian Provinces, to begin construction of a series of border outposts, garrisons, and minefields, in order to control cross border trade and immigration; provide protection for the Empire's garrisons against both rebels and foreign enemies; and to delineate Laurasian territorial claims. Construction of this elaborate system of defenses, which had been planned by the Emperor since January 1520, commenced in earnest in June 1522, after his departure from the Hypasian Provinces, and lasted for the next two decades. The Lysimachid Barrier Defenses, as they would become known, would not be finished until 1543, during the reign of Lysimachus's successor Antoninus Pius, and would, from the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries, become a focus for Laurasian military operations in the Wild Marshes and Galactic Borderlands. Following his departure from Hypasia Major, the Emperor headed south to Beatrice, where he personally conducted a military campaign to suppress rebels at Trieste, Zoo, and Ginger (June-October 1522). The Emperor then conducted a tour of the Neo-Merlite and Donguarian Provinces, inspecting the Empire's frontiers in those regions, before proceeding to the Murphian Trade Spine and to Ashlgothia Major, Leslie, Larkin, Trebek, and Jeopardy. In July 1523, however, the Emperor dismissed General Clarus from his position as Praetorian Prefect; Marcus Turbo, who was now promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-General, assumed increasing responsibility for the affairs of the Guards and Laurasia Prime.
 * Then in August 1523, while conducting a tour of the Armenian Provinces, Emperor Lysimachus received intelligence information, from the General Headquarters, that the Mellorite Empire, alarmed by the Laurasian conquest of Hunt, was preparing a military offensive against the Robertian and Mereditan Provinces. Much had transpired with Mellorita during the past six decades. Following the assassination of Izzaria in April 1457, the man who had assassinated him, Mansria, ruled over Mellorita for just over two years, until his death in April 1459. Mansria was then followed by Quturia, whose reign saw a major Mellorite victory over the Xilanians at Schlagenhauf (September 1460). On October 24 of that year, Quturia died, and was succeeded by one of his chief military commanders, Baibars. Baibars (r. 1460-77), oversaw a great resurgence in Mellorite power and unity in the Northern Outer Borderlands. Between 1460 and 1465, he focused on a program of internal consolidation, military reform, and economic revitalization. He deposed Nasur Yusuf's successor, Maghtraib, in August 1463 and restored centralized authority over the worlds of the lower Burglais Arm. Baibars then embarked on a series of campaigns against Xilania, reconquering McDowell (1465) and Lawson (1466), and from thence pushing against Esperanto Major, Nandi, Calrissian, and Varta (1467-69). From 1468 to 1472, he also clashed with the Brestord Kingdom of Karakorum under Ranna I, succeeding in reestablishing Mellorite control over the strongholds of the lower Corporate Trade Corridor. Baibars then dealt with Armane, Edmundian, and Coronadian rebel groups in the Burglais Arm and in the Galactic Void, and in 1475, he waged a short war with the Cosite Imperium over possession of the Farther Dali Regions. The Great King then launched punitive expeditions and raids into the Solidaritan Provinces, and in 1476, attempted to form a alliance with Duras Shogun of Kimania against Laurasia.
 * These efforts, however, came to nothing, and Laurasia and Mellorita remained at peace. Baibars died in July 1477, and was succeeded by his son Barakria. Barakria, however, proved to be an ineffective ruler, and in November 1479, he was deposed at Chalassia, being replaced by first Solamaramia, and then on December 14 of that year, by Qalawun Sala I (r. 1479-90). Qalawun Sala's reign was occupied by a renewed struggle with the Brestord Kingdom of Karakorum (1481-84), by an expeditionary war against the Northanian Coalition in the Great Tesmanian Cloud (1485), and by the prolonged Khala Rebellion, finally suppressed in 1488. Qalawun Sala, however, also greatly expanded the Mellorite governmental bureaucracy, embarked on numerous architectural and technological projects of note, and patronized the arts in his dominions. His death in November 1490 left the throne to his son Qalawun Sala II, whose capture of Xilania Minoria in July 1491, and expeditionary moves against Chappelear, Tiona, Natalie, Guthmiller, Belaprasian, and Adrianne (1492) marked the maximum territorial extent of the Mellorite Empire (save for Karakorum, which had economic and military alliance agreements with it).
 * Mellorita, at that point, spanned from the Galactic Frontier Route in the west to the Lower Burglais Arm in the east. But Qalawun was assassinated in December 1493, and a period of factional struggle ensued. His toddler son, Nasria I, then only nine, was deposed for the first time in December 1494 by his regent Kitbugha, who then seized the throne. Kitbugha ruled for less than two years, until he was deposed in November 1496; he died in May 1497, at Wakino. Lajiana then became King, but he died prematurely in January 1499. At that time, Nasria was restored to the Mellorite throne, and his second reign marked the collapse of Mellorite power west of the Larkian Way. The wars of 1502-05 and 1507-10 saw the Xilanians under Amharti VI (r. 1501-29), recover Xilania Minoria, Calrissian, the Marauder Colonies, Nandi, and the Esperanto Worlds, and drive the Mellorites from the Galactic Borderlands. Nasria, confronted also with constant rebellions in the Burglais Arm, and war with Karakorum, ultimately lost his throne a second time in March 1509. He was succeeded by Baibars II, whose brief reign was marked by further strife. Baibars was deposed and executed in March 1510, and Nasria again regained the throne, for the third and last time. He was to rule until his death in June 1541. Nasria concluded peace with Xilania (1512), and in 1516-20, extended Mellorite suzerainty over Karakorum, forcing King Balamber (r. 1509-12, 1517-22), to become his vassal. Karakorum would remain a Mellorite vassal for eighty-two years, until Dinga I rejected their overlordship in 1602. This was how things stood, when Lysimachus was confronted with this new challenge.
 * In his characteristic fashion, the Emperor now hastened from Woolestone to Robert. There, Lysimachus vigorously reorganized the defenses of Elijahana, Parson, Abuza, Izonza, and Iego, and issued contingency instructions to the Imperial General Headquarters. King Nasria, however, realizing that a confrontation with the Laurasian Empire at this stage would be disastrous, and imitated by the Emperor's military forces, decided to negotiate with the Imperial Laurasian Government, instead of launching an offensive against Laurasian territory. A conference was opened on Peters in October 1523, and on November 9, 1523, the Treaty of Peters was signed. By the terms of this treaty, the King of the Mellorites agreed to recognize Laurasian acquisition of Hunt and Kimania, and Laurasian acquisitions at the expense of the Neo-Anastasian Empire. Moreover, all Laurasian and Mellorite merchants were to be able to travel, unmolested, in the territories of the other; a joint commission to govern commerce along the Rebeccan Galactic Trade Route was established; and Nasria agreed to protect religious minorities in his realms. Emperor Lysimachus, having therefore maintained peace through diplomatic negotiation, then toned down military armament; the Treaty of Peters was ratified in December 1523.
 * Following the conclusion of the Treaty of Peters, Emperor Lysimachus then conducted a general tour of the strongholds of the Robertian and Mereditan Provinces, lasting until May 1524. Robert, Meris, Wakedia, Jamuine, Beharis, Shephard, Walters, Hasselbeck, Goldberg, Whoppi, Meredita, Jeanne, Abuza, Brenda, Dickinson, and Iego were all visited by the Emperor of Laurasia on this particular tour. Lysimachus then wintered at Uris, before beginning his procession through the Middle Territories (June 1524). The Emperor and the Imperial Court passed through the Shenandonite Provinces and the Millian Home Region. He visited Shenandoah, Majoria Schall, Choir, Hoohshikk, Predosur, Bacturia Invictis, Boydaria, Bor'say, Par'say, Ond'diray, Grand Junction, Temperance, and then Way'tosk. Lysimachus's visit to Waytosk, the old capital world of the Millian Empire (September 29, 1524), was particularly memorable, and he paid homage to the Kuevian Mausoleum of Kings and the Great Vault of the Empire, offering his prayers for the Millian Emperor Heust'orr the Great and the Kuevian King Genseric the Great. Following this, the Emperor departed from Way'tosk and proceeded rapidly to the Venasian Cluster. He visited Maxiliana, Phyllis, Monderon, Ruttum, Lynne, Organia, Ka, Hannis, Bolgrahay, Venasia Secondary, Venasia Prime, and Robbay before reaching the Nexus Route (December 1524).

1525

 * In January 1525, following a detour to the Decapolian Worlds, Emperor Lysimachus finally returned to Laurasia Prime, after having been absent from his capital world for more than three years. The Emperor's arrival back at Laurasia Prime was marked with a series of tournaments and games at the Circus Maximus, and by the presentation of the colors to His Majesty at the Imperial Balcony. Lysimachus's journey had given him considerable information about the customs and subjects of his Empire, and had further inspired him in his policy of peaceful construction of the Empire's internal structure. The Emperor devoted much of his time, during 1525 and 1526, to renewed architectural, trade, and commercial projects. In March 1521, the Emperor had commenced the construction of the Christiania Pantheon, which he intended as a theater, religious observance center, and cultural marketplace. The Pantheon was intended as the replacement for the Old Curia, which had been constructed in the tenth century, during the time of the Dasian Bey Demetrius Rakanedis (919-27). The Pantheon, whose construction was supervised by Emperor Antigonus's old architect Sir Apollodorus of Dramis, would be eventually completed and dedicated on March 7, 1526. The structure, inscribed with the words "Emperor Lysimachus I Dedicated This in the Honor of Almitis, AH 1526", spanned over ten acres. It was circular with a portico of large Corinthian columns under a pediment. A rectangular vestibule linked the porch to the rotunda, under a coffered concrete dome, with an opening to the sky. The Pantheon also had underground chambers, extending thirty feet into the ground and spanning across a distance of nearly 1.5 miles.
 * This structure, which became one of the chief landmarks of the city of Christiania, would be renovated by Antoninus Pius from 1549 to 1555, who erected a statute to the Emperor Lysimachus's memory at the apex of the dome. In the late eighteenth century, from 1783 to 1786, Empress Aurelia the Great would conduct a massive renovation and expansion of the structure, replacing all of its artwork, building statutes to several other prominent Laurasian figures, and expanding the Dome's portico. New Corinthian and Ionian columns would be erected, while the inscription of Lysimachus was recast in gold alzonite letters. Besides the Pantheon, Emperor Lysimachus conducted several other projects in the city of Christiania. He initiated a massive reconstruction of St. Katherine's Cathedral (1525-27); added two hundred rooms and the Celebratory Hall to the Quencilvanian Palace (1526); and redesigned the Public Squares of Christiania, removing, reconstructing, and rearranging many of the obelisks, columns, and monuments erected there. In 1529, the Emperor would construct the Lysimachid Obelisk in Colombia, with inscriptions chronicling his progresses throughout the Empire. The Emperor also continued with his cultural innovations, and in April 1525, General Turbo was formally named Praetorian Prefect and Chancellor of the Empire.
 * 1525 also witnessed a further territorial acquisition for the Laurasian Empire: that of the Kingdom of Upper Morsia. On April 7, 1525, King Abgaros II of Upper Morsia, who had so meekly submitted to Emperor Antigonus nearly a decade earlier, died on Sheldonia. His son, Abgaros III, was poised to accede to the Morsian throne, but according to the terms of his father's vassalage, had to gain the consent of the Imperial Laurasian Government. Emperor Lysimachus, however, whose officials had continued to deal with disturbances on Samarkand, Timur's Star, Hunt Minor, and Claithbourne, now sought to directly annex Upper Morsia into the Empire. This would consolidate the Empire's position along the rims of the Galactic Void. Thus, in June 1525, the Emperor commanded Prefect Turbo to launch a swift military operation against Sheldonia, Downs, Morsia, and Gabriella. Toma fell quickly into Laurasian hands (June 27-July 5, 1525), and on July 12, Downs also fell into Laurasian position. The Sheldonian colonies of Ahoor, Afriasic, Everlaman, and Muth then fell quickly into Laurasian hands; on August 7, 1525, Asiastic and Noah were stormed. Finally, on August 18, 1525, King Abgaros, realizing that further resistance was futile, signed a declaration of abdication on Gabriella, and formally surrendered to the Laurasian Empire. Sheldonia, Gabriella, Morsia, Prestley, and Natazdha were quickly occupied by Laurasian units; on September 8, 1525, Emperor Lysimachus formally announced the annexation of the Kingdom of Upper Morsia into the Laurasian Empire. As for King Abgaros, he was allowed to retain his hereditary estates and to retire to Mariana Sirtia; he died there on June 9, 1553, at the age of seventy-four. The entirety of the territories once ruled by the old Huntite Empires, the Carolyne and Huntite Khanates, and the Kingdom of Rudorita were now under the authority of the Laurasian Empire.

1526

 * On February 1, 1526, the future Emperor Pertinax (r. January-March 1593), was born in Alba, Dapales III, in the Robertian Regions. Dapales III, which was an agricultural and mining outpost, had been colonized under the auspices of the Imperial Laurasian Government in 1449, during the reign of Claudius II. By the time of Pertinax's birth there nearly eight decades later, it had grown considerably, with a population of more than 500 million sentients, along with an elaborate network of outposts, hyperspace gates, and orbital stations. Pertinax's father was Helvus Successus (1503-71), who served as an astrophysicist with Katherine Drive Yards, and had recently been assigned to conduct a survey in the Dapales system. His mother was Murcia Successus, nee Drusus (1505-77), a renowned actress who belonged to St. John's Dramatic Troupe, which was one of the largest stage-acting companies in the Laurasian Empire at that time. Pertinax's parents were both hard working, and they would push their son, academically and personally.

1528

 * By 1528, after more than a decade on the throne, Emperor Lysimachus had succeeded in his goal of strengthening the Empire's internal condition, and of remaining at peace with the Empire's neighbors. However, the Emperor of Laurasia was to find that not all was to persist in such a state. In particular, the Huntite Provinces, the Laurasian Empire's most recently acquired region, still boiled over with dissent against the Laurasian occupiers. Throughout the course of 1525, 1526, and 1527, sporadic outbreaks of civil dissent and of overt rebellion emerged in many Huntite star systems against the Empire's governmental authorities. Solay, in particular, was ravaged by a series of violent riots from December 1526 to March 1527, demonstrating that world's resistance against the Empire. With these tensions building up, it was inevitable that a rebellion would break out against the Imperial Laurasian Government. And indeed, that was what happened. The rebellion was now to be lead by Huntite Prince Muggutha, who had, over the course of the preceding decade, apparently ingratiated himself with his new Laurasian masters. In reality, however, Mugguthia had been plotting rebellion against the Imperial Laurasian Government; he stockpiled supplies at his estates on Hunt Minor, Claithbourne, Raithbourne, Lorna, Garnett, Ber Bachman, and Vasquaro, determined to take the lead of the effort.
 * It was on April 7, 1528, that the Mugguthian Rebellion formally erupted. The Prince refused a summons from the Council of Notables on Hunt Major, and from Vasquaro, announced his revolt against the Empire. In his proclamation of rebellion, Muggutha claimed that continued adherence to the "dictates and the directives of the foreigners" would humiliate the honor of the Huntite species. Therefore, he called upon all Huntites to overthrow such an odious evil. Many were attracted to Muggutha's message (except for those on Jasonia and Samarkand), and he was able to assemble a substantial military force. With this force, the Prince quickly made gains. Charax and the Huntite colony of Susa quickly fell into his possession (April 8-14, 1528); he repelled a government offensive against Raithbourne (April 17); and on April 22, 1528, captured a convoy under the command of Captain Scripo Marcanius in the Battle of Doug. Amida, Zachary, and Negro were then captured (May 1528), and on May 21, 1528, the Prince obtained another victory in the Battle of Petrault. Adenstyrae was soon threatened by rebel units, and Jabul capitulated in July 1528.
 * Emperor Lysimachus, outraged by Muggutha's treachery, now took drastic measures. On August 1, 1528, shortly after Muggutha had besieged and conquered Gargonia, the Emperor secretly ordered for Parthamapsies, still imprisoned at Iego, to be poisoned. This was done swiftly, and the death of the last Huntite Caliph thereby deprived Muggutha of the opportunity to use him as a puppet against the Empire. Although Muggutha then proceeded to conquer Iscar, Haset, and Crygins (August 1528), Horne was successfully reinforced. Then on September 3, 1528, the Governor of Hunt Major, Sir Ptolemy Borgvania, 1st Lord Borgvania of Leah (1488-1571), inflicted a decisive defeat upon Muggutha in the Battle of Penez. He then drove rebel units from Grumman's Star (September 8), recaptured Negro, Gargonia, and Jabul (by September 15), and drove into Haset. Estella, Gedrosia Max, and Royan then became the scenes of further confrontation. By the end of October 1528, Zachary and Amida were back in government hands. Yet it was not until November 7, 1528, before Iscar was recovered, and not until November 15 before the disturbances on Solay were completely suppressed. Raithbourne then fell into government hands (November 18-22, 1528), and on November 24, Governor Borgvania confiscated rebel estates on Garnett, Leah, Lorna, and Ber Bachman. Hunt Minor was blockaded from December 3; its fall on Ascentmas Day, 1528, signaled the definite downturn in rebel fortunes.

1529

 * The year 1529 witnessed the culmination of governmental moves against the Mugguthian Rebellion, as well as a short-lived conflict in the Angelican Provinces. In January 1529, Governor Borgvania, receiving reinforcements from the Robertian Provinces, launched the decisive, final thrust, against the forces of Prince Muggutha. He stormed Dura (January 7, 1529), capturing more than 35,000 tons of military supplies and nearly 100,000 Huntite conscripts. From Dura, Adenstyrae was secured, and on January 18, 1529, the Battle of Crygins ended in a decisive victory for the government. Haset was completely cleared of rebel units by January 22. Mugguthia now launched a vain move towards Cox, Banks, Henderson, and Millard, which ended in failure at Ashley (February 1-9, 1529). By the end of February 1529, Doug, Susa, and Charax had also been recovered by government forces. Finally, on March 4, 1529, the Battle of the Caroline Asteroid Belt resulted in a decisive victory for the Empire's forces; Mugguthia himself was captured as a result of this confrontation. He was strictly confined, and on the orders of Emperor Lysimachus, placed on a prison transport. On March 22, 1529, Mugguthia, escorted by a cadre of Imperial Navy warships, began the long journey to Laurasia Prime: Lysimachus was determined to punish the rebel personally. He arrived at Laurasia Prime on April 2, 1529; was jeered by the world's populace; and then consigned to the Post Settlement of Hepudermia. There, he was interrogated by the Emperor personally, who demanded the reasons as to his revolt. Mugguthia proved defiant, and declared that he was perfectly willing to die for the independence of his species. Lysimachus was enraged by this, and called the curse of the Lord Almitis upon the traitor. Mugguthia was then attainted on April 14; forced to give a confession of his exploits; and was executed at the High Tower on April 28, 1529, before a crowd of more than 300,000 persons.
 * By the end of May 1529, his rebellion had been completely suppressed. Yet Emperor Lysimachus now had to turn his attention to the Cosites, who from the Satian Provinces had been harrying northern Angelica. Between 1527 and 1529, Cosite expeditions had penetrated to the outskirts of Angelica Minor, Giron, the Immortalized Cluster, Londarania, Eric, and the Priestest, thereby placing those possessions in peril. On June 9, 1529, a Cosite force sacked Ali; this proved the last straw for the Emperor of Laurasia. He issued a declaration of war ten days later, and advanced into the Satian Provinces. Margery was sacked by a Laurasian force (June 11-16, 1529); Multan followed on June 22, and on June 29, 1529, Prefect Turbo obtained a decisive victory in the Battle of Satie. Satie itself surrendered to the Laurasians in July 1529; from this vantage point, Jamilla, Max, Cameron, and Angelique were stormed by Laurasian units. On August 4, 1529, Lee surrendered; Nisbis, Carrhae, and Emessa also suffered from Laurasian expeditions. By October 1529, Laurasian units, having secured Lawrence, Charlie, O'Donnell, and Gayle, were approaching the outskirts of Norah itself. The Cosites, once again under attack by the Marasharite Empire to the north, were forced to sue for peace with the Laurasians. A conference was convened at Sarah, from September 9, 1529. The Treaty of Sarah was signed twelve days later, thereby ending the short Laurasian-Cosite War of 1529. By the terms of this treaty, the Cosites agreed to recognize all Laurasian acquisitions in Hunt and Kimania; moreover, the boundary in the Angelican Provinces was adjusted to the Empire's favor, with Charlie, O'Donnell, Gayle, and Sarah being acquired by the Emperor of Laurasia. All captives seized in Cosite expeditions into Angelica were to be returned, and free trade established between the two realms.
 * The Treaty of Sarah, ratified by both states by November 1529, maintained the peace between Laurasia and the Cosites for the remainder of Lysimachus's reign. The Emperor himself, in the meantime, had conducted a tour of the Polonian Provinces (June-October 1529), following his tour of the Central Core from 1526 to 1528. On these progresses, he was attended by his lover Antinous Ceranus (1500-30), who he had met at Winehouse in June 1523, and who had become close to him. Theirs soon turned into a sexual relationship; this was against the precepts and dictates of the Almitian Church. The Emperor, however, kept his relationship secret, ensuring that word of it did not leak out of the Imperial Court. He was not the first Emperor to have homosexual tendencies: Antiochus III had paraded them openly, and earned the opprobrium of his subjects. From thence, Antinous attended the Emperor on all of his progresses; to Venasia, to the Robertian Regions, to the Central Core, and, during 1529, to the Decapolian, Nathanielite, and Sanegetan Provinces. The Emperor's relationship with his wife, Empress Consort Vibia Sabina, was unhappy, although they had been married for twenty-nine years by that point. Sabina herself strayed, and had an affair with Sir Desiderius Caronius (1481-1540) in 1519. Lysimachus was never sexually attracted to women, and he did not have any children. Laurasian historians of later centuries have taken great care when discussing this Emperor's sexual oddities; Cassius Dio, Vergil, Vassalina, and Monompahlaus all approached this topic with reluctance.

1530

 * 1530 saw the Laurasian Empire residing in a state of general tranquility and stability. Emperor Lysimachus, attended by his wife, Empress Consort Sabina, by his lover Antinous, and by the chief magnates of the Imperial Court, now embarked on his next progress: to the Murphian Provinces. He departed from Caladaria in January 1530 and proceeded rapidly to Meaganian. From thence, the Emperor and his entourage proceeded through Capital, Tommy, Anusia, Lonnie, Chandlier, the Prelone Asteroid Belt, Mumbraine, Hammenor, Josopha, Hickoris Five, and Crossley, before reaching Murphy in April 1530. During this journey, the Emperor dedicated thirty arches in the memory of Antigonus I and presided over a massive gladiatorial contest at the Prelone Barracks. Antinous was in his entourage during all of this time, though the Emperor attended every ceremony with his wife, the Empress Consort. Then in August 1530, the Emperor turned to Senna Major, determined to see this world which had once been a throne world of the Sennacherid Empire. It was while on Senna Major that he and his soldiers conducted an official hunt in the Mauritanian Marshes, tracking down and killing a band of rancors who had strayed from the Senna Zoo. Antinous distinguished himself in this. The Emperor, so pleased by his own exploits, and those of his lover, commissioned Sir Pancrates Muxelia of Daala (1491-1566) to compose a poem on the occasion. He cast bronze medallions of it, and had a tondo depicting the event placed upon the Arch of Seleucus I in Constantinople, Laurasia Prime. Then on October 2, 1530, the Emperor and his entourage departed from the Senna Major star system, and proceeded to Saray, once capital of the Golden Horde. The entourage included the officials of the Court, the Governor of Murphy (then Sir Zosimus Prevarius), military commanders, and various scholarly figures.
 * Joining them also was the Duke of Constantinople, Lucius Aelius (1501-38), the father of Lucius Verus, co-Emperor to Antigonus II (who would be born on December 15, 1530, at the Mansion of the Yurians on Mommica). On their journey to Saray, they stopped at Shalemenser Goldthia, where the Emperor intended to dedicate a shrine to the Murphian God Thoth. Tragedy, however, now befell him. On October 30, 1530, Antinous died when he drowned in the Osrian Pond, located next to the new Thoth Shrine. He was thirty years old. Emperor Lysimachus, when he learned of his favorite's fate, bewailed; according to Cassius Dio, his wailing "could be heard with all in earshot" and "shook the ground with its violence." The Emperor went into a period of mourning, and declared to his courtiers that he had been dealt a grievous blow. News of his relationship with Antinous now leaked out, but in January 1531, the Emperor ordered the Holy Synod to issue an injunction suppressing all talk of it.
 * Nevertheless, Emperor Lysimachus had his lover's body buried at the Thoth Mausoleum (March 8, 1531), which he erected specifically for him. He ordered for him to be given a state funeral, and presented banners to those who attended. In 1533, Antinous would be further honored by a statute to his memory at Stratta, Oxia Vixius, where he had been born; in 1537, the Emperor would found the city of Antinouspolis on Chronographia in the Outer Borderlands, named in honor of his favorite. Antinous's body was to remain at the Thoth Mausoleum for nearly two centuries, until in 1727, on the orders of Chief Procurator Willanius Warhamius (with the approval of Emperor Antigonus), it would be exhumed and removed to a common cemetery on Oxia Vixius. The Chief Procurator had the statute of Antinous destroyed, and issued a manifesto denouncing Emperor Lysimachus's relationship with the favorite. In 1764, however, Empress Aurelia would overturn this and have Antinous's corpse returned to the Mausoleum, which was fully restored: she believed that "all who had been honored before should remain honored."
 * The year also saw the death, on November 8, 1530, of Antiochus IV's widow, Empress-Dowager Domitia Longina. She had been, unlike the other conspirators against her husband, pardoned by Emperor Nerva (June 1497). This decision, moreover, was spurred by the fact that Domitia developed much remorse about the death of her husband, and sought to make up for it through all of her future actions. She had become devoted to the Almitian Church, participating in its services, donating generously to various religious establishments, and maintaining close communications with the Conference of Almitian Prelates, as well as the Holy Synod. In July 1522, in a ceremony at the Monastery of St. Euesbius on Laurasia Prime, the Empress-Dowager formally repented for her actions against her husband, and took to referring to herself as his "loyal wife and consort." Four years later, in July 1527, she persuaded Emperor Lysimachus to lift the damnatio memoriae and excommunication sentences applied against her husband, and to permit his reburial at the Old Westphalian Cathedral. Lysimachus, on his part, was generous to her, granting her all of the normal dower rights given to an Empress Consort, and inviting her routinely to the Court. On his orders, she would be interred next to her husband at the Cathedral.

1531-1534

 * Following the death of Antinous, Emperor Lysimachus had remained at Senna until July 1531, when he resumed his progress to the Horacian Provinces. Cinnamon, Pandy, Louza, Kingpin, Levinston, Theresa, Bartello, Donald, Momma, and John, among other strongholds, would be visited by the Emperor and his court between July 1531 and January 1532. The Emperor bestowed honors upon many of the settlements, organizations, and nobles in these star systems during his progress; in November 1531, he founded the city of Hadriana on Bartello, which by the time of Aurelia the Great was to be one of the largest cities in the Core Regions. Moreover, the Emperor established, in December 1531, the Order of St. Antigonus the Conqueror, in honor of his predecessor, the conqueror of Hunt, Jageronia, and Kimania. The Order of St. Antigonus, placed in precedence after those of St. Honorius, St. Seleucus, and St. Antiochus, was to remain one of the Empire's primary military honors into the eighteenth century. Prefect Turbo would be the first individual to be conferred this decoration, in February 1532. Then in March 1532, the Emperor of Laurasia enacted the Perpetual Edict, which had been compiled by a legal commission of the Senate, led by the renowned jurist Sir Salvius Julianus (1500-70), one of the most respected jurists and legal historians in the history of the Laurasian Empire. Julianus was convinced that the Empire's laws, dating back to the fourteenth century, needed to be codified in a manner that would be accessible to the Empire's subjects and to its government officials alike. Consequently, he had convinced the Emperor, in July 1527, to establish the commission for the compilation of a formal legal code.
 * The Perpetual Edict, as it was now enacted, mandated that the various forms of legal action, undertaken by the Council of Secretaries, the Governing Senate, and the Courts of the General Assizes, were to remain fixed. The Empire's statutes, likewise, became fixed, with only the Emperor having the authority to amend or repeal them. Magistrates could now only enforce the statutes, in accordance with instructions issued from the center. The Edict also organized all decrees, edicts, statutes, constitutions, and prescripts which had been passed since the reign of Antiochus I, enshrining them in a clear registry of legal procedure. It also provided the principles of Laurasian legalism and of common law. At the same time, the Emperor reorganized the Council of Secretaries, which became a more permanent body staffed with salaried legal aides. By doing so, he further centralized the Imperial Laurasian Government and restricted the Senate's prerogatives in civil service. Yet the Emperor's relationship with the Senate strained further as a result of this innovation, as was to be seen at the end of his reign. Two events, however, now emerged, one of which would ultimately be a harbinger of what was to come later on in the sixteenth century.
 * On June 9, 1531, the first ever raid, by the Haynsian Despotate, into the Laurasian Empire was launched. A Haynsian convoy, which had been attacking Nagai and Anastasian commercial fleets near the Hutsite Reaches, penetrated into the Reaches, sacking the minor Laurasian outposts of Rochemelle, Garcia, and Martinez. Haynsian units would penetrate as far as Strongstine, Drea, and Duana before retreating back into the Galactic Void in August 1531. Some 350,000 captives and more than 10,000 tons of armor and equipment were seized by the Haynsians. Emperor Lysimachus received word of this raiding expedition, and ordered for vigorous patrols to be organized in the Reaches and the Lower Galactic Void. Sporadic Haynsian raids into the Reaches and the Jarjanican Provinces would continue for the next six years, launched by Haynsian Despot Shannai I Karany (r. 1524-32); it was not until the Borderlands War, however, before the Haynsians became a major threat to the Empire. The Haynsian Despotate posed a dilemma for the Imperial Laurasian Government which was not solved until the annexation of the Haynsia by Aurelia the Great in the late eighteenth century.
 * As regards to the other event, there occurred the outbreak of a major rebellion against the Laurasian Empire (1532). Tensions in the Donguarian Provinces, against the Imperial Laurasian Government, had remained high during the six decades following the end of the First Donguarian Rebellion. Emperor Lysimachus had paid a visit to Donguaria Prime in March 1530, and it appeared to some that he would sponsor the restoration of the Great Temple of Donguaria, which had been destroyed by the forces of Vespasian's son and successor, Titus, in 1470. Instead, however, the Emperor had announced that a new cathedral, dedicated to St. Thomasius of Clancia (a fourth century BH missionary who was executed by Clancian authorities on trumped up charges), was to be constructed. Donguarian customs such as ritual circumcision and war-dances were banned in 1531, and the Emperor pursued a policy of resettlement in Donguaria Prime's cities. All of this angered the Donguarians considerably, and now inspired their revolt against the Empire.
 * On June 7, 1532, Simagrad bar Kohba, a Donguarian of Galician descent, raised his standard on Pressburg, and announced his intention to resist the further intrusions of the Laurasian Empire. Bar Kohba, who was possessed of a vigorous determination and a ability to inspire devotion from his subordinates, quickly gained strength. By August 1532, his forces had seized Borilla, Emmaus, Shechem, Syechar, and Masada, thereby inflicting a series of humiliating losses upon Laurasian garrisons. Jilach was stormed on September 9, 1532, and Donguaria Prime was virtually isolated by the rebel units. In October 1532, Cossack and Croac both fell into rebel hands; Mohi followed on November 5. Bar Kohba, who claimed to be a descendant of the Arpad Dynasty of Donguaria, and declared that he had been sent by the Warrior-Gods of the Donguarian Ancestors to save the Donguarian race from destruction and subjection to the control of foreigners, now proclaimed himself Stellar Emperor of Donguaria, pledging to restore that ancient state which had existed for more than five centuries.
 * By the end of November 1532, Pest and Donguarian Kaunas were in his possession, and he had isolated Rohi, one of the chief Laurasian bases in the vicinity of Donguaria Prime. Emperor Lysimachus, alarmed by the outbreak of this renewed rebellion, ordered for the garrisons of Joppa, Jannia, and Gaza to be strengthened. Then on December 4, 1532, Hypasian Governor Baron Sextus Julius Severus (1481-1551), 5th Baron Severus of Vang Dong, was appointed as commander-in-chief of the Empire's forces in the Donguarian Provinces, and ordered to take command at Samaria against the rebels. The Emperor provided him with heavy reinforcements; by February 1533, the 19th through 25th Imperial Armies had been detached, along with the 9th and 10th Imperial Fleets. The size of the Empire's military forces amassed against the rebellion was much larger than those commanded by Titus six decades earlier; Lysimachus was determined to leave nothing to chance, knowing well how fiercely the Donguarians had fought in the late 1460s.
 * Over the course of 1533, Governor Severus managed to gain a series of victories over the rebels. He recovered Jilach, Mohi, and Cossack in a series of hard-fought offensives (March-April 1533); stormed the rebel garrisons of Shechem, Sepphoris, and Tiberias; and on June 9, 1533, obtained a decisive victory in the Battle of Tel Amarem, thereby ejecting rebel units from Pest. Donguarian Kaunas was besieged from August 1 to October 9, 1533, finally falling to the Empire's forces after a fierce resistance; Laurasian units then recovered Masada, Borilla, and Croac. By November 1533, in spite of rebel victories at Joppa, Ephrhaim, and Jericho, the advantage had shifted, in general, to the Laurasians. Bar Kohba now launched a relentless series of guerilla raids and other operations against Laurasian units; they were unable to capture Betahabra, and in January 1534, the Donguarians ejected them from Hippos and Gerasa. Yet Governor Severus proved to be patient, and on March 1, 1534, he defeated Bar Khoba in the Battle of Judah. Benjamin, Manasseh, and Zephrahim were then seized (April-May 1534); Hulach and Rohi both fell in June 1534; and by July, Bethabra had been recovered. Hippos and Gerasa would be recovered on August 19, 1534, and by early September, Nazareth and Ptolemais were firmly in Laurasian hands. Philadelphia, Machaerus, Philippi, and Tyre were under Laurasian control by the end of 1534, and Laurasian units were approaching Donguaria Prima.

1535

 * On August 14, 1535, the future Emperor Pescennius Niger (r. 1593-94), who was to be a rival to Demetrius Severus I, was born in Aqunio, Aquilionia. He was the son of Sir Annius Fuscus Niger (1507-89), who served as Mayor of Aqunio and was a Aedile of Public Welfare, and of his wife Lampridia (1511-89), who was the daughter of Sir Athanasius Seros (1483-1555), who was Senatorial Procurator of Clancia from 1529 to 1536. Niger was born into a family of considerable wealth and some social status; his ancestors had held a number of positions in the Imperial Laurasian Government and in the Military. He would be raised in comfort on his family's estates during the earliest years of his life.
 * 1535 saw the final suppression of the Bar-Kohba revolt by the forces of the Laurasian Empire. In January 1535, General Severus, who had driven rebel units from the outskirts of Gaza, and had seized the rebel garrison of Ashakelon, moved swiftly towards Donguaria Prime. This world, once capital of the Donguarian Stellar Empire, fell under a renewed Laurasian onslaught on January 24, 1535. The Siege of Donguaria Prime lasted for nearly a month, as rebel forces posed a significant resistance to the assaults of the Imperial Laurasian Navy. Bar-Kohba himself, who had established his command headquarters at Lydda, launched numerous guerrilla raids against Laurasian lines, but failed to halt their offensive. Donguaria Prime finally fell on February 18, 1535; its fall proved a major blow to the rebellion. Severus then stormed the rebel garrisons of Poltava and Haustien (March 1535), decimating the rebel formations in those star systems; capturing more than 150,000 rebel troops; and recovering more than $200 billion denarius worth of goods, military equipment, and supplies which had been seized by the rebels during their offensives. Then on April 4, 1535, he launched an offensive against Lydda; Bar-Kohba, whose forces were undermanned and outnumbered, was forced to retreat in ignominy from the stronghold, which was comprehensively sacked by the Laurasians. Sheva, Lackish, and Ashedon were then seized, and on April 29, 1535, the Battle of Dibon ended in another decisive victory for Severus. Bar-Kohba and his remaining units now retreated to Betar (May 1535), geared for a last stand against the Empire. The Siege of Betar, instigated on June 4, 1535, lasted for nearly four months. Finally, on October 2, 1535, the world's defenses were breached by Severus's forces. Severus then wreaked a terrible revenge, and Laurasian troops engaged in wanton plunder, devastating the world's cities, businesses, and private properties.
 * Bar-Kohba himself, hunted down by Laurasian troopers, managed to commit suicide before he could be captured. His severed head would later be dispatched to Laurasia Prime by General Severus as a spoil of war. More than 350,000 rebel troops would be executed, tortured, or imprisoned to the end of the year. The capture of Shoalem (October 18, 1535), near Masada, completed the suppression of the Bar-Kohba revolt. Emperor Lysimachus now took brutal and harsh measures in order to maintain his Empire's future dominion over Donguaria. Martial law was again declared in all Donguarian systems (and was to remain in place until 1555). Donguarians were forbidden to form organizations or to discuss political affairs without the approval of the Imperial Laurasian Government. Restrictions were placed on the possession of arms, and a complete prohibition on any Donguarian entering military or mercenary service imposed (not overturned until 1596). The Emperor strengthened the garrisons of all the chief Donguarian strongholds; constructed the Hadraid-Tesios Fortress on Donguaria Prime (which would be completed in 1547, during the reign of his successor Antoninus Pius), and ordered for all statutes and memorials to the Donguarian Cult to be demolished. Furthermore, the Emperor ordered for Polonians, Galicians, Nathanelites, Hooperites, and Chapellans, among others, to be resettled in Donguarian star systems. He proceeded with his plans for St. Thomasius's Cathedral (which would not be completed until 1551) and constructed the city of Trajan Max on Donguaria Prime, which would be designated as the new capital in 1538. Emperor Lysimachus's policies worked; the Donguarians would never again arise in a major uprising against the Empire.

1538

 * The last years of Emperor Lysimachus's reign witnessed a rapid decline in his physical health, disputes over the succession, and turmoil within the Imperial Household. In March 1534, the Emperor returned to Laurasia Prime from his last progress (to the Malarian Provinces). Although he had plans for a progress into the Solidaritan Provinces, these never came to fruition: he was destined to spend the last four years of his life in the Laurasia Prime Purse Region. The Emperor now retired to the Estates of the Remesis on Rebecca, which he had expanded between 1523 and 1528, and which had become his favored residence. The Estates contained innumerable pools, baths, fountains, and classical Laurasian architecture. Statutes, obelisks, and monuments, of nymphs, satyrs, gods, mythological heroes, she heroes, villains, and the like, lined the Estates's passageways; it also possessed one of the most beautiful gardens in the Caladarian Galaxy. Here, the Emperor could take the waters, and could find distraction from concern with the cares of state. Yet his mind was troubled by what transpired.
 * On March 9, 1536, Lucius Aelius, Duke of Constantinople, who had been appointed to the Governing Senate in 1534 and had become one of the Emperor's closest confidantes, was adopted by Lysimachus and named his heir apparent, in accordance with the custom that had been established by Nerva. Aelius, however, was himself in delicate health, and many considered his physical attractiveness to be his only virtue. Aelius, nevertheless, was named Chief Suffect of the City of Christiania, made Commander of the Quencilvanian Palace Control, and in June 1537, designated as Governor of Venasia Prime. He displayed some merit in these capacities, but was never able to overcome the earlier accusations. By October 1537, he had entered a terminal decline, and retired to Idyll, attempting in vain to take that world's spas.
 * On January 1, 1538, Aelius died there in his sleep; his death now deprived the Emperor of his heir apparent, and forced him to visit the question of the succession once more. Lysimachus's wife, Empress Consort Sabina, had died on June 22, 1537, aged fifty-four, and as mentioned above, had no children with her husband. In February 1538, the Emperor decided to designate the Praetor of Laurasia Prime, Antoninus Aelius (a veteran of the Kimanian and Huntite Wars), as his successor. This decision was formally announced to the Imperial Court in a proclamation on March 2; at that time, Aelius was presented to the Empire's subjects as the Emperor's heir apparent. Lysimachus did this, however, on the condition that Antoninus in turn adopt Lord Antigonus Aelius, the son of the Praetor's brother-in-law, and Lucius Verus, son of the late Duke Aelius, as his heirs. Antoninus agreed to oblige by his adoptive father's commands; Lysimachus formally adopted him on March 9, 1538. In April 1538, however, Lucius Servianus (1445-1538), 1st Earl of Aeoleon, along with his grandson Sir Gnaeus Selinator (1496-1538), orchestrated an assassination scheme against the Emperor, in protest at his succession decisions. Lysimachus caught wind of the conspiracy, and on May 4, 1538, he had both Servianus and Selinator arrested, convicted by the Senate, and then executed at the High Tower.
 * Then in June 1538, the Emperor, who had returned briefly to Laurasia Prime to formalize the succession, retired back to the Estates of the Remesis. It was there, on July 10, 1538, that he died at the age of sixty-two. Emperor Lysimachus's reign had lasted for twenty years, and he had, for the most part, abstained from foreign conflict. For this, and for his efforts to promote the Empire's culture, administration, and internal unity, Lysimachus would be hailed by historians in later centuries. Following his death, Praetor Aelius acceded to the throne as Antoninus Pius I; he took the name "Pius" as a marker of his devotion to Almitism. The Emperor immediately had the Synod bless his predecessor's memory, and he ordered the Court into a state of mourning. Lysimachus would be buried at the Imperial Mausoleum on August 19, 1538, alongside his wife, Empress Consort Sabina. Emperor Antoninus then officially proclaimed Antigonus Aelius and Lucius Verus as his heirs (September 1538). On October 4, 1538, he crowned himself Emperor at the Old Westphalian Cathedral, the last time a coronation was held here before the edifice's demolition.

1539

 * 1539, the 39th year of the sixteenth century, began with the Laurasian Empire under the jurisdiction of a new sovereign who was determined to provide for the security and stability of the Empire's realms, and to continue with the policies of his predecessor, Lysimachus I. Emperor Antoninus Pius had already declared that it was his intention to avoid aggressive military conflict with the Empire's neighbors, unless if circumstances compelled him to it. The Emperor, however, was not above mandating for the reorganization and the expansion of the Empire's military forces. Moreover, he recognized the continuing vulnerability of the Laurasian position in the outskirts of the Hypasian Provinces, and was determined to rectify this situation. To do this, the Emperor appointed, on March 5, 1539, a new Senatorial Governor of Hypasia and Angelica: this was Sir Quintus Lollius Urbicus, 4th Earl of Almastead (1502-60). Urbicus, who was a veteran of Bar-Kohba's Rebellion and the Laurasian-Anastasian War of 1519-20, had already gained distinction for his service as Praetor of Decapolia (1535-39) and for his suppression of the Xemernian Rebellion at Podrac, Agac, and Alfac in 1537. He was therefore considered by the Emperor to be the best man for the job in Hypasia. Urbicus, who arrived at Hypasia Major one month following his appointment, proved to justify the Emperor's expectations. He now carried out the expansion of the Lysimachian Barrier Defenses, ordering for the construction of new defensive garrisons at Spencer, Coleman, Ambarac, Cooper, and Emerson; providing for the emplacement of new Tyrannis-class turbocannon batteries on Angelica Minor, Giron, Eric, and Londarania; and constructing a series of minefields around Abraham, Lincoln, and Roxuli, to thereby deny any enemy the possibility of progressing into the Solidaritan Provinces.
 * Moreover, he sponsored the establishment of several new Laurasian colonies and military outposts in the Empire's border regions, in order to encourage immigration and to strengthen the Imperial Laurasian Government's hold. Among the colonies which were now established included Crassner (1539), Carbania (1539), Carrevia (1540), Brigantia (1541), Sandy (1542), Gregory (1542), and Mendoza (1543). By 1544, more than ten thousand new star systems had been colonized in the Hypasian Provinces, as a result of Urbicus's efforts. Urbicus also pursued campaigns against pirate bands, rebels, and Hypasian cells in the outskirts of the Provinces. This included the Damonii Raiders, the Vothgani-Cong, the Selgovae Pirates, and the Novante of Than Luo. Through a series of confrontations at such Hypasian systems as Hanoi, Saigon, Ho Chi Minh, Hue, Ban Noi, Hu Thang, Bien Hoa, and Can Tho (1539-41), Governor Urbicus gradually quashed the resistance of these groups and asserted Laurasian jurisdiction. By 1542, the Lysimachid Barrier Defenses extended from Roxuli to Sogan, Valeris V, and Huerta Mongol, encompassing a string of outposts, garrisons, hyperspace relays, minefields, armories, and military facilities across a distance of more than fifteen thousand light years.

1540

 * Emperor Antoninus Pius, besides pursuing the expansion of the Empire's military forces and the maintenance of peace in the Hypasian Provinces, embarked upon a process of financial and administrative reform, determined to strengthen the Empire's economy and bureaucracy. The Emperor reformed the general capitation in January 1540, ordering for the Imperial Treasury to issue new regulations concerning tax returns, dividends, and profits from all businesses and estates in the Empire. He also reduced the payroll tax, expanded income tax credits for lower and middle-income individuals within the Empire, and granted a series of tax breaks to such corporations as Christiania MetalWorks, Katherine Drive Yards, the Tagge Corporation, and Constantinople Industries, thereby sponsoring the expansion of commercial and other activity by these businesses in the outer regions of the Empire. Moreover, Antoninus Pius adhered to a policy of relieving star systems, cities, and colonies affected by natural or other disasters from taxation and other financial obligations, for the duration of that emergency. This occurred when combustive explosions struck Christiania and Constantinople on Laurasia Prime (as to be seen shortly); when Aquilionia and Taurasia were devastated by a series of earthquakes; and when gamma rays brought Nathaniel, Sanegeta, and Chapman into near-disaster (1546). He offered considerable annuities, financial grants, and the assistance of the Imperial Colleges of Manufacturing, Planetary Resources, and Agriculture when disaster struck Strongstine, Riley, and Abshire (1540), and later when Robert, Meris, and Wakedia were threatened by asteroids (1552). In addition to this, the Emperor granted numerous privileges to many of the municipalities in the Empire; in 1547, he issued the first Charter of Planetary Privileges, affirming the right of the local populaces, of the most important cities in the Empire, to have a consultative assembly and a say in the selection of their mayors and other officials.
 * The Charter also granted them autonomy as regards to education, utilities, local healthcare, welfare provision, transportation maintenance, and cultural activities. He also sponsored the expansion of the Empire's education system: the Laurasian Universities of Millard, Narra, Rose, Nandia, India, Warren, Christopher, Bor'say, Par'say, Hannis, and Crimean IV were all founded during the 1540s, and in 1551, the Imperial Board of Regents was established, to monitor the Empire's academies and state universities. Antoninus Pius, adhering to his name, also proved himself a vigorous and loyal follower of the Almitian Church. His first Chief Procurator of the Holy Synod, Sir Antiochus Straffordia (in office 1533-48), introduced, in 1545, the Ritual Code of the Almitian Church, formalizing procedures for communion, baptisms, burials, weddings, masses, and "acknowledgements of Almitis." The Emperor himself took his role as Pontifex Maximus seriously; in 1548, he would preside over the Secular Games on Laurasia Prime. It was during his reign that the Peter and Paul Ecclesiastical Academy was established in Christiania (1549). The Emperor also had a high concept of the importance of nobility and rank in the Empire. It was in November 1540 that he formally abolished the Table of Ranks, which had existed in some form or another since the reign of Seleucus the Victor, and which had, by the sixteenth century, become antiquated and outdated. Instead, Pius reorganized the Heraldmaster's Office, assigning new responsibilities to the Herald as regards to precedence rights and rank among the nobility. He also streamlined the Imperial Orders.
 * In June 1540, the Emperor devised the Heraldry Procedures, providing strict guidelines for admission into the Orders; for the obligations and duties of members; and the precedence of members of the Orders. In 1542, he abolished the Orders of St. Alexander and St. Arasces Arcanius, both of which had been established by Seleucus I. In 1544, the Imperial Orders were rearranged: Sts. Honorius the Liberator, Seleucus the Victor, Antiochus the Great, and Antigonus the Conqueror were placed as the highest orders in the Empire, either civilian or military. In 1545, the Imperial Order of the Garter was established, followed by that of Thistle (1548) and the Civilian Order of St. Victoria (1549). In 1553, the Emperor would compile the Nobility Regulations, which would establish the procedures for the ranks and precedence of the Empire's nobility. The Sovereign and members of the imperial family were placed first. The title of Grand Prince (Princess) was reserved solely for the children and in-laws of the monarch; Prince and Princess would be bequeathed upon the grandchildren of the monarch; and Duke, or Duchess, upon the great-grandchildren of the monarch. After members of the Imperial Family would come the Laurasian Dukes, then the Earls, then the Marquesses, then the Barons and Counts, the Baronets, the Knights, and the non-hereditary Knights Banneret. All non-Laurasian nobles were ranked lower than Laurasian nobles, but retained their traditional titles. Emperor Antoninus's reign thus laid the groundwork for the great expansion in the ranks of the Empire's nobility which would continue into the eighteenth century.

1543

 * As mentioned above, a number of natural disasters occurred during the reign of Emperor Antoninus Pius. One of these was the Combustive Explosion of 1543, which erupted in the Religious and Military Quadrants of Christiania, Laurasia Prime. On March 9, 1543, a violent chemical reaction, caused by a failure in the computer systems of the City's security network, ensued within those quadrants. In spite of the efforts of the Christiania Police and Emergencies Departments, and of the Emperor's own Palace Control, the reaction spread until a major explosion ensued. Within a matter of hours, the Old Westphalian Cathedral and the High Tower of Christiania had both been reduced to ruins. Fortunately, the Imperial Mausoleum, which was located underground, was spared the effects of the disaster; the remains of all Laurasian sovereigns, dating back to the fifth century AH, remained safe.
 * However, the disaster had ruined these traditional structures, these centerpieces of the Imperial Laurasian Government. Fifty persons working in the structures at that time lost their lives, and more than $400 billion denarius worth of damage was caused. Yet the Emperor, who was greatly affected by the disaster, nevertheless became determined to recover from it. He now saw it as an opportunity to demonstrate his Empire's vast resources, and his ability to bring these resources to task. It was thus that in May 1543, the Emperor announced that he was embarking upon the construction of a New Westphalian Cathedral, and of a new military prison and armory, to replace the previous structures.
 * This would also include the demolition of the Imperial Mausoleum, and its incorporation into a larger, grander complex than what had existed previously. On his orders, the remains of his royal and imperial predecessors were briefly translated to the Mortuary of the Old Royal Palace. In August 1543, after months of architectural planning and consultation, the Emperor appointed Sir Perseus Wyraius (1493-1563), who was renowned for his work on projects throughout the Core Worlds, as the chief architect of the two structures. Wyraius set to work, and construction on what would become the New Westphalian Cathedral and the Fortress of Baureux commenced in November 1543. It would take nearly two decades for these structures to be finished, ultimately costing nearly $700 billion denarius and the use of more than 500,000 laborers, along with 120,000 construction robots, conscripted from across Laurasia Prime, and other star systems of the Empire. Millions of tons of construction material, ore, electronics, and other equipment would be imported for use on the projects. Yet when they were finished, they were to add to the grandeur of Laurasia Prime.

1545

 * Emperor Antoninus Pius, besides his administrative reforms and his numerous construction projects, proved himself also to be a determined, diligent legal reformer. He dealt with the patrimonies of the Imperial Estate, determined to improve the efficiency of their operation, and to clear out waste in the Imperial Household. It was thus that the Emperor, in 1544, had partitioned the properties of the Imperial Estate. The first, known as the Imperial Patrimony, was to be the properties of the Imperial Laurasian Crown, the hereditary properties of each succeeding person that sat on the throne, transmitted to his successors in the office, and therefore regarded as public domain. The second, known as the Personal Patrimony, was to comprise of the "private" properties tied to the maintenance of the Emperor and his family, and therefore part of the monarch's private domain. By doing this, Antoninus Pius sought to demonstrate that what was the monarch's was the state's, and what was the state's was the monarch's. This division served as a consolidation of the concept of autocracy, and of absolutism within the Laurasian Empire. The Emperor, moreover, took a great interest in the revision and practice of the law throughout the Empire.
 * One of his chief concerns was ensuring that all non-Laurasian communities, sects, and species adhered to the standards of the Governing Senate and of his bureaucracy, and of ensuring that laws emanating from the Imperial Laurasian Government always took precedence. He ordered proconsuls, senatorial procurators, governors, and praetors to keep detailed records of local cases, and to always report legal decisions to the Senate. Moreover, Emperor Pius sought to introduce into the Empire's legal system several new principles, to systematize and strengthen its equity. In this, the Emperor was assisted by four chief legal advisers, the most important of whom were Baronet Sir Fulvius Abrunius Valens of Texana (1499-1581) and Sir Ulpius Marcellus (1505-84), both of whom were also known for their extensive legal works. Moreover, Baron Sir Volsius Maecianus, 1st Baron Maecianus (1500-59), also proved to be an important advisor and secretary of the Emperor's.
 * It was he who would publish Testamentary Trusts (1554), which would clarify legal customs as regards to probates, wills, estate taxes, insurance, and inheritance regulations. Moreover, Antoninus's reign saw the appearance of the Institutes of Gaius (1561) by the renowned Laurasian legal scholar Sir Gaius Bagonius (1510-79), an ancestor of Aurelia the Great's first Procurator-General, Sir Nicholas Bagonius. This work served as an introductory guidebook to the principles of Laurasian law, divided into four sections. These sections dealt with the treating of persons and the differences in status before the law; property rights; intestate succession and obligations; and actions, and their forms. The Emperor himself, however, expanded the use of torture: in 1547, he issued a rescript authorizing for its use to obtain evidence in pecuniary and financial cases; previously, it had only been applied in criminal cases. The Emperor, however, did exempt all municipal officials from torture (decree of May 1, 1548), and in 1553, he would issue regulations dictating as to what techniques of torture could be employed, and in what manner.
 * On March 7, 1545, the future Emperor Clodius Albinus (r. 1593, 1596-97), the rival of Pescennius Niger and Demetrius Severus, was born on Hadramnatia, which was a Laurasian colony-world in the Malarian Provinces that had been established in 1407, during the reign of Demetrius I. Albinus was the son of Sir Ceionius Albinus (1506-74) and his wife Messala (1520-85).
 * On April 11, 1545, the future Emperor Demetrius Severus I, who was to become known as the "Warrior", the founder of the Severan Dynasty and the victor in the Year of the Five Emperors, was born in the city of Leptis Magna, Chronographia. Chronographia had, since its initial colonization in 1522, gone far in the way of becoming a major center of Laurasian civilization in the Huntite Provinces. Indeed, by the eighteenth century, it was to have a population of more than six billion, and be one of the Laurasian Empire's most prominent colonies. Demetrius Severus's parents were Sir Publius Septimius Geta Severus (1510-71), 1st Baron Severus of Chronographia, who was of Briannian descent, and his wife, Fulvia Pia (1516-89), daughter of Quintus Falco, 1st Duke of Hunt Major (1492-1575).

1546-1549

 * By January 1546, Emperor Antoninus Pius had succeeded in strengthening the internal situation of the Empire, in asserting order within the Hypasian Provinces, and preserving the innovations of his two immediate predecessors, Lysimachus I and Antigonus I. Yet 1546 now saw the renewed outbreak of war with the Neo-Anastasian Empire, which by itself was aligned with the Nagoshi Confederacy. Tensions between the Laurasians and the Neo-Anastasians had become increasingly apparent in recent years. Disputes existed over the possession of various strongholds and colonies in the vicinity of the Durant Cluster: Muir, Thomas, Chelsea, Pierre, and Benitez were fiercely contested. Moreover, the Neo-Anastasians, now under the rule of Narvada II (who had acceded to the throne in 1541), were determined to recover the Durant Cluster itself, and to eject the Laurasians from their position in the Western Barsar Regions. Thus it was that on March 2, 1546, that the Emperor of the Neo-Anastasians had issued an ultimatum to his Laurasian counterpart, demanding for Laurasian evacuation of the Durant Cluster; recognition of Anastasian rule over the contested Trans-Durant Colonies; and the demilitarization of Ginger, Zee, Champion, Stephanpoulos, and Beatrice, all of whom had become major Laurasian colonies and military outposts. The Emperor of Laurasia, who found himself insulted by this series of demands, refused, and instead ordered for the diversion of reinforcements to the Ashlgothian Provinces. Thus it was that on April 1, 1546, Narvada issued a declaration of war, thereby instigating the Laurasian-Anastasian War of 1546-49. At first, Anastasian forces obtained a series of victories. The Battle of Finckelstein (April 2-4, 1546), resulted in the destruction of a Laurasian convoy by the Anastasian Admiral Narada.
 * Following this victory, Anastasian units seized Strahan, Heather, and Graham. By the end of April 1546, Beatrice's defenses were being harried by Anastasian expeditions, and a Laurasian offensive against Angela Masia, Ruumlist, and Caesearea had been halted. On May 4, 1546, Admiral Narada obtained another victory in the Battle of Nicole; this major stronghold now fell into Anastasian hands. Arrington, Colalenglo, and Strabala then fell, and on May 29, 1546, so did Ginger. By June 1546, Laurasian moves against Nestos, Swabie, Bledsoe, and Dickerson had been repelled, while Redia, Sejucia, and Jeopardy were all under siege by the Anastasians. Yet Emperor Antoninus Pius now devised a clever diplomatic move. He had commenced negotiations with the Great Kingdom of Lesia, ruled by King Campsura II (1541-59), at Ain Jalut; the Treaty of Ain Jalut was signed on July 4, 1546, thereby providing for a military and diplomatic alliance between the two states. Then, on July 11, Governor Urbicus of Hypasia, reassigned to the Barsar Regions, arrived at Alec to take command of Laurasian counteroffensives. These were fully underway by the end of July 1546. The Battle of Roehler (August 1, 1546), ended in a decisive victory for the Empire's forces. Laurasian units then recovered Strahan, Heather, and Graham; the Battle of Connelly (August 25-29, 1546), proved a major humiliation for the Anastasians. Helen was then attacked (September 1546), by a joint Laurasian-Lesian force, and fell in short order. From thence, Governor Urbicus seized Teutonica (October 2-9, 1546) and blockaded Hospallia Minor.
 * A Anastasian counter-thrust at Granada accomplished nothing, and the Battle of Ipkit on October 20, 1546, ended in another victory for the Laurasians. By the end of November 1546, Arrington, Colalenglo, and Strabala had been recovered. Ginger was relieved on December 3, 1546, followed in quick order by Redia, Sejucia, and Jeopardy. January 1547 witnessed the fall of Nestos, Swabie, Bledsoe, and Dickerson into Laurasian hands; Schieffer, Arnell, and Dubois followed in February; and on March 9, 1547, the Battle of Thomas ended in a decisive victory for Urbicus and the Lesian Prince Gampsura. Urbicus's chief subordinate, Major-General Sir Gaius Supremus, then launched a surprise offensive against Angela Masia (March 18-19, 1547), conquering the stronghold. From thence, he overran Muir and Chelsea, securing Laurasian possession of those strongholds, before ejecting the Anastasians from Benitez and Pierre (March 29-April 5, 1547). On April 8, 1547, the Second Battle of Finckelstein ended in a decisive victory for the Laurasians. Ruumlist was besieged, beginning on April 19, 1547, but did not fall until May 25. By July 1547, Laurasian and Lesian units had repelled a Anastasian move against Champion and Zee, and drove to Anastasia Minor. The Siege of Anastasia Minor commenced on August 11, 1547, and lasted for nearly two months. Its final fall (October 9, 1547), however, paved the way for the final Laurasian seizure of Hospallia Minor, Hospallia Major, and Skyriver (November 1547), and the penetration, by Governor Urbicus, to Mercia and Angelia (December 1-4, 1547). Borgia, Meridu, and Tiesting fell during the early months of 1548; by August of that year, Laurasian units had also conquered Milking and Nagosh, thereby effectively paralyzing the Nagohi Confederacy. Korgia, Anjun, and Brennan fell in November 1548. By January 1549, therefore, the Anastasians were in desperate straits. Thus it was that on January 15, 1549, that Narvada II requested for an military armistice, and the commencement of negotiations with Laurasia and Lesia. Emperor Pius, satisfied by the victories of his military commanders, accepted. After an armistice was signed at Elaine (January 28, 1549), a conference convened at Armenia Major in March 1549. Ultimately, the Treaty of Armenia Major (April 9, 1549), witnessed the end of the War of 1546-49. By the terms of this treaty, Muir, Pierre, Thomas, Chelsea, and Benitez were conceded to the Laurasian Empire, whose rule of the Durant Cluster, Sejucia, and Ruumilist was also recognized. All other Anastasian territories were restored, and all prisoners of war exchanged. Peace thereby returned to the Empire; Emperor Pius had maintained Laurasian interests in the Barsar Regions.

1552

 * Following the conclusion of the Laurasian-Anastasian War of 1546-49, the Laurasian Empire returned to a state of both external and internal tranquility, as well as stability. Indeed, throughout the 1550s, the Empire was to remain largely quiescent, a situation that would persist to the end of the reign of Antoninus Pius. The middle years of the sixteenth century, however, did bring some minor challenges to the Emperor of Laurasia. The first of these was in the Central Core. 1550 and 1551 passed in peace, as the Empire adjusted back to its state of peace, and as Emperor Pius continued with his prior policies. In January 1552, however, underlying tensions on Ivoria, which had been simmering for several years, broke out into full-scale rebellion. The Ivorian Kagyl Masachakl (1513-52), who claimed to be a descendant of the legendary Ivorian Hetman Bogdan Khmelnytsky, who had asserted Ivoria's independence from the Polonian-Donguarian Commonwealth during the 1250s, now asserted that he had been called upon to throw off Ivoria's ties of subjection to the Laurasian Empire. Gathering together his supporters, which included Dasian and Arachosian mercenaries, he quickly took the mantle of leadership against the Imperial Laurasian Government. Masachaki's rebellion spread quickly; Ivoria was in his possession within a short time, and on January 15, he seized Maschinga. Satisba, Sthanon, and Esther then fell rapidly into his possession (February 1552).
 * On March 9, 1552, the Ivorian rebel, who had now claimed the title of Hetman, obtained another victory over government forces under Sosius Laries, 3rd Duke of Clancia (1501-64) in the Battle of Dasinae. Micenta, Storgath, Alladora, and Burderia then fell into his possession (March 1552); Alton, Montel, Redderson, and Ergeme were besieged. Emperor Pius, however, who was determined now to allow this outbreak of dissent to persist, ordered Legate-General Sir Cornelius Fuscus (1511-86), 1st Earl of Hannah, to suppress the rebellion (April 9, 1552). Fuscus, from his bases on Daala, Constantia, Natasi, and Pellaeon, followed his orders to the letter. He repelled a rebel expedition against Olivia and Maxc-casi (April 19-17, 1552); recovered Burderia (April 22); and defeated Masachaki in the Battle of Barbara Carol (April 29, 1552). Satisba and Sthanon were then recovered, and by the end of June 1552, Storgath and Alladora had been as well. Dasinae, however, proved to be more obstinate, and it was not until August 4, 1552, before that stronghold was seized.
 * Maschinga then followed in September 1552, and the Battle of Stenbock (October 1-4, 1552), resulted in a decisive government victory. Hammond and Esther were then recovered; finally, on November 4, 1552, Ivoria itself was recovered. Masachakl was pursued to Xuia in the Outer Core, where he was captured (November 14, 1552). On the orders of Emperor Pius, he was bound in chains and transported back to Ivoria, where he was attainted and then executed (November 28, 1552). By the end of 1552, the disturbances in the Ivorian Provinces had been completely suppressed. In 1554, however, disturbances would erupt on Angelica Major and Eric, which would suppressed by Governor-General Urbicus. The previous year (1553), a Haynsian expedition against the Laurasian colonies of Karti and Olbica, in the Wild Marshes, was suppressed. Emperor Pius also contended with civil disturbances in the Roastafarian Provinces, and dealt with these by appointing as Governor-General Sir Caius Popillius Pedo (1510-94), who conducted an expansion of the Agri Decumates Fortifications on Roastafaria Minor (1554-57).

1555

 * By 1555, over a thousand years after the fall of the Arachosian Empire of Kalbacha, four hundred and seventy five years following the end of the Dasian Yoke, and two hundred and thirty years after the death of Seleucus the Victor, the Laurasian Empire of Antoninus Pius I had consolidated its position as the predominant power in the Caladarian Galaxy outside of the Galactic Borderlands. By the middle of the sixteenth century, the Empire's dominions spanned from Upper Angelica in the Wild Marshes to Sheldonia, Gabriella, and Upper Morsia in the eastern Outer Borderlands. Ever since Emperor Antigonus's Kimanian and Huntite Wars during the first quarter of the sixteenth century, the Empire had largely refrained from aggressive military conflicts, except against the Anastasians, in Donguaria, and in the Hypasian Provinces. Both Lysimachus I and Antoninus Pius had focused their efforts on internal consolidation, cultural encouragement, and economic expansion. Pius had become known as the Consolidator due to his legal and administrative innovations, and his vigor in consolidating the reforms of his predecessors. Laurasia however, now became involved in a short, but pointed war with the Mellorite Empire, with whom, thirty-five years earlier, Emperor Lysimachus had succeeded in maintaining peace. The King of the Mellorites, Badria (r. 1547-51, 1554-61), who was resentful of his Laurasian neighbor's power and economic influence, provoked a series of border incidents at such star systems as Elijahana, Winslet, DeCaprio, Calms, Hemsley, Gibbs-to-Lester, Taraning, and Ian (September 1554-January 1555). Emperor Pius was angered by this, but despite numerous diplomatic overtures to the Mellorites, the peace settlement between the two empires collapsed.
 * It was thus on January 29, 1555, that Badria issued a formal declaration of war against the Laurasian Empire. At first, Mellorite units made a series of gains. Big Twinny, Leopolodia, and Frederickslandia were seized by Mellorite expeditions during the early weeks of February 1555; Laronn, Methaulsah, Berhamia, Sheryl, and Quanna all fell under siege. Elijahana, Winslet, and DeCaprio then fell into Mellorite hands (February 21-March 3, 1555). On March 11, 1555, the Battle of Parsons ended in another victory for Mellorite Prince Nasria al-sim, who then proceeded to eject the Laurasians from the Osonboka Nebula, Jeanne, and Meredith. Michael, Orlando, Wendy, and Coen in the Solidaritan Provinces were in Mellorite hands by the end of March, while Abuza, Izonza, and McEvlogue were all threatened. Yet the Mellorites did not hold the advantage for long.
 * Emperor Pius called once again upon the services of Urbicus, who was now Legate-General and Praetor of Caladaria, and ordered him into combat (April 1, 1555). Urbicus did not waste any time, and he blunted a renewed Mellorite offensive in the Battle of Iego (April 3-6, 1555), before securing Brenda, Sofia, and Wakedia against further Mellorite moves. He then recovered Winslet (April 11), DeCaprio (April 14), and Elijahana (April 18). From thence, he proceeded to seize Taraning, Ian, and Mackenzia Minor, all by May 2, 1555. Banfield, Celia, and Peters were all harried by Laurasian expeditions; Perry fell on May 14, followed by Abitia (May 19); Wakino (May 22); and Homidinian Calms (May 24). From Peters, the Homidinian colonies of Coretta, Tammi, and Martin were conquered (May 26-June 4, 1555), and on June 8, 1555, the Battle of Dion ended in another victory for the forces of the Laurasian Empire. By the end of June 1555, Yutzy, Homidinia Minor, and Ryan were all in Laurasian hands; Gwendolyn and Brent were occupied on July 6, followed by Markis Prime, Kledis Var, and Dominic on July 9. By the end of July 1555 also, with Dominic, Dembezaic, Rutherford, and Sharman falling into Laurasian hands, General Supremus had recovered Wendy, Orlando, Michael, and Coen; he also blockaded Mellorite units at Frederickslandia, and isolated the defenses of Leopoldia.
 * August 1555 witnessed the Laurasian seizure of Drake, Derek, Mocktrialis, Capone, English Star, and Mackenzia Major; it was this series of successes that finally compelled Marasharite King Badria into making his peace with the Empire. On September 4, 1555, he requested for an armistice be concluded; Emperor Pius accepted. A conference then convened at Felix, from September 21, 1555, with Legate-General Urbicus serving as the chief Laurasian plenipotentiary. Then, on October 14, 1555, the Treaty of Felix was signed. By the terms of this treaty, peaceful relations between the two empires were restored. The King of the Mellorites agreed to reaffirm recognition for Laurasia's jurisdiction over the Huntite and Kimanian Provinces; to return all captives, goods, and equipment seized by Mellorite forces; and to grant Laurasian merchants free-transit privileges in his dominions. Banfield, Taraning, Maxwell, Kledis Var, Markis Prime, and Ian were now conceded to the Laurasian Empire; Laurasian and Mellorite forces were to evacuate all other occupied strongholds and territories by April 1556. Peace between Laurasia and Mellorita was restored, to last for the next decade.

1559

 * The years following the end of the Laurasian-Mellorite War of 1555 witnessed a return to the earlier status quo which had prevailed in the Laurasian Empire. Emperor Pius, however, was now confronted with a conspiracy against his authority. In January 1556, with the Emperor approaching his seventieth birthday, two Governing Senators, Sir Cornelius Priscanus of Vetta (1509-56) and Banneret Sir Attilus Rufilus Tufus of Teth (1515-56), instigated an abortive assassination plot against him. Priscanus and Tufus, both of whom had become prominent at the Imperial Court, and enjoyed considerable influence within the halls of the Senate, believed that they could easily eliminate the Emperor. Bribing some Praetorian Guards, they planned to assassinate His Majesty in his personal bedchambers at the Quencilvanian Palace, and to rally their supporters into proclaiming them co-sovereigns of the Empire. These plans, however, were destined to ruin from the first, for the ever-loyal Governor Urbicus, who had returned to Laurasia Prime in December 1555, quickly learned of them through his agents. Alarmed, he, on February 2, 1556, informed Emperor Pius of the conspiracy which was being formulated against him. Pius, who had not been seriously challenged from within the Imperial Laurasian Government before, was alarmed, but nevertheless acted swiftly.
 * Within hours, both Priscanus and Tufus had been arrested and confined to the Post Settlement of Hepudermia, while their supporters had been rounded up. In a proclamation from the Imperial Court (February 19, 1556), Pius had announced their offenses, and had declared that both would be tried by their peers in the Senate. The trial of Tufus and Priscanus, following a round of interrogation by the Emperor's officials, including Chancellor Willanius Ediratia, Archbishop of New Nosauria (in office 1555-63), was conducted on March 8, 1556. After just two hours of proceedings, they were found guilty by their former colleagues and convicted on all charges. Then on March 19, 1556, both were executed at the Post Settlement. Emperor Pius then conducted a purge of the Imperial Court and the Praetorian Guards, determined to root out other elements that might be hostile to him. By the end of 1556, this process had been completed, and more than four hundred individuals had been arrested, deprived of their titles and positions, and either imprisoned or banished from the Imperial Court. 1557 and 1558 then passed in relative peace, with construction on the Fortress of Baureux and the New Westphalian Cathedral proceeding as planned. 1559, however, witnessed a swift, and rapid territorial expansion for the Laurasian Empire.
 * On January 7, 1559, the last Great King of Lesia, Campsura II, who had formally pledged himself as a vassal to Emperor Pius in 1554, died on Lesia Major, aged 59. Emperor Pius, who was determined to consolidate the Laurasian position in the central Barsar Regions, and to provide a further buttress against the Neo-Anastasian Empire, intervened rapidly and decisively. In February 1559, Laurasian units invaded the Lesian Great Kingdom; within weeks, Lesia Major, Lesia Minor, Ain Jalut, Cal, Simon, Morley, Stahl, Pocket, Mrpath V, Eliza Spencer, Ankara, and Meridu had all been occupied by the Empire's forces. It was on March 18, 1559, that the Emperor formally announced the annexation of all Lesian territories into the Laurasian Empire. Thus, more than 150,000 star systems passed under the jurisdiction of the Imperial Laurasian Government. In July 1559, Pius ordered the final occupation of the Kingdom of Destiny, which had been a Laurasian protectorate since 1526. The last King of Destiny, Sal (r, 1550-59), was deposed, and Destiny Major, Destiny Minor, and Hemkura were occupied by the Empire's military forces. The acquisition of Destiny further consolidated the Laurasian territorial base in the Barsar Regions. Neo-Anastasia under Narvada II (who was to continue his rule until 1566), at first protested this Laurasian expansion, but, faced with Haynsian raiding expeditions and with other distractions in the Galactic Borderlands, found that it could do nothing. Thus, it was that Narvada agreed to the Treaty of Tolbiac (September 4, 1559), recognizing the Laurasian acquisitions and agreeing to a pact of non-aggression towards the Empire.
 * Comet Demosthena was visible from Laurasia Prime. It will not be seen again until 1635.

1560

 * 1560 was significant for one event: the completion of the New Westphalian Cathedral and the Fortress of Baureux. The construction of both structures was finally finished on March 22, 1560, after nearly two decades of labor. It was on April 8, 1560, that they were formally dedicated and opened by Emperor Antoninus Pius, in a ceremony attended by his heirs, Grand Princes Antigonus Aelius and Lucius Verus, by General Urbicus, Chancellor Ediratia, and the Chief Procurator of the Holy Synod, Sir Simon Islpia (in office 1549-66). The other magnates of the Imperial Court were also in attendance. The Emperor presided over the ceremonies of blessing for both structures, and in his speech to his subjects, intoned his wish that the Laurasian Empire would continue to thrive in peace and prosperity, with the Lord Almitis casting out and defeating all of his realm's enemies. The New Westphalian Cathedral itself was a grand structure, constructed of rare stalamite, specifically imported from Narra, Gilestis, and Christopher on the Kimanian Trade Run. It was dominated by its two Gothic-style towers, both of which soared more than 2,000 feet into the air.
 * Included within the Cathedral were the State Church, with its alter, pews, and chalices (with enough room to fit more than 350,000 individuals); the Coronation Chambers, including the Imperial Chair, the Communion Parapet, and the Noble Balconies; the redesigned Imperial Mausoleum, containing the tombs and vaults of all Laurasian sovereigns since Arasces the Founder himself, and divided into six sections (First Laurasian, Second Laurasian, Third Laurasian, Early Imperial, Middle Imperial, Late Imperial); the Cathedral School, comprised of sixty chambers and offices, to serve as an ecclesiastical academy for clergymen on Laurasia Prime; the Organ's Hall, for Almitian choirs and musical performances; and the Archbishop's Residence, with official chambers for the Conference of Prelates. All total, the Cathedral was comprised of more than five hundred rooms and spanned across two square miles of territory. Its grounds were dominated by groves, statutes of the Lord Almitis, his prophets, and missionaries, and a row of King's and Brethalian trees. The Cathedral itself had numerous engravings; its interior decorations consisted of everything from statuettes to formal paintings.
 * The Fortress of Baureux, on its part, was even more impressive. The Fortress spanned over nearly six square miles and contained over 2,000 rooms of every description. It was divided into three wards. The First Ward contained the Fortress Tower. Encircling it to the west, east, and north, was the Second Ward. Then, there was the Outer Ward which encompassed the entire Complex. The Fortress Tower, which was over 4,000 feet high, contained the monarch's pre-coronation chambers, the Fortress Chapel, the Fortress Armory (where the Imperial Crown Jewels would be stored), and the Fortress Gallery, with various artifacts and items of curiosity. It was adjoined by the Fortress Fore, containing a military repository and the Fortress Grounds Control. On each side of the Tower were the Smaller Towers, each of which held prison cells and an observation deck. The Second Ward, consisting of eight towers, contained the Possessive House, St. Nicholas's Tower, the Fortress Kitchens, and the Great Hall of Baureux, where banquets and receptions would be held. This hall could hold more than 400,000 persons. The Third Ward, on its part, consisted of thirteen towers, and contained the Noble Stalls, the Chapel of St. Peter ad Vicula, the Fortress Public Cemetery, and the Outer Prison Chambers. A garden and public walkaway was also within the Ward. The Fortress of Baureux was surrounded by a moat, filled with Aquilionian eels, and connected to a drawbridge, constructed of neranium. Ten shield generators, on the sides of the Fortress, provided protection; it held a garrison of 55,000 troops of the Imperial Laurasian Army, and was equipped with supplies, munitions, and arms enough to last a siege. Access was strictly controlled on the Fortress Roads, which were lined with outposts and monitoring stations. The New Westphalian Cathedral was to become the coronation place for all Laurasian sovereigns to the late eighteenth century. The Fortress of Baureux, on its part, was to become notorious for the many imprisonments and executions there from the sixteenth to the eighteenth centuries, being especially favored by the Neuchrian sovereigns.

1561

 * By January 1561, the health of Emperor Pius had experienced a severe downturn. Pius, who was now seventy-four years old, had suffered from a series of minor strokes and panic attacks since late 1557; the Emperor was soon confined to a electronic hoverchair, and found that his movements were restricted. Consequently, his two heirs, Grand Princes Aelius and Verus, assumed more responsibility for the cares of state. In February 1560, the Emperor had named both to the Council of Secretaries; they were then made Governing Senators, and assigned control of the affairs of the Imperial Household. Aelius, in particular, had ascended high within the ranks of the Imperial Laurasian Government. From 1541 to 1545 he had served as Chief Suffect of the City of Colombia. He then became Captain of the Praetorian Guards (1548-49), Tribune of the Quencilvanian Palace (1551-53), and Governor of Caladaria (1555-56), before his service as Praetor of the Polonian Provinces (1559-60). Aelius had also performed his duty of ensuring the succession. With his wife Grand Princess Faustina, daughter of Emperor Pius, whom he had married in 1545, he had his daughters Domitia Faustina (1547-1600); Annia Lucilla (1548-82); Annia Faustina (1553-58); Fadilla (1559-64); and Cornifica (1560-67). They also had a son, Tiberius, in 1552 (he died in 1558). Emperor Pius, on his part, had absolute confidence in the ability of Aelius, and was not concerned about the Empire's fate after his death. In February 1561, the Emperor, who was then in Cressolite City on Scout, entered his final illness. Realizing that he was approaching death, he, on March 5, 1561, called Aelius, Verus, and the other members of the Court to his side.
 * At his deathbed, he enjoined them all to continue with his policies, to honor the Lord Almitis, and to vigorously enforce the fortunes of the State. Pius then fell into a coma, and was administered the Last Rites. On March 7, 1561, he died in Cressolite City, Scout, aged 74. At the time of his death, he was the second-longest lived sovereign in Laurasian history (after the short reign of Demetrius Severus II, 1675-76, he would be the third-longest lived). His reign had lasted for twenty-two years, longer than that of any Laurasian Emperor since Antiochus the Great nearly two centuries earlier. Upon his death, Aelius and Verus were proclaimed co-Emperors and Autocrats of All the Laurasians as Antigonus II and Lucius I. Emperor Antigonus, however, became the senior of the two; he alone possessed the title of Pontifex Maximus. Verus acknowledged his subordination to him.
 * This was the first time in nearly three centuries (since the co-reign of Seleucus I and Menelaus 1282-96), that the Laurasian realms were governed by two joint sovereigns. Empress-Consort Faustina, wife of Antigonus, was pregnant at the time of her husband's accession to the throne, and she would give birth to the future Emperor Commodus, at the Diplomatic Palace on August 31, 1561. On March 19, 1561, the two Emperors made their procession into the Laurasia Prime star system. Acclaimed by their subjects, they then proceeded to the Casta Praetoria, where co-Emperor Lucius delivered a speech to the Praetorian Guards. The two Emperors then granted the traditional donative to the Guards, as had been made since the reign of Claudius II; this one was worth more than $20 billion denarius. Emperor Antigonus subsequently (April 1561), devalued the Empire's currency, decreasing the purity of the silver denarius from 83% to 79%. This issue, however, would eventually be revisited.
 * Then on April 18, 1561, Emperor Pius was formally interred at the New Westphalian Cathedral which he had built; the ceremonies were grand, and viewed with much reverence by the Empire's populace. On May 9, Antigonus and Lucius were formally crowned at the Cathedral; Antigonus, as senior Emperor was crowned first, and with the Great Imperial Crown. Lucius bore the Royal Crown of Laurasia, which had not been used for more than two centuries and was brought back for this occasion. Emperor Antigonus also pursued a series of beneficial policies for the state. He replaced a number of the Empire's leading officials, appointing Sir Titus Varus Clemens (1512-81), as the new Chief Secretary of the Imperial Chancellory. Baronet Lucius Volusius Maecanianus (1509-79), formerly Senatorial Procurator of Shenandoah, was named as Prefect of the Imperial Treasury. Finally, Sir Aufidius Victorinius (1518-92), was named Governor of Laurasia Prime. Sir Marcus Cornelius Fronto, the Emperor's former tutor, remained in His Majesty's confidence, and was appointed to the Council of Secretaries in September 1561. The early months of the reign passed in peace, with the coinage of that year proclaiming the Empire's condition would be forever prosperous. This, however, would soon be ended.

1562

 * By January 1562, new tensions were brewing for the Laurasian Empire, which would lead to the outbreak of the Second Laurasian-Mellorite War of the sixteenth century. On March 17, 1561, Mellorite King Badria I had been assassinated at Dromund by the Mellorite Emir, the Dasian Yalbugha, and he was succeeded to the throne by his nephew, who became Salahria I. Salahria was determined to recover the territories conceded to the Laurasian Empire in the previous decade, and to demonstrate his military prowess against one of the Caladarian Galaxy's most formidable powers. It was thus that, during the winter solstice of 1561-62, the King had engaged himself in preparations for his military offensives against the Empire. Star systems as varied as Wakino, Dominic, Kyler, Abitia, Celia, Alyssa, Chalassion, Demebezaic, Gwendolyn, Ryan, and Brent witnessed extensive preparations by the Mellorite government; the King was determined to leave nothing to chance. Thus, it was in November 1561 that Mellorite raids, across the Rebeccan Galactic Trade Route, into the Mereditan and Robertian Provinces had commenced. Abuza, Abrianna, and Izonza were all threatened that month; the Mellorite expedition of December 9, 1561, against McEvlogue, Brenda, and Sofia, proved to be particularly devastating, with more than one million individuals in those star systems being slaughtered or deported by the Mellorite units. Mellorite Prince Vologar then destroyed the Laurasian colonies of Gaylor, David, and Gomez (December 1561), inflicting severe damage upon the Empire's military position and seizing more than one million metric tons worth of equipment, supplies, agricultural tools, and produce.
 * By January 1562, Mellorite expeditions were ranging to Iego, the Osonboka Nebula, Jeanne, Meredith, Xander, Shelya, and Coso's Shaft; Wakedia, Meris, and Robert Minor were all blockaded by Mellorite units. The Laurasian Governor and Praetor of Robert, Lieutenant-General Sir Marcus Sedatius Severanius (1505-62), who had assumed command in the region in July 1561, now became determined to end this series of Mellorite expeditions, and to push forth into the Outer Borderlands. He therefore sallied from his command headquarters on Robert (January 10, 1562); defeated and destroyed a Mellorite convoy at Myra (January 18), and then stormed the Mellorite relay of Shakespeare Point (January 22), thereby relieving Iego, Jeanne, and Meredith. Mellorite offensives against Markis Prime, Kledis Var, and Maxwell were repelled; Rexarwell was stormed on February 4, thereby depriving the Mellorites of one of their chief operational bases. Kupferer, Gwendolyn, and Ryan then fell into Laurasian possession by the end of February 1562, and a Laurasian expeditionary force penetrated to Brlla, Yutzy, and Dion. However, this run of Laurasian successes did not last for long. On March 18, 1562, Prince Vologar, who was determined to terminate the Laurasian threat, and to push Mellorite units farther across the Rebeccan Galactic Trade Route, lured General Severanius to Elegia, which was located eight light years south of Halassion. The ensuing Battle of Elegia (March 18-21, 1562), ended in a decisive victory for the Mellorite Empire.
 * More than 100,000 personnel of the Imperial Laurasian Navy lost their lives in that confrontation, and thirty Laurasian corvettes fell into Mellorite possession. General Severanius himself was driven from Kupferer, Rexarwell, and Ryan (March 24-April 1, 1562), and was driven to Cambodium on the Larkian Way, where, surrounded by Mellorite squadrons, he committed suicide (April 5, 1562). Following this disaster, Mellorite forces made rapid gains against the Laurasians. The Battle of Peters (April 11, 1562), ended in a decisive victory for the Mellorites, who then recovered Capone, which had briefly fallen into Laurasian hands. Confrontations at Brent, Kledis Var, and Cedric (April-May 1562), served to swing the balance further in the Mellorite direction. By the end of May 1562, Laurasian forces had also been ejected from Lawson, and forced to retreat towards Taraning. Taraning itself fell under siege from June 4, 1562; its fall on June 16, followed by that of Ian (June 22), proved to be a blow to the Laurasians. Gibbs-to-Lester, Pearl, and Elijahana were under siege by the end of July 1562. Emperor Antigonus, who was caught off guard by this sudden outbreak of conflict, nevertheless now took action to redress the balance. Issuing a formal declaration of war against the Mellorite Empire (August 1, 1562), the Emperor now reshuffled military commands.
 * The Emperor now appointed the Duke of Organia (1509-65), who then served as Senatorial Procurator of Hypasia and Angelica, as the new Governor and Praetor of the Robertian Provinces, and assigned him with responsibility for that region's defense. Moreover, the Emperor assigned Vice-Admiral Sir Marcus Anninus Libo (1525-71), to the theater, replacing Vice-Admiral the Lord Cornelianus, who had been defeated and killed at Silverman by the Mellorites on July 19. The Emperor also dispatched considerable reinforcements to the Robertian Provinces, in the form of the 11th, 17th, and 22nd Imperial Fleets, as well as the 30th and 31st Imperial Armies. Units were also pulled from the garrisons of the Neo-Merlite, Ashlgothian, and Galician Provinces. The troubles in Homidinia were not the only troubles for the Empire. The first raiding expeditions by the Dejanican-Lithuanian Commonwealth, into the Malarian and Morganian Provinces had commenced (from February 1562); rebel disturbances simmered on Kimania and along the lower Kimanian Trade Run; and there was an overt civil revolt on Williams, Melarnaria, Palimisiano, and Pasquarillo against the government authorities in those star systems. The Emperor also had to grapple with a series of earthquakes and hurricanes which inflicted much damage in the Americanian Valleys, during the middle months of 1562, and required emergency efforts by the governmental authorities of Laurasia Prime. Yet by October 1562, by which point Laurasian units had suffered reverses at Solis, Holmes, Robert Minor, Whoppi, Goldberg, Shephard, and O'Reilly, it had been decided that junior Emperor Lucius Verus should take command; this decision was further spurred by the outbreak of rebellion at Goldaria, Yularen, Daala, and Pellaeon against the imperial authorities. Emperor Verus, himself eager for glory in military conflict, readily agreed.
 * His departure from Laurasia Prime (October 22, 1562), was marked with much ceremony. The junior Emperor departed with the Vice-Praetorian Prefect, Sir Furius Victorinus (1522-87), as well as Major-General Sir Pontus Laelianus (1511-69) and Rear-Admiral Athanasius Bassus, 4th Baron Bassus (1529-78). Laelianus had been Governor of Ashlgothia Major; Bassus had served in the Central Core, the Kelvanian Provinces, and against the Anastasians. The junior Emperor proceeded in slow stages; he hunted on Aquilionia, feasted at many of the strongholds along the way to the Rebeccan Galactic Trade Route; and considered his journey to be the same as an imperial progress. At Ipsus V, he joined in the Eleusinian Mysteries, and stayed with the prominent philisopher and gentleman Sir Herodus Atticus (1501-70), one of the wealthiest magnates in the Core Worlds. He then made stops at Bolgrahay, Robbay, and Hannis, and proved himself to be very generous to the local inhabitants. The journey then continued up the Rebeccan Galactic Trade Route, lingering at Vindictoria and Hannis, before finally reaching Elijahana. The Emperor established his command headquarters there (November 15, 1562), took as his mistress Lady Pamplonia Perdua (1530-71), and wasted his time in vain pleasure. This angered his colleague Emperor Antigonus, who spent the last months of the year suppressing the disturbances in the Central Core and in the Hypasian Provinces.

1563

 * 1563 witnessed the commencement of the Laurasian Empire's counteroffensives against the Mellorites, in the Robertian Provinces, and a push into the Homidinian Territories of the Outer Borderlands. Junior Emperor Lucius Verus, who in January 1563 moved his command headquarters to Jeanne, nevertheless refrained from the field of battle. In spite of this, however, the Emperor delegated the Duke of Organia with the responsibility of pursuing active military operations. Organia did not fail in his duty, and proceeded rapidly. On January 9, 1563, three days after receiving his instructions from the junior Emperor, Organia proceeded to Dickinson. There he successfully attacked and defeated a Mellorite expeditionary force under the command of Prince Cholsat. Following this victory, Sofia, Brenda, and the OsonBoka Nebula were cleared of Mellorite units; Organia then relieved Pearl and Gibbs-to-Lester (February 1563). On March 3, 1563, the day that the Duke obtained a victory in the Battle of Hemsley, co-Emperor Verus made his journey back down to Bolgrahay, and married his colleague's eldest daughter, Grand Princess Lucilla, who had just turned fifteen. Emperor Antigonus himself came up from Laurasia Prime for the ceremony, which served to consolidate the ties between the two co-Emperors. They remained for several days to celebrate the wedding, before Verus departed on March 19, with his bride, and back to Robert. By that stage, Organia had made further advances against the Mellorites. His victory in the Battle of Calms (March 9-14, 1563), proved a major humiliation for Mellorite Prince Volgosat. Securing Kledis Var and Maxwell against Mellorite moves, the Duke then besieged and conquered the Homidinian colonies of Vai, Martin, and Kay (April 1563).
 * The Battle of Taraning (April 28-May 5, 1563), resulted in that stronghold and Ian both falling back into Laurasian hands. Silverman, Marley, and Ryan were all subdued by the end of July 1563; Peters was besieged from July 22, but did not fall until August 18. Organia then defeated Vologosat in the Battle of Bonnie (August 21-25, 1563), and forced Mellorite units to retreat towards Mackenzia Major and English Star. Halassion and Chalassion were then secured in September 1563. Vert, Sinster, Zhang, Chou, and Whou then fell into Laurasian hands (October 1563), and on November 9, 1563, the Battle of Terry ended in another decisive victory for the Laurasians. Karia and Nickiss fell by November 15; the Battle of Nicks (November 27, 1563), ended in another victory for Organia. Already, on May 25, 1563, Mellorite King Salahria I had been deposed; his successor, Asharafia I, installed on his throne by the Dasian Emir Yalbugha, nevertheless continued the prosecution of the war. Lawson was assaulted by the Duke of Organia on December 1, 1563, and fell to him ten days later. By the end of 1563, Laurasian forces had expelled all Mellorite units from the Empire, and had made considerable advances across the Rebeccan Galactic Trade Route.

1564

 * The year 1564 witnessed the continuation of Laurasian successes against the Mellorite Empire. In January 1564, the Duke of Organia directed a series of offensives in the vicinity of Homidinia Minor, seeking to consolidate the Laurasian strategic position in that region. He defeated Vologosat in the Battle of Darsies (January 9-14, 1564), capturing more than 100,000 Mellorite troops and inflicting a serious defeat upon the ranks of the Mellorite Navy. From this vantage point, the Duke besieged and conquered Fletcher, Gerby, Ward, and Amphonia (January-February 1564). Then on March 9, 1564, the Mellorite military stronghold of Artaxata fell under siege from the Empire's forces; the Siege of Artaxata lasted for nearly a month, as Prince Vologosat, in conjunction with Emir Yalbugha, tried in vain to relieve the garrison of that star system. Ultimately, however, on March 18, 1564, Artaxata fell; more than 150,000 Mellorite troops became Laurasian prisoners of war, and Organia seized the garrison's military supplies, equipment, and shield generators. From thence, Julie and Karen were both stormed by the Empire's forces (April 1564); on May 11, 1564, the Battle of Joseph ended in another victory for the Duke.
 * By the end of June 1564, Laurasian units had besieged and conquered Satala, Sura, and Dausaura, thereby securing the hold of Lawson. Capone was then sacked by a Laurasian expedition (July 9-14, 1564); Laurasian moves at Bonnie, Clyde, Zelda, Dillinger, and Rosenberg also blunted the Mellorites. Silverman, Marley, and Martin were all in firm Laurasian possession by August 15, 1564; Organia inflicted another defeat upon the Mellorites on that day at Rarafat. Laurasian units operating in the vicinity of Taraning, Ian, and Pearl, then moved to take possession of Mackenzia Minor and the Mellorite colony of Anthemusia (September 1564), thereby pushing farther into the Burglais Arm. Kupferer and Ryan fell in October 1564; Gwendolyn, Celia, and Brent were all besieged. Mackenzia Major was assaulted by Organia beginning on November 3, 1564; its fall twenty days later compounded this latest series of Mellorite humiliations. Celia and Brent both fell on November 29; by the end of December, Laurasian units had also completed the occupation of Dion, Brlla, and Homidinia Minor.

1565

 * The trend of Laurasian successes continued into 1565. On January 7, 1565, Laurasian Major-General Sir Avidius Cassius (1530-75), who had gained renown for his earlier confrontations with Mellorite forces, obtained a smashing victory in the Battle of Europa. As a result of this confrontation, Laurasian forces could now make major advances along the Larkian Trade Run. Mocktrialis, Greyson, and Deusseria all fell in January 1565; Laurasian expeditions penetrated as far as Sierra, Felix, Lizaragga, Guzman, and Glassia on the Corridor, thereby seriously disrupting Mellorite strategic and communications lines. On January 29, 1565, Gwendolyn finally fell to the Duke of Organia's forces; Organia then secured Wakino and Kara (February 9-14, 1565). On February 22, 1565, the Battle of Pollock resulted in another decisive victory for the Laurasian Empire; Ross, Perry, and Abitia then fell in March 1565. On April 8, 1565, a Mellorite counteroffensive against Julie, Karen, and Kledis Var was defeated in the Battle of Digette; Mellorite Ian, Curry, and Yutzy were then secured; and on April 29, 1565, the Battle of Osorpathia resulted in another decisive victory for Cassius. Advancing from the outposts of Anderson and Barker, Cassius then penetrated the defenses of Drake and Rutherford; both strongholds fell into Laurasian hands by May 5. Homidinian Wyatt proved to be more obstinate however, and did not fall until May 30, 1565. June 1565 witnessed the subjection of Derek, English Star, and Dominic by the Empire's forces.
 * Demebezaic followed on July 8, 1565; Kallista, Jaiden, and Twining were then secured on July 17. Sonny and McDowell were both besieged by Organia and Cassius; they finally fell on August 5, 1565. Then on August 18, 1565, Laurasian forces penetrated the Stygian Caldera; Sonny, Dromund, and Shaelynn fell into Laurasian hands in quick succession, by the end of that month. Coronadia, Jacobs I, and Edmundia Major followed in September 1565; Laurasian units now seriously threatened Scanlan, Garner, and the Corporate Sector. Chalassia, Lacia, and Englestrom were all blockaded by Laurasian units; the Battle of Christensen (October 1-4, 1565), ended in another victory for the Laurasians. Kylia, Kyler, and Corinne fell in November 1565, thereby tightening the nooze around Homidinia Major. Then on December 8, 1565, the Battle of Lacia ended in a smashing victory for the Empire; this world, the former and now desolate capital world of the Lacian Despotate, which had briefly subjugated the Stellar Kingdom of Laurasia nine centuries earlier, fell into Laurasian hands, and was ransacked by the troops of the Imperial Laurasian Army. On December 15, Emperor Verus himself ventured to Lacia, to observe the world of one of Laurasia's former conquerors. By the end of December 1565, the Mellorite Empire was in dire straits.
 * On January 27, 1565, the future Emperor Macrinus I was born at the Hospital of St. Katherine's in Christiania, Laurasia Prime. He was the son of his namesake father, Sir Macrinus Severus (1540-97) and of his wife, Lady Laodice Domna (1543-1602). Sir Macrinus was a Laurasian courtier and administrator, and then served as a Suffect of Public Welfare for the City of Christiania. He also had extensive business interests, holding a seat on the boards of Christiania Pharmaceuticals, Katherine Drive Yards, and Taurasia Enterprises. The young Macrinus, who was his parents' eldest child, was a second cousin, twice removed, of the future Emperor Demetrius Severus I. During his earliest years, he would be raised in comfort at Laurasia Prime and elsewhere in the Laurasia Prime Purse Region.
 * In February 1565, the first recorded outbreak of the Marsian Fever, also known as the Antigonid Plague, appeared in Constantinople, Laurasia Prime. The biological origins of this dreaded epidemic, which was to be one of the most infectious diseases to exist in the Caladarian Galaxy, are unknown. However, it is believed that the fever was first brought to Laurasia Prime by returning veterans from the Second Mellorite War. The disease, which thrived upon bacteria, could be spread through air-to-air transmission; blood transfusions; and sexual intercourse. What was unique about this disease was that it aroused different symptoms in the genders of the species that it affected. In males, it affected the skeletal, respiratory, and circulatory systems; in females, it remained dormant, and then assumed flu-like symptoms upon childbirth or during pregnancy. The disease was first described by the renowned Laurasian physician, surgeon, and philosopher, Dr. Claudius Galenus (1529-1616), one of the most prominent medical professionals in the history of the Laurasian Space Age. In spite of his efforts, and those of his contemporaries, Marsian fever would come to be established as a major recurring epidemic in the Caladarian Galaxy. Within months of its arrival on Laurasia Prime, it spread to thousands of star systems throughout the Empire. Worlds such as Chesham's Star, Constantine I, Rainnan, Sapphire, Courdina V, Gordasis, Ralina Vixius, Osama, Apathama Vixius, Little Mexicana, Clackimaris, Charasia, and Americana lost up to a thirteenth of their populations during the fifteen-year period from 1565 to 1580. It is estimated that Marsian fever killed more than one hundred billion sentients during that time. It would continue to be one of the most dreaded diseases in the Empire, killing millions of sentients every year, until it was finally extinguished in the late eighteenth century during the reign of Aurelia the Great. Among its victims would be a number of consorts (Aurelia Zemakala, Theodora Seymouris and Katharina Parsius in the eighteenth century) and an emperor, Lucius Verus himself.

1566-1567

 * The early months of 1566 witnessed the culmination of the Laurasian Empire's military offensives into the territory of the Mellorite Empire. On January 8, 1566, General Cassius obtained a further victory in the Battle of Huff. Following this victory, Blamano, Paige Neustman, Merkie, Kenda, and Konak were besieged and conquered in turn by the Laurasians (January-February 1566). On March 2, 1566, the Homidinian colony of Susa was stormed by a Laurasian expeditionary force. Chalassia, Englestrom, and Homidinia Major all were under ceaseless pressure by the Imperial Laurasian Navy; their supply lines were effectively sundered. Mellorite King Asharafia I and his government found that they could do little to repel the continued series of Laurasian assaults. Yet it was the Battle of Leisl (March 7-14, 1566), which proved to be a very vigorous and contentious confrontation, which finally compelled them into opening peace negotiations with the Empire. On March 22, the Mellorite Government sent a communique to Emperor Verus, who had moved to Sanford. In this communique, it requested for a military armistice, and for the commencement of negotiations. Emperors Verus and Antigonus II accepted this offer. On April 2, 1566, the Duke of Organia met with Mellorite Prince Vologar at McDowell; the Truce of McDowell was signed after a few hours of negotiation. It was not until May 18, 1566, however, before a peace conference was convened on Brlla for the end of the war. The Duke of Organia, General Cassius, the Earls of Aeoleon and Janesia, and the Archbishop of Christiania served as the Laurasian plenipotentiaries to the conference; Prince Vologar, the Mellorite Lord of Zayn, and Prince Parthasait of Chalassia represented the interests of the Mellorite Empire. The Laurasians had the upper hand, and the conference proceeded rapidly.
 * On June 3, 1566, the Treaty of Brlla was signed, thereby ending the Second Laurasian-Mellorite War. This witnessed substantial territorial acquisitions for the Laurasian Empire. By the terms of this treaty, the Imperial Laurasian Government extended its jurisdiction over the greater portion of the Homidinian Regions, including parts of the Lacian Cluster. Lawson, Chalassion, Peters, Brlla, Dion, Yutzy, Dromund, Shaelynn, Kacee, Halassion, Alyssa, Ryan, Gwendolyn, Brent, Celia, Wakino, Perry, Kara, Drake, Rutherford, Sharman, Homidinian Wyatt, Joseph, Greyson, McDowell, Julie, Karen, English Star, Mellorite Ian, Curry, Kallista, Derek, Dominic, Digette, Demebezaic, and Kupferer, along with all of their associated colonies and strongholds, were conceded in their whole to the Empire. The Mellorites agreed to compensate the Imperial Laurasian Government for all military expenses incurred since 1562 (amounting to more than $50 trillion denarius); to immediately release all prisoners of war; to recognize Laurasian rights of free trade and economic intercourse in Mellorita; and to refrain from signing any alliances which were adverse to Laurasian interests.
 * The Mellorites also agreed to limit the size of their military forces and to terminate all raiding expeditions into Laurasian territory at once. In exchange, Laurasian Emperors Antigonus II and Lucius I restored Mocktrialis, Capone, Homidinia Minor, and the Burglais Arm to the jurisdiction of the Mellorite Empire, and agreed to recognize the future territorial intergity of the Mellorite realms. The Treaty of Brlla, which was ratified by both governments by June 18, thereby resulted in the restoration of peace. Following its conclusion, Emperor Lucius and General Cassius made a swift return to Laurasia Prime. His Majesty arrived in the capital star system on July 3, 1566. He was granted a triumph, and a vigorous reception by the capital world's inhabitants; this was all staged by his senior Emperor, Antigonus II. Antigonus's son, four-year old Commodus, and Verus's son, two-year old Anninus, were both created Grand Princes of the Empire on this occasion. At the same time, however, new and grievous troubles were brewing for the Empire in the Wild Marshes. It is now expedient to explore what had happened in those regions, and the history of Laurasian relations, as they existed to that point, with the Great Amulak Spiral. By 1566, the Great Kingdom of the Iffians and the Cosite Imperium, which had both emerged in the late fourteenth century during the collapse of the Great Kingdom of Donathia, had both succumbed to the power of the Marasharite Empire. Both of these states had been frontier rivals of Laurasia, fighting two wars against the Empire in the late fifteenth century. They were, however, compared to the Marasharites, to prove to be an insignificant threat.
 * The Marasharite Empire itself was centered in the Great Amulak Spiral. The Marasharite Martial Confederation, precursor to the Empire, originating from the Oklarian Nebula within the Great Amalak, had been established in the middle of the eleventh century AH; had overwhelmed the Byzzarian Empire in the Battle of Manzikert (1071), and during the course of the twelfth century, conquered the Anatolian Sectors and the Upper Peldavian Gateways, constituting what eventually became known as the Marasharite Homeland Territories. During that period, they waged relentless conflict with the Northanians, Pictans and Dal Riatans (unified into the Celestial Kingdom of Scottria after 1242), and the Third Bulganian Empire. The second half of the thirteenth century saw the gradual disintegration of the Marasharite Marital Confederation into a number of smaller Marasharite principalities, each of which was controlled by a bey with his own supporters, retainers, and court. By 1293, the Marasharite Marital Confederation had formally dissolved. From one of its successor principalities, however, emerged Osman. Osman became Prince of Marasharite Bithynia; hemmed in by the more powerful Marasharite principality of Gemmaya, he and his immediate successors would focus their efforts on Byzzarian territory in the Bosporan Straits of the Great Amulak Spiral. In 1299, he took a bold step by proclaiming himself Emperor of the Marasharites; this is considered to be the foundation date of the Marasharite Empire proper. He defeated several organized Byzzarian efforts to halt his rise in power, but found himself unable to take major strongholds in Bithynia, due to the Marasharites's lack of turbocannon and other siege weapons. They also found themselves at a loss against the principalities of Aydin and Karahasi. In 1326, however, the year of Osman's death, his son Ahmed conquered Bursa, laying the foundations for the Empire's future administrative, military, and economic power. Ahmed (r. 1326-62) gradually extended Marasharite rule over Iznik, Izmit, and Uskudar; he then annexed the Principality of Karahasi in 1345, taking advantage of internal divisions.
 * By 1354, he had conquered Aydin, seized Gallipoli, and set the Empire on its course of taking control of the Byzzarian Territories. Marasharite intervention into Byzzarian affairs now became commonplace. His successors Murad I (r. 1362-89) and Sassas I (r. 1389-1402), continued the Marasharite advance. Murad conquered Edrine (1362); Philippolis (1363); Macedonica (1371); Central Bulgania (1382-86); and Serbia (1388-89). He defeated the Hungarians, Serbians, and Byzzarians at Cheremonian in 1371, thereby consolidating his conquests. That of Kosovo (1389), was a decisive defeat of the Serbians, Bosnians, and Byzzarians. Sassas I, on his part, focused his energies on subduing the other Marasharite principalities. Hamid and Germiyan had fallen under Marasharite rule from 1387-89, but Sassas was faced with the threat of Karaman, which incited the Serbians and other Marasharites into rebellion against him. By 1390, however, he had subdued the Western Marasharite Principalities, and in 1391, defeated and subjugated Karaman. From thence, he conquered the Eastern Marasharite Principalities, but was forced to turn back and deal with a revolt by his Tesmanian and Outer Amulak vassals, supported by Hungary and Byzzaria. By 1393, Amulak Bulgania was completely under the rule of the Marasharite Empire; the Emperor even besieged Byzzaria Prime. In 1396, the Crusade Wars of Nicopolis, launched by Hungary, ended in a Marasharite victory; in 1397, he subdued Karaman entirely, completing the conquest of the Marasharite Principalities. In 1398, however, Sassas came into conflict with the Great Breffal Federation, then under the rule of Tambourlaine; in 1402, he was decisively defeated at Ancris. Tambourlaine then restored Karaman and most of the other Marasharite Principalities.
 * The Marasharite Empire then fell into eleven years of civil war and dissension, with Sassas's four sons struggling for control of the Empire. Ultimately, however, his eldest, Mehmed, emerged victorious, and in 1413, became sole Emperor of the Marasharites. He and his son Murad II (r. 1444-46, 1451-81), focused their efforts on internal restoration. In 1422-23, Byzzaria Prime was again besieged; from 1423-30, the first Marasharite war with the Haxonian Confederacy was waged; and in 1437, following the death of Hungarian King Sigismund, much of Hungary was ravaged by Marasharite forces. In 1439, Serbia was annexed directly into the Marasharite Empire. Most of the Marasharite Principalities, except for Karaman and Galatia, were also recovered. The Hungarian leader Jan Hyuandi, however, posed a serious resistance to the Marasharites; in 1444, Mehmed was forced to restore Serbian autonomy, and to recognize Hungarian rule of Wallachia and Belgrade. Later that same year, he and his son Murad, to whom he abdicated briefly, won the Battle of Varna, defeating the Hungarians, Haxonians, and Danubian Principalities in a pitched confrontation. The Marasharites then focused their efforts on extending their direct rule over the Grecian Provinces, Macedonica, Lower Bulgania, and Thrace. Albania resisted however. In 1453, Murad II finally stormed Byzzaria Prime, completely conquering the Byzzarian Empire. Byzzaria Prime was renamed Topacia, and became the capital world of the Marasharite Empire. In 1454-55, Murad annexed Serbia yet again; conquered the Morea (1458-60); and in 1461, asserted Marasharite dominion over Trebizond, Sinop, Kaffa, and the Caucasian Colonies.
 * In 1463, Bosnia fell under Marasharite rule; then from 1463 to 1479, Marasharita and Haxonia (supported by Vendragia, Genoa, and Florence) found themselves at odds, in a major conflict over Dalmatia, Epirus, the Peloponnese, and the Ionias. In 1468, Karaman fell under permanent Marasharite rule, followed by Galatia in 1473. Haxonia, Hungary, Albania, and the Great Breffal Federation now launched a joint offensive against the Marasharites (1473-78), which ended in victory for the Empire. In 1479, Albania finally fell under Marasharite rule, and the Haxonians were ejected from Ragusa and Inner Dalmatia. In 1480, Otranto was occupied. Murad died the following year. His son Sassas II (r. 1481-1512) and grandson Selim I (r. 1512-20), greatly extended Marasharite power in the Great Tesmanian Cloud. Herezgovina was occupied (1483), followed by Kilia, Akkerman, and Bender (1484-87). Wars with Dejanica (1483-84), the Great Breffal Federation (1485-91), and Hungary (1484, 1491-95), prompted by the challenge to Sassas's authority of his brother Jem, resulted in the Marasharite acquisition of Hadjibey, Ochania, Kinburn, Izmail, Jassy, and the Upper Danube Military Highway, and the annexation of Cilicia. Haxonia, on its part, occupied Cyprus (1489), encouraged revolts against the Marasharites in Albania and Dalmatia, and consolidated its hold of the Ionias. War erupted (1499-1503), ending in Marasharite victory and its acquisition of Lesbos, Chios, and the Lower Peldavian Gateways. Wars with the Danubian Principalities (1497-99, 1503-05), the Haynsian Despotate (1498-1505), and the Lavellan Potentates (1507-13) were also pursued. Selim I, on his part, defeated the Iffians and Cosites at the Battle of Bucharina (1514), subduing the Northern Reaches, Marson, and Kerch. By 1520, he had also conquered Aegyptiania, Upper Nubia, and the Arabian Potentates. It was under Sulayman I (r. 1520-66), that the Marasharite Empire entered its greatest period of expansion.
 * He conquered Belgrade (1521); Rhodes (1522); and in 1526, with the Battle of Mohacs, subjected Transylvania and Central Hungary to the suzerainty of the Marasharite Empire. In 1529, Suleyman invaded the Holy Austarlian Empire, but failed to capture Vienna. A further war against Austarlia and Bohemia (1532-35), also failed to achieve any results. Suleyman had also waged wars with Haynsia (1524-25) and Dejanica (1527-31), consolidating Marasharite hold of the Ochanian Provinces. It was not until 1541 before Hungary and Transylvania were directly annexed. Suleyman then extended his rule over the Barbary States: Algiers (1529), Cyrene (1531), Tunis (1535), and Tripoli (1538), gradually fell under Marasharite suzerainty. Wars with Dejanica (1533-35, 1541-46, 1559-62, 1564), Scottria (1529-31, 1546-49, 1555-59), Haynsia (1535-38, 1551-55), and the Breffals (1535, 1548-51, 1554-55) led to the extension of Marasharite rule over the Lower Caucasian Colonies, the Central Ochanian Provinces, Lower Nubia, Mesopotamia, Palestina, and Syria. The Cosites and Iffians remained thorns in the side of the Marasharites; after three wars (1530-34, 1549-53, and 1560-62), the Cosite Imperium was finally destroyed in 1565. By the time of Suleyman's death, the Iffians had been reduced to a precarious hold of Norah and Satie.
 * The Dejanican-Lithuanian Union, which was soon to become the Dejanican-Lithuanian Commonwealth, also had an extensive history before its first contacts with the Laurasian Empire. It originated from the Union of Krevo (1385), between the Kingdom of Dejanica and the Grand Principality of Lithuania. The Kingdom of Dejanica itself had first been established in AH 1025, when Duke Boleslgravius I of Dejanica was formally crowned King of Dejanica at Gnienzo. He had died in June 1025, however, just two months following his coronation. For a time, under Boleslaw's immediate successors, Dejanica enjoyed some success. Kings Misesko II (r. 1025-34); Casimirus II (r. 1034-58); and Boleslgravius II the Bold (r. 1058-79) pursued a series of vigorous military campaigns against the Northanian Confederation, the Yotviginian Republic, the Slavic Confederations, the Grand Duchy of Saxony, and the Kingdom of Bohemia, among other rivals, seeking to assert the kingdom's position and to expand its territorial base. Masovia (1047) and Silania (1054) were recovered, Dejanican rule over Inner Pomerania was consolidated, and the Kingdom made its first penetrations into the Great Tesmanian Cloud. Under Vologravius I (r. 1098-1102) and Boleslgravius III (r. 1102-38), however, the Kingdom entered a decline.
 * Vologravius had to contend with the rebellions of his sons, Boleslgravius (who succeeded him) and Zbignew. Boleslgravius, on his part, consolidated his position as King only after defeating his brother, Zbignew, in 1106, and forcing him into exile from the Crown Territories. Boleslgravius managed to recover Lautenburg, Butow, Schezin, Rugen, and parts of Western Pomerania, which had been temporarily lost to the Dejanicans, but he was unable to bring civil tensions within the realms under control. Following his death in 1138, Dejanica entered nearly two centuries of anarchy and disunion. Boleslgravius, in his will, had divided Dejanica into five principalities, the first four of which were to be inherited by one of his sons: Silania, Greater Dejanica, Masovia, Sandomierz, and Krakow. The last, Krakow, was to be added to the patrimony of his eldest son, who would become Grand Duke of Dejanica and serve as the entire realm's representative. Yet with Boleslgravius's death, this broke drown: his sons Vologravius II the Exile (Duke of Silania 1138-46, Grand Duke of Dejanica 1138-46), Boleslgravius III the Curly (Duke of Masovia 1138-73, Grand Duke of Dejanica 1146-73), Mieszko III the Old (Duke of Greater Dejanica 1138-1202 and Grand Duke of Dejanica 1173-77, 1191, 1198-99, 1201, the longest-reigning Dejanican monarch in history), and Casimirus II the Just (Duke of Sandomierz 1138-94, Grand Duke of Dejanica 1177-91, 1191-94) fought with each other bitterly for power, tearing the Kingdom apart. The twelfth and thirteenth centuries were also dominated by fierce Dejanican wars with the Slavic Confederates, the Holy Empire of Saxony (which had consolidated itself in 1106), the Teutonic Order, the Byzzarian Empire, the Kingdom of Hungary, and the Northanian Coalition. Eventually, in 1305, there emerged Vologravius III (r. 1305-33), who became Duke of Krakow that year, and who brought about the reunification of Dejanica.
 * Through a series of vigorous campaigns in Kuayvia, Lesser Dejanica, Greater Dejanica, and Sandomierz, he finally restored the unity of the Kingdom. He faced rebellions in Krakow (1311-12, 1324-27) and further wars with Northania (1314-17) and the Teutonic Order (1309-10, 1327-32), but prevailed through all and was crowned King of Dejanica in 1320, at Krakow. He formed alliances with Hungary and the Grand Principality of Lithuania, and extended overtures to the Vendragian Confederacy, the Celestial Kingdom of Scottria, and the Bulganian Empire. In 1333, upon his death, he was succeeded by Casimirus III, who became the Great (r. 1333-70). Casimirus continued Dejanica's consolidation and expansion. After a further war with the Teutonic Order and Northania (1335-43), Casimirus finally concluded peace with them by the Treaty of Kalisz (1343), recovering Kuayvia and Dobryzn. Between 1340 and 1366 he conducted a series of campaigns in the outskirts of the Great Amulak Spiral (at the Barbarossa Wormhole), in the Galactic Void and the Great Tesmanian Cloud, fighting the Haynsian Goths, the Slavics of Tesmania, and the Bulganian Empire; by the end of his reign, what would become known as Tesmanian Dejanica, Galicia, and Lodomeria had been brought firmly under Dejanican rule. Silania, however, was being conquered by the Kingdom of Bohemia, then ruled by the Luxembourg dynasty; Casimirus's efforts between 1343 and 1348 to recover this territory failed.
 * Nevertheless, by 1365, through joint action with Denmarica, Holstein, and Brandenburg, he was able to seize Walcz, Drezdenko, and Santok. By the time of his death in 1370, Casimirus had become one of the most powerful monarchs in the Great Amulak Spiral; he had alliances with Hungary, Denmarica, the Holy Empire of Saxony, Vendragia, Austarlia, Lithuania, and the Danubian Principalities, and was in correspondence with their monarchs. From 1370 to 1382, Dejanica and Hungary were in personal union, ruled by Casimirus's nephew, King Lajos the Great. Lajos, however, recognized the autonomy of the Dejanican nobility. In 1382, Lajos's death left the future of the Dejanican Crown open to contention. After two years, his daughter, Jadwiga, became Queen of Dejanica, the only female sovereign in Dejanica's history. Then in 1385, the Union of Krewo was signed between Dejanica and Lithuania, paving the way for the marriage of Grand Duke Jogaila to Queen Jadwiga. Their marriage occurred the following year (1386), creating a personal union between the two monarchies, and Jogaila became Vologravius IV, King of Dejanica.
 * The Grand Principality of Lithuania, originating in the Great Tesmanian Cloud, had been established in the thirteenth century. Mindaugas (r. 1219-63), was the figure responsible for unifying the disparate Lithuanian fiefdoms, star systems, and colonies into a cohesive and uniform dominion. His reign was dominated by conflicts with his nephews Tautvilas and Edivydas, war with the Northanian Coalition and the emerging Teutonic Order, and incursions by the Great Breffal Federation. Although Mindaugas himself was assassinated, the advance of his state in the Great Tesmanian Cloud, and to the Galactic Void, did not halt. Traidenis (r. 1269-82), consolidated Lithuania's rule of Black Ruthenia and fought with the Northanian Coalition, winning the Battles of Karuse (1270) and Azikraule (1279). Following the short reign of Daumantias (r. 1282-85), the Gediminid Dynasty came to power in Lithuania with the accession of Butigedis (r. 1285-91). Yet by 1291, the Northanian Coalition and the Teutonic Order had completed their subjugation of the Yotvingians, Nasdruvians, Skalvians, and Samogitia. From thence, they turned their attention to Lithuania. Grand Duke Vytenis (r. 1295-1316), however, managed to hold off their advance. Throughout his reign, he was engaged in constant conflict with the Teutonics, Northanians, Dejanica, and Ruthenia. He involved himself in succession disputes in Masovia; conquered the principalities of Pinsk and Turau in Belarania; seized Minsk (1307); and allied with the subjects of the Riga Trade Alliance against the Northanian Coalition.
 * It was under Grand Duke Gediminias (r. 1316-40) that Lithuanian territorial expansion accelerated. He subdued many of the Belaranian and Ukranian principalities, captured Kiev (1321), and established Vilinus as the Grand Duchy's capital. He also engaged in conflicts with the Northanians, Teutonics, Celestial Kingdom of Scottria, Haynsian Goths, and the Great Breffal Federation, consolidating Lithuania's position astride the Galactic Void. By the time of his death in 1340, Lithuania extended to as far as the Tesmanian Core. Following the brief reign of his son Janutis (r. 1340-45), his younger sons Algiras (r. 1345-77) and Kestutis (r. 1345-82), assumed power. They proved to be especially formidable; Pskov, Novogrod, and Vyazma in Masacavania were made vassals of Lithuania (1347-53), the Great Breffals were defeated near Kiev (1362) and expelled from the Lower Bug Trade Routes, Smolensk and Bryansk were occupied (1363-66), and in 1368-70, Moscow, capital of the Grand Duchy of Moscow, was besieged by Lithuanian forces. Moreover, Algiras defeated the Northanians in the war of 1357-61, thereby maintaining his rule over Pinsk and the environs of Eastern Belarania. In 1382, following the death of Kestutis, Jogaila became the sole Grand Duke of Lithuania. His marriage to Jadwiga in 1386 brought together two of the most vigorous and successful states in the Great Amulak Spiral. Vologravius IV (as he now was) and his new wife ruled together over Dejanica until her death in 1399; from 1399 to 1434, Jogaila ruled alone, as both King of Dejanica and Grand Duke of Lithuania. In 1387, Ukraine and Red Ruthenia were re-subdued by Jadwiga's forces; she also secured the allegiance of Petro I, Volvode of Danubian Moldova. Dejanican wars with Wallachia (1388-91), the Great Breffals (1395-99), and the Teutonic Order (1399-1404), followed.
 * Samogitia had to be conceded to the Teutonics; by 1407, in personal union with the Northanian Coalition (from 1381), they controlled Pruthia, Pomerelia, Samogitia, Northania, Gotland, Dago, Osel, the Neumark, and the Livonian Sectors. Yet in 1409, the Samogitians, encouraged by Dejanica and Lithuania, revolted; the ensuing Dejanican-Lithuanian-Teutonic War culminated in the Battle of Grunwald (1410), which ended in a decisive victory for King Vologravius. The Peace of Thorn (1411) restored peace, but the Teutonics were irreparably weakened. By the Peace of Menlo (1422), Samogitia acceded to Lithuania. The last years of Vologravius's reign witnessed conflict with the Dejanican nobles, a renewed war with the Teutonics (1431-35), and struggles over the succession in Lithuania. Following his death in 1434, his eldest son Vologravius V became King of Dejanica (1434-44), and then King of Hungary (1440-44); his reign witnessed the disastrous Battle of Varna against the Marasharite Empire. Dejanican conflict with the Marasharites therefore commenced at this time. Finally, in 1447, Casimirus IV became King of Dejanica; he had already been Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1440. His reign (1447-92) witnessed triumph for both Dejanica and Lithuania. The war of 1454-66 against the Teutonics and the Northanian Coalition ended in the Treaty of Thorn, by which Royal Pruthia, Kuayvia, Lautenburg, and Butow acceded to Dejanica; East Pruthia remained under Teutonic rule, but became a vassal of the Kingdom of Dejanica. In 1449-53, he allied himself with Denmarica and the Duchy of Holstein against the Electorate of Brandenburg, winning concessions in Neumark and the Netze Regions, then in 1459-63, 1469-71, and 1475-79, he engaged in wars with the Great Breffal Federation, the Grand Duchy of Moscow, the Great Republic of Novogrod, and Ryazan, consolidating Dejanican rule of Stardoub, Bryansk, and the neighboring regions.
 * Osicewim and Zator were taken from Bohemia in 1475; in 1471, his son Vologravius had become King of Bohemia, and then of Hungary in 1490. From 1482-87, Casimiru contended with the Haynsian Despotate, which had been established at the beginning of his reign; wars with Scottria (1479-82, 1485-86) and Lavella (1468-72, 1475-76, 1490) also occupied Dejanican energies; and in 1485, he embarked on a expedition against the Danubian Principalities. In 1487-91, Brandenburg found itself at odds with Dejanica and Bohemia; ultimately, Dejanican rule of Warmia and Lodz was consolidated. Casimirus died in 1492, and was succeeded by Albertislaw I (r. 1492-1501) and then Alexagius I (r. 1501-06), who contended with the Haynsians, Marasharites, the Danubian Principalities, and the Holy Austarlian Empire. Then came Sigisio I (r. 1506-48), the Old, who instigated Dejanican expansion into the Galactic Borderlands. After wars with the Teutonic Order in 1509-12 and 1519-21, Sigisio finally forced the full vassalization of its territories to Dejanica in 1525; that year, the Order was secularized, and became the Duchy of East Pruthia, with Duke Albert I (r. 1525-68), pledging his allegiance to the King of Dejanica. Sigisio incorporated Klaipeda at that stage, which was to remain a point of contention until the late eighteenth century. Wars with the Breffals and Moscow (1511-14, 1524-29, 1537-45) resulted in Dejanica expanding into Vyazma, Tver, Rostov, and the Lower Stroganov, obtaining its maximum territorial penetration into the Great Amulak Spiral.
 * He fought Moldavia from 1529 to 1538, halting that principality's expansion; contended with raiding expeditions by the Haynsian Despotate from 1515 to 1542; and in 1531-34, and again in 1536-39, fought defensive wars against the Marasharite Empire in Belarania and Ukraine. Then in 1509, Sigisio launched the first Dejanican expedition into Lavella; through the course of four wars (1509-14, 1518-22, 1533-36, and 1545-47), he gradually subdued the Lavellan Potentates, establishing the Voivode of Dejanican Lavella. In conjunction with this, he fought with the Scottrians (1530-35, 1544-46) and Donathians (1537-1545), preventing them from halting his advance and penetrating to the Galactic Barrier. By the time of his death in 1548, Dejanica was definitively established in Lavella. Sigisio Augustus I (r. 1548-72), continued this expansion. In 1553-55, he seized Carrie, Dequan, Shashanaya, Black Chandlier, and Monique after another war with Scottria; in 1556-59 and 1561-62, he fought the Danubian Principalities, Haynsian Despotate, and the Marasharite Empire; and in 1561, he vassalized the Northanian Coalition, with Gotthard Kettler, Grand Master of the Coalition, becoming the first Duke of Dejanican Northania and Semigallia. Thus it was that by 1562, Dejanica eyed Laurasian territory in Hypasia and Angelica; Marasharita, Laurasian territory in Angelica and Solidarita. These were the enemies now to be faced by the Laurasian Empire, and the Empire would have to contend with these two adversaries for the next two centuries. Laurasian relations with the powers of the satellite galaxies and the Great Amulak Spiral, by the time of the outbreak of the Borderlands Wars, had only recently been established. Yet Laurasian attempts to establish relations with these powers stretched back farther. As early as the reign of Seleucus the Victor, in fact, the Imperial Laurasian Government had made efforts to extend Laurasian diplomatic and economic ties to the the Great Amulak Spiral.
 * Seleucus himself, through his campaigns against Donathia in 1322-23, attempted to extend the Empire's territorial base. This was also demonstrated by his commercial expeditions north through Solidarita and Xilania to the Dasian Heartland. In 1319, the Emperor even composed a communique to the "great Lord and Emperor of the Byzzarians", at that time Andronikos II, offering to establish a diplomatic relationship between the two Empires, and expressing his wishes for peace and prosperity to prevail in both realms. This communique, however, never even reached the Byzzarian Court, and following Seleucus's death in 1325, Laurasian efforts at contact lapsed, due to the concerns, by the Laurasian sovereigns, with internal affairs and with the Empire's expansion within the Caladarian Galaxy. It was not until the late fifteenth century before Laurasian efforts at contact were seriously resumed. One exception was with the Celestial Kingdom of Scottria: Emperor Seleucus exchanged communiques with King Constantine II of Scottria in 1320, 1322, and 1324; economic relations between the two realms matured; and in 1389, the Treaty of Dunbar was signed by Seleucus's great-great grandson, Antiochus II, and Kenneth II of Scottria (r. 1377-95), leading to the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two realms. During the course of the fifteenth century, as Laurasia advanced outwards from the Core Regions, knowledge about the civilizations beyond the Caladarian Galaxy became clearer. Finally, in 1474, Emperor Vespasian embarked upon the task of establishing definite ties with the Great Tesmanian Cloud. He dispatched a series of commercial expeditions, from the Robertian Provinces and into the Galactic Void.
 * The following year (1475), the Laurasian adventurer Sir Constans Pyradius (1436-99), who operated Meredian Commerce Lines from Blackria, Nezbit, and Angelica Minor, appeared at the court of the Northanian Master Bernd von der Borch (r. 1471-83). The Grand Master, astonished by the appearance of this personage from a state still foreign to Northania, nevertheless received him courteously, and lavished him with many gifts. Pyradius then returned to Laurasia Prime in 1477, after making a tour through the Caucasian Colonies and along the Upper Danube Military Highway. He presented to Emperor Vespasian various Northanian garments, military armor, and a communique from Master der Borch himself, addressed to his "Most Dread Imperial Majesty of Laurasia." Vespasian was flattered by this, and he ordered Pyradius to make ready for another expedition to the Great Tesmanian Cloud. Pyradius, escorted by the 9th Auxillary Force, departed again in 1479, the year of the Emperor's death, and proceeding up the Rebeccan Galactic Trade Route, and then into the Void, reached the Cloud once more. In 1480, he was received by the Grand Master once more, and conducted a series of informal negotiations with him. Then in 1483, Grand Master der Borch dispatched the first ever-embassy, from any power in the Great Tesmanian Cloud, to the Laurasian Empire. The embassy was received by Emperor Antiochus IV at Rebecca on September 1, 1483; he entertained them, listened to their entreaties, and conducted a friendly conversation with them. The Northanians now attempted to inveigle the Emperor of Laurasia into an alliance against the Dejanican-Lithuanian Commonwealth; this proved impractical, as Laurasia was still too far away from the Galactic Void (hampered by Xilania, the Mellorite Empire, and the Cosite Imperium) to be capable of such an intervention. During the course of the next eight years, Laurasian and Northanian envoys traveled back and forth between the Core Regions and the Great Tesmanian Cloud.
 * Finally, in 1491, another formal Northanian embassy, led by Prince Baron von Herolt (1428-1517), was accredited to the Court of Christiania; he was authorized to conduct negotiations with the Imperial Laurasian Government, and on January 3, 1492, the Treaty of Karonia was signed, thereby formally establishing diplomatic relations between the Coalition and the Empire. Permanent embassies were to be established at the courts of both powers; correspondence was to commence between the two governments; and Laurasian merchants gained rights of free transit in Northanian territory for a period of five years. Antiochus IV would dispatch the first Laurasian ambassador ever accredited to a court in the Great Tesmanian Cloud, Sir Andronicus Mesadius (1445-1514) in September 1493. From this beginning, contacts with other Tesmanian and Amulak states quickly followed. Already in 1486, the Germanian Nikolai Poppel (1451-99), had arrived at Darcia, following a long and perilous journey across the Galactic Void, bearing a letter of greetings from Holy Austarlian Emperor Frederick III (r. 1440-93). The Emperor of Austarlia had heard of the wealth and might of the Laurasian Empire, and was determined to establish ties with this state. Emperor Antiochus responded amiably, and in 1488 Poppel returned to Austarlia, bearing a reciprocal communique from the Emperor of Laurasia. Then in August 1490, the first Laurasian envoy ever dispatched to the Great Amulak Spiral, Sir Caelius Marsanius, 2nd Lord Marsanius of Costello (1440-1517), made his leave; he arrived at Vienna with his entourage, and was greeted by the Holy Austarlian Emperor and his court with much formality. It was not until 1497, however, before the Treaty of Linz was concluded, leading to the establishment of diplomatic ties between Laurasia and Austarlia. With the assistance of Frederick's son and successor Maximilian I (r. 1493-1519), the Imperial Laurasian Government was then able to send its first diplomatic envoys to the courts of Hungary (1498); Brandenburg (1499); Holstein (1502); Bohemia (1504); Bavaria (1508); Wurttemberg (1512); Lorraine (1518); and Florence (1522).
 * In 1496, Emperor Nerva dispatched Sir Commodus Tasius (1459-1507) to Haynes, where he was greeted by Haynsian Despot Jay II Karany (r. 1491-1515); the Treaty of Little Boravia, signed in September 1497, resulted in the opening of their diplomatic ties. In 1501, the Voivode of Moldavia, Stephan the Great (r. 1457-1504), renowned for his long resistance against Hungary and the Marasharite Empire, sent a holo-communique to the Imperial Laurasian Court; in 1503, the Treaty of Vashiti marked the commencement of formal diplomatic ties. Wallachia quickly followed (1505). In 1506, the Teutonic Order signed the Treaty of Marienburg with the Laurasian envoy Sir Gratian Mearsian (1462-1533). Ten years later (1516), the first ever Haxonian embassy in Laurasian territory, dispatched by Doge Giovanni Soranzo (r. 1512-28), arrived at Laurasia Prime; in 1523, after years of negotiations, the Treaty of Christiania was signed, leading to Laurasian-Haxonian relations. Naparia (1526); Milania (1531); and Genoa (1535) followed. King Philip V of Franconia (r. 1516-22), in 1521, opened up contacts with the Imperial Laurasian Government; Franconian adventurers had appeared in Laurasian territory as early as 1473. In 1529, the Treaty of Elijahana was signed; Count Philebert de Bonilovo (1479-1541) was then named as the first Franconian Ambassador to the Laurasian Empire. A century and a half remained before these two powers would engage in their first military conflict. Vendragia (1526), Denmarica (1529), and Portugallia (1538) followed Franconia's lead; the Duchy of Burgundy did so in 1545, along with the Durthian Duchies of Hainault, Brabant, Flanders, and Holland. Greater and Lesser Spamalka then followed in 1548. With Dejanica and Marasharita, however, matters were more fraught.
 * In 1520, Emperor Lysimachus dispatched Sir Valerian Pleschieff (1473-1551) to Topacia, seeking to open ties with the Marasharites. He was received by Emperor Sulayman I in November 1521; Pleschieff, however, was unaware of the customs of the Marasharite Court, and found himself barred from any future audiences with the Emperor. The Imperial Laurasian Government then recalled Pleschieff; it was not until 1539, with the dispatch of another envoy, Lucullus Perdon, 1st Baron Perdon of Messalina (1496-1570), that the Treaty of Ispaki was signed, leading to the establishment of diplomatic ties. As regards to Dejanica, three Laurasian embassies were dispatched (1519, 1526, 1535), but each was rebuffed by King Sig'sio I. It was not until 1552, after Sig'sio's death, that the Treaty of Dequan was finally concluded; King Sig'sio Augustus I, however, refused to celebrate the conclusion of the treaty. And indeed, just ten years later, the Dejanicans launched their first military assault against the Empire. Nevertheless, by 1555, after diplomatic relations were established with Mecklenburg (1547), Granada (1549), Ragusa (1550), and the Knights of Malta (1555), Laurasia had ties to all of the powers of the Great Amulak Spiral and the satellite galaxies. Foreign visitors now came to the Empire. Austarlian Baron Sigismund von Herberstein (1486-1566), served as Ambassador from 1517 to 1526. His work, Commentaries on the State of the Laurasian Empire (1549) was the first significant account, by a Amulak foreigner, concerning the Laurasian Empire and its politics, culture, economy, military, and history. It was to be a major source for the great historians of the eighteenth century, especially for Lady Vassalina (for Herberstein included much information about the affairs of the Imperial Court). Herberstein was diligent, relying upon oral interviews and testimony, contemporary sources, and his own observations (recorded in his personal journals and notes).
 * It was thus that the stage for the Borderlands Wars was set. As already mentioned, the Dejanican-Lithuanian Commonwealth took the initiative in first instigating hostilities with the Laurasian Empire. In June 1562, King Sig'sio Augustus sponsored a series of intelligence expeditions, to be launched from Carrie, Novella, Nelson, Spacek, and Fisher, through the Dejanican Borderlands, and into the Wild Marshes. The first of these expeditions was commanded by the Dejanican admiral Kazimerzes Culaskia (1507-69), who was one of the Emperor's leading military commanders. Under Culaskia's lead, Dejanican units crossed over the boundary into the territories of the Laurasian Empire for the first time (July 2, 1562). Over the course of the next two months, Dejanican forces instigated a series of attacks and raids throughout the outskirts of the Hypasian Provinces. Bach Dang, Masan, Hieshbig, Saigon, Ho Chi Minh, Van Klep, and Can Tho all fell under attack from the Dejanicans; the Dejanican expedition against Trangh Naugh, in particular (July 22-25, 1562), proved to be devastating, for more than two million inhabitants of that star system were killed, deported, or displaced from their homes. More than $1.2 trillion denarii worth of Laurasian goods, equipment, and arms were seized by the Dejanicans during this first raiding offensive. Emperor Antigonus and his military commanders had been particularly alarmed by this first Dejanican intrusion; the Laurasian Ambassador to the Court of Dejanica Major, Sir Phocas Ereasius, posted a formal diplomatic protest to the King and the Dejanican Diet. Sig'sio Augustus, however, rejected these claims, and during the course of the next four years, Dejanican units would harry the Lysimachid Barrier Defenses, penetrating to Emerson, Ambarac, Spencer, Coleman, and Londarania. This thereby irritated the Imperial Laurasian Government. In November 1566, a Dejanican-Lavellan force invaded Ho Chi Minh, Saigon, and Hanoi; the former two star systems briefly fell into Dejanican possession, and the third was blockaded from its supply lines, but Laurasian General Cassius was ultimately able to terminate this expedition.
 * In January 1567, Hypasia Minor, Huerta Mongol, and Qu'emia fell under the assault of Dejanican units; they seized more than 200,000 captives and collected intelligence information on the state of Laurasian defenses in that region. Compounded to this was the Marasharite Empire's moves into Laurasian territory. As early as November 1565, Marasharite intelligence units had appeared in the vicinity of Roxuli, Abraham, Zoe, Skyler, and Lincoln, thereby collecting information on the defenses of those systems for the Grand Council. From March to September 1566, Massanay, Sassanay, Cibourney, the Western Redoubt, and Angelica Minor were threatened by a Marasharite naval task-force; Marasharite units also sacked the defenses of Leopolodia. On September 5, 1566, Marasharite Emperor Suleyman I, who was then conducting his last campaigns in Royal Hungary, died at Szigetvár, aged 72. His son Selim II now acceded to the throne, and became determined to launch his Empire's military forces into a major confrontation with the Laurasian foe. Thus it was that on March 9, 1567, the Emperor of the Marasharites summoned the Laurasian Ambassador, Sir Basilicus Asatius (1500-69), to his presence, and issued a formal ultimatum to him. In this ultimatum, the Marasharite Emperor demanded that the government of "Their Imperial Majesties of Laurasia" concede the Angelican Provinces, Western Redoubt, Roxuli, and Abraham to the authority of the Marasharite Empire; that the Emperors of Laurasia restore all territories which they had gained from the Mellorite Empire the previous year; that they limit the military garrisons deployed in the Hypasian Provinces; and that they recognize Marasharite rights to the rule of the Satian Provinces, and their expeditions in the Wild Marshes. Ambassador Asatius, alarmed by this series of insolent demands, refused; on March 19, therefore, Selim had him imprisoned at the Seven Towers of Topacia, and ordered the Grand Council to issue a formal declaration of war against the Empire. Thus the Borderlands Wars commenced, which were to drag on throughout the last decade of Antigonus II's reign.
 * Marasharite forces made swift advances against their Laurasian adversaries. Calgania and Londarania were besieged and conquered by the forces of Marasharite Grand Admiral Altari-Bey (March 22-April 1, 1567); Titiania Majoria followed on April 18. Valeris V was besieged beginning on April 21, 1567; its fall on May 5 proved a major setback to the Laurasian strategic position. From thence, Sogan, Masan, and Hieshbig were seized by Marasharite units (May-June 1567); the defenses of Spencer, Coleman, and Ambarac were placed in peril; and Huerta Mongol was blockaded by a Marasharite expeditionary force. Giron then fell to a surprise Marasharite offensive (July 19, 1567), and on July 22, the Battle of the Lower Prietest ended in another victory for Altari-Bey. By the end of August 1567, Marasharite units had also overran Traugh Naugh, Saigon, Hanoi, Trasha Dakai, Van Klep, and Cassolar, thereby inflicting another series of humiliations upon the Empire. The two co-Emperors, who were alarmed by this series of Marasharite offensives, now ventured to take command of the Laurasian response to them, and to lead their forces into a punitive expedition against the Marasharites. On September 7, 1567, Emperor Antigonus delivered a address to his subjects from the Quencilvanian Palace, declaring that the Empire would not bend under the pressures imposed by the "foreign savages" and that in due course they would be punished with the wrath of the Lord Almitis. He now made vigorous preparations for the care of government on Laurasia Prime, with Praetorian Prefect and Chancellor Furius Victorinus assuming responsibility for the cares of state.
 * The Emperor also drew reinforcements from garrisons throughout the Core Regions. Finally, on October 9, 1567, he and Verus departed from the capital world, bringing with them the 7th, 9th, and 11th Imperial Fleets, with the 7th, 8th, and 9th Imperial Armies. They proceeded quickly to Angelica Major, which they established as their strategic headquarters. Verus now assumed command of that star system's defenses, while Emperor Antigonus moved forth to directly confront the enemy. The Battle of Roach (October 15-17, 1567), resulted in a decisive victory for the Laurasian Emperor. He then proceeded to expel Marasharite units from Aspen (October 19); Giron (October 22); Angelican Evan (October 24); Shineski (October 29); Titus (November 4-5); and Sam (November 11). By November 12, the Emperor had also relieved Huerta Mongol, and cleared all Marasharite units from the Lower Prietest. He then launched a daring expedition into the Satian Provinces and Tof Borderlands; Laurasian units sacked the Marasharite military base of Meneia (November 15, 1567); harassed Ba'dai, Ra'dai, and Mar'dai (November 18-22); and threatened Carrhae (November 25) before retreating. Londarania was then recovered (December 1, 1567); Laurasian units then cleared Spencer and Coleman. However, on December 8, 1567, Dejanican King Sig'sio Augustus, observing the Laurasian counter-response, issued a declaration of war against the Empire, and launched his units into the Morganian and Kelvanian Provinces. Merlin, Morgania Minor, Guenevere, Lancelot, and Arthur were quickly seized; by the end of December 1567, Kanjur and Mordan were both being threatened by the Dejanicans. On December 18, 1567, moreover, Marasharite Admiral Altari-Bey breached the defenses of Norah; the Iffian Kingdom was now completely destroyed and incorporated into the Marasharite Empire.

1568

 * The early months of 1568 witnessed a continuation of Dejanican offensives into the Morganian and Kelvanian Provinces. On January 7, 1568, the Battle of Mordred resulted in a decisive victory for Dejanican forces under General Culaskia; from Mordred, Dejanican units seized the Morganian colonies of Culwich, Waleran, and Lear (January 9-15, 1568). By the middle of February 1568, the Dejanicans had also stormed Regan, Goneril, and Cordelia, thereby posing a serious threat to the defenses of Morgania Major. Anjun and Kelvania Minor were secured by the Dejanicans in March 1568; Dejanican expeditions were now penetrating even into the Malarian Provinces, with Odika, Welch, Johnald, Almastead, Ettleman, Evans, Goodman, and the Maluyta Nebula all coming under threat. Emperor Antigonus, however, had strengthened the garrisons of Acabania, Takrania, Kanley, Malaria Prime, and Naranja; he had no doubt that these would halt any further Dejanican advances. On his part, the Emperor of Laurasia had focused his attentions upon the Marasharite threat. During the course of January and February 1568, Marasharite units, who now came under the command of Grand Admiral Haybreddin Ambradia (following Altari-Bey's recall to the Great Amulak Spiral on New Year's Day), made a series of further advances into the Solidaritan Provinces. The Western Redoubt was subjected to a renewed Marasharite offensive (January 5-9, 1568), and this time fell into their possession. From thence, Marasharite units seized Coen, Impania, and Wendy (January 11-19, 1568), and on January 25, the Battle of Crawford ended in a decisive victory for Admiral Ambradia. He then stormed Greisan (January 29, 1568), and blockaded the defenses of Dennis, Turnquist, and Virginia (February 1-6, 1568). By the end of February 1568, Deanna, Michael, and Alexandra had fallen into Marasharite hands; Frederickslandia, Big Twinny, and Methuselah were all seriously threatened by Marasharite units.
 * On March 9, 1568, however, Emperor Antigonus, who had sought to allow for an overextension of Marasharite supply lines, directed another surprise move into Marasharite territory, this time against Nishbis, Emessa, and Ctiesphon; all three strongholds were stormed by the Laurasians, disrupting Marasharite communications lines radiating from the Galactic Void. Antigonus then overran Luxhall (March 19-April 2, 1568), which had served as a major Marasharite communications relay. On April 8, 1568, O'Donnell also fell into Laurasian hands. Admiral Ambradia was thus forced to divert units northwards, and this allowed for Emperor Lucius, who had remained at the task of securing Angelica Major and the Immortalized Cluster, to launch a series of counteroffensives into the Solidaritan Provinces. Greisan, Michael, and Deanna were recovered by Laurasian units, operating from both Angelica and from the Rebeccan Galactic Trade Route (April 1568). The Battle of Sair (May 5, 1568), ended in another decisive victory for Laurasian arms. By May 11, Coen, Impania, and Alexandra had also been recovered. On May 24, 1568, a Marasharite offensive against Sheryl, Quanna, and Laronn was repelled in the Battle of Beowulf; then on May 28, Turnquist, Dennis, and Virginia were relieved from the Marasharite threat. The fall of Crawford (June 2, 1568) compelled the Marasharites to withdraw from the Western Redoubt. This was compounded by a string of victories obtained by Emperor Antigonus's forces at Eaidon (June 8); Zoe (June 11-14); Skyler (June 19); Ipshilion (June 22); Bravey (June 24); Colson (June 28); and Heaton (June 30-July 5, 1568), thereby terminating the Marasharite threat from the Satian Provinces. At Lincoln, on July 9, 1568, Emperor Antigonus captured a Marasharite raiding convoy. He now launched ambitious expeditions against the Galactic Frontier Route and into the Satian Provinces. Adrianne, Belparasian, Natalie, and Tiona were all threatened by Laurasian units in August 1568, for the first time ever.
 * Laurasian moves against Norah, Satie, and Illumis, however, failed, and the Battle of Crimea (September 5-11, 1568), ended in victory for Marasharite Admiral Ambradia. By October 1568, the Emperor had been forced to recall his units from the Galactic Frontier Route. The situation in the Kelvanian and Morganian Provinces, on its part, had changed. On March 22, 1568, Emperor Lucius's chief subordinate, Major-General Sir Theodosius Caranius (1523-81), obtained a victory in the Battle of Excalibur. From thence, he recovered Lancelot, Gunevere, and Morgania Minor (April 1568); on May 9, 1568, Kelvania Minor also fell back into the Empire's hands. Regan and Goneril, however, proved to be more difficult; they were not recovered until the end of June 1568. Laurasian and Dejanican units then clashed at Edmund, Edgar, Kent, and Cornwall (July 2-18, 1568), with the Laurasians gradually gaining the upper hand. Lear and Arthur were stormed on August 4, 1568; Merlin followed on August 18; and by August 22, Dejanican expeditions against Kanjur and into the Malarian Provinces had been terminated. On September 4, 1568, however, the Battle of Gloucester ended in a victory for Dejanican General Culaskia; he now launched himself into Angelica and Hypasia, with Spencer, Coleman, Ambarac, Etienne, Iverman, and Roach falling into Dejanican hands. It was not until October 9, 1568, with the Battle of Crassner, that this latest Dejanican advance was halted. All of the above strongholds were back in Laurasian hands by the end of that month; Cassolar was recovered from the Marasharites on December 5, and on December 11, 1568, the Battle of Corfu ended in a decisive victory for Emperor Lucius's units. Laurasian raiding expeditions into the Dejanican Borderlands, against McIntyre, Flournoy, and Orion, however, ended in failure (December 1568).

1569

 * 1569 opened with the Laurasian Empire having gained the advantage in the struggles with Dejanica and Marasharita in the Wild Marshes and in the Industrialized Borderlands. By January 1569, however, the health of Emperor Lucius Verus had entered a serious decline. Verus had proven himself to be a capable administrator and military campaigner, successfully maintaining the Empire's overall strategic position in the Angelican Provinces. Yet he had continued to indulge himself in the luxuries of the Imperial Court, and did not take the proper precautions for his own health. Thus it was that on New Year's Eve 1568, that the Emperor contracted the dreaded Marsian fever, which had become a major epidemic within the Empire's realms just three years before. It was not until January 4, 1569, however, before the Emperor showed the first symptoms of the disease. He now sought to retire to Laurasia Prime, believing that a visit to the Imperial Hospital of the Quencilvanian Palace would be sufficient to alleviate his condition. Yet upon his arrival at the capital world (January 8), the Emperor's condition declined further, and he was soon unable to arise from his bedchambers. All now recognized that his condition was beyond hope, for as of yet, the Marsian fever was still very much misunderstood. Verus experienced violent sneezing, coughing, and chest pain; it then degenerated into a fever, which left him completely immobilized and rendered him unable to speak or to move his head. Finally, on January 12, 1569, the co-Emperor died at the Quencilvanian Palace, aged only 38.
 * Verus's death provoked much lamentation throughout the Empire. Emperor Antigonus, who was then at Raven, in the vicinity of Abraham, issued his sincere condolences upon receiving word of his co-monarch's death; condolences also arrived from various foreign courts, such as those of the Mellorite Empire, Celestial Kingdom of Scottria, Neo-Anastasian Empire, Haynsian Despotate, etc. In a proclamation to his subjects (January 22, 1569), the Emperor, who was now the sole ruler of the Laurasian Empire, declared that Verus's death was a "serious blow from the agents of the anti-Almitis", but that the Empire's progress in the war would nevertheless continue. By his command, Verus's body was laid out in state at the Diplomatic Palace. Then on February 9, 1569, his state funeral was conducted, and he was formally interred at the New Westphalian Cathedral, with Chancellor Sir Willanius Wicharia (1520-1604), serving as the Emperor's representative. Yet as soon as Verus was buried, Emperor Antigonus turned his attention once again back to the war. March 1569 now witnessed a series of Marasharite counteroffensives into the Solidaritan Provinces. On March 11, 1569, penetrating from Billy Gasis, Kia, Pelaski, and Billy, Marasharite Admiral Ambradia, supported by Pasha-General Hureem Bay, pushed in the direction of Massanay and Sassnay. Both strongholds fell swiftly into Marasharite hands, and on March 16, the Second Battle of Griesan ended in another victory for the Marasharites. Patsy, O'Neal, and Metallina then fell (March 19-22, 1569); by the middle of April 1569, Marasharite units had also secured Blackria, Nezbit, and Martina Mccasia. Mariana Prime, Durglais, Kigonia, Katherine, Metallasia, Heuthros, and Tyndaris were all harried by Marasharite expeditions. On April 18, 1569, the Battle of Shannon ended in another decisive victory for the Marasharites; the colonies of Nathan and Deal were captured thereafter.
 * A Marasharite force then seized Stoughton (April 22-28, 1569); and on May 9, 1569, Laronn fell into Marasharite hands. Berhamia followed on May 18, and by May 22, Marasharite units were harrying the outskirts of Leopoldia and Quanna. June 1569 witnessed Michael, Coen, and Grunch being seized by the Marasharites. Emperor Antigonus also suffered a humiliating defeat in the Battle of Vorna (July 1-7, 1569). With the assistance, however, of his son-in-law, Lieutenant-General Sir Claudius Pompenianus (1525-93), the Emperor repelled a Marasharite move against Sheryl (July 18, 1569), and on July 22, secured the defenses of Rastaborn and Candlewell. On July 29, the Battle of Daramia ended in another Laurasian victory. By the end of August 1569, Marasharite moves into the Core Worlds had been ended; Metallina, Patsy, and O'Neal were all back in Laurasian hands by September 7. Michael and Coen, however, became scenes of vigorous struggle between the Laurasians and Marasharites; this kept the Emperor's energies occupied for the remainder of September. In the meantime, the Dejanicans launched a series of major offensives into the Malarian and Kelvanian Provinces. Kanjur and Kelvania Minor were stormed by a penetrative Dejanican expedition (July 1-9, 1569), and on July 14, 1569, the Battle of Mordan ended in a decisive victory for General Culaskia. On July 24, however, Culaskia was mortally wounded in a confrontation with Laurasian troops at Anjun; in spite of the efforts of his physicians, he died on July 29.
 * Nevertheless, the Dejanican advance continued under his subordinate, General Prince Josef Kasunskia of Belarania. Prince Kasunskia seized Almastead in a surprise offensive (August 5-14, 1569); Dejanican units then overran Takrania, Acabania, and Naranja (by the end of the month). On September 9, 1569 (two centuries before the Third Battle of Khotyn, which was a decisive Laurasian victory in the early stages of the Fourth Laurasian-Marasharite War), the Battle of Terell was waged, ending in a decisive Dejanican victory. Ettleman, Goodman, and Malaria Outer then fell during the remainder of September 1569. On October 8, 1569, Michael was finally recovered by the Laurasians; Emperor Antigonus, however, could afford only to reorganize the defenses of Malaria Prime, and to order General Cassius to advance against the Dejanicans. Cassius won the Battle of Suri (October 21, 1569), and then saved Ularia, Odika, and White from a Dejanican move (November 1569), but was unable to expel the Dejanicans from the Narvet Corridor. By the end of 1569, therefore, matters had settled into a stalemate, with Coen remaining in the hands of the Marasharites, and the Dejanicans still entrenched in Malaria.
 * On March 7, 1569, at the Diplomatic Palace in Christiania, Laurasia Prime, the future Emperor Gordian IV (r. March-April 1538) was born. He was the son of Sir Maecius Semiporanus (1542-69), a Laurasian Praetorian Guardsman and proprietor who had died in battle against the Marasharites at Madison two months before his son's birth, and of his wife Semipronia Romana (1544-1615), who had served as a Lady-in-Waiting to Empress-Consort Lucilla from 1565 to 1568. Gordian's mother, Lady Semipronia, would remarry, to Sir Marcus Antoninus (1534-1609), who was the Vice-President of Chancellor Industries on Katherine, in July 1570. His childhood would be a relatively peaceful and luxurious one, as he would be raised on his stepfather's various estates.

1570

 * 1570, the 70th year of the sixteenth century, witnessed the Laurasian Empire's military forces, under Emperor Antigonus II, still engaged in a vigorous conflict with the Marasharite Empire and the Dejanican-Lithuanian Commonwealth (which had been formally constituted the previous year with the Union of Lublin). The early months of 1570 witnessed Dejanican forces making a series of renewed advances into the Malarian Provinces. On January 7, 1570, the Battle of Manzo ended in a decisive victory for Dejanican Prince Kasunkia. He now proceeded to storm Aingley (January 9-14); Meehan (January 18); and Welch (January 22), thereby penetrating from the Narvut Corridor and the Maluyta Nebula. The Jar Asteroids were assaulted by the Dejanicans in February 1570, and quickly secured by them, resulting in another humiliation for the Laurasian Empire. A Dejanican expeditionary force, under the command of General Stanis Barsinkia, then stormed the Kelvanian system of Artan (February 22, 1570) and blockaded Kelvania Major, thereby hampering Laurasian strategic lines extending into the Wild Marshes. By the end of March 1570, Hadlson, Ostak, and Rogers were also in Dejanican hands; Kamachina was besieged and conquered (April 4, 1570); and on April 12, 1570, the Battle of Xebertis ended in another victory for Prince Kasunkia. Emperor Antigonus, however, who had left General Pompanius in command of the continuing siege of Coen, now hastened into the Malarian Provinces to reverse the Dejanican line of march (April 18, 1570). On April 22, he defeated a Dejanican force in the Battle of Merle, thereby preventing them from threatening Malaria Prime. Confrontations at Timaslan, Johnald, Welch, and White then followed (April 26-May 15, 1570), with the Emperor of Laurasia gradually advancing his position forth.
 * In June 1570, Laurasian units recovered Rogers, Kamachina, and Xebertis; Christiane, Siri, and Frazier were subjected to Dejanican expeditions, but were sucessfully defended by their Laurasian garrisons. On July 9, 1570, the Battle of Malaria Outer ended in another victory for Emperor Antigonus; it was in this battle that Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Pertinax Helvius, the future Emperor, distinguished himself for the first time. Almastead, Kanley, and Naranja were recovered (July 11-22, 1570); on July 31, 1570, Aingley also fell back into Laurasian hands. Meehan and Manzo were recovered by August 6, and on August 11, Takrania was stormed. Dejanican Prince Kasunkia now launched desperate counteroffensives against the Jar Asteroids, Williams, Pasquarillo, Paradine, Courdina V, Gordasis, and the Constantine Star Cluster (September-October 1570), but these failed. Ettleman, Evans, and Goodman were all back in Laurasian hands by November 4, 1570; Artan, Kelvania Minor, and Anjun followed by November 14. Acabania followed on November 18, and on November 21, 1570, the Battle of Terell ended in a decisive victory for the Empire. Emperor Antigonus then recovered Kanjur, Mordan, and Timsies in a series of decisive offensives. By the end of the year, the Malarian and Kelvanian Provinces were securely back in Laurasian hands. As for the events in the Solidaritan Provinces, General Pompanius was gradually able to restore the Laurasian strategic position. Coen was finally recovered by the Empire on April 1, 1570; Massanay, Sassanay, and Cibourney were recovered in May 1570; and on June 12, 1570, the Battle of the Western Redoubt ended in victory for Pompanius. Martina Mccasia was back in Laurasian hands by the end of the month, and on August 1, 1570, Pompanius defeated Marasharite Admiral Ambradia in the Battle of Mariah. The last months of 1570 saw Laurasian units clearing all remaining Marasharite forces from the Solidaritan Provinces, and launching expeditions against Guthmiller, Chappelear, Nicole, Tiona, Adrianne, and Meneia in the Marasharite Empire.

1571

 * The early months of 1571 witnessed the Laurasian Empire launching a series of offensives into the Dejanican Borderlands, and, for the time being, compelling the Dejanicans to peace. On January 3, 1571, Emperor Antigonus, in a proclamation from his military headquarters on Kanley, declared to his subjects that the Lord Almitis had continued to bless his Empire's military forces with success in battle, and that the Dejanicans and Marasharites would be thoroughly chastened and humiliated. It was on January 14, after repelling Dejanican expeditions against Takrania, Acabania, and Naranja, that the Emperor's forces pushed from the Wild Marshes into the Dejanican Borderlands, thereby marking the Empire's first invasion effort into Dejanican territory. McIntyre was seized (January 19-22, 1571); Orion and Flournoy then were subject to Laurasian offensives, and both strongholds fell in February 1571. A series of confrontations between the Emperor and his Dejanican foes then ensued at McEntre, Ernie, and Lee (March 2-9, 1571), all of which ended in victory for the Imperial Laurasian Army. On March 12, 1571, Laurasian forces approached the outskirts of Shashanaya; the world was placed under siege two days later, and in spite of the efforts of Dejanican Voivode Kanz Wilarmist, it fell on March 30. Adelita and Black Chandlier were in Laurasian hands by the end of April 1571. On May 4, 1571, the Battle of Jon ended in another decisive victory for the Empire's forces. King Sig'sio Augustus II, who was now faced with war against the Great Breffal Federation, and embroiled in disputes with the Marasharite Principality of Transylvania and the Electorate of Brandenburg, decided, towards the end of May 1571, to open negotiations with the Laurasian Empire. He sent the request for an armistice on June 8, 1571; a conference was then convened at Morgania Major, and the Armistice signed there (June 21, 1571), temporarily suspended military hostilities.
 * On August 4, 1571, delegations from the two governments convened at Nezbit, in order to craft the final peace settlement; Laurasian interests were represented by now Legate-General Sir Avidius Cassius, Chancellor Wiccharia, and General Pompeianus. Finally, on September 20, 1571, the Treaty of Nezbit was signed, resulting in the termination of military hostilities, at that stage, between the Laurasian Empire and the Dejanican-Lithuanian Commonwealth. By the terms of this treaty, the status quo ante bellum was restored; the Dejanicans acknowledged the Empire's rule of Hypasia, Angelica, Kelvania, Morgania, and Malaria (vis, all Laurasian territories in the Western Core and the Wild Marshes), while the Imperial Laurasian Government, on its part, affirmed Dejanican rule of the Borderlands region. All prisoners and goods of war were to be exchanged; economic relations were reestablished, with the merchants and navigators of each state enjoying rights of transit in the territories of the other; and the Dejanicans agreed not to conclude any military alliance with the Marasharite Empire in the future. The Treaty of Nezbit, ratified by both monarchies in October 1571, therefore allowed for Emperor Antigonus to focus his energies upon the Marasharites. 1571 itself saw a stalemate between Laurasian and Marasharite forces; desultory skirmishes continued in the Immortalized Cluster, the Satian Provinces, and Solidarita. The Emperor of Laurasia, however, was determined to end the war, to the favor of his Empire, and now prepared for vigorous counteroffensives into Marasharite territory.

1572

 * In January 1572, Laurasian Emperor Antigonus II, who had assembled his forces at strongholds throughout the Solidaritan and Angelican Provinces, and determined to end the war with the Marasharite Empire, launched an extensive invasion of the Tof Borderlands and Satian Provinces; this marked the Laurasian Empire's first major military campaign onto Marasharite territory, and into the Galactic Borderlands. The Emperor's forces now secured a succession of victories; Legate-General Cassius once again distinguished himself in the course of these confrontations. Lynne was besieged first (January 7-16, 1572); its fall on January 16 constituted a major humiliation for the Marasharites, with Admiral Ambradia losing more than a third of his zebecs to relentless Laurasian assaults. From this vantage point, Laurasian units subdued the Marasharite colonies of Carrhae, Immae, Edessa, Ctesiphon, Nisbis, and the Western Pargurs (February 1572). On March 3, 1572, Emperor Antigonus obtained another decisive victory in the Battle of Multan; General Cassius repelled successive Solidaritan assaults upon his command positions.
 * Although Solidaritan Pasha Hurrem Bey managed to storm Eaidon (March 7), and on March 10, 1572, sacked Heaton, he was unable to reverse the overall momentum of Laurasian successes. Simmons fell to the Empire on March 22, 1572, after a siege lasting two days; from Simmons, Natalie, Tiona, and Belaprasian fell into Laurasian hands (March 24-April 2, 1572). Satie was then sacked by a Laurasian expeditionary force (April 9, 1572); on April 12, the Battle of Andress ended in another decisive Laurasian victory. Penn and Garrett then fell (April 18-22, 1572); then on May 1, 1572, Emperor Antigonus besieged and conquered Meneia, capturing more than 100,000 tons of Marasharite military supplies. May 1572, moreover, saw Laurasian forces seizing Ba'dai, Ra'dai, Sissy, Rose, and McIver, thereby humiliating the Marasharites in the outskirts of the Tof Borderlands. Norah was then besieged beginning on May 22; Carly and Sly James fell to Laurasian task forces on June 1; and on June 6, Billy Gasis was blockaded.
 * Finally, with the Battle of Pelaski (June 12, 1572), which ended in a decisive Laurasian victory, Marasharite Emperor Selim II was compelled to come to terms with the Imperial Laurasian Government. The Marasharite Empire had continued to wage wars in the Great Amulak Spiral. The Treaty of Adrianpole (February 17, 1568), had concluded the most recent war between Marasharita and Austarlia, by which Austarlian Emperor Maximilian II recognized Marasharite authority over the Danubian Principalities and Transylvania. Selim, then, had to turn his attention to the threat posed by King Peter IV of Greater Spamalka (1536-87), whose conquest of the Kingdom of Majorica (1549), had made him a much more formidable threat to the Marasharite Empire. Peter was allied with King Henry II of Lesser Spamalka (1566-67, 1569-79), whose kingdom had subdued Alegcircas in 1544 and had been involved in the affairs of Navarre, Franconia, and Vendragia. In 1570, the two Spamalkan Kingdoms allied with the Haxonian Confederacy, Genoa, the Knights of Malta, and Florence, and had declared war upon the Marasharite Empire. An extensive conflict over the Sicilian Wayward Colonies, Corisca, Sardinia, Epirus, the Morea, and the Ionias had ensued; the Battle of Lepanto (1571) was a decisive victory for the allied coalition, although the Marasharites overran Haxonian Cyprus. Nevertheless, by the beginning of 1572, Tunis, Cyrene, and Rhodes had fallen into the allied possession.
 * Thus, it would be to Selim's benefit to temporarily end hostilities with the Laurasian Empire. On June 24, 1572, following his request to the Imperial Laurasian Court, the Armistice of Latrice was signed. Negotiations then commenced at Kia, from July 8, 1572. The conclusion of the Treaty of Kia (August 1, 1572), ended military hostilities between Laurasia and Marasharita at this stage. By the terms of the treaty, the Emperor of the Marasharites agreed to respect Laurasian territorial rights in the Wild Marshes; to refrain from future expeditions into Laurasian territory; and to permit Laurasian troops to occupy Lynne, Multan, Carrhae, Immae, Edessa, Ctesiphon, and Nisbis for a period of thirteen years (to conclude August 1, 1585). The first stage of the Borderlands Wars therefore ended. Emperor Antigonus, in September 1572, conducted a victorious triumph upon Laurasia Prime; his subjects celebrated the conclusion of the war, and the Empire's military veterans were honored through a series of parades on Laurasia Prime, and performances at the Circus Maximus. Generals Cassius and Pompeianus were rewarded with the Order of St. Honorius the Liberator for their efforts; the Emperor granted additional annuities to the Praetorian Guards and his troops, and issued confirmations of their traditional privileges. This state of peace, however, would not last for long.

1573

 * 1573, the 73rd year of the sixteenth century, commenced with the Laurasian Empire once again restored to a state of internal and external tranquility; the suppression of the Clancian "Harmony" Revolt, in the Northern Central Core, in September and October 1572, had maintained the Imperial Laurasian Government's position in that region. As mentioned above, however, this state of peace would not last for long. On July 7, 1572, King Sigi'sio I Augustus, the last of the Jagellionian dynasty to rule over the Dejanican-Lithuanian Commonwealth, had died in Warsaw, Dejanica Major, at the age of 52. In accordance with the procedures provided with the Union of Lublin, he was now succeeded as King, by election, by the Dejanican Prince Furtislaw Chrobry, who became Furtislaw I of Dejanica. The new King Furtislaw, who had capitalized on his support with war-like, aggressive factions within the Diet to win his election, was determined to renew conflict with the Laurasian Empire and to continue the expansion of Dejanican power into the Wild Marshes, regardless of Laurasian assaults.
 * It was thus that in January 1573 that the King of Dejanica had issued orders to his military commanders to commence renewed offensives into the Empire's territory. Laurasian Emperor Antigonus II, however, thanks to the services of the Imperial Intelligence Agency, had caught wind of Dejanican preparations and now took preemptive action for his own offensives into the Dejanican Borderlands. On January 22, 1573, he departed from Laurasia Prime, and proceeded swiftly to Angelica Minor. Assembling his military forces at Corfu, Prima, Eric, Giron, Aspen, Roach, and in the Immortalized Cluster, he entrusted General Cassius with responsibility for the defenses of Laurasia Prime, and General Pompeianus with maintaining tranquility in the Central Core. It was on February 7, 1573, that the Emperor issued a declaration of war and launched a renewed invasion of the Commonwealth's territories. Laurasian forces made swift advances.
 * Orion was conquered (February 8-14); Black Chandlier followed on February 21, and on March 1, 1573, the Battle of Perbardy ended in another decisive victory for the Empire. Ernie and McIntyre were stormed that month (March 1573); Monique fell on April 4, followed by Kali (April 19); Flournoy (April 22); and Jon (April 28). Dequan and Antwone were threatened by Laurasian expeditions; then on May 4, 1573, the Battle of Podigniay ended in another decisive victory for the Empire. From thence, Outpost K999 and Laverne were overrun by Laurasian troops (May 6-17); Polotsk and the Dvina Straits were under serious threat by June 1573. King Furtislaw, on his part, now had other troubles. In December 1572, months after his predecessor's death, hostility with the Great Breffal Federation and the Great Republic of Novgorod erupted into full-scale war; by July 1573, Stardoub, Bryansk, Cherginov, Pulsk, and Ryazan had fallen into the hands of the Breffals, and the Dejanican hold over the Bug Trade Highways, Lodomeria, and Belarania was in serious jeopardy.
 * King Furtislaw also had to contend with a major uprising, by the Wormenian Confederation, in Little Dejanica against his authority; by border incursions from Brandenburg in Royal Pruthia, Pomerania, and Kuayvia; and by the threat of unrest in Ducal Pruthia, Northania, and Samogitia. Thus it was that on August 2, 1573, by which point the Laurasians had overrun Carrie, Polotsk, and Irving, that the King of Dejanica was forced to request for peace. An armistice was quickly concluded at Spacek, and on October 4, 1573, the Treaty of Ularia was signed. This treaty again restored peace between Laurasia and Dejanica on the basis of the status quo ante bellum; the Laurasian Empire, however, was permitted to keep all booty and spoils of war from this recent conflict, as compensation for Dejanican treachery. Emperor Antigonus, on his part, was forced, in October 1573, to dispatch General Sir Antiochus Julianus, then in command of the garrisons of Dromund and the lower Lacian Cluster, to Greyson. There, he repelled Xilanian raids and operations along the course of the Larkian Way, maintaining the Empire's position in that region.
 * On January 22, 1573, the future Emperor Maximinus I was born in Copleis, Vindictoria. He was the son of his namesake father, Maximinus Thrax (1540-93) and his wife Valeria (1547-1609). The elder Maximinus was a shipyard hauler for Katherine Drive Yards, while his wife Valeria worked as a maidservant in the households of several prominent personages in the Vindictoria star system, most notably that of Galerius Fundanus, 2nd Baronet Fundanus of Vindictoria (1513-94), who was one of the wealthiest landowners and game speculators in the Laurasian Empire at the time. Young Maximinus would be pushed by his parents during his childhood, and would work vigorously to advance himself, academically as well as personally.

1574

 * Yet as soon as peaceful relations were restored between the Laurasian Empire and the Dejanican-Lithuanian Commonwealth, military hostility between the two powers erupted yet again. On January 22, 1574, King Furtislaw I was assassinated at Krakow by magnates of the Little Masovian Confederation, which had arisen in December 1573 in opposition to his taxation and conscription policies. The Confederation believed that the King of Dejanica was a weak and incompetent military commander, and that he was not proactive enough in resisting the Laurasian Empire within the Galactic Borderlands. He was now succeeded to the Dejanican throne by Ariogasi I (r. 1574-86), originally a Prince of Transylvania, who had built a base of support in Masovia, Warmia, and Lodz. This King of Dejanica was a far more martial character than his predecessor, having fought as a mercenary in Austarlian and Transylvanian wars against the Marasharite Empire. He was determined to continue with the Dejanican advance into Laurasian territory, and wasted no time in bringing these plans to fruition. Dejanican General Josef Kasunzki (1519-87) now assumed command of the Commonwealth's forces and garrisons in Dejanican Lavella (March 18, 1574).
 * By May 1574, Dejanican forces had been assembled at all of the major strongholds in the Dejanican Borderlands, and were posed for a strike into the Kelvanian and Malarian Provinces once more. They were assisted in these efforts by the fact that Emperor Antigonus's government was then distracted by efforts to strengthen the defenses of the Lower Lacian Cluster, by Haynsian expeditions in the Hutsite Reaches and the OsonBoka Nebula, and by the activities of the Culloden Pirate Ring in the Neo-Merlite and Donguarian Provinces. Thus, on June 2, 1574, the Dejanican Diet issued another declaration of war, and Dejanican forces once again invaded the Wild Marshes. Kanjur and Morlan both fell quickly into Dejanican hands (June 4-11, 1574); on June 15, 1574, the Battle of Rojia ended in victory for Dejanican General Kaszunki.
 * The Kelvanian colonies of Bouchet, Parkins, and Lielle were then stormed by Dejanican units (June 17-22, 1574), and on June 24, Kelvania Minor fell into the possession of the Dejanicans once more. From thence, Kasunzki stormed Ursula and Guin (June 29-July 4, 1574); Ettleman was conquered on July 8, followed by Manzo (July 12); Evans (July 16); and Goodman (July 22-August 1). Laurasian positions in the Maluyta Nebula and along the Narvet Corridor were harried ceaselessly by Dejanican forces; Ularia fell on August 5, 1574, and Almastead found itself under blockade by Dejanican naval forces. Terell, Takrania, and Acabania were in Dejanican hands by the end of August 1574; Kamachina fell on September 8; and for the first time ever, Dejanican units entered the Central Core. Paradine was seized by a Dejanican expeditionary force (September 19, 1574); Williams was blockaded; and Dejanican units penetrated as far as the Clancian Trunk Line. Emperor Antigonus, who had suppressed the disturbances in the Neo-Merlite Provinces, now launched one final, and vengeful, counteroffensive in the Central Core.
 * On September 24, 1574, he decisively defeated General Kasunzki in the Battle of Palimsiano; Pasquarillo, Dramis, and Condtella were secure from Dejanican raiding expeditions. Williams was relieved (October 3, 1574), and Paradine was recovered four days later. The Battle of White (October 9-10, 1574), ended in a decisive Laurasian victory; Terell, Acabania, and Takrania swiftly fell back into Lauasian hands; and on October 23, 1574, Ularia was also recovered. Ettleman, Manzo, and Evans were overrun by the Emperor's forces in November 1574. On December 8, 1574, the Second Battle of Bouchet ended in a Laurasian victory; Laurasian units then drove the Dejanicans from Ursula, Guin, Goodman, and Parkins. Kelvania Minor was recovered on December 14, followed by Lielle on December 22. By the end of 1574, Laurasian forces were besieging Kanjur and Mordan, and raiding Ernie.

1575

 * The early months of 1575 witnessed the end of the Empire's renewed war with the Dejanican-Lithuanian Commonwealth. On January 2, 1575, the Battle of Carson ended in a decisive victory for Emperor Antigonus. From thence, he definitively expelled Dejanican units from the Kelvanian Provinces, including at Ansia and Morhlaim. The Battle of Gurlack (January 8-9, 1575), marked the continuation of the trend. McIntyre and Ernie were both stormed by Laurasian units (January 15-21, 1575) and on February 1, 1575, the Emperor scored another victory in the Battle of Shashanaya. DeAndre was then secured by Laurasian units (February 4, 1575), followed in quick succession by Polotsk (February 9); Irutsk (February 12); Black Chandlier (February 18); Monique (February 22); Novella (February 28); Nelson (March 1); and Jon (March 2). On March 10, 1575, following the Laurasian seizure of Amy and Irving, King Ariogasi I, now faced with vigorous Breffal offensives into the heart of Dejanican Ukraine, was forced to accept that his ambitions in the Galactic Borderlands, at this time, were impractical. That day, the Armistice of Fisher was signed, thereby marking the termination of yet another period of military conflict between Laurasia and Dejanica.
 * This was sealed in the Treaty of Meehan (April 4, 1575), by which McIntyre, Ernie, and Gurlack were conceded to the Laurasian Empire. In Xilania, with which Laurasia had exchanged blows since 1573, the Emperor's military commanders had gained further victories. Emperor Antigonus had issued a formal declaration of war against Neo-Xilanian Emperor Mugus VII (r. 1549-83) on January 7, 1575; during the course of the next three months, General Pompeianus had distinguished himself by a series of victories at Juxles, Orkhan, Bingley, Xilania Minor, Morg, and King, thereby humiliating the Neo-Xilanians. On April 1, 1575, Emperor Mugus, whose northern territories were suffering from Scottrian and pirate expeditions, and faced with the threat of war with the Mellorite Empire, had sued for peace. The Treaty of Ursula (April 28, 1575), saw the concession of King, Morg, and Alpha Secundi to the Laurasian Empire, and the payment of a $5.5 trillion denarii reparation, by the Xilanians, to the Imperial Laurasian Government.
 * Having obtained such victories in swift order over the Xilanians and the Dejanicans, Emperor Antigonus now sought to launch a renewed war against the Marasharite Empire, with the goal of subduing the Satian Provinces. Selim II, the Marasharite Emperor who had first instigated hostilities with the Laurasian Empire back in 1566, had died at Topacia on December 15, 1574, and been succeeded by his son, Murad III. Murad had inherited his father's conflict with Greater Spamalka, Lesser Spamalka, Florence, and the Haxonian Confederacy. In 1572, Selim had aligned himself with the Sultan of Granada, Muhammad V, and in conjunction with him, had instigated a vigorous series of offensives into Minorca, Gibraltar, Majorica, and Valencia. Marasharite forces also succeeded in recovering Rhodes, Lesbos, Chios, and the Peldavian Gateways; 1573 saw Marasharite victories at Doburja and Duborvinik, thereby reversing the string of earlier allied successes. By December 1574, most of the Sicilian Wayward Colonies were in Marasharite possession; Marasharite forces had also again seized Otranto and were campaigning in Presidi, Sienna, and Lucca. Haxonian forces, however, had entrenched themselves in Cyrene and Aegyptiania; Yemen, Aden, and the Hejaz were also being secured by Haxonian military units, and Mecca was even threatened by a Haxonian fleet in January 1575. The Marasharites also were at odds with the Great Breffals over Azov, Taganrog, and the Lower Don Colonies. In March 1575, a Haxonian-Florencian-Greater Spamalkan force would seize Athens, Corinth, Thebes, and Sparta, thereby imperiling the Marasharite position in the Grecian Provinces. Thus, conditions seemed ripe for the Emperor of Laurasia to make his move into the Tof Borderlands.
 * Emperor Antigonus's plans, however, were to now be disrupted. General Avidius Cassius, who had gained renown for his exploits in the Mellorite and Borderlands Wars, and had successfully maintained order within the Central Core, had by this point developed ambitions of grandeur. Believing that he was entitled to the Imperial Laurasian Crown, Cassius, from his operational headquarters on Melarnaria, had plotted rebellion against the Emperor. On May 9, 1575, Emperor Antigonus proceeded to Abraham, planning to take charge of the preparations for the Empire's renewed offensives into the Tof Borderlands. Just five days later, however, Cassius issued a declaration of rebellion from Melarnaria; he was himself proclaimed Emperor and Autocrat of All the Laurasians by his troops. The rebel General now sought to expand his own territorial base. Ecreutus, Palimisiano, Pasquarillo, Paradine, Williams, Goss Beacon, Evelyn, Hannah, Ruthania, and Teth were all under Cassius's control by the beginning of June 1575. The Emperor's own wife, Empress Consort Faustina, who believed that her husband would die soon, and sought to maintain her position at the Imperial Court, secretly encouraged Cassius's revolt. Moreover, Cassius had the support of the Prefect of Clancia, Sir Calvisitus Statianus (1510-75), who pledged his guards and military regiments to him. Cassius, however, soon found the tide of events turning against him.
 * The Governor of Goldaria, Sir Martinus Verus (1530-79), remained loyal to Emperor Antigonus, while the Duke of Christiania sent him a communique, on June 14, 1575, declaring him "mad". On June 19, 1575, Emperor Antigonus dispatched the Governor of Carina and Seejay Prime, Legate-General Sir Julius Hospes, 1st Lord Hospes of Mommica (1527-91), to the northern Central Core in order to suppress the rebellion. Hospes performed his duty brilliantly, and defeated Cassius in successive confrontations at Reoyania (June 24); Condtella (June 28); and Dramis (July 2). On July 5, 1575, Williams and Goss Beacon were captured by government troops, and Prefect Statianus resumed his loyalty to the Imperial Laurasian Government. By July 14, government forces had also recovered Ruthania, Evelyn, and Hannah, inflicting a series of humiliating defeats upon the garrisons loyal to Cassius. Cassius's support now collapsed, as he was unable to stand against the superior weight of government forces. Finally, on July 28, 1575, the usurper Emperor was assassinated at Ecreutus by one of his own bodyguards, who had been bribed by General Hospes's agents. With the assassination of Avidius Cassius, his rebellion completely fell apart, and by September 1, 1575, the entire Central Core had once again acknowledged Emperor Antigonus's authority. General Hospes secured possession of Cassius's corpse; he had the head chopped off, and dispatched it to Abraham.
 * The Emperor, who received it on September 7, refused to see it and had it incinerated by his troops. Emperor Antigonus now canceled his plans for a renewed war against the Marasharite Empire, and turned his attention to internal stabilization. He strengthened the garrisons of the Central Core, so as to prevent another rebellion; had more than 500,000 rebels attainted and executed or imprisoned during the ensuing months; and conducted a purge of the Praetorian Guards. On November 9, 1575, the Emperor made his arrival back to Laurasia Prime, and was greeted with acclaim by his joyous subjects. The Holy Synod conferred the titles of Xilanius Maximus, Marasharitus Maximus, and Malarius Maximus upon him. He reconciled with his wife, Empress Consort Faustina, whose health had taken a severe downturn. She died in Heliotrope on December 9, 1575, at the age of fifty. On his orders, she was given a state funeral, and interred at the Westphalian Cathedral. Laurasia was to remain at peace throughout 1576. In December 1576, the Emperor would celebrate a joint triumph with his son Grand Prince Commodus (Anninus, son of Lucius Verus, had died in 1574, aged only ten), and ordered for the erection of the Aurelian Column in the Governmental District of Christiania, to celebrate his deeds and victories in battle over the Marasharites, Dejanicans, Xilanians, and Mellorites.

1576

 * On March 7, 1576, the future Emperor Balbinus (r. April-July 1638), was born at the Colony of Neustria, Ompania, in the Tommian Province of the Laurasian Empire. The Ompania star system had been discovered by the Imperial Merchant Marine in 1502, and ten years later, the Colony of Neustria had been established on the Forest Moon of Ompania Major, which was a gas giant. By 1576, Neustria had a population of more than 1 million colonists, and was fast becoming a major medicinal production facility within the Laurasian Empire. Balbinus, born as Sir Balbinus Caelius, was the son of Sir Decimius Caelius, later to become 3rd Viscount Caelius of Soriana (1544-1606), and of his wife Aquilia (1549-1618). The elder Caelius served as Director of the Imperial Medical Research Laboratory at Neustria, and was one of the most renowned bacteriological researchers within the Empire at the time. He served on the boards of Christiania Pharmaceuticals and AstraZeneca Research Firms, and also owned numerous properties throughout the Core Worlds. The younger Caelius would be raised in great luxury during the earliest years of his life.

1577

 * 1577, the 77th year of the sixteenth century, commenced with the Laurasian Empire still residing in a state of overall peace and tranquility. This persisted throughout the first months of the year. Emperor Antigonus II, who would become known as the "Mediator" by his subjects, primarily due to his extensive publications on matters of philosophy and theology, and his perceived connections with the Almitian Church, nevertheless embarked, in January 1577, upon a move which proved to be very controversial for his subjects, and which was criticized by historians of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. On January 15, in a proclamation from the Quencilvanian Palace, the Emperor formally named his son, Grand Prince Commodus, as his heir apparent to the Imperial Laurasian Crown. This decision broke with the tradition, which had continued since 1498, of an Emperor naming his adopted son as his successor, not one of his own blood. Commodus, who was only fifteen years old at the time that the Emperor announced his decision, would prove to be a tyrannical and indulgent Emperor who had little concern for the affairs of the Empire. Unaware of the faults in his son's character, and seeking to provide him both administrative and military experience, the Emperor named him to the Governing Senate, appointed him as a secretary of the Imperial Chancellory, and assigned him to duty with the Praetorian Guards on Laurasia Prime. During the last three years of his reign, he would continue with his efforts to prepare Commodus for his impending imperial dignity.
 * As regards to matters beyond the Empire, events proceeded quickly towards the resumption of war. Marasharite Emperor Murad III, from February 1577, intensified his efforts against the coalition of the Haxonian Confederacy, Greater Spamalka, Lesser Spamalka, the Knights of Malta, and Florence which had been at conflict with the Empire since the beginning of the decade. In conjunction with Grenada and the Marinid dynasty of Morocco (with whom the Marasharites concluded a formal military alliance in March 1576), the Marasharite Emperor conducted a series of campaigns in Aetolia, the Morea, Epirus, Rhodes, Cyprus, and the Barbary States against the coalition. In March and April 1577, Athens, Corinth, Sparta, and Thebes were recovered by Marasharite forces; from thence, the Marasharites defeated the coalition in confrontations at Patras, Kalamata, Algion, Argos, and Mycenae. Marasharite control of Cyprus was consolidated, and the Haxonians found themselves ejected from Parga, Nicopolis, and Prevenza in Epirus.
 * By August 1577, with Marasharite forces having secured Lucca and Benevento, advancing into Urbani and Anti, and besieging Majorica, while the Granadians had advanced forth in Andalusia, the allied coalition was finally forced to make their peace with their adversaries. Negotiations began that month at Vesperra in Macedonica; the Treaty of Vesperra (September 19, 1577), ended the Marasharite-Coalition War of 1570-77. By the terms of this agreement, Cyprus was confirmed to be in the possession of the Marasharite Empire (and would remain so until 1718). The Haxonians agreed to abandon Cyrene and Tripoli, to withdraw support for the potentates of the Hejaz, Aden, and Yemen, and to recognize Marasharite jurisdiction over the Morea, Aetolia, and Epirus. Granada and the Spamalkan Kingdoms were to revert to the status quo ante bellum; Marasharita agreed to withdraw its military forces from Lucca, Sienna, the State of the Presidi, Benevento, and the Romagna. The Scilian Wayward Colonies were to be occupied by the Marasharites for a period of ten years (to conclude October 1, 1587). Moreover, the coalition powers recognized Marasharite rights to campaign in the Caladarian Galaxy and in the Angelina Spiral against the Haynsian Despotate.
 * The conclusion of this treaty now allowed Emperor Murad to turn his attention to the affairs with the Laurasian Empire. He and his Grand Council simmered about the terms of the Treaty of Kia, and were determined to reverse its provisions. Therefore, during October and November 1577, the Emperor of Marasharita began assembling his military units at Billy Gasis, Latrice, Donna, Teller, Imegina, Karlong, Ung, Kumong, Bucharina, Marson, Kerch, and in the Tof Borderlands, determined to recover the Satian Provinces and to push back into Laurasian Solidarita. Finally, on December 8, 1577, the Grand Council issued a declaration of war against the Empire; Emperor Murad had the Laurasian Ambassador, Sir Publis Antonkios, 2nd Baron Antonkios of Turnquist (1516-1601), imprisoned at the Seven Towers. Emperor Antigonus therefore found himself at conflict with the Marasharites once again. Marasharite forces, now commanded by Grand Vizier Sokollu Mehmed Pasha, drove Laurasian units from Satie, O'Donnell, and Charlie (December 9-14, 1577). Then on December 22, 1577, Dejanican King Ariogasi I rejected the Treaty of Meehan and issued a renewed declaration of war against the Empire. Laurasia was once again confronted with conflict in the Wild Marshes and the Western Provinces.

1578

 * As 1578, the 78th year of the sixteenth century commenced, the Laurasian Empire of Antigonus II found itself once again at war with its new-found adversaries, the Marasharite Empire and the Dejanican-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Marasharite forces, under Grand Vizier Sokollu Pasha and his chief subordinate, Subordinate Pasha Guashim Mullah, made a series of further advances against the Empire. Multan was seized by a Marasharite expeditionary force (January 8-14, 1578); Margery followed on January 28; and on February 5, 1578, the Battle of Gayle ended in a decisive defeat for Laurasian units under the command of Major-General Sir Antigenes Bresaius. From thence, Marasharite units recovered Carrhae, Emessa, and Nisbis in February 1578, thereby further humiliating Laurasian forces. The Marasharites also sundered Laurasian lines in the vicinity of Norah, and during the early weeks of March 1578, the Grand Vizier destroyed the Laurasian garrisons of Sermons, Chalaeguerie, and Abarmanthe. Emperor Antigonus launched a series of counteroffensives against the Galactic Frontier Route, focusing particularly on Keeley, Natalie, Adrianne, Tiona, and Abrianne; these moves ended in failure (March-April 1578). At the same time, the Dejanican-Lithuanian Commonwealth's forces in the Wild Marshes, under the command now of Prince Wolch Jalezca, made a series of major advances against their Laurasian foes. Jalecza stormed McIntyre (January 11, 1578).
 * On January 16, he repelled a Laurasian counter-offensive against Monique in the Battle of DeAndre. From thence, Laurasian units were driven from Sidbae and Gabourney (January 22-29, 1578), and on February 4, 1578, Ernie was besieged by Dejanican forces. Its fall on February 21 weakened the Laurasian strategic position in the outskirts of the Dejanican Borderlands. Gurlack then fell on February 24, and Dejanican forces pushed forth into the Kelvanian Provinces. Mordan, Kanjur, Angun, and Kelvania Minor all fell in succession (February 28-March 14), followed by Bouchet (March 16). On March 22, Meehan was subjected to the attack of a Dejanican expeditionary force; its fall on April 4 humiliated the Imperial Laurasian Government. By the end of April 1578, Onn, Alamastead, Manzo, and Acabania had all been conquered by the Dejanicans, while Marasharite Pasha Mullah had driven Laurasian units from Eaidon, Zoe, Skyler, Heaton, and Ipshilion. May 1578 saw Dejanican forces securing Takrania, Siri, and Malaria Outer, with penetrative raids being made into the Maluyta Nebula.
 * Then on June 4, 1578, Laurasian General Sir Demetrius Plesius (1522-78), suffered a humiliating defeat in the Battle of Ablincoln; he himself was slain at the end of the battle, and the Marasharites captured more than 80,000 troops of the Imperial Laurasian Army. Ablincoln fell into Marasharite possession as a result; Lincoln, Abraham, and Cibourney had followed by June 16, and on June 24, 1578, Roxuli was also overrun by Marasharite forces. Emperor Antigonus, whose health had entered a decline by this point, and who was disheartened by the prospect of having to face the Dejanicans and Marasharites yet again in direct combat, departed from Laurasia Prime on August 3, 1578; the previous month saw Marasharite forces penetrating to Massanay, Greisan, Wendy, and Crawford. The Emperor focused his immediate efforts on the Malarian Provinces, and arrived at Goodman on August 8; this world now became his chief operational headquarters. Evans and Ettleman fell into Dejanican hands during the latter weeks of August 1578, while the Marasharites attacked Wakino, Perry, Curry, and Kallista. This, however, proved to be the extent of their offensives in this year. On September 9, 1578, the Emperor defeated Prince Jalecza in the Battle of Siri, thereby preventing a further advance by Dejanican units to Pumos.
 * He then reconquered Manzo, Takrania, and Acabania (September-October 1578). Prince Jalecza's forces did breach the defenses of Terell and Welch, comprehensively sacking both systems (November 3-9, 1578), but then suffered a reverse at the Jar Asteroids (November 14, 1578). The Emperor also parried Marasharite forces in confrontations at Odika, While, and Ularies. December 1578 saw Laurasian units recovering Onn and Alamastead, and the Emperor prepared for further moves along the Narvet Corridor and into the Kelvanian Provinces. As for the Marasharites, General Pompeianus, supported by Legate-General Didius Julianus, recovered Cibourney and Abraham (September 1578), repelled Marasharite moves against Crawford and Greisan, and then won the Battle of Paragosh (November 4, 1578). From thence, the Laurasians captured a Marasharite convoy at Joshua (November 18, 1578).
 * Yet the closing months of 1578 witnessed the consolidation of the Marasharite position in the Angelina Spiral. Marasharite Emperor Murad III, determined to strengthen his Empire's dominion over its territories in the Caladarian Galaxy and in the Great Tesmanian Cloud, had embarked upon the process of subduing the remaining Genoan territories in the Angelina Spiral, and of compelling the Haynsian Despotate into allegiance. Thus, in April 1575, Marasharite General Gedik Ahmed Pasha (1519-82), a veteran of the Empire's wars in Hungary, against Malta, and in the Danubian Principalities, took command of the offensive moves into the Angelina Spiral. He responded to a request of assistance from the Haynsian Despot Neal III Karany (1569-81), who sought to secure his position against his enemies, and who in turn promised to conclude diplomatic arrangements with the Marasharite Government. In a series of swift military campaigns, Gedik Pasha subdued the Genoan colonies of Caffa, Soldaia, Cembalo, Matrega, Vospero, Cherson, and Calitra (April-July 1575); the capture of Tana, on August 2, 1575, completed the Marasharite assertion of rule over the Perekop Reaches and the Brigoff Stellar Nebula.
 * From thence, Pasha's forces attacked the Principality of Theodoros, with Theodoros, Mangup and Ikkerman being overrun by the Marasharites (August 4-19, 1575); on September 1, 1575, the last Prince of Theodoros, Alexandrios (r. 1568-75), who was of half-Byzzarian descent, was captured by Marasharite units at Isis, bound in chains, and then transported back to Topacia, where he would be imprisoned at the Seven Towers, and kept there until his death in 1584. By October 1575, all of Theodoros and Angelina Genoa had come under the rule of the Marasharite Empire. Despot Karany, however, had then betrayed his obligations towards the Marasharite Empire, and in January 1576, attempted to open diplomatic negotiations with the Imperial Laurasian Government. Thus, in March 1576, General Pasha advanced into the Haynsian Despotate proper. Doros, Greater Boravia, Karabusar, Semrnapoval, Badjay, Little Boravia, Chalaa, and Perekop fell into the hands of Marasharite units.
 * Then on April 7, 1576, he breached the Tauric Approaches, which protected Haynes, Balaclava, and Bahkchisiray; this feat would not be repeated again by a foreign enemy until 1771, during the Fourth Laurasian-Marasharite War. From thence, Balaclava fell rapidly into Marasharite possession (April 8-14, 1576), followed by Bahkchisiray on April 22. Haynes was then besieged from May 4, 1576; its fall nearly a month later, on June 3, completed the series of Haynsian humiliations. Despot Neal was himself captured by Marasharite troops, and transported to Tivran, where he would be imprisoned for more than two years. During that time, the Marasharites compelled the Haynsian magnates and nobles to swear an oath of allegiance to Emperor Murad, and occupied Batchbey, Quickbay, Quinta-il-vily, and the other strongholds of the Haynsian Slave Highway. Finally, on November 24, 1578, with the war efforts against Laurasia ramping up, Emperor Murad decided to settle matters with the Haynsian Despotate. He now released Neal III from imprisonment and allowed him to resume his position as Despot.
 * In exchange, Neal was to pledge himself as a vassal to the Marasharite Empire; to abstain from conducting foreign policy without the approval of the Marasharite Government; and to submit to the ratification of all his successors by the Marasharite Emperors. On their part, the Marasharites would provide the Despotate with an annual financial subsidy, for privileges of military transit in their territory, and use of Haynsian forces for future campaigns against the Empire's enemies. The Haynsians, moreover, were granted the right to launch unlimited raiding expeditions against Marasharite enemies at will. Neal submitted to these conditions in December 1578, and the Haynsian Despotate became a formal protectorate of the Marasharite Empire. Marasharite units established a diplomatic garrison on Bahkchisiray, and restored other occupied star systems to Haynsian authority. The Haynsian Despotate was to remain a Marasharite vassal for nearly two centuries, until its "liberation" at the Treaty of Kuchuk Kaynarca (1774). The Laurasians would soon encounter the forces of the Despotate in battle.
 * On July 12, 1578, the future Emperor Pupienus (r. April-July 1638) was born in Calamary City, Nezbit, of the Blackrian Province in the Laurasian Empire. Born as Pupienus Clodius, he was the son of his namesake father, Sir Pupienus Clodius (1540-1612), and of his wife Pulchra (1552-1625). The elder Pupienus, who had been named to the Governing Senate in 1576, two years before his son's birth, eventually became Governor of Nezbit (1583-91) and then Praetor of the Blackrian Province (1593-1602), before being made 1st Lord Clodius in 1606, by Emperor Demetrius Severus I. The younger Pupienus would be destined for a life of political and governmental service, and would be groomed for this life by his parents.

1579

 * 1579, the 79th year of the sixteenth century, witnessed a continuation of the hostilities between the Laurasian Empire on the one hand, and the Marasharite Empire, along with the Dejanican-Lithuanian Commonwealth, on the other. Emperor Antigonus focused his attentions upon the Dejanicans, determined to expel them from Laurasian territory, and to drive once more into the Dejanican Borderlands. On January 7, 1579, he lured Prince Jalecza to Timsies; the ensuing Battle of Timsies resulted in a decisive victory for the forces of the Laurasian Empire, with the Dejanican Prince losing more than 75,000 troops to a series of Laurasian offensives. Following this battle, Laurasian units definitively expelled the Dejanicans from Anjun and Bouchet (January 9-19, 1579), and on January 24, 1579, the Battle of Barbara ended in another decisive victory for Emperor Antigonus. From Barbara, Antigonus stormed the Dejanican base of Gibbs (February 1, 1579), and blockaded Kanjur, thereby preventing Prince Jalecza from using that stronghold to his advantage. A series of confrontations between Laurasian and Dejanican forces then ensued at Gurlack, Carson, and Lielle during February 1579; on March 4, 1579, the Battle of Parkins saw a Dejanican transport convoy falling into Laurasian hands. Kanjur finally surrendered to Emperor Antigonus on March 15, 1579; Kelvania Minor was recovered by him on March 22. Mordan followed (April 1, 1579), thereby marking the final expulsion of Dejanican forces from the Kelvanian Provinces. A final Dejanican move into the Malarian Provinces, against Onn and Siri, was defeated in the Battle of Raphael (April 4-7, 1579).
 * Then on April 18, 1579, Ernie was assaulted by Laurasian forces; its fall on May 14 brought Laurasian units back into the Dejanican Borderlands. McIntyre, McEntre, and Kevin were then subdued (May-June 1579), and on June 14, 1579, Emperor Antigonus humiliated Prince Jalecza again in the Battle of Siveria. Shashanaya, Flournoy, and Orion were all in Laurasian hands by the end of July 1579. Novella, Nelson, and DeAndre then became subject to a series of Laurasian offensives (August 5-14, 1579), and on August 22, the Emperor of Laurasia stormed Black Chandlier. Monique, Polotsk, and Jon were all blockaded by Laurasian forces. By September 1579, Laurasian forces were moving head first across the Dvina Straits and into Dejanican Lavella. Irutsk and Yakutsk were conquered that month, and on October 4, 1579, Spacek fell into Laurasian hands. Dequan, Antwone, and Dejan were then secured (October 6-14, 1579); on November 1, 1579, Monique and Polotsk both surrendered to the Emperor of Laurasia's forces.
 * November 1579, moreover, saw Laurasian units conquering Allen, Nancy, Ladelle, and Dakiewon, further humiliating the Dejanicans. On December 4, 1579, Prince Jalecza launched a major counteroffensive, and managed to humiliate Laurasian units at Scott. On December 14, 1579, the Battle of Pitt, however, ended in another victory for Emperor Antigonus; Fisher, Amy, and Irving fell before the Laurasians by the end of the year. As regards to the Marasharites, 1579 witnessed a strategic stalemate. The Laurasian forces, under Legate-General Didius Julianus, did recover strongholds seized by the Marasharites. Ablincoln was definitively secured on January 11, 1579; Roxuli (January 18); Eaidon (January 24); and Zoe (February 1-19), followed. Abraham was a tougher target, and did not fall until May 3, 1579. Laurasian units also drove into Multan, Margery, and Lynne, inflicting defeats upon the Marasharite garrisons of those star systems.
 * By July 1579, however, the Empire's forces had become stalled, for their attempts to storm Billy Gasis, Teller, and Jaeson ended in failure; Emperor Antigonus, on his part, was unwilling to invade the Tof Borderlands and the Muggal Cluster at this juncture. The latter months of 1579, nevertheless, did witness the first major expeditions launched by the Haynsian Despotate into the Laurasian Empire; this occurred in the Homidinian Provinces. Haynsian forces, under the command of Prince Emil-Karany, invaded from the Galactic Void in August 1579. They sacked the defenses of Taraning, Ian, Calms, Senford, Hemsley, and Gibbs-to-Lester that month; on September 4, 1579, the Haynsians humiliated a Laurasian border patrol in the Battle of Brlla. From thence, Dion, Yutzy, Peters, English Star, Kupferer, Gwendolyn, and Ryan fell victim to Haynsian raiding expeditions (October-November 1579). Haynsian units penetrated as far as Markis Prime, Maxwell, Kledis Var, and Halassion before retreating back into the Galactic Void at the end of December 1579. They seized more than eight million captives and nearly $5 trillion denarii worth of goods, equipment, and produce in this operation. Haynsian expeditions also struck in the Jarjanican Provinces, the Hutsite Reaches, and the Neo-Merlite Provinces; the Haynsian raiding operation against Plath, Skold, and Novina in September 1579 captured more than one million captives and plundered the treasury repositories in those star systems. All total, nearly three million captives were seized by the Despotate's forces in these secondary operations.

1580

 * The early months of 1580, the 80th year of the sixteenth century, witnessed the continuation of the Laurasian Empire's military offensives into Dejanican Lavella. Emperor Antigonus II, who had spent the better part of the last fifteen years waging war against the Empire's enemies, launched a series of further operations against the Dejanicans. Yemenk was stormed by a Laurasian task force (January 7-14, 1580). From thence, the Emperor's forces secured Lavelle, Latifah, Rhonda, and Levonda (January 22-29, 1580), placing the defenses of Lavella Major in serious danger. Podiginay fell into Laurasian possession (February 2, 1580); by February 22, Laurasian units had also secured LaWanda, Redd, Foxx, and Laverne. Fisher and Carrie were definitively in Laurasian hands by the end of February 1580. By this point, Emperor Antigonus had decided that in order to terminate the persistent Dejanican threat to the Empire's realms in the Wild Marshes, all of Dejanican Lavella needed to be conquered and incorporated into the Empire. Moreover, the Emperor contemplated the incorporation of the Corporate Sector, the Dasian Heartland, and the Tof Borderlands into the Empire, believing that this would improve Laurasia's political security and internal integrity. These ambitious plans, however, would come to nothing.
 * By February 1580, the Emperor's health had entered a serious decline. Exhausted by the exertions of war, Antigonus had suffered from intestinal and mobility issues from the preceding year, and found himself paralyzed by a series of panic attacks and heat strokes. On March 3, 1580, the Emperor undertook a sudden journey to Calms in the Homidinian Provinces, seeking to reorganize the Empire's defenses in those regions, and to prepare for his planned campaigns into the Tof Borderlands. His health, however, now declined further, and Antigonus soon found himself confined to his personal bedchambers. He now retreated to the Calarian Hospital in Vindobona. On March 7, he suffered a major heart attack, and his physicians now despaired of him. Realizing that he was dying, the Emperor confirmed his succession arrangements, and sent a message to his son Grand Prince Commodus, then on Darcia, enjoining him to always follow the commands of the Lord Almitis and to strengthen the Empire's position.
 * Then on March 17, 1580, Antigonus II, the Meditator, died in Vindobona, Calms, aged 58. The death of this Emperor brought an end to the Era of the Five Good Emperors, which had lasted since Nerva's accession to the throne in 1496, and had been one of the Empire's most important periods of economic and military expansion. Antigonus's son and successor, now Emperor Commodus I, was soon to reveal his traits of laziness, indolence, and greediness to his new subjects. At the very beginning of his reign, however, he won praise from his new subjects, and from many circles on Laurasia Prime and other major worlds of the Empire, by deciding to bring the Borderlands Wars to a definite end. Thus, Generals Pompeianus and Julianus launched a series of vigorous offensives against the Marasharites. O'Donnell, Charlie, and Norah all fell into Laurasian possession in April 1580; by May 5, Edessa, Immae, Nisibis, Carrhae, and Ctesiphon had also been secured by the Laurasian Empire's forces.
 * At the same time, Laurasian units in Dejanican Lavella conquered Delany, Ross, and Webster, maintaining the blockade of Lavella Major and Lavella Minor. Yet it was not until June 4, 1580, with the decisive Laurasian victory in the Battle of Pelaski, that both Marasharite Emperor Murad III and Dejanican King Ariogasi I, both of whom were facing renewed conflict in other theaters (Marasharita against the Great Breffals in Caucasia, Haxonia in Dalmatia and Epirus, and the Spamalkan Kingdoms in the Barbary States, Dejanica against Brandenburg, Denmarica, and Vendragia), decided to end their futile war with the Empire. On June 9, both monarchs sent a request for an armistice to the Imperial Laurasian Government. Emperor Commodus, determined to end the war as soon as possible, accepted two days later. Armistices were then signed with the Dejanicans at Molina (June 14) and Marasharites at Chappelear (June 21). Negotiations then commenced at Sadasko in the Tof Borderlands, among representatives of all three governments, in July 1580. The Laurasian Empire was represented by Generals Julianus and Pompeianus; the Marasharite Empire, by Gedik Pasha, Guashim Mullah, and Grand Vizier Lola Kara Mustafa (replaced after August 7 by his successor, Koca Sinan Pasha); and the Dejanican-Lithuanian Commonwealth, by Prince Jalecza and the Voivodes of Lavella, Minsk, and Klaipeda.
 * Finally, on September 23, 1580, the Treaty of Sadasko was signed, thereby bringing a final end to the Borderlands Wars, which had dragged on for some fourteen years. The status quo ante bellum was imposed in territorial matters, with Laurasia restoring all conquered territories and systems back to Dejanica and Marasharita. Both powers agreed to recognize the Imperial Laurasian Government's rule over the Western Provinces; to halt military expeditions into Laurasian territory; and to release all prisoners of war. In exchange, Laurasia agreed not to extend any diplomatic overtures, or to conclude any alliances, with powers opposed to their interests. The conclusion of the Treaty of Sadasko thus freed Emperor Commodus from the burdens of military conflict. Ratified by him, by Murad III, and Ariogasi I by October 14, 1580, Commodus now sought to celebrate the conclusion of the war. On October 22, 1580, the Emperor conducted a formal procession onto Laurasia Prime. He received the acclaim of his subjects; conducted a series of gladiatorial contests and parades; and issued a proclamation proclaiming the formal end of hostilities. Moreover, Commodus also presided over the celebrations for the five hundredth anniversary of Laurasian independence, following the end of the Dasian Yoke.
 * The Emperor now detached Generals Sir Clodius Albinus, Sir Pescennius Niger, and Sir Marcus Maximianus (1524-89), to maintain order in the Solidaritan Provinces; the first two were destined to become Emperors. On November 21, 1580, he crowned himself Emperor at the New Westphalian Cathedral with the Great Imperial Crown. Antigonus II had already been interned at the Cathedral, on July 4, 1580, and his memory had been blessed by the Holy Synod. His territorial ambitions would not be realized until much later; the Upper Burglais Arm would accede to the Empire in 1643, upon the conquest of what remained of the Mellorite Empire. The Dasian Heartland would not be conquered until 1682-83; Dejanican Lavella would not come under the Empire's jurisdiction for nearly another two centuries, until the First Partition of Dejanica in 1772. The Tof Borderlands would not be taken from the Marasharite Empire until 1739. The Empire's realms were now restored to internal and external tranquility as 1580 ended, but this would not last for long.

1582

 * As mentioned above, the Laurasian Empire descended into a state of internal and external tranquility during the first year of Emperor Commodus's reign. 1581 passed with the Empire passing through a "stage of calm", with nothing of great significance transpiring. The Emperor, who turned twenty that year, delegated governmental affairs to the advisers and subordinates which he had inherited from his father. These included Chancellor Sir Publius Paternus (in office 1577-82), Legate-General Sir Tiberius Pompeianus, who in March 1581 became Duke of Mariana Prime (along with his wife, Commodus's sister Grand Princess Lucilla, widow of the co-Emperor Lucius Verus), his father Sir Gaius Praesens, 1st Lord Praesens of Elizabeth (1528-90; he had married Praesens's daughter, Bruttia (1564-91), in 1579), Sir Titus Pollio (1529-83), who had served as Procurator-General of the Governing Senate since 1579, and Sir Auifidus Victorinus (1531-86), Mayor of Christiania from 1576 to 1583. While these personages took charge of the affairs of the Imperial Laurasian Government, and of the routine administration of the Empire (a departure from the practice of Commodus's predecessors), Commodus indulged himself in a series of gladiatorial tournaments, jousts, athletic competitions, and other public games.
 * He staged lavish and expensive festivities at the Circus Maximus and the Flavian Amphitheater for the benefit of his subjects; presided over the official processions, religious festivals, and public banquets in the city of Christiania; and patronized musicians, artists, writers, actors, performers, and the like at the Imperial Court. Moreover, the Emperor, by the decrees of June 8 and July 19, 1581, lifted many of the onerous property and public levy duties which had been imposed upon his subjects; expanded vacation and paid-leave privileges for the servants of the Imperial Household; and increased the number of holidays on the public calendar. He also staged a memorable occasion, in November 1581, in which more than $20 billion denarii worth of largesse was distributed to the Empire's subjects in all of the cities and settlements of Laurasia Prime.
 * These measures earned him the loyalty of the common populace, which he was to retain throughout most of his reign. Yet by March 1582, new issues were brewing for the Emperor. Grand Princess Lucilla, who loathed her brother's lack of concern for the governmental administration of the Empire, and disagreed strongly with his decision to end the Borderlands War, now became involved in a conspiracy against him. This was further fueled by disputes between her and Empress Consort Bruttia, who demanded absolute obedience from all of the ladies of the Imperial Court, including the Emperor's sister. From December 1581, the Grand Princess had been engaged in planning her conspiracy, holding meetings with fellow nobles and personages of her own household in Colombia, Ostia, and Osraninpolis; withdrawing more than $14 billion denarii from her personal accounts, and sending her agents among the Praetorian Guards, attempting to stir them up in her support. In this, she was assisted by Sir Marcus Annianus (1538-82), a Governing Senator and one of the wealthiest gentlemen in the Empire, owning estates in star systems from Taurasia and Aquilionia to Hunt Minor and Gedrosia Max, and by Sir Appius Quintianus (1545-82), a Captain of the Praetorian Guards who had served under Lucilla's father, Emperor Antigonus II himself. It would later be alleged that the Grand Princess was engaged in an affair with both of these personages.
 * On March 9, 1582, Lucilla finalized her plans: Annianus and Quintianus were to lead a party of Praetorian Guards and Imperial Marines to assassinate the Emperor while he attended a performance at the Galactic Opera. At the same time, the Grand Princess herself and a faction of Senators supportive of her would seize control of the communications at the Quencilvanian Palace; issue a series of manifestos declaring that the Emperor had been murdered; and announce the Grand Princess's accession to the Imperial Laurasian Crown. The Guards and Marines, bribed from Lucilla's personal accounts, would then surround the Senatorial Palace, thereby compelling the Senate and Council of Imperial Secretaries into ratifying Lucilla's accession to the throne. The conspiracy, if successful, would make Lucilla the first woman to claim the imperial throne in more than two centuries, since the time of Grand Princess Constantia. Two days later, the conspirators acted. Their plot, however, was doomed from the first.
 * The Emperor's agents, including Sir Sextus Perennis (1534-85), Praetorian Prefect of Laurasia Prime, had become suspicious of the Grand Princess's activities, and had taken to monitoring her correspondence, movements, and financial transactions. They thereby discovered the existence of the conspiracy. Perennis acted swiftly to quell dissent within the ranks of the Guards regiments and the Marines, arresting or confining those perceived to be susceptible to bribes by the Grand Princess's party. Moreover, he doubled the guard at the Quencilvanian Palace, and strengthened the regiments assigned to protect the Emperor. Perennis also waited for the Grand Princess and her faction to leave her personal bedchambers for the proclamation before having them searched; dozens of communiques were confiscated, as well as her personal computer, which contained incriminating material.
 * Thus, when Annianus and Quintianus tried to muster their supporters, the hue and cry was quickly raised. Within hours, they were in the custody of the imperial authorities and conveyed to the Fortress of Baureux, becoming the first prominent state prisoners there in the Empire's history. Grand Princess Lucilla herself, along with her supporters, were intercepted in the Public Squares of Christiania, restrained, and placed under house arrest at the Old Royal Palace. Emperor Commodus, hearing of his sister's treachery, proved merciless. On March 17, 1582, he issued a manifesto to his subjects, announcing that a "felonious conspiracy against my life" had been stopped, and that all involved would be punished for their crimes. On March 24, Annianus and Quintianus were both brought before the Governing Senate, accused of treason, les-majestie, conspiracy, and other offenses. Their conviction was a foregone conclusion; they were sentenced to death after just two hours of proceedings.
 * On April 2, 1582, both men, after having been stripped of their knighthoods and offices, and degraded from all honors, were executed at the Fortress of Baureux, in a front of a crowd of more than 350,000 persons; they became the first prominent state prisoners executed at the Fortress. As for Lucilla, she was, by the manifesto of April 18, 1582, deprived of the title of Grand Princess; stripped of all her honors, properties, and funds; and banished to the Monastery of Windowia Photis. She would not have long to live, however, and would eventually be poisoned on the Emperor's orders (November 9, 1582). Her husband, General Pompeianus, was spared from punishment, although he was dismissed from his seats on the Councils of Civil Service and Secretaries, the Governing Senate, and the Holy Synod; he was compelled to retire from public life, and retreated to his estates on Tyrania, where he was to remain until the end of Commodus's reign. The Emperor, in June 1582, conducted a purge of the Praetorian Guards; more than 15,000 Guardsmen were dishonorably discharged, fined, and exiled from Laurasia Prime.
 * Twelve of the sixteen Senators who had backed Lucilla were deprived of their titles and dignities, and kept in perpetual imprisonment at the Fortress of Baureux, the Post Settlement of Hepudermia, and the Secret Prison of Ipsus V. In September 1582, Sir Saetorus Desanius (1539-82), was assassinated, through the intrigues of Prefect Perennis and Chancellor Paternus, who had maintained contact with Grand Princess Lucilla during her conspiracy. Emperor Commodus was devastated by the loss of his chamberlain, though he was unaware of who was responsible for his murder. Perennis now took advantage of this to strengthen his own position, by implicating his colleague, Paternus, in another conspiracy with Sir Publius Julianus (1535-82), son of the great jurist Sir Salvius Julianus.
 * On October 11, 1582, Emperor Commodus had Paternus, Julianus, and a number of their "adherents" arrested and conveyed to the Fortress of Baureux. Tortured, they were forced to confess to plotting another assassination attempt against the Emperor's life. On October 24, they were convicted by the Governing Senate on all charges and sentenced to death. The sentence was carried out at the Fortress on November 3, 1582. Perennis was, on November 9, 1582, appointed Chancellor in Paternus's place; he would remain Chancellor for more than two years. Emperor Commodus also took a fancy to Sir Marcus Aurelius Cleander, 1st Lord Cleander of Beneventum (1542-90), who had served as a Groom of the Imperial Privy Chamber since 1567, and was accounted one of the most handsome and accomplished men at the Imperial Court. He had been married to Lady Demonstratia Salasia of Beneventum, who had died in 1580. In December 1582, Cleander became the Emperor's chamberlain and his chief favorite at the Court.

1583

 * 1583, the 83rd year of the sixteenth century, began with the Laurasian Empire emerging from the recent spate of conspiracies at the Imperial Court. Emperor Commodus, who had quashed two assassination schemes against him, now decided to return to his earlier luxuries and to retreat from the demands of government on Laurasia Prime. This he did on January 23, 1583, accompanied by Chamberlain Cleander and by the magnates of his Court; Chancellor and Praetorian Prefect Perennis remained on Laurasia Prime, supervising the Empire's affairs. Commodus now retreated to the Palace of Harmony on Clancia, which became his favored residence, and threw himself once more into athletic competitions, gladiatorial tournaments, and public games. In February 1583, he would compete in the Clancian Harmony Games, and would be awarded first place in every field of competition (from wrestling to swimming to track), in order to satisfy his vanity. He also continued to display the common touch by distributing largesse, medallions, and tax exemption privileges to many of his subjects in the star system. Yet war now ensued for the Empire: in the Barsar Regions. Laurasia and Anastasia had remained at an uneasy peace since the Treaty of Armenia Major in 1549. However, during the course of the next three decades, border disputes had continued to erupt between Laurasian and Anastasian garrisons; in 1571, 1575, and 1576, incidents occurred at Hannibal, Lector, Hamacaki Barka, Sharon Alfonsi, and Skye I, thereby displaying the heated tension that existed between the two states. In 1579, Narvada II of Anastasia had died, and he was succeeded by his daughter, who became Solana IV. Solana was determined to recover territories lost to the Empire in the Durant Cluster and in the Beatrician Bend; she also sought to restrict Laurasian military capabilities in the Barsar Regions. Thus it was that on March 19, 1583, the Empress of Anastasia issued an ultimatum to the Imperial Court on Laurasia Prime.
 * In this ultimatum, Solana demanded that the Emperor of Laurasia evacuate the Durant and Trans-Durant regions; concede Sejucia, Nicole, Redia, and Ruumlist to the Neo-Anastasian Empire; and create a demilitarized zone in the Ashlgothian Provinces. She also sought to revoke Laurasian commercial transit privileges in her dominions. Chancellor Perennis was alarmed by these demands, and acting on the Emperor's behalf, rejected them (March 24, 1583). Thus it was that on April 4, 1583, the Empress of Neo-Anastasia issued a declaration of war, thereby commencing the Laurasian-Anastasian War of 1583-85. Anastasian forces, over the course of the next three months, made considerable advances against their Laurasian adversaries. Angela Masia was assaulted by a Anastasian force the day that war was declared, and fell into their hands quickly. It was followed by Skye I (April 6). Then on April 8, 1583, two centuries before the annexation of the Haynsia by Empress Aurelia the Great, the Anastasian Prince Molvarda obtained a decisive victory over Laurasian forces under the Lord Heregevnia in the Battle of Lector. From thence, Hannibal, Stewart, and Muir fell into Anastasian hands (April 9-17, 1583). By the middle of May 1583, Thomas, Benitez, and Chelsea had fallen into Anastasian hands; another Anastasian victory, in the Battle of Hopkins (May 19-21, 1583), inflicted a further humiliation upon Laurasian arms. Nicole then fell victim to a sudden Anastasian offensive (June 1, 1583), and was quickly subdued. By June 6, Sejucia, Ginger, Zee, and Connelly fell into Laurasian hands; Stahl was seized on June 18. On June 22, 1583, the Battle of Safer ended in another victory for the Anastasians. By the beginning of July 1583, Stephanpoulos, Jeopardy, Strahan, Graham, and Trieste had all fallen into Anastasian hands. Emperor Commodus, however, now briefly emerged from his lethargy, and on July 7, 1583, authorized the appointment of Legate-General Sir Clodius Albinus, Lord Albinus of Therra, to take command of the Empire's forces. Albinus, who established his headquarters on Beatrice (July 10, 1583), now acted swiftly to halt the Anastasians.
 * In a series of confrontations with them at Timulis III, Sparton's Beacon, and Simon (July 12-19, 1583), he inflicted serious losses upon Anastasian expeditions. Although a Anastasian force proceeded to conquer Morley (July 22) and to sack the defenses of Armenia Minor, Winehouse, and Beverly Hereidu (July 28-August 7, 1583), they were unable to progress further into Laurasian territory. September 1583 witnessed Laurasian forces defeating their Anastasian rivals at Sejucia-Pax, Cal, and Pocket. On October 4, 1583, the Battle of Eliza Spencer ended in another victory for the Empire. Hemkura was then seized by a Laurasian task force (October 8-14, 1583), and on October 22, 1583, the Battle of Granada ended in a decisive victory for General Albinus. Sejucia itself was recovered on October 28, and a sharp confrontation at Jennifer (October 27-November 1, 1583) forced the Anastasian withdrawal from Ginger, Zee, and Connelly. Stahl, Simon, and Morley were back in Laurasian hands by the end of November; Thomas, Benitez, and Chelsea were recovered by December 10. On December 24, 1583, the Battle of Dana ended in a decisive victory for Albinus; Prince Molvarda was seriously wounded in the confrontation. Anastasian moves towards Jarman, Skold, Novina, and Harrison accomplished nothing. By the end of 1583, the Laurasian Empire's forces were on the offensive.

1584

 * 1584 witnessed the further progress of the Laurasian Empire's military forces against their Neo-Anastasian rivals, but also the outbreak of rebel tensions in the Hypasian Provinces, and of dissent at the Imperial Court. The early months of 1584 saw a succession of victories for the Empire's forces under Legate-General Sir Clodius Albinus, Lord Albinus. On January 8, 1584, the Battle of Stephanpoulos ended in a decisive victory for Lord Albinus; he captured the Anastasian General Molkotha, and more than 10,000 tons of Anastasian military supplies. From Stephanpoulos, Laurasian forces reconquered Graham (January 11); Strahan (January 12-17); and Trieste (January 22). On January 23, 1584, the Battle of Ipkit ended in another victory for Laurasian arms; Lord Albinus gained especial notice for repelling two successive Anastasian assaults upon his forward positions. Muir and Jeopardy were both recovered during the early weeks of February 1584; Hannibal and Stewart were blockaded by Laurasian naval units. Prince Molvarda now launched a surprise offensive into the Ashlgothian Borderlands Territories; his forces overran Tahon (February 11); Bryce (February 14); Zahlmann (February 17); Peterslie (February 22); Baiteman (February 28); and the Laurasian colony of Emmy (March 2-3). On March 8, 1584, however, this offensive ended when Molvarda's offensive units were surrounded by General Albinus's forces at Louisa; the ensuing Battle of Louisa resulted in a decisive victory for Albinus. Not only were the Anastasians defeated, but Molvarda himself was captured.
 * Bound in chains, he would eventually be imprisoned on Roastafaria Major. All of the above strongholds were back in Laurasian hands by March 14, and on March 17, Hannibal surrendered to the Empire's forces. Stewart followed on March 19; from thence, Laurasian units won the Battle of Martha (March 22-24, 1584) and then recovered Sharon Alfonsi, Skye I, and Hamacaki Barka (March 25-27). The Second Battle of Lector (March 28, 1584), fought four centuries after the death of Honorius the Terrible, resulted in more than 175,000 Anastasian troops and personnel losing their lives. Laurasian units now swept into Anastasian territory. Dickerson, Swabie, and Bledsoe were overrun in April 1584; Jarvis, Clarissa, and Brennan were all seized on May 4; and on May 17, 1584, the Battle of Schieffer ended in another decisive victory for the Empire. Nestos was conquered on May 22; then on May 26, Hospallia Minor was sacked by a Laurasian naval expedition. The minor colonies of Woodruff, Karl, and Ifill were then overrun by Laurasian units (May 28-June 5, 1584), and on June 11, 1584, Caesearea fell. Both and Talini Minoria were then overrun, and by the end of June 1584, Hospallia Major was being threatened by Laurasian units. July 1584 saw Damascus and Tiesting fall into Laurasian hands; by August, Laurasian units were penetrating to the Wild Marshes. Yet it was in that month that rebel tensions boiled in the Hypasian and Angelican Provinces. Since 1576, these territories had been under the rule of Governor-General Sir Ulpus Marcellus (1526-87), who was a veteran of the Anastasian War of 1546-49, the Mellorite Wars of 1555 and 1563-66, and the Borderlands Wars (to 1573). Governor-General Marcellus, imbued with a deep loyalty to the Imperial Laurasian Government, had sought to strengthen the Empire's hold in the region. He sponsored the establishment of colonies on Chesters (1579), Asturians (1581), and Lysimariana (1582). He strengthened the Lysimachid Barrier Defenses, constructing new outposts on Carbania, Gregory, and Mendoza; expanded the defenses of Angelica Minor; and sponsored numerous exploration expeditions throughout the Immortalized Cluster.
 * He also managed to suppress a minor uprising on Huerta Mongol in 1580. In spite of his efforts, however, the overall stability of the region deteriorated. Already, in November 1582, outbursts of civil dissent had occurred on Eric, Shineski, and Iverman; Corfu and Prima were both threatened by the Cordell Pirates in March 1583; and in November of that year, the Governor-General had to destroy a smuggler holdout at Mudd. On August 8, 1584, however, the Pictans, lead by Le Duan, erupted in rebellion against the Empire's authorities on Veldarania, which had been colonized in 1483 and had, during the following century, become one of the Empire's chief agricultural colonies. Duan, in his proclamation of rebellion, declared that he could no longer countenance subjection to the authority of a "foreign, distant power with no concern for the welfare of our species." By August 19, Bach Dang and Masan V had both defected to the rebellion. From thence, Le Duan defeated a government convoy in the Battle of Tonkin (August 22-25, 1584), and on September 3, 1584, won the Battle of Emerson. Van Dinh and Tram Singh then fell into rebel hands (September 4-14, 1584); Cassolar expelled its government garrison on September 29. Hue and Dan Nang were then conquered (September 19-24, 1584), and the defenses of Titiania Majoria, Londarania, and Angelica Minor were all placed in serious jeopardy.
 * Governor Marcellus now attempted to suppress this rebellion; he attacked rebel units at Evan, Roach, and Etienne (September 29-October 4, 1584), attempting in vain to reverse their advance. These efforts, however, failed, and Spencer fell into rebel hands on October 8. Aspen was then stormed two days afterwards. Emperor Commodus, angered by the outbreak of this rebellion, and then residing at Americana, now believed that the government's attention had to be focused back on internal affairs. On October 15, 1584, this view of his was fueled by an incident at the Circus Maximus, where Sir Jovian Urxurius (1535-84), a renowned Cynic philosopher of the University of Laurasia Prime, publicly denounced Chancellor Perennis before Emperor Commodus. He was immediately taken into custody, attainted, and executed for his defiance five days later. On October 28, 1584, the Chancellor, acting on the Emperor's behalf, sent a request for an armistice to the Neo-Anastasian Government. Solana IV, realizing that she had been defeated, decided to accept. The Armistice of Meridu was signed on November 4, 1584, thereby suspending hostilities between Laurasia and Anastasia. A conference, however, would not be convened until December 2, 1584, at Jack; negotiations would last for over a month. Then on November 14, 1584, the Emperor formally dismissed Marcellus from his position as Governor-General of Hypasia and Angelica; recalled him to Laurasia Prime; and issued a proclamation condemning the rebellion. On November 29, 1584, Legate-General Pertinax, who had gained further acclaim through suppressing the Qing Revolt on Kimanis Mooria in July 1584, was named the new Governor-General of those regions, and assigned the task of reasserting order in them. Then on December 3, 1584, Ambarac and Coleman both fell into rebel hands; Saigon, Ho Chi Minh, and Valeris V followed by December 11. On December 16, the garrison of Hypasia Minor proclaimed Lieutenant-General Baronet Priscus Masius (1519-86), who had been Marcellus's chief field subordinate, to be Emperor. Priscus at first refused to accept their acclamation, but on Ascentmas Day 1584, the Emperor proclaimed him a public enemy of the Imperial State. Thus, on the last day of 1584, he assumed the mantle of rebel leadership.

1585

 * 1585 witnessed two events: the suppression of the Priscan Rebellion by Legate-General Pertinax, and the overthrow of Chancellor Perennis from his position of predominance and influence. As regards to the Priscan Rebellion, rebel forces, under the leadership of Le Duan, made further gains against government forces. On January 3, 1585, the Battle of Londarania ended in a decisive victory for rebel units; this major Laurasian stronghold now fell into their possession. From thence, Masan, Song Dhu, and Hieshbig were stormed by rebel units (January 6-14, 1585). On January 20, 1585, however, a rebel move against Thang Gosong was decisively defeated by Pertinax in the Battle of Verlinum. Confrontations between rebel and government forces at Ho Chi Minh, Saigon, and Titania Majoria (February 1585), saw the balance of power gradually shift in the favor of the Laurasians. By March 6, Pertinax had reconquered Etienne, Roach, Aspen, and Evan; on March 14, he won the Battle of Jeremy, thereby inflicting a humiliating loss upon rebel forces. Cassolar was then secured (March 18-22, 1585), and on March 24, 1585, the Battle of Van Thang ended in another victory for Pertinax. By the end of March 1585, he had attacked and driven rebel forces from their footholds at Da Lat, Camng Ranh, and Vung Tau. Then on April 5, 1585, the Battle of Masan ended in victory for Pertinax. Spencer, Coleman, Ambarac, Cooper, and Emerson were recovered in quick succession (April 6-17); Hypasia Minor, Eric, and Giron were cleared of rebel units (April 22-24); and rebel expeditions were driven from the upper Immortalized Cluster (April 26-29, 1585). On May 4, 1585, Valeris V was recovered by Pertinax; he then suppressed disturbances on Sogan, Van Klep, and Qu'emia. Van Dinh and Tram Singh were recovered in June 1585. On July 18, 1585, Hieshbig was stormed by government units.
 * Finally, on August 1, 1585, Pertinax cornered and intercepted Le Duan and his chief lieutenant, Vuang Duah, at Dong Xoai; the ensuing Battle of Dong Xoai ended in a smashing victory for the Laurasian Empire. Two days later, Duan and Duah were both captured by the Imperial Laurasian Navy. There were bound in chains, placed on a prison transport, and dispatched to Laurasia Prime. On August 8, Veldarania, where the rebellion had erupted, was stormed by government troops; then on August 11, "Emperor" Priscus, who had fled to Hydarria following the fall of Hypasia Minor, was killed by starfighters (that destroyed his freighter) as he attempted to flee into the Wild Marshes. By the end of August 1585, all rebel tensions had been completely suppressed. On September 7, 1585 (two centuries before the conclusion of the Treaty of Nonsuchia Palace), Duan and Duah were formally paraded into the Laurasia Prime star system. Crowds of subjects jeered the two Hypasian rebels; objects were thrown at them; and they were publicly humiliated. On September 11, on the orders of Chancellor Perennis, they were placed on trial before the Senate and a assembly of prominent Laurasian nobles. The proceedings lasted only one day, and they were convicted of treason, conspiracy, and les-majestie. Their executions at the Fortress of Baureux (September 19, 1585), were witnessed by a crowd of more than one million persons, the largest such crowd of the sixteenth century. Over the course of the next three months, more than 100,000 rebels would be attainted and either imprisoned or executed for their role in the Priscan Rebellion. Perennis, himself, however, did not have any longer to live.
 * Emperor Commodus had been convinced by Chamberlain Cleander and his supporters in the Court, during the course of 1585, that Perennis was plotting to assassinate him and to seize the Imperial Laurasian Crown for himself. The Emperor himself had become jealous of Perennis's prestige and his influence within the government, and determined to now strike him down. On October 9, 1585, the Chancellor was arrested on the Emperor's orders, while presiding over a session of the Council of Secretaries, and conveyed to the Fortress of Baureux. He was not allowed to see the charges against him, and his pleas to the Emperor for mercy were denied. On November 1, Commodus attainted the Chancellor, and authorized Cleander to dispose of him as he wished. This was done on November 6, as the Chamberlain had Perennis and twelve of his servants executed by firing squad at the Fortress of Baureux, before a crowd of 300,000 persons. Thus, with one stroke, the Emperor had removed his chief minister. Then on November 18, 1585, Cleander himself was appointed Chancellor of the Laurasian Empire, Imperial Privy Seal, and President of the Council of Civil Service, thereby becoming the leading influence at the Imperial Court. He quickly proceeded to consolidate his power and took control of all public offices, controlling entry into the Senate, the Imperial Household, the Praetorian Guards, the military, and the civil administration; he even disposed of the suffectates of Christiania and the imperial governorships of the Empire. Cleander would remain predominant within the Empire for the remainder of the decade. Moreover, 1585 saw the conclusion of the Treaty of Jack (on January 18), which ended the Laurasian-Anastasian War on the basis of the status quo ante bellum.

1587

 * 1586 passed in "relative" tranquility for the Laurasian Empire, as Chancellor Cleander focused upon consolidating his position of power at the Imperial Laurasian Court, and within the ranks of the Imperial Laurasian Government. Emperor Commodus, who had elevated his chamberlain to such a high position of power and prestige, allowed for him to do virtually as he wished. Cleander now issued new regulations concerning precedence and heraldry rights at the Court; in March 1586, he granted "preferred" status to his own servants and courtiers, thereby degrading such nobles as the Dukes of Christiania, Constantinople, and Colombia. He maintained his iron grip over patronage: in June 1586, the Chancellor established twenty new suffecates for the Laurasia Prime star system, conferring these upon his supporters. He also conducted a purge of the Senate in August of that year, arresting and banishing sixty of its members from Laurasia Prime. Cleander reorganized the Quencilvanian Palace Guards; installed his agents in all of the major businesses and firms of the Empire; and established an elaborate intelligence network. He came to be despised by many throughout the Empire for his gluttony and greed. The Chancellor, however, kept an iron grip over the Almitian Church, and he compelled Chief Procurator Sir Willanius Courthania (1581-96), to issue injunctions and reprimand sentences against any who criticized his policies. Yet Cleander did introduce some beneficial innovations. He re-valued the denarii in September 1586, and modified the standards for interest rates, tax obligations, and bonds with the Imperial Treasury. And in November 1586, he issued new instructions to praetors and quaestors throughout the Empire, providing them with a clear set of guidelines as to how to execute their duties. Moreover, Cleander increased the annuities granted to the Praetorian Guards and the Imperial Marines, and he maintained the loyalty of the garrison of Laurasia Prime.
 * Yet 1587 saw the Chancellor striking against those who challenged him. In January 1587, the garrisons of Oxia Vixius, Ralina Vixius, Apathama Vixius, Little Mexicana, and Clackimaris experienced a series of civil protests against the Imperial Laurasian Government. During the course of the next two months, more than 150,000 troops of the Imperial Laurasian Army deserted from their garrisons. These engaged in attacks upon commercial and governmental convoys in the vicinity of Laurasia Prime; Depp, Mercedes, Andriana, Sargent, and Janesia were all harried by these traitors. Cleander now dispatched Legate-General Pertinax, who had returned to Laurasia Prime in December 1586, and been made Commander of the Planetary Garrison, to restore order. Pertinax performed his duty expertly; on March 28, 1587, he defeated a band of pirates near Augis V. Dearton's Gateway, Augis II, and Auggie then became scenes of confrontations near Laurasian and bandit forces; on April 7, 1587, the Skirmish of Reagan ended in a decisive victory for Pertinax. By the end of April 1587, most of the deserters had been killed or captured. On May 5, 1587, however, a soldier of the Garrison of Laurasia Prime, Maternus Brusius (1562-87), who had been denied promotion by the Chancellor's agents, and boiled over with grievances, attempted to assassinate the Chancellor in his sleep. He was, however, betrayed, and arrested by Praetorian Guards before he could reach the Chancellor's chambers. Convicted by the Governing Senate on charges of treason and conspiracy, he was executed at the Fortress of Baureux over a month later, on June 22, 1587 (two centuries before the death of Jay XIV Karany, the last Despot of Haynsia). Then in November 1587, General Pertinax unmasked a conspiracy against the Chancellor by two of his enemies: Sir Antisius Burrus (1555-87), a brother-in-law of Emperor Commodus, and Sir Arrius Antoninus, a Gentleman of the Privy Chamber. Both men were attainted and executed at the Fortress of Baureux on November 25 of that year. Thus as 1587 ended, it seemed that Cleander was secure in his position of supremacy.

1588

 * 1588, the 88th year of the sixteenth century, began with Chancellor Cleander having faced down conspiracies against him, and maintained order within the Laurasia Prime Purse Region. Emperor Commodus continued to indulge himself in his personal entertainments on Clancia, and left the affairs of government to his chief favorite. This year saw Cleander take further steps to consolidate his position of power; he also instigated a short, but decisive war, against the Neo-Xilanian Empire. On February 9, 1588, the Chancellor gave a formal address to the Empire's subjects from the Quencilvanian Palace, and in this address, declared that it was necessary for the stability of the Imperial Laurasian Government that he consolidate more of the "State's resources" under his oversight. All of this, of course, was by the authorization, and on the behalf of, Emperor Commodus. Four days later, the Chancellor ordered for the arrest and imprisonment of Sir Atilius Aebutianus, the Praetorian Prefect of Laurasia Prime (1539-88), who had assumed his position in December 1585, succeeding the disgraced Perennis. Aebutianus was now accused of treason and conspiracy against the Empire; his pleas availed him nothing; and he was, on March 2, 1588, tried and convicted by the Governing Senate on all charges. His execution at the Fortress of Baureux on March 15 inspired revulsion throughout the Empire.
 * On March 18, Cleander took the position of Praetorian Prefect himself, assuming direct supervision over the Guards. He made an appearance at the Casta Praetoria, and earned the allegiance of the troops by granting them an increased donative. It now appeared to virtually everyone that Cleander was Emperor in all but name. And in many ways, that was true, for Commodus still remained away from Laurasia Prime. And the point was driven further when on April 6, 1588, the Chancellor declared to his subordinates his belief that the Neo-Xilanian Empire posed a serious threat to the security of the Empire's northern territories, and needed to be dealt with accordingly. Mugus VII, who had been Emperor of Neo-Xilania since 1583, was a weak and ineffective monarch; the Neo-Xilanian Empire itself was in terminal decline, and its military forces were no match for those of the Empire. On April 29, Emperor Commodus, acting on the "persuasion" of Cleander, issued a formal declaration of war against the Neo-Xilanian Empire. Matters were helped by the fact that the Marasharite Empire of Murad III was distracted by conflict with Dejanica, in the Danubian Principalities, and against the Great Breffal Federation.
 * Laurasian units, assembled at Eaidon, Zoe, Skyler, Roxuli, Abraham, and other northern strongholds, and commanded by Legate-General Pertinax (with Clodius Albinus as his chief subordinate), made swift advances into Xilanian territory. Juxles fell quickly into Laurasian hands (April 30-May 2, 1588). On May 7, 1588, the Battle of Orkhan ended in a decisive victory for General Pertinax, who humiliated Xilanian General Uggus in that confrontation. By May 23, Bingley, Xilania Minor, and Xilania Secondary had fallen into the hands of Laurasian forces. June 1588 saw Laurasian forces subduing Horeb Prima, the Satellites of Ursula, and Al-Durah. Then on July 2, 1588, the Battle of Kemp ended in a decisive victory for General Pertinax. Jin Minor now fell under siege from the Empire's military forces (July 6, 1588). It resisted for more than a month, but ultimately Laurasian military forces penetrated its defenses on August 9. By the end of August 1588, Jin Major, Boniface, and Calrissian were all in Laurasian hands, while Varta, Nandia Major, and Esperanza were seriously threatened. It was thus that on September 18, 1588, Xilanian Emperor Mugus sued for peace. An armistice was signed at Greyson on October 3, 1588. Negotiations then commenced at Massanay, culminating in the Treaty of Massanay (November 4, 1588). By the terms of this treaty, Kemp, Al-Durah, and Boniface were conceded to the Laurasian Empire. Laurasian military forces gained transit rights across Xilanian territory; the Xilanians reconfirmed all free-trade privileges granted to Laurasian merchants; and recognized Laurasian rights in the Wild Marshes. This treaty, ratified by both governments by the end of November 1588, thereby weakened Xilania's position and strengthened that of Cleander's. Cleander now conducted elaborate celebrations on Laurasia Prime, and staged a triumph to celebrate the end of the war (December 1588).
 * On April 4, 1588, the future Emperor Caracalla, known as the "Mad" (r. 1611-17), was born at Specilan Military Medical Post in Burgundum, Athens, which was a Laurasian colony thirty light years to the north of Elijahana. He was the eldest son of Brigadier-General Sir Demetrius Severus, the future Emperor Demetrius Severus I, and of his wife Paccia Marciana (1557-1617). The couple had married in 1575, but Paccia had experienced three miscarriages before giving birth to Caracalla. Caracalla's childhood would be dominated by movement from star system to star system, as his father's assignments with the Imperial Laurasian Military shifted.

1590

 * The year 1589 passed with the Laurasian Empire continuing to remain under the dominance of the Emperor Commodus's favorite and chief minister, Chancellor Cleander. The Chancellor had, during the course of that year, taken further measures which alienated the noble elites of the Empire and which demonstrated the extent of his influence at the Court. In March 1589, the Chancellor had conferred upon himself, and upon several of his associates, including Legate-General Pertinax and Mayor of Christiania Sir Willanius Vesvour, the Orders of the Imperial Garter, Antiochus the Great, and Seleucus the Victor. Neither Cleander nor Vesvour had participated in the Empire's recent military campaigns, or had ever taken a prominent role in the imperial military. Nevertheless, Cleander sought to demonstrate that all avenues of patronage were his. He lavished Vesvour, Pertinax, General Albinus, and the suffects of Christiania with numerous gifts, estates, and titles; in June 1589, the Chancellor was "awarded" Livadian Resort, the Estate of Calmos, and Fortunata Mansion by Emperor Commodus, and set upon developing these properties for his own use. In August 1589, Brigadier-General Demetrius Severus, the future Emperor (who was then forty-four years old), and was a veteran of every Laurasian conflict since the Mellorite War of 1563-66, was promoted to the rank of Major-General and named one of the suffects of the City of Christiania. Yet by January 1590, Emperor Commodus's regime, in general, had become widely unpopular throughout the realms of the Empire. The Emperor himself, who was growing increasingly paranoid, continued to indulge himself in athletic and courtly pursuits, and neglected the affairs of state.
 * Although he maintained the support of the common populace, he had lost it among the nobles, government officials, and courtiers of the Empire, failing to inspire their respect, loyalty, or affection. They compared him unfavorably to his father and to the other rulers of the Nervian Dynasty. Many of the Empire's elites considered Commodus to be one of the worst rulers in Laurasian history, on par with Antiochus III, Antiochus IV, Didius Julianus, or Honorius the Terrible; and that the Empire was disgraced with his presence. What incensed their opinions against him even more was that he allowed Chancellor Cleander to assume so much control over the affairs of the Empire, and laid no restraint on his actions. Tensions were boiling. On January 22, 1590, a notable incident occurred at the Imperial Academy of the Arts, where the Chancellor was dedicating the new Pavarian Gallery of Sculptures and Models. There, a crowd of unruly commoners denounced the Emperor's favorite, calling him a "beggar, liar, plunderer, coward, and consort of the Anti-Almitis" and demanding his head. Cleander had his guards disperse the unruly crowd; many of the crowd's members would be imprisoned at the Fortress of Baureux, the Post Settlement of Hepudermia, and the Neuron Plantita Station. During February and March 1590, a series of manifestos were circulated on the galactic media, decrying Cleander and providing a list of his "crimes". The Chancellor's efforts to suppress this libelous material did nothing. Events were swiftly turning against the Chancellor. On April 6, 1590, Christiania's high-rail system was disrupted by a series of failures in the city's transportation computer systems.
 * As a consequence, thirty of the city's sixty main lines were disabled; four hundred trains lost power; and a number derailed, killing more than ten thousand individuals. Difficulties intensified over the course of the next ten days, as the city's warehouses, public buses, and utilites systems all experienced major technical difficulties. Six quadrants of Christiania lost all electrical and mechanical power; in one quadrant, the city's maintenance bots turned on the populace, killing a number of innocent civilians and ransacking their properties. Cleander sought to bring these difficulties under control, and harangued the suffects and departments of Christiania. However, Sir Papirius Dionysius (1528-91), Suffect of Urban Transportation now successfully laid the blame for these issues on the Chancellor's shoulders, and encouraged his subordinates not to adhere to the Chancellor's orders. Although by the end of May 1590, the issues had been resolved, tensions had been increased to fever pitch: more than $300 billion denarii of expenses was incurred, and more than ten million individuals had experienced financial or personal injury. The Chancellor's popularity now hit rock bottom. Tensions finally exploded on June 20, 1590. A series of riots and demonstrations broke out in the thoroughfares of Christiania. Soon, a mob of more than sixty thousand ruffians descended on the Circus Maximus, where the Chancellor was attending a rancor race. Cleander, alarmed by this outbreak of disobedience, now dispatched a regiment of Praetorian Guards to disperse the crowd and restore public order. Legate-General Pertinax, however, had become ambitious, and was now opposed to the Chancellor.
 * He was encouraged in this state of mind by Sir Dionysius, who had aroused the city's notables to conspiracy. Pertinax had been appointed Chief of the Christiania Police Force and Suffect of City Administration in September 1589. He now ordered the Christiania Police Force and a detachment of public agents to oppose Cleander's guards, in direct defiance of the Chancellor's orders. The Guards, however, many of whom had been bribed by Dionysius, and swayed from their loyalty to Cleander, did not resist, and soon joined Pertinax's forces. Cleander was now compelled to flee for his life from the Circus Maximus, and from Laurasia Prime; authorities and garrisons across the star system were now openly revolting against him, and refused to recognize his authority. During the late hours of June 21, he got onto his personal starfighter and executed a swift journey to Americana, where the Emperor Commodus was residing. This was a vain effort, however, for the Emperor, who was now heavily influenced by his mistress Lady Marcia Demetrias (1559-93), decided to eliminate Cleander. The Chancellor made his arrival at Americana early on June 22, 1590, but was, on the Emperor's orders, promptly arrested and confined at the Palace of the Greats. Two days later, the Emperor formally attainted the Chancellor and his son, Anthemius. On July 4, 1590, Cleander was executed at the Palace of the Greats, in front of a crowd of more than 100,000 persons; his son was strangled to death in his cell at the Secret Prison of Ipsus V. The garrison and authorities of Laurasia Prime reaffirmed their loyalty to Commodus, on the urging of Pertinax, who sought for further advancement under his imperial master.
 * The Emperor now took further measures. On July 14, 1590, on his orders, Praetorian Prefect Sir Julius Julianus, the Emperor's cousin Princess Anna Fundania, Suffect Dionysius, and the Emperor's brother in law Sir Mamerintus were all arrested and imprisoned at the Fortress of Baureux. They were then interrogated by Pertinax and by the newly-appointed Chancellor, Sir Ecletus Suravius (1545-93). Finally, on August 4, 1590, all of these individuals were attainted and sentenced to death. Dionysius, Julianus, and Mamerintus would be executed at the Fortress of Baureux on August 19, 1590, before a crowd of more than 600,000 persons; Princess Fundania was banished to Kelby, where she would die on July 22, 1591. In September 1590, the Emperor formally disavowed his wife, Empress Consort Bruttia Crispina, and had her exiled to Pearl; she would die there on October 4, 1591, at the age of twenty-nine. The Emperor, who remained at Americana, nevertheless took more direct interest in the government. Affairs, however, were effectively handled by the Lady Marcia, Chancellor Suravius (far less powerful than his predecessor Cleander), and Praetorian Prefect Sir Quintus Laetus (1541-93), who had succeeded Cleander in command over the Guards. In September 1590, Arias, Manil, and Gogia revolted against the Imperial Laurasian Government, under the influence of the Arian nobleman Ortho. This revolt, as well as similar disturbances on Chandlier, Capital, Meaganian, Tommy, and Fitzsimmons, was quickly suppressed by Legate-General Pertinax. In November 1590, Pertinax was appointed to the Governing Senate; by now, he was conceiving ideas of possibly acceding to the Imperial Crown himself.

1592

 * 1591 and 1592 saw numerous acts of irrationality by Emperor Commodus personally, which at last destroyed his popularity with the common populace of the Empire, and which ultimately culminated in his assassination. The Emperor now took to using his pronouncements and iconography to stress his own status and position, disregarding the wishes of the Senate, Synod, Council of Civil Secretaries, and other institutions of the Imperial Laurasian Government. He sought to demonstrate his liberality, physical prowess, and his relationship to the Lord Almitis, reaffirming the traditional Almitian teaching that the monarch was that Lord's representative in reality. Innumerable statutes, monuments, and inscriptions throughout the Empire's realms, commissioned by Commodus beginning in 1587, portrayed him in the guise of the Angel Hercules, reinforcing the image of him as an Almitian agent, a physical giant, a protector, and a battler against beasts and men. Moreover, as Hercules, he could claim to be the messenger of the Lord Paul of Almitis, and to be in communion with the spirtual demands of Laurasian civilization. As 1591 progressed, these tendencies intensified to megalomaniacal proportions. Far from celebrating his descent from Antigonus II, the actual source of his power, he stressed his own personal uniqueness as the bringer of a new order, seeking to recast the Empire in his own image. On July 19, 1591, a combustive explosion destroyed the Cathedral of Sts. Vesta and Pax, which had been constructed by Seleucus I. Further accidents during the course of the next four days severely damaged the Grand Corridor of the Quencilvanian Palace, the Palatia Imperium, and the Seleucid Gardens.
 * Emperor Commodus took advantage of this incident to formally declare himself the "agent of Almitis". He now ordered for the cathedral to be reconsecrated in his honor and renamed the Cathedral of St. Hercules. Moreover, the Emperor erected statutes and portraits to himself, to the Angel Hercules, and to his family members in the Grand Corridor; mounted a tapestry in the Westphalian Cathedral, with the story of his "divine" origins; and issued a series of injunctions through the Holy Synod, adjusting the Almitian Mass, calling for Angel Hercules to be acknowledged in the liturgy, and adding a procession to the Church's calendar, in the Angel's honor. In September 1591, the Synod declared the Emperor "sacrosanct", and issued the Book of Jasher, which particularly emphasized Hercules's role in the foundation of the Almitian Church. Commodus also purged the Almitian Church's clergy; more than one-third of dioceses saw their prelates dismissed or translated by the Emperor between August 1591 and December 1592, as he sought to install his own supporters and associates within the church administration.
 * Then in January 1592, the Emperor implemented a series of name-change designations, to underline his own position. The Quencilvanian Palace became the Commodian Palace; all legions of the Imperial Laurasian Army became known as Commodian Regiments; the Governing Senate became the "Fortunate Commodian Senate", and the Holy Synod the "Fortunate Holy Herodian Synod", and the months of the year were changed to reflect the adoptive names the Emperor had taken, all of whom dealt with divinity and with Almitism. Moreover, the Emperor laid plans to construct a massive "museum" to his memory in Colombia; had a statute of himself erected over the entrance to the Imperial Mausoleum; and even gave orders for his insignia to be attached to the tombs of Seleucus I and of all Laurasian sovereigns since him. All of these follies were worsened by the Emperor's declaration that he intended to reestablish the policies of Honorius the Terrible, by resurrecting the Reginiks, that dreaded secret police and security force which had terrorized the Laurasian people and dominions four centuries earlier. The final spark came in November 1592, when Commodus participated in the Plebian Games on Robert (which had been organized since 1419, and would continue until 1696), and announced his intention to inaugurate the new year of 1593 as both a gladiator and Emperor. At last, the Imperial Household took action against him. Prefect Laetus, who had become Earl of Americana in December 1591, now formed a conspiracy with Chancellor Suravius and the Emperor's own mistress Lady Marcia, in order to supplant and kill him. Commodus had, in September 1592, drafted a new list of individuals whom he intended to execute or imprison, and Marcia had seen her name on that list. She therefore sought to save her own skin. Thus, on December 31, 1592, the Lady poisoned her master's food, served to him as his dinner.
 * The Emperor, however, vomited up the poison. The conspirators then sent Narcissus Marasius (1570-93), a page of the Imperial Household and a competitor in the recent Plebian Games, to assassinate the Emperor personally. Narcissus, who had Commodus's absolute confidence, succeeded; he caught the Emperor unawares in his bedchambers. Commodus was struck down with a vibrosword; by the time guards came in to restrain Marasius, he was already dead, at the age of only thirty-one, and after a reign of twelve years. Immediately following his death, the Senate, Synod, and Councils of Service and Secretaries convened; passed damnatio memoriae on the deceased Emperor, the first time in nearly a century that such a penalty was imposed upon a deceased sovereign; and abolished all of his name designations. The Synod revoked every injunction issued by the Emperor in regards to the Church's affairs. All of his statutes, including the one at the Imperial Mausoleum, were destroyed; his insignia, coin, and inscriptions removed; and his name effaced from public records. Moreover, he was excommunicated, and his plans for a museum in his honor were abandoned. The Cathedral of St. Hercules (whose reconstruction would be finished in 1595), was renamed back to the Cathedral of Sts. Vesta and Pax, and the Angel Hercules was removed from the Almitian hierarchy. 1592 therefore ended on a bad note.
 * On May 5, 1592, the future Emperor Gordian V was born in Swetha, Nathaniel. He was the son of another future Emperor (with whom he would briefly reign as co-ruler in March-April 1538), Gordian IV, who was then known as Gordian Semiporanus, and of his wife Fabia Orestilla (1565-1604), who was four years older than her husband and would die more than three decades before his brief accession, as a rebel claimant, to the Imperial throne. The young Gordian would be raised in comfortable, but shifting circumstances, during the early years of his life, as his father's military service took the family to various star systems throughout the Empire.

1593

 * 1593, the 93rd year of the sixteenth century, commenced with the Laurasian Empire having now emerged from the rule of the Nervian Dynasty, which had governed over the Empire's dominions since 1496. Nearly another century would pass before another stable dynasty would be established upon the imperial throne. The chief institutions of the Imperial Laurasian Government, having taken measures to eliminate all traces of the Emperor Commodus's reign, now moved quickly to select his successor. Towards 12:00 p.m. on January 1, 1593, the Senate, Synod, and Councils of Civil Service/Secretaries formally proclaimed Legate-General Pertinax, Head of the Christiania Police Force and Chief Suffect of Christiania, to be the new Emperor and Autocrat of All the Laurasians. The new Emperor Pertinax, who had served his predecessor in numerous capacities, was nevertheless determined to consolidate his own rule, and sought to disassociate himself with the previous reign. He therefore focused his efforts on restoring some of the measures of Antigonus II, ordering for the purity of the denarii to be revised upwards to 87%; issuing a series of manifestos to his subjects, proclaiming his fidelity to the traditional customs of the Almitian Church; and pardoning many of those who had been unlawfully imprisoned by Emperor Commodus and his agents. Yet from the very beginning, the Emperor had alienated the very factor which he needed to maintain his grip on power: the Praetorian Guards. He displeased the regiments by not immediately granting them a donative allowance, as had become common practice since the reign of Claudius. It was not until he dismantled Commodus's household, on January 28, 1593, dismissing his predecessor's numerous concubines and servants, before he finally gave the Guards a limited annuity of $1,000 denarii per soldier. The Guards therefore became dissatisfied with their new master, and believed that he did not intend to honor their privileges. In February 1593, the Emperor issued a series of instructions to the Guards through Prefect Laetus, attempting to impose higher standards of discipline. This only aroused further tension against him.
 * By the beginning of March 1593, these had escalated to new heights. On March 5, 1593, four hundred years after the murder of King Odoacer of Rudorita by Theodoric the Great of Halegothica, the Emperor averted a conspiracy by a group of Guards officers and Imperial Marines in Christiania to replace him with Sir Quintus Falco (1531-94), the Secretary of the Imperial Chancellory; Falco himself was pardoned, but thirty of the thirty-five officers involved in the abortive conspiracy were dismissed from the Guards and either imprisoned or banished. In spite of all his efforts, however, Emperor Pertinax could not avoid his ultimate fate. On March 28, the gates of the Quencilvanian Palace were rushed by a substantial detachment of the Praetorian Guards. Neither the Palace Security Patrol nor the Palace officials choose to resist them. Emperor Pertinax sent Prefect Laetus to meet them, but he sided with the insurgents and deserted the Emperor. Although advised to flee, Pertinax then attempted to reason with them, and was almost successful before being struck down by one of the soldiers. Following the assassination of Pertinax, the Praetorian Guards announced they would sell the throne to the man who was the highest bidder. Sir Titus Suplicanus (1537-97), who had become Mayor of Christiania following Pertinax's accession to the throne, and who had been his father-in-law, began making offers. Senator Antiochus Julianus, who had distinguished himself through his earlier service in the Neo-Xilanian War of 1588, the Anastasian War of 1583-85, and the Borderlands Wars from 1566-80, became the second contender. He was roused from a banquet by his wife and daughter, and hastened to the Casta Praetoria. Unable to gain access to the barracks, he stood outside the gates, and with a loud voice competed for the prize. As the bidding went on, the Guards reported to each of the two contenders, the one within the fortifications, the other outside the ramparts, the sum offered by his rival. Eventually, Suplicanus offered $100 million denarii to each soldier; Julianus, fearful that Suplicanus would gain the throne, then offered $225 million denarii. The guards immediately closed with the offer of Julianus, threw open the gates to their barracks, saluted him in the name of the Lord Almitis, and proclaimed him Emperor. The Senate and Synod, threatened by the Guards, hastened to affirm his elevation to the imperial throne, to recognize his wife, Manila Scantilla, as Empress Consort, and his only child Didia Clara, as Grand Princess. Emperor Antiochus V, as he was now called, hastened to devalue the Empire's currency, decreasing the purity of the silver denarius from 87% to 81%. This measure angered many on Laurasia Prime, and quickly turned many of its inhabitants against him.
 * He was derided in public wherever he went, and news of the public anger on Laurasia Prime spread throughout the Empire, and soon, the Generals Pescennius Niger (Governor-General of Venasia Prime), Demetrius Severus (Governor-General of Goldaria and Seejay Prime), and Clodius Albinus (Governor-General of Hypasia and Angelica), refused to acknowledge Antiochus Julianus as Emperor. On April 9, Niger was proclaimed Emperor by the regiments of the Venasian Cluster, followed by Demetrius Severus and Clodius Albinus five days later. Emperor Antiochus declared Governor-General Severus to be a public enemy of the Laurasian Empire (April 12, 1593), because he was the nearest of the three and therefore, the most dangerous foe. Deputies were dispatched from the Chancellory and the General Headquarters to persuade his soldiers to abandon him; General Sir Lysimachus Urus (1548-93) was nominated to supersede him; and orders issued to the Prefects to execute "this heinous traitor" as soon as the proclamation of treason was officially announced. The Praetorian Guards, who had not participated in active military operations since the reign of Antigonus I, were marched into the Campus Martius (on the outskirts of the City of Christiania), regularly drilled, and trained in the construction of fortifications and field works.
 * Demetrius Severus, however, aligned himself with Clodius Albinus, offering him the title of Supreme Commander of the Hypasian and Angelican Provinces and a position on the Council of Ministers if he in turn assisted him against his enemies. With Albinus’s support, Severus began his march towards Laurasia Prime. The garrisons of Hannah, Ruthania, Evelyn, Goss Beacon, Williams, Constantia, and Marshia defected to his cause during the course of April 1593, and he soon took Haujrau and Conservan by storm (April 30-May 4). Emperor Antiochus now dispatched Praetorian Prefect Sir Tullius Crispinus (1538-93), to intercept Demetrius Severus and attempt to reason with him. Severus, however, confronted him at Janesia (May 8-9, 1593), and inflicted a decisive defeat upon his forces; more than 100,000 governmental troops died in the confrontation. Crispinus himself was captured by the usurper Emperor, and was executed on his orders at Maroni four days later. The Guards, lacking discipline and sunk in debauchery and sloth, were incapable of offering any effectual resistance.
 * Emperor Antiochus, who was now desperate, attempted negotiations with his rival and offered to share rule of the Empire with him (May 15, 1593). Severus ignored these overtures and pressed forward; by May 24, the Clancian Provinces and the major Purse Worlds of Caladaria, Darcia, Clackimaris, Apathama Vixius, Ralina Vixius, Charasia, and Americana acknowledging him as their master. On May 26, 1593, the Guards, who had received secret assurances from Demetrius Severus that they would be properly "rewarded", and would not be punished for their assassination of Pertinax, took action into their own hands, arresting Prefect Laetus, Lady Marcia, and Chancellor Suravius; they also took custody of Narcissus Marasius, the assassin of the late Emperor. Then on May 31, the Senate and Synod passed a motion proclaiming General Demetrius Severus Emperor and Autocrat of All the Laurasians; beatifying Pertinax; and deposing Antiochus Julianus from the throne. On June 1, 1593, he was assassinated by some of his own guards at the University of the Laurasian Empire. His reign, which had lasted for only sixty-six days, had come to an end. Demetrius Severus took possession of Laurasia Prime shortly afterwards (June 6, 1593), and was acclaimed as Emperor by the population of the capital world. He now took vigorous action. On his orders, Lady Marcia, Laetus, and Suravius were all attainted, on June 10, deprived of all titles, dignities, and honors, and sentenced to death. Their executions at the Fortress of Baureux (June 22, 1593), attracted more than 800,000 persons, and aroused much comment in the circles of Laurasia Prime. They were then excommunicated by the Synod, and their remains were dumped in the Pit of Jadia. Emperor Severus also purged the officer corps of the Guards, replacing many of them with his own supporters and associates. Clodius Albinus was awarded his promised titles, and he acknowledged Demetrius Severus as Emperor (June 24, 1593). General Niger, however, who had now secured possession of the Outer Venasian Provinces, continued to call himself Emperor. Emperor Severus ordered Legate-General Sir Gaius Plautianus (1550-1605), destined to become Praetorian Prefect and Chancellor, to capture Niger’s children and hold them as hostages.
 * Niger, on his part, sought to consolidate his position. He seized Decapolia Major, Agac, Aflac, Podrac, Uber-Commerce, Archleuta, Colsonia, and the Venasian Triangle regions during May and June 1593. Moreover, the usurper Emperor secured the support of the Praetor of Monderon, Maxiliana, and Phyilis, Lord Aemillianus of Asellia (1529-95), who had been a loyal field subordinate of the late Antigonus II. Niger, however, had fewer military units at his disposal than Emperor Severus; Severus controlled all of the fleets, strongholds, and garrisons of the Laurasia Prime Purse Region, where the Empire's major military resources were concentrated. Governor Clodius Albinus, who controlled Hypasia and Angelica, also provided troops, funds, and equipment to Severus. Niger therefore tried to act aggressively, and on July 18, 1593, General Sir Lucius Clio, 4th Baronet Clio (1550-1609), one of Severus’s commanders, was defeated in the Battle of Rashid. Following this defeat, Rashid, Kolchad, Calpurnia, and Gitlandia capitulated to Niger’s forces (July 18-August 5, 1593). Emperor Demetrius Severus, seeking to arrest the advance of Niger, and to inflict a decisive defeat on his arms, moved out from Laurasia Prime to the Eastern Core Regions, sending General Sir Tiberius Candidus, Knight Banneret of O'Neal (1532-98) ahead of him. Niger, having made Bolgrahay his headquarters, gave General Aemillianus the task of defending Robbay, Bolgrahay, and Ipsus V. Emperor Severus reached Schaueria Prime in September 1593, and offered Niger the opportunity to surrender and to go into exile. Niger refused however, believing he would obtain victory in a direct military encounter. On October 7, 1593, Candidus clashed with Aemillianus in the Battle of Jean, resulting in a decisive victory for the government forces and the capture of Aemillianus, who was then executed on the Emperor’s orders shortly afterwards. Bolgrahay was placed under siege, and Niger was forced to abandon the world, retreating to Monderon. Bolgrahay remained loyal to Niger, and it would remain under siege by the Emperor Severus’s forces for over two years. Niger was then defeated again in the Battle of Aflac (December 14, 1593), but he was able to withdraw his units intact back to the Transitory Mists of the Venasian Cluster, and retained control of Duris, Maxiliana, Ka, and Hannis.

1594

 * 1594 saw the subjection of the territories under the control of usurper Emperor Pescennius Niger to those of Emperor Demetrius Severus. Yet it also witnessed the outbreak of renewed conflict in the Malarian and Kelvanian Provinces with the Dejanican-Lithuanian Commonwealth. On January 8, 1594, Emperor Severus, moving from his command headquarters at the Belts of Barton, launched a decisive assault against Niger's forces at Jean. The Second Battle of Jean resulted in a decisive victory for the Emperor; more than 200,000 rebel troops died, and Niger himself was forced into a humiliating retreat. Following this victory, Emperor Severus quickly secured Caroline (January 9); Jem (January 11-12); Boo (January 14); Dill (January 18); and Atticus (January 22). On January 26, 1594, the Battle of Lythia ended in another decisive victory for Severus; he and General Candidus now combined together to drive rebel units from Hordania, Dorothy, Bristalai, Compost V, and Decapolia Minor (January 27-February 4). By February 12, Archleuta, Colsonia, and Smithia had all abandoned their allegiance to Emperor Niger, acknowledging Demetrius Severus as their sovereign. General Candidus then defeated Niger's chief remaining field subordinate, Major-General Sir Euphemius Arstatius (1534-94), in the Battle of Rusum (February 14-15, 1594). Aflak fell into government hands (February 19), followed by Agac (February 24-25); Podrac (February 27); Maxiliana (February 29); Ka (March 2); Phyllis (March 8); Duris (March 11); Organia (March 17); and Athenis (March 22). By March 24, Vindictoria, Hannis, and Organia had also fallen into the hands of the Emperor's forces. On April 4, 1594, however, Emperor Severus dismissed General Candidus from his post, and appointed as his replacement the Lord Annulius (1547-1602). Annulius, who had previously served as Senatorial Governor of Clancia, vigorously pursued the offensives forth. He besieged and captured Venasia Secondary (April 8-14) and then on April 19, defeated General Arstatius again in the Battle of Tyrania.
 * Dayanie and the Prelone Asteroid Belt were then cleared of rebel units (April 22-29, 1594), and on May 2, 1594, the Battle of Istar ended in another victory for Annulius. Emperor Niger, seeking to arrest the government's advance, now met Annulius at Drennan, on the Kimanian Trade Run. The ensuing Battle of Drennan (May 5-7, 1594), was hard fought, but Niger was decisively defeated, losing almost all of his warships and over half of his personnel. Following this battle, Cadaria, Sanegeta, Hooper, Ruttum, Monderon, Lynne, and Anasia all capitulated to the Imperial Laurasian Government (May 1594). Niger, now realizing that all was lost, attempted to flee to the Mellorite Empire. On June 2, 1594, however, he was captured near Wakedia in the Robertian Provinces. On the orders of Emperor Severus, the usurper was bound in chains and transported back to Venasia Prime, which had been his "capital world", and which had now acknowledged Severus's authority. There, on June 8, 1594, after being attainted by the Emperor and deprived of all properties, he was executed at the Public Courtyard of the Queen Mother's City. Emperor Severus now published a series of decrees restricting many of the hereditary privileges of the Venasian nobility, and providing for limitations on commerce and communications, in response to their support for the rebellion. Niger's head, severed from his body, was taken to Bolgrahay, but the world still refused to surrender. Emperor Severus also punished all of Niger's supporters. His wife, Claudia, and his three sons (Pescennius, Septimus, and Nicanor) were executed at the Fortress of Baureux (June 21, 1594); all of his family estates, honors, and dignities were confiscated. By the middle of July 1594, most rebel territories except for Bolgrahay had been brought back under the jurisdiction of the Imperial Laurasian Government. Yet as soon as quelling the threat of Niger, Emperor Severus was confronted with the Dejanican challenge.
 * King Ariogasi I died in December 1586, having consolidated the Dejanican-Lithuanian Commonwealth's hold of Livonia, Pskov, and Yaroslavl following the end of the Stroganov War in 1582 with the Great Breffal Federation, the Great Republic of Novgorod, and the Denmarican Union. Following his death, a interregnum had ensued before in December 1587, Alexaigus II (1587-1607), was elected to succeed him as King of Dejanica and Grand Duke of Lithuania. The early years of Alexaigus's reign had been occupied by a renewed conflict in the Danubian Principalities, Podolia, and Ukraine with the Marasharite Empire; Dejanica allied itself with Austarlia, Haxonia, and the rebel confederacies of Montenegro against the Marasharite Empire and Haynsian Despotate, but the war of 1588-92 had accomplished nothing, save for the concession of Chochim and Kaidek to Dejanica in the Great Tesmanian Cloud. Moreover, King Alexaigus had to contend with civil uprisings in Galicia, Lodomeria, and Tesmanian Dejanica, and with the rise of the Kolbrow Confederation (1593). Yet by the middle of 1594, he and the Dejanican Diet had become convinced that a renewed war with the Laurasian Empire would extend Dejanican power, and could result in the recovery of Borderlands strongholds lost to the Laurasians. Thus it was on July 22, 1594, that the King of Dejanica had issued a ultimatum to the Imperial Court of Laurasia Prime, demanding for the revocation of the Treaty of Sadasko and for the restoration of McIntyre, Ernie, and Gurlack to the authority of the Empire. Emperor Severus, still focused on consolidating his own rule, but determined not to yield to these imperious Dejanican demands, ignored the ultimatum. Thus it was on August 9, 1594, that the Dejanican Diet issued a declaration of war against the Empire. Dejanican units, commanded by General Stanislaw Zosswoski, later to become famed for his exploits in Masacavania, Transylvania, and Denmarica, launched a penetrative invasion of the Kelvanian Provinces. Mordan was seized (August 11-14, 1594), followed by Anjun (August 18); Bouchet (August 19); and Kelvania Minor (August 22).
 * On August 24, 1594, the Battle of Kira ended in a decisive victory for Dejanican forces. Kelvania Major was soon blockaded, and the Laurasian colony of Barbara fell into Dejanican hands (August 28, 1594). Kanjur and Lielle both fell by September 6; then on September 19, Evans was seized by a surprise Dejanican expedition. From thence, General Zossowski seized Meehan, Manzo, and Siri (September 22-October 4, 1594). On October 9, Kelvania Major fell to the Dejanican-Lithuanian Commonwealth, constituting a blow to the Empire's strategic position in the Western Provinces. Ettleman, Goodman, Takrania, and Terell were in Dejanican hands by the end of October 1594. Yet Emperor Severus had, in the meantime, prepared a vigorous counteroffensive. On November 6, 1594, Welch and Johnald were overrun by the Dejanican units. They soon found, however, that they had overextended themselves, and the Battle of Sypert (November 11, 1594), was a decisive victory for General Plautianus, rising higher in his master's favor. Laurasian forces then repelled Dejanican assaults against Ursula, Odika, and White; the Battle of Foley (November 19-22, 1594), ended in another victory for them. Welch and Johnald were recovered in short order (December 1-5, 1594), and on December 8, Dejanican units were driven from the Maluyta Nebula. By December 11, Takrania and Terell were under siege by Laurasian forces; they were recovered on December 19, although McIntyre and Gurlack both fell into Dejanican hands. On December 24, 1594, the Battle of Takrania ended in another victory for Emperor Severus. Ettleman, Goodman, and Meehan were under assault by the end of 1594.

1595

 * 1595, the 95th year of the sixteenth century, commenced with Emperor Demetrius Severus I having consolidated his place on the Laurasian throne. Clodius Albinus, still Governor-General of Hypasia and Angelica, professed to be loyal to the Emperor at this stage, but was already harboring ideas of obtaining the imperial throne for himself. Yet Emperor Severus had to conclude the war with the Dejanican-Lithuanian Commonwealth, and he now took ready opportunity to do so. On January 5, 1595, the Battle of Manzo ended in a decisive victory for the Emperor's forces; Dejanican General Zossowski suffered a serious defeat there, losing 75,000 Dejanican marines. Meehan and Siri were then recovered by the Empire (January 8-13), and on January 14, so was Ettleman. Goodman proved to be a tougher nut to crack, but it finally fell on February 7, 1595. Kelvania Minor, Hadlson, and Kanjur were then recovered (February 8-14, 1595). Emperor Severus then launched a surprise offensive into the Dejanican Borderlands, storming Monique (February 19-22), Black Chandlier (February 26), Jon (March 2-4), and Shashanaya (March 8-13), in quick succession. Bouchet was recovered on March 18, followed by Kelvania Major on March 28. On April 2, 1595, the Battle of Flournoy ended in another victory for the Emperor of Laurasia; McIntyre, Ernie, and Gurlack were recovered, while Orion, Dequan, and DeAndre fell into Laurasian possession. By the middle of April 1595, Laurasian expeditions were penetrating to the outskirts of Fisher, Carrie, Irving, and Spacek. Thus it was on April 22, 1595, that King Alexaigus II, facing renewed war with Denmarica over Samogitia, Northania, and Pskov, and also contending with internal dissent focused on his government's taxation and religious policies, decided to conclude this latest, futile conflict with the Laurasian Empire.
 * On May 4, 1595, after an exchange of communications between the two governments, the Armistice of Dequan was signed. Ultimately, the Treaty of Dejana (June 11, 1595), restored peace between Dejanica and Laurasia on the basis of the status quo ante bellum. All military forces were to evacuate occupied territories; prisoners of war were exchanged; and full diplomatic relations, as they had existed prior to the war, were restored. In June 1596, Emperor Severus would conclude a Treaty of Commerce and Amity with the Commonwealth, which would last until 1611, and would regulate commercial relations, immigration, and border patrols between the two realms. The Emperor, in the meantime, had continued with certain domestic innovations. The Emperor provided for new annual allowances for the Imperial Household and the Praetorian Guards, and staged a series of magnificent games and public ceremonies on Laurasia Prime, seeking to gain the affection of his subjects. He also provided for renovations at the Galactic Opera, Imperial Academy of Sciences, and Galactic Gallery of the Arts (these projects were to continue for the remainder of his reign). Emperor Severus also finally completed the Aurelian Column, begun during the reign of Emperor Antigonus II to commemorate his victories in the Borderlands War. He was, however, soon confronted with other challenges.
 * The Marasharite Empire, in 1595, was still engaged in military conflict in the Great Amulak Spiral. Besides the war of 1588-92 with the Dejanican-Lithuanian Commonwealth, the Empire had also found itself at odds with the Haxonian Confederacy, Genoa, and the Great Breffal Federation during the 1580s. In August 1576, Murad III had issued a declaration of war against the Federation, seeking to take advantage of the death of Breffal Emperor Tahmasp I in May of that year. During the course of the next fourteen years, Marasharite forces, supported by their vassals in Georgia, the Haynsia, and the Barbary States, slowly advanced against the Breffals, conquering Alkathiskhe (1576), Tiflis (1578), Kars (1585), and Tabriz (1585), while compelling Armenia into vassalage towards them. The Battle of Torches (fought in May 1583) had ended in a decisive Marasharite victory, and Marasharite forces had advanced through Dagestan and the Azerbajani Territories, with the Haynsian Despotate launching penetrative raids into Inner Breffalia, Turkemenstan, and the Uzbek Territories. In 1586, Haxonia, then under the rule of Doge Antonio Venier (1582-1600), declared war against the Marasharites, but its operations in Inner Dalmatia, Epirus, Rhodes, Galatia, and Macedonica accomplished nothing. Genoa, moreover, launched expeditions against the Sicilian Wayward Colonies and Palestina, seizing Tel Aviv and Jerusalem in 1587 but achieving little else. Both powers sent naval and financial aid to the Breffals, and utilized their possessions in India and Muscat to attack Marasharite positions throughout Mesopotamia, Kuwait, and Arabia. This did not change the balance of the power. The Marasharites continued their advance against the Breffals, seizing Luristan and Hamadan (both in 1587). Finally, in 1590, Breffal Emperor Abbas I was forced to sign the Treaty of Topacia, conceding Tabriz, Kars, Tiflis, and the remaining Caucasian strongholds to the Marasharite Empire.
 * Then in 1591, Murad launched an invasion of Haxonia and Izonza, forcing Doge Venier to come to terms in the Treaty of Verona. By January 1592, Genoa had also been compelled to make peace, through the Treaty of Ferrara. In 1593, Murad became embroiled in war with the Celestial Kingdom of Scottria, then ruled by Robert III; this war lasted until January 1595, and resulted in the Marasharite acquisition of Bessarabia and Focasani, thereby forcing Scottrian withdrawal from the Great Tesmanian Cloud. Haynsian and Marasharite forces campaigned as far as Madelaine, Albright, Albemaine, and Dourif in that conflict. 1593, however, also saw the outbreak of the Long War, which pitted the Marasharite and Holy Austarlian Empires against each other. Austarlia was supported by the Principality of Transylvania, which had since 1576 gradually broken away from Marasharite influence, and was ruled by Sig'sio Bathory (1586-97, 1598-99), who was hostile to the Marasharites. Moldavia and Wallachia had also come under the rule of anti-Marasharite princes. Michael the Brave became Prince of Wallachia in September 1593, but within months, had rejected the over-lordship of the Marasharite Empire. Aaron the Tyrant, who first became Prince of Moldavia in 1592, aligned himself with Michael and Sig'sio Bathory against them in November 1593. In June 1593, Marasharita and Austarlia had already entered into a state of war; Bihac had been seized by the Marasharites the previous year. Gyor and Korozom fell into Marasharite hands that year, though they suffered a serious defeat in the Battle of Sisak.
 * 1594 had then witnessed Raab falling into Marasharite hands, though Austarlian moves against Komorom and Gran failed. This was the situation which existed when on January 15, 1595, Murad III died after a reign of twenty-one years. He was now succeeded by his ambitious and intriguing son Mehmed III. Mehmed's energies were absorbed by the struggle with Austarlia, Transylvania, and the Danubian Principalities, which was to rage for another eleven years. And indeed, Prince Michael the Brave launched a series of offensives that year, capturing Girugiu, Iasi, Bucharina, Braila, Harsova, Silistra, Focasani, Fidonsi, and parts of the Peldavian Gateways from the Marasharites. Nicpolis, Ricnic, Kilia, and Adrianpole would also fall, and the Battle of Calugareni (August 23, 1595) would end in a decisive Wallachian victory. The Austarlians and Hungarians, on their part, recaptured Graz, drove the Marasharites from Esterzgom, and penetrated into Croatia, the Banat of Temesvar, and the Pazak Cluster. Thus, Mehmed could not afford to engage in extravagant military adventures in the Caladarian Galaxy. He was, however, aware of the Laurasian Empire's recent internal troubles, and believed that he could stir more difficulty for Emperor Severus and his government by provoking the Mellorites of Homidinia, whose power had been in major decline following the fall of the Jalaid Dynasty in 1582, into war with the Empire. It was in June 1595 that the Emperor of the Marasharites sent a communique to the Mellorite Court on Scanlan, offering them subsidies and military advisers if they in turned declared war against Laurasia. Mellorite King Safia Barugia I (1582-89, 1590-99), accepted the Marasharite offers. The Treaty of Mocktrialis (August 3, 1595), proved for the provision of 600.1 billion Marasharite bajaks to the Mellorite Empire, and a corps of 25,000 military advisors, to be employed in military campaigns against the Laurasians. All expenses of the military advisors would be borne by the Marasharite Government.
 * Following the conclusion of this treaty, Safia Barugia began to strengthen the garrisons of Jacobs I, English Star, Coronadia, Wes, Moran, Edmundia, Mackenzia Major, Scanlan, and the worlds of the Corporate Sector. Finally, on September 29, 1595, he issued a declaration of war and launched a series of offensives against the Empire. Abitia, Peters, and Celia were overrun by Mellorite troops (October 1-7, 1595). Maxwell, Markis Prime, and Kledis Var then suffered from a series of Mellorite raids, and on October 18, Silverman was blockaded by a Mellorite force. Emperor Demetrius Severus, who had been at Methuselah, now demonstrated his speed and vigor by swiftly moving to Alyssa, in order to take command of operations against the Mellorites. Destroying Marasharite units in the Battle of Selma (October 22, 1595), the Emperor then reconquered Peters and Celia (October 28-November 3); defeated Mellorite units in the Battle of Marley (November 8); captured a Mellorite transport convoy near Yutzy (November 12-14); and then drove the Mellorites from Silverman (November 19, 1595). Abitia was recovered on December 6, 1595, and Laurasian units pushed against Englestrom, overrunning the stronghold within two days. Sonny followed on December 14. Although Laurasian efforts to storm Capone and Felix failed (December 16-19, 1595), Emperor Demetrius Severus did obtain a major victory at Parthia (December 21). Wes and Moran were soon overrun, and at the end of December 1595, Mackenzia Minor was placed under siege.
 * On January 15, 1595, the future Emperor Valerian (r. 1653-60), was born in Randanian City, Horacia. He was the son of Sir Antiochus Publius (1566-1625) and his wife Orestilla (1570-1613). Sir Publius, who was the scion of the respected Publius family, which owned extensive interests in architecture, mining, and transport throughout the Empire, became a Governing Senator in June 1597, two years after his son's birth. He also served in the Praetorian Guards, eventually rising to the rank of Brigadier-General in June 1610, and being named to the City Council of Christiania in 1612. Valerian's mother, Lady Orestilla, was renowned for her intelligence and learning; she spoke eight languages, including Huntite, Millian, Venasian, and Briannian, and was a scion of fashion, owning Orarian Lines, much favored by the noblewomen and gentlewomen of the Empire. Valerian himself would follow his father's footsteps into a career of military and public service, eventually enlisting in the Imperial Laurasian Army upon his eighteenth birthday in January 1613. He was to become the father of another Emperor, his son and co-ruler Gaillenus.

1596

 * 1596, the 96th year of the sixteenth century, began with the military forces of Emperor Demetrius Severus I continuing to vigorously pursue their military campaigns against the Mellorite Empire of Safia Barugia I. The Mellorites, in an act of desperation against the Empire, now sought to launch a series of counteroffensives into the Homidinian Provinces. These were commanded by Mellorite Prince Afria of Capone, who was determined to deal a blow to the Empire's strategic position. On January 2, 1596, a Mellorite expeditionary force penetrated the defenses of Lawson; the stronghold, which was caught unawares by this sudden offensive, fell to them within the day. From thence, Prince Afria's units proceeded to seize Halassion (January 5); Chalassion (January 9); Chalassia (January 12); Alyssa (January 16); Dromund (January 21); Demebezaic (January 22); and Digette (January 23). By that point, however, Mellorite supply lines had become overextended, and their position in the vicinity of the Lacian Cluster was vulnerable. General Plautianus took advantage of this to lure Afria's advance squadrons, under the command of Prince Kamagucha, to Wakino. The ensuing Battle of Wakino (January 25-26, 1596), ended in a decisive victory for the Laurasian Empire; Prince Kamagucha himself was killed at the end of the confrontation. Following this decisive victory, Laurasian forces quickly terminated Mellorite moves against Kara, Perry, Abitia, Drake, and Rutherford, and on February 5, 1596, won the Battle of Erica, storming twelve Mellorite command positions. Chalassia, Dromund, Digette, and Demebezaic were back in Laurasian hands by February 11, and on February 17, 1596, the Battle of Bonnie ended in another decisive victory for General Plautianus. Then on February 22, Bolgrahay finally submitted to the Imperial Laurasian Government, and the last remnant of Pescennius Niger's forces was eliminated. Having consolidated his authority over the Empire's central regions, Emperor Severus could now focus his attention to bringing this latest Laurasian-Mellorite War to a successful conclusion.
 * On March 2, 1596, soon after Alyssa and Chalassion were recaptured by the Laurasians, the Battle of Cassie ended in a decisive victory for the Emperor. Mackenzia Minor finally capitulated to the Empire two days later, and on March 9, a Laurasian expedition sacked Coronadia Minor, Rosalie, and Temhassion. Mackenzia Major was then blockaded from March 18, 1596; it fell ten days later, thereby inflicting a major strategic blow on the Mellorites. With the Battle of the Stygian Caldera (March 22, 1596), Mellorite forces were finally expelled from the Lacian Cluster. Capone then fell on March 28, followed by Mocktrialis (April 1); Edmundia Major (April 4); and Honoken (April 9). Jacobs I and Scanlan were in serious peril by the middle of April 1596. Yet it was not until the Battle of Volovran (April 29, 1596), before Safia Barugia I, realizing that the war was accomplishing nothing, requested for peace negotiations with the Laurasian Empire. An armistice was signed at Ambroz on May 4, and negotiations then commenced at Syr-Daria twelve days later; Plautianus served as the Imperial Laurasian Government's chief plenipotentiary to the conference. Finally, the Treaty of Syr-Daria (June 18, 1596), resulted in Capone, Mocktrialis, Englestrom, Sonny, and the Upper Lacian Cluster being conceded to the Laurasian Empire. All prisoners of war were released, and Laurasian merchants gained free-passage through Mellorite territories. The Treaty of Syr-Daria was ratified by the governments of both realms by the end of June 1596. Following the successful conclusion of the Edmundian War, as this conflict became known, Emperor Severus returned triumphantly to Laurasia Prime (July 14, 1596), two centuries before the death of Durthian Protector Philip William of Orange, and presided over a victory parade at the Quencilvanian Palace.
 * Moreover, he ordered for the erection of the Forum of Severus in central Christiania (which would eventually be completed in 1616). He also formally proclaimed his eldest son, Grand Prince Caracalla, then eight years old, as his heir apparent. This last proclamation finally aroused the Governor-General of Hypasia and Angelica, Clodius Albinus, to action. Emperor Severus had already begun to discuss with his advisers the possibility of deposing Albinus from his position and having him imprisoned at the Fortress of Baureux. In April, Albinus had barely evaded assassination by one of the Emperor’s Quaestors. In September 1596, Emperor Severus demanded that the Governor-General pledge him a direct oath of allegiance. Albinus, considering this an affront to his honor, and reminding the Emperor of the aid which he had given him previously, refused. Severus now proclaimed him to be a public enemy of the Empire and a traitor to the Imperial Dynasty (September 22, 1596). The Senate passed a declaration of condemnation, and Albinus was formally dismissed as Governor-General. Albinus refused to submit, and had himself declared Emperor by his troops and authorities (October 2, 1596). Four days later, he departed from Hypasia Major, seeking to secure his territories and to penetrate into those loyal to the Imperial Laurasian Government. During October 1596, Albinus's forces had a string of successes. He secured possession of Sommers (October 4); Abraham (October 9); Skyler, Zoe, and Eaidon (all October 12); Roxuli (October 17); the Western Redoubt (October 18); Massanay (October 22); and Sassanay (October 24). By October 28, Dennis, Shannon, Rastaborn, Greisan, and Wendy had all been overrun by the pretender's forces, and he now launched vigorous expeditions into the Northern Provinces, seeking to extend his power further.
 * Rebel units entered systems such as Julie, Karen, Drake, Rutherford, Kara, and Perry; his communications extended as far as Calms, Hemsley, Sanford, and Gibbs-to-Lester in the Burglais Arm. On November 6, 1596, Albinus defeated the Emperor's legate and newly-appointed Governor-General of Lacia, Sir Virius Lupus (1560-1606), in the Battle of Sheryl. From this, Quanna, Methusalah, Laronn, Big Twinny, and Frederickslandia fell into his possession (November 6-11); Vindictoria was blockaded (from November 12); and Hannis submitted to his authority (November 16). By the end of November 1596, Wakino, Abitia, Silverman, Marley, Derek, Sharman, and Homidinian Wyatt had also fallen into his grip. Yet Emperor Severus had allowed the pretender to overextend himself, and on December 7, 1596, he departed from Laurasia Prime, determined to assert his absolute authority over the Empire's realms. He now stormed Greisan (December 9); Wendy (December 11); and Rastaborn (December 14). Severus then proceeded to strengthen the garrisons of Cibourney, Coen, Deanna, Blackria, Nezbit, and Martina Mccasia, thereby preventing any rebel advance into the Core Worlds. He then drove rebel units from Vindictoria (December 21, 1596), and on Ascentmas Day, 1596, inflicted a severe defeat upon rebel General Sir Cassius Lagos in the Battle of Candlewell. By the end of the year, the Emperor had assembled the chief fleets of the Laurasia Prime Purse Region for a decisive stroke against Albinus, and had ordered General Plautianus to maintain the security of Laurasia Prime and the Malarian Provinces.

1597

 * 1597, the 97th year of the sixteenth century, began with Emperor Demetrius Severus engaged in a struggle with the pretender Clodius Albinus, seeking to assert his absolute dominion over the Laurasian Empire. January 1597 saw the Emperor score a succession of victories against Albinus. On January 7, 1597, the Battle of Sair ended in a decisive victory for the Emperor of Laurasia's forces; that stronghold was definitively secured, and rebel units were driven from the Western Redoubt. Big Twinny, Leopoldia, and Frederickslandia fell back into the central government's hands (January 8-11), and on January 13, the Emperor launched a daring expedition against Roxuli, recovering that vital frontier star system. Skyler, Ipshilion, Eaidon, and Zoe were back in his hands by January 16. His forces then advanced into the Western Provinces, quickly securing Veldarania (January 14); Titania Majoria (January 16); Londarania (January 18-19); and Cassolar (January 22). By the end of January 1597, Huerta Mongol, Que'mia, Hypasia Minor, and the Immortalized Cluster were all back in the central government's possession. On February 4, 1597, "Emperor" Albinus, seeking to halt this advance of his rival's, moved from Gwendolyn (which his forces were besieging in vain), and into the Solidaritan Provinces. Emperor Severus, however, was awaiting him, and now lured his rival to Lugdunum, a Laurasian colony on the Dali Trade Run. The ensuing Battle of Lugdunum (February 19, 1597), ended in a decisive victory for Emperor Severus's forces. More than half of the rebel warships were destroyed or captured, and nearly 300,000 rebel personnel died. Albinus himself was captured by the Emperor's troops. Presented before his conqueror, he begged for mercy.
 * According to the accounts of Cassius Dio, however, Emperor Severus refused to consider any option of mercy for him, and he ordered for Albinus to be attainted and executed immediately. Albinus died from a round of blaster-fire from the Praetorian Guards. His body was then mounted on a pike and sent into the empty vacuum of space, where it quickly disintegrated. His head, which had been severed from the corpse, was sent back to Laurasia Prime, both as a display of the Emperor's might and as a warning to any others who might consider rebellion. Albinus's wife and two sons were executed on the Emperor's orders and their bodies were incinerated. After defeating Albinus, Emperor Severus quickly secured the renewed allegiance of the Hypasian and Angelican Provinces, as their Lieutenant-Governor Pyrrhus was unable to resist who he now deemed to be his proper "imperial master" (March 1597). Moreover, the Northern Provinces were restored in their entirety to the Imperial Laurasian Government. The Emperor returned to Laurasia Prime once more, on April 5, 1597, but he was to have but a short convalescence there. In April 1597, the Imperial Intelligence Agency and Bureau of Foreign Affairs discovered that Marasharite Emperor Mehmed III (who was still bogged down in war in the Great Amulak Spiral against Austarlia, Transylvania, and the Danubian Principalities), had provoked the revolt of Clodius Albinus, by offering his leading officers bribes and even sending the General financial aid. Moreover, the Haynsian Despotate's raids into the Empire's territory had reached a higher tempo; between 1593 and 1597, Haynsian fleets were reported in the Burglais Arm, Dejanican Borderlands, Neo-Merlite Provinces, Central Core, Hutsite Reaches, and the Gedrosian Provinces, and plundered or harried more than thirty thousand inhabited star systems. 1595, in particular, had been a horrific year of raids: Haynsian expeditions sacked Strongstine, Abshire, Drea, Duana, Breha, Offshora, Reading, and Goni in that year, inflicting more than $10 trillion denarii in damage and seizing more than thirty million captives.
 * Emperor Severus, who had proved his prowess in battle by defeating Niger, the Dejanicans, the Mellorites, and Albinus in succession, now wished to complete what Antigonus II had started, and to bring the Satian Provinces under the Empire's jurisdiction. Therefore, on May 21, 1597, Emperor Severus sent an ultimatum to the Marasharite Court on Topacia, demanding for compensation to be paid to the Imperial Laurasian Government for the raids inflicted by the Haynsian Despotate and for the Marasharites to refrain from provoking any future tensions in Laurasian territory. Mehmed III, who had a corps of Haynsian and Barbary troops deployed in the Northern Reaches, refused to even respond to the ultimatum. Following this, Emperor Severus departed for Valeris V (June 8, 1597), and assembled his units in the Borderlands Territories for offensives into Marasharite territory. In July, war broke out, and the Emperor directed a general offensive into Marasharite territory. He received the allegiance of Abgar, the Satian Viceroy of Simmons (July 22, 1597), and soon stormed Marasharite positions on Margery, Multan, and Lynne (July 23-August 6). General Sir Julius Laetius, on his part, repelled Marasharite counteroffensives against Bach Dang, Ho Chi Minh, and Saigon (August 1597). A Haynsian raiding expedition, however, struck Angelica Minor, Giron, and the Immortalized Cluster (September 1597). They managed to inflict damage upon the fortifications of those worlds and to carry away some 1.2 million captives. Emperor Severus, however, now retired to Eric, and prepared for more extensive offensives into Marasharite territory. Following the Emperor's withdrawal to Eric, Mehmed III assembled his military forces and Haynsian squadrons under the command of one of his leading generals, Bassan Pasha, and ordered for him to advance into the Northern Provinces. Bypassing Laurasian garrisons in the Satian Provinces, Pasha assaulted Sommers, Eaidon, and Zoe (September 19-25, 1597), inflicting severe damage upon Laurasian positions and even threatening to breach the defenses of Roxuli. By October 1597, however, General Laetius, who had now been assigned with the defense of the Northern Provinces, had managed to repel most of the Marasharite offensives. The last months of 1597 witnessed indecisive skirmishing between Laurasian and Marasharite forces at Morg, King, Xilania Minor, Norah, Satie, Simmons, and other strongholds in the Borderland Territories.

1598

 * 1598, the 98th year of the sixteenth century, commenced with the Laurasian Empire's military forces continuing to pursue operations into the Satian Provinces. Emperor Severus was determined to reduce Norah and Satie to the jurisdiction of the Imperial Laurasian Government; to terminate Haynsian raiding expeditions into the Empire's territory; and to force Marasharite recognition of Laurasian supremacy over the declining Neo-Xilanian Empire. In a proclamation to his subjects from his operational headquarters on Eric (January 7, 1598), the Emperor of Laurasia blamed the Marasharites for actively fomenting dissent against the Empire, by supporting the claims of Pescennius Niger and Clodius Albinus, and by provoking the Mellorites into hostilities against the Empire. He and General Laetus now conducted a series of strategic operations in Xilanian territory, the Satian Provinces, and into the Tof Borderlands. Morg and King were secured against Marasharite assaults (January 8-14, 1598); the Battle of Mugar the Great (January 22, 1598), ended in a decisive victory for the Emperor, who had moved swiftly from Eric, bringing with him the 9th, 10th, and 17th Imperial Fleets, and the 2nd Imperial Army. Expelling Marasharite units from Montgomery, Marciano, and Poppy (January 24-February 2, 1598), the Emperor then launched a surprise offensive against Meneia. Meneia, which was besieged beginning on February 6, 1598, fell into Laurasian hands four days later. Marasharite General Zafir-Salim now launched a series of strikes into the Homidinian Provinces, attempting to blunt further Laurasian moves. Lawson, Mocktrialis, and Greyson were threatened by the Haynsian Despotate's raiding forces in that month; on March 7, 1598, the Battle of Christensen ended in a victory for Haynsian Nalga Neshim-Karany. From thence, Kylie, Silverman, Marley, and Chalassion fell victim to Haynsian raids (March 8-14, 1598). By the middle of March, however, the Marasharite-Haynsian momentum was fraying, and on March 19, 1598, a Marasharite expedition against Ryan, Markis Prime, and Maxwell was destroyed by Legate-Admiral Sir Gaius Petraeus (1534-1603), in the Battle of Curry.
 * Jaiden, Kalista, and Twining were then secured against Marasharite assaults, and on March 22, Petraeus obtained another victory in the Battle of Sonny. Then on April 4, 1598, Emperor Severus himself, whose forces had assaulted Adrianne, Abrianne, Guthmiller, Chromy, and Chappelear, destroyed a Haynsian raiding party in the Battle of Eaidon; Haynsian moves against Zoe, Skyler, Roxuli, and Ipskhilion also ended in failure, and on April 9, 1598, Lower Izzia fell to the Empire. With Charlie, O'Donnell, and Gayle firmly in Laurasian hands by the end of that month, the Emperor turned his attention to Norah. Norah was besieged beginning on May 2, 1598. In spite of the resistance of Marasharite General Abshif-Kareef, the stronghold proved no match to the Imperial Laurasian Military, and on May 24, 1598, its shield and minefield defenses were breached. Within two days, the world itself was securely in Laurasian hands. From Norah, Orkhan, Juxles, Bingley, and Kaming were all cleared of Marasharite units (May 24-June 12, 1598), thereby definitively hurling them into the Wild Marshes. Edessa, Immae, Carrhae, and the Pargurs fell during June and July 1598; on August 9, 1598, the Battle of Ba'dai ended in a decisive victory for Emperor Severus. Ra'dai, Billy, Sly James, and Natalie all fell into Laurasian hands by August 19, and on August 24, Pulaski capitulated to an assault by General Laetus's units.
 * By September 1598, Satie was being threatened by the Emperor's forces. Marasharite Emperor Mehmed III, whose forces were continuing to contend with threats in the Danubian Principalities, Transylvania, and in Marasharite Hungary, now ordered Bassan Pasha, Commander of the Garrisons of the Lower Tesmanian, to conduct a counteroffensive against the Laurasian foe (September 7, 1598). Pasha executed his instructions to the letter. He repelled a Laurasian move against Tiona (September 13, 1598); drove them from Natalie (September 22); and on September 25, 1598, won the Battle of McIver, preventing further Laurasian penetration into the Tof Borderlands at that juncture. By October 4, Kia, Billy, Sly James, and Pulaski had all been secured by the Marasharites, and they were now pushing to relieve Satie. On October 13, 1598, however, Emperor Severus intercepted the Pasha's units at Ctesiphon; the ensuing Battle of Ctesiphon ended in a decisive victory for the Empire. More than 200,000 Marasharite troops died in the confrontation; the Haynsians were prevented from providing auxiliary support to their suzerains; and Bassan Pasha himself barely evaded capture, with his flagship, the Kalaukui, falling into Laurasian hands. This would be considered perhaps the greatest Laurasian victory against the Marasharite Empire until that of Kagul, in 1770. Following this victory, Emperor Severus besieged Billy Gasis once more, reconquering the stronghold (October 11-15, 1598); Sly James, Pulaski, and Carly fell into Laurasian hands (October 22-28); and a Laurasian expedition sacked the defenses of McIver, Ferguson, Sissy, and Latrice Minor (November 1598).
 * Finally, on December 9, 1598, Satie fell after a siege of nearly three months. Emperor Severus was exultant about this victory, and celebrations broke out on Laurasia Prime, praising the Emperor's exploits. Mehmed III, by this point, had pressing concerns in the Great Amulak Spiral. Emperor Mehmed had himself conducted a renewed campaign against Royal Hungary and the Austarlian Archduchies during 1596; in October 1596, the Siege of Eger had ended in a decisive victory for the Marasharites, who then proceeded to take Gyor, Esterzgom, and Hungarian Brest. The Battle of Kerestzes (October 24, 1596), had ended in another decisive victory for them. Holy Austarlian Emperor Rudolfios II (1576-1612), however, launched a renewed counteroffensive against the Marasharites early in 1597; the Austarlians overran Papa, Tata, and Veszprem; they also stormed Gyor again. Komoarom had fallen to the Austarlians in January 1598. Thus, it was to Mehmed's benefit to extraciate himself from the fruitless war in the Caladarian Galaxy. It was on December 15, 1598, that he extended an armistice request to the Imperial Laurasian Government. Emperor Severus, who was planning an offensive against Beit Shalom and Donna Major, responded positively to this, and on December 22, delegations from the two states met at Teller. The Truce of Teller (December 31, 1598), suspended all military hostilities and paved the way for peace negotiations.

1599

 * 1599, the 99th year of the sixteenth century, opened with the Laurasian Empire of Demetrius Severus I arriving at the conclusion of the Satian War against the Marasharite Empire. Emperor Severus himself, who wished to celebrate his victories on Laurasia Prime, and to turn his attention once more to internal matters, prodded matters along to a swift conclusion. On January 26, 1599 (one century before the conclusion of the Treaty of Karlowitz, which ended the Great Marasharite War), delegations from the two governments formally convened on Latrice, in order to negotiate an end to the war. The Laurasian plenipotentiaries were Lieutenant-General Sir Julius Laetus, Chancellor and Praetorian Prefect Sir Gaius Plautianus (formally appointed to those positions April 5, 1597), and the Secretary of the College of Foreign Affairs, Sir Creon Marasch (1549-1617). The Marasharite Empire was represented by Basshan Pasha (1532-1614), Subordinate Vizier Galid of Perekop (1549-1607), and Haynsian Kalga Sirim-Karany (1558-1625). After over a month of negotiations, the Treaty of Latrice was signed (February 27, 1599). By the terms of this treaty, the Satian Provinces (including Norah, Satie, O'Donnell, Gayle, Charlie, Margery, Multan, Bingley, Orkhan, Juxles, and Kaming) were conceded to the Laurasian Empire. Haynsian expeditions into the Wild Marshes, and into the Empire's other dominions were to cease; all prisoners of war and captives seized in the military campaigns were to be returned. In return, the Imperial Laurasian Government pledged to return its conquests on the Galactic Frontier Route, in the Billian Provinces, and along the Galactic Frontier Route to the Marasharites; to recognize the Haynsian Despotate's vassal status, and servitude towards the Marasharite Emperors; and to refrain from commercial or intelligence expeditions in the Marasharite Galactic Void. The Treaty of Latrice was ratified by Marasharite Emperor Mehmed III on March 3, 1599, and by Emperor Severus four days later.
 * Upon the conclusion of this treaty, Emperor Severus instigated the construction of the Limes Saticus at Satie, Norah, Charlie, and O'Donnell, attempting to strengthen the defenses of these newly acquired star systems; the Limes would be completed in 1606. The Emperor then, on March 24, 1599, made his formal procession back into the Laurasia Prime star system, and conducted a victorious triumph there in order to celebrate his victories. Crowds of subjects adored their sovereign; fireworks displays, and an acrobatic performance by the Christiania Police Force, were conducted; and the Circus Maximus became the scene to numerous gladiatorial contests and other games. The Emperor, in May 1599, instigated the construction of the Column of Severus, in order to immortalize his deeds of victory over his enemies. The Column would be finished in 1603, and would contain visual depictions of the prominent battles of the 1590s. Then in September 1599, Severus, in accordance with the Seleucid Law of Succession, affirmed the position of his eldest son, eleven-year old Grand Prince Caracalla, as his heir apparent. Caracalla made his first state appearance soon after (December 6, 1599), sitting next to his father at a banquet held for foreign envoys at the Diplomatic Palace. As he matured, his father would begin to give him duties of administration and in the Imperial Household.

1600

 * 1600, the 100th and concluding year of the sixteenth century, passed with the Laurasian Empire's dominions continuing to persist in a condition of peace and relative stability. Emperor Demetrius Severus spent most of his time on Laurasia Prime in this year, focusing on the affairs of government and of the Imperial Laurasian Court. Little of note happened this year, except for the birth of a future Laurasian sovereign. On February 19, 1600, the future Emperor Demetrius Severus II was born at the Hospital of St. Joseph's in Christiania, Laurasia Prime. Born as Sir Demetrius Cornelius, he was the son of the Laurasian gentleman and Governing Senator Sir Marcus Cornelius (1566-1625), who was one of the most prominent orators in the Empire at the time, and of Lady Ulpia Severa (1570-1639). His mother, Lady Severa, was a second cousin, twice removed, of Emperor Demetrius Severus. As a consequence of this familial relationship, the Emperor himself attended the baptism ceremony, which was held at St. Katherine's Cathedral in Christiania. The young Sir Cornelius would be raised in great luxury throughout his childhood and teenage years.

17th century (1601-1700)
The seventeenth century commenced on January 1, 1601, and ended on December 31, 1700 of the Hyperdrive Era system.

1601

 * On January 1, 1601, vigorous celebrations were held on Laurasia Prime and in other star systems throughout the Laurasian Empire in order to mark the commencement of the seventeenth century. As 1601 opened, the Laurasian Empire had definitively established its position as the single-largest and most powerful state in the Caladarian Galaxy. The Empire's territories spanned from the Wild Marshes and Nicole in the west to the OsonBoka Nebula in the east, and from the Burglais Arm in the north to the Hutsite Reaches in the south. The preceding century had seen the extension of Laurasian rule over Kimania (1506), Hunt (1518), Lesia (1559), and the historic Homidinian Provinces, including most of the Burglais Arm and the Lacian Cluster along the Larkian Way (1566, 1596). Laurasia had also made territorial acquisitions from its newest enemies, the Dejanican-Lithuanian Commonwealth (the Dejanican Borderlands region) and from the Marasharite Empire (Satian Provinces), as well as from the older Neo-Xilanian Empire. Emperor Demetrius Severus had done much to expand the Empire's power and enhance his own reputation through his successful military campaigns against the Mellorites, the Dejanicans, and the Marasharites.
 * The Emperor was popular with his subjects and with the Praetorian Guards. Indeed, at the turn of the century, Demetrius Severus did engage in a series of administrative, military, and legal innovations. In 1599, the Emperor conducted a further, extensive reorganization of the Guards regiments. He now tightened admission procedures into its ranks, ordered for the establishment of new conscription and training centers on Laura, Christopher, and Gilestis, and sponsored the expansion of the Praetorian Barracks of Calaxis II. He renovated the Casta Praetoria, ordered for further leave and correspondence privileges to be granted to the officers, and in July 1600, sponsored a reorganization of the Imperial Office of Pensions and Veterans' Services, placing it under the jurisdiction of the Imperial College of Sentient Services. By the decree of March 17, 1601, moreover, Demetrius Severus would order for the establishment of a regular donative schedule for the Guards and for the normal regiments of the Imperial Forces; they were now to be paid on the basis of their performance, in addition to imperial holidays and Almitian festival days. He was also, in July 1601, to order for an increase in all salaries and annuities paid to members of the forces. In 1602-1603, the Emperor would revise conscription procedures, impose a new levy of 1 man for every 45,000 subjects in the Empire, and establish a commission to conduct an exhaustive review of all regulations relating to discharges, medical treatment, and performance evaluations.
 * The Emperor also took measures to counter corruption and to make tax collection more efficient. He granted greater administrative authority to the prefects and provincial governors alike, restricted the Senate's ability to demand reports from the authorities in the Senatorial Provinces, and in 1603, was to order the abolition of a number of superfluous districts in the Empire. He also subordinated all colonial governorships, garrisons, and corporate authorities to the jurisdictions in which they were established (decree of August 18, 1602). The overall trend of all of these innovations was a simplification of the administrative infrastructure. This was also seen within the Imperial Government proper, as the Emperor ordered that for every new regulation created by any college or bureau, two regulations were to be overturned (manifesto of August 18, 1601). In October 1601, he ordered for the Imperial Treasury to eliminate all payments and aid to organizations deemed "non-essential" for the purposes of the Imperial Laurasian Government, imposed a cap on the amount of spending authorized for the social and civil services, and issued a series of regulations to ease red tape, to give greater flexibility to lower-level functionaries, and to eliminate duplicate positions, departments, and commissions. He cracked down on peculation, fraud, and government waste, and in 1604, ordered the Council of Imperial Secretaries to issue an annual report on all funds dispersed for secretarial or bureaucratic purposes. Demetrius Severus also forbade the creation of any new orders or instructions by any college unless if they had been submitted to the Chancellor for approval.
 * Emperor Severus, however, was not popular with the Governing Senate; even now, many of its members still viewed him as a usurper. The Emperor's reforms, therefore, were also meant to reduce the Senate's influence and constrain its powers. This had already been seen by his limitations of its authority over the Senatorial Provinces. It was also seen by his prohibition of the creation of any new Senatorial positions, in April 1601. He re-instated a number of the decrees of Antiochus IV, forbidding Senators from conducting business transactions, taking leave from Laurasia Prime, or purchasing new properties without his permission. Moreover, Severus refused to let Senators have any access to confidential information or correspondence if they had not been seen by his ministers or members of the imperial family. In January 1602, Demetrius Severus implemented a unilateral change to the rules of precedence in the Senate, giving preference to those appointed on his merit, rather then those elevated from judicial institutions.
 * He also made the Senate's membership a target of his own vindictiveness. Between 1600 and 1605, the Emperor conducted a purge, ordering the arrest and imprisonment or exile of many of the leading Senators, along with their families. More then one hundred of them were treated in this manner. Moreover, Demetrius Severus confiscated their properties and expunged all public references to them in imperial records. With the Holy Synod too, the Emperor's relations were not the best. He paid little regard to the Almitian clergy, overruled many of the directives and regulations emanating from the body, and intruded into the administrative affairs of Almitian congregations, religious orders, and estates, placing an especial emphasis upon his own divinity, and that of the imperial line. Yet in spite of all of this, the Senate and Synod could do nothing against him. Even many of they admitted that his other innovations helped to improve the Empire's overall structure. His military successes had also done much to expand imperial power and prestige. Finally, since Demetrius Severus enjoyed the undoubted support of the Guards and of the military, and was very popular with his subjects, he was invulnerable.
 * On June 7, 1601, the future Emperor Decius (r. 1649-51) was born at the Decian Family Mansion in the Residential Quarters of Christiania, Laurasia Prime, in the Laurasian Empire. He was the son of Legate-General Sir Athanasius Decius (1573-1643) and his wife, the Lady Anastasia Decius (1575-1646).

1602

 * 1602, the second year of the seventeenth century, began with the Laurasian Empire still at peace. Emperor Demetrius Severus, seeking to consolidate his territories in the Barsar Regions, and to give his troops opportunity to obtain more glory and booty in battle, decided to end this state of affairs and to launch a military campaign against the Celestial Kingdom of Scottria, that state originating from the Angelina Spiral which had now ascended to predominance in the central Galactic Borderlands. It is now expedient to give a brief description of Scottria’s history, and the circumstances under which it were to now come into conflict with the Laurasian Empire, a conflict which was to continue throughout the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. As previously noted, Scottria had originally been established in AH 1242, from the earlier Kingdoms of Dal Riata and Pictland. Dal Riata had been established in AH 900, by the three brothers Fergus Mor, Loarn, and Onaegus; Pictland had been established by King Vipoig in AH 712 from Glasgow and Madelaine. The founder of united Scottria, Kenneth MacAlpin, had originally been King of Dal Riata, having acceded to the Dal Riatan throne in 1241. His accesson to the Pictan throne the following year occurred as a result of the death of his kinsman King Bridei I, who had died without surviving heirs. Kenneth had fought his rivals Bridei II and Drest for five years, until in 1248 he consolidated his rule of Pictland. Kenneth however, never assumed the title of "King of Scottria", and when he died in 1258, the two realms were still theoretically in personal union. Under his successors Donald I (1258-62); Constantine I (1262-77); Aed (1277-78); and Giric (1278-89) this situation continued.
 * Donald II (1289-1300), was a different kind of man, and he was determined to consolidate his position. By centralizing his household, imposing a uniform taxation system, and curbing the influence of his nobles, Donald extended his effective authority over the whole of his realms. By the time he died in 1300, reference was being made in state documents to Kings of Scottria. Donald’s son and successor Constantine II (1300-43), consolidated the Celestial Kingdom of Scottria; he proclaimed himself definitively King of Scottria in 1327, and finally abandoned the Dal Riatian and Pictan royal titles. It was during his reign that Scottria became more involved in the affairs of the Galactic Borderlands, which were taking a new turn of their own at the beginning of the fourteenth century. Following the death of Guthrum I in January 1290, he had been succeeded by his son Eorhic (1290-1302). Eorhic, seeking to further extend Donathian power within the Galactic Borderlands, and blocked from further expansion into the Core Regions by Laurasia and Solidarita, decided to instigate a renewed war with Amelianian Cordania. During 1291, he focused his efforts on building up his military strength in Angelica, the Tof Borderlands, the Muggal Cluster, and in Central Kalbacha, and placed Donathian forces in Nordania and Marcia under the command of Guthred, who, in November of that year, he proclaimed sub-King of Donathian Kthexox. This was a deliberate challenge to Amelianian authority over Kthexox proper, which had, until that point, remained under their jurisdiction.
 * Finally, in March 1292, war broke out again between Donathia and Amelianian Cordania. During the course of the next four years, another vigorous struggle was waged between the two states. Guthred's forces successfully managed to overrun Amelianian Kthexox, winning successive confrontations at Ivanna, Lwheek, Summers, Vargara, and Sofia between March and December 1292. In Eastern Kalbacha, Bane and Cognus fell into Donathian hands. However, at Farharia in the Iswill, King Alfred's eldest son, Prince Edward, defeated the Donathians (January 1293). Donathian units then retreated to Sherry, where they were blockaded and on April 15, 1293, forced to surrender and to retreat from the strategic positions which they had established. Donathian units then pushed into Hypasia, overrunning Thak Duro, Guh Naso, and Pram Buhdamidal, but on September 19, they were defeated again in the Battle of Bach Dang. Selsey, Van Klep, and Trasha Dakai were then recovered from the Donathians, and in March 1294, King Alfred recovered Bane. On June 7, Donathian forces again pushed into Hypasia, penetrating through Qu'emia, Huerta Mongol, Valeris V, and Hypasia Minor. This invasion was ultimately ended by a Amelianian victory in the Battle of Song Dhu (November 4, 1294). During 1295, Donathian forces managed to consolidate their hold of Kthexox, but Alfred recovered all lost Hypasian systems, seized Kaluna, and even launched an invasion of Kalbacha, capturing Kalbacha Major (April 7, 1295), penetrating out to Onasi, Waxefield, and Dehner (August 14), and in October 1295, overrunning McFadden, Wheaton, Crusher, Fraiser, Janeway, and Barching. On August 24, 1295, Guthred of Donathian Kthexox died, and was succeeded by Siefredus (1295-1300).
 * Finally, in April 1296, Eorhic requested negotiations with King Alfred, and the Treaty of Kathy Minor (July 14, 1296), recognized the existence of the Kingdom of Donathian Kthexox, while restoring the status quo ante bellum in the remainder of the Galactic Borderlands. During 1297 and 1298, the attention of Eorhic and Siefredus was occupied by hostilities with the Ummadian Empire of the Mellorites, and with the Kingdom of Ashlgothia. Alfred's death in October 1299 left his son Edward on the throne of Amelianian Cordania, as Edward I (1299-1324). During the first three years of his reign, Edward contended with the rebellion of his brother Eothelwold, who was supported by King Eorhic. This rebellion saw an intensive struggle throughout Eastern Kalbacha, and ultimately was terminated in the Battle of Zeberythine (November 1302), in which Eothelwold was killed. Eorhic died shortly thereafter, and was succeeded by his brother Guthrum II, who reigned until he was deposed and assassinated by Sitric in July 1317. The reign of Edward I (who became known as the "Elder"), saw a substantial increase in Amelianian Cordania's power. Between November 1302 and July 1306, Cordania continued at war with Donathia and Donathian Kthexox, the latter of which came first under Cnut (1300-05) and then the brothers Eowils and Halfdan (1305-10). That phase of war was ended by the Treaty of Partsia, which saw Barching, Patricia I, McFadden, the Berwick Barrier, Sasha VI, and the Iswill conceded to Cordania. In 1309, Edward encouraged Amelianian forces to launch raids into Nordania; the Donathian Kthexoxians retaliated by launching their own operations into Kalbacha, where they were defeated (August 5, 1310), in the Battle of Wheaton. Between 1310 and 1318, Edward conquered Kania, Partsia, Crusher, Janeway, Frasier, McKellen, the El Paso Colonies, Kathy Minor, and Rasdalla Minor; deposed Eowils and Halfdan from the throne of Donathian Kthexox, temporarily asserting Amelianian dominance over that kingdom; and inflicted a decisive defeat upon Guthrum II in the Battle of Stewart (April 5, 1317), which preceded his deposition by Sitric.
 * In March 1319, Ragnall became King of Donathian Kthexox, but in April of the following year, he and Sitric were forced to conclude the Treaty of Kania with King Edward, recognizing the Cordanian acquisition of Southern Rasdalla, the Trekian Colonies, and of the Iswill regions. Donathian power weakened further in June 1321, when the Lavellan leader Hywel Da succeeded in reestablishing the independence of the Lavellans, proclaiming himself Great King of Lavella. By November 1323, all of the chief Lavellan systems were in his possession. Thus, when Edward died on July 17, 1324, he had done much to restore Amelianian Cordania's position. He had been succeeded by Ethelstan (1324-39), who was to prove to be the greatest King of Amelianian Cordania. Constantine of Scottria, on his part, soon came within Ethelstan's reach. In 1325-27, Ethelstan achieved the final conquest of Donathian Kthexox and its absorption into Amelianian Cordania, deposing Gofraid (1321-27), successor of Ragnall. In July 1327, Constantine, Hywel Da of Lavella, and Ealrdred, High King of the Brittonics of Richardson and Dourif in the Angelina Spiral, acknowledged Ethelstan's overlordship. In 1328-33, Ethelstan waged a great war with King Sitric of Donathia, ultimately overrunning Arachosia Prime, Vector Prime, the Gate Solarian Cluster, Tekos IV, and Ompus Septimia, and incorporating these former core strongholds of Amelianian Suprema into his own territories. Then (May 1334), he launched a daring invasion of Scottria itself, penetrating to as far as Glasgow, Albemaine, Albright, and Madelaine, and forcing Constantine to tender another oath of allegiance.
 * Constantine allied himself with Sitric's successor, Olaf Gunthristson (1334-41) and with Ealrdred, seeking to throw off Ethelstan's dominance. War broke out again in May 1336, and great confrontations were waged from the Outskirt Districts in Angelina, across the Galactic Void, and to the Eastern Kalbachan Provinces. The most notable battle, however, was that at Brunanbruh, fought in the Galactic Barrier (June 2, 1337), which ended in a decisive Amelianian victory. By September 1337, Constantine, Olaf, and Ealrdred had been forced to again acknowledge Ethelstan's suzerainty, and Amelianian Cordania now ruled the entirety of the Kalbachan, Rasdallan, Kanian, and Arachosian Provinces. Ethelstan, however, died just over two years later (October 27, 1339), at Kalbacha Major. His death brought another recession in the extent and depth of Amelianian power. His successors Edmund (1339-46), Eadred (1346-55), and Eadwig (1355-59), proved unable to maintain the Kingdom's dominance over the other powers of the Galactic Borderlands, and those in the Angelina Spiral. In June 1340, Constantine himself successfully overthrew the conditions of Amelianian overlordship, and in May 1341, he seized Dehner, which marked Scottria's first territorial acquisition within the Caladarian Galaxy. In June of that year, Donathian King Olaf died, and was succeeded by Blacaire (1341-45, 1347-49), who was humiliated by Hywel Da in the Battle of Shashanaya (June 1345), losing control of Black-Chandlier, Monique, Orion, Flournoy, Adelita, and Gibbs. In May 1343, King Constantine abdicated from the Scottrian throne, and was succeeded by his cousin and heir, Malcolm I (r. 1343-54). Constantine himself lived on until his death at Iona in June 1352, aged 80. Malcolm continued the extension of Scottrian power, acquiring Waxefield and the Upper Galactic Barrier (1354). In 1347-50, he aligned himself with Blacaire and with his successor Eric (1345-47, 1349-54), helping to drive King Eadred's forces from Donathian Kthexox. Following Malcolm's assassination in September 1354, a series of short-lived rulers mounted the Scottrian throne: Indulf (1354-62), Dub (1362-67), Cullen (1367-71), and Amlaib (1371-77).
 * Their reigns were occupied by continued conflict in the Galactic Borderlands, principally with the Amelianians, the Lavellans, and the Brittonic Potentates. Indulf completed the conquest of Dumblaine and the Lower Angelican Reaches (1357), and defeated (1361) King Iago of Lavella (1350-79), the son and successor of Hywel Da, repelling Lavellan moves against Waxefield, Dehner, and into the Galactic Void. Indulf was assassinated in September 1362; a similar fate befell his successor, Dub, the eldest son of Malcolm I, who was killed by Brittonic rebels at Raindburgh (June 1367). In October 1359, Edgar (1359-75), became King of Amelianian Cordania, which had been much weakened in June 1353 by the emergence of the Hypasian Hegemony, under Cassel Vangh. Cordanian attempts, in 1364-65, 1369-71, and 1373-74, to regain control of the Hypasian Provinces, were defeated by Cassel Vangh in conjunction with Scottrian and Donathian forces in Kalbacha, Arachosia, and in Southern Rasdalla. Donathian King Amlaib Cuaran (1354-80), managed to recover control of Wheaton, Crusher, McFadden, McKellen, Janeway, Sasha VI, Barching, the El Paso Colonies, and the Berwick Barrier in 1375, the year of Edgar's death, further weakening Amelianian power. King Amlaib of Scottria, on his part, seized control of Kania in June 1376. In January 1377, Amlaib's chief military commander Kenneth Coluim revolted against him, and on October 9 of that year, he was killed by Kenneth in the Battle of Leith. Kenneth II (1377-95), embarked upon a rapid expansion of Scottrian power. He took advantage of the continuing decline in both Amelianian and Donathian power. Following King Edgar of Cordania's death in July 1375, he was succeeded by his son Edward II (1375-78). Edward's reign was marked by a great struggle between his nobles Elfhere and Eadewine, by the loss of Kaluna and the Garaman Provinces to the Rogerian Potentates (who had emerged in 1302-09), in May 1377, and by devastating Lavellan moves into Central Kalbacha (January 1378). On March 18, 1378, Edward was assassinated, and succeeded by his younger brother Ethelred, who became known as the Unready (1378-1416). Ethelred's reign saw a great contraction in Cordanian territory.
 * Kenneth of Scottria now acquired Rasdalla Minor (1379); Onasi (1381); the Cane Cluster (1383-86); Rasdalla Major and the Kathy Worlds (1388); Kalbacha Minor (1389); and the Vilmanstrand Colonies (1394), thereby extending Scottria's jurisdiction into the heart of the Galactic Borderlands. In 1394-95, Scottrian forces even invaded Bane, Cognus, and Zannah; King Ethelred was forced to recognize Kenneth as his suzerain, and to pledge to pay him a substantial amount of tribute, in order to retain his hold of Arachosia Suprema. In the Northern Galactic Borderlands, the death of Amlaib Cuaran in March 1380 saw the accession to the throne of his son Glunarin (1380-89), who proved unable to repress nationalist sentiments among the Iffians and Cosites. In 1383, the Iffian leader Burat arose in rebellion on Touforia, and proclaimed himself Imperiex of the Iffians. In May 1385, the Cosites too revolted, under Muradaim; by 1395, Donathia had lost control of the Tof Borderlands, Galactic Frontier Route, Muggal Cluster, and Northern Reaches to the two rebel species. Thus, the power of both the Donathians and Amelianians contracted. The Lavellans too, underwent disintegration; following Iago's death in August 1379, the Great Kingdom fell into a period of civil war, and by 1405, had broken down into the Lavellan Potenates of Ladelle, Lavelle, Orion, Shashanaya, and Novella, which were to last until their subjugation by Dejanica in the following century. Kenneth also oversaw the conclusion of the Treaty of Dunbar (May 1389), with the Laurasian Empire, which marked the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Imperial Laurasian and Scottrian Governments. By the time of his death in September 1395, Scottria had gained the position of chief power in the Galactic Borderlands. He was succeeded briefly by Constantine III (1395-97), who was then assassinated and overthrown by Kenneth mal Curan in July 1397, who became Kenneth III (1397-1405). Kenneth subdued Kalbacha Major (1397) and Gwynne (1402), thereby projecting Scottrian power farther into Kalbacha.
 * Upon his death in March 1405, he was succeeded by Malcolm II (1405-34), whose reign saw the annexation of Goriance (1406), Gadweria (1412-14), Palaris III (1420), the El Paso Colonies, McFadden, McKellen, and Janeway (1423-29), and the Western Berwick Barrier (1430). Malcolm deposed Ethelred from the throne of Amelianian Cordania in April 1413, installing the Donathian noble Sweyn on the Cordanian throne. Sweyn's death in February 1414, however, allowed Ethelred to reclaim the throne; Ethelred then ruled again until his death in April 1416. By October 1416, the Cordanian throne had been seized by Cnut (1416-35). Cnut then proceeded, in 1418, to seize the throne of Donathia, by then a rump reduced to possession of Donna, Billy, Latrice, and parts of Nordania. The united Kingdom of Ameliania and Donathia was therefore created, merging these species who had once been enemies. Nevertheless, he could not, during the 1420s, reverse the growth of the Scottrian territorial base in the Galactic Borderlands. By the time Malcolm II died in November 1434, Scottria wielded jurisdiction over the bulk of the Central and Southern Galactic Borderlands. He was succeeded by his chief military commander Duncan I (1434-40), the first ruler of the House of Duncan. Duncan's reign was marked by military disaster, for the King, despite his military background, proved to be incompetent. Scottrian forces failed to conquer Ayensdord, Karlong, Ung, Pyongyang, and Seoul from the Cosites (1435-36), were defeated in an intervention at Ladelle (1437), and in 1439, driven from Kalbacha Major, Kalbacha Minor, Gwynne, Goriance, Gadweria, and the Iswill by the forces of Amelianian King Harthacanute (1435-42). Duncan's successor, Macbeth (1440-57), who overthrew and killed him in July 1440, was confronted with a further challenge by the Lavellan Potentates (1443-46), who briefly seized Onasi and Waxefield; by Brittonic rebellions in the Outskirt Districts; and in 1449-53, by the rebellion of Sinnead, Duke of Albany. In August 1457, Macbeth's death, in the Battle of Lucampanian against the Haynsian Despotate, led to the accession of Lulach (1457-58). Lulach ruled for only a year before he in turn was overthrown and killed by Duncan I's son, Malcolm III (September 1458).
 * Malcolm III (1458-93) was faced with military failure, ironically against Ameliania. Harthacanute's death in April 1442 left Edmund II on the throne of that kingdom. Edmund (r. 1442-66), succeeded in restoring Amelianian authority over the Berwick Barrier (1459-62) and Wheaton (1463), before his death in January 1466. He was briefly succeeded by Harold of Wessex, who was then defeated and killed at Cognus by the Amelianian-Donathian Prince Wilvert. Wilvert (1466-87) then proceeded to recover Barching (1468), the Riverite Asteroid Belt (1473-75), Partsia (1478), the Vilmanstrand Colonies (1481), Janeway (1483), Rasdalla Minor (1484), and Crusher (1486), while facing down two rebellions against his authority, led by the magnates of Zannah and Palaris III, Ethelwald and Ethelberht (1468, 1475). Malcolm was also beset by further Brittonic rebellions in the Angelican Reaches, by challenges from the Earls of Rothes, Angus, and Caithness (culminating in the Barons' War, 1479-85), and by two wars (1479-82 and 1485-86) against the Dejanican-Lithuanian Union in the Great Tesmanian Cloud and Great Amulak Spiral, ruled by Casimirus IV (1440-92). By the time Malcolm died in November 1493, on Ediania, Scottrian power in the Galactic Borderlands had contracted to Kania, Rasdalla, and the Galactic Barrier. His successors Donald III (1493-97); Duncan II (rival king, 1494); and Edgar (1497-1507), all of the House of Duncan, were incompetent and were unable to reverse the Scottrian decline. Wilvert's son and successor, Edgar III (1487-1500), managed to seize Onasi, the Cane Cluster, and Dehner in 1495-96, and even launched raiding expeditions across the Galactic Void. After his death in October 1500, his brother and successor, Alfred II (1500-27) extended Amelianian authority over Arachosian Suprema (1505-13), which was to last until the emergence of the Celestial Vectorian Empire in the latter decades of the sixteenth century. As for Scottria, Edgar's death in September 1507 without children resulted in the usurpation of the Scottrian throne by Robert Bruce (1507-29), who established the short-lived Brucian Dynasty. Bruce, however, managed to defeat King Alfred in the Battle of Bannockburn (1514), and by 1519, had recovered Dehner, Onasi, and the Cane Cluster, thereby maintaining a Scottrian hold in the Galactic Borderlands. In 1522, Bruce gained control of the Lavellan Borderlands, taking advantage of the divisive civil conflicts among the Lavellan Potentates.
 * His death in June 1529 left his son David I on the Scottrian throne. David (1529-71), was only five years old when he acceded to the throne. The early years of his reign saw Scottria engrossed in wars with the Dejanican-Lithuanian Union, the Haynsian Despotate, and the Kingdom of Ameliania. In August 1527, Alfred II died, and was succeeded by his son Edward III (r. 1527-77). In June 1533, Edward's forces invaded the Barrier Provinces, and won the Battle of Halidon Star. King David was sent to reside at the Franconian Court for his safety. David ultimately returned to Scottria in 1541, but in August 1546, was defeated and captured by the Amelianians in the Battle of Neville Cross. His captivity lasted for eleven years; in 1553-55, Dejanica seized control of the Lavellan Borderlands, which became known as the Dejanican Borderlands. David was then released in August 1557, and displayed a burst of vigor, taking advantage of his rival Edward III's conflict with the advancing Marasharite Empire, then in the process of destroying the Iffians and Cosites. Between 1558 and 1570, David reconquered Kalbacha Major, Kalbacha Minor, Gwynne, Goriance, Gadweria, and the Iswill for Scottria, and projected Scottrian power over the Rogerian Potentates (they would be conquered in three successive wars, those of 1568-70, 1577-83, and 1591-94). He died childless however, and in February 1571, was succeeded by his nephew Robert, Steward of Scottria, who became Robert II of the House of Stuart. Robert II (1571-90), waged a series of victorious campaigns against the Dejanicans and Amelianians, even opening contacts with Emperor Antigonus II of Laurasia. Although he eventually lost direct control of state affairs to his nobles and son, his reign saw a decisive Scottrian victory over the Amelianians in the Battle of Otterburn (1588). By the time of his death in April 1590, Scottria had recovered the Vilmanstrand Colonies, the El Paso Colonies, Janeway, Wheaton, Crusher, Barching, Partsia, McFadden, and McKellen. Robert III (1590-1606), continued the process. He dealt with Amelianian King Richard (1577-99), the ineffective successor of his grandfather. In 1593-94, Amelianian forces were driven from Rasdalla Minor; Seeben, Sabinia, and Sherry were conquered in 1596; and by May 1597, the Kingdom of Amelianian Cordania had been reduced to a precarious hold of Bane, Cognus, Zannah, and Palaris III.
 * They were under constant pressure from the Scottrians and the Marasharites (who fought a war with each other from 1593-1595). This was the situation which existed as the Emperor of Laurasia engaged in the first Laurasian-Scottrian War. On March 7, 1602, the Emperor sent an ultimatum to the Scottrian Court on Ediania, demanding that King Robert acknowledge Laurasian jurisdiction over all of the territories of the Wild Marshes, particularly Hypasia and Merlita; that the Scottrians refrain from providing refuge to fugitives and criminals, fleeing from the justice of his authorities; and that Laurasian merchants, starhoppers, and navigators be granted special privileges of transit, communication, and commercial transport in the Scottrian Galactic Borderlands. King Robert considered these demands to be an affront to his honor, and in his communique of March 17, he firmly rejected them, declaring that it was not within the Empire's place to dictate terms to him. This gave Emperor Severus the casus belli which he needed to instigate war against Scottria, and to achieve a territorial objective of his: bolstering the Empire's territorial base through the acquisition of the Garaman Provinces, Scottria's farthest-flung territory. It was on April 7, 1602, that the Emperor of Laurasia issued a formal declaration of war against the Celestial Kingdom of Scottria. Within a short time after the declaration of war, Laurasian military forces made substantial advances. The man assigned by Demetrius Severus to take charge of operations in the Garaman Provinces, Legate-General Sir Anicius Fastus, 5th Earl of Talaris (1556-1623), who had obtained distinction for his service in the Xilanian, Mellorite, and Marasharite Wars of the 1590s, proved to be a skilled and dedicated military commander. He now faced the Scottrian 4th Earl of Douglain, Archilain Douglain (1553-1617), Governor of the Garaman Provinces and Chief of Staff of the Scottrian General Headquarters.
 * On April 18, Fastus defeated Douglain in the Battle of Ladoga; more than 150,000 Scottrian shock troops were captured, and thirty harquebusiers of the Royal Scottrian Navy fell into Laurasian possession. From Ladoga, Laurasian units proceeded to the conquest of Onieda (April 22-29), Spurra (May 8), and Ranieda (May 15), all of whom were major supply, surveillance, and military garrisons for the Scottrian Government. On May 18, a counteroffensive by Douglain, against Alec, Aretha, and Ryan Barlak, was halted and reversed by Fastus in the Battle of the Straits of Seacrest. Fastus then proceeded to capture a Scottrian supply convoy at Ripa (May 22-25, 1602), and on June 4, humiliated Douglain again in the Battle of Lara. By June 10, the Scottrian outposts of Susannah, York, and Glenn had also been seized and ransacked by the Imperial Laurasian Navy, thereby denying Douglain outposts from which he could launch penetrative operations into the Merlite Provinces. Fastus then blockaded Tram Buhmidal (June 14-23, 1602), using his automated transports and specialized starfighter squadrons to great effect. In spite of all the efforts of Douglain and of the Garrison Commander, Sir Rob McVeigh (1560-1625), Tram Buhmidal fell into Laurasian hands. From Tram Buhimdal, Laurasian forces slashed through the Vilmanstrand Approaches (June 26-July 7, 1602), sacked the outskirts of Roger Minor (July 18), thereby penetrating into the Rogerian Provinces, and on July 22, turned towards the Scottrian colony of Cydamus. Cydamus fell four days later; Douglain and McVeigh now retreated to Gholaia, hoping to make a more effective stance there. Fastus, however, now ordered for assaults to be launched against Garama and Garbia, hoping to thereby draw off his enemy's forces.
 * Douglain fell for his trap, and he now sought to bolster the defenses of the other systems. On August 11, 1602, this resulted in Gholaia being seized by General Fastus with little resistance; Sir McVeigh was himself captured by Laurasian troops, and was bound in chains. Four days later, Garama too fell into Laurasian hands. Garbia proved more resilient, and its defenses were not breached until September 7. The Earl of Douglain, who was now desperate for any means by which he could reverse Laurasian progress, opposed Fastus at Humbleton Mist, located eight light years to the west of Garbia. The Battle of Humbleton Mist (September 14, 1602), ended in a decisive victory for Fastus's forces. Douglain himself, along with several of his leading captains, including the 5th Earl of Moray and Lord Murdoch of Fife, were captured and sent back to Laurasia Prime as prisoners of state. On September 16, Emperor Severus himself arrived at Gholaia, and now took supreme command of all further military operations into Scottrian territory. He besieged and conquered Vescera (September 19-22), which was followed in turn by Roger Major (September 25), and then Castellum Dimmdi (September 28); that stronghold had been colonized during King David's reign, in 1569, as a Scottrian naval garrison, controlling transit routes throughout the Garaman Provinces. The Scottrian colonies of Gemallae and Thabudeos, both of which had large Laurasian immigrant populations, were the next to fall (October 5, 1602).
 * On October 11, the Battle of Zabi witnessed the Emperor obtain another, decisive victory over his Scottrian adversaries. The Earl of Angus, appointed by King Robert to take emergency command of Scottrian forces following Douglain's capture, lost nearly two-thirds of his arquebusiers and 400,000 troops, and was forced into a humiliating retreat. With Zabi in Laurasian hands, the Emperor's forces now penetrated to Frasier, easily storming its defenses (October 16, 1602). The Bereoyeze Asteroids proved a tougher target, and it did not fall into Severus's possession until October 29, following several successive Laurasian assaults against its defenses. General Fastus, on his part, who had continued to move with his forces into the heart of the Galactic Borderlands, distinguished himself further in the Battle of McKellen (November 1, 1602), capturing 100,000 tons of Scottrian military supplies and a store of Scottrian intelligence files. He then stormed Crusher (November 11), slashing through the Scottrian orbital outposts and overrunning critical points on the planetary surface. Wesley became the next target of Laurasian offensives. It was besieged from November 16, but did not succumb until December 5, 1602. The Earl of Strathclyde, commanding Wesley's defense, died during the final assault on William Fortress. The colony of Will was then sacked by Laurasian units (December 18, 1602), and on December 20, Fastus secured a further victory in the Battle of Mulgrew. By the end of the year, the Empire's forces were threatening the defenses of Janeway, Devily, and Barching.

1603

 * 1603, the 3rd year of the seventeenth century, began with the Laurasian Empire holding the definitive upper hand in the First Laurasian-Scottrian War. The war was now moving to a swift close, for King Robert of Scottria, who was hard-pressed by a series of rebellions in the Scottrian Outskirt Districts, and needed to instigate a reorganization of his military forces, decided to sue for peace. On January 19, 1603, he sent an armistice request, and a offer to negotiate, to Emperor Severus, who was then at Cydamus. The Emperor, having accomplished his goals through the subjugation of the Garaman Provinces, approved this request, and an armistice was concluded at Janeway ten days later. Delegations from the two governments then convened at Littleton in order to negotiate an end to the conflict. General Fastus and Chancellor Plautianus served as the chief Laurasian plenipotentiaries, while Scottrian interests were represented by the Earls of Madelaine, Dunkeld, and Albright, supported by the Laird of Toirdaladee. Negotiations proceeded rapidly, as the two delegations were able to get to business and treated each other with the appropriate respects. The Scottrians were also hastened by their master, desperate to turn his full attention back to affairs within the Angelina Spiral. Thus, on March 24, 1603, the Treaty of Littleton was signed by the Laurasian Empire and the Celestial Kingdom of Scottria, thereby bringing an end to the First Laurasian-Scottrian War of 1602-03. The conclusion of this treaty marked a decisive victory for Laurasia, and for Emperor Severus. By the terms of this treaty, the Garaman Provinces in their entirety (including Cydamus, Gholaia, Garbia, Garama, Humbleton Mist, Vesecra, Castellum Dimmdi, Gemallae, Thabudeos, Thubnae, and Zabi) were conceded to the authority of the Imperial Laurasian Government. All other Scottrian territories occupied by the Emperor's forces were to be restored to Scottrian authority by no later than December 1, 1605.
 * The Royal Scottrian Government agreed to pay a financial indemnity, to the tune of $2.4 trillion denarii, in three successive installments, to the Emperor of Laurasia for his military expenses; to confirm the integrity of the Empire's territories in the Wild Marshes and the Barsar Regions; and to provide for free commerce and transit, for a period of ten years (terminating April 1, 1613), between the two realms. Emperor Severus, on his part, agreed to respect the future territorial integrity of Scottria, and to release all prisoners and spoils of war captured by his forces. The Treaty of Littleton was ratified by Emperor Severus on March 26, and by King Robert on April 17, 1603. Following the final ratification of the treaty, the Emperor proceeded to Caesearea. Aiming to consolidate his Empire's grip over the newly-acquired territories, he now ordered the colonization of 2,000 star systems, discovered or identified by imperial forces during the war; offered generous terms (decrees of May 7 and June 10, 1603), to any of his subjects who decided to make their habitation in the Garaman Provinces; and engaged in efforts to establish their provincial administration. Between 1603 and 1625, more than four hundred million sentients, from the Core Regions and from elsewhere throughout the Empire, would immigrate to the Garaman Provinces. The most prominent Laurasian colonies established in the region during those years were Gerasa (1603), Ioppe (1603), Aeropolis (1604), Aelana (1605), Raphia (1605), Hierosolyma (1607), Panias (1609), Berytus (1610), Callinicum (1612), Banae (1613), Zeguma (1616), Bastie (1619), and Damata (1623). Development and colonization efforts in the Garaman Provinces were to continue throughout the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries; by Aurelia the Great's reign, more than 100,000 colonies had been established in the region, and its population had increased more than fivefold.
 * The Emperor was now confronted with a brief challenge to his authority: in the Ashlgothian Provinces. In June 1603, Sir Antigonus Percius (1564-1603), one of the most prominent Laurasian gentlemen in the region (he owned Percian Enterprises, a leading engineering and mathematical navigations firm), and once a supporter of the Emperor's, announced, on White, his rebellion against the Imperial Laurasian Government. His forces managed to secure control of Vanna (June 8-14), Pat (June 16), Sejak (June 19), Sejucia (June 20-22), Ruumlist (June 26-July 1), and Nicole (July 5). In launching his rebellion, Percius claimed that he and his family had been "mistreated and abused by His Majesty's subordinates, and denied the rights of all noblemen in this Empire." Demetrius Severus was enraged when he learned of the rebellion, and moved swiftly to suppress it. And indeed, the rebellion was on weak foundations, for Percius had not had the foresight to garner support at the Imperial Court, and had not built up his connections beyond the Ashlgothian Provinces. On July 21, 1603, he was decisively defeated by the Emperor in the Battle of Sherwania; Sherwania was a Laurasian colony, ten light years to the northeast of Ruumlist. Percius himself was killed in the confrontation. Praetorian Guards discovered his corpse on the battlefields, cut off his head, and brought it to the Emperor. Severus had it incinerated. More than 100,000 of the gentleman's followers would be condemned to hard labor, imprisoned, or executed during the course of the following two months.
 * By August 9, Severus had regained control of all the strongholds which Percius had seized. He made his formal return to Laurasia Prime (October 7, 1603), after having conducted tours through Ashlgothia in order to suppress any further challenges to his authority. The Emperor was received with adoration by his subjects, and he conducted a formal triumph in the quadrants of the City of Christiania. Chancellor and Praetorian Prefect Plautianus took charge of staging the ceremonies. In spite of the central role which he had played in negotiating the Treaty of Littleton, which had ended the First Laurasian-Scottrian War, Plautianus was by now deeply unpopular with the Empire's subjects. This was due to the excessive influence which he wielded over Severus; to his accumulation of wealth, titles, and estates for himself, his family, and his associates; and also, his own petty cruelties, rapacity, and personal vindictiveness. Plautianus was known for taking pleasure in inflicting pain and suffering upon those who had crossed him, and he was at the center of many conspiracies within the Imperial Court. For the time being, however, Severus ignored the complaints. In November 1603, he commissioned the construction of the Arch of Demetrius Severus, to commemorate the successful conclusion of the war. Work on the Arch began on December 7, 1603, and it would be finished in July 1604. The Emperor, Empress Consort Paccia, Grand Princes Caracalla and Geta, and the Imperial Court then held Ascentmas festivities at the Quencilvanian Palace, as 1603 came to an end.
 * On May 9, 1603, the future Emperor Elagabalus the Loathsome (r. 1618-22) was born in Emacia City, Doracia, of the Permian Province in the Laurasian Empire. Doracia had been originally colonized by the Dasian Golden Horde in 889 during the reign of Khan Kalanbuga, and had been rehabilitated as a Laurasian colony during the reign of Antiochus the Great in the fourteenth century. Elagabalus was the son of Sir Sextus Varius Marcellus (1565-1615), who served as a Senatorial Procurator in Christiania (1603-08), became a Governing Senator in 1611, and then was made Governor of Malaria Prime. His mother was Lady Julia Soaemias (1581-1622), niece of the Emperor and his wife, Paccia Marciana through her mother, Severus's younger sister (by 20 years), Julia Maesa (1565-1626). Elagabalus was to become one of the most despised rulers in all of Laurasian history, and his reign would be viewed as laying the foundations for the Almitian Church's decline during the remainder of the seventeenth century. This would ultimately culminate in the Almitian Reformation during the reigns of Antigonus III, Demetrius II, and Aurelia I.

1604

 * On May 27, 1604, the future Emperor Philip I (r. 1644-49) was born in Strabtha, Millard. Strabtha had been established as a civil settlement for Laurasian, Rebeccan, and Chancian colonists from the Core Regions in 1519, by Emperor Lysimachus I. Philip's parents were Sir Macrinus Philippus (1571-1640) and his wife Didymeia (1578-1636).

1605

 * 1605, the fifth year of the seventeenth century, began with tensions boiling over at the Imperial Laurasian Court. As was mentioned above, Emperor Severus's second-in-command, Chancellor and Praetorian Prefect Sir Gaius Plautianus had become unpopular throughout the Empire, due to his great wealth, his position of prestige at the Imperial Court, and the resources he held. In November 1601, he had been created Duke of Uris by Emperor Severus. Then on April 8, 1602, he had married his daughter Fulvila Plautilla (1585-1611) to Grand Prince Caracalla, with the approval and the connivance of the Emperor himself. As a result of this marriage, Plautianus acquired further influence in state affairs, and he continued to accumulate estates, businesses, and properties throughout the Empire. In June 1604, he became Procurator-General of the Governing Senate and President of the Imperial Council of Secretaries, and now took over oversight of the Empire's civil service and judiciary. Plautianus's enemies, in the meantime, had multiplied. Grand Prince Caracalla himself, who was now nearing maturity, despised the favorite, as did his mother, Empress Consort Paccia Marciana. Not only was this due to the influence and power he had acquired, it was also due to his daughter. Caracalla and his wife Fulvila did not get along from the start, engaged in numerous disputes, and refused to procreate or to "fulfill the other duties necessary to the success of a married couple", according to Cassius Dio.
 * The Grand Prince, consequently, decided to vent his wrath by moving against the father. He and his mother now conspired with others at the Imperial Court, including Chief Procurator Thomasius Arundellia (in office 1599-1614), who was also a favorite of Emperor Severus, to bring about Plautianus’s downfall. These plans, formulated from October 1604, came to their fruition in the new year. On January 17, 1605, Plautianus was accused openly by Grand Prince Caracalla and several Senators of plotting to assassinate the Emperor and his family. Emperor Severus, presented with the "proof" about his favorite’s guilt, was overwhelmed. In a surge of fear, the Emperor signed an imperial act of attainder against his favorite; acts of attainder, which had been introduced during the reign of Antoninus Pius, as a means of formalizing execution orders issued directly by the Emperor, were to become steadily more common during the remainder of the seventeenth century. Plautianus was now declared guilty of treason, conspiracy, corruption, les-majestie, and a host of associated charges.
 * The Prefect was executed at the Fortress of Baureux on January 22, in front of a crowd of more then 500,000 persons. The Senate pronounced a sentence of damnatio memoriae against him. All references to him in the public records were eliminated, while his honors, titles, and estates were confiscated. Moreover, the Holy Synod excommunicated Plautianus, thereby denying him an Almitian burial; his body was therefore dumped into the Pit of Traitors on Jadia. The Grand Prince now distanced himself from his wife and persuaded his father to banish her to Jenny, which he did in April 1605. All of Plautianus’s other family members were imprisoned or exiled from Laurasia Prime, losing their properties and their honor. They were forbidden to make their appearance at the Imperial Court again. With the elimination of Plautianus, Caracalla, who was now seventeen years old, had gained more influence and authority within the Imperial Laurasian Government. On September 19, 1605, Emperor Severus made his son Procurator-General of the Governing Senate and gave him control of the security affairs of the imperial household. In October, Caracalla was given the rank of Legate-General in the Imperial Laurasian Army, and assigned additional responsibilities relating to the Imperial General Headquarters. On November 5, 1605, Caracalla was also made Vice-President of the Imperial Council of Secretaries, and he accompanied his father on a short tour to the Central Core and Galician Provinces. The Imperial Court then returned to Laurasia Prime on December 10. 1605 ended, therefore, with the Empire still at peace.

1606

 * 1606, the 6th year of the seventeenth century, commenced with the Laurasian Empire still residing in a state of peace with its neighbors, and with internal tranquility prevailing within the Empire's dominions. Emperor Demetrius Severus, who continued to command the respect of his subjects and of his officials, moved from Laurasia Prime to Arias (January 17, 1606), and from thence, embarked on a tour of the Nexus Route region, the Briannian Provinces, and the Schauerian Provinces. He inspected the Casta Severa on Millia-in-the Core, designed as the system's new admission spaceport and orbital defensive garrison; construction on it had commenced in April 1605. The Emperor also issued a series of manifestos to his subjects, asserting his dedication to the continued prosperity and peace of his dominions. Yet the Emperor now scored a major diplomatic coup, in regards to Scottria, which had been deprived of the Garaman Provinces at his hands three years earlier. Scottria had continued to undergo great domestic turmoil. King Robert III's second son and heir apparent, Prince Jamsius, had been born on July 17, 1594, at Dunfermline, in the Angelina Spiral. This had occurred 27 years after the marriage of his father with Lady Annabella Drummond (1550-1601).
 * Prince Jamsius suffered some tragedy in his earlier years. In October 1601, his mother died of natural causes at Dumbaline; the following year, in March 1602, his elder brother, David, Duke of Rothesay, was murdered on the orders of Robert Stewart, Duke of Albany (1540-1620), after having been kidnapped and held at Albany's Falkland Fortress. Jamsius became heir apparent at this point, and served as the only impediment to the transfer of the throne on to the Albany Stewarts. Albany and his ally, Archilain Douglain, 4th Earl of Douglain (1572-1624), were absolved of any responsibility for Rothesay's death, and Albany became one of King Robert's chief lieutenants. The outbreak of the First Laurasian-Scottrian War (1602-03), and the disastrous Scottrian defeat in the Battle of Humbleton Mist (September 1602), had thrust Albany forward. He was compelled to form an alliance with his brother Alexander Stewart, Earl of Buncan (1543-1605), and his nephew, Lord Alexander Buncan. The King's close allies, Henry Sinclair, Earl of Orkney (1575-1620) and Sir David Fleming of Biggar (1543-1606) became very influential in the Outskirt Districts.
 * In December 1604, the King granted Prince Jamsius royal properties on the Ayanian and Clydian Worlds, hoping to provide his son with an independent power base of his own. But by April 1605, with the Prince in the custody of Henry Wardlaw (1566-1640), Clainnarch of St. Andrew's, the animosity of the Douglain faction was increasing, as Orkney and Fleming sought to assert themselves further. In November 1605, King Robert, seeking to preserve his son's safety, and hoping to tone down the dynastic squabbles in his realms, decided to send the young prince and his household on to Franconia. In February 1606, Clainnarch Wardlaw released Jamsius to Orkney and Fleming who, with their large force of Lothian and Outskirts adherents, proceeded through Douglain systems into the Galactic Void. This provoked a fierce response from Jamsius Douglain of Balvenie (1571-1643) and his supporters, who, at the red-giant system of Hermeston Muir, engaged with and killed Fleming while Orkney and Prince Jamsius managed to escape into the Galactic Void, hiding at Hogland Point (where Laurasian and Spamalkan forces would clash 182 years later). They remained there for more than a month before securing passage on the Franconia-bound merchant ship, Maryenknight, from the Electorate of Pruthia. On March 22, 1606, however, the Maryenknight was captured near Dehner by the Ashlgothian Pirates of Purdah, a renegade band operating from the Cane Cluster and the Galactic Barrier.
 * The leader of the Pirates of Purdah, a burly fellow named Gesalec (1563-1609), now sent word to the Imperial Court on Laurasia Prime about his illustrious captives, and entreated the Emperor for a pardon if the Scottrians were surrendered into his custody. Emperor Severus, who was pleased to hear about the capture of the Prince and his household, and seeing this as a diplomatic opportunity, quickly accepted. On April 1, the transfer took place at Talaris, in the Merlite Provinces. The Emperor now ordered for Prince Jamsius, Orkney, and their attendants to be taken to Tuvarian Fortress on Cossack. There, more than a century and a half later, Jamsius's great-great-great granddaughter, Mariana of Scottria, would be incarcerated on the orders of her cousin, Empress Aurelia the Great. King Robert learned of his son's capture that day. He was seized with terror and sadness, and his health, already declining, now took a terminal turn. On April 4, 1606, the King of Scottria suffered a heart attack and died on Rothesay, aged 68, after having reigned for sixteen years. His son, the captive Prince, now became King Jamsius I of Scottria. He now embarked upon an eighteen-year period of captivity in the Laurasian Empire.
 * The Duke of Albany now moved swiftly to establish himself as Lord Protector of Scottria; on May 18, 1606, he was formally proclaimed to be such by the Scottrian Estates, and was given full authority over government offices, decrees, and the direction of the realm's military and foreign affairs. Albany realized that the Laurasians had the advantage, and, harboring his own ambitions, he decided to refrain from instigating war against them. In July 1606, he instead offered to cooperate with the Imperial Laurasian Government if they in turn recognized Scottrian rights to campaign against the rump Kingdom of Ameliania. Demetrius Severus, then monitoring affairs in the Mellorite Empire, and developing his plans for future military campaigns in other theaters, accepted. On September 7, the Emperor agreed to provide for all of King Jamsius's expenses while he was in his custody (for Albany seized Jamsius's estates and royal income for himself, claiming that he was entitled to them as Lord Protector). In November 1606, Emperor Severus paid a visit to the captive King at Cossack, and gave orders for his household to be expanded. He then returned to Laurasia Prime, and presided over Ascentmas entertainments at the Quencilvanian Palace with his wife and son.
 * On November 6, 1606, the future Emperor Trebonianus Gallus (r. 1651-53) was born in Coda, Majoria Schall. He was the namesake son of Sir Trebonianus Gallus, 1st Baronet Gallus of Coda (1580-1649) and his wife, Lady Vibia Gallus (1583-1644). His father was a respected gentleman and the owner of Gallian Agricultural Enterprises, one of the leading food processing, shipping, and production firms in the Empire. He also had interests in the stock, spice, and merchant marine markets. Gallus's mother, Lady Vibia, was the third and youngest daughter of Seleucus Giteria, 5th Earl of Nicholas (1552-1619), director of Giterian Energy Contractors on Laurasia Prime. Gallus would be raised in a privileged and pampered environment during the earliest years of his life.

1607

 * On May 5, 1607, the future Emperor Aemillian (r. August-October 1653) was born at the Second Station of Callista in orbit of Laurasia Prime. He was the son of Sir Marcus Zonaras (1566-1629), who would become Earl of Calaxis II in 1614, and his wife Lady Honoria Zonaras (1582-1608), who died the year after his birth of complications from the Antigenes fever.
 * Besides the birth of Emperor Aemillian, 1607, which was the the 7th year of the seventeenth century, was on the whole an uneventful year for the Laurasian Empire. This year, however, did see the final territorial expansion, by the Celestial Kingdom of Scottria, made in the Galactic Borderlands. As mentioned above, the Duke of Albany had secured the support of Emperor Severus of Laurasia for his planned military campaigns against the rump Kingdom of Amelianian Cordania (Ameliania). That realm had continued to undergo domestic and civil turmoil in the wake of the reverses it suffered at the hands of Scottrian forces in the Galactic Borderlands. In September 1597, King Richard had inflicted his revenge upon the Lords Appellant, who had governed Ameliania during his minority. During the course of the following two years, he had indulged in a comprehensive policy of tyranny and oppression, conferring titles, honors, and estates upon his supporters; maintaining a secret police force; and imposing severe restrictions upon the communications, movement, and cultural expression of his subjects. But all along, the King was opposed by his powerful uncle, the Amelianian Duke Ethelwold of Gaunt, and Ethelwold's son Ine. Following Ethelwold's death in March 1599, the King disinherited Ine, who had previously been exiled to Dejanican Lavella. Ine, with the connivance of the Dejanican Diet, and maintaining his own contacts among Amelianian nobles, and others, opposed to Richard's rule, was able to assemble his supporters and mercenaries into a cohesive, unified force. In June 1599, he launched an invasion of Ameliania, aiming for the deposition of Richard, to end his tyranny, and to install himself on the Amelianian throne. He quickly gained the advantage, and on September 30, he captured Richard at Cognus. Richard was now forced to abdicate as King of Ameliania, and Ine was recognized as his successor. Ine then had Richard imprisoned at Palaris III, where, on February 13, 1600, he had been murdered by his bodyguards, on the King's orders.
 * While the Scottrians had looked upon these events with approval, they now sought to take advantage of Ameliania's internal condition to complete its elimination; Albany was ever anxious to obtain glory and honor for himself. Thus, it was that in November 1606, Scottrian forces entered Amelianian territory, without a formal declaration of war being issued. Palaris III (November 17-25), Cognus (December 8-12), and Zannah (December 17), fell into their hands rapidly. On January 7, 1607, King Ine was defeated badly in the Battle of Farfalla, and Amelianian forces were pushed back to the Kingdom's capital, Bane (which had obtained that status in 1572). The Siege of Bane commenced on February 29, and lasted for nearly four months, as Ine and his government resisted fiercely. Ultimately, however, the world's fall (June 22, 1607), spelled the end for the Amelianians. Ine himself was captured by Scottrian troops; he was now chained, placed on a transport, and moved to the Angelina Spiral, being imprisoned at Fife. He would die there on March 20, 1613, aged 45. The final destruction of the Kingdom of Amelianian Cordania occurred 561 years after the first entry of Amelianian and Melanite war-bands into the Caladarian Galaxy. Albany still refrained from war with the Empire, and indeed, in September 1607, negotiated further arrangements with Emperor Severus for the security and expenses of King Jamsius.

1608

 * 1608, the 8th year of the seventeenth century, began with the Laurasian Empire still residing in a general state of peace and stability. Emperor Severus, who had continued to superintend the affairs of government on Laurasia Prime, boasted, in his New Year's proclamation, of the "vigor, prosperity, and strength of the Laurasian species, which will continue in the future, without delay, and with the blessing of the Lord Almitis." Yet at the same time of issuing this proclamation, the Emperor of Laurasia was making plans for his next move of expansion: into the Neo-Xilanian Empire. He intended to consolidate Laurasian jurisdiction in the Northern Provinces by subduing all remaining Xilanian territories and annexing them into the Laurasian Empire. Severus was aided in this goal by the fact of Xilania's inherent instability and economic problems. Since 1602, it had been under the rule of Gurgal II (r. 1602-08), the son of Imhoui I. Gurgal had from the first been beset by a variety of troubles. The Haynsian Despotate's raiding expeditions into Xilanian territory had escalated to become not only an irritant, but a formidable threat; Calrissian, Lando, and Varta were all harried by Haynsian expeditions in 1604, and in April 1605, the Battle of Bon had witnessed a Haynsian expeditionary force, under the command of Prince Sharai-Karany (1562-1637), destroy the Xilanian garrison of the star system, commanded by General Ugus (1531-1606). In 1605-06, Gurgal was then confronted with a series of rebellions at Nandia Major, Montgomery, and Poppy. In May 1607, he survived an assassination plot on Xilania Secondary.
 * Consequently, Emperor Severus, who had himself provided financial aid and mercenaries to many of the rebel factions operating within Xilanian territory, now sought to launch a direct intervention. On March 14, 1608, Severus departed from Laurasia Prime, leaving Grand Prince Caracalla in charge of affairs on the capital world. He proceeded along the Rebeccan Galactic Trade Route, and thence into the Solidaritan Provinces. He then moved to Eaidon, arriving there on March 26. He now established his operational headquarters there, and sent instructions to the garrisons of Solidarita, and to the Imperial General Headquarters, for the assembly of Laurasian forces. Margery, Multan, Lynne, Norah, and Satie were among the star systems which saw the arrival of Laurasian reinforcements, military supplies, and shield generators. During April 1608, moreover, the Imperial College of Foreign Affairs, acting on the Emperor's instructions, sent a series of communiques to the Xilanian Court on Xilania Major, demanding that Gurgal allow for the installation of Laurasian garrisons at Jin Major, Horeb Prima, and Jin Minor; that he limit his military forces; and that he concede "favored nation" status to Laurasian merchants, navigators, and starhoppers. Gurgal, who was terrified of the Laurasians, yet pusillanimous and under the control of his advisors, neglected to respond to these Laurasian demands.
 * Thus, it was that on May 14, 1608, Emperor Demetrius Severus issued a declaration of war against the Neo-Xilanian Empire and launched his forces into Xilanian territory. The Laurasians now encountered little opposition, and advanced swiftly. On May 21, Severus defeated the Xilanian General Urul (1557-1608) in the Battle of Mugar the Great. From Mugar the Great, the Emperor's forces overran Marciano, A-Saether, and Poppy (May 24-June 4, 1608). Jin Major was then attacked by a Laurasian force (June 11, 1608). The Siege of Jin Major lasted for six days, resulting in a decisive Laurasian victory. More then 150,000 Xilanian troops were killed, and the commander of the garrison, Calari Embarthi (1547-1610), was himself captured. Following the fall of Jin Major, the Emperor's forces overran Horeb Prima (June 22), Xilania Minor (June 28), and Montgomery (July 5). On July 11, Lando fell victim to a surprise assault, launched by Admiral Sir Boniface Verus (1562-1617), and succumbed within a day. From Lando, Laurasian forces breached the defenses of Calrissian (August 1, 1608), and on August 14, stormed Esperanto Major also. On August 27, 1608, Varta, the old capital of the Marauder Empire, became the target of the next Laurasian offensive. In spite of the efforts of Emperor Mugus, and of General Tugus (1550-1608), head of the Xilanian Command, Varta fell on September 7. Emperor Severus himself now came to the star system, paying a visit to the Tomb of Vorastis, that famed fifth-century Marauder conqueror and Emperor. Comparing himself to Vorastis, Severus proclaimed that he had "extended the Empire's dominions beyond the bounds of all my predecessors" and paid his respects to the Marauder conqueror.
 * Severus departed from Varta on September 16, and moved towards Nandia Major; the world fell to the Empire on September 21. Laurasian forces then besieged and conquered Xilania Secondary (September 29-October 7, 1608). On October 25, General Tugus advanced against Severus and Admiral Verus at Trimontium, which was located thirty light-years to the southeast of Xilania Major. The ensuing Battle of Trimontium resulted in a decisive Laurasian victory; Tugus himself died in combat, and the way was now clear to Xilania Major itself. Xilania Major was besieged from November 1, 1608. The Xilanian garrison resisted fiercely, and launched successive offensives against the squadrons of the Imperial Laurasian Navy. Mugus himself commanded the defenses, and refused all demands by his Laurasian counterpart to surrender. Finally, on Ascentmas Day, 1608, Xilania Major's defenses were breached, and the world was quickly overrun by Laurasian troops. The Great Palace of Xilania was seized; Mugus himself was captured. Presented before Emperor Severus, the Xilanian sovereign begged for mercy. Severus, exalting in his great victory, decided to spare Mugus's life. Mugus was bound in chains, placed on a transport, and transported to Jenny. There, he would remain until his death on December 1, 1612, aged 45. The Emperor, having effectively destroyed Neo-Xilania in the span of one year, now made plans to return to Laurasia Prime, and was contemplating renewed military campaigns against the Marasharite Empire as 1608 ended.
 * On October 1, 1608, the future Emperor Alexander Severus (r. 1622-35) was born at the Palace of the Greats on Americana. He was the son of Grand Princess Julia Mamaea (1583-1635), the niece of Empress Consort Paccia Marciana, and her husband, Sir Marcus Marcianus (1584-1618), 1st Duke of Mercedes. Emperor Demetrius Severus, Grand Prince Caracalla, and Grand Princess Julia Maesa, grandmother of the newborn, served as the boy's godparents.

1609

 * 1609, the 9th year of the seventeenth century, commenced with the Laurasian Empire having, within the span of one year, subjugated the territories of the Neo-Xilanian Empire. Emperor Demetrius Severus had succeeded in extending Laurasian jurisdiction to the outskirts of the Galactic Void, and across a span of more than 15,000 light years. The Emperor now, on January 17, 1609, announced his intention to return to Laurasia Prime, and to celebrate his victory. He departed on January 28, entrusting Admiral Verus with responsibility for securing Laurasian control of Xilania Major and suppressing any rebellious movements. He then proceeded rapidly back to his capital world, arriving there during the early hours of January 31. The Emperor was greeted by his subjects, assembled at the moons and in the cities of Laurasia Prime, and at the other settlements of the star system. They praised him, exalted his merits, and adored him with much joy. The Senate and Synod issued a proclamation celebrating Severus's accomplishments, and conferred upon him the title of Xilanius Maximus. Severus was greeted at the Quencilvanian Palace by his wife, Empress-Consort Paccia, and by Grand Princes Caracalla and Geta; Geta had served under his father during the Xilanian campaigns, and had returned to Laurasia Prime in December 1608. Severus now conferred the Order of St. Honorius the Liberator upon both of his sons (February 10, 1609).
 * On March 5, Severus went even further: he now proclaimed that Geta was to be co-heir apparent, alongside his older brother Caracalla, and that both of his sons would succeed him upon his death. This declaration rankled with Caracalla, who desired to become the sole ruler of the Empire upon his father's death; he was also angered by his father's public professions of love for his brother. All of this was to have grave consequences. For some months, however, the routine of celebration continued on Laurasia Prime, and in other star systems of the Empire. Yet through all of that time, tensions were simmering in the newly-conquered Xilanian Provinces, still not fully adjusted to the fact of Laurasian governance. The Xilanian nobleman and military commander, Prince Argentocoxos (1550-1611), who had served in the Neo-Xilanian Army and believed himself to be a patriot, was determined to expel the Laurasian occupiers, and to establish himself as Emperor of a new Xilanian dynasty. Consequently, he began assembling his supporters and allies at Horeb Prima, Montogomery, and other strongholds. It was on May 12, 1609, that he proclaimed himself to be in a state of rebellion against the Laurasian Empire.
 * Argentocoxos, who quickly secured his control of both Horeb Prima and Montgomery, easily expelling their Laurasian garrisons, was now in secret contact with the Marasharite Emperor, Jem (r. 1608-24). The Emperor of the Marasharites, whose dominions had been engaged in wars against the Great Breffal Federation and the Holy Austarlian Empire, was also at that time contending with his brother Bajazet, and could not afford a direct war with the Laurasians. Consequently, he viewed Argentocoxos as a way to strike against them, and decided to maintain contact with him. Moreover, he provided financial aid, intelligence information, and mercenaries to the Xilanian rebel. Thus, it was that Aergentocxos and his forces were posed for a further advance. By June 17, Jin Major, Jin Minor, Morg, and King had quickly defected to Argentocoxos's forces. Admiral Verus attempted to halt the rebel forces, and managed to stymie them in confrontations at Munist, Adrianne, and Mugur the Great (June 22-July 7, 1609). On July 22, however, he suffered a serious reverse in the Battle of Caledonia; two days later, Xilania Secondary too, yielded to rebel forces. On August 1, Argentocoxos won the Battle of Cumbria, inflicting another humiliating defeat upon Laurasian arms. The Legate-General of Xilania Major, Sir Julius Avradius (1567-1625), lost more than 150,000 of his troops in the confrontation. Emperor Severus, recognizing the threat Argentocoxos posed to him, now organized a vigorous response.
 * Departing from Laurasia Prime on August 3, 1609, the Emperor moved quickly to Roxuli. There, and at Abraham, as well as in the Satian Provinces, he assembled his squadrons, and announced his firm determination to suppress this rebellion. He now overcame rebel forces at Zoe (August 8-17, 1609), and on August 24, recovered Morg. King fell back into Laurasian hands on September 1, and on September 6, Emperor Severus moved towards Jin Major. Argentocoxos now launched a daring raiding expedition against Mocktrialis (September 21, 1609); Xilanian forces managed to penetrate the system's defenses in due order, and inflicted serious damage, capturing more than two million of its inhabitants before retreating. Nevertheless, the Laurasian advance could not be halted, and Jin Major was recovered by the Empire's forces on October 7. By the end of October, Laurasian forces had reconquered Jin Minor and Montgomery. A policy of guerrilla warfare was now pursued by Argentocoxos and his forces; from Xilania Secondary to Alpha Secundi, and from Juxles to Esperanto Major, Laurasian strategic positions were harried, Laurasian convoys disrupted, and Laurasian garrisons assaulted. This continued through November and December 1609. On December 23, 1609, however, the Emperor's forces repelled a Xilanian rebel offensive against Nandia Major.

1610

 * 1610, the 10th year of the seventeenth century, began with the Laurasian Empire's military forces once more tied down in the Xilanian Provinces, as the Xilanian Prince Argentocoxos continued in his endeavor to restore the independence of the Neo-Xilanian Empire, which had been lost so recently. Emperor Severus himself, at Xilania Major, was engaged in an effort to suppress this rebellion, and to consolidate his conquests. The Emperor now ordered for the diversion of the 30th and 31st Imperial Armies to the Xilanian Provinces; imposed restrictions on communications and civilian transit within a 10,000-light year radius from Xilania Major, and on January 16, ordered the destruction of the Xilanian colony of Surus, thereby eliminating a potential supply base for rebel forces. On January 25, Laurasian forces imposed a blockade of Horeb Prima; the neighboring colonies of Horeb Suprema and Horeb Therma were stormed by Laurasian troops. Then, in February 1610, Emperor Severus decided to vigorously reorganize his military forces and to adopt a new offensive strategy against the Xilanian rebel forces. He now appointed Legate-General Sir Julius Laetitus (1559-1616), who was renowned for his exploits during the Satian War of 1597-99, as the commander of his forces in the Xilanian Provinces.
 * Furthermore, he commanded the garrisons of the Xilanian Provinces and the upper Larkian Way to apply "all effort" against the Xilanian rebels, and to be utterly ruthless towards any who opposed his advance. He now authorized the provisions of the military memorandum of December 1, 1609, which emphasized the use of encirclement tactics to root out and destroy Xilanian squadrons. Due to the Emperor's vigorous measures, the Laurasians finally began to make more appreciable advances against the Xilanians. Laurasian forces now stormed Kavarry (February 26-March 7) and the Juxles Asteroid Belt (March 15-24). On April 7, 1610, Horeb Prima came under the final assault from the Empire's forces; it fell ten days later, thereby depriving Argentocoxos of his chief base of military operations. During the course of April and May 1610, Laurasian forces destroyed the Xilanian colonies of Merdecca, Ivsharry, and Tasharina, driving rebel forces from their entrenched positions. On June 9, 1610, the Emperor secured a major victory over Argentocoxos's chief subordinate, Mugus (1566-1610), in the Battle of Jin Minor; Mugus died during the confrontation. General Laetitus, on his part, stormed Calgravia (June 15-24), and on July 14, 1610, the Battle of Jara saw the destruction of a rebel command convoy. By November 1610, the Emperor's forces had driven Argentocoxos past Xilania Major, to the colony of Jenbrania. Emperor Severus, on December 14, 1610, moved to Xilania Major and issued instructions for a final offensive upon Jenbrania. As 1610 ended, the Empire had regained the advantage.

1611

 * 1611, the 11th year of the seventeenth century, commenced with the Laurasian Empire still engrossed in conflict in the Xilanian Provinces. Emperor Demetrius Severus, however, was on January 7, 1611, forced to retire to his headquarters on Chalassion, as his health declined severely. It was eventually discovered that the Emperor had contracted the Avraid malady, which affected bodily mobility, sensory perception, and the nervous system. Emperor Severus, hoping that he would be able to affect a cure, decided to take the waters in Ebocorum, Cremline, located in the Horacian Provinces and one of the chief therapeutic resorts in the Laurasian Empire. The Emperor arrived there on January 18, 1611, but despite his hopes, his health remained poor. Realizing that he was now approaching death, Severus made his final will and testament, affirming that his sons Caracalla and Geta were to succeed as co-Emperors upon his death. He then entered confinement and quickly descended into a coma. Demetrius Severus died on February 4, 1611, aged 66, after having ruled over the Empire for nearly eighteen years. He would be taken back to Laurasia Prime, and interred at the Westphalian Cathedral on July 15, 1611. In 1693, eighty-two years after the Emperor's death, Neuchrus the Reformer would have a elaborate tomb raised to his memory, and over his grave-site.
 * Within hours of the Emperor's death, Caracalla and Geta were proclaimed joint Emperors and Autocrats of All the Laurasians by the Councils of State, in accordance with his instructions. Caracalla, who had assumed command at the headquarters of Chalassion, now sought to suppress the Xilanian Rebellion swiftly, so that he would be able to turn his attention to consolidating his position on Laurasia Prime. On April 15, 1611, the Battle of Jenbrania resulted in the decisive defeat of Argentocoxos’s forces by Laurasian troops under the command of General Laetitus. Argentocoxos himself was shortly afterwards captured at Venbrae. He would be placed on a transport, bound in chains, and brought to Laurasia Prime, where, after conviction by the Senate, he would be executed (May 13, 1611). Xilania Major capitulated on June 7, leading to the firm consolidation of the Empire’s rule over the Xilanian Provinces. Caracalla returned to Laurasia Prime that month, and he attempted to rule with his brother Geta. He even suggested that they split the Empire into two among themselves; his mother, Empress-Dowager Paccia Marciana, who now had substantial influence in state affairs, ultimately dissuaded her son from this course of action. Gradually, Caracalla became determined to assert his sole authority over the Empire. In September 1611, the Emperor attempted to assassinate his younger brother at the Saturnalia Festival in Colombia. The following month, he increased the donation made to the Praetorian Guards, thereby earning their support.
 * Finally, on December 22, 1611, the Emperor’s mother, Empress-Dowager Paccia, arranged a meeting between the two brothers. At the meeting, Caracalla refused to talk with his brother, and then dispatched Praetorian Guards loyal to him to assassinate him. Geta was unable to resist, and he fell dead into the arms of his mother. Following Geta’s assassination, Caracalla, who was now sole Emperor, had the Governing Senate and Holy Synod pass damnatio memoriae on his brother. All of Geta’s statutes, portraits, coins, and inscriptions were destroyed. It was forbidden to mention his name, and a sentence of excommunication was passed on his soul, preventing him from being buried at the Westphalian Cathedral. The Emperor then arrested and either imprisoned or executed most of Geta’s supporters and his personal household, declaring that he would have no mercy for any subject who acknowledged Geta as a legitimate imperial sovereign. More then 55,000 individuals would become victims of the Emperor's wrath. On Ascentmas Day, 1611, the Emperor's estranged wife, Fulvia Plautilla, who he had refused to give the title of Empress-Consort, was executed at the Cron Drift on his orders; her remains would then be dumped into the Pit of Traitors on Jadia. On New Year's Eve, the Emperor decreed the devaluation of the imperial currency, from 56% to 51.5%. 1611 ended, therefore, with the Laurasian Empire under the rule of a new Emperor who had consolidated his position through force and violence.

1612

 * 1612, the twelfth year of the seventeenth century, surprisingly passed in peace for the Laurasian Empire. Emperor Caracalla, who had secured his throne by such violent means, through the disposal of his brother Grand Prince Geta, now focused his efforts on domestic affairs. On January 15, 1612, he crowned himself Emperor at the Westphalian Cathedral. Five days later, as part of the coronation festivities, the Emperor, seeking to maintain the loyalty of the alien subjects of the Empire, and following the recommendations of his legal secretaries in the Imperial Chancellory, promulgated the Antonine Constitution, known in High Laurasian as the Constitutio Antoniniana, which was to become one of the hallmark documents of later Laurasian jurisprudence. Before the enactment of this constitution, the majority of Laurasian subjects had been inhabitants of Laurasia Prime and the Laurasian Purse Region. Outside of the Purse Region, subjecthood was restricted to Laurasians, or their descendants, living in the provinces, the inhabitants of certain locales, star systems, or colonies throughout the Empire, individuals specifically made subjects by the Imperial Laurasian Government or the Emperor, and members of the armed forces.
 * The historian Dio would later state that the primary purpose for Caracalla in enacting this constitution was to increase state revenue; this was motivated by the need to provide for the extensive construction and colonization projects, the pay raises and benefits granted to the Guards and to the Imperial Forces, and the expenses of the imperial bureaucracy. The constitution widened the obligations for public service and gave increased revenue through the inheritance and luxury taxes which were paid only by Laurasian subjects. The aliens also benefited from this by beginning to think of themselves more as Laurasians, as members of a more universal Empire that transcended their species, their regions, and themselves. Others would take the view that the constitution was a means of generosity on the part of the Emperor, who wished to connect himself to the popular memory of Demetrius Severus. Nevertheless, the document was significant. By its provisions, all men and women, of all alien species and creeds, were granted full citizenship rights as subjects of the Laurasian Empire. They were now to possess the same privileges as native-born Laurasians, and were to be treated the same as Laurasians before the imperial courts.
 * Citizenship now entitled them to hold high-ranking military and civil positions; to submit petitions or grievances to the Imperial Chancellory; to make legal contracts and hold property as a Laurasian subject; to have a lawful marriage with a native-born Laurasian and children by that relationship (previously, only nobles had been permitted to intermingle with aliens); immunity from certain legal obligations; the right to have a trial in the Laurasian justice system; and the right to preserve their status as a subject when leaving imperial territory or residing at imperial colonies. The enactment of the Antonine Constitution allowed for a large number of aliens to enter the state service of the Empire during the course of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Without it, men such as the Archleutan Burkhard von Munnich, who became Minister of Defense under Antigonus III, would have been unable to serve. To further magnify its effect, Emperor Caracalla embarked on a tour through the Central Core, Core Worlds, and Outer Core during the middle months of 1612, further establishing his image in the eyes of his subjects.
 * On August 2, 1612, the future Emperor Quintillus (r. January-July 1670) was born in the Maternity Quarters of the Diplomatic Palace in Christiania, Laurasia Prime. He was the son of Sir Claudius Valerius (1583-1645) and his wife, Lady Calpurnia Cassaofia (1586-1655). He was the cousin of the future Emperor Claudius II, Vectorius, who was to be born on Caladaria the following year.

1613

 * 1613, the 13th year of the seventeenth century, commenced with the Laurasian Empire still residing in a state of relative peace and tranquility. However, this would not last for much longer. Emperor Caracalla, who had, through his Antonine Constitution, strengthened the position of the Imperial Laurasian Government, was nevertheless determined to obtain glory for himself, and to effect a further expansion of the Empire's territory and resources. He viewed war as the means of obtaining this, and sought to demonstrate that he possessed the military prowess and tact of his illustrious father, Demetrius Severus I. Consequently, the Emperor decided to turn his attention towards the Galactic Borderlands, where his father had already succeeded in accomplishing the conquest of the Garaman Provinces from the Celestial Kingdom of Scottria. By the beginning of the seventeenth century, matters were evolving further in the Galactic Borderlands. As the power of the Amelianian Kingdom of Cordania declined, and that of the Scottrians, Dejanicans, and Marasharites increased, nationalist sentiment was engendered on the part of the Vectorian Arachosians. In 1583, the Vectorian nobleman and Prince of Ompus Septimia, Vasharnipal (1540-1605), had instigated the Vectorian Revolt against King Richard II of Amelianian Cordania. The Revolt, beginning at Ompus Septimia, gradually spread through the Gate Solarian Cluster and across the Arachosian Provinces. Vasharnipal received assistance from King Robert II of Scottria, and was bolstered by the Scottrian victory at Otterburn (1588). That same year, his forces captured Vector Prime and Neustron; then three years later, on March 15, 1591, he had stormed onto Arachosia Prime, defeating and capturing the last Amelianian commander of the planetary garrison, Berethod (1530-92). With the conquest of the Arachosian homeworld, Vasharnipal was able to proclaim himself as the first Emperor of Vectoria. He thereby established the Celestial Vectorian Empire, which was to last until its final subjugation by Antigonus III in 1711.
 * Vasharnipal, who ruled until his death in March 1605, spent the remainder of his reign consolidating Vectorian authority over the Sassi-ruuk, Rhedites, and Nagai in the Southern Galactic Borderlands. The Celestial Vectorian Empire came to encompass the Arachosian and Vectorian Provinces, the Gate Solarian Cluster, Rhedita, Sassi-ruuk, and Nagai, becoming one of the chief states in the Southern Galactic Borderlands. Vasharnipal found himself clashing with his former Scottrian sponsors from 1597-1603; he also contended with Haynsian and Dejanican expeditions into his territories during that time period. Following his death, his son Adad-nirari I had acceded to the throne; he ruled for just three years, until his premature death on June 29, 1608, aged only 31. Adad-nirari, who was childless, had then been succeeded by his younger brother, the 28-year old Prince Ashurna (r. 1608-18). Adad-nirari and Ashurna had continued with the policies of their father; Tashia was under Vectorian control by 1612, and Vectorian military forces were now pressing to the outskirts of the Barsar Regions. There, the Neo-Anastasian Empire had fallen upon hard times. Following the end of the Laurasian-Anastasian War of 1583-85, Anastasian Empress Solana had been challenged by her cousin, High Prince Ishara of Caesearea (1544-91); the Isharan Revolt began in September 1587, and lasted for the next four years. Ishara was ultimately defeated and killed at Dickerson in November 1591, but his act of insolence and insubordination had seriously weakened the integrity of the Anastasian dominions. From 1592-1595, Anastasia was beset by civil uprisings on Hospallia Major, Hospallia Minor, and Anastasia Minor; Haynsian expeditions against Damascus, Brennan, Tiesting, and Eliza Spencer; and by economic troubles, with an ever-increasing unemployment rate. Solana herself suffered a heart attack in June 1597 and survived an assassination attempt on Anastasia Major two years later.
 * She lingered until her death on April 5, 1603, aged 63, after having reigned for twenty-five years. Solana was then succeeded by her nephew, Titilla (r. 1603-23). Titilla, however, continued to be troubled by economic and civil concerns, and found that he had little capability for overcoming these problems. In 1606, Emperor Demetrius Severus had dispatched an expeditionary force against Dickerson, Swabie, and Bledsoe, compelling Titilla to agree, in September of that year, to the Treaty of Meridu. By the terms of this treaty, the Neo-Anastasian Empire agreed to grant military access for Laurasian troops through its territories; to conclude no foreign treaties or diplomatic agreements without the approval of the Imperial Laurasian Government; and to grant free-trade privileges to all Laurasian merchants, navigators, and starhoppers in its dominions. Emperor Severus, therefore, had succeeded in effectively imposing Laurasian dominance over the Anastasian realms. Titilla, following the conclusion of this agreement, found himself confronted by a direct challenge from his Council of Advisors (1608-09), forcing him for a time to flee from Anastasia Major. In 1610, Borgia, Meridu, and Angela Masia were sacked by the Haynsians; the following year, the first Vectorian expeditions appeared in Anastasian territory. And now Emperor Caracalla became determined to project his power, past Anastasia, and into the Southern Galactic Borderlands. In September 1612, the Emperor of Laurasia had decided that the seizure of Mercia, Camerania, Deira, Ivanna, and Kthexox would enable him to extend his base of power, and to establish a position from which to eventually conquer the Scottrian provinces in the Central Galactic Borderlands.
 * Consequently, the Emperor decided to make demands of the Vectorians, who, he believed, were not a match for Laurasian military forces. On February 21, 1613, four hundred years after Leonidas I had been elected King and Autocrat of All the Laurasians, at the end of the Time of Troubles, Caracalla issued, from the Quencilvanian Palace on Laurasia Prime, an ultimatum to the Court of Vectoria. In this, the Emperor asserted Laurasian rights to the disputed Southern Amelianian Provinces, and he demanded that his Vectorian counterpart, Emperor Ashurna, acknowledge the Laurasian protectorate over Neo-Anastasia. Ashurna, who nurtured ambitions of further expansion into the Barsar Regions, was not willing to yield, and considering Laurasian imperialism to be a threat to his own dominions, rejected the ultimatum almost immediately. Thus, Caracalla moved swiftly towards the commencement of war. On March 9, the Emperor issued his final instructions to the Imperial General Headquarters. He then departed from Laurasia Prime on March 21, and proceeded to Merilash, arriving there two days later. He now took command of the military forces which were being assembled in the Merlite Provinces. On April 5, he compelled Titilla to sign the Treaty of Skyriver, pledging to provide Anastasian troops, financial aid, and military intelligence for the use of the Empire. Then on April 18, 1613, Caracalla finally issued a declaration of war against the Vectorian Empire.
 * Laurasian forces now advanced swiftly into Vectorian territory. Angela became the first target of the Emperor's campaign; the Siege of the star system began on April 21, and lasted until May 22, 1613, when it capitulated to Caracalla. Caracalla's chief military commander, Legate-General Sir Anastasius Perius (1571-1616), then won a stunning victory at Essie (May 24-29, 1613), and from thence stormed Essie, Kennedy, and Jadaurine (June 1613). On June 17, Kylantha also fell into Laurasian hands. Then on July 2, following the conquest of Ivanna and Agester, Caracalla moved against Vectorian positions at Humbratia. The ensuing Battle of Humbratia, which lasted for four days, ended in a decisive Laurasian victory. Vectorian Emperor Ashurna, however, now embarked upon a series of counteroffensives into Laurasian territory. These were to be directed into the Garaman Provinces. On July 15, after defeating a Laurasian force in the Battle of Angelia, the Emperor of the Vectorians proceeded against Gholaia. Gholaia's defenses were penetrated in short order by Vectorian units, and the world fell two days later. Garama was then conquered on July 19, 1613; Humbleton Mist followed on 23. On July 27, the Vectorians obtained a crushing victory in the Battle of Charlotte. Within short order, Vectorian forces overran Alec (August 3, 1613), and by the middle of that month, they were harrying the defenses of Merilash, Carolyn, and even Masada.
 * Emperor Caracalla, still engaged in moves towards Nagosh, was now forced to divert units to bolster the defenses of the Merlite Strongholds, in addition to Bordina and Cossack, and also to launch expeditions to Gemallae and Vescera, both of which were being besieged by Vectorian units. Laurasian forces successfully recovered Alec (August 29-September 7, 1613), and on September 17, repelled a series of Vectorian offensives against Austin, Evan, and Ryan Barlak. Thus, by the beginning of October 1613, the war had settled into a stalemate, with the front-lines stabilizing between the opposing forces. The Emperor of Laurasia, who realized that he had underestimated the capabilities of his Vectorian adversaries, and whose paranoia was becoming more and more marked with the passage of time, decided to now bring this war, the first between Laurasia and Vectoria, to an end. A armistice was signed at Beatrice on October 14, and negotiations then commenced at Nicole.
 * The Treaty of Nicole was then signed (December 4, 1613), bringing the First Laurasian-Vectorian War to a close. In exchange for recognition of Laurasian overlordship over the Neo-Anastasian Empire, and Laurasian jurisdiction over the Merlite and Garaman Provinces, Caracalla agreed to withdraw all of his forces from Vectorian territory, and to pay an annual subsidy for the transit rights of Laurasian merchants (amounting to $50 billion Laurasian denarii per annum). All prisoners of war were exchanged, and the status quo ante bellum was reaffirmed. The Treaty of Nicole was ratified by all parties by December 11. Following its conclusion, which many Laurasians considered disgraceful to the honor of the Empire, the Senate awarded the Emperor the empty title of Galacticus Maximus (December 19, 1613). Caracalla, understanding the antipathy on Laurasia Prime, now decided to embark on a series of progresses through his realms, imitating the custom of Lysimachus I. He was destined never to return to Laurasia Prime for the remainder of his reign. 1613 thus ended with the Laurasian Empire having derived no benefit from the recent military conflict.
 * On May 10, 1613, the future Emperor Claudius II, known as "Vectorius", (r. 1668-70), was born in Stansila, Caladaria. He was the son of Sir Aurelius Valerius (1576-1639), Governor of Caladaria (1612-19) and Darcia (1619-28), and his wife, Lady Pomponia Raleria (1584-1655), a respected actress and holofilm producer and the first woman to sit on the board of the Imperial Academy of the Arts.

1614

 * On September 9, 1614, the future Emperor Aurelian, the Savior (r. 1670-75), was born in Chrisholm, Hemsley, in the Mackenzian Provinces. He was the son of Legate-Admiral Sir Verus Domitius, 2nd Baron Domitius of Hemsley (1572-1645) and his wife, Lady Theodora Domitius, Baroness of Hemsley (1585-1656).
 * Throughout 1614, the 14th year of the seventeenth century, the Laurasian Empire remained at peace. Emperor Caracalla, as has been noted above, had started to become more paranoid, with the disappointments engendered by the First Laurasian-Vectorian War. Consequently, the Emperor had focused upon strengthening his oversight of affairs in the Imperial Household, and of extending the surveillance programs pursued by his government. The Emperor effected an expansion in the ranks of the Praetorian Guards (January 7, 1614), ordering for the establishment of new training barracks on Helen, Chappelle, and Sanegeta. Moreover, he ordered for the revision of the conscription levy in February 1614, commanding for there to be a rate of 50 per 10,000 subjects of the Empire, and called for the establishment of a commission to review military procurement, retainment, and training procedures. In April 1614, the Emperor also ordered for an elevation in the pay given to soldiers of the Imperial Laurasian Army; they were now given a 300% increase in their normal salary, which was to be based both upon years in the service and upon hours on the battlefield; moreover, Caracalla issued a series of charters confirming the retirement, property, and inheritance rights of soldiers in the services. He granted additional donatives to the Guards, Navy, and Imperial General Headquarters; promoted a number of higher-ranking military officers into the Governing Senate; and conferred titles, property, and annuities upon the most prominent nobles and gentlemen in the military service. In addition to this, the Emperor conducted various popular gestures to earn their support. This included such tasks as marching with them, sharing in their food, and even sleeping in their barracks.
 * Yet the Emperor also sought to continue with the proliferation of public amenities and entertainment, as had been pursued by all of his imperial predecessors back to Seleucus I himself. In accordance with this goal, he commissioned, on August 9, 1614, the construction of the Baths of Caracalla in Osraninpolis, Laurasia Prime. These Baths were merely the latest in a series of such public sanitary projects. Laurasia Prime had, over the course of the preceding three centuries, been embellished with the Baths of Seleucus I (1322); Antiochus I (1376); Tiberius (1430); Vespasian (1477); Titus (1481); Antigonus I (1509); Antoninus Pius (1554), and Severus (1603). Each Emperor had viewed the completion of such projects as a service to their people, and as a means of exalting their name, demonstrating their wealth, and further insuring their legacy. The Baths constructed by Caracalla, upon their completion in November 1616, would be the largest and most extensive of such complexes to be completed to date (later to be surpassed by those of Aurelia I, in 1767). It covered 3,500 acres of land and included swimming pools, exercise yards, steam rooms, a stadium, libraries, meeting rooms, fountains, and other amenities. It could accommodate up to 450,000 bathers at one time. The interiors were decorated with magnificent statutes, statuettes, tapestries, and exotic stones. The Baths of Caracalla did prove to be this Emperor's chief architectural project, and it helped contribute to the overall expansion of mining and construction activity within the Empire that was to be a constant of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.

1615

 * 1615, the fifteenth year of the seventeenth century, commenced with the Empire continuing to reside in a state of tranquility, and also with Emperor Caracalla continuing to pursue certain innovations of benefit to his subjects. In accordance with this, the Emperor, seeking a general reform of the imperial currency, which would stabilize the Empire's banking and speculation sectors, introduced a new coinage (decree of January 16, 1615), which was named the Antoninanus in honor of Emperor Antoninus Pius. This was a "double denarius" which weighed 5.1 grams and contained 2.6 grams of silver-a purity of 52%. For the purpose of striking this coinage, the Emperor sponsored the establishment of a new mint on Paul II. Paul II had been colonized in 1571, during the Borderlands Wars, and over the course of the preceding four decades, had been further developed by the efforts of the Imperial College of Mining and Manufacturing. Caracalla's establishment of the Paul Mint further spurred the star system's development, and it was to become one of the chief currency repositories and production sites in the Empire by the beginning of the eighteenth century.
 * Yet not all was well within the Empire, and a incident now occurred which demonstrated the extent of the Emperor's paranoia. The inhabitants of Briscum, Vetta, had been among the most restless inhabitants of the Laurasian Purse Region during the sixteenth century. Four times, in 1519, 1534, 1549, and 1576, the city had experienced rebellion against the imperial authorities; it was further marred by the Loadarian Crime Riots of 1591; and it had also contended with a series of natural disasters. Yet Briscum's inhabitants were also known for their longing for free speech and for culture, and believed it within their capabilities to demonstrate their relative "independence". Consequently, in February 1615, members of the Briscian Order of Poets produced a satire, The Follies of Officaldom, mocking Caracalla's claims that he had murdered his half-brother Geta in self defense. The satire also attacked the Emperor's other pretensions, including his demand, communicated to the Holy Synod in a memorandum of April 7, 1614, that he be exalted as a enforcer of the Almitian Church, and his efforts, similar to those of Caligula, Antiochus III, and Commodus in the past, of having statutes erected of himself at major public locations and places of worship throughout the Empire.
 * Emperor Caracalla, who had already overseen the condemnation and punishment of several millions of so-called "enemies of state" in the Purse Region and elsewhere, was enraged by this satire. Consequently, on April 7, 1615, the Emperor undertook a sudden, personal visit to Vetta. He ordered for the immediate execution of the deputation of leading citizens who had assembled at the Vettian Spaceport in order to greet his arrival. This included the Mayor of Briscum, Sir Heredotus Pasius (1559-1615), who had been appointed to his post by his father. Seventy officials were struck down in such a manner. The Emperor then unleashed his troops for an orgy of looting and rapine in the thoroughfares and structures of Briscum. From April 7 to 13, 1615, the city was devastated by the onslaught of the Imperial Laurasian Army and Praetorian Guards. The historian Cassius Dio, in his General History of the Laurasian Civilization, would later estimate that some 700,000 civilians were killed during the course of those six days.
 * Shortly after the Massacre of Briscum, as it became known, Caracalla established his headquarters on Sassanay. In May 1615, he announced to the Councils of State and to his subjects his intentions of extending the Empire's dominions into the Galactic Borderlands by further means of war. His goal this time was not Scottria or Vectoria, but Marasharita. Marasharite Emperor Ahmed I had died on April 25, 1608, having ruled for just over four years. Following his death, civil war had erupted between his sons Jem, who had succeeded him on the throne, and Bajazet, who professed that he was the rightful Emperor. Bajazet soon gained the ascendancy, and by 1613, he was in control of Topacia and the Marasharite Homeland Territories. Jem, however, continued to hold out, retaining the allegiance of Hungary, Montenegro, Macedonica, Albania, and Upper Bulgania. All of this took place in conjunction with the Marasharite Empire's war against the Great Breffalian Federation of Abbas I (described below), with rebellions in the Danubian Principalities, and with other troubles.
 * Caracalla now sought to take advantage of the situation, and during 1615, he was engaged in active encouragement of dissension and espionage at the court of the Haynsian Despot, Everan I Karany (r. 1610-23), who himself was entertaining ideas of breaking away from Marasharite overlordship (ideas which were to come to naught). Moreover, the Emperor launched a series of raiding expeditions from the Satian Provinces against the Galactic Frontier Route; Meneia, Chappelear, Abrianna, Guthmiller, and other strongholds were harried by Laurasian forces during the middle months of 1615. In November of that year, the Emperor demanded the release of Laurasians who were being held in Marasharite custody, in the Great Amulak Spiral, for having violated Marasharite customs, and for the suspension of Haynsian raiding expeditions against the Empire's territories. These expeditions had continued unabated throughout the early years of the seventeenth century. Bajazet, who claimed control of all Marasharite territories in the satellite galaxies and in the Caladarian Galaxy, refused to pay any attention to these demands. On December 7, therefore, Caracalla suspended all diplomatic relations with the Court of Topacia. On Ascentmas Day, 1615, the Emperor issued a manifesto to his subjects, justifying his decision to go to war on the basis of "security" for the Laurasian Dominions.

1616

 * 1616, the 16th year of the seventeenth century, commenced with the Laurasian Empire's military forces now poised for the renewal of conflict, this time with the Marasharite Empire and Haynsian Despotate. Emperor Caracalla had, during the course of the past several months, been engaged in the assembly of his military forces at the chief strongholds of the Satian, Angelican, and Solidaritan Provinces, poised for a move into Marasharite territory. It was now on January 23, 1616, that the Emperor of Laurasia issued a formal declaration of war against the Marasharite Empire. Laurasian forces now moved swiftly into Marasharite territory. Meneia became the first target of the imperial offensive (January 24-29, 1616); it fell, rather swiftly, into Laurasian hands, and more then 200,000 Marasharite Elite Guards were captured by the Emperor's troops. From Meneia, Caracalla besieged and captured Carly (February 7); Billy Gasis (February 15); and Teller (February 24), in quick succession, thereby penetrating into the Latrician and Donnian Provinces. On March 7, the Emperor won the Battle of Sly James, breaking through Marasharite defenses in a series of coordinated defiles. Adrianne, Keeley, and Natalie were then conquered by the Empire's forces during March 1616, thereby posing additional pressure to the Marasharite forces. Tiona was subsequently besieged (April 1-19, 1616); despite the efforts of Marasharite General Abstuf-Sharif (1568-1634), the world fell into Laurasian hands. Abstuf-Sharif himself was captured; he was presented to Caracalla, who commended him for his bravery and ordered for him to be treated honorably while in captivity. Belaprasian was then overrun in May 1616. Caracalla then repelled a series of Haynsian expeditions against Xilania Major, Xilania Secondary, Jin Major, and Jin Minor (June 1616), and on July 19, he won the Battle of Donna, though he was unable to break through that world's defenses.
 * Touforia was conquered by Caracalla (July 22-August 5), and on August 19, 1616, he won a further victory, over a combined Marasharite-Haynsian force, in the Battle of Kurdi. Kabul, Kolombina, and Morlan then fell into Laurasian hands by the end of the month. By the beginning of September 1616, Ba'dsai was also under siege, posing a major threat to the Marasharite garrisons of Chardis and Illumis, both of whom had their supply lines constantly harried by the taskfleets of the Imperial Laurasian Navy. At this point, however, the Haynsian Despotate intervened, more decisively, and effectively, in the ongoing conflict. Having decided to acknowledge Bajazet's authority as Emperor of the Marasharites, Haynsian Despot Everan I issued a call for war to the Haynsian Marital Forces (October 9, 1616), and launched a series of vigorous expeditions into Laurasian territory. Haynsian forces, operating from Kurdi and the strongholds of the Northern Reaches, now focused their efforts, once again, upon the Xilanian Provinces. Jin Minor and Horeb Prima were sacked by them (October 12-17, 1616); a Laurasian effort, launched by General Sir Gordian Thracius (1569-1616), to storm Marasharite positions at the colony of Arbella was swiftly suppressed by the Haynsians, under Prince Gul-Karany (1565-1629), in the Battle of Edessa (November 1, 1616). General Thracius himself died of injuries that he sustained during the battle.
 * During the course of November 1616, Haynsian expeditions ranged to Skyler, Zoe, Eaidon, and the Larkian Way; Mocktrialis, Lawson, Greyson, Halassion, Chalassion, and Alyssa, among other strongholds, were all harassed by Haynsian expeditionary forces, and on November 14, Prince Gul-Karany won the Battle of Roxuli, forcing Caracalla to shore up that world's defenses. On December 7, Caracalla, who was still leading his forces in operations within the Tof Borderlands, was able to storm the Marasharite arsenal of Arbitus. Five days later, however, Brent and Gwendolyn were sacked by Prince Gul-Karany; more then five hundred millions of their inhabitants were killed, wounded, or enslaved by the Haynsian mongrels, and Caracalla was absolutely embarrassed by this debacle. Lacia was then plundered by a Haynsian squadron (December 19, 1616). This inflicted more damage on a world, once so great and once the capital of an empire, which had never fully recovered from its losses at the hands of the Allied Coalition nearly a thousand years earlier. Its population, which had been at 65 billion at the death of Devlet-Giray in July 638, was now, in the early seventeenth century, a mere forty million. It was to decline further during the remainder of the century. 1616 ended, therefore, with the Empire engrossed in a fruitless military conflict against the Marasharites.

1617

 * 1617, the 17th year of the seventeenth century, commenced with the Laurasian Empire still engrossed in conflict against its Marasharite and Haynsian foes. As the year began, these enemies obtained further successes. In January 1617, the Haynsians under Prince Gul-Karany stormed Abitia, Wakino, Mir, Julie, and Karen in the Homidinian Provinces. They inflicted $6 trillion denarii in property damage upon those star systems, and carried more then one hundred millions of their inhabitants away into captivity. They would be sold at the slave markets of Caffa, Bahckirsaray, Haynes, and Backalava in the Angelina Spiral; Homidinian, Julian, and Lacian women would end up in the Marasharite Harem on Topacia. At this point, Emperor Caracalla, determined to halt Haynsian momentum, vigorously reorganized his military forces. He now advanced upon Nisbis, a Marasharite military colony and outpost which was located in the Tof Borderlands and had been colonized during the fifteenth century. The ensuing Battle of Nisbis (February 11, 1617), was a bloody and costly affair. The Laurasians suffered far more losses in combat than their Haynsian adversaries (1.5 million vs. 200,000 troops, along with the corresponding naval forces), and it was even feared at one point that the Emperor and his officers would be isolated and captured by the enemy. Ultimately, however, Caracalla was able to obtain a strategic victory, and the Haynsian General Surva-Nester (1570-1631), who was Prince Gul-Karany's chief of staff and leading subordinate, was forced to retreat.
 * Following this battle, Laurasian troops managed to push Haynsian raiding expeditions back to the Galactic Frontier Route, but had in the meantime lost Carly, Billy Gasis, and Teller (February 12-29, 1617) to Marasharite counteroffensives from the Northern Reaches. Nevertheless, Caracalla sent a communique to the Imperial Chancellory on Laurasia Prime (March 6, 1617), announcing his victories in battle over the Marasharites and that they would soon be driven from the Caladarian Galaxy. Prince Gul-Karany, however, who had now retreated from the Homidinian Provinces, decided to redirect his raiding expeditions into Angelica, focusing especially on the Immortalized Cluster. Aspen, Roach, Etienne, Schulzki, Shineski, and Iverman were all sacked by Haynsian forces in March 1617; Corfu, Prima, and Angelica Minor were threatened by Haynsian surveillance expeditions; and a Haynsian task force even appeared in the outskirts of Angelica Major (March 28-April 1, 1617), impeding traffic into the star system, capturing two commercial convoys, and laying a series of artificial barriers, before being compelled to retreat by the larger Laurasian garrison.
 * Caracalla, however, though his forces had obtained no further, substantive military successes, proclaimed himself Marasharitus Maximus (April 2, 1617), adding to his earlier titles of Xilanius Maximus and Galacticus Maximus. This proved to be the final straw for some of his subjects. General Sir Macrinus Severus, Duke of Constantinople, who had been appointed by Caracalla as Praetorian Prefect in 1614, and was distantly related to him now provoked Julius Martialis (1590-1617), a common soldier in the Imperial Laurasian Army, into action against the Emperor. Martialis was angry that the Emperor had not promoted him to the Guards, as he had been promised in September 1615, and he was particularly resentful that his elder brother, Marcus (1584-1614), had been executed in December 1614 on the Emperor’s orders on an unproven charge. Offered a substantial bribe by Macrinus, Martialis acted. Towards the end of March 1617, Emperor Caracalla decided to visit the Temple of Luna on Meris V, one of the most renowned non-Almitian religious sites in the Caladarian Galaxy, so as to obtain blessings for the renewal of offensives against the Marasharites and Haynsians. On April 8, just as his flagship was approaching the outskirts of Meris V, Caracalla went to the onboard restroom facilities in order to relieve himself. Marcinus had given Martialis the access codes, and the soldier now penetrated into the chamber and killed Caracalla with one blow, whilst he was still sitting on the toilet. Macrinus, however, was determined that no one could give him away, and immediately upon receiving word of the Emperor’s assassination, he, as ranking subordinate, had Martialis executed by court martial.
 * Within three days, Macrinus, who produced a will purportedly that of Caracalla, which named him heir apparent, had been proclaimed Emperor by the Praetorian Guards and the Imperial Military; this was affirmed by the Senate, Synod, and Imperial Chancellory on April 16. On May 1, 1617, Caracalla’s body was brought back to the Westphalian Cathedral; he was interred there four days later. Later that month (May 15, 1617), at the Diplomatic Palace, 60-year old Empress Dowager Paccia Marciana, in depression as a result of the violent deaths of her two sons, and suffering from Sorones disease, committed suicide; on Macrinus's orders, she too, was interred at the Cathedral, next to the bodies of her husband and son. In June 1617, Emperor Macrinus returned to Massanay, and determined to bring an end to the Marasharite War by defeating the forces of that empire in a decisive confrontation. He now pursued a series of vigorous offensives into the Tof Borderlands. Kurdi was besieged by Laurasian forces, beginning on June 16; the Siege of Kurdi lasted for nearly a month, with its fall on July 11 being a blow to the Marasharites. From Kurdi, Laurasian forces conquered Pelaski and Kia (July 1617), recovered Billy Gasis on the 26th of that month, and on August 3, stormed Ra'dai. Then on August 16, 1617, the Second Battle of Nisbis was waged; Prince Gul-Karany and General Surva-Nester themselves took command of the combined Marasharite-Haynsian forces. Emperor Macrinus, however, by employing his starfighters, frigates, and corvettes in an innovative fashion, was able to blunt their assaults, and to obtain a strategic victory. Nisbis now fell into Laurasian hands, though Haynsian expeditions into the Xilanian and Angelican Provinces continued unabated. Yet the Marasharites themselves, engrossed by the war against Breffalia, now moved to bring this war to an end.
 * On September 19, 1617, Emperor Bajazet requested for the commencement of negotiations. Macrinus agreed, and the Armistice of Bucharina was signed on October 2. Negotiations then commenced on Cibourney. The Treaty of Cibourney, signed on November 15, 1617, ended the Laurasian-Marasharite War of 1615-17 on the basis of the status quo ante bellum; all territories conquered by the forces of the two empires were restored to their respective owners, diplomatic and economic relations were resumed, and prisoners of war exchanged. The Emperor of Laurasia, however, agreed to allow for the Haynsian Despotate to retain the captives and spoils of war which it had captured in its raiding expeditions; this would cause consternation and anger on Laurasia Prime, particularly at the Imperial Laurasian Court and among the Praetorian Guards, against Macrinus. After the conclusion of this agreement, Macrinus sought to refrain from war. He returned to Laurasia Prime on November 22, and in a manifesto to his subjects, issued five days later, he declared that his administration was devoted to maintaining peace with all neighbors of the Empire. However, Macrinus now compounded the anger over the Treaty of Cibourney by taking action against the Guards. He now restricted their travel, intelligence, and retirement privileges; eliminated the pay raises which had been enacted by his predecessor, Emperor Caracalla; and on December 9, he forbade the Guards to leave Laurasia Prime or to engage in financial activities without his approval. Later that same month, he reformed the currency, abolishing the Antoninanus coinage issued by Caracalla and increasing the purity of the civil coin to 58%. Nevertheless, his popularity with the military and Guards collapsed, and the Imperial Military began to contemplate elevating another in his place as Emperor.

1618

 * The discontent against Emperor Macrinus continued to fester during the early months of 1618. New figures now emerged to take advantage of the extensive discontent. These were Julia Maesa, who was the aunt of the deceased Emperor Caracalla; her two daughters, Caracalla’s cousins Julia Soaemias and Julia Mamaea; and Maesa’s eldest grandson, Grand Prince Elagabalus, grand-nephew of Demetrius Severus I. Upon acceding to the throne, Macrinus, who viewed these members of the Severan family as a threat to his power, ordered for them to be banished to Aingley (June 1617). There, he believed, they would pose no threat to his position or his authority. In this, however, he was proven grievously wrong. Almost immediately upon her arrival at Aingley, Grand Princess Maesa began conspiring with her chamberlain, Sir Gannys Androvich (1559-1618), who also served as her grandson’s tutor. Their intention was to overthrow Macrinus and elevate Elagabalus, who was now fourteen years old, to the imperial throne. His mother, Grand Princess Soaemias, proclaimed that he was the son of Caracalla, and was therefore owed the allegiance of the officials and troops who had served under that Emperor. In March 1618, Emperor Macrinus, in response to this declaration, sent orders to the authorities of Aingley that Maesa, her daughters, and her grandson be arrested; that their household be dismantled; and all properties of the Severan family confiscated. Maesa, however, secured the allegiance of the garrison of Aingley, who remembered Caracalla with reverence.
 * The following month, the Governor-General of Malaria Prime declared his allegiance to the cause of the Severan Dynasty, and all the strongholds of the Malarian Provinces renounced Macrinus as Emperor. On May 16, 1618, Legate-General Sir Publius Comazon (1573-1622), who commanded the forces of the Malarian Provinces, proclaimed Elagabalus, who had just turned fifteen, to be Emperor and Autocrat of All the Laurasians. In response to this proclamation, Emperor Macrinus dispatched a force under the command of Praetorian Prefect and Legate-General Sir Ulipus Julianus (1564-1618) to Welch and the Jar Asteroids, with a number of warships that he considered sufficient to crush the rebellion. On May 25, however, Colonel Anastasius Morsius (1581-1629) led the personnel in rebellion against General Julianus. Morsius and his men were successful. Julianus and his other officers, who refused to betray their Emperor, were executed by blaster, their heads severed from their bodies. Within two days, the entire government force had defected to the rebellion, giving Maesa and Elagabalus access to a number of corvettes and dreadnoughts. Emperor Macrinus now commanded the Governing Senate to formally condemn the rebellion.
 * Declaring Elagabalus insane, the Emperor had both him and his grandmother excommunicated, and he issued a manifesto to his subjects, urging them to suppress the rebellion swiftly. Soon, he and his son, Grand Prince Diadumenian (1598-1618), whom he had proclaimed his heir apparent in February, arrived at Kamachina to take command of their forces against the rebellion. On June 1, however, the 2nd Imperial Army defected to Grand Princess Maesa, lured by her promises and bribes. Other governors, military commanders, and clergymen throughout the Empire denounced Macrinus as a usurper and refused to acknowledge his authority. Protests broke out in the streets of Christiania and other cities. On June 8, 1618, the forces of Emperor Macrinus and Grand Prince Diadumenian, weakened by the defection of the 2nd Army, clashed with rebel forces under Generals Comazon and Androvich in the Battle of Ularia; the result was a decisive rebel victory. Emperor Macrinus barely managed to escape capture, and fled on his starfighter. He soon disguised himself as a navigator and booked passage on a transit line at White. On June 14, however, Macrinus was captured by rebel troops near Johnald. Maesa, who knew that the Empire was within her grandson’s grasp, ordered for him to be executed immediately. The Emperor was unable to resist, and he died at the hands of rebel troops. Twelve days later, his son Diadumenian was captured at Zeguma (which had been established in 1491 as a medicinal colony in the Malarian Provinces) and was also put to death.
 * On July 1, the institutions of the Imperial Government formally acknowledged Elagabalus as Emperor, and his proclamation of accession was dispatched throughout the Empire. Emperor Elagabalus, as he now was, pardoned any officials who had supported Macrinus; denounced him as a usurper; and condemned the policies of his administration. Caracalla and Paccia Marciana were both declared saints of the Almitian Church; both Julia Maesa and Julia Soaemias obtained rights of precedence in the imperial household; and Macrinus and his son Diadumenian were excommunicated and laid under a sentence of damnatio memoriae. General Comazon was appointed Praetorian Prefect and Captain of the Guard, as a reward for his support to the rebellion. Emperor Elagabalus decided not to make an immediate progress to Laurasia Prime, which startled his subjects. Instead, he and the reconstituted Imperial Court spent the winter solstice of 1618 on Malaria Prime. It was also during this time that the Emperor’s policies began to alienate his subjects. His old tutor Sir Gannys Androvich was executed on trumped-up charges in September 1618, allegedly for attempting to "control the Emperor’s household beyond reasonable bounds." The following month, Grand Princess Maesa had a portrait of Elagabalus in priestly robes sent to Laurasia Prime. This was mounted at the altar of the Westphalian Cathedral, and all were commanded to pray for Elagabalus’s soul before Almitis. This placed many worshippers in an awkward position. The legions were also dismayed by the Emperor’s laziness and gluttony, and quickly came to regret having supported his accession to the throne.
 * On September 23, 1618, the future Emperor Gaillenus was born in Randanian City, Horacia. He was the son of another future Emperor, then known as Sir Valerian Publius, who had obtained the rank of Staff Seregant in the Imperial Laurasian Army, and served on the Officers' Staff of the Garrison of Horacia. Valerian's wife was Lady Egnatia Mariniana (1585-1649), who was ten years her husband's senior, and the daughter of the prominent rhetorician Sir Egnatius Mariniana (1552-1625). Gaillenus would be raised in relative comfort at his father's estates on Horacia, Zennethia, Zutagia, Zesia, and Momma during the earliest years of his life.

1619

 * 1619, the 19th year of the seventeenth century, commenced with the Laurasian Empire, now restored to a tenuous state of internal peace, still adjusting to the rule of a new Emperor. That Emperor, Elagabalus, had however not yet made his arrival on his capital world, having continued to dwell in the Malarian Provinces. That remained the situation during the early months of 1619; many in Christiania and in the other cities of Laurasia Prime were angered by his continuing absence, and this would feed into the events of the following years. But on March 5, 1619, the Emperor finally announced his intention to make his formal arrival at Laurasia Prime, and laid out the plans for his coronation ceremony. Before he was to make this progress however, it was declared by the Imperial Chancellory that he would progress through the Northern Central Core and into the Gourdianian Provinces. The Imperial Laurasian Court formally departed from Malaria Prime (April 7, 1619), and commenced on this journey. Gordasis, Courdina V, Wroona, Constantine I, Heuthros, Ietas, Tyndaris, and all of the chief strongholds of the Northern Central Core (such as Melarnaria, Clancia, Marshia, Williams, Bainsborough, Evelyn, Ruthania, Hannah, Teth, etc.) were visited by the Emperor and his court during this progress, which was to last for over six months. At the same time, however, an outburst of rebellion took place against the Emperor's regime, as dissatisfaction within the Imperial Military, concerning Elagabalus, continued to grow. These revolts, however, were to prove to be relatively minor.
 * On June 8, 1619, Legate-General Sir Gellius Maximus (1567-1619), who was a veteran of the Xilanian and Mellorite Wars of Emperor Demetrius Severus, and had also participated in the First Vectorian War of 1613, becoming noted for his exploits at Garama, Nicole, and Redia, provoked a rebellion at Sapphire and Chesham's Star. Since September 1618, he had served as Governor of the Constantine Cluster, a reward given to him by Grand Princess Maesa for his earlier support of Elagabalus's cause. Maximus, however, had like many of his compatriots, become disenchanted with Elagabalus's earlier policy moves, and he was also disappointed by the Emperor's failure to restore Caracalla's pay scales for the Guards and for the Imperial Forces at large. At the same time, the influential Governing Senator and Procurator of Durglais and Chancia, Sir Verus Terus (1560-1619), provoked a revolt within his jurisdiction. The 3rd Imperial Army, stationed at those strongholds, now betrayed the Emperor and demanded his deposition. Terus and Maximus exchanged correspondence with each other, and entertained ideas of stirring up rebellion at other strongholds of the Purse Region, marching to Laurasia Prime, and installing a common, favored candidate upon the Laurasian throne. These plans, however, were to quickly come to naught. General Comazon, again displaying his loyalty and adherence to the cause of the Severan Dynasty, moved quickly to suppress these challenges. He quickly defeated Maximus at Merandaz (June 12, 1619), overran Sapphire (June 18), and on June 26, obtained another quick triumph at Chesham's Star. At the same time, under his orders, Admiral Sir Galerius Pomius (1575-1622), defeated Senator Terus's units at Kigonia (June 22-25, 1619), and on July 2, breached Chancia's defenses. By July 17, both revolts had been crushed; Terus and Maximus were both captured by imperial troops.
 * On the orders of Comozon, they were brought to Laurasia Prime on prison transports; speedily convicted, on August 2, by the Governing Senate, on charges of treason, conspiracy, and les-majestie; and on August 15, 1619, executed at the Fortress of Baureux. Comozon had therefore successfully maintained Elagabalus's authority in the Purse Region. It was nearly two months later, on October 17, 1619, that Elagabalus made his final and formal arrival at Laurasia Prime. He was greeted (albeit with a lack of enthusiasm), by his subjects at the moons and in the cities of the capital world. On October 25, the Emperor formally appointed Comazon to be Secretary of the Colleges of Chancellory and Defense, and Marshal of the Empire. Other allies of his and his grandmother were appointed to the Senate, Councils of Civil Service and Secretaries, and the Imperial Household. Many of the longer-serving government officials and personages were outraged by this, considering these men to not be worthy of these privileges. Comazon was now in effect the Emperor's chief minister, overshadowing the actual Chancellor, Demetrius Unthrius, Archbishop of Mercedes (in office 1610-24), who had been a loyal subordinate of Emperors Demetrius Severus and Caracalla. Comazon would also become Mayor and Chief Suffect of Christiania in January 1620, and would also be named Assistant to the Chief Procurator of the Holy Synod. Then on November 5, 1619, Elagabalus, after having made the customary trip to Darcia, crowned himself Emperor at the Westphalian Cathedral. In December 1619, he ordered a devaluation of the imperial currency, decreasing its purity from 58% to 42%. This served to further anger many in the Empire who had actually favored Macrinus's currency reform; devaluation of the currency was a practice which was to be adhered to for most of the seventeenth century, until Neuchrus the Reformer finally stabilized the Laurasian financial and currency system.

1620

 * 1620, the 20th year of the seventeenth century, saw the follies of Emperor Elagabalus continue. It also saw a short, and sharp, war between the Laurasian Empire and the Dejanican-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The vain and foolish Emperor Elagabalus continued to alienate his subjects and influential personages within the Imperial Government and Military by his actions. He now became known as an outright pervert and homosexual, in direct contravention of the dictates of the Imperial Almitian Church. Emperor Lysimachus, who had been involved in a homosexual relationship with the young Antinous, had nevertheless kept this a secret from most of his subjects, and had been a respected and beloved monarch. Elagabalus was nothing of the sort. On January 22, 1620, the Emperor formally repealed the Sodomy and Heresy Laws, which had first been promulgated during the reign of Honorius the Terrible in the twelfth century and had been reissued, in amended form, by almost every Laurasian sovereign over a course of nearly five centuries. These laws had forbidden homosexual marriages or civil unions; made it an offense to "advertise" or display homosexual behaviors or propaganda in public; and had laid the sentence of excommunication upon any Laurasian found to engage in such practices.
 * The laws had provided harsh penalties for violation of its provisions, ranging from fines and confiscation of all property to exile, imprisonment, or even execution. They had also made strict definitions for sexual orientation and forbidden any change practices. Following the repeal of these laws, Elagabalus named his lover, the steward Sir Hiercoles Calla (1589-1622), to the Governing Senate (January 31, 1620), and raised him to the peerage as Baron Hasbrania of Constantinople. Another lover, the athlete Aurelius Zoticus (1596-1622), was appointed Chief Gentleman of the Privy Chamber and Imperial Steward in February 1620, which gave him much influence in the Imperial Household; he would be knighted in September of that year. Cassius Dio would declare in his General History that these actions of the Emperor "perverted Laurasian moral values and damaged the integrity of this Empire."
 * Elagabalus’s repeal of the Heresy and Sodomy Laws was followed by his effort to change, by his directive, the theology and doctrine of the Almitian Church itself. In March 1620, the Emperor commanded the Holy Synod and Chief Procurator Antigonus Chiechlia (in office 1614-43), who abhorred the Emperor's innovations, to acknowledge that the Book of Elagabal, which had been composed as a "pious fraud" in the 27th century BH, was valid, and that Elagabal, who was claimed by the book to be the son and High Prophet of Almitis, was exalted even above the Lord Paul. By June 1620, Emperor Elagabalus began issuing imperial coinage in which he designated himself Sol Invicticus "Unconquered Prophet" and included an inscription of Elagabal passing judgment upon mortals. The Emperor announced his intentions to begin construction on a cathedral dedicated to Elagabal, and that this would take the place of the Westphalian Cathedral. Many Almitian believers throughout the Empire were enraged by the Emperor’s policies. He even had himself circumcised, in violation of the customs of the imperial family and nobility, so that he could assume duties as the High Potentate of the Almitian Church.
 * It would be in November 1620, that the Emperor married Aquilia Severa (1598-1633), who had formerly been a Nun of the Monastery of Windowia Photis. He thereby cast aside his wife Julia Paula (1596-1626), a Laurasian lady of the prominent Paulan family in Osraninpolis, whom he had married in March 1619. His marriage with Severa was in flagrant violation of Laurasian law and tradition, which demanded that a nun who violated her vow of celibacy in the Almitian Church was to be executed by solar incineration. Emperor Elagabalus claimed that the marriage would produce "saintly" children; however, he hardly slept with his wife and continued in his homosexual indiscretions. As regards to the war with Dejanica, it is expedient to provide a description of what had happened as regards to the Marasharite Thirteen Year's War, and with the Commonwealth itself. In 1599, Michael the Brave had won the Battle of Selimbar and entered Alba Iulia, becoming Prince of Transylvania. A few months later, he had reached Jassy, and was proclaimed Prince of Moldavia. He kept control of the Danubian Principalities for less than a year before a series of revolts in Wallachia and Transylvania disrupted his power (1600). By March 1601, tensions between Transylvania and the Holy Austarlian Empire were high.
 * On August 9 of that year, the Battle of Gursulau resulted in a decisive victory for Michael against Sigismund Bathory, but he was shortly afterwards assassinated on the orders of Rudolfios II. By 1603, following the Battle of Brasov, Austarlia had managed to neutralize the threat of rebellious noble elements in Wallachia and Transylvania. From 1604 to 1606, Stephen Bathory of Transylvania continued the struggle against Austarlia, but it was finally ended by the Peace of Vienna (June 23, 1606). Shortly afterwards, Marasharite Emperor Ahmet I had concluded the Treaty of Zsitvatorok with Austarlia (November 11, 1606), which restored the status quo in Hungary and Slavonia between the two Empires. They would not go to war again until 1632. Marasharita had, of course, following Ahmet's death in 1608, fallen into internal troubles; Austarlia on its part, saw Rudolfios being effectively displaced by his brother Matthias, who succeeded him as Emperor in 1612, and reigned to 1619, when he was succeeded by Ferdinand II.
 * Austarlia, from 1618, would be plunged into the Thirty Year's War, which would evolve into a major military struggle among Austarlia, Bavaria, the Palatinate, Brandenburg, Denmarica, Vendragia, Franconia, Burgundy, the Haxonian Confederacy, Florence, Milania, Naparia, and the Spamalkan Kingdoms. Dejanica, on its part, remained under the rule of Alexagius II until his death in 1607. He was then succeeded by Casimirius V (r. 1607-19), whose reign saw renewed wars with the Haynsian Despotate (1608-12), the Great Breffal Federation (1615-16), in the Danubian Principalities (1612-19), and Scottria (1618-19). He also contended with Haynsian raids and expeditions in Belarania, Ukraine, and Tesmanian Dejanica from 1613 to 1620. Casimirus, following his death in 1619, was succeeded by Ariogasi II (r. 1619-32). Ariogasi, who was becoming more involved in the affairs of the Danubian Principalities, nevertheless decided to embark, in April 1620, upon a war with the Laurasian Empire. He sought to recover Gurlack, McIntyre, and Irnie, and to penetrate into the Wild Marshes.
 * On May 8, 1620, a formal declaration of war was issued by the Dejanican Diet. Dejanican units under General Stanis Zaskuskia (1556-1623) then invaded the Empire's territory. Ernie fell quickly into Dejanican hands (May 9-15, 1620), followed by Gurlack (May 22), McIntyre (May 28), and Kanjur (June 2-4). Mordan then fell on June 8, and Dejanican expeditions harried the defenses of Anjun, Kelvania Minor, Bouchet, Merlin, and Guenevere. General Comazon, however, who had departed hastily from Laurasia Prime, repelled a Dejanican move against Lancelot (June 12, 1620), and on June 29, he won the Battle of Arthur, thereby securing that stronghold for the Empire. Although Dejanican units overran Barbara, Kira, and Lielle (July 1-7, 1620), and penetrated to Meehan and Manzo (July 15), the General was gradually able to turn the tide. By August 1620, Mordan and Kanjur had been recovered by the Empire's forces; Comazon then defeated Dejanican General Zaskuskia in the Battle of Queen (September 4, 1620), and then proceeded to storm Major (September 17), driving Dejanican units from Barbara, Bouchet, and Lielle. By the end of September, Gurlack and McIntyre had fallen back into Laurasian hands, and Laurasian units were penetrating to Shashanaya, Black Chandlier, and Monique. It was on October 18, 1620, with the prospect of war looming with the Marasharite Empire, that King Ariogasi was forced to ask for negotiations. The Armistice of Orion (October 25, 1620), ended hostilities. The war itself was terminated by the Treaty of Nelson (December 2, 1620), which restored the status quo ante bellum. Thus, although the prior situation was maintained, many blamed Emperor Elagabalus's regime for not taking advantage of the opportunity presented to press into Dejanican Lavella. Dissent against his rule thereby increased further.

1621

 * 1621, the 21st year of the seventeenth century, saw the 300th anniversary of the Laurasian Empire's foundation (November 25, 1621). For many subjects of the Empire, it was considered an extreme curse that they were burdened, at this important commemoration date in their history, with a decadent, lazy, and vile monarch. Emperor Elagabalus did not arouse any affection or respect from the hearts of his subjects, and many believed that the Anti-Almitis would ruin the Laurasian dominions. The Emperor justified their views by his behavior at the ceremonies. His lovers Hiercoles and Aurelius Zoticus were given prominent places in the order of ceremonies; his other favorites presided over the affairs of the imperial household, with there being much sloth and debauchery; and the rituals of the Almitian Church were degraded by Elagabalus’s demands that he be worshiped as an angel of Almitis and his refusal to pay his respects to the tomb of Seleucus the Victor. He disgraced the names of his predecessors, and gave riotous occasion in the quarters of the palace. All of this will lead to Elagabalus’s memory being harshly criticized and censured by historians of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, from Cassius Dio to Lord Monompahlaus, Lady Vassalina, and Gibboneous. Nevertheless, the Laurasian Empire was at this stage stronger and larger than it had been at its inception three centuries earlier.
 * By November 1621, the Laurasian Empire’s jurisdiction extended from the Galactic Frontier Route and the Satian Provinces in the northwest to the outskirts of the Eastern Outer Borderlands and to the Burglais Arm, Corporate Trade Corridor, and Larkian Way. Laurasian rule now extended over nearly forty million inhabited star systems within the confines of the Caladarian Galaxy. The Empire also held over-lordship over the Neo-Anastasian Empire, which held on to the southwestern Barsar Regions; had extracted commercial concessions from the Celestial Kingdom of Scottria and the Mellorite Empire; and signed economic treaties with the Vectorian and Marasharite Empires. The Empire’s Western Provinces, however, were under threat from the Dejanican-Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Haynsian Despotate, who were ceaseless in their raiding expeditions. The Marasharites, Scottrians, and Vectorians in the Galactic Borderlands all desired to expand their dominions at Laurasian expense, and they continued to gather intelligence about the status of the Laurasian military forces.
 * Marital troubles also continued to affect the Emperor's personal life. Emperor Elagabalus succumbed to the pressures of General Comazon and his grandmother, Grand Princess Julia Maesa, and officially divorced his wife, Empress Consort Aquilia Severa. The marriage had continued to arouse much criticism from circles at the Imperial Court and was more unpopular with the Empire’s subjects than ever before. Instead, the Emperor was now persuaded to marry Annia Faustina (1601-22), who was a descendant of Antigonus II and therefore had a hereditary claim to the Laurasian throne. Faustina was recently widowed, as her husband Sir Pomponius Bassius, 3rd Baron Bassius of Cassanova (1592-1620), had been executed for sedition and treason in November 1620. The government officials and nobility of the Empire were more receptive to this marriage, and wedding vows were exchanged in March 1621. Emperor Elagabalus conferred state honors upon his new wife, and she sought to tone down the immodesty of the Imperial Court. Supporters of the Emperor hoped that his new wife would bear him children; during their short marriage, however, she did not become pregnant. Elagabalus soon tired of his wife, and continued to indulge in his homosexual affairs. In December 1621, the month after the imperial anniversary celebrations, the Emperor divorced her and married Aquilia Severa for the second time, defying the protests of his grandmother and her supporters. Faustina, granted the title of the "Emperor’s Dearest Sister", retreated to Fulcania, where she died in November 1622.

1622

 * By the beginning of 1622, the Emperor Elagabalus’s eccentricities, particularly his homosexual affairs with Hirecoles and Aurelius Zoticus, as well as his habit of prostituting himself in the public chambers of the Quencilvanian Palace, had incensed the officers and soldiers of the Praetorian Guards and Imperial Military. His grandmother, Grand Princess Julia Maesa, perceiving that public support for her grandson was waning, and determined to maintain her own position of influence at the Imperial Court, now decided that he and his mother, her daughter Grand Princess Julia Soaemias, had to be replaced. As alternatives, she turned to her other daughter, Grand Princess Julia Mamaea, and her other grandson, Grand Prince Alexander Severus, who was now thirteen years old. Maesa had prevailed upon Emperor Elagabalus and persuaded him to name his cousin as his heir apparent in September 1621. Elagabalus, however, began to reconsider this arrangement in January 1622, as he suspected the Guards supported his cousin as ruler above himself. The Emperor then attempted to have his cousin assassinated by officers loyal to him; these attempts failed. Following this, he removed Alexander Severus from his place in the line of succession, deprived him of all grants and honors conferred upon him by the Imperial Court, and circulated rumors that Alexander’s health was too perilous to allow him to have any future public career. In February 1622, the Guards, who had come to respect and honor Alexander Severus, erupted in a riot in the Public Square of Christiania. They were encouraged by Maesa, who bribed them to support her plans. The Guards then demanded to see both the Emperor and Grand Prince Alexander at the Praetorian Barracks. Elagabalus, believing he would be able to assert his authority over the wayward Guards, accepted this demand.
 * On March 11, 1622, he publicly presented his cousin along with his mother, Grand Princess Julia Soaemias. On their arrival, the Guards began to cheer and to hail Grand Prince Alexander, while ignoring the Emperor. Elagabalus, provoked by this, ordered the summary arrest and execution of all who had taken part in this display of insubordination. In response, several Guards officers attacked Emperor Elagabalus and his mother. Elagabalus attempted to flee from the Barracks, but in the streets of the Palatial District, he was intercepted and captured by Guards officers. The Emperor begged for mercy, but his pleas were ignored, and he was hacked to pieces by the Guards. His mother, Grand Princess Julia, was also captured and she was dispatched with blaster fire. Following this, the Guards took the corpses of the Emperor and his mother, stripped them naked, and then paraded them throughout the public squares of Christiania. Finally, they took them and dumped them in the Pit of Jadia. Following Elagabalus’s assassination, his associates and household, including his lovers Hirecoles and Aurelius Zoticus, were arrested, attainted, and summarily executed by the Guards and the imperial authorities. The Governing Senate and Holy Synod passed damnatio memoriae on the Emperor and his mother; had all of his coins, statutes, and inscriptions destroyed; and forbade anyone to mention his name in public. All of his religious measures were reversed. The Heresy and Sodomy Laws were revived, and were to remain in effect for another 137 years, until they were finally and permanently overturned by Empress Aurelia the Great in 1759. The Book of Elagabal was again declared noncanon and Elagabalus’s portrait at the Westphalian Cathedral was destroyed. His plans to construct a cathedral of Elagabal were scrapped. Alexander Severus was now proclaimed Emperor and Autocrat of All the Laurasians. His grandmother Julia Maesa once again became the leading influence in the government, and she arranged for her grandson’s coronation in June 1622.
 * Influenced by his grandmother, Emperor Alexander immediately pursued policies to "expunge" the damage inflicted on the Imperial Court and Government by Elagabalus and his associates; to restore and to improve the morals and material welfare of his subjects; and to enhance the dignity of the Imperial State. The Emperor appointed Sir Ularian Marcellus (1570-1629) to the Governing Senate in July 1622; Marcellus would eventually become Procurator-General (1626) and play a leading role in the compilation of the Codex Severanius (1628), an extensive organic code of civil and trial procedure in the Empire. The historian Cassius Dio, who had become a knight in 1617 during the brief reign of Macrinus I, and had opposed Elagabalus, was appointed Secretary of the Imperial Chancellory and Co-Chair of the Council of Civil Service. Dio was also elevated to the Governing Senate.
 * The Emperor also reorganized the municipal administration of Christiania; the Urban Regulations of November 1622 established a council of fourteen suffects to assist the Mayor of Christiania in his duties. The office of Chief Prefect of Public Welfare was established to coordinate the city’s welfare, educational, and health systems. The city administration instituted by Alexander Severus was to survive all of the turmoil of the Crisis of the Seventeenth Century, and remained in effect with little modification until the Administrative Ordinance for the City of Christiania (1782) and the Imperial Charter of Urban Administration (1785) during the reign of Aurelia the Great. Emperor Alexander reduced the purity of the silver denarius from 46% to 43%, cut down on expenses at the Imperial Household, and implemented cross-the-board tax cuts.
 * The Emperor also promoted literature and science; he in fact was Cassius Dio’s literary patron. Loan offices were instituted by the Imperial Treasury, to assist individuals in obtaining decent rates of interest. He also did much to expand the rights of the soldiers. The Emperor earned their support by restoring the Caracallan Pay Scales; permitting soldiers to name anyone as their heir in their wills; and protecting their property from seizure or foreclosure while they were engaged in their military campaigns. He reasserted the Laurasian tradition that property which soldiers acquired in or because of military service could not be claimed by anyone else, not even his parents. Finally, he pursued a policy of religious toleration, despite the restoration of the Heresy and Sodomy Laws. During his reign, five hundred new bishoprics were established, expanding the administrative system of the Almitian Church. He also expanded the membership of the Holy Synod and granted the Chief Procurator greater prerogatives in church administration. In December 1622, Alexander Severus, under the influence of his mother and grandmother, embarked on a progress throughout the realms of the Empire, so that his subjects would be able to see their new master. This progress would take the Emperor and the Imperial Court as far as the Burglais Arm and the Mereditan Provinces, and would continue until the court returned to Laurasia Prime in February 1624.

1624

 * 1624, the 24th year of the seventeenth century, saw the Laurasian Empire continuing to pass through its phase of peace and internal tranquility. Immediately following his return from the grand progress throughout the dominions of the Laurasian Empire (March 7, 1624), Emperor Alexander Severus turned his attention to the matter of the captive King of Scottria, Jamsius I. Jamsius had continued to be held as a prisoner by the Empire since his capture in 1606. The man who had captured him, Demetrius Severus I, had adhered to the arrangements with the Duke of Albany. He ensured that the young King of Scottria was given the best education available in the Caladarian Galaxy; provided for all of the expenses of his royal household; and permitted him to tour the Empire’s realms, provided he was escorted by a military convoy at all times. This treatment had continued until Demetrius Severus’s death in 1611. Caracalla, upon ascending to the throne, immediately reversed this fair treatment of the King of Scottria. Believing that he was in league with the Marasharites and the Empire’s other enemies, Caracalla ordered for Jamsius and all the members of his household to be imprisoned at the Fortress of Baureux. Albany protested, but not wishing to see his monarch executed, still refrained from the renewal of war with the Empire. Caracalla’s death in 1617 brought an immediate relaxation of conditions, as Jamsius was now released by Emperor Macrinus. Macrinus and his successor, Elagabalus, both treated him fairly. By 1620, Jamsius was being regarded as less of a hostage and more as a guest. He accompanied Elagabalus during his progress throughout the Empire’s realms, and he obliged by the Emperor’s religious commands. The King of Scottria also attended the Emperor’s weddings to Aquilia Severa and Annia Faustina.
 * When Elagabalus was assassinated in March 1622, Jamsius prudently switched his allegiance to Alexander Severus. From the first, Emperor Severus was inclined to have Jamsius released from his captivity. The Earl of Douglain established contact with the King and conducted negotiations with the Imperial Government, although the new Duke of Albany, Murdoch Stewart (1562-1625), and his advisers proved reluctant to pay a ransom for the King’s release. In August 1623, however, the Earl of Douglain finally managed to convince the Scottrian Estates and Council of State to begin negotiations. These had been ongoing while the Emperor was finishing his progress. His grandmother, Grand Princess Julia Maesa, took the leading part in handling negotiations with the Scottrian Government. On March 24, 1624, the Treaty of Gwynne was signed, arranging for the release of King Jamsius I from captivity in the Laurasian Empire, after eighteen years. The Scottrian Government agreed to pay the Laurasian Empire an annual ransom of €250 billion denarii for a period of twenty years (to 1644); to acknowledge the rights and transit privileges of Laurasian merchants and navigators in Scottrian territory; and to recognize Laurasian acquisition of the Neo-Xilanian Provinces. Jamsius was formally released at Roger Major on April 5, 1624, and Albany surrendered the seals of government into his hands. Jamsius adhered by the terms of the Treaty of Gwynne, and refrained from hostilities against the Empire for twelve years. He did not, however, turn out to be the pliant pro-Laurasian monarch that had been hoped for, as would be seen following the death of Alexander Severus.
 * The Emperor himself applied his attention to affairs on Laurasia Prime. He now focused on further innovations within the imperial bureaucracy and upon projects for the benefit of his subjects. In June 1624, the Emperor ordered for a reorganization of the Council of Imperial Secretaries. Four commissions were now created, those of Finance, Civil Service, Military, and Diplomacy, through which all of the Council's orders, business transactions, and other matters were to be conducted. This was meant to streamline coordination between the Colleges of State, to reduce conflicts of interest, and to improve their channel of communication to Severus personally. He also issued a series of instructions through the Colleges and the Council of Civil Service, ordering for the imposition of new examinations, of academic and career requirements for the elevation of career officials, and for the suppression of graft, corruption, and other criminal activity. In November 1624, the Emperor was to order a general compilation of all the procedures of the Imperial Chancellory; this revised Civil Service Code would be published in August 1626. Alexander Severus engaged upon an expansion of the Baths of Antiochus the Great, and ordered for the construction of a new Entertainment Complex in Christiania; the Forum of Alexander Severus, begun in September 1624, would be finished in June 1626, and serve as another landmark in the capital city of the Empire. Alexander Severus also conducted renovations of the Diplomatic Palace, Senatorial Palace, Westphalian Cathedral, Palatia Imperium, and the Imperial Gallery of the Arts, and in July 1624, raised the Obelisk of Demetrius Severus in Constantinople. By the end of 1624, due to his efforts, a sense of further confidence had descended within the Empire's dominions.

1625

 * 1625, the 25th year of the seventeenth century, commenced with the Laurasian Empire continuing to pass through the spell of peace and stability which had descended, following Elagabalus's assassination in March 1622. The young Emperor Alexander Severus, who continued to be guided by his grandmother, mother, and their advisers, had ingratiated himself with his subjects, many of whom considered him to be a blessing sent from the Lord Almitis, and who had high hopes for his future. The Emperor continued to preside over public functions, games, and other entertainments, at the Imperial Laurasian Court, and on Laurasia Prime, with the appropriate vigor and the customary decorum. On February 8, 1625, the 300th anniversary of Seleucus the Victor's death, Emperor Severus and his family paid a visit to his tomb. Elagabalus had failed to do this upon the occasion of the Empire's tercentennial anniversary in November 1621. Moreover, the Emperor had failed to issue any proclamations, or any other notices, to commemorate the event or to pay his respects to his predecessors.
 * Consequently, he had been denounced vigorously by his subjects, the Councils of State, and the Imperial Almitian Church for this sacrilege. Emperor Alexander acted in a completely different way. He ordered for celebrations to be held in all of the cities and public structures of Laurasia Prime, to mark the Empire; for a mass to be said in Seleucus's honor at the Westphalian Cathedral; and for the distribution of coinage, by the Imperial Treasury, with honorary depictions of Seleucus and other sovereigns of the Leonidian Dynasty. While at the tomb, the Emperor offered his prayers before the coffin of the Empire's founder, announced that Almitis had blessed the Laurasian dominions, and asked for guidance in all of his policies. And indeed, many considered his prayers answered, for the Empire remained at peace for the rest of the year, and beyond. The Empire's economy and culture were never more vigorous then at that point; colonization and exploration efforts in the outskirts of its territory proceeded apace; and the Almitian Church sought a further remove from the humiliations of Elagabalus's reign.
 * On January 20, 1625, the future Emperor Gordian VI (r. 1638-44), was born at the Post Settlement of Calaxis II on Calaxis II, in orbit of Laurasia Prime. He was the son of Arasces Tedtherius, 2nd Earl of Calaxis II (1600-37), and his wife, Lady Antonia Gordiania (1601-47), who was the daughter of the future Emperor Gordian IV, and sister of Gordian V. This Gordian, who was born as Sir Gordian Tedtherius, was to become Emperor in the midst of the confused circumstances of 1638. He was to be raised in privilege and privacy until that time.

1626

 * 1626, the 26th year of the seventeenth century, passed with little occurring within the dominions of the Laurasian Empire. There was in fact, only two events of any note, as presented below, and both occurred relatively late into the year. From January to April 1626, Emperor Severus and the Imperial Court embarked upon a progress through the Laurasia Prime Purse Region, visiting star systems ranging from Taurasia and Aquilionia to Depp, Fitzsimmons, and Katie. They therefore sought to ingratiate themselves further with their subjects, and display the wealth which they had at command. The Emperor's grandmother, Grand Princess Julia Maesa, however, was in declining health. On May 5, 1626, following the Court's return to Laurasia Prime, she collapsed in her chambers at the Old Royal Palace. She was taken to the Imperial Hospital, and received a vigorous regimen of treatments. Maesa then returned to her imperial duties on May 19, but in June 1626, she suffered a series of heat strokes and panic attacks while at the Circus Maximus, Academy of the Arts, and University of Laurasia Prime. Finally, on July 19, the Grand Princess was admitted to the Imperial Hospital again. This time, she was diagnosed with the dreaded Angrames malady, and it was clear that there would be no recovery. Emperor Severus, Grand Princess Mamaea, and the other personages of the Imperial Laurasian Court gathered at her bedside.
 * On August 3, 1626, the Grand Princess died at the Quencilvanian Palace in Christiania, Laurasia Prime, aged 61. She had been one of the most influential women in Laurasian history, following the likes of Octavia Seslais, Andrea Septimia, Regents Elena and Theodora, Grand Princess Constantia, and the Empresses-Consort Anna Commagenos and Agrippina Thrax. By the command of her grandson, she was, on September 7, interred next to the body of her brother, Emperor Demetrius Severus, at the Westphalian Cathedral. The last months of 1626 passed with Emperor Severus busying himself with the affairs of government, presiding over the dedication of the new Temellian Arts Gallery on Marsia, and commissioning various other architectural projects throughout the Purse Region. In December 1626, he and the Imperial Court retired to the Palace of the Greats on Americana.
 * The other event of 1626 concerned the birth of a future Laurasian sovereign. On August 12, 1626, the future Emperor Herennius Etruscus (r. May-June 1651), co-ruler with his father, Trajan Decius, was born in Nova Constantinople, Constantine I. His mother was Herennia Etruscilla, destined also to become Empress Consort. At the time of his son's birth, Decius, who had now obtained the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel, served as the Chief Communications Officer for the Garrison of Constantine I, and was being considered, by the General Headquarters, for a recommendation to the Praetorian Guards.

1627

 * 1627, the 27th year of the seventeenth century, was a largely uneventful year within the Laurasian Empire. In fact, only two events of note occurred this year. The first concerned the personal affairs of Emperor Alexander Severus. On August 14, 1625, at the behest of his grandmother, Grand Princess Maesa, the Emperor had married Lady Sallustia Orbiana (1607-63), the daughter of Sir Lucius Seius Sallustius (1582-1627), one of the most prominent gentlemen in the Empire. Sallustius was the owner and Chairman of Sallustrian Architectural Firms, one of the leading design and construction firms in the Empire. Its clients included many among the Laurasian noble, gentle, and wealthier elites, and the firm was renowned for its work, particularly its specialization in private residences and entertainment complexes. Sallustius himself was held in high regard at the Imperial Laurasian Court for his tact and political acumen, and this had caught the attention of the imperial family. His daughter, who was seventeen years old at the time of her marriage to the Emperor, was renowned for her beauty, charm, and intelligence. She spoke seven languages, including Millian, Briannian, Venasian, and Huntite, and she had a genuine interest in literature, architecture, philosophy, theology, and the forensic sciences. Yet the Emperor's mother, Grand Princess Mamaea, despised the Empress Consort, resenting the close bond that developed between her and her son. She believed that Orbiana might eventually trump her own influence at the Imperial Court. And by June 1627, her son's opinion of his wife and father-in-law had also poisoned, due to the Empress's failure to become pregnant. Thus, persuaded by his mother, and acting on his own suspicions, Emperor Severus acted.
 * On August 3, 1627, he ordered for Senator Sallustius, his wife Gaia (1586-1631), and their two younger children, Sirs Priscus (1610-28) and Lucius (1612-28) to be arrested, bound in chains, and conveyed to the Fortress of Baureux. Four days later, he ordered for the arrest of Empress Consort Orbiana; she was taken under house arrest at the Old Royal Palace. On August 29, acting on the Emperor's orders, the Holy Synod formally annulled their marriage. Orbiana was deprived of her title as Empress Consort and was exiled to the Vemay Monastery of Jenny, where she was forced to take the veil under the name of Irina. Her father, Senator Sallustius, was on his part condemned by the Governing Senate, sentenced to death, and on September 9, 1627, after his warrant was signed by the Emperor, executed at the Fortress. His sons and wife remained imprisoned at the Fortress, and were all to die there within the next four years; Priscus and Lucius of the Marsian fever in July 1628, and Gaia of a stroke in September 1631.
 * Emperor Severus never married again after this. Orbiana, on her part, was to remain at the Vemay Monastery as the Nun Irina, performing her duties with the Carthusian Order, until she was pardoned, released from the church service, and allowed back to Laurasia Prime by Emperor Philip in April 1647. She was then granted the honorary rank of Empress-Dowager, awarded estates throughout the Purse Region, and allowed to reside in peace, eventually dying in Herkorim, Laurasia Prime, while on pilgrimage to the Holy Sepulcher, on November 22, 1663, aged 56. She would be interred at the Westphalian Cathedral. Her parents and siblings would be reburied at the Sallustian Family Estates in Varangia in May 1648, and they too, would be posthumously pardoned by Emperor Philip.
 * The other significant event of 1627 was the birth, on June 1 of that year, of the future Emperor Hostillian (r. June-November 1651). He was the youngest son of future Emperor Trajan Decius by his wife, Herennia Etruscilla, and the younger brother of the future co-Emperor Herennius Etruscus. Hostillian was born at the Hospital of St. Titus in Christiania, Laurasia Prime. Like his elder brother, he would be raised in wealth and privilege on his family's estates during the early years of his life.

1630

 * In this year, the several years of peace which the Laurasian Empire had enjoyed under the wise and beneficial rule of Alexander Severus came to an end with the renewal of active military hostilities with the Marasharite Empire and Haynsian Despotate. The Marasharite Empire's realms, as eluded to above, had continued to grapple with both internal and external challenges during the course of the preceding two decades. Beginning in September 1603, Great King Abbas I of Breffalia had launched a series of offensives against the Marasharite Empire, seeking to recover the Amulak Caucasian Colonies, Azerbajian, Daghestan, Mesopotamia, Kuwait, and Tivran. The ensuing Breffal-Marasharite War of 1603-18 drained the Empire's military resources; Yerevan was conquered in November 1603, while Kartli and Kaheti became dependencies of the Great Breffal Federation once again. Following Mehmed III's death in December 1603, the series of reverses had continued under his son Ahmed I.
 * In September 1605, the Battle of the Urmia Nebula ended in a decisive victory for the Federation; by June 1606, Abbas had conquered Shrivan, Ganju, Shamakahi, and Baku in Azerbajian. Moreover, in the period from 1595 to 1610, the Marasharite Homeland Territories were disturbed by a series of Jelail revolts: the years from 1605 to 1609 was the worst period for the Marasharite Government, with Tavil Ahmed and his son Mehmed, with support from the Breffals, the Haxonian Confederacy, and Dejanica, capturing Harput and seizing Baghdad and its associated star systems. By 1610, however, Grand Vizier Murad Pasha had ruthlessly suppressed these revolts, and had resumed with the campaign against the Breffals. Pasha's death the following year, however, ended the Marasharite momentum. In November 1612, the Treaty of Nashuh Pasha had temporarily ended hostilities between the two Empires. Emperor Bajazet then turned his attention to his brother Jem; his control of Topacia and the Marasharite Homeland Territories was assured, as was mentioned above.
 * In November 1615, however, the war had resumed again, and Grand Vizier Okuz Mehmed Pasha, in April 1616, traveled from Aleppo, through Kars, and into Azerbaijan. Yerevan was besieged by the Marasharites, but their efforts failed, and the Grand Vizier withdrew to Eruzrum. Damat Halil Pasha then became Grand Vizier in November 1616. The year 1617 passed without any substantial campaigns, though the Haynsian Despotate penetrated into Daghestan, Mandaran, and Central Persiana. In 1618, Okuz Mehmed was restored to the Grand Viziership, and was dispatched by Emperor Bajazet to once again campaign against the Great Breffals. Tabriz was seized by the Marasharites, but in September of that year, the Battle of Sarab ended in a decisive victory for the Breffals. Following this, the Treaty of Serav was concluded, ending the war on the status quo ante bellum. The Marasharite failure to make any further advances against the Breffals seriously weakened the positions of Bajazet and Jem. Moreover, from 1620-21, the two brothers, having finally agreed to share rulership of the Empire's dominions in 1617, embarked upon a joint campaign in the Danubian Principalities and against the Dejanican-Lithuanian Commonwealth; the Treaty of Khotyn ended the war on October 9, 1621, following the decisive Marasharite victory at the Battle of Khotyn. No territorial changes had occurred, however.
 * Thus, by 1622, the Osmanli Dynasty, which had ruled for more than three and a half centuries, was now discredited in the eyes of the Marasharitan people, and it was desired for another, more vigorous dynasty to take control of the helm of state. The Marasharites believed that they found a savior, and a new master, in the person of Ardashir Pasha, who served as Governor of the Serbian Provinces and Viceroy-Intendant of the Danubian Principalities. Ardashir, born to a prominent Marasharite noble family of Bursa, had become Governor and Viceroy-Intendant in 1609. Over the course of the next thirteen years, he earned the respect and loyalty of many through his vigorous efforts to ensure the authority of the central government and by his fair treatment of those under his charge. In 1622, Jem, believing Ardashir loyal, made him Lieutenant-General of the Palace Guard, which gave him much influence in the Imperial Household. Ardashir quickly developed a network of patronage, and he now plotted rebellion against his sovereign.
 * In 1624, Ardashir finally erupted into rebellion. He quickly subdued Marasharite Hungary, the Pazak Cluster, Bulgania, Macedonica, and the territories of the Great Tesmanian Cloud. Emperor Jem now moved to suppress the rebellion. On April 24, 1624, the Battle of Hormidezghan was fought; it resulted in a decisive victory for Ardashir. Jem himself died in the battle, and most of his forces were annihilated. By August 1624, Ardashir had captured Topacia, and proclaimed himself Emperor of the Marasharites. The Ardashiran Dynasty had been founded, which would rule the Marasharite realms through the termination of the late eighteenth century. Ardashir then embarked upon wars with Haxonia (1624-25), Dejanica (1626-28), and the Great Breffal Federation (1628-29), consolidating his position, extending Marasharite suzerainty over the Sicilian Wayward Colonies, and recovering Tabriz. By September 1628, he had defeated and killed Bajazet, subduing the remainder of the Homeland Territories to his authority. He had also secured the allegiance of the Haynsian Despotate, and in March 1629, revised the terms of military provision and vassalage bounding that state to the Marasharites. Ardashir now turned his eyes towards the Caladarian Galaxy. He was determined to reconquer the Satian Provinces, and to drive the Laurasians from their conquests in the northern Outer Borderlands. Ardashir believed that Emperor Alexander Severus was an inexperienced and unskilled youth, who would be unable to command military operations and who would yield quickly in the face of Marasharite and Haynsian units penetrating into his dominions.
 * Therefore, from May 1629, the Emperor of the Marasharites assembled his military units at Izzia, Carly, Billy Gasis, Donna, Teller, Ba’dsai, Latrice, Kia, Pelaski, Natalie, Tiona, Adrianne, and the strongholds of the Galactic Frontier Route. His Haynsian vassals, ruled again by Everan I Karany (who had regained the throne in 1628, and was to hold it until 1635), contributed five starfighter squadrons and a transport fleet to the Marasharite war effort. Finally, in December 1629, the High Council of the Marasharite Empire, acting on the orders of Emperor Ardashir, commanded the Laurasian Ambassador to the Marasharite Court, Sir Antigonus Veranius (1574-1638), to appear before the body in order to justify the continued Laurasian occupation of the Satian Provinces. Ambassador Veranius reported this to the Emperor and the Council of State; they ordered him to comply with Marasharite demands. On January 17, 1630, the Ambassador appeared before Emperor Ardashir and the High Council. There, the Marasharites accused the Imperial Laurasian Government of "provoking war, death, and destruction among galactic powers" and of engaging in a policy of deliberate and wanton aggression. Ambassador Veranius’s protests were overridden. On February 1, Ardashir ordered for the Ambassador to be cast into the Seven Towers, and he issued a declaration of war against the Laurasian Empire. Laurasian units, which had been focused on suppressing dissent in the Farther Homidinian Provinces, were at first caught unprepared by Marasharite assaults.
 * By March 1630, Marasharite units had stormed Simmons, Margery, Multan, Roxuli, and Lynne, capturing large amounts of Laurasian armor and starships. Haynsian expeditions ravaged the Borderland Provinces. Titania Majoria, the Immortalized Cluster, Angelica Minor, Kanjur, Calgrania, Londarania, Spencer, and Coleman were all harassed by the Haynsians, who managed to inflict much damage upon their fortifications. In June 1630, Marasharite forces under the command of General Al-Garsik (1579-1636) managed to obtain victory over the Laurasians in the Battle of Bingley; they soon stormed Morg, King, and Jin Minor. The following month, Emperor Ardashir himself, seeking to gain glory over the Laurasians in battle, took command of Marasharite military forces. He stormed the Space Satellites of Ursula (August 1630) and then conquered Calrissian, Lando, and Varta, inflicting humiliating defeats on Laurasian border garrisons. By this point, however, Laurasian troops under the command of General Maximinus Thrax (who thus emerged into real prominence at this time), had assembled at Chalassia, Alyssa, Halassion, and Greyson, arrayed for counterstrikes against the Marasharites. In November 1630, Ardashir attempted to besiege Nisbis, which had now become a major Laurasian military outpost. General Maximinus, however, cut off Haynsian supply lines, and he soon captured Haynsian supplies and troopers in the Battle of Ucker. By the end of 1630, Ardashir had been forced to abandon the siege of Nisbis, but Marasharite and Haynsian troops continued to penetrate as far as Robbay, Bolgrahay, and Hannis.
 * On April 12, 1630, the future Emperor Florian (r. June-September 1676) was born in Estelle City, Hordania. He was the son of Sir Tacitus Annius (1601-61) and his wife Claudia (1602-71). Sir Tacitus, who served on the boards of several Laurasian corporations, including Katherine Drive Yards and Christiania Pharmaceuticals, was also the President of the Galactic Society of Astrographers, and a renowned navigator in his own right. The young Florian was to be raised in great luxury during his early years, though his family would shift from system to system due to his father's assignments.

1631

 * By the beginning of 1631, the 31st year of the seventeenth century, a theater of conflict had developed between the Laurasian and Marasharite Empires in the Borderland Provinces, as the adjacent regions between the two Empires, encompassing the Marasharite Galactic Borderlands, the Galactic Frontier Route, the Satian Provinces, and the Xilanian Provinces had become known. They were to retain this designation until the Fourth Laurasian-Marasharite War of 1768-1774, more than 130 years later, which was to result in the final acquisition of all remaining Marasharite territories in the Caladarian Galaxy by the Laurasian Empire. Marasharite Emperor Ardashir now renewed his military efforts into the Empire's territory. On January 3, 1631, the Laurasian colony of Grumman, located eighty-light years to the west of Calrissian, was besieged and conquered by Marasharite forces under General Gederik-Pasha (1588-1639); 30,000 Laurasian colonists died or were taken prisoner, and the Marasharites comprehensively sacked the world's treasury, defenses, and outposts. From Grumman, the Colonies of Varmant, which were among the most prosperous in the Northern Galactic Borderlands, fell under assault from Marasharite and Haynsian forces; by January 24, General Gederik-Pasha had secured them, inflicting another humiliating defeat upon Laurasian arms and driving a wedge from the Galactic Frontier Route. Laurasian counteroffensives against Adrianne, Natalie, Tiona, and Chappelear, during February 1631, failed to redress the balance. Then on February 25, Nandi itself fell under assault from the Marasharites; the Siege of Nandi lasted for several days, but on March 6, the world's defenses buckled under the relentless moves and assaults by Marasharite forces, and it fell.
 * On March 7, a Haynsian expeditionary force sacked Corfu, Prima, Eric, Iverman, and Giron, inflicting serious damage on the Lysimachid Barrier Defenses. Gayle, Norah, Charlie, and King were then conquered (March 8-23, 1631), and on April 1, Satie also fell into Marasharite hands. Angelica Minor was stormed by them on April 8, 1631; O'Donnell was sacked by a Haynsian fleet on April 14; and on April 22, a Laurasian counteroffensive against Meneia and Sly James ended in failure at the Battle of Eaidon. In May 1631, Zoe, Eaidon, and Skyler were sacked by Haynsian fleets, who were now penetrating to the Rebeccan Galactic Trade Route. Melvin and Angelica Major were then conquered by June 7; the Marasharites were also drafting plans for a major move against Hypasia Major, Hypasia Minor, Huerta Mongol, and Qu'emia. On July 9, the Haynsians launched a successful raiding expedition against Frederickslandia, Leopoldia, Esmeralda, and Big Twinny; over the course of the next ten days, more than four hundred million sentients were captured or slaughtered by the warriors, and those star systems suffered significant damage. August 1631 saw Marasharite forces harrying Aspen, Roach, Etienne, and Gunevere. Emperor Alexander Severus, coming under increasing pressure from the Senate and from his nobles within the Imperial Court, decided now to take more direct action against the Marasharite assaults. He now proceeded to Eaidon (September 9, 1631), which had been rehabilitated by Laurasian forces, and established his military command headquarters there.
 * In spite of his initial reluctance to take effective action against the Marasharites, the Emperor still retained the loyalty of the troops and the Praetorian Guards at this stage. On September 14, he recovered Roxuli and Abraham from the Marasharites; and on September 22, he won the Battle of Konnan. Haynsian expeditions against Alyssa, Ryan, Gwendolyn, Kledis Var, Markis Prime, and Maxwell failed, and on October 5, Severus won a further victory in the Battle of Episilon. On October 18, Severus decided to extend an offer of negotiation to the Marasharites, offering to form a military alliance against the Dejanican-Lithuanian Commonwealth, and to recognize Marasharite claims to Tesmanian Dejanica, Belarania, and Ukraine. Ardashir, however, still determined to expand Marasharite power at Laurasian expense, refused this offer on October 24, and continued to press the initiative against the Laurasians. On November 7, the Battle of Al-Durah ended in victory for the Marasharite-Haynsian forces of Prince Emmer-Nester (1585-1644); from Al-Durah, his forces conquered Kemp (November 11), Boniface (November 13), Kara (November 18), Perry (November 23-December 1), Wakino (December 6), and Homidinian Mir (December 11). They therefore penetrated all the way out to the Larkian Way, posing a serious threat to the Empire's position in the Farther Homidinian Provinces. Haynsian expeditions also struck in the Hutsite Reaches, along the southern Denveranian Trunk Line, and at Kimanis Mooria during this time; Kimanis Mooria's defenses were sacked (December 8, 1631), and on December 13, a Haynsian force even seized Gardiner, Leo's Redoubt, and Henderson before being compelled into retreat. General Maximinus, however, as the Emperor's chief subordinate, continued to prove his skill at repelling Marasharite moves against his positions.

1632

 * 1632, the 32nd year of the seventeenth century, commenced with the Laurasian Empire still engrossed in conflict with its Marasharite and Haynsian adversaries. During the early months of 1632, the Haynsian Despotate continued to launch raiding expeditions and task forces across the galactic dial; the Burglais Arm, OsonBoka Nebula, Hutsite Reaches, and Garaman Provinces all suffered from their incursions during January and February of that year. By March 4, however, Emperor Severus had managed to complete the reorganization of his military forces, instigated late in the prior year, and he now launched a comprehensive, three-pronged offensive, against the enemy. One force, under the command of General Maximinus, advanced against the Marasharite troops occupying the Marauder and Calrissaite Provinces; another force, under the command of General Sir Antiochus Drevius (1592-1635), advanced against the Marasharites in the Satian and Xilanian Provinces. The final force, under the command of the Emperor himself, launched a bold move into the Tof Borderlands and the outskirts of the Muggal Cluster. Of the three forces, that of General Maximinus was the most successful. Maximinus destroyed a Marasharite-Haynsian force in the Battle of Tiona (March 29, 1632).
 * In April 1632, he reconquered Nandia and Calrissian, seizing a large amount of Haynsian military armor and freeing some twenty-five million captives. Maximinus then stormed Nandi Minor, the Colonies of the Varmant, and Varta, driving a wedge against Marasharite positions on the Galactic Frontier Route. By June 1632, he had recovered the whole of the Nandi, Calrissiate, and Marauder Provinces for the Laurasian Empire. General Drevius, on his part, managed to reconquer Bingley (April 7, 1632) and then drove Haynsian fleets from Roxuli, Abraham, Simmons, and Margery. The Laurasian offensive against Lynne and Multan, however, proved a catastrophic failure, and in July 1632, Ardashir’s subordinate general Safay Pasha (1576-1641) crushed Laurasian detachments in the Battle of Ilia. Jin Major and the Satellites of Ursula were besieged by Laurasian forces from May 1632, but they remained under Marasharite control. Finally, that under the Emperor faced immense challenges.
 * Although Alexander Severus managed to storm Billy Gasis (April-May 1632), his efforts to seize the defenses of Ba’dsai, Tokyang, and Donna were repelled by Ardashir in a series of bitter confrontations in the Tof Bandlands (June-August 1632). In September 1632, the Emperor was defeated in the humiliating Battle of Latrice, and as a result was forced to terminate reconnaissance expeditions against Ung, Kumong, and Karlong. Ardashir also pursued a strategy of deception, for he left a mere screening force to protect Kia and Latrice; his main units continued to thrust against Xilania Major and Xilania Secondary, keeping Laurasian garrisons disoriented and off-balance. By November 1632, Laurasian troops had managed to recover Leopoldia and Big Twinny, but Haynsian expeditions continued to devastate the Farther Homidinian Provinces. Nearly thirteen billion captives, mostly women and children, fell into Haynsian hands and were enslaved in the Angelina Spiral and the Amulak Spiral. Male captives were castrated and many of them were forced to become eunuchs at the Marasharite Court. By this process, Laurasians and other aliens from the Caladarian Galaxy began to spread throughout Marasharite territories; by the end of the seventeenth century, Caladarian Galaxy natives would appear as far as Damasia, in the Felix Galaxy. In December 1632, the garrisons of Bach Dang, Ho Chi Minh, Saigon, and Valeris V erupted in revolt, under the command of General Sir Athanasius Taurinus (1587-1632). Emperor Severus suppressed this revolt swiftly, and on New Year’s Eve 1632, Taurinus committed suicide on his personal flagship.
 * On April 9, 1632, the future Emperor Probus (r. 1676-83), was born in Martiz, Rebecca. He was the son of Sir Dalmatius Lancastarius, 2nd Duke of Rebecca (1600-73) and his wife Ceciliana (1615-95). Probus was to become the father of Aurelia Zemakala, the wife of Neuchrus the Reformer, founder of the Neuchrian Dynasty.
 * On August 22, 1632, the future Emperor Volusianus, co-ruler with his father Trebonianus Gallus (r. 1651-53) was born in the Compound of the Imperial Laurasian Garrison in Prime City, Shenandoah. His mother was Lady Afinia Baebiana (1611-55), whom his father had married in 1627.

1633

 * By January 1633, Laurasian Emperor Alexander Severus was desperate to obtain a peace agreement with the Marasharite Empire. The Emperor wished to return to Laurasia Prime, so that he could focus his attention on the Imperial Court and the educational system. He also wished to take the lessons learned from this latest Laurasian-Marasharite War to reform the discipline, tactics, and military organization of the Laurasian military forces, and to prepare for military campaigns against the weak Mellorite Empire, so as to consolidate the Empire’s northern frontier. Ardashir, on his part, was faced with war against the Holy Austarlian Empire and the Haxonian Confederacy, the two most persistent adversaries of the Marasharites, and needed to turn his attention back to affairs in the Amulak Spiral. He therefore proved receptive to a negotiation offer by his Laurasian counterpart. A diplomatic conference was convened on Dromund (January 25, 1633), and after two months of negotiations, the Treaty of Dromund (March 19, 1633) was signed. By the terms of this treaty, the status quo ante bellum was restored in territorial matters. All Laurasian territories occupied by Marasharite forces were restored to the authority of the Imperial Laurasian Government; the Laurasians, likewise, agreed to evacuate the Tof Borderlands. Alexander Severus, however, permitted the Marasharites and Haynsians to retain all spoils and prisoners of war they had seized in the military campaigns, and he promised to reduce military deployments in the Borderland Territories.
 * These concessions played a role in sowing the first seeds of dissent against the Emperor in the Imperial Military, who believed that he had been too generous towards the Marasharites. At the time, however, everyone wished for this conflict to end. Following the conclusion of peace, the Emperor proceeded from Eaidon to Istantius. He was escorted by Sir Origen Velementos (1584-1653), who was one of the most renowned theologians and religious scholars in the Laurasian Empire at that time. The Emperor remained on Istantius for the next several months, reveling in the comforts and luxuries of the Sultanic Palace. He also paid his respects to the Tombs of the Solidaritan Sultans. The Tombs had been restored by orders of Antigonus I in 1501, nine decades after they had been desecrated by the troops of Demetrius I. In September 1633, Emperor Alexander arrived back at the Quencilvanian Palace, but problems had in the meantime intensified for the Empire.
 * The Dejanican-Lithuanian Commonwealth had, during the 1620s, waged two wars against the Marasharite Empire and Haynsian Despotate, and was compelled to withdraw from the affairs of the Danubian Principalities as a consequence. King Ariogasi II, up to his death (April 29, 1632), managed to maintain the Commonwealth's neutrality in the Thirty Year's War. Rudolfios II of Austarlia, prior to his own death in February 1612, had in 1609 issued the Letter of Majesty, granting extensive religious and economic liberty privileges to his subjects in the Kingdom of Bohemia. His brother Matthias, however, was unable to prevent the Defenestration of Prague (May 1618), which then ushered in the outbreak of the Bohemian Revolt. After his death on March 20, 1619, he was succeeded as Emperor by his cousin Ferdinand, who became Ferdinand II. Ferdinand suppressed the Bohemian Revolt ruthlessly (1619-20), invaded the Palatinate, and deposed its ruler Pru'a V, who had been invited by the rebels to become King of Bohemia (1621).
 * Following this, the Emperor of Austarlia imposed a policy of rigorous surveillance throughout his realms, and suppressed a series of revolts in Lower Carnithia, Styria, and Tyrol. In 1622, Denmarica, under King Christian VII (r. 1606-48), and Vendragia, under King Henvar V (r. 1613-38), both declared war against Austarlia. Wurttemberg, Bavaria, and Baden aligned themselves with the Emperor, but Celle, Brunswick-Luneburg, Mecklenburg, and Saxony supported the cause of the allies. The Electorate of Brandenburg joined the fight in 1625, under the leadership of Elector Johan Willhelm (r. 1618-40). That year, Ferdinand appointed Albrecht von Wallenstein (1583-1633) as his supreme commander-in-chief. During the course of the next four years, Wallenstein campaigned in Silania, Saxony, Lusatia, Holstein, Thrunigia, Magdeburg, Anhalt, Pomerania, and Brandenburg, inflicting a series of defeats upon the Empire's enemies. In 1629, however, Haxonia and Milania both entered the war; Milania on the side of the Emperor of Austarlia, Haxonia against him. By 1633, the conflict involved virtually all of the Germanian Principalities; Vendragia was embroiled by war in Gascony, Aquitaine, Orleans, and Normandy against Franconia; and Burgundy, then ruled by Philivus the Good (r. 1619-67), took advantage of the conflict to extend its rule over Namur, Hainault, Holland, Freisland, Zeeland, Brabant, and Limburg, between 1628 and 1632. Dejanica itself, in 1629-31, became involved in a war with Denmarica over Livonia, Royal Pruthia, and Samogitia.
 * Thus, in April 1632, Vologravius VI acceded to the Dejanican throne. An ambitious and determined monarch, and with the war against Denmarica over, he now sought to instigate a series of extensive military campaigns against the Laurasian Empire. The King of Dejanica was determined to recover McIntyre, Ernie, and Gurlack, and to seize control of the Wild Marshes. From June 1633, therefore, he began assembling his military squadrons at Orion, Flournoy, Shashanaya, Dequan, Antwone, Novella, Nelson, Irving, Spacek, Carrie, and the other strongholds of Dejanican Lavella and the Borderlands region, for a series of penetrative strikes into the Empire. Dejanican intelligence and reconnaissance expeditions now routinely harried the Empire's borderland territories, penetrating to Gunevere, Lancelot, Arthur, Morgania Major, and Kelvania Minor between July and November of that year. Emperor Severus, however, did not take appropriate action in response to this. This would prove to have consequences.

1634

 * 1634, the 34th year of the seventeenth century, commenced with a new military conflict brewing for the Laurasian Empire. And indeed, it did not take long into the year before that conflict revealed itself. On January 27, 1634, the Dejanican-Lithuanian Commonwealth's military forces, so carefully assembled by King Vologravius VI, launched a swift invasion of the Dejanican Borderlands, and into the Wild Marshes. The Diet, cajoled by King Vologravius, also announced a formal declaration of war against the Empire. The Dejanicans, who possessed the element of surprise, and taking advantage of the relative disorientation and unpreparedness of the Laurasian forces with which they were faced, managed to make a series of advances into imperial territory. Ernie was the first to fall (January 28), followed by McIntyre (January 30-February 1); Gurlack (February 4); and Siveria (February 11). Gibbs proved to be a tougher target for the Dejanican forces to overrun, but they accomplished that goal in due order; the Siege of Gibbs concluded on February 25, 1634. From Gibbs, Dejanican forces then ranged into the Malarian Provinces, which had now been their chief strategic target for nearly seven decades. Dejanican Prince Karol Kassowskia (1573-1642) defeated Laurasian Admiral Sir Tiberius Derus (1569-1636) in the Battle of Manzo (February 28-March 7, 1634). By March 15, he had also stormed Aingley and Meehan, inflicting a series of humiliations upon the Laurasian garrisons of those star systems. Almastead then became the next target of the Dejanican offensive (March 21, 1634); its fall ten days later comprised another setback for the Imperial Laurasian Government. Takrania, Acabania, Welch, and Ettleman were in Dejanican hands by the middle of April 1634.
 * At the same time, Dejanican forces were also invading the Morganian and Kelvanian Provinces. Mordan fell (March 8, 1634), and on March 17, the defenses of Lancelot were sacked by the Dejanican units of the Voivode of Dejanican Lavella, Lesch Ralecza (1570-1635). Gunevere then became an additional target (March 24, 1634); its garrison proved no match to the superior Dejanican offensive forces, and it was in this confrontation that the famed Shield of Mortimer, long a relic of the Morganian Order of Arthur, was lost. Arthur, Merlin, and Anjun were then stormed during April 1634; then on May 1, Raleca obtained another victory in the Battle of Bouchet, capturing a Laurasian agricultural convoy with more than six million tons of foodstuffs, equipment, and supplies. He then devastated Barbara (May 2-9, 1634), proving utterly ruthless to its inhabitants. Kanley fell on May 14, 1634; Morgania Minor was blockaded the following day, and finally succumbed to the Dejanican pressure on June 6. By June 17, Dejanican forces were approaching Kelvania Minor, and were in the process of occupying Kanley. Dejanican expeditions also routinely harried Laurasian colonies along the Narvet Corridor and in the Maluyta Nebula. Millions of sentients in the affected star systems were killed, wounded, deported, or driven away.
 * Emperor Severus had been shocked by the sudden Dejanican invasion, and by the successes which the Commonwealth's forces were obtaining, suggesting as if the Borderlands Wars were in full steam again, and the accomplishments of Antigonus II had gone to nought. He was therefore paralyzed with indecision, and he remained in slumber at the Imperial Court on Laurasia Prime, despite the efforts of his mother and of General Maximinus to have him arise. As a result, discontent intensified within the imperial military forces; by July 1634, serious grievances against the Emperor had begun to emerge. On July 30, this was compounded by the Dejanican victory in the Battle of Siri, which saw the destruction of a patrol force, belonging to the 15th Imperial Fleet. Evans (August 1-5); Goodman (August 12); and Terell (August 19), then fell into Dejanican hands. The capture of Terell finally motivated the Emperor to move from his capital world and to take command of his forces in the field of battle.
 * He made his move to Malaria Prime, arriving there on September 6, 1634. By that point, Dejanican units had secured Hadlson and Pumos. Alexander Severus now established his command headquarters on Malaria Prime, issued a series of instructions to his subordinates and to the General Headquarters, and ordered for extensive preparations to be made before the instigation of military counteroffensives against the Dejanicans. In October, however, the Emperor, under pressure by his commanders, directed a series of operations to prevent the Dejanicans from seizing White and the Jar Asteroid Belt. He obtained a minor victory at Johnald (October 15-22, 1634), but was unable to prevent a Dejanican raiding expedition from penetrating to and sacking the outskirts of Kamachina (November 6, 1634). Laurasian counter-efforts then flagged, and the Emperor retreated to Melarnaria, where he held court for the Ascentmas season of 1634. By the end of the year, he still had not made major advances against the Dejanican foe. The Dejanicans, however, on the explicit orders of King and Diet, continued to harry the star systems which they had occupied. Alexander Severus's reputation with his military forces and subjects now weakened even further. They viewed his conduct as dishonorable and believed that he was actually in collusion with the Empire's enemies.

1635

 * 1635, the 35th year of the seventeenth century, commenced with the Laurasian Empire enmeshed in war with the Dejanican-Lithuanian Commonwealth, and still in the process of recovery from the wars with the Marasharite Empire and Haynsian Despotate. General Sir Maximinus Thrax, who had earned the respect of the troops under his command, and who was the most successful Laurasian operational commander at that time, was now considered by many among the Praetorian Guards, and at the Imperial Court, as a possible candidate for the imperial throne. Emperor Alexander’s conduct during the early months of 1635 finally pushed the soldiers into action against him. On January 3, 1635, his mother, Grand Princess Julia Mamaea, arrived at the operational headquarters on Malaria Prime, to which the Emperor himself returned on January 9.
 * Still holding a substantial influence over her son, the Grand Princess convinced him that, in the light of Laurasian losses against the Marasharite Empire, it would be wiser to attempt to persuade the Dejanicans to halt their offensives, and to even consider territorial adjustments in the Wild Marshes and Malarian Provinces in their favor. The Emperor agreed to this, and on February 9, after the conquest of Malaria Outer by Dejanican forces (January 24, 1635), he sent an offer for negotiations to the Dejanican Government. King Vologravius sent his demands to the Emperor seven days later: that the Imperial Laurasian Government restore the whole of the Dejanican Borderlands to the Commonwealth's authority; that it agree to the occupation of the Malarian Provinces by Dejanican military and governmental forces for a period of ten years; and that it pay an annual financial subsidy to the Dejanican Treasury. Alexander Severus asked for time to consider these demands; Vologravius gave him two months.
 * As word of this spread throughout the Empire, General Maximinus himself became convinced that the Emperor and his mother needed to be removed from the picture. The Emperor’s reputation and popularity had been destroyed by the Marasharite and Dejanican debacles, and Maximinus was considered to be the Empire’s savior by many. On March 19, 1635, Emperor Alexander and his mother were holding a routine meeting with the generals of the Imperial Forces, within the quarters of the Malarian Royal Palace, when soldiers of the 23rd Imperial Regiment, 5th Infantry Division, of the Imperial Laurasian Army, rushed in and, drawing their vibroswords, attacked them. Alexander and his mother, who did not possess any arms on their persons, were completely helpless in the face of this assault; Alexander in fact, had little self-defense experience, and the military commanders present now encouraged the rebellious soldiers to kill their masters. They did so readily; Emperor Alexander and the Grand Princess were both assassinated. They were each stabbed at least forty times, in various parts of their bodies.
 * Within hours after the assassination of Alexander Severus, the imperial forces in the Malarian Provinces unanimously acclaimed General Maximinus Thrax as Emperor and Autocrat of All the Laurasians. Maximinus declared, in his first imperial manifesto (March 26, 1635), that the soldiers of the 23rd Imperial Regiment had "performed the will of the Lord Almitis" by slaying the Emperor and his mother. Their deaths thereby brought the Severan Dynasty, which had ruled over the Empire for forty-two years, to an end. The Crisis of the Seventeenth Century, as this period was to become known during the following century, had commenced. For the next fifty years, from March 1635 to August 1685, twenty-four emperors from several competing dynasties were to govern over the Laurasian realms. This would be in addition to a host of claimants, rebels, and pretenders, as well as the constant foreign challenges posed by Dejanica, Marasharita, Haynsia, Scottria, and Vectoria, the Laurasian Empire's chief enemies. The period was to see economic deterioration, civil unrest, religious strife, continual rebellion, and widespread social conflict, as well as the secession of the short-lived Xilanian and Samanthan Empires. Maximinus I Thrax, the first Emperor of the Crisis, was to prove to be a major catalyst for some of its later events.
 * Yet at the time of his accession, there was no inkling within the Empire that this would eventually become the situation. On March 27, the Senate, Synod, and Councils of Civil Service and Secretaries reluctantly acknowledged Maximinus as Emperor. Maximinus moved immediately to consolidate his position of power. Designating his son Maximus (1617-38) as his heir apparent and Grand Prince, the Emperor had the memory of Alexander Severus, his mother, and grandmother condemned by the Senate (damnatio memoriae); all their coins, statutes, and inscriptions were to be destroyed, and they were to be excommunicated and denied recognition by the Imperial Almitian Church. He also ordered for the arrest and imprisonment or exile of all the members of Alexander’s household.
 * The new Emperor then contended with two conspiracies against him: one from a group of soldiers who planned to strand Maximinus at the colony of Abaga and to proclaim Senator Sir Magnus Urerius (1590-1635), Emperor; the other from a group of Arachosian troopers who had been loyal to Alexander. They planned to elevate General Sir Titius Quartinus, 5th Baronet Quartinus (1596-1635), formerly Governor of Merilash, to the supreme dignity. Maximinus suppressed both conspiracies in May 1635; more then six hundred individuals involved in them, including both Urerius and Quartinus, were executed at the Fortress of Baureux on his orders. With his position of power secure, the Emperor now turned his attention to the commencement of vigorous counteroffensives against the Dejanicans. On May 15, 1635, two days before the expiration of Vologravius's deadline, Maximinus withdrew Alexander Severus's peace offer.
 * The Emperor of Laurasia now declared that the King of Dejanica would be forced to acknowledge the supremacy of Laurasian arms. Establishing his chief military headquarters at Palmisiano, he commenced his moves on June 4. Two days later, defeating General Ralecza in the Battle of Aldastaire, Maximinus reconquered Takrania. Acabania and Siri followed (June 8-14, 1635), and on June 27, 1635, he obtained another victory over the Dejanican General at Terell; Ralecza himself died at the end of the confrontation. Malaria Outer was then cleared of Dejanican units, and on July 5, 1635, Almastead was recovered by the Empire. Maximinus now directed his forces against Kanley; it proved to be a tougher target, and it was not recovered until September 2, 1635. Ettleman, Goodman, and Evans were reconquered in August 1635. King Vologravius now entrusted Prince Samogitz Clesharkia (1589-1641), with the task of repelling his Laurasian adversary's forces. In a series of confrontations at Ursula (August 19-September 1), Guin (September 6-14), and Van-Dogh (September 19), Maximinus successfully parried Clesharkia's forces. He then obtained a further victory at Lafaria (September 21), reconquered Unacia (September 24), and stormed Welch (October 1), before recovering Manzo (October 14) and Meehan (October 22-November 5). On November 14, 1635, the Battle of the Belts of Asil, fought between Maximinus and Clesharkia, ended in a decisive Laurasian victory, though the Emperor did sustain greater losses of troops and equipment. Nevertheless, Aingley and Lancelot fell back into Laurasian hands in December 1635, and by the end of the year, Kelvania Minor was under siege. On December 26, Emperor Maximinus was granted the title of Malarius Maximus by the Councils of State.
 * Comet Demosthena was seen from Laurasia Prime. It will not be seen again until 1710.

1636

 * 1636, the 36th year of the seventeenth century, opened with Emperor Maximinus's campaigns against the Dejanican-Lithuanian Commonwealth reaching their victorious conclusion. On January 7, 1636, Laurasian troops under the command of General Sir Callimachus Arvenius (1582-1639) obtained a decisive victory over the forces of General Clesharkia in the Battle of Acabania. Acabania was now firmly back under Laurasian control. Barbara (January 9-14); Bouchet (January 22); Anjun (January 24); and Kelvania Minor (January 25-29), were then reconquered in succession; a final Dejanican move to recover control of Lancelot and Gunevere was blunted in the Battle of Merlin (February 15, 1636). Emperor Maximinus now focused all of his efforts on clearing Dejanican units from the Narvet Corridor and Upper Morgania. With his victory at Arthur (March 19, 1636), he achieved this goal. He now sought to hail his accomplishments to his subjects, asserting that no foreign power could obstruct the rights and territorial intergrity of the Empire. On April 4, Laurasian forces launched a renewed invasion of the Dejanican Borderlands, pursuing the Commonwealth's retreating forces. The Battle of Sister-Niger (April 9, 1636), resulted in the final and decisive defeat of General Clesharkia; the Dejanican General himself fell into the custody of the Emperor of Laurasia, who treated him with much courtesy and more as a guest than a prisoner. McIntyre (April 11-13); Flournoy (April 15); Ernie (April 18); Gurlack (April 22); John (April 26); and Gibbs (April 29) all fell into the hands of the Emperor's troops.
 * May 1636 saw the subjugation of Monique, Black Chandlier, and Shashanaya, with Laurasian forces harrying the defenses of Adelita and even launching raiding expeditions against Dequan, Antwone, Novella, Nelson, Carrie, Irving, and Spacek. King Vologravius, who was facing renewed tensions with the Republic of Novogrod and the Great Breffal Federation, was now induced to request peace negotiations with the Imperial Laurasian Government. He extended an armistice offer on May 24; Emperor Maximinus accepted this, and the Armistice of Dejan was signed on June 1, 1636. A conference then convened at Abraham. Negotiations lasted for over a month, culminating in the Treaty of Abraham (July 5, 1636), which resulted in the concession of all the remaining strongholds of the Dejanican Borderlands, including Monique, Black-Chandlier, John, Orion, Shashanaya, Flournoy, and Adelita, to the Laurasian Empire. All prisoners and goods of war were to be returned, and peaceful economic relations (in accordance with the Commercial Treaties of 1581, 1589, 1596, and 1611) were restored.
 * Following the conclusion of this war, Emperor Maximinus returned to Laurasia Prime in August 1636, the first time since his usurpation of the throne that he had appeared on the capital world. He extended largesse and a public holiday to his subjects, enjoying their affection, and worked towards arrangements for his coronation. The Emperor, however, was already planning for further military campaigns, for events in Scottria alarmed him and the Imperial Laurasian Government. King Jamsius I of Scottria had grown more and more hostile towards the Laurasian Empire ever since his release in 1624. The immediate years of his direct reign were occupied by his efforts to dominate his nobility and to consolidate his control over the Scottrian State. By 1628-1629, however, he had largely consolidated his place on the Scottrian throne, and now turned his attention towards his foreign policy. The King of Scottria, who was determined to obtain greater influence and security for his realms, and believed that it was important to foster ties to the civilizations of the Great Amulak Spiral, now sought to procure for himself a bride from some foreign potentate. Such a marriage would demonstrate his power and influence and warn the Laurasian Empire against unduly interfering with Scottrian territorial integrity.
 * In June 1628, King Charman I of Franconia, who had grown increasingly wary of the Empire's widening interactions with Franconia's neighbors, and believing it essential to find a ally beyond the Amulak Spiral, dispatched a special envoy, Reginault of Chartles, to the Court of Ediania to provide for the establishment of a diplomatic and economic alliance between the two realms. This was to be sealed by the marriage of Jamsius's daughter Margaret to Lujak, the Dauphin (Prince) of Franconia. Jamsius proved amendable to this offer, and within a matter of months, the terms of the agreement had been hammered out. On October 2, 1628, the Treaty of Ediania had been signed, providing for the establishment of a diplomatic alliance between the Celestial Kingdom of Scottria and the Serene Kingdom of Franconia. By the terms of this treaty, each state was to support the "diplomatic intentions" of the other, agreeing to conclude no treaty adverse to the interests of the other. Free trade was established between the two realms; no tariffs were to be imposed upon the products of the other. Finally, the terms of the marriage compact were established: the Princess of Scottria was to be married to the Dauphin of Franconia. The Franconian Court was to cover transportation expenses, but the Scottrian King was to provide the dowry for the bride and would be responsible for her welfare and household expenses.
 * Jamsius found his political importance and reputation boosted by the impending marriage of his daughter and his newly-established contacts with Franconia. For a time, however, the King reverted to a moderate foreign policy, displaying neither hostility nor overt friendliness towards the Laurasian Empire, the Haxonian Confederacy, or even his erstwhile Franconian allies. He maintained diplomatic contacts with Greater Spamalka, Lesser Spamalka, Austarlia, the Duchy of Miliania, and the Electorate of Brandenburg, among other powers. And indeed, until August 1636, he continued to remain at peace, however warily, with his Laurasian neighbors. Tensions, however, finally erupted at that time. In April 1636, Princess Margaret, who had now obtained the age of twelve, formally departed with her entourage and personal household from Branxholme in the Outskirt Districts, proceeding rapidly across the Galactic Void to the Great Amulak Spiral. On June 24, she arrived at Tours and formally met her husband-to-be, Dauphin Lujak, for the first time. The following day, they were formally married there by the High Priest of Reims. Emperor Maximinus, believing that unless if he acted now, Franconian military support would be channeled to Scottria, issued a declaration of war against Scottria on August 29, 1636.
 * Within days of his return to Laurasia Prime, the Emperor again departed to take command of his military forces in the field. Laurasian military units assembled at Garama, Cydamus, Gholaia, Garbia, Castellum Dimmdi, Gemallae, Thabudeos, Evan, Jacquenthia, Merliash, and Aretha, posed for a strike into the Galactic Borderlands. The King of Scottria, however, who had been anticipating an Laurasian offensive move, launched a preemptive strike from Frederickshamm, the Vilmanstrand Approaches, and Ladoga into Laurasian space. In October 1636, the Laurasian military arsenals on Vescera and Zabi were stormed by Scottrian units. In a series of confrontations at Bobria (October 29-November 5), Carolyn (November 15), and, especially, Korgia (November 16, 1636), Jamsius managed to harass Laurasian supply lines and to hamper their advance into his realms. Towards the end of December 1636, Scottrian units began their advance against Roxburgh, which was a frontier base located twelve light-years to the east of Humbleton Mist. The base had been expanded and equipped with new shield generators by the Imperial General Headquarters. Jamsius, however, was confident that this stronghold would fall into his possession.

1637

 * In early January 1637, the forces of King Jamsius I of Scottria, operating from Humbleton Mist (which had been seized by Scottrian units on the last day of the previous year), advanced towards Roxburgh. Scottrian squadrons besieged and conquered the Laurasian outposts on Uber-Caithness, Marvash, and the System of the Clear Asteroids, from which Laurasian forces conducted intelligence and harrying missions into the Scottrian Galactic Borderlands. Emperor Maximinus, who was stunned by the early successes of the Scottrian troops in battle against the Empire, and who was aware of the necessity for the continuation of military success for the maintenance of his rule, now decided to strengthen the fortifications of Jacquenthia, Merliash, Aretha, and Roxburgh. This was a decision which was to prove pivotal in the outcome of the battle. On January 24, the units of King Jamsius formally commenced their blockade of the Roxburgh star system, suppressing the supply lines to the garrison. The King of Scottria, in proclamations issued from his operational headquarters on Roaeris, boasted that his Laurasian adversaries would soon be made aware of the true might of his kingdom. The King, however, dislocated his own strategy through the decisions he made with his command.
 * He appointed his young and inexperienced cousin, Laird Robert Stewart of Albany, as the chief subordinate commander of the Scottrian fleet. Stewart was placed in seniority ahead of the Earls of Douglas and Angus, who were forced to acknowledge his directives. Stewart failed to secure control of the Laurasian outpost on York III, which had been colonized by the Imperial College of Defense as a communications center thirty years earlier. Consequently, the Earl of Redia, as well as the Praefect of Ashlgothia and the Archbishop of Thathis, were able to assemble their military units for a counteroffensive against the outskirts of Roxburgh. The Battle of the Roxburgh Mists (January 29, 1637) resulted in a decisive victory for the forces of the Laurasian Empire. As a result of this confrontation, the Scottrians were forced to abandon the blockade of Roxburgh. Within four days, they had been ejected from Roaeris, Marvash, the Clear Asteroids, Bobria, Carolyn, and Korgria, being forced to retreat back towards the Vilmanstrand Approaches. The King himself retired to Janeway, determined to reverse the sudden decline in his fortunes. A conspiracy, however, was now hatched against him.
 * The Earl of Atholl, who had also been passed over for operational command, was one of the King's cousins: he was a son of Robert II and therefore a uncle of the King. He had become guardian of his niece, Euphemia, when her father, his brother David, Earl of Straithern and Caithness, died in March 1589. Atholl administered his brother's territories for over fifteen years, and also provided assistance to his brother, the Earl of Fife, who then served as Guardian of Scottria, against Lord Alexander of Bandonech (their brother) and David, Duke of Rothesay (their nephew). Albany, however, arranged the marriage of his niece with one of his affinity, Patrick Graham, ending Atholl's involvement in Straithern. Graham died in a quarrel with his principal servant, John Drummond, in 1613. Atholl became involved in Straithern's affairs again, serving as the guardian of Graham's infant son. This fueled a further struggle between him and his brother Albany, with whom relations had soured. Upon his return to Scottria in 1624, King Jamsius aligned himself with Atholl. The following year (May 1625), he participated in the assizes which resulted in the execution of many prominent Albany Stewarts. Jamsius granted Atholl the positions of Sheriff of Perth and Justiciar, and also granted him the rights to the income of the Earldom of Straithern. Atholl's elder son, David, was one of the hostages sent to the Laurasian Empire upon the King's release and had died there in 1634; the younger, Alan, died in the King's service at the Battle of Iverlochy with the Lordship of the Mists in 1631. David's son Robert had become Atholl's heir, and both were in line to the throne after the young Prince Jamsius.
 * Jamsius continued to show favor to Atholl and appointed Robert as his personal chamberlain, but by 1637, relations had begun to sour, and both the Earl and his son had developed a hostile view of him. Atholl's hold on Straithern was weak, and both he and his son realized that the earldom would certainly revert to the Crown upon his death. Robert would have been reduced to rule of the earldoms of Caithness and Atholl, which were relatively impoverished. The retreat from Ediania now posed questions about the King's control over his subjects; his military competence; and his diplomatic abilities. However, he remained committed to war with the Empire, and contemplated ideas of aligning with the Neo-Anastasians and Deuistianians in the Barsar Regions against Maximinus. On February 3, the King summoned a general council to finance further hostilities through greater taxation. The Scottrian Estates opposed this fiercely, and their speaker, Sir Robert Graham, a servant of Atholl, articulated this brilliantly. Graham then foolishly tried to arrest the King; this resulted in his banishment to Fraiser. Two days later, Jamsius overturned the chapter of Dunkeld Conclave, replacing Atholl's nominee by his own nephew and firm supporter, Jamsius Kennedy.
 * The reaction against the King at the General Council convinced Atholl that his authority was no longer firm, and inspired him to launch his conspiracy against him. He believed that decisive action on his part would produce a change in government and secure influence for himself. The destruction of the Albany Stewarts in 1625 played a part in the conspiracy. The judicial killing and forfeiture of their properties affected their servants grievously. Atholl filled the vacuum created, and many Albany men became his servants. Sir Robert Graham, and the brothers Christopher and Robert Chambers now became co-conspirators with the Earl, each having their own motivation to be rid of the King. On February 10, a general council was held on Perth, located in Atholl's jurisdiction. Crucially for Atholl and his conspirators, the King and Queen had lodged at Blackfriar's Tower in Perth's capital city, Melbathia. During the evening of February 20, the King and Queen were in their rooms and separated from most of their servants. Robert Stewart, the King's Chamberlain, allowed his co-conspirators, led by Sir Robert Gresham and the Chambers brothers, to have access to the King's personal quarters. Jamsius was alerted to their presence, and attempted to flee from his chambers. He was soon trapped however, and killed with five shots of a blaster.
 * The assassins had achieved their priority in killing the King but the Queen Consort, although wounded, managed to escape. Prince Jamsius, who was only six years old, was now King Jamsius II of Scottria. The news of his father's assassination quickly filtered out from Perth. Emperor Maximinus, who had reconquered Vescera and was preparing a counteroffensive against Ladoga and Oneida, learned of the King's death on Murray, where he had established his operational headquarters. Most importantly, the King's murder inspired outrage throughout the Scottrian realms. The new King had been safeguarded from harm by his mother's servants. The Earl of Angus and Sir William Crichton (1591-1654) both supported the Queen, and allowed her to keep a firm hold of her son. This greatly reinforced her position, but Atholl still had his followers. By early March 1637, neither side held the advantage.
 * By the middle of March, however, Angus and Crichton had both mobilized to move against Atholl. Atholl gathered his own forces to resist intrusions into his territory; the Queen, on her part, ordered the authorities of Perth to resist the intrusions of the "foul traitors". Atholl's position, however, only collapsed after his heir Robert Stewart, who had been captured at Spurra, confessed to his part in the crime. On March 17, the Earl of Atholl himself was captured by a squadron of government starfighters near Spurra, after a series of short confrontations at Ladoga, Perth, Vyborg, and in the Berrick Barrier. Brought back to Ediania in the Angelina Spiral, Atholl was convicted and executed (March 26, 1637), one day after Jamsius II was crowned at Holyrood. Sir Robert Gresham (1593-1637), who had led the band of assassins, was captured by former Atholl allies at McKellen; he was executed at Stirling on April 9. Shortly afterwards, the Earl of Douglas became lieutenant-general (effectively Regent), of the Celestial Kingdom of Scottria, a position he was to hold for the next two years. Almost immediately, he turned his attention to bringing the war against Laurasia to an end. Over the course of March and April 1637, Laurasian units had advanced along the Vilmanstrand Highway, besieging and conquering the Beroeyze Asteroids, Kania, Crusher, Wheaton, and the Trans-McKellen systems. Emperor Maximinus had also stormed Ladoga and Oneida, and was amassing his military units to assault Perth.
 * In July 1637, however, he proved amendable to negotiating peace with the Scottrian Government. After some months of negotiations, the Treaty of Nicole (September 6, 1637), ended the war with the acquisition of Zebetha, Dasalaburgh, and Ranieda Minor by the Laurasian Empire; the confirmation of Laurasian commerical rights in Scottrian territory; and the payment of a massive indemnity, to the tune of €25 trillion dataries a year, for ten years (to 1647). In return, Emperor Maximinus agreed to recognize Jamsius II's rights as King of Scottria and to refrain from making any further demands on Scottrian territory. After the conclusion of this peace, Emperor Maximinus conducted a tour throughout the Ashlgothian and Melorkian Provinces; he then returned to Laurasia Prime in October 1637, and ordered for a triumph to be conducted in the streets of Christiania to celebrate his victory. The Emperor's popularity, however, had begun to wane by this point, as he now indulged in a regime of despotic oppressions at the Imperial Court and continued to devalue the currency. Many in the Empire believed that he had betrayed his promises and that he should have continued the Scottrian War with greater vigor. The nobility in all regions of the Empire continued to despise him as a upstart. By the end of 1637, these tensions were beginning to be revealed in circles at the Imperial Court and in the far-flung Huntite Provinces.

1638

 * As 1638 began, the underlying resentments against Emperor Maximinus's government were building to fever pitch. And indeed, in January 1638, full-scale rebellion against the Emperor's authority finally erupted in the Huntite Provinces. One hundred and twenty-one years had passed since Antigonus the Conqueror had effectively destroyed the Huntite Caliphate; for many in the region, independence was now but a distant memory. Antigonus had instigated the policy, continued by his successors, of sponsoring extensive immigration to and colonization of star systems in the Huntite Provinces by Laurasians and by other subjects of the Empire. His successor, Emperor Lysimachus, further extended this policy by the decree of February 17, 1522, which, in adherence to the custom of all Laurasian sovereigns going back to Honorius the Liberator, offered freedom of movement, freedom of religion, the right to appoint representatives to present petitions to the government, and financial subsidies for the "development of the agricultural, mineral, and industrial resources of the star systems concerned" to any who migrated freely to the Huntite Provinces. Already, by the second quarter of the seventeenth century, there were over one hundred billion Laurasians resident in the Huntite Provinces. Emperor Demetrius Severus I himself had been born on Chronographia, one of the most prosperous and most rapidly expanding Laurasian colonies in the Outer Borderlands.
 * Hunt Major, which had once been the capital world of the successive Huntite Empires; the Carolyne Khanate; and the Huntite Caliphate, had become, by 1638, the chief headquarters for the Imperial government authorities in the Huntite Provinces. From the old Palace of the Carolyne Khans and the Andravid Palace in Caroline, Hunt Major's capital city, the Prefect of Hunt supervised military and other affairs of importance in his jurisdiction; the Governor of Hunt Major wielded executive authority over Hunt Major, Hunt Minor, Claithbourne, the Cathy Asteroid Belt, and the Sk'atha Nebula. And it was on Hunt Major that the first stirrings of dissent appeared which were to erupt into rebellion against the Emperor's government. Hunt Major was one of the star systems opposed to the Emperor; the powerful Huntite, Rudorite, Dasian, and Halegothican magnates of the star system resented the Empire's taxation demands. Therefore, when on January 12, the Quaestor of Hunt, Sir Galerius Acronius (1579-1638), obliging by the instructions of the College of Justice, attempted a maximization of the tax obligations exacted from the alien nobility to the Imperial Treasury, he provoked open revolt. His falsifications of charges against nobles of Caroline in the Provincial Court of Assizes had alienated many; they now considered him to be a fiend. Antigonus Crimonia, 3rd Lord Crimonia of Caroline (1575-1638), and the most powerful Laurasian emigrant noble on Hunt Major, aligned with the Huntite Klaarg (Prince) Agamantha (1569-1638), member of the influential Huntite kajidic (noble family) of the Memuhlkia, to provoke a riot outside the Quaestor's private residence. The rioters, who numbered nearly two thousand, ransacked the surrounding properties and penetrated the residence's defenses within hours. Quaestor Acronius, who was utterly helpless, was butchered to death by the crowd.
 * Within three days, Lord Crimonia and Prince Agamanthia had managed to secure the support of the Honorary Council of Huntite Lords, who constituted the most powerful institution of Huntite nobles in the Empire. By the end of the month, the garrisons and nobles of Hunt Minor, Boontha, Timur's Star, Claithbourne, Adiabene, Adenystrae, and Ozogardana had all renounced their oaths of allegiance to the Emperor's government and declared their support for the rebellion. In early February, Lord Crimonia led his troops and Huntite mercenaries in seizing Thysdrus, where they murdered the Prefect, Xeno Villonia, 2nd Lord Villonia of Negro (1589-1638), who had refused to support their rebellion. In the midst of all this, one figure had remained aloof from all activity. The Governor of Hunt Major, Sir Gordian Semiporanus, Lord Semiporanus had been at his estate on Samarkand at the time of the outbreak of the revolt. Governor Semiporanus was a well-respected official of the Empire. He had enlisted in the Imperial Army in 1593 and over the course of the next four decades, had risen through the hierarchy. He had obtained the rank of Lieutenant-General by 1609; seven years later, he was appointed to the Governing Senate by Emperor Caracalla. He then served as Governor of Hypasia; in 1620, Emperor Elagabalus's grandmother, Julia Maesa, sponsored his appointment as a Suffect of the City of Christiania. Gordian also commanded the 19th Imperial Army, whose headquarters were at Massanay; he provided operational support for intelligence and reconnaissance expeditions against the Dejanicans and the Marasharites in the Wild Marshes, and in 1623, played a role in the suppression of the Mordite Marauders of the Redoubt of Uxney, a major pirate ring which had operated near Massanay for the previous seven years.
 * From 1616 to 1629, he also served as an Aedile for the Imperial College of Works and Holdings, gaining popularity for the magnificent public works and entertainment projects he sponsored. From 1632 to 1637, he had served as Vice-Governor of Murphy, before being promoted to the prestigious Governorship of Hunt Major; at the same time, he became Baron Semiporanus of Copleis, having received a knighthood in 1628. By 1638, therefore, Gordian was already a senior official and noble. At sixty-eight years old by the time of the revolt, it seemed that he would be an unlikely candidate for the Laurasian throne. Fortune turned out in his favor, for Lord Crimonia had no wish for the throne himself and believed the rebellion could gather more support throughout the Empire if the Governor were elevated to the throne. Therefore, on February 12, he sent the first of numerous pleas to the Governor, urging him to assume the mantle of the throne. Gordian at first resisted, and assembled squadrons at Samarkand, Leah, Lorna, Garnett, Ber Bachmann, Jabul, Akaamar, Gagronia, and Negro, determined to launch a counteroffensive against Hunt Major. He was eventually swayed by the entreaties of his own son, also named Gordian, who was his heir to the Baronecy of Semiporanus.
 * The younger Gordian, born in 1592, had followed his father into the Imperial Army and had become Legate-General of the Governor's Household of Hunt Major in December 1637. More ambitious than his father, the younger Gordian believed that now was the opportunity to overthrow the despised Maximinus and restore a nobler blood-line to the Laurasian throne. On March 22, after the garrisons of Jasonia, Hasselbeck, Whoppi, Downs, and Garnett had all acknowledged the authority of the rebel government, Gordian finally accepted the offer made by Lord Crimonia. In his proclamation of accession, he promised to respect the rights and privileges of all native nobles in the Empire; to grant them privileges of self-government; and to refrain from levying undue taxes. This earned the support of the Huntite Council of Lords, who believed that they could eventually supplant the usurper Emperor and reestablish the independence of their species. Gordian, however, also insisted that his son be proclaimed co-emperor and heir, so as to "aid me in the execution of my duties." This was accepted, and a joint manifesto of proclamation for both Gordian IV and Gordian V was issued by the Chancellory of Hunt Major. On March 25, father and son, now acknowledged as co-Emperors and Autocrats of All Laurasia, in opposition to Maximinus, made a victorious procession onto Hunt Major. Emperor Maximinus, who had moved to Leopoldia in response to a revolt at Methuselah, Sheryl, Laronn, and Quanna, reacted with outrage to this proclamation. On March 29, he issued instructions to his officials and military commanders throughout the regions of the Empire, denouncing the rebellion and ordering them to take all measures to suppress it. Within days, however, events turned against the Emperor further.
 * On April 2, the Governing Senate and Holy Synod hastily convened in an emergency session at the Quencilvanian Palace. Denouncing Maximinus as a usurper, they now acknowledged the two Gordians as their sovereigns, and declared that Maximinus should now be treated as an enemy of the Imperial Government. This proclamation swayed the loyalties of the Central Core and of Briannia, Nystadia, the Nexus Route strongholds, the Station of Dosch, Arias, Tommy, and the Murphian Provinces, all of whom rejected Maximinus's authority and acknowledged that of the two Gordians. Maximinus was now confronted with two theaters of rebellion. The Emperor now assembled his squadrons at Bolgrahay, Dennis, Rastaborn, Shannon, Quanna, Sair, and Berhamia, determined to advance to the Rebeccan Galactic Trade Route and reassert his control of Laurasia Prime. In the Huntite Provinces, the rebel forces, now united under the direction of the two Gordians, made more advances; by the early weeks of April 1638, the Sk'atha Cluster, Uris, Vickis, Choir, Udall, Jodie, Northrop, and Clarisse had all been secured by rebel units. By this point, however, the steam and energy of the rebellion was already running low. One prominent personage in the Empire had remained loyal to Emperor Maximinus, and the territories he wielded jurisdiction over directly bordered those of the rebellion. That was Governor Sir Capellianus Survanius of Robert (1574-1638), who had been a loyal associate of the Emperor in the Imperial Army and was bitterly opposed to the influence of the Gordians.
 * On April 7, refusing to acknowledge the authority of the two Gordians, Governor Survanius (who had gained special authorization and reinforcements from the Emperor), advanced from Izonza, Abuza, Dickinson, and Meredith. He quickly stormed Leah, Lorna, Garnett, Morsia, Whoppi, and Hasselbeck, forcing rebel units under the command of "Emperor" Gordian V to retreat southwards. Within three days, Survanius had managed to take advantage of tensions at the Caroline Asteroid Belt and on Samarkand to launch a surprise offensive, breaking the defenses of Jabul, Akamaar, and Boontha. During the early hours of April 12, 1638, the two forces of Governor Survanius and Gordian V clashed in the Battle of the Caroline Asteroid Belt. The battle's outcome was decided by the greater number of professional corvette and courier squadrons available to the Governor. Within hours, Gordian V himself, unable to flee on his flagship, the IMS Imakarata, had been killed, and most of the rebel force scattered. Gordian IV, who had been at the Citadel of Hunt Major anxiously awaiting news about the battle, was devastated when he learned of his son's death. In utter despair, and realizing that all was lost, he committed suicide in the quarters of the Neo-Carolyne Palace. By April 17, Survanius had captured Hunt Major, and the last remnants of the Gordianite Rebellion were suppressed. Lord Crimonia, Prince Agamanthia, and seventy Huntite magnates were executed by the Governor for their treason. Ironically, Governor Survanius would be poisoned on August 7, 1638, having by then developed ambitions for seizing the throne himself.
 * The collapse of the Gordianite Rebellion forced the Senate, the Synod, and the chief bodies of the Imperial Government on Laurasia Prime to act quickly. Their open support for the two Emperors Gordian meant that there would be great vengeance exacted on them by Emperor Maximinus when he reached Laurasia Prime. Therefore, they turned their eyes to two senior and respected Senators: Sir Pupienus Clodius, 2nd Lord Clodius and Sir Balbinius Caelius, 5th Viscount Caelius of Soriana. Both Pupienus and Balbinius, who were of the same age as Maximinus and Gordian IV, had devoted long years of service to the Empire. Pupienus served as Proconsul of Zennethia and Zutagia (1609-1614); Legate of the Merlite Military Districts (1614-17); and Governor of Ashlgothia Major (1617-1626). Appointed to the Governing Senate in 1629, he had also been raised to the knighthood at that time and received the Suffect Consulship of Columbia. In 1634, he became Suffect of Social Welfare for the City of Christiania, and became known for his rigorous efforts to root out cheaters of the system.
 * Balbinius, on his part, had served as Governor of Venasia Prime from 1613 to 1619, before being appointed to the Governing Senate in 1627. Both had been members of the Regency Committee created by the Senate to supervise affairs on the capital world until the Gordians could consolidate their positions. Now, with the Gordians dead, they were considered viable candidates for the imperial throne. On April 22, 1638, they were formally proclaimed Emperors and Autocrats of All the Laurasians. Pupienus assumed control of military and foreign affairs, relegating civil administration and affairs of the Imperial Household to Balbinus. The two co-Emperors, however, were soon compelled to acknowledge Sir Gordian Tedtherius, who was the grandson of Gordian IV and the nephew of Gordian V, as their junior emperor and sole heir apparent. Although Pupienus and Balbinus had been elevated by the chief institutions of the Imperial Government, on the basis of their perceived experience and insight into state affairs, neither were popular with the common inhabitants of Christiania or the other cities of Laurasia Prime, who preferred the now Grand Prince Gordian. Nevertheless, this choice stood for the time being.
 * Two days after his formal accession to the throne, Emperor Pupienus, at the head of the 1st Imperial Fleet and detachments from the garrisons of Katherine, Chancia, Ralina Vixius, Apathama Vixius, Augis I, Oxia Vixius, Sarah, Vetta, Lusculum, and Volta, departed from Laurasia Prime to arrest the advance of Maximinus, who still considered himself Emperor and was determined to defeat his rivals. Maximinus, indeed, secured Durglais, Gdov, Rebecca, Nystadia, Courdina V, Peramalania, and Americana, driving a wedge into the Laurasian Purse Region. Sweeping from the Metallasian Trade Corridor, the Emperor stormed Adys, Zeena, and Constantine I, penetrating to the outskirts of Aquilionia on May 3. The star system, however, refused to give him entry, and was determined to oppose his further advance. Senators Sir Rutilius Pudens Crispinus (1578-1641) and Sir Tullius Meniphilus (1585-1649) took command of the garrison, and successfully repelled all offensives launched by the Emperor's units. Maximinus's soldiers now began to grow disaffected and turned against him, believing that he was incapable of achieving victory now. Two frontal offensives against the outskirts of Aquilionia failed, and an attempt by Maximinus to offer clemency to the system's residents if they surrendered peacefully was rebuffed by Senator Crispinus. By May 6, the Emperor's soldiers were in absolute despair. His son Grand Prince Maximus was unable to keep the loyalty of his men; Pupienus continued his advance into the Constantine Cluster. Finally, during the early morning hours of May 12, 1638, just as the Emperor was about to order another offensive against Aquilionia's defenses, soldiers from his personal staff rushed into the official conference chambers. Pulling Maximinus, Grand Prince Maximus, and several of their ministers from their seats, the soldiers ran them through several times with their vibroswords. Within hours, news of Maximinus's assassination, and that of his son, spread throughout the Empire.
 * Within days, Pupienus and Balbinus found their authority acknowledged throughout the Empire. On June 7, Emperor Pupienus returned to Laurasia Prime, having supervised the disbandment of Maximinus's armies; the retrieval of the killed Emperor's body and that of his son and ministers; and the affirmation of the Imperial Government's authority over the strongholds which had remained under the control of Maximinus's forces. Balbinus, however, had failed to keep public order on Laurasia Prime during Pupienus's absence. Balbinus, who was possessed of some paranoia, believed that Pupienus would employ his Arachosian and Millian bodyguards to depose and assassinate him, and to assume sole possession of the Imperial throne. Soon, the two Emperors were living in separate sections of the Quencilvanian Palace. They were therefore at the mercy of the Praetorian Guards, who resented them bitterly and now intended upon killing them. In late June 1638, Balbinus became aware of the stirrings of dissent among the ranks of the Guards. This further increased his fears; then on July 6, violent riots broke out in the Commerical and the Residential Districts of Christiania, provoked by nobles sympathetic to the wishes of the Praetorian Guards. Among these included Willanius Polsius, Earl of Sufforia (1596-1650), who desired to obtain a position of ascendancy in the Imperial Laurasian Government. These riots continued for several days and further weakened their position. A massive combustive explosion at the Diplomatic Palace on July 27 proved the final spark. The Earl of Sufforia, aligning himself with Sir Gaius Timesithus (1590-1643), who had served as Vice-Praetorian Prefect and as Judicial Procurator in the Venasian Cluster, on Schaueria Prime, Murphy, and in the Millian Home Region, now decided that the two co-Emperors must be deposed; the young Gordian should be installed as sole emperor in their place.
 * Two days later, July 29, 1638, the conspirators acted on their plans. Balbinus held a conference, during the early morning hours, with his co-monarch, Emperor Pupienus, demanding that he take action to suppress the dissent in the Praetorian Guards. Pupienus grew angry, and accused Balbinus of being incompetent. The two became involved in a verbal argument; minutes later, Guards officers led by the Earl of Sufforia burst into the official Conference Chambers, and hacked both co-Emperors, who were completely defenseless, to death with vibroswords. At noon, Galactic Standard Time, the Praetorian Guards, Governing Senate, Holy Synod, and Council of Civil Service formally proclaimed the younger Gordian as Gordian VI, Emperor and Autocrat of All the Laurasians. The young Emperor was hailed by his subjects from the balcony of the Quencilvanian Palace, escorted by the Earl of Sufforia and Sir Timesithus. Because he was too young to rule, the bodies of state assumed the duties of a Regency Council, while the Earl of Sufforia was appointed as his protector and governor of the imperial household. He arranged the Emperor's coronation in September 1638; this was meant to demonstrate that Almitis had truly blessed him with the reins of power. For the rest of the year 1638, the Laurasian Empire remained at a turbulent peace. Many throughout the Empire had high hopes of their new monarch, and believed that the Empire could resume its territorial expansion unobstructed. Soon however, the Empire was to face a renewed challenge from its ardent Marasharite and Haynsian adversaries. This war would indeed result in territorial acquisitions for the Empire, but also in the devastation of parts of the Borderland Territories.

1639

 * The year 1639 commenced with the Laurasian Empire residing in a state of relative peace and internal prosperity, as a result of the deposition of Pupienus and Balbinus from the Imperial Laurasian throne and the installation of Gordian VI as sole Emperor. And indeed, the new Emperor, under the control of the Earl of Sufforia and of other influential personages at the Imperial Court, seemed to represent the new and best hope for the Empire. Within months, however, that situation changed. This was due to the renewal of military hostilities with the declining Mellorite Empire in the Outer Borderlands. Laurasia and Mellorita remained at peace for forty-two years following the end of the Severan War of Mellorita, in 1596. This did not, however, mean that events had ceased to transpire affecting their relationship; moreover, the period was marked by an accelerating internal decline, economically, socially, and politically, for the Mellorites. Safia Barugia I's death in July 1599 had seen the accession of his eleven-year old son Farajha Barugia I to the Mellorite throne. With a minor now ruling over the Mellorite dominions, ambitious nobles and nationalistic species saw their chance, as did the Brestord Kingdom of Karakorum, which had remained a vassal of the Mellorite Empire since 1517. In the same year that Farajha Barugia acceded to the Mellorite throne, the Scanlianian noble Queraz instigated a major rebellion at Scanlan, Garner, and Joyner against the Mellorite Emperor's authority. The Queranian Revolt, as it became known, lasted for three years, and included the destruction of a Mellorite expeditionary force under General Burdi at Moralia in July 1602.
 * The Queranian Revolt ended in September of that year with Queraz's assassination, but was immediately followed by a declaration of war by the King of Karakorum, at that time Dinga I (r. 1589-1607), who had simmered under the conditions of overlordship towards the Mellorites. Dinga, seeking that Farajha Barugia's authority was weak, and inspired by the Queranian Revolt, declared, in November 1602, that he could no longer pay any kind of allegiance to them. He launched his forces across the Corporate Trade Corridor, overrunning Edmundia Minor, English Star, and Jacobs I, and in September 1603, approached the outskirts of Cassie. Mackenzia Major and Mackenzia Minor were ravaged in October and November of that year by an outbreak of Marsian fever, which further weakened the capabilities of the Mellorite Government; moreover, in January 1604, Emperor Severus threatened war against Farajha Barugia unless if he came to terms with Dinga.
 * The weak Emperor capitulated, and on May 8, 1604, the Treaty of Felix had been signed, recognizing Karakorum's full independence from the Mellorite Empire. Later, in July 1604, several of the Mellorite Emirs, led by the Homidinian Booufina, attempted to overthrow Farajha; they were unsuccessful, but in May 1605, the outbreak of a revolt by Mackenzian, Ianite, and Homidinian troops on Mackenzia Minor imperiled the Emperor's position. Farajha was briefly overthrown, being replaced by his general Izzaria. Farajha was imprisoned at Wyatt, but Izzaria proved incapable of holding on to power, and in November, he was assassinated by his officers on Homidinia Major. Farajha was now restored to the throne, and ruled until May 1611, when he was again deposed, this time permanently, by his Emirs, and replaced by Billaria I. Billaria himself was in turn deposed by General Mahrudia, who had him exiled to Cris-Homidinia, and assumed the throne. Mahrudia, during his nine years on the throne, implemented a series of administrative and military reforms, repelled Haynsian expeditions into the Corporate Sector and against Scanlan (1614-17), and in 1615, and again in 1618, contained outbreaks of Marsian fever and ecological disaster on Edmundia Major, Edmundia Minor, Cassie, Jacobs I, and English Star. He also, from 1619-1620, waged war with Karakorum, recovering control of Felix. When he died in June 1621, he was briefly succeeded by his son, who became Mahrudia II. Mahrudia, however, was deposed just two months later by his father's old Chamberlain and Chief of Staff, Tataria, who then assumed the throne. Tataria himself, however, was assassinated on November 9, 1621, and was succeeded by his former-subordinate, Vice-Chamberlain and Emir of Mackenzia Major Nasria. Nasria reigned until his own assassination (April 15, 1622), being succeeded by General Sayf, who became Sayf Barugia I (r. 1622-38).
 * Sayf Barugia I focused his efforts upon the economic development of his realms, on continuing reforms in the civil administration, and on reorganizing his military forces. At first, he achieved some success, negotiating commercial treaties with Scottria (1622), Northania (1623), and Laurasia (1624). In March 1625, however, the Haynsian Despotate, then under the rule of Muhradi II Karany (r. 1623-28), launched a series of major raiding expeditions into the Burglais Arm; the ensuing Haynsian-Mellorite War lasted for five years, and seriously weakened the Empire's power. This was compounded with a further outbreak of Marsian fever on Scanlan and Garner (1626), Karakorian expeditions along the southern Corporate Trade Corridor, directed against Felix, Sierra, Glassia, and Lizaragga (1627-1628), and in 1629, by the revolt of the Emirs Tanam, Jakam, and Hakaz at English Star. In 1633, Sayf Barugia himself survived an assassination attempt, and then had to contend with civil unrest on Cassie and Mackenzia Major. His health entered a severe decline from 1634, and in July 1636, he suffered a stroke. Haynsian expeditions resumed again that year, and in March 1637, the Mellorite-Northanian Highway in the Galactic Void was disrupted by them. Sayf Barugia lingered until his death on July 5, 1638. His Secretary of State, Emir Jamal Yusuf, was now elected his successor as Emperor. Yusuf reigned for just four months, until he was deposed on November 11 by his household personnel, being replaced by his cousin, Foreign Affairs Councilor Jaqmaq. Jaqmaq, like so many of his predecessors, was a weak and ineffective monarch, and he proved completely incapable of restraining the actions of some of his more reckless subjects.
 * The Mellorite military commander, Emir Abgul-Kamak, Governor of the Burglais Arm Military Districts, was an ambitious, determined figure, eager to obtain glory for himself among the Mellorite species. He sought to restore and extend Mellorite strength, and believed that this could be accomplished by attacking Mellorita's old enemy, Laurasia. Many Mellorites, both noble and subject alike, would come to see the Emir as a hero and savior of the Empire, and would desire his replacing the incompetent and despised Jaqmaq. In March 1639, Abgul-Kamak assembled his military squadrons on Edmundia, Cassie, English Star, Mackenzia Major, Mackenzia Minor, and Taraning, determined to threaten the Laurasian hold over the Further Homidinian Provinces. Defying the directives of Emperor Jaqmaq and his government, located on Homidinia Major, he soon embarked on a series of intelligence and raiding expeditions into Laurasian territory, threatening the garrisons, outposts, and defenses of the Imperial Laurasian Government in that region and provoking many throughout the Laurasian dominions through his actions. From April to November 1639, Mellorite expeditions harried thousands of Laurasian colonies, garrisons, and star systems. Among the most notable of the worlds to be thus menaced by the Mellorites were Ian, Calms, Hemsford, Gibbs-to-Lester, Winslet, DeCaprio, Peters, Celia, Gwendolyn, Ryan, Brent, Abuza, Brlla, Dion, and Yutzy. The Mellorites inflicted hundreds of billions of denarii worth of damage upon their defenses and settlements, gathering intelligence for the Mellorite Government, disrupting commerce, and greatly aggravating the Imperial Laurasian Government.
 * Their raids were now encouraged by Ardashir, the ailing Emperor of the Marasharites. Ardashir was still determined to recover the Satian Provinces from the Laurasian Empire, and in particular to obtain control of the major fortress star-systems of Nisbis and Carrhae, both of which were now definitively under Laurasian control. In June 1639, Ardashir, who believed that this was the opportune time to act on his plans, sent a communique to Abgul-Kamak, praising his actions against the "hated Laurasian mongrels" and declaring that only firm action against the forces of that particular empire would result in the "restoration of the military, economic, and diplomatic equilibrium of the Caladarian Galaxy." The following month (July 14, 1639), the Emperor of the Marasharites stated, in a session of the Grand Council, his intention to avenge "the honor of our species and of my noble predecessors on this imperial throne" by engaging in renewed military campaigns against the Laurasian Empire. His son, Prince Shapur, born in 1615, had accompanied his father as a boy in his initial campaigns against the remnants of the Osmanli Dynasty and then against the Marasharite Empire's neighboring enemies. By 1635, he had been formally designated his father's heir apparent, and had assumed his seat as a Prince of the Royal Line on the Grand Council. Two years later, he became Lieutenant-Pasha of the elite Janissary Guards, and in this position gained prominence and influence at the ranks of the Imperial Court. Ardashir had already begun to make plans to proclaim his son as his co-ruler, and he believed that this war against the Empire's Laurasian adversaries would be good practice of war for him.
 * Therefore, Ardashir announced to the Council that Shapur was to be his chief operational commander in the offensives against the Laurasian Empire. The Grand Council quickly concurred in their master's plans, and preparations for war were hastily made. The Haynsian Despot, Bahavair I Karany (r. 1637-41), was commanded to prepare his units along the Haynsian Slave Highway and at Perekop, Little Boravia, and in the Brigoff Stellar Nebula for raiding expeditions into the Caladarian Galaxy. Marasharite units, in the meantime, assembled along the Galactic Frontier Route and at the major strongholds of the Marasharite Galactic Borderlands, posed for offensives into Laurasian territory. The Earl of Sufforia, who still dominated government affairs on Laurasia Prime at this point, ignored all the indications given by the Imperial Intelligence Agency, believing that the Empire's defenses would repel all Marasharite offensives and that its power would be sufficient to prevent a Marasharite invasion. These foolish hopes were to be dashed upon the rocks of folly. On September 3, 1639, the Marasharite High Council suddenly issued a declaration of war against the Laurasian Empire, and hurled its military units into Laurasian territory. Within weeks, the folly of the Earl's decisions revealed themselves. Margery and Multan were assaulted by Marasharite expeditions the day of the military invasion; both fell into Marasharite possession by September 7. On September 14, Prince Shapur, commanding Marasharite military forces personally in battle, destroyed a Laurasian force in the Battle of Jaeseon.
 * Within five days, Safra, Jacqueline, and Noelle, all of whom served as major intelligence outposts along the Galactic Frontier Route, were besieged and destroyed by Marasharite units. Haynsian expeditions slashed through Laurasian border defenses, and in October 1639, struck through the Borderlands Provinces, assaulting Kanjur, Morgania, Angelica Minor, Eric, Giron, the Immortalized Cluster, Londarania, Verlania, Neur Daro, Masan, and Hishiebig, inflicting severe damage upon the defenses of those star systems. Nisibis fell under the blow of a major Marasharite offensive on November 6, 1639; within two weeks, it had capitulated to Prince Shapur, who presented the world's sword of capitulation and spoils from the Planetary Treasury to his father's representatives on Kerch. Following the conquest of Nisbis, Marasharite forces quickly subdued Charlie (November 8-14); Gayle (November 16); O'Donnell (November 19); King (November 22); Satie (November 24-26); and Bingley (November 29). The Battle of Juxles (December 7, 1639), resulted in a further victory for Prince Shapur. He captured 450,000 troops of the Imperial Laurasian Army and destroyed the Casta Meredonia, the chief Laurasian fortification in the star system. From Juxles, Marasharite forces stormed Carrhae (December 9-15, 1639), thereby inflicting another major humiliation upon Laurasian arms. As 1639 ended, Laurasia was again engaged in war with its ardent Marasharite and Haynsian foes.

1640

 * As 1640, the 40th year of the seventeenth century, commenced, the Laurasian Empire found itself at war with its implacable Marasharite adversaries, who were determined to recover the Satian Provinces and to limit the Empire's further territorial growth. The Imperial Laurasian Government, under the domination primarily of the Earl of Sufforia and his cronies, also had to contend with the increasing border troubles in the Robertian Regions. The first issue contended with, however, was the outbreak of a revolt in the Huntite Provinces. That same region, which had already been impacted by the revolt of the two Gordians barely two years earlier, was confronted with another demonstration of dissent against the Empire's authorities. This revolt, however, compared to the previous one, would prove to be relatively minor. In December 1638, Sir Sabinianus Yebranius (1587-1640) had been appointed by the Earl of Sufforia, on the recommendation of the Imperial College of Regional and Provincial Administration, as the new Governor of Hunt Major. In the aftermath of the Gordianian Revolt, he was instructed to restore "proper obedience to the will of the Empire's authorities; to suppress any outbreaks of dissent against His Majesty's lawful throne; and to ensure the continued adherence to the laws of this government." Governor Yebranius at first adhered to his instructions, but underneath the veneer was a man of ambition. He came to believe that only he would be able to restore "proper order" to the Empire and that this could only be made true if he took possession of the imperial throne. The Governor had begun to stockpile military supplies and equipment at the Carolyne Palace, the Spaceport of Hunt Minor, and in the Cathy Asteroid Belt, determined to await for a moment to arise against the Imperial Laurasian Government. He was also in secret contact with rebel cells on Jasonia, Negro, Gargonia, and Gedrosia Max, and believed that if he combined his influence with those of these movements, he would be able to apply extensive pressure on Emperor Gordian's regents.
 * In February 1640, Governor Yebranius formally raised the standard of rebellion, declaring, in his manifesto to his supporters, that he was determined to maintain "true religion and the stability of these realms against the enemies of the anti-Almitis" and that therefore, he could not tolerate the "oppression inflicted on the people by the distant and unfeeling government on Laurasia Prime." For a time, he enjoyed some success. Jabul, Akaamar, Claithbourne, Timur's Star, and Boontha defected to his forces within a matter of days; by the end of March 1640, he had secured control of the Sk'atha Cluster and was preparing to launch an offensive against Samarkand, which remained loyal to the government authorities. Yebranius, however, had neglected to take into consideration the attitude of the Governor of Gabriella, Sir Laconius Murcius (1579-1642). Murcius refused to listen to the rebel pleas, and on Gabriellia, Downs, Sheldonia, Upper Morsia, Brenda, Iego, and in the Osonboka Nebula, he prepared his units for counteroffensives against rebel positions. During April and May 1640, confrontations between rebel and government forces occurred at Julianne, Morsia, Catalaunia, and Gargonia, as each struggled to advance their position. Finally, however, the pressure was too great for the rebel forces, and on June 2, 1640, Governor Murcius crushed his rival in the Battle of Hunt Minor. Within two days, the rebel Governor's own supporters on Hunt Major, realizing that all was lost, surrendered him into the hands of the authorities, and the rebellion formally came to an end. Yebranius was executed at the High Prison of Changalar at Claithbourne on June 17, 1640.
 * During these months of the Yebranian Rebellion, as it became known, Marasharite forces consolidated their control of the Galactic Frontier Route. In April 1640, Shapur, as a reward for his victories over the Laurasian forces, was formally proclaimed co-ruler by his father Emperor Ardashir. Three months later, he resumed active military offensives against Laurasian positions. Orkhan and Sommers were reduced to surrender by Marasharite forces, and by the end of August 1640, it appeared that both Eaidon and Zoe were in danger of falling to the enemy. Haynsian expeditions were now penetrating to the Lacian Cluster. Haynsian units sacked Chalassion (June 21-25), Halassion (August 16), and Alyssa (August 29-24); menaced the defenses of Dromund (August 28-September 4) and Englestrom (September 7-9); and penetrated to the outskirts of Kacee, Sonny, and Lacia (September 12-23), imperiling the Laurasian hold over those star systems. Overall, in the course of these campaigns, nearly $500 trillion denarii in damage had been inflicted on the affected regions, and some three hundred million captives taken back to the slave markets of the Angelina Spiral and the Great Tesmanian Cloud. The Earl of Sufforia was criticized for his indolence, and many believed that his incompetence had allowed for the Empire to suffer so many humiliations in battle against its enemies. In October 1640, Sir Gaius Timesithus, who was now Vice-Prefect of the Praetorian Guards, was able to prevail upon the Earl to appoint him as commander of military forces assembled to advance into the Mellorite Empire.
 * Many in the Imperial Court believed that the suppression of this enemy was necessary to build a stronger defense against the Marasharites, and that the irritating Mellorite raiding parties into the Farther Homidinian and Robertian Provinces could no longer be tolerated. Timesithus quickly proved himself to be an intelligent, dedicated, and determined military commander, as he sought to allow the Empire's enemies no advantage. Timesithus arrived at Robert, which became his chief operational headquarters, on November 7, 1640. During the course of the next month, he assembled his military squadrons at Robert, Wakedia, Meris, Brenda, Dickinson, Hasselbeck, Shephard, Beharis, Walters, Abrianna, Meredith, Jeanne, Abuza, and Iego, determined to launch a swift offensive into the Mellorite territories and to terminate the raiding expeditions. Finally, in the middle of December 1640, Timesithus launched his decisive move. Defeating the Mellorite General Al-Kabim in the Battle of McEvlogue (December 18-19, 1640), Timesithus forced Mellorite units to withdraw from Alamaia I and Jagornia, which they had harried constantly, and began to advance across the Rebeccan Galactic Trade Route. By the end of the year, he had secured possession of Taraning and Mackenzia Minor, driving Mellorite units northwards into the Burglais Arm. The Haynsians, however, continued to harry the Farther Homidinian Provinces. Gwendolyn, Brant, Ryan, Peters, Winslet, and DeCaprio were all sacked by the Haynsian Despotate in December 1640, inflicting another $50 trillion denarii and 100 million casualties in losses upon the Empire.

1641

 * As 1641, the 41st year of the seventeenth century, commenced, the balance in the military contest between the Laurasian Empire and its northern adversaries, the Marasharite Empire, the Haynsian Despotate, and the failing Mellorite Empire, was changing in favor of the Laurasians. In January 1641, Marasharite units managed to storm the Satellites of Ursula, Xilania Secondary, and Jin Minor; this would prove to be the greatest extent of their conquests into the northern territories of the Laurasian Empire. Early in the following month, General Timesithus defeated his Mellorite counterpart Al-Kabim again in the Battle of Dion, terminating a Mellorite threat to Laurasian possession of the Farther Homidinian Provinces. He then blockaded Homidinia Major; the world fell into his possession on February 14. By February 27, Mackenzia Major, English Star, and Cassie had all been overrun by Laurasian forces, and the Mellorites were in a spirit of desperation. The Laurasian General also managed to halt Haynsian expeditions against Markis Prime, Maxwell, and the Kledis Var Trade Route, and to repel a Haynsian convoy at Greyson. In March 1641, Marasharite Prince Shapur directed an offensive against Saigon, Ho Chi Minh, and Bach Dang, determined to storm those strongholds and to threaten the Laurasian position in the Hypasian Provinces. Although Saigon was stormed by a Marasharite expedition, Shapur was defeated in the Battle of Huerta Mongol (March 29, 1641), preventing a further advance into the Hypasian Provinces. A Laurasian expedition to recover Sommers and Orkhan, however, was defeated in a fierce confrontation at Mankiller (April 1641). Nevertheless, the Laurasians more and more gained the advantage. Ardashir, whose health was now in serious decline, was unable to take command of his forces in the Northern Outer Borderlands; the Marasharites were now finding that they could not advance any farther into the Northern Provinces; and the superior industrial capabilities of the Laurasian Empire were being displayed in the military campaigns. The result of these successful military offensives was to elevate Timesithus’s position and reputation within the Empire and at the Imperial Court. Many on the Governing Senate and Holy Synod believed that he was the "savior" of the Empire, and that it was time for the Earl of Sufforia to be removed from his position of influence.
 * On May 6, 1641, Senators Baronet Sir Galbus Athurnius, 2nd Baronet Athurnius (1586-1652) and Sir Demetrius Masthanius (1592-1644), both of whom were major supporters of Timesithus, introduced a motion to the Senate declaring that the Earl had been "neglectful" in his duties as regards to the Imperial Laurasian Government, and that the Earl should be dismissed from office. Sufforia, who was now opposed by the Praetorian Guards and the Suffects of Christiania, was quickly outmaneuvered; within hours, he had been comprehensively denounced and dismissed from his positions as Governor of the Imperial Household and Guardian of the Emperor’s Person. Sufforia, however, did not suffer any further punishment, and was allowed to retire to his estates on Sufforia, where he was to remain until his death on May 2, 1650. Five days later, Timesithus, who had now moved to direct operations from Kaycee, was promoted to Praetorian Prefect; he also became Chancellor, Governor of the Imperial Household, and Protector of the Emperor's Person. Now the most powerful individual in the Empire, Timesithus moved swiftly to reward his supporters and to consolidate his position of influence in the Imperial Household. He appointed his cousin, Sir Antigonus Timesithus, Baron Wandgave of Darcia (1594-1649), as the Imperial Chamberlain and Comptroller of the Imperial Household. He installed many of his other supporters on the Council of Civil Service, the Council of Imperial Secretaries, and the Governing Senate; and he ordered for the donative allowance of the Praetorian Guards to be increased, to $500,000 denarii per annum. It was also he who arranged (June 9, 1641), the marriage of his sixteen-year old daughter, Furia Tranquillina (1625-58), to the Emperor, thereby entrenching himself as both the chief officer of government and as Gordian's father-in-law. The marriage would prove happy but fruitless.
 * As a result of these measures, Timesithus’s position on Laurasia Prime was definitively secured, and the new Prefect was able to continue his campaigns against the Mellorites with great vigor. By July 1641, the forces of Prefect Timesithus were besieging the outskirts of Edmundia and had stormed Bronson and Sheehan. The Burglais Arm was falling progressively under the control of the Laurasian Empire. It was at this point, however, that Marasharite Prince Shapur, hoping to shore up his Mellorite allies, and to reorganize his units for a renewed push into Laurasian territory, dispatched his chief subordinate commander, Agmal-Kabuk, to Sierra in order to take command of a coordinated counteroffensive against Laurasian forces. In August 1641, Kabuk launched a surprise offensive against Laurasian positions at Bronson, Taraning, and Ian, determined to sunder the supply lines to the blockade of Edmundia and to force Timesithus to reinforce his positions in the Lacian Cluster. Over the course of the next two months, a series of bitter confrontations occurred between Laurasian and Marasharite forces at Derek, Sharman, Rutherford, Drake, Kallista, Curry, Wakino, Mir, and Perry, as the Marasharites attempted constantly to breach the Empire’s frontier defenses. Lacia and Sonny were attacked by Marasharite units three times during September 1641; on October 7, Kabuk and the Mellorite General Sava-Dava managed to obtain a victory in the Battle of the Styrian Caldera. Eventually, however, Timesithus, supported by his chief subordinate commander, Sir Demetrius Howardis of Soria (1598-1646), progenitor of the great Howardis family, was able to stem the tide of the Marasharite offensives. Edmundia was finally stormed on November 7, 1641; seven days later, Coronadia and Jacobs I capitulated to Laurasian troops without a fight. In December 1641, Kay, Grumper, Silverman, Marley, Kruger, and the Star of Devlet were secured by Laurasian troops; Homidinia Major was now in a situation of extreme danger, at the risk of falling to the Laurasian Empire.

1642

 * 1642, the 42nd year of the seventeenth century, opened with the Laurasian Empire conducting a series of victorious and decisive military campaigns against the remnants of the Mellorite Empire. Although the Marasharites, under the direction of Emperor Ardashir and his son, Prince Shapur, had managed to storm the strongholds of the Satian Provinces and to penetrate throughout the Northern Districts, they had thus far been unable to prevent to the fall of the Mellorites before the forces of the Empire. Early in this year, however, the Mellorites themselves, desperate to reverse their series of losses to Laurasian forces, launched a counteroffensive, attempting to penetrate to the Kledis Var Trade Line and to push Laurasian units from the Southern Burglais Arm. On January 16, 1642, Mellorite General Maky-Maky launched a sudden assault from Scanlan, which remained under their control. Within five days, he had defeated a Laurasian starfigthter squadron in the Battle of Andrea Doria; repelled Laurasian expeditions against Mordan and Longmira; and penetrated to the outskirts of English Star, blockading or destroying a number of Laurasian operational outposts along the vicinity. At the same time, Mellorite Emperor Jaqmaq himself, seeking to demonstrate to his subjects that he was not weak and incompetent, assaulted Silverman, Marley, Curry, and Julie. All of these strongholds were in Mellorite possession by the end of February 1642. Soon, however, the Mellorite offensives lost steam. Prefect-General Timesithus, who remained in close contact with his subordinates at the Imperial Court on Laurasia Prime, decided that it would best to strike the Mellorites whilst they were overextended and vulnerable.
 * On March 9, 1642, the forces of Emperor Jaqmaq advanced against Alyssa, which had by this point become a major stronghold of the Imperial Laurasian Government. Emperor Antigonus II, in particular, had sponsored the establishment of military observation posts and factories in the star system, determined to strengthen the Empire's Borderland Territories with a string of defensive outposts. Jaqmaq believed that the capture of Alyssa would imperil the Laurasian hold on the Lacian Cluster and force them to terminate their offensives in the Burglais Arm and in the vicinity of Homidinia Major. In this presumption, he was to be proved grievously wrong. Prefect-General Timesithus had garnered intelligence about Mellorite strategic depositions; he deployed his cruiser and destroyer units at the Alyssa Straits, understanding this was where the enemy destroyer squadrons would launch their main thrust. His plan of action was to prevent their further progress and to use his cruisers to disorient the Mellorite warships. And it worked. Within four hours after battle was joined, the Laurasian Empire's forces obtained a decisive victory. Of one hundred Mellorite warships, fifty were destroyed by the Laurasians and another thirty captured. Nearly 200,000 Mellorite personnel and officers died or were captured, as compared to only five thousand Laurasians on six warships. Following the Battle of Alyssa, there was no turning back.
 * By the end of March 1642, Laurasian units had reconquered Silverman, Marley, Curry, and Julie, driving Mellorite units from the vicinity of the Kledis Var Trade Route. Mellorite offensives against Greyson and McDowell were repelled; in April 1642, Laurasian troops stormed Andrea Doria, Longmira, and the Verdant Industrial Worlds, pressing into the Corporate Sector. The vain attempts of Emperor Jaqmaq to fortify Homidinia Major and to secure the strongholds of the Corporate Trade Corridor flopped; on May 2, 1642, Timesithus obtained a major victory in the Battle of Coretta, pushing from Hemsford, Calms, and Gibbs-to-Lester towards Homidinia Major. The Mellorite capital world fell under siege on May 15, 1642; within ten days, it capitulated to General Timesithus's forces. Jaqmaq himself now fled to Felix, and sent further pleas for assistance to Shapur. Shapur himself, however, was still contemplating his counteroffensives against the Laurasian Empire, and he also had more immediate concerns as regards to the Marasharite Empire's internal affairs. On June 1, 1642, his father, Emperor Ardashir I, founder of the Ardashiran Dynasty, died after a reign of nearly two decades. Shapur, now sole Emperor of the Marasharites, had decided to return to Topacia, to forestall a threat to his position at the Marasharite Court and to conduct his formal coronation. He had already departed from the Caladarian Galaxy in February 1642, upon hearing of the decline in his father's health. As a result, the Mellorites succumbed entirely to Laurasian pressure. During June and July 1642, Jaqmaq launched desultory offensives against McDowell, Lawson, Greyson, and Mocktrialis, attempting in vain to prevent a Laurasian advance towards the Northern Heartland. In July 1642, Theodore capitulated to General Timesithus; he was now on the verge of assaulting Scanlan.
 * During the following two months, Laurasian troops occupied Madison, Levi, Joseph, and Cris-Homidinia, securing control of the last remaining Mellorite outposts in the vicinity of Homidinia Major. Finally, on October 7, 1642, General Timesithus's forces advanced to the outskirts of Scanlan. Jaqmaq, in his last desperate show of resistance, organized his remaining starfighter squadrons and a detachment of destroyer escorts to defend Scanlan. The Mellorite force numbered twenty warships; that of the Laurasians, nearly one hundred. Nevertheless, Mellorite units under the command of the Emperor's subordinate commander, General Abuz-Kajiz, resisted fiercely. Frontal assaults by Laurasian troops against Scanlan Minor and Brevan were repelled with heavy losses on October 13 and 16; on October 22, General Timesithus was forced to bring substantial reinforcements to the blockade. Eventually, however, on November 19, Scanlan's defenses were finally penetrated by Laurasian units. Abuz-Kajiz himself was killed while leading the final stand of Mellorite units in Scanlan's capital city, Commerce Hub. By the end of November 1642, Scanlan was definitely in the possession of the Laurasian Empire. On December 7, Lizaragga, Glassia, and Sierra were all stormed by Laurasian units; the inevitable end was approaching for Jaqmaq. By the end of December 1642, Wyatt and Felix, the final remaining Mellorite strongholds, were on the verge of falling to the Laurasian Empire.

1643

 * 1643 commenced with the Mellorite Empire of Jaqmaq on its last legs, in the face of the ceaseless military offensives by the forces of the Laurasian Empire. Prefect-General Sir Gaius Timesithus, who was definitely the most powerful personage in the Imperial Laurasian Government, and who had proven his capabilities as a military commander and officer, had won acclaim for himself throughout the Caladarian Galaxy, as a result of his victories over the Mellorites. This reputation was to be burnished further throughout the first half of 1643, until untimely circumstances brought a sudden end to his career. On January 5, 1643, Rushina, which had functioned as an intelligence and supply convoy outpost for the Mellorite units, was besieged and conquered by the 2nd Imperial Army under the command of General Sir Seleucus Brusius (1581-1647). Within three days, Laurasian troops had stormed the last remaining minor Mellorite outposts on Kyler, Cesania, and Ibica, penetrating to the outskirts of Wyatt. Wyatt itself fell under siege by the forces of General Timesithus on February 1, 1643; twenty days later, Mellorite General Al-Bauk surrendered unconditionally, compelled to do so by his starving, exhausted, and war-sick men. Jaqmaq himself, however, utterly pathetic and enjoying no respect from his forces, nevertheless displayed a last burst of initiative, and refused all Laurasian demands that he capitulate.
 * Therefore, on February 28, 1643, General Timesithus directed the final offensive against Felix; within five days, the world was in Laurasian possession. Jaqmaq himself managed to evade capture for a time, but was finally intercepted by Laurasian starfighters near Konik on March 21, 1643. On the orders of General Timesithus, he was bound in chains, placed on a prison transport, and taken on a progress throughout the Laurasian Empire's dominions, so that the Empire's subjects would be able to see the man who had been humiliated at the hands of the imperial forces. Jaqmaq's journey would take him from worlds such as Massanay and Sassanay to Robert, Hunt Major, Melorkia Major, and to Briannia, Rebecca, and other major worlds in the Core Regions. His arrival on Laurasia Prime (September 1, 1643), would be greeted with much spectacle. Paraded in chains past the Second Station of Callista, the two Calaxies, Hepudermia, Jadia, and then through the streets of Christiania, Jaqmaq's humiliation was evident to all. His journey would eventually end at the Fortress of Baureux, where he would be executed on November 7, 1643. With his death, the Mellorite Empire ended, more than four centuries after the first penetration of the Mellorites into the Caladarian Galaxy, and 390 years after the fall of the Homidinian Khanate, which it had displaced.
 * Following the final suppression of the Mellorite Empire in March 1643, General Timesithus turned his attention to the other adversary, who still occupied Laurasian territory and were still threatening the Empire's northern frontiers: the Marasharites. Timesithus was even more secure of his position on Laurasia Prime, now than ever. Now, as he was embarking on the counteroffensives against the Marasharites, he decided that the Emperor and his daughter, Empress Consort Furia, should accompany him. Gordian, who was now eighteen years old, was now formally at his age of majority, and therefore, Timesithus believed that he should obtain experience through war. On April 2, 1643, Marasharite Emperor Shapur, who had consolidated his position on Topacia, arrived at Bucharina, determined to finally instigate his long-planned offensives deeper into Laurasian territory. It was the Laurasians, however, who had the advantage. Seven days later, the Battle of Boniface resulted in a victory for General Timesithus, who captured a number of Haynsian scoutships and most of the fleet's armor and shield generators. Jin Minor, the Satellites of Ursula, and Xilania Secondary were reconquered by General Timesithus before the end of the month; by May 2, Marasharite units were being compelled to retreat from Orkhan, Bingley, Satie, and Al-Durah, while Timesithus had ended Haynsian expeditions against the Immortalized Cluster, the worlds of the Prietest, and Eric.
 * On May 7, Haynsian General Karam-Nester launched a counteroffensive against Laurasian positions at Trash Dakai and Song Dhu; within four days, this offensive was blunted by Laurasian troops. On May 22, Margery and Multan were both stormed by Laurasian troops. It was at this point, however, that Emperor Shapur, who sought to blunt these Laurasian moves and to demonstrate prowess in further military campaigns, launched a massive counteroffensive from Ba'dsai, Styris V, Crimea, Billy Gasis, Kia, and Pelaski. Pushing from these strongholds, he managed to storm Kemp (May 25); Lynne (May 29); Chapman (June 1-3); and King (June 4). Ultimately, however, Timesithus managed to stabilize the front lines, repelling Marasharite reconnaissance units in the Battle of Roxuli (June 7-11) and reconquering Simmons (June 14). On June 22, Xilania Major was recovered by Laurasian troops; four days later, General Timesithus scored an even greater victory in the Battle of Hieshbig, resulting in the final withdrawal of Marasharite units from Multan, Norah, and Carrhae. By the end of June, O'Donnell, Charlie, and Gayle were also back in Laurasian hands.
 * In July 1643, Shapur, determined to slow the Laurasian counteroffensives, moved to halt the Laurasian advance; he decided to meet General Timesithus, who had been joined by Emperor Gordian at Nandi on June 22, in battle at Reseana, a minor Laurasian border outpost located three hundred light years to the east of Kia. On June 26, the Battle of Reseana was waged. Shapur deployed his Haynsian scoutships and Marasharite corvettes in the rear, intending on using these to shatter Laurasian supply lines and to harass their destroyers. General Timesithus, from his flagship, the IMS Emeshia, had managed to obtain intelligence about his enemy's strategic depositions, and was able to keep a corps of Laurasian starfighters and couriers in reserve at Orgazanda, located three light-years from the field of battle. These were commanded by young Emperor Gordian, who was able to learn quickly the direct arts of war. The confrontation was nevertheless hard-fought, and the outcome was not decided until August 4. Shapur and his chief operational formations retreated in good order, but most of the Haynsian ships were ambushed and waylaid by Laurasian starfighters, which proved to the Imperial General Headquarters that the Haynsians did possess weaknesses with their weapons technology. Gordian himself earned distinction in the battle.
 * Following this confrontation, Timesithus began planning for offensives against Kia, Pelaski, Billy Gasis, and into the Tof Borderlands. By the end of August 1643, his forces had secured Nisbis, Jacqueline, and Nadiege, finally recovering all the territory which had been lost to the Marasharites. On September 11, 1643, however, Timesithus suffered a sudden heart attack at his operational headquarters on Norah. He was now hastened to the Hospital of St. Ida's on Cibourney, but despite the efforts of the imperial physicians, he died on September 24. Emperor Gordian, who had finally claimed his rightful and central position as Autocrat, was utterly distressed and saddened about his father-in-law's death. Three months of mourning were proclaimed for the late General, and the plans for the military offensives were temporarily laid aside. Marasharite Emperor Shapur, who had come to recognize General Timesithus as a worthy adversary, commanded for his forces to stay in their positions on October 2 for the remainder of the year, to give time for the General's memory to be honored. Timesithus's body was brought back to Laurasia Prime (October 9, 1643), and laid in state for more than a month. His funeral (November 15, 1643), was presided over by the Emperor and attended by the chief personages of the Imperial Court. But by late December 1643, Gordian had returned to the headquarters on Norah, and renewed the plans for offensives into the Wild Marshes.

1644

 * 1644, the 44th year of the seventeenth century, commenced with Emperor Gordian VI, who at nineteen years old was now the sole and undisputed ruler of the Laurasian Empire, preparing to conduct renewed military offensives into the Galactic Borderlands against the Empire's most ardent foes, the Marasharites and the Haynsians. The Emperor, at his operational headquarters on Norah, assembled military squadrons at Satie, Bingley, Sommers, Lynne, Multan, Eaidon, Orkhan, Juxles, and Xilania Major, determined to bring this conflict to a swift and decisive end and to secure the Empire's dominion over the Tof Borderlands. In these efforts, Gordian was now assisted by Lieutenant-General Sir Marcus Philippus, the new Praetorian Prefect and commanding officer of the 1st Imperial Army. General Philippus had originally enlisted in the Imperial Army in 1621, and had, during the next two decades, ascended rapidly through the military ranks. He earned distinction during the Roastafarian Revolt of 1626, which had originated as an anti-taxation protest on Roastafaria Major but had eventually spread to Roastafaria Minor and Rasti, and had become a formal rebellion against the Imperial Laurasian Government. Philippus, then a sergeant, was praised for his successful defense of the government position at High Mount and for his ruthless suppression of rebel bands.
 * Following this, he had been promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel, and assigned to the Merlite Legate. Philippus had ascended further during the course of the following decade, and served with distinction in the Marasharite and Dejanican wars of Emperors Alexander Severus and Maximinus; by 1636, he had reached the rank of Colonel and was appointed Commander of the Palatial Garrison of Polonia Major. Two years later, in 1638, he was reassigned to Calrissian, where, the following year, he repelled a Haynsian raiding expedition against the star system. Following this exploit, he was promoted to the rank of brigadier-general; by 1641, after participating in the defense of Rushina and Chalassion, he had become a major-general. It was at this point that he came to the notice of Prefect-General Timesithus, who appointed him to his command staff in February 1642 and charged him with the strategic plans for the offensives into the Burglais Arm. Therefore, when Timesithus met his untimely end in September 1643, Philippus was the candidate to succeed him. On January 1, 1644, he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-General and appointed Prefect of the Praetorian Guards by Emperor Gordian. Gordian trusted him, and it was Philippus who was at his side when he advanced from Norah (January 9, 1644). Within four days, Laurasian units had stormed Meneia, Styris V, and the Ba'dsai Outposts, driving a wedge into the Tof Borderlands. The Emperor's forces repelled Haynsian expeditions against Kaming and Bingley; harried the outskirts of Billy Gasis; and launched an intelligence expedition against Latrice, blockading or storming Marasharite outposts along the way. By the end of January 1644, Emperor Gordian's forces were advancing against Ctesiphon, now one of the chief Marasharite military arsenals in the Tof Borderlands. Emperor Shapur, however, was determined to give his Laurasian enemies no advantage.
 * On January 24, a Haynsian expedition suddenly appeared at Morgania and inflicted severe damage on the star system's defenses; within six days, Haynsian expeditions appeared at Song Dhu, Valeris V, Bach Dang, Ho Chi Minh, Hanoi, and Pinlong, carrying off some twenty million captives and inflicting a further €200 trillion dataries in economic damage. By February 2, Laurasian units were approaching the outskirts of Ctesiphon, but Gordian decided to conquer the Marasharite garrison of Mische, believing this would secure his rear. Shapur, however, gained wind of his adversary's plans, as Laurasian intelligence files were captured by Haynsian scoutships at Sogan on February 5. On February 7, 1644, the Battle of Mische occurred between the forces of the Laurasian and Marasharite Empires. The 2nd Imperial Fleet, under the command of Admiral Sir Antigonus Vemius (1581-1644), launched the first initial offensive against the outskirts of the Mische star system. Marasharite units under General Karim-Pasha were forced to retreat to the Asteroid Belt, and Emperor Gordian ordered his troops to launch a encircling maneuver to Mische Outpost 2. General Philippus was more cautious, and attempted to persuade the Emperor to instead order for a blockade to be established around the star system. Gordian, however, refused to listen; the consequences were disastrous.
 * By the early hours of February 9, the momentum of the Laurasian forces had been broken, as Haynsian units, held back in reserve at Fallujah, launched a sudden strike against Laurasian positions near Denim's Entrance. Admiral Vemius was himself killed when his flagship was destroyed by a projectile shot from a Haynsian interdictor ship; twenty of the forty Laurasian assault vessels were either destroyed or severely damaged. The next day, Emperor Gordian was forced to call a retreat from Mische, and to abandon his plans for an offensive against Ctesiphon. Cassolar, Van Kelp, Van Dong, and Hypasia Major were now under constant threat from Haynsian raiding parties; the Haynsians even stormed Hieshibig during the late hours of February 9, and held the star system for six days. Tensions against the Emperor now emerged in the ranks of the Imperial Army. On February 11, Colonel Alexander Sermanius (1605-44) decided to take matters into his own hands. While the Emperor was on the bridge of his flagship, IMS Colombiana, conferring with General Philippus and his other subordinates, Colonel Sermanius suddenly rushed onto the scene.
 * He soon revealed his blaster and discharged the weapon, firing five shots at the Emperor's head. Gordian died instantly; Colonel Sermanius was then gunned down by troops of the Praetorian Guards. The news about Emperor Gordian's death quickly spread throughout the Laurasian Empire and inter-galactic civilization; condolences arrived from all foreign courts. Even Emperor Shapur, who had been preparing a counteroffensive into the Satian Provinces, and contemplating an alliance with the Brestord Kingdom of Karakorum, expressed his sadness about the Emperor's death, and ordered for a cessation in active military campaigns. Gordian's death, however, came with there being no heir named to the Laurasian throne. He and his wife, Empress Consort Furia, had not had any children, and she was not pregnant when he died. Therefore, the succession question loomed large on the minds of all. Prefect-General Philippus, however, quickly assumed his position as the leading candidate. He made a show of extreme sadness and regrets concerning his deceased master. The General made the point of lamenting the late Emperor and weeping over his body as it was carried off the bridge, following the assassination. This behavior was reported to the Imperial Court on Laurasia Prime. Within four days, the General's supporters and allies at the Court and on the Senate had prevailed.
 * On February 15, 1644, Prefect-General Sir Marcus Philippus was proclaimed Emperor and Autocrat of All the Laurasians as Philip I. The newly proclaimed Emperor, who had now assumed supreme command of Laurasian military forces in the Borderlands Territories, quickly issued an accession manifesto from Norah, to which he had returned on February 13. In this manifesto, Philip declared that it was his intention to bring "this costly and fruitless conflict with our Marasharite neighbors" to a "complete and utter end." The Emperor proved as good as his word. His first task, upon ascending the imperial throne, was to bring hostilities with the Marasharite Empire to an end. In March 1644, the Emperor sent a diplomatic communique to his Marasharite counterpart, declaring that "the recent death of my late Lord, His Imperial Majesty Gordian, by right, Emperor of Laurasia, has compelled me to consider the circumstances which we now find ourselves in, and to seek to appease the Lord Almitis by ending hostility between us." Appealing to Shapur to look to the advice of his own Gods, Philip signaled his willingness to end the war on terms "favorable to both parties and injurious to none." Shapur himself was now leaning to ending the war. Tensions had increased with the Haxonian Confederacy and the Knights of Malta over possession of the Grecian Provinces; Marasharite troops had also been deployed in greater numbers in the Pazak Cluster, as a result of Croatian raids in the Dalmatian Provinces. Shapur wished to turn his full attention to these threats, and realized that his Laurasian adversaries had the advantage. On April 2, 1644, he accepted Philip's offer of negotiation. Ten days later, a conference was opened between the two Empires on Oystranae, a Laurasian border colony located thirty-light years to the east of Mische. Negotiations lasted for nearly a month, and were fraught with many difficulties.
 * But finally, on May 11, 1644, the Treaty of Oystranae was signed, thereby bringing the Laurasian-Marasharite War of 1639-44 to an end. By the terms of the treaty, the status quo ante bellum in territorial matters was restored between the Laurasian and Marasharite Empires. All troops were to withdraw from the territory of the other, and all prisoners of war were to be exchanged. However, the Haynsian Despotate was to be permitted to retain all captives and booty seized in the military campaigns; the Laurasian Empire, likewise, retained goods, property, and equipment which it had seized from the Marasharite military forces. Economic and diplomatic relations between the two governments were restored on equal terms, and rights of free transit and commerce was guaranteed for those inhabiting the Satian Provinces and the Galactic Frontier Route. The Treaty of Oystranae was ratified by Emperor Philip on May 14 and by Emperor Shapur, with the Haynsian Despot Sophraid IV Karany, on May 22. Following the conclusion of the Treaty of Oystranae, Emperor Philip traveled from Norah with his military forces to Cirecisum, where, on June 2, he laid a cenotaph in honor of his predecessor, Emperor Gordian. A manifesto of mourning had declared that Gordian’s memory was to be honored for the remainder of the year; his body had already been dispatched to Laurasia Prime, for his funeral ceremonies at the Westphalian Cathedral; and the Holy Synod, on the Emperor’s orders, formally blessed his memory.
 * By the end of June, the Emperor had arrived on Chalassia. He now appointed his brother, Sir Priscus Philippus (1607-49), as Prefect of the Satian Provinces and Governor-General of Xilania Major, giving him almost exclusive authority, in his name, over the northern territories of the Empire. Priscus, who was also promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-General, had loyally supported his brother’s rise in the military service, and had himself earned the favor of those at the Imperial Court. Philip remained on Chalassia for two months, where he supervised the disbandment of the remaining Mellorite armies and the administrative reorganization of the Mellorite territories acquired by the Empire. He also supervised the withdrawal of all remaining Laurasian military units from Marasharite territory. On October 4, the Emperor moved forth to Abraham, where he gave his brother-in-law, Sir Severeanius Begamius (1602-49), the Governorship of Angelica Major and Roxuli. Philip finally arrived at Laurasia Prime on October 19, 1644; five days later, he formally presided over the state funeral of Gordian VI. Following the ceremony, he formally confirmed the rank of Gordian's widow, Furia, as Empress-Dowager, granted her an imperial pension, and awarded her possession of various properties throughout the Laurasian Purse Region. Empress-Dowager Furia would reside in peace on her estates until her death from the Angrames malady on October 1, 1658, at Tommy, aged 33. On November 2, Philip received the acclamation of the Senate and Synod for his "victorious" conclusion of the Laurasian-Marasharite War, and for the victories he had obtained, assumed the titles of Marasharitus Abaticus, Haynsius Maximus, and Marasharitus Maximus.
 * The Emperor also blessed the memory of his father, Sir Macrinus Philippus, although he had never been Emperor. His coronation was then conducted on November 24, and at this ceremony, he formally proclaimed his son, Grand Prince Philip (1638-49), to be his heir apparent, in accordance with the Seleucid Law of Succession. During the early months of his reign, Emperor Philip vigorously pursued various measures, in an effort to consolidate his place on the Laurasian throne and to strengthen his oversight over the Empire and the Imperial Government. The Emperor put a great deal of effort into maintaining positive relations with the Governing Senate and the Holy Synod, the two central bodies of state, seeking their advice on important matters of state; showering grants, titles, and properties upon their members; and taking care to maintain their prerogatives and their rights of precedence at the Imperial Court.
 * He reaffirmed Traditionalist Laurasian values and traditions, vigorously enforcing the Heresy Laws and supporting the policies of Chief Procurator Demetrius Staffordia (in office 1643-52), Archbishop of Clackimeris, who was determined to suppress "heresy" and to maintain order and conformity within the Almitian Church. He quickly ordered an enormous expansion and revitalization project in Strabtha, Millard, the city of his birth. Renaming it Philippolis, he raised it to the status of an Imperial City and populated it with statues of himself and his family. This was not his only project however; the Emperor also initiated the establishment or reconstruction of nearly fifty thousand colonial settlements throughout the star systems of the Laurasian Empire. As a result of this, the expenses lavished upon the Imperial Court, the donative allowance given to the Praetorian Guards and Imperial Armed Forces, the expenses of his own lavish coronation, and the gifts handed out to various courtiers and nobles, the Emperor soon found himself desperately short of money. To pay for this, he ruthlessly increased the levels of taxation, imposing a new capitation levy in September 1644 and a imposition of 15% upon the goods of spice, transport, and agricultural supply merchants. He also imposed heavy levies and tariffs upon the goods of Dejanican and Vectorian merchants, who generally enjoyed greater prosperity than native Imperial merchants of the Empire. This, however, provoked tensions which were to lead to war the following year.

1645

 * 1645, the 45th year of the seventeenth century, commenced with the Laurasian Empire becoming "adjusted" to the rule of Philip I, who had ascended to the throne following the assassination of Gordian VI. Philip, who had been a popular and well-respected general, and who had demonstrated consistent and loyal service to the Imperial Government, had, however, already begun losing the support of his subjects. His oppressive taxation policies; the favors he conferred upon nobles and courtiers on Laurasia Prime; all of this began to alienate some of the Empire's subjects against him. For the time being, however, the Emperor retained his general position in the Empire. Nevertheless his taxation policies now provoked a new military conflict for the Laurasian Empire; with the Dejanican Commonwealth. By this point, the Commonwealth was under the rule of King Wladlio II Vamana (1638-48), who had ascended to the Dejanican throne in 1638, following the death of Wladlio I (1637-38), successor to King Vologravius VI. The King had, until this point, remained at peace with his Laurasian neighbors in the Caladarian Galaxy, distracted by wars with the Marasharite Empire, Haxonian Confederacy, and Holy Austarlian Empire. Now, however, the Laurasian Emperor's intrusions upon the rights of Dejanican merchants, and the very fact that he was vastly increasing funding to the Imperial Armed Forces, provoked the King into taking action.
 * On January 27, 1645, the King of Dejanica held a conference on Praga with the Dejanican Diet and the Council of Military Advisers, resolving on a directed military offensive into Laurasian territory. Within a week, Dejanican units began to assemble at Vietsbk, Polotsk, Ladelle, Lavelle, the Galactic Frontier, Dehner, and in the Marvald Straits, poised for a direct strike into the Empire. Emperor Philip, who was still focused on rewarding his associates and "consolidating" his position on Laurasia Prime, ignored reports from the Imperial Intelligence Agency of the building tensions on the Empire's western borders. This backfired against him, as on February 12, 1645, the Dejanican Commonwealth's forces in the Lavellan Provinces, under the command of General Pa'vo Warmalaki (1583-1646), launched a sudden offensive into Laurasian territory. Dejanican forces made shift advances. Shashanaya and Black-Chandlier fell into their hands on the day of their invasion; Orion followed on February 14, and by February 18, Monique was also in the enemy possession. General Warmalaki then humiliated the Laurasian garrison of Gurlack (February 20, 1645), and on February 22, stormed the defenses of Ernie. From thence, Dejanican forces moved into the Wild Marshes. Iverman (February 23-24), Shineski (February 26), Schulzki (February 28), and Etienne (March 1-2) fell into Dejanican hands, and on March 6, Laurasian Admiral Sir Cyprian Athao (1590-1664), was defeated in the Battle of Roach. On March 11, a surprise Dejanican operation led to the capture of Merlin; from thence, Kelvania Minor, Rani, and Anjun fell to the enemy (March 12-17, 1645). On March 21, the Battle of Zachary ended in another victory for General Warmalaki; Admiral Athao himself was captured, and made a Dejanican prisoner of war.
 * By March 29, Cordelia, Regan, and Goneril had been captured by Dejanican troops, and they were now launching further operations against Morgania Minor, Arthur, Lancelot, and Gunevere. At the same time, in the Angelican Provinces, General Warmalaki's forces harried the outskirts of Aspen, Corfu, and Prima, and penetrated into the heart of the Immortalized Cluster. On April 5, he stormed Donovan, and then proceeded to drive Laurasian units from Sebastiani. Then (April 12, 1645), his chief subordinate, General Amasilaw Wamankia (1599-1675), obtained a crushing victory in the Battle of Kelvania Major. His Laurasian counterpart, Major-General Sir Felix Precius (1605-61), was utterly humiliated, losing more than 200,000 troops and virtually all of the planetary turbocannon. With Kelvania Major, one of the Empire's major bastions in the Wild Marshes, now under Dejanican occupation, the Laurasian position in those regions were placed in more serious peril. Barbara, Bouchet, and Gawain were stormed (April 13-19, 1645), and on April 22, the Battle of Exaclibur saw another Dejanican triumph. By the end of April 1645, Angelica Minor, Eric, Giron, and Londarania were constantly being harried by Dejanican raiding expeditions; it seemed as if nothing further could bar their advance.
 * The Dejanicans now directed a thrust into the Malarian Provinces. On May 2, General Warmalaki, after repelling a Laurasian counteroffensive against the Dvina Straits, stormed Goodman, destroying its shield generators, and impounding the garrison's agricultural supplies. By May 8, Evans, Ettleman, and Takrania had all capitulated to the Dejanicans, who began to systematically devastate the colonies and outposts of the Narvet Corridor. On May 19, General Warmalaki obtained another victory in the Battle of Kanley. The Laurasian commander of the forces in the confrontation, Sir Neuchrus Ligonius (1608-53), was himself captured and bound in chains, being humiliated by the Dejanican officers. Almastead, Naranja, and Manzo had fallen into Dejanican possession by June 6. Meehan, however, resisted Dejanican offensives fiercely. Two attempts by Dejanican corps, under the command of Warmalaki's subordinate, General Petro Povona (1610-76), were repelled (June 9-21, 1645). Dejanican forces, however, continued to advance. Recovering from the humiliations at Meehan, they proceeded to the conquest of Malaria Outer (June 24-July 1), Odika (July 7), Welch (July 10-12), Johnald (July 16), and White (July 20-22). Emperor Philip, establishing his command headquarters at Kamachina on June 29, 1645, now began to prepare a coordinated series of counteroffensives against the Dejanicans.
 * He assembled his military units at many of the chief Malarian strongholds, and became determined to drive to the Narvet Corridor. In a manifesto to his subjects (August 21, 1645), the Emperor assured them that "I shall not permit the foreign barbarians to do as they wish in our territories; they shall be ejected and they shall know the Empire's power." On September 2, he validated his words with action. In a series of confrontations at Xeberts (September 2-4), Onn (September 10), Ariasole (September 19-22), Racqueline (October 1-5), Pumos (October 10), and the Station of Christiane (October 14-23), Philip gradually gained the advantage in the Malarian Provinces. On October 29, Johnald and White were both recovered by imperial troops operating from Guin, Van-Dogh, and Timaslan; six days later, Malaria Outer was blockaded. It fell on November 11, 1645. The Emperor then recovered Almastead (November 12), Naranja (November 14), Manzo (November 18), and Ettleman (November 19-24). Evans and Takrania were both besieged, but they did not fall until Ascentmas Day, 1645. At the same time, Laurasian forces recovered Donathan, Sebastiani, and Zachary (September 5-19, 1645), and on October 1, stormed into Roach. Etienne, Aspen, Iverman, Shineski, Schulzki, and Roach were back in secure Laurasian hands by October 23, and on November 7, 1645, the Battle of Ambarac saw another victory for the Empire. Barbara and Bouchet were abandoned by the Dejanicans on December 8, and on December 14, they also withdrew from Excalibur and Cordelia. By the end of the month, the Emperor was besieging both Merlin and Kelvania Minor.

1646

 * 1646 commenced with the Laurasian Empire of Emperor Philip I engaged in another vigorous conflict with its foreign adversaries, in this case the Dejanican-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The Dejanicans, under the direction of their vigorous and ambitious King Wladlio II Kamana, had at first caught their Laurasian neighbors off-balance; they had managed to overrun parts of the Malarian, Morganian, and Kelvanian Provinces, and menaced the Empire's western frontier in the Wild Marshes. The forces of Emperor Philip, however, had regained the advantage, and started on the process of hurling the Dejanican adversaries back. This accelerated quickly during the early months of 1646. On January 8, 1646, the Emperor held a strategic conference with his chief military commanders on Timsies, which had now become one of the Empire's chief military arsenals in the Malarian Provinces. Here, it was decided that the effort would be focused on expelling Dejanican units from the remainder of the territories they held in the Malarian Provinces, and to therefore isolate them from their units elsewhere in imperial territory. Within a week of this conference, Laurasian troops had recovered Welch and Odika, driving Dejanican units from the Maluyta Nebula back to the strongholds of the Narvet Corridor. A Dejanican counteroffensive (January 22-29, 1646), directed against Lafaria, Aingley, and Acabania, was blunted, and on February 7, 1646, Manzo was reconquered by a Laurasian expeditionary corps. The situation for the Dejanicans worsened four days later, when General Warmalaki suffered a severe stroke at his command headquarters on Kelvania Major. Despite the efforts of the military physicians, he died on February 19. Following his death, the morale of the Dejanican forces collapsed. They were swept from Kanley, Regan, Goneril, and Gawain by the end of February 1646. In March 1646, Kelvania Minor, isolated from support and bombarded ceaselessly by the Laurasian task force besieging it, surrendered. Merlin followed its example on April 2.
 * On April 5, 1646, the Battle of Lear resulted in a decisive victory for Laurasian forces under General Sir Antigonus Crattius (1591-1649). By the middle of April 1646, Laurasian forces had recovered Kanley, Anjun, and Ranim, and were pushing back into the Dejanican Borderlands. At this point, the King of Dejanica, whose border territories were being harried ceaselessly by Haynsian forces, and facing a major rebellion against his authority in Dejanican Ukraine (in the Great Tesmanian Cloud), decided to divest himself of this costly and expensive "sideshow" war in the Caladarian Galaxy. On April 25, he sent a request for peace to Emperor Philip. The Emperor, who wished to return to Laurasia Prime, accepted the request almost immediately. A diplomatic conference was convened on Trash Dakai from May 7, and negotiations continued for some weeks. Finally, on May 29, 1646, the Treaty of Trash Dakai was signed, concluding the Frontier War of 1645-46 between the Laurasian Empire and the Dejanican-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The status quo ante bellum was imposed in territorial matters; all sides were to return prisoners and captives of war seized in the military campaigns; and free trade privileges between the two realms were confirmed, with the Emperor of Laurasia pledging not to raise levies upon Dejanican merchants in the future. The Treaty of Trash Dakai was ratified by King Wladlio II the day it was signed, and by Emperor Philip on June 11. By August 1646, all Dejanican units had withdrawn from Laurasian territory, and the Empire's garrisons were back in their normal positions. Emperor Philip supervised the withdrawal of Dejanican units and the restoration of the Empire's frontier provinces to normal alert status.
 * He soon, however, had to contend with a revolt on Melarnaria, provoked by General Sir Priscus Anthurius (1592-1646), who had ambitions of securing dominion over the Central Core. The revolt spread to Williams, Goss Beacon, Conservan, and Reoyania within a month; on September 29, 1646, rebel units defeated a government patrol fleet in the Battle of Dramis. Philip rushed to Kamachina and dispatched a force to confront the rebel units. On October 12, 1646, the government forces won the Battle of Condtella; within four days, the revolt collapsed. General Anthurius himself was betrayed by his followers and handed over to the government authorities. Taken to Laurasia Prime, he was executed at the Fortress of Baureux on November 9. Emperor Philip then traveled to Melarnaria (October 18, 1646), and during the course of the next two months, supervised the trial and either imprisonment, banishment, or execution, of many of the leading rebel leaders. An imperial manifesto condemned all who "stirred up" dissent within the Laurasian Empire. The Emperor then returned to Laurasia Prime on December 13, and presided over Ascentmas festivities at the Imperial Laurasian Court. 1646 ended, therefore, with the Empire restored to both internal and external tranquility.

1647

 * Throughout 1647, the 47th year of the seventeenth century, the Laurasian Empire generally remained at peace, both domestically and with its immediate neighbors. Emperor Philip's restoration of "law and order" to Melarnaria and parts of the Western Central Core, following the abortive revolt of General Anthurius in late 1646, had been the only exception to this general prevalence of tranquility. The Emperor embarked again from Laurasia Prime on January 28, 1647 (exactly a century before the death of Antigonus the Extravagant), and conducted a series of progresses through the Clancian Provinces, Heuthrian Provinces, and to Arias in the east, intending to display himself to his subjects in those regions, to demonstrate the extent of his authority, and to reaffirm the unity of the Empire's dominions. Yet it was while he was on this great journey that Philip decided to take another, more radical step, in order to further secure his place, and that of his dynasty, upon the imperial throne. In May 1647, the Emperor (then at Manil), announced his intention to elevate his young son and heir apparent, Grand Prince Philip, now eight years old, to the throne as his co-emperor and junior associate. In his manifesto, the Emperor declared that unless this were done, then the Empire's dominions would "descend into absolute anarchy, of the likes which have not been observed in centuries."
 * By providing his son experience in the cares of state, Philip reasoned, his dynasty would be secured and the Empire would remain stable. Following the Emperor's declaration of his intentions, extensive preparations had been made by the Councils of State for the official ceremony of elevation. The Emperor was determined that this ceremony would display his power and influence, and that his son would be exalted alongside him, above all of the Empire's subjects. Finally, on July 29, 1647, in a formal ceremony at the Quencilvanian Palace, his son was officially proclaimed Philip II, co-Emperor and Autocrat of All the Laurasians, alongside his father, Philip I. The Emperor (having returned to Laurasia Prime on June 8), himself elevated his son on the balcony to the subjects assembled outside the Quencilvanian Palace, and announced to them that this "would be their future monarch, who will bring you to glory and your enemies to ruin." Philip, now granted a imperial household, remained in the care of his mother, Empress Consort Marcia Severa.
 * By November 1647, with his son established as his co-ruler, and with the Empire experiencing no difficulties, Philip I decided to continue with the tradition of the Ludi Saeculares (Secular Games), which had previously been staged by Emperors Claudius II (1448) and Antoninus Pius (1548). The Secular Games were a tradition extending back to the 1st millennium BH; they had first been staged in 505 BH, four years after the establishment of the Stellar Republic of Laurasia. Following this, celebrations were held in 425 BH, 348 BH, 249 BH, 142 BH, and 17 BH. The tradition lapsed after the 2nd century AH, but was then revived in the seventh century by King Perseus the Savior. Thereafter, they continued for nearly two centuries until the commencement of the Dasian Yoke in AH 840. Emperor Claudius had revived the tradition six centuries later, ostensibly to celebrate the millennium after the foundation of the Laurasian monarchy. Philip was therefore adhering to a long-established custom.

1648

 * 1648, the 48th year of the seventeenth century, began with Emperor Philip now making ground for the commencement of the Secular Games. On January 18, 1648, the Emperor formally announced his intentions to all of his subjects, and commanded them to pray for the Empire's future welfare. The Imperial Treasury poured billions of denarii into the celebrations, with Christiania's subjects becoming absorbed in all of the spirit and vigor of the occasion. Finally, on April 5, 1648, the Secular Games of 1648 formally commenced when heralds departed from the Quencilvanian Palace, Westphalian Cathedral, and Old Royal Palace. The heralds, wearing garments of gold, assumed their positions at public platforms which had been erected in the major squares of the City; from these locations, they formally "invited" the people to attend "a spectacle, such as they would witness and never would again." Their invitations were carried by the Holonet to all residential quadrants of the city. The citizens of Christiania now emerged from their residencies and businesses, and dispersed throughout the public thoroughfares, in accordance with the directions of the Christiania Police Department and the Praetorian Guards. The quindecimviri, ceremonial officials of note who had been appointed by the Holy Synod to officiate during the Games, handed out sulphur, asphalt, and electrical torches, to be burnt as a means of purification. This was in accordance with the Book of Antigonus, which contained the procedures of law for the Almitian Church, and mandated that followers of Almitis "sanctify themselves in the eyes of the Lord." Offerings of honey wheat and barchi (Laurasian ceremonial wine), were also made to those gathered. The formal declaration of inscription then arrived from the Senate, which mandated that the official record of "all which has and will transpire be indicated at the Tarentum Memorial."
 * Following the declaration of inscription, Emperor Philip himself, escorted by his wife and leading courtiers, departed from the Quencilvanian Palace and began their procession through the Palatial Districts. The procession, which was attended by all of the members of the Imperial Household, followed the traditional route of coronation to the Westphalian Cathedral. There, the Emperor conducted the rite of central purification; all were enjoined to purify themselves with what they had been provided by the quindecimviri. Following this, the "stay on joy" was lifted, and the Emperor permitted the inhabitants to enjoy themselves with the proffered entertainments. During the course of the next two weeks, Christiania, and Laurasia Prime in general, were dominated by a series of lavish events. The Circus Maximus staged three animal games; two shockball competitions; and a "performance at arms", in the Emperor's honor. Plays, literature readings, fireworks displays, opera concerts, formal dances, and gatherings came in plenty; the Emperor himself staged a massive banquet for all of his courtiers, while his wife, the Empress Consort, arranged banquets and society gatherings for the leading women of the cities of Laurasia Prime. Turbocannon displays; a military parade through the star system; and space simulations also accompanied the celebrations. Six more ceremonies of purification were performed at the Westphalian Cathedral; April 14 witnessed a "day of prayer and honor", held by the monasteries of the Church. The Games ultimately ended on April 21 with one final celebration at the Circus Maximus; nearly a thousand animals, including such exotic creatures as Gardinerite rancors; Horacian bamboos; Aquilionian eels; Marcian brabants; Zennethian giraffes; and Samanthan hippotamuses, were brought in, choreographed, and then killed in a series of gory combats. Philip also presented his son once more to the crowds; he received a formal oath of allegiance from the chief officials of the Imperial Government. After 1648, the Secular Games would fall into abeyance again, and would ultimately be formally declared terminated by Neuchrus I in 1703.
 * In spite of the festive appearance on Laurasia Prime, which had been created as a result of the Secular Games, tensions were emerging in other regions of the Empire. By May 1647, the situation in the Merlite Provinces had deteriorated considerably. Emperor Philip, although he had organized such magnificent festivities on Laurasia Prime, had nevertheless earned the ire of his subjects beyond the Laurasian Purse Region. His lack for money had led him to intensify taxation; this provoked rebellion and outbursts of civil dissent against him. In September 1647, Emma, Kathryn, Imma, Tahon, and Baiteman had been ravaged with a series of protests by the Laurasian colonists and the Ashlgothian natives, who protested the exactions made of them by an "overbearing, despotic imperial government." Two months later, the Venasian Countess of Emarganachay, Kennalaia (1594-1649), organized a gathering of prominent Venasian noblewomen at the Fountain Palace on Venasia Prime, to protest the "preferences made by the officials of this Empire to the contrary of our cultural habits and customs." In January 1648, Colombia and Constantinople had been marred by a series of urban riots protesting the Emperor's imposition of a new property levy upon the central businesses of the two cities, a move which they believed threatened their economic vitality and hampered job growth. The Merlite Provinces, however, were the most unstable region of all. Between 1637 and 1648, six rebellions had erupted in the region against imperial authorities; Bobria, Merliash, and Aretha were among the most unstable star systems, with much hostility being displayed towards central government officials. By the middle of 1648, their grievances had increased. Merlites and colonists alike believed that they were exposed to the threat of the Vectorian Empire and Celestial Kingdom of Scottria in the Galactic Borderlands, and that they needed a ruler who would respond to their needs.
 * A unlikely figure now emerged to take advantage of these tensions; Governor-General Sir Tiberius Pacatianus (1600-49). Pacatianus was initially loyal to Emperor Philip's government, having been appointed by the Emperor to the Governor-Generalship of the Merlite Provinces in October 1645. He was, however, easily influenced, and it was his subordinates, in particular General Sir Agrippa Lamarius (1603-49), who persuaded him to shift his loyalties to those opposed to the Emperor. On September 15, 1648, Pacatianus, at the Governor's Palace on Merilash, was formally proclaimed Emperor and Autocrat of All the Laurasians by his leading commanders and the men of the star system's garrison. Within eight days, the garrisons of all the chief Merlite strongholds had proclaimed their loyalty to Pacatianus as Emperor, rejecting their oath of allegiance to Philip. In a "ascension" manifesto, issued on September 22, 1648, Pacatianus declared that he was determined to "restore the proper rule to this Empire" and to prevent the continuance of conditions by "those who are in consort with the anti-Almitis." When Philip learned of the rebellion while staying at the Palace of Placenta on Darcia, he was furious. In a venomous proclamation to his subjects (October 2, 1648), he declared that he could not permit this "usurper" to remain, and that immediate action needed to be taken. Another challenge, however, now confronted the Emperor. The Vectorian Empire, observing the Imperial Laurasian Government's difficulties, decided to launch a surprise offensive into Laurasian territory.
 * Vectorian Emperor Ashurnasirpal I (1631-50), had assembled his military squadrons at Kylantha, Nagosh, Mercia, Camarania, Deira, Elizabania, Taghania, Francia, and Dedatia. The Emperor was determined to occupy the territories of the Neo-Anastasian Empire, the Laurasian vassal-state which still held on to Hospallian and Anastasian territories in the southwestern Barsar Regions, and to penetrate into the Ashlgothian Provinces. During the course of the past quarter-century, Anastasia had undergone much tribulation. Following the death of Titilla in March 1623, civil war had erupted between his son, Martilla (1600-34) and daughter Tofana (1598-1643). This civil war lasted for eleven years, and ultimately ended with Martilla's assassination at Hospallia Minor in June 1634. Tofana had then ruled as Empress of Anastasia for nine years, until she was assassinated at Jacksonian Backory (July 19, 1643), by her husband, Prince Ivtilla. Ivtilla ruled for less than a year, until in January 1644 he was deposed and killed by Prince Matilla, who became the penultimate Neo-Anastasian Emperor (1644-48). This was the situation, consequently, that Vectoria sought to take advantage of. On October 16, 1648, just before Philip was to announce his plans of offensive against the rebel forces of Pacatianus, Ashurnasirpal I issued a formal declaration of war against the Laurasian Empire. The Second Laurasian-Vectorian War commenced, thirty-five years after Caracalla's Vectorian campaigns. Within days of the declaration of war, Ashurnasirpal's forces made considerable advances, taking advantage of the weakness of Anastasian defenses and the dispersal of Laurasian frontier garrisons. He besieged and conquered Skye I (October 22); Ghaza (October 27); Meridu (November 1); Teutonica (November 6); and Anastasia Minor (November 11), before inflicting a grievous defeat upon a hastily assembled Anastasian expeditionary force under the command of General Amaru in the Battle of Helen (November 14-19, 1648).
 * By the middle of November 1648, Redia, Nicole, and Sejucia had been seized by Vectorian troops, who now imperiled the defenses of Ashlgothia Major, Trebek, Leslie, and Warren. Vectorian expeditions repeatedly assaulted the Durant Cluster, with Sharon Alfonsi, Eliza Spencer, Lesia Major, and Ain Jalut experiencing raids and reconnaissance parties launched from Vectorian strategic positions. On December 3, the Siege of Ankara commenced, as that important Lesian star system was blockaded by a detachment of Vectorian warships under Ashurnasirpal's chief subordinate and military commander, his brother Adad-nirari. The efforts of Laurasian forces, stationed at Winehouse, Woolestone, Armenia Major, and Beverly Hereidu, to provide military relief and necessary supplies to the garrison failed, and the star system's inhabitants were soon suffering from shortages of food and other essential supplies. Emperor Philip, whose attitude had changed swiftly to one of apprehension and fear, was now engaged in hectic moves on Laurasia Prime. Sending instructions to his garrison commanders, the Emperor followed the situation in the Barsar Regions and Merlite Provinces anxiously. On December 8, General Pacatianus obtained a victory over government forces in the Battle of India, preventing a move against his positions at Ryan Barlak and Evan. Five days later, Warren, threatened by the Vectorian troops and believing that Emperor Philip was weak, defected to the rebel. By the end of December 1648, Vectorian forces had seized Pocket V, Lincoln, Rhodes, Tong, and Al-Pushim, seriously imperiling the defenses of Hospallia Major.

1649

 * 1649, the 49th year of the seventeenth century, commenced with Emperor Philip I, who had only a year before conducted the magnificent Secular Games in the streets of Christiania, now overwhelmed with two major crises at the same time. Both presented a major threat to his authority, and both occurred in some of the Empire's more perennially unstable and vulnerable regions. Governor-General Sir Tiberius Pacatianus had found himself at the head of the Merlite Rebellion, and had been proclaimed Emperor by his troops. Thus far, he had managed to overcome all challenges which had been made against him by the government forces, and posed a serious threat to Philip's position in the Ashlgothian Provinces. At the same time, the Vectorian Empire, under the direction of Ashurnasirpal I Adak, had launched an invasion of the Neo-Anastasian Empire and the Barsar Regions, determined to take advantage of the Emperor's troubles to arise to a position of ascendancy in the Barsar Regions. Their advance, in fact, continued during the first two months of 1649. Ankara, which had been besieged for more than a month, fell more and more into the depths of despair. On January 6, the garrison commander of Ankara, Sir Demetrius Paullanius (1597-1654), made one last plea for assistance to the Imperial Government on Laurasia Prime, begging "my most honorable Majesty not to abandon me to the hands of barbarians, who have no respect for your authority and loathing for our Empire and our customs." The Emperor, however, whose forces were now blockaded from the Western Barsar Regions by the units of Pacatianus and by the Vectorians themselves, decided to leave the garrison to its fate. General Paullanius finally surrendered to Adad-nirari on January 11; the Vectorian General, deeming him a worthy adversary, decided to spare him from execution. After the fall of Ankara, the Vectorian forces made further advances. By January 16, Caesearea, Jacksonian Backory, and Aletis had all been stormed by Vectorian troops. Then on January 23 the Vectorians crushed the last remaining Anastasian battlefleet of note in the Battle of the Martima Asteroid Belt; within six days, Hospallia Major and Anastasia had both fallen into their possession, extinguishing the Neo-Anastasian Empire.
 * In February 1649, Vectorian troops stormed Cal, Morley, Simon, Stahl, and Armenia Minor, striking the strongholds of the Murphian Trade Spine and harrying the Eastern Barsar Regions. At the same time, Dejanican nobles, with the connivance of King Wudarnak (who had ascended to the throne in September 1648), operating from their bases on Dejanican Mir, Mons Bathocius, and Kranski, launched a series of raiding expeditions into the Malarian Provinces. The strongholds of the Narvet Corridor and the Maluyta Nebula, among them Evans, Ettleman, Goodman, Almastead, Takrania, Acabania, Aingley, Malaria Outer, Meehan, Manzo, and Suri, were harried by Dejanican raiding parties for several weeks, who inflicted up to €200 trillion dataries in economic damage. Finally, yet another revolt broke out against Emperor Philip's authority: in the Farther Homidinian Provinces. On February 12, 1649, General Sir Marcus Jotapianus (1605-49), who had kept track of all the outbreaks of dissent against the Emperor's government, and who possessed delusions of grandeur himself, raised the standard of revolt on Calms.
 * In his proclamation of rebellion, General Jotapianus declared that he could not "countenance the oppression of this man who calls himself our sovereign lord" and in particular, that the Emperor's brother, Prefect-General Priscus, was a "brutal and oppressive man, representative of the anti-Almitis." Within days of his rebellion, Gibbs-to-Lester, Taraning, Ian, Abuza, Hemsford, Homidinia Minor, Yutzy, Dion, and Brlla had defected to his cause. On February 21, General Jotapianus defeated Priscus's subordinate, Governor Sir Antigonus Mendusia (1589-1652), in the Battle of Ryan. Ryan, Gwendolyn, Brent, Celia, and Peters were secured by his forces, resulting in the virtual isolation of Homidinia Major. By the middle of March 1649, rebel expeditions threatened Markis Prime, the colonies of the Kledis Var Trade Route, Maxwell, Curry, Wakino, and Homidinian Wyatt, spreading anarchy and terror throughout parts of the Homidinian Provinces. Minor disturbances on Greyson, Chalassion, and Alyssa were instigated by Sirs Marcus Silbannacus (1611-49) and Sponsianus Clarus (1595-1649), both of whom were High Colonels of the Praetorian Guards, and took advantage of dissent against the Emperor's taxation policies.
 * With all of these difficulties converging on him at the same time, Emperor Philip found himself in a situation of absolute despair. On April 6, 1649, the Emperor summoned the Governing Senate, Holy Synod, and Council of Civil Service to the Audience Chamber in the Quencilvanian Palace. Haste was made in the preparations for the ceremonies; there was no grand entrance, no presentation, only the commencement of business. In his speech to the bodies of state, Philip declared that all of the recent difficulties impacting the Empire was a demonstration of the Lord Almitis's disfavor with him, and that consequently, he could no longer shoulder the burdens of the imperial throne. Announcing his intention to abdicate, Philip begged the leading officials of the Empire to proclaim his son as his sole successor, and to find for him "men of state who will guide this Empire through its travails and on to the right course." The Senators and Synostic Councilors, as well as nobles and courtiers who were in attendance, were alarmed by the Emperor's declaration. Philip had still managed to maintain a measure of popularity and support within the Imperial Court; they were not willing to tamper with the succession at this juncture. Among the most vocal men was Senator Trajan Decius, one of the most distinguished officials in the imperial civil service.
 * Decius had served as Chief Suffect of Heliotrope in 1632; he had then held the Governorship of Americana and Oxia Vixius for the following six years, gaining the respect of his colleagues for his vigorous enforcement of the Empire's rule, no matter who happened to be on the throne at that time. In 1641, Decius was appointed to the Senate, and became Chair of the Senatorial Committee on Judicial Administration. Three years later, when Philip ascended to the throne, he was named President of the City Council of Christiania and Assistant to the Mayor. Decius also served in the Imperial Army, and by 1648, had obtained the rank of lieutenant-general. Therefore, when he spoke up, all listened. Declaring his absolute loyalty to the Emperor, Senator Decius went on to state that the Lord Almitis had preserved the Laurasian dominions through the turmoils of the past and that, in spite of everything, he would again.
 * Impressed by this display of support, especially from Senator Decius, Emperor Philip resolved to deal with all of the difficulties in a firm and effective manner. On April 11, he promoted Senator Decius to the rank of Legate-General and designated him as Governor-General of the Merlite and Ashlgothian Provinces. Decius, given supreme command over the forces assigned to him, was ordered to suppress the rebellion of General Pacatianus without delay and to halt the Vectorian incursions into imperial territory. At the same time, the Emperor ordered his brother, Prefect-General Priscus, to advance against Jotapianus without "any procrastination" and to quell the other disturbances in the Farther Homidinian Provinces. In the meantime, Philip himself set out on a inspection tour of the Laurasian Purse Region, strengthening the central garrisons of the Empire. The Imperial Military was placed on universal alert, and conscription was intensified.
 * As a result of his vigorous efforts, the situation shifted in the Imperial Government's favor. Priscus, advancing from his command headquarters on Chalassia, wasted no time. By April 22, he had quelled the disturbances on Greyson, Chalassion, and Alyssa. Colonels Silbannacus and Sponsianus were both captured and arrested by government troops near McDowell, being transported to the High Prison of Lacia. Here, they were executed on April 30. Quelling revolts and anti-taxation riots on Dromund, Shaelynn, Kacee, Sonny, and Englestrom, Priscus then assembled his squadrons in the outskirts of the Lacian Cluster and advanced to the Kledis Var Trade Route. In a series of confrontations with General Jotapianus's forces (May-June 1649) at Wyatt, Homidinian Imma, Curry, Julie, Wakino, Drake, Rutherford, Mir, and Derek, Priscus gained the advantage and halted all further rebel forces. By the end of June 1649, Kledis Var and Maxwell had been secured, and government units advanced into the Inner Homidinian Districts. Homidinia Major was relieved on July 4; three days later, Brlla, Dion, and Celia were recovered by government troops. By July 12, Yutzy and Homidinia Major had also been seized, and government units applied severe pressure upon rebel bases at Ryan, Dominic, Digette, and Gwendolyn.
 * General Jotapianus now retreated to his original stronghold, Hemsford, and became determined to organize a vigorous resistance against government forces. His chief subordinates, however, knew the way the wind was blowing, and on July 22, they assassinated him in his personal bedchambers within the confines of the Lystarian Palace. By the end of July 1649, all remaining rebel strongholds, including Calms, Gibbs-to-Lester, and Taraning, had surrendered to General Priscus, thereby ending the rebellion in the Homidinian Provinces. As all of this was going on, General Decius took action against Pacatianus and the Vectorian invaders. On April 14, Decius formally departed from Laurasia Prime on his flagship, the IMS Imperatica. Making a rapid journey through the Central Core, he arrived at Bryce on April 19, which now became his chief command headquarters. Immediately afterwards, Decius had to contend with rebel offensives against Brooke One, Hefner, Mirohassani, Matthew, and West; by the end of the month, these had been halted, and government units were pressing on the defenses of Warren. Warren itself capitulated on May 14, terminating the threat posed by rebel forces to Ashlgothia Major. Advancing swiftly, he soon drove Vectorian units from Nicole (May 17) and destroyed another rebel force in the Battle of Kim (May 19-24). On May 29, Decius besieged Corinia V, which had become a major supply base for rebel forces; it fell on June 7.
 * By June 14, Rory, Schriver, Eurdice, and the outpost systems of the Merilash Corridor had been reconquered by Decius, who enjoyed a numerical supremacy over his rival Pacatianus. Pacatianus, who was now in league with the Vectorians, encouraged them to launch a counteroffensive against Leslie, Beatrice, Trieste, Zoo, and Hamacaki Barka (June 16-22, 1649), a offensive which was ultimately parried by Decius's garrisons. On June 25, the Battle of Bobria resulted in a smashing victory for the forces of the Laurasian Empire; Pacatianus lost nearly half of his offensive starfighters in the confrontation. Bobria itself fell to General Decius on that day; Carolyn, Thathis, Ethel Kennethia, and Jacquenthia had been seized by Decius's troops by August 2. On August 9, Decius repelled another Vectorian offensive, this time against Tolbiac, Dumbwita, and Khagia; by August 17, Aretha and Ryan Barlak had both fallen into his hands.
 * Pacatianus was now desperate, both because of the losses he had incurred against government forces and also because of the increasing tensions among his own command. The usurper Emperor's subordinates now sought to save their own skins by betraying their master. On September 5, General Cassius Masio (1594-1651) contacted Decius, who was then besieging Austin, and offered to execute Pacatianus, in exchange for a pardon for himself and his officers. Decius, who sought to bring this rebellion to a swift end, agreed; two days later, Pacatianus was shot to death by General Masio and his bodyguards in his shipboard bedchambers. Masio, now in command of rebel forces, surrendered unconditionally to Decius on September 11, thereby bringing the Merlite Provinces back under the central government's jurisdiction. Decius now earned universal acclaim throughout the Empire. His troops, utterly loyal to him and despising Emperor Philip, now decided to take the next step.
 * On September 14, 1649, they formally acclaimed him as Emperor and Autocrat of All the Laurasians, elevating him onto a place of honor above all of them and comprehensively denouncing Philip as a usurper. Decius, who had entertained ambitions of seizing the imperial throne, quickly accepted their elevation and moved swiftly to consolidate his position. Within days, he had obtained the allegiance of the Melorkian and Roastafarian Provinces, and had earned the support of Laurasian magnates in the Malarian Provinces and in the Western Central Core, who were dissatisfied with Emperor Philip's performance. Philip himself, who was then at Sanegeta, was alarmed by this turn of events. On September 18, he sent a communique to Decius, urging him to renounce his "act of treason" and to return to his proper oath of allegiance. Decius, however, moved swiftly to meet his rival. Advancing from Nicole to Pressburg, he was determined for a decisive showdown with his former master. Philip now moved to Polonia Major, seeking to halt the usurper's further advance.
 * Decius, however, had the advantage, and by September 24, he had occupied Masar, Tursk, Krakow, Kaida, and Draguilli, securing a firm bridgehead in the Polonian Provinces. Although a rebel offensive against Frogglesworth and Volodormia failed (September 25-27), Decius was able to secure control of Polonia Minor in a surprise assault (September 29). The decisive confrontation between them occurred in the Battle of Chemeri (October 2, 1649). Emperor Philip's forces comprised of the Seventh and Eighth Imperial Armies and the Praetorian Guards. This amounted to a force of 700,000 personnel on 50 warships and 2,000 starfighters. Decius's force, on the other hand, comprised of the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Imperial Armies and several cohorts of auxiliary and courier units, amounting to 850,000 personnel on 53 warships and 4,000 starfighters. Within only two hours, the result of the battle was decided: Decius inflicted a decisive defeat upon the Emperor's forces, suffering the loss of only two warships to the virtual annihilation of the government force.
 * Moreover, Emperor Philip himself, who had ruled by then for five years, was killed in the heat of battle; the carcass of his flagship was found by Decius's probes in the outskirts of the star system. Decius was now hailed as Emperor throughout the Empire's dominions. His position was consolidated the following day, when Philip II, who had been co-ruler alongside his father, was murdered by members of the Palace Guard in his personal chambers in the Quencilvanian Palace. The young Emperor's mother, Empress Dowager Marcia Severa, was arrested in her quarters and taken to the Fortress of Baureux; she would remain a prisoner there until her death just over a year later (October 30, 1650), at the age of forty. With both Philips out of the way, Decius now proceeded rapidly to Laurasia Prime.
 * He arrived at the Empire's capital world on October 12, 1649, and was formally acknowledged by the bodies of state and the Imperial Court as Emperor. Decius now quickly arranged for his coronation, intended to demonstrate that he had established his position on the throne. The coronation, which occurred on November 1, 1649, was staged with much splendor and conducted with much effort. As soon as it was over, however, the Emperor immediately turned his attention to the war with the Vectorian Empire. On November 11, 1649, the Emperor declared to the Imperial Chiefs of Staff that he would not permit the Vectorians to continue their ravages in the Barsar Regions. Five days later, after making administrative arrangements on Laurasia Prime, he departed for the theater of conflict. On November 19, he received word that Grand Prince Priscus, Emperor Philip's brother, had been assassinated by his own officers on Chalassia. This followed upon the earlier demise of the late Emperor's brother-in-law, Sir Begamius, who had died in combat at Abraham in January 1649, while fighting off a Haynsian raiding party. Decius, consequently, felt himself more sure of his authority than before. This was confirmed in his eyes when the Farther Homidinian Provinces, the only region which had not quickly acknowledged Decius's authority following the death of Philip, now did so. On November 23, Decius arrived at Trebek, which became his chief command headquarters. Over the course of the next month, he repelled Vectorian moves against Nandia, Greg, Larkin, and Cyrus III, inflicting losses upon their offensive units. On December 29, he obtained victory in the Battle of Redia, recovering that stronghold for the Laurasian Empire.

1650

 * 1650, the 50th year of the seventeenth century, commenced with the Laurasian Empire having survived a succession of internal crises and unrest, and once again having experienced a change in ruler and dynasty. Nevertheless, the Empire was now bogged down in war with its implacable Vectorian adversaries, who had seized the remaining Neo-Anastasian territories and held a commanding position in the Barsar Regions. At the middle of the seventeenth century, nevertheless, the Laurasian Empire had definitively established itself as the predominant power in the Caladarian Galaxy outside of the Galactic Borderlands. By 1650, the Empire's dominions extended from the Galactic Frontier Route and the Corporate Trade Corridor in the northern Outer Borderlands to the Hutsite Reaches in the Barsar Regions, and from Morsia in the East to the Wild Marshes in the West. Laurasian territorial acquisitions during the first half of the century had been less extensive than those made during the first half of the last century (with Antigonus I's conquest of Hunt, Kimania, and Jageronia), but nevertheless had seen the extension of imperial control over the Neo-Xilanian and Mellorite Empires, as well as the Garaman Provinces in the Wild Marshes, which had previously belonged to the Celestial Kingdom of Scottria. Emperor Decius, in his New Year's proclamation to his subjects, promised them that his reign would be a time of prosperity and stability, and that he would maintain a "firm hand over this Empire's dominions, while crushing our enemies without." Shortly after his proclamation however, the Vectorian War intensified. The health of both the Vectorian Emperor Ashurnasirpal and his brother, Adad-nirari, experienced a sudden and swift decline in January 1650. It was soon discovered by the physicians that both brothers had developed a genetically-related disease, the dreaded Sargonic fever, which had struck down Sargon the Conqueror thirteen centuries earlier.
 * The Emperor and his brother were now moved, by the command of their physicians, to the Vectorian Military Hospital on Ghaza. Ashurnasirpal, knowing that both he and his brother would now face their demise, nevertheless declared that he would not depart before making preparations for the commencement of further military campaigns into the Laurasian Empire. He wished that the honor of his species would not be disgraced through defeat to the Laurasians. Therefore, on January 17, while lying in delirium on his sickbed, he formally named his talented and determined general of the mobile offensive corps, Cniva, as his heir apparent and successor to the Vectorian throne. Cniva, who had gradually risen through the ranks of the Vectorian forces, possessed a fierce hatred of the Laurasians and believed that their power within the Caladarian Galaxy needed to be contained, "lest they overspread their filth and ideals into our realms and the realms of other civilizations." Following the proclamation, Ashurnasirpal's health, and that of his brother, Adad-nirari, collapsed completely; the two Vectorian royal brothers died on February 7.
 * Cniva, who was now Martial Emperor of the Vectorians, immediately turned his attention to the war with the Laurasian Empire. The Vectorian ruler decided that a swift military offensive, directed against the strongholds of the Denveranian Trunk Line and the Barsar Regions, would be the best means to strike against Laurasian power. At the same time, Vectorian troops would keep up the pressure in the Ashlgothian Provinces, thereby forcing Emperor Decius to fight on two fronts. Assembling his military squadrons on Cal, Morley, Stahl, Simon, Zoo, and Trieste, Cniva now declared his intention to honor the memories of his predecessors. On February 17, 1650, he launched a two-pronged offensive into Laurasian territory. Vectorian, Arachosian, and Nagai units, under the command of Cniva's new chief subordinate, Regent-General Tushipa, advanced against Nicole, Redia, and Trebek, determined to drive Laurasian garrisons from these star systems and to terminate their threat to the Durant Cluster. At the same time, Cniva himself advanced against Shell, Cyrus III, Brooke One, Christopher, Earl, and Tolbiac. Cniva's force was divided into two columns. The subordinate column, under the command of General Esarhaddon, quickly stormed Shell (February 22); Tommie (February 26); Tolbiac (February 29); Khagia (March 1-5); and Dumbgwita (March 9-12), before launching raiding expeditions against Rose, Jack, and Roastafaria Minor. A Vectorian attempt to besiege Resmania, however, was blunted after confrontations at Jasmine, Les Mans, and Obathia. At the same time, the main column, under the command of Cniva himself, stormed Laurasian garrisons on Beatrice (February 19-24); Messalina (February 27); Chobania (March 2); and Reading (March 12), before harrying the outskirts of Hefner, Matthew, and West (March 22).
 * At this point, the Vectorian Emperor, accompanied by a number of mercenary and mobile courier corps, crossed the Kimanian Trade Run and advanced on Narra, Breha, Gilestis, and Christopher. It was here, however, that the Vectorians suffered their first major reverse. Emperor Decius had managed to parry Vectorian moves north of Nicole, and from his headquarters on Ashlgothia Minor, prevented offensives against the Emmian Colonies. The Emperor then moved swiftly to Cambrina, arriving there on March 27, and repelled a Ashlgothian offensive against Alausborg and Cholodio. In the meantime, Cniva had seized the Laurasian colony of Oescus, as part of his goal in seizing the Christopherian Province, and then advanced against Novae, a Laurasian supply base fifty light-years northeast of Christopher. On April 12, however, he was defeated by the Governor of Christopher and Prefect of the Lower Kimanian Trade Run, Sir Trebonianus Gallus, in the Battle of Gelp. Gallus, who had graduated from the Imperial Academy of Military Sciences in 1624, had become Suffect Consul of Vladiorium, Big Twinny, in 1643, before being appointed to the Governorship of Roastafaria Major six years later.
 * On January 2, 1650, Decius had appointed him to his current positions and ordered him to take all measures "to prevent the further advance of barbarians into our territory." It was thus that Gallus first gained prominence through his victory at Gelp. Cniva, however, although prevented from assaulting Christopher, decided to advance further south along the Kimanian Trade Run. Defeating Laurasian patrol units at Crasis V (April 15-19), he blockaded Rolle (April 22) and then assaulted Bookman (April 24-May 1), inflicting severe damage on the star system. Decius, who had hastened to Nikki Lowell from Cambrina, was determined to halt Vectorian forces before they could penetrate the Orion Cluster. In a series of confrontations at Newman Victoria, Henderson, Cox, Banks, and Woods (May 2-19, 1650), Decius managed to prevent the Vectorians from advancing into the Mauryan Provinces.
 * Finally, on June 2, 1650, he lured Cniva to Millard. The ensuing Battle of Millard resulted in a victory for the Laurasian Empire, as Decius managed to capture 300 Vectorian starfighters and to impound a number of Vectorian ion projectiles. Cniva, however, managed to keep his main battleships intact, and he retreated from the battlefield in good order. Following this victory, Vectorian units were expelled from Constipex, Bookman, and Filorean, and were forced to retreat from their blockade of Rolle. At the same time, a Vectorian move against Chobania, Goni, and Samantha was repelled by Governor-General Gallus. By September 1650, Trieste, Cal, and Morley had been reconquered by General Gallus, who was awarded the Order of St. Antiochus the Great by the Emperor for his efforts. Cniva, however, was determined not to give up, and he now renewed his moves against the southern Kimanian Trade Run. Gardiner and Leo's Redoubt were conquered by Vectorian troops (October-Novwember 1650). Strongstine and Abshire were raided by Vectorian troops, and on the last day of 1650, Cniva managed to obtain victory in the Battle of Kimanis Mooria, establishing a foothold near Kimania itself.

1651

 * 1651, the 51st year of the seventeenth century, commenced with Emperor Decius, who had established himself on the throne only a little over a year before, engaged in a series of fierce military confrontations with the Vectorian Empire, under the rule of the ambitious, energetic, and ruthless Cniva. Cniva's victories in the Barsar Regions had resulted in the entrenchment of Vectorian troops near the outskirts of Kimania; their establishment at Kimanis Mooria posed a serious threat to the Laurasian strategic position in the Barsar Regions. Throughout the early months of 1651, the advance of the Vectorian forces continued. On January 6, Vectorian units, advancing from their bridgehead at Kimanis Mooria, launched a offensive move towards Henderson, Nikki Lowell, and Cox. Within seven days, they had besieged and conquered Derangy, Morangy, and Ivrangy, formerly major Kimanian colonies but now among the chief Laurasian agricultural and industrial settlements in the Barsar Regions. On January 15, a counteroffensive, launched by General Gallus, from Drea came to ruins in the Battle of Haset. By the end of January 1651, Cox and Banks had both been secured by Vectorian units, and Cniva himself was directing blockade operations around Kimania, determined to begin the suppression of that star system's supply routes. The following month, he dispatched General Tushipa to Strongstine and ordered him to secure the Laurasian worlds of the Hutsite Reaches and the Jarjanican Provinces. In a series of offensive moves, Tushipa stormed Novina (February 2-5); Preena (February 11); Harrison (February 14); Skold (February 22); Hutsia (February 29); Plath (March 3); Acone (March 5-7); Duana (March 11); and Abshire (March 19), before blockading Jarman and Addison (March 22-April 2, 1651).
 * It was at this point, however, that the Vectorian luck stymied. On April 7, General Gallus, who had established his command headquarters on Drea, defeated Tushipa in the Battle of Allen. Five days later, he launched a counteroffensive against Earl, Shell, and Beverly Hereidu; by April 12, all of these strongholds had been recovered by Laurasian units. Two days later, he repelled a Vectorian offensive against Antherson and Opramia. By the end of April 1651, Laurasian troops had reconquered Cal, Morley, Stahl, Beatrice, Zoo, Stephanpoulos, and Trieste in a series of counteroffensives, seriously imperiling the Vectorian position along the Denveranian Trunk Line. Emperor Decius, on his part, had slowly begun to drive Vectorian units from the Kimanian Trade Run; by May 7, he had recovered Derangy, Morangy, Gardiner, and Dumbgwita, driving Vectorian units towards Brooke One, Hefner, and the outskirts of Mirohassani. Cniva, however, was now preparing for a massive counteroffensive against Laurasian arms. On May 11, Decius, having repelled a Vectorian move against Roastafaria Minor, moved to Olm. He then cleared Vectorian units from Matthew, Leslie, and the outskirts of Trebek and Imma (May 12-19, 1651). On May 22, Woolestone was recovered by Laurasian troops. Following these series of setbacks, Cniva, who was determined to defeat his Laurasian adversaries, retreated with his troops to Ain Jalut. Emperor Decius now moved quickly against them, attended by his son and now co-ruler, Herennius Etruscus. Herennius had been among his father's entourage when he had served as Governor-General of the Merlite Provinces; the following year, when his father seized the throne, Herennius was proclaimed Grand Prince and heir apparent to the throne. He had then gained further prominence at the Imperial Court and throughout the Empire, as a result of his service in the Vectorian War. Therefore, on May 9, 1651, his father had elevated him to the rank of co-Emperor and promoted him to the rank of Prefect-General of the Forces.
 * By doing this, the Emperor sought to maintain his dynasty's position on the throne and to associate his son with him in the public's eyes, thereby reducing the threat of overthrow. Father and son, now co-rulers, were therefore pursuing a joint campaign against the Vectorian adversaries. The Emperor's younger son, Grand Prince Hostillian, who was now heir apparent to the throne in the event of his brother not having any children, remained on Laurasia Prime with his mother, Empress Consort Herennia Etruscia. On May 28, a convoy of Vectorian starfighters and transport craft was captured by a Laurasian advance squadron near Simon; two days later, Laurasian forces launched a strike operation against Damasacus and Armenia Major, inflicting serious damage upon the Vectorian repositories in those star systems. On June 3, however, the Emperors' army was taken by surprise at the colony of Beroe. Cniva, having received intelligence information about their positions, had decided to launch a surprise offensive against Beroe before they could react.
 * The ensuing Battle of Beroe lasted for three days, but ultimately resulted in a humiliating defeat for the Laurasian Empire. Decius and his son were now forced to retreat to Oescus, which was located six hundred light years north of Beroe. Cniva was now able to renew his offensives in the vicinity of Armenia Major. By June 17, he had reconquered Cal, Simon, and Stahl; destroyed Laurasian repositories on New Moesia, Helen, and Grassley; and penetrated to Leseur and Dorothea, seriously imperiling the defenses of those two star systems. These Vectorian expeditions resulted in the capture of nearly six billion captives, and their deportation to the Galactic Borderlands. Nearly €300 trillion dataries in economic damage was inflicted upon the worlds affected by these campaigns. Then on July 6, India, which had been besieged by Vectorian units for over two months, finally capitulated to Emperor Cniva. Five days later, General Sir Titus Priscus (1594-1651), who had served as Governor of Baiteman and Emma for four years, and had long entertained ambitions of seizing the Laurasian throne, betrayed his oath of allegiance to the Emperors and announced himself to be in rebellion against the Imperial Laurasian Government. Priscus, in fact, now proclaimed himself Emperor. By July 20, he had secured control of Kane, Tahon, Bryce, Imma, Courtney, Kathryn, Jennings, Thelma, and Tea, establishing for himself a firm position in the Borderland Ashlgothian Provinces. On July 23, Cniva, who saw Priscus as a potential ally, and entertained ambitions of intervening in the Laurasian Empire's internal affairs, sent a communique to the rebel, offering to acknowledge his rights to the Laurasian throne in exchange for direct military assistance in the campaigns against Decius and Herennius Etruscus, and agreement to concede the Barsar Regions to the authority of the Vectorian Empire. Priscus, who entertained grandiose ambitions, and believed that once he controlled the Empire, he would be able to easily repel the Vectorian invaders, decided to accept.
 * As a result of Priscus's defection, the Vectorian forces were able to secure Cyrus III (July 24-29); Hefner (August 2); and Allison (August 6). Emperor Decius, however, who had received substantial reinforcements from the garrisons of Nathaniel, Sanegeta, Eutagia, and Acamaria, decided to force a decisive confrontation with Cniva and Priscus. His son Herennius Etruscus, as well as General Gallus, were now the subordinate commanders of his military forces, and they were both placed in charge of commanding front-line offensives against Vectorian positions. On August 9, 1651, Laurasian units intercepted the Vectorian-rebel forces at Arbitus, a minor penal colony located six light-years east of Resmania. Cniva, however, quickly reorganized his forces, now dividing them into three columns. One column was held in reserve at the far side of Arbitus. A alarming event of supreme importance took place before combat was formally joined between the two opposing forces. Co-Emperor Herennius Etruscus, who had led a squadron of starfighters to dislodge Vectorian units from Hemmerna's Outpost, was seriously wounded when his fighter's engines were bombarded with projectile fire. He was immediately rushed by his escorts to the nearest star destroyer, the IMS Imushia.
 * Shortly after arrival, however, he died at the age of twenty-six. When Decius was informed of his son's death, he was utterly distraught. The Emperor, however, quickly overcame his utter grief, and announced to his soldiers that "the death of my son will only serve to increase our resolve and the resolve of the Empire." And indeed, the Laurasians did fight with great ferocity. Decius's forces defeated the Vectorians at the front-line, blunting their direct offensive moves, but made the fatal mistake of pursuing their enemy to the far side of Arbitus. Decius was advised against this course of action by General Gallus, but he refused to listen. At the far side, Cniva unleashed his waiting column; the Laurasian warships were disoriented, ambushed, and completely routed. Immense slaughter occurred, and Decius's flagship was surrounded by Vectorian fighters. The Emperor had no chance, and he died when the ship bridge was incinerated by a proton torpedo launched by one of the fighters. General Gallus managed to flee on his personal starfighter, as did a number of other Laurasian commanders, but this could not disguise the fact that the Battle of Arbitus had been an unmitigated disaster for the Laurasian Empire. As a result of this confrontation, Cniva had established the Vectorian position on the other side of the Denveranian Trunk Line.
 * A further series of events now followed themselves in rapid succession. The first of these concerned the succession to the Laurasian throne. Officially, according to the Emperor's will (June 1, 1651), his younger son Hostillian was to become Emperor if both he and his elder son and co-ruler, Herennius Etruscus, died; in particular, if Herennius died without any surviving heirs of his own. Hostillian, who at the time of the death of his father and brother, was twenty-four years old, had long since reached the age of majority. However, he had continued to remain under the heavy influence of his mother, the Empress Consort Herennia Etruscia. Because he was not expected to ascend to the throne, and since the arrangements for his succession were made in such a peremptory and hasty manner, he had not been given any opportunity to obtain military or governmental experience. Consequently, he was considered by many throughout the Empire to be unfit for the cares of rule. In the days following the deaths of his father and brother, however, Hostillian found himself elevated to the throne on Laurasia Prime, by virtue of his mother's machinations. On August 13, 1651, Hostillian was proclaimed Emperor and Autocrat of All the Laurasians by the Governing Senate, Holy Synod, and the Imperial Council of Civil Service. He was presented to his subjects on the balcony of the Quencilvanian Palace, and orders were sent to General Gallus (now in supreme command of Laurasian forces in the Barsar Regions), commanding him with all speed to resume offensives against the Vectorian "savages". Gallus, however, was not willing to be a subordinate. He now entertained the supreme ambition of reigning, in his own stead, over the Laurasian Empire, believing that by sitting on the throne he would restore unity and prosperity to the "realms of Almitis".
 * Just one day after Hostillian's proclamation, Lieutenant-General Sir Trebonianus Gallus was proclaimed Emperor and Autocrat of All the Laurasians by his own troops at the command headquarters on Beverly Hereidu. This proclamation quickly earned him the oath of allegiance from the garrisons of the Ashlgothian, Polonian, Donguarian, and Horacian Provinces. Gallus, however, did not desire civil war at this juncture, and on August 18, he offered to share joint rule of the Empire's dominions with Hostillian, declaring that his loyalty to the late Emperor and his son "overrode all of my other concerns." Empress-Dowager Herennia Etruscia protested vigorously, but the nobles of the Imperial Court, among them the Earl of Americana, decided to accept Gallus's offer. The Governing Senate and Holy Synod formally acknowledged Gallus and Hostillian as co-Emperors on August 24, and promoted Gallus to senior rank on the imperial throne. Now acknowledged as senior Emperor by the Imperial Court, Gallus now turned his attention to the Vectorian War. A major incident now took place which bolstered Laurasian fortunes and allowed for the conclusion of the war in short order. On September 2, "Emperor" Priscus and his erstwhile ally, Vectorian Emperor Cniva, who convened to plan strategy on Allison, departed on the chief Vectorian flagship, the VMS Tiggrutha, in order to command operations against Mandra. The flagship, however, now suffered a catastrophic reactor failure; within seconds, the entire ship had disintegrated into stray atoms, killing both the Laurasian usurper and the formidable Vectorian Emperor. Cniva was now succeeded to the Vectorian throne by his inexperienced younger brother Ishuima; as for Priscus, there was no successor, for he had not groomed any of his subordinates to assume the mantle of rebellion in case of his death.
 * He had believed that he would live to seize Laurasia Prime and to establish his own dynasty on the Laurasian throne. Consequently, Emperor Gallus was able to seize the advantage. Ishuima, who had not been a distinguished military officer, and who had then been in headquarters on Sharon Alfonsi, was unable to respond to the renewed Laurasian thrust. By September 12, Laurasian forces had reconquered Brooke One, Allison, Hefner, and Cyrus III. Four days later, after storming the defenses of Thelma, the Emperor gained the renewed allegiance of the rebellious Ashlgothian Colonies. Reorganizing his offensive formations at Jennings, Thelma, Tea, Resmania, Obathia, Cyrus III, Leslie, Trebek, Tolbiac, Beverly Hereidu, Shell, Earl, Roastafaria Minor, Marsin, and Manorsia, the Emperor launched a two-pronged offensive into the Western Barsar Regions. Dividing his force into two columns, Gallus was determined to recover the Laurasian position in the face of the Vectorian seizures. The first column, under the command of Lieutenant-General Sir Marcus Aemillus, 2nd Baronet Aemillus (1606-57), penetrated swiftly into the Durant Cluster. Hamacaki Barka (September 22); Stewart (September 26); Hannibal (September 30); Sharon Alfonsi (October 3); Skye I (October 9); Ankara (October 14); and Sejuca (October 15-19), were reconquered by the Laurasian forces. Gallus, on his part, stormed Cal (September 24); defeated Vectorian detachments in the Battle of Goni (September 29); and reconquered Morley, Simon, and Trieste (October 4-11), before driving the last Vectorian units from the Kimanian Trade Run in the Battle of Molibac (October 12). Vectorian Emperor Ishuima, who was now confronted with the possibility of a revolt at Arachosia Prime and in the Gate Solarian Cluster against his authority, and with the Dejanican-Lithuanian Commonwealth's forces making threatening moves towards the outskirts of Vectorian territory, decided to end the long and exhausting Vectorian War.
 * On October 22, after the Laurasians had successfully recovered Lesia Minor and Eliza Spencer after obtaining victory in the Battle of Meridu, he sent a request for negotiations to the Imperial Court. Trebonianus Gallus, eager to return to Laurasia Prime and to consolidate his place on the imperial throne, accepted the request on October 29. Negotiations opened at Mrpath V, which was still occupied by Vectorian units, on November 3. A month and a half of negotiations followed, as arguments raged between the delegations of the two states. Finally, the Treaty of Mrpath V (December 15, 1651) was signed, bringing an end to the Second Laurasian-Vectorian War. By the terms of the treaty, all Laurasian territories still occupied by Vectorian units, such as Mrpath V, Pocket, Lesia Major, and the Lower Denveranian Trunk Line, were to be restored to the authority of the Laurasian Empire. All Vectorian units were to evacuate Laurasian territory by the end of 1652; Laurasian forces, in turn, were to cease their military campaigns in the Western Barsar Regions.
 * Here, however, were there now terms which were to cause much dissent and rancor to rise against the Laurasian Emperor. Emperor Gallus now agreed to acknowledge the acquisition, by the Vectorian Empire, of the territories of the Neo-Anastasian Empire. This included Ghaza, Hospallia Major, Anastasia Major, Anastasia Minor, Lincoln, Rhodes, Tong, Al-Pushim, Caesearea, Jacksonian Backory, and Aletis. The last Neo-Anastasian Emperor, Isolana II, who had ruled since 1648, and had been in exile at Ashlgothia Major since August 1649, was therefore formally deposed; he would die at Nicole on August 17, 1661. In accordance with the division of that Emperor's former territories, a boundary commission was to be established to define the boundary between the two Empires in the Barsar Regions. In what was the humiliating term of the agreement, the Imperial Laurasian Government agreed to allow the Vectorians to keep all of the captives, goods, and equipment which they had seized in the military campaigns, although all prisoners of war were to be exchanged. The Treaty of Mrpath V was ratified by Emperor Gallus on December 19 and by Vectorian Emperor Ishuima on December 22. By this point, Gallus was the sole Emperor of Laurasia.
 * The ill-fated Hostillian, who was never able to arise out of the shadows in his own right, had died on November 6 from a bout of Marsian fever; his mother, the Empress-Dowager, succumbed to the same disease six days later. Marsian fever, in fact, had erupted in another outburst within Christiania since February 1651; by the time this epidemic subsided in June 1652, nearly a million individuals had died. Gallus had therefore, through fortune and not by assassination or violence, consolidated his position on the Laurasian throne. His popularity with the Praetorian Guards and the Laurasian Military, however, had weakened as a result of the humiliating terms of the peace settlement. Emperor Gallus now moved to headquarters on Kimania, and began to supervise the cessation of hostilities with the Vectorian Empire. Ishuima, on his part, who now had a active rebellion in the Galactic Borderlands, wasted no time in withdrawing his troops from the Laurasian Barsar Regions; they had completely vacated Laurasian territory before the month was out. As the year 1651 ended, the Empire had been restored to a tumultuous peace, domestically and externally, but this was not to last long.

1652

 * 1652, the 52nd year of the seventeenth century, began in earnest. Following the end of the Second Vectorian War (December 1651), Emperor Trebonianus Gallus had focused his efforts upon the maintenance of peace within the Laurasian Empire's dominions, and to consolidate his own authority as Emperor. These efforts included his coronation ceremony at the Westphalian Cathedral (January 18, 1652). In spite of his efforts, however, the Laurasian Empire found itself wracked once again by internal division and conflict. In March 1652, the Governor of the Satian Provinces, Sir Marides Uranius (1589-1657), erupted in a revolt against the authority of the Imperial Laurasian Government. Securing control of the strongholds of Norah, Satie, Margery, Lynne, and Multan, Uranius quickly pursued the offensive against government garrisons, seeking to rally others to his cause and to dispute that of the Emperor's. On April 7, 1652, he defeated and destroyed a governmental task force, under the command of Fleet-Admiral Sir Zosimus Vasporius (1592-1655), in the Battle of Orkhan. By the end of April 1652, Juxles, Bingley, and Sommers had all been stormed by rebel units; in early May 1652, Uranius defeated another task force under the command of Vasporius in the Battle of the Lesser Izzia. Nisbis, Eric, Giron, and Kaming all fell into the possession of rebel forces.
 * His expeditions now ranged as far as Mocktrialis, Capone, and Lawson, and even to the outskirts of the Lacian Cluster; he therefore posed a serious threat to the security of the Imperial Government's position in the northern regions. Emperor Gallus, who had to contend with appeasing his "allies" on the Governing Senate, and the leading magnates of Laurasia Prime, did not, at first, direct a vigorous counter-offensive against the rebel forces. That changed, however, following the Battle of Boniface (May 28, 1652), in which the planetary garrison, considered one of the strongest in the Xilanian Provinces, surrendered to Governor Uranius within hours of his first assault. Emperor Gallus now decided to react more decisively, and in June 1652, ordered his son and co-ruler, Volusianus (whom he had elevated in February 1652), to take command of the Empire's response to this rebellion. Volusianus departed from Laurasia Prime on June 20 of that month, bringing with him substantial reinforcements from that world, and from many of the strongholds of the Laurasia Prime Purse Region. He arrived at Al-Durah (June 24, 1652), and two days later, inflicted a ruinous defeat upon Uranius's chief subordinate, Major-General Sir Antiochus Graganius (1596-1652), in the Battle of Kemp.
 * By the middle of July 1652, government assaults had driven rebel units from Eric and Giron, thereby expelling them from the Angelican Provinces; Kaming, however, proved to be a tough target, and did not fall until August 18. The Second Battle of Nisbis (August 19-22, 1652), ended in another victory for government forces, although their casualties outweighed those of the rebels. Juxles and Bingley were both recovered on August 25; Sommers on September 3; and Orkhan on September 11. Volusianus then launched a daring thrust against Lynne and Multan, utilizing his superior strategic positions at Morg, the Space Satellites of Ursula, Vorta, Calrissian, and Nandia to execute the maneuver. It succeeded, and by September 23, Uranius had been reduced to a precarious hold of Norah and Satie. Five days later, co-Emperor Volusianus began his advance against those strongholds. Uranius, now revealing his true, cowardly nature, decided to make a hasty retreat to the Marasharite Empire's dominions in the Galactic Borderlands. He executed his move on October 13, abandoning his remaining units and garrisons in the face of government advances. He crossed the Galactic Frontier Route the following day, and proceeded direct to Imegina, arriving there on October 21. That same day, Norah and Satie were reconquered by government units, thereby ending the Uranian Rebellion. Nevertheless, the rebel himself had escaped retribution, and in November 1652, Marasharite Emperor Shapur granted him refugee status. Emperor Trebonianus Gallus learned of the rebel's escape into Marasharite dominions, and on New Year's Eve, 1652 (after recalling his son back to Laurasia Prime), he issued a ultimatum to the Marasharite Court. In this ultimatum, the Emperor demanded that the Marasharite Empire provide a "assurance" that all Haynsian raiding expeditions into the Caladarian Galaxy would cease; that the strongholds of the Galactic Frontier Route would be fortified solely by Laurasian military forces; and that the "traitor Uranius" be handed over into the custody of imperial authorities. This was where matters stood as 1652 came to an end.

1653

 * 1653, the 53rd year of the seventeenth century, commenced with Laurasia and Marasharita veering towards war. The Laurasian Ambassador to the Marasharite Court, Sir Avronius Mathius (1591-1667), communicated the ultimatum, issued by Emperor Gallus, to the Marasharite Court, on January 2, 1653. Emperor Shapur, determined not to yield, and seeing an opportunity to strike, haughtily rejected the ultimatum on January 16; Grand Vizier Gurcu Mehmed Pasha declared it "beneath our honor" to consider such Laurasian demands. From this point, Shapur decided to move forward with his plans: for a renewed military conflict against the Laurasian Empire, with the goal of reconquering the Satian Provinces, securing the Galactic Frontier Route, and, perhaps, encouraging future tensions against the Imperial Laurasian Government. He had assembled his military forces at Meneia, Styris V, Adrianne, Abrianne, Natalie, Tiona, Belaprasian, Ba'dai, Donna, Teller, Latrice, Kia, Billy Gasis, Khotyn, Karlong, and other strongholds, in the Tof Borderlands, along the Frontier Route, and in the Muggal Cluster. The Haynsian Despot Islai III Karany (r. 1644-54) also prepared his forces in the Perekop Reaches and along the Haynsian Slave Highway for raiding expeditions from the Galactic Void.
 * Finally, in April 1653, the Marasharite Empire issued a formal declaration of war; Emperor Gallus, distracted by rebellions in the Borderland Territories and at Shell, Dumbgwita, Beverly Hereidu, and other strongholds in the Barsar Regions, had not been able to focus on shoring his position in the Satian Provinces. Repelling a hasty Laurasian counteroffensive against Edessa (April 11-14, 1653), the Marasharites besieged and conquered the Satellites of Ursula, Al-Durah, Kemp, and Boniface in a swift offensive (April 19-24, 1653). By the middle of May 1653, Marasharite forces had conquered Calrissian, Vorta, Margery, Lynne, Multan, Xilania Secondary, Xilania Minoria, Jin Major, and Jin Minor, penetrating to the Larkian Way. Haynsian expeditions, in the meantime, struck throughout the Angelican and Hypasian Provinces, attacking targets from Giron and the Immortalized Cluster to Huerta Mongol, Que'emia, and Bach Dang. Saigon, Ho Chi Minh, and Hypasia Minor in particular were threatened by Haynsian fleets, who by the end of June 1653, had impounded more than €200 trillion dataries worth of goods. That same month, the Battle of Barbalissos resulted in a decisive victory for Marasharite General Al-Karim Pasha, who captured more than 75,000 troops of the 37th Imperial Laurasian Army, and overran all of their chief land positions. On July 7, Chapman was stormed by a Marasharite detachment; Juxles, Orkhan, and Kaming soon followed. Roxuli, Eaidon, and Zoe then fell victim to Haynsian raids, and Abraham was conquered on July 19, 1653. At this point, the troubles for the Laurasian Empire were especially severe.
 * Yet Emperor Gallus and his son were unable to focus on the Marasharites, for another, more internal threat to their authority had emerged. Throughout 1652, and into 1653, raids by Dejanican and Scottrian "pirates" into the western borderlands of the Empire had become common. King Jamsius II of Scottria implicitly supported the raids against Garama, Vescera, Zabi, Cydamus, Gholaia, Garbia, and Castellum Dimiddi (November 1652-June 1653), which resulted in more than 7.5 million casualties and property damages in excess of €100 trillion dataries. Dejanican raids into the Malarian Provinces were especially aggravating; White, Odika, Timaslan, and Ularia were all placed under emergency status in March 1653. Another now arose to take advantage of this: the Governor of the Merlite Provinces, Sir Aemillian Zonaras. A veteran of the Conquest of Melloria, the Dejanican Frontier War, and the Second Vectorian War, he had been appointed as Governor of Merlita by Emperor Gallus in February 1652; and for a time, he had remained loyal to the Emperor. Yet all of the debacles which had been suffered by the Empire, by the early months of 1653, had convinced Aemillian that only he could save the Empire.
 * In April and May 1653, the Governor of Merlita distinguished himself by suppressing the Zoras Pirates, in the vicinity of Aretha, Evan, Thathel Prime, Carolyn, and Korgia; news of his "exploits" spread, and he acquired a strong base of support among the nobles and magnates of the Imperial Court. His own troops adored him, and when at the end of May 1653, he fortified Ryan Barlak, in defiance of Emperor Gallus's instructions, he was praised for his efforts to "secure" the Empire's stability. Therefore, on June 18, 1653, his troops proclaimed him Emperor and Autocrat of All the Laurasians, a proclamation which was quickly accepted by the Merlite Provinces, by the Ashlgothian Provinces, and by the Donguarian Provinces. Gallus and his son Volusianus, when they heard of Aemillian's defiance, determined to set out from Majoria Schall, to which they had relocated in a vain, and belated effort, to mobilize those regions for a possible counteroffensive against Haynsian units in the Homidinian Provinces.
 * Aemillian, however, anticipated their moves, and swiftly proceeded to Interamna Nahars, a Laurasian colony located five thousand light years northeast of Aretha, on the Murphian Trade Spine. It had been established in 1479, and had since matured into a reasonable world of more than two hundred million inhabitants. This advance occurred with Aemillian having secured the allegiance of Beatrice, Trieste, and the Lesian Provinces. On July 19, 1653, shortly after being excommunicated by the Holy Synod (on the orders of Gallus), Aemillian confronted the two co-Emperors at Interamna Nahars. The ensuing Battle of Interamna Nahars resulted in a decisive victory for Aemillian, in spite of the fact that the co-Emperors had forces which outnumbered his. As a result of this battle, Gallus and Volusianus fled towards Laurasia Prime; governors, military garrisons, and populaces throughout the Empire switched their allegiance to Aemillian. Then on August 3, 1653, Gallus and Volusianus were both betrayed by their guards and assassinated in Hutchinese City on Mariah, in the Laurasia Prime Purse Region. They had ruled for just two years, and their deaths were mourned by none. Following the assassination of Gallus and Volusianus, Aemillian was acknowledged as Emperor and Autocrat by the Governing Senate, Holy Synod, and Council of Civil Service, thereby confirming his position of authority over the whole of the Laurasian Empire. Yet his reign was destined to be very short. Indeed, he found his position immediately challenged by the Governor of the Robertian Regions, General Sir Valerian Publius, 1st Baron Publius of Horacia, who had remained loyal to Gallus and Volusianus to the end.
 * On August 11, 1653, Valerian refused to acknowledge Aemillian's authority as Emperor, and launched an immediate military offensive against him. Aemillian himself proved to be weak; he did not seem to be interested in a vigorous defense against the Marasharites, and his brutal manner towards his subordinates lost him the support of many who had backed him. Elijahana, the Venasian Triangle, Hannis, Organia, Vindictoria, Permi, Drennan, and the Venasian Cluster all defected to Valerian; by the end of August 1653, he had reached Jem, was besieging Caroline, and had his forces ranging into the Core Regions. Early in the following month (September 5, 1653), Valerian was proclaimed Emperor by his troops, and soon received the allegiance of the Istantius and Leopoldian Provinces. As he advanced closer and closer to Laurasia Prime, Aemillian found himself struggling with Marasharite and Haynsian raids into the Kelvanian and Malarian Provinces; with revolts in the Borderland Territories, on Kimania, and in the Drea Provinces, and with dissensions among his own troops. By the middle of September 1653, Halassion, Chalassion, Alyssa, Curry, Perry, Mir, and Wakino had all surrendered to the Marasharites; Dromund, Kacee, and Englestrom now seemed under threat. On September 24, this was compounded with Valerian's successful conquest of Caroline, and the defection of the garrisons of Dill, Boo, Atticus, and Jean to his side. Finally, on October 8, 1653, Emperor Aemillian was assassinated in Randanian City, Horacia, by guards supportive of his enemy Valerian; later that same day, the institutions of the Imperial Laurasian Government recognized Valerian as Emperor. On October 22, Emperor Valerian made his arrival on Laurasia Prime, and was greeted with "restrained" praise and acclaim by the inhabitants of the capital world. Five days earlier, he had announced the elevation of his son, Grand Prince Gallienus, to the co-Emperorship, entrusting him with the duties of a junior ruler.
 * Thus, once again, the Laurasian Empire had two rulers, a situation which had now become common for that century. A lavish coronation ceremony for father and son was staged (November 6, 1653), with much attention being paid to the festivities, in order to communicate the impression of the Empire's continuing glory. Yet the Empire continued to be dogged by issues; by the time of Valerian's coronation, Haynsian raiding expeditions were penetrating to Wakedia, the OsonBoka Nebula, Meris, Jamuina, Brenda, Dickinson, and the lower Burglais Arm, thereby periling the entire northern swath of the Laurasian Empire. Norah and Satie both fell into Marasharite hands (October 1653), and Angelica Major was on the verge of falling. Therefore, in late November 1653, Emperor Valerian decided to organize a vigorous counter-response to the Marasharites. He now entrusted his son, co-Emperor Gallienus, with the task of remaining on Laurasia Prime and taking charge of the affairs of the Core Regions, and of the Empire's more southerly regions. The Emperor himself would take command of Laurasian military forces and launch a vigorous counteroffensive against the Marasharites. This enactment was made official in early December 1653; Valerian departed from Laurasia Prime on December 9, and proceeded northwards. Halting a Marasharite offensive against Massanay and Cibourney (December 7-11, 1653), he then recovered Giron in a surprise offensive (December 22) and cleared Marasharite units from Londarania, the Lysimachian Barrier Defenses, and the Immortalized Cluster. On December 19, Abraham and Roxuli were both recovered; and on December 25, Valerian destroyed a Marasharite force in the Battle of Rani, thereby terminating their threat to Eric. By the end of that year, the tide had shifted. Spencer and Coleman, both of whom had suffered from Haynsian raids, were refortified.

1654

 * 1654 saw the eruption of wars between the Laurasian Empire on the one hand, and the Vectorian Empire, as well as the Celestial Kingdom of Scottria, on the other, besides the continuing military conflict with the Marasharite Empire and Haynsian Despotate. Throughout the first half of 1654, the Marasharites and their Haynsian vassals actually managed to make further gains in the Lacian Cluster and in the Farther Homidinian Provinces. Mackenzia Minor was besieged and conquered (January 1654); the following month, a Laurasian counteroffensive, by the forces of Antiochus Crajania, 2nd Earl of Jadia (1605-72), were repelled by Marasharite Admiral Al-Kadik in the Battle of Edessa. By March 1654, Marasharite units had stormed Coronadia, English Star, Jacobs I, Mackenzia Major, Edmundia Minor, and Cassie, thereby entrenching themselves within the Burglais Arm. At the same time, Sonny fell victim to a major Haynsian raiding expedition, and on April 9, 1654, Haynsian vessels even penetrated into the Lacia star system, imperiling the system's defenses and its settlements. Emperor Valerian, however, who had methodically prepared his forces in the Solidaritan Provinces for a counteroffensive, now launched his move. Reconquering Juxles and Orkhan (April 1654), he then isolated Sommers, thereby forcing Haynsian expeditions to halt their raids against Zoe, Skyler, and Eaidon.
 * On April 27, 1654, the Battle of Alexander Haley ended in a victory for Sir Honorius Grasius (1603-59), Governor of Homidinia Major; Cassie was recovered five days later, and in May 1654, Laurasian units chased the Marasharites from Mir, Perry, and Wakino. Haynsian expeditions against those systems, as well as Gwendolyn, Demebzaic, Dominic, Ryan, and Markis Prime, all failed to accomplish anything. Simmons was then recovered by Emperor Valerian, and on June 7, 1654, he scored another victory in the Battle of Boniface. The Marasharites were soon compelled to abandon Kemp and Al-Durah. At that point, however, a new threat emerged from the Vectorian Empire. Emperor Ishuima, whose raiding expeditions had harried Nicole, Sejucia, the Hospallian Sectors, and the Murphian Trade Spine without rest, and who, having suppressed the Arachosian Rebellion in 1653, sought to resume with their territorial expansion, launched a formal invasion of the Barsar Regions (June 1654).
 * Within weeks, Vectorian units had stormed Stewart, Hannibal, Sharon Alfonsi, Skye I, and Meridu, penetrating to as far as Trieste, Zoo, Zee, Ginger, and Stahl. A Vectorian raiding operation against Winehouse, Woolestone, Hinds Prime, and Beverely Hereidu (July 1654), inflicted much damage upon those star systems. Emperor Gaillenus, who had proved himself in his efforts to re-conciliate the Senate, to lower oppressive taxation rates, and to streamline the Praetorian Guards, now swiftly moved from Laurasia Prime to Breha, determined to take command of the Laurasian counteroffensive. On August 11, 1654, he defeated the Vectorian General Tiglath-plieser Arak in the Battle of Morley, and two days later, terminated all raids against Stahl, thereby securing that stronghold for the Empire.
 * With the aid of General Sir Julius Igennus, 5th Baron Igennus of Tolbiac (1593-1662), he then reconquered Skye I and Meridu (August 14-19, 1654), and on August 23, secured Ruumlist. Angela Masa was recovered on August 28, and by early September 1654, both Hannibal and Stewart had fallen back into Laurasian hands. Vectorian offensives against Lesia Minor, Destiny, and Pocket (September 1654), failed to accomplish any results; Sharon Alfonsi was recovered on September 29. By that time, Margery, Lynne, Multan, and Kaming had all been recovered by Emperor Valerian, thereby all but restoring Laurasian control of the Satian Provinces. Cal and Sejucia were recovered by Gaillenus in the Barsar Regions (October 5, 1654), and he then pushed into the Anastasian Territories. Tong, Miller, and Al-Pushim were all stormed, and on October 22, the Battle of Anastasia Prime ended in a decisive victory for Emperor Gaillenus. By the end of October 1654, Lincoln, Rhodes, and Jacksonian Batory had also been conquered, and Anastasia Minor was under threat. Emperor Ishuima, realizing that he was going no where, and once again facing dissent within the Arachosian Provinces, decided to sue for peace. A truce was concluded at Teutonica (November 1, 1654), and a month later, the Treaty of Arachosia Prime was signed, terminating the war on the basis of the status quo ante bellum.
 * Yet towards the end of December 1654, whilst Emperor Valerian was recovering Englestrom, Sonny, and Dromund for the Empire, and hurling Haynsian raiding expeditions back across the Larkian Way, King Jamsius II of Scottria, who had been engaged in reducing the Brittanic Potentates of Orkney and Shetland, had waged military campaigns against the Duchy of Northania and Semigallia, and repelled raids by the Haynsian Despotate into the Outskirt Districts, issued a declaration of war against the Empire, demanding the return of the Garaman Provinces. Jamsius was confident that the diversion of Laurasian military resources against the Marasharites and the Haynsians would allow for him to achieve his objectives in a much faster manner than otherwise. Zebetha and Ranieda Minor were both stormed by Scottrian units on New Year's Eve 1654.

1655

 * During 1655, the 55th year of the seventeenth century, the events of the Marasharite and Scottrian Wars continued to proceed along. On January 18, 1655, Garama was captured by the forces of the Earl of Carlisle, thereby dealing a major blow to the Laurasian Empire's strategic position in the Garaman Provinces. More than 700,000 troops of the Imperial Laurasian Army were captured or killed during the offensive, and the Scottrians confiscated more than four million tons of military equipment, supplies, and weapons. From Garama, Carlisle defeated Admiral Sir Lucius Quenterius (1601-66) in the Battle of Zabi (January 22-25, 1655), and on January 28, he launched a surprise assault upon the defenses of Ryan Barlak, thereby seeking to push Scottrian operational lines farther, into the Merlite Provinces. In spite of the efforts of Admiral Quenterius and of Constantine Adornius, 7th Earl of Sanegeta (1602-58), Governor of Merlita, Ryan Barlak fell into Scottrian hands on February 8. Bobria soon followed (February 19, 1655), and on February 24, Carlisle obtained another victory in the Battle of Rosemary. Merilash now became the next target of the Scottrians. The Siege of Merilash began on February 27, 1655, and lasted for over a month. Scottrian forces were able to suppress all supply and communications lines into the star system; to break through the operational defensive lines of the Laurasian garrison; and to steadily push to orbit of the world.
 * Finally (April 7, 1655), Merilash's shields failed, and the world was quickly issued by the troops of the Royal Scottrian Army. The Earl of Sanegeta was disgraced and forced into a headlong retreat; for this act of cowardice, he would be arrested on the orders of Emperor Valerian, deprived of his positions, and imprisoned at the Secret Prison of Ipsus V, in June 1655. He would die there on August 17, 1658. The fall of Merilash now placed the Laurasian garrison of Dasalaburgh in severe peril. Emperor Gaillenus, who had been focusing on the Barsar Regions, was now forced to turn his attention to the Garaman Provinces, in order to shore up the Imperial Laurasian Government's position in that region. He now repelled a series of Scottrian raids against Warren, India, Jeopardy, Vanna, White, Sejak, and Pat (April 1655). From thence, he proceeded to the reconquest of Ranieda Minor (May 4-7, 1655), stormed Wheaton (May 11) and McFadden (May 17), and on May 22, inflicted a defeat upon Carlisle's chief lieutenant, Lord Jamsius McLauren of Aberdeen, in the Battle of Vehnita.
 * From Vehnita, the co-Emperor then penetrated through the Berwick Barrier, overrunning the Scottrian outposts of Taside, Glenthrothes, and Iverclide (May 24-June 7, 1655), and on June 11, his forces came within range of the Vilmanstrand Approaches. On June 19, defeating McLauren again in the Battle of Ajborg, Gallienus besieged Zebetha. Zebetha was ultimately recovered on July 2; the Scottrians lost most of their arquebusiers and all of the Laurasian military supplies which they had captured. Perth than became the next target of a Laurasian offensive. To accomplish its subjection, Gallienus proceeded to subdue other strongholds in its vicinity. Ladoga (July 5-11), Onieda (July 17), and Vyborg (July 22-28), were all stormed in turn by the Empire's military forces. On August 3, 1655, the Emperor inflicted another humiliating defeat, this time upon the Earl of Crawford, in the Battle of Roaeris. By the end of August, Bobria and Ryan Barlak were back in Laurasian hands; then on September 7, King Jamsius was forced to order the evacuation of Merilash. By October 2, Scottrian forces had been expelled completely from the Merlite Provinces.
 * In the meantime, senior Emperor Valerian had made further progress against the Marasharites and their Haynsian vassals. In January 1655, he repelled a series of Haynsian expeditions against Zoe, Eaidon, Skykler, and Episilion, thereby securing Laurasian control of the lower Dali Trade Route. Clearing Marasharite units from O'Donnell, Charlie, and Gayle (February 8-22, 1655), the Emperor then proceeded to the subjection of Meneia, in the Tof Borderlands. The Siege of Meneia began on February 26, and in spite of the efforts of Marasharite Pasha Al-Baghdadi, the stronghold fell into Laurasian hands on March 17. Billy Gasis followed four days later, and on April 7, Al-Baghdadi was defeated and captured in the Battle of Sly James. The Emperor's forces then pushed to Kia and Pelaski; Kia proved an easier target, falling into Valerian's possession on April 19. Pelaski, however, resisted fiercely, and in May 1655, the Haynsian forces of General Gul-Dukat launched a daring counteroffensive into the Angelican Provinces, seeking to catch Laurasian units in that region offbalance. Etienne, Iverman, Aspen, Roach, Eric, Schulzki, Giron, Corfu, and Spencer were all attacked by Haynsian Scoutships, who mined their outskirts, disrupted their communications and transport lines, and inflicted serious damage upon their defensive outposts, as well as their garrisons. On June 9, however, Emperor Valerian lured Gul-Dukat to a trap in the Braxaine Nebula; the ensuing Battle of the Braxaine Nebula, which continued until June 16, ended in a decisive victory for the Emperor of Laurasia.
 * By the middle of July 1655, Gul-Dukat's forces had been forced to withdraw from Angelica, and on August 7, Pelaski finally fell to the Laurasian Empire's forces. Adrianne (August 9-15), Natalie (August 22-26), Chappelear (September 1), Guthmiller (September 7-19), Amelia (September 22), and Chromy (September 26), were then secured in succession by Laurasian forces. Valerian then defeated Gul-Dukat again in the Battle of Tiona (September 29, 1655), and by October 7, he had also stormed Ba'dai, Ra'dai, Tokyang, and Kolombina, thereby securing control of the bulk of the Tof Borderlands. On October 14, Frasier in the Galactic Borderlands fell to his son. Gaillenus then stormed Sasha VI (October 17), Frederickshamm (October 22-27), and Bristain (November 1). On November 7, he defeated and captured Carlisle in the Battle of the Beroyeze Asteroids, and four days later, overran the defenses of Perth. Laurasian units then swiftly subdued Rasdalla Minor (November 8-14), Kathy Minor (November 18), Aland (November 22), and Littleton (November 26-December 2). By the beginning of December 1655, the Imperial Laurasian Navy was actively harassing Hidemnia Sauria, Kania, and the Riverite Asteroid Belt. On December 9, the Scottrians were humiliated again in the Battle of Janeway. By the end of 1655, Laurasian forces were entrenched in the Central Galactic Borderlands, and were making progress against the Marasharites farther to the north.

1656

 * 1656, the 56th year of the seventeenth century, saw a temporary end to the Third Scottrian War, but also a renewal of Marasharite strength, and of reverses in the Xilanian Provinces. In January 1656, co-Emperor Gallienus advanced upon Patricia, determined to subdue that stronghold, and to proceed from there against Genoa, Kaluna, and Summers, which comprised the old Homi Worlds. The Siege of Patricia began on January 14, 1656; the Earl of Ross, who commanded the world's defenses, proved to be utterly incompetent, and the world fell just six days later. Kaluna followed (January 22, 1656), followed by Genoa, Summers, and Australis (February 1656). Laurasian forces now blockaded the Riverite Asteroid Belt; Barching was completely isolated from its supply lines. In March 1656, the Earl of Arran, acting on the orders of King Jamsius, organized a counteroffensive against Vyborg, Ladoga, Onieda, Vilmanstrand, Fraiser, McKellen, and Crusher which ended in failure (at the Battles of Sockoth and Marlton). Aspo and Spurria then fell into Laurasian hands; Barching finally surrendered on April 7, 1656.
 * King Jamsius, who was now facing rebellion in the Dumbarton Districts, decided to negotiate for peace. On April 27, 1656, the Truce of Mar temporarily suspended hostilities; negotiations then commenced at Kalbacha Major, and continued for over a month. Then on June 4, 1656, the Treaty of Kalbacha Major was signed, thereby ending the Third Scottrian War. Parts of the Berwick Barrier, encompassing the Upper Perth Region, were conceded to the Laurasian Empire; economic and commercial privileges for Laurasian merchants and corporations were guaranteed; and the Scottrian Government agreed to compensate all of the Empire's subjects who suffered from Scottrian raiding expeditions. The Treaty of Kalbacha Major was ratified by both King Jamsius II and by Emperor Valerian before the end of June 1656.
 * As regards to the Marasharite Empire, the early months of 1656 had seen the continuation of Laurasian successes. The Satellites of Ursula, Xilania Minoria, Xilania Secondary, Jin Major, and Jin Minor were recovered by Emperor Valerian (by March 1656), while Ayensdord, site of the victory of Amelianian Kings Hengist and Horta six centuries earlier over the Torfians, was stormed (April 1, 1656). Kilojong, Pyongyang, Seoul, and Karlong were then seized (April 1656), and by the end of May, Laurasian units were pressing towards Khotyn, Chardis, Stary, and Crimea. It was at this point that Emperor Shapur made his counteroffensive. The newly-appointed Marasharite Pasha of the Muggal Cluster, Giluat-Vehray, organized his forces at Dilojong, Riababia Mogila, the Station of Ung, Ung, Kumong, and Imegina, determined not to give any more space for maneuver to the Laurasian foe. In May 1656, he launched a massive counteroffensive, penetrating from the Muggal Cluster across into the Xilanian Provinces. Calrissian and Vorta were both secured; by the end of that month, Haynsian expeditions were once more reaching out to the Lacian Cluster.
 * Jin Minor, Xilania Minoria, Greyson, Tblisi, Sierra, Felix, and Glassia all became subject to Marasharite assaults, and on May 29, 1656, Scanlan and Coronadia were both stormed by Marasharite units. Marasharite attention, in June and July 1656, then shifted to Duros-Europos, which had been fortified as a major Laurasian military base and strategic point in the Upper Xilanian Provinces from the 1610s, and now posed an obstacle to further Marasharite advances downwards. The ensuing Siege of Duros-Europos began on June 18, 1656, and continued for more than a month. The world's final fall to the Marasharite Empire, after a disastrous battle which cost the lives of more than 275,000 Laurasian military personnel, allowed for more offensives to be made. By September 1656, Laurasian units had been driven from Styris V, Illumis, Ba'dai, Meneia, and Billy Gasis; Kia and Pelaski were both under siege; and the Western Redoubt was being blockaded by Marasharite squadrons. A daring Haynsian raid against Malaria Prime, Almastead, Welch, Takrania, Acabania, and the Narvet Trade Corridor followed (October-November 1656), penetrating through Laurasian lines and leading to the seizure of more than 20 million civilian captives. A Laurasian counter-move at Ayeoung (December 3, 1656), failed. Sommers, Eaidon, Zoe, Skyler, Nisibis, and Carrhae all fell during that month. Emperor Valerian therefore found himself, and his forces, in a fix at the end of 1656.

1657

 * 1657, the 57th year of the seventeenth century, commenced with the Laurasian Empire's military forces, under the command of senior Emperor Valerian, having suffered a series of reverses at the hands of its Marasharite foes. Pelaski and Kia, as mentioned above, were both under siege by Marasharite forces at the beginning of 1657. The first of these strongholds, Pelaski, capitulated on January 12, 1657; Marasharite General Karim-Pasha captured and executed more than 25,000 troops of the 9th Imperial Battalion, 4th Imperial Regiment, 60th Imperial Army; ransacked the Laurasian operational headquarters on the planetary surface; and impounded a number of Laurasian starships, military equipment, and armor. Kia surrendered on January 24, 1657, thereby completing the effective expulsion of Laurasian military forces from the Billian and Donnian regions. Vesporia Major and Al-Durah were reconquered by Marasharite forces (February 1657), and on February 21, Emperor Valerian's effort to storm Marasharite positions at Eaidon and Zoe ended in failure in the Battle of Ipkshilion. During March and April 1657, Marasharite forces penetrated into the Angelican Provinces, effectively subduing Eric, Giron, Titus Majoria, and the Upper Immortalized Cluster. The Laurasian colonies of Taylor, Emerson, Cooper, and Guthmiller were then overrun by Marasharite troops (May 1-7, 1657), and on May 14, Pasha Giulat-Vehray destroyed the Earl of Jadia's main offensive force, the 48th Imperial Fleet, in the Battle of Upper Saigon. Haynsian expeditions were now penetrating into the Morganian and Hypasian Provinces. Saigon, Bach Dang, Ho Chi Minh, Masan, Valeris V, Sogan, Mordan, Kanjur, and Kelvania were all harried by Haynsian fleets between February and July 1657; by the end of July 1657, Huerta Mongol, Song Dhu, Trasha Dakai, and Moria had all been occupied by Marasharite units. Londarania was constantly harried by Marasharite fleets, and Haynsian convoys penetrated as far as Shannon, Dennis, and Rastaborn.
 * Emperor Valerian, however, now instigated a bold move against Nisibis, determined to drive a pincer through the Marasharite supply lines, and thereby to force Pasha Giulat-Vehray to turn his attention to shoring up his position in the Tof Borderlands. This would relieve the pressure upon the Empire's position in other regions. On August 7, 1657, Ansarthea and Bereoa, two Marasharite fortresses along the Dali Trade Run, were stormed by Emperor Valerian. Five days later, he drove Marasharite units from Bingley, Chapman, and Kaming, thereby securing his position in the approaches of the Satian Provinces. Combining his forces together at Nandia, Calrissian, Vorta, Belaprasian, Esperanto Major, Lawson, Dawson, and Alyssa, among other strongholds in the Farther Homidinian and Xilanian Provinces, Valerian bypassed Haynsian fleets at Xilania Major and Xilania Secondary, and at the end of August 1657, appeared at the outskirts of Nisibis. The ensuing Battle of Nisibis, which lasted until September 5, 1657, ended in a decisive victory for the Laurasian Emperor. By the end of September 1657, Kia, Billy Gasis, and Pelaski were once again in Laurasian possession; Sly James was constantly harried by the Empire's military forces, and the Haynsians had been forced to terminate their raiding expeditions in the Kelvanian Provinces.
 * In October 1657, Londarania was secured against future Marasharite assaults; Thang Gosong was then stormed, and from there, Marasharite units were driven from Huerta Mongol, Song Dhu, and Trasha Dakai. On November 7, 1657, after being forced to abandon Shannon in the face of relentless Laurasian counter-assaults, Giulat-Vehray was defeated in the Battle of Kinjur. Tolombina and Kabul were overrun by Laurasian troops, thereby giving them a renewed position of entrenchment in the Tof Borderlands. A Haynsian raiding expedition against Kelvania and Merlin was repelled in the Battle of Cole (November 14, 1657); the reconquest of Guntmiller, Emerson, and Cooper then followed. By December 1657, Ba'dai and Styris V were both once again in Laurasian possession. Throughout this year, as Valerian made his renewed gains, his son Emperor Gaillenus continued to focus his efforts on strengthening the defenses of the Merlite Provinces, and of taking action against any stirrings of dissent, as he could. Rebellion, however, would break out once more against the Imperial Laurasian Government's authority.
 * While the Shapurian Marasharite War continued to drag on, another event of importance took place this year within the Empire. On January 28, 1657, the future Emperor Neuchrus I, "the Reformer", founder of the Neuchrian Dynasty and reformer of the Laurasian Empire, was born at the Gilbertine Estate in Gilbertine City, Tudoria. Tudoria was a Laurasian colony-world located in the outskirts of the Venasian Cluster, and had been first colonized in 1512, during the reign of Antigonus I. In the ensuing century and a half, Tudoria's population and wealth had both experienced substantial increases. By the time of Neuchrus's birth there, it had a population of more than one hundred million inhabitants; a network of cities, including Gilbertine, Pembroke, and Carmathon; and a prosperous economy, with emphasis upon agriculture, mining, tourism, luxury goods, electronics, industrial materials, and industrial equipment. Neuchrus was the son of Lady Margarina Beaufatia, Countess of Tudoria (1643-1709). She was the very young widow (at only thirteen years old), of Athanasius Craterles, Earl of Tudoria (1631-56). The Earl of Tudoria had died on November 3, 1656, at the age of only twenty-five, following injuries he sustained while fighting with Marasharite and Haynsian troops at Suri, in the Malarian Provinces. He had entered the Imperial Laurasian Army in 1649 and had, through distinction in military combat and loyalty to his superiors, risen to the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel. His wife, Lady Beaufatia, was related to Emperor Lucius Verus, co-ruler of Antigonus II.
 * Her grandfather, Demetrius Quintilus, Earl of Sommerlia (1573-1610), was the only son of Grand Princess Ceionia Fabia (1534-79), the younger sister of Emperor Verus, and her husband, Lord Plautius Quintilus of Sommerlia (1521-75), a prominent military commander and Governing Senator during the early years of Antigonus II's reign. The Earl's only child, Margarina (1610-82), Countess of Sommerlia, had in turn married, in 1641, Sir Demetrius Beaufatia (1603-44). Two years later, their only child, Lady Margarina, had been born. Following her father's death in May 1644, Margarina became heiress to his fortune and was placed under the wardship of then-Emperor Philip I. Eleven years later, in November 1655, she had been married, by initiative of her mother and of Emperor Valerian, to Sir Craterles, who, like his wife, had a claim to the Laurasian throne. His father, Neuchrus's paternal grandfather Sir Aelius Craterles (1600-61), was descended on his mother's side from the Venasian Duchess of Twalia, Kennalaia (1152-1225), whose dispute with the King of Polonia, Hensior (1151-89), over possession of his mother's estates, had cost that monarch his throne. Moreover, Craterles had married, in March 1629, Julia Mardonia (1601-37), Countess of Vetta, who was a distant relation of the last two Emperors of the Severan dynasty, Elagabalus and Alexander Severus. Craterles himself served as a page at the Imperial Laurasian Court from 1621 to 1639, had been given his knighthood in 1628, and from 1634 to his death (January 7, 1661), was a Governing Senator and a consultant to the Council of Civil Service. Neuchrus and his mother would be entrusted to the guardianship of his uncle, his father's twin brother Sir Acillius Craterles, Earl (Duke after 1685) of Mariana Prime (1631-95), during his childhood and teenage years.

1658

 * The focus throughout 1658, the 58th year of the seventeenth century, was on the continued series of military offensives with the Marasharite Empire, which were progressively draining the vitality of Laurasian military forces, strangling the galactic economy, and harrying the livelihoods and prosperity of those in the Northern Provinces. On January 17, 1658, Pimjang was conquered by Marasharite forces under Admiral Al-Geshik of Aegyptiania; with the assistance of specialized Haynsian scoutships, and of infantry units from Tripoli, Algiers, and the Grecian Provinces, he then proceeded to storm the Laurasian garrisons of Temperalla (January 18), Nexania (January 21), and Petrash (January 23-24), thereby breaching a major line in Laurasian supply lines extending from Norah, Satie, Gayle, and King across to Roxuli and Abraham. Drake and Rutherford were then attacked and overrun by a Haynsian expeditionary force (January 28-February 7, 1658), and on February 21, 1658, Mocktrialis fell victim to a Haynsian raid, with more than three million captives being seized, the star system's outskirts mined, and its orbital defensive outposts, shipyards, and dockyards being seriously damaged. Perry and Wakino now found themselves under constant threat from Haynsian task forces, and Emperor Valerian's attempt to reverse this most recent move was defeated in the Battle of Lemmon (March 7, 1658). Within short order, Julie (March 9), Karen (March 14), Abitia (March 19-22), Maxwell (March 24), and Curry (March 28) were sacked by Haynsian forces, seizing millions of captives and more than twenty million metric tons of military equipment, supplies, and commercial goods.
 * Ryan, Gwendolyn, Markis Prime, Kledis Var, Brent, Dominic, and Demebezaic were then subjected to an extensive harassing campaign by Marasharite and Haynsian units, conducted between April 1 and May 17, 1658. Ba'dai and Styris were reconquered by Marasharite forces on April 22. Laurasian expeditions against Chardis, Crimea, Brasseca, Braila, and the Lower Dnieper Highway (May 17-June 12, 1658), to as far as Kuban and Voronezh in the Northern Reaches, failed to reverse the momentum of the Marasharite moves. Lawson and McDowell were stormed by Haynsian units (June 1658), and Emperor Valerian was compelled to strengthen the defenses of Homidinia Minor, Sansford, Hemsley, Calms, and Buranti, to prevent possible enemy moves against those systems. Homidinian Wyatt was then secured (June 29-July 3, 1658) against the Haynsians, and on July 7, 1658, the Battle of Kara ended in a victory for Emperor Valerian, who relieved that star system of all future Haynsian expeditions. The Emperor then progressively subdued Tiona and the Northern Galactic Frontier Route, including the strongholds of DeSimms, Chappelear, Chromy, and Hinz, completing their subjugation by the end of July 1658. Lawson was then recovered (August 9, 1658), although Elijahana, Ryan, Gwendolyn, Peters, Celia, and Sharman suffered from further Haynsian raiding expeditions.
 * In September 1658, Emperor Valerian again pushed his military forces into the Tof Borderlands, seeking to break to Karlong, Kumong, Seoul, and Kilojong. Although he managed to penetrate the defenses of the Verabona Nebula (October 9-11, 1658), and to approach the outskirts of Verdorium (Imegina) Minor, a renewed push by Admiral Al-Geshik, this time directed against Brlla, Dion, and Yutsy, forced him to halt his move. By November 1658, a stalemate had ensued in the Farther Homidinian Provinces, which continued over into 1659. At the same time, his son, Emperor Gaillenus, faced two challenges, one after the other. By June 1658, tensions had increased to a fever pitch in the Carian Provinces. The Governor of Carina, Sir Regalianus Mitarus (1584-1658), decided to take advantage of long-simmering anti-government tensions there to elevate his own position. On July 27, 1658, Governor Mitarus was formally proclaimed Emperor by the garrisons of Carina and Seejay Prime. Announcing that he could no longer countenance the oppressiveness of "Their Majesties, who hold their thrones through deceit and not by right", he quickly advanced his own position. He issued numerous manifestos, promising to relax taxes and grant self-government privileges to any who joined his cause.
 * By the beginning of September 1658, the garrisons of Sipp, Olivia, Mommica, Yularen, Daala, Natasi, and Maxck-casi had all defected to the rebel; Goldaria found itself under serious threat; and "Emperor" Regalianus launched routine raiding expeditions against Goss Beacon, Williams, Melarnaria, and the Lower Clancian Highway, to as far as Dramis and Condtella. Emperor Gaillenus, tied up by an anti-taxation revolt in the Roastafarian Provinces, and by the activities of Hookiee pirate bands in the vicinity of Vickis, Choir, Uris, and the Walterian Colonies, ordered the Governor of Melarnaria, Otho Vesellius, 2nd Earl of Reoyania (1605-77), to launch an immediate counteroffensive against the rebels in the southern Central Core. Reoyania did as ordered, and in October 1658, recovered both Daala and Natasi. On October 27, 1658, he defeated Regalianus in the Battle of Chanay, before driving him from Rusania, Dernik, and Merkelis. On November 13, 1658, Governor Reoyania then launched a vigorous move against Seejay Prime, breaching through the defenses of Mommica and Hypases. The ensuing Siege of Seejay Prime ended in victory for government forces (December 1, 1658), and four days later, Carina itself capitulated. On December 19, 1658, "Emperor" Regalianus committed suicide at Simircum, just six months after instigating his rebellion. By the end of December 1658, the whole of the Carinan and Goldarian Provinces had returned to their allegiance to the Imperial Laurasian Government.

1659

 * As 1659, the 59th year of the seventeenth century, began, the war with Marasharita continued in full force; hostilities were also renewed between Laurasia and Scottria. In January 1659, Emperor Gaillenus moved to Masada, and from there intended on conducting a progress into the Central Core, so as to maintain the loyalty of the inhabitants in those regions and crush any future tendencies to rebellion. At this point, however, he was again forced to divert his attention to the Garaman Provinces. King Jamsius II of Scottria had been biding his time, and he was now determined to seize Roxburgh from the Laurasian Empire; he also hoped to expel them from the Garaman Provinces, and to annex parts of the Merlite Provinces. In January and February 1659, a series of border incidents at Ladoga, Onieda, Ranieda Minor, Zebetha, Aretha, Merilash, and the Merlite Borderlands indicated the Scottrian intentions; war was formally declared (March 7, 1659), and within days, Scottrian forces made substantial advances. By the middle of April 1659, Ladoga, Onieda, Ranieda Minor, and Zebetha had all been stormed by Scottrian troops; Merilash, Ryan Barlak, Evan, Racqueline, and Aretha were all threatened by Scottrian expeditions; and Garama itself had been blockaded by a Scottrian naval force. Spurra fell on May 5, 1659, and was followed by Cydamus two days later.
 * Gallienus, who had now organized his forces at Ruumlist, Leslie, Trebek, Ashlgothia Major, Ashlgothia Minor, Courtney, Kane, Tahon, Bryce, Baiteman, Nicole, Redia, and Zabi for a vigorous counteroffensive, now launched it (June 1659). On June 11, he repelled a Scottrian move against Gemallae in the Battle of Trion, and then relieved the blockade of Garama. Laurasian troops now seized the Vilmanstrand Approaches, Perth, and the chief strongholds of the Berwick Barrier (June 18-July 7, 1659), and by the end of July 1659, had terminated the Scottrian threat to the Merlite Provinces. In August 1659, both Ladoga and Onieda were recovered, and on August 18, the Battle of McKellen ended in a decisive victory for the Emperor. Following this, he advanced upon Scottrian fortifications at Mediolanum.
 * The Battle of Mediolanum (August 29-September 4, 1659), ended in victory for the Laurasians once more, thereby completing the expulsion of Scottrian units from Zebetha, Cydamus, and Spurra. In October 1659, Crusher, Wheaton, and McFadden all fell into Laurasian possession, although an offensive against Vilmanstrand and Frederickshamm ended in failure. On November 7, 1659, the Earl of Angus was defeated by Emperor Gaillenus in the Battle of Habi; he now stormed Pescrea (November 10-12), Milanium (November 16), and the Agri Decumates (November 28-December 7), thereby entrenching himself firmly in the Berwick Barrier. Barching, Bristain, and the El Paso Counties were threatened by the Empire's forces by Ascentmas Day, 1659. As regards to the Marasharite front, 1659 was marked predominantly by raids, skirmishes, and expeditions throughout the Xilanian and Homidinian Provinces.
 * In January 1659, a Haynsian task force under the command of Prince Bal-Karany attacked Mackenzia Minor, Ian, Taraning, Gibbs-to-Lester, and English Star. This expedition was ultimately beaten off by Valerian's units in the Battle of Upper Souter (January 22, 1659), fought in the outskirts of the Galactic Void. On February 12, the Emperor destroyed a Haynsian intelligence outpost at Exerantis, and proceeded to clear Varta, Calrissian, and Esperanto Major of Haynsian surveillance and raiding forces (February 19-March 8, 1659). On March 14, however, Prince Bal-Karany launched another offensive across the Larkian Way, attacking Alyssa, Chalassion, Chalassia, and Halassion. Alyssa was sacked by the Haynsians (March 18, 1659), and on March 22, the Prince humiliated General Sir Herodian Meredius (1602-64), in the Battle of Peller. Halassion's defenses were breached on March 28, and by April 9, the Haynsians were penetrating into the Styrian Caldera of the Lacian Cluster.
 * On April 22, however, Emperor Valerian defeated them again in the Battle of Leisl, repelled their raids against Shaelynn, Dromund, and Sonny, and on May 14, drove Bal-Karany's forces from Alyssa and Halassion. On May 28, another Laurasian victory in the Battle of Stefeinhauter decisively ended this latest Haynsian thrust. Haynsian attempts to breach Garner, Scanlan, and Theodore's defenses, to attack Mackenzia Major, and to isolate the Laurasian communications network at Homidinian Mir, Joseph, Kallista, and Julie failed (June-August 1659), and on September 8, 1659, the Imperial Laurasian Navy launched a successful raiding expedition, from the Galactic Frontier Route, and to the Haynsian Slave Highway. The Laurasians captured the Haynsian garrisons of Illay, Tilday, and Markday (September 8-16) before being compelled to return to the Caladarian Galaxy's confines. In October 1659, Meneia, Sly James, and Kia were harried by Laurasian parties, and on November 9, another Haynsian raiding move, this time against Dickinson, Brenda, and the OsonBoka Nebula, ended in failure at the Battle of Izonza. Valerian then moved to Greyson, establishing a command headquarters there (November 18, 1659), and on December 5, Ra'dai was seized by the Empire. It would be abandoned, however, on Ascentmas Day 1659. 1659 ended, therefore with the Empire still engaged in conflict.

1660

 * As 1660, the 60th year of the seventeenth century, commenced, events in the Shapurian Marasharite War were picking up steam again. In January 1660, Emperor Shapur, whose efforts had been focused on military campaigns against Kuwait, Qatar, and the Arabian Potenates, and worried about the threat posed in the Grecian Provinces by the Haxonian hold of Crete, nevertheless decided to turn his attention to relieving his Empire of the "burden" in the Caladarian Galaxy. The Emperor of the Marasharites now deemed it expedient for him to make his presence in the military campaigns, and to take command of his own forces. That month, entrusting the care of the state's affairs to the Grand Council and to Grand Vizier Koprulu Mehmed Pasha, founder of the Koprulu political dynasty, and a successful military campaigner in his own right (he had gained renown for his victories against the Haxonian Confederacy, the Anatolian Rebel Confederacies, and the Principality of Transylvania), Shapur departed. On February 7, 1660, he arrived at Marson, and thereby took command of his Empire's military forces against those of the Laurasians. Shapur immediately pursued a series of vigorous military assaults. Securing Ba'dai and Styris V, he then ejected Laurasian units from Kia, Pelaski, and Billy Gasis (March 1660). That same month, Marasharite Admiral Al-Geshik reconquered Natalie, Tiona, and Belaprasian, thereby going some way to reverse the Laurasian gains along the Galactic Frontier Route.
 * The following month (April 1660), Emperor Valerian, receiving substantial reinforcements from the Solidaritan Provinces, the Laurasia Prime Purse Region, and the Briannian Provinces, decided to move directly against Carrhae, to dislodge the Marasharites from that star system and to do battle with their ruler. After a series of confrontations with Marasharite troops at Juxle, Andress, Penn, and Garrett, he reached the outskirts of Carrhae on April 17, 1660. Emperor Shapur, however, once again anticipated him, and linking up with Admiral Al-Geshik and with units sent by his vassal, Haynsian Despot Muhradi III Karany (r. 1641-44, 1654-66), launched a surprise offensive against Laurasian positions in that star system (April 19-21, 1660). The ensuing Battle of Carrhae, as it was called, resulted in a decisive victory for the Marasharite Empire, the most decisive for it during the course of the seventeenth century.
 * For Laurasia, it was an absolute disaster. More than 300,000 military personnel of the Imperial Laurasian Navy died during the confrontation; furthermore, Emperor Valerian became the first Laurasian monarch in over eight centuries, since Gordian III the Unfortunate (832-40), to be captured by a foreign enemy. This was to have a major effect upon the Empire's internal situation in the 1660s and 1670s, casting it into the worst part of the Crisis of the Seventeenth Century. Shapur, pleased to have such an enemy in his hands, gloated over the situation; he now forced Valerian to pay him homage, used him as a living foot-stool, and issued manifestos across the Galactic Holonet, hailing his accomplishment. This occurred just under a century before the accession of Aurelia the Great to the Laurasian throne, and a thousand years after the fall of the Lacian Despotate. Valerian, however, did not have long to remain in the custody of the Marasharite foe. On May 9, 1660, the senior Emperor of Laurasia committed suicide in his cell onboard the Marasharite Emperor's flagship, the Ikralth, in the Pargurs, a stellar wasteland located ten light years north of Carrhae. Shapur, angered that he had been cheated of his chief "spoil" or prisoner of war, nevertheless decided to give orders for the Emperor's body to be encased in a coffin, and to be treated with honors.
 * Yet in the aftermath of this disaster, the Marasharites, for several months, made major gains in the Northern Territories. By the end of May 1660, the whole of the Satian Provinces was in their possession; they had ejected all Laurasian units and expeditions from the Galactic Frontier Route, Tof Borderlands, and Muggal Cluster; and they were sending expeditions, by the Haynsians, to as far as the Corporate Trade Corridor. The Brestord Kingdom of Karakorum, then under the rule of Charaton I (1656-79), and which had signed the Treaty of Syr-Daria with Marasharita in November 1656, providing for a diplomatic and economic alliance between the two states, was encouraged by Emperor Shapur to launch raiding expeditions and other moves into Laurasian territory. King Charaton willingly did so; by October 1660, Theodore, Andrea Doria, Garner, Scanlan, Morlan, and the strongholds of the Corporate Sector had all been harried by Brestord forces, who penetrated as far as Jacobs I. This served to further weaken the Empire's strategic position in the Northern Burglais Arm. Emperor Gaillenus, on his part, grappled with other challenges. By the time of his father's death (May 1660), Gaillenus's forces were besieging Rasdalla Minor, Kathy Minor, and Goriance; Bane, Cognus, Gwynne, Sabinia, and Sherry had all been threatened by Laurasian expeditions. Gaillenus found that he had to maintain the military campaigns against the Scottrians, while turning back the Marasharite tide.
 * Now sole ruler of the Laurasian Empire, he knew that it was up to him to fend off the various challenges now converging upon his state. In June 1660, the Governor of the Ashlgothian Borderland Territories, Sir Constans Ingenallus, 5th Baron Ingenallus of Roastafaria Minor (1612-60), erupted in revolt against the authority of the Emperor. Assuming the imperial title himself, Ingenallus quickly seized control of Alison, Brooke One, Thelma, Jennings, Tea, Matthew, West, and Mirohassani, thereby threatening to also take control of the Melorkian Provinces. Emperor Gaillenus, who entrusted his forces in the Galactic Borderlands to the command of Heredotus Didanes, 2nd Duke of Christiania (1609-63), raced across to suppress this rebellion. On July 7, 1660, the Emperor met the usurper at Mursa, which was located two hundred light years to the north of Emma. The ensuing Battle of Mursa was decided in the Emperor's favor by the actions of his chief military subordinate, Lieutenant-General Sir Auroleus Kelacius (1613-66); as a result of this battle, Mursa was secured by government forces, and Igenallus handed a decisive defeat. Thelma, Jennings, and West were all reconquered (July 1660); Mirohassani followed on August 5.
 * That victory came two days after another triumph. On August 3, 1660, King Jamsius II of Scottria, who had conducted a tour of his troops at Rasdalla Major, Dehner, Onasi, and Waxefield, and who was contemplating the possibility of a renewed thrust against Roxburgh (and also of a potential alliance with the Marasharites), was killed when a turbocannon exploded upon his company. As a result of Jamsius's untimely death, his nine-year old son acceded to the Scottrian throne, becoming King Jamsius III of Scottria. Because Jamsius was too young to rule as King in his own right, his mother, the Durthian Princess Mary of Guelders, was formally designated as Regent, by virtue of her late husband's will and on the initiative of the Scottrian Estates (August 20, 1660). The fall of Bristain, Littleton, and Marlton to Laurasian units during that month, and the failure of the siege of Roxburgh (August 31-September 9, 1660), finally convinced the Scottrian Government to bring hostilities to an end.
 * In September 1660, on the instructions of the Queen-Regent, the Earl of Angus sent an offer for a military armistice to the Imperial Chancellory on Laurasia Prime, promising to return to the status quo ante bellum in territorial matters, in exchange for the withdrawal of all Laurasian military forces from the Scottrian Galactic Borderlands. Emperor Gaillenus, who was reconquering Tea, Alison, and Brooke One, and also wished to focus upon the Marasharite rampages in the Northern Outer Borderlands, decided to accept the Scottrian armistice offer. On September 29, 1660, the Truce of Kathy Minor was signed. Delegations from the two governments convened at Onasi the following month: the Duke of Christiania and the Chancellor, Sir Vulcacius Rufinus, 2nd Baronet Rufinus of Explosansia Major (1612-76), appointed to that position in May 1660, were the chief plenipotentiaries for the Imperial Laurasian Government, while the Earl of Angus and Jamsius Kennedy (1608-65), Archclanniarch of St. Andrews, headed the Scottrian delegation. The Treaty of Onasi (October 12, 1660), resulted in the termination of the Third Scottrian War on the basis of the status quo ante bellum. All Laurasian military forces were to be withdrawn from Scottrian territory by September 1, 1661, but neither government would be obliged to compensate the other for any military expenses or other financial damages.
 * With peace now restored with the Celestial Kingdom of Scottria (and with the Laurasian withdrawal from the Central Galactic Borderlands proceeding in quick order), Gaillenus was able to focus all of his attention on the complete, and final suppression of the Ignellan Rebellion. Roastafaria Minor, the rebel's last significant stronghold, and long a hotbed of dissent against the imperial authorities, capitulated without a fight (October 24, 1660). On November 2, Governor Igenallus, who had been formally dismissed from his position and excommunicated by the Holy Synod, attempted to flee towards the Wild Marshes, but was intercepted near Ginger by a government task force. General Kalacius (who would be raised to the peerage as Baron Kalacius of Myrth), was responsible for the ultimate capture of the rebel usurper. On the orders of Emperor Gaillenus, Igenallus was brought back to the Central Fortress of Ashlgothia Minor; tried and convicted, in absentia by the Governing Senate, and then executed (November 16, 1660), thereby bringing his revolt to a complete halt. With the Ashlgothian Borderland Territories once again securely in the Emperor's hands, attention shifted to the conflict with the Marasharites. By December 1660, Haynsian raiding expeditions were penetrating as far as the Nexus Route and Venasian Triangle regions; reports routinely reached the Imperial General Headquarters of Haynsian convoys appearing at Bolgrahay, Hannis, Permi, Elijahana, Dion, and Vindictoria, among other strongholds. Emperor Gaillenus, during the last month of 1660, was able to secure the defenses of Bolgrahay and to repel an attempted Marasharite move against Big Twinny, Berhamia, and Sair.

1661

 * 1661, the 61st year of the seventeenth century, was dominated by the reversal of the Marasharite Empire's march of progress in the Caladarian Galaxy. In January 1661, Emperor Gaillenus established his command headquarters on Sassanay, and now shifted the military commands for the counter-offensives against the Marasharites, Haynsians, and the Kingdom of Karakorum. The Praetorian Prefect of Laurasia Prime, Sir Calistus Balista (1605-63), who had been entrusted by Valerian with maintaining the defenses of the Empire's capital world during his absence, was named as the chief offensive commander of the campaign. Lieutenant-General Sir Fulvius Macrianus, 3rd Lord Macrianus of Shannon (1617-62), assumed command as Balista's second in command, while the Governor of the Laurasian Abriannian and Nandi Colonies, Lucius Odenathus, 2nd Duke of Calrissian (1620-67), was promoted to the rank of Fleet-Admiral and given command of the 44th, 49th, and 51st Imperial Fleets for the operations against the Marasharites. Odenathus was the son of Sir Heredotus Odenathus (1590-1655), a descendant of the Strogania family once predominant in the Malarian Provinces, and his Xilanian wife Xora (1593-1661), who had been among the first beneficiaries of Emperor Caracalla's Antonine Constitution, granting all alien subjects of the Empire full citizenship rights, in 1612. The elder Odenathus entered the Imperial Army Academy of Laura in August 1608, and had graduated in May 1612, summa cum laude, in the front ranks of his class. He then entered the service of the Imperial Laurasian Army, and during the course of the next three decades, gradually rose in the ranks, becoming a Colonel in 1622, Brigadier-General in 1626, Major-General in 1633, and ultimately, Legate-General in 1640.
 * Sir Heredotus especially distinguished himself during the Severan Marasharite War and the Conquest of Mellorita, earning plaudits for his victory over superior Marasharite and Haynsian units at Dezera, near the Corporate Trade Corridor (June 1643). As a consequence of all his efforts, he had also ascended through the nobility, becoming 1st Baron Odenathus of Nandia (1635), Earl of Varta (1649), and ultimately, in May 1653, the 1st Duke of Calrissian. His death two years later, in August 1655, had left his son as the 2nd Duke of Calrissian. The younger Odenathus had followed his father into the Imperial forces (though into the Navy rather than the Army), in 1638, and had obtained the rank of Vice-Admiral by January 1660. In November of that year, he had been made Governor of Abrianne and Nandia by Emperor Gaillenus. Odenathus's elevation to yet higher command now coincided with a turn in Laurasian military fortunes. At the beginning of February 1661, word came from the Great Amulak Spiral, to Emperor Shapur's headquarters on Imegina, that the Kraplai family of Galatia and Cilicia, in the Anatolian Provinces, had arisen in revolt against the taxation drives of the Marasharite Imperial Treasury; furthermore, the Haxonian Confederacy was conducting a punitive campaign against the Barbary States of Tripoli, Algiers, and Tunis, in conjunction with the Knights of Malta and the Kingdom of Greater Spamalka. Emperor Shapur, who also found that troubles were intensifying in his own personal household, was forced to withdraw from direct involvement in the military campaigns. He now entrusted direct command to Subordinate Vizier Kevrakh-Bey, who would prove to be an incompetent military commander, one who was not able to stem the Laurasian advances. And indeed, those advances proved to be swift.
 * On February 12, 1661, Prefect Ballista and General Macrianus, who had been engaged in assembling their forces at Celia, Peters, Brent, Ryan, Gwendolyn, Homdinia Major, Calms, Buranti, Gibbs-to-Lester, Mackenzia Minor, and other strongholds in the Lower Burglais Arm, launched the decisive move to clear Haynsian expeditions from the Farther Homidinian Provinces. Brlla was secured (February 18-29, 1661), followed by Yutzy, Dion, and Homidinia Minor (by the middle of March 1661). General Macrianus, in particular, gained distinction for his victories over overstretched Haynsian units at Heresorfian and Merley Station. On March 27, 1661, Kara was recovered by the Laurasian Empire; Haynsian and Marasharite forces were then expelled from Scanlan and Coronadia (April 1661), and on May 2, 1661, the Battle of Homidinian Wyatt resulted in another decisive victory for the Laurasian military commanders. By the end of May 1661, the Kledis Var Trunk Line had been cleared of enemy forces, while Abitia, Perry, Mir, Wakino, Drake, and Rutherford were all back in government hands. In June 1661, Emperor Gaillenus and Governor Odenathus of Calrissian cooperated in a series of pincer strikes against Marasharite units in the Satian Provinces, in the Northern Territories, and at the Larkian Way. Zoe, Skyler, and Ipshilion were all secured, while on June 14, a Marasharite counteroffensive at Nisbis was defeated in the Battle of Dura. On June 18, Dura-Europos was stormed by a Laurasian force, thereby hampering further Marasharite raiding expeditions towards the Istantius Capital Region. Roxuli and Abraham were both then secured by government units, and on June 28, 1661, the Battle of Huerta Mongol resulted in a decisive victory for Emperor Gaillenus. As a result of this victory, all Marasharite raiding expeditions into the Hypasian Provinces were terminated.
 * During the course of July and August 1661, as Greyson, Mocktrialis, Dromund, and Kacee were reconquered by Prefect Balista, the Emperor's forces, along with those of Duke Odenathus of Calrissian, pushed forth, expelling the Marasharites from Bingley, Orkhan, Juxles, Xilania Minoria, and Xilania Secondary. On August 21, 1661, the Second Battle of Carrhae, which occurred a year and half after the first, ended with a Laurasian victory. Nisbis was then firmly secured by a Laurasian taskforce (August 25, 1661), and by the beginning of September, Chapman and Simmons were both under siege by the Emperor's forces. Although a Laurasian move against McDowell failed (September 7, 1661), Emperor Gaillenus was nevertheless able to blunt Karakorian raids at Sierra, Felix, and Glassia-on-the-Corridor, thereby containing the threat from that state. Chapman, however, did not fall until September 26; Simmons followed two days later. By that time, all Marasharite and Haynsian forces in the Lacian Cluster, including those at Shaelynn, Sonny, Chalassion, Halassion, and Alyssa, had been expelled. Mocktrialis and Capone were recovered (October 4, 1661), and offensives by Haynsian units against Calrissian, Nandia, and Vorta ended in failure. On October 11, Governor Odenathus launched a decisive move to the Galactic Frontier Route, thereby storming Chappelear, Natalie, Tiona, and Adrianne, and securing the Laurasian position in the Borderlands Territories. Ursula, Jin Major, Morg, and King were recovered that month, and on November 3, 1661, Marasharite Vizier Kevrakh-Bey was forced to abandon Xilania Major. DeSimms, Chromy, and Hinz fell on November 14, and this was compounded by the seizure of Nexania and Petrash (November 22, 1661). Lynne and Multan were then secured (November 25-December 6), and on December 14, 1661, Governor Odenathus and Prefect Balista imposed a blockade of Norah itself.

1662

 * As 1662, the 62nd year of the seventeenth century, commenced, the Laurasian Empire had gained the upper hand in its struggle with the Marasharites. Norah, which was blockaded from December 14, fell on January 7, 1662, thereby virtually completing the Laurasian reconquest of the Satian Provinces. Belaprasian and Abrianne fell on January 10, bringing the Empire's forces back up to the Galactic Frontier Route. Emperor Gaillenus, however, was forced to return to Laurasia Prime, due to the outbreak of the Quadrant Rebellion in the Cellini Middle East and the activities of pirate and Dejanican bands in the Malarian Provinces (February 1662). It was with this turn of events that the revolt against his authority took place. General-Lord Macrianus was now confident in his own abilities. He had indeed gained much popularity with his own subordinates and supporters, and assumed the false confidence that he alone could determine the thrust of the Empire's future successes. On March 3, 1662, Macrianus held a secret conference with Prefect Ballista (himself disenchanted with the Emperor), seeking to connive with him in order to assume direction of their own realm, and to turn their resources against the "false Emperor Gaillenus". Governor Odenathus was kept ignorant of these proceedings.
 * On March 27, 1662, just as Ba'dai and Styris V were again being threatened by Laurasian expeditions, Macrianus issued a proclamation from his command headquarters on Xilania Major, announcing that he could no longer recognize the authority of Emperor Gaillenus. At that point, Macrianus was acclaimed Emperor by his own troops and subordinates, and now claimed jurisdiction over the Empire's territories extending from the Galactic Frontier Route to the Lacian Cluster. Prefect Balista supported him in his claims, and expected to be rewarded for this support. In April 1662, Macrianus proclaimed his sons Fulvius Iunius (1636-62) and Titus Quietus (1639-62) as his co-Emperors, thereby intending to buttress his own position and to consolidate his familial hold of the "throne".
 * Governor Odenathus, who had refused to renounce his allegiance to Gaillenus, nevertheless decided to bide his time. "Emperor" Macrianus, on his part, confident of his own position, now decided to launch his move against Gaillenus. On May 4, 1662, he advanced from Eaidon, Zoe, Juxles, Orkhan, Bingley, and Sommers against the Northern Territories; his son, co-Emperor Iunius, served as his chief military subordinate. Father and son at first faced no opposition, and gained a string of successes. Roxuli and Abraham were both conquered (May 14), followed by Skyler (May 22, 1662). Ablincoln was then blockaded (May 28, 1662), while Laronn, Quanna, and Sheryl were threatened in their turn by rebel expeditions. Emperor Gaillenus, still grappling with troubles in the Purse Region, and with the Eastern Barsar Regions growing increasingly restless against his authority, now decided to dispatch his successful commander, Lieutenant-General Sir Aureolus Tacianus (1620-68), against the rebel trio. The General, establishing his command headquarters on Frederickslandia, now halted a further raiding expedition against Laronn (June 8, 1662), and on June 14, destroyed a force dispatched by co-Emperor Iunius in the Battle of Wendy. From there, he relieved Ablincoln (June 17, 1662), and on June 24, stormed the rebel strongholds of the Western Fortress, Roxuli, Apashalion, Sophie, and Irra, thereby terminating the threat to the historic Istantius Capital Region.
 * On July 4, 1662, the Battle of Finch resulted in another, yet more decisive victory for General Aureolus. As a result of this, both Macrianus and his son Iunius were captured. Bound in chains, they were presented before the victorious Laurasian General shortly afterwards. Father and son now attempted to beg for mercy, but Aureolus ignored this. On July 12, after the Emperor had imposed a imperial writ of attainder against them both, Macrianus and Iunius were executed. By the end of July 1662, the Northern Territories were once again back in the hands of the Imperial Laurasian Government. Yet more trouble had now arisen. As mentioned previously, the Eastern Barsar Regions were simmering in dissent against the Emperor's regime. Breha, Chobania, Samantha, Messalina, Offshora, and Reading were in particular, hotbeds of dissent against the Emperor's administrative, religious, and taxation policies. It was now the 9th Earl of Messalina, the Governor of the Lower Barsian Diocese, and Legate-General Postumus Gallicus who took advantage of these tensions to elevate himself. On April 19, 1662, he was proclaimed Emperor by the garrisons and authorities of Samantha, Goni, and the Samanthan Colonies, thereby becoming Emperor of what would become known as the Laurasian Empire of Samantha. Over the succeeding months, Gallicus successfully advanced the bounds of his authority. Chobania, Messalina, and Reading recognized him as Emperor in May 1662; Breha, Drea, Duana, Abshire, Strongstine, and the Hutsite Reaches followed in June; and by July, the strongholds of the Orion Cluster, Rolle, Bookman, Gilestis, Christopher, Narra, Nanking, Filmore, Millard, Constipex, Henderson, Cox, Banks, Gardiner, and Kimanis Mooria had all recognized Postumus's authority.
 * On August 2, 1662, Postumus, seeking to consolidate his authority, ordered his forces to blockade Beverly Hereidu, whose defenses were commanded by Hercalius Saloninus, 2nd Baron Saloninus of Cal (1624-62) and his superior, Major-General Sir Silvanus Brascius (1610-62), Praetorian Prefect of the Upper Barsar Regions. Postumus now demanded that Saloninus and Brasicus acknowledge him as Emperor; both refused, and they paid for their defiance. Beverly Hereidu fell (August 22, 1662), and on the usurper's orders, both were executed. By October 1662, Winehouse, Woolestone, Tolbiac, Marsin, Khagia, Dumbgwita, Cal, Morley, Simon, Stahl, and the Armenian Worlds had all submitted to Postumus's authority as Emperor. Postumus now proceeded to strengthen his military and to establish his own governmental structures. On Samantha, he organized his own versions of the Governing Senate and Holy Synod. Furthermore, he assumed the honorary rank of consul, and appointed Sir Honoranius Lervisus (1611-68) as his Chancellor. He strengthened Samanatha's defenses, sponsoring a major expansion of the Samanathan Military Citadel through the last months of 1662.
 * In January 1663, Postumus began issuing his own coinage, assumed the rank of Pontifex Maximus, and organized his own corps of Praetorian Guards. His jurisdiction extended further, with Novina, Preena, Harrison, Jarman, and Skold all accepting him as Emperor in December 1662. By February 1663, Riley and Plath had also been compelled to accept his authority, thereby effectively extending his rule over the Jarjanican Provinces. Postumus proved resoundingly successful in bringing tranquility to the Eastern Barsar Regions. The coinage he issued was of better quality, and higher value, than that issued by Gaillenus; he maintained an effective judicial system; and he ordered for periodic codifications of the laws that he promulgated. Furthermore, the years 1663 and 1664 would see Postumus instigate a series of successful military campaigns in the Hutsite Reaches and the Galactic Void, repelling Haynsian raids, suppressing a number of pirate organizations, including Czors' Marauders and the Pirates of Harth, and improving commerce in the Wild Marshes.
 * Gaillenus, on his part, had to contend with other issues, which distracted his attention from the situation in the Barsar Regions. In August 1662, he issued a series of instructions to Governor Odenathus, whose period of "biding" was over, and who decided to assert his own position of ascendancy in the Outer Borderlands. Emperor Gaillenus ordered Odenathus to strike against "Emperor" Quietus without delay, and in exchange, offered to make him Praetorian Prefect of the Outer Borderlands, Duke of Nandia and Xilania Major, and Governor-General of the Xilanian, Satian, and Galactic Frontier Provinces, thereby giving him a substantial base of authority and patronage over the Empire's Borderland Territories. Odenathus accepted this offer, and proceeded without delay against Quietus. Defeating Quietus at Jin Minor (September 1, 1662), Odenathus then secured Bingley, Juxles, Morg, and King, thereby driving a wedge into the heart of the rebel territories. In October 1662, he repelled a series of rebel counteroffensives against Nandia, Urta, and the Vorassi Colonies, thereby maintaining his control over his chief strongholds. On November 7, 1662, the Battle of Horeb Prima ended in another decisive victory for Odenathus. It was not until November 18, however, before Xilania Major was captured, and not until December 9, 1662, before the Battle of Emesa resulted in the final defeat and death of "Emperor" Quietus, who committed suicide before he could be captured.

1663

 * The events of the Shapurian War continued into 1663, the 63rd year of the seventeenth century. In January 1663, Odenathus chased Prefect Balista, whose complicity in the Macrinian Rebellion had been discovered the previous month, across the Pargurs, defeating him in confrontations at Jan, Hancock, and Gilmore. Finally (February 9, 1663), Balista was defeated and captured in the Battle of Markoth; an writ of attainder had been imposed against him, and he was executed on Odentathus's command just four days later. This, along with the capture of Sommers from rebel units (February 18, 1663), completed the reassertion of imperial control in those regions. Odenthathus, confirmed in all of his positions and rewards by Emperor Gaillenus earlier that month, was now the chief "agent" of the Imperial Laurasian Government in the northern regions. He now pursued a vigorous offensive into the Tof Borderlands and Muggal Cluster, determined to compel the Marasharites to recognize the Empire's hold of the Eastern Galactic Frontier Route. Pimjang was stormed (February 27, 1663), followed by Seoul, Karlong, Pyongyang, and Verdorium Minor (March 1663). On April 2, 1663, the Battle of Karl resulted in a decisive victory for Prefect Odenathus; by the end of that month, he had stormed Ayensdord, Ba'dai, and the Tof Colonies of the Farther Bend, thereby entrenching the Empire's offensive forces in those regions. Sackrandis then fell victim to a Laurasian offensive (April 8-17, 1663), and a Marasharite counteroffensive against Kaming, Ursula, and King (May 1663), ended in failure. Karlong was then blockaded by a Laurasian force, from May 22, 1663.
 * It's fall (June 18, 1663), thereby imposed a further humiliation upon the Marasharites, who were now facing military conflict in Crete, the Lebanese Worlds, the Arabian States, and in the Danubian Principalities (against Transylvania, Hungarian rebels, and the Holy Austarlian Empire). In July 1663, Kilia and Braila were both stormed by Laurasian forces. From Braila, Laurasian units stormed the Marasharite outposts of Kala (August 7-14), Ribnita (August 22), and Ughechul (August 28). On September 2, 1663, the Battle of Thurman saw another decisive victory for Prefect Odenathus's forces; the Prefect captured 100,000 Haynsian Shock Troopers, and impounded a number of Marasharite corvettes and transports, including the IMS Klesaag, one of the largest military vessels then in operation within the Galactic Borderlands. By the beginning of September 1663, the Prefect's forces were directly threatening the defenses of the chief Torfian Throne Worlds, namely Ung, Kumong, and Imegina.
 * Although the Haynsians continued to strike into the Wild Marshes, with Gunevere, Lancelot, Barbara, Bouchet, Anjun, Kelvania Minor, and Morgania Minor all suffering from the Despotate's expeditions during this time, Odenathus had, nevertheless, successfully advanced the Empire's overall strategic position forward against its adversaries. This was further displayed when he won the Third Battle of Carrhae (October 8, 1663), recovering many of the standards, emblems, and armor which had been lost to the Marasharites three years earlier. He then turned his attention to Ctesiphon, determined to secure the reduction of that stronghold. Ctesiphon was besieged from October 14, and it fell on November 2, thereby constituting a blow to the Marasharite strategic position. Edessa soon followed (November 14, 1663). On November 18, Meneia too, was overrun by the Prefect's forces, and he then proceeded to the subjugation of Kia (November 22), Pulaski (December 2), and Billy Gasis (December 9-15). It was the capture of Billy Gasis which finally compelled Emperor Shapur to consider peace negotiations with the Laurasian Empire. This was the picture now forming as 1663 came to a close.

1664

 * 1664, the 64th year of the seventeenth century, commenced with the long Shapurian War drawing to its close. In January 1664, Shapur requested for a truce to end the conflict, through his Grand Council, and ordered for Marasharite and Haynsian military forces to halt all of their operations. Emperor Gaillenus reciprocated, accepting the truce and ordering Odenathus to halt his moves. The Truce of Marson (January 27, 1664), put military hostilities to a halt. It was not until March 5, 1664, however, before the Treaty of Latrice was signed, thereby terminating the Shapurian War of 1653-64, which had dragged on for nearly eleven years. Laurasian rule of Abrianne, Adrianne, Natalie, Tiona, Belaprasian, and the Chapperian Colonies was recognized by the Marasharite Empire, as was Gaillenus's rightful title to the Laurasian throne. The Marasharites thereby promised not to conduct any diplomatic or economic relations with the breakaway Samanthan Empire. All prisoners of war were to be exchanged; the Haynsians were to return all plunder, equipment, and goods seized since January 1, 1662; and all military forces were to be withdrawn back to their respective realms.
 * Emperor Shapur also agreed to return the body of the late Emperor Valerian, father of Gaillenus, so that he could be properly interred at the Westphalian Cathedral. Valerian's body would be handed over on April 1, 1664, at Norah, and he would be interred at the Westphalian Cathedral two months later, in a ceremony presided over by his son. The Marasharites also returned the body of the late rebel General Sir Marides Uranius, who had died at Bucharina on April 7, 1657, and whose flight to the Marasharite Galactic Borderlands had been a precipitating factor of the Shapurian War. On Emperor Gaillenus's orders, Uranius's body, which was received on the same day as his father's, would be posthumously condemned to death, incinerated, and dumped into the Pit of Traitors on Jadia (May 1657). With the Shapurian War having now formally terminated, Laurasia and Marasharita were to remain at peace for the next thirty-four years (until 1698). Moreover, Prefect Odenathus had enhanced his own position. He obtained further plaudits by negotiating the Treaty of McDowell with the Brestord Kingdom of Karakorum (May 19, 1664), resolving all outstanding disputes with that power and providing for the payment, by Brestord King Charaton, of $5.5 trillion denarii in reparations to the Laurasian Empire. Odenathus then spent the remainder of the year focusing his attention on the recovery and consolidation of the Imperial position in the Borderlands Provinces and other Northern Territories. Elsewhere in the Empire, events continued to develop.
 * Emperor Gaillenus now sought to focus his attention upon internal reforms and upon addressing the precarious state of the Laurasian Empire's currency and taxation systems, weakened as they had been by years of foreign war and civil disorder. In June 1664, the Emperor streamlined overall property tax rates, decreasing them from a maximum of 15% per annum to less than 5% per annum. This was followed in July 1664 by the reorganization of the Imperial Treasury, and by directions issued to quaestors, aediles, and financial procurators throughout the Empire to crack down on peculation, fraud, tax evasion, and other tax-related crimes. The Governing Senate, which still maintained overall authority over the financial administration of the Imperial Civil Service, was ordered to conduct a general survey of all government debts, obligations, and bonds (August 1664). This report was not completed until February 1665, and it inspired Emperor Gaillenus to order for the establishment of a commission of economists, in order to investigate proposals to reform the Civil Service's disbursement and salaries system. Gaillenus also sought to reform the Praetorian Guards. He had raised their salary four times since assuming sole possession of the throne; in October 1664, the Emperor issued a reconfirmation of their basic privileges of vacation, garrison, and of "flexible" movement, while at the same time ordering a reduction in enrollment numbers, the dismantling of five Praetorian Guards training barracks on Charasia, Americana, Clackimaris, and Falloria Minor, and the implementation of new regulations on uniforms, armor, and overall conduct. As 1664, ended, therefore, the Empire had returned to a state of overall peace, and had undergone some beneficial innovations.

1665

 * 1665, the 65th year of the seventeenth century, commenced with the Laurasian Empire restored to a tenuous state of peace, and with the Emperor of Laurasia pursuing a series of further innovations within the Imperial Laurasian Government. In January 1665, Emperor Gaillenus forbade members of the Governing Senate and Holy Synod from holding, or assuming military commissions; by doing this, he sought to break the bonds which had come to exist between the armed forces and the central institutions of the Imperial Laurasian Government, thereby rendering both more dependent on him, and him alone. He also sponsored a reorganization of the military academic system; the Emperor founded forty auxillary sciences, engineering, and merchant marine schools in the years 1664-1666. Gaillenus also sought to improve military mobility, and issued a series of memorandums reorganizing, reducing, or streamlining more than 15,000 regiments of the Imperial Laurasian Army. He promoted the establishment of new barrier defenses in the Beatrice Region and in the Merlite Provinces; shifted military commands in an effort to deprive commanders of definite ties to one region; and expanded opportunities by commoners and middle-class subjects to enter the officer corps. These measures would ultimately pave the way to the far greater innovations, and reforms, promulgated by Emperor Neuchrus.
 * Yet not all was in order for the Emperor of Laurasia. Postumus's rebellion has already been noted. Gaillenus found himself grappling with other outbursts of rebellion, and of civil dissent, throughout the Empire. Hannah, Ruthania, Teth, and Evelyn erupted in a series of anti-taxation revolts against the Imperial Laurasian Government (March 1665); Hoohshikk, Predosur, Whoppi, Goldberg, Shephard, Beharis, Hasselbeck, and Walters were seriously threatened by the activities of the Metalorn Rings, who constantly defied efforts by the imperial garrisons of the Hookiee Provinces to stamp them out; and in June 1665, violent demonstrations occurred on Osama, Tarravania, Little Mexicana, and Darsis, protesting the Emperor's instructions concerning peculation and tax evasion. In August 1665, Emperor Gaillenus had to contend with the outbreak of riots in Christiania, Colombia, Osraninpolis, Heliotrope, Uris, Beneventum, Medelevium, Ostia, and other major cities across Laurasia Prime; these riots lasted for the remainder of the year, and ultimately caused property losses of more than €17 trillion dataries. In November 1665, Zutagia, Zennethia, and Nosauria were gripped by the Brimian Revolt, as the Nosaurian rebel Al-Gacki (1617-66) attempted to reestablish the independence of those systems and to repel Laurasian military forces.

1666

 * The rebellion of Al-Gacki, instigated in November 1665, continued into 1666. It required a direct campaign by General Aureolus before this rebellion was finally suppressed at Zesia (January 7, 1666). Al-Gacki committed suicide before he could be captured. And then in February 1666, Emperor Gaillenus was confronted with yet another rebel threat, again in the Central Core. Paramine, Pasquarillo, and Palimisiano all found themselves ravaged by the outbreak of civil dissent, this time related to government policies concerning transit and land requisitions. And it was the Governor of the Paramine Province, Major-General Sir Lucius Aemillianus (1619-66), Knight Banneret of N'zoth, who took advantage of the rebellion to enter into a direct rebellion against the authority of Gaillenus.
 * On March 2, 1666, he denied the jurisdiction of Gaillenus over the Empire, and was proclaimed Emperor by his own troops. Within days, he had secured Goss Beacon, Williams, Melarnaria, the Outer Belt, Margarina, Seniolo, and Beritvetti, thereby posing a serious threat to the Emperor's position in the Clancian Provinces. Rebel expeditions harried Wroona, Constantine I, Andriana, Ietas, Tyndaris, Gordasis, N'zoth (where an attempt to rise against governmental authorities failed), and Courdina V. "Emperor" Aemillianus was by April 1666 issuing coinage in his own name, and he sought to recruit mercenaries and defectors from throughout the remainder of the Empire. That same month, his forces stormed Daala, Yularen, Pellaeon, and Natasi, posing a threat to Goldaria itself. Emperor Gaillenus, who could not afford to lose control of the important Clancian Trunk Line and the Goldarian Core Highway, now dispatched the Governor of Carina and Seejay Prime, Sir Theodosius Crassius (1607-68) against the usurper. General Crassius advanced from Carina in May 1666, and within days, had recovered both Yularen and Natasi. On June 4, 1666, he inflicted a ruinous defeat upon rebel forces in the Battle of Ecreutus, maintaining that important world for Gaillenus. Daala was recovered ten days later, and on June 29, 1666, he instigated a siege of Pellaeon.
 * "Emperor" Aemillianus now rashly threw his forces into an offensive against Bainsborough and Elainsborough, attempting to stretch government lines across and to force the abandonment of the siege. That strategy, however, failed, and on July 18, 1666, Pellaeon fell. Two days later, Crassius launched a surprise move against Paramine and Pasquarillo; both strongholds surrendered within hours. Tuckman, Danny, and Austin became scenes of further humiliating defeats for rebel forces (August 3, 1666), and on August 18, Palimisiano too surrendered. Aemillianus, however, was not captured until October 1, 1666, at Paula; he was executed on Seejay Prime twelve days later, having been condemned in absentia by the Governing Senate and subsequently sentenced to death. By the end of October 1666, the Central Core was once again securely in Emperor Gaillenus's possession. On November 8, 1666, the Emperor began a tour through the Clancian and Melarnarian Provinces, in an effort to reaffirm his authority over those regions. He then suppressed civil uprisings on Marshia, Tommy, Arias, Capital, and Meaganian (December 1666).
 * By December 1666, however, the Emperor's position in the Barsar Regions had further deteriorated. The efforts by his subordinates in the Ashlgothian Borderland and Melorkian Provinces to defeat Postumus had failed, and on December 17, 1666, Postumus finally seized Kimania and Leo's Redoubt, which his forces had blockaded since December 1665, allowing for him to consolidate his hold of the entire lower Kimanian Run. Yet there were other issues for the Emperor's government as well, as regards to Laurasia's turbulent neighbor in the southwestern Galactic Borderlands, the Vectorian Empire. Vectorian Emperor Ishuima died on January 17, 1666, and was succeeded to the Vectorian throne by his aggressive nephew, Mandaru I (r. 1666-74). Emperor Mandaru now sought to turn his eyes once more upon the Laurasian Empire, for his predecessor had been engaged in wars with the Haynsians, Dejanicans, and Scottrians over the course of the preceding decade. By September 1666, Vectorian units had been assembled at Rhedita, Mercia, Camarania, Kylatnha, Essie, Deira, Ghaza, Anastasia Major, Anastasia Minor, Rhodes, Hospallia, Al-Pushim, Aletis, and Jacksonian Backory, among other strongholds. Vectorian reconnaissance and intelligence expeditions now penetrated deep into Laurasian territory, in spite of numerous protests issued by the Imperial Laurasian Government.

1667

 * 1667, the 67th year of the seventeenth century, commenced with war on the horizon between Laurasia and Vectoria. On January 7, 1667, Emperor Mandaru issued instructions to the Vectorian High Command, ordering them to make preparations for the final commencement of military campaigns. The war itself began on March 9, 1667, in the wake of these preparations. Within weeks, Vectorian military forces, catching their Laurasian adversaries off guard, made hefty gains. Angela Masia was conquered (March 9-14, 1667), followed by Lesia Minor (March 22); Ruumlist (March 29); Nicole (April 4); and Redia (April 11). Sejucia found itself subjected to a Vectorian blockade from April 15, 1667, and fell at the end of the month. Sharon Alfonsi, Hamacaki Barka, Destiny Major, and the Laurasian colonies of Schieffer, Dickerson, and Brennan all fell into Vectorian hands (May 1667); Laurasian forces were humiliated in these confrontations, suffering extensive losses in personnel, supplies, and warships. On June 7, 1667, Emperor Mandaru's chief military commander, Harna-General Nuabu-Gabu, inflicted an additional humiliation upon Laurasian forces under the command of Xiphilius Beartus, 3rd Earl of Beatrice (1612-71), in the Battle of O'Donnell.
 * The Laurasians lost more than 300,000 personnel, 35 warships, and nearly half of their turbocannons, escort fighters, and transports; the Vectorians suffered the loss of just five ships and 50,000 personnel, with no comparable losses in materiel or escorts. The Earl of Beatrice was, in the aftermath of this battle, recalled by an angry Emperor Gaillenus back to Laurasia Prime; he would be forced to retire to his private estates, dying in disgrace in Christiania in January 1671. By June 18, still reeling from the Battle of O'Donnell, Laurasian military forces had been ejected from Stewart, Hannibal, Skye I, and Lesia Major; and in July 1667, Lesia Minor also fell victim to Vectorian assaults. Meridu and Eliza Spencer were then seized (August 5, 1667), and Nuabu-Gabu achieved the spectacular feat of capturing 45,000 Imperial Laurasian Marines, along with their armor and equipment.
 * Emperor Gaillenus, once more distracted by internal disturbances and civil unrest elsewhere in his Empire, including the open defiance of the garrisons of Wakedia, Jaumina, and Meris in the Robertian Provinces, the activities of the Nehamian Pirate Ring in the Lower Burglais Arm, and renewed raids, by Dejanican and Haynsian expeditionary parties, into the Garaman and Angelican Provinces, did not give a more vigorous response to the Vectorian threat until the end of August 1667. On September 4, 1667, the Emperor advanced from Robert to Melorkia Major, and issued instructions to all Laurasian garrisons and forces in the Barsar Regions to apply all "necessary" effort against any future Vectorian offensives. In that month, the Vectorians overran Ankara, Zoo, and Beatrice Minor, but the Laurasian Emperor successfully secured Kane, Tahon, Bryce, Courtney, Emma, Imma, and Baiteman, managing to defeat a Vectorian task force under the command of Nuabu-Gabu's prime subordinate, Tenshu-Gabu, in the Battle of Martinez (September 27-30, 1667).
 * Then in October 1667, he launched a major counteroffensive in the Durant Cluster, recovering Skye I, Schieffer, Dickerson, and Brennan (October 2-6), repelling a Venasian counteroffensive at Sharon Alfonsi (October 17), and recovering captured Laurasian warships in a confrontation near Atkinson (October 24, 1667). Angela Masia was taken (November 1, 1667), and six days later, General Nuabu-Gabu was forced to abandon his blockades of Leslie, Trebek, and Larkin. Gaillenus obtained an additional triumph at Morgan (November 6, 1667), and launched a daring expedition against Vectorian positions in the outpost system of Neenan (November 18), preventing the Vectorians from making any additional raids towards Brooke One and Emily Deusitania. A Laurasian move against Tong, Al-Pushim, and Aletis, however, failed (December 1667).

1668

 * 1668, the 68th year of the seventeenth century, saw the continuation of the fierce struggle in the Western Barsar Regions between the Laurasian and Vectorian Empires. January and February 1668 saw a series of clashes at Ankara, Zoo, Zee, Robach, and Destiny Major between the Laurasians and Vectorians. On March 7, 1668, General Nuabu-Gabu, seeking to press the advantage against the Laurasians, launched a major offensive into the Merlite Provinces. Evan and Jacquenthia became the first targets of this offensive; both strongholds fell within ten days. Aretha and Roaeris were then seized by Vectorian units, and on April 8, 1668, Vectorian Admiral Yakmeni destroyed a Laurasian task force under Clodius Grangius, 2nd Lord Grangius of Donguaria Prima (1618-74), in the Battle of Korgia. Following this confrontation, the Laurasian colonies of Dubois, Smith, Arnell, and Sven became subject to Vectorian offensives (April 9-17, 1668), and by the end of April 1668, Ethel Kennethia was under siege by the Vectorian forces. Emperor Gaillenus, who was struggling to repel Vectorian expeditions into the Ashlgothian Borderland Provinces, and who had to deal with raids from his rear by his rival, "Emperor" Postumus in the Barsar Regions, was now confronted with two blows to his strategic position in succession. The first of these concerned the situation in the Northern Territories, which had now turned against the Imperial Laurasian Government.
 * The Marasharite Empire was at this juncture distracted by wars with Transylvania, the Haxonian Confederacy, and the Kingdoms of Greater & Lesser Spamalka; it was therefore less focused on what was occurring in the Caladarian Galaxy. The Haynsian Despotate continued to launch small-scale raids and reconnaissance expeditions into Laurasian territory (particularly along the Galactic Frontier Route and in the Satian Provinces), but it too, was more focused on the military campaigns of its suzerain in the Great Amulak and Little Amulak Galaxies. Nevertheless, the Laurasian Empire's central authority in those regions had weakened considerably. Prefect Odenathus had, during the middle years of the 1660s, grown more and more powerful. In March 1665, Emperor Gaillenus, confident of his loyalty, had appointed Odenathus as Governor-General of the Diocese of Lacia and Greater Homidinia, thereby extending his jurisdiction to the confines of Ryan, Gwendolyn, and the Kledis Var Trade Run, as well as the Lacian Cluster itself. Odenathus, whose "headquarters" on Xilania Major (to which he relocated in December 1664), now effectively resembled a imperial court, proved himself a vigorous and fair administrator, enforcing Gaillenus's taxation policies but proving amenable to all complaints by those under his authority, and building a close affection with his troops and immediate subordinates. Except for one: Lieutenant-General Sir Maeonius Crathius (1622-67), who began plotting his conspiracy against Odenathus from September 1666.
 * By August 1667, he had gathered his own corps of supporters, and had completely formulated his plans, determined to seize Odenathus's position of power, and contemplating ideas of a another, more direct revolt, against the authority of the Emperor himself. On September 9, 1667, Prefect Odenathus was presiding over a gladiatorial contest at the Hyperian Arena when Crathius's soldiers suddenly leaped upon him and his eldest son by his first marriage, Sir Hairan Odenathus (1642-67). Odenathus and his son both died instantly. But contrary to Crathius's expectations, Odenathus's subordinates and troops rallied around the man's widow, Zenobia (1640-1724). Odenathus's first wife, Claudia Marcella, had died of the Marsian fever in September 1653, aged 33. He had married again two years later, in December 1655, to Zenobia, then fifteen years old. She was the daughter of Sir Julian Zenobius (1597-1651), a Laurasian general officer and administrator who had died in the Battle of Arbitus, and of his wife Cleopatra (1616-59), who claimed to be a descendant of the 6th century Laurasian King Claudius I. With Zenobia, Odenathus had two additional sons: Vaballathus (1659-74) and Herodianus (1664-69). His subordinates now rallied behind them as well. The tide now turned against General Crathius. On September 28, 1667, he was captured at Jin Minor, having attempted his escape from Xilania Major, and was brought there. Emperor Gaillenus issued a writ of attainder against him on October 1, 1667, and he was executed five days later. On October 28, 1667, the Emperor formally designated Odenathus's former chief subordinate, Sir Septimius Zabbai (1625-73), as his successor as Prefect and Governor of the concerned regions.
 * Yet Zenobia, who was 27 years old, and renowned for her beauty, wit, and vigor, was determined to have a say. Zabbai in any case soon became her lover, and the loyalty of Odenathus's troops was to her, not to Zabbai. This situation then solidified, and in April 1668, the Duchess Dowager of Calrissian found herself hailed by the troops as protector of Odenathus's sons, and as Praetoress of the Xilanian Territories. Zabbai submitted to her authority, and she now became effective ruler of the Empire's northern territories. Emperor Gaillenus refused to acknowledge this situation, and in May 1668, would issue a manifesto denouncing Zenobia and her supporters as traitors. Yet imperial authority in those regions was all but gone, and the Emperor found that he could not impose his will on these far-flung territories without war. This reverse was followed by another. By May 1668, General Aureolus had come to believe that Gaillenus had forfeit his rights to the Laurasian throne, and that he was utterly incapable of solving the Empire's troubles.
 * The month prior, Gaillenus had ordered Aureolus, whose loyalties were becoming uncertain, to take command of the garrisons of the Nexus Route, and to suppress any revolts which might occur against governmental authority in the region. Aureolus obliged, but from his base on Jem, planned rebellion against the Emperor. On May 17, 1668, he revealed his plans to his chief subordinates, in particular Vice-Admiral Maxentius Kabarius, 2nd Earl of Kigonia (1615-68). Kigonia, who was himself eager for reward, and for glory in the Imperial State, eagerly supported his superior's plans. Finally, on June 7, 1668, Aureolus, having secured his supreme control of the Nexus Route garrisons, announced his revolt against Emperor Gaillenus, and declared his support for Postumus in the Barsar Regions. Aureolus made quick progress. Meaganian, Chandlier, Capital, and Tommy all fell into his hands (June 1668), and on July 4, he secured Ipsus V, Bolgrahay, and Robbay, thereby exerting control over the Venasian Triangle.
 * By July 18, the garrisons of Mumbraine, Bristalai, Dorothy, Lydia, Greenia, Bleuia, Hordania, and Compost V had all declared their loyalty for him; those of Gitlandia, Dunaburg, and Shiloh seemed to be swaying. Emperor Gaillenus now found himself forced to return to the Core Regions to suppress this revolt. Entrusting command of his forces in the Barsar Regions to Lieutenant-General Sir Claudius Valerius, the Emperor hastened to Murphy, arriving there at the end of July 1668. On August 7, 1668, he began his advance into the Schauerian Provinces. Rashid and Calpurnia were both secured by Gaillenus (August 8-11, 1668); on August 14, from Dunaburg (where rebel sentiments had been brought under control), Gaillenus formally proclaimed Aureolus a traitor, and denounced all who cooperated with him. Aureolus responded by ordering for coinage of Emperor Postumus to be minted on Jem, Dill, Boo, and Atticus.
 * Nevertheless, by the latter weeks of August 1668, Bristalai, Mumbraine, Hordania, and Compost V had all been secured by Emperor Gaillenus's forces, and the rebellion seemed close to suppression. Yet Gaillenus was now forced to hasten to Marshia, where another rebellion had erupted against the Imperial Laurasian Government. Aureolus, on his part, found himself blockaded at Caroline by government forces from Nystadia, Gdov, and Kamachina (August 25, 1668). But by the beginning of September 1668, Gaillenus's position was extremely weak. Many of the Emperor's subordinates and servants now heartily distrusted or disliked him, and like Postumus or Aureolus, wanted him dead. The conspiracy was now nurtured by the Praetorian Prefect of Laurasia Prime, Sir Aurelius Heraclianus (1620-69), and by Sir Lucius Aurelius Marcianus, 2nd Lord Marcianus of Ralispont (1629-70), both of whom wished for General Valerius to become the next Emperor.
 * They were supported by Major-General Sir Aurelian Domitius, who was the chief subordinate to General Valerius. On September 5, 1668, having secured the loyalty of their troops, the two officials instigated their plan. Emperor Gaillenus, who was in Aquielia, Tarsius II, in the orbit of Marshia, and was overseeing the blockade of that rebellious system, was struck down by one of his Praetorian Guards (recruited and bribed by the conspirators), Constantine Macanius (1641-72), whilst conducting a review of his troops and personnel. At the time of his death, Gaillenus had reigned as Emperor for fifteen years, seven as co-ruler with his father Valerian and eight as the sole monarch. This would be the longest reign of any Laurasian sovereign during the Crisis of the Seventeenth Century. Within hours, news of his death spread throughout the Laurasian Empire. General Valerius, who now had major support among the Senate, Synod, and Council of Civil Service, and had become respected for his successes against the Vectorians, was acclaimed as Emperor by the institutions of the Imperial Laurasian Government, and by his own troops (September 8, 1668).
 * The new Emperor wasted no time. He ordered for the Senate to confer posthumous blessings upon his predecessor, and for him to be given a ceremonial funeral at the Westphalian Cathedral. By doing this, Claudius sought to disassociate himself from the assassination. He nevertheless rewarded both Prefect Hercalianus and Lord Macrianus; the former was created as 1st Baron Hercalianus of Karl (September 27, 1668), and the latter was named Governor of the Schauerian Diocese. Claudius, moreover, now ordered Prefect Hercalianus, given a commission of command over the Empire's forces in the Core Regions, to press the offensive vigorously against Aureolus and against the rebels of Marshia. Marshia finally capitulated on October 7, 1668. Hercalianus was ruthless, executing more than 200,000 rebels, imprisoning another 500,000, and confiscating the properties and goods of many of Marshia's inhabitants. In the Schauerian Provinces, considerable progress was made by government units. Bleuia, Greenia, and Lydia were all stormed by Lord Macrianus's forces, and on October 14, 1668, Aureolus's attempt to break out from Caroline was ended in the Battle of Peeler. Two days later, Jem and Dill were both stormed in a surprise thrust; Atticus, Finch, and Jean followed on October 29. Caroline itself, however, was not captured until November 2, 1668.
 * Aureolus committed suicide before he could be captured, on the day that Caroline fell; nevertheless on the Emperor's orders, his body was incinerated, placed on a transport, and dumped into the Pit of Traitors on Jadia. By the end of November 1668, the whole of the Schauerian Provinces, Venasian Triangle, and Nexus Route once again acknowledged the Imperial Government's jurisdiction. Emperor Claudius now sought to bring the Vectorian campaigns to a victorious end. Already, on November 18, 1668, he had secured victory in the Battle of India, terminating, with decisive effect, the Vectorian offensive against that stronghold. By the end of November, all Vectorian raiding moves into the Borderlands Territories had been ended, and on December 9, 1668, Ankara was stormed. Zee, Zoo, and Destiny Major were then secured, and on December 19, Stewart. Hannibal, Sharon Alfonsi, and Skye I were all definitely in Laurasian possession by the end of December 1668.

1669

 * 1669, the 69th year of the seventeenth century, saw the Laurasian Empire bring the Fourth Vectorian War to a conclusion, and make gains against the breakaway Samanthans in the Barsar Regions, but also face further challenges and internal convulsions. This process continued into 1670. In January 1669, Emperor Claudius, with his subordinates Generals Domitius and Hercalianus, instigated a further, decisive move against the invading Vectorians. On January 9, 1669, he defeated the Vectorian High-Admiral Al-Karik in the Battle of Aretha; within five days, he reconquered Bob, Evan, and Jacquentha, thereby strengthening the Laurasian strategic position in the Neo-Merlite Provinces. On January 22, 1669, a further victory was gained in the Battle of Thathis; the Laurasian colonies of Murdoch, Nancarrow, Swabie, and Bledsoe were then recovered by Laurasian expeditions. By February 1669, Laurasian units were blockading Nicole, Redia, and Sejucia, thereby threatening to expel the Vectorians from that region. The Vectorian siege of Ethel Kennethia was relieved on February 9, 1669; ten days later, the Battle of Aletis ended in that world's fall to the Laurasian Empire. Then on February 28, General Domitius gained a major victory in the Battle of Nestos, capturing more than 200,000 Arachosian troops and forcing the surrender of Arachosian High-General Akiya. By March 7, Laurasian units had recovered Lesia Minor, Lesia Major, and Rummlist. Nicole finally surrendered on March 18, 1669, being followed by Redia four days later. Brennan, Dickerson, and Schieffer all faced renewed Vectorian moves, as did Ginger and Robach, but ultimately all of these strongholds remained in Laurasian possession.
 * But in April 1669 a major offensive against Ashlgothia Minor, Thelma, Jennings, Matthew, and West began, launched by Nuabu-Gabu, and all of these strongholds found themselves under siege. The Tyres Straits, in particular, became the site of a major confrontation between Laurasian and Vectorian units (April 21, 1669), resulting in a major strategic stalemate. Emperor Claudius, in the meantime, was assembling his forces carefully in the Durant Cluster, particularly at Mummaquim and Hummaquim, determined not to yield any additional space to the Vectorians. The Laurasian colonies of Dobreus, Pelagonia, and Chrysopolis all suffered from Vectorian raids, but this did not deter the Emperor's plans. Finally, on May 8, Claudius drew Nuabu-Gabu into a direct confrontation at Naissus, a minor Anastasian mining colony located twelve light years westwards of the Durant Cluster. The ensuing Battle of Naissus was hard fought, with both sides suffering extensive casualties. General Domitius, however, distinguished himself in the confrontations, and it was the superior Laurasian resources and organization which decided the outcome. Ultimately, more than two-thirds of the Vectorian forces (approx. 125 warships, 700,000 personnel, and over 1,000 support vessels) were destroyed or captured, and Nuabu-Gabu was forced into retreat. Eliza Spencer, Jacksonian Backory, and Korgia all fell into Laurasian hands, and in June 1669, Vectorian Admiral Yukmeni was killed in the Battle of Anjun.
 * Following this, General Domitius surrounded and destroyed a larger Vectorian force at the Mounds of Heranius, thereby preventing any moves on their part against Beatrice. Arnell, Dubois, and Beatrice Minor were all recovered in July 1669, and by early August, Caesearea, Anastasia Major, and Hospallia were all under assault from Laurasian forces. Emperor Mandaru, facing troubles of his own with the Scottrians over Rasdalla and Kania, decided to now terminate the military conflict. On August 7, 1669, he sent a offer for a peace armistice to Emperor Claudius; this was accepted within three days, and the actual armistice was concluded at Nagosh (August 24, 1669). A conference then convened on Anastasia Minor from August 29, 1669; General Domitius headed the delegation. By now, he had consolidated his place as the Empire's most prominent military commander, for Prefect-General Hercalianus had died suddenly at his command headquarters on Trebek (June 27, 1669), aged 49, and had been interred at his family's estate on Taurasia. The Treaty of Nagosh (September 7, 1669), concluded sixty-four years to the day before the birth of Empress Aurelia the Great, resulted in the concession of Aletis, Jacksonian Bathory, Caesearea, Anastasia Minor, and the Eastern Hospallian Territories (including Hospallia Minor, Ghaza, Lincoln, and Rhodes), to the Laurasian Empire. All prisoners of war were exchanged, and the Vectorian Government agreed to compensate its Laurasian counterpart for all military expenses. The Treaty of Nagosh was ratified by the end of September 1669, by both parties. Emperor Claudius, with the war against Vectoria now at an end, had renewed the Empire's military efforts against the "traitor Postumus": during August and September 1669, he gained a series of victories at Khagia, Hefner, Cyrus III, Anasia, Cadaria, Roastafaria Minor, and Armenia Major, securing (or maintaining) those strongholds against rebel incursions.
 * On October 15, 1669, Claudius inflicted a humiliating defeat upon Postumus in the Battle of Bookman, penetrating to, and entrenching, at that stronghold. Nanking, Diamond, Taming, and Ala-Tagh were all secured by government forces in November 1669. Plath and Skold, neither of which had ever fully supported Postumus's regime, defected back to the Empire on November 18, 1669. Yet by this time, the Emperor's health was in serious decline. On September 21, 1669, he had been hailed as Claudius Vectorius by the Senate and Synod, a reference to his victories over the Vectorian Empire earlier that year. Yet Claudius found that his physical condition had been undermined by the exertions of war, and it was discovered, on December 4, that he had contracted the Angrames malady. The Emperor now returned to Laurasia Prime (December 14, 1669), and to the Imperial Hospital of the Quencilvanian Palace, hoping that a series of experimental treatments would moderate his disease. Yet his condition continued to decline, and by the end of December, the Emperor was lapsing into unconsciousness. As 1669 ended, it became clear to many of the Empire's subjects, and to the institutions of the Imperial Laurasian Government, that Claudius did not have much longer to live.

1670

 * As 1670, the 70th year of the seventeenth century, began, Emperor Claudius Vectorius's condition reached the point of no return. On January 4, the Emperor, who had gone through bouts of unconsciousness over the preceding weeks, fell into a deep (and final) coma, and his physicians now lost all remaining hope for him. He died on January 19, 1670, at the age of 56, after having reigned for only a year and a half. Yet the death of Claudius Vectorius, the first natural death of a Laurasian Emperor since that of Demetrius Severus in 1611, fifty-nine years earlier, sparked much sadness and remorse throughout the Empire. Many considered him the "restorer of Laurasian fortunes", and believed that he had he not died, he would have crushed all. Such a time would come, but not until later in the decade; fifteen years still remained before Neuchrus's accession. Following Claudius Vectorius's death, his cousin, Grand Prince Quintillus Valerius (who had been elevated to that rank by the Emperor in March 1669, and who had been made Praetorian Prefect of Laurasia Prime following Hercalianus's death), quickly gained the support of the institutions of the Imperial Laurasian Government to succeed him, for Claudius Vectorius had not named a successor. Grand Prince Valerius was proclaimed Emperor just hours after his predecessor's demise was announced. Claudius Vectorius would be buried on February 11, 1670, in a solemn ceremony at the Westphalian Cathedral.
 * Yet Emperor Quintillus proved to be an ineffective ruler. By 1670, the ambitions of "Prefectoress" Zenobia had widened beyond bounds. Now convinced of the utter impotence of the government of Laurasia Prime, and eager to carve out her own independent realm, Zenobia engaged in efforts to extend her authority over the Satian Provinces. In January 1670, the Governor of Norah and Satie, Servius Galba, 1st Marquess of MacArthur (1608-74), reluctantly acknowledged Zenobia's jurisdiction; then in March, she seized Roxuli, Abraham, Eaidon, and Zoe by force, providing a further indication of her hostile intentions. And finally, on April 11, 1670, Zenobia formally renounced all allegiance to Emperor Quintillus, formally proclaimed herself Empress and Autocrat of All the Laurasian Xilanians and Queen of Adrianne, and named her son Vaballathus (whom she elevated to the rank of Grand Prince) as her heir-apparent. Her other son Herodianus had died on July 20, 1669, at the age of only five. The Laurasian-Xilanian Empire was thereby established, constituting the second breakaway realm from the Laurasian Empire proper. Emperor Quintillus formally denounced Zenobia's rebellion in a proclamation of April 19, 1670, but was now confronted with other issues. Domitius, who had been promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-General and appointed Prefect of the Barsar Regions in December 1669 by Claudius Vectorius, shortly before his lapse into coma, had from the first refused to recognize Quintillus as Emperor.
 * Yet it was not until May 16, 1670, before he formally erupted in rebellion against Claudius Vectorius's successor. By June 1670, Aurelian had secured the Borderland Territories, Merlite Provinces, and Galician Provinces; the garrisons of Horacia and Murphy, and their associated colonies, had declared for him; and Quintillus found himself threatened by outbursts of violence on Oxia Vixius, Ralina Vixius, Darcia, Americana, and Katie against his rule. The Emperor, determined to halt any further "rebel" advances, now sought to proceed into the Roastafarian Provinces. Strengthening the garrisons of Nathaniel, Drennan, Sanegeta, Brittany, and George, he arrived at Roastafaria Minor (June 22, 1670). Emperor Aurelian, however, was quickly alerted to his advance, and within ten days, had intercepted him near Roastafaria Major. On July 3, 1670, the Battle of Rasti was waged between the two opposing Emperors; within hours, Aurelian had secured a decisive victory, and Quintillus was not only defeated but dead. With the defeat and death of Quintillus, Aurelian was (July 12, 1670), acknowledged as Emperor by the institutions of the Imperial Laurasian Government, and by all remaining garrisons. In August 1670, after suppressing revolts on Resmania, Obathia, Marsin, and Algaica Belgucia against his authority, the Emperor made his progress towards Laurasia Prime. He arrived there on September 9, 1670, being hailed by his subjects with much vigor and celebration. Aurelian now threw himself into efforts to consolidate his position of rule; to ingratiate himself with his subjects; and to strengthen the Imperial Laurasian Government.
 * He granted tax-relief privileges to the nobles and gentry of the Empire, allowing for them to make a return upon their own personal revenues. In October 1670, in accordance with this policy, Aurelian repealed many of the taxation and enumeration charters and decrees passed under Valerian and Gaillenus, reducing peculation and the people's grievances at the same time. He then conducted an extensive purge of the leadership of the Praetorian Guards, replacing the officers of the units with his own supporters. On November 12, the Emperor offered unconditional amnesty to any within the Empire's realms who ceased depredations against governmental authorities; this offer was taken up by many millions during the succeeding months. On November 28, 1670, Aurelian's coronation, the first of a Laurasian sovereign in nearly two decades (since the joint coronation of Valerian and Gaillenus in 1653), was conducted at the Westphalian Cathedral. The ceremony, presided over by the Cardinal of the Laurasia Prime Purse Region and Chief Procurator of the Holy Synod, Thomasius Boucherius (1604-86, who had held his position from April 23, 1654, had kept a steady hand over the affairs of the Imperial Almitian Church, and had maintained the favor of Valerian, Gaillenus, Quintillius, and now Aurelian), proved to be very lavish, strengthening Aurelian's relationship with his subjects. Aurelian also crowned his wife, Empress Consort Ulpia Severina (1615-82), who would become known for maintaining order at the Imperial Laurasian Court while her husband engaged in his military campaigns elsewhere. They had been married in October 1635, and although they had no children, were very close to one another. In December 1670, moreover, the Emperor began a massive expansion of the defenses of Laurasia Prime; during the next four years, they would be bolstered by the addition of new orbital defensive platforms, modern shield generator and ship admission systems, overhauled communications links, and the expansion of the Military Hyperspace Terminal, at the outskirts of the star system.

1671

 * 1671, the 71st year of the seventeenth century, began with the Laurasian Empire's dominions, with a new Emperor, yet facing numerous internal and external threats. In January 1671, Emperor Aurelian conducted a tour of the Laurasia Prime Purse Region, intending to strengthen the defenses of its chief strongholds, and to build a closer relationship with his subjects. Yet soon after departing from Caladaria (one of the main destinations of this tour), the Emperor received word of a uprising on Leah and Lorna by the Laurasian Major-General Sir Septimius Cravanius (1623-71). General Cravanius raised his standard on January 29, 1671, and within days had secured Garnett, Ber Bachman, Gargonia, Negro, Hunt Minor, Timur's Star, and Jabul. Yet Cravanius's momentum only went so far. By March 1671, the rebel had descended into a sense of debauchery and of sloth, and he lost much support when he launched a brutal conquest of Adiabene, which had remained loyal to Emperor Aurelian and refused to defect to his arms (March 12, 1671). By that point, the Governor of Hunt Major, Sir Athanasius Lyradia (1612-80), who had been among Aurelian's earliest supporters the previous year, had already pressed the counteroffensive against Cravanius. Defeating him in the Battle of Ostrahaye (March 16, 1671), Governor Lydradia then drove rebel units from Ber Bachman, Zachary, and Zeffinerli, securing all of those strongholds for the government. On April 5, 1671, Cravanius suffered a more serious defeat in the Battle of Downs, ending his efforts to push into the Sheldonian Provinces. He was then driven from Timur's Star, and from his garrisons on Luttman, Taylor, and Emerson in the Sk'atha Nebula. By April 15, Gargonia and Negro had both returned to their proper allegiance, and on April 24, Cravanius was expelled from Lorna, providing an additional sign of his collapsing situation. On May 1, 1671, Cravanius's own troops and subordinates turned upon him at his personal bedchambers in the High Palace of Leah; he was smothered in his bed, his efforts of resistance failing, and died.
 * By May 9, Governor Lydradia had secured all remaining rebel strongholds, including Leah, ending the short lived Cravanian Rebellion, as it had come to be called. A similar outburst in the OsonBoka Nebula and on Iego, Brenda, and Dickinson, inspired by Sir Seleucus Urbanus, 1st Baron of Izonza (1628-71), was crushed in June 1671; Urbanus himself was captured near Sheldonia on June 12, brought in chains to Hunt Major, and executed there six days later. On Lydradia's orders, his corpse was dispatched back to Aurelian on Laurasia Prime, who had it dumped into the Pit of Traitors. Yet following Urbanus's Rebellion, the Emperor faced another rebellious outburst against his authority: this time in the Shenandonan Provinces. By the middle of 1671, the region was virtually "wallowing" in dissent against the Imperial Laurasian Government. The Governor of Majoria Schall and Prefect of the Central Shenandonan Diocese, Major-General Sir Domitianus Pasuvius (1624-72), 2nd Earl of Pailbirth, had become disenchanted with Emperor Aurelian's military and fiscal reform policies; furthermore, the Earl of Pailbirth considered himself to be inadequately "rewarded" by His Majesty, for he had supported him when he had usurped the Imperial Laurasian Crown a year earlier, and had not received any rewards or promotion in rank. Therefore, from November 1670, he had begun assembling supplies and military units at his strongholds on Endaker, Jonathania, Bar'say, Par'say, Bacturis Invictis, and Mariana Sirtia. In May 1671, he held a conference with his subordinates and with the Millian Houses of Shenandoah, gaining their support and allegiance for a revolt against Aurelian. The rebellion finally erupted on June 22, 1671, just as Urbanus's Rebellion in the Robertian Provinces was being brought to a close.
 * In his proclamation of rebellion from Majoria Schall, Domitianus not only denounced Aurelian's government, and decried the exertions of his regime, but declared himself Emperor, as Domitianus I. Within a short time, he found more support beyond his original strongholds. By July 12, 1671, the garrisons of On'diray, Cagania, Nicholas, Shriver, and Katharnovich had pledged their allegiance to the usurper. On July 19, he defeated a government force in the Battle of Frakes, maintaining his control of Endaker and Jonathania. Four days later, Deborah, whose garrison had been restless for months, and chafed at reductions to their military annuities, declared their support for "Emperor" Domitianus. Moreover, Domitianus began issuing his own coinage, complete with depictions of his likeness in imperial gear, from Shenandoah; promised freedom of navigation and transportation, as well as a five-year exemption from taxes and obligations, for any who pledged their support to him; and issued further manifestos, with insulting and misleading statements about Aurelian and his government. Emperor Aurelian, who had been engaged in reorganizing the Lysimachid Barrier Defenses, and in streamlining the Imperial Military's ranks, found that he could not ignore this threat.
 * On August 1, 1671, the Emperor, along with the 29th, 30th, and 31st Imperial Armies (with the 5th and 9th Imperial Fleets), proceeded directly to Way'tosk, Temperance, and Elijahana, determined to forestall any further rebel advances. Aurelian then obtained a series of victories at Boydaria, Nottingham, and Fats (August 4-15, 1671), blunting any further progress by Domitianus. On August 22, Par'say was recovered by government forces, being followed by Mariana Sirtia on August 28. In spite of the fact that Domitianus repelled a offensive against On'diray (August 28, 1671), Emperor Aurelian was gradually able to gain the advantage. He reconquered Deborah, Predosur, and Jonathania in a series of surprise feints (September 1671). It was not until October 7, however, before Endaker capitulated to the Emperor. Aurelian pursued a vigorous policy of retribution against any who supported the rebel, and on October 15, he ordered for the execution of 30,000 rebel officers on Nicholas, after that world had capitulated to his authority once again. By the middle of October 1671, Emperor Aurelian was preparing a final push against rebel forces. Yet now, the news arrived of the outbreak of war with Scottria.
 * The Celestial Kingdom of Scottria's affairs had, since the conclusion of the Third Scottrian War in 1660, gone through an interlude of regency. King Jamsius III's mother, Mary of Guelders, had remained as regent, and had looked after the interests of her son with great vigor and great skill, until her sudden death on December 1, 1663, at the age of 29. In particular, her fortification of Rathanvorg in the Outskirt Districts, and the incorporation of the Diocese of Berwick (1662), had strengthened the Kingdom's position in the outskirts of the Angelina Spiral. Following her death, Jamsius Kennedy, the Archclanniarch of St. Andrews, and his brother Gilbert, Lord Kennedy of Denure, had then taken the direction of affairs. Both also proved to be effective in handling affairs of state, although the Archclanniarch also engaged in various schemes to increase his own personal wealth, and to use the resources of the government to sponsor his own business ventures, both in the Homeland Territories and in the Galactic Borderlands. The Archclainnarch died on May 24, 1665, only a year and half after the death of Mary of Guelders; Lord Kennedy, who would survive until March 27, 1689, nevertheless decided to retreat from his position of preeminence, and to instead allow the ascendancy of Robert, 1st Lord Boyd (1613-82).
 * Boyd, who had been one of the commissioners at the negotiations for the Treaty of Nagosh back in 1660, was an esteemed member of the Scottrian Estates, and one of the Queen Dowager's favorites, proved himself to be an astute diplomat; in 1668, the Treaty of Branxholme resulted in the final concession of the Shetland Colonies by the Haynsian Despotate to the Celestial Kingdom of Scottria, strengthening Scottria's territorial and diplomatic position in the vicinity of Dumbarton. Yet Lord Boyd was also an military adventurist, and he urged his colleagues, both on the Estates and the Scottrian Privy Council, to consider the renewal of active military hostilities with the Laurasian Empire. On July 2, 1669, King Jamsius III, who was now eighteen years old, formally reached his majority; the regency therefore officially ended. Four days later, he married the Denmarican Princess Margaret (1656-86), with whom he hoped to produce heirs. Lord Boyd remained High Chancellor and President of the Privy Council until December 1669, when his enemies, the Earls of Argyll and Angus, combined together to force his ouster. Boyd would eventually be compelled to flee to the Vendragian Confederacy (1673), and would die there, on Londarania, nine years later. Yet Jamsius now decided to proceed with Boyd's plans for war in the Caladarian Galaxy. He was determined to recover the Garaman Provinces, and to extend Scottrian jurisdiction into those of Hypasia and Angelica. By the middle of 1670, the Scottrian High Command had formulated its offensive plans; in addition to this, the King of Scottria assembled his military units and squadrons at Vilmanstrand, Frederickshamm, the Berwick Barrier, Frasier, McKellen, Crusher, McFadden, Wheaton, Janeway, Gwynne, Bane, Cognus, Godweria, Deira, and other strongholds in the Southern Galactic Borderlands.
 * In April 1671, the King of Scottria issued the first of several ultimatums to the Laurasian Ambassador of the Court of Ediania, Sir Vallerius Etharius (1609-98), in which he demanded for the return of the Garaman Provinces; the concession of Huerta Mongol, Qu'emia, Saigon, Bach Dang, Ho Chi Minh, Hypasia Minor, Valeris V, and Trash Dakai, among other Hypasian strongholds, to Scottria; and for the Imperial Laurasian Government to demilitarize Nicole, Redia, Sejucia, and the Merlite Provinces. The ultimatums proved to be unacceptable to Emperor Aurelian, and he commanded Ambassador Etharius to ignore them. Finally, on October 6, 1671, the King of Scottria, obtaining the authorization for war from the Scottrian Estates, announced the commencement of military hostilities. Within days of this announcement, Scottrian forces advanced into Laurasian territory. On October 11, 1671, the Battle of Ranieda Minor resulted in a victory for the Scottrians; Zebetha and Dasalaburgh were both in Scottrian hands by October 19. On October 24, a Laurasian counteroffensive against the El Paso Colonies, Bristain, and Sasha VI was defeated by the Earl of Caithness in the Battle of Memathon; by the end of the month, Garama, Vescera, and Humbleton Mist had all been secured by Scottrian units.
 * On November 9, 1671, Caithness defeated Laurasian Rear-Admiral Sir Phyrrus Cassidoris (1621-79) in the Battle of the Upper Berwick; the Laurasian colonies of Shelton, Pasmanaki, and Michelle fell into Scottrian possession shortly afterwards. Gholaia and Garbia both fell (November 16, 1671). Aurelian was by now rushing from the Shenandonan Provinces towards the Galactic Borderlands. He placed Major-General Sir Marcus Aurelius Probus (the future Emperor), who had begun his military service during the reign of Valerian, in command of suppressing the rest of Domitianus's Rebellion. Probus performed his task brilliantly. Bacturius Invictis was recovered (November 29, 1671), and on December 4, he destroyed the force of Domitianus's subordinate, Vice-Admiral Sir Carus Sirmithus (1626-71), in the Battle of Darrow; Sirmithus himself was captured, and would be taken to the Fortress of Baureux on Laurasia Prime, being executed there on December 23, 1671. Reese and Christian were then secured, and on December 11, 1671, Shenandoah was blockaded. The stronghold would fall after just ten days; "Emperor" Domitianus now found himself in a tough predicament. On Ascentmas Day, 1671, Majoria Schall in turn was besieged, an effort which would continue into the early months of 1672.
 * Whilst all of that was going on, Emperor Aurelian was able to redress the balance in the conflict with the Scottrians invading the Garaman Provinces. On November 19, 1671, having made his arrival at Castellum Dimmidi, Aurelian successfully repelled a Scottrian offensive against Malia in the Battle of Zabi. Thubnae and Cydamus were then secured from Scottrian assaults (November 26-December 2, 1671), and there then followed a series of confrontations at Marcotte, Flipovic, Blumer, and Yoder (December 8-14, 1671), securing all of these colony systems for the Empire and repelling Scottrian moves at every turn. The Emperor of Laurasia continued to inspire his troops, and his commanders, with a selfless devotion to him and the State, and a dedication to suppressing Laurasia's enemies. On December 19, 1671, soon after Garama was recovered by one of the Emperor's detachments, the Earl of Caithness decided to attempt a feint offensive at the Asteroids of Benacus, hoping to divert Aurelian's attention, and to allow for a renewed Scottrian thrust against Castellum Dimmidi, Zabi, and Thubnae, with the goal of breaking out to Nicole, Redia, and the Neo-Merlite Provinces.
 * Emperor Aurelian, however, was well informed of Scottrian plans, thanks to his own intelligence agents, and he prepared his defenses at Benacus accordingly. Four days later, Caithness's forces arrived at the outskirts of the star system and launched their offensive; they were soon startled to discover that the star system was by no means unprepared for their assault. Aurelian ordered Vice-Admiral Sir Sallust Florianus, 1st Baronet Florianus of Volodormia (1617-81) to hold his offensive units in reserve, while the Emperor himself directed the main counter-thrust against Caithness's ranks. The ensuing Battle of the Benacus Asteroids (December 19-22, 1671) saw the Laurasian strategies of coordination and organization gain the advantage over the rushed assaults of their enemies; nearly two-thirds of the Celestial Scottrian Navy (some 200 warships, 1,000 support vessels, and a million personnel), was lost, either to destruction or capture. By December 28, Caithness and his subordinate, Lord Erroll of Flynn, had been forced to call a retreat. And thus, at the end of 1671, Laurasian forces were posed for their own advance.
 * In the Samanthan Empire, in the meantime, the change of rulers had proceeded with some pace. On December 9, 1669, the Governor of the Hutsite Reaches, Sir Laelianus Cornelius (1615-70), had been proclaimed Emperor by his own troops. Within days, he had secured control of Drea, Duana, Riley, Strongstine, and Abshire, and refused to acknowledge any future acts or policies by Postumus. Emperor Postumus's own popularity had declined since the onset of the new year, and his humiliations against Emperor Claudius Vectorius's forces in the Ashlgothian Borderlands and the upper Kimanian Run had seemed to expose the Samanathan Empire's weakening military state. Postumus, who was then at Kimanis Mooria, now rushed to suppress this revolt against his authority. Mogauntaticum, which had been colonized by the Imperial Laurasian Government in 1548, became the focus for Postumus's actions against the rebel. The stronghold fell at first into rebel possession (December 11-14, 1669), but Emperor Postumus, having assembled his forces at Nanking, Reading, Breha, Offshora, Messalina, and Chobania, was determined to fight off any future rebel assaults.
 * By December 18, he had lured, and trapped "Emperor" Laelianus within the confines of Mogaunaticum; the siege lasted for just six days, and on Ascentmas Eve (December 24, 1669), the world fell into his possession. Laelianus was able to flee towards Drea, and Postumus was forced to divert units to seize the rebel bases of Ruha, Bruhan, and Aldea (December 26, 1669-January 7, 1670). On January 13, 1670, Duana capitulated to Postumus, and he shortly afterwards ordered the seizure of all military supplies and equipment on Karhi, depriving the rebels of one of their main military repositories. However, Postumus restrained his troops in their combat actions, and refused to allow them to execute rebel troops on Windarch (February 1670).
 * Therefore, on March 4, 1670, Postumus's own officers, led by Lieutenant-Colonel Marius Marcus (1626-70), turned upon their Emperor, assassinating him with a series of blaster shots in his personal bedchambers. Marius, overconfident and rash, was now proclaimed Emperor by Postumus's troops and fleets. Yet his reign lasted for only three days, as many of the now assassinated Emperor's subordinates hated the prospect of a commoner lording over them. On March 7, 1670, Sir Victorinus Vermus, 1st Lord Vermus of Camarth (1636-70), who had served as Emperor Postumus's Chief of Staff and Secretary of the Imperial Chancellory, raised a revolt against Emperor Marius; within hours, Marius had been deposed and executed (with blaster fire), and Victorinus was proclaimed Emperor of Samantha. Victorinus completed the suppression of Laelianus's Rebellion; Drea was finally captured on April 11, 1670, and Laelianus himself was executed thirteen days later.
 * In June 1670, Emperor Victorinus suppressed a revolt on Abbott, with more than 20,000 rebels being put to death on his orders. In September 1670, he defeated the attempted uprising of General Sir Regaliannus Marxes (1628-70), ordering for his execution, and had the military bases of Stohler, White, and Mekailaya, which Marxes had commanded, plundered. Yet Victorinus alienated the troops by refusing to raise their annuities and pensions; in November 1670, he further aggravated the situation by raising the highest income tax brackets, losing the support of the elites of Samantha, Kimania, and other important worlds. On January 3, 1671, one of the Emperor's "Praetorian" Guards, Attitianus Letherius (1641-75), with a retinue of his own men, strangled the Emperor in his bed. News of Victorinus's death spread quickly, but it was not until January 22 before the late Emperor's mother, Victoria Posteria (1604-77), Dowager Baroness of Carmath, who had actually cultivated popularity with the elites, was able to support the installation of the Governor of Leo's Redoubt and Justiciar of Gardiner, Sir Escuvius Tetricus (1622-1705), who had served on the Governing Senate from 1648 to 1657, and then became one of Postumus's earliest supporters, on the Samanathan throne.
 * He thereby became Tetricus I of Samantha, and as it turned out, the last Emperor of Laurasian Samanatha. Emperor Tetricus promptly elevated his son, also named Tetricus (1648-1726), as his co-ruler and heir apparent (March 1671). He provided for Victorinus's blessing and funeral, but quickly reversed his predecessor's tax policies. In September 1671, Tetricus further expanded the Military Citadel of Samantha, and he began issuing generous terms of provision, navigation, and transportation to navigators, merchants, and starhoppers within his territories, hoping to encourage economic development. Yet the Samanthan Empire was experiencing considerable stress; Harrison, Novina, and Allen all experienced outbursts of anti-government dissent in November and December 1671, while the Emperor's military forces had to battle incursions by the Imperial Laurasian Government from the north, in addition to those of Haynsian raiding parties from the southern and eastern regions of the Galactic Void.

1672

 * 1672, the 72nd year of the seventeenth century, witnessed the termination of the Fourth Scottrian War, and the commencement of Emperor Aurelian's campaigns against the Xilanian "Empress" Zenobia. In January 1672, the Emperor of Laurasia orchestrated a series of decisive counteroffensives in the Garaman Provinces, meant to expel all remaining enemy forces from Laurasian territory. On January 7, 1672, he inflicted a humiliating defeat upon the Earl of Caithness in the Battle of Posucia, capturing more than 75,000 Scottrian harquebusiers and forcing Caithness to abandon that stronghold. Garama fell on January 18, 1672, being shortly followed by Zebeda (January 25) and Dasalaburgh (January 29). Ranieda Minor was placed under siege from January 31, 1672, but did not fall until February 15. Nevertheless, by the end of February 1672, all Scottrian forces in the Garaman Provinces had been conclusively expelled. Frederickshamm, Vilmanstrand, and the Berwick Barrier strongholds of Rourke, O'Cathallon, and Marshion were then seized (March 1672). On April 4, 1672, an attempted Scottrian move against Roxburgh was defeated in the Battle of the Beroyeze Asteroids. Frasier and McKellen then became targets of the Laurasian Emperor's vengeance (April 8-17, 1672), and both strongholds fell in due order. On April 25, 1672, Crusher fell after a coordinated assault by Fleet Commodore Augustus Marvanius, 4th Earl of Ashlgothia Minor (1609-75). The Earl then humiliated the Scottrians at Snipes (May 1, 1672). Bristain was seized on May 9, and by the end of May 1672, Littleton, Marlton, and Sasha VI were all under threat from Laurasian forces. King Jamsius III of Scottria, who was now entertaining outlandish ambitions in the Durthian Duchies (where Duke Char'va the Bold was in conflict with Franconia, Austarlia, and Vendragia), decided, in July 1672, following the Laurasian conquest of McFadden and Janeway, to conclude peace with his Laurasian counterparts. The Armistice of Zannoth was signed (July 17, 1672), and negotiations commenced at Perth on August 5.
 * After over a month, with the Earls of Caithness, Argyll, and Angus wrangling with their Laurasian counterparts, in particular Chief Procurator Boucherius and Chancellor Sir Sir Ulpius Limenius (1620-91, in office 1671-73), the Treaty of Perth was signed (September 9, 1672). The status quo ante bellum was again imposed in territorial matters, except for the proviso that the Celestial Kingdom of Scottria agreed to abandon any and all claims it still held to the Garaman Provinces. In exchange, Emperor Aurelian agreed to recognize Scottrian annexation of the Shetlands and Berwick. But as soon as this treaty was concluded, Emperor Aurelian turned his attention to another, menacing threat; the Xilanian Empire of Zenobia. On March 10, 1672, Majoria Schall finally succumbed to the forces of General Probus; "Emperor" Domitianus was captured at Melanie Major a month later, and, condemned by an act of attainder (of Aurelian's), executed at Shenandoah on May 2. In July 1672, General Probus was reassigned by the Emperor to station in the Farther Homidinian Provinces, specifically at Homidinia Major. He was now ordered to prepare the Empire's garrisons and forces in those territories for a decisive counteroffensive against Zenobia. Zenobia's chief general, Zabbai, had conquered Scanlan, Garner, Whytcliff, and Coronadia during the early months of 1672, humiliating the Governor of the Burglais Arm Diocese, Senator Sir Victorinius Trebllia, 1st Lord Trebllia of Tenaningo (1622-81), in a series of confrontations at Morlan, Galatia, and Chacledon.
 * Therefore, by late 1672, it was imperative for Aurelian to end the humiliations inflicted by Zenobia's forces and to recover the northern Outer Borderlands. Thus, on September 25, 1672, soon after the ratification of the Treaty of Perth, the Emperor proceeded directly to Skyler and Ipshilion. Already, he had issued a series of ultimatums to Zenobia on Xilania Major, demanding that she abdicate from her "pretensions to the Imperial Laurasian Crown", dismantle all of her military forces, and return all territories which she had seized to the "rightful authority of my government." In exchange, Emperor Aurelian offered to grant a pardon to her, her son, and all of her officials; to permit her to retain all properties and titles previously possessed by her husband; and to live "without molestation from my authorities." Zenobia, however, who was haughty, and believed that her position was all but secure, refused. On October 11, 1672, having received no response to his offers, Aurelian issued a formal declaration of rebellion and launched a carefully coordinated, two-pronged offensive into Xilanian territory. The main thrust of the offensive came from the Emperor's forces in the Marasharite Provinces, directed against the Satian Provinces, and the lower Xilanian Provinces.
 * The second came from General Probus's forces in the Homidinian Provinces. And Laurasian forces quickly made decisive gains. On October 14, 1672, Emperor Aurelian obtained a decisive victory over Xilanian General Zabdas in the Battle of Tyrana; this stronghold, which had been colonized in 1606, during the reign of Demetrius Severus I, surrendered without a fight within days. Eaidon, Zoe, and Abraham were all back in the Emperor's possession by October 24. Roxuli, however, proved to be a tougher nut to crack, and did not fall until November 2, 1672. On that day, General Probus, who had repelled Xilanian counteroffensives against Calms, Sanford, and Gibbs-to-Lester, defeated Zabbai in the Battle of Mackenzia Minor. Securing Jacobs I, English Star, and Edmundia from the Xilanians, he then recovered Mackenzia Major (November 8, 1672), and by November 15, had seized Coronadia, returning that major stronghold to the Imperial Laurasian Government's possession. Whytcliff surrendered on November 28, but Garner proved more resilient. It was laid under siege from December 7, 1672, and remained so until January 22, 1673, when it finally fell to government forces. By the end of November 1672, therefore, Probus had pushed forward in the Burglais Arm; his forces had also recovered Abitia, Mir, Wakino, Kara, Perry, and Rutherford, reducing the threat to Maxwell and Markis Prime. On December 12, 1672, Margery surrendered after a surprise offensive of the Emperor's; Aurelian then stormed Issus, Carrhae, and Simmons, driving a wedge into the Satian Provinces. On December 28, 1672, Empress Zenobia herself, vainly attempting to strengthen the defenses of Jin Major, Jin Minor, Norah, and Satie, advanced with General Zabbel to Immae, determined to forestall the Laurasian Emperor's further advance there. At first, it seemed that the Xilanians had the advantage. Zabbel had a greater number of mobile transports and freighters at his disposal, and he also had access to a corps of 245,000 elite Northanian mercenaries, of the Chevaliers' Corps. Furthermore, Zabbel enjoyed a slight numerical supremacy, in terms of military personnel and deployable attack craft.
 * Aurelian, however, had more starfighters, and his crack, reorganized Praetorian Guards formed the cream of his offensive ranks. Zenobia, on her part, was more of a spectator than an actual commander; she inspired morale among her troops, but she did not grasp the details of strategy. In the battle, Zabbel pushed the offensive forward; his units broke the Laurasian mobile corps, and it seemed that he could slice through the lines. However, this was a ploy of Aurelian's. Aurelian lured the Xilanian corps and Chevaliers out into a trap; he then used his heavily-armored destroyers, battleships, and dreadnoughts, supported by a retinue of assault starfighters, to surround and to pummel the overstretched Xilanian lines. Within hours, the entire Xilanian force thus in action had been defeated; more than two million Xilanian personnel died, along with virtually all of the Chevaliers. The Xilanian-Laurasians also lost a significant number of their offensive battleships, cruisers, and dreadnoughts. Zabbel was forced to pull back, and in spite of Zenobia's pleas, he realized that the battle was lost. The Battle of Immae ended in a decisive victory for the Laurasian Empire.

1673

 * 1673, the 73rd year of the seventeenth century, began with Emperor Aurelian making substantial advances following the Battle of Immae. On January 4, 1673, he destroyed another Xilanian force in the Battle of Lynne. Multan, Sommers, Orkhan, Juxles, and Bingley all fell into his possession (January 1673). On January 22, 1673, the Emperor obtained another decisive victory at Daphne, capturing all of the Xilanian supplies and military equipment there. He then seized the colonies of Apamea and Ctieshis before advancing upon Norah; Norah was blockaded from February 7, 1673, and fell ten days later. From Norah, Aurelian reoccupied Gayle, Charlie, King, and O'Donnell (February 8-19) and by the end of February, Morg and Xilania Secondary had also been recovered by the Emperor's forces. Xenobia's Empire was in self-destruction mode. The garrisons of Dromund, Shaelynn, and Kacee renounced her authority on January 20, 1673; five days later, General Probus inflicted a ruinous defeat upon Zabdas in the Battle of Vo'rill, driving Xilanian troops from the Corporate Trade Corridor and terminating their contacts (such as they were), with the Brestord Kingdom of Karakorum. Scanlan and Garner both surrendered on February 12, 1673; they were followed by Drake, Curry, and Homidinian Wyatt (February 19-27, 1673).
 * On March 4, 1673, Emperor Aurelian stormed Xilania Minoria after blunting a counteroffensive attempt by Zabbel into the Marasharite Provinces; five days later, Halassion and Alyssa were both seized by General Probus in a series of surprise assaults. Mocktrialis, Capone, and Lawson were stormed in March 1673; Zenobia's vain efforts to revive her troops, and to mobilize her military resources, did nothing to stem the Laurasian assaults. On April 1, 1673, Aurelian reached Emesa, a Xilanian colony located twelve light years south of Xilania Major; Jin Major had already been neutralized by his forces six days earlier. Zenobia and Zabbel now sought to make a next stand here, but by this point, with Aurelian having pulled forces from throughout the Empire, and displaying his skill as a military commander, they had lost any advantage. The Battle of Emesa lasted for two days, but when it was over, Zenobia and Zabbel had been conclusively defeated.
 * Zabbel was captured at the Satellites of Ursula (April 9, 1673), and Calrissian revolted, returning to its allegiance towards the Imperial Laurasian Government several days later. By the middle of April 1673, General Probus's forces were pushing across the Larkian Way, and towards Varta, the Nandi Colonies, and Eastern Xilania. On May 5, 1673, Zenobia, realizing that all was lost, abandoned Xilania Major with her forces. She then linked up with General Zabdas, who had managed to flee from the Burglais Arm by means of the Corporate Trade Corridor, who met her at Adrianne. But Aurelian was quickly advancing upon them. He and General Probus combined their forces at Jin Major (May 19, 1673), finally storming that stronghold, and then moved towards the Galactic Frontier Route. Chappelear, Natalie, and Tiona were seized in quick succession (June 1673), and on July 5, 1673, Zenobia suffered a final defeat in the Battle of DeSimms, a battle in which Zabdas lost his life.
 * Twelve days later, the Empress of Xilania and her son were betrayed at Chromy by their own servants, bound in chains, and handed over to Emperor Aurelian. Aurelian, who completed the subjection of the remaining rebel holdouts at Varta, Nandi, and Dali, had Zenobia and Vaballathus brought before him (August 6, 1673). The Emperor, impressed by the courage of his now subdued enemy, decided to spare her life, and on August 18, issued a manifesto which granted them both pardon; however, they would both be obliged to participate in the Emperor's victory triumph on Laurasia Prime, and to assume their place as subdued enemies. By the end of September 1673, the Emperor had cleared up all remnants of the Xilanian-Laurasian Empire, bringing those regions back under Laurasian jurisdiction. He suppressed a new civil uprising on Xilania Major (October 2-11, 1673), and ordered for the world's fortifications, defenses, and orbital platforms to be demolished in retaliation. In November 1673, Emperor Aurelian was confronted with yet another outbreak of defiance against his authority, this time at Cibourney and Sassanay. It was provoked by Knight Banneret Sir Firmus Pilasus (1618-73), who sought to protest the Emperor's policies in regards to noble retainers and requisitions. The revolt, however, was quickly suppressed by General Probus. Banneret Pilasus was captured and arrested, and on December 13, 1673, condemned to death in absentia by the Governing Senate. He would be executed on New Year's Eve, 1673.

1674

 * 1674, the 74th year of the seventeenth century, began with Emperor Aurelian restoring order to the Northern Outer Borderlands following the final suppression of the breakaway Xilanian-Laurasian Empire. The Emperor, who had ordered the executions of many of Zenobia's direct subordinates and military officers, nevertheless showed mercy to those personnel and servants who had pledged allegiance to her; on January 5, 1674, he issued a formal pardon for all who had been involved against their will, in the "Zenobian Rebellion". Then on January 22, the Emperor began his progress back towards Laurasia Prime. The now former Grand Prince Vaballathus, who had nevertheless been treated with great civility, died en route at Berhamia, of complications from the Antigenes fever (February 2, 1674). On Emperor Aurelian's orders, he would be interred at the Cathedral of St. Xius's on Istantius five days afterwards. On February 27, 1674, the Emperor finally reached Laurasia Prime, and conducted his triumph through the two Calaxies, Hepudermia, Jadia, and into the cities of Laurasia Prime. Crowds of subjects adored their master; turbocannons were fired in salute; the troops of the Guards, Christiania Police, and Imperial Military conducted their routines; and His Majesty received blessings from all of his religious officials.
 * Zenobia was in prominent display; shackled in golden chains, she was placed on a automated transport and taken through the streets of Christiania, exposed to the attention, and the jeers, of Aurelian's subjects. Nevertheless, Aurelian heeded his promise, and on March 15, 1674, confirmed his pardon of Zenobia. She was now affirmed in her title as Dowager Duchess of Calrissian; awarded properties throughout the Laurasia Prime Purse Region; and even invited to the Imperial Court on occasion. In 1675, Zenobia would, with the Emperor's permission and patronage, marry Governing Senator and the former Proconsul of Mariana Prime, Sir Marcellus Petrus (1631-1704), with whom she would have three daughters. She would live well into the eighteenth century and see the reign of Antigonus III, dying on March 24, 1724, at the age of 84.
 * Yet Emperor Aurelian did not remain on Laurasia Prime for long. In January 1674, before he returned to Laurasia Prime, the Emperor had issued a ultimatum to Tetricus of Samantha, offering him an unconditional pardon if he abdicated his throne, dismantled his forces, and surrendered all of his territories back to the Imperial Laurasian Government without delay. Emperor Tetricus, who was engaged in efforts to strengthen his own military and diplomatic position, at first ignored the Laurasian Emperor's offers. Aurelian, however, was determined to use all means necessary to crush this rebel. On March 27, 1674, the Emperor made his formal departure from Laurasia Prime, leaving his loyal General Probus in charge of affairs on the capital world. He proceeded quickly to the Melorkian and Roastafarian Provinces, bringing with him many of the crack units which he had employed in his campaigns against Zenobia. Tetricus, on his part, now faced challenge and trouble at the worst possible venture. At Breha, on April 2, 1674, the Governor of Breha, Sir Faustinius Tigoria (1623-86), erupted in revolt against Tetricus, refusing to recognize the authority of the "usurper". Within days, he had secured the adherence of the garrisons of Dorothea and Orion III, thereby posing a serious threat to Tetricus's position. Furthermore, the garrisons of Kimanis Mooria and Leo's Redoubt munitied, protesting at the Samanthan Emperor's delay in paying their military wages. Aurelian took advantage of all of this, and in May 1674, pushed the offensive forward into the Barsar Regions.
 * He besieged and conquered Beverly Hereidu (May 13, 1674); drove Samanthan units from Armenia Minor, Woolestone, and Hinds Prime (May 19-29) and on June 3, obtained a major victory in the Battle of Simon. Morley, Stahl, and Cal all surrendered to the Emperor of Laurasia in June 1674, and by July 4, Tolbiac, Khagia, and Dumbgwita had been firmly secured by Aurelian's forces. From thence, Aurelian seized Novina and Harrison (July 9-17, 1674), capitalizing on their utter dissent against Tetricus's regime, and on July 28, he offered a pardon to Governor Tigoria, in exchange for allowing him to retain his positions. Tigoria responded positively, and on August 7, 1674, surrendered custody of all his garrisons into the Emperor's hands. Henderson, Cox, and Banks were stormed by August 19; Leseur and Lange capitulated seven days later. Then, on September 6, 1674, Emperor Tetricus and his son advanced to Chomang, in a last, vain effort to stall Aurelian. The ensuing Battle of Chomang (September 11-16, 1674) resulted in heavy casualties for both sides, but Aurelian ultimately obtained a decisive victory.
 * Narra, Gilestis, and Christopher were conquered before the end of September 1674; Rolle, Filorean, and Millard in October; and Kimanis Mooria on November 7, 1674. Chobania and Offshora surrendered on November 15, 1674, and by the latter weeks of that month, Emperor Aurelian's forces were approaching Goni, Samantha, and Messalina. Allen and Jarman had fallen into his hands in September and October 1674. Finally, on December 3, 1674, Tetricus, realizing that there was nothing more he could do, offered to surrender to Aurelian, along with his officials, forces, and strongholds, promptly, on promise of the pardon. Aurelian, who wished to return to Laurasia Prime to introduce more economic and governmental innovations, and nurturing plans for a war against the Vectorian Empire to seize all of the remaining Anastasian territories still in their possession, accepted this on December 6. Then on December 14, 1674, the garrisons of Samantha, and of all other remaining rebel strongholds, again proclaimed their allegiance to Emperor Aurelian; Tetricus and his son formally surrendered, and abdicated from the Samanthan "throne"; and the Samanthan Empire dissolved. Emperor Aurelian was once again acknowledged as ruler of all the Laurasian dominions, and the Empire had regained its territories in the Northern Outer Borderlands, and in the Eastern Barsar Regions.

1675

 * 1675, the 75th year of the seventeenth century, began with the Laurasian Empire once again reunified, and with its frontiers stabilized. Emperor Aurelian, by his victories over the breakaway Empires and the Scottrians, had restored the Empire's integrity and overall stability; as the last quarter of the seventeenth century thus commenced, many considered him a savior, sent by the Lord Almitis to atone for his subjects. On January 15, 1675, after securing the allegiance of all remaining rebel holdouts in the Barsar Regions, the Emperor and his main forces began their advance back towards Laurasia Prime. With them were Tetricus and his son; the Emperor had decided to again extend clemency, and once more spared the lives of these of his enemies. Aurelian arrived on Laurasia Prime (January 22, 1675), and was greeted by his subjects with further ceremonial and jubilation. Tetricus and his son were the prominent "enemies" displayed in the Emperor's triumph.
 * Soon after the triumph had concluded, however, Emperor Aurelian conferred upon the elder Tetricus the title of Duke of Samantha, granted him a honorary commission in the Imperial Laurasian Army, and permitted for him to take up residence in Christiania. The younger Tetricus became 1st Baron Tetricus of Goni (March 2, 1675), and was permitted to pursue academic studies at the University of Laurasia Prime. Tetricus would rise to the point that Emperor Probus would name him Governor of Melarnaria in November 1677, a position which he would hold for two years. Upon acceding to the throne in August 1685, Neuchrus I would grant Tetricus estates on Goni, Samantha, Reading, Nanking, Gardiner, Leo's Redoubt, Reading, Breha, Offshora, Messalina, Chobania, and Kimania, among other worlds in the Barsar Regions. Tetricus would, in 1690, be permitted to take up his chief residence at Chobania, and in 1696, was named honorary Proconsul of the star system. He would remain there until his death on November 2, 1705, at the age of 83.
 * Throughout much of 1675, the Laurasian Empire remained in a state of peace, as Emperor Aurelian's plans for war with the Vectorians proceeded forth, and as the Emperor focused on strengthening the Imperial Almitian Church, beginning the economic restorations of regions torn apart by war and rebellion, and maintaining his authority on Laurasia Prime. The Praetor of Darcia, Felicissimus Tarius (1617-75), 1st Baron Tarius of Darsis City, attempted to raise protests against the Imperial Chancellory in June 1675, but this was quickly suppressed, and Baron Tarius was executed for his defiance (June 31, 1675). In July and August 1675, Emperor Aurelian conducted a tour through the Malarian Provinces, examining the defenses of that frontier region (which continued to be plagued by Haynsian and Dejanican raids), and held a series of strategic conferences with his commanders on Malaria Prime, Ularia, White, Almastead, Takrania, Meehan, Manzo, and Naranja, in his efforts to plan out his military strategies. Yet by September 1675, the Emperor's popularity with the Praetorian Guards, and with the civil service, had fled.
 * Aurelian was known for the high standards he demanded of his servants and subordinates, and of his harshness towards those whom he believed contravened those standards. The Emperor believed that it was within his autocratic rights to demand only the best from those who served him, and he was unwilling to tolerate failure. It was this drive for ethics which proved to be the cause of his demise. On September 2, 1675, the Emperor arrived at Caladaria, and took up residence at the High Palace of Gornes in Stansila, which was one of the world's most beautiful cities and resorts. There, the conspiracy against him was formulated. His secretary, Sir Muctapor Isur (1628-75), in cooperation with the officer Lacantes Mageries (1635-75), of the Praetorian Guards, and ten others of the Emperor's subordinates, now plotted his assassination, determined to rid the Imperial State of one "who tests its servants too harshly."
 * On September 5, 1675, they executed their plan. Emperor Aurelian had developed the habit of walking about his palatial bedchambers in the early morning, contemplating about what had passed, and what more would pass. He had no idea that Mageries, Isur, and their co-conspirators were advancing upon him from down in the hall. They wore full body armor and carried high-power blasters. The Emperor, who had no weapons on him, and wore only his nightclothes, was quickly overtaken by the men. They pushed him into the ground, kicked him brutally, and then fired six rounds into his body, killing him instantly. Aurelian was four days shy of his 61st birthday at the time of his death, but had ruled for only five years. The conspirators soon found that their plans backfired. The Emperor's subjects, the chief institutions of the Imperial Laurasian Government, and the vast majority of his military subordinates had great fondness for his memory. Within minutes, the conspirators were apprehended; on September 14, 1675, the Emperor's death was announced to the public by the Senate and Synod, and those who contrived it were comprehensively denounced. On September 16, Isur, Mageries, and their ten co-conspirators were placed on trial by the Senate and Synod at the High Palace; within hours, they were convicted, and sentenced to death for their crimes.
 * Before this was done, however, the chief bodies of state had taken action to fill the vacancy upon the imperial throne. Almost as soon as receiving word of Aurelian's death, they had pushed forward the elderly Senator and Secretary of the Imperial College of State Finance, Sir Demetrius Cornelius, who was one of the last surviving relations of the Severan Dynasty, as Emperor. Cornelius was 75 years old, and had little desire for the imperial throne, but he was prevailed upon by influential personages to accept. He was proclaimed Emperor and Autocrat of All the Laurasians on September 11, 1675, just six days after the death of Aurelian. In homage to his famed imperial cousin, he took the regal title of Demetrius Severus II. On September 19, he signed the death warrants of the conspirators; they were executed at the Fortress of Baureux on Laurasia Prime, to which they had been moved, on September 29, 1675.
 * The new Emperor then arrived at Laurasia Prime on October 7, 1675, receiving silenced greetings from his subjects. Aurelian would be blessed by the Holy Synod, and on November 3, 1675, his state funeral would be conducted at the Westphalian Cathedral, with Chief Procurator Boucherius presiding. The late Emperor's widow, Empress-Dowager Ulpia Severina, was confirmed in all of her dower rights and pensions by Emperor Severus; she would die peacefully at the Diplomatic Palace in Christiania on August 27, 1682, aged 67. Demetrius Severus II, who knew that he owed his elevation to the throne to his colleagues on the Senate and the Synod, took other steps to maintain their loyalty. He issued (November 21, 1675), a reconfirmation of their privileges, including their rights to confer damnatio memoriae and excommunication, and the Senate's powers of supervision over the Senatorial Provinces. The Emperor also affirmed the Senate's position as the highest court of appeal in the Empire, and its authority to conduct investigations into state revenues. In December 1675, he increased the annuities awarded to Senators for performance of their service duties, and commended them in a proclamation from the Imperial Court. Demetrius Severus also removed Gallienus's restrictions on military service, permitting Senators to once again hold ranks of military prestige and of command.

1676

 * 1676, the 76th year of the seventeenth century, commenced with the Laurasian Empire now in the hands of the elderly Demetrius Severus II, last scion of the Severan Dynasty. As mentioned above, this Emperor had taken measures in order to ingratiate himself with the chief institutions of the Imperial Laurasian Government. Furthermore, he now sought to resume with his predecessor Aurelian's plans for war with the Vectorian Empire. Vectorian Emperor Mandaru I had died on January 7, 1674. He had initially been succeeded to the Vectorian throne by his cousin Hauharu, who held the throne for a scant four months. Hauharu quickly proved himself to be incompetent, and incapable of effectively managing the resources of the Imperial State. General Shamashi-Adad Adak, who was one of the Vectorian Empire's most prominent military commanders, and had experience in combat with Laurasia, Scottria, and Haynsia, now decided to take advantage of the situation to usurp the throne. On May 11, 1674, having secured the support of the Vectorian High Council of Regents, he instigated a revolt against Emperor Hauharu on Vector Prime. Hauharu found himself abandoned by his own guards, and without support among the ranks of the Vectorian Court or Civil Service. Within hours, the authorities and garrison of Vector Prime had acknowledged Shamashi-Adad Adak as the first Emperor of that name, and of the new Adak dynasty.
 * This dynasty would rule the Vectorian Empire for just thirty-six years, until the Vectorians lost their independence to their Laurasian adversaries in 1711. Hauharu was himself captured on May 22, 1674, as he attempted to flee from Vector Prime; bound in chains, and executed within short order. Shamashi-Adad Adak thereafter instigated on a massive expansion of his military forces. Vectorian forces at Nagosh, Sassi-ruuk, Rhedita, Vector Prime, Arachosia Prime, Ompus Septimia, Neustron, Anastasia Major, Hospallia Major, Mercia, Camerania, Deira, and other strongholds in the Southern Galactic Borderlands, were reorganized and expanded. Therefore, by January 1676, the Vectorian Empire was geared for war. Yet their Laurasian foes still enjoyed the advantage. Emperor Aurelian's military preparations had been far more rigorous and extensive; Demetrius Severus II, while no military commander himself, simply had to execute them.
 * On January 7, 1676, the Emperor ordered Generals Probus and John Howardis, 1st Lord Howardis of Soria (1625-85, son of Sir Demetrius Howardis of Soria, subordinate of Prefect Timesithus, who had died in August 1646), to prepare the Empire's forces in the Barsar Regions for the military campaigns into Vectorian territory. By "prepare", the Emperor meant for them to carry out the strategies which had been previously drafted by the Imperial General Headquarters. By the middle of January 1676, the Empire's forces were posed for a strike into Vectorian territories. Demetrius Severus II issued the formal declaration of war on January 29, 1676 (coincidentally, the 400th anniversary of King Artabanus's death), and immediately, Laurasian units advanced. Anastasia Major and Tong both fell into Laurasian possession swiftly (January 29-February 5, 1676). Vectorian counteroffensives against Angela Masia, Ruumlist, and Rhodes failed; on February 17, 1676, General Probus gained a further decisive victory in the Battle of Kimilia, maintaining the Laurasian hold over Nicole and Sejucia.
 * Teutonica then capitulated to the Laurasians (February 27, 1676), and on March 8, Helen was occupied. From this vantage point, Laurasian units began to push into the Galactic Borderlands. Curtis, Natliana, Natalia Wood, and Bree all fell to General Probus (March 1676), and on April 2, he secured another decisive victory in the Battle of Pompus. Five days later, Milking also fell to the Imperial Laurasian Army. Lord Howardis of Soria, on his part, distinguished himself and his units in military confrontations with Vectorian units at Lwheek, Kaluna, and Genoa (March 7-April 18, 1676). By the end of April 1676, Camerania and Mercia were both under threat. Dedantia, Kaley, and Sulios were all seized in May 1676, and on May 22, General Probus and Lord Howardis combined to impose a siege of Deira, the former Nordanian capital world, and one of the Vectorian Empire's chief military and economic strongholds. By that point, however, the health of Emperor Severus had entered a rapid decline. Now 76, the second-oldest Laurasian sovereign in history, Demetrius Severus had never been robust physically. On June 4, 1676, he was found unconscious in his personal bedchambers at the Quencilvanian Palace. Despite the efforts of his physicians, Demetrius Severus never emerged from his coma. He died on June 9, 1676, after a reign of barely nine months, and just five days after being stricken. The news of Emperor Severus's death saddened his supporters and colleagues within the Imperial Laurasian Government, but hardly resonated beyond Laurasia Prime. Many, however, supported the claims of Probus, who had achieved fame for his military exploits, to the imperial throne. But the Senate and Synod had different ideas.
 * On June 12, 1676, just three days after the death of Demetrius Severus II, the chief institutions elected Senator Sir Florian Annius, who had served as Governor of Laurasia Prime since 1672, as the new Emperor. Emperor Florian, who did not have a stomach for war, and believed that the Empire had intimidated its Vectorian enemies enough, decided to terminate the conflict of his predecessor. This would prove to be an unpopular decision. On June 24, 1676, the Emperor ordered for General Probus and Lord Howardis to cease hostilities, and to open negotiations with their Vectorian counterparts. Vectorian Emperor Shamashi-Adad, who was confident that he could strike later, accepted the armistice offer on June 27. The Armistice of Tulia was signed on July 4, 1676; negotiations then commenced at Neustron, and continued until August 1, 1676, with the conclusion of the Treaty of Neustron. This treaty ended Demetrius Severus II's Vectorian War on the basis of the status quo ante bellum. Therefore, all of the territories which had been occupied by Laurasian military forces, including Hospallia Major, Anastasia Major, and the Sassi-Ruuk Worlds, along with those portions of Nagai, Rhedita, and Tashia seized, had to be restored to Vectorian authority. This angered many at the Imperial Court and throughout the Empire. In particular, General Probus, who had considered himself to be the main actor in the Empire's recent victories over the Vectorians, and who had a belief in the vigorous expansion and consolidation of the Laurasian Dominions, was enraged by the conclusion of this treaty.
 * Thus, by August 1676, plans of rebellion and unrest were stirring against Florian. Many of these tensions were encouraged by General Probus, who now sought to assert his own position as Emperor, which he had considered rightfully his after the death of Aurelian. Many of the members of the Governing Senate and Holy Synod, in particular Chief Procurator Boucherius, Archbishop Petreus Livadia of Caladaria (1624-82), and the Dukes of Christiania, Constantinople, and Osraninpolis, desired for Probus to assume the Imperial Laurasian Crown; by August 11, they were holding secret conferences at the Byrnes Palace, Old Royal Palace, and Senatorial Palace to plot Florian's removal from the throne. The Praetorian Guards demonstrated that they owed the greater loyalty to Probus; he was greatly helped in that his youngest brother, Colonel Sir Titus Probus (the future Titus II), was one of the most popular members of the Guards, while another, Sir Georgius Probus, was the Captain of the Christiania Police.
 * All of these elements combined against Emperor Florian. Instead of demobilizing his forces, General Probus now decided to utilize them in his bid to assert himself, and to erupt in open rebellion against Florian's regime. On August 18, 1676, he declared to his troops that he pitied the condition of the Laurasian Empire, and in particular, of the rulers who had "surrendered the honor and fortunes of this state to our foreign enemies." Consequently, he was now rejecting the authority of the Emperor, and was asking for the aid of his troops and personnel in accomplishing his goals. Without hesitation, every man assigned to Probus's command declared their loyalty to him, and proclaimed him Emperor on the spot. Within days, "Emperor" Probus had secured the allegiance of the garrisons of the Ashlgothian Provinces, Borderland Territories, Melorkian Provinces, and Barsar Regions, thereby giving him a substantial territorial base from which to operate from.
 * On August 25, 1676, the claimant Emperor's troops stormed Evan, Jacquentha, and Aretha; the garrisons of Bobria, Merilash, and Carolyn, realizing that resistance was futile, surrendered just two days later. Ethel Kennethia, Korgia, Orithiana, Talaris, and Alec then acknowledged Probus's authority (August 31, 1676), virtually completing his extension of authority over the major strongholds of the Neo-Merlite Provinces. Emperor Florian, alarmed by the outbreak of this rebellion by his most effective military commander, now issued, on August 30, a manifesto from Laurasia Prime condemning the General as a traitor; commanding for all of his loyal subjects to divert all of their efforts to maintaining the authority of the lawful officials and agents in his name; and ordering Lord Howardis of Soria, as second-ranking commander of the forces under Probus, to take command and "to halt this heinous rebellion."
 * The Lord of Soria refused however, and on September 2, 1676, he formally swore allegiance to Probus at Trieste, definitively rejecting Florian's authority. On that same day, the garrisons of the Nexus Route, Venasian Triangle, Meaganian, Arias, George, and Brittany all proclaimed their allegiance to Probus. Florian, attempting to now rally the strength of his central military forces in the Core Regions, and to squash the threat of Probus, departed from Laurasia Prime with the Laurasia Prime Core Defense Fleet, the 1st and 2nd Imperial Armies, and a detachment of Praetorian Guards (September 3, 1676), making a rapid progress to Rebecca. From there, he intended to draw resources to suppress the threat in the Nexus Route region, and from there, to advance to the Merlite Provinces. The following day, however (September 4, 1676), the 500th anniversary of Odoacer's overthrow of the Huntite Khanate, just five hours after making his formal arrival at Rebecca, Emperor Florian was assassinated by his own officers, chief of whom was Sir Willanius Parsius (1634-83, the grandfather of Antigonus III's sixth wife and Empress Consort, Katharina Parsius), at the Laurasian Military Post of Martiz. The news of Emperor Florian's assassination quickly spread throughout the Empire; within hours, the Senate, Synod, and Council of Civil Service had been notified of Florian's demise. Probus now found himself hailed as Emperor throughout the Empire's dominions. On September 7, 1676, just three days after Florian's death, the chief institutions of the Imperial Laurasian Government formally acknowledged Probus as Emperor and Autocrat of All the Laurasians; he now assumed the regal name of Probus I, taking his last name for his first. His brothers, Sirs Titus and Georgius, were automatically raised to become Grand Princes of the Laurasian Empire. By September 13, all of the garrisons and authorities throughout the Empire had acknowledged Probus as Emperor.
 * Probus issued a proclamation from his temporary command headquarters on Merilash, thanking his subjects for their loyalty to him, and for "suppressing, and bringing an end, to the rule of evil fiends who would doom this Empire." On September 21, 1676, the Emperor issued a pardon to Sir Willanius Parrius and the other regicides, declaring that they had "fulfilled the will of Almitis" through striking down Florian. It was not until October 3, however, before Probus began his formal progress towards Laurasia Prime. When he arrived there (October 8, 1676), he was greeted by his subjects with much praise and exaltation; many hailed him as a liberator, and he was given the title of "Beloved of the State" by the Senate. Emperor Probus now took immediate action to consolidate his position. He decided to reward those who had assisted him in his rise to power. Lord Howardis of Soria was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-General and promoted to become 1st Viscount Howardis of Soria. Sir Willanius Parsius, who had taken the lead in assassinating Florian, was raised to the peerage as 1st Baron Parsius of Kendalia in November 1676. Others, including Sir Antiochus Harringtia (1629-83), who had monitored Florian's communications on Probus's behalf, were also rewarded through the grant of titles, annuities, and decorations. On November 7, the Emperor reconfirmed the privileges of the Senate and Synod, and he increased the annual donative given to the Praetorian Guards, earning their unqualified support.
 * Five days later, he ordered for Aurelian to be given the posthumous honorific of "Savior of the Laurasian Empire" and to be named Vectorius Maximus, Xilanius Maximus, Scottrius Maximus, and Samanthanus Maximus, honoring him for his victories over these enemies of the Empire. On November 18, the Emperor had Demetrius Severus II given another, more formal memorial service at the Westphalian Cathedral; then two days later, the late Emperor was sanctified by the Holy Synod. As for Florian, Probus had his remains incinerated and dumped into the Pit of Traitors on Jadia (December 1, 1676); he was excommunicated by the Holy Synod; and a sentence of damnatio memorie was pronounced against him. Then, on December 27, 1676, Probus crowned himself Emperor at the Westphalian Cathedral. He also crowned his wife, Empress Consort Aurelia Woodaria (1637-92), with the Smaller Imperial Crown. The Emperor had been married to Aurelia on May 1, 1664. She was the daughter of Sir Ricomedius Woodaria, 1st Earl of Woodaria (1605-69) and his wife, the Schauerian Jacquetta of Shiloh, Countess of Woodaria (1607-72). Her father, the owner of Woodaria Communications, was the scion of a prosperous, but middling gentle family.
 * Aurelia's union with Probus was actually her second marriage; she had been married by her father in 1652, at the age of fifteen, to Sir John Greysius of Metallaina (1632-61), heir to the Greysius Baron of Metallaina. Sir John was an officer in the Imperial Laurasian Army, and was killed on February 17, 1661, while fighting Marasharite and Haynsian troops near Brlla. Probus, who had served alongside John, was well acquainted with his widow, and fell in love with her, ultimately leading to their marriage three years later. Probus and Aurelia, who remained devoted to each other throughout the nineteen years of their marriage, had eight children: Aurelia Zemakala, wife of Neuchrus I (her grandmother's surname, 1666-1703), Cerania Zemakala (1667-82), Ceciliana Zemakala, Countess of Apathama Vixius (1669-1707), Maximinus II (1672-83), Andronicus (1673-83), Anna Zemakala (1675-1711), Athanasius, Duke of Caladaria (1677-79), Katharina, Countess of Melarnaria (1679-1727), and Brigania Zemakala (1680-1717). Probus also had an illegitimate son, Athanasius (1661-1742), son of Lady Aurelia Wyrania (1637-66), with whom he had an affair prior to his marriage to Aurelia Woodaria. The Emperor's demonstrated fertility had been another factor in his success against Florian, for many of the Empire's subjects wished to see the restoration of a stable dynasty to the Laurasian throne. This was where affairs stood as 1676 came to an end.

1677

 * 1677, the 77th year of the seventeenth century, began with Emperor Probus, who had consolidated his place on the imperial throne through rewarding his supporters, and through alleviating some of the distresses which his subjects had faced following the assassination of Aurelian, deciding to turn his attention to a state which had perennially threatened the security of the Laurasian Empire’s territories in the Western Core: the Dejanican-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Laurasia and Dejanica had remained at an uneasy peace for thirty years, ever since the conclusion of the Frontier War in 1646. Throughout that whole time span, and prior, much had transpired with Dejanica, and within the Great Amulak Spiral. Much of this had to do with the Thirty Year's War. By April 1632, the Holy Austarlian Empire was in a desperate state. Brandenburg, under Elector Johann Willhelm, had made substantial gains against the Emperor's forces, seizing Liegnitz, Magdeburg, Brieg, Wohlau, and Breslau in a series of coordinated campaigns; the Elector of Brandenburg also first claimed title to rule of Upper Silania, setting the stage for the dispute between Pruthia and Austarlia over that duchy which would last for over a century. Saxony, under the rule of Elector Johann George (r. 1611-56), overran Schlesin and Upper Moravia, penetrating as far as Glatz, Olmutz, Zatec, and Slany.
 * The Saxons and Pruthians, in conjunction with Denmarica, Mecklenburg, and Vendragia, occupied Munich, the capital of the Electorate of Bavaria; Austarlian forces were effectively expelled from Prague and Silania by November 1632. That month, the King of Denmarica died at Lutzen, after having destroyed another Austarlian force there. By 1634, nevertheless, the Austarlians had been expelled from Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, Pomerania, Holstein, and Jutland; Salzburg, Linz, and Klag were all in allied hands. In that year, the Haxonian Confederacy launched a renewed invasion of Carnithia and the Tyrol; Bozen and the Archmandarites of Trient and Brixen fell into their hands. Haxonian, Saxonian, and Vendragian forces also won control of Lichtenstein, Valduz, Genoa, and Lausanne. Wallenstein had been assassinated on the orders of Emperor Ferdinand, but the Battle of Nordlingen, fought that year, ended in a decisive Austarlian victory. Austarlian forces quickly recovered Wohlau, Brieg, Breslau, Prague, and Linz; then in January 1635, they invaded the Electorate of Saxony, occupying both Lepizig and Dresden. In March 1635, Elector Johann George was compelled to conclude the Treaty of Prague. Emperor Ferdinand's renewed authority over Bohemia was acknowledged. Later that year, Franconia under Charman II, who had concluded the Treaty of Arras with Duke Philivus the Good, recognizing his title as Grand Duke of Durthia and Burgundy, and in turn recovering control of the Ile-de-Franconia and Parri, issued a declaration of war against Austarlia. Vendragia, on its part, concluded peace with Austarlia (November 1635) and aligned itself with the Spamalkan Kingdoms. Consequently, Brandenburg, Mecklenburg, Denmarica, Holstein, Saxony, Franconia, and Haxonia were now united against Austarlia, Greater and Lesser Spamalka, Naparia, and Vendragia.
 * During the next ten years, the war continued, with the Franconians continuing to fight the Vendragians in Normandy, Aquitaine, Gascony, and Brittany; the Spamalkan Kingdoms trading blows with Franconia in the Basques, Andorra, and Navarre; Haxonia battling with Naparia over Benevento, the Vatican Circles, Lucca, and Tuscany; and Austarlia engaged in Wurrtemberg, Baden, the Durthian Duchies, Saxony, Bohemia, the Austarlian Archduchies, and against Transylvania, which under George I Rackosy (r. 1630-48) overran Austarlian Royal Hungary and threatened the outskirts of Vienna. The Marasharite Empire, under Ardashir I, supported the Prince's efforts, and from 1632 to 1638, was engaged in its own war with the Austarlians in Croatia, Slavonia, and Lower Austarlia; Marasharite forces were also fighting Malta, Lesser Spamalka, Naparia, Genoa, and the Great Breffal Federation at this time. In 1637, Emperor Ferdinand II died, and was succeeded by his son Ferdinand III (r. 1637-57). By August 1645, the Emperor was forced to begin working for peace negotiations. In September, he concluded the Treaty of Vienna with Transylvania, affirming its rights of internal autonomy. Negotiations began at Osnabruck and Munster in October 1645; finally, on October 24, 1648, the Peace of Westphalia was signed, ending the Thirty Year's War. By the terms of this agreement, Austarlian rule of Bohemia and Silania was affirmed by the governments of all states. The Decapole in Alsace was conceded to Franconia, as well as Pesignol near Milania; Austarlia obtained Monthelard, Lindau, and Zummarhausen in compensation. The Electorate of Brandenburg received Magdeburg, Farther Pomerania, Halberstadt, Kammin, and Minden. Moreover, the succession to the United Duchies of Cleves-Julich-Berg was clarified; Brandenburg received Cleves, Mark, and Ravensberg, while Julich, Berg, and Ravenstein went to the Count Palatinate of Neuberg (which would eventually be inherited by the united Electoral Kingdom of Pruthia in 1698). The Palatinate was divided, with Elector Palatine Char'lac Lujak receiving the Lower Palatinate, while Elector Maximilian of Bavaria received the Upper Palatinate. Wildehausen went to Munster; Bremen, Verden, and Western Pomerania to Denmarica; and Holstein to Mecklenburg (a situation which lasted until 1679).
 * Haxonia received the Braxant region from the Holy Austarlian Empire, but returned its other conquests; the autonomy of the Swiss Duchies was affirmed; and all Burgundian acquisitions in the Durthian Duchies recognized. Moreover, the Electorate of Saxony was formally united, in personal union, with its ducal counterpart (converted into a full union in 1697), and Bavaria received Regensburg. Naparia received Benevento, while Haxonia retained Lucca and the Upper Piomobino. The war among Vendragia, the Spamalkan Kingdoms, and Franconia, however, was not ended; indeed, it was only the Franconian conquest of Normandy in 1653 which shifted the balance of power in that situation. The Treaty of the Pyrenees (1659) ultimately restored peace among all powers. Through this conflict, Dejanica had remained neutral. King Wladlio II of Dejanica died at Merecz on May 20, 1648. He was succeeded by his brother Vologravius V (r. 1648-1668). It was during his reign that the Dejanican-Lithuanian Commonwealth was nearly destroyed in the War of the Deluge (1654-67), one of the most destructive conflicts in Dejanican history. The war began in 1654 when Denmarica under King Gustav X launched an invasion of Livonia, Samogitia, Lithuania, and Amulak Dejanica. Matters escalated quickly, and by 1656, the Duchy of Pruthia, now ruled by A'rua I (since 1640), asserted its complete independence from Dejanica. The war eventually involved the Holy Austarlian Empire, Denmarica, the Vendragian Confederacy, and the Duchy of Pruthia against the Dejanican-Lithuanian Commonwealth; the Marasharite Empire and Great Breffal Federation conducted auxiliary campaigns in Belarania, Ukraine, the Mascavanian Provinces, and Podolia, while the Haynsian Despotate launched deep penetrative expeditions into Dejanican territory. At one point, nearly three-fourths of the Commonwealth's territory was occupied by the foreign coalition.
 * Ultimately, however, the Dejanicans enjoyed a revival, and were able to recover their losses in Galicia, Lodomeria, Greater Dejanica, Kuayvia, and the Great Tesmanian Cloud. The Treaties of Olivia (1660) and Andarato (1667) finally ended the war, with the newly established Electoral Kingdom of Pruthia's independence from Dejanica confirmed; with Dejanica conceding Ryazan, Rostov, and the Stroganov Territories to the Masacavanian Principalities; and Livonia lost to Denmarica. Vologravius V, humiliated by these defeats, died the following year. He was succeeded briefly by Mersius IV (r. 1668-73), who was left to contend with the results of the war. Following the death of Mersius IV, his cousin, the famed Dejanican General and Hetman of the Crown of Dejanica, Janius Sobieskius, had acceded to the throne. He had gained fame for his victories against the Khlmentskie Rebellion in Dejanican Ukraine (1648-53) and in the War of the Deluge. Following this, he had fought valiantly against the Haynsian Despotate and the Marasharite Empire, during the course of the Cossack Wars (1666-71) and then the War of Podolia (1672-73, 1676), which, although the Dejanican-Lithuanian Commonwealth had to concede Podolia to the Marasharites, nevertheless earned him fame and prestige among the states of extra-galactic civilization. By the late 1670s, the Dejanican-Lithuanian Commonwealth had become entangled in the diplomatic and military struggles of Pruthia, the Germanian Principalities, Haxonia, Franconia, Vendragia, Australia, and Spamalka. In 1675, the King of Dejanica contemplated the seizure of East Pruthia, but he was hampered in this by King A’rua I’s defeat of the Vendragians and the Hessians (1675), and by his treaties with Franconia, Austarlia, and other important powers.
 * Moreover, the Dejanican-Lithuanian Commonwealth continued to contend with the Haynsian raids into its borderland territories, and by early 1677, found itself in the midst of a dispute with the Vectorian Empire, concerning access privileges in the Galactic Void. All of this encouraged Emperor Probus to secure his own position in the Malarian Provinces. On January 12, 1677, the Emperor issued an ultimatum to the Dejanican Court, which was formally delivered to King Janis and to the Dejanican Diet by the Ambassador to Dejanica, Sir Censorinus Bucharvius (1629-92). In this ultimatum, Probus demanded that the Commonwealth terminate all raiding expeditions into the Malarian Provinces, and that it recognize the Empire’s sole title to Shashanaya, Black Chandlier, and the other strongholds of the Dejanican Borderlands. Probus also wished for financial compensation for all the damages inflicted by Dejanican forces in Laurasian territory. King Janis, who continued to be distracted by the threats of the Haynsians and the Danubian Principalities, and himself in a struggle with the Diet over taxation and conscription, did not respond to the ultimatum.
 * Instead, he issued reassurances of his general affection for peace, and his hope that the Empire and the Commonwealth could continue in such a state with each other. Probus, however, was determined otherwise. On February 7, 1677, he issued a declaration of war against the Dejanican-Lithuanian Commonwealth, commencing the third Laurasian-Dejanican War of the seventeenth century. Laurasian forces moved quickly to terminate the Dejanican threat in the Malarian Provinces. Ettleman, Meehan, and Manzo were secured against the threat of the Dejanicans (February 1677), and on March 2, 1677, Lieutenant General Howardis of Soria defeated Dejanican Prince Wladios Murviski (1630-98) in the Battle of the Lower Suri. Laurasian victories at Hadlson (March 5-9), Rogers (March 12), Acabania (March 22-26), Takrania (March 29-April 4), Almastead (April 9), Terell (April 16-22), Kanley (April 23), and the Lower Narvet (April 25-30) then followed, and by the end of April 1677, all Dejanican raiding expeditions into the Malarian Provinces had ceased.
 * Laurasian forces now pushed into the Galactic Borderlands, and into the heart of Dejanican Lavella. The Dejanican strongholds of Irutsk, Yarmuk, and Opochok were seized (May 5-14, 1677); on May 22, Lieutenant General Howardis of Soria, in cooperation with a force under the command of the new Prefect of the Praetorian Guards, Antigonus Percius, 4th Earl of Malaria Prime (1649-89), and Thomasius Stanelis, 2nd Baron Stanelis of Duana (1635-1704), destroyed a second Dejanican force in the Battle of Myganovisk. Black Chandlier, Shashanaya, and Prutell had all been definitively secured by Laurasian troops by the middle of June 1677. Polotsk was then conquered (June 18-22, 1677), by the Earl of Malaria Prime. The Dvina Straits then became subject to a series of Laurasian assaults, with the bases of Upper Moldoach, Marevoach, and Karmania falling quickly into the Empire’s possession (July 1677). King Janius Sobieskius of Dejanica-Lithuania, who found his attention held by the worsening tensions in Hungary and Transylvania between the Holy Austarlian and Marasharite Empires, and by the events in Burgundy and the Durthian Duchies, could not himself depart for the command. As a consequence, the Dejanicans continued to suffer humiliation after humiliation. Dejan and Antwone were both conquered by Laurasian troops in August 1677, while Emperor Probus himself directed the subjection of Vitesbk to the Laurasian authority (August 18-September 3, 1677). La’delle was seized on September 14, 1677; by the following month, Lavelle and Dequan were both in serious danger. It was at this juncture that the Dejanican Diet now clamored for peace, voting a resolution to the effect on October 2, 1677. This resolution, according to the Dejanican Constitution, had to be accepted by King Janius. On October 18, 1677, the King sent a formal request for an armistice through the Voivode of Dejanican Lavella, Prince Josef Lesckysnikia (1622-87). Emperor Probus, who had achieved his goal of securing the Malarian Provinces, accepted ten days later. The Armistice of Mariosk was signed on November 4, 1677. The following month, negotiations commenced at Kelvania Minor for the termination of the military conflict.

1678

 * 1678, the 78th year of the seventeenth century, began with the Fourth Laurasian-Dejanican War reaching its culmination. On January 5, 1678, the Treaty of Kelvania Minor was signed, bringing an end to the Third Laurasian-Dejanican War of the century. By the terms of this treaty, the Dejanican-Lithuanian Commonwealth agreed to suspend all future expeditions into the Malarian Provinces, and to recognize the Laurasian Empire’s absolute jurisdiction over that region. Moreover, border rectifications were made in the Dejanican Borderlands in the Empire's favor. Irutsk, Yarmuk, Opchok, and Prutell, along with Shashanaya and Black Chandlier, all came into the permanent possession of the Imperial Laurasian Government. The Treaty of Kelvania Minor was ratified by Emperor Probus on January 16 and by the Dejanican Diet on January 22. The Emperor, who had been responsible for orchestrating this victory, found his popularity with his subjects, and his military forces, raised to a higher tempo. In March 1678, having conducted a victorious "tour" through the Malarian Provinces and through his new acquisitions in the Wild Marshes, Probus made his return to Laurasia Prime. Honored by a magnificent triumph in the depths of the capital star system of the Empire, he found himself acclaimed Lavellus Maximus by the Governing Senate and Holy Synod.
 * Yet soon after Probus made his return to Laurasia Prime, he was confronted with an unexpected challenge to his position. The challenge came from his younger brother, Grand Prince Georgius (now Duke of Naranja, a title which he granted in November 1677), who entertained pretensions to the Laurasian throne. By February 1678, the Duke of Naranja had assembled his military squadrons, retainers, and supplies at his personal estates on Naranja, Kanley, Almastead, Malaria Outer, Ularia, Odika, White, Timaslan, Kamachina, Pasquarillo, Kelvania Minor, Kelvania Major, Morgania, Merlin, and in the Maluyta Nebula. The Duke conspired with many of his supporters at the Imperial Court, in particular with the Secretary of the College of Space and Colonial Administration, Sir Ligonius Metres (1634-78), and with the sub-Prefect of the Praetorian Guards, Amminanus Billavach, 2nd Lord Billavach of Colombia (1622-78). It was not until March 18, 1678, however, by which time the Emperor had undertaken a progress to the Venasian Cluster, that the Duke of Naranja erupted in rebellion against him. In his proclamation of rebellion, the Duke claimed that he had the support of the "agents of the Almitian Church", and he promised to award additional donatives and grants to the nobility, Praetorian Guards, and the chief institutions of the Imperial Laurasian Government.
 * And at first, Naranja was able to make some gains in the Malarian Provinces. Welch and Johnald capitulated to the Duke without a fight (March 22-27, 1678), and on April 1, he defeated a government force, under the command of the Governor of Manzo, Sir Leo Brascius (1630-84), in the Battle of the Jar Asteroids. By the middle of April 1678, Mylae, Rainnon, Rucell, and Metallina had all surrendered to the Duke's forces; on April 28, he obtained another victory in the Battle of Kanjur, storming that important military stronghold and strategic base. Yet by this point, his momentum was already flagging. Rebel offensives against Malaria Prime, Ostak, Evans, and Goodman ended in failure (April 31-May 15, 1678), and on May 19, 1678, Naranja suffered a serious reverse in the Battle of Cryst St. Demosthena, being forced to terminate plans for offensives against Melarnaria, Williams, and Paradine. Metallina and Rucell were then recovered by Lord Howardis of Soria, detached by the Emperor to face the threat, and in June 1678, rebel units were also expelled from Mylae, the Jar Asteroids, and Welch.
 * On June 22, 1678, Emperor Probus himself strengthened the defenses of Fitzsimmons, Dosch, Katie, Tommy, Vetta, and Arias, denying his brother any chance of advancing through to the Eastern Purse Region. On July 2, Timaslan and Kamachina were both reconquered in a series of surprise assaults; then on July 11, the garrisons of Ularia and Odika declared their renewed allegiance to Probus. The Senate formally denounced Naranja as a traitor to the Empire on July 18, 1678; two days later, the Emperor ordered for Lord Billavach to be arrested and confined at the Fortress of Baureux. He then conducted a purge of the officer corps of the Guards, rooting out those who openly displayed their sympathy for his traitor brother. And then, on August 18, 1678, Lord Howardis of Soria and the Earl of Malaria Prime combined to ruin Naranja in the Battle of Pasquarillo, effectively foiling his rebellion. Two days later, Naranja was captured near Zachary. With their leader now in the hands of the Emperor's subordinates, rebel leaders found that they could not go on. By the end of August 1678, Kanley, Almastead, and Malaria Outer, as well as rebel estates and bases in the Morganian and Kelvanian Provinces, had returned to their proper allegiance. On Emperor Probus's orders, more than 250,000 rebels would be tortured, interrogated, and executed publicly, in more than thirty star systems, during the next six months.
 * As for Naranja, he was bound in chains, placed on a prison transport, and brought back to Laurasia Prime (September 14, 1678). He was jeered in public by the Emperor's loyal subjects, and considered a vile traitor. On September 29, 1678, he was tried by the Senate, Synod, and Council of Civil Service at the Public Chambers of the Quencilvanian Palace. Naranja confessed to all of his crimes, and begged for mercy, but none was forthcoming. He was found guilty, convicted on charges of treason, les-majestie, rebellion, and conspiracy, and sentenced to death (October 4, 1678). Emperor Probus did not relent to sign his death warrant, although he did agree to allow for his brother to be executed merely by blaster fire, and in private. The execution took place on October 17, 1678, at the Fortress of Baureux. On the Emperor's orders, Naranja's body was buried at the Chapel of St. Peter ad Vicula in the Fortress. As for Billavach and Metres, they were both executed on October 24 (after being convicted by the Councils of State), and their remains were dumped into the Pit of Traitors on Jadia.
 * By November 1678, therefore, Probus had consolidated himself further upon the Laurasian throne. For the next few months, the Empire remained at peace, as the Emperor focused on suppressing underlying tensions in the Malarian Provinces, and on implementing further changes to the administration of the civil service and military. He established a commission to devise new regulations on corruption, regulations, and bureaucratic coordination in the Imperial Chancellory, issued a series of instructions to the Senate concerning the codification of judicial rulings, and in January 1679, instituted a new merits system for all servants and officials of the Imperial Court. Probus also reorganized the Imperial Treasury, ordering for the establishment of a Public Archive of Tax Collections. Moreover, the Emperor restored some of Gaillenus's restrictions on Senatorial ability to enter military service, introduced a new conscription levy, and reformed the curriculum of the Imperial Academies. Each of these measures, alongside those of Gaillenus and Aurelian, would be a precursor to the more thorough reforms implemented under Neuchrus the Reformer some years later. As for foreign policy, Probus sought to build closer relations with some of the Empire's neighbors, both in the Amulak Spiral and in the Caladarian Galaxy proper. Commercial treaties were signed with Pruthia, Austarlia, and Haxonia in 1678-79; King A'rua I of Autocratic Pruthia, in particular, proved to be amendable to offers of negotiation from the Imperial Laurasian Government. Yet the most important overtures were to Scottria. In June 1677, the two governments had agreed a Treaty of Amity and Commerce, thereby permitting for free transit and navigation privileges in the Garaman Provinces, Berwick Barrier regions, and Rogeria for a period of ten years, for Laurasian and Scottrian merchants respectively, and abolishing all immigration restrictions in those territories. In December 1678, Probus issued a manifesto from Laurasia Prime, reaffirming his commitment to this agreement. 1678 ended with the Laurasian Empire restored to peace, which, however, would not last for long.

1679

 * 1679, the 79th year of the seventeenth century, opened with Emperor Probus continuing with his diplomatic overtures. The possibility of a marriage treaty with Scottria was now pursued by him and his government. He first raised the subject to his advisers in June 1678, but it was not until January 2, 1679, before the Imperial College of Foreign Affairs made the formal proposal to its Scottrian counterpart. King Jamsius III of Scottria, who had by now been compelled to abandon his ambitions in the Durthian Duchies, but had expanded his domestic power through the seizure of the Lordships of the Straits (1674), proved amenable, and accepted the Laurasian offer on January 19, 1679 (the date that Fe'ro II, future Laurasian ally, became King of Greater Spamalka). Negotiations commenced on March 2, 1679, at Madelaine, and they were concluded on April 1 with the signing of the Treaty of Madelaine. Lord Howardis of Soria, Chief Procurator Boucherius, and the Earl of Malaria Prime were instrumental in securing the agreement. By the terms of the Treaty, the Emperor's second surviving daughter, Cerania, was formally betrothed to the King of Scottria's young son and heir, Duke Jamsius of Rothesay (the future Jamsius IV, who had been born in 1673).
 * By the terms of this agreement, Emperor Probus agreed to pay a financial dowry of €550 billion denarii per annum to the Scottrian Court; in exchange, Cerania was to be granted the courtesy title of Princess of Scottria, and, upon reaching the age of fourteen, was to reside at Ediania. The marriage was to be formally conducted once Grand Princess Cerania reached her eighteenth birthday (in 1685). The Treaty of Madelaine, ratified by both parties by the end of April 1679, seemed at first that it would preserve the peace, and improve relations, between the two realms. Yet other affairs eventually caused the arrangements to fall apart. In April 1679, Laurasian and Scottrian merchants experienced serious commercial disputes at Frederickshamm, Crusher, Ladoga, Onieda, and in the Berwick Barrier, imperiling the free-transit provisions of the agreements. Two months later, a Laurasian reconnaissance expedition strayed from Hypasia into Scottrian Kalbacha, passing near Sherry, Sabinia, Seeben, and the Irand Colonies.
 * In July 1679, the Scottrians refused to allow a Christiania Drive Yards convoy passage through Derith, Erith, and Stirling, resulting in a formal protest from the Imperial Chancellory. The most serious complication, however, arose in connection to Alexander Stewart, Duke of Albany (1654-85). The second surviving son of Jamsius II and his wife Mary of Guelders, Alexander had begun receiving financial subsidies from the Empire, as communicated through the Imperial Intelligence Agency in December 1676. This move had been authorized by Probus himself, who sought to take advantage of the civil dissensions within Scottria. These centered around the resistance of Albany to Jamsius's policies, fueled by Albany's desire for the throne. Matters were worsened in June 1679 when King Jamsius, with the consent of the Estates, seized the Earldom of March, one of Albany's main subsidiary titles, and all of its associated properties. Finally, on September 7, 1679, Albany, unable to take any more of the King's "harsh dealing" with him, decided to flee, by juncture of Swmerick, Derry, and Carrickfergus, into the Galactic Void, and to the Amulak Spiral. He reached the Serene Kingdom of Franconia on September 14, and was formally granted asylum by King Lujak XI, known as "the Spindler" (r/ 1661-83), called this because of his intrigue and for his caution. The Scottrian Estates now conducted an intensive investigation of Albany’s estates, and of his activities; his ties to the Emperor of Laurasia were discovered, as well as a full disclosure of all the financial and other aid which he had received in the preceding years.
 * King Jamsius, who was angered by these revelations, and considered them to be a betrayal of the Treaty of Madeleine, now decided to take action against the Laurasian Empire. In November 1679, soon after Emperor Probus returned from another progress (this time to the Schauerian Provinces), the King of Scottria issued a formal ultimatum to him, demanding for the return of Ranieda Minor, Dasalaburgh, Roxburgh, and Zebetha to the Celestial Kingdom of Scottria; for the disclosure, by the imperial authorities, of all their intelligence and other missions in Scottrian territory; and for the Emperor to apologize for all that he had done to "undermine" his Scottrian neighbor. Probus, who considered all of this to be an insult to this position, but who was himself determined to extend his Empire’s position at Scottrian expense, refused to respond to the ultimatum. The formal declaration of war was issued by the King of Scottria on December 12, 1679, and hostilities promptly commenced. Zebetha and Ranieda Minor were both stormed in quick succession by Scottrian units (December 14-29, 1679); Aretha was harried by Scottrian expeditions. Thus, as 1679 came to an end, Laurasia was engrossed in war yet again.

1680

 * 1680, the 80th year of the seventeenth century, saw Scottria making further progress against the Laurasian Empire. In January 1680, Roxburgh was besieged by Scottrian forces under the command of the Earls of Rothes and Glasgow. On January 17, Charles Seton, 1st Earl of Mar (1636-80), who had been a supporter of Albany’s, died suddenly on Ediania; Jamsius now had the gall to proclaim that Laurasian agents were now conspiring to assassinate all of his nobles. Roxburgh itself fell on February 1, 1680, but only after extensive effort by Scottrian forces. By February 17, Garama, Gholaia, Cydamus, and Garbia had all been stormed by Scottrian units; Castellum Dimmidi, Jacquenthia, Merilash, and Orithiana were in serious danger. Emperor Probus now found his attention diverted by a uprising, led by the Governor of Iego, Major-General Sir Julius Saturninus (1627-80), a former comrade of the Emperor’s, in the Robertian Provinces (March 1680). Within weeks, General Saturninus had extended his authority over Brenda, Dickinson, Abuza, the OsonBoka Nebula, Jeanne, Meredith, Meris, and Wakedia, posing a serious threat to the imperial position in those regions. Parsons was seized (April 2-17, 1680), and by April 22, Homidinia Minor, Julianne, and Izzia had all been blockaded by rebel forces. Moreover, Archbishop Proculus Semirania of Jasonia (1614-86) encouraged a civil revolt against the Emperor’s officials in that star system, and on May 2, proclaimed that Probus was the "incarnation of the anti-Almitis." The Emperor now devised a vigorous response to all of these challenges. On May 7, 1680, he ordered his Praetorian Prefect, Antigonus Staffordius, Duke of Americana (1654-84), who had been raised to the Prefecture in November 1679, into action against rebel forces in the Robertian Provinces; Lord Howardis of Soria, on his part, assumed command of the Empire’s forces in the Garaman Provinces, while the Emperor himself embarked to suppress the disturbances on Jasonia.
 * Americana proved to be ruthless in his response to General Saturninus’s Rebellion; on May 14, 1680, he defeated a rebel assault upon Walters and Beharis in the Battle of the Raft, and on May 21, he secured Wakedia from rebel units. Meris was reconquered on May 26, followed by Jeanne (June 1); Julianne (June 2-4); and Izzia (June 10). Sofia, Jagronia, and McEvlogue then became the scene of successive governmental victories over rebel forces (June-July 1680), and by August 3, 1680, Brenda and Dickinson were both under siege. At the same time, the Emperor suppressed civil uprisings on Akamaar, Gargonia, Negro, Jabul, Adiabene, and Adenystrae; on June 29, 1680, Jasonia surrendered to him without a fight, and the rebellious Archbishop Semirania was tried, convicted, defrocked, and condemned to perpetual imprisonment by the Holy Synod; he would die at the Secret Prison of Ipsus V on June 8, 1686, aged 72. As regards to affairs in the Garaman Provinces, Laurasian forces quickly regained the advantage. Howardis of Soria ended the threat against Merilash in the Battle of Branada (May 14-19, 1680); Garama, Cydamus, and Garbia were reconquered by the end of the month; and on June 17, 1680, he defeated the Earl of Glasgow in the Battle of Damgurang. Castelleum Dimmidi was relieved as a result, and on July 13, 1680, Roxburgh was besieged by Laurasian units.
 * Its fall (August 15, 1680), completed the termination of the Scottrian offensive. On August 22, 1680, Zebetha and Ranieda Minor both fell back into the Empire’s hands; on that same day, Dickinson capitulated to the Duke of Americana. Brenda followed on August 28, and on September 2, 1680, Meredith was laid under siege. Governor Saturninus, who had been so confident in his own abilities, lost the loyalty of his troops, and on September 17, 1680, he was assassinated in his personal headquarters by blaster fire. Meredith and other remaining rebel bases surrendered the following day, ending the Saturninian Rebellion. By that point, Dasalaburgh had fallen back into the Empire’s hands, and on October 1, 1680, Ranieda Major, which had remained in Scottrian hands until now, fell under siege by Soria's forces. The Siege of Ranieda Major dragged on for more than a month, but when it fell on November 4, the Scottrian threat to the Garaman Provinces was formally terminated. Ladoga, Onieda, and the Berwick Barrier strongholds became the next targets, and all fell, one by one, by the end of November 1680. Frasier, Wheaton, Crusher, McFadden, and McKellen were then subdued in December 1680, and by the end of that year, Laurasian forces were pushing into the Central Galactic Borderlands.

1681

 * 1681, the 81st year of the seventeenth century, commenced with the Laurasian Empire's military forces having gained the upper hand over its Scottrian rivals. On January 5, 1681, Cognus, which had served as a major Scottrian base for operations into the Wild Marshes, and thence into the Hypasian and Angelican Provinces, was conquered by Lord Howardis of Soria and Sir Willanius Parrius (who had been promoted to the rank of Major-General, and assigned to the Scottrian theater of operations in November 1680), in a joint operation. Ten days later, Bane also surrendered to Laurasian forces. Zannah, however, proved to be a stubborn holdout, and it required a Laurasian victory at the Battle of Gruther (February 2, 1681), before that stronghold too submitted. Michael and Thayer, Scottrian colonies in the vicinity of Kalbacha Minor, were then stormed (February 1681), and Laurasian forces now struck into the heart of the Kalbachan Provinces. On February 22, 1681, Bristain and Partisa I were both stormed by Emperor Probus, who had now proceeded swiftly to the Galactic Borderlands, assuming supreme command of the Empire's military offensives in the region. The El Paso Colonies, Sasha VI, and Scillus were then conquered in succession (February 24-March 2), and on March 4, 1681, the Battle of Perth resulted in another decisive victory for the Emperor, whose forces captured a number of Scottrian arquebusiers, dreadnoughts, and battleships.
 * On March 16, 1681, Kathy Minor surrendered after a brief struggle with Laurasian units, and John de Moravia, 8th Earl of Sutherland (1635-1708), the Scottrian Governor of Rasdalla, was forced to call a retreat from Onasi, Waxefield, and Dehner, all of which were being harried by reconaissance expeditions of the Imperial Laurasian Navy. Patricia and Hidemnia Sauria were both seized in April 1681, and on May 5, 1681, Kathy Major surrendered. Vilmanstrand, the Riverite Asteroid Belt, and Janeway, which had been stubborn holdouts, were all seized by the end of May 1681. On June 9, 1681, the Emperor and Lord Howardis of Soria obtained another decisive victory in the Battle of Frederickshamm, completing the expulsion of Scottrian units from the Berwick Barrier. Rogeria Minor, Thak Duro, and Guh Naso were seized in July 1681.
 * By August 1681, the Imperial Laurasian Navy was actually launching expeditions into the Galactic Void, and the Scottrian outposts of Rigallia, the Lower Void Belt, and Shervina were seized in succession. On September 1, 1681, Rogeria Major surrendered to General Howardis of Soria and to Admiral Sir Theodosius Levashius (1628-99, the great-grandfather of one of Empress Aurelia the Great’s most prominent military commanders), completing the extension of Laurasian control over the Rogerian Provinces. Rasdalla Minor followed on September 17, and Seeben followed five days later. Sabinia, however, did not surrender until October 3, 1681. In November 1681, with Sherry and Rasdalla Major both under threat from Laurasian forces, Probus received word of yet another revolt against his authority, this time in the Galician Provinces. Frogglesworth, Doris, Anthony, Volodormia, and Galich Minor were encompassed by the pretensions of Sir Bonsous Argellio (1638-81), who had secured access to a corps of Dasian and Arachosian conscripts. The Emperor dispatched the Earl of Malaria Prime and Lord Stanelis of Duana to confront this new threat. They did so, and following a series of confrontations at Borodino, Cossack, Galich Majoria, and Rossach (November 8-22) with rebel forces, gained the upper hand. On November 29, 1681, Argellio committed suicide before he could be captured. On Ascentmas Day, 1681, with Barching and Jakarta in Laurasian hands, Rasdalla Major surrendered.

1682

 * 1682, the 82nd year of the seventeenth century, commenced with the Laurasian Empire of Probus I having faced down further internal threats, and continuing its successful offensives against the Scottrians in the Galactic Borderlands. On January 7, 1682, Sherry surrendered to Emperor Probus; this was shortly afterwards followed by the conquest of Kathy Major, thereby completing the effective subjugation of the Rasdallan Provinces. By the beginning of February 1682, the Emperor's forces had overrun Kuris, Gwyenne, Kalbacha Minor, and Kania, with the Scottrians holding on to the Galactic Barrier and to the Northern Kalbachan Territories. King Jamsiuw, faced by revolt in the Dumbarton and Outskirt Districts, and himself in danger of bankruptcy, decided, on March 3, 1682, to seek peace with the Laurasian Empire. Six days later, he sent a request for a military armistice by means of Jamsius Douglain, 1st Earl of Morton (1626-93), who was Governor of the Upper Galactic Barrier. On March 15, 1682, Probus himself, who was determined to turn his attention to other matters, accepted the armistice offer. The Armistice of Alemeda was signed (March 27, 1682); on April 9, negotiations began at the Belts of Barton in the Core Worlds. Two months of negotiations followed, as the Scottrian delegation made the greatest effort to regain control of the Rasdallan, Canian, and Southern Kalbachan Provinces, and as the Laurasian delegation (led by Chancellor Thomasius Rotterdamia, Archbishop of Christiania (1630-1700), who had assumed office in November 1675, and been retained by Florian and Probus), sought to strengthen the Empire's position in the Garaman Provinces. Finally, however, the Treaty of the Belts of Barton was signed (June 11, 1682), concluding the Laurasian-Scottrian War of 1679-82.
 * By the terms of this treaty, the Imperial Laurasian Government restored Kania, Rasdalla, Kalbacha, and Rogeria to the authority of the Celestial Kingdom of Scottria (those territories would remain under Scottrian control into the first half of the eighteenth century). However, King Jamsius III of Scottria now agreed to the concession of Ranieda Major, the Eastern Berwick Barrier, Ladoga, Onieda, and the Hypasian colonies of Prsi Burhadi, Mamdh Buhamidal, and Adjuajei to the Laurasian Empire; additionally, Laurasia gained the right to occupy the Western Berwick Barrier, including Vilmanstrand, Frederickshamm, Crusher, Wheaton, and Janeway, for a period of ten years (to June 11, 1693). Also, the Royal Scottrian Government reconfirmed all free-transit privileges previously granted to Laurasian merchants and navigators, and to extend these rights to the whole of the Scottrian Galactic Borderlands (until January 1, 1699). Finally, King Jamsius agreed to dispense the amount of €75.5 trillion denarii over the next five years, to compensate the Imperial Laurasian Government for military and property damages. The Treaty of the Belts of Barton was ratified by Emperor Probus on June 28, and by King Jamsius on July 12.
 * Almost as soon as the Treaty of the Belts of Barton was concluded, Probus turned his attention to a major territorial goal, a goal which had been an ambition of the Laurasian Empire’s since earlier in that century. This was the goal of the subjection of the old Dasian Heartland, ruled by the Brestord Kingdom of Karakorum, to Laurasian jurisdiction. Karakorum had by this stage existed as an independent state for more than two centuries, ever since its secession from the Mellorite Empire in 1456, under Ranna I. Probus was encouraged in this goal by the renewal of overt hostilities between the Marasharite Empire, Haynsian Despotate, and Danubian Principalities on the one hand; and the Holy Austarlian Empire on the other. Under the rule of Ardashir I and his son, Shapur I, as has been examined above, the Marasharite Empire had entered into a period of military revival and renewed, aggressive conflict against its neighbors, throughout much of the period after 1620. Ardashir's wars against Haxonia, Dejanica, the Great Breffal Federation, and Laurasia, during the first decade of his reign, have already been noted. The Marasharite-Austarlian War of 1632-38, instigated by Emperor Ardashir, in his effort to take advantage of Austarlia's entanglements in the Germanian Principalities due to the Thirty Year's War, had ended with the Treaty of Linz (November 1638), by which Karlstadt, Sathmar, Frausbach, and the Eastern Captaincy of Upper Hungary were conceded to the Marasharite Empire. Immediately following the conclusion of this conflict, Ardashir had renewed the offensive against the Great Breffal Federation; the ensuing war (1638-39), ended in a decisive victory for the Marasharite Empire, with the Marasharites overrunning Tabriz, Hamadan, and Baghdad, the capital of the Mesopotamian Regions.
 * The Treaty of Zhuab resulted in the restoration of Mesopotamia, Elam, Kuwait, Western Armenia, Western Georgia, and the Amulak Caucasian Colonies to the Marasharites. There had then followed the exhaustive Second Ardashiran War against the Laurasian Empire (1639-44). Following Ardashir's death in February 1642, Shapur continued with his father's policies of aggressive military expansion. He instigated the Cretan War with the Haxonian Confederacy, which began in June 1645. This war became the longest conflict in the Marasharite Empire's history, dragging for the next twenty-four years. The Marasharites, supported by the Barbary States, Ragusa, and the Haynsian Despotate, opposed the Haxonians, Genoa, Florence, the Duchy of Milania, Naparia, and the Kingdom of Greater Spamalka (after 1652). The Knights of Malta, Lucca, and the Romagna Principalities also became involved against the Empire. Marasharite forces overran most of the major strongholds of the Cretan Provinces between 1645 and 1648, with Chania, Rethymno, Ierapetra, Agios Nikolaos, and Sitra falling into Marasharite hands. The Haxonians however, resisted at Herkalion, besieged by the Marasharites from May 1648, which defied the Marasharites year after year.
 * Marasharite forces clashed with the Haxonians in Dalmatia, Ragusa, Epirus, and Macedonica; they overran the Sicilian Wayward Colonies; and they launched unsuccessful assaults against Malta, Naparia Prime, Tivorli, Leghorn, and other strongholds in the Italianian Provinces. Cyrene, Tripoli, Tunis, Boni, and Upper Aegyptiania fell under allied assaults, and the Haxonians expelled the Marasharites from Bahrain and Hormuz. Ultimately, however, the Haxonian resistance wore down, and in September 1669, Herkalion finally fell to the Marasharites. Later that month, the Treaty of Ravenna restored peace between Haxonia and Marasharita. Haxonia acquired Boi, Carvut, and Korcula in Dalmatia, but this was minor compensation by comparison to its losses in Crete. Marasharite overlordship of Bahrain and Hormuz was restored, and border rectifications were made in the Wayward Colonies. Nevertheless, the Cretan War was not the only conflict fought during that period. Besides the Shapurian War (1653-64), against the Laurasian Empire, as already noted, the Marasharites also engaged in military conflicts with the Southern Mascavanian Principalities (1648-51); Scottria (1650-52); Lesser Spamalka (1653-55, in support of Granada), and from 1656-59, subjugated the Sultanate of Morocco, which had been a bitter enemy of the Barbary States of Tripoli, Tunis, Algiers, and Mauritania for nearly two centuries. Moreover, in 1656, Shapur appointed a new Grand Vizier: Köprülü Mehmed Pasha (1575-1661), the first of that dynasty to ascend to the highest executive position in the Marasharite Empire.
 * The new Grand Vizier, besides encouraging his master's campaigns in the Caladarian Galaxy, instigated an intervention in Transylvania in May 1660, deposing George II Rackoszy, Prince of Transylvania, who had become involved in the Dejanican War of the Deluge and had aligned himself with Austarlia, Brandenburg, and Denmarica against the Commonwealth. The Marasharites had compelled Transylvania to pay tribute from 1654, and sought to strengthen their influence over those territories against the Holy Austarlian Empire. And indeed, in 1659, hostilities with Austarlia were renewed again. By that point, Austarlia was under the rule of Lea'dus I (1657-1705), whose reign was to see a considerable expansion of his empire's territory, power, and influence. Lea'dus had inherited the War of the Dejanican Deluge; by 1657, Austarlian forces had overrun Galicia, Lodomeria, Southern Lesser Dejanica, Sandomierz, and parts of Belarania and Pinsk. Yet Austarlian forces continued to clash with Marasharite, Danubian, and Haynsian units in Croatia, on the Military Frontier, and in Royal Hungary. Finally, war had erupted in September 1659, as the Holy Austarlian Emperor was determined to prevent Marasharita from extending its direct rule over Transylvania. Austarlian forces launched a series of campaigns in Budin, the Upper Captaincies of Marasharite Hungary, and into Transylvania itself, seizing Debrecen, Varad, and Hurst, and blockading Eger.
 * Marasharite forces, however, penetrated into Croatia and Slavonia, conquering Gospic, Zabreg, Pasin, and Llubjana (1660), and inflicting severe damage upon Austarlian military positions in those star systems. In April 1661, Prince Janos Kameny, who had been installed by the Transylvanian Diet in defiance of the Marasharites, rebelled against them and issued a declaration of war. In response, Shapur and Grand Vizier Köprülü Ahmed launched a massive invasion of Transylvania; Kameny was compelled to flee to the Austarlian Archduchies, and Transylvania itself was placed under Marasharite military occupation. Marasharite forces then drove the Austarlians from Debrecen, Varad, and Hurst; relieved Eger; conquered Pressburg; and pressed into Royal Hungary. Odenburg, Steniamanger, Neutra, Tyrau, and Trentschin all fell into Marasharite hands. By 1662, Slavonia and Moravia were under invasion. Kranj, Velenjie, and Novo Mesto were sacked by the Haynsian Despotate; Marasharite forces penetrated as far as Izonza and Austarlian Istria. In Moravia, Ostrava and Zlin were conquered. Marasharite efforts to storm Nove Samky failed six times during 1661 and 1662, but in January 1663, the stronghold finally fell into their hands. Ersekuvjar also fell into Marasharite possession in April 1663. By the end of 1663, Marburg, Lalach, and Graz were all under threat. In early 1664, the Austarlians launched a counteroffensive, and the Florencian Count Raimondo Montecuccoli (1609-80), who served in the Holy Austarlian Army as a General for Emperor Lea'dus, managed to recover Darda, Pressburg, Odenburg, Neutra, Tyrau, and Llubjana from the Marasharites.
 * In March 1664, however, Novi Zirin fell into the Grand Vizier's hands; the Marasharites then isolated Linz and moved directly against Vienna. Montecuccoli, supported by units from Bavaria, Saxony, Wurttemberg, and Baden, all of whom had aligned themselves with the Austarlians, won a decisive victory at St. Gotthard (August 1, 1664), halting the Marasharite advance. Shortly afterwards, Shapur asked for peace, and the Treaty of Vasvar was signed later that month. Austarlia recovered all lost strongholds. Uygur and Transylvania were confirmed to be under the jurisdiction of the Marasharite Empire. The Treaty of Vasvar maintained peace between the two empires for the next two decades. During that time, Marasharita engaged in wars with Scottria (1666-67), Portugallia (1671-75), the Great Breffal Confederation (1669-71, 1677-81); the Cossack Wars (1664-70) and the War of Podolia (1672-76), involving Marasharita, the Danubian Principalities, and Haynsia against the Dejanican-Lithuanian Commonwealth, were also fought during this time. But by the early 1680s, the Marasharites and Austarlians were on the path to war again.
 * In Royal Hungary, widespread unrest transformed into open rebellion against Emperor Lea’dus I’s regime, arising out of his pursuit of centralization and religious conformity policies throughout his realms. In 1681, various anti-Habsburg forces, led by Imre Thokoly (1657-1705), erupted into formal rebellion against the Emperor, and received assistance from the Marasharites, who recognized Thokoly as King of "Upper Hungary". The Marasharites promised to confer the "Duchies of Austarlia" upon Upper Hungary if they prevailed. During 1681 and 1682, clashes between the forces of Thokoly and the Holy Austarlian Empire intensified, and the incursions of Austarlian forces into Central Hungary allowed for the Marasharite Grand Vizier, Kara Mustafa Pasha (1634-83), to convince Emperor Mehmed IV (son of Shapur I, who had died in May 1670, and who had reigned since the death of his elder brother Shapur II in April 1673), and his Grand Council to authorize for war. The Emperor permitted him to operate as far as Kmoram and Gyor in Royal Hungary. War was formally declared on August 6, 1682, although Marasharite forces in the Great Amulak Spiral were mobilized from January of that year. It would not be until January 1683, however, before the Emperor extended the range of operations indefinitely; in that month, Austarlia and Dejanica concluded the Treaty of Dejanica Major, pledging common assistance to each other if either were menaced by the Marasharites.
 * All of these developments therefore encouraged Probus to assault Karakorum, which had been under Marasharite "friendship" or protection since 1656. On August 2, 1682, the Emperor mobilized his military forces at Sierra, Felix, Glassia, Capone, Mocktrialis, Scanlan, Garner, and among the strongholds of the Corporate Sector. Ten days later, he dispatched a ultimatum to the King of Karakorum, Manna I (r. 1681-83), pointing out the "inherent instabilities" in Karakorum, demanding that the Karakorians recognize the Empire's authority, and that all ties to Marasharita be ended. Some of this did indeed have true merit. Following the death of Charaton I in August 1679, his son Mardonna II had acceded to the throne. Mardonna, however, was on October 9 of that year ambushed and killed by a Torfian pirate convoy near Belkadan. He was succeeded by his cousin, who became Theodonna II. Theodonna himself ruled for less than two years, until in April 1681, he was deposed and assassinated by Manna, who had previously been Prince of Houston. During these years, Karakorum dealt with economic deterioration, civil uprisings, and constant intrigues within the government. Now, King Manna, confident that his Marasharite "protectors" would not fail him, failed to respond to the ultimatum. On August 22, 1682, therefore, Emperor Probus issued a formal declaration of war and launched his invasion of Karakorum. Syr-Daria, the Oirat Complex, and Vandross fell quickly into the Empire’s hands (September 1682), and on September 22, 1682, the Battle of Mary-Lou ended in a decisive victory for the Emperor. Four days later, after halting a Karakorian counteroffensive against Theodore and Andrea Doria, the Emperor besieged Tyson.
 * Tyson’s fall (September 31, 1682), entrenched the Laurasians in Karakorum. Belkadan was then besieged (October 2-17, 1682), and fell, with Brestord General Alelda (1637-82) being captured, tortured, and then executed on the Emperor’s orders. Nedao surrendered on November 2, 1682; four days later, with Sernapasia and Houston both isolated by Laurasian units, Emperor Probus approached the outskirts of Karakorum. Karakorum, once the capital world of the Great Dasian Empire, and the throne-world developed by the Great Khans Ogedei, Mongke, and Kublai, had a population of six hundred million inhabitants in the late seventeenth century, a far cry from the height it had enjoyed eight centuries earlier. Nevertheless, as the capital world of the Kingdom of Karakorum, it was an important target of the Emperor’s, and its capture would bring the last of the Dasian capital worlds into Laurasian possession. The others had gradually fallen under their control over the preceding five and a half centuries. Saray (once capital of the Golden Horde and Great Horde), along with Senna, the old throne-world of the Sennacherid Empire, had been acquired by Regent Elena in 1137, with the Treaty of Severia. This was just fifty-seven years following the Battle of Ugra and the end of the Dasian Yoke.
 * Nearly two centuries later, in September 1321, the Treaty of Nystadia had resulted in the acquisition of the Northern Crimeanian Provinces, including Crimean IV, former capital world of the Crimeanian Khanate. Ninety years following that, in 1412, Istantius (formerly Kazan), once capital of the Kazanian Khanate, had fallen under Laurasian rule due to Demetrius the Fat's final elimination of the Solidaritan Sultanate. In 1506, with Antigonus the Conqueror's annexation of the Neo-Venasian Consortium, Venasia Prime, capital world of that ancient power and (1066-1156), of the Venasian Khanate, had been acquired. The three capital worlds of Jasonia (of the Huntite Khanate, Kingdom of Rudorita, and Kingdom of Halegothica), Samarkand (of the Timurid Empire), and Hunt Major (of the Carolyne and Neo-Carolyne Khanates), had all been acquired in 1515-16, also by Antigonus, during his conquest of the Huntite Caliphate.
 * The Siege of Karakorum formally commenced on November 9, 1682, and lasted for the better part of the month. The Garrison of Karakorum was commanded by the Arachosian mercenary-General Nirgusha-Pelit (1623-83), who was one of the Kingdom’s leading military commanders, and was renowned for his formidable defensive and strategic skills. Consequently, the forces of the Empire experienced serious casualties in the course of the siege; numerous assaults by the defensive garrison across the Karakorum Straits, Karakorum Outposts, and at the minor systems of Karkol and Tsoss Station caused irritation for the Laurasians. Ultimately, however, with General Lord Howardis of Soria leading the main offensive charge, Karakorum’s shield defenses finally succumbed to the relentless Laurasian assaults (November 28, 1682), and the Emperor was able to execute the swift, and final, land offensive. The Valley of the Khans, the Karakorum Admittance Station, and the quadrants of the Great City of Dasia were all overrun by the 9th and 11th Regiments of the 30th Imperial Army; Lord Stanelis, in particular, distinguished himself in the military confrontations. It was not until December 7, 1682, however, before the ruins of the Golden Palace fell into Laurasian hands; the following day, Nirgusha-Pelit, who found himself besieged and battered from all directions, surrendered. By December 14, the entire Karakorum star system was in the possession of the Laurasian Empire.
 * Emperor Probus was ruthless, and he gave his troops leeway to plunder the businesses, homes, and properties of many of those resident on the world. The Emperor was determined to savor in this victory, and to cast the impression of the Empire’s relentless victory over its enemies. Moreover, Karakorum, once the "jewel of the Caladarian Galaxy", was now, more than four centuries after the final fall of the Dasian Empire, in Laurasian hands, and he was determined to exact his revenge upon the remnants of a once great civilization, who had oppressed and brutalized the Laurasians in their time. During the next three months, millions of Karakorian denziens would be executed, deported, or imprisoned by the Empire’s invading forces; many of the planet’s settlements and cities would be despoiled, and laid bare; and the treasures of the Karakorian Treasury were borne off, to the benefit of the Imperial Laurasian Government. Karakorum’s population fell to less than two hundred million by 1688; it would fall even further to forty million by 1725, and would never fully recover from this latest, devastating foreign incursion (following those of 987, 1005, 1096, 1141, and 1250).
 * Empress Aurelia’s reign would see a surge of foreign colonists, and a stage of economic rehabilitation, but even at the end of the eighteenth century, Karakorum would have a population of only 65 million. With the fall of Karakorum, Probus’s subjection of the remainder of the Dasian Heartland proceeded at a rapid pace. Tataria fell (December 11, 1682), and on December 14, Sernapasia finally surrendered. Dasian General Timur-Gimshan (1629-85) was captured, interrogated, and then imprisoned on the Emperor’s orders, at Ipsus V; more than 30,000 officers of the Sernapasian garrison were executed or tortured; and many of the world’s agricultural, industrial, and mining colonies were laid waste. Houston then surrendered (December 19, 1682), and was shortly afterwards followed by Nandi Diri (December 22) and Elbing (December 24). By the end of 1682, the Oirat Complex and Upper Belkadan were the only remaining strongholds still under Karakorian control.

1683

 * 1683, the 83rd year of the seventeenth century, commenced with Emperor Probus’s campaigns in the Dasian Heartland nearing their conclusion. The Emperor of Laurasia, now hailed by many of his subjects as a great conqueror, sought to complete the rapid subjection of the remaining Karakorian holdouts, and to return to Laurasia Prime to celebrate his triumph. On January 10, 1683, Probus obtained a decisive victory in the Battle of Uiratia, compelling the surrender of that stronghold to Laurasian forces and disrupting Karakorian supply lines to the Oirat Complax. Pandi Diri, Trans-Glassia, and the Brestord-Dasian colonies of Rataria, Ukhari, and Ogediana then fell in succession (January 12-24). Finally (January 29, 1683), the Oirat Complex itself fell under siege. The Complex, once one of the most imposing military complexes and colonies in the Dasian Heartland, was a shadow of its former self by the late seventeenth century, but had been rehabilitated to some extent by the Brestords, and had become one of the Kingdom's leading military outposts. It was commanded by Prince Yurveli of Sernapasia (1627-83), an Anastasian migrant who had risen high in Karakorian service. Nevertheless, the Emperor's forces accomplished their task, with the Oirat Stockades falling first. On February 4, 1683, the Central Oirat Repository was subjected to a Laurasian assault; its fall five days later, compounded with the death of Prince Yurveli in a futile last charge against Laurasian warships, completed the fall of the Complex. Upper Belkadan then surrendered (February 12, 1683), and four days later, the remains of King Manna's personal flagship, the HMS Shields of Valor, were found floating near Morlan.
 * Manna had attempted to flee into the Galactic Void, and from thence to the Great Tesmanian Cloud, hoping to obtain assistance from the Marasharite Empire. His flagship, however, was bombarded by ionic radiation in the Fields of Morlan, and the King, along with his attendants, subordinates, and personnel, died before they were able to execute their last hyperspace jump. Emperor Probus ordered for the remains of Manna and of his Court to be dumped into the Pit of Traitors on Jadia. On February 24, 1683, Goncan and Honcharania, the last remaining Karakorian outposts, which were located on the very outskirts of the Outer Borderlands, surrendered, thereby signalling the end of the Brestord Kingdom of Karakorum after 226 years of independence. Moreover, the destruction of Karakorum occurred forty years after its former suzerain, the Mellorite Empire, had fallen before the Laurasians. The Laurasian Empire now encompassed all of the territories which had formerly belonged to the Homidinian Khanate, 430 years after that power's demise, and it also controlled the full extent of the dominions which had been under direct Dasian rule at the time of Kublai Khan's death in 894. The Empire's territory now extended for over 115,000 light years, from the Dasian Heartland in the north to the Hutsite Reaches in the south.
 * Emperor Probus now began his progress back to Laurasia Prime, entrusting Howardis of Soria and Parrius with providing for the further consolidation of Laurasian rule over the Dasian Heartland. Parrius would be designated as the first Laurasian Governor of Karakorum in March 1683, a position which he would hold until his sudden death on November 16 of that year, aged 49. Soria, who oversaw the establishment of Laurasian garrisons and military outposts in the former Karakorian territories, would then assume the Governorship of Karakorum, holding it from November 1683 to January 1685. As for Probus, he departed from Glassia on the Corridor on March 1, 1683, and proceeded promptly with his military forces, down the Larkian Way, to Laurasia Prime. Arriving at the Empire’s capital world four days later, the Emperor was greeted with much joy by the inhabitants of the star system. He conducted a triumph through Hepudermia, Jadia, the two Calaxies, and the Approaches of Christiania, before descending into the city itself. Christiania, and all of Laurasia Prime’s other cities, greeted His Majesty with a series of parades, performances, firework displays, and honorary salutes, both by the troops of the garrison and by the respective police forces, local governmental authorities, and nobles. The Quencilvanian Palace, Westphalian Cathedral, Senatorial Palace, Old Royal Palace, Imperial Academy of Sciences, Imperial Academy of Arts, the Galactic Opera, and the Universities of Laurasia Prime and the Empire were all decked out in full colors for the ceremonies. These continued for the next several days, and the Holy Synod, as well as the Governing Senate, honored the Emperor with the title of Dasianus Maximus (March 12, 1683). Orations were delivered by Chief Procurator Boucherius, the Duke of Americana, and Chancellor Rotterdamia, espousing the Emperor's virtues.
 * Yet by that point, Probus's health had entered a serious decline. As early as September 1682, he had complained of a nagging pain in his back. By March 1683, headaches, eye strain, and constipation were added to his health troubles, and he found himself constantly tired, dehydrated, and distracted. On March 19, 1683, the Emperor was compelled to undergo emergency brain surgery; this was further compounded by subjection to a regime of medicinal and bacta treatments, with the hope of reviving his condition and of alleviating his symptoms. None of this worked, however, and on April 1, Probus suffered a stroke in his personal bedchambers, which left him paralyzed and unable to move from his bed. Now immured in the Imperial Hospital, he struggled to issue commands to his subordinates. His subjects were astounded by this sudden change in his condition, and attributed it to "unhappy" circumstances. They now prayed constantly for him, and entreated the Lord Almitis to be kind to them.
 * It was not to be. On April 6, the Emperor gave his approval to his final will and testament, formally naming his elder son, Grand Prince Maximinus, who was then only ten years old, as his successor, and entrusting his younger brother, Grand Prince Titus, with the title of "Lord Protector of the Laurasian Empire", giving him the authority to preside over the Empire's affairs, to guard Maximinus's interests, and to direct the Imperial Household. Titus was to hold the rank until Maximinus obtained his age of majority (his eighteenth birthday (1690), the age of majority having been formally adjusted by Probus by the decree of July 12, 1682). This was the first time in nearly six centuries, since the reign of Theodosius I, that an individual had been given the formal title of "Lord Protector". Three days later, on April 9, 1683, Probus I died in the Imperial Hospital, on his 51st birthday, after having reigned for nearly seven years. In accordance with the arrangements in his will, his son Maximinus was proclaimed Emperor; he was the fifth Emperor of the Imperial Laurasian Period, following Antiochus III, Elagabalus, Alexander Severus, and Gordian VI, to take sole possession of the imperial throne as a minor.
 * The new Emperor Maximinus, who had been at the Palace of Placenta on Darcia, at the time of his father’s death, was brought to Laurasia Prime (April 15, 1683), by the Duke of Americana and Lord Stanelis of Duana. On that day, his uncle, Grand Prince Titus (then 30 years old), formally assumed the title and rank of Lord Protector. At first, it seemed as if everything was well. Titus declared his adherence to the testament of his brother, and on April 17, on his orders, the Holy Synod blessed his memory. Four days later, Emperor Probus was interred in the Westphalian Cathedral. By the end of April 1683, plans were underway for Maximinus’s coronation; the Lord Protector, on his part, ingratiated himself with the Empire’s populace through the alleviation of tax rates, the conferral of pardons for lesser offenses, the reduction of conscription, and the commutation of obligations. Yet by this point, Titus was already revealing his true nature, and his true intentions as regards to Maximinus and his younger brother, Andronicus.
 * On April 29, 1683, the Lord Protector had a conference with Antoninus Woodaria, 1st Duke of Goldaria (1640-83), the younger brother of Empress-Dowager Aurelia Woodaria, Goldaria's nephew Sir Ricomedius Greysius (1657-83), who was Empress-Dowager Aurelia's son by her first marriage, and the Duke's associate Sir Thomasius Vaugharia (1610-83), Vice-Secretary of the Imperial College of Foreign Affairs and a member of the Praetorian Guards. It was the Duke of Goldaria who, at his sister's request, had assumed responsibility for directing the escort of her son, Emperor Maximinus, into Christiania. The conference took place at Ralina Vixius. But shortly after it had ended, Titus, perceiving the threat which could be posed to his position by these men, ordered for them to be arrested and imprisoned at the Monastery of Windowia Photis.
 * On May 4, 1683, the Lord Protector, who had "informed" the Emperor of an attempted conspiracy by Goldaria and Greysius, had him moved from the Old Royal Palace, where he had been temporarily lodged, to the Imperial Apartments at the Fortress of Baureux, where Laurasian sovereigns now resided prior to their coronations. Dowager Empress Aurelia, on her part, hearing of her brother's arrest, now took sanctuary at the Westphalian Cathedral, as was her right. Joining her were her elder son by her first marriage, Thomasius Greysius, 1st Marquess of Doracia (1655-1701); her five daughters; and her youngest son, Grand Prince Andronicus. It was not until June 16 before the Dowager Empress agreed to hand over the Grand Prince into the custody of Chief Procurator Boucherius, so that he could participate in his brother’s coronation, planned for June 22. Yet on June 11, Titus sent communiques to Rudomentus Nevilius, 1st Lord Nevilius of Colombia (1621-84), who then served as Mayor of Christiania, the City of Christiania, and other Laurasian notables asking for their support against "the Dowager Empress and her colleagues, who have conspired relentlessly against the authority of our government."
 * On June 13, Sir Willanius Hastingta, 1st Baron Hastingta (1631-83), Secretary of the Imperial College of Finance, and one of Emperor Probus's most trusted subordinates within the Imperial Government, was arrested at a session of the Council of Service, attained, and summarily executed on the orders of the Lord Protector. Titus accused Hastingta of having conspired against him with the Woodarias, and of facilitating the relationship of his own mistress, Lady Aurelia Shorania (1645-1727), one of Dowager Empress Aurelia's ladies-in-waiting, with the Marquess of Doracia. Several others, including Lord Stanelis and Demetrius Mortonia, Archbishop of Apathama Vixius (1620-1700), were arrested and imprisoned. Mortonia was soon released into the custody of Praetorian Prefect Americana. Shortly afterwards, the Lord Protector was "informed" by the Archbishop of Americana, Robertus Stillingtia (1620-91), that Emperor Probus's marriage to Aurelia Woodaria was invalid because of a legal precontract he had with Lady Anna Talarania (1636-68), prior to his union with the Dowager Empress, and that consequently, her children, who had been named by Probus as his heirs in accordance with the Seleucid Law of Succession, were illegitimate. Using this as a pretext, Titus then summoned the Councils of State to session and coerced them with Praetorian Guards into revoking Probus's will and testament. On June 26, 1683, the Senate, Synod, and Council of Civil Service confirmed the bastardizations of Maximinus and his siblings; formally deposed the ten-year old boy from the throne; and proclaimed Titus Emperor and Autocrat of All the Laurasians (as Titus II), just over two months after the death of his elder brother Probus. The former Lord Protector accepted, and on his orders, both Grand Princes Maximinus and Andronicus were moved to the Prison Quarters in the Fortress of Baureux. He crowned himself Emperor at the Westphalian Cathedral on July 6, 1683, one month after his brother's burial.
 * As for Maximinus and Andronicus, Emperor Titus secretly ordered for them to be denied medical treatment, and for the conditions under which they were held to be tightened and worsened. The two Grand Princes, who had never enjoyed the most robust of health, rapidly declined, and by the end of July 1683, it was reported that they were both in a pitiful condition, both physically and mentally. On August 3, 1683, Grand Prince Andronicus died, aged only nine; his brother, former Emperor Maximinus II, who had "reigned" for just over two months, followed him on August 25. On August 28, Titus announced that his nephews had died from the Angrames malady, and that they had been given all necessary medical treatments; none of these, he said, could alleviate their symptoms. He then had them interred at the Westphalian Cathedral on September 6, and they were given a grand funeral, with the Emperor and all of the chief personages of the Imperial Laurasian Court in attendance. Yet rumors now spread that Titus had murdered his nephews. These rumors would become more persistent during the following months, and would play a major role in destroying his reputation, which had previously been high, and encouraging rebellion against him.
 * And indeed, it was not long before active rebellion did erupt against the Emperor’s authority. It was the Duke of Americana, still serving as Praetorian Prefect, who provoked a rise against the Emperor. Americana, who had supported Titus in his efforts to remove Maximinus from power, was now determined to depose him from the throne and to promote the claims of the exiled Earl of Tudoria, Neuchrus, with his clear line of descent from the Nervian Dynasty. Much had transpired with Neuchrus during the preceding two decades. As noted above, he had been in the care of his uncle, the Earl of Mariana Prime, but in February 1661, his uncle was implicated in Igenallus’s Rebellion, and was compelled to flee for his life from the Empire, to the Dejanican Duchy of Northania and Semigallia in the Great Tesmanian Cloud. Shortly afterwards, Emperor Gaillenus had conferred the Earldom of Mariana Prime, and its associated properties, estates, and revenues, upon Sir Willanius Herbertia (1623-69). He also assumed the guardianship of the Dowager Duchess of Tudoria, and of her son Neuchrus. Young Neuchrus’s education became Herbetia’s responsibility; the Earl arranged for him to have the best tudors. His chief tutor was Sir Aurelius Hermogenianus (1629-1712), the later compiler of the Codex Hermogenianus, and one of the most respected educators and legal theorists in the Empire. Sir Hermogenianus, a Professor of Jurisprudence, first at the University of Laurasia Prime (1662-74) and then of the Empire (1674-1705), and destined to become a Governing Senator, Recorder of the Court of the Star Chamber, and Chancellor of the Imperial Jurisprudence Academy, inspired in his pupil a passion for literature, theology, legal studies, forensics, history, geography, psychology, sociology, archaeology, and political sciences, among other subjects. Neuchrus became proficient in six other languages besides Laurasian, and adept at fields from philology and ethnology to physics.
 * On May 27, 1669, the Earl of Malaria Prime was killed in a fracas with Malarian pirates at the Belts of Mantin, and as a result, Neuchrus came temporarily into the custody of the Duke of Christiania. In October 1670, his uncle Acillius was pardoned by Emperor Aurelian, restored to his title as Earl of Mariana Prime, and permitted to return from exile. The restored Earl now took custody of Neuchrus and his mother, and in November 1670, they were presented before Aurelian at the Quencilvanian Palace. The Earl rose high in the Emperor’s service, and in September 1671, he became Governor of Tudoria and Senatorial Procurator of the Venasian Cluster, thereby giving him a position of comfort and of prominence. Neuchrus, on his part, now received military training at the Imperial Academy of Laura, and he studied at the Imperial Academy of Sciences, acquiring further practical and theoretical knowledge. His mother married Lord Thomasius Stanelis of Duana in June 1672, and was later named a lady-in-waiting to Aurelian's wife, Empress-Consort Ulpia Severina. In 1675, however, this period of good fortune for Neuchrus (who was now eighteen years old), and his uncle came to an end, following the assassination of Emperor Aurelian. The new Emperor, Demetrius Severus II, was not too fond of the Craterles family, and in January 1676, the Earl of Malaria Prime was compelled to flee once more from the Empire. He was shortly afterwards declared an outlaw, and his titles were again confiscated.
 * Lady Beaufatia, now married to one of the "new" gentlemen of the Imperial Laurasian Court (who was already a strong associate of General Probus's, and therefore in imperial favor), was commanded to remain with her husband, and forbidden contact with her brother-in-law and her son. Then, in March 1676, young Neuchrus himself was forced to flee, and joined with his stepfather's convoy in the Galactic Void. They went at first to Talinin in the Dejanican Duchy, but when war broke out between Laurasia and Dejanica (February 1677), Sir Acillius made the resolution to flee to the Great Amulak Spiral. Utlizing the Dejanican Wormhole and the Dejanican-Germanian Highway, they made their way to the Franconian Duchy of Brittany, then ruled by Fransios II (r. 1658-88), who had successfully maintained his independence against the encroachments of the Franconian Crown. This marked the first time in history that Laurasian nobles sought refuge within the Great Amulak Spiral. Reaching Rennes (March 19, 1677), Neuchrus and his uncle were granted official asylum by the Duke, astounded by the arrival of such personages from an Empire, and galaxy, which, in the late seventeenth century (more than two centuries following the establishment of Laurasian diplomatic and economic ties with the nations of the Amulak Spiral), was still a mystery to most of the Amulak powers. The young Earl of Tudoria and his uncle were to remain in exile at the court of Nannes for the next seven years.
 * During that time, Neuchrus was able to gradually build up a base of support at the Imperial Court and in the Laurasian Empire. Many in the Venasian Cluster and Venasian Triangle regions, and throughout the Eastern Core Worlds, from which the Craterles family had originated, were sympathetic towards the young Earl's plight. In addition to this, Neuchrus received generous financial aid from Duke Fransios, and from the Duke's Treasurer, Pierre Landais (1630-85), who permitted him to recruit mercenaries from throughout the Duchy, and from other foreign powers in the Amulak Spiral. Both were hopeful that their assistance to Neuchrus now would have benefits in their relations with the distant Empire in the future. By 1683, the young Earl and his uncle, along with their supporters, had assembled a substantial force of Laurasian, Franconian, Haxonian, Vendragian, and Germanian mercenaries, troops, and naval vessels; starhoppers, navigators, retainers, and military veterans alike contributed to his cause; and Neuchrus issued numerous manifestos from Nannes, promising to deliver the Empire from the hands of oppressors and to bring to it true and stable government.
 * In light of all of this, the Duke of Americana planned his rebellion against the Emperor. By September 1683, the Duke had secured the assistance, and the allegiance, of the Governor of Metallasia, Sir Antiochus Willoughby (1652-84, a uncle of the future Duchess of Sufforia); the Marquess of Doracia; Sir Giletus Daubeny (1651-1708, the future Lord Chamberlain of the Empire under Neuchrus I); Archbishop Mortonia of Ralina Vixius; and Sir Walterius Hurlangia of Blackria (1645-1716), among others. The Duke had also assembled military supplies, retainers, and equipment at his estates on Americana, Soria, Fulcania, Apathama Vixius, Oxia Vixius, Augis II, Augis V, Clackimaris, Ietas, Katie, Vetta, Taurasia, Lusceulum, and other strongholds in the Laurasia Prime Purse Region; he was determined to strike quickly against Emperor Titus, and to make his strike while he had the opportunity to do so. The actual rebellion itself, however, did not break out until October 7, 1683. Titus and his court had then retired to Condtella, as the Emperor sought to conduct a progress throughout his territories in the northern Central Core, to display himself before his subject. It was at this point that Americana announced his rebellion. Issuing a manifesto from the Palace of the Greats on Americana, the Duke proclaimed that he could not give his allegiance to the Emperor any further, and that he was rising "to bring true government, religious uniformity, and stability back to these realms." And indeed, Americana was able to make some initial gains. Fitzsimmons and the Station of Dosch fell into his hands (October 9-18, 1683), being shortly afterwards followed by Merandaz (October 22); Rainnan (October 25); Rucell (November 1); Chesham's Star (November 6); and Sapphire (November 11).
 * Mercedes, Andriana, and Constantine I found themselves all under siege by rebel units, who penetrated as far as Janesia, Reoyania, Conservan, and Maroni, threatening the upper Clancian Trunk Line. Yet by the end of November 1683, by which time Metallina and Courdina V had surrendered to rebel forces, and Sauvania seemed on the verge of doing so, the Imperial Laurasian Government had organized a vigorous response. Emperor Titus himself denounced the rebellion; commanded his loyal subjects to root out any dissent or rebellion against his authority; and ordered for a vigorous response to be taken. Howardis of Soria, returning from his duties in the Dasian Heartland to confront the rebel threat, now assumed command of the Emperor's forces. Departing from Laurasia Prime (December 1, 1683), the Viscount of Soria wasted no time in reversing the tide. On December 4, he relieved Mercedes; two days later, he humiliated a rebel force in the Battle of Kelby, and then stormed the colonies of Ian, Kellerman, Luke, and Jasmine, thereby imposing a ring around Merandaz and Rucell. Rebel expeditions into the Central Core were terminated by December 14, and two days later, the Battle of Taurasia resulted in the capture of Sir Hurglania by Howardis's chief subordinate, Vice-Admiral Sir Lysimachus Laradilla (1630-87). Chilisia and Falloria Minor were then secured (December 17, 1683); Merandaz surrendered the following day, being shortly afterwards followed by Rucell and Chesham's Star. Sapphire was reconquered on Ascentmas Day, 1683; then on the last day of the year, Constantine I and Andriana were both relieved of rebel forces.

1684

 * 1684, the 84th year of the seventeenth century, commenced with the government forces of the Laurasian Empire, under the command of Lord Howardis of Soria, gaining the advantage over the rebel forces of the Duke of Americana. On January 7, 1684, the Lieutenant-General gained a major victory in the Battle of Vetta, recovering that stronghold for the government. Rebel estates on Katie, Vetta, and Lusceulum were then confiscated, and on January 17, 1684, Rainnan fell back into government hands. From there, Fitzsimmons was blockaded and then seized (January 22-February 1, 1684). The Station of Dosch and Augis II followed on February 16, 1684; by the end of February 1684, rebel units had been expelled from Chloe, Apathama Vixius, Oxis Vixius, Fulcania, and Soria. On March 4, 1684, the Duke of Americana was finally captured near Lomanis I, signaling the end of his rebellion; Sir Giletus Daubeny was able to flee into the Galactic Borderlands, to Dejanican Lavella, and was shortly afterwards condemned in absentia by the Emperor, who officially named him a traitor. The Marquess of Doracia was also compelled to flee; he went, by means of the Barbarossa Wormhole, to the Franconian Duchy of Burgundy, and in April 1684, joined the exiled Neuchrus and his uncle Acillius at Nannes. Sir Walterius Hugarania had already defected back to the Emperor's forces in February 1684, providing intelligence on rebel positions. For this, he earned a pardon. In the meantime, on April 1, 1684, with the last cells of the rebellion suppressed, Emperor Titus made his formal return to Laurasia Prime.
 * The Duke of Americana and several of his colleagues were at that time conveyed to Laurasia Prime in chains. Five days later, they were tried by the Senate, Synod, and Council of Civil Service; on April 18, they were formally convicted of treason, conspiracy, and les-majestie, and were condemned to death. In addition, the Senate passed damnatio memoriae on the condemned men, while the Synod issued a bull of excommunication. Emperor Titus confirmed all of this, and signed their execution warrant on April 22. On April 29, 1684, Americana and thirty of his colleagues were executed at the Fortress of Baureux, before a crowd of more than 200,000 spectators. Titus proved especially ruthless in response to those who had participated in the rebellion as the common soldiers; more than six million individuals would be executed in sixty different star systems throughout the Laurasia Prime Purse Region during the next four months, further darkening his already sinking reputation.
 * As for Viscount Howardis of Soria, he received a flurry of rewards from his grateful Emperor. On May 5, 1684, he was formally created 1st Duke of Norfolkius; Norfolkius was the capital and largest city of Soria, and one of the most prominent cities in the Laurasia Prime Purse Region. The Dukedom of Norfolkius had fallen into abeyance in 1681, upon the death of the last Countess of Norfolkius (of the 1597 creation), Anna Mobrania, at the age of only eight. Norfolkius was also named Steward of the Imperial Household and Praetorian Prefect, making him the Emperor's highest household and security official. At the time of these elevations, he was fifty-nine years old; his son, Sir Thomasius Howardis, who now became Earl of Soria, and heir-apparent to the Dukedom, was forty; and his grandson, also named Thomasius, now Lord Howardis of Soria, was eleven. Thus the Howardis family came into their prime, at the apex of power and authority within the Laurasian Empire; they would remain prominent in the annals of the Empire's history (with the exception of their periods of disgrace in 1685-89 and 1747-53), until 1772, into the reign of Empress Aurelia the Great. Emperor Titus also showered the new Duke of Norfolkius and his family members with many valuable properties, with vast estates on Soria, Fulcania, Tarravania, Clackimaris, Katherine, Chancia, Americana, Caladaria, Laurasia Prime, and Darcia being included.
 * The Earl of Malaria Prime was another beneficiary of the Emperor's generosity; in August 1684, he would be promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-General, made a Suffect of the City of Christiania, and given jurisdiction over the Christiania Police Force and the Quencilvanian Palace Palatial Command. At the same time, however, tensions were building. Earl Neuchrus of Tudoria, who remained in exile, was now considered by many Laurasians as a strong contender for the throne. As he was, as mentioned above, related to the Nervian Dynasty in the form of Lucius Verus, Neuchrus was considered to have a more venerable hereditary title to the Imperial Laurasian Crown than Titus, whose family had, like the preceding dynasties of the Crisis of the Seventeenth Century, usurped the throne by force. And in December 1683, while Americana's abortive rebellion was underway, Neuchrus had pledged himself to marry Emperor Probus's eldest child, his first daughter Aurelia Zemakala (her last name came from her mother's maiden name). By September 1684, the Earl of Tudoria had amassed a substantial force of more than thirty million military personnel and some 3,000 military warships; he was brimming with energy, and continued to receive funds from the Ducal Court of Nannes.
 * Emperor Titus, who was growing increasingly paranoid, and fearful of the support for Neuchrus, now embarked on a harsh regime of oppression which further alienated him from his subjects. On September 29, 1684, he issued Titus Regius, a formal imperial statute laying out the reasons for his occupation of the throne the year before; denying that "Earl" Neuchrus of Tudoria, or any member of the Craterles family line, had any title to the Imperial Laurasian Crown; and ordering for all rival claims to that of his own family, the Probian Dynasty, be disavowed and denounced by the Imperial Almitian Church. The Synod backed up the Emperor's proclamation with a manifesto in October 1684, forbidding prayers from being said for pretenders to the throne, and ordering all congregations to offer all of their "aid and comfort" to the preservation of His Majesty's position. That same month, Titus banned any public reference being made to Neuchrus or other pretenders, and he confiscated all financial and commercial revenues still held by the Craterles family, or by their supporters, within Laurasian dominions. In November 1684, he reiterated his commands against rebellion, and ordered the Duke of Norfolkius to conduct a purge of the Imperial General Headquarters, to root out those with wavering sympathies. Yet Titus also took other measures. He tightened his control over the Praetorian Guards, in the process angering them.
 * Already, in May 1684, the Emperor had forbidden the Guards from transporting or taking leave without his permission; the following month, he had cut their donative, tying any further military benefits to "absolute performance of their duties"; and on September 2, 1684, he conducted a purge of the officer's corps, cutting it in size by more than 20%. Furthermore, the Emperor reformed the discipline and uniform standards, requiring for the Guards to adopt tighter-fitting uniforms, restricting their access to high-powered arms and weaponry, and announcing plans for the demolition of the Praetorian Barracks in Heliotrope and Ostis. As for the military, Titus increased conscription rates; extended the range of penalties for crimes committed in the service; and reduced leave privileges, while at the same time (October 1684), instituting a harsher court-martial system, with service-members losing their rights to a hearing, and to being informed of the charges and evidence against them. By December 1684, the Emperor had imposed heavy-handed restrictions on communications, public assemblies, and navigation, constraining his subjects within the context of a police state. He also talked of abolishing all trial proceedings at the local level, revoking the Antonine Constitution of 1612 (and thereby depriving his non-Laurasian subjects of their civil rights), and introducing new taxes on Church estates, noble properties, and business operations. Each of these measures taken by Titus greatly reduced his popularity, aroused dissent within the Empire, and inspired additional support for the cause of Neuchrus. 1684 ended, therefore, with the Empire teetering at the edge of renewed civil conflict.

1685

 * 1685, the 85th year of the seventeenth century, and the concluding year to the Crisis of the Seventeenth Century, commenced with Emperor Titus having alienated many of his subjects through his various military, judicial, and economic policies. Moreover, his act of "seizing" the throne had come to be despised by many, who desired for the return of a fully stable government, and for an end to all the troubles which had plagued the Empire throughout the preceding five decades. Titus himself added further credit to this impression during the first months of 1685. On January 8, 1685, Antiochus Polsius (1662-87), the Emperor's nephew, was raised by him to become Earl of Licantoria; one month later, the Emperor named him Prefect of the Malarian Provinces, and had the Senate designate him as Senatorial Procurator of Angelica, giving him power over a substantial slice of the Wild Marshes. This offended the Earl of Malaria Prime, who nevertheless remained loyal to the Emperor; in fact, in February 1685, Titus named Malaria Prime as Senatorial Procurator of Hypasia and Kelvania, assuaging his grumbles. By that point, as well, Titus had taken further action, in pursuance of his efforts to weaken Neuchrus's support base. On January 21, 1685, the Emperor sent a communique to Treasurer Landais; the Duke of Brittany had been stricken with illness, and was then in the process of recuperation. In this communique, Titus offered to sign a pact of non-aggression with Brittany, and to provide for free commerce between the Empire and the Duchy, if in exchange Landais agreed to hand Neuchrus and his supporters over into his custody. This was the first time in Laurasian history that the Empire had extended an offer of military alliance to any Amulak power.
 * Landais, seeking to secure Brittany's position against the ever-present threat of Franconia and its new king, Charman II (who had acceded following the death of Lujak XI in August 1683), decided to accept. Neuchrus, however, who was aware of Titus's intrigues (thanks to his supporters within the Empire), had already been sending his mercenaries and supporters to Normandy, Anjou, and Calais; in March 1685, he and his uncle fled to Parri, eluding the grasp of ducal authorities. The King's older sister, Duchess Anna of Bourbon (1661-1722), who along with her husband, Duke Peter of Bourbon (1638-1703), served as the regent of the kingdom in her brother's name (until he reached the age of majority, in 1691), realized what she had at play, and pledged full support to Neuchrus's cause. Neuchrus was now making rapid progress, and by the end of May 1685, he considered himself ready to move against Titus. The Emperor, on his part, now grappled with personal tragedy. On March 16, 1685, his wife, Empress Consort Octavia Neuronia (1656-85), died on Nystadia at the age of just twenty-eight.
 * They had been married since 1672, and had one son, Demetrius, the following year. Demetrius had become Grand Prince following his father's accession to the throne, and had been named heir-apparent in November 1683. But on April 9, 1684, he had died from injuries suffered in a fall at the Great Balcony of the Quencilvanian Palace. Demetrius's death had devastated his parents, particularly his mother, Empress Octavia. Her health entered a severe decline from November 1684, and it was Antigenes fever that brought her to her end. Titus, who had grieved at his only son's passing, was torn apart emotionally by that of his wife, whom he had loved dearly, and for the better part of two months afterwards, he refused to reflect on anything of what was going on outside his Empire, or in it. Octavia's interment at the Westphalian Cathedral (April 5, 1685), was the only public occasion during that period that the Emperor attended. Nevertheless, Titus's regime of oppression continued (and in some ways intensified), and pro-Neuchrian tensions had developed in full form in the Xilanian Provinces, Northern Territories, and Schauerian Provinces by May 1685.
 * It was thus under these conditions, on June 4, 1685, that Earl Neuchrus of Tudoria made his formal departure from Parri with his combined mercenary and Laurasian loyalist forces, now exceeding more than seventy million military personnel, over 4,000 warships, and a substantial number of fighters, support craft, and assault vehiles. He was accompanied by his uncle, Sir Acillius, by Sir Giletius Daubeny, by the Marquess of Doracia, and by Sir Antiochus Verius (1643-1713), a former Praetorian Guardsmen and one of his most ardent supporters. The rebel forces made their quick progress across the Galactic Void, through the Barbarossan Wormhole, and thence to the northern outskirts of the Caladarian Galaxy. Dejanica, Marasharita, and Haynsia were all distracted by the Great Marasharite War then ongoing in the Great Amulak Spiral, and in the satellite galaxies; consequently, Neuchrus's forces were able to pass relatively unobstructed. On June 18, Neuchrus reached Belkadan; the world quickly admitted him, and he secured full possession of it within a short time. There, he was met by the Governor of Lawson, Sir Athanasius Antaria (1624-91), who had previously parlayed with him in Brittany, and who now offered him his full support. Tyson, Houston, Vandross, and Syr-Daria then submitted to Neuchrus in quick fashion, and by June 25, 1685, his forces were besieging Glassia, Karakorum, Sierra, and Felix. The Oirat Complex became Neuchrus's first command headquarters. Emperor Titus, who had been alerted to Neuchrus's advance, departed from Laurasia Prime (June 29, 1685), with Norfolkius and the Earl of Malaria Prime in tow, along with the Senatorial Procurators of Constantia and Goldaria. Yet Neuchrus continued to pick up support.
 * Karakorum and Glassia both capitulated to him on July 1, 1685, with Neuchrus receiving an oath of allegiance from Norfolkius's successor as Governor of Karakorum, Sir Suetonius Herbertia (1637-99); later that same day, the garrisons of Sassanay, Massnay, Cibourney, and the Western Redoubt rejected Titus as Emperor and declared their allegiance to Neuchrus. On July 7, Heredotus Passania, 5th Duke of Istantius (1628-94) and the Earls of Cheryl, Laronn, Quanna, Methusalah, Big Twinny, and Leopolodia all defected to Neuchrus's cause; two days later, the Corporate Sector, Scanlan, Edmundia, Coronadia, English Star, Mackenzia Major, Cassie, and Jacobs I followed suit. By July 14, star systems throughout the Barsar Regions, Melorkian Provinces, and Shenadonan Provinces were declaring their allegiance to Neuchrus. On July 16, Titus suffered a major blow when the Senatorial Procurator of Homidinia Major, Sir Galerius Crassius (1632-96), proclaimed his loyalty to Neuchrus, thereby effectively handing him the entire Homidinian Provinces, Elijahana, Hannis, and Organia. Then on July 22, 1685, Tudoria, Bolgrahay, Ipsus V, and Robbay arose in rebellion; within four days, all of these worlds had gone over to Neuchrus. By this point, defections throughout the Barsar Regions were ramping up: Samantha, Messalina, Chobania, Offshora, Reading, Goni, Riley, Drea, Duana, the Orion Cluster, Leo's Redoubt, Gardiner, Kimanis Mooria, Kimania, Rolle, Bookman, Christopher, Narra, Nanking, Breha, and Gilestis were all in Neuchrus's camp by the end of July.
 * On July 31, 1685, Sir Walterius Herbertia (1651-91) and the Morganian Governor of Satie and Norah, Sir Rhys ah Muhdraddad (1649-1725), both defected to Neuchrus, entrenching him in the Borderlands Territories; by August 6, he had also secured Capone, Mocktrialis, Alyssa, Halassion, Chalassia, and Chalassion, encircling the Lacian Cluster, whose worlds were defecting to his cause in droves. The Carinan and Melarnarian Provinces were also declaring their support for Neuchrus. Sir Gilbertius Talbertia (1652-1718), the Governor of the Nexus Route, then capitulated (August 14, 1685), allowing for Neuchrus to extend his range of operations into the Core Regions. By this point, morale had broken down in Emperor Titus's forces, with so many of the Empire's strongholds and regions having defected to Neuchrus. Titus, nevertheless, ordered them to assemble at Archleuta, Colsonia, Selena, Tyleria Perea, and Jessica Perea; Norfolkius and Malaria Prime were placed in charge of these preparations. The Emperor believed that if Neuchrus were drawn into battle and decisively defeated, all the rebel territories would return to their proper allegiance. Neuchrus, on his part, advanced slowly towards the Nexus Route, delaying any direct confrontation with Titus so that he could increase his own military strength and consolidate his hold over the territories that had now defected to him. On August 20, the Emperor moved with his forces to Archleuta, joining Norfolkius and Malaria Prime there, and now seeking to attempt a swing maneuver to intercept Neuchrus's advance.
 * On August 22, 1685, fifty years after the assassination of Alexander Severus had sparked the Crisis of the Seventeenth Century, the forces of Titus II deployed at the Bosworthian Fields, an asteroid belt located just six light years north of Archleuta. The Duke of Norfolkius commanded the right flank; Malaria Prime commanded the left. Behind the center, and at the Bosworthian Military Outpost, the Emperor commanded a wide, unobstructed view of the battlefield. The Stanelis brothers, who had figured so much in Laurasian politics over the preceding decade, were deployed on the one side; Neuchrus's on the other. The Emperor of Laurasia's military forces, consisting of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Imperial Fleets, along with the 1st and 2nd Imperial Armies, a detachment of specialized Praetorian Guards, and the 1st Imperial Corps of Marines, had more than two million military personnel and 1,500 warships deployed; Neuchrus, whose forces included the 17th and 19th Imperial Fleets, and the 20th Imperial Army (which had all defected to him), had 1.5 million, with 1,200 warships. Many of his front-line units, in addition to Laurasian deserters and recruits, were comprised of Franconian mercenaries, commanded by General Philibert de Chandee (1641-86). This was the first time that Franconians, or any troops from an Amulak power, were utilized for hire within the Laurasian Empire. While Neuchrus's forces advanced, Titus sent a message to Lord Stanelis of Duana, whose forces were within range of Archleuta and whose loyalties to him were now ambiguous, threatening to execute his son, Georgius Stanelis, 9th Baron Straganius (1660-83), serving as an artillery officer in the Emperor's forces, if Stanelis did not join the assault against Neuchrus immediately. Stanelis replied that he had other sons. Enraged at this defiance, the Emperor gave the order to execute Stanelis, but his officers persuaded him to defer the execution.
 * Neuchrus on his part, aware of his own military inexperience, entrusted direct command of his forces to Sir Verus, the most talented military commander at his disposal, and remained at his strategic headquarters with his bodyguards. Verus, observing the organizational pattern of the Emperor's forces, ordered for the rebel armadas to remain together, rather than segmenting into traditional battle lines (those of vanguard, rearguard, and center), fearing that the Emperor's units, which possessed more warships and weaponry, might envelop them. Emperor Titus's artillery and turbocannons bombarded and pounded the rebel warships; more than a third of them suffered damage of some kind. Norfolkius, along with several contingents of the 1st Imperial Fleet (commanded by Rear-Admiral Sir Robertius Braccius, 1639-85), began to advance against Verus. There soon followed a vigorous confrontation in space, as the rebel and the governmental warships struggled with each other as they closed. Verus's warships proved to be the firmer, and many of Norfolkius's formations were broken and scattered. Norfolkius lost one of his senior officers, Commodore Sir Septimius Deverania, 7th Baron Deverania (1632-85), during this early confrontation.
 * The Emperor, realizing that his forces were at a disadvantage, signaled to Malaria Prime to assist, but Malaria Prime's units showed no signs of movement. Soon after, Neuchrus's flagship, the IMS Gloriana, came within range of the sensors of the Emperor's central formations. Informed of this, Titus decided to end the confrontation quickly, through a direct offensive against Neuchrus's positions. He led his starfighters and armored transports (with Imperial Marines and Praetorian Guards in tow), in a massive frontal onslaught, managing to kill Neuchrus's standard-bearer, Sir Willanius Brandeis (1656-85), father of Carolus Brandeis, future Duke of Sufforia, through use of turbolasers. Neuchrus's flagship, however, managed to pull out of the Emperor's range, and a formation of destroyers and cruisers was gathered around it, protecting Neuchrus from any additional attacks attacks by Titus's units. Upon seeing the Emperor separated from his main force, Willanius Stanelis (1635-95), brother of Lord Stanelis, made his move. He led his units into the battle at Neuchrus's side. Within minutes, the tide had turned; Emperor Titus's naval squadrons were surrounded, and within minutes, his own flagship, the IMS Imperatica, had been boarded. Titus and his bodyguards, along with his personal troops, fought to the death, but in vain. At 5:00 P.M., Titus II, third and last ruler of the Probian Dynasty, who had ruled for just over two years, was hacked to death by vibroblades, by a number of Neuchrus's troops and retainers on the Imperatica. Nearly two-thirds of the 35,000 personnel on board the flagship also lost their lives to the assaults of Neuchrus's troops. Titus himself suffered ten wounds, eight of them to the head; his skull was crushed in, and much of his facial flesh was hacked off.
 * Within hours, news of the Emperor's defeat and death had spread to the rest of the battlefield. The Earl of Malaria Prime and his remaining forces, knowing that all was lost, and having suffered extensive casualties, beat a hasty retreat from Bosworthian Fields; Norfolkius, on his part, was unable to make it out, and died instantly when his starfighter was incinerated by a squadron of Neuchrus's couriers. By the end of the day, the Battle of Bosworthian Fields had ended in a decisive victory for Earl Neuchrus of Tudoria, and for his forces. What had seemed a long-shot was now reality; Neuchrus was predominant. At the end of the day, one of the Earl's troops found the defeated Emperor's circlet (smaller crown), in his personal chambers on the Imperatica. It was presented to Lord Stanelis, who now proceeded post haste to Neuchrus. Near midnight, on August 22, 1685, two hours after the final termination of the battle, Neuchrus, in the presence of his troops, naval personnel, and chief subordinates, placed the crown on his own head, on the bridge of his flagship, the IMS Gloriana of Almitis. Stanelis then led then all in hailing him, and proclaiming him, Emperor and Autocrat of All the Laurasians. And indeed, it was so. The Crisis of the Seventeenth Century, which had lasted for fifty years, was finally at an end. Neuchrus I, as he now was, would become one of the greatest monarchs in Laurasian history, responsible for reviving the Empire's fortunes, resuming its general territorial expansion, and involving it to a greater extent in the affairs of the Amulak Spiral and satellite galaxies than ever before. The Neuchrian Dynasty's 118-year reign over the Empire had commenced.
 * On August 24, 1685, the Governing Senate, Holy Synod, and Council of Civil Service all formally recognized Neuchrus as Emperor and Autocrat of All the Laurasians. By the end of the month, Neuchrus had been acknowledged as Emperor by all of the gubernatorial, military, and civil authorities throughout the entire length and breath of the Empire; Titus, on the other hand, was declared a usurper, and the Almitian Church now condemned, or threatened to excommunicate, any who challenged Neuchrus's rights to the throne. All officers and servants of the Imperial Laurasian Government and Court, and all of the Empire's subjects, swore an oath of allegiance to Neuchrus as Emperor. With his title to the Imperial Laurasian Crown now fully recognized, Emperor Neuchrus took immediate action to consolidate his position further, to alleviate the distresses of his subjects, and to make all of the indications of the start of a new regime. On September 3, 1685, he issued a general pardon to all military personnel and officials who had fought for Titus on the day of Bosworthian Fields, with certain exceptions. Among those pardoned were the Earl of Malaria Prime, who was permitted to retire to his estates in the Malarian Provinces. He would die at Suri on April 28, 1689, aged 40. One of the exceptions was Thomasius Howardis, son of the late Duke of Norfolkius; he was imprisoned at the Fortress of Baureux in September 1685, and would remain there for the next three years; the Howardis family also forfeit their titles and estates. Two days later, Neuchrus backdated his reign to the day before the Battle of Bosworthian Fields (the first time any Emperor had done so), annulling any official authority Titus had on that day, and absolving all of his subjects for his responsibilities at Bosworthian Fields.
 * On September 11, the Emperor formally repealed Titus's regulations concerning navigation, communications, and finances, relaxing censorship of the media and earning the support of his new subjects. This was followed on September 18 with the repeal of Titus Regius, and the overturn of all excommunication sentences and penalties imposed by Titus in accordance with that statute. Furthermore, he temporarily increased the donative to the Praetorian Guards; lifted some of the regulations imposed on the military; and reconfirmed their privileges of leave and elevated pay, earning the loyalty of military personnel throughout the realms. Then on September 21, 1685, with these preliminary measures taken, Emperor Neuchrus began his progressto Laurasia Prime. Conducting a tour through the Central Core, Eastern Core Worlds, and Purse Region, he arrived on his capital world (October 13, 1685), to the acclaim of his subjects. Preparations were already underway for his coronation, which took place at the Westphalian Cathedral (October 30, 1685). Neuchrus, then twenty-eight years old, crowned himself Emperor with much ceremonial; Chief Procurator Thomasius Boucherius presided over the ceremony for the last time. Shortly afterwards, the Emperor rewarded those who had aided his rise to the throne. On November 3, 1685, Verus was created 1st Earl of Oxfadia, and named to the Imperial General Headquarters, with the rank of Lieutenant-General, as a result of his command efforts against Titus. Verus also became Chamberlain of the Household and Constable of the Fortress of Baureux; the Emperor was already formulating plans for elevating these to Offices of State, among the first of his sweeping governmental reforms. Four days later, Sir Willanius Stanelis became Comptroller of the Imperial Household, and was granted extensive properties and annuities from the Imperial Estate. His brother Lord Thomasius, Neuchrus's stepfather, was raised to become Earl of Duana; he was granted properties in the Central Core.
 * On November 16, 1685, Emperor Neuchrus issued a special manifesto officially proclaiming his mother, Dowager Countess of Tudoria Margarina Beaufatia, a Grand Princess of the Laurasian Empire. In this manifesto, the Emperor mandated that his mother was to enjoy precedence over all other women in the Empire except for his future wife and consort. Moreover, Neuchrus gave his mother direct responsibility for the affairs of the Imperial Household; she became Chief Gentlewoman of the Privy Chamber and Mistress of the Robes, with jurisdiction over the Emperor's servants and attendants. On December 2, Neuchrus issued another manifesto by which he again confirmed that any man who swore allegiance to him, regardless of the penalties imposed upon him during the preceding reign, would be secure in their lives, titles, and possessions. Four days later, he abolished the Agency of State Security (Vadimonti), originally established under Antigonus I in 1514. During the intervening century and three-quarters, the Agency had become a hated, and feared, instrument of state surveillance and police control within the Empire. Its abolition relieved burdens upon the governmental administration and pleased many of Neuchrus's subjects. In addition to this, Neuchrus liberated all political prisoners, granted amnesties for minor offenses, and in December 1685, ordered the closure of imperial prisons on Laurasia, Brittany, Denver, Jared, Christopher, Drennan, Sanegeta, and the colony of Haley, to which many had been consigned by Emperor Titus and his predecessors over the preceding decades. The manifesto of December 9, 1685, confirmed the provisions of the Antonine Constitution, assuaging the fears of non-Laurasian subjects that they would be deprived of their civil liberties and citizenship rights. As 1685 ended, the Laurasian Empire had gained a new, and vigorous Emperor who was now actively engaged in raising the State's fortunes.

1686

 * 1686, the 86th year of the seventeenth century, witnessed the Laurasian Empire having emerged out of the Crisis of the Seventeenth Century. Neuchrus I, founder of the Neuchrian Dynasty, continued to focus his efforts on the consolidation of his power and on the restoration of the Empire's government, military forces, and economy from the difficulties they had experienced during the Crisis. The Emperor of Laurasia also sought to continue with the program, begun under Probus I, of widening the Empire's ties to foreign powers. This would be seen during 1686, and beyond. As part of his effort to consolidate his dynasty, the Emperor understood that it would be necessary to conclude a marriage as soon as possible. He now honored his pledge to marry Emperor Probus's eldest surviving child, Grand Princess Aurelia Zemakala. The Grand Princess and her sisters had already been lodged at the Quencilvanian Palace from Neuchrus's accession to the throne, and the Emperor had, during that interval, taken great pains to ingratiate himself with Aurelia. The marriage ceremony took place on January 18, 1686, at the Westphalian Cathedral, amid pomp and circumstance. The marriage, by providing Neuchrus a wife with which he could begin to build his dynasty, and by tying him to the memory of Probus, who had been revered by his subjects as a efficient administrator and a prudent military campaigner, would bear its fruits for him in due course.
 * On January 26, a second coronation ceremony was held at the Westphalian Cathedral, in which Empress-Consort Anna was crowned by her husband. Chief Procurator Boucherius, who had officiated the imperial couple's nuptials, and who oversaw the services at Anna's coronation, was by this point in declining health. The Chief Procurator now begged for leave from Emperor Neuchrus; he readily granted it. Boucherius retreated to the Chief Procurator's official residence in Christiania, Lambathian Palace, in February 1686. He soon lapsed into a a coma, and his life was despaired for by his personal physicians. Boucherius's death (March 30, 1686), aged 82, and after thirty-one years in office, was greeted with some lamentation by the Empire's subjects, by his colleagues and subordinates on the Holy Synod, and by many of the prominent figures at the Imperial Laurasian Court. Neuchrus, who issued a proclamation announcing Boucherius's death to the public, now moved to appoint his replacement. He now selected Archbishop Mortonia of Ralina Vixius, who he had named to the Councils of Civil Service and Imperial Secretaries in December 1685, who had been one of his leading supporters during the crisis with Titus, and who had demonstrated his abilities in administration. Mortonia would be formally named as Chief Procurator of the Holy Synod on October 6, 1686. In January 1687, Mortonia would also be appointed Chancellor of the Laurasian Empire by Emperor Neuchrus, replacing Demetrius Alcornia, Archbishop of Oxia Vixius (1630-1700) in that position; Alcornia himself had been named Chancellor in October 1685, succeeding Archbishop Rotterdamia of Christiania. Rotterdamia had been restored to the Chancellorate by Emperor Titus in February 1685, but had been dismissed by Neuchrus shortly after his accession. Nevertheless, under Mortonia's leadership, efforts would be taken to streamline the Almitian Church's bureaucracy, to reform its educational system, and to reduce abuses with the ecclesiastical system. Neuchrus himself would abolish the title of Pontifex Maximus (November 1686), acting on Mortonia's advice, in an effort to inspire greater devotion in the Church's worshipers.
 * Whilst these events were transpiring, Neuchrus continued his efforts at reform within the Imperial Laurasian Government proper. He reinstated the Charter of Planetary Privileges, which had been first promulgated under Antigonus II in 1569 and renewed by Demetrius Severus I in 1607, in January 1686, restoring self-governing, petition, and representative privileges to the Empire's leading municipalities (including Christiania). The Emperor abolished the monopolies which had been granted by Titus, Probus, and other crisis Emperors, returning more direct revenue to the Imperial Treasury; confirmed the exemption of clergy and monasteries from conscription; and relaxed more restrictions on cultural expression, petition, and public assemblies. In March 1686, Neuchrus abolished many contradictory military regulations and directives which had been issued over the preceding two decades, with the goal of reducing red-tape and inefficiency within the Empire's military forces. He issued new command instructions to the Imperial General Headquarters; allocated vast sums towards the development, procurement, and deployment of new forms of both offensive and defensive weaponry and supplies; and on March 27, 1686, created an advisory Commission on the Reform of the Imperial Armed Forces, to investigate the overhaul of the military ranking system and of its disciplinary and judicial procedures. In conjunction with these military reforms were Neuchrus's efforts to strengthen the Empire's external position, and to broaden its foreign policy ties. This was of critical importance, as the Great Marasharite War in the Great Amulak Spiral had reached its climax.
 * On September 13, 1683, King Janius Sobieskius of Dejanica-Lithuania had successfully broken the long Marasharite Siege of Vienna; the decisive Battle of Vienna fought that day resulted in the destruction of more than two-fourths of the total Marasharite offensive forces, the humiliation of Grand Vizier Kara Mustafa (he was executed by strangulation on December 25), and the termination of the Marasharite threat to the Austarlian Duchies. In the immediate years after the Siege of Vienna, Dejanica, Haxonia, Austarlia, and the Germanian Principalities made substantial gains against the Marasharites. The Battle of Parkany (October 1683), resulted in the fall of that stronghold to Dejanican and Austarlian forces. In March 1684, by which time Upper Hungary was being overrun by allied forces, the Holy League was formally organized among those powers, establishing a full-scale military and diplomatic alliance against the Marasharite Empire and its vassals. All powers who subscribed to the treaty agreed not to make a separate peace treaty with the common foe.
 * Then in succession, battles at Vac, Esterzgom, Visegrad, Ersekujvar, Eperjies, and Kassa (June 1684-October 1685), all ended in decisive League victories, and most of Upper and Central Hungary, including Grau, fell into the hands of the Holy Austarlian Empire. At the same time, the Haxonians obtained victories in Epirus, Macedonica, Ragusa, the Morea, and the Ionian Provinces, while the Dejanicans advanced forth in Podolia and in the Galactic Void. This was in spite of the failure of the first allied Siege of Buda (July-September 1684). By early 1686, with the Holy League's forces continuing to make gains against the Marasharites, it became necessary for the Dejanicans to resolve all outstanding disputes on the frontiers. The most important of these was the standoff with the Laurasian Empire in the Caladarian Galaxy, where the Commonwealth had continued to launch raiding expeditions into the disputed Dejanican Borderlands, and had made occasional demands to the Imperial Laurasian Government for the return of those regions. Emperor Neuchrus himself recognized the necessity of resolving the question, for the risk continued to persist of a possible Dejanican alliance with the Vectorians or Scottrians against him. On February 9, 1686, the Emperor, in a communique that was dispatched through the Imperial College of Foreign Affairs, made the first offer to the Dejanican Government, for a conference to settle all "outstanding disputes, territorial, diplomatic, or otherwise, between our two realms." It was not until March 11 before the King of Dejanica, after having consulted his advisers, communicated his approval of this request. The conference itself convened in Warsaw, on Dejanica Major, on March 22, 1686.
 * The Emperor of Laurasia was represented by the Earl of Oxfadia, Promethus Clergius (1639-1705), Archbishop of Laurasia Prime, the Earls of Malaria Prime, Almastead, and Katherine, and by Antiochus Foxius (1647-1728), future Archbishop of Winchestrius. The King of Dejanica was represented by the Voivode of Poznan, Krystof Gzymultowskia (1620-87), the Chancellor of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Macjan Oglinski (1632-90), and the Grand Hetman of Lithuania, Jan Kazimeria Sapieha (1637-1720). Negotiations continued for more than a month, as the two delegations wrangled over the exact conditions of territorial delineation. Finally, the Treaty of Warsaw, known also as the Eternal Peace Treaty, was signed (May 6, 1686), providing for the resolution of all outstanding disputes between Laurasia and Dejanica. By the terms of this agreement, which consisted of a preamble and 33 articles, the Dejanican Borderlands, including Shashanaya, Orion, Flournoy, Black Chandlier, McIntyre, Adelita, Monique, John, Irutsk, and Yakhutsk were confirmed to be irrevocably in the possession of the Laurasian Empire; the Empire's jurisdiction over the Satian and Malarian Provinces was also finally recognized by the Commonwealth.
 * In return, Laurasia agreed to recognize Dejanica's rightful rule over Podolia, and its absolute jurisdiction over the Lavellan Provinces; furthermore, it promised not to conclude any treaty with the Marasharite Empire without first notifying the powers of the Holy League, and to restrain Laurasian subjects from traveling to or conducting commerce in any territories disputed between the League and the Marasharites. Dejanica also agreed to the termination of all raids and other military operations into Laurasian territory, and a series of provisions codified the punishments, including imprisonment, confiscation of properties, and banishment, to be inflicted upon any Dejanican subject who violated this. Any Dejanican who was captured by Laurasian authorities would be subject to these punishments as administered by the Empire's courts. A uniform tariff schedule was established for all goods shipped between the two realms, along with provisions for transit, and diplomatic envoys were to always remain at full accreditation at the respective courts. Finally, Dejanica agreed to the establishment of an arbitration commission, which would be responsible for the precise delineation of the boundaries separating the two realms in the Galactic Borderlands, and for the settlement of all claims by Laurasian subjects affected by any Dejanican operations launched since January 1, 1680. The commission, which began to meet on November 1, 1686, would complete its work by May 1, 1688. The Eternal Peace Treaty was ratified by Emperor Neuchrus on May 19, 1686, and by the Dejanican Diet on June 14. The boundaries established by the Treaty were to remain in effect until the First Partition of Dejanica (1772), in spite of the Expedition War, the War of the Dejanican Succession, and the War of the Bar Confederation that were to come in the eighteenth century.
 * Yet in July 1686, following the conclusion of the Treaty of Warsaw, Emperor Neuchrus faced the first challenge to his authority: in the Huntite Provinces. Following the Battle of Bosworthian Fields, two of the late Emperor Titus II's supporters, Sir Franconius Lovellia, 9th Baron Lovellia (1656-87) and Sir Heredotus Staffordia (1630-86), had fled to Veliky in the Outer Borderlands, attempting to evade the retribution of governmental authorities. They, along with several other former supporters of Titus, including Heredotus's younger brother Sir Thomasius Staffordia (1634-1702), hoped to depose Emperor Neuchrus. Yet the Emperor employed the Imperial Intelligence Agency to keep watch on any signs of rebel activity. At the end of June 1686, he was informed that Lovellia and the Staffordia brothers were planning a rebellion. On July 5, 1686, the Emperor ordered Major-General Sir Antiochus Engumbia (1643-89) and Commodore Sir Willanius Tyleria (1648-1716) to apprehend the men, and to storm Veliky. Lovellia, knowing that the game was up, fled on July 17 to the Galactic Void, and thence to the Great Tesmanian Cloud, following his failure to provoke a general uprising in the OsonBoka Nebula.
 * Yet the Staffordia brothers, determined to resist Neuchrus's forces, managed to reach Clarise and to provoke rebellion there (July 12, 1686). Within days, they seized control of Jodie, Northrop, Grumman's Star, Lector, and Solay, posing a serious threat to the defenses of Jasonia. But on August 4, 1686, Commodore Tyleria inflicted a serious defeat upon Sir Thomasius in the Battle of Penez; four days later, he repelled a rebel offensive against Horne and Hacker, maintaining central control of those two strongholds; on August 19, Jasonia Minor became the scene of another major victory for the Emperor's forces. Lector and Solay were both recovered by the end of the month, and on September 7, 1686, Sir Thomasius was defeated and captured by the Commodore at Haxey Star. Northrop fell ten days later, followed shortly afterwards by Grumman's Star. It was not until October 17, 1686, however, before Jodie was stormed, leading to the end of the short-lived Lovellia and Staffordia Rebellion. Sir Heredotus was soon captured at Horne by Imperial Marines. On Emperor Neuchrus's orders, the two brothers were taken in chains to Hunt Major, tried by the Huntite Court of Criminal Assizes, and on November 5, convicted of treason, conspiracy, and les-majestie. Ten days later (November 15, 1686), Sir Heredotus was executed at the Spaceport of Hunt Minor. His younger brother, however, was now spared by the Emperor, and was consigned to life imprisonment at the Secret Prison of Ipsus V. There, he remained until his death on July 17, 1702, aged 68.
 * With this rebellion having taken place against his authority, Neuchrus now found it prudent to direct his attention to two of the most important institutions in the Empire, both of which had played a significant role in the Crisis of the Seventeenth Century: the Governing Senate and Praetorian Guards. He dealt with the Senate first. Already in April 1686, the Emperor had indicated that he would be welcome to the Senate's advice on state affairs, but that he would not tolerate insubordination or conspiracy from its members. Two months later (decree of June 9, 1686), Neuchrus had imposed the first limits on senatorial authority and influence in provincial administration, requiring the Procurators to submit direct reports to him, and to the Council of Civil Service, on all matters of concern within their jurisdictions. In addition to this, any reports the Procurators produced for the Senate were to be given to the Emperor as well, and he claimed the right of demanding reports on any other matters, as befitted his attention. Then on November 6, 1686, Emperor Neuchrus issued the first of his Senatorial Administrative Regulations. This first one deprived the Senate of its traditional authority to impose damnatio memoriae upon the reputations of condemned criminals, or of Emperors; moreover, the Senate's proclamations and directives now became subject to direct ratification by the Bureau of the Imperial Chancellory, and the Senate lost its right to confer titles, honors, or other decorations upon prominent personages, unless if so authorized by His Majesty. Then in December 1686, the Emperor abolished the tax exemption status of the Praetorian Guards, a privilege which they had now enjoyed for more than two centuries (having originally been conferred on them by Claudius II). Neuchrus also froze future pay raises for the Guards and ordered for the Senate to conduct an investigation of the finances and properties of each individual Guardsman.
 * 1686 also saw another event of importance for the Empire: the birth of the Neuchrian Dynasty's first heir. Empress-Consort Aurelia Zemakala had become pregnant on her wedding night, and on February 14, 1686, her pregnancy had been announced by the Imperial Chancellory to the Empire's subjects. It was on September 20, 1686, that the Empress Consort gave birth to her and Neuchrus's first child, a son, in the Imperial Hospital of the Quencilvanian Palace, in Christiania, Laurasia Prime. This son, although he was born a month premature, was nevertheless considered to be in "perfect condition" by his physicians. A joyous Neuchrus named him Craterus. Four days after his birth, the Grand Prince was baptized at the Imperial Chapel by Archbishop Alcornia of Oxia Vixius, and was shortly thereafter confirmed. The Earl of Oxfadia, the Earl of Duana, the Empress Consort's mother Dowager Empress Aurelia Woodaria, the Empress Consort's younger sister Grand Princess Ceciliana, and Willanius Fitzalleria, 16th Baron Fitzalleria of Americana (1617-87), became the boy's godparents. The young Grand Prince's grandmother and aunt carried him during the ceremonies. Craterus would be assigned to the care of nurses and attendants from his earliest days, and in 1690, would be given his own household.

1687

 * 1687, the 87th year of the seventeenth century, opened with Emperor Neuchrus continuing his program of internal reform in the Laurasian Empire. On January 3, 1687, the Emperor, following consultations held with the Councils of Civil Service and Imperial Secretaries, reorganized the Great Offices of State of the Laurasian Empire, which were now to be the highest-ranking positions within the Imperial Household, exercising administrative and managerial responsibilities. The Emperor now established the offices of Imperial High Steward, Imperial Lord Treasurer, Imperial Privy Seal, and Imperial High Constable, joining the older offices of Imperial Chamberlain and Imperial Marshal. The offices, as they were reorganized, were now (in order of precedence), those of Imperial High Steward, Imperial High Treasurer, Imperial Privy Seal, Imperial Chamberlain, Imperial Constable, and Imperial Marshal. The first of these, the Imperial High Steward, became responsible for the general maintenance of the Imperial Household; for serving as the chief presiding officer, among the courtiers of the Household, at coronations, state weddings, and other state ceremonies; and for presiding over the Board of the Imperial Household, with the Comptroller and the Household Administrators becoming his subordinates. Neuchrus's stepfather, the Earl of Duana, became the first Imperial High Steward.
 * The Imperial High Treasurer became the chief financial officer of the Empire, as head of the Imperial Treasury. He assumed responsibility for the monarch's personal revenues and expenses, for those of the Imperial Household, and for the revenues and expenses of the Empire's leading officials. The Lord Treasurer also assumed direction of monetary policy, relating to inflation, peculation, currency, the government specie supply, and interest rates. Sir Demetrius Wolmsat, 1st Baron Wolmsat (1633-1701), who had entered the service of the Imperial Laurasian Government in 1659 (during the joint reign of Valerian and Gaillenus), been appointed to the Council of Civil Service in 1667, and then become, in succession, Governing Senator (1674) and Assessor of the Imperial College of Finance (1684), was appointed by Neuchrus, who trusted him implicitly, as the first Lord Treasurer of the Empire. The Imperial Privy Seal became responsible for all state insignia, banners, seals, and documents; for maintaining the integrity of all governmental archives; and for ensuring the execution, and communication, of statutes, decrees, orders, directives, instructions, and charters, with the seal of the monarch. The Privy Seal also became responsible for providing judicial and administrative advice to the Emperor. Antiochus Foxius, who had played a role in negotiating the Treaty of Warsaw the previous year, became the first Imperial Privy Seal. In April 1687, he would also be elevated to Archbishop of Taurasia.
 * The Imperial Chamberlain became responsible for the overall governance and supervision of the monarch's personal staff and household officials; for organizing and managing the Household's ceremonies and entertainments; for coordinating the Household's communications and its relationship with the Imperial Chancellory; and for regulating court uniform, procedures, and precedence. Sir Willanius Stanelis became Imperial Chamberlain. The Imperial High Constable became responsible for the supervision of the monarch's estates and properties, and for maintaining heraldry and other honorary standards among the nobility. The Earl of Duana also became Imperial Constable. Finally, the Imperial Marshal assumed responsibility for the security of the monarch and their household, including the protection of all imperial properties, estates, and residences. Sir Willanius Berkalania (1626-92), 1st Marquess Berkalania of Hannah, became Imperial Marshal. All of these positions became the most prominent positions in the government of the Laurasian Empire; the Chancellorate, however, remained the highest post in governmental administration, and continued to be held by the Emperor's chief minister.
 * In February 1687, Emperor Neuchrus imposed further limitations on the Praetorian Guards. He now barred the Guards from participating in the trades or in economic activity beyond the confines of their duties; imposed strict penalties for the acceptance of bribes or other favors; and limited their allowance. The Emperor also abolished the franking, intelligence, and security privileges which had been granted to the Guards, rendering them the same as any other in the Empire's military forces. That same month, Neuchrus established the Commission of State Revenue and Finances, which became responsible for conducting an extensive survey of the Laurasian taxation system, preparing a report on the budget and financial situation of the Empire, and proposing recommendations to the Emperor and the Imperial Council of Civil Service as to what should be done. Yet by March 1687, the Emperor was facing yet another, more serious rebellion against his authority.
 * This rebellion now occurred in the Xilanian Provinces, which had, just under two decades before, comprised the dominions of the short-lived Empire of Zenobia. Soon after seizing the Laurasian throne in August 1685, Emperor Neuchrus had imprisoned the only child of the Duke of Naranja, Demetrius Lancastarius, 1st Earl of Sarah, who had been born on February 25, 1675, at Warwick Castle on Sarah. He had been created as Earl of Sarah in 1678, and then honored with a Knighthood of the Imperial House by Emperor Titus in September 1683. Neuchrus, therefore, viewed the young boy as a threat to his own position. This was why he confined him at the Fortress of Baureux. Yet now Antiochus Polsius, Earl of Licantoria, the nephew of the despised Titus, who had been so generously treated by that Emperor, had decided to launch a rebellion. This was in spite of the fact that Neuchrus had spared Licantoria from punishment, and had, in December 1685, even named him to the Council of Civil Service.
 * By January 1687, the Earl of Licantoria had begun assembling his retainers and military supplies on Jin Major, Jin Minor, Roxuli, Abraham, Eaidon, Zoe, Skyler, Xilania Minoria, Morg, King, Bingley, and other strongholds in the Xilanian Provinces. The Earl of Licantoria believed that he could strike against the Emperor, raise his own fortunes to even greater heights, and secure the re-installation of the Probian Dynasty on the imperial throne. Therefore, he now supported the claim of the young commoner Alcletas Simnellia (1677-1725), who had been promoted by his tutor, Sir Simon Pyridus (1644-87), as the rightful Earl of Sarah; rumors had begun to circulate that Sarah was actually dead, and that the fact of this was being concealed from the imperial public. Licantoria became determined to install Simnellia as his puppet Emperor. On March 19, 1687, he secured a pretext for a leave of absence from the Imperial Court, and journeyed to Bingley. There, he secretly procured, from the Great Tesmanian Cloud, a force of Dejanican, Haxonian, and Spamalkan mercenaries, adding these to the retainer units which he had gathered elsewhere. By the middle of April 1687, Licantoria had secured the support of a number of magnates among the Empire's nobility, as well as the Praetorian Guards, for his intended moves against the Emperor. These included Lord Lovellia, whose abortive rebellion at Veliky the previous year has already been noted, as well as Sir Antiochus Harlstonia (1640-88), the former Governor of Coronadia and Edmundia, and Vice-Admiral Sir Thomasius Daviadia (1636-87), commander of the garrisons of Sernapasia, Belkadan, and Karakorum.
 * Then on April 22, 1687, Licantoria appeared at Satie, and won the adherence of that garrison to his cause. On April 26, the garrisons of Chappelear, Guthmiller, Abrianne, Adrianne, Belaprasian, Natalie, Tiona, Belkadan, and Calrissian all proclaimed their loyalty to him, renouncing their allegiance to Neuchrus. Then on May 4, 1687, the Earl moved to Xilania Major, where he was easily admitted by the world's garrison. With the assistance of Constantinus Surnus, 1st Duke of Xilania Major (1641-87) and Sir Thomasius Lacaghia (1658-87), Senatorial Procurator of Nandia, he occupied Orkhan, Juxles, Margery, Multan, Lynne, Chapman, Sommers, Nisbis, and Carrhae. He also obtained access to a larger number of regular Laurasian military forces, including the 22nd Imperial Army and the 21st Imperial Fleet. By May 24, Licantoria had extended his power over a vast sect of the Xilanian and Satian Provinces; on that day, he formally proclaimed his rebellion against the Imperial Laurasian Government, and now announced that Simnellia was Demetrius II, Emperor and Autocrat of All the Laurasians. Emesa, Lawson, Mocktrialis, Skyler, Ipshilion, and Massanay then fell into his hands, and on June 4, 1687, Licantoria launched a major offensive through the Marasharite Provinces and into the historic Istantius Capital Region. He was now joined by Sir Thomasius Broughtonia (1646-87), Commander of the Garrisons of the Western Redoubt, who provided him additional military resources and a vantage point from which to attack Rastaborn, Shannon, Dennis, Wendy, Coen, and other strongholds in that region.
 * On June 10, 1687, Licantoria humiliated Galerius Faccus, 5th Earl of Frederickslandia (1635-99), in the Battle of Tadaria, capturing more than 120,000 troops of the Imperial Laurasian Army in a single stroke. Yet by that point, Emperor Neuchrus was already moving forth with his military forces from Laurasia Prime, under the tactical command of the Duke of Mariana Prime and the Earl of Oxfadia, to confront the rebel. On June 12, the rebel Earl managed to outmaneuver Frederickslandia at Berhamia; he now seized that star system, threatening the security of Istantius itself, and launching penetrating attacks to Methauslah. Then at Sair, Licantoria encountered government forces under Rear-Admiral Licinius Scalius, 2nd Lord Scalius (1639-1707). A series of confrontations ensued over the next three days, with Laronn, Cheryl, and Quanna withstanding rebel offensives. This gave Emperor Neuchrus time to receive reinforcements from the Malarian Provinces, commanded by the Earl of Duana's son, Lord Straganius, and to consolidate his position in the historic region. On June 15, the Emperor began moving towards Alania, after receiving word that Licantoria was proceeding towards Big Twinny.
 * Then, early in the morning of June 16, 1687, the Emperor's forces, consisting of the 2nd and 11th Imperial Fleets (and Armies), encountered the rebel forces at Anusia, a minor agricultural colony eighteen light years north of Alania. As at Bosworthian Fields, Neuchrus delegated the actual tasks of military command to his subordinates in the field; at Anusia, the Earl of Oxfadia served as the chief operational commander of the Imperial forces. Now, the rebel forces, arrayed in a single concentrated formation, were hit by a volley of turbocannon fire. They sought to go on the immediate offensive against Neuchrus, in the hopes of breaking his strategic lines and crunching his units. Though outnumbered, in terms of both warships and personnel, Licantoria was bolstered by his foreign mercenaries. The vanguard of the Emperor's armada experienced serious pressure, but Oxfadia rallied his warships and his personnel. The actual battle was bitterly contested, for over three hours, but rebel efforts eventually floundered. The mercenary corps were ultimately surrounded and pounded into submission by the Imperial Laurasian Navy; the remainder of Licantoria's forces fled. Yet the rebels had lost virtually all their leaders. Licantoria, Broughtonia, Lacaghia, and the Germanian mercenary-General Martin Schwartz (1639-87) were all killed during the confrontation; Lovellia barely escaped with his life. He made it as far as Morgania Minor, where he died (August 14, 1687), when his starfighter crashed into the planetary surface. As for the pretender Simnellia, he was captured by Emperor Neuchrus's forces at Candlewell (June 28, 1687).
 * Emperor Neuchrus, realizing that the ten-year old boy was merely a pawn for the rebel cause, decided to pardon him of any offenses, and in August 1687, ordered for him to be named a servant of the Imperial Household. Simnellia would rise in the Emperor's service, eventually becoming Financier of the Howardis family and the father of the Dean of St. Osyth's Cathedral, Antiochus Simnellia. He would live into the reign of Antigonus III, and die on October 9, 1725, in Christiania, Laurasia Prime. By the end of August, the Xilanian Provinces had resumed their allegiance to the Emperor, and he returned to Laurasia Prime in triumph (September 21, 1687). The Duke of Xilania Prime, who had been captured at Nisbis on September 5, was paraded through Christiania in chains. He would then be tried by the Senate, Synod, and Council of Civil Service, convicted on charges of treason, les-majestie, and conspiracy, and executed at the Fortress of Baureux (October 11, 1687). Vice-Admiral Daviadia was captured at Sernapasia on October 16 and placed on a prison transport, but died near Zoe on November 5, 1687, before he could be brought to Laurasia Prime. Harlstonia was imprisoned at the Post Settlement of Heupdermia, and died there of thyroid cancer on September 25, 1688. In November 1687, Chief Procurator Mortonia presided over a Te Deum mass at the Westphalian Cathedral, to celebrate the suppression of the Licantorian Rebellion. Emperor Neuchrus himself then conducted a tour of the cities of Laurasia Prime, and presided over the dedication of the Obelisk of Valor in Constantinople (December 5, 1687). The last months of 1687 saw the Empire residing in peace; the Emperor was by now implementing further reforms to the Imperial Household and the military structure, which would further strengthen his own position and that of the Imperial Laurasian Government.

1688

 * 1688, the 88th year of the seventeenth century, witnessed Emperor Neuchrus continuing his reforms to the imperial bureaucracy and the administrative structure of the Laurasian Empire and suppressing another revolt against his authority, this time from the Praetorian Guards. The Emperor now began to truly earn the title by which he would become known: the "Reformer". On January 24, 1688, Neuchrus issued instructions to every Procurator, Praetor, and Governor within the Empire, ordering them to carry out their duties effectively and to maintain loyalty towards the state. The same instructions, furthermore, instructed all provincial and regional administrative officials within the Empire to maintain accurate enumeration, conscription, and taxation records within their jurisdictions; to take extensive surveys of all the star systems explored or colonized by imperial authorities, or under the patronage of the Imperial Laurasian Government; and to report on economic matters, particularly those concerning agriculture, industry, and commerce. The following month, on February 12, the Commission of State Revenue and Finances formally presented its report to the Emperor at the Quencilvanian Palace; this report stated that the Imperial Laurasian Government was in debt, to the tune of €11.2 quadmillion denarii, due to the extravagant spending and careless financial practices pursued by many of Neuchrus's predecessors.
 * The imperial treasury's resources were drained, as the government's expenses were greater than its income, and the Imperial Treasury did not use its financial resources effectively. The Imperial Household's budget was in dire need of reform and proper management. The Commission recommended that spending be slashed, a balanced budget instated, and the entire tax system reorganized. Neuchrus agreed, and in March 1688, he ordered for the Imperial Treasury to produce a uniform budget concerning all state expenditures, revenues, returns, and obligations. That same month, he lowered interest rates on government bonds; authorized for investors, brokers, and stock-market traders to have greater leeway with stock transactions; and imposed an artificial check on the prices of bonds and loans to the Imperial Treasury, allowing for the government to regain its financial bearings. Moreover, the Emperor began a reform of the Household's obligations and general expenses, imposing an allocation cap for entertainment and maintenance expenses, and ordering the Board of the Imperial Household to reform taxation rates and obligations all crown estates, properties, and holdings. In June 1688, Neuchrus would forbid the Imperial Household's suppliers and contractors from demanding a rate of service from his agents; he also mandated that all agents were to provide their services to the Household interest-free. All of these measures helped to alleviate the financial situation. In addition, in adherence to the Commission's recommendations, Neuchrus cut court, noble, heredity, and ecclesiastical spending, intending to reduce the budget and to return unused tax dollars to the emergency reserves. These measures were further buttressed by the abolition, in September 1688, of the government monopoly in feldspars, borite, and other rare minerals, allowing for these goods to circulate more freely in the market and encouraging competition, paving the way for an increase in general tax receipts.
 * Beyond this, Emperor Neuchrus issued, in April 1688, an imperial constitution of decrees and edicts issued during the first three years of his reign. He now paid more attention to the judicial situation in the Empire. The Emperor was determined to reorganize the antiquated legal and judicial administration of the Empire, which had last undergone thorough reform during the reign of Caracalla. From the start of his reign, Neuchrus dutifully replied to all petitions and legal documents submitted to his person, carefully supervised the Senate's judicial proceedings, and sent out detailed instructions to the Imperial Praetors throughout the Empire, commanding them to use fair judgment and consideration of all the evidence in their rendering of cases. Neuchrus's reign was to see a considerable upward trajectory in the number of statutes, decrees, edicts, and proclamations issued; between 1689 and 1705 alone, he was to implement more legislative acts than all of his predecessors in the seventy years preceding 1685. In December 1687, furthering his goal of judicial reorganization and expansion, Neuchrus decreed the establishment of the Court of the Imperial Star Chamber, which now became the leading court of civil and criminal cases of the highest-ranking personages of the Imperial Court and Chancellory, except those of treason and conspiracy, which were still to be handled by the Governing Senate. The Court's authority also gave it the prerogative to render verdicts in cases of misconduct among personages, which did not technically violate the letter of the law. Neuchrus, in February 1688, appointed Sir Willanius Hussarania (1643-95), as the first Chief Justice of the Court, which was to be comprised of twelve members. Two months later (decree of April 29, 1688), Neuchrus deprived the Council of Civil Service of its super-visionary authority over attaches, lower-level functionaries, and magistrates throughout the Empire; they were now obliged to report directly to the Judicial Praetors, who in turn would submit reports both to the Star Chamber and to the Senate. And in May 1688, he formally transferred the Senatorial Provinces to the jurisdiction of the Imperial Council of Secretaries, placing them under the Emperor's direct oversight. He also installed a procurator on the capital world of each province, who was charged with representing the Emperor and cracking down on corruption and inefficiency.
 * Yet it was the last of the Emperor's moves, which provoked final rebellion against him. In September 1688, the Emperor announced his plans to reorganize the Praetorian Guards, reducing them to the role for which they had been intended: as a personal protection squad for the sovereign and Imperial Household. In accordance with this, the Emperor lowered enrollment rates into the ranks of the Guards; raised the age of acceptance from 18 to 25; and lowered the mandatory retirement age, from 50 to 40. By this, he intended to shrink the Guards, making them more adaptable to his needs. Neuchrus also began demolishing the fortresses and barracks controlled by the Guards off Laurasia Prime. Those on Windowia Photis, Jenny, Chloe, Kelby, and Merandaz were dismantled in October 1688; on November 9, that at Caladaria was formally dismantled; and on November 23, the Emperor demolished the Praetorian Barracks of Calaxis II. He also reduced the size of the Casta Praetoria in Christiania, which had now served as the chief barracks and headquarters for the Guards for more than two and three-quarter centuries.
 * This last move inspired the Guards to a desperate rebellion against the Emperor. The initiative was now taken by the Guards officer Sir Gregorius Simnelis (1663-89), who believed that direct action against Neuchrus, within Christiania, would be the proper course of action. He gained the support of the Commander of the Quencilvanian Palace Control, Sir Maxentius Chlorus (1638-89), and of the Suffects of the Administrative Quadrant of Christiania, many of whom had ties to the Guards. On November 18, 1688, while Emperor Neuchrus and his court were making a formal procession to the Byrnes Palace, the Guards announced their rebellion, declaring that they could no longer give adherence to an Emperor who trampled on their privileges. Within hours, Simnelis had led the Guards in seizing control of the Westphalian Cathedral (where Chief Procurator Mortonia was held hostage), the Senatorial Palace, the Imperial Academy of the Arts, the Imperial Academy of the Sciences, and the Commercial Quadrant of Christiania. Commander Chlorus, however, failed to act on his alliance with the Guards, and Emperor Neuchrus was able to organize a vigorous counter-response.
 * The Emperor now entrusted Sir Athansius Mydarania (1635-1714), the Mayor of Christiania, and the Earl of Oxfadia with the task of suppressing the Praetorian Rebellion. The Christiania Police Force and the imperial garrison of Laurasia Prime remained absolutely loyal to His Majesty, and their more effective organization, larger personnel size, and more sophisticated communications turned out to be key. By the early hours of November 20, after a day of confrontations in the streets and quadrants of Christiania, the rebellion had been crushed. More than 15,000 Guards died in confrontations with the Emperor’s troops; Simnelis, all of his leading co-conspirators (including Chlorus and the Suffects), and more than 20,000 members of the Guards were captured. Neuchrus was now determined to find out why the rebellion had erupted, and he sought to punish all of those who had participated in the rebellion. The Governing Senate, Holy Synod, and Council of Civil Service were constituted into a special tribunal in order to investigate, interrogate, and to convict those involved. Simnelis and his conspirators were imprisoned at the Fortress of Baureux, the Post Settlement of Hepudermia, and the Tyburn Stockards of the Cron Drift, and the investigation got underway in December 1688.

1689

 * 1689, the 89th year of the seventeenth century, opened with the Imperial Laurasian Government still dealing with the consequences of the Praetorian Rebellion on Laurasia Prime, which had erupted the previous year. This year would also see the instigation of a military conflict, by Emperor Neuchrus, with the Vectorian Empire, which continued to hold parts of the Anastasian and Hospallian Provinces in the Western Barsar Regions. As had been alluded above, between November 1688 and March 1689, a series of trial proceedings, punishments, and interrogation sessions were conducted by the Councils of State and by the Emperor's subordinates, as they sought to uncover the facts behind the Praetorian Rebellion and to punish those who were responsible for it. Chancellor Mortonia, Privy Seal Foxius, Oxfadia, and the Emperor's uncle, the Duke of Mariana Prime, took the most prominent roles during this process. On January 5, 1689, Simnelis himself, along with Commander Chlorus and Suffect Sir Desiderius Meranius, 1st Baronet Meranius of Christiania (1642-89), chief among the Suffects who had condoned the Praetorian upheaval, were formally tried and condemned by the Councils of State after a two-hour trial. Fourteen days later, they were executed at the Fortress of Baureux, in front of crowds of more than 200,000. By the end of March 1689, virtually all of those who had been involved in the rebellion (over 25,000 individuals) had been interrogated, formally condemned, and either executed or imprisoned.
 * Emperor Neuchrus, who had gained an additional motivation in his efforts at reform, decided to now get rid of the Guards entirely. Neuchrus believed that any further attempts to limit their influence would be futile, and that the best course of action would be to replace them with a new set of regiments. Thus Neuchrus, by the degree of February 2, 1689, formally disbanded the Praetorian Guards; ordered for the demolition of the Casta Praetoria, which had stood for 265 years, and all other Guards fortresses, barracks, and installations; and banished all family members and associates of the Guards officers from Laurasia Prime. The Emperor dispersed the Guards commanders and officers who had not been involved in the rebellion among the regiments of the Imperial Laurasian Army; deprived all who had retired from the Guards of their benefits and honors earned from that service; and expunged all references to the Guards in public or official memorandum, documents, and orders. Neuchrus even went as far to destroy a statute of Seleucus the Victor in the gear of the regiments which he had established. In April 1689, he announced the formation of the successor regiments to the Praetorians, which he designated as the Yeoman Guards of the Imperial Household, an elite force to comprise of no more than 10,000 men. In contrast to the Guards, they were to be stationed directly at the Palace, and would be under his direct oversight. They were given no special privileges or trading rights except for their salary and pension upon retirement. Admittance was to be strictly confined to those between the ages of 18 and 35; Guards officers were forbidden to travel beyond Laurasia Prime, or to make any financial or property transactions, without the Emperor’s consent. The Yeoman Guards thus established would become the main protection squad of the sovereign, to be joined by the Gentlemen Pensioners during the reign of his son Antigonus III, in the eighteenth century.
 * At the same time, Neuchrus further widened his efforts at diplomacy. The second half of the seventeenth century had, as alluded above, seen the intensification of the Empire’s ties with the powers of the Great Amulak Spiral. Neuchrus himself was determined to continue this process, and believed that by making additional overtures to those powers, he would be able to counterbalance the power of Dejanica, Marasharita, and Scottria. In June 1687, the Imperial College of Foreign Affairs had begun sending communiques to the chancellories of the Spamalkan Kingdoms, Portugallia, Haxonia, Vendragia, Denmarica, Pruthia, and Austarlia, among other states, which indicated the express desire of the Emperor of Laurasia to come to terms with any power which was willing to do so. It was now the Spamalkan Kingdoms (Greater and Lesser Spamalka), who rendered the first formal response to these Laurasian overtures. At that time, the Spamalkan Kingdoms were ruled by the "Spouse Monarchs": Fe'ro II of Greater Spamalka (1652-1716) and Fresia II of Lesser Spamalka (1651-1704).
 * As implied by their title, they were a married couple, and each of them exercised power in their own right. Fe'ro and Fresia both belonged to the Spamalkan House of Trastamarta, which had begun governing in Lesser Spamalka in 1569 before extending its rule into Greater Spamalka. On October 16, 1669, Fe'ro (then seventeen) and Fresia (eighteen), who were the heirs to their respective thrones, had been married at Valladolid. Possessed with ability and intelligence, and enjoying a strong as well as loving relationship, the two were determined to expand the power and influence of their dynasty. In December 1674, Fresia became Queen of Lesser Spamalka, succeeding her half-brother Enrique IV. She had been confronted with the challenge of Enrique's daughter, Jo'aha, who became Queen Consort of Portugallia in May 1675. Securing the support of her husband, King Alfonso V of Portugallia (r. 1638-81), she then launched a war against Fresia, attempting to assert her claim to the Spamalkan throne. The War of the Lesser Spamalkan Succession had lasted for four years, which dragged on until its conclusion in September 1679 with the Treaty of Alacovas, by which Fresia's title as Queen of Lesser Spamalka had been recognized. Several months earlier, in January 1679, Fe'ro had become King of Greater Spamalka, following the death of his father Jose II (r. 1658-79).
 * During the next ten years, the Spamalkan Monarchs had become embroiled in a series of additional wars. They had already secured concessions in the Colombiana, the Spice Colonies, and the Canaries through the War of the Lesser Spamalkan Succession. Beginning in 1682, they launched an invasion of the Emirate of Grenada, which was the last remnant of the Ummayian Empire which had once ruled over the Spamalkan Dominions. This war, which was still ongoing by January 1689, strained the military and financial resources of the Spouse Monarchs and included the intervention of their traditional northern enemy, Franconia, as well as of the Barbary States to the south of Grenada. Fe'ro and Fresia, therefore, when they received the overtures from the Imperial Laurasian Government, were determined to follow up on that. They now considered the prospect of an alliance with the faraway Laurasian Empire in the Caladarian Galaxy to be a viable and promising ones, and they hoped that it would widen Spamalka's diplomatic ties beyond the bounds of the Great Amulak Spiral. Fe'ro and Fresia envisioned that such an alliance could be further consummated through a dynastic marriage. Emperor Neuchrus had a young son, Grand Prince Craterus. The Spouse Monarchs had five children by that point: Fresia (1670-98), Jose (1678-97), Joa'ha (1679-1755), Maria (1682-1717), and Catalina (1685-1736). The last of these, Catalina, remained uncommitted, and the Spouse Monarchs now hoped that she could be betrothed to the Laurasian Grand Prince. Such an arrangement, they believed, would benefit both sides: Neuchrus would gain acceptance of his position by a major foreign power; the Spamalkans would obtain a potential partner against Franconia and other Amulak enemies.
 * The Spouse Monarchs made their first response to the Emperor's overtures in September 1687, but it was not until January 1689 before the two governments agreed to negotiations. Those negotiations commenced at Medina Del Campo, in Leon, Lesser Spamalka, on February 1, 1689. Laurasian interests were represented by Neuchrus's Ambassador to the courts of the Spouse Monarchs, Julian Clarus, 2nd Baron Clarus of Hannah (1635-1710), who had served as Ambassador since 1683; those of the Spouse Monarchs were represented by Alfonso de Madarilla (1621-94), who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs for the Spouse Monarchs between 1680 and his death in 1694. Clarus and de Madarilla, who had developed a good amount of mutual respect for each other, were able to proceed swiftly with the negotiations. Out of them emerged the Treaty of Medina del Campo (March 26, 1689), which was the first alliance treaty of any kind (diplomatic, marriage, or military), concluded between Laurasia and an Amulak-based power.
 * By the terms of this treaty, Laurasia and the Kingdoms of Greater and Lesser Spamalka were obliged to come to each other's aid should they declare war upon a hostile third power in the Great Amulak (confirmed, under secret codicil, to be Franconia). Moreover, if Laurasia entered into hostilities with Marasharita, the Spouse Monarchs pledged not to sign a separate treaty with that power. Laurasia recognized Spamalkan rights to Roussilon and Cerdanya; Spamalka in turn, affirmed the Empire's hold on the Dejanican Borderland Territories and the Galactic Frontier Route, as well as Laurasian rights of access to the Galactic Void. The Treaty established that Neuchrus's son and heir apparent, Grand Prince Craterus, was to be formally betrothed to Princess Catalina of Greater Spamalka. Catalina was to convert to the Imperial Almitian Church, to receive the title of Grand Princess of Shenandoah, and to reside at the Imperial Laurasian Court, once she reached the age of fifteen. A dowry of $400 billion denarii for the future Grand Princess, to be provided by her parents, was authorized. Finally, the two realms agreed to eliminate a number of tariffs on non-essential goods, primarily luxury items, scientific instruments, and consumer goods, and rights of free navigation between the two realms were confirmed.
 * The Spouse Monarchs ratified the Treaty of Medina del Campo in May 1689, but Emperor Neuchrus did not, at this juncture do so. Throughout 1689 and 1690, he continued to tread the waters of Amulak politics. Laurasia was to most of those powers (except for Marasharita and Dejanica, its direct neighbors), a foreign, distant realm, in spite of the fact that it had maintained embassies and commercial ties with them for over two centuries by this point. In the late seventeenth century, Vendragians, Haxonians, Pruthians, Austarlians, Franconians, and Portugallians alike did not consider Laurasia to be a direct threat, for its military forces had never campaigned, or even reached the Amulak Spiral, it was located well over two million light years away from the Amulak Spiral, and it had not been actively involved in Amulak affairs during the sixteenth and much of the seventeenth centuries, excluding its relationships with Dejanica and Marasharita; as early as 1636, Jean Poton de Xaintrailles (1587-1653), Marshal of Franconia and the re-conqueror of Normandy and Guyenne from the Vendragian Confederacy, had excluded Laurasia, along with the Great Breffal Federation and the Grand Duchy of Masacavania, from the system of Amulak diplomacy.
 * Yet the process was underway that would change Amulak views completely. In 1713, nearly eighty years after Xaintrailles's claim that Laurasia was "irrelevant" to Amulak politics, the Abbe St. Pierre (1658-1743), one of King Lujak XII's ministers and a leading Franconian scholar, recognized that peace in the Amulak Spiral could not be guaranteed unless if Laurasia were part of the system. By the middle of the eighteenth century, the Laurasian Empire would be fully incorporated into the system of Amulak politics and war; in 1765, slightly over a century following Xaintrailles's death, the Vendragian Duke of Buckinghamshire (1723-93), who served as the Confederacy's ambassador to the Imperial Laurasian Court of Aurelia I from 1762-65, would remark that the Laurasian Empire was "no longer to be gazed at as a distant glimmering star" but was now "a great planet which has obtruded itself into our system, whose place is yet undetermined, but whose motions most powerfully affect those of every other orb."
 * Following the conclusion of the Treaty of Medina del Campo, Emperor Neuchrus sent an ultimatum to Vectorian Emperor Sargon Adad II, who had succeeded his father Shamashi Adad I upon his death in 1684 (April 7, 1689). In this ultimatum, Neuchrus demanded for all the remaining territories once belonging to the Neo-Anastasian Empire and Deustiania, in the Western Barsar Regions, to be conceded to the authority of his Empire; for the Vectorians to return all captives and prisoners of war seized by their forces; and for the Vectorians to recognize Laurasian transit privileges in the Galactic Borderlands. Sargon Adad II, who was overconfident and boastful, refused these demands on April 23, declaring that he would rather die than submit to the Imperial Laurasian Government’s terms. Consequently, the Emperor, who had been engaged in extensive military preparations for months, declared war (May 14, 1689). The Earls of Oxfadia and Duana, Sir Giletus Daubeny, and the Earl of Duana had been named as the commanders of the Empire’s military forces, stationed in the Barsar Regions and in the Neo-Merlite Provinces. As soon as the declaration of war was issued, Laurasian units making substantial progress against their Vectorian foes. The Earl of Oxfadia repelled frantic Vectorian counteroffensives against Meridu, Skye I, and Jacksonian Backory (May 14-22, 1689), and on May 25, instigated a siege of Destiny Major, one of the chief remaining strongholds for the Vectorians in the Barsar Regions.
 * The Siege of Destiny Major, in which Oxfadia was aided by the Earl of Duana and by the Duke of Mariana Prime, lasted for some weeks, but on June 9, 1689, the stronghold fell into Laurasian possession. Destiny Minor and Hemkura followed (June 9-14, 1689), securing Laurasian control over the entire course of the Murphian Trade Spine. From this, the attention shifted to Anastasia Major; after a series of confrontations between Laurasian and Vectorian units at Aletis, Caesearea, Helena, Hakura, and Grenada (June 16-July 17), this world, once the capital of the Neo-Anastasian Empire, fell under siege from the Imperial Laurasian Navy on July 22, 1689. The Siege of Anastasia Major dragged on for more than a month, during which time Laurasian and Vectorian task forces traded blows at Anastasia Minor, Hospallia Minor, Vuzurg, Nicole, Sejucia, Angela Masia, Meridu, Beatrice, and in the outskirts of the Durant Cluster. On September 5, 1689, the world's defenses were breached, and within hours, Oxfadia's troops had secured all land positions.
 * By the middle of September 1689, Hospallia Major remained the only stronghold in the Western Barsar Regions, of significance, that was still in Vectorian hands. Yet during the preceding months, Laurasian forces had also launched other moves into Vectorian territory. On June 19, 1689, the Battle of Borgia resulted in a decisive victory for the Earl of Duana, capturing more than 200,000 Vectorian troops and a significant number of their turbocannon, shield generators, and armored transports. For this feat, Duana was congratulated by Emperor Neuchrus. He then proceeded to the conquest of Tong (June 22-24, 1689), inflicting another humiliation upon the Vectorians, this time under the command of General Huabu-Gubu. Repelling Vectorian raids against Brennan and Dickerson, Duana then laid Pompus under siege (June 29, 1689). Pompus fell on July 7. Killing (July 12-17) and Milking (July 20-24) were then conquered by the Earl's forces, and on August 5, Duana bested the Vectorians again in the Battle of the Endorian Bases.
 * Destroying Vectorian colonies on Andath, Warwick, and Walker, he then, on September 2, penetrated the defenses of Mercia, occupying that stronghold wih little difficulty. Dedantia, Camerania, Essie, and Kylantha suffered from raiding expeditions launched by the Imperial Laurasian Navy, and even Lwheek, the Sassi-ruukian homeworld and one of the chief strongholds in the Vectorian Empire, was threatened. By the beginning of October 1689, Laurasian forces were actively besieging Kaley and Sulios, and were planning for a move against Deira, the Gate Solarian Cluster, and Ompus Septimia. On October 14, the Vectorian Fleet-Admiral Isharana-Adak (a cousin of the Emperor), launched a counteroffensive, penetrating as far as Zoo, Marciano, Stephanpoulos, Trieste, and Morley before being decisively defeated in the Battle of Eliza Spencer (November 14, 1689).
 * Two days later, the Earl of Oxfadia drove into the Wild Marshes, destroying Vectorian fortresses on Halia, Morg, and Cooper, and seriously threatening the defenses of Neustron. On December 7, 1689, Fleet-Admiral Isharana-Adak was defeated again by Oxfadia and Duana, who had now combined their forces, in the pitched Battle of Clarchin. The Laurasians suffered considerable casualties, but they managed to drive Isharana-Adak away and to disrupt his communications. Their success at Clarchin then allowed for the conquest of Renee, Alizea, and Katilyn (December 9-18, 1689), all of which had served as Vectorian outposts for operations into the Barsar Regions. On December 23, 1689, Kaley, whose population was now suffering grievously from the effects of the siege, finally surrendered to the Laurasian Empire, being followed by Sulios on New Year's Eve 1689.
 * In addition to the conclusion of the Treaty of Medina del Campo and the commencement of another Laurasian-Vectorian War, 1689 also saw another imperial birth for the Neuchrian Dynasty. On November 28, 1689, at the Quencilvanian Palace in Christiania, Laurasia Prime, Empress-Consort Aurelia Zemakala gave birth to her and Neuchrus's second child. This child, a daughter, was named Constantia by the Emperor. The Grand Princess was baptized in a lavish ceremony at the Imperial Chapel on December 7. Her godparents were Grand Princess Margarina Beaufatia, the Duke of Mariana Prime, the Earl of Oxfadia (who, as he was away conducting military offensives against the Vectorians, was represented by proxy), and Chancellor Mortonia. Mortonia, as Chief Procurator of the Holy Synod, also presided over the service and conducted the rituals. Constantia would be destined to become Queen-Consort of Scottria, and the grandmother of Mariana of Scottria, later a rival of her niece, Empress Aurelia the Great.

1690

 * 1690, the 90th year of the seventeenth century, and the opening of the 1690s, began with the Laurasian Empire's military forces making further advances against the Vectorian Empire. Deira, which had been constantly harassed by raiding expeditions launched by the Imperial Laurasian Navy, was assaulted (January 19, 1690), resulting in a decisive victory for the Empire. Following this victory, the Earl of Oxfadia quickly stormed Lwheek, Ompus Septimia, and Hedonsis (February 1690); Duana, on his part, secured Tekos IV (January 22-25), Hippuca (February 7), and Gazarus (February 19-24), inflicting a string of further defeats upon the Vectorians. On March 5, 1690, Intenti was conquered after a short skirmish between Laurasian and Vectorian naval forces in the Ladaranian Straits; Dolmes followed twelve days later. Nagosh was now suffering from repeated Laurasian raiding moves. The Nagoshi colony-worlds of Ach, Arcturus, and Badraius had already been seized by Laurasian naval fleets towards the end of January 1690, and on March 18, the conquest of Francia cut off the Francian Supply Highway, which was vital for Vectorian arms and energy shipments to Francia and to other worlds in the Rhedite and Nordanian Provinces.
 * By the end of March, Oxfadia and Duana had also stormed Aubrey, Tessa, and Noelle, further consolidating the Laurasian grip in the Nagoshi Homeland Territories. Vectorian counteroffensives against Eliza Spencer, Meridu, Helena, Hospallia Major, Teutonica, and Destiny Major ended in failure, and on April 14, 1690, the Battle of Nagosh was waged. The Vectorian Governor of Nagosh, Peredith-Gabash, proved to be a resilient and effective military commander; he was not willing to yield to his Laurasian foes willingly, and he organized a vigorous defense, rallying the personnel of the garrison and reminding them of what they were fighting for. Several successive Laurasian assaults upon Nagosh's military defense lines ended in failure; on April 22, Vectorian forces even broke out to Timber, Joanna, and Blake, briefly recovering those outposts and posing a serious danger to the imperial supply lines.
 * Ultimately, however, Duana shored up the lines, and on May 4, 1690, the stronghold finally fell into Laurasian hands. Duana proved to be kind to the subjugated inhabitants of the star system, forbidding his troops to quarter on private property or to ransack privately-held factories, businesses, and enterprises without his permission. The conquest of Nagosh, which was shortly afterwards compounded with the fall of Neustron and Invictis Mesura to the Empire's forces (both on May 21, 1690), finally compelled Vectorian Emperor Sargon Adad II and his Council of Regents to request for negotiations with the Laurasian Empire. The armistice request was made on June 3, 1690; Emperor Neuchrus approved it three days later, and on June 17, 1690, the Truce of Marith was signed, thereby suspending hostilities between the opposing Empires. It was not until July 3 before delegations from the two governments convened at Skold for terminating the conflict; Privy Seal Foxius, Sir Giletius Daubeny, Chancellor Mortonia, Imperial Marshal Berkalania, and the Duke of Mariana Prime served as the chief commissioners for the Imperial Laurasian Government. The Vectorian Government, on its part, was represented by Lord Ashur-dugul of Vector Prime; by High Admiral Isharana-Adak; by General Asinum of Arachosia Prime; and by the Governor of the Sassi-ruuk Provinces, Libaya Barsak.
 * After a month of negotiations, the Treaty of Skold was signed (August 3, 1690). By the terms of this treaty, Emperor Neuchrus pledged to restore the Sassi-ruukian, Nagai, and Kthexoxian Provinces (that is, all the territories which had been seized by the Empire's military forces), back to the Vectorian Empire. This restoration was to be accomplished by no later than September 1, 1691. All military prisoners of war were to be exchanged, but no financial compensations were to be paid by either government. In return, however, the Vectorian Empire agreed to the concession of Hospallia Major, Anastasia Major, Destiny Major, and the remaining Western Barsarian Territories to the Laurasian Empire (in effect, the remainder of he territories which Vectoria had gained four decades earlier with the dissolution of the Neo-Anastasian Empire), establishing the boundary between the two states as it was to exist at the commencement of the eighteenth century. In addition to this, free transit and navigation privileges for Laurasian subjects in Vectorian territory were guaranteed, and all Laurasian subjects were to gain a right of appeal to the Council of High Regents. The Treaty of Skold was ratified by Neuchrus on August 19, 1690, and by Sargon Adad II on September 7.
 * By October 1690, the Laurasian Empire's hold over the entire Barsar Regions had been confirmed, and with it, had come control of all the Caladarian Galaxy outside of the Galactic Borderlands. At that stage, there were now only five powers within the Caladarian Galaxy: Laurasia, Marasharita, Dejanica, Scottria, and Vectoria. This was a far remove from the twenty-four independent states which had existed four centuries earlier. Neuchrus now turned his attention again back to internal reform. In November 1689, the Emperor had decreed the establishment of the Court of the Imperial Chancery, which he designated as the highest court of appeal for criminal cases from throughout the Empire, and for those criminal cases concerning lower government officials, members and servants of the Imperial Household, and employees of the Imperial Laurasian Government. Sir Athanasius Belleria (1638-1704), was named by the Emperor as the first Chief Justice of the Court of Chancery. Then two months later (decree of January 17, 1690), Neuchrus had established a legal commission to review the situation of the Empire's judicial system, and to compile all imperial statutes, constitutions, decrees, prescripts, charters, and orders issued since 1517 (up to 1690), into a new uniform code.
 * He appointed his childhood tutor Sir Aurelius Hermogenianus, as well as Chief Justices Husseria and Belleria, the jurists Sir Gregorius Ladaria (1638-1726) and Sir Arcadius Charasius (1645-1719), and Privy Seal Foxius to this commission. The commission's labor extended six years, and would ultimately produce two codifications of the Empire's laws. Emperor Neuchrus also began his taxation reforms; in April 1690, he changed the tax due date to September 1, established the office of decurion to levy taxes directly from estates and businesses, and reorganized the Imperial Internal Revenues Service (IIRS), entrusting it with greater jurisdiction over cases of tax fraud, evasion, and peculation. In October 1690, Neuchrus deprived nobles and gentry in the Empire of their exemption from taxation, and imposed a new system of graduated taxation upon their estates and titles; in January 1691, the city of Christiania lost its traditional tax-exemption status. In November 1690, internal tariffs on spices, military hardware, and industrial equipment were abolished; on December 8, 1690, the Emperor ordered for an extensive account of all state excise and import revenues to be compiled by the Imperial Treasury. In June 1691, he abolished the Agency of State Diversions, producing a uniform reserve fund for all government agencies.
 * Yet also, by the latter months of 1690, Neuchrus was facing other foreign policy issues. On September 22, 1690, the Emperor, who had continued to angle for further concessions from the Spouse Monarchs, finally ratified the Treaty of Medina del Campo. Yet in November 1690, the Spouse Monarchs made a proposal to revise the terms of the alliance, so as to abolish all tariffs and other restrictions upon commerce between the two realms, and to promote a more specific military alliance against Franconia or any other "threatening" power in the Great Amulak Spiral. Emperor Neuchrus, on December 4, authorized for these negotiations to proceed. A conference was convened at Madrid from December 14, 1690, and negotiations would continue for over three months, with the new Laurasian Ambassador Sir Peresus Madasius (1641-1715), who had assumed office in March 1690, taking the lead. Ultimately, however, the Conference of Madrid ended in March 1691 without the revisions being agreed to, and the Spouse Monarchs themselves neglected to fulfill all of their obligations under the Treaty of Medina del Campo.
 * Neuchrus then found himself facing another pretender threat: from Alexander Warbeckia. Warbeckia, who was born at the Laurasian Conclave on Tournai, in the Durthian Duchy of Burgundy, on June 22, 1674, nevertheless had a startling resemblance to Grand Prince Andronicus, the younger of the doomed sons of Emperor Probus. Warbeckia, who received an extensive education on Antwerp, Brussels, and Dunkirk, came to be supported by many of the members of the Laurasian Conclave; enemies of the Imperial Laurasian Government, in particular, considered him to be the rightful heir. By 1690, a faction of them, among them Sir Demetrius Lyrthies (1650-95), a former Praetorian Guard and Suffect of the City of Christiania, who had fled to the Amulak Spiral in February 1684, compelled to do so by Emperor Titus's agents, had conceived the notion of using the boy as a way to strike at Neuchrus, depose him from the throne, and elevate their own position.
 * Warbeckia, who they now claimed was the Grand Prince, suddenly appeared at the Durthian Court of Brussels in December 1690, and announced his claim to the Imperial Laurasian Crown. The boy, only sixteen years old, asserted that his elder "brother", Maximinus, had been executed by Titus's subordinates, on that Emperor's orders, but that they had spared him, due to his youth and "innocence". However, he had been made not to reveal his true identity under oath until "some years" had passed, and had been removed, under secrecy, from the Fortress of Baureux. From thence, he had fled the Caladarian Galaxy, and gone into the Galactic Void. From 1683 to 1690, he resided in Burgundy, under the protection of "loyalists" to the Probian Dynasty, and was "left free" when his "guardian", Sir Antiochus Brampatia (1640-90), who had died in May 1690, had returned to the Empire two months prior to his death. Therefore, he revealed himself. Warbeckia now began receiving a surge of mercenaries and financial aid from those "sympathetic" to his cause. Emperor Neuchrus, on his part, denounced Warbeckia's claims in a proclamation of December 21, 1690, but for the time being, the pretender still did not pose too much of a threat to his own position.

1691

 * 1691, the 91st year of the seventeenth century, witnessed the threat of Alexander Warbeckia, against Neuchrus I and against the new-found stability of the Laurasian Empire, intensify. Warbeckia, throughout the early months of 1691, continued to build up his support. On January 7, 1691, he issued a "manifesto" from Antwerp, declaring that all those who adhered to the authority of the "mortal enemy" Neuchrus, whom he denounced as a usurper and a traitor to the Almitian Church, should not deserve any mercy. By March 1691, Warbeckia had assembled a force of more than ten million troops and nearly one thousand military warships. This force was not a uniform one; it was a heterogeneous collection of mercenaries, starhoppers, and military units, both from the Amulak Spiral, and from the Caladarian Galaxy (along with its satellite galaxies). Haxonian, Franconian, Durthian, and Pruthian corps formed the cream of the military force; moreover, Warbeckia had at his disposal a number of defectors from the Imperial Laurasian Military. Melealger Karanous, 1st Baronet Karanous of Oxia Vixius (1648-91), who had himself fled to the Durthian Duchies in November 1689, became Warbeckia's chief confidant, and the main commander of his newly assembled military forces.
 * Warbeckia now decided to assault the Robertian Provinces, which had shown signs of support for his cause, and which he thought would be the best region in which to entrench his forces. Once established there, he believed, rebel elements throughout the remainder of the Outer Borderlands would rise up, join his cause, and form a united front against the Emperor. On May 4, 1691, Warbeckia departed from the Amulak Spiral, and gaining passage through the Barbarossa Wormhole, quickly made his progress to the outskirts of the Caladarian Galaxy. Arriving at the Osonboka Nebula on May 19, he sent out a further stream of communiques over the Galactic Holonet, and encouraged star systems to engage in rebellion against the Emperor's representatives. Abrianna and Abuza defected to the pretender (May 25-29, 1691); he defeated a governmental expeditionary force, commanded by Rear-Admiral Sir Jovian Kovius (1642-1701) in the Battle of Malarky (June 2), and on June 14, his units stormed Parsons. McEvlogue, Alamaia I, and the Jageron Worlds were then secured (July 1691), and by the beginning of August, Iego, Dickinson, and Brenda seemed to be in trouble.
 * Warbeckia also made gains in the OsonBoka Nebula, occupying Renastasia and the colonies of the Farther Midst. He continued to deny Neuchrus's rights to the throne; had his religious officials "excommunicate" the Emperor, and issued repeated appeals to subjects throughout the Empire, urging them to revolt and to restore the rightful government. Yet Warbeckia, who had overextended himself, and who had failed to garner any additional defections to his cause, now found himself facing the brunt of the central government's response. Emperor Neuchrus had bided his time, and had ordered his uncle, the Duke of Mariana Prime, to take charge of the forces in the Homidinian Provinces. On August 14, 1691, Mariana Prime, who had carefully assembled his units at Calms, Buranti, Taraning, Ian, Sanford, Gibbs-to-Lester, and Mackenzia Minor for a major counteroffensive, in accordance with the Emperor's instructions, inflicted a decisive defeat upon Warbeckia in the Battle of Jeanne. He then repelled a rebel offensive against Meredith, and on September 1, 1691, secured the defenses of Iego and Dickinson in the Battle of Sofia.
 * By the middle of September, Parsons, Abuza, and Abrianna were back in government hands; McEvlogue was reconquered on September 6, and on September 14, the Battle of Golgriga resulted in another decisive victory for the Duke, who seized many of Warbeckia's armored transports and supply freighters. Barone Karanous was then captured at Cooper (September 24, 1691), bound in chains, and transported back to Laurasia Prime. He would be interrogated by Chancellor Mortonia, the Earl of Oxfadia, and other members of the Emperor's inner circle, tried by the Councils of State for treason and les-majestie, convicted, and executed at the Fortress of Baureux (October 24, 1691). On October 2, 1691, Warbeckia himself, managing to evade capture by Mariana Prime's forces, and realizing that his intrusion had failed, made his retreat back into the Galactic Void with his forces. By the end of October, Mariana Prime recovered all remaining rebel strongholds in the Sheldonian and Mereditan Provinces. Warbeckia then made his return to the Amulak Spiral, but instead of fleeing back to the Durthian Duchies, he decided to make his case at Parri, the Franconian capital world.
 * On November 4, 1691, he was received by King Charman II of Franconia in a lavish ceremony at the Tuileres Palace. Charman agreed to grant him sanctuary status and to permit him to rebuild his military support for future operations against Neuchrus. These actions would be among the factors that would ignite seven decades of tension and occasional war between Laurasia and Franconia, involving the former realm in the affairs of the Amulak Spiral to a greater extent than ever before. Franconia, under King Charman, had continued to strengthen in recent years. On July 22, 1683, King Charman had been betrothed to Margaret of Austarlia (then three years old), the daughter of the Austarlian Archduke Maximilian of Inner Austarlia (1659-1719), the nephew of Austarlian Emperor Lea'dus I, and his wife, Mary, Duchess of Burgundy (1657-82), the only surviving child of Duke Char'vak the Bold. Mary's death (March 27, 1682), had left her son Philivus (the future father of Spamalkan Emperor Char'va I), as Grand Duke of Durthia and Burgundy; his father Maximilian ruled as regent. The marriage itself had been arranged by Charman's father King Lujak XI, by Archduke Maximillian (with the connivance of his uncle Emperor Lea'dus), and by the Estates of Durthia and Burgundy, as a result of the Peace of Arras (1682), which had confirmed the transfer of Franconian Burgundy, Artois, and the Ardennian Worlds to Franconia.
 * Margaret of Austarlia, consequently, was raised at the Franconian Court of Parri during her childhood years. But on September 9, 1688, Duke Fransios II of Brittany, the same Duke who had sheltered the young Earl Neuchrus of Tudoria and his uncle during the reign of Probus, died at Coureon from injuries sustained in an riding accident, leaving his 11-year old daughter Anna as his heiress. In 1690, Anna's protectors arranged a marriage between her and Archduke Maximilian. Queen-Regent Anna of Franconia, however, and her husband, the Duke of Bourbon, refused to countenance this marriage, since it would strengthen Austarlia's position via-a-vis Franconia. In June 1690, Brittany was invaded by Franconian forces; the Duchess was eventually forced to revoke her agreement to a marriage with Maximilian, and to agree to be married to Charman instead. The marriage took place in December 1691 at the Chateau de Langreais. It was not until May 4, 1693, however, before the conclusion of the Treaty of Senlis formally terminated Margaret of Austarlia's engagement to King Charman, providing for the return of her and her dowry to Austarlia; Franconia's possession of Charolais, the Duchy of Burgundy, and Artois was confirmed however, and it also gained the succession rights to the Free County of Burgundy (enacted 1714). All of this formed the background to what Charman was to do next.
 * Besides the events surrounding the pretender Warbeckia, 1691 also saw the birth of another son for Emperor Neuchrus and his wife, Empress-Consort Aurelia. On June 28, 1691, the Empress-Consort gave birth to their second son, and third child, at the Gilbertine Palace on Tudoria. Neuchrus, who was overjoyed by his birth, named his younger son Antigonus. He was destined to become Antigonus III, the Extravagant (r. 1709-47), one of the most significant monarchs in the history of the Laurasian Empire, renowned for his extravagance, his six wives, and his thorough reform of the Imperial Almitian Church. Antigonus was baptized by Privy Seal Foxius, in his capacity as Archbishop of Taurasia. His godparents were Empress-Dowager Aurelia Woodaria, Grand Princess Ceciliana, the Duke of Mariana Prime, and the Earl of Oxfadia. Grand Prince Antigonus, who became Duke of Laurasia Prime from the moment of his birth, was nevertheless not expected to succeed his father upon the Laurasian throne, due to the presence of his elder brother, Grand Prince Craterus. Antigonus, however, would prove to be far more alert, both physically and mentally, than Craterus.

1692

 * 1692, the 92nd year of the seventeenth century, witnessed the continuation of Alexander Warbeckia's challenge to Emperor Neuchrus and, more importantly, the Laurasian Empire's first-ever military conflict in the Amulak Spiral, against the Serene Kingdom of Franconia. By early 1692, King Charman II of Franconia had grown more invested in the idea of an intervention against Laurasia, in the interests of expanding his own power. His harboring of Warbeckia was in accordance with this goal. Warbeckia issued a stream of new manifestos from Parri in January 1692, expressing his contempt for Neuchrus; urging his subjects to rise up against him, and to reject his authority over the realms of the Laurasian Empire; and declaring that any who defected to his cause would be doing a service to the Imperial Almitian Church. The Emperor of Laurasia, responding to these manifestos, issued his own proclamation on January 5, 1692, threatening severe punishment for any who continued to condone, or to promote, the claims of the "heinous pretender Warbeckia, whose only intention is to bring anarchy and ruin to our dominions." Neuchrus also engaged in efforts to pressure the Franconians, through diplomatic and economic means, into dropping their support for Franconia. He had also conceived the idea of extending a territorial guarantee to the Duchy of Brittany. If the Duchy were to retain some measure of autonomy, the Emperor believed, then it would help limit the threat which the Franconians might be able to poise against Laurasian interests.
 * As far back as November 1691, the Imperial Laurasian Government had exchanged parleys with its Durthian and Austarlian counterparts, with the goal of providing for the autonomy of Brittany; the security of the Durthian Duchies; and the limitation of Charman's forays into Orange, Franche-Comte, and Alsace, among other regions. By January 1692, delegations from the three governments had convened at Liege, for the purpose of drawing up a treaty relating to these matters. The Treaty of Liege, however, was not signed until February 22, 1692. By the terms of this treaty, Emperor Neuchrus, along with Holy Austarlian Emperor Lea'dus I and Archduke-Regent Maximilian of Durthia, pledged themselves to a common military front against the ambitions of Franconia. Considering that Austarlia was still tied up by the campaigns of the Great Marasharite War against the Marasharite Empire in Transylvania, the Danubian Principalities, Serbia, and Bosnia, and that Durthia itself was focused on efforts to secure its territorial frontiers against Franconian incursions, the main responsibility would fall upon the Laurasian Empire for "providing military resources by which to conduct the effectual defense of the interests of the Duchy of Brittany, and to prevent any aggressive moves from the direction of His Majesty of Franconia whereof."
 * The following day, Neuchrus and Maximilian came to a further secret understanding, as expressed in the secret Pact of Rotterdam, by which each pledged to declare open hostility to Franconia and to make actual war upon it, at their expense, within the next three years, if the Franconians continued to pursue any aggressive claims to Flanders or to Brittany. Laurasian and Durthian forces were to provide intelligence and supply assistance to each other in such a potential conflict, and neither power would conclude a separate treaty with the Franconians without informing the other. The Treaty of Liege and the Pact of Rotterdam, when taken together, constituted only the second alliance treaty concluded by the Laurasian Empire with any Amulak power, and the first with express military commitments. In March 1692, the Emperor made a request to the Holy Spamalkan Ambassador, Ernesto de Benavides, Count de Medesto (1646-1716), who had been named by the Spouse Monarchs to his post in November 1691, that the terms of the Treaty of Medina del Campo be further "elaborated" upon; he insisted that negotiations commence immediately, understanding the failure of the previous efforts. Medesto communicated this to the Spouse Monarchs, and they, claiming to wish for a resolution to all disagreements, agreed in due order.
 * The Codicil of Christiania (April 7, 1692), provided that if Franconia should invade the territory, or violate the neutrality of, Laurasia, the Spamalkan Kingdoms, or the Durthian Duchies, and if either monarch should declare war against Franconia, than the other should be bound to declare war upon Franconia, and to launch immediate military offensives at their own expense. Moreover, the conflict should not be discontinued until mutual consent had been agreed between the two realms, and not until Greater Spamalka was assured its recovery of the regions of Roussillon and Cerdagne. Yet this codicil as well, was doomed not to be fully enacted; Fe'ro and Fresia hedged on their commitments, as both monarchs were actually considering a compromise settlement with King Charman. Moreover, they had completed the destruction of Grenada (January 2, 1692), and were besieging Ceuta, held by the Knights of Malta. It was therefore not in their interest to rush to war against Franconia at this juncture.
 * Yet Neuchrus, determined to force Charman to drop his support for Warbeckia, continued his vigorous military preparations; by the beginning of August 1692, the Empire's forces, assembled at Belkadan, Sernapasia, Houston, Tyson, Vandross, the Oirat Complex, Syr-Daria, Glassia, Theodore, Andrea Doria, Scanlan, Joyner, and Gardner, among other strongholds in the Northern Outer Borderlands, were posed for an advance across the Galactic Void, and into the Great Amulak Spiral. The Imperial General Headquarters had drafted plans for the most ambitious military campaign yet in the Empire's history; no Laurasian force had ever penetrated out of the Caladarian Galaxy before. Neuchrus alsi assisted Maximilian in his efforts to reconquer Sluys, which had defied Durthian authority for more than two years, providing him with financial subsidies, military supplies, and strategic advisers. He also permitted Maximilian to hire Laurasians for mercenary service. This move constituted the first direct Laurasian provision of aid to any power in the Amulak Spiral. Then on August 27, the Emperor himself, along with the Earls of Oxfadia and Duana, departed from Laurasia Prime; he was determined to exercise overall command over the military operations, while still delegating actual duties in the field to his subordinates. Eight days later, Neuchrus made history by being the first Laurasian sovereign in the Space Era to ever leave the Caladarian Galaxy; by juncture of the Trans-Void Wormhole, he and his forces made their quick progress into the outskirts of the Great Amulak Spiral.
 * Yet at this juncture, the Emperor of Laurasia was informed that the Regent of Durthia would not be joining in an offensive against Franconia; Sluys was still resisting him, and skirmishes with Pruthia and the Electorate of Hanover in Westphalia, Frisia, and Groningen distracted the Regent's energies. Neuchrus also learned that his Spamalkan "allies" were already negotiating a settlement with the Royal Franconian Government, and that they would not be coming to his aid. Nevertheless, Laurasian units launched their first ever-offensives in Franconian territory (and in the Great Amulak Spiral). Maubeuge, Lens, and Douai fell to Laurasian offensives (September 22-October 8, 1692), and on October 12, the Earl of Oxfadia destroyed a Franconian force under the Duke of Nancy in the Battle of Lievin. Roubaix, Tourcoing, and St. Omer then fell (October 13-18, 1692), and on October 20, the siege of Boulougone, one of the most important military bases and strongholds held by Franconia, commenced. The Sieur d'Esequerdes, commander of the Boulougone garrison, was authorized by King Charman on October 24 to make a peace parley to the Laurasians. By this point, Charman was making plans for a potential intervention in the Italianian Provinces, and his forces were also facing difficulties in the Germanian Provinces; Neuchrus, on his part, whose supply lines were already overstretched, and aware of the lack of engagement shown by Spamalka and the Durthian Duchies, decided to heed these parleys. On November 3, 1692, the Truce of Arras was signed, suspending military hostilities between Laurasia and Franconia. Delegations from the two governments convened at Etaples, thirty light-years southwest of Boulougone, on November 10. After just four days of negotiations, the Treaty of Etaples was concluded (November 14, 1692), terminating the First Franconian War.
 * By the terms of this treaty, King Charman agreed to drop his support for Warbeckia; to recognize Neuchrus's rightful title as Emperor and Autocrat of All the Laurasians; and to banish the pretender, his agents, and supporters from Franconian territory. Furthermore, Charman recognized Laurasian rights of campaign against the Marasharite Empire in the Caladarian Galaxy; agreed to pay a compensation of €13.75 trillion denarii to the Emperor of Laurasia; and assured free passage, by Laurasian subjects, through the Franconian Dominions. He also agreed to reduce import tariffs on Laurasian goods by 15%. In exchange, Neuchrus recognized Charman's protectorship of Brittany, and his marriage to the Duchess Anna; he also confirmed Franconian sovereignty over Alsace, Artois, and the Ardennian Worlds.
 * The Treaty of Etaples was ratified by Emperor Neuchrus on November 18 and by King Charman on December 1. Following the exchange of the instrutments of ratification, the Empire's military forces immediately retired from Franconian territory; Neuchrus himself arrived back at Belkadan on December 7, and then proceeded to Laurasia Prime, reaching his capital world four days later. The First Franconian War, the first-ever conflict between Laurasia and Franconia, and the first ever fought by Laurasia beyond the confines of the Caladarian Galaxy, proved epoch-making. As a result of this conflict, the powers of the Amulak Spiral were made more aware, than ever before, of the presence of the Laurasian Empire, and of its potential to project itself into the affairs of that galaxy at its own volition. The intervention gave the Laurasians the chance to obtain military experience against the Franconians, and to gain a sense of their military capabilities.
 * Yet this year also saw two other events: the promulgation of the Codex Gregorianus, and the creation of the Imperial Privy Council. In March 1692, whilst his entanglements with the Franconians and other powers were ongoing, Emperor Neuchrus promulgated the Codex Gregorianus, which had been completed by the legal commission two months earlier, and extensively revised by the Emperor and his fellow legal experts. The Code, divided into sixteen books, organized its content under thematic headings. It compiled the majority of the rescripts, statutes, edicts, decrees, imperial constitutions, and imperial proclamations enacted in the period from 1517 to 1692. Included with these documents was a guidebook, providing extensive annotations on the adoption, interpretation, and application of the laws addressed, and a registry of those enactments which had been amended or repealed. The Code began the process of reducing the confusion within the legal system which had emerged during the Crisis of the Seventeenth Century, and would be the precursor to future legal codifications of other aspects of Laurasian law. Neuchrus ordered for copies of the Codex Gregorianus to be deposited in the Imperial Archives, the State Collections, and the Senatorial Archives, and he had others distributed to administrative, judicial, and military authorities throughout the Empire.
 * The second significant reform of 1692, the creation of the Imperial Privy Council, was enacted in the decree of June 6, 1692. The Emperor, in his efforts to further streamline the Empire's bureaucracy and to provide a better channel of communication between him and his officials, thought the establishment of such a Council necessary. In doing so, he had conducted, with his advisers, a study of other administrative bodies in prior Laurasian history, and in the histories of other powers in the Caladarian Galaxy. Neuchrus now sought to craft a institution that would, in some ways, resemble the Royal Council, Aristocratic Duma, and Consultative Assembly of the Third Laurasian Period, while nevertheless being one that was strictly under his oversight, and entirely subject to his directives. The Privy Council was the product of this endeavor. It was now formally declared to be the replacement to both the Council of Civil Service and the Council of Imperial Secretaries, combining their functions into one body. The Privy Council was designated as the highest council of state in the Imperial Laurasian Government, as the monarch's leading advisory body, and placed above both the Governing Senate and the Holy Synod.
 * The Council, to be composed of the Officers of State, the Secretaries of the Colleges of State (they would not be replaced with ministries until 1712), the officials of the Imperial Chancellory, and six specifically-designated Privy Councilors, drawn from the Synod, Civil Service, and Senate, now assumed responsibility for providing advice to the monarch on all state matters; for enforcing the decrees and commands of the monarch; for supervising the daily operations of the government and civil service; and for issuing orders and instructions to governmental subordinates, agencies, and bureaus, for the purpose of enforcing His Majesty's will. The Council was to coordinate compilation of legislation and judicial rulings with the Senate, and to deliberate on religious matters with the Synod. Neuchrus provided extensive regulations on the Council's committee system, salary scales, secretarial services, and relationship to the Imperial Court.
 * The creation of the Privy Council, the third of the Councils of State, served to systematize the Imperial Government's operations. In the eighteenth century, it would undergo additional reforms implemented by Chancellors Wolesius, Crownapoulos, and Polsius, and would be transformed into a major instrument of the Neuchrian sovereigns. Emperor Neuchrus, by this point, had two new ministers who would prove effective at enforcing his will, but who would become very unpopular with the Empire's subjects. These were Sir Ricomedius Parsonius (1650-1710) and Sir Edmundis Dudley (1662-1710). Parsonius and Dudley, both of whom came from prosperous but relatively unknown Laurasian gentry families, had worked their way through the Civil Service before coming to Neuchrus's notice in 1687. Both had been appointed to the Council of Imperial Secretaries the following year, and to the Council of Civil Service in 1690. In 1691-92, they were among the officials charged by the Emperor with drafting plans for the establishment of the Imperial Privy Council. Demonstrating considerable work ethic, and displaying absolute loyalty towards their master, the two men rose further in his service. In November 1691, Dudley became President of the College of Finance, and in January 1692, Parsonius took the leading post at the Imperial Chancellory. In August 1692, both men were among the first officials named to the Privy Council, with Dudley becoming the first Imperial President of the Body. They would not actually receive their knighthoods, however, until 1704. Parsonius and Dudley were to also be prominent in the administrative reforms of 1695-96.
 * One other significant event of the year was the death, on June 8, 1692, of Empress Dowager Aurelia Woodaria, widow of Probus I. She was 55 years old at the time of her death. Since the birth of her grandson, the future Antigonus III, in June 1691, the Dowager Empress's health had entered a severe decline. In November 1691, she had suffered a fall within her private chambers at the Quencilvanian Palace, and in January 1692, had to retire early from New Year's festivities at the Imperial Court. In February 1692, the Dowager Empress retreated to St. Boniface's Monastery on Tyndaris, which she had sponsored for several years, and had become her favorite religious establishment. The Dowager Empress's health declined further, and by May 1692, her physicians had despaired of her. On the verge of death, Aurelia made her final will and testament (confirmed by Emperor Neuchrus), dividing her dower properties and revenues among her children and grandchildren. At her deathbed, Aurelia was attended by all of her surviving daughters except for her namesake daughter, the Empress, and Grand Princess Ceciliana. These same daughters also were present at her funeral service, which was conducted at the Westphalian Cathedral on June 12. In accordance with her final wishes, as expressed in her will, the funeral was a simple one, and she was interred in the Late Imperial Vault, next to her husband, Emperor Probus.

1693

 * 1693, the 93rd year of the seventeenth century, saw the Laurasian Empire reside in an uneasy state of peace with its neighbors, both in the Amulak Spiral and in the Caladarian Galaxy. The year was marked primarily by the continuation of Emperor Neuchrus's extensive program of administrative and internal reform, specifically as regards to the Empire's armed forces. The experiences of the First Franconian War had revealed numerous flaws with the command structure, organization, and tactics of the Imperial Military, and these were flaws which Neuchrus was determined to rectify. During the early years of his reign, he had already taken several steps to improve military efficiency and flexibility. The most notable among these had been the abolition of the Praetorian Guards and the establishment of the Commission on Military Reform. He now sought to expand upon these innovations. The first measure, enacted by the decrees of February 22 and March 7, 1693, was the overhaul of the military ranks and classification system. Neuchrus now established a uniform schedule of ranks and titles for each of the respective branches of the armed forces: the Imperial Laurasian Army, the Imperial Laurasian Navy, the Imperial Laurasian Marine Corps, the Imperial Engineering Corps, and the Imperial Merchant Marine. Naval and army commands were now formally separated, although both were to remain under the overall jurisdiction of the Imperial General Headquarters.
 * The Emperor now abolished the ranks of Legate-General and Procurator-General, which had increasingly fallen out of favor beginning in the reign of Aurelian, and created the new rank of Field-Marshal of the Laurasian Empire, to be awarded only to those officers who were recognized for their strategic talent and value. The rank of Field-Marshal was to be equivalent to that of a five-star general. They were to enjoy supreme command over all land forces placed under their jurisdiction, and would, when necessary, be granted a commission of supreme command over all corresponding marine and naval forces placed under their jurisdiction. After Field-Marshal, there would come the ranks of Lieutenant-General (four-star), Major-General (three-star), Brigadier General (two-star), and General (one-star). These generalities were to be followed by the ranks of Colonel, Lieutenant Colonel, Major, Captain, First Lieutenant, Second Lieutenant, Chief Warrant Officer (four categories), Warrant Officer, Sergeant-Major, First Sergeant, Master Sergeant, Staff Sergeant, Sergeant, Corporal, Specialist, and Private (three classes). A similar system was established for the Imperial Laurasian Navy. The ranks of Captain-Admiral and Legate-Admiral were abolished. The new system comprised of the ranks of Fleet Admiral (five-star), Admiral (four-star), Vice-Admiral (three-star), Rear-Admiral (two-star), Commodore (one-star), and Fleet Captain (one half-star). The lower ranks were to range from those of Cadet, Ensign, and Lieutenant, to those of Lieutenant Commander, Commander, and Captain. In May 1693, Neuchrus would implement a new pay scale system for the armed forces, tying benefits, pay raises, and vacation privileges to both rank and merit.
 * The reform of the ranking system was then followed by the implementation of the revised Imperial Code of Military Justice (December 1, 1693). The revised Code was divided into twelve chapters, each of which in turn was to consist of a particular number of sections, dependent upon the chapter in question. The Code addressed all aspects of the system of military law in the Empire. This included General Provisions, Apprehension and Restraint, Non-Judicial Punishment, Court-Martial Jurisdiction, Composition of Court-Martials, Pre-Trial Procedure, Trial Procedure, Sentences, Post-Trial Procedure and Review of Court-Martials, Punitive Articles, and Miscellaneous Provisions. The Court of the Imperial Chancery was declared to be the highest court of appeal for all court-martials, and would have the authority to revise, confirm, or override any disciplinary judgments handed down through the military legal system. Personal jurisdiction was attached to all uniformed members of the Empire's military forces, regardless of their location or rank. Reserve personnel serving either full-time duty or in traditional positions, all local militia and guard units as activated under the authority of the Imperial Laurasian Government, all cadets and midshipman at the Imperial Academies, detained medical personnel and chaplains in the custody of the Armed Forces, prisoners of war, persons in custody of the Armed Forces, and certain categories of retired reservists were considered to fall under the Military Code's jurisdiction as well. For each person accused of an offense, they were to have the right to preparation of evidence for their case, for representation by counsel selected by their superiors, and the right to be informed of all charges that were made against them. In all court-martials, the convening authority (that is, the commanding officer who referred a case to trial by court-martial), was to have the power to mitigate findings and the sentence, set aside convictions, and/or remand convictions and/or sentences back to a court-martial for a further hearing. They were to also have the authority to refer such cases to the Chancery at will, if the case were not appealed.
 * The Code specified the forms of non-judicial punishment which could be exercised by military officers over subordinates for minor breaches of discipline. These punishments were to be carried out after a hearing by the commander, but without a judge or jury. Punishments were limited to reduction in rank, loss of pay, fines, restrictions of privileges, extra-duty, reprimands, consignment to psychological or medical evaluation, and aboard warships, confinement. The Code provided an extensive table of what would be considered minor breaches, and a corresponding one of offenses that could warrant more serious action. All cases of treason, les-majestie, and conspiracy, were to automatically subject both to a court-martial and to intervention by either the Chancery or the Governing Senate. And nothing in the Code would be construed as affecting the Emperor's authority, as Supreme Commander-in-Chief to discipline or in any other way punish any member of the Armed Forces as he saw fit. The enactment of the Code helped to clarify the obligations and the duties of all those in the Empire's service.
 * Other beneficial reforms were made in conjunction with the Code. In May 1693, Neuchrus lowered the age of general military conscription from 21 to 18. He now ordered for the implementation of new guidelines for the Empire's recruiting system, authorizing the re-creation of the recruit levy, as it had initially been established under Seleucus I. Rates of conscription were now to be on an annual basis, and were raised from 1 in 25 male subjects to 1 in 15 subjects. Moreover, the Emperor restored the 25-year service term which had existed under Seleucus. This term would gradually be reduced to twenty in 1709, fifteen in 1722, ten in 1748, and five in 1765. Between 1693 and 1701, the number of active-duty military personnel within the Empire was to increase by more than fivefold, while the number of reservists would rise by threefold. The number of divisions and of military squadrons would experience a corresponding increase, and two times, in 1694 and 1697, Neuchrus would issue instructions to the Imperial General Headquarters to provide for the merger, re-designation, and creation of new Imperial Armies and Fleets, along with the associated divisions and regiments. To handle the new influx of recruits, and to provide more officers to direct them, the Emperor sponsored the expansion of the military academy system, founding the Imperial Academy of Military Sciences on Laura and the Imperial Marine Corps Academy of AstroNavigation on Taurasia (both in August 1693). He also expanded the defensive capabilities of the Imperial Armed Forces, and beginning in the fiscal budget for 1693, would allocate an increasing amount of funds towards the development of new weapons systems, shielding, armor, and equipment. Seeking to strengthen the Empire's fortifications, Neuchrus would also authorize for a massive reconstruction of the Limes Saticus on Norah, the Lysimachid Barrier Defenses in the Borderlands Territories, and the Hutsite Reaches Barriers in the Barsar Regions. He would also, beginning in November 1693, instigate the construction of new outposts, terminals, and bases throughout the Outer Borderlands and Garaman Provinces. The number of Laurasian military installations was to increase by more than 200% between 1693 and 1705.

1694

 * 1694, the 94th year of the seventeenth century, saw the continuation of internal reforms. In January 1694, Emperor Neuchrus ordered for the installation of new Harkanid-class shield generators on the surface of Laurasia Prime. During the next two years, in accordance with Neuchrus's program of general fortification and military expansion throughout the Empire, a comprehensive system of these new-class shield generators, orbital turrets, and defensive platforms would be constructed in the Laurasia Prime star system and in the other chief strongholds of the Laurasian Purse Region, with a total cost of more than €200 trillion denarii (soon to be replaced by the dataries). In April 1698, Neuchrus was to issue instructions to the Imperial General Headquarters and to planetary authorities throughout the Empire, ordering for the establishment of similar defensive networks in all of the major systems of the Laurasian Empire. This extensive program would not be completed until well into the reign of Neuchrus's son and successor, Antigonus III. Yet 1694 also saw the Emperor's focus honing in more on judicial and legal reforms. By this point, he had implemented several more changes of substance to the organization and powers of the Governing Senate. Through the last of his Senatorial Administrative Regulations, issued on November 7, 1691, Neuchrus had reduced the size of the body from 450 to 150; limited its advice to merely those concerning administrative or judicial matters; and imposed a term limit upon every Senator. All of these had significantly reduced the influence of a body which, in the eyes of the Emperor, had done much to harm the Empire's internal unity during the course of the seventeenth century, as had been typified by the Crisis. Moreover, Neuchrus had (decree of August 17, 1691) established the Imperial Court of Requests, which became responsible for dealing with civil suits, financial cases, and cases of bankruptcy, counterfeiting, forgery, and other such crimes that arose among the employees and subordinates of the Imperial Laurasian Government, as well as managing appeals of these cases from the lower levels of government and from the Empire's administrative divisions.
 * Then, on March 5, 1694, the Emperor organized the last of the Imperial Courts, that of Common Pleas, to deal with petitions from the Empire's subjects to the imperial authorities, as well as petitions among governmental organizations and disputes or cases of corruption relating to the Empire's administration. In conjunction with this, Neuchrus also laid strict penalties for manipulation of evidence, unauthorized intimidation of witnesses, and corruption of moral standards among juries, grand juries, and consultative panels. In April 1694, he increased the cap on quaestors and other financial officials, hoping to improve the efficiency of tax collection, to reduce case loads, and to minimize conflict between the imperial agencies and the Empire's subjects. He also expanded the responsibilities of the decurion, investing that office with more direct tax-collection powers over private businesses and real-estate holdings. Two months later, in June 1694, Neuchrus established the Agency of Governmental-Local Revenue Coordination to regulate matters related to the distribution of funds to the Empire's administrative functions, and the purposes to which they could use those funds.
 * Then in November 1694, Neuchrus implemented another substantial act of administrative reorganization. He now formalized the abolition of the office of Praetorian Prefect of Laurasia Prime. That position, which had originally been the chief command post over the now defunct Praetorian Guards, had over the preceding two centuries evolved into an office with considerable administrative, judicial, and advisory responsibilities, relating to the law enforcement and the governance of Laurasia Prime, its satellites, adjoining worlds, and settlements. Neuchrus now formally dismissed the last Prefect, Major-General Sir Julius Asclepiodotus (1637-1703) from office. Aslecipodotus, who was one of the Emperor's most loyal subordinates, and had been appointed to the Prefecture in 1686, was instead made Commander of the Quencilvanian Palace Control. The elimination of this office now removed a figure who had, at times, presented a challenge to the Emperor's security or at other times, had been the chief post held by whomever enjoyed imperial favor at a particular moment in time. Neuchrus would then confirm the abolition of all other praetorian prefectures which had been established throughout the Empire, principally those of the Upper Barsar Regions, Xilanian Provinces, and Imperial General Headquarters (decree of December 6, 1694). Most of these positions had emerged since the reign of Antigonus I. Their responsibilities were now divided between the varying regional authorities in the Empire and Chancellor Mortonia. The Chancellor now became responsible for the ultimate supervision of governmental and political affairs on Laurasia Prime, and for all involvement with criminal and civil cases handled by the Imperial Laurasian Government. Neuchrus also continued on his drive against the power and influence of the Governing Senate; the decree of December 4, 1694 circumscribed the Senate's authority to demand reports from the Senatorial Provinces and on Ascentmas Day, 1694, the Emperor ordered for the Imperial College of Regional and Provincial Administration to begin a study of the Empire's local administrative system. Yet as 1694 was coming to its close, tensions were building up again, in relation to the pretender Alexander Warbeckia and the threat which he posed to Neuchrus's position.

1695

 * 1695, the 95th year of the seventeenth century, commenced with Emperor Neuchrus, having continued with his program of reforms, once again facing the threat of the pretender Akexander Warbeckia. In November 1694, in a move of retaliation, the Emperor had imposed an embargo upon all commerce between the Laurasian Empire and the Durthian Duchies. Neuchrus declared that the harboring of Warbeckia by the Regent-Representative of Durthia, Margaret of Burgundy (1646-1703), the step grand-mother of Duke Philivus I, to whom the Pretender had fled in February 1693, following his expulsion from Parri by King Charman, was "a crime against Almitis, and upsetting to the tranquility of all powers of extra-galactic civilization." In January 1695, the Emperor forbade his subjects from traveling to, or engaging in commerce within, the realms of the Durthian Duchies. Neuchrus, on the advice of his uncle, the Duke of Mariana Prime, also took action against Sir Willanius Stanelis, who was suspected by the Imperial Intelligence Agency of being in collusion with Warbeckia and having offered him financial assistance. Stanelis was arrested on January 15, 1695, tried by the Councils of State, and sentenced to death. He now offered a full confession, hoping to escape execution.
 * Neuchrus hesitated for a while, not wishing to antagonize his mother and stepfather. They too, however, came around to understanding Stanelis's guilt, and the Emperor felt himself free to proceed. Stanelis was executed at the Fortress of Baureux on February 16, 1695. Warbeckia, on his part, who was assured that there were elements within the Empire (particularly in the Burglais Arm), which were opposed to Neuchrus, and hearing of Stanelis's execution, decided to make a second effort, and to launch a renewed invasion. Throughout the early months of 1695, with financial and material aid from Margaret of Burgundy (who entertained ambitions of extending Durthian power and influence towards the Caladarian Galaxy, and viewed Warbeckia as the best means of doing this), Warbeckia reorganized and expanded his forces. By April 1695, he had more than 2,000 warships and 10 million military personnel, along with tens of thousands of support craft and vehicles, at his disposal. His forces were predominantly Durthian, Germanian, and Haxonian.
 * The Pretender also continued to issue manifestos from Brussels, communicated over the Galactic Holonet, in which he decried Neuchrus's regime, asserted his claim to be Grand Prince Andronicus, and declared that he was the Empire's only legitimate ruler. Finally (June 21, 1695), Warbeckia made his departure for the Caladarian Galaxy. His forces sallied from Flushing, Halarem, Roosevelt, Niewpoort, Ostend, and Brill, proceeding immediately across the Galactic Void. After a journey of several days, they reached the outskirts of the Burglais Arm (July 3, 1695). Within five days, Warbeckia had managed to secure the outposts of Deal, Schfaly, Haffley, Yeh, Barnett, and Jenna; the inhabitants of those star systems, who continued to bear grievances against the Imperial Laurasian Government and against Neuchrus in particular, proved enthusiastic in their support for the Pretender. Yet the response by the government forces of the Empire was swift and unrelenting. On July 21, 1695, Vice-Admiral Sir Gallus Berganius, 1st Baron Berganius of Coronadia Minor (1640-1706), who had been appointed Governor of Meredita in July 1694 by Emperor Neuchrus, inflicted a decisive defeat upon Warbeckia in the Battle of Cherelle; five days later, an attempted offensive against Taraning, Ian, and Calms ended in failure. In August 1695, Imperial forces reconquered Yeh and Barnett, capturing a substantial number of rebel equipment, harrying their communications lines, and ending any additional rebel expeditions into the Corporate Sector. On September 4, Warbeckia experienced another setback in the Battle of Yutzy. Increasingly desperate, he then launched a rash offensive in the Dasian Heartland, against Sernapasia and Karakorum. This offensive came to nothing in the Battle of Taranian Dyria (September 27, 1695). More than one-third of the deployed rebel forces (some 200 warships along with 300,000 personnel) were destroyed or captured in this confrontation, and Warbeckia himself barely evaded capture. The failure of the Battle of Taranian Dyria drove down morale among Warbeckia's forces and made it clear that his invasion efforts had no further hope for success.
 * Yet that was not the end for Warbeckia. Unable to return to the Great Amulak Spiral at this juncture, for the Emperor's forces had now begun to patrol all routes and wormholes leading back to Franconia, he now decided to make his way to the Angelina Spiral: specifically, to the Celestial Kingdom of Scottria and to King Jamsius IV. Warbeckia managed to execute a surprise move across the northern edge of the Outer Borderlands, and utilizing a shortcut across the Haynsian Slave Highway (provided to him by Margaret's intelligence agents), he was able to avoid pursuit forces dispatched on the orders of the Emperor. On October 4, 1695, the Pretender reached the Scottrian outpost of Branxholme, in the outskirts of the Angelina Spiral. The King of Scottria, alerted to the arrival of the Laurasian Pretender in his dominions, at first contemplated arresting him, and handing him over to the custody of the Imperial Laurasian Government. Persuaded by his advisers, however, Jamsius decided to use the Pretender as his leverage against the Empire. On October 21, 1695, Jamsius formally received Warbeckia and his entourage at Ediania, declared that he was truly the son of the late Emperor Titus, and announced his support for the Pretender. This move by Jamsius came in the wake of over a decade of political developments within Scottria.
 * Much had transpired since the end of the Laurasian-Scottrian War of 1679-82. From September 1682 to January 1683, following the conclusion of that conflict, the Duke of Albany, who had now lost his assistance from the Imperial Laurasian Government, struggled with King Jamsius III over control of the government of Ediania. In that latter month, he fled to his estates on Dunbar. The King was able to reassert control over affairs on Ediania, but found that he could not act against Albany, due to persistent rebel tensions in the Dumbarton Provinces, Kania, and Kalbacha. In 1684, Albany attempted to seize Locamben, Locheleven, and Dumblaine, but he was foiled by the King's garrisons in those star systems. After another failed effort to breach the defenses of Stirling and Leith, Albany finally fled to the Great Amulak Spiral, specifically to the Serene Kingdom of Franconia, in February 1685, dying on August 7 at Parri. The King, however, found himself estranged from his second wife, Margaret of Denmarica (she died in June 1686, aged 30), and drew closer to his second son, also named Jamsius (1676-1704). In January 1688, he made this son Duke of Ross.
 * Moreover, he named four Lairds as Lords of the Scottrian Estates: John Drummond of Cargill (1651-1719), who became 1st Lord Drummond of Cargill; Robert Crichton of Sanquhar (1638-95), made 1st Lord of Sanquhar; John Hay of Yester (1650-1708), made 1st Lord Hay of Yester; and Knight William Ruthven (1656-1728), made 1st Lord Ruthven. The Earls of Angus and Argyll, supported by the Homes and Hepburns, opposed the King, and on February 2, 1688, the King's eldest son Jamsius had been delivered into the hands of these noblemen. Formal rebellion erupted in March 1688, and on June 11 of that year, the Battle of Sauchieburn was waged between the King, supported by David Lindsay, 1st Duke of Montrose (1640-95), Malise Graham, 1st Earl of Menteith (1616-90), and Alexander Cunningham, 1st Earl of Glencairn (1626-88); and his son Jamsius of Rothesay, Lords Home and Montogomerie, and the Earl of Angus on the other. The battle ended in a decisive victory for rebel forces; King Jamsius himself was killed by rebel troops. The Earl of Glencairn, commanding a wing of the King's force, was also killed.
 * His son Prince Jamsius now assumed the throne, and was crowned as Jamsius IV at Scone (June 24, 1688). Yet once he became King, Jamsius proved to be an effective and wise ruler. Jamsius quickly reconciled with his younger brother, the Duke of Ross, whom he admitted into the Royal Council and made Governor of Dumblaine. Ross would eventually become Lord Chancellor of Scottria in May 1702, holding the position until his death on January 10, 1704, aged 28. The King built a strong working relationship with the Scottrian Estates; lowered taxes and financial obligations on his subjects; and proclaimed a policy of religious toleration for all within his realms. He offered appealing terms to those who would settle in his realms, became a patron of the arts, and sponsored colonization expeditions throughout the Outskirts Districts. Jamsius negotiated a series of commerce treaties with Dejanica (1689), Marasharita (1690), Vectoria (1691), Franconia (1692), and Haxonia (1693), granted subsidies to numerous corporations and nobles, and relaxed restrictions upon communications. He also took steps to make government more efficient, by increasing the number of bureaucrats, reorganizing the Royal Council, and conducting regular consultations with his nobles. In 1689, the King suppressed a uprising on Glencairn, Ross, and Angus; in 1693, he finally completed the subjection of the Western Lordships, something which had evaded his father and grandfather. Thus by 1695, the Celestial Kingdom of Scottria was relatively stable, and enjoying a period of economic prosperity.
 * Consequently, Jamsius's support of Warbeckia was a surprise move. Emperor Neuchrus, learning that Warbeckia was now in Scottria, was alarmed. In November 1695, the Emperor issued a series of communiques to the Court of Ediania, demanding an explanation for why Warbeckia was being welcomed as a guest of state. The Scottrian Estates responded that he was being sheltered under the "protection" of the King of Scottria, and that they would continue to shelter the pretender until the Emperor of Laurasia granted him pardon and acknowledged him, at least, as his heir-apparent. Neuchrus was angered by this, and on December 7, 1695, condemned his Scottrian counterpart's actions. Neuchrus was then deeply affected by the death of his uncle, the Duke of Mariana Prime (December 21, 1695). This had followed the death of his wife's grandmother, Grand Princess Ceciliana, on May 31, 1695. On Neuchrus's orders, both the Grand Princess and the Duke were, in their turn, interred at the Westphalian Cathedral. Ten days after his uncle's death, on New Year's Eve, 1695, the Emperor ordered the Imperial General Headquarters to draft plans for a renewed military conflict with Scottria. 1695 ended with hostility between Laurasia and Scottria building up.

1696

 * 1696, the 96th year of the seventeenth century, commenced with the Laurasian Empire and the Celestial Kingdom of Scottria veering on a path of renewed war. Emperor Neuchrus, angered by the harboring of the pretender Alexander Warbeckia at the Court of Ediania, was determined to terminate the threat which Warbeckia posed to his own security, and to the security of the Laurasian Empire's realms. On January 17, 1696, the Emperor, in a manifesto to his subjects, declared that he would not countenance any "attempt at rebellion, or direct revolt, directed against impinging upon and threatening my hereditary rights; and furthermore, upon challenging the stability and tranquility of these realms." The Governing Senate, acting on the Emperor's orders, issued a declaration of formal treason against Warbeckia and offered a bounty of €250 billion denarii for any loyal subject who revealed any of Warbeckia's connections, strongholds, or supporters within the Empire's realms. Strict limitations upon communications, transit, and correspondence were imposed, so as to prevent rebel defectors from departing the Empire's territory, and heading into that of Scottria. Vigorous patrols were conducted in the Garaman Provinces, and in March 1696, the Emperor forbade his subjects from engaging in commerce, or traveling to, the Scottrian realms without explicit authorization from his authorities.
 * Yet these were not the only measures. Neuchrus still pushed on with his program of reform, and he also brought the hostilities with the Durthian Duchies to an end. In July 1695, the Emperor had abolished all remaining jurisdiction held by the Governing Senate over the Senatorial Provinces, consigning those territories to the general oversight of the Imperial College of Regional and Provincial Administration. Then, by the decrees of November 17 and December 8, 1695, he instigated a complete reorganization of the Empire's regional and local administrative system. The distinction between Senatorial and Imperial Provinces, which had now been maintained for more than two and a half centuries, since the reign of Claudius II, was now formally erased. All provinces, placed under the College's oversight, were now to be answerable only to the deputies and other officials named by the Emperor. To avoid the possibility of local usurpations, strengthen governmental oversight over every aspect of local administration, and to ease the more efficient enforcement of the law, Neuchrus now effected an increase in the number of provinces within the Empire, from fifty to over two hundred. By the middle of the eighteenth century, this number would rise further to five hundred. The provinces of the Empire were now to be grouped into twelve dioceses, each of which was to be governed by a Vicar, or deputy, of the Emperor. Laurasia Prime itself now came under the sole authority of the Governor of Laurasia Prime, though for general administrative purposes it was to be placed within the Laurasia Prime Diocese. The dissemination of imperial law to the provinces, and thence, to the star systems, was now facilitated with greater ease than before, because Neuchrus's reform of the provincial structure now meant that there were now a greater number of governors ruling over smaller regions and populations.
 * Neuchrus would implement revisions to provincial apportionment and jurisdiction throughout the remainder of the region, finding this to be necessary; the most substantial changes would be enacted in 1698, 1699, and 1706. Although the authority of the Governor of Laurasia Prime itself, and of the Mayor of Christiania, was enhanced, due to the abolition of the Praetorian Prefecture, the powers of Govenrors elsewhere in the Empire were curtailed. The Emperor now required for them to submit routine reports to the Privy Council, entrusting the Quaestors and Aediles of each Province with the responsibility of confirming appointments, orders, and decorations made by each Governor. Moreover, the Emperor now effected the establishment of the office of Justice of the Imperial Peace, installed in every major star system, who became responsible for the handling of petty cases and for the administration of justice on the local and planetary level. Justices of the Peace helped to make subjects more aware of their obligations, to keep corruption in local bureaucracies in check, and to keep the higher officials informed of local affairs. Neuchrus also greatly increased the number of bureaucrats and officials within the Empire, to keep pace with these changes. He now established a ratio of 1:10,000, founded thirty civil service academies to accommodate the increase, and imposed a new qualifications system, complete with examinations, background checks, and routine evaluations of performance.
 * He imposed harsh penalties for any practices akin to patronage or spoils, and entrusted the Procurator-General of the Governing Senate with greater authority to root out corruption and to report officials who violated their responsibilities. An additional measure of reform came on April 5, 1696, when the Emperor promulgated the Codex Hermogenianus, which provided a codification of imperial rescripts, constitutions, and decrees between 1683 and 1696. Like the Codex Gregorianus, the Codex Hermogenianus was divided into books (4, in this case), organized under thematic headings, according to subject. The Code also contained a guidebook on the basic principles of Laurasian legalism. The guidebook would become standard issue at law schools and judicial institutions throughout the Empire, and would help form the basis for the Codex Aureliana of 1768, which ultimately replaced the Neuchrian Codes. In 1706, Neuchrus would make further additions to the Hermogenianus, adding the Codification of Noble Laws, providing a general collation of the norms, procedures, and regulations of the imperial nobility, which had first established by Antoninus Pius in the middle of the sixteenth century, and which derived from earlier precedents extending back to the First Laurasian Period.
 * As regards to the restoration of friendly relations with the Durthian Duchies, this was made possible by the assumption of direct authority in Durthia and Burgundy, by its Duke, Philivus I. Margaret's reputation was undermined by the embargo, which was proved to have a harmful effect upon the Durthian economy, and by the threat of removal of her dower properties in the County of Artois and Palatine Burgundy. Philivus himself was keen to obtain Laurasian assistance against Franconia, and to reap the benefits of renewed commerce with the Laurasian Empire. In August 1695, he sent an offer of negotiation to the Emperor of Laurasia, proposing for a conference to resolve all differences between the two realms. Emperor Neuchrus, himself eager to lay the hostility aside, and aware of the increasing importance of Durthian commerce to the Caladarian Galaxy, accepted this offer. From October 12, 1695, delegations from the two governments convened at Antwerp, in the Durthian Duchies. Several other Amulak powers with a vested interest in the outcome of the negotiations, including Haxonia, Tuscany, Florence, Austarlia, and the Germanian Electorates of Hanover, Baden, and Wurttemberg, dispatched auxiliary delegations to the conference. Finally, after some months of negotiations, the Treaty of Antwerp, known in High Laurasian as the Intercusus Magnus, was signed (February 24, 1696), by the Laurasian Empire and the Grand Duchy of Durthia and Burgundy, ending the state of diplomatic hostility and of economic sanctions.
 * Under the terms of the Treaty, all economic sanctions that had been imposed between Laurasia and Durthia were terminated. The Durthians now agreed to formally recognize Neuchrus's title as Emperor, to repudiate the claims of Alexander Warbeckia, and to banish all of Warbeckia's supporters from the Duchies. All revenues and properties owned by Warbeckia in Durthia were to be confiscated, and turned over to the Imperial Treasury. The Treaty provided for the restoration of full commercial and diplomatic relations between the two realms. Laurasian and Durthian merchants alike were granted reciprocal navigation and travel privileges; moreover, all internal tariffs on the goods of either realm were to be devoted to the "common benefit" of both governments, a joint commission would determine all navigation, communications, and judicial disputes, and a definite schedule of duties and rates was established. Additionally, the Durthian States-General agreed to respect the privileges, property, and practices of all Almitian Church dioceses, nobles, and corporations in Durthian territory. The Treaty of Antwerp, ratified by Emperor Neuchrus on March 7 and by the States-General on March 25, helped to lay the groundwork for the further expansion of commerce between the Caladarian Galaxy and Great Amulak Spiral, which was to become a hallmark of the eighteenth century. It was to remain in effect until 1785, with amendments made in 1706, 1719, 1736, 1754, and 1774.
 * By August 1696, the tensions between Laurasia and Scottria had built up to such an extent that there was finally a formal outbreak of war. Neuchrus imposed a total ban on all non-essential commerce with Scottria in May 1696; by the following month, the Imperial General Headquarters had completed their preparations for war, as they had been ordered by the Emperor, and had mobilized garrisons throughout the Empire's territories to that purpose. Emperor Neuchrus then conducted a progress through the Malarian Provinces, Borderland Territories, and Wild Marshes during June and July 1696. The purpose of this journey was to display the military capabilities and the operational reach of the Empire, and to demonstrate to the Scottrians that they could not imitate him. On July 14, 1696, the Emperor of Laurasia issued an ultimatum to the Court of Ediania. He issued this ultimatum from Massanay. In it, the Emperor declared that the continued Scottrian support for the pretender Warbeckia threatened all tranquility, and that unless Warbeckia was returned into his custody, he would have no option but to take recourse to war. King Jamsius pointedly ignored this, and at the end of July, he actually established his command headquarters on Perth; his plan was to launch his forces into the Barsar Regions and into the Garaman Provinces. On August 7, 1696, the period for the ultimatum expired, and Neuchrus issued a declaration of war against his Scottrian counterpart. Nevertheless, it was Scottrian forces which made the first offensive moves. The King of Scottria's forces, placed under the battlefield command of the Earls of Angus, Ross, and Madelaine, quickly stormed Sejucia (August 9-14); Nicole (August 25); and Ladoga (September 1).
 * Onieda fell under siege from September 7, 1696, and it did not fall until ten days later. By the middle of September 1696, Ranieda Minor, Dasalaburgh, Zebetha, and Ranieda Major had all been stormed by Scottrian forces. King Jamsius now issued a taunting declaration from Perth, declaring that all who continued to support the Laurasian Emperor were "dooming themselves". Shelton and Michelle fell (October 9, 1696), and on October 14, Justinian Licerius, 1st Earl of Leslie (1654-1700) suffered a humiliating defeat against Angus in the Battle of Garbia. That world now fell into Scottrian possession, and King Jamsius himself blockaded Garama, which fell on October 28. November 1696 saw the conquest of Zabi, Cydamus, Roxburgh, and the Laurasian colonies of Yoder, Marcotte, Blumer, and Filpovic; furthermore, Thubnae was threatened by Scottrian expeditionary units. But on December 9, 1696, King Jamsius's offensive against Castellum Dimmidi came to nothing in the Battle of Flarence; Smallings, June, and Jordan were then recovered by Laurasian units under Aretha. On December 18, the Earl of Oxfadia assumed supreme command of the Empire's forces in the Merlite Provinces, and he successfully repelled Scottrian assaults upon Jacquenthia, Evan, Orithiania, and Aretha (December 20-25).
 * On March 18, 1696, at the Palace of Placenta on Darcia, Empress Consort Aurelia Zemakala gave birth to a second surviving daughter, who she and Neuchrus named Octavia. Octavia, destined to become Queen Consort of Franconia and Duchess of Norfolkius, would also be the grandmother of Lady Minerva Greysius, the "Nine Day's Empress" of 1753, and of Ladies Katharina and Didymeia Greysius, claimants to the Imperial Laurasian Crown during the early years of the reign of her niece, Aurelia the Great.

1697

 * 1697, the 97th year of the seventeenth century, commenced with the Laurasian Empire and Celestial Kingdom of Scottria engaged in a bitter fight, relating to the claims of the Pretender Alexander Warbeckia. On January 7, 1697, the Battle of Eliza Spencer resulted in a victory for Scottrian forces under the Earls of Ross and Caithness. By January 16, Scottrian units had stormed Meridu, Hemkura, Helena, Aletis, and Grenada, entrenching themselves within the Hospallian and Anastasian Provinces. Hospallia Major, Teutonica, and Anastasia Minor, however, defied their attempts, and on February 1, 1697, Oxfadia blunted a Scottrian move against Jacksonian Backory, in the Battle of Childress; Childress was a minor colony located five light years to the west of Jacksonian Backory. On February 17, Roxburgh and Yoder were recovered by Oxfadia in a series of surprise assaults; and by the end of the month, Zabi and Cydamus had both fallen under siege by the Imperial Laurasian Navy. Scottrian expeditions into the Merlite and Ashlgothian Provinces continued to be repelled by Laurasian fleets and garrisons. Yet Warbeckia remained in the favor of King Jamsius. By his connivance, the Pretender married the Scottrian Lady Catherine Gordon (1674-1737), daughter of George Gordon, 2nd Earl of Huntly (1641-1701). The marriage took place at Kathy Major (March 4, 1697), and was celebrated with much lavishness and much vigor by the chief personages of the Scottrian Royal Court. Yet it provoked Emperor Neuchrus yet more, and on March 16, he issued his "firm resolution" not to make peace with Scottria until the Pretender and his forces had been expelled from that realm.
 * March 1697, however, saw the tide of conflict turn in the favor of the Emperor. On March 6, 1697, the Siege of Zabi ended in victory for the Empire's forces; Cydamus fell on March 19. Marcotte and Blumer proved to be more difficult, but by the beginning of April 1697, both star systems were back in Laurasian hands. The Earl of Oxfadia, along with his subordinate, Vice-Admiral Valentinian Flavius, 2nd Earl of Almastead (1644-1712), then secured Sejucia and Nicole (April 5, 1697), and on April 22, the Scottrians were driven from Aletis. On May 1, 1697, Hemkura and Meris were recovered, and four days later, Oxfadia inflicted a ruinous defeat upon the Earl of Angus in the Battle of the Berazanius; Angus lost more than a third of his corvettes and starfighters. Shelton and Michelle were recovered on May 11, and four days later, Wheaton in the Galactic Borderlands was stormed by Sir Daubeny, now an Admiral, giving the Empire a foothold within Scottrian territory. By May 19, Crusher, McKellen, Janeway, and Frasier had all been seized by the Laurasians; Gholaia and Castellum Dimmidi were recovered on May 24; and Ranieda Major was besieged from May 26 (it would ultimately fall on June 2).
 * Yet other troubles were stirring for Emperor Neuchrus and his officials: in the Heuthrian Provinces. The Emperor's taxation and conscription policies, which had been intensified due to the outbreak of war with Scottria, had alienated many of his subjects in those regions. As early as November 1695, protests on Sauvania, Heuthros, Ietas, and Tyndaris against government exactions had occurred. Emperor Neuchrus had, through a series of measures in 1695 and 1696, implemented additional taxation reforms. He introduced a extensive new tax system based on heads (capita) and property (iugera)-and tied to a new, regular census of the Empire's administration and wealth, the first of which was to be held on November 1, 1697, and then conducted every five years thereafter, in a regular cycle. Census officials were now to be responsible for traveling throughout the Empire, assessing the value of property, goods, and income for each subject, and reporting on the composition and circumstances of each household. They would then use these values to compile the capita and iugera values, which would form the basis for all future tax levies. The iugera, as it was originally implemented, was not a consistent measure, but varied in accordance with the type of terrain, the product raised or produced, and the amount of labor required in order to produce that good. The capita was also not consistent, with women and foreign species being assessed at half the value of Laurasian males. Star systems were now obliged to provide tax revenue, manpower, and supplies in accordance with the capita, and agricultural requisitions in accordance with the iugera.
 * Neuchrus;'s reforms also increased the number of financial officials in the Empire's regions: rationales and magistri private almost tripled in number, as did the Quaestors of Finance. Rates of taxation were shifted by the Imperial Treasury to take inflation into account. hese measures seemed to impose a new burden upon many of the Empire's subjects, and some railed against these reforms. Rainnan, Jenny, and Metallasia all experienced outbursts of wanton anti-taxation unrest during late 1696 and early 1697; in March 1697, Mylae and Rucell were ravaged by widespread demonstrations against governmental authorities. Then on May 25, 1697, the first stirring of true rebel unrest arose in the Laurasian Colony of St. Keverne on Danstin, whose inhabitants were angered by the acts of the rationale Sir Demetrius Orbania (1633-1705), a provost of the University of Jenny and one of the Empire's most respected tax-collection experts. Sir Michaelius Josapherius (1642-97), a prominent businessman and property owner in St. Keverne, joined with Sir Thomasius Fladamnia (1634-97), President of the Bodmin Guild of Shipwrights on Chesham's Star, to raise the banner of revolt against the Imperial Laurasian Government.
 * Within days, the garrisons of Danstin, Chesham's Star, Jenny, Kelby, Chloe, and Mylae had defected to them; Rucell fell into their hands on June 1, and on June 3, so did the garrison of Rainnan. Fladamania and Josapherius, with the assistance of defecting Major-General Sir Licinius Mearsius (1645-97), advanced from Rainnan to Willamson and Mettalina, posing a serious threat to both strongholds. Along every step of their progress, the rebel forces attracted provisions and support; the Laurasian colonies of Taunton, Devon, and Welleria proved especially receptive to their message. On June 6, 1697, they were joined by Tiburtius Audelius, 1st Baron Audelius of Meaganian (1641-97), formerly Governor of Oxia Vixius, and one of the most prominent courtiers at the Imperial Court. Neuchrus's abolition of the exemption of nobles and the gentry from taxation (1692), had angered Audelius, and he believed that the Emperor was imposing too much burden upon the imperial nobility. Camarina, Guyah, and Scout defected with Audelius, considerably strengthening rebel units.
 * On June 13, 1697, rebel forces approached the outskirts of Ietas, which although ravaged with civil and social dissent, had remained in the hands of governmental authorities. Emperor Neuchrus, however, who had been startled by the emergence of the rebellion, had nevertheless not remained idle. On June 9, he had recalled Sir Daubeny from the theater of war in the Barsar Regions. Neuchrus entrusted responsibility for the defenses of Laurasia Prime to Thomasius Howardis, Earl of Soria, who had been restored to imperial favor in 1688, in the aftermath of the Praetorian Rebellion. Oxfadia held up the line against the Scottrians. The Emperor had his wife and children moved to the Fortress of Baureux, for their own safety, and he ordered for a proclamation of rebellion to be issued in the affected regions. On June 14, 1697, the day following the approach of rebel forces before Ietas, Daubeny, now in command of the governmental forces, decided to take the offensive against the rebels.
 * That day, a governmental reconnaissance expedition confronted, and defeated, the rearguard of the main rebel armada at Tikra. At that point, Josapherius and Baron Audelius decided to move to Depthania, a minor colony located ten light years east of Ietas, with the intention of luring government units into a trap. Sir Daubeny, however, was alerted to their advance, and he had prepared his forces accordingly. On June 17, 1697, Major-General Anthimus Prases, 2nd Earl of Gordasis (1655-1711), under the overall command of Daubeny, moved against rebel forces during the early hours of the day. Prases executed a pincer maneuver around the rebel forces, surrounding them completely. Daubeny then executed the main move. At the gates of Depthania, the rebels had stationed a line of corvettes and cruisers, but Daubeny was able to use his dreadnoughts and cruisers to break the line. Daubeny then took advantage of gaps in the rebel lines to penetrate through into the star system; he and his forces pursued their offensive with great vigor.
 * Within hours, the rebel lines had broken, and the Battle of Depthania ended in a decisive victory for the Laurasian Empire. Josapherius managed to flee as far as Sapphire before being captured on June 22. Audelius, Mearsius, and Fladamania, however, were captured at the battlefield. Emperor Neuchrus, hearing the news of this victory, conducted a victorious triumph on Laurasia Prime, announcing that the suppression of the rebellion restored tranquility and stability to the Empire's realms. By the end of July 1697, all rebel territories in the Heuthrian Provinces, and in the western outskirts of the Laurasia Prime Purse Region, had returned to their proper allegiance towards the Imperial Laurasian government. Neuchrus displayed some leniency towards the common soldiers, officers, and personnel who had participated in the rebellion; most of them were pardoned, or were convicted of lesser offenses (amounting to fines and terms of imprisonment). But for the ringleaders of the rebellion, the Emperor did not have any mercy. On June 27, 1697, after being condemned to death by the Emperor and convicted of treason, conspiracy, and les-majestie, Fladamania and Joasperius were executed by hanging, drawing, quartering, and incineration at the Tyburnian Stockards of the Cron Drift. Audalius, on his part, was tried and condemned by the Governing Senate, Holy Synod, and Imperial Privy Council; as a peer of the realm, he was executed by blaster fire on June 28 at the Fortress of Baureux on Laurasia Prime, to which he had been brought on June 20. Mearsius would be executed at the Fortress of Baureux on July 6, following his conviction and condemnation to death.
 * With the suppression of the Heuthrian Rebellion, as it was known, Emperor Neuchrus focused all of his, and his Empire's, attention once again upon the campaigns in the Galactic Borderlands and Wild Marshes against the Celestial Kingdom of Scottria. Helena and Grenada were back in Laurasian hands by the middle of June 1697, and on June 26, the Earl of Oxfadia gained a smashing victory over his Scottrian counterpart, Angus, in the Battle of Meridu. By the end of that month, all Scottrian units in the Barsar Regions had been conclusively repelled. On July 4, 1697, the Earls of Soria (reassigned to the Scottrian theater) and Duana, directing a coordinated thrust from Ranieda Major, Ladoga, Onieda, Zebetha, and Dasalaburgh, breached the defenses of Roger Minor, one of the chief Scottrian strongholds in the eastern Galactic Borderlands. Despite all the efforts of the Scottrian garrison and of the Earl of Caithness, Roger Minor fell on July 11. Bristain, Sasha VI, Littleton, Marlton, and the El Paso Colonies were then subdued by Laurasian forces (July 12-19, 1697), and on July 24, 1697, Soria gained another victory in the Battle of Roger Major; this world, once the chief stronghold of the Rogerian species, now fell into the hands of the Laurasian Empire. Perth, Barching, and Partisia were all subdued during the last days of July 1697; Bane, Zannah, Cognus, and Gwynne were now all under serious threat. On August 7, 1697, King Jamsius himself, in an attempt to reverse the Laurasian momentum, launched a surprise counteroffensive, penetrating to Ranieda Major, Cydamus, and Castellum Dimiddi. His forces instigated a siege of Norhamia. Yet the Scottrian surge did not last long, and on August 12, Jamsius was forced to abandon the siege due to the approach of the Earl of Soria's forces. Goriance fell on August 14; four days later Soria besieged and conquered the Scottrian colony of Ayton, capturing more than 25,000 harquebusiers of the Scottrian Royal Army and inflicting a humiliating defeat upon the forces of the enemy.
 * Ayton became the chief Laurasian operational base for further operations against Sabinia, Seeben, Kalbacha Minor, and the Iswill; Pram Buhamidal was also blockaded by Laurasian units. Zannah surrendered on August 22, 1697; within four days, Bane, Gwynne, and Cognus were also in Laurasian hands. On September 2, 1697, Soria's victory in the Battle of Palaris III finally convinced King Jamsius of the futility of the military conflict with Laurasia. Jamsius, who was facing rebellion in the Dumbarton Provinces, decided to turn his attention back to affairs in the Angelina Spiral. Yet before he could do so, the pretender Warbeckia, increasingly unwelcome at the Scottrian Court, made one last venture of folly into Laurasian territory. On September 7, 1697, the Pretender appeared at Ho Chi Minh, in the Hypasian Provinces, with a force of Scottrian, Haxonian, and Vendragian mercenaries; he proclaimed that he would be able to alleviate the "burdens" imposed by the Emperor upon his subjects, and to bring true unity to the Empire, and to the Almitian Church. Warbeckia's wife, Lady Catherine, who attended her husband, was brought to Spencer, one of the few Laurasian colonies in the region to actually defect to the Pretender. He soon made the resolution to attack Coleman, and after making that decision, found himself acclaimed Emperor and Autocrat of All the Laurasians by his supporters.
 * Within days, rebel units had seized Saigon, Valeris V, Huerta Mongol, and Qu'emia, and it appeared that the Emperor would have to grapple with yet another rebellion against his authority. Warbeckia's energy fizzled out, however, and Sir Daubeny, still entrusted by Neuchrus with military command over the forces of the Laurasian Purse Region, proceeded immediately against the rebel forces. On September 13, 1697, the Battle of Glastria, the last military confrontation between the government forces of the Empire and those of the Pretender Warbeckia, resulted in a decisive victory for the former. Warbeckia, realizing that all was lost, gave up hope; his supporters abandoned him; and Valeris V, along with Saigon and Huerta Mongol, returned to their proper allegiance. On September 31, 1697, he surrendered to Sir Daubeny and his forces at Beauleria; on October 4, Ho Chi Minh and Qu'emia surrendered, bringing an end to the abortive Hypasian Uprising of 1697. Warbeckia, on his part, was imprisoned on Emperor Neuchrus's orders. In October 1697, he would be incarcerated at the Monastery of Windowia Photis. In March 1698, Warbeckia would be moved to permanent quarters at the Fortress of Baureux. Warbeckia's wife, Lady Catherine, would be captured by Laurasian authorities at Ambarac on October 3; she was brought to the Post Settlement of Hepudermia.
 * The capture of Warbeckia gave King Jamsius every reason to terminate the war with his Laurasian adversaries. On October 5, 1697, after receiving assurance that Warbeckia and his wife were both in the custody of Emperor Neuchrus's officials, Jamsius sent his request for an armistice, and for a diplomatic conference to terminate the war, to the Imperial Laurasian Government. Neuchrus, himself eager to end this conflict, and now assured of his control over Warbeckia, accepted the offer within hours. Negotiations between the two realms were now aided by the Spamalkan Ambassador to the Court of Ediania, Pedro de Ayala (1652-1713). Fe'ro II and Fresia I, who had been following events in the Caladarian Galaxy with interest, were now the joint sovereigns of a united Holy Spamalkan Empire. Their conquest of Granada, completed in January 1692, which was recognized by the Knights of Malta and the Haxonian Confederacy in the Treaty of Barcelona (August 1693), had strengthened their position.
 * Furthermore, the Spamalkan Monarchs, who were strengthening Spamalkan hold of Ceuta and Melilia, had intensified their subjugation efforts in the Spice Colonies and the Colonial Territories, a process which had now been undergoing for more than two centuries. In 1694, they had assumed the honorary rank of "Most Catholic (Universal) Monarchs of Their Realms", in recognition of their victories over the "fiends" of Granada and over their domestic enemies. Two years later, on June 26, 1696, they had been proclaimed Emperor and Empress of Holy Spamalka by the Estates of Greater and Lesser Spamalka, Valencia, and the Basques. The formation of the Holy Spamalkan Empire, in the midst of the still ongoing Great Marasharite War, had greatly influenced the diplomatic scales, and encouraged them to build further relations with other powers, including Laurasia. In June 1696, de Ayala, who had previously served on diplomatic missions to Laurasia, Franconia, Haxonia, and Austarlia, had been appointed by the joint sovereigns as Ambassador to that of Ediania. He had been received with much pomp and ceremony by the King of Scottria, and later attended the King as he conducted his military offensives in the Barsar Regions against the Empire. De Ayala, therefore, had a great grasp of diplomacy, and of the affairs of those two realms; he was determined to bring about a peace which would work to the advantage of the parties involved, and to his own Spamalkan masters.
 * The Armistice of Kania was signed on October 14, 1697, terminating active military hostilities in the conflict. Ten days later, delegations from the two governments convened at Ayton, so recently subdued by the forces of the Laurasian Empire, for the actual conference to terminate the war. The Laurasian Empire was represented by Privy Seal Foxius, the Earls of Soria and Oxfadia, Sir Demetrius Carthigania (1659-1716), then serving as Vice-President of the College of Foreign Affairs, and by the future Chief Procurator of the Holy Synod, Willanius Warhamius (1657-1732), then Under-Secretary of the Imperial College of Foreign Affairs and Dean of the Westphalian Cathedral. Scottria, on its part, was represented by William Laying, Clainnarch of Elphinstone (1626-99), Andrew Forman (1665-1721), Sir Patrick Hume of Fastcastle (1639-1700), and Master Richard Forman (1628-1705). Ambassador de Ayala served as the mediator between the two delegations. Negotiations continued for over two months. Finally, on December 11, 1697, the Treaty of Ayton was signed, terminating the Laurasian-Scottrian War of 1696-97, the last conflict between the two powers of the seventeenth century.
 * By the terms of this treaty, the status quo ante bellum between the two realms was restored, with the exception that the Laurasian-Scottrian boundary in the Hypasian and Rogerian Provinces was revised to the favor of the Laurasian Empire. Ayton was one of 10,000 star systems in that region to be transferred to Laurasian control. Free transit and free immigration privileges in the Berwick Barrier, Garaman Provinces, and the Wild Marshes were guaranteed, to last until January 1, 1705, when they were to be renewed by agreement of both parties. Furthermore, arrangements for extradition of criminals, border patrols, and navigation disputes were made; a Joint Commission between the two governments was to handle specific cases related to these matters. All prisoners of war, and all properties captured, in the preceding conflict were to be returned to their rightful owners. Neither realm was to harbor rebels or pretenders from the other; moreover, King Jamsius formally denounced all claims by Warbeckia, or any other pretenders, against the Imperial Laurasian Crown. However, the Royal Scottrian Government agreed to dispense €5.7 trillion dataries over the next four years, on demand, to compensate those who suffered undue damage from Scottrian raiding expeditions over the preceding twenty years. The Treaty of Ayton was ratified on December 22, 1697 by Emperor Neuchrus; King Jamsius, however, who was actively engaged in the suppression of rebel movements on Smwerick, Niddry, Baltinglass, Brechin, Corgaff, Kerry, and Limerick, deferred. Nevertheless, Emperor Neuchrus declared that the end of the war brought tranquility and stability back to the Empire.

1698

 * 1698, the 98th year of the seventeenth century, began with the Laurasian Empire at peace with its Scottrian neighbors once again; the next Laurasian-Scottrian War would not occur until 1713, in the reign of Neuchrus's son, Antigonus III. In January 1698, Emperor Neuchrus returned to Laurasia Prime, after having conducted a tour through the Laurasia Prime Purse Region to suppress all remaining strands of rebel tension. In a proclamation from the Quencilvanian Palace on Laurasia Prime, the Emperor announced that the end of the war, and the final capture of Alexander Warbeckia, had brought tranquility back to the Empire's realms. Nevertheless, he continued to await for the final ratification by his Scottrian counterpart, King Jamsius IV, of the Treaty of Ayton. King Jamsius finally suppressed the rebellions in the Dumbarton Provinces, and on January 27, 1698, announced his intention to honor the treaty. On February 10, 1698, the King formally ratified the Treaty of Ayton at St. Andrews; he then conducted a formal celebration there, to commemorate the Treaty. As for de Ayala, the Spamalkan Monarchs rewarded him generously.
 * He was made Count de Ayala in January 1698, and on March 7, they named him Ambassador to the Laurasian Empire. De Ayala made his leave of King Jamsius and of the Scottrian Court at Leith on March 14, and from there, proceeded rapidly across the Galactic Void, and into the Caladarian Galaxy. He arrived at the Quencilvanian Palace (March 21, 1698), and was greeted by Emperor Neuchrus with much formality. He was presented along with the new Scottrian Ambassador, Andrew Forman, appointed by King Jamsius six days earlier, and who had just helped to negotiate the Treaty of Ayton. De Ayala quickly gained favor with the Emperor's courtiers, and built ties with his fellow ambassadors, in particular with Raimando de'Raimondi (1632-1708), the Haxonian Confederacy's emissary to the Laurasian Empire from 1691 to 1703. Nevertheless, he and the Spamalkan Consul to the Embassy on Laurasia Prime, Rodrigo Gonzalez de Puebla (1650-1725), soon developed a rivalry, and this complicated diplomatic negotiation efforts, particularly regarding the marriage of Grand Prince Craterus with Spamalkan Princess Catalina of Lesser Spamalka.
 * Neuchrus himself now found war on the horizon again. By April 1698, the situation along the Galactic Frontier Route, and in the Satian Provinces, had deteriorated. Laurasia and Marasharita had remained at peace for over three decades by this point, since the conclusion of the Treaty of Latrice in 1664. Nevertheless, hostility between the two realms had never fully abated, and it was now inflamed once more by the activities of Marasharita's restless vassal state, the ruthless and predatory Haynsian Despotate. Haynsian raids had continued during the intervening three decades, in violation of the Treaty of Latrice and of other agreements between the Imperial Laurasian and Marasharite Governments. By the 1690s, these Haynsian expeditions were no longer as devastating or as penetrative as the ones staged earlier in the century. Nevertheless, they still irritated the Imperial Laurasian Government considerably and angered Neuchrus, along with the Imperial Privy Council. In July 1697, Carrhae, Nisbis, Ctiesphon, Edessa, and Emesa suffered severe damage from Haynsian raiding expeditions; Satie was even placed on yellow alert in December 1697, and the Emperor was forced to strengthen the garrisons of several other worlds in the region, including Charlie, Gayle, Norah, O'Donnell, and King.
 * By February 1698, Margery, Multan, and Lynne had also suffered damage from Haynsian raids. Emperor Neuchrus, as discussed above, had continued with the program of Aurelian and Probus to strengthen the defenses and fortifications of the Limes Saticus and the Lysimachid Barrier Defenses, and he was determined to suppress the threat of Haynsian raids. On April 23, 1698, the Emperor sent an ultimatum to the Court of Topacia, demanding that the Marasharites bring a final end to all Haynsian expeditions into the territory of the Empire. The Marasharite Empire itself was now on its tether, as the Great Marasharite War had continued to progress. Buda, capital world of Marasharite Hungary, was finally conquered by the forces of the Holy Austarlian Empire and Germanian Principalities in July 1686; by the end of the year, Marasharite overtures for peace had been definitively rejected by the Austarlians. In April 1687, the Austarlians decided to take further military action; the Battle of Mohacs which was fought that August resulted in a decisive victory for Austarlian forces under Duke Char'vak of Lorraine, Maximilian II Emmanuel, Elector of Bavaria, Louis William of Baden, and Prince Eugene of Savoy. Marasharite forces disintegrated following the battle; Grand Vizier Sari Suleyman Pasha was executed; and on November 8, 1687, Emperor Mehmed was deposed.
 * He was replaced by Mustapha II, one of the younger sons of Emperor Shapur. Before the end of the year, the Hungarian strongholds and territories of Osijek, Petrovaradin, Sremski Karlovci, Ilok, Valpovo, Požega, Palota and Eger had all capitulated to the Holy Austarlian Empire. Most of Transylvania and Croatia now answered to the Holy Austarlian Emperor Lea'dus I. On December 9, 1687, the Diet of Pressburg acknowledged the hereditary rights of the Emperors of Austarlia to be Apostolic Kings of Hungary, thereby abolishing the elective tradition for the Hungarian monarchy. Emperor Lea'dus's eldest son, Joseth, became King of Hungary, in co-rulership with his father. 1688 and 1689 witnessed the fall of Belgrade (which was besieged from July to September 1688), Olthenia, Bukovina, and Bosnia to Austarlian forces; the Haxonians consolidated their control over Paxos, Athens, and Upper Grecia. The Marasharites, however, managed to retain their hold over Moldavia, Wallachia, and Lower Podolia. But by the early 1690s, with Austarlia's energy drained by the tensions in the Italianian States (soon to erupt into the Italianian Wars) and by affairs with the Durthian Duchies, the Marasharites were able to recover. Nis and Belgrade were reconquered by the Marasharites in October 1690; the Battles of Kacanik and Zernest also proved to be successes for Marasharite forces. Austarlian attempts to recapture Belgrade, and to conquer Tirana in Albania, failed in 1691. Montenegro became scene to vigorous confrontations between the Marasharites and Austarlians; Sarajevo in Serbia was occupied by the Austarlians from November 1689 to January 1693.
 * In August 1691, the Battle of Slankamen resulted in victory for the Austarlians, securing their hold over Bukovina and Transylvania. The years from 1693 to 1695 witnessed a stalemate along all fronts, as the Dejanican siege of Kamenets (begun in 1691) continued, and as the Haynsians penetrated deep into Hungary, Podolia, Ukraine, and the Duchy of Northania and Semigallia. In 1695 and 1696, the successive Battles of Lugos, Ulia, and Cenei ended in victory for the Marasharites, who reconquered Lipova, recovered most of Olthenia and Bukovina, and penetrated into Transylvania. At the same time, the Haxonians suffered reverses at Oinousses, Chios, and Zenibussou. The death of Dejanican King Janius Sobieskius (June 17, 1696), who had been such an effective and inspiring campaigner against the Marasharites, also proved to be a blow to allied aspirations. But by late 1696, with Austarlian military forces now under the command of the brilliant Prince Eugene of Savoy (1663-1736), the balance shifted; his victory at Zenta (September 11, 1697), humiliated the Marasharites, resulted in the death of Grand Vizier Elmas Mehmed Pasha (1661-97, in office 1695-97), and allowed for Sarajevo, Temesvar, and the Pazak Cluster to all be occupied by Austarlian forces.
 * Belgrade, nevertheless, remained beyond their grasp. Thus, by the middle of 1698, the Marasharites were far from the best of shape; even Podolia was now largely in Dejanican hands. By that point, Chomqat II was Emperor of Marasharita. Mustapha II died on June 22, 1691; he had been succeeded by Ahmed II, his younger brother, who ruled until his own death on February 6, 1695. Former Emperor Mehmed IV died on January 6, 1693. Chomqat was now beginning to contemplate the conclusion of peace with Marasharita's enemies; yet, as regards to Laurasia, he remained ambivalent. Therefore, Neuchrus's ultimatum was ignored. On May 14, 1698, having received no response to his ultimatum, the Emperor of Laurasia issued a declaration of war. The conflict which now ensued, the first war between Laurasia and Marasharita in more than three decades, proved swift, seeing a succession of victories by Laurasian forces over overstretched and outmatched Marasharite garrisons. Meneia was stormed by the Earl of Oxfadia (May 18-22, 1698).
 * Marasharite counteroffensives against Belprasian, Andrianne, Abrianne, Natalie, and Tiona were repelled, and on June 4, 1698, Oxfadia secured another victory in the Battle of Styris V. The Marasharite outposts of Ra'dai, To'rdai, and Mar'dai were stormed by Laurasian units; Ba'dai capitulated on June 17, 1698. Billy Gasis and Teller were seized in July 1698; by the end of that month, Laurasian expeditions were penetrating into the Muggal Cluster. Seoul, Kilojong, Pyongyang, Dilojong, and Kumong were all harried by Laurasian expeditions; Sackrandis fell on August 9, 1698, and on August 22, Oxfadia and Soria humiliated the Marasharite Admiral Al-Mehradi in the Battle of Pulaski. Kia was seized on August 30, and on September 4, Oxfadia destroyed a Haynsian convoy under the command of Haynsian General Kemer-Nester in the Battle of Morlan. Karlong was blockaded by Laurasian forces from September 12; its fall on September 22, proved a great victory for the Empire, and more than 600,000 Marasharite, Barbary, and Haynsian troops became Laurasian prisoners of war. By the end of the month, Kilia and Braila were both in Laurasian hands. Ayensdord and the Tof Colonies of the Bend were subdued during the early weeks of October 1698.
 * By that time, Emperor Chomqat had finally been convinced by his advisers that it was absolutely necessary for the Marasharite Empire to extricate itself from the Great Marasharite War, including the new conflict with Laurasia. Marasharita now had the largest deficit of all the powers of extra-galactic civilization, and its resources were utterly exhausted. On October 17, 1698, the Grand Vizier, Amcazade Köprülü Pasha (1644-1702), latest of that political dynasty which had now been prominent in Marasharite politics for more than four decades, sent a request for an immediate armistice to all of the powers involved in the great conflict. By October 24, Austarlia, Haxonia, Dejanica, and Laurasia alike had all responded positively to the request; the temporary Armistice of Lesbos was concluded on November 1, 1698, suspending military hostilities. The five governments now threw themselves forward with preparations for the actual diplomatic conference; it was decided on November 4 that Karlowitz, which had been in Austarlian hands since 1689, would be the site for the final peace conference.
 * The Marasharite Empire designated the Chief Pasha of the Diplomatic Service, Rami Mehmed Pasha (1645-1706, future Grand Vizier), and the Dragoman of the Emperor, Alexay Mackranodos (1654-1717), a Grecian in Marasharite service, as its plenipotentiaries for the conference. Austarlian Emperor Lea'dus I, who had in 1697 concluded the Treaty of Ryswick with Franconia, Vendragia, and the Durthian Duchies, acknowledging Franconian rule of Alsace and succession rights to the Free County of Burgundy, now appointed the Counts of Kinsky, Oettingen, and Schlik as the Austarlian plenipotentiaries to the conference. The Procurator of San Marino, Carlo Rizzini (1653-1735), and Senator of Velesca Leonardo Loredan (1636-1721, future Doge), were designated by Doge Agostino Barbarigo as the Haxonian representatives. Prince Stanis Malachowskia (1656-1720), member of that prominent Dejanican political family, was named by the Dejanican Diet and King Callaganius II as the representative of the Commonwealth. Finally, Emperor Neuchrus of Laurasia designated Sub-Secretary Warhamius, Privy Seal Foxius, and Chancellor Mortonia as his representatives.
 * The Holy Spamalkan Empire (in the form of Don Pedro de Madrilla) and the Vendragian Confederacy (in the form of the Dukes of Newcastle and Trenton) served as mediators, while the Haynsian Despotate and Danubian Principalities had auxiliary representatives. On November 25, 1698, the delegations from all of these states convened at Karlowitz for the conclusion of the final peace settlement. Negotiations now dragged on for more than two months, as the Marasharites sought to retain their hold over Bosnia, Serbia, the Danubian Principalities, Epirus, and Macedonica, and as the Austarlians demanded that Sarajevo, the Banat of Temesvar, and Olthenia be conceded to them. Laurasia, on its part, wanted for nothing more than border revisions at the Galactic Frontier Route and the termination of all Haynsian raiding and slaving expeditions.
 * Emperor Neuchrus watched the negotiations with interest. He also contended with the disputes, at his Imperial Court, of de Ayala and Puebla. Puebla, who still resented de Ayala's presence, sent a communique to the Spouse Monarchs in July 1698, asking for de Ayala's recall and accusing him of working against their interests. In August and September 1698, a series of brawls between the servants and subordinates of de Ayala and Puebla brought down a formal note of rebuke from the Emperor; talk circulated that the Spamalkan Monarchs would soon recall both diplomats. Ultimately, however, these troubles receded, and in October 1698, de Ayala was confirmed in his position as Ambassador to the Laurasian Empire. That same month, he and Puebla, who were now forced to work together, entered into a series of discussions with Neuchrus and his Privy Council over the terms of the marriage contract between Craterus and Catalina. These discussions were to continue into 1699, and result in the conclusion of another treaty between the two realms. On December 15, 1698, the Emperor and his court retreated to the Gilbertine Palace on Tudoria, where they celebrated Ascentmas, Twelfth Night, and New Year's.

1699

 * 1699, the 99th year of the seventeenth century, commenced with the Laurasian Empire, emerging from a recent and short conflict with the Marasharite Empire and Haynsian Despotate, again returning to a state of both external and internal tranquility. Emperor Neuchrus, who was determined that his Empire would remain in such a state as the close of the seventeenth century drew ever nearer, continued to manage the governmental affairs of his Empire with vigor, and to ensure that his subjects continued to exist in a state of economic prosperity and of tranquility. 1699 was marked by three main events: the conclusion of the Treaty of Karlowitz, the final marriage settlement between the Laurasian and Holy Spamalkan Empires, and the execution of the Pretender Alexander Warbeckia as well as the Earl of Sarah. The first of these was the end of the Great Marasharite War. On January 26, 1699, after more than two months of negotiations, the Treaty of Karlowitz was signed, bringing an end to the Laurasian-Marasharite War of 1698-99 and in general, the Great Marasharite War of 1682-99. By the terms of this treaty, the Marasharite Empire made substantial territorial concessions in the Great Amulak Spiral, and modest ones in the Caladarian Galaxy. The Holy Austarlian Empire was the chief beneficiary. Emperor Lea'dus I acquired the Egri Eyalet, the Varat Eyalet, 85% of the Budin Eyalet, 25% of the Temesvar Eyalet, and 10% of the Bosnia Eyalet. This corresponded to the majority of Marasharite Hungary, Croatia, Slavonia, and Herzegovina, including the Pazak Cluster. Lea'dus's title as King of Hungary and Croatia was recognized by the Marasharites, as well as the attachment of those realms in perpetuity to the Emperors of Austarlia.
 * Furthermore, the Principality of Transylvania was now to become a protectorate of the Holy Austarlian Empire, and the Austarlians received the right to station garrisons across its territory and to control commercial, diplomatic, and religious matters (Transylvania would not be formally incorporated into Austarlia as a constituent kingdom until 1711, in the aftermath of Rakoczi's Rebellion). The Dejanican-Lithuanian Commonwealth recovered Podolia (including Kamanets), which it had lost to the Marasharite Empire back in 1672. The Haxonian Confederacy acquired Naxos, Prios, Sparta, the Morea, Cornith, the Aetolian States, the Ionias, and Inner Dalmatia, considerably strengthening its own territorial base (the Peloponnese, Athens, and Cyprus would be gained in 1718). Haxonia also recovered Crete, which it had lost to the Marasharites in 1669. Belgrade, Olthenia, the Banat of Temesvar, Bukovina, Macedonica, Epirus, and the Danubian Principalities were retained by the Marasharite Empire. The Laurasian Empire, moreover, now made its final territorial acquisition of the seventeenth century. The Marasharites finally recognized undisputed Laurasian jurisdiction over the Eastern Galactic Frontier Route, including Amelia, Chromy, Chappelear, Guthmiller, Natalie, Tiona, Adrianne, Belaprasian, and Abrianne.
 * Neuchrus agreed to abandon Laurasian claims to the Tof Borderlands, which had been maintained by every Emperor since Antigonus II (his son, Antigonus III, was to revive the claims in 1714, after his death). Thus ended a territorial dispute between Laurasia and Marasharita which had now been ongoing for more than a century, since the Borderlands Wars. In recompense, Marasharite Emperor Chomqat II pledged to outlaw all further raids by the Haynsian Despotate, against Laurasia, Dejanica, or Haxonia, and promised to punish all Marasharite subjects who engaged in enslavement or piracy activities in the Galactic Void. A border commission was instituted to delineate the boundaries outlined in the Great Amulak Spiral, and those in the Galactic Borderlands, established by the treaty. The Marasharite-Haxonian boundary would be complete by June 1700, the Marasharite-Dejanican boundary in November of that year, the Marasharite-Laurasian boundary in April 1701, and the Marasharite-Austarlian boundary, the last to be settled, in July 1703.
 * The Treaty of Karlowitz was ratified by Emperor Neuchrus on January 30; by Holy Austarlian Emperor Lea'dus I on February 7; by King Callaganius II of Dejanica on February 16; by Doge Agostino Barbarigo of the Haxonian Confederacy on February 21; and by Marasharite Emperor Chomqat II on March 2. By the end of April 1699, all Laurasian forces in the Muggal Cluster and the Tof Borderlands had been withdrawn back to the territories of the Laurasian Empire. Neuchrus's attention, in the meantime, had shifted to the matter of the marriage alliance with Spamalka. In February 1699, the Emperor indicated his resolution to the Privy Council to provide for the final settlement of this matter between the two realms. He then held an audience with Spamalkan Ambassador de Ayala, and secured his assurances that his masters were more than willing to conclude the final arrangements. On April 2, 1699, Emperor Fe'ro did give the authorization for de Ayala to proceed with the negotiations, reminding him to always keep the goals and the needs of the Holy Spamalkan Empire in mind. De Ayala, Puebla, and Jose de Alodio, Count de Alodio (1647-1710), convened at the Senatorial Palace with the Earls of Soria and Duana, Chancellor Mortonia, and Privy Seal Foxius (April 17, 1699). A month of negotiations then followed, as the two delegations wrangled over the terms of the dowry, over the time of Catalina's arrival at the Imperial Court, and of "marital responsibility" arrangements. Finally, however, the Treaty of Christiania was signed (May 23, 1699). By the terms of this treaty, the conferral of the title of Grand Princess of Shenandoah upon Catalina was affirmed; she was to be converted to the Almitian faith, to take a Laurasian name, and to become a subject of the Laurasian Empire.
 * Her arrival in the Caladarian Galaxy was to occur by no later than the end of 1701; furthermore, the Emperor of Laurasia assumed responsibility for her personal safety and the expenses of her household, although the Spamalkan Monarchs agreed to provide for an escort convoy across the Galactic Void, and for transportation expenses. Catalina was to be given a dowry of €230 billion dataries per annum, properties in the Laurasia Prime Purse Region, and a place of honor at the Imperial Court. When her now fiancee, Craterus, was to accede to the throne, she would enjoy all the ranks and privileges of Empress-Consort. In accordance with all of this, a proxy engagement ceremony was to be conducted, with a formal wedding to take place within one month of the future Grand Princess's arrival. Finally, Neuchrus agreed not to "threaten or impinge upon" the livelihood of Catalina or her ladies, and to consult with the Spamalkan Monarchs if any disciplinary or other issues were to arise. The Treaty of Christiania was ratified by Emperor Neuchrus on June 2, and by the Spamalkan Monarchs on June 8. On July 10, 1699, while on progress to the Millian Provinces, the Emperor revealed the terms of this agreement to his subjects, and ordered the Almitian Church to confer its blessings upon the impending union. Neuchrus had by this point begun contemplating the marriage of his daughter Constantia to King Jamsius IV, who was still unmarried and had no children as of yet. These plans would not be fulfilled until 1702. Yet the proxy engagement of Craterus and Catalina occurred at the Westphalian Cathedral on August 3, 1699; the following month, Neuchrus set the date of November 2, 1701, as the deadline for Catalina's arrival in the Laurasian Empire.
 * But by October 1699, the Emperor had other concerns. He had been surprisingly generous to the Pretender, Alexander Warbeckia. Warbeckia had, in July 1698, swore by oath that he was an imposter of Grand Prince Andronicus, and he begged for mercy for his sins. Consequently, Emperor Neuchrus had released Warbeckia from the Fortress of Baureux, granted him an imperial annuity, and gave him accommodation at the Quencilvanian Palace. He was even allowed to be present at imperial banquets and receptions. He was, however, kept under strict guard and was not allowed to have intercourse with his wife, Lady Catherine, who was now under the protection of Empress Consort Aurelia. But in March 1699, in an act of extreme folly, Warbeckia sought to make his escape from Laurasia Prime, disguising himself as a passenger on a transit line. He was quickly discovered and apprehended; Neuchrus, however, again proved lenient, and merely consigned Warbeckia to solitary confinement at the Fortress of Baureux.
 * Yet in October 1699, he became involved in a plot with the Earl of Sarah to escape from the Fortress, and to flee into the Galactic Void. Sarah had now been imprisoned by the Emperor for fourteen years. They now sought to disguise themselves as guards, and to sneak out at the dead of night. They executed their ill-fated plot on November 2, 1699. They managed to penetrate into the streets of the Residential Quadrant before being captured. Emperor Neuchrus, hearing of this escape, was enraged, and decided not to have any more mercy for Warbeckia. He also decided that the Earl of Sarah needed to be disposed of as well. On November 17, 1699, Warbeckia was brought before the Councils of State. After just two hours of deliberations, he was convicted by the three bodies on charges of treason, conspiracy, and betrayal, which were now becoming known as the Special Court for cases that they decided collectively (this would be formalized by Neuchrus in 1706). The Emperor signed his death warrant two days later.
 * Then on November 21, the Earl of Sarah, still only twenty-four years old, was tried by the same Special Court at the Quencilvanian Palace. He too was found guilty on all counts and convicted within hours; Emperor Neuchrus signed his death warrant soon after. Two days later (November 23, 1699), Alexander Warbeckia was executed by blaster fire at the Fortress of Baureux, nearly nine years after first claiming to be Grand Prince Andronicus. Sarah, in his turn, was executed by blaster fire on November 28, also at the Fortress. Emperor Neuchrus prevented the Holy Synod from excommunicating the two men, and had them both buried at the Prison Chapel of the Fortress (December 9, 1699). He now granted clemency to Lady Catherine Gordon, Warbeckia's widow, and to Sarah's elder sister, the future Countess of Salaria.
 * Lady Gordon became a lady-in-waiting to the Empress Consort in December 1699; was granted an imperial annuity by the Emperor; and in January 1700, formally absolved by the Almitian Church of any responsibility for her husband's actions. She remained a prominent personage at the Imperial Court into the reign of Antigonus III. She attended the proxy wedding of King Jamsius IV and Grand Princess Constantia in January 1703, the funeral of the Empress-Consort in February of that year, and the coronation of Emperor Antigonus in June 1709. She remarried, to Sir Lysimachus Strangia (1671-1715), an usher of the Privy Chamber, on February 13, 1712. They remained married until Sir Lysimachus's sudden death on March 12, 1715, aged 44. Two years later, she married a third time to Sir Matthew Cransea (1673-1731), Steward of the Palace of Placenta, and they remained married until his death on July 2, 1731. Lady Gordon then married a fourth time, to Sir Christopheus Astonia (1677-1772), on June 10, 1732, and they remained married until her death on October 12, 1737 at Americana, aged 63. Emperor Neuchrus, having eliminated Warbeckia and Sarah, felt far more secure than before. On Ascentmas Day 1699, he declared to his subjects that the Lord Almitis had preserved him, and his Empire, through all.

1700

 * The year 1700, the 100th and concluding year of the seventeenth century, began with there being a renewal of exuberance, vigor, and hope within the realms of the Laurasian Empire. As the seventeenth century neared its close, the Empire had finally returned to a state of domestic tranquility and stability. Moreover, the Empire's economy and culture had been launched upon a course which allow for both to mature, and to develop, considerably throughout the following century. By 1700, the Laurasian Empire's territory encompassed the whole of the Caladarian Galaxy outside of the Galactic Borderlands. Emperor Neuchrus ruled over nearly thirty-eight million star systems, spread across a distance of 115,000 light years. His dominions stretched from the Dasian Heartland in the north to the Hutsite Reaches in the south, and from the Wild Marshes and Galactic Frontier Route in the west to the Osonboka Nebula and the Burglais Arm in the east. The population of Laurasia Prime, in spite of all the troubles and turmoils of the Crisis of the Seventeenth Century, had broken the one-trillion mark during the seventeenth century: it reached this major landmark in 1695. By 1700, that number had increased by a further two hundred million. Population density in the Core Regions remained higher than in other regions of the Caladarian Galaxy, but many of the star systems which had been devastated by the Crisis of the Seventeenth Century had experienced a great recovery. The Emperor himself had done much to stabilize the administrative, military, and economic system of the Empire.
 * He had introduced a new currency, complete with new values and bills of denomination; reformed the chaotic, and conflicting taxation system; reorganized the imperial bureaucracy and introduced the Imperial Privy Council, third of the Councils of State; and revitalized the Empire's military, destroying the Praetorian Guards and strengthening the ranks of the forces. He had built a close relationship with the Holy Synod, encouraged immigration into his realms, and development of its resources, and strengthened its diplomatic ties with its neighbors in the Amulak Spiral. His treaties with Dejanica and Marasharita; his assertion of Laurasian dominance in the Wild Marshes; and his seizure of the southwestern Barsar Regions from the flagging Vectorian Empire had all served to buttress Laurasia's own position. 1700, consequently, was a year in which the Emperor and his subjects could look back upon the challenges of the previous century. Three things occurred this year: the deaths of the Emperor's younger son, Grand Prince Edwardis, Duke of Volta, and of Chancellor-Chief Procurator Mortonia, as well as the continuation of Neuchrus's reforms. The Duke of Volta died on June 19, 1700, at the age of only one year and three months. His death had a great effect upon the Emperor, who had lost one child already. His second daughter, Grand Princess Aurelia, named after her mother, who had been born at the Gilbertine Palace on July 2, 1692, had died at the Palace of Harmony on Clancia, on September 14, 1695, at the age of only three.
 * Neuchrus was forced to console his wife once more; Edwardis would be interred at the Westphalian Cathedral on July 2, 1700. In the spite of the death of Edwardis, Emperor Neuchrus was nevertheless still focused on the success of his own Empire. This year saw some further beneficial reforms. In January 1700, the Emperor granted the Governing Senate the authority to countermand the instructions of Praetors and Aediles throughout the Empire. Subsequently (decree of February 18, 1700), he provided harsh penalties against embezzlement, corruption, and peculation among the judicial service, forbidding the advisory boards in petty cases from being exposed to any communications or evidence which would hamper them in the execution of their duties. Moreover, the Emperor raised the iugera and capita tax rates upon noble and hereditary properties in July 1700. This was a policy sponsored by Chancellor Mortonia, who reasoned that if a man had much revenue, he could spare much revenue, while a man who had little could spare little. The last years of Neuchrus's reign would see the further intensification of taxation, alienating many of the Emperor's subjects and leading to a decline in his overall popularity. Neuchrus also (manifesto of August 7, 1700), cracked down on the practices of "livery" and "maintenance", forbidding the nobility from hiring or employing personal retainers or mercenaries without imperial permission, limiting the number of male servants and attendants to which they were entitled, and establishing strict regulations regarding the identification, honors, and badgery of all in their households.
 * Yet Mortonia himself, who had long been one of the Emperor's most trusted ministers and supporters, was now in declining health. In June 1700, he suffered a stroke at Lambathian Palace, and was forced to retire from his duties on the Privy Council. More and more responsibility was shouldered by Ricomedius Parsonius, the Emperor's President of the Imperial Chancellory, who has already been noted. On August 19, 1700, Mortonia was admitted to the Hospital of Knowle Place on Conservan. It was here that he died nearly a month later, on September 15, 1700, aged 80. Mortonia's death was a blow to the Emperor, who had considered the man to be a mentor. On his orders, the late Chancellor and Chief Procurator would be given a state funeral at the Westphalian Cathedral on October 4. On October 22, 1700, the Emperor appointed Parsonius Chancellor of the Laurasian Empire, making him the highest-ranking official in the Imperial Laurasian Government. It was not until January 1701 before Neuchrus named a successor to the Chief Procuratorate. He also continued to make arrangements for the ultimate arrival of Catalina of Lesser Spamalka; on December 18, 1700, the Emperor requested that de Ayala, who was scheduled to depart back to the Amulak Spiral, remain until Catalina's appearance. This was agreed to by the Spamalkan Monarchs. On New Year's Eve 1700, consequently, the celebrations for the termination of the seventeenth century began in earnest.

The entry for 1701 on the Eighteenth Century page continues forward.