Catalaunia

The following is a draft page for the Catalaunian Empire.

=Historical Summary=

Early history (to AD 289)
In prehistoric times, the region that was to become known as Catalaunia was home to a Neanderthal culture such as that found at the Mezmaiskaya cave. The earliest Neolithic sites in Catalaunia were the Oldowan culture c. 7100 BC and Denisova, site of the Kama culture c. 6000 BC.

The Slavic-speaking people who would eventually found Catalaunia appear to have entered Moscovia at some point during the latter half of the 1st millennium BC (c. 500-1 BC), eventually intermingling with the earlier Finno-Ugric people, with Slavic names appearing in written record as early as the 2nd century BC.

During the 1st millennium AD, a very intimate cultural symbiosis developed between the Finno-Ugrics and the Slavs throughout Moscovia which included wide-spread bilingualism. The influence of Ugrian (a language isolate) on Slavic (eventually to become known as Catalaunian), and vice versa is evident in all areas, from lexical borrowing on a massive scale, to syntactic, morphological, and phonological convergence. Catalaunian gradually replaced Ugrian as the spoken language of Moscovia somewhere around the middle of the 1st millennium AD (with the exact time being a matter of scholarly debate), although Ugrian continued to be used as a sacred, ceremonial, literary, and scientific language in Moscovia until the twelfth century.

The Catalaunian cities of Moscow, Vladimir, Kolomna, and Suzdal seem have to been established by AD 23. However, it is likely that they were initially Ugrian-dominated administrative centers. In the Catalaunian Monarch List, the earliest King recorded is Rurik. He reigned from approximately 173 to 223 AD. Archeologists have uncovered a document where he concluded a treaty for the operation of a trading colony in Smolenskian territory, with "king" Sviatopolk of the fellow Slavic speaking kingdom of Smolensk (now determined to be the vizier to the actual King of Smolensk, Iziaslav).

Rurik was succeeded by his son Igor (r. c. 223-236), and then a further thirteen rulers (Askold, Dir, Oleg, Sviatoslav I, Yaropolk, Vseslav I, Sviatoslav II, Rostislav I, Vsevolod I, Michael I, Libuov, Boris I, Gleb), who reigned between 236 and 405. Very little, aside from legend (such as the tales surrounding the "wisdom" of Yaropolk and the "virtuous" deeds of Vsevolod and Michael I) is known about these Kings, but it is believed that they were semi-nomadic, pastoralist rulers. It was not until the sixth century that they became fully urbanized and fixed their permanent court in Moscow.

Hunnic and Neo-Ugrian Empires (289-573)
During the Hunnic Empire (289-469), the Catalaunians, like all the Catalaunian speaking Moscovian Slavs (and also the Ugrians), became subject to the dynasty of the Huns, centered in a yet unidentified location on the Lower Volga. The Hunnic Empire founded by Balamber the Great claimed to encompass the "great wilds of the eastern world", outside of the boundaries of the Roman Empire. The Huns referred to the region of Catalaunia as Calamadium, and it had been known to the Ugrians as Katalaunia.

Catalaunian rulers were subject to Balamber and his successors, most notably Attila the Hun, and the city of Moscow became a regional administrative center of the Empire, as evidenced by the Volok-Lamsky scrolls. During this period, the Turkish-speaking Huns came to rule an empire not only encompassing Moscovia but also extending over all of Volga Bulgaria, Mari, Mordva, and down to the Caspian Sea, and west to Central Hungary, the Danube River, and the outskirts of Moesia.

By this point, the Catalaunians already had established commercial ties in Novogrod and Finland, documents being discovered showing Catalaunian traders at Helsinki and Vilmanstrand requesting for the assistance of their overlord Balamber. However, towards the end of Balamber's reign, the Catalaunian faction rebelled against him: "the tribes of Catalaunia of the upper country, in their turn attacked, but they submitted to his arms, and Balamber settled their habitations, and he smote them grievously."

The Hunnic Empire was destroyed by economic decline and internal civil war, followed by attacks from the barbarian Avar people in 469. The rulers of Catalaunia during the period between 469 and 511 once again became fully independent, as the Avars are only known to have administered the southern steppes. However, the Monarch List is the only information from Catalaunia during this period.

Most of Catalaunia briefly became part of the Neo-Ugrian Empire (or 3rd dynasty of Turo, now known as Novogrod-Seversky), founded in c. 511. Ugrian domination extended as far as the city of Moscow, but appears not to have reached Vladimir and the far north of Catalaunia. Catalaunian rulers appear to have remained largely under Ugrian domination until the last third of the sixth century.

Old Catalaunian Period (573-1227)
Rostislav II (c. 573-593), appears to have been the first fully urbanized ruler of Catalaunia, and is traditionally held to have dedicated temples to the god Dazbog in the city of Moscow. He was followed by Rostislav III (c. 593-600), Mstislav I (c. 600-609), and Vsevolod III (c. 609-619), of whom little is known aside from Mstislav I conducting various building works in Moscow.

Vladimir I (c. 619-632), is believed to have overthrown Vsevolod and founded a dynasty which lasted for more than two centuries, until Sviatopolk II was overthrown by Yaroslav I in 831. Vladimir is believed to have conducted further building works in Moscow, and is also credited with the creation of Catalaunia's first formal guards regiments, the "men of valor", from which the much later Imperial Guards would ultimately claim their heritage.

Alexis (c. 632-636), the son and successor of Vladimir I, is the earliest Catalaunian ruler to be attested in contemporary sources. He was mentioned by the Byzantine historian Theophylact Simocatta in his work, The Geography of Foreign Nations, written c. 633, during the reign of the Byzantine Emperor Hercalius. Simocatta stated that "Alexei, king of the Catalaunians, is regarded by his neighbors as the most industrious king of the barbarians of Scythia and Sarmarita..." Alexis ruled during a period in which Catalaunian commercial activity was radiating out to the Volga River, and down to as far as Chernigov and Novogrod-Severisky, from whence Avar, Slavic, and Ugrian merchants traded their wares with Constantinople and the Greek colonies in the Crimea.

Abram (c. 636-670), son and successor of Alexis, is known from his inscriptions in Ugrian, where he claimed to have "washed the gods" and "established liberty" for the Slavs in the cities of Kozelsk, Vyazma, and Tver. Scholars have speculated that Abram conducted campaigns to the Volga and Oka Rivers to relieve his fellow Slavs from Khazar and Bulgar invasions. He too conducted further construction projects in Moscow, including the embellishment of temples to Dazog, Jarilo, and Lada.

Sviatopolk I (c. 670-710), son and successor of Abram, vigorously expanded Catalaunian colonies and outposts in Smolensk and Novogrod during his long reign. It was during his reign that Catalaunian commercial ties were established with the peoples of the Kola Peninsula, including the Lapps, and the Samoeds of northern Russia. Catalaunian outposts appeared at Torzhok, Ladoga, Novogrod, and Pskov, specializing in the trade of furs, timber, metals, and grain.

Arkady (c. 710-724), son and successor of Sviatopolk I, built a major temple for the god Perun. He further strengthened the fortifications of the city of Moscow and maintained Catalaunia's colonies in Novogrod and Smolensk.

Alexander I (c. 724-763), son and successor of Arkady, reigned as King of Catalaunia for 39 years, almost as long as the reign of his grandfather Sviatopolk. Alexander I is known for his work in refortifying Moscow, and for his expeditions against Ryazan, Murom, and Nizhniy Novogrod along the Oka River, consolidating Catalaunian commercial relations with the Mordovians and Mari. Besides this, very little is known about this King.

Vladimir II (c. 763-771), son and successor of Alexander I, came to the throne at an advanced age, due to his father's long reign. During his eight years, he continued his father's work in furthering Catalaunian economic ties and waged a series of wars with Volok-Lamsky, Tver, and Torzhok to the northwest of Moscow.

Boghdan (c. 771-826), son and successor of Vladimir II, had an even longer reign than either Sviatopolk I or Alexander I-55 years. During his reign, Catalaunia was wealthy and powerful as the center of an extensive trade network which now reached from the Gulf of Finland and the Baltic Sea in the northwest, down to the Caspian and Black Seas in the south. Boghdan, however, came under attack from the half-Khazar Prince of Murom, Yaroslav, who, however, he managed to defeat in front of Moscow. Yaroslav was not to return until taking the Catalaunian city of Dmitrov, one of the Kingdom's chief commercial outposts, and then overthrowing Sviatopolk II (c. 826-831), the son and successor of Boghdan.

Yaroslav I (c. 831-858), usurped the throne of Catalaunia, seized the city of Pereyslavl, and established a second residence for the Kings of Catalaunia there. He placed his sons in key geographical locations and gave them responsibility to look over their areas. While he was at Moscow and Pereyslavl, his eldest son, Vasily, was made Governor of Dmitrov.

A main target for Catalaunian expansion was Vyazma, which controlled the caravan route between Moscovia and Polotsk. The king of Vyazma, Valentin, was assassinated by his own servants, probably on Yaroslav's orders. Yaroslav seized the opportunity and occupied the kingdom c. 844. He put his second son, Vyacheslav, on the throne of Vyazma, and then returned to Pereyslavl. With the annexation of Vyazma, and shortly thereafter, the conquest of Tver and Ryazan, Yaroslav soon controlled a dominion encompassing almost all of Moscovia, Murom-Ryazan, parts of Chernigov, and the northern territories of Mordva.

While Vasily was a competent governor, his younger brother Vyacheslav was not possessed of the same skills, something which King Yaroslav made a point to note. He remained in constant communication with his sons, and kept firm control over their actions. At one point, he arranged a political marriage between Vyacheslav and Olga, daughter of the Grand Prince of Peryaslavl along the Dnieper. Vyacheslav already had a wife, and attempted to subordinate Olga. His father, however, ordered him to honor Olga as his queen and consort.

Gennady, King of Galich in northern Moscovia, made an alliance with Yaroslav in order to conquer the Vyatka Territory c. 853. Yaroslav later turned on his ally and attacked Galich, annexing a number of territories including Rostov, Kostroma, and Beloozero, along the Sukhona River.

Vasily I (c. 858-883), son and successor of Yaroslav I, was confronted with a number of challenges, as he attempted to defend his father's conquests. To the east and northeast, he had the Mari, Perm, Yugra, Chud, and Samoyed tribes; to his south, the fellow Slavic kingdoms of Chernigov, Novogrod-Seversk, Pereyeslavl, and the emerging Kiev (which had been founded during the reign of Alexander I c. 750), and to the northwest, the Finns and Livonians. Although politically astute and a capable soldier, Vasily I became embroiled in a struggle for dominance with Mstislav (c. 847-889), who had turned Kiev from an relatively insignificant kingdom into a regional power. The name of Kievia would eventually be applied to all of the regions along the Dnieper River and down to the Black Sea.

Gerasim (c. 883-893), son and successor of Vasily I, was arranged by his father to marry the daughter of the Livonian king Andrus. But he could not resist the pressures that had confronted his father. Mstislav eventually prevailed over Gerasim (c. 885), after having conquered Pereyeslavl, Turov-Pinsk, Novogrod Seversk, and Chernigov, and defeated Volga Bulgaria. The Catalaunian monarchy survived, but Catalaunia lost control of Murom-Ryazan, Vyazma, and its territories along the Sukhona River, with Gerasim and his immediate successors becoming vassals to Kiev.

Georgy (c. 893-900), son and successor of Gerasim, was confronted with numerous conspiracies against his person. His reign saw the contraction of Catalaunian economic contacts with Novogrod, Finland, and the Samoyeds, probably because of the dominance exerted by Kiev on Moscovia's trade routes. Georgy was in turn succeeded by his brother Gavril (c. 900), who reigned for only a short time before he was deposed and driven from the city of Moscow by the Catalaunian commander Denis, thereby allowing for Ilia to seize the throne.

Ilia (c. 900-907), was not of royal descent, and his claim to the throne was challenged by many among the nobility. There was in fact, a rebel faction at Dmitriov led by a rival claimant, Demyan, who ultimately deposed and assassinated Ilia c. 907 and seized the Catalaunian throne. Demyan, too, was not of royal descent, and he was assassinated after only two months on the throne. Within the span of a single year, there followed to the throne Yaroslav II, Sviatopolk III, Mstislav II, and Michael II, each of whom only managed to hold power for a brief time.

Yegor (c. 908-926), who like his predecessors, was not of royal descent, overthrew and assassinated Michael II. He proved to be a capable and vigorous ruler, firmly ending Catalaunia's civil troubles and establishing the Yegorid Dynasty. During his reign, Yegor freed Catalaunia from all remaining semblances of vassalage to Kiev, and recovered control of all the territories which had been seized by Yaroslav I. The power of Mstislav the Great's dynasty now contracted to Kiev itself, as the Khazars established themselves across the Lower Volga, Volga Bulgaria reclaimed its territories to the Don, and Kievian rule over Turov-Pinsk, Chernigov, and Novogrod-Seversk collapsed.

Illarion (c. 926-937), succeeded his father to the throne and embarked on campaigns against the Volga Bulgarians, Chernigov, and the tribes of Vyatka and Samoyedia during his reign, maintaining Catalaunia's core territories, which encompassed all of Vladimir-Suzdal and Murom Ryazan.

During the next two centuries, Catalaunia remained a relatively strong and stable nation, engaging in sporadic wars, but also peaceful economic and other contacts, with its neighbors such as the Livonians, Finns, Samoyeds, Kievans, Volga Bulgarians, Khazars, and Mari. Illarion was followed to the throne by a series of Kings, who defended Catalaunia's territories, focused on building up Catalaunia's economy and culture, and quelled challenges to their authority. These included Yefim (c. 937-954), David I (954-966), Mstislav III (966-978), Zakhar (978-1006, under whom Catalaunia adopted Christianity, in 988), Macarius (1006-1010, who usurped the throne from his cousin, King Zakhar), Marat (1006-1022, Zakhar's brother, who in turn assassinated Macarius), and David II (1022-1025).

Catalaunia remained strong and secure, when Kiev was sacked and its weak rulers deposed by the Cuman Empire (which had displaced the Khazars), and subsequently fell to the Pechenegs in 1029. However, neither the Cumans nor the Pechenegs could make any incursions into Catalaunia or threaten its independence. A "mutually beneficial treaty" was signed between the first Pecheneg ruler of Kiev, Kurya (d. 1045), and Sviatopolk IV of Catalaunia (1025-1038). Yaroslav III (1038-1043), Vasily II (1043-1061), and Yaroslav IV (1061-1074), also had mostly peaceful tenures, marred only by Catalaunian skirmishes with the Cumans along the Don River c. 1050.

Similarly, Nikita I (1074-1100), was not troubled by the newly founded Swedish Empire in Scandinavia during his reign, the Cuman Empire, or Kiev during his 26-year reign. He was an active king, improving the infrastructure, dedicating churches and monasteries, and conducting various building projects throughout his dominions. Vladimir III (1100-1124), was, like his father, an active and energetic ruler. He undertook much rebuilding work in Moscow, upgrading its fortifications. He also helped to found the great Troitskaya Lavra monastery, west of Moscow. Moreover, Vladimir pushed the southern boundary of Catalaunia down to Kursk and Ryslk, and concluded a treaty with the Pecheneg King of Kiev, Kuchug I, defining the boundaries of the two nations. He was succeeded by Simeon I (1124-1139), who had a peaceful and largely uneventful reign; the same marked that of his successor Matvei (1139-1151). The son and successor of Matvei, Nestor (1151), was deposed by his uncle Paul I (1151-72).

The emergence of the Swedish Empire did eventually lead to a period of sporadic Swedish domination during the twelfth and early thirteenth centuries. The Swedes had conquered and formed the ruling class over the Finns, Lapps, Estonians, and Livonians, around the eastern Baltic Sea. Mark I (1172-1191), was courted by the Poles, who were rivals of Sweden, and attempting to extend their control over Polotsk, Turov-Pinsk, and into Smolensk. Mieszko III (1137-1202), King of Poland, sent a delegation to Moscow in order to conclude a formal alliance directed against Sweden. It was this alliance that prompted Canute I (1167-95), King of Sweden and Finland, to invade Catalaunia, and sack Moscow (1191), with Catalaunia becoming a Swedish vassal-state, following Novogrod, Pskov, and Smolensk. Mark I was deposed by Canute and replaced by his own brother Nikita II (1191-1197), who was then forced to swear an oath of homage to Canute and to pay tribute. Mark and Nikita's younger brother, Simeon II (1197-1204), had an uneventful reign, and was also forced to provide funds, oaths of loyalty, and troops to the Swedes.

However, with the Swedes absorbed by wars with the Samoyeds, Chuds, and Lithuanians along the lower Baltic Sea, their influence faltered. Simeon's son and successor, Roman (1204-1213), undertook extensive reconstruction efforts in Moscow, repairing the damage which had been inflicted by Canute; signed a commercial treaty with Pecheneg King Metiga of Kiev; and developed sophisticated taxation, law enforcement, and conscription systems. Stephen (1213-1220), also undertook various projects in Moscow, being responsible for the Cathedral of the Annuciation and the Terem Palace. Paul II (1220-1227), also received a delegation and various gifts from Poland, in a renewed attempt to gain Catalaunian support for campaigns against Sweden. However, Paul was not strong enough to challenge the Swedes or Poland's southern enemy, the Cumans, at this time.

Middle Catalaunian Period (1227-1559)
By the reign of Ivan I (1227-1253), Swedish power, and its influence over Catalaunia, was on the wane. Ivan became involved in a dynastic battle between Eric XI the Lame and his uncle, Canute II the Tall. After Canute died in 1234, his son Holmger (d. 1248) took up his cause. A pro-Catalaunian faction appeared at the Swedish court in Stockholm. Ivan succeeded not only in terminating all remnants of Swedish dominance over Catalaunia, but also annexed Torzhok, Smolensk, Toropets, and the regions up to Lake Liman. He also conducted a series of campaigns against the Chud and Samoyeds, forcing them to pay him tribute, grant him commercial privileges, and hand over a series of garrisons along the Vychedga River.

Stanislav I (1253-1289), succeeded his father to the Catalaunian throne in 1253, and proved to be a fierce, ambitious, and powerful ruler. Catalaunian pressure in Novogrod and Karelia, Polish pressure in Pomerania and Lithuania, and Danish pressure in Norway enabled Stanislav I to break Swedish power. He aligned himself with Kings Boleslaw V of Poland (1243-79) and Eric V of Denmark (1259-86). He then met and decisively defeated the Swedish King Valedmar in the Battle of Lake Peipus, thereby making Catalaunia an "imperial" power at the expense of not just the Swedes themselves, but also Pecheneg Kiev, the Livonians, and Volga Bulgaria. This led King Osman of Kiev to marry Marfa, daughter of King Stanislav.

The marriage, however, led to disastrous results for Kiev, as the Pecheneg faction at court murdered the half Catalaunian King Orkhan, son and successor of Osman, in 1275, and placed a pretender, Korgan, on the throne. Stanislav I invaded Kiev to avenge his son-in-law, entering the city, deposing Korgan, and installing Ortan II on the throne there.

Stanislav I then attacked and defeated the Swedish king Magnus III, brother and successor of Valdemar, forcing him to concede Karelia, Pskov, Narva, and all of Novogrod, including the Kola Peninsula, to Catalaunia. He also waged wars with the Estonians, Letts, and Livonians on the Baltic, extending Catalaunian power over Dorpat and Reval, and consolidating his grip on both Smolensk and Pskov.

Sergei (1289-1311), then succeeded his father Stanislav to the throne. He described himself as a "Tsar", in communiques with foreign monarchs. He was immediately attacked by Ortan II of Kiev, who had been installed by his father, but succeeded in defeating him. Sergei then counterattacked and appropriated Kievian territory in the process, incorporating all of Chernigov, the territories of Torki, and the Volga to as far south as Itil into Catalaunia. He thus strengthened his position in the process. Sergei also seized Vyborg from the Swedes and attacked Volga Bulgaria, sacking the cities of Bolgar and Bilyar.

The brother and successor of Sergei, Yuri I (1311-1323), consolidated Catalaunian power, and successfully campaigned in Volga Bulgaria, Vyatkha, and Yugra to the east, subjugating the Mari, Perm, and Yugra, and forcing further concessions from the Volga Bulgarians. In Finland, he expanded towards Abo and Helsinki, and defeated the Lapps, who threatened the Catalaunian colonies of Murmansk and Petrograd.

He was followed by Ivan II (1323-1344), who established the cities of Solikamsk and Berezov on what had been Yugran territory, and continued expansion to the northwest, conquering Osterbotten, all of Estonia, and the Island of Osel, taking these territories at the expense of the Swedes and Livonians. He then moved to the southwest, annexing Polotsk and Vitebsk from the Poles, and containing Lithuanian expansion from the Pripet Marshes. To the south, he made further gains at Poltava and the territories around the Upper Don, forcing the Pecheneg Kievans into agreeing to a new treaty, which adjusted the boundary between Catalaunia and Kievia in the former's favor. Ivan consistently referred to himself as "Tsar" in his inscriptions, conducted extensive building projects throughout his dominions, and tried to link himself to such rulers as David, Solomon, Augustus, and Constantine the Great.

In 1344, Dmitry I (1344-1374) came to the throne. He proved to be a great conqueror. During his reign he conquered the Livonian kingdom of Courland, taking control of Riga, and completed the subjection of the Yugra, pushing Catalaunian territories across the Urals and to the Ob River, on which he founded the city of Obdorsk. He then attacked the Swedes again, now under the rule of Magnus I, and seized control of Lapland, Gotland, Aland, Vasterbotton, and Angremanland. In the process, he also defeated the Danes and the Poles, who were becoming every more weary of Catalaunia's continued expansion, and seized the city of Minsk. Dmitry imposed a uniform administration upon his Finish and Swedish territories, installing Catalaunian governors to exercise authority over them. He also deported numerous Lapps and Samoyeds from the northern territories, and planted them at colonies along the Volga.

Dmitry also continued to remain antagonistic towards Kiev, and he dispatched diplomatic missions to Genoa, the Cumans, and the Kingdom of Georgia, attempting to outflank them. During his reign, the King also engaged in another great expansion of Moscow's defenses, and developed a new port, Ivanogrod, on the Baltic.

Dmitry's son and successor, Feodor I (1374-1409), won a major victory against the Poles and their King Louis in the Battle of Mogilev, allowing for him to take full control of Polotsk and Turov-Pinsk. He then conquered Kiev, taking Muhammad IV as a captive and ruled there himself, as King of Kiev, for seven years, even laying claim to the title "Great King of All Scythia, Sarmarita, and Hunnica", which had once been claimed by Balamber and by Attila the Hun. He became the first Catalaunian monarch ever to conquer Kiev. The King demolished Kiev's defenses, plundered its mosques and government buildings, and resettled many of its citizens along the Volga, Moskva, and Oka Rivers. The King then defeated Volga Bulgaria, holding its capital of Bolgar for a time, and pushed down the Dnieper all the way to the Crimea, where he defeated the Cumans of Oleshe and captured the Genoan colonies at Tanais, Cembalo, and Caffa. Feodor I also built the cities of Saratov, Ufa, Simbrisk, Penza, Tambov, and Voronezh, seeking to consolidate his control over former Cuman and Volga Bulgarian territories.

However, a number of Feodor's sons rebelled and besieged the King in his capital. He was murdered, and succeeded by Spartak (1409-1413), who left the affairs of the Kingdom to his viceroys. Another unstable period ensued for Catalaunia, as the Pechenegs regained control of Kiev; the Genoans drove Catalaunian forces from the Black Sea coast; and Volga Bulgaria successfully revolted, taking Penza, Ufa, Simbrisk, and Voronezh in the process. Moreover, the Swedes were able to recover the island of Aland and Angremanland. However, Catalaunia itself was not threatened during the reigns of Spartak's successors, including Ivan III (1413-1419), Timofey (1419-1423), and Taras (1423-1436), although Taras seized the throne from Timofey.

Boris II (1436-1482), stabilized the internal unrest in Catalaunia during his 46-year reign, quelling instability. He once again attacked Kiev, taking from it the cities of Kamenets, Bratislav, Poltava, Cherkassk, and Novogrod-Volynsky, seizing many captives and goods, and bringing them back to his Kingdom. However, these operations in Ukraine brought Catalaunia into conflict with Poland, which had taken advantage of the former's prior weakness to seize control of Podolia, Galich, Turov-Pinsk, and most of Polotsk. The powerful Poles, under the rule of Casimir IV (1447-92), who sacked Kiev in 1463, then entered into a protracted war with Catalaunia. Polish forces seized Smolensk, Tver, Ryazan, Vyazma, and Chernigov, and penetrated to as far as Kolomna and Rostov. Eventually, however, Boris II defeated them, and forced them to a treaty, recognizing the Catalaunian gains from Kiev.

Another brief period of internal upheaval occurred following Boris II's death in 1482, as his son and successor Yuri II was deposed after just four months by his own brother Constantine and forced to flee to Kievia. However, Constantine I, as he was known, died in December 1482, just six months after seizing power. A third brother, Joseph I (1482-1499), then took the throne. As what was left of the Cuman Empire collapsed due to invasions by the Baskhirs, Kirghiz, and Chechnyans, Catalaunia and Kievia vied for regions along the Lower Volga and in the Upper Caucasus, previously under Cuman control. When their forces encountered one another in this region, Joseph met and defeated the Kievian king Selim I in a number of confrontations along the Dnieper, at Azov, Cherkassk, and in the Kuban. He subsequently annexed the territories between the Don, Volga, and Kuma Rivers, founding the colonies of Tsaristyn, Astrakhan, and Stravopol in an attempt to consolidate the Catalaunian hold over this region.

Peter I (1499-1538), vies with Yaroslav I and Ivan I, among historians, as being considered the founder of the first Catalaunian "Empire". The son of Joseph I, he ascended to the throne upon his father's death, and became one of the greatest Catalaunian rulers during his 39-year reign.

His first campaign in 1502 was against the Baskhirs, who had attempted to occupy Saratov, Penza, and Samara. After defeating and driving out the Baskhirs, he then overran the Kalmyk territories of Gurev, conquered what remained of Volga Bulgaria, and then subdued all of the Siberian regions from Kamshin, past the Ob River, and then across to the Yamal Peninsula. He then drove the Danes from Osel, Talinin, and Ivanogrod, which they had occupied, and established firm control of Karelia and Ingria.

In a subsequent campaign, the Catalaunian forces crossed the Kuma River, subduing the Kuban and Terek regions, and then turned westwards to receive the submission of the Circassians and Don Cossacks. In 1505, Peter again attacked the Baskhirs, Kalmyks, and Kirghiz, and founded the cities of Turinsk, Tyumen, Orenburg, and Tobolsk, to command those areas and to mark his victories.

The Lithuanians were the King's next target. Peter made his way to as far as Memel and the source of the Dvina, on the Baltic Sea. He then reconquered the city of Riga, and proceeded to conquer the Prussian and Polish territories of Tilsit, Konigsberg, Allenstein, Marienwerder, Thorn, and finally Danzig, where he then embarked on the Baltic Sea, and visited the islands of Kronstadt and Osel, still under Catalaunian control. He also invaded and defeated Kievia twice, forcing tribute from the King of Kiev. He did not, however, depose the monarchy there, with the old Pecheneg dynasty having now been followed by a Romanian one. Peter again assumed the old title of "Great King of Scythia, Samarita, and Hunnica" and moved his capital to the city of Petrograd on the Baltic, which he renamed St. Petersburg. He embellished St. Petersburg with a variety of edifices, including the Peter and Paul Cathedral, the Admiralty, the Winter Palace, and the Imperial Academy of the Sciences.

He was succeeded by Peter II (1538-1541), who ruled for just three years. His reign saw the reorganization of the Catalaunian bureaucracy, including the establishment of the Royal Privy Council.

Ivan IV (1541-1559) kept the vast realm (now formally known as the Tsardom of Catalaunia, since Peter I's assumption of the title in 1534), together, campaigning successfully against Sweden and Lithuania to the northwest and the Poles to the west. He maintained friendly relations with Vlad I of Kiev; however, after his death, he invaded Kiev and deposed the new ruler Stephen, appointing the Catalaunian prince Boris as his vassal in Kiev. He built a series of zoological and botanical gardens in St. Petersburg, collecting exotic specimens from throughout his Empire and beyond. He also engaged in hunting expeditions in the north and the Ural Mountains.

Late in his reign, however, civil war was provoked by Prince Vasily Golistyn, a pretender to the Catalaunian throne. Ivan IV defeated Prince Golitsyn and his allies, but the Baskhirs, and a new people, the Tartars, had taken advantage of the situation, encroaching on Catalaunian colonies and territories in Western Siberia, the Urals, and along the Volga. Ivan IV counterattacked them and managed to recover control of his territories up to the Ob River, but those farther east, and those around the Caspian Sea, would be lost to Catalaunia.

Catalaunian Crisis Period (1559-1708)
Following the death of Ivan IV in 1559, the Tsardom of Catalaunia went into decline for the next century. The Tsardom shrank significantly, and by 1595, had contracted to control only Moscovia, most of Novogrod, Murom-Ryazan, Chernigov, Smolensk, and Novogrod-Seversk. During this period, the Tartars appeared in the southern steppes, establishing themselves around the Caspian, in southern Kievia, and in the Crimean Peninsula. There, they constituted the Crimean Khanate. The Baskhirs, Kirghiz, and Kalmyks seized control of all the territories on both banks of the Volga, from Astrakhan in the south through the former Volga Bulgaria in the north, where they established the city of Kazan. The Swedes underwent a great revival under Charles IX, Gustavus Adolphus, and Christina, extending their authority over Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Courland, and Karelia. Only Ingria, Kola, and Novogrod remained under Catalaunian authority. The Poles and Lithuanians merged to become the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, and extended their authority to as far as Polotsk and Vitebsk. The Teutonic Order was secularized, becoming first the Duchy of Prussia, and then the Electorate of Brandenburg-Prussia. In the far south, the Ottoman Empire established its dominance around the Black Sea, and eventually became the overlord of the Crimean Khanate. Kievia remained intact, and managed to recover control of Peryaslavl and parts of Galich, extending out to the Upper Don.

In spite of the apparent weakness of Catalaunia in comparison to its former might, at heart it remained a solid, well-defended nation whose troops were the best in Eastern Europe. With its stable monarchy, powerful army, and secure borders, Catalaunia was in a better position at this time than Poland, Sweden, Crimea, Kievia, or Baskhirkia. Catalaunian Tsars during this time adopted a policy of maintaining and defending a compact and secure nation with satellite colonies around it, and interspersed this with sporadic punitive short and long range raids and invasions of neighboring territories when the need arose.

Constantine II (1559-1561), ruled for only two years, and in that time campaigned against the Baskhirs and Kirghiz, claiming successes along the Upper Volga, before he was deposed by his elderly uncle Yaroslav V (1561-1567), who had an uneventful reign. Yakov I (1567-1586), succeeded him, and during his reign he continued to campaign endlessly against the Baskhirs and Kirghiz to the east. Catalaunia was also afflicted by famine, natural disasters, and civil uprisings during his reign. Peter III (1586-1598), lost territory to the Baskhirs in Vyakta and Novogrod during his reign, who also managed to seize the city of Nizhny Novogrod. Ivan V took the throne in 1598; he continued Catalaunian campaigns against the eastern tribes, captured Belgorad from Kievia, and defended Smolensk, Bryansk, Chernigov, and Komel from Polish attacks. He was eventually deposed by his uncle Joseph II in 1604. During the long reign of Joseph II (1604-1645), Baskhir tribes took the cities of Penza, Simbrisk, and Saratov. This event showed how far Catalaunia could assert itself militarily when the need arose. The Catalaunian Tsar attacked the Baskhirs, Kirghiz, and Kalmyks, fighting his way down the Volga all the way to the Caspian Sea, and seizing control of the city of Guryev. He remained in control of Guryev, and recovered the territories of Vyatka, during his reign.

Feodor II (1645-51), who was in his fifties when he acceded to the throne, focused on defending Catalaunian territories from Tartar, Baskhir, and Swedish raids. He also conducted various construction projects in St. Petersburg, Moscov, Ryazan, Tver, and Smolensk. Peter IV (1651-1684), succeeded him. He maintained the policies of his predecessors, but did engage in wars with Sweden and Poland, winning back control of Karelia and Vilmanstrand, ejecting the Poles from Polotsk, and establishing a firm defensive perimeter along the line of the Dnieper River. He also launched a punitive expedition towards the Crimean Khanate, sacking the cities of Azov and Tagranrog, in retaliation for Crimean raids into Mordva and Chuvashia.

Boris III (1684-1708), oversaw a marked economic, military, and organizational upturn in the fortunes of Catalaunia, laying the platform for it to truly transform itself into an Empire. He made successful raids to clear Baskhir, Kirghiz, Kalmyk, and Tartar tribes from Chuvashia, Mordva, and Murom-Ryazan. He embarked on an extensive program of military expansion and fortification, he reorganized the governmental bureaucracy further (establishing Colleges of State, a Chancellory, and a Senate), and he encouraged the establishment of factories, mining foundries, and trading outposts through his realms, strengthening Catalaunian commercial ties with the West.

New Catalaunian Period (1708-present)
Catalaunia once more began to expand with the accession of Dmitry II to the throne in 1708. Dmitry II continued with his father's campaigns against the eastern tribes. He firmly subjugated the areas previously under only nominal Catalaunian vassalage, overcoming the troublesome Baskhirs in the Battle of Perm, fought the year after his accession, in 1709. As a result of this victory, Dmitry deported the Baskhirs from Novogrod and the Western Siberia, resettling them along the Khoper and Sura Rivers. He thereby annexed all of the regions extending from Perm and Kungur, over to the Urals Mountains, and beyond the Ob River, to as far as the River Taz and the Yamal Peninsula. Seeking to maintain a permanent Catalaunian hold on this area, Dmitry founded the cities of Pelym, Verkhoruyw, Nizhny Tagil, Yekaterinburg, Ufa, Surguit, and Mangazeya. After accomplishing the subjection of the Trans-Ob regions, he subdued the Ostyaks along the River Kem, deporting them from Western Siberia, and resettling them on former Baskhir territories in Perm, Kazan, and Volga Bulgaria.

He then twice attacked and defeated Lupu Costachi of Kiev, annexing the regions between the Donets and Don Rivers and the towns of Starodub and Gomel in northeastern Ukraine. He made further gains over Kiev under Dimitrie Cantemir later in his reign. In 1721, Dmitry proclaimed himself Emperor of Catalaunia, thereby marking the formal establishment of the Catalaunian Empire. He was succeeded by his son Yakov II (1728-1736), who further consolidated Catalaunia's position and expanded into the Southern Ural Mountains and through the Tobol River during his short reign.

The next Emperor, Yakov's son Ivan V (1736-1760), embarked on a vast program of expansion. During his reign, Catalaunia recovered many of the territories it had lost at the end of the Middle Catalaunian Period, nearly two centuries earlier. He first conquered the Kirghiz, Kalmyks, and Nogai Tartars to as far south as the Caspian Sea, including the cities of Guryev, Orenburg, and Astrakhan, and exacted tribute from the Don Cossacks, Kuban Cossacks, and Circassians. He then invaded Persia (the Qajar dynasty), conquering the Persians and Daghestani between the Kuma River and Baku. His harshness prompted a revolt among his Samoyed, Yugra, and Mordvin subjects which he crushed decisively in a pitched confrontation on the Belaya River. He then advanced to the Baltic Sea and into Finland, conquering the Swedish cities of Riga, Reval, Dorpat, Narva, Helinski, Abo, and Helingsfors, exacting tribute and commercial concessions from the Swedish king Frederick I (1720-51), and consolidating Catalaunia's rule of Kola, Ingria, Karelia, and Vyborg. The Catalaunian Navy even launched operations against the islands of Osel, Aland, and Gotland, forcing the Danish king Christian VI (1730-46) to exempt Catalaunian ships from the Sound Dues. In addition to his military exploits, Ivan V continued Catalaunian colonization efforts in Western Siberia, establishing towns, garrisons, and outposts to as far as the Kem River (Turinsk, Tyumen, Ishim, Tara, Omsk, and Narym were established during his reign), moved his capital from St. Petersburg back to Moscow (where he embellished and expanded the Moscow Kremlin), and intensified his father's policy of deportation of conquered peoples, which now became an established Catalaunian custom.

Ivan's son, Feodor III (1760-1796), had a long reign of 36 years, in which the Catalaunian Empire became one bristling with military garrisons, outposts, and defensive lines. Each year, the Catalaunian armies and navies marched out to campaign. Kiev was occupied, and Kievia reduced to vassalage. He fought against the Crimean Khanate and waged a extensive military campaign against an alliance of states led by King Augustus III of Poland and including Poland, Wallachia, Moldavia, Courland, Sweden, Prussia (under King Frederick William III), Crimea, and Hungary. Catalaunian and coalition forces clashed in the Battle of Poznan in 1766. Despite Feodor's boasts of having "vanquished the opposition", the battle actually ended in a stalemate, and the Catalaunian forces were withdrawn from Poland, the Danubian Principalities, and Hungary shortly afterwards.

Feodor took the Swedish island of Novaya Zemlya in 1770, and in 1776 launched an offensive against Gustavus III, King of Sweden (1772-92), besieging Stockholm and forcing the concession of Finland, but not taking the city. In 1777 he also compelled the subordination of Prussia, Courland, and Moldavia, each of whom was forced to pay tribute and acknowledge him as their overlord. In addition to these western exploits, Feodor continued the Catalaunian drive into Siberia, with his forces reaching the Lower Tunguska in 1769 and the Viyuy in 1785; he also penetrated into Turkestan to as far as the Aral Sea, and exacted tribute, oaths of homage, and territorial concessions from the Kazahs, Tungusky, and Evenki. Feodor settled deported Kievian, Kalmyk, and Tartar subjects in Siberia, and founded the cities of Tomsk, Koznetask, Yensieysk, and Turukhansk. During his reign, the population of Catalaunia increased sixfold.

The last four years of Feodor's life were disturbed by the rebellion of his eldest son Sasha, which almost proved fatal to his rule. Numerous cities and provinces, including Kazan, Astrakhan, Penza, Voronezh, Tambov, Chernigov, Pskov, Smolensk, Ryazan, Tver, Orel, Bryansk, and Galich joined the pretender. The rebellion was not directed primarily against the Emperor, but rather against his provincial governors, such as Prince Yuri Andropov, who were viewed to have assumed disproportionate power. The revolt was crushed with difficulty by his son Peter V, Feodor's second son, who succeeded his father upon his death in 1796.

The long and bitter civil war had allowed the Kievians to the south, the Samoyeds, Baskhirs, and Nogai Tartars to the north and east, and the states of the Baltic, along with Moldavia and Poland to the west, to shake off Catalaunian overlordship and to recover lost territories. Consequently, Peter V spent the remainder of his reign reasserting control over these peoples. Crimea also sought to assert its influence over the Kuban Cossacks, the Circassians, and the northern Caucasus. As a result of all of these events, Catalaunia did not expand further during Peter's reign.

Dmitry III was just thirteen years old when succeeding his father in 1796, and for five years, until 1801, his mother, Empress Dowager Elizabeth, ruled as regent in his stead. Elizabeth, the first woman ever to rule over Catalaunia in any capacity, proved to be a vigorous and capable regent, pursuing campaigns against the Kievians, Crimeans, and Persians.

In 1801, Dmitry III assumed the reins of power. He invaded Central Europe and subjugated the Poles, Courish, Prussians, Hungarians, Bohemians, and Romanians. He entered Stockholm and forced tribute upon its King, Gustav IV Adolf. He next turned to the Caucasus, and subjugated the Crimeans, Georgians, and Daghestani, penetrating to as far as the Black Sea and Kutasi. His next targets were the Kazakhs and Tatars of northern Turkestan, whom he conquered and reduced to vassalage. During Dmitry III's reign, Catalaunia established the cities of Zhelezinsk, Barnaul, Semipalatinsk, Biysk, Minusinsk, Kuzentk, and Krasnyorask, and dispatched the first exploratory expeditions to Lake Baikal and the Lena River. Dmitry also founded the port of Archangel on the Kara Sea.

Dmitry III, however, died prematurely in 1824, and this led to a period of stagnation for Catalaunia. Feodor IV (1824-1834), was a weak and ineffective Emperor, and military victories achieved over the Crimeans, Kazakhs, and Poles were attributed to his military commanders, such as Prince Ivan Golistyn, who served as commander-in-chief of the Catalaunian Army and as Chair of the Imperial Privy Council. Golistyn also held control over the affairs of the court, and the Emperor himself rarely took part in public ceremonies of state. Joseph III ascended the throne in 1834. He proved to be a largely ineffective ruler who was beset by internal rebellions in Moscovia, Astrakhan, and Western Siberia. He also failed to make further gains in Kievia and in the Caucasus. His reign was also marred by agricultural failures, pretenders, and Tatar raids from the Crimea. Boris IV became Emperor in 1853, but his reign was one of permanent turmoil and he did not even leave Moscow during the course of it.

Finally, in April 1863, Boris IV was deposed and assassinated by the governor of Karelia and Ingria, Prince Seymon Dologoruky, who also proceeded to execute Boris's wife, Empress Consort Irina, their four children, and all of their siblings, cousins, and other relations. After massacring the royal family, Dologoruky seized the throne and pronounced himself as Peter VI of Catalaunia, thereby tying himself to one of his great ancestors. He now instituted several reforms to the Empire, reviving Catalaunia's hegemony in Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. He increased the number of governorates and provinces, but decreased their average sizes and diluted their resources, thereby weakening the power of the Empire's various governors. He vigorously reorganized the Catalaunian military, introducing the most up-to-date tactics, weaponry, and equipment into his forces. He embarked on a vast expansion of the Catalaunian economy, intensified and widened colonization efforts throughout his dominions, and sponsored numerous mining, industrial, and agricultural settlements, garrisons, and expeditions in Siberia and along the Volga River. He also introduced a radical change to Catalaunia's foreign policy: no longer would adjoining territories be merely exacted from, but they would be gradually incorporated directly into the Empire. His goal, therefore, was to make Catalaunia the world's greatest power, and to involve it in the affairs of all Europe, and of the New World.

The Emperor wasted no time in embarking on military campaigns. Already in his first year of rule, he invaded Kievia and deposed its King, Vlad III. Installing his governors and garrisons throughout Kievian territories, Peter VI then defeated the Crimean Khanate, annexing Kinburn, Yesidan, Azov, Kerch, Taganrog, and the territories of the Zaphorzhian Sich. He also defeated the Circassians, establishing the city of Yekaterinodar, before making war upon the Georgians, Armenians, and Turks, extending Catalaunian rule along the entire east coast of the Black Sea, over Karbadia, Nagorny-Karabakh, and Chechnya, and to the cities of Potasi and Kumasi. He then invaded Livonia, Prussia, and Courland, taking Riga in 1868, and directly incorporating Courland, Livonia, and Estonia into his Empire. That same year, Peter defeated the Swedes under Charles XV, forcing the concession of Aland and Gotland. He also subjugated Poland under Konstantin II, the Khanate of Khiva under Fezar Khan, Franz Joseph of Austria and Hungary, and Shamil of the Dagestani, who all paid him tribute. In 1871 and 1872 he campaigned through northern Kazakhstan, conquering Astana, Almaty, and all of the regions down to Lake Balkhash. As commonly done by his predecessors, he deported conquered peoples throughout his realms, settling Crimean Tatars in Novogrod; Poles in Chernigov and the Lower Don; Caucasian tribes along the Upper Volga and at Kazan; and Kazakhs in Novaya Zemalya and the Yamal Peninsula.

In October 1879, Peter assumed total control of Kiev, capturing the Kievian king Danylo, having him put in chains and deported to Siberia, and crowning himself as "King Petro of Kiev".

Peter died in 1881, and was succeeded by his son, who became Feodor V. Feodor accused Sahin Giray, the Khan of Crimea, of conspiring with Ottoman Sultan Abdulahamid II, and captured him. He then invaded the Crimea and besieged its capital city of Bakhisirai, which remained under siege for three years. Feodor also attacked the Georgians, laying their capital city of Tbilisi under siege. Feodor died in 1886, whilst the two sieges were ongoing. The throne was now seized by the commander-in-chief of the Catalaunian Army, Prince Alexander Sheremetev, who now proclaimed himself Alexander II of Catalaunia, after the King of that name who had reigned over Catalaunia eleven centuries earlier. Alexander II completed the sieges of Bakhisirai and Tbilisi, capturing both cities in January 1887. Crimea and Georgia were now incorporated into the Catalaunian Empire.

However, Alexander was beset with widespread challenges elsewhere. Ioan Buhus, a Romanian commander of the Ochakov Valley, declared himself King of Kiev and was crowned in 1887. In 1888, Alexander attacked Buhus near the plains of Poltava. Buhus, however, received support from the Ottoman Sultan Abdulahamid II, who had earlier provoked Sahin Giray against Catalaunia. The Battle of Poltava ended in a stalemate, and Alexander, with pressing needs elsewhere, concluded a temporary armistice with the King of Kiev. This armistice held for ten years. Alexander then moved northwards and violently suppressed the rebellions in Novogrod, Kazan, Western Siberia, Voronezh, and Astrakhan, deporting hundreds of thousands of his subjects farther east and destroying a number of settlements.

In 1891, the Georgian city of Sukhum-Kale on the Black Sea coast, which was a vassal of Catalaunia, revolted. Sukhum-Kale was an important garrison, controlling routes into the Southern Caucasus. Alexander attacked and captured the city, destroying its defenses and incorporating all remaining Georgian territories into his Empire.

In 1892, he moved against the Persians, whose ruler, Shah Naser al-Din Qajar, had been deposed by Mohammad Hassan Khan with the assistance of the Ottomans. Alexander defeated the usurper, drove him from Tehran, and occupied the cities of Yerevan, Tabriz, Sari, and Astarabad, occupying the provinces of Gilan, Armenia, and Mazandaran around the Caspian Sea. He also stationed troops in Isafhan and Tehran to act as "diplomatic garrisons", and to keep a watch on the Persian Government. He then moved up the Volga, and down into Turkestan (Kazakhstan), where he subjugated the Emirate of Bukhara, compelling an oath of allegiance from Emir Abdul-Ahad Khan. He then went up to Siberia, and embarked on a decisive push of Catalaunian territory all the way out to the Pacific Ocean, subjugating the Evenki, Lamuts, and Yakuts. He established the new cities of Irutsk, Udinsk, Verokhlensk, Kitensk, Olekminsk, Okhotsk, Yahutsk, Nerchinsk, and Turgusk in order to establish firm Catalaunian control over those regions.

In 1894, Alexander campaigned against Poland, motivated by the fact that the Poles had been weakened by excursions from the recently-established German Empire to the west. After reaching the Pripet River, he turned south and occupied the cities of Lutsk, Brody, and Tarnopol. When news reached him that King Stanislaw III of Poland was marching against him, he turned back to the Pripet River and defeated the Polish army in the Battle of Polotsk. King Stanislaw managed to flee from the battlefield, but most of his force was annihilated. Alexander then proceeded to devastate Masovia, Lesser Poland, and Galicia, seizing captives, destroying factories, plundering farms, and demolishing fortifications. He occupied Lublin, Lodz, Wroclaw, Brest-Litvosk, Bialystok, Lemberg, and Prezmyzl, and then entered the Polish capital, Warsaw, robbing it of its treasures. Stanislaw, to avoid further damage to his realms, was forced to pledge himself as a vassal to Catalaunia and to pay tribute. Alexander then made his way from Warsaw and crossed the Carpathian Mountains, sacking the cities of Budapest, Debrecen, Pecs, Eger, and Mohacs. He then received tribute from the King-Emperor of Austria-Hungary, Franz Joseph, at Pressburg. Alexander then moved into Besserabia, capturing garrisons along the Pruth River and annexing the region of Moldova, including the city of Chrisnau, from the Romanians.

In 1895, Alexander remained at Moscow: his forces took, among others, Memel, Konigsberg, and Vilinus. Mongolian and Khivan rulers offered tribute. In 1897, Tuva was conquered. An uprising at the Georgian city of Kutasi, supported by Turkey, Greece, Romania, and Bulgaria, was suppressed, and the Turkish territory of Kars and Ardahan became a Catalaunian province.

In 1898, Alexander felt safe enough in his rule to move against Ioan Buhus. One force moved across the Black Sea and towards Constantinople to prevent Sultan Abdulahamid from providing support to the Kievians; the other, under Alexander himself, proceeded against Kiev. Alexander first took the city of Poltava, where he had clashed with Buhus a decade earlier. He then came to Kiev itself, and Buhus fled. Alexander would later claim that he entered Kiev at the request of its clergy and citizens. Kiev yielded to Alexander and he was proclaimed King of Kievia, thereby restoring the dual monarchy of Catalaunia and Kievia. He remained at Kiev for three years, in order to consolidate his position there.

Ioan Buhus attempted to flee to Romania, but was prevented by Catalaunian troops from crossing the Dniester River. Taking hostages from Chrisnau, Iasi, and Ochakov, he then established himself at Kinburn, and strengthened its fortifications. In 1899, Catalaunian forces won the Battle of the Lower Bug, but were unable to take Kinburn. Ultimately, in 1901, Alexander offered to spare Buhus's life if he in turn surrendered Kinburn. Buhus agreed, and the Emperor dispatched him to live at Yalta on the Crimea.

The last years of Alexander's reign saw the further extension of Catalaunian power. In 1901, the seven Kings of the island of Sakhalin in the Pacific accepted Catalaunian sovereignty; in 1902, Nasir al-din Karim, Khan of Kokand, offered his hand in friendship to the Emperor of Catalaunia; and in 1903, the Kuril Islands became a Catalaunian province. Catalaunian expeditions continued to push forward in Siberia, and during 1900-1903, they founded the cities of Zhigansk, Bratsk, Olekminsk, and Zashiversk. They also probed into the Kamchatka Peninsula. Alexander himself conducted further projects in St. Petersburg and in Moscow, erecting the famed Tsarkoe Selo Palace, St. Michael's Castle, and Rospha Estate.

In 1904, Alexander died while conducting a campaign against the Daghestani in the Caucasus, who had revolted under their leader Hamza Yusuf. He was succeeded by his son Nicholas I (1904-1925). Nicholas was Alexander's third and only surviving son, but had nevertheless been groomed, in both military and administrative matters, for years prior to his accession to the throne. During the first two years of his reign, he focused upon architectural projects in the chief cities of Catalaunia, upon the expansion of the Catalaunian transportation system (rail, highway, and marine navigation), and upon continued colonization, industrial development, and mining efforts along the Volga, at Azov, around Tula, and in Siberia. Nicholas now designated St. Petersburg and Moscow as the two co-equal capitals of his Empire, spending part of the year in each, and dividing government offices between them: the Patriarch, Holy Synod, and Senate were based in Moscow, while the Colleges of State, Imperial Guards, and Privy Council were based in St. Petersburg. He strengthened the fortifications of both cities, erecting a strong defensive rampart across Lake Ladoga, and another in the Gulf of Finland. In Moscow, in particular, Nicholas developed the suburbs, established a new architectural plan, and granted it a semi-autonomous city government. He embelished the Terem Palace, the Palace of Facets, the Cathedral of the Annuciation, the Cathedral of the Assumption, St. Basil's Cathedral, and the Moscow Armory with freizes, paintings, and elaborate stone decorations, depicting scenes in Catalaunian history. In St. Petersburg, he rebuilt and modernized the St. Peter and Paul Fortress, and laid the foundation for the University of Catalaunia (1905).

Yet the Emperor was once again diverted to the task of war, and of conquest. The peace in Ukraine was broken in December 1905, when Ioan Buhus, who had escaped from Yalta, once again seized the throne of Kiev, receiving Turkish military assistance. The rebellion was defeated, Ioan Buhus fled, and Kiev was taken, with the Marinysky Palace plundered, although the citizens were not harmed. Nicholas's armies then devastated much of the lower Dnieper, and sacked the cities of Kremenchug, Skayvansk, and Tuzovka, which had gone over to the rebel. Once this task was accomplished, he installed a native Ukrainian prince, Alexis Razumovsky, on the throne as a Catalaunian vassal, and then departed. For three years, Kiev was left in peace. Turkish interference in Kiev necessitated a series of campaigns, during 1906, against the Turkish vassals of Bulgaria, Serbia, and Montenegro, with Sofia, Belgrade, and Varna seized, and those states compelled to pay tribute to Catalaunia.

In 1907, a new challenge arose for Catalaunia in the west, where Jan II of Poland, incited by Germany and Ioan Buhus, had renounced Catalaunian allegiance. Ioan Buhus, in fact, from his base at Kishinev, near the Dniester, had renewed his rebellion against Catalaunia. Jan signed a military treaty with Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany, and formed an alliance with Prince Klaus Ioahnnis of Transylvania. Other Romanian rulers in Moldavia and Wallachia, with recent painful memories of Catalaunia's might, hesitated to commit themselves. King Ivo of Croatia, who had paid an oath of homage to Nicholas's father Alexander II, remained loyal to Nicholas, and was seized by his subjects, who gave him over to Jan, who had him imprisoned in Krakow. Austria, Hungary, and Bohemia were also peripherally involved in the rebellion.

Nicholas first focused on Ioan Buhus, destroying his positions throughout Yesidian and the Lower Dniester, and in November 1907, capturing Kishinev. He tore down the city's fortifications, sacked it, and sent more than 70,000 of its inhabitants into exile in Siberia. Ioan Buhus fled across the Danube into Bulgaria. Nicholas then turned at once to deal with the coalition of restive vassals forming around Jan. In 1908, the Catalaunians crossed the Carpathian Mountains in massive force, first striking the Transylvanians. Prince Klaus fled to Bosnia, while Alba Iulia and its suburb of Totoi were devastated so thoroughly that, when rebuilt, they lost their prior place of prominence. The Catalaunians then moved rapidly into Croatia, first striking the Croatian city of Cepin; it fell with ease. But then, suddenly, Nicholas faced an German army strengthened by the presence of mobile artillery, Stoßtruppen, and Hussars from Bavaria. The armies collided at Bjelovar, with the Catalaunians scoring a great victory. After taking and destroying Bjelovar, however, Nicholas faced to follow up on his advantage and allowed the Germans to retreat back to Germany unharmed.

Instead, the Catalaunian Emperor advanced on Vinvocki, Slavoncki Brod, Sisak, and Varadzin, not as a prelude for a direct thrust into Poland, but rather to punish those who had cooperated with Jan in removing and imprisoning King Ivo of Croatia. Croatia itself was quickly subdued, and Nicholas installed Stepjan on the throne of Croatia as a Catalaunian vassal; Stepjan paid him homage at Zagreb. Austria, Hungary, and Bohemia, understanding the supremacy of the Catalaunian armies, quickly dropped out of the rebellion and renewed their treaties with Catalaunia. Nicholas then launched a three-pronged offensive into Poland. One army attacked Cracow, Lublin, Auschwitz, and Lemberg in Galicia; all of these cities were subdued in their turn. The Catalaunians isolated Wroclaw, now wishing to waste their time in taking it. Warsaw itself was besieged, completely surrounded by fortifications.

While Warsaw was blockaded, Nicholas himself sent his forces through Masovia, Greater Poland, and to the Polish Corridor, taking the cities of Bialystok, Tarnopol, Torun, and Katowice with ease. He then blockaded Danzig, on the Baltic Sea; Catalaunian naval forces from Osel and Livonia cut off the city from all access by sea, while the Catalaunian Army bombarded its fortifications from land and strangled its supply lines. Danzig eventually fell, and the upper Vistula fell under Catalaunian control. Nicholas then attacked Bydgosczcz, and from thence moved up to Warsaw with reinforcements. With his kingdom effectively overrun, and with Warsaw at the brink of falling, Jan finally surrendered. Nicholas forced him to renew his oath of homage, annexed Mogilev, Minsk, Vilinus, and all of the territories down to Podolia and left-bank Ukraine, and deported more than two million Poles from Masovia, Greater Poland, and Lesser Poland, scattering them throughout his dominions. He dismantled the Polish military forces, dammed the dockyards of Danzig, and destroyed the fortifications of the chief cities of Galicia. He also gave some Polish regions (such as Zator), to Hungary and Transylvania.

In 1909, Nicholas again turned his attention to Kievia, where Ioan Buhus had once again installed himself on the throne of Kiev. Nicholas attacked him outside Kharkov and inflicted a decisive defeat, driving him from Kiev once more, and back across the Danube River. In 1910, he deposed Razumovsky from the Kievian throne, having him deported to Nerchinsk, and installed his eldest son, Alexis, in his place. He then attacked Wallachia, Bulgaria, and Serbia again, sacking the city of Tarnovo in 1911, destroying the defenses of Bucharest, and compelling the Bulgarians to transfer their oath of allegiance from Turkey to Catalaunia. In 1912, Nicholas went up to Lappland, where he crushed a revolt at Petsamo and had all of the sailors of the Catalaunian garrison there beaten with the knout, their tongues ripped out, and their cheeks branded. Then in 1913 and 1914, he went into Sakhalin and Mongolia, punishing rebellious vassals, including the ten Ainu Kings and the great khan of Mongolia, Tsakhiagiin. Tsakhiagiin was captured at Ulaanbataar, bound in chains, and then deported to Kazan. Nicholas took control of Shilsk, Alabzinzk, and Kostogorsk, and installed new rulers over the Ainu and Mongolians, who all paid him homage.

In 1915, Ioan Buhus, having once again returned to Kievia, pronounced a renewed rebellion against Catalaunia, receiving aid from Turkey, as he had in the past. Angered by this, Nicholas now mustered his naval forces at Kerch, Sevastopol, Caffa, and Azov, and led an invasion of Turkey across the Black Sea, capturing and destroying the Turkish ports of Trabzon, Sinop, and Zongdulak. While he was doing this, the Turks marched up the Bulgarian coast, crossed the Dniester, and reached Kiev, where they deposed and captured Prince Alexis, and put Nicolae, Ioan Buhus's son (Ioan having died at Kinburn, while fleeing from Catalaunian troops), on the throne. In 1916, Nicolae was captured and taken to Moscow, and Nicholas attacked Turkey again. He crossed into Thrace and then approached the outskirts of Istanbul. The Turkish sultan, Mehmed V, now fled to Ankara, and Nicholas captured Istanbul, plundering it and deporting more than 300,000 Turks to Siberia. He also seized the cities of Adrianpole, Bursa, and Izmir, and even sent naval expeditions into the Aegean. When Nicholas withdrew, the Turks formed an alliance with Bulgaria, Wallachia, Transylvania, and the Daghestani, invaded Ukraine (where they fought the Battle of Odessa to a draw in 1918), and returned to Kiev, placing another rebel leader, Gheorghe, on the throne. But finally, in 1920, Kiev fell to the Catalaunians after a lengthy siege, and Nicholas now "solved" the Kievian problem by completely destroying the city, flooding it and deporting or killing its entire population. He took all of its treasures, and the relics of its kings, back to Moscow, and proclaimed the abolition of the Kievian monarchy, incorporating its territories directly into Catalaunia.

During 1920 and 1921, Nicholas attacked Romania, the Daghestani, and Bulgaria, compelling the renewed subjection of these states and annexing the mouth of the Dniester, in Bessarabia. Finally, in 1922, the Turks were forced to sue for peace, and the Emperor returned to Moscow. During the last three years of his reign, he further embellished his capital cities and strengthened his country's infrastructure.

But in 1925, Nicholas's reign came to a violent end when he was assassinated at Peterhof by two of his middle sons, Yuri and Ivan. They had been angered by their father's passing over them, and naming their youngest brother, Gregory, as his heir apparent. Gregory, however, quickly asserted his position, defeated his brothers at Tver, and forced them to flee into exile to Norway, where they died the following year. Crowning himself Emperor in Moscow, Gregory then began a reconstruction of the city of Kiev, ordering for its reestablishment as a Catalaunian colony. He returned Kiev's treasures to their previous adobes, constructed dams to clear up the deluges, and built an elaborate series of military fortifications, establishing a new line of garrisons along the Dnieper.

The first military campaigns of Gregory were directed against the Chechens and the Daghestani in the Caucasus, who continued to defy his authority. After defeating them, Gregory was then forced, in 1927, to turn his attention to the Japanese, a new power which now appeared in Manchuria and Korea, and were threatening the Catalaunian possessions in the Upper Amur, Sakhalin, and the Kuril Islands under the direction of their ruler, the Meiji Emperor. Gregory defeated them near Harbin and annexed all of the Amur provinces down to the Amur River, where, on the Pacific coast, he founded the port of Vladivostok. The Japanese withdrew to Korea and Manchuria. He then defeated the rebellious Yakuts and Lamuts of Eastern Siberia as well, destroying many of their settlements.

The Bukharan emir Muhammad Alim, who had risen up against the Catalaunian Emperor, was defeated in 1929 and beheaded. The city of Bukhara was destroyed and rebuilt as the Catalaunian town of Kazalinsk. The population was deported to Siberia. Gregory rewarded the khan of Khiva, Sayid Abdullah, a loyal Catalaunian vassal, with Bukharan commercial routes and goods. In 1930, Gregory took the towns of Taskhent, Merv, and Samarkand in Eastern Turkestan. The Afghanis, the Tajiks under their king Emomali, and the Indians of the Khyber Northwest proved to be a nuisance as well. The Afghans, from Kabul and Herat, launched numerous raiding expeditions into Turkestan, and also harried Catalaunian economic activities along the eastern coast of the Caspian Sea. Gregory attacked the Afghans at Kandahar and then defeated their chieftain Ashraf Ghani, forcing him to pay tribute, to end the raids, and to allow Catalaunian troops to be stationed in the Khyber Pass. He then married one of his daughters, Maria, to King Emomali, who was compelled to pay tribute at Taskhent following a punitive expedition. Catalaunian forces also attacked the Khyber and Xinjang. Gregory established a number of military fortresses, outposts, and agricultural posts, including Verny, Akmolinsk, and Semipalatinsk, in order to consolidate the Catalaunian position in Turkestan further.

A certain Fuad had taken possession of Mosul and the regions around Lake Van, and associated himself with the emir of Diyabakir. Mosul was besieged in 1931, and Fuad was forced to end his alliance with Diyabakir and to pay tribute to Catalaunia. That same year, Kemal I of Turkey began a campaign against Kars, but was defeated by the Catalaunians, and died shortly thereafter. His brother Reccip restored peaceful relations with Catalaunia.

A preliminary campaign against Germany by Gregory was then launched (1932). Gregory also campaigned in the land of Tibet, besieging the city of Lhasa and forcing the Dali Lama to grant him commercial concessions. In 1933, he waged war against the United States under King Franklin II, who was attempting to colonize Kamchatka. The following year, Crown Prince Dmitry died. He had been the eldest son and designated heir to his father, while his younger brother Leonid was to rule as deputy King of Kiev. Now, the younger Constantine became Crown Prince, with the Emperor compelling all of his subjects to swear an oath of allegiance to him. Constantine was unpopular with the court and nobility, and his brother Leonid conspired against him.

In 1935, Gregory went to war with Kaiser Wilhelm III of Germany. Part of his military forces were detached to suppress rebellions at Riga, Reval, and Narva. The remainder went westwards to Lodz, then crossed the Vistula River, and entered Germany. That summer, he took Berlin, and Wilhelm fled to Dusseldorf. Gregory now called himself "king of Brandenburg, Silesia, and Pomerania", and returned with captives, goods, and equipment from the cities of the German Marsh. He then erected a victory stele in St. Petersburg, and paraded Wilhelm's son, Prince Frederick, as a prisoner through the streets. But Gregory now had to contend with court intrigues in St. Petersburg that led to the execution of several nobles, and was then confronted with a rebellion in Germany. He now dispatched his general Prince Mikhail Gorbachev to suppress the troubles in the March of Brandenburg. In 1938, he went personally to Germany, but suddenly died in October of the same year, in Sczhezin.

He was now succeeded to the throne of Catalaunia by Constantine, who became Constantine III. Leonid now became deputy King of Kiev, under his brother's overall suzerainty. Constantine quickly became a very popular monarch with his subjects, and was known for his policies of toleration and restoration towards them. He permitted many subject peoples, such as the Tatars, Baskhirs, Kalmyks, Kirghiz, Ostyaks, Samoyeds, Livonians, Romanians, and Kazakhs to return to their native countries, issued edicts of religious freedom, and protected properties from unjust seizure. He conducted extensive architectural, technological, and other projects throughout his dominions, and, in his effort to keep his subjects happy, introduced an extensive pensions, health insurance, and economic protections system. He promoted business, established numerous colonies and settlements throughout his dominions, encouraged immigration, and exploited the mineral and energy resources of his dominions. During his reign, Catalaunia was to become the world's largest economy, its chief exporter of oil and natural gas, and one of its leading exporters of gold, silver, copper, zinc, and diamonds. It also became an economic powerhouse, the leading metallurgical producer, and a dominant factor in the textiles, military hardware, and electronics markets.

Yet from the onset, Constantine was handed his father's war against Germany. In 1939, he dispatched an army against them that defeated the German Kaiser Wilhelm III near Dresden, while Constantine stayed at his capitals in Moscow and St. Petersburg. At this time, some German vassals in Pomerania and Mecklenburg rebelled and were also defeated. All of the vanquished leaders save one were sent to Moscow. The Governor of Hamburg, Otto von Bismarck, was able to convince the Catalaunians of his loyalty, and was installed on the throne of Germany as a vassal of the Empire. After the death of Wilhelm in 1942, his nephew and successor Hermann invaded Brandenburg and took control of Potsdam. In Magdeburg, he defeated the royalist German armies, and Otto himself was killed. Another army was sent by Constantine and again the Catalaunians defeated the Germans. Hermann was captured at Kiel, bound in chains, and deported to Siberia, where he died in 1946. After this, Germany was secure. Constantine now installed Otto's son, Helmut, on the throne of Germany, but annexed all German territories east of the Oder, including Sczhezin. He maintained diplomatic garrisons in Frankfurt, Potsdam, Magdeburg, Dresden, Munnich, Berlin, Dortmund, Dusseldorf, Cologne, and Passau, and retained the right of military passage through German territory. Helmut, who ruled Germany until his death in 1990, remained a loyal Catalaunian vassal to the end of his reign.

In 1944, Turkey, now under the rule of Ismet I, attacked the Crimea and Kiev by surprise. Constantine, after completing the extension of Catalaunian rule over all of Kamchatka, then launched a vigorous counteroffensive, defeating the Turks and hurling them back across the Black Sea. The following year, in April 1945, Ismet died, and the throne was usurped by Prince Cemal, who was not the legitimate heir. Many Turkish princes, including Ismet's son, Prince Kenan, fled to Constantine's court in Moscow. During 1946 and 1947, Constantine consolidated Catalaunian authority over Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands, deposing all of the remaining Ainu Kings and imposing Catalaunian authorities in those territories. In 1948, he renewed war with Turkey, and inflicted a crushing defeat upon them in the Battle of Edirne. Cemal committed suicide shortly after the battle. The Catalaunian Emperor then installed Husamettin as Sultan in Istanbul, and Suleyman Demirel as King of Ankara and Konya. Turkey now became a Catalaunian vassal. Constantine then suppressed a rebellion in Daghestan, and terminated the independence of the native chieftains, having them all knouted, branded, and deported to Siberia. The Emperor also had Cemal's head cut off from his body and displayed in triumph through central Catalaunia. From 1949 to 1952, Constantine focused on campaigns in the far east of Siberia, defeating the native Koryak and Chuckii tribes, and establishing the port of Anadyrsk on the Bering Strait.

Friction, however, grew between Constantine and Leonid, and in 1953, Kiev rebelled. But Kiev was not alone, and now allied itself with a host of states and peoples resentful of Catalaunian dominance, including the Circassians, Chechens, and Daghestani in the Caucacus, the Khanates of Khiva, Kokand, and Tajikstan in Turkestan, the Finns, Lapps, and Estonians in Finland and around the Baltic Sea, and even Turkey. During the course of the next four years, Constantine waged war on all frontiers. In 1957, Kiev and Poltava were seized, Leonid himself captured and executed, and the rebellion in Kievia suppressed. Constantine now abolished all remaining semblances of Kievan independence, and completed its final incorporation into the Catalaunian Empire. He then ruthlessly suppressed the rebellions in the Caucacus, and then marched into Central Asia, determined to wipe the remaining vassals there off the map. By 1962, Khiva, Kokand, and Tajikstan had all been subjugated, and were annexed directly into the Empire. Constantine then suppressed the rebellion in the Baltic, inflicting severe damage on Riga, Reval (now renamed to Talinin), and Helinski, deporting many Finns, Estonians, and Lapps to Siberia.

In 1964, determined to terminate the threat of Turkey, Constantine launched a final invasion. During the course of the next two years, Catalaunian armies conquered Bursa, Edirne, Konya, Izmir, Sinop, Trabzon, Diyabakir, and Tarsus. Finally, in June 1966, Istanbul fell, and the last Sultan of Turkey, the rebel Ahmed Nehcdet, was deposed from his throne. Turkey was now incorporated into the Catalaunian Empire. In 1967 and 1968, Constantine formalized the establishment of Catalaunian satellite states in Bulgaria, Serbia, Montenegro, Albania, Bohemia, Hungary, and Romania, all of which now formed a defensive buffer for the Empire, extending into the Balkans. In 1969, he conquered the New Siberian Islands; four years later, in 1973, the Catalaunians colonized Severnaya Zemyla. In 1975, Catalaunia seized the island of Svalbard from Norway. And then, in 1976 and 1977, Catalaunia and America were again at war; Constantine crossed the Bering Strait, swept through the Aleutian Islands, and landed at the city of Anchorage, destroying its fortifications and driving American troops from it. As a result of this conflict, King James IV of America was forced to concede the Aleutians to Catalaunia, and to pay tribute.

Finally, in January 1978, Constantine III died, having consolidated the Catalaunian Empire's place as the world's leading power. He was succeeded by his son, who became Stanislav II. Stanislav was challenged by his brother, Prince Boris, but after a brief conflict, defeated and executed him in 1980. During Stanislav's eight-year reign, Catalaunia conducted further campaigns in Iraq, Iran (Persia, renamed in 1935), Afghanistan, and in Mongolia, in order to consolidate its territorial boundaries. Mosul and Kurdistan were annexed in 1982, Mongolia in 1983, and Gilan in 1985. Stanislav II died in October 1986 and was succeeded by his cousin Ivan VI. Ivan's rule saw the final territorial expansion of the Catalaunian Empire, with the annexations of Alaska (1989) from America; Manchuria (1992), from China, and Poland, including Minsk, the remainder of Lithuania, and Galicia (1995). In 1987, Catalaunia created the Moscow Pact, into which Sweden, Norway, Germany, Denmark, Bohemia, Austria, Hungary, Croatia, Bosnia, Serbia, Albania, Montenegro, Romania, Bulgaria, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Japan were all drawn in, as subordinate partners to the Empire. The following year, Ivan suppressed a series of rebellions in Southern Turkestan. In 1990, Catalaunia claimed the island of Wrangel, thereby finally completing the centuries-long conquest and annexation of Siberia. In 1993-94, defeated the Chechnyan rebel leader Dzkhokhar Dudayev, leveling the city of Grozny. Dudayev was executed in Omsk in April 1996. In November 1996, Ivan VI died, and was succeeded by his son, who became Anatoly I. He was crowned Emperor of Catalaunia in April 1997, and was to rule until his death in January 2025.