The Eighteenth Century, Part II: 1725-1750

This blog is meant as a collection and summary of concepts and ideas developed by me for the eighteenth century AH in the Laurasian Empire, that galactic empire which has been the focus of my General History of Laurasia projects and to which I have expended much effort. In this article is included a timeline, summarizing the wars and territorial expansions of the Laurasian Empire in the eighteenth century; the monarchs, both of the Laurasian Empire's neighbors and enemies, and of the Laurasian Empire itself, who ruled during that century; and the prominent nobles, office-holders, personages, etc. of the century and their lifespans along with other facts of note about them. Revolts, political and governmental reforms, and other such policies during the eighteenth century are also to be noted in this blog, as well as lists of coronations, empresses consort, and so on and so forth.

This covers the first half of the eighteenth century. For the first part of the second half, see The Eighteenth Century, Part II: 1750-1780.

=The Eighteenth Century (1701-1800)= The eighteenth century in the Hyperdrive Era calendar system was the century which commenced on January 1, 1701, and ended on December 31, 1800. During the eighteenth century, the position of the Laurasian Empire was further strengthened and firmly consolidated, as it finally established itself as the sole government of not just the Caladarian Galaxy, but of the Angelina Spiral and Great Tesmanian Cloud. For the entirety of the century, the Laurasian Empire was governed by the Neuchrian Dynasty, and of this dynasty there was three outstanding sovereigns: Neuchrus I the Reformer (1685-1709), Antigonus III the Extravagant (1709-1747), and Aurelia I the Great (1758-1803). Each monarch was distinctive in their own manner. Neuchrus was a parsimonious, calculating, scheming monarch who masked many of his opinions from others and drew a cloak of secrecy around his major policies. He was also a ruthless, ambitious, and determined monarch who sought to strengthen the Laurasian position at the expense of its enemies and to reorganize the Laurasian Empire's government, economy, and society in the wake of the Crisis of the Seventeenth Century. Antigonus was handsome, athletic, and energetic, although for most of the first half of his reign, he delegated the duties of governance to others. Harsh, autocratic, and feared by his subjects, this Emperor was nevertheless determined to continue his father's work and to establish the Laurasian Empire as the preeminent galactic power with no rival. He also pursued policies of centralization and religious conformity, striking harshly against those whom he perceived to be his opponents. His daughter, Aurelia I the Great, the second-longest reigning monarch in Laurasian history, inherited traits from both her father and grandfather. Known for her great beauty and intelligence, she was as shrewd, calculating, and determined as her grandfather had been, and as autocratic, controlling, and lavish as her father had been. The Empress believed that it was the Laurasian Empire's destiny to rule, and she was determined to incorporate territories controlled by the Dejaniks, Scotrrians, Marasharites, and Haynsians, at which tasks she succeeded.

The eighteenth century was marked by two different spheres: that of foreign affairs and of war, and that of the domestic occurrences and courtly ventures within the Empire's territory. At the beginning of the eighteenth century, the Laurasian Empire was undoubtedly the predominant power in the Caladarian Galaxy. In 1701, the Empire's dominions encompassed about 60% of the Caladarian Galaxy. It extended from Belkadan and the former territories of the old Dasian Heartland, along the northern edges of the Outer Borderlands, all the way across to the Hutsite Reaches, Nicole, Redia, and the Wild Marshes in the galaxy's southern quadrant. Over forty million inhabited star systems acknowledged the authority of the Imperial Laurasian Government, and the Empire's reach could be felt in all star systems by means of its common currency, military garrisons, uniform legal and educational systems, enormous bureaucracy, wealthy and influential nobility and gentry, and large, prosperous clergy. Emperors from the time of Antigonus the Conqueror had claimed the title "Emperor and Lord of All the Galaxy", but in 1701, this was still not true. The Vectorian Empire, a bitter enemy of the Laurasian Empire since early in the seventeenth century, still controlled Arachosia Suprema, Rhedita, Alexandria, Nagai, and Sassi-ruukia in the southern Galactic Borderlands. The Celestial Kingdom of Scotrria dominated the Western Districts of the Angelina Spiral, with its capital of Ediania, and also held sway over Kalbacha, Rasdalla, Cania, and portions of Rogeria and Lavella. The Honorable Commonwealth of the Dejaniks controlled Lavella and the Galactic Barrier. It was the formal overlord of the Duchy of Northania and Semigallia in the Great Tesmanian Cloud (and had been so since 1561), and wielded direct authority over the the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Tesmanian Dejanica, Belarania, and the Ukraine. The Marasharite Empire, the most imposing of the Laurasian Empire's neighbor-states at the beginning of the eighteenth century, dominated the Tof Districts, the Illumite Approaches, the Muggal Cluster, the Northern Reaches, Billy, Donna, Latrice, and the Ochanian Provinces of the Great Tesmanian Cloud. It was the formal overlord of the Haynsian Despotate, having held that status since 1578. The Despotate itself, founded in 1441, constantly harried Laurasian colonies along the Galactic Frontier Route and in the Dasian Heartland, with the encouragement of its suzerain. It had also threatened the Dejaniks, Scotrrians, and Vectorians. The Imperial Laurasian Government was forced to maintain an extensive chain of outposts, intelligence relays, minefields, and other defense installations along its northern outskirts in order to defend against Haynsian attacks. Besides these immediate neighbors were the powers of the Amulak Spiral, with whom Laurasia was able to conduct relations. From this galaxy originated both the Dejaniks and Marasharites, whose major capital star systems were located in that galaxy. Franconia, engaged in bitter wars with Spamalka and Austarlia for the majority of the century, as well as those two powers and Pruthia, also figured into Laurasian calculations. By the end of the century, after wars with the Vectorians (1702-1705) and (1710-1711); the Dejaniks (1706-1708, 1733-1735, 1768-1772, 1792, 1794); the Marasharites and Haynsians (1714-1716, 1723-1725, 1735-1739, 1768-1774, 1787-1792); the Scotrrians (1713-1714, 1741-1743, 1743-1750, 1759-1760,1779); Franconia (1711-1714; 1723-1725; 1744-1746; 1757-1759; 1762-1763); and Spamalka (1787-1794, 1795-1798), the Laurasian Empire had acquired the whole of the Galactic Borderlands, from the Galactic Frontier Route and Nicole all the way to Lavella, the Northern Reaches, and the Galactic Barrier, as well as both of the satellite galaxies. Its power had been greatly strengthened, and it had found allies in Franconia, Austarlia, Portugallia, Morocco, and Durthia to counterbalance Spamalka and the Marasharite Empire. The Scottrians, Haynsians, and Vectorians were overwhelmed and incorporated completely into the Laurasian Empire, with the Dejanik Commonwealth being partitioned (the greater bulk going to Laurasia, that is, all Dejanik territories outside of the Amulak Spiral) and the Marasharites losing their non-Amulak territories to the Laurasian Empire as well.

As regards to domestic affairs, the Empire was, as stated above, under the rule of the Neuchrian Dynasty for the entire century. The Neuchrian sovereigns were autocratic, vigorous, intelligent, and cunning, able to rule over their dominions with an iron grip. Neuchrus the Reformer's last years were mostly peaceful, although the Emperor's family was marred with personal tragedy by the deaths of his wife and eldest son. Antigonus III the Extravagant, on the other hand, had six marriages and dealt with his nobility, complete reformation of the religious organization of the Almitian Church, and three major uprisings against his authority. Demetrius II the Boy Emperor's reign was marked by the culmination of his father's religious reforms and by further violent uprisings against the Imperial Government; that of Didymeia, with the Wyatta Rebellion and her Counter-Reformation, leading to a conservative hardening of Laurasian morals and the deaths of hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of Reformist Almitians. Aurelia the Great's reign was the most eventful of it all. Her reign was the Golden Age of the Laurasian Empire, with unprecedented economic prosperity, cultural renaissance, military strength, and governmental efficiency. The Empress's religious, legal, educational, and administrative reforms strengthened the Empire's government immeasurably, although she was faced with the conspiracies surrounding former Scotrrian Queen Mariana (the Ridolfius Plot, the Thorckmortonia Plot, and the Babinigtia Plot), two major uprisings (the Malarian Rebellion and Pugachevia's Rebellion), and the question of her marriage, alongside innumerable indiscretions, affairs, and plots in the Imperial Court. By the end of the century, the Laurasian Empire ruled sixty-nine million star systems with a population of some one hundred quadrillion individuals, had an unemployment rate of 4%, inflation rate of 3%, and high levels of income equality, educational parity, industrial productivity, and standards of living.

1701

 * January 1-
 * The eighteenth century formally commenced at 12:00 AM Galactic Standard Time, on January 1, 1701. The commencement of the eighteenth century was, according to contemporary accounts, greeted with much "joy, exaltation, and praise, either to the Lord Almitis or to the gods of the respective species", that all had lived to see another century of the Age of Almitis, and of the Hyperspace Era. In light of what had occurred during the previous century, this joy seemed to be very relevant. The seventeenth century (1601-1700) had witnessed the Laurasian Empire acquiring territories in the northern Outer Borderlands and in the Barsar Regions. Much of that same century, however, had been dominated by economic, civil, and external conflict. After the deposition of the Severan Dynasty in March 1635, the Empire had experienced the fifty-year long Crisis of the Seventeenth Century, which had seen dynasty after dynasty, emperor after emperor, struggle for supremacy over the state. It had contended with many rivals, including the Marasharite Empire (and its vassal-state, the Haynsian Despotate), the Vectorian Empire, the Celestial Kingdom of Scottria, and the Dejanican-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Neuchrus the Reformer's accession in August 1685, however, had witnessed the return of stability and tranquility to the Empire's realms, and he implemented a extensive series of reforms to the Laurasian administrative, financial, military, and cultural structure. His reign had seen the Empire resume its upwards trajectory in territorial expansion; nevertheless, all had awaited the arrival of the eighteenth century with much hope and consideration for the future. Throughout the Empire, various festivities and ceremonies were held on the night of December 31, 1700-January 1, 1701, to mark the commencement of the new century. The traditional Christiania Ball-Drop, a tradition which had commenced in AH 1407 (during the reign of Demetrius the Fat), and had continued for nearly three centuries (with the exceptions of 1469, 1638, 1651-53, and 1660-67), occurred, with massive throngs gathered in the streets and plazas of Christiania to ring in the new century.
 * On Venasia Prime, the traditional Ceremonies of Matriarchal Blessings were conducted, so as to confer the collective good-will of the Venasian species upon the new century; the Horacians engaged in a Parade of Valor, the Murphians in their Festival of Good Times, and the Donguarians in their Bakalang (assembly) of celebration. The Christiania Times, one of the preeminent publications in the Empire, included a special commemorative article about the commencement of the century, with the heading "The Century is Dead! Long live the Century!" Emperor Neuchrus himself, in his New Year's proclamation to his subjects, offered his especial thanks that the Laurasian people had been preserved through all of the travails of the seventeenth century, and that the Empire had emerged stronger than before. In his proclamation, he declared that "the subjects of this Empire have demonstrated endurance, energy, vigor, and determination. We have seen the rules of tyrants and of fiends; of pretenders; of the incompetent, and of the ignorant. We have seen what the perils of civil and social conflict can do to a civilized state. But we have also learned, and we have persevered through all of our challenges, looking forward to the glorious future. In this new century, this Empire, of our ancestors, will continue to expand and mature; it will encounter challenges, but it will overcome them." This is the fourth time under the aegis of the Laurasian Empire, the eighth time in the 2nd millennium AH, the eleventh time under the unified Laurasian Monarchy, and the sixteenth time overall, since the implementation of the Hyperdrive Era system, that the commencement of a new century is celebrated.
 * January 22-Future Empress Consort Anna Boleyenia, the second wife of Antigonus III the Extravagant, is born at Boleyenia Family Mansion in the city of Tellavastis, Fulcania, Laurasian Purse Region, Laurasian Empire. She is the third and youngest child of Sir Thomasius Boleyenia and his wife, Lady Aurelia Howardis, daughter of Thomasius Howardis, the Duke of Norfolkius (then Earl of Soria) and Lord Treasurer of the Laurasian Empire (1701-1722).
 * January 27-Death of Thomasius Langatonia, who had been the chaplain of Emperor Probus (1677-82); Treasurer of Christiania (1678-85); Bishop of Quencania City (1683-85); Archbishop of Colombia (1685-93); and Archbishop of Winchestrius (1693-1701). Langatonia, who had been consecrated into the Almitian Church in 1647, upon his graduation from the Eccleasticial College of St. Antigenes on Oxia Vixius, had been named by Emperor Neuchrus as the new Chief Procurator of the Holy Synod just four days before his death. The previous Chief Procurator, Cardinal Demetrius Mortonia of the Clancian Provinces, had died on September 15, 1700 at Conservan. As a result of Langatonia's death, Emperor Neuchrus now designated Ulysses Drevich, Archbishop of Colombia since January 8, 1700, as the new Chief Procurator. Drevich was formally sworn in as Procurator on April 26, 1701.
 * September 20-Death of Agostino Barbarigo, Doge of the Haxonian Confederacy. He had ruled since 1686 and was the oldest living monarch in extra-galactic civilization (81 years old) at the time of his death. Barbarigo's tenure had witnessed the Great Marasharite War, and the Haxonian Confederacy's seizure of the Morea and the Ionian Systems from the Marasharite Empire (1699). Barbarigo is succeeded as Doge by the Haxonian Senator and nobleman Leonardo Loredan (then aged sixty-four), who is crowned on October 2.
 * October 2-Katharina, Princess of Shenandoah, arrives at Laurasia Prime for her formal betrothal ceremony to Grand Prince Craterus, eldest child and heir of the Emperor Neuchrus.
 * November 14-The marriage of 16-year old Princess Katharina and 15-year old Grand Prince Craterus at the Westphalian Cathedral; the ceremony is presided over by Chief Procurator Ulysses Drevich.

1702

 * January 24-Treaty of Perpetual Peace (also known as Treaty of Almastead) signed between Laurasian Emperor Neuchrus I the Reformer and the King of Scottria, Jamsius IV (1688-1713). This treaty was part of the marriage negotiations between the two sovereigns (of Neuchrus's daughter Constantia to the King of Scottria) and was also intended to bring an end to the century-long hostilities between the two realms. The Laurasians and Scottrians had been fierce adversaries throughout the seventeenth century, and their most recent war had been in 1697, which had ended in the status quo ante bellum.
 * March 8-Death of King Wildar I of the Vendragian Confederacy, who had ruled since his accession to the throne in 1689. Because he was childless, Wildar is succeeded by his sister-in-law, who becomes Queen Annavia of Vendragia and Irvania.
 * April 2-Death of Grand Prince Craterus, eldest child and heir apparent of the Emperor Neuchrus, at Ludalian Castle on Hannis. The Grand Prince had fallen sick with Soplaies disease (which would eventually be eradicated by Laurasian medical authorities in 1779) and his already weak constitution was unable to withstand the stresses thus imposed. His parents, Emperor Neuchrus and Empress Aurelia Zemakala, are both devastated; as a result, they now try to conceive a second child. They will succeed, and the Empress Consort will become pregnant in June 1702. Neuchrus's second son, Antigonus, now became heir apparent to his father (he would become Grand Prince in October 1702).
 * April 12-The Haynsian Despot Neal IV Karany, who had ruled since 1699, is deposed for the first time from the Haynsian throne by Emperor Chomqat II. The Despot had incurred the Emperor’s displeasure following the conclusion of the Great Marasharite War in 1699. Neal’s efforts to assemble squadrons, at Perekop, Quinta-il-Vily, Karasbusar, and in the Brigoff Star Nebula, for potential military expeditions into the territory of the Laurasian Empire, had earned the alarm of the Emperor and his court. Neal IV was succeeded to the Haynsian throne by his father, Jay IX Karany (who had reigned previously in 1671-78, 1684-91, and 1692-99), restored to the Haynsian throne by the actions of the Emperor. Jay IX was seventy-one years old when he resumed his position as Despot.
 * May 6-Nicephoeus Tyrallis is executed at the Fortress of Baureux for engineering the harebrained Tyrallis Plot.
 * June 11-Declaration of war by Emperor Neuchrus against the Vectorian Empire. Beginning of the first war for the Laurasian Empire in the eighteenth century.
 * June 19-23-Laurasian victory in the Battle of Nicola.
 * June 22-Dolmes is conquered by a Laurasian expeditionary force.
 * July 14-Birth of the future governess of the Empress Aurelia (and later, her first Chief Gentlewoman of the Privy Chamber and Mistress of the Robes), Katharina Ashleius. She is the daughter of Sir Antiochus Chapeweronis of Capital (died 1703) and his wife Constantia Courthanay (died 1704).
 * August 9-September 11-Vectorian counteroffensives against the Durant Cluster, Hemkura, Hospallia, Lesia Major, and Anastasia repelled by Laurasian forces.
 * December 9-Siege of Francia ends in victory for the Laurasian Empire.

1703

 * February 11-Death of Empress Consort Aurelia Zemakala shortly after giving birth to a daughter, Grand Princess Katharina. The Empress Consort died from complications of Marsian fever, that dreaded bane of diseases whose most vulnerable victims were pregnant women and those in childbirth. Neuchrus was devastated by his wife's death, and ordered for bells to be rung on the anniversary of her death every year until the end of his reign. The Emperor fell violently ill in April 1703, however, months after his wife's death, and for a time his own life was despaired of. He ultimately recovered, but was ravaged by his illness and was saddled with poor health afterwards.
 * February 16-Laurasian victory in the Battle of Camrania, and complete annihilation of the opposing Vectorian force.
 * February 17-Death of Ulysses Drevich, Chief Procurator of the Holy Synod, at Lambathian Palace in Christiania, Laurasia Prime. He was sixty-three years old. On November 29, the Emperor Neuchrus will appoint the Archbishop of Caladaria, Willanius Warhamius, as the new Chief Procurator of the Holy Synod. Warhamius will become the longest-serving Chief Procurator of the eighteenth century, and will serve for nearly twenty-nine years. Warhamius is also appointed as Procurator-General of the Governing Senate, a position he will hold until December 1715.
 * February 25-Funeral of Empress Consort Aurelia Zemakala; she is entombed in the Westphalian Cathedral.
 * February 29-Skyriver seized by Laurasian forces.
 * March 5-Grand Princess Katharina dies in an accident at the Quencilvanian Palace. This sends her father further into depression.
 * March 19-Intenti conquered by the Laurasian Empire.
 * April 5-September 13-Laurasian forces overrun So'thirta, Clathmore, Mercia, Anglia, and Gwneth.
 * June 23-Grand Prince Antigonus is engaged to Princess Katharina of Shenandoah, the widow of Grand Prince Craterus.
 * July 2-Grand Princess Constantia departs in a formal procession from Laurasia Prime to begin her journey to Ediania, to marry King Jamsius IV.
 * August 8-Marriage of Grand Princess Constantia and King Jamsius IV of Scottria at Holdarnia House on Ediania.
 * August 22-Marasharite Emperor Chomqat II is deposed from the Marasharite throne by a uprising of the Elitist Guards, in favor of (and on the instigation) of the Emperor's younger brother, Ahmed, who becomes Ahmed III.
 * October 9-Death of the Vectorian Emperor Ashurnasirpal II Adak, who had ruled since his accession to the throne in 1699. Ashurnasirpal died from the rare Begoures disease, which had become a major epidemic in the Galactic Borderlands during the seventeenth century. He is succeeded to the Vectorian throne by his brother, who becomes Davakhum II Adak of Vectoria.
 * December 26-The Holy Synod, on the Emperor Neuchrus's command, declares that the marriage of Katharina of Shenandoah and Craterus had not been consummated, and that she was free to marry the deceased Prince's younger brother.

1704

 * January 8-Death of Chomqat II at Tastanbul, who had been deposed the previous year by his brother Ahmat.
 * January 11-February 13-Laurasian forces storm the Gate Solarian Cluster.
 * March 29-Battle of Arachosia Prime, resulting in Laurasian conquest of the world.
 * August 6-Birth of Amnystas Parsius, future Chief Procurator of the Holy Synod (1759-75) under the Empress Aurelia the Great. Parsius is born on Kigonia to Willanius Parsius, a shipwright and dockyard worker (died 1716), and his wife Aedila Montaria (died 1729).
 * September 19-Death of the Haynsian Despot Jay IX Karany, who had reigned four times since 1671. He was seventy-three years old at the time of his death. Marasharite Emperor Ahmed III elevated the Despot’s second son, Sophi, to the Haynsian throne as Sophi III Karany.
 * November 24-Death of Spamalkan Empress Fresia I, who had been friendly to the Laurasian Empire and had ruled since 1674. Her husband Fe'ro II remains Emperor, but his son-in-law Philivus is proclaimed co-monarch and heir apparent to the Spamalkan throne, in right of his wife, Joaha.
 * December 5-Laurasian conquest of Ompus Septimia and expeditions against the Galactic Barrier lead the Vectorian Council of Supreme Regents to sue for peace with the Imperial Laurasian Government. A truce is proclaimed on December 14.

1705

 * February 26-The Treaty of Sejucia is signed by the Laurasian and Vectorian Empires, resulting in the Laurasian acquisition of the Gate Solarian Cluster, Arachosia Prime, Dolmes, Nagosh, Francia, Intenti, Mercia, Angelia, Camerania, Sassi-ruuk, and other strongholds in the Southern Galactic Borderlands. The Vectorians are compelled to compensate the Laurasian Government for military expenses; to permit Laurasian commercial and transit rights in Vectorian territory; and to allow the Laurasian Government to establish an embassy on Vector Prime to supervise its interests in the remaining Vectorian territories.
 * March 5-Treaty of Sejucia ratified by Emperor Neuchrus.
 * May 5-Death of Austarlian Emperor Lea'dus I, who had ruled since 1657. The senior monarch at the time of his death, he is succeeded by his son Joseth I.
 * May 11-Foundation of the University of Tudoria by the Emperor Neuchrus's mother, Grand Princess Margarina Beaufatia.
 * June 27-Repudiation of marriage contract between Grand Prince Antigonus and Princess Katharina, as the Emperor Neuchrus had lost interest in his former daughter-in-law.
 * October 27-Death of the Grand Duke of Masacavania, Ivan III the Great, who had ruled since 1662. Ivan had established the independence of the Grand Duchy of Masacavania from the overlordship of the Breffal Federation in 1680, and had succeeded Lea'dus I of Austarlia as senior monarch upon the latter's death five months earlier. Ivan is now succeeded as senior monarch by Spamalkan Emperor Fe'ro II, who ruled jointly with his son-in-law Philivus of Durthia. The Laurasian Empire will not have diplomatic relations with the Grand Duchy of Masacavania until 1757, during the reign of Ivan III's great-grandson, Ivan IV.
 * November 2-Death of Tetricus, the last Emperor of the breakaway Samanthan Empire, on Chobania. He was seventy-eight years old at the time of his death. Tetricus had been defeated by the Emperor Aurelian the Savior (1670-75) in 1674, and had yet been spared from punishment and death at his hands. Granted estates on Samantha, Goni, Gardiner, Leo's Redoubt, Reading, Breha, Nanking, and Christopher, he had remained in peaceful retirement in the Barsar Regions. The Emperor Neuchrus I ordered for him to be buried with state honors at the Cathedral of St. Antoninus the Prior on Goni on November 21.

1706

 * January 25-Laurasian Empire declares war against the Dejanik Commonwealth, which had, over the previous two years, launched continued raiding expeditions against Kelvania, Angelica, Kanjur, Huerta Mongol, Hypasia Major, Song Dhu, and other strongholds in the Wild Marshes Districts.
 * February 12-A Laurasian force conquers Mons Bathocius, a major Dejanik base in the northern Galactic Borderlands.
 * March 24-Death of Dejanican King Callaganius II, who had ruled since 1696. He is succeeded by his son Mersius V (the last occurrence of hereditary succession in the history of the Dejanican Commonwealth). Mersius, however, refuses to make peace with the Laurasian Empire.
 * April 9-12-Battle of Tima, resulting in a victory for Laurasian forces under the Earl of Soria.
 * June 24-The Laurasian Empire storms Outposts K 94-139 and drives to Lavella Minor.
 * September 25-Death of Philivus I, Grand Duke of Durthia, co-ruler and heir apparent to Fe'ro II of Spamalka. His wife Joaha now is sole heiress apparent to her father, and is ultimately designated co-ruler of Spamalka and Durthia on October 9.
 * December 6-Lavella Minor conquered by a Laurasian expeditionary force.

1707

 * January 14-Death of the Haynsian Despot Sophi III Karany, who had ruled since 1704. He is now succeeded to the Haynsian throne by his younger brother, the Haynsian Martial-General Kaplan, who became Qaplan-Empi I of the Despotate. He was confirmed in his new position by the Marasharite Emperor Ahmad III.
 * February 5-Birth of Sir Rudomentus Sadielus, several times Assistant Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, and one of the most prominent officials in the Imperial Laurasian Government through the reigns of Antigonus III, Demetrius II, Didymeia I, and Aurelia I. Born on Clackimaris, he is the eldest son of Sir Antigonus Sadielus, a minor official in the service of the Marquess of Doracia, and his wife, Lady Olympia Reserania of Tarravania.
 * July 15-November 7-Lavella Major besieged by Laurasian forces. Although the world resists fiercely, it eventually falls on November 7.

1708

 * January 25-The Dejanik stronghold of Mir is stormed by forces of the Laurasian Empire under the command of the Earl of Soria and General Antiochus Rumanstevius (father of General Demetrius Rumanstevius, one of the most famous military commanders of Aurelia the Great's reign). The loss of Mir is a great blow to the Dejanik Commonwealth.
 * February 6-Laurasian forces terminate all Dejanik raids into the Wild Marshes by conquering the Dejanik stronghold of Alex Grassia.
 * March 9-Dejanik King Mersius V sues for peace with the Laurasian Empire, sending a communique to Emperor Neuchrus and the Imperial Laurasian Government asking for peace negotiations. A armistice is proclaimed three days later.
 * April 4-Conference opened between the Laurasian Empire and the Dejanik Commonwealth at Szembslikia, a Dejanik industrial world in the outskirts of the Province of Belarania, in the Great Tesmanian Cloud.
 * April 25-The Lady Theodora Seymouris, destined to become the third wife and Empress Consort of Antigonus the Extravagant, is born at Wulfhall Estate in the Forests of Drevanshia, Volta, Laurasian Purse Region, Laurasian Empire. She is the seventh child and first daughter of Sir Damasias Seymouris of Volta (1674-1736) and his wife, Cornelia Kempesasia of Fulcania (1678-1750). Theodora's older brothers are Damasias Seymouris (1696-1710, died at the age of fourteen); Edwardis Seymouris, future Duke of Volta and Lord Protector of the Laurasian Empire (1700-1752); Sir Antigonus Seymouris (1703-1778), the only one of the Seymouris siblings to survive into the reign of Empress Aurelia the Great; Sir Thomasius Seymouris, Baron of Kendalia and future fourth husband of Empress-Consort Katharina Parsius (1706-1749); and Antontinus Seymouris (1707-1728). Theodora is baptized two days later by the Bishop of Volta, Scripio Caseronia.
 * May 21-Death of Giletus Daubeny, 1st Baron Daubeny and Imperial High Chamberlain of the Laurasian Empire. Daubeny, who had been born on June 1, 1651, was the son of Sir Willanius Daubeny and his wife Anna of Chancia. Daubeny had enrolled at the Imperial Military Academy of Laura in 1668, graduating with high honors four years later. By 1675, he had become an officer in the Imperial Auxilary Corps, and gained prominence for his service in the campaigns of Emperor Probus. Daubeny was knighted in January 1683; just four months later, however, his master Emperor Probus died, and his fortunes turned to the worse. He was forced to flee to Dejanican Lavella in March 1684, and was declared a traitor by Probus's brother and successor, Emperor Titus II the Cruel. In August 1685, upon acceding to the throne, Neuchrus I had reversed Daubeny's attainder and brought him back to the Imperial Court on Laurasia Prime. Daubeny was one of the members of the Laurasian Special Embassy to the court of the Austarlian Emperor Lea'dus I (1686); became a knight of the Imperial Garter (1687); and in 1688, became one of the Emperor's Personal Chamberlains. Daubeny then fought in the Emperor's Franconian War (1692), which was concluded by the Treaty of Etaples, and rose to the rank of Brigadier-General in the Imperial Laurasian Army. In February 1695, Daubeny became the Imperial High Chamberlain, reaching the height of his career. He continued to serve Neuchrus loyally during the next thirteen years, serving as one of the commissioners for the Treaties of Ayton (1698) and Almastead (1702). In 1703, he had become 1st Baron Daubeny. Daubeny's health had taken a turn for the worse from May 18, as he was riding with the Emperor at the Gilbertine Palace, and he died three days later. He was widely mourned at the Imperial Court, and given a ceremonial funeral at St. Giles' Cathedral on Tudoria (June 2, 1708). Daubeny was succeeded as Imperial High Chamberlain by Sir Argaeus Lyathia, Lord Herbetia (who became Earl of Herbetia in January 1714).
 * June 7-Treaty of Szembslikia is signed between the Laurasian Empire and the Commonwealth of the Dejaniks, bringing an end to the Expedition War of 1706-08. By the terms of the treaty, the Dejanik King Mersius V is acknowledged as ruler of the Commonwealth by the Laurasian Emperor Neuchrus the Reformer. Full diplomatic and economic relations are to be restored between the two governments. In return, Mersius agrees to outlaw any further raids by Dejanik military forces or nobility into the territories of the Laurasian Empire; to compensate Imperial Laurasian subjects whose interests or property had been damaged by Dejanik expeditions; and to permit Laurasian transit privileges through Dejanik territory. All Dejanik subjects in Laurasian territory were to have rights of petition to the Imperial Laurasian Government for redress of grievances and could only be tried if they violated Laurasian law in a "wanton and aggressive manner".
 * June 16-Treaty of Szembslikia is ratified by Emperor Neuchrus.
 * July 3-The Commonwealth Diet ratifies the Treaty of Szemslikia in the name of King Mersius V.
 * August 12-Birth of Lady Meguilla Parrius, who became the longest-serving servant of the Empress Aurelia the Great, Chief Gentlewoman of the Privy Chamber and Mistress of the Robes (1765-90). Her father is the future Comptroller of the Imperial Household, Sir Thomasius Parrius, and his wife Mania Verstheille (died 1780, aged 97).
 * October 9-Death of the Vectorian Emperor Davakhum II Adak, who had ruled since 1703. He is succeded to the throne by his son Adad-nirari II, who was only five years old at the time of his accession. As a result, the Vectorian Empire comes under the effective oversight of the young Emperor’s uncle, Shalameneser Adak, Chief Magistriate of the Vectorian High Council. Adak becomes High Regent.
 * December 8-Fransios I (1745-1765), the consort and co-Emperor of the Holy Austarlian Empire, alongside his wife Mar’va Tarvania, is born at Nancy in the Duchy of Lorraine. He is the oldest surviving son of Leopold Joseph, duke of Lorraine (1706-1726), and his wife Elisabeth Charlotte d’Orleans, who is a relative of the Franconian King Lujak XII.

1709

 * April 21-Neuchrus I the Reformer, Emperor and Autocrat of All the Laurasians since 1685, founder of the Neuchrian Dynasty, and reformer of the Laurasian Empire in the aftermath of the Crisis of the Seventeenth Century, dies at the age of 52 in the Royal Hospital Quarters, Quencilvanian Palace, Christiania, Laurasia Prime, Laurasian Empire. Over the preceding seven years, since the death of his beloved wife, Empress Consort Aurelia Zemakala, the Emperor's health had been in a severe decline. In the months and weeks before his death, he suffered a continual coughing bout and was unable to carry out many of the duties of state. Neuchrus's second son, Grand Prince Antigonus, who was just over two months shy of his 18th birthday, acceded to the throne, becoming Antigonus III. He nevertheless assumed absolute authority from the moment of his accession, as had been provided in his father's instructions. The new Emperor is handsome, athletic, and energetic, determined to put his mark on the Laurasian Empire and to continue with his father's program of centralization, administrative reorganization, and economic stabilization.
 * May 2-Funeral of Neuchrus the Reformer at the Westphalian Cathedral. The funeral is arranged by the Emperor's Mother, Grand Princess Margarina Beaufatia. As per the deceased Emperor's instructions, his body is entombed alongside that of his wife, Empress Consort Aurelia Zemakala, in the Crypt of Sovereigns.
 * May 19-Emperor Antigonus rescinds his repudiation of the marriage contract with Princess Katharina of Shenandoah and declares his intention to take her as his wife. In this he is encouraged by his grandmother, Grand Princess Margarina, who wished for her grandson to marry as soon as possible and to produce heirs to continue her son's dynasty.
 * June 11-The marriage of 17-year old Emperor Antigonus III and 23-year old Princess Katharina of Shenandoah takes place at St. Chalmer's Cathedral on Caladaria. Katharina thus becomes his first wife and Empress Consort, and will remain so longer than any of his other wives (24 years).
 * June 24-The joint coronation of Emperor Antigonus III and his wife, Empress Consort Katharina of Shenandoah, is held at the Westphalian Cathedral in Christiania, Laurasia Prime. As per Laurasian custom, the Emperor crowned himself with the Great Imperial Crown of the Laurasian Empire, and crowned his wife with the Smaller Imperial Crown. The festivities are lavish and among the most expensive in Laurasian history, exceeding the grandeur of any coronation since that of Commodus the Terrible, 129 years earlier. The Emperor's grandmother is the one responsible for staging the coronation festivities. Her health, however, has been in serious decline since the death of her only child, Emperor Neuchrus, and the day after the coronation, she suffers a stroke.
 * June 28-Emperor Antigonus III's 18th birthday.
 * June 29-Death of Grand Princess Margarina Beaufatia, the Emperor's Mother (of Neuchrus the Reformer). She was 66 years old. The Grand Princess dies in the Deanery of the Westphalian Cathedral, just over two months after the death of her son, five days after her grandson's coronation, and the day after his 18th birthday.
 * July 11-Funeral of Grand Princess Margarina Beaufatia at the Westphalian Cathedral. She is interred next to her son and daughter-in-law.
 * September 6-The Haynsian Despot Qaplan-Empi I Karany is deposed from the Haynsian throne by Marasharite Emperor Ahmad III. This occurred as a result of the failure of the Haynsian Despotate’s subjugation expedition against the Circassian Pirates of the Northern Territories, a campaign which had come to an end the previous year. Neal IV Karany, who had been in exile at Chesma in the Great Tesmanian Cloud, is restored to the Haynsian throne by Emperor Ahmad.

1710

 * January 31-Empress Consort Katharina of Shenandoah gives birth to a stillborn daughter at the Palace of Placenta on Darcia. This is the first of a succession of phantom pregnancies, miscarriages, and stillbirths, which will ruin the relations among the imperial couple and ultimately lead to the Emperor's courting of Anna Boleyenia many years later.
 * April 20-Comet Demosthena is visible from Laurasia Prime, making its first inner system visit of the eighteenth century. It had last appeared on November 16, 1635, during the reign of Maximinus I. It will next appear in February 1786, 76 years later (during the reign of Aurelia the Great).
 * August 17-Execution of Sir Edwardis Dudley (Secretary of the College of Finance 1691-1709) and Sir Ricomedius Parsonius (Chancellor of the Laurasian Empire 1695-1709), who had been the two leading ministers and financial advisers of the Emperor Neuchrus the Reformer. Antigonus had dismissed them from their positions and imprisoned them at the Fortress of Baureux within days of his accession to the throne. The Emperor had them held in prison for more than a year, and finally, on July 29, had signed their execution warrant, after their condemnation for treason and conspiracy by the Governing Senate. The men were used as scapegoats for the Emperor Neuchrus's financial policies. These are the first prominent executions of Antigonus the Extravagant's reign, and there will be many more to come.
 * October 9-Laurasian Empire launches an invasion of the remaining Vectorian dominions, in response to the assassination of Vectorian High Regent Shalmaneser Adak. Emperor Antigonus III claimed that this invasion was to protect Laurasian territorial integrity and political security in the Galactic Borderlands.

1711

 * January 1-Empress Consort Katharina, who had become pregnant with a second child in April 1710 after her stillborn birth, gives birth to her and the Emperor's first son, Grand Prince Antigonus. The Emperor Antigonus, who expresses much joy for his son's birth, orders all of his subjects to celebrate the birth and to exalt little Antigonus as his father's heir apparent and future successor. The Emperor immediately establishes a household for his new son on Charasia, and is determined to give him the most comfortable environment possible.
 * January 21-Death on Kippinghof of the Duke of Northania and Semigallia, Frederick William Kettler. The Duke, who had ruled since January 22, 1698, was only eighteen years old at the time of his death. He had been married to the Dejanican Princess Anna barely two months earlier. The death of Duke Kettler resulted in a vacancy on the Northanian throne. Anna, who now obtained support from the Dejanican King Mersius V and from the Laurasian Ambassador to the Dejanican Court, Sir Antigenes Byporius, was able to have herself elected Duchess of Northania and Semigallia by the Northanian Diet on February 5. She was formally crowned on February 11.
 * February 22-Grand Prince Antigonus of the Laurasian Empire, first surviving child of Emperor Antigonus and his wife Empress Consort Katharina, dies in a horrific starship accident near the Cron Drift, en route to his residence on Charasia. The boy's parents are devastated, and the Emperor orders for a period of mourning for his son.
 * March 1-Memorial service for Grand Prince Antigonus is held at the Westphalian Cathedral on Laurasia Prime.
 * April 9-Imperial Merchant Marine Academy of Laura established by charter of the Emperor Antigonus III.
 * April 17-Death of Austarlian Emperor Joseth I, who had reigned since 1705. Because he has no sons, he is succeeded by his younger brother, who becomes Char'vak V of Austarlia.
 * April 25-Vector Prime is conquered by the forces of the Laurasian Empire. Emperor Antigonus III declares the Vectorian Empire abolished and annexes its remaining territory into the Laurasian Empire. The Vectorian Council of Supreme Regents is disbanded and forced to acknowledge the cessation of Vectorian independence. By November, 1711, all Vectorian territory will be firmly under the rule of the Laurasian Empire, and reorganized into the Diocese of the Laurasian Galactic Borderlands. The last Vectorian Emperor, Adad-nirari Adak, is granted an imperial pension and provided his own household. He will reside on Arachosia Prime for the next seventy years, until his death in 1781.
 * November 9-Treaty of Christiania between the Laurasian and Spamalkan Empires: Emperor Antigonus III and Emperor Fe'ro II form a military alliance against King Lujak XII of Franconia.

1712

 * January 24-The future Pruthian Emperor Pru'a IX (1740-1786), destined to become a contemporary and erstwhile ally of the Laurasian Empress Aurelia the Great, is born at the Scholssen Palace on Berliania III, the capital world of the Pruthian Empire. The young Pru'a is the son of Crown Prince A'rua, heir-apparent to the Pruthian throne, and his wife, the Vendragian Princess Sophia Dorothea of Hanover. Pru'a's birth is welcomed by his grandfather, Mru'a I the Consolidator, who had already lost two of his grandsons previously. He will be baptized at the Citadel of Warhmatt on February 5.
 * April 11-Scottrian Queen Consort Constantia, sister of the Laurasian Emperor Antigonus III, gives birth to a son at Lithgalian Palace on Maralow, in the Angelina Spiral. Her previous three pregnancies had resulted in miscarriages, and this is her first successful birth. A joyous King Jamsius IV names his son Jamsius, as was expected. All of the Scottrian kings of the past century had been named Jamsius.
 * June 11-Expeditionary force dispatched by Emperor Antigonus to assist the Spamalkans in their operations in Franconian territory. The expeditionary force yields few results, however, and the Franconians retain their hold over the regions of Aquigania and Gasconia in the Little Amulak Cloud.
 * August 9-Katharina Parsius, destined to be Antigonus III's sixth and last wife and Empress Consort, is born in the Governmental Quarter of Christiania, Laurasia Prime, to Sir Thomasius Parsius, Lord of Kendalia (1683-1717), and his wife, Lady Scribonia Greenia (1692-1731), daughter and co-heiress of Sir Thomasius Greenius of Dearton's Gateway (1661-1706). The future Empress Consort's younger siblings will be Willanius Parsius, future Marquess of Venusia (who will be born on August 14, 1713) and Anna Parsius, future Duchess of Darsis (who will be born on June 20, 1715).

1713

 * February 25-Death of Pruthian Autocratic Emperor M'rua I. He had proclaimed the establishment of the Pruthian Empire in January 1701 and had ruled since May 1688. M'rua I, who had been a glutton and lavish monarch, is succeeded by his parsimonious, strict, honest, and patriotic son A'rua II. The new Emperor's son, 1 year old Pru'a, becomes Crown Prince of Pruthia.
 * March 14-The Haynsian Despot Neal IV Karany, who had incurred the displeasure of the Marasharite Emperor Ahmad III, is removed from the Haynsian throne for the last time. Qaplan-Empi I, who had been held at the Marasharite Court on Topacia, is released back to Haynes and allowed to reassume the Haynsian throne.
 * April 30-Execution of Vibius Polsius, Duke of Sufforia and nephew of the Emperors Probus (1676-83) and Titus II the Cruel (1683-85). Since the death of his elder brother, Antiochus Polsius, Earl of Licantoria, at the Battle of Anusia in 1687, he had been the leading contender of the Polsian family to the Laurasian throne. In 1701, the Duke had fled from the Laurasian Empire with the assistance of Sir Nicepheous Tyrallis, who had been executed for his harebrained Tyrallis Plot. The Duke had sought the help of the Austarlian Emperor Le’adus I, who nevertheless, in 1702, agreed, by the Treaty of Prague, not to provide support to Polsius if he attempted to seize the Laurasian throne. In 1706, after Lea’dus’s death, his son, Joseth I, handed the Duke over to his cousin, Philivus of Durthia. Philivus was later marooned in the Galactic Void, and was persuaded by Emperor Neuchrus to hand Sufforia over. Neuchrus had promised to preserve the pretender’s life, but his son Antigonus did not feel bound by such promises and had the Duke convicted and condemned by the Special Court. Polsius was executed at the Fortress of Baureux.
 * June 30-Formal declaration of war by the Laurasian Empire against the Serene Kingdom of Franconia. Emperor Antigonus himself takes command of Laurasian military forces, and assembles his units in the Hypasian Provinces and along the Galactic Frontier Route for a push into Franconian territory. Austarlian Emperor Char'vak V grants the Laurasians permission to transit through his territories.
 * July 17-Emperor Antigonus III departs for the Little Amulak Cloud with his military forces, leaving his wife, Empress Consort Katharina of Shenandoah, as Lady Protectoress of the Laurasian Empire in his absence. Katharina is the first Laurasian woman to hold such a position since Grand Princess Theodora, who had been regent from 1282-89 in the name of her brothers Menelaus and Seleucus I.
 * August 2-Declaration of war by King Jamsius IV against the Laurasian Empire. Scottria had signed the Treaty of Rasdalla Minor with Franconia in December 1711, and was obliged to come to that power's assistance in case war broke out with the Laurasians. The King of Scottria thus violated the Treaty of Perpetual Peace which had been signed in 1702. Scottrian forces, operating from the Rogerian Cluster, Rasdalla Minor, Kathy, and Seeben, among other strongholds, launched repeated raiding expeditions into Laurasian territory. Scottrian expeditions strike as far as Cossack, Pressburg, and Aretha. The pleas of his wife, Queen Consort Constantia, on behalf of her brother and of peaceful Laurasian-Scottrian relations fall on deaf ears, and Jamsius drafts plans to invade the Barsar Regions.
 * August 6-Battle of Spurria occurs in the Little Amulak Cloud between the Franconian forces of King Lujak XII and the allied Laurasian-Spamalkan forces under the command of Emperor Antigonus III. The result is a decisive victory for the Laurasian Empire. Most of the Franconian force is captured or annihilated by the Laurasians.
 * September 2- The Scottrians defeat the Laurasian garrison of Nicole and temporarily overrun the world. King Jamsius IV, having departed from Ediania and himself command Scottrian forces, plans on conquering the strongholds of the Durant Cluster, Hosptallia, Anastasia, and the Tashian strongholds. Scottrian forces have also launched continued expeditions against Vector Prime, Ompus Septimi, Neustron, Rhedita Major, and other Laurasian strongholds in the Galactic Borderlands.
 * September 5-Empress Consort Katharina departs from Laurasia Prime with an entourage of advisers and military commanders, including the Earl of Soria's son and heir, Lord Thomasius Howardis. She is intent on taking command of the forces arrayed against the Scottrians personally. The Lord Howardis, however, has tactical command of the Laurasian military forces.
 * September 9-The Battle of Grenada between the Laurasian Empire and the Celestial Kingdom of Scottria. Empress Consort Katharina has overall command over the Laurasian forces, with the Lord Howardis commanding them on the operational level. King Jamsius IV is the supreme commander of the Scottrian forces. The battle results in a complete and utter victory for the Laurasian Empire, as Jamsius IV (who had ruled from June 1688), nine of his earls, four of his generals, an archclainnarch, five clainnarchs, and at least thirty other prominent nobles are killed. The Laurasians capture some 400 Scottrian warships and destroy another 240, with a loss of only ten of their own vessels. Empress Consort Katharina commands for the corpse of King Jamsius, retrieved from the charred remains of his starship, to be hung on a transport and displayed to the men of the Laurasian force. News of the victory spreads like wildfire throughout the Laurasian Empire, and celebrations are held on worlds from Laurasia Prime to Kimania and Hunt Major. Jamsius V, who is barely a year and a half old at this time, becomes King of Scottria as a result of his father's death, with his mother, Queen-Dowager Constantia, as his regent. Constantia wishes for an immediate peace with the Laurasian Empire, but the Regency Council obstructs her.
 * September 12-Reconquest of Nicole and Redia by forces under the command of the Lord Howardis.
 * September 21-Coronation of King Jamsius V of Scottria on Ediania.
 * September 29-The Laurasians end all further Scottrian raiding expeditions into Laurasian territory.
 * October 4-Battle of Kaluna, resulting in decisive victory for the Laurasian Empire.
 * October 11-Empress Consort Katharina miscarries another child on Sejucia Major; this one is also a daughter.
 * October 12-Devily is stormed by a Laurasian detachment under the command of the Earl of Soria and the Lord Howardis.
 * October 24-Patricia I conquered by the Laurasian Empire.
 * October 29-November 6-Genoa and the Homi regions of the Galactic Barrier are subdued by forces of the Laurasian Empire.
 * November 12-Barching besieged by a Laurasian force. It falls on November 14.
 * December 3-Scottrian counteroffensive from Kathy and Cania is foiled by Laurasian forces in the Battle of Sasha VI.
 * December 29-Hidemnia Sauria is stormed by the Laurasian Empire.

1714

 * January 2-Kathy Minor is conquered by the Lord Howardis; for this victory, his father, the Earl of Soria, will be promoted to become Duke of Norfolkius by Emperor Antigonus III.
 * January 17-Cane and Kathy Major are both conquered by the Lord Howardis on this same day. The Scotrrian Queen-Regent Constantia continues to struggle with the Regency Council to open negotiations for peace with the Laurasian Empire.
 * January 28-Siege of Rasdalla Major by forces of the Laurasian Empire commences.
 * February 15-Rasdalla Major falls to the Laurasian Empire. The Lord Howardis commands for the world's inhabitants to be treated with leniency.
 * February 22-March 13-Rogerian Cluster secured by the Laurasian Empire.
 * March 8-Sir Tacitus Knollysis, destined to become Vice-Chamberlain of the Imperial Household, Minister of Culture and Communications, and Director of the Imperial Commission of Ecclesiastical Economy under the Empress Aurelia the Great, is born on Azatha II. He is the eldest son of Sir Willanius Knollys (1668-1721), who was one of the Ushers of the Imperial Household and Secretary of Household Correspondence to both Neuchrus I and his son Antigonus III, and his wife Laetita (1676-1757), who was the daughter of Sir Apollodorus Vixien (1651-1724), a prominent poet and muse at the Imperial Court. Knollysis will become the father of Lady Laetita Knollysis, later Countess of both Estatius and Leicesterius, and one of the most prominent noblewomen during the latter decades of the eighteenth century. He will be raised at the estate of Rotherfaldian Greys, which was acquired by his father in July 1714, four months after his birth.
 * March 29-Emperor Antigonus III storms the Franconian stronghold of Theourbanne.
 * April 4-Laurasian conquest of Seeben finally compels the Regency Council to yield to Queen-Consort Constantia's pleas, and to request negotiations with the Laurasian Empire. Empress Consort Katharina, acting on orders from her husband, terminates all military operations into Scottrian territory.
 * April 22-Conference is opened at the Riverite Asteroid Belt for delegations of the Laurasian Empire and Scottrian Kingdom. Laurasian interests are represented at the conference by the Lord Howardis.
 * May 23-Treaty of the Riverite Asteroid Belt is signed between the Laurasian Empire and the Celestial Kingdom of Scottria, bringing an end to hostilities between the two powers. As a result of this treaty, the Laurasian Empire acquires the strongholds of the Rogerian Cluster and the Western Hypasian Strongholds of Thak Duro, Guh Naso, and Pram Buhdamidal. The Emperor Antigonus III's rule over the territories of the defunct Vectorian Empire is acknowledged, and the Scottrian Government is to pay a financial indemnity to the Imperial Laurasian Government. In return, the Laurasian Emperor restores Rasdalla and Cania to the rule of the Kingdom of Scottria, promises to maintain reduced garrisons at Nicole and Redia, and returns the body of King Jamsius IV for formal burial on Ediania.
 * May 29-Treaty of the Riverite Asteroid Belt is ratified by Emperor Antigonus III.
 * June 2-Regency Council of Scottria ratify Treaty of Riverite Asteroid Belt.
 * June 6-Body of King Jamsius IV is handed over by the Laurasian ambassador to the Scottrian court, Sir Demetrius Pauladius, on Ediania.
 * June 12-Funeral of King Jamsius IV on Ediania.
 * June 21-Truce of Parrs is signed by the Laurasian Empire, Franconia, and the Spamalkan Empire, paving the way for a peace conference among the three powers.
 * August 1-Death of the Vendragian Queen Annavia. Because she died without any surviving heirs, she was succeeded by her first cousin-twice removed, Georg, who had become Duke of Hanover just one month before the Queen’s death. Georg is aged fifty-three at his accession to the Vendragian throne.
 * August 6-Queen-Dowager Constantia of Scottria marries Archilan Douglain of Lernax, a prominent Scottrian nobleman and government official. As a result, she is forced to give up her regency of the Scottrian State.
 * August 7-Treaty of Dunkirka is signed by the Laurasian Empire, the Serene Kingdom of Franconia, and the Holy Spamalkan Empire, providing for the status quo ante bellum in territorial matters. However, the Imperial Laurasian Government is to be compensated for all military expenses; to receive transit and commerical privileges in Franconian territory; and the ability to protect foreign subjects in Franconian territory from undue exactions by the Franconian government. Also, by the terms of this treaty, the Emperor Antigonus III's younger sister, Grand Princess Octavia, is formally engaged to be married to King Lujak XII, in order to cement relations between Laurasia and Franconia. The King of Franconia was also motivated by a concern to obtain a heir of his own body. He had divorced his first wife, Joan of Franconia, Duchess of Berry, in December 1698, so that he could marry the widow of his predecessor Charman II, the Duchess Anna of Brittany (Joan died on February 4, 1705, at the age of 40). Their marriage, contracted on January 8, 1699, had failed to produce any surviving children. Anna had died on January 9, 1714, from a kidney-stone attack at Blois, aged only 36. Lujak therefore strove to obtain someone of his own blood to succeed him upon his death, and viewed a marriage to the Grand Princess Octavia as a means of obtaining this. Franconia is to pay a dowry for the Grand Princess and to acknowledge her rights as Queen-Consort of Franconia.
 * August 26-Emperor Antigonus III returns from his campaigns in the Amulak Spiral; the regency of Empress-Consort Katharina, which had been in his absence, therefore ends.
 * October 9-Marriage of Laurasian Grand Princess Octavia and Franconian King Lujak XII on Parri in the Amulak Spiral. The King, who is 52 years old, inspires no love in his wife, who is only eighteen at the time. Octavia resents her brother, Emperor Antigonus, for forcing her to marry this man.
 * November 5-Octavia is crowned Queen-Consort of Franconia on Parri.
 * November 29-Border skirmish between Laurasian and Marasharite forces at Izzia. This increases the already inflamed tensions between the two Empires, especially as Haynsian raids against Adrianne, Keeley, the Galactic Frontier Route, Simmons, Belkadan, Karakorum, Sernapasia, Xilania Minor, Nandia, and other Laurasian worlds in the Outer Borderlands had become more common over the preceding three years.
 * December 8-A Laurasian commercial convoy at Tiona is impounded by Marasharite authorities. A diplomatic protest from the Laurasian Ambassador to the Court of Marasharita, Sir Lampos Astrovich (1660-1734), falls on deaf ears, and Emperor Ahmad III authorizes for intelligence expeditions at the Laurasian-Marasharite border.
 * December 24-Declaration of war by Marasharite Emperor Ahmad III on the Laurasian Empire, instigating the first Laurasian-Marasharite War of the eighteenth century. Marasharite forces conquer Simmons, Tiona, Chapman, and Kaming before the year is out. Emperor Antigonus III once again takes command of his military forces, and deploys squadrons at Izzia, Roxuli, Abraham, Greyson, Lawson, Kledis Var, Xilania Major, and Calrissian for a counter-offensive against Marasharite positions.

1715

 * January 1-King Lujak XII of Franconia, whose health had been ailing for years, and who was not able to consummate his marriage with his Laurasian Queen-Consort Octavia, dies, barely four months after their marriage. He had ruled since 1698. Because he had no children, the King of Franconia is succeeded by his nephew Franjak I. Octavia, now Queen-Dowager of Franconia at the age of eighteen, is compelled to return immediately to the Laurasian Empire and to her brother's court on Laurasia Prime. Relations between Laurasia and Franconia nevertheless remain stable at this time.
 * January 6-Marasharite offensive against Natalie and Keeley is repelled by Laurasian forces.
 * January 17-Simmons is reconquered by Emperor Antigonus III.
 * January 22-The Laurasians win the Battle of Jennia.
 * January 25-Franjak I is crowned King of Franconia.
 * February 9-Octavia, Queen-Dowager of Franconia, returns to Laurasia Prime after her brief, loveless marriage with the deceased King Lujak. She immediately begins a relationship with her true love, Carolus Brandeius, Duke of Sufforia, one of her brother, the Emperor's closest friends and associates.
 * February 11-Empress Consort Katharina gives birth to a stillborn son at Teagallorian Palace on Caladaria.
 * February 19-Marasharite positions at Margery and Kaming are stormed by Laurasian forces.
 * March 5-Private marriage of Grand Princess Octavia and Duke Carolus of Sufforia at his family's estate on Mumbraine.
 * March 17-A Haynsian expedition against Tyson and Vandross is defeated in the Battle of Jamukha.
 * March 29-The Haynsian Despot Qaplan-Empi I Karany is again deposed from the Haynsian throne, as a result of the failure of the Despot to properly reinforce his Marasharite suzerains in Olthenia and the Pazak Cluster against the Holy Austarlian Empire. Qaplan-Empi was forced to retire to Topacia again, and was succeeded by his cousin Devrai I Karany, grandson of Selyametta I Karany (Despot 1608-1610). Devrai is aged sixty-eight at his accession to the Haynsian throne.
 * April 4-The Laurasians storm the Marasharite outposts on Carly and Billy Gasis, threatening the outskirts of the Muggal Cluster.
 * May 13-Public marriage of Grand Princess Octavia and Duke Carolus of Sufforia, after they had obtained permission from the Emperor for public celebration of their union.
 * May 26-Laurasian offensive against Karlong and Ung is repelled by the Marasharite General Abstalfa Salid. Salid briefly conquers Adrianne, but is then driven away by the Lord Howardis (now Earl of Soria).
 * June 2-Donna is stormed by a Laurasian expeditionary force.
 * June 11-Angelica Major successfully secured against Marasharite forces.
 * July 9-12-Billy and Latrice are besieged and conquered by Laurasian forces.
 * July 22-Pelaski conquered by a Laurasian task force.
 * August 4-September 16-Laurasian units harry the Northern Reaches and storm Ba'dai and Tokyang.
 * September 10-Thomasius Wolesius becomes Cardinal of the Laurasian Purse Region upon the recommendation of the Holy Synod.
 * September 22-The Lady Annaliese of Denver, destined to be the fourth wife and Empress Consort of Antigonus III, is born at the Drevian Palace on Denver to Duke Johavar of Denver (1690-1739) and his wife, Duchess Marvana of Julich (1691-1743).
 * October 4-Second Laurasian offensive against Karlong is once again blunted by General Abstalfa Salid.
 * October 15-Haynsian expedition against Scanlan and Joyner results in severe damage to those star systems and the destruction of Scanlianian agricultural outposts.
 * October 22-A Laurasian force destroys a Haynsian convoy at Morlan.
 * October 29-Kia is stormed by Laurasian troops.
 * November 6-11-Marasharite counter-offensive against Valeris V and Sogan ends in failure.
 * November 21-Death of Dejanik King Mersius V, who had reigned since 1706. Mersius died without any heirs, and was the last representative of the Westonian Dynasty. The Commonwealth Diet decided that the Dejanik Monarchy would henceforth be elective, with "suitable candidates" from within the Dejanik Commonwealth and from foreign powers permitted. The Laurasian Emperor Antigonus III, eager to assert Laurasian influence in the Dejanik Commonwealth, would sponsor the election of Vorrus I.
 * December 9-Vorrus I, with the assistance of Laurasian bribes and favors to members of the Diet, is elected King of the Dejanik Commonwealth. He will be crowned on January 15 of the following year.
 * December 24-Cardinal Thomasius Wolesius is appointed Chancellor and Procurator-General of the Laurasian Empire by Emperor Antigonus III. He will hold these, the highest offices of state in the Laurasian Empire, until October 1729.
 * December 29-Laurasian troops storm Illumis.

1716

 * January 9-12-Laurasian conquest of Kurdi and Touforia.
 * January 25-Death of Spamalkan Emperor Fe'ro II, who had been a close ally and friend of the Laurasian Emperors Neuchrus I and Antigonus III. He had ruled since 1679 and was senior monarch at the time of his death. Fe'ro's daughter Joaha becomes Empress of Spamalka; she is paranoid and mentally unbalanced, however, and her reign will last only for the next three years. Fe'ro is succeeded as senior monarch by the Doge of the Haxonian Confederacy, 79-year old Leonardo Loredan. By this point, all heads of state in the Caladarian Galaxy, the Amulak Spiral, and their associated satellite galaxies have acceded to their thrones within the eighteenth century, the earliest point in history that this phenomenon occurred.
 * February 18-The Laurasian Empress Didymeia I the Terrible (1753-1758), eldest surviving child and daughter of Emperor Antigonus III, with his first wife and consort Katharina of Shenandoah, is born at the Royal Hospital Quarters, Quencilvanian Palace, Christiania, on Laurasia Prime. Her birth, after so many failures, is greeted with much joy by the Emperor, although he hopes still for a son. Didymeia, however, is her father's sole heiress apparent at this point, and will be formally designated as such on February 24, the day of her christening.
 * February 27-Laurasian conquest of Ung compels Marasharite Emperor Ahmad III to agree to peace negotiations with the Laurasian Empire. A truce is signed on March 5.
 * March 17-Conference opened between Laurasian and Marasharite Empires at Imegina over the matter of a peace treaty.
 * July 23-Treaty of Imegina brings an end to the First Laurasian-Marasharite War of the eighteenth century. As a result of this treaty, the Laurasian Empire acquires recognition of its rule over the Cosite and Satian strongholds, the Galactic Frontier Route, and Abrianne. Ahmad III also acknowledges the Laurasian acquisition of Vector Prime and Rogeria in the Galactic Borderlands. Carly, Billy Gasis, Pelaski, and Kia are to be conceded to the authority of the Laurasian Empire. Latrice and Billy will be occupied by Laurasian forces for a period of five years, while all other territories occupied by Laurasian arms will be restored to Marasharite authority immediately. The Marasharites also agree to respect the rights of the Laurasian Embassy at the Marasharite Court and to compensate the Imperial Laurasian Government for military expenses. The Treaty of Imegina will hold for the next seven years.
 * November 25-Formation of the Tarnograd Confederation by pro-Laurasian nobles in the Dejanik Commonwealth. These nobles were opposed to King Vorrus I and his attempts to maintain the legislative and financial prerogatives of his predecessors of the Westonian Dynasty. Laurasian Emperor Antigonus III poses as the mediator between the Confederation and the King for the next two months.

1717

 * January 28-Birth of the Marasharite Emperor Mustapha III (1757-1774), at the Sultanic Palace on Topacia. He is the elder son of the reigning Marasharite Emperor, Ahmad, and his senior consort Emine Mishirah (1694-1732).
 * February 1-The Dejanik Diet is convened on the initiative of the Laurasian Ambassador to the Dejanik Court, supported by mercenaries and funds to bribe and blackmail members of the Dejanik government. This diet is turned into a Confederated Assembly, meaning its decisions would be by majority vote. The terms presented to the Diet were drafted by Chancellor Wolesius with the approval of the Emperor Antigonus. The terms of the diet stipulated that the Tarnograd Confederation would be dissolved. The Golden Liberties, which had been upheld by Dejanik monarchs for nearly two centuries, are reaffirmed. The King of Dejanica is forbidden to imprison people without due process of law; must avoid offensive wars against Dejanican neighbors; and should not intervene in the domestic affairs of any other state. The rights of the Dejanik hetmarshals and sejimiks were restricted, and the Dejanik Diet was confirmed as the supreme body of state in the Commonwealth, with legislative prerogative and the right to levy all taxes in Dejanik territory. The Diet Resolution also declared that troops could only be billeted on state property; that minorities in Dejanik territory should be protected from the intrusiveness of government policy; that the army should be strictly limited in size; and that the Dejanik government should look to the Imperial Laurasian Empire as the "guarantor" of the settlement. The Emperor of Laurasia was to have the right to intervene in Dejanik affairs if the Resolutions were threatened. The Diet accepted the Resolutions, and then dissolved itself from this particular meeting.
 * March 11-Spamalkan Empress Joa'ha, Austarlian Emperor Char'vak V, and King Franjak I of Franconia sign the Treaty of Cambrai, establishing a military alliance among the three states. This treaty alarms the Laurasian Emperor Antigonus III, who believes (correctly) that the coalition is opposed to Laurasian influence in the Amulak Spiral.
 * April 14-The Haynsian Despot Devrai I Karany, accused of incompetence in the Budkozina Offensives against the Holy Austarlian Empire, is forced to abdicate from the Haynsian throne. He is deposed while he was still returning from the theater of war back to the Despotate. His cousin Bryan IV, another son of Jay IX Karany, who had previously served as Martial Viceroy of Perekop and “Kalga” of the Haynsian Elite Corps, becomes Despot on the initiative of the Emperor Ahmad. Devrai I dies at Yanboulu on June 17, barely two months after his deposition from the throne.
 * May 13-The future Austarlian Empress Mar'va Tarvania (1740-1780), is born at the Hofburg Palace on Vienna, the capital star system of the Austarlian Empire. She was born shortly after the premature death of her elder brother, Archduke Lea'dus of Inner Austarlia, who had died on November 4, 1716, at the age of seven months. Her parents were the Austarlian Emperor Char'vak V and his wife, Elisabeth Christine of Wolfenbruttel (1691-1750). Marva Tarvania's birth was disappointing to her father, who as the last male representative of the Hapsburg dynasty of Austarlia, wished for a son to succeed him. He was never able to overcome this feeling of resentment, although his Pragmatic Sanction of 1713 had overturned Salic law and permitted the succession of females to the Austarlian throne. Mar'va Tarvania is destined to be the archenemy of the Pruthian Emperor Pru'a IX the Great, five years her senior, and the contemporary of the Laurasian Empress Aurelia the Great, who was to be sixteen years her junior.
 * July 16-Grand Princess Octavia, Duchess of Sufforia, gives birth to Franconia Brandeis, the future mother of the ill-fated Nine Day's Empress Minerva Greysius.
 * October 31-The Laurasian monk Martinius Lutheranius posts his 95 Theses at St. Wittense's Cathedral on Manzo. This instigates the Laurasian Reformation, which will see the entire administrative structure, ceremony, and rituals of the Imperial Almitian Church of the Laurasian Empire completely reformed.

1718

 * January 25-Cardinal Wolesius is made the highest-ranking member of the Almitian Holy Synod and is given authority by Emperor Antigonus to define the governmental position on religious issues.
 * March 3-Death of the former Haynsian Despot Neal IV Karany, who had been deposed from the Haynsian throne in 1713. He dies at Chesma in the Great Tesmanian Cloud, to where he had been exiled again by the Marasharite Emperor Ahmad III.
 * October 2-After several months of negotiations conducted by Chancellor Wolesius, in response to the Treaty of Cambrai of the previous year, the Treaty of Christiania is signed by delegations from the Laurasian Empire, Serene Kingdom of Franconia, Holy Spamalkan Empire, Austarlian Empire, Autocratic Pruthian Empire, Dejanik Commonwealth, and twenty lesser powers of the Amulak Spiral. The Marasharite Empire and Haynsian Despotate, as well as the Celestial Kingdom of Scottria, refuse to commit themselves to this agreement. The Treaty of Christiania proved for "peaceful diplomatic intercourse among the powers involved" and obliged all powers to come to each other's assistance if attacked by a common enemy. Although the treaty was short-lived (lasting for only two years), it nevertheless demonstrated the Laurasian hope to remain free from future entanglements in the Amulak Spiral.
 * October 5-Emperor Antigonus III's daughter and heir apparent, Grand Princess Didymeia, is formally engaged to the Dauphin of Franconia. The engagement will be terminated in January 1721.
 * November 18-Empress Consort Katharina miscarries a daughter. This marks the end of her last pregnancy. Emperor Antigonus III is by now conceiving ideas of how to obtain for himself a legitimate male heir, since his wife is "incapable" of producing one for him.

1719

 * January 12-Death of Spamalkan Empress Jo'aha, who had ruled as sole monarch since 1716. She is succeeded by her son and heir apparent, Char'va I. Char'va I will reign until his abdication in 1756.
 * March 22-Birth of Katharina Willoughby, the future Duchess of Sufforia and the fourth and final wife of the Emperor's friend, Carolus Brandeis, Duke of Sufforia. She is the daughter of Willanius Willoughby, 11th Baron Willoughby de Eresby and his second wife, the Spamalakan Lady Maria de Salinas, former servant of Empress-Consort Katharina of Shenandoah. Katharina will eventually become the guardian of Katharina Parsius's daughter, Lady Didymeia Seymouris, Baroness (later Duchess) of Kendalia.
 * March 31-Birth of the future King of Franconia Hensios II (1747-1759) at the Chateau de Saint-German-en Laye. He is the second surviving son of King Franjak I of Franconia by his wife Claude, Duchess of Brittany. Hensios's elder brother, Fransios, Dauphin and Duke of Brittany, would eventually die in 1736, leaving him as heir to the throne. His marriage to Catharina d'Medici would take place in 1733, when they were both fourteen years old.
 * April 13-Birth of Catharina d'Medici (1719-1789), future Queen Consort of the Serene Kingdom of Franconia, regent for her sons Franjak II and Charman III, and one of the most powerful figures in extra-galactic civilization for over four decades. Catharina is born on Florence, the capital world of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, which was at that time a allied state of the Holy Austarlian Empire. Her father is Lorenzo II de Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany and Duke of Urbino, and her mother is Madeleine de la Tour d'Auvergne, Countess of Boulougone and member of one of the most prominent Franconian noble houses. Both of Catharina's parents die within a month of her birth, and she will be raised by her aunt, Clarice d'Medici.
 * June 15-Lady Demetria Lutheranis (1698-1740), who had become the Emperor Antigonus III's mistress in 1715, gives birth to the Emperor Antigonus III's illegitimate son, Antigonus Lutheranis, in Bathelia, Lusculum, Laurasian Empire.

1720

 * February 5-Antonia Boleyenia, who had become the Emperor's Mistress in March 1719 and had become his predominant love interest following the birth of his illegitimate son by Lady Demetria Lutheranis in June of that year, is married to Sir Willanius Caranius, one of the grooms of His Majesty's Privy Chamber. The Emperor, seeking to divert attention from his relationship with Lady Boleyenia, and to provide her a stable marriage with a husband loyal to the Imperial State, was the chief guest at the marriage ceremony. Her father, Sir Thomasius Boleyenia, Ambassador of the Laurasian Empire to the Serene Kingdom of Franconia, and one of the Empire's most prominent diplomats, gives the bride away to her groom.
 * May 6-19-Spamalkan Emperor Char'va I, determined to maintain the strong relationship with the Laurasian Empire which had been established by his grandparents Fresia I and Fe'ro II, visits the dominions of the Laurasian Empire. Emperor Antigonus the Extravagant greets him at Belkadan, and escorts him to Laurasia Prime, where he is entertained for three days. He becomes the first foreign sovereign from the Amulak Spiral ever to visit on invitation from the Imperial Laurasian Government (the next such visit would be that of Austarlian Emperor Joseth II in 1780, sixty years later). The two Emperors discuss Franconian, Austarlian, and Marasharite affairs during Char'va's visit.
 * June 8-26-Emperor Antigonus III of Laurasia and King Franjak I of Franconia hold a series of meetings, known as the Fields of the Rings of Gold, in the Goldcar IV star system, on the outskirts of Franconian territory. The first of their meetings took place barely a month after Char'va I had departed from Laurasian territory. Emperor Antigonus was determined to meet both of his fellow monarchs and to conduct negotiations with them each. Franjak, on his part, wished to establish an anti-Spamalkan alliance with the Laurasian Empire, and lured Antigonus with the promise of territorial gains in the Little Amulak Cloud at Spamalkan expense. The meeting however, despite all of the lavishness and the festivities which accompanied it, eventually turned sour. Franjak defeated Antigonus in a friendly joust; the Emperor considered himself humiliated to have lost such a contest of honor. Eventually, on June 26, the two monarchs departed with their entourages, and Franjak returned to Parri. Antigonus, however, now proceeded to Graveline's Mist.
 * July 10-Second meeting of Emperor Antigonus III and Emperor Char'va I, this time at Graveline's Mist in the Spamalkan Empire. The two monarchs discuss the possibility of an anti-Franconian military alliance, completely in contrast to what Antigonus had discussed with Franjak barely a month earlier.
 * September 13-Birth of the future Chancellor and Lord Treasurer of the Laurasian Empire, and leading minister under the Empress Aurelia the Great, Sir Willanius Cecilis, 1st Baron Burghley. He is born in Bournanian City, Taurasia, the son of Sir Antiochus Cecilis, and his wife Demetria Hemingta. Sir Antiochus (who would die March 19, 1753), served Antigonus III and Demetrius II in various capacities, as a page, Groom of the Robes, and constable of Warvacak Palace on Sarah. He eventually ascended to become Police Commissioner for Bouranian City in 1739. Cecilis's mother Demetria (who would die on March 22, 1787 at the age of 88) was heiress of Sir Willanius Hemingta of Clackimaris (died 1756).

1721

 * March 9-The Lady Katharina Howardis, destined to become the fifth wife and Empress Consort of Antigonus III, is born at the Hospital of the Diplomatic Palace, Christiania, Laurasia Prime, Laurasian Empire. She is the second daughter and fifth child of Lord Edmundis Howardis (1678-1739) and his wife Livilla Plausia (1680-1731).
 * May 17-Edwardis Staffordius, the Duke of Americana, is executed at the Fortress of Baureux in Christiania, Laurasia Prime for high treason. Straffordius, who had become a prominent nobleman in the reign of the Emperor Neuchrus the Reformer, was the leader of a faction at the Imperial Court opposed to the influence of low-born upstarts, such as Cardinal Wolesius, Chancellor of the Laurasian Empire. His wealth, family connections, and influence at the Imperial Court alarmed the Emperor Antigonus, who believed that his execution was necessary to maintain his authority and the stability of the Imperial Court. The charges on which Straffordius was convicted were bogus: listening to prophecies of the Emperor's death, plotting to change the imperial succession, and seeking to "sow discord" between the Emperor and his most trusted public officials. Nevertheless, this was an autocracy, and the Emperor's word was law. Straffordius's estates and wealth were confiscated by the Emperor. In June 1793, however, an imperial commission of the Governing Senate would find him innocent, and seventy-two years after his death, he would be pardoned by Empress Aurelia the Great.
 * June 21-Death of Leonardo Loredan, the longest-serving Doge of the Haxonian Confederacy during the eighteenth century (19 years) and senior monarch of extra-galactic civilization at the time of his death. He was also the oldest head of state (84). Loredan is succeeded as senior monarch by the Marasharite Emperor Ahmad III, who will hold that title for the next nine years. The Haxonian Admiral and Senator Antonio Grimani, who was Loredan's senior by two years, was elected as Doge following Loredan's death, and crowned on June 27. He became the oldest individual ever to become Doge and oldest living monarch from the moment of his accession.
 * August 15-The Treaty of Burgia is signed by the Laurasian and Spamalkan Empires, providing for a joint invasion of the Serene Kingdom of Franconia by March 1723. Char'va I had decided that Antigonus III would be a useful ally; the Emperor of Laurasia, likewise, believed that this was the opportunity to establish Laurasian suzerainty over Franconian territories in the Little Amulak Cloud. Laurasian military forces in the Dasian Heartland and Galactic Void are now being mobilized for the conflict that is sure to come.
 * October 11-Emperor Antigonus III issues a imperial proclamation condemning the religious theories presented by Martinius Lutheranius and forbidding any further discussion of "changing the customs of the Almitian Church." Chief Procurator of the Holy Synod Willanius Warhamius excommunicates Lutheranius, on the Emperor's orders, and commands for his Theses to be burned at public locations throughout the Empire.
 * November 25-The 400th anniversary of the foundation of the Laurasian Empire. Emperor Antigonus III has the honor of presiding over the festivities for this occasion, and ensured that the ceremonies were grand, exceeding any held before in the history of the Empire. The Imperial Court is taken up in a spirit of celebration, and the Emperor proclaims a public holiday for all of his subjects. He himself visited the tomb of Seleucus the Victor and paid his respects to the founder of the Empire. By this point, the Laurasian Empire dominated the Caladarian Galaxy outside of the Galactic Borderlands, spanning from the Galactic Frontier Route and the Dasian Heartland in the northern outskirts, all the way across to the Wild Marshes, Hutsite Reaches, Southern Galactic Borderlands, and Southern Barsar Regions in the southern outskirts. Some forty-five million inhabited star systems acknowledged Laurasian authority, and the Empire now governed most of the historic worlds and species of known space, of both the Pre-Timurid and the Barbarian eras. The Marasharites, Dejaniks, Scottrians, and Haynsians, however, still governed the majority of the central and northern Galactic Borderlands and parts of the Wild Marshes, as well as the two satellite galaxies of the Angelina Spiral and the Great Tesmanian Cloud. By the end of the century, however, those regions will be subdued.
 * November 29-Anna Boleyenia, who had been residing with her father Sir Thomasius Boleyenia at the Franconian Court, is recalled to Laurasia Prime by the Imperial Chancellory. This was part of the plans being made by the Imperial Laurasian Government for the ultimate commencement of hostilities with the Franconians.

1722

 * January 24-Treaty of Kelby between the Laurasian and Spamalkan Empires confirms the arrangements of the Treaty of Burgia, providing for the commencement of campaigns against Franconia by March of the following year.
 * March 7-Anna Boleyenia makes her debut at the Imperial Court, alongside her sister Lady Antonia Boleyenia (who had already had an affair with Emperor Antigonus), and impresses all with her performance in a court pageant. She played the role of "Perseverance", and first attracted the attention of Emperor Antigonus. The Lady Boleyenia is now twenty-one years old, past the age that a Laurasian noble lady generally married in the eighteenth century, but still a fair maiden to be caught by others.
 * July 7-The Earl of Soria is appointed by Emperor Antigonus III to be the operational commander of the forces being assembled for operations in Franconian territory.

1723

 * January 17-Sir Thomasius Morius becomes Vice-Governor General of the Governing Senate and Minister of the Imperial Chancellory, under the tutelage and watch of Chancellor Wolesius. Morius becomes one of the most efficient and hard-working officials of the Imperial Government, and gains the notice of Emperor Antigonus himself.
 * March 5-Declaration of war by Emperor Antigonus III against King Franjak I of Franconia, commencing the second Laurasian-Franconian War of the eighteenth century. Laurasian forces, granted rights of military access through Spamalkan territory, conquer Piccardia and Vera within two months.
 * May 7-Death of Doge Antonio Grimani of the Haxonian Confederacy, who was eighty-eight years old at the time of his death. He is succeeded as Doge by the Haxonian General and Provost-Governor Andrea Gritti, who had a distinguished military and diplomatic career in the service of the Confederacy.
 * September 16-Laurasians defeat the Franconians in the Battle of Brewster, preventing a Franconian counteroffensive to the Dasian Heartland.
 * September 29-Treaty of Carva signed by the Serene Kingdom of Franconia and the Marasharite Empire, providing for a common military and diplomatic alliance against the Laurasian Empire. Emperor Ahmad III was alarmed by Laurasian territorial and political ambitions, and wished to restrict these.
 * October 7-Marasharite High Council issues a ultimatum to the Imperial Laurasian Government, demanding for Emperor Antigonus to begin negotiations with the Franconian Government and to end his interference in the affairs of the Amulak Spiral. Antigonus scorns the Marasharite demands and refuses to even respond to the ultimatum.
 * October 14-Marasharite High Council issues a declaration of war against the Laurasian and Spamalkan Empires, in support of its Franconian allies. Second Laurasian-Marasharite War of the eighteenth century commences.
 * October 26-Haynsian expedition against Keeley and Tiona is foiled by Laurasian barrier garrisons.
 * November 4-Karlong sacked by a Laurasian task fleet.
 * November 17-Battle of Thesio, resulting in a stalemate between Laurasian and Franconian forces.
 * November 29-December 4- The Spamalkans repel a Franconian offensive against Dunkirk and Graveline's Mist.
 * December 17- Laurasian task fleet defeats Haynsian armada in the Battle of Seeger.
 * December 23-Laurasian fleet storms Ba'dai and secures Kia from Marasharite offensives.

1724

 * January 4-Marasharite General Al-Tarik storms the Laurasian colony on Qu'emia and inflicts severe damage to the Laurasian factories, spaceport, and military arsenal in that star system.
 * January 16-Laurasian offensive against the Northern Reaches is repulsed at the Battle of Kerch.
 * January 29-Laurasian force fails to conquer Illumis.
 * February 15-
 * The Franconians defeat the Lord Howardis in the Battle of Tascolne, and maintain their rule over Gascveria in the Great Amulak Spiral.
 * Peter von Biron, destined to become the last Duke of Northania (1769-1795), is born in Mitau, the capital city of the Duchy of Northania and Semigallia. He is the son of the future Duke Ernest Johann von Biron and his wife, Beninga Treyden.
 * February 27-Laurasian force sacks Marasharite defenses on Kumong.
 * March 10-Emperor Antigonus III suffers his first shockball accident in a game at the Fountain Court of Venasia Prime. He recovers within three days, and refusing to heed his doctor's advice to moderate his participation in the sport, resumes his shockball competitions with full vigor.
 * March 24-Death of the former Queen of Adrianne and Empress of the Laurasian Empire of Xilania, Zenobia, who had been a formidable enemy of the Emperor Aurelian the Savior. Since her defeat in 1673, she had been permitted by the Imperial Laurasian Government to reside in peace as a average Laurasian noblewoman on Rebecca. Zenobia had married and had three daughters with the Governing Senator Marcellus Petrus, who had died in 1704. Zenobia was 84 years old. By command of Emperor Antigonus III, she will be interned at the Westphalian Cathedral on April 9.
 * June 2-Laurasian force conquers Latrice and Billy once again from their Marasharite garrisons.
 * September 9-The Laurasians manage to defeat the Franconians in the Battle of Calar, and maintain control of the wormhole approaches to the Amulak Spiral.
 * July 16-Sexual relations between Emperor Antigonus III and his wife, Empress Consort Katharina, come to an end, as the Empress Consort is now past childbearing age. By now, she is obese and has lost her youthfulness and beauty.
 * August 12-The Haynsian Despot Bryan IV Karany, who had ruled since 1717, is forced to abdicate the Haynsian throne due to the failure of Haynsian raiding expeditions against the Dasian Heartland, Burglais Arm, and the Galactic Void. The Despot was also burdened by a string of taxation scandals at his court. He was now succeeded as Despot by his younger brother, who became Shannai II Karany. Shannai had previously served as Kalga of the Haynsian Guards and as Red-General of the Brigoff Stellar Nebula.
 * September 25-Al-Tarik is defeated by Howardis (now Duke of Norfolkius since his father's death on May 21), in the pitched Battle of Van Klep. As a result, Haynsian expeditions into the Hypasian and Morganian Provinces are halted, and the Laurasians manage to storm Karlong.
 * December 4-A Laurasian task force isolates Imegina from outside support by Marasharite units.

1725

 * January 1-The end of the first quarter of the eighteenth century. On this day, a Laurasian force under the command of the Duke of Norfolkius defeats the Marasharites of Al-Tarik again in the Battle of Kagul (precursor to the famous battle which will be fought there forty-five years later).
 * January 13-The Laurasians conquer the Northern Reaches strongholds of Bucharina, Tessy, Kerch, and Marson.
 * January 15-Birth of the one of the most prominent military commanders of the Empress Aurelia the Great’s reign, Field-Marshal Baron Demetrius Rumanstevius. Rumanstevius is born at Braclaw, in the Dejanican-Lithuanian Commonwealth. He is the son of Major-General Antiochus Rumanstevius (who then served as commander of the diplomatic garrison on Braclaw and had gained prior fame for his service in the Expedition War of 1706-08, d. 1749) and his wife Marina (d. 1788), the daughter and heiress of Baronet Andrew Matervia of Conservan.
 * January 22-A Laurasian expeditionary force penetrates to the Great Tesmanian Cloud, harrying the outskirts of Kozluduzha and Del Valle. This is the farthest Laurasian military forces have advanced in a combat action against the Marasharites.
 * February 5-March 29-Siege of Imegina by the forces of the Laurasian Empire. Although Al-Tarik launches repeated counteroffensives against Roxuli, Abraham, Massanay, Valeris V, and Huerta Mongol, the Laurasian forces in the Muggal Cluster gain the advantage. Imegina finally falls on March 29 and is occupied by Laurasian troops, who now hold a position in the heart of the Muggal Cluster.
 * February 28-Battle of Pathia between the forces of Spamalkan Emperor Char'va I and Franconian King Franjak I. The battle results in a crushing victory for the Spamalkan Empire, and Franjak I is himself captured by the Spamalkan military forces. Emperor Antigonus III sends his congratulations to Emperor Char'va on his victory, but in private, is alarmed at the prowess of the Spamalkan forces in battle.
 * March 15-Treaty of Pathia between the Franconian and Spamalkan Empires, resulting in the concession of the Franconian strongholds of Gascony, Rotterdam, Niewpoort, Passchendale, Ypres, and the Roosevelt Barrier to the Spamalks. Franjak I agrees to acknowledge Char'va as his suzerain; to give the Spamalkan Emperor his sons as hostages for his good behavior; and to limit the size of his military forces. Char'va agrees to release Franjak after a ransom has been paid. The Emperor of Spamalka did not consult his Laurasian ally on the treaty negotiations, and this angers Emperor Antigonus, who is no longer willing to assist the Spamalkans against their enemies.
 * March 20-Birth of the Marasharite Emperor Abdulahamid II (1774-1789), the younger brother of Mustapha III, and son of Ahmed III by his second wife, Rabia Sermi.
 * April 9-Truce of Ochania is signed between the Laurasian and Marasharite Empires, providing for the suspension of all military hostilities between the two powers. A peace conference is opened at Pruth between the two realms, as the Emperor Antigonus was determined to end that conflict in the Galactic Borderlands.
 * April 26-Treaty of Pruth restores peace between the Laurasian and Marasharite Empires on the basis of the status quo ante bellum. The Marasharites, however, recognize the sole Laurasian right to garrison the strongholds of the Galactic Frontier Route, and agree to prohibit all raids by the Haynsians into Laurasian territory, in the future.
 * April 28-Treaty of Pruth ratified by Emperor Antigonus III. It will be ratified by Ahmad III of the Marasharite Empire two days later.
 * May 2-Truce of Toulouse negotiated between the Laurasian Empire and the Serene Kingdom of Franconia, providing for the suspension of all military campaigns. Laurasian forces halt offensives against Franconian positions at Arouen and Roa'vah II.
 * May 17-Peace conference opened at the More Asteroids between delegations of the Laurasian and Franconian governments.
 * June 16-Emperor Antigonus III makes his illegitimate son, Antigonus Lutheranis, Duke of Conservan and Reoyania. The Emperor begins secretly contemplating a decree to lift his son's bastardy and to proclaim him his heir apparent. He will ultimately be dissuaded from this course of action by Chief Procurator Warhamius and Chancellor Wolesius.
 * August 30-Treaty of the More Asteroids ends war between the Laurasian Empire and the Serene Kingdom of Franconia on the basis of the status quo ante bellum, although the Franconian Government agrees to compensate the Laurasian Emperor for his military expenses.
 * September 14-Prominent Laurasian scholar and theologian, Willanius Tyndalis, who had graduated from the University of the Laurasian Empire and the Theological Academy of Cassanova, publishes his Revised Edition of the Almitian Scriptures.
 * October 9-Death of Alcetas Simnellia, the figurehead of the Licantorian Rebellion. Antiochus Polsius, the Earl of Licantoria, had used Simnellia, who had been born into poverty on Merandaz, claiming that he was the Earl of Sarah. Licantoria had been killed at the Battle of Anusia in June 1687, and most of the leaders of the Licantorian Rebellion had been executed for their defiance. Simnellia, however, who was only ten years old at the time, and who was widely viewed as a pawn by many at the Imperial Court and throughout the Laurasian Empire, had been spared by Emperor Neuchrus from death. The Emperor, had, instead, given the boy a position within the Imperial Household; provided for his education and up-bringing; and assured him a comfortable position at the Imperial Court for the rest of his life. Simnellia had graduated from the University of Darcia in 1702 with high honors, obtaining bachelor's degrees in administration and business law, and he had, from 1717 until his death, served as Financier for the Howardis family. Simnellia married in 1713 and was the father of Antiochus Simnellia (d. 1783), who eventually became Dean of St. Ostyh's Cathedral on Andriana. Simnellia's death, however, was little noticed in the Laurasian Empire.

1726

 * January 17-Hansius Holbienus graduates from the Imperial Academy of the Arts in Pollis Caladari, Caladaria. Holbienus, who had been born to a working industrial-class family on Mariana Prime, had risen to attend the Academy by virtue of his intelligence, hard work, and determination to better himself. Holbienus will eventually become one of the leading artists of the Imperial Court in the latter years of Emperor Antigonus's reign.
 * February 6-The courtship of Emperor Antigonus III and the Lady Anna Boleyenia (who had become a lady-in-waiting to Empress Consort Katharina in November of the previous year) commences. Antigonus III is besotten for the 25-year old Anna, attracted to her by her intelligence, wit, and flirtatious behavior. Anna, on the other hand, is attracted to the still-handsome and athletic Emperor, and is determined to improve her position and the position of her family. Empress Consort Katharina learns of the discretions and feels utterly betrayed by her husband, but despite her pleas he continues his affair with Anna.
 * March 4-Birth of Antigonus Caranius, 1st Baron Husadarania, cousin of the Empress Aurelia the Great and one of the most prominent figures of her reign. He was the second child (and first son) of Lady Anna Boleyenia's elder sister, Antonia Boleyenia, and her husband Sir Willanius Caranius.
 * April 15-Death of the Earl of Herbetia, Imperial High Chamberlain of the Laurasian Empire. Herbertia was succeeded as High Chamberlain by Sir Willanius Fitzalleria, who had become the Earl of Americana (restored) in October 1724. Americana will hold the position for the next four years.
 * July 5-Spamalkan Emperor Char'va I marries Isadelle of Austarlia, spurning Laurasian Emperor Antigonus III's daughter, Grand Princess Didymeia. Char'va could not wait for Didymeia to mature in order to marry her, as he needed a heir apparent to his extensive realms in the Amulak Spiral, Little Amulak Cloud, and Crone Galaxy as soon as possible. Despite this setback, relations between the Laurasian and Spamalkan Empires remain stable. Antigonus III vents his wrath at the failure of the marriage on his wife, Empress Consort Katharina (who had taken a leading part in the negotiations for the union).

1727

 * April 30-The Treaty of Chancia is signed by the Laurasian Empire and the Serene Kingdom of Franconia, providing for a economic free-trade union between the two realms for a period of fifteen years; the rights of merchants from each dominion to conduct their business without molestation in the territories of the other; and a program of cultural and intelligence exchange between the two governments. Chancellor Wolesius, who had little faith in the relationship with the Spamalkan Empire, was instrumental in negotiating this treaty.
 * May 17-The Holy Synod sets up a secret commission of inquiry, chaired by Chief Procurator Warhamius, in order to investigate the validity of the Emperor's marriage with Katharina of Shenandoah. Warhamius was commanded by the Emperor to search for any legal documents which could prove that their marriage was not a lawfully contracted union, and he was forbidden to hear the testimony of any who may be "appointed" by supporters of the Empress Consort to state that the marriage was valid. The commission will drag on for the next six years, hampered by the Emperor's intrusiveness, his concern about affairs of the Imperial Court and of diplomatic relations with the Marasharites, Dejaniks, and others, and the unwillingness of Katharina to acknowledge her marriage as invalid.
 * May 21-Birth of Prince Philicus of Spamalka, the only legitimate son (and the ultimate successor) of Emperor Char'va I and his wife, Isadelle of Austarlia. Philicus is destined to become the bitter enemy of the Laurasian Empress Aurelia the Great.
 * June 11-Death of Georg I, King of Vendragia and Irvania and Duke of Hanover. He had ruled over the Vendragian Confederacy since 1714. Georg, who was sixty-six years old at the time of his death, is succeeded to the throne by his son, who becomes Georg II.
 * June 22-Emperor Antigonus III issues an imperial proclamation declaring that Empress Consort Katharina was not truthful about the circumstances of her marriage with Grand Prince Craterus, and that the marriage was a "sin in the eyes of Almitis."
 * July 27-Birth of one of the most powerful and wealthiest noblewomen in the Laurasian Empire during the reign of Empress Aurelia the Great, Lady Aurelia Talbetius, Lady Cavendia, Lady St. Loe, and Countess of Aretha. Born at Hardwickan Estate on Ietas, she was the daughter of Sir Demetrius Talbetius (1692-1732) and his wife Lady Crateria Talbetius (1694-1766).
 * September 4-Antigonus III begins to develop plans for the annulment of his marriage with Katharina. Unlike Honorius the Terrible, Antigonus did not merely dispose of her quickly and marry another; he sought to be gradual, lest his subjects who adored Katharina be driven to rebellion.

1728

 * June 23-Death from Marsian fever of Sir Willanius Caranius, the husband of Lady Antonia Boleyenia and father of the Baron Husadarania. By the orders of the Emperor Antigonus III, he is given a state funeral at the Westphalian Cathedral.
 * October 2-Tyndalis's work The Obedience of Proper Almitians and the Duties of Autocrats is published; for this work, Tyndalis is praised by the Emperor in a public manifesto and awarded a imperial pension.
 * October 5-Death of Antiochus Foxius, who was successively Archbishop of Taurasia (1687-92); Vetta (1692-94); Aquilionia (1694-1701); and Winchestrus (1701-28), Imperial Privy Seal, and Dean of the Holy Synod of the Laurasian Empire. Foxius was one of the most prominent religious officials of the Imperial Almitian Church during the reigns of Neuchrus I and Antigonus III. His colleague and superior, Chief Procurator of the Holy Synod Willanius Warhamius, who is increasingly at odds with the Emperor, becomes Dean of the Holy Synod.
 * October 17-The University of Paul II is established by charter of the Emperor Antigonus III.

1729

 * January 5-Emperor Antigonus III formally declares to the Imperial Privy Council that his marriage with Empress Consort Katharina had "never been valid" in the eyes of Almitis and that he was henceforth determined to absolve himself of all commitments to his wife. Chancellor Wolesius, although he personally disagreed with the Emperor's effort to annul his marriage, nevertheless expressed his support for his master's further actions. Chief Procurator Warhamius is ordered to look for evidence of whether or not the marriage was consummated.
 * March 23-Antigonus III appoints a new Investigative Committee of Privy Councilors, Governing Senators, Synostic Councilors, nobles, and other prominent government officials in order to investigate the circumstances of his marriage and to uncover details about Katharina's prior personal life. This committee is to work in conjunction with the Synod Commission of Inquiry.
 * May 31-The Governing Senate and Holy Synod meet in a joint session in order to review the findings of the Commission of Inquiry and the Investigative Committee.
 * June 21-Emperor Antigonus III commands his wife, Empress Consort Katharina, to appear before the Senate, Council, and Synod, and to justify her reasons for why the marriage should not be annulled. Katharina does so, and addressing herself personally to her husband, begs for mercy from the Emperor and swears that she was a virgin when she married him. The Empress Consort, however, refuses to recognize the jurisdiction of the three institutions to try their marriage, leaving that decision in the hands of Almitis alone.
 * August 3-Sir Thomasius Morius negotiates the Treaty of Commerce and Amity with the Austarlian Empire of Char'vak V, providing for economic intercourse between the two realms, without tariffs or other duties, for a period of fifteen years.
 * September 9-25-A outbreak of Paulite fever on Laurasia Prime, Caladaria, Darcia, Oxia Vixius, Ralina Vixius, Apathama Vixius, the Cron Drift, Charasia, Constantine I, and other Purse Worlds of the Empire results in the death of some three million individuals. The fever is ultimately cured in 1736.
 * October 17-Cardinal Wolesius, who had failed to obtain a speedy conclusion to the "investigations" about the Emperor's marriage, and who was blamed by Antigonus for the ventures in Franconia which had yielded nothing in territorial gains for the Laurasian Empire, was arrested on His Majesty's command and imprisoned at the Post Settlement of Hepudermia. Wolesius has lost favor with his imperial master, after fifteen years of predominance in the affairs of the Imperial Laurasian Government.
 * October 26-Thomasius Wolesius is stripped of his positions as Cardinal of the Laurasian Purse Region, Chancellor of the Laurasian Empire, and Procurator-General of the Governing Senate by Emperor Antigonus III. All of Wolesius's estates and funds, including the Hamponian Palace on Jared, are confiscated by the Emperor Antigonus. His honors are stripped from their stall of office and are ceremonially degraded at the Imperial Court. In a humiliating ceremony at the Post Settlement, Wolesius is excommunicated by the Holy Synod, deprived of his red robes of ecclesiastical office, and denounced as a traitor.
 * November 5-Sir Thomasius Morius, who had proved his ability in diplomacy and in governmental administration, and was loyal to the Emperor, was appointed Chancellor and Procurator-General to replace the disgraced Wolesius.
 * November 24-Birth of perhaps the greatest military commander of the eighteenth century, and one of the leading commanders of the Empress Aurelia the Great's reign, Generalissimo Alexander Surovius, Baron Suvorius of Rymnik. Suvorius was born at Novgradian Mansion in Constantinople, Laurasia Prime. He was the son of Major General and Governing Senator Sir Vessanius Surovius (1705-1775), and his wife, Lady Anna Surovius (1706-1789).
 * November 30-Verbal confrontation between Emperor Antigonus III and Empress Consort Katharina of Shenandoah, resulting in his banishing her from his sight.
 * December 8-Sir Thomasius Boleyenia, father of the Lady Anna Boleyenia, is created Earl of Redia by Emperor Antigonus III. His son Georgius had become Viscount Rachanalford in June 1725. Boleyenia also becomes a Privy Councilor and Governing Senator as well, and is now one of the leading officials of the Imperial Court.

1730

 * January 30-Death of Anna, Duchess of Northania and Semigallia. She had ruled since her elevation to the Northanian throne in 1711 following the death of her husband Frederick William Kettler. The Northanian Diet now elects the late Duke’s uncle, 74-year old Prince Ferdinand Kettler of Jelgava, as the new Duke of Northania and Semigallia. Kettler is childless, and this will become a point of contention in the looming War of the Dejanican Succession.
 * February 24-Char'va I is finally crowned Holy Spalmalkan Emperor, eleven years after his ascension to the Spalmalkan throne. The Laurasian Empire is the only inter-galactic government which does not dispatch a representative to the ceremony.
 * March 22-The Haynsian Despot Shannai II Karany, who had disappointed the Marasharite Emperor Ahmad and the Great Council, was, on the advice of the Marasharite Grand Vizier Neversherli Davat, forced to abdicate his throne. Emperor Ahmad now restored the former Haynsian Despot, Qaplan-Empi I Karany, to the Haynsian throne. He had been in exile at Rhodes since his second deposition from the Haynsian throne in 1715.
 * June 4-Emperor Antigonus III authorized the Imperial Intelligence Agency to develop a report about the alleged infidelities of the Empress Consort Katharina of Shenandoah.
 * July 9-Sir Willanius Sandys, Lord Sandys of the Cron Drift, becomes Imperial High Chamberlain of the Laurasian Empire, succeeding the Earl of Americana, who resigned from the position due to personal concerns.
 * September 5-A proclamation of the Emperor Antigonus III provides harsh penalties for the publication, distribution, or promotion of any work which defends his marriage with Katharina of Shenandoah or condemns his wish to obtain a "proper union" in order to find a legitimate male heir. Chancellor Morius, who was privately sympathetic to the Empress Consort, and who had grown increasingly opposed to the Emperor's policies, failed in his effort to persuade the Emperor to withdraw his proclamation.
 * October 2-Marasharite Emperor Ahmed III, who had grown increasingly unpopular with his subjects due to the excessive pomp and luxury in which he and his chief officers of state lived, was deposed in a coup'd'etat by the Elite Guards led by Patrona Halil, who had been instrumental in Ahmed's own seizure of the throne 27 years earlier. Ahmed is forced to abdicate his throne in favor of his nephew Sassas III. Sassas permits Ahmed to retire to the Topacian Palace on Marsrr. Ahmed's deposition therefore leaves Grand Duke Vasily II of Masacavania as senior monarch.
 * November 4-Thomasius Wolesius, formerly Cardinal and Chancellor, is formally arraigned at the Diplomatic Palace on charges of treason, conspiracy, sedition, and dissent against the Imperial Government. Wolesius is permitted no defense, and his trial is conducted at the Diplomatic Palace.
 * November 21-Wolesius is convicted of the charges against him and is sentenced to death by solar incineration. The sentence is to be carried out at the Station of Callista on December 2. Emperor Antigonus III, in a proclamation to his subjects, justifies the sentence of death imposed on Wolesius.
 * November 26-Former Cardinal Thomasius Wolesius takes ill and dies at the Post Settlement of Hepudermia, days before his planned execution. Because of his excommunication, he is denied an Almitian burial, and by the command of the Emperor, his body is dumped into the Pit of Traitors on Jadia.

1731

 * January 5-Death of Katharina Howardis's mother, Lady Livilla Plausia, at the Howardian family estate on Tyleria Perea. Because Katharina's father, Lord Edmundis Howardis, did not have the means to support all of his ten children, he sent them off to their wealthier relatives. Katharina will be raised by her step-grandmother Agrippina Tildania (1677-1745), the Dowager Duchess of Norfolkius, and stepmother of the Third Duke of Norfolkius, Katharina's uncle.
 * January 27-Emperor Antigonus III issues a manifesto reclaiming the title of Pontifex Maximus, which had been abolished by the Emperor Neuchrus the Reformer as "unnecessary" in 1686 and had been the formal designation for the leader of the Almitian Church. John Fisherius, Bishop of Constantia (1669-1735), is among those opposed to the Emperor's measure.
 * February 16-Foundation of the Imperial Cadet Corps of the Quencilvanian Palace by Emperor Antigonus III. The Cadet Corps is intended as a military academy for young men aged 17-25 of the nobility, gentry, and knightly orders in attendance at the Imperial Court. The academy's curriculum includes tactics, military discipline, military simulations, military history, weapons practice, operational sciences, and other fields considered necessary for a career in the military. The Corps will retain this essential form until the educational reforms of Empress Aurelia the Great, Antigonus's daughter. The Archleutan General Burkhard von Munnich, who had entered the Imperial Army as an enlisted serviceman in 1702 and had over the previous three decades, risen to become one of the highest-ranking officers of the Imperial Laurasian Army by virtue of his loyalty to his master and his exploits in the campaigns of the Vectorian Wars and the Marasharite War of 1714-16, was the one who first proposed the idea of establishing the Cadet Corps. Munnich gains increasing favor with the Emperor Antigonus from this point forward.
 * March 9-Sir Thomasius Morius, Chancellor of the Laurasian Empire, delivers a speech to the Governing Senate declaring the Emperor's annulment of his marriage with Katharina is based on reasons of conscience and morality, not merely out of selfishness or concern for self-preservation.
 * May 25-The Privy Council sends a delegation to Empress Consort Katharina, attempting to persuade her to accept the reality that her marriage with Antigonus was invalid. The Empress Consort refuses however, and as a result, Antigonus forbids her to make her presence at the Imperial Court ever again. She is now compelled to live at the Transmarta Family Estate on Shenandoah, is allowed only a small household, and is forbidden to leave Shenandoah without the Emperor's explicit permission.
 * July 14-Emperor Antigonus III declares Katharina of Shenandoah's position and rooms at the Imperial Court to be vacated, and now awards them to the Lady Anna Boleyenia.
 * August 2-The Imperial Ministry of Internal Security is established by Emperor Antigonus III, and given authority over the Imperial Intelligence Agency, the Imperial Aediles, and the Valedictorian Guards.

1732

 * January 9-Archleutan General Burkhard von Munnich, who had been instrumental in the foundation of the Cadet Corps the previous year, and had risen to fame because of the Marasharite and Vectorian campaigns in the first quarter of the eighteenth century, is promoted to the rank of Field Marshal and appointed Minister of Defense and Imperial Works and Holdings by Emperor Antigonus III. Munnich also became the Chief of Staff of the Imperial Military Strategic Command, and was given precedence over all other military officers. This made him the highest-ranking military commander in the Laurasian Empire, below only the Emperor himself. Munnich will immediately devote his efforts to improving Laurasian military flexibility and efficiency, and to draw upon lessons learned in the Franconian campaigns in order to vastly expand the Laurasian military forces.
 * January 17-Birth of the last King and Grand Duke of the Dejanican-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Stanis Vorrust I (born as Stanis Poniatowskia), at the Grezina House on Wolcyzn, in the Dejanican-Lithuanian Commonwealth. He is the fifth son of the Dejanican Prince Stanis Poniatowskia (1676-1762, after whom he was named), and his wife, Konstantia Poniatowskia (1700-1759, formerly Czartoyskia). The Poniatowskia family was one of the most respected and wealthy noble families in the Dejanican-Lithuanian Commonwealth, and had great prestige among the Dejanican Diet. During the first few years of his life, young Stanis will live at Danzig and then Dejanica Major.
 * February 2-On the urging of General von Munnich, Emperor Antigonus III issued a imperial manifesto increasing the salaries of Laurasian officers and troops by 30%, and providing for the reorganization of the Army Munitions Office, so as to more effectively distribute supplies and necessary pensions to the personnel of the Laurasian military forces. This measure will serve to improve the professionalism of the Laurasian military units.
 * February 16-Birth of Sir Caligula Walsingis, Chancellor and Director of the Imperial Intelligence Agency of the Laurasian Empire, and one of the leading ministers of the Empress Aurelia the Great. He is born at Christulerian Colony, Lusculum, the son of Sir Willanius Walsingis (died 1734), a barrister, and his wife Januaria (died 1763), the daughter of Sir Leonidas Dennius and the sister of Sir Antoninus Dennius, who was the principal gentleman in the privy chamber of the Emperor Antigonus III.
 * March 9-An imperial manifesto commands for all clergy of the Almitian Church to once again swear a direct oath of allegiance to the Emperor as the Supreme Head of the Imperial Almitian Church, and to abjure any claims of those who said that the Emperor was not the viceregent of Almitis in the Caladarian Galaxy. Sir Thomasius Crownapolulos, who had been appointed to the Imperial Privy Council in September 1731, and who was emerging into prominence as one of the Emperor's leading advisers, is the one responsible for drafting the text of this manifesto.
 * March 22-The first class of the new Antigonus-class corvettes is commissioned at the shipyards of Darcia, Constantine I, Mercedes, and Andriana, having been planned by General von Munnich and his advisers.
 * May 6-The Holy Synod's authority to arrest and prosecute heretics is now subjected to the approval and ratification of the Privy Council, a measure condemned by Chancellor Morius, whose opposition to Emperor Antigonus has become far more outspoken than before.
 * May 15-The assembled clergy of the Holy Synod and the Imperial Almitian Church sign a declaration of submission, declaring the Emperor's rights as Pontifex Maximus to be valid and threatening to excommunicate any who refuse to acknowledge those rights.
 * May 16-Sir Thomasius Morius, who can no longer tolerate the Emperor's religious measures, and who has developed great sympathy for the Empress Consort, resigns as Chancellor and Procurator-General. The Emperor Antigonus accepts the resignation, but considers Morius to be a betrayer.
 * June 5-Hansius Holbienus enters the service of the Imperial Court as a painter in the Imperial Household, with the patronage of Lady Anna Boleyenia and Sir Thomasius Crownapolulos.
 * July 17-Death of the former Haynsian Despot Bryan IV Karany at Navarino in the Great Tesmanian Cloud.
 * August 22-Death of the 75-year old Chief Procurator of the Holy Synod Willanius Warhamius, who had in the last two years of his service grown increasingly disenchanted with the Emperor's policies. Warhamius is buried at St. Jerome's Crypt in Hackingrae, Selena on September 9.
 * August 29-Minister of Defense von Munnich issues instructions to the Imperial Military Command for the dissolution of the 119th-110th Imperial Fleets, aiming to consolidate the men and starships of those detachments into a more unified military banner.
 * September 1-The Lady Anna Boleyenia is created Marchioness of Elvestia by her lover, the Emperor Antigonus III. She is now one of the most prominent noblewomen in the Laurasian Empire.
 * September 4-The Iconclasm Riots begin on Zutagia, and spark further debate over religious reform in the Imperial Almitian Church. Over the next two years, they will spread to all of the major worlds and Almitian conclaves in the Laurasian Empire.
 * September 13-The Treaty of the Two Eagles is signed by diplomatic representatives of the Laurasian and Austarlian Empires concerning the affairs of the Dejanik Commonwealth. In this agreement, Laurasian Emperor Antigonus III and Austarlian Emperor Char'vak V came to the understanding that affairs in Dejanik space were the "concern of our two realms", considering the elective process for the Dejanik Monarchy and the "constant instability" of those dominions. The two Emperors agreed that they would oppose the candidacy of Vorrus I's son, Prince Vorrus, and also that of General Stanis Morgar, who was seen by many in the Dejanik dominions as a leading contender for the throne upon the death of Vorrus I. It was agreed that Infante Manuelis of Spamalka would be supported as the next candidate for the Dejanik throne, and that the Commonwealth should not undertake any reforms to its governmental administration which could damage the interests of the powers interested. This treaty is negotiated by Crownapoulos, who has risen considerably in his imperial master's favor.
 * December 13-The Treaty of the Two Eagles is joined by the Autocratic Pruthian Empire as a signatory; it thereby becomes the Treaty of the Three Eagles.
 * December 22-Sir Thomasius Crownapoulos is formally appointed Chancellor of the Laurasian Empire and President of the Privy Council by Emperor Antigonus III, replacing Sir Thomasius Morius in those offices of state.

1733

 * January 25-Emperor Antigonus III, who by this point had definitely determined to separate from Empress Consort Katharina, and who was eager for a child, married his love, the Marchioness Anna Boleyenia, in a secret ceremony at the Boleyenia Family Estate on Fulcania. The bride was given away by her father, Sir Thomasius Boleyenia, Earl of Redia. Anna and Antigonus have already had sexual relations however, and by the time of this marriage ceremony, she is pregnant with his child. The Emperor is hopeful that the child in her womb is a son. Due to Laurasian royal custom, inherited from the Arachosian Empire of centuries past, the child's gender would not be known until the moment of birth.
 * February 1-Death of Dejanik King Vorrus I, who had ruled since 1715. Vorrus had, in the last years of his reign, been submissive to the demands of the Laurasian Empire, and was unwilling to condone any government policies which would be adverse to the interests of his overlords. The death of Vorrus arouses the immediate concern and interest of the Laurasian, Austarlian, and Pruthian Empires, as his successor now needed to be designated for the Dejanik throne. Emperor Antigonus III had still not formally ratified the Treaty of the Three Eagles, and under the influence of Crownapoulos and Munnich, was coming to the conclusion that Prince Vorrus should be permitted to become the next Dejanik King after all. Nevertheless, the Emperor issued a proclamation, expressing his condolences for Vorrus I's death and his hopes the Dejanik Commonwealth would soon be granted a new master.
 * February 17-Franjak I of Franconia, determined to exert his own influence in the Dejanik Commonwealth, and believing that he could install a candidate on the Dejanik throne favorable to Franconian interests, begins to muster troops at the garrisons of Lorraine and Martiane, on the border with the Commonwealth in the Amulak Spiral.
 * February 26-Austarlian Emperor Char'vak V issues a manifesto expressing his support for a "speedy succession to the Dejanik throne."
 * March 5-The Marquis de Monti, the Franconian ambassador to the Court of Dejanica, convinces the powerful Polanskia and Czarskia families to throw their support to General Stanis Morgar. Morgar himself has begun bribing members of the Dejanican Diet to support his claims to the Dejanican throne, and has mustered supplies at his family estates on Mir, Bialystok, and Brest-Livotsk.
 * March 17-Despite the bribes offered by Laurasian Ambassador Aelius Marconius, the Dejanican Diet passes a resolution forbidding the election of previous dynasts and of foreigners to the Dejanik throne. Prince Vorrus is thus disqualified from being a candidate for the Dejanican throne.
 * March 30-Thomasius Cranmerius, one of Anna Boleyenia's favorites, and a prominent adherent to Reformed Almitism, is appointed Chief Procurator of the Holy Synod by the Emperor Antigonus III. The position had remained vacant since the death of Willanius Warhamius the previous August. Cranmerius is devoted to the interests of his royal patroness, and believes that her marriage with the Emperor, which still is shielded from the public, should now be made valid.
 * April 4-Chief Procurator Cranmerius finally closes the investigations on the matter of the Emperor Antigonus's marriage with Empress Consort Katharina. The Chief Procurator issues a manifesto expressing his support for "His Majesty's wishes to procure for himself a lawful, Almitis-approved union."
 * April 17-Minister of Defense Munnich proposes a motion to the Imperial Privy Council for the revision of the Military Discipline Code of 1716, in order to incorporate revised regulations about the conservation of military energy supplies, ranks, and order of precedence. His motion will be approved by the Emperor on April 24.
 * May 14-The Governing Senate and Imperial Privy Council issue a joint manifesto declaring that the marriage of Emperor Antigonus III and Katharina of Shenandoah was "wrong from the beginning" and strongly recommending that the Emperor divest himself of his barren wife.
 * May 23-The Holy Synod, under the direction of Chief Procurator Cranmerius, formally annuls the marriage of Katharina of Shenandoah with Emperor Antigonus III. Following this, Antigonus swiftly deprives Katharina of her title as Empress Consort, and of all properties and estates which she held as the Empress Consort. By imperial manifesto, Katharina is reduced to the rank of Dowager Grand Princess of the Laurasian Empire, and her rights of precedence over other Laurasian women are expressly revoked.
 * May 25-The marriage of Emperor Antigonus III and Anna Boleyenia is finally revealed to the public by the Imperial Government. The Holy Synod issues its opinion that the marriage is valid, and Antigonus formally proclaims Anna Boleyenia to be his new Empress Consort.
 * June 1-The coronation of Anna Boleyenia as Empress Consort of All the Laurasians is held at the Westphalian Cathedral on Laurasia Prime. The Empress Consort, by now visibly pregnant, is crowned by her husband Emperor Antigonus with the Smaller Imperial Crown, and is invested with the honors and privileges of an Empress Consort. A public manifesto orders for all Laurasian subjects to abstain from any further reference to Katharina as Empress Consort. Anna, however, is unpopular with the Laurasian people, and many at the coronation are not fervent in their expression of joy for her crowning.
 * June 5-On the orders of the Emperor Antigonus, Chancellor Crownapoulos commands the Imperial Intelligence Agency to begin investigating the activities of Sir Thomasius Morius, who had begun to publish pamphlets attacking the Emperor's religious policies and his treatment of his former wife.
 * June 11-Dowager Princess Katharina of Shenandoah refuses to sign a proclamation acknowledging her loss of the title of Empress Consort, and as a result, the Emperor forbids her to ever see their daughter, Didymeia, again.
 * June 17-Emperor Antigonus III deprives his daughter by Katharina, Didymeia, of her title as Grand Princess of the Laurasian Empire. Didymeia is declared a bastard, demoted to the rank of "Lady", and is forbidden to acknowledge her mother as Empress Consort in any official documents. Her position as heiress apparent is revoked, and she is commanded to stay away from the Imperial Court of Laurasia Prime.
 * June 24-Birth of the future Earl of Leicesterius, Lord Antiochus Dudley (destined to become chief favorite of the Empress Aurelia the Great). He is the fifth son of John Dudley, future Earl of Sarah and Duke of Northumberlais, and his wife Messalina, daughter of Sir Demetrius Guildfadia. He is born at St. Katherine's Hospital in Constantinople, Laurasia Prime.
 * June 25-Antigonus III's youngest sibling, the Grand Princess Octavia Brandeis, dies at Stanhalian Palace in Vervasia, Augis II. Her death occurs thirty-one years after the death of Antigonus III's older brother, the Grand Prince Craterus. The Emperor Antigonus orders for the Imperial Court to mourn her death for four weeks. Octavia will be buried at the Cathedral of St. Xenobius on July 19. Of the four children of Neuchrus the Reformer and Aurelia Zemakala, two (Antigonus and Constantia) still lived. Neuchrus the Reformer himself has been dead for twenty-four years.
 * June 26-The Lady Didymeia is forced to sign a declaration acknowledging the annulment of her parent's marriage and her own status as a bastard.
 * July 7-Dejanican Prince Vorrus signs the Treaty of Riga with the Laurasian and Austarlian Empires. By the terms of this agreement, the Prince agrees to acknowledge Laurasian rule of Rogeria and parts of Billy; to insure the continuation of Laurasian and Austarlian commercial privileges in Dejanik territory; and to offer Antigonus III his choice of a successor to the Dejanican Duchy of Northania, upon the death of the childless Ferdinand Kettler. Vorrus also promised to recognize Char'vak V's Pragmatic Sanction of 1713, which overturned the Salic Laws of the Austarlian Empire and would permit his daughter Mar'va Tarvania to succeed to the Austarlian throne. In return, the two Empires agreed to recognize his claims for election to the Dejanik throne and to support him towards that end.
 * August 5-The Dejanican Elective Diet, comprised of prominent Dejanican nobles, magnates, and government officials from throughout the Dejanik Commonwealth, assemble on Dejanica for their first session, in order to designate a successor to the Dejanican throne. Ambassador Marconius is at this date dismissed from his post and replaced with Sir Agrippa Lagamagia (1682-1753), who will be instrumental in the future developments of affairs in the Dejanik Commonwealth.
 * August 11-A Laurasian force assembled at the strongholds of Masan, Thang Lang, and Valeris, under the command of General Petetevius Lacius (a Laurasian military officer of Goldarian descent) enters the Dejanik Commonwealth, in a bid to influence the election process for the Dejanican throne. Within a week, Lacius and his forces will occupy the Dejanik military arsenals of Lovevold, Marvald, and the Dvina Straits, determined to assert Laurasian influence in Dejanik space.
 * August 19-Lowenwolde's Treaty is signed on Beatrice by delegations of the Laurasian and Austarlian Empires. The Treaty is named after the Archleutan diplomat Count Karl Gustav von Lowenwolde, who served in the Imperial Ministry of Foreign Affairs and was instrumental in the conduct of Imperial Laurasian affairs with the powers of the Amulak Spiral. This is a revision of the Treaty of the Three Eagles, which had been signed the previous year. By the terms of Lowenwolde's Treaty, the Laurasian Empire would provide troops to ensure the election and coronation of Prince Vorrus, while Vorrus would on his part: 1) acknowledge Laurasian territorial acquisitions in the Galactic Borderlands, specifically at Izzia, Billy Masis, Kia, and the Rogerian Cluster 2) relinquish all Dejanican claims to territory in the Hypasian Provinces and Wild Marshes and 3) acknowledge Laurasian rights to designate the successor to the Duchy of Northania. Pruthia, however, remains opposed to the election of Prince Vorrus, and bribes members of the Diet to support the claims of General Morgar.
 * August 26-Public declaration by Emperor Antigonus III that he would not recognize General Stanis Morgar as King of the Dejanik Commonwealth if he were elected by the Dejanican Diet. A similar declaration is made by Austarlian Emperor Char'vak V two days later.
 * September 4-Public declaration of support for General Stanis Morgar by King Franjak I of Franconia. As a result of the Franconian declaration, the Laurasian Ambassador to the Franconian Court, Sir Ahenobarbus Nartha (1675-1756), is recalled from the Franconian Court. Diplomatic relations between the two courts are suspended.
 * September 7-At the Royal Hospital Quarters of the Quencilvanian Palace, Christiania, Laurasia Prime, Laurasian Empire, Empress Consort Anna Boleyenia goes into labor and gives birth, slightly prematurely, to a healthy child. Both Antigonus and Anna had been eagerly in anticipation of their first child being a son, a Grand Prince who could continue the Neuchrian Dynasty and be a worthy successor to his father. Court astrologers had constantly predicted that the child of the Emperor and Empress was male. However, the child was a daughter. The parents were disappointed at their child's gender, but nevertheless managed to give her a name: Aurelia, after both of her grandmothers, Aurelia Zemakala and Aurelia Howardis. Thus is born one of the greatest rulers in Laurasian history, although at the time no one suspected that she would become sovereign. Both of her imperial parents confidently expected to have a son afterwards, and believed that Aurelia was destined for life as a Princess and a bride for some noble or foreign personage.
 * September 10-The baptism of Grand Princess Aurelia at the Royal Chapel in the Quencilvanian Palace. Aurelia's godparents are Chief Procurator of the Holy Synod Thomasius Cranmerius, the Marquess of Constantinople (1698-1738), the Duchess of Norfolkius (1697-1758), and the Dowager Marchioness of Harmonia (1687-1741).
 * September 11-The day after future Empress Aurelia the Great is christened, the Dejanican Electoral Diet selected General Stanis Morgar as the new King of the Dejanik Commonwealth. Morgar's election occurred because of Dejanican wariness of the Laurasians, who had occupied border strongholds in the Lavellan Provinces; Franconian bribes and favors to members of the Diet; and Morgar's own popularity with the Dejanican nobility and people. Morgar declared that as King, he would stand up for the Commonwealth's rights and would no longer submit to any future demands made him of by the Imperial Laurasian Government. This declaration enrages Emperor Antigonus III, who commands Field-Marshal Munnich and General Lacius to draft plans for formal military operations in Dejanican territory.
 * September 22-A group of Dejanican nobles, led by Prince Ma'sah Weasalakia (1680-1744), formerly Grand Chancellor of the Dejanik Commonwealth, cross to the Lavellan Galactic Barrier, now occupied by Laurasian troops, and have a meeting with General Lacius.
 * October 5-Prince Weasalakia and his supporters, under the protection of the Laurasian Empire, elect Prince Vorrus as Vorrus II, King of the Dejanik Commonwealth. Although this group is in the minority, both Emperor Antigonus III and Emperor Char'vak V recognize Vorrus as King of Dejanica.
 * October 10-Declaration of war by the Serene Kingdom of Franconia on the Austarlian Empire, commencing a theater of military operations in the Amulak Spiral.
 * October 26-The Laurasian Empire issues a formal declaration of war against the Kingdom of Franconia, and launches a full-scale invasion of the Dejanik Commonwealth. Laurasian troops storm Lavella Minor, the Galactic Barrier Outposts, Lavelle, and La'delle, among other Dejanik strongholds in the Galactic Borderlands, within a week.
 * November 14-A Laurasian task fleet under the command of General Antoninius Dio defeats a Franconian expeditionary force in the Battle of the Dial.
 * November 25-Antigonus Lutheranis, Duke of Conservan and Reoyania, marries Marcia Howardis (1719-57), the daughter of the Duke of Norfolkius. The match is arranged by Empress Consort Anna Boleyenia. The marriage, however, will never be consummated.
 * November 26-Franconia concludes the secret Treaty of Piacenza with the Haxonian Confederacy, aiming for a general military alliance against the Austarlian and Laurasian Empires.
 * December 4-
 * The Dejanik garrison of Homer's Gateway is annihilated by General Lacius in the Battle of the Steffal, and as a result of this victory, the Laurasian Empire secures control of the Northern Barrier Reaches.
 * Death of the 54-year old Grand Duke of Masacavania, Vasily II, senior monarch of extra-galactic civilization at the time of his death. Laurasian Emperor Antigonus III the Extravagant therefore becomes senior monarch as a result of Vasily's death. He is the first Laurasian Emperor in 344 years to become the most senior sovereign, since Antiochus the Great. Antigonus will remain senior monarch for the last thirteen years of his reign. Vasily was succeeded as Grand Duke by his son, who became Dmitri I of Mascavania. Dmitri was aged thirty-five at his accession to the Masacavanian throne.
 * December 14-A Laurasian force seizes control of the Bellak Beacon, gaining access to the Dejanik Highway of the Galactic Void.
 * December 21-Final Loyalist Dejanik holdout in Galactic Borderlands suppressed by Laurasian squadrons in the Battle of Tskia.
 * December 24-Praga and the Minsk Sector in the Amulak Spiral occupied by the Laurasian troops of General Lacius.
 * December 27-A confederation of Dejanican nobles at Little Masovia reject the authority of King Stanis and pledge their support to the Laurasian Empire and to the faction of Vorrus II.

1734

 * January 6-Torun and Balbork in Dejanican Pomerania are occupied by Laurasian detachments in cooperation with the Confederation of Little Masovia. King Stanis I is planning to resist the Laurasian advance at Dejanica, but his support is slipping fast.
 * January 15-A Franconian attempt to resupply Dejanik forces at Koingsberg is defeated by General Lacius in the Battle of Parval.
 * January 22-Emperor Antigonus III formally receives "King" Vorrus II at the Methellian Palace of Metallasia, and announces his public support for the "restoration of order" to the dominions of the Dejanik Commonwealth.
 * January 25-29-The Battle of Dejanica is fought between the loyalist faction of King Stanis I and the forces of the Laurasian Empire under the command of General Lacius. Stanis, although he was a talented military commander, and was determined to maintain his position as King of the Dejanik Commonwealth, is nevertheless overwhelmed by the superior mobility, flexibility, and numbers of the Laurasian Fleet arrayed against him. General Lacius finally manages to secure a victory and compels the King of Dejanica to retreat from his capital star system. Dejanica is now occupied by Laurasian troops, and Vorrus II, returning from his formal visit with Emperor Antigonus, is installed in the Palace of Kings.
 * February 3-The Franconians defeat the Austarlians in the Battle of the Sur, and occupy the Austarlian Pazak Cluster as a result. Their attempts to raid the Dasian Heartland, however, are foiled by Laurasian troops in confrontations at Sernipidal and Vorongia.
 * February 6-The first offer of meditation on the War of the Dejanik Succession (War of Morgar's Spear) is made by Spamalkan Emperor Char'va I. This offer will be rejected by Franconian King Franjak I.
 * February 7-King Stanis I flees to Danzig, a Dejanican stronghold located in the Voivodeship of Dejanican Pruthia, and on the border with the Autocratic Pruthian Empire. Stanis now assembles the remaining loyalist military squadrons, the militia of Danzig, and mercenaries provided to him by the Franconian Government in order to make a last stand against the forces of the Laurasian Empire and the faction of King Vorrus II. Stanis still refuses to acknowledge his loss of the Dejanican throne, and is determined to resist the Laurasian "intrusion" upon the affairs of the Dejanican Commonwealth.
 * February 15-The Statute of Sedition is promulgated by Emperor Antigonus III, forbidding the clergy of the Almitian Church from questioning changes in the doctrine of Almitian religious beliefs that have been made by the Emperor and Holy Synod.
 * February 20-General Lacius obtains permission from Emperor Antigonus III to advance his units forthwith to Danzig, and to compel Stanis into surrender, to acknowledge his loss of the Dejanican throne. The Laurasian General leaves behind a garrison to secure Dejanica and then departs for Danzig.
 * February 22-The Siege of Danzig by the Laurasian Empire and the supporters of King Vorrus II commences. General Lacius lays out minefields and defensive stockades against the outskirts of the Danzig star system, in order to prevent any from departing the star system. The Laurasians however, have to contend with constant skirmishing, both inside and outside of the supply lines, by partisans who support Stanis I.
 * February 25-Aurelia Bartonis is arrested for "treasonous actions" against the security of the Emperor, and is imprisoned at the Post Settlement of Hepudermia. Crownapoulos is now determined to engineer the downfall of Bishop Fisherius and Sir Thomasius Morius.
 * March 5-Sir Thomasius Morius writes letters to the Emperor and Chancellor Crownapoulos, asserting his loyalty to the Imperial Government, his ignorance of Bartonis and her conspiracies, and his determination to adhere to the traditional morals of the Almitian Church.
 * March 17-Field Marshal Munnich, who had departed from Laurasia Prime on March 4, arrives at Danzig in order to take command of the siege efforts. General Lacius, now relegated to subordinate command of the Laurasian forces, nevertheless remains in charge of planning the attacks against Dejanican positions. Munnich brought substantial reinforcements, primarily of starfighters and the new Antigonus-class corvettes, with him.
 * March 23-The First Antigonid Statute of the Succession to the Imperial Throne is promulgated by Emperor Antigonus III, having been drafted by the Imperial Privy Council, Imperial Chancellory, and Governing Senate, and submitted to the Emperor for his approval. This law confirms the denunciation of the former Grand Princess Didymeia as a bastard; orders for harsh penalties for any who continue to acknowledge Katharina of Shenandoah as Empress Consort; and affirms that the only legitimate children and heirs of the Emperor are those born to him by his wife, Empress Consort Anna Boleyenia. Grand Princess Aurelia is to be heiress apparent until the birth of a male heir.
 * March 29-April 4-Laurasian forces make some advances against the defenses of Danzig, storming Dejanican outposts on Sommerzanz and the Mists of Allol. An attempt by Adar Tarlo to relieve the Dejanican garrison of Danzig is repulsed in the Battle of Berent by forces under the command of General Lacius.
 * April 12-Sir Thomasius Morius, at the Church of St. David on Hieshbig, is handed a summons to appear before the Emperor's Privy Council at Lambathian Palace on Sassanay in order to answer the accusations against him and to take the oath of succession, as required by the First Antigonid Law.
 * April 13-Sir Thomasius Morius arrives at Lambathian Palace on Sassanay, and when asked to take the oath, requests to see both it and a copy of the First Antigonid Law of Succession. Morius tells the Privy Council that although he will deny nothing contained in the oath, he will not swear to it. He is asked a second time to take the oath after being threatened with imprisonment; refusing to do so again, he refuses to explain why he will not take the oath. The former Chancellor is handed over into the custody of the Bishop of Sassanay, and is detained at Lambathian Palace for four days.
 * April 17-Sir Thomasius Morius is imprisoned in the Fortress of Baureux in Christiania, Laurasia Prime, on the command of Emperor Antigonus.
 * April 20-Aurelia Bartonis, now known as the "Maid of Katherine" is executed at Tyburn Fortress in Chancellor City, Katherine, Laurasian Empire.
 * May 11-
 * The Treaty of Efforia is signed by the Laurasian Empire and Celestial Kingdom of Scottria, providing for a rectification of borders in the Rogerian Cluster, Arachosia Suprema, and the Galactic Barrier regions.
 * Franconian mercenaries commanded by Perouse La Motte arrive at Weicshlemunde, attempting to provide assistance to the forces of King Stanis I.
 * May 24-General La Motte manages to reach Danzig and to reinforce Stanis I's forces with his Franconian units. Field Marshal Munnich is unable to capture a Franconian convoy at Dest, and consequently is forced to lay more mines near Danzig.
 * May 27-Confrontation between Laurasian and Franconian troops at Weicshlemunde.
 * June 1-Additional siege turbocannons arrive at Danzig, allowing for Field Marshal Munnich to launched a renewed offensive against Franconian positions at Dest, Weichslemunde, and Little Danzig.
 * June 6-General La Motte is wounded in the Battle of Rast, and is forced to hand command of his units over to General Louis Poulliah.
 * June 9-Laurasian troops finally destroy Franconian positions at Little Danzig, and isolate the garrison of Danzig from any further outside support by the Franconians.
 * June 12-A Franconian force sent to harry Abrianne, Natalie, and Tiona is annihilated by Laurasian border defenses at Pevlet.
 * June 24-Disguised as a merchant, Stanis I manages to flee from Danzig with a retinue of his most trusted advisers and confidants. When Field Marshal Munnich learned that the claimant King of Dejanica had fled, it was too late for him to do anything; Stanis soon crossed over into Franconian territory, and was therefore beyond the reach of the Laurasians.
 * June 30-After weeks of unrelenting bombardment and blockade by the forces of the Laurasian Empire, the garrison of Danzig finally surrenders, unconditionally, to Field Marshal Munnich and General Lacius. The Laurasians had lost 1,000 starfighters and 30 major warships in the long Siege of Danzig, but the star system of Danzig itself suffered considerable damage. Of the 30 million people who lived on Danzig, some five million had died, either due to war confrontations or to starvation, for the planet depended heavily upon agricultural foodstuffs and industrial goods imported from other star systems. Munnich, acknowledging the situation which thus existed in Danzig, ordered for emergency food reserves to be employed for Danzig's inhabitants, and forbade his troops from ransacking or quartering on the properties of Danzig residents. He was not merciful to the Dejanik and Franconian commanders of the garrison however, most of whom were imprisoned or deported.
 * July 4-Empress Consort Anna Boleyenia gives birth to a stillborn son at the Palace of Harmony on Clancia. This will be the first of a succession of mishaps, as the Empress Consort tried and failed to give birth to a healthy, living son and heir. Antigonus III will from this point forward become more disenchanted and dissatisfied with his second wife.
 * July 5-19-Austarlian and Laurasian troops commanded by Prince Eugene of Savoria manage to conquer the Franconian arsenal at Philippsburg. King Franjak I is forced to terminate his offensives into Austarlian Salzburg and Styria, and to divert units to protect the Franconian strongholds of Mullhouse and Strasbourg.
 * August 2-General Lacius defeats a Loyalist force in the Battle of Tarno, and consolidates the Laurasian grip over Danzig.
 * August 17-Vorrus II of Dejanica issues a manifesto offering a pardon to any of his subjects who had colluded with Stanis and his supporters, and declaring that he bore no ill-will against those who had been opposed to his late father, King Vorrus I.
 * August 29-Suris Vamaus, a Laurasian infantry officer, gains fame by his exploits in the Battle of Tarvaold, in which he repelled repeated attacks by Franconian and Dejanik troops.
 * September 4-Laurasian troops storm the Loyalist stronghold of Merr, and consolidate control over the Trans-Danzig regions.
 * September 12-A Laurasian expedition against the Franconian base of Nice, in Provence, is repelled by Marasharite mercenaries under General Al-Shief.
 * October 4-Field Marshal Munnich is recalled from the Dejanik Commonwealth by Emperor Antigonus III, who once again needed his military expertise and administrative ability at the Ministry of Defense on Laurasia Prime. Lacius, promoted from Major-General to Lieutenant-General, once again becomes the supreme commander of Laurasian forces in the Dejanik Commonwealth.
 * October 17-Franconian raiding expeditions against Billy Gasis and Keeley repelled by Laurasian units of the Border Marshes.
 * November 5-Dejanican troops of King Vorrus II storm a Loyalist holdout at Muzah.
 * November 17-The Statute of Supremacy is implemented by Emperor Antigonus III, reaffirming his position as Pontifex Maximus of the Almitian Church and forbidding the Holy Synod to make any further rulings on matters of religious doctrine without first obtaining the Emperor's approval.
 * December 7-Empress Consort Anna Boleyenia suffers another miscarriage, this time at the Ice Palace on Iego.
 * December 25-Emperor Antigonus discusses with Chief Procurator Cranmerius and Chancellor Crownapoulos the possibility of leaving Empress Consort Anna Boleyenia without having to return to his previous wife, now Dowager Princess of Shenandoah.

1735

 * January 1-The year 1735 commenced with the Laurasian Empire fully engrossed in the War of the Dejanik Succession, as Laurasian forces under the command of General Lacius were still engaged in fierce combat with the Dejanik Loyalists and Franconians in the outskirts of Dejanik territory, hundreds of thousands of light years away from the Caladarian Galaxy, and as Laurasian units fought with the Austarlian Empire against the Franconians in their own dominions. Field Marshal Munnich, as part of the festivities for the Laurasian New Year, was awarded the Order of St. Antiochus the Great (the fourth highest military honor in the Laurasian Empire, after the Orders of Honorius the Liberator, Seleucus the Victor, and Arasces the Founder) for his efforts in the Siege of Danzig. Emperor Antigonus, in his New Year's proclamation to his subjects, declared that the Laurasian Empire would soon be victorious in its conflicts with the Loyalist Dejaniks and Franconians.
 * January 5-The Antigonid Statute of Treason is implemented by Emperor Antigonus III. The Statute makes it a capital offense to "maliciously wish, will, or desire, by words or writing" to deny to members of the Imperial Family "their dignity, title, or name of their imperial estates". The Emperor, at this date, also issues a manifesto announcing that Morius, Bishop Fisherius, and others opposed to the Acts of Succession and Supremacy would be dealt with in a "accordingly appropriate manner as befitting their crimes".
 * January 11-A Laurasian-Austarlian force defeats the Franconian units of General Andre Villars in the Battle of Manzia, maintaining the Austarlian position at Bragant. King Franjak I of Franconia dismisses Villars from his post and announces his intention to take direct command of Franconian military forces.
 * January 24-The Imperial War Archives of Goni are established on the suggestion of Field-Marshal Munnich by the Imperial Ministry of the Chancellory. The Archives will contain documents, memorandum, and orders relating to Laurasian wars of the past, and also secret files about Laurasian military and political affairs.
 * February 4-The first graduating class of the Cadet Corps has their commission ceremony at the Imperial Military Academy of Caladaria. Emperor Antigonus III himself delivers the speech to the class, and praises them for their "hard work in fulfillment of their duties as imperial subjects".
 * February 27-A Laurasian force at Reaclkad is defeated by Franconian squadrons, and as a result, forced to terminate operations against Franconian borderland territories.
 * March 15-Field Marshal Munnich and the Imperial Chiefs of Staff begin to plan for war against the Marasharite Empire of Sassas III. The Archleutan Field-Marshal, who wished to demonstrate his true skill in battle, and who had enemies in the Imperial Court, who despised his alien origin and the favor he had obtained with the Emperor, decided that this campaign would provide him the perfect field of display. The preparations for a military campaign against the Marasharite Empire were also motivated by other concerns as well. The Haynsian Despotate, vassal-state of the Marasharite Empire, had, in violation of the Treaty of Pruth, continued to launch raids and slaving expeditions into Laurasian territory. Although the Laurasian Barrier Defenses, at the Galactic Frontier Route and along the northern outskirts of the Outer Borderlands, prevented most Haynsian war parties from progressing far into Laurasian territory, they nevertheless posed a constant irritation for the Imperial Laurasian Government. Trans-Barrier outposts still fell victim to Haynsian raids; one Haynsian operation, of November 27, 1734, had resulted in the destruction of the Laurasian outpost on K-V5 and the carrying away into captivity of some 45,000 colonists. Abrianne, Keeley, Natalie, Tiona, Margery, Bingley, Nandia Major, Varta, and other worlds were constantly placed on red alert as a result of the threat presented by the Haynsians. Munnich was determined to destroy the Haynsian Despotate, once and for all, and to extend the jurisdiction of the Laurasian Empire over the Muggal Cluster and Northern Reaches.
 * March 24-Hansius Holbienius is appointed Master-Painter of the Imperial Court by Emperor Antigonus III.
 * April 7-Field Marshal Munnich's preparations for war with the Marasharite Empire are approved by Emperor Antigonus III.
 * April 24-The Laurasian garrisons of Margery, Keeley, Natalie, Tiona, Abrianne, Belkadan, Bithor, Roxuli, Huerta Mongol, Kanjur, Kelvania, Morgania, and other western strongholds are reinforced and reorganized, in accordance with Munnich's preparations for war with the Marasharite Empire.
 * May 2-Sir Thomasius Morius meets with Chancellor Crownapoulos and four Privy Councilors at the Fortress of Baureux. He was told that the Emperor Antigonus III demanded for his opinion on the Acts of Succession and Supremacy, and his submission to the oaths proscribed by those laws. Morius, however, refused to provide an opinion, and continued to reject pleas for him to take the oaths of loyalty. Crownapoulos informed Morius that he could not expect mercy from the Emperor because of his decision of "continued defiance".
 * May 15-Laurasian troops of Suris Vamaus penetrate to Rzalah, 40,000 light years into the Great Amulak Spiral, and the farthest in the history of the Laurasian civilization that Laurasians have ranged from Laurasia Prime. Rzalah is a major Franconian stronghold, and although Vamaus is soon compelled to retreat because of supply difficulties, it nevertheless is a major exploit. Vamaus is promoted to Brigadier-General by Emperor Antigonus, even though he is only 30 years old and has been in the Laurasian Army for six years.
 * June 3-Sir Thomasius Morius appears for a third interrogation before Chancellor Crownapoulos and the Imperial Privy Council at the Fortress of Baureux. He is again "asked" to pledge an oath of allegiance to Emperor Antigonus and to recognize the Law of Succession, but remains silent.
 * June 7-Morius is deprived of his writing materials by Vice-Procurator-General Appius Rach, and is placed under stricter confinement by the orders of Chancellor Crownapoulos. Two days later, he will be questioned by official investigators, the preliminary to a formal trial.
 * June 17-Bishop John Fisherius of Constantia is formally convicted by the Governing Senate and Holy Synod for "treason, conspiracy, heresy, and sedition", under the provisions of the Treason Statute and the Antigonid Statute of Succession, and is condemned to death. He pleads for mercy to the Emperor, but Antigonus signs his death warrant in a firm hand. The Synod dismisses Fisherius from his see, defrocks him of his ecclesiastical robes, and passes a sentence of excommunication upon him, which will prevent him from receiving an Almitian burial upon his execution.
 * June 19-General Lacius gains a victory in the Battle of Vora, and suppresses the final remaining Loyalist holdout in the Great Tesmanian Cloud.
 * June 22-John Fisherius, formerly Bishop of Constantia, is executed at the Tower of Justice in Constantinople, Laurasia Prime. Fisherius, to the last, declared his innocence and his belief in the Traditionalist customs of the Almitian Church. His body is dumped into the Pit of Traitors on Jadia, by the Emperor's command.
 * June 26-The Governing Senate, Holy Synod, and Imperial Privy Council are designated a Special Court by manifesto of Emperor Antigonus, in order to hear the case of Sir Thomasius Morius.
 * June 28-A 2000-word indictment accusing Sir Thomasius Morius of "treason, conspiracy, heresy, sedition, and rebellion", prepared by Chancellor Crownapoulos and the Imperial Ministries of Justice and the Chancellory on the command of the Emperor Antigonus, is presented to the Special Court.
 * June 29-Empress Consort Anna Boleyenia suffers a third miscarriage, this time at the Palace of Shoguns on Kimania. She and her husband, the Emperor Antigonus, have a bitter private argument over the matter.
 * July 1-Sir Thomasius Morius is formally convicted on all charges by the Special Court and condemned to death by firing squad. Morius pleaded "Not Guilty" and defended his innocence eloquently before the body, but they were unmoved. It took them only one hour to reach their verdict. Emperor Antigonus refused the traditional petition for mercy made by Morius and confirmed the Court's sentence, but ordered for the execution to be by solar incineration instead, a far more heinous penalty.
 * July 6-Sir Thomasius Morius is executed by solar incineration at the Fortress of Baureux in Christiania, Laurasia Prime. Because of a sentence of excommunication passed on him by the Almitian Church, Morius's body will be dumped into the Pit of Traitors three days later. Eventually, however (decree of September 22, 1753), Empress Didymeia I would revoke his sentence and order for him to be reinterred at the Cathederal of St. Eusebius in Colombia.
 * July 24-The Dejanican Diet, convened by King Vorrus II on the "suggestion" of General Lacius, confirms the election of Vorrus to the Dejanican throne and formally repudiates the election proclamation for King Stanis I. Stanis is declared a pretender and a usurper by the Dejanican Government, and a sentence of condemnation is imposed on any who support his claims to the Dejanican throne in the future.
 * August 3-The Emperor Antigonus III and Empress Anna Boleyenia embark on a progress in the Central Core. They will visit Conservan, Reoyania, Condtella, Dramis, Brithum, Goss Beacon, Williams, Clancia, Marshia, Hannah, Teth, Elainsborough, Bainsborough, Constantia, Muppet, Olivia, Maxci-casy, Mommica, Carina, Seejay Prime, Melarnaria, Paradine, Pasqauarillo, Palmisiano, Goldaria, and numerous other strongholds during the course of the next two months. The couple acts cordial and happy in public, but in private, the Emperor continued to condemn his wife for failing to give him a son.
 * August 9-A Franconian force commanded by King Franjak I himself clashes with Laurasian-Spamalkan units under the joint command of General Lacius and Prince Eugene of Savoria, in the Battle of the Tilos Giant. The battle, which is fought two-thousand light years northeast of Danzig, results in a draw, as the Coalition and Franconian units were unable to dislodge each other from their positions. General Lacius, however, had prevented a Franconian move into the territories of the Dejanik Commonwealth, and had demonstrated the vastly improved capabilities of the Imperial Armed Forces, in the wake of the (ongoing) reforms of Field Marshal and Minister of Defense Munnich. Franjak, whose treasury has been drained by the costly conflict, and who had lost strongholds to Austarlian and Laurasian troops, begins to contemplate a peace settlement with the Lowenwolde Coalition powers.
 * August 14-The Pruthian Emperor A'rua II finally drops his recognition of Stanis I as King of the Dejanik Commonwealth and acknowledges Vorrus II as the rightful King of Dejanica. The Emperor of Pruthia also issues a ultimatum to the Franconian Court, threatening war unless if Franjak began negotiations to end Franconian interference in Dejanican internal affairs.
 * August 19-Franjak I of Franconia sends a request for an armistice to the Laurasian and Austarlian Governments, finally compelled into that decision by his own weariness, by the near-bankruptcy of the Franconian treasury, and by the Pruthian ultimatum. General Lacius and Prince Eugene, on behalf of their governments, accept the Franconian request. All military campaigns are suspended, while the contending powers began preparations for convening a peace conference.
 * September 6-A peace conference to settle the War of the Dejanik Succession is convened at the Laurasian resort world of Idyll, in the Caladarian Galaxy. Chancellor Crownapoulos is the head of the Laurasian delegation to the peace conference on Idyll, and he also serves as the official host in the name of his master, Emperor Antigonus. Prince Eugene represents the Austarlian Empire; Charles Devar the Serene Kingdom of Franconia; Lord Frederick Dustenholm the Pruthian Empire; and Prince Aanis Paoski, the Dejanik Commonwealth. The conference will continue for over a month on Idyll before being able to reach a preliminary peace arrangement.
 * September 10-Emperor Antigonus III visits Sir Damasias Seymouris at Wolvarian Hall on Vetta. He meets his daughter, Lady Theodora Seymouris, for the first time.
 * September 17-General Lacius returns to Danzig and remains at that world, which has become the chief Laurasian operational headquarters in the Dejanik Commonwealth. He is given secret instructions by Emperor Antigonus and Field Marshal Munnich to resume military offensives into Franconia if peace negotiations on Idyll collapse.
 * October 9-The Treaty of Idyll is signed by the Laurasian Empire, Austarlian Empire, Pruthian Empire, Serene Kingdom of Franconia, and the Dejanik Commonwealth, thereby bringing an end to the War of the Dejanik Succession. By the terms of this treaty, all military hostilities among the contending powers are to cease, and territorial matters are to revert to the status quo ante bellum. King Franjak I of Franconia agrees to acknowledge Vorrus II as King of the Dejanik Commonwealth; to terminate his support for Stanis I; and to pay financial reparations to the Dejanik Commonwealth and the Coalition powers for their military expenses. Vorrus II is confirmed by all parties as King of Dejanica, and he is to reign over the Commonwealth until his death, although the elective process for his successor would be retained. The Laurasian Empire gained confirmation of its transit and intervention privileges in Dejanik territory, and was permitted to maintain Danzig as a "monitor outpost" for a period of twelve years. The Imperial Laurasian Government became guarantor of the peace settlement, and was to take all measures to suppress dissent against the stability of the Dejanik Commonwealth. Stanis I, however, is to be allowed the title of King-Emeritus, and is not to lose his hereditary estates in Dejanik territory. He will be permitted to live at the Franconian Court, honored as a nobleman, until his death, and the Laurasian Government pledged not to launch any conspiracies or plots against his life and well-being. Besides the garrison of Danzig, the Laurasian Empire is to withdraw all other military units in Dejanik territory by the end of the decade.
 * October 14-The Treaty of Idyll is ratified by Emperor Antigonus III. By the end of October, all of the powers involved in the War of the Dejanik Succession will have formally ratified the treaty.
 * October 25-The Laurasian Ambassador to the Marasharite Court of Sassas III, Sir Perdiccas Byrius, delivers a ultimatum to the Emperor and the Marasharite High Council, which had been communicated to him by the Imperial Privy Council and was drafted by Chancellor Crownapoulos and Field-Marshal Munnich. This ultimatum demanded for the Marasharite Emperor to take firm action to halt all Haynsian raids and operations against Laurasian territory; to concede the strongholds of the Muggal Cluster, Billy, the Tof Borderlands, and Latrice, to the authority of the Laurasian Empire; and to compensate Laurasian subjects for the property losses they had suffered at the hands of the Haynsian Despotate. Sassas III, alarmed by this Laurasian ultimatum, and believing that the Laurasian Empire was not actually willing to go to war, so soon after the end of its involvement in the War of the Dejanik Succession, haughtily rejected the Laurasian demands.
 * October 27-Empress Consort Anna Boleyenia becomes pregnant for what proves to be the last time. The Emperor Antigonus, hopeful that this pregnancy will be carried to term, and believing he would finally have a son and heir apparent, announces the news of the pregnancy to the public in a imperial proclamation.
 * November 5-Emperor Antigonus III, seeking glory for himself and the Laurasian Empire, and having been persuaded by Munnich and Crownapoulos to his course of action, issues a formal declaration of war against the Marasharite Empire from the Quencilvanian Palace on Laurasia Prime. Ambassador Berius had departed from the Marasharite Court on November 1, before the declaration of war had been issued, and consequently, could not be imprisoned by the Marasharite authorities (as was their custom upon the instigation of war with a particular power). In his proclamation of war, the Emperor declared that Haynsian raids, "permitted by the Marasharite savages", could not continue, and that Laurasia deserved a sphere of influence in the Galactic Borderlands and Angelina Spiral. Field-Marshal Munnich was appointed as supreme commander of the Laurasian military forces now arrayed for combat against the Marasharite Empire, and the Emperor was confident in his ability to inflict a crushing defeat upon the Marasharites. He was determined that unlike the last war, the Empire would make territorial acquisitions and strengthen its political influence at Marasharite expense. The Third Laurasian-Marasharite War of the eighteenth century had commenced, and was to see a succession of Laurasian victories over the Marasharites and Haynsians, far more sweeping than in any previous Laurasian war with them.
 * November 7-A Haynsian raiding expedition against Theodore, the first aggressive move in the war, meets a disastrous defeat at the hands of Laurasian forces in the Battle of Longmira, terminating any Haynsian threat to the Burglais Arm and the Eastern Wild Marshes.
 * November 16-General Lacius is recalled from the Dejanik Commonwealth by the Emperor Antigonus III, as his services as battlefield commander were now needed for the war with the Marasharite Empire and Haynsian Despotate. Lacius secures the garrison of Danzig and finalizes transit arrangements with the Dejanican Diet before making his departure back for the Caladarian Galaxy.
 * November 21-Emperor Antigonus III, who has by now lost most of his interest in his wife, Empress Consort Anna Boleyenia, begins his courtship of the Lady Theodora Seymouris, whom he had met just over two months before. Theodora is at first reluctant to become involved with the Emperor, but her father and siblings, seeing an opportunity for advancement at the Imperial Court, prevail upon her to accept the Emperor's advances and to further encourage them. Empress Consort Anna Boleyenia is as of yet unaware of her husband's affair with Theodora. Her relationship with Antigonus, however, has become very much strained, and the Empress knows that a miscarriage or the birth of another daughter, from this pregnancy she was in, would result in utter ruin for her.
 * November 23-Field-Marshal Munnich arrives at Norah, and formally assumes his position as commander of Laurasian forces in the campaigns of the Third Laurasian-Marasharite War of the century. On the day of his arrival, a Marasharite force which attacked the outskirts of Kia is crushed by Laurasian detachments in the Battle of Sly James.
 * December 4-General Lacius arrives at Belkadan and is immediately commanded by Field-Marshal Munnich to take command of Laurasian units assembling at Keeley and Adrianne for a decisive strike into the Marasharite Galactic Borderlands.
 * December 14-A Laurasian expedition against Ung and Kumong is repulsed by Marasharite units in the Battle of Crimea, but manages to gather reconnaissance information on Marasharite positions in the Muggal Cluster for Field-Marshal Munnich.
 * December 22-A Haynsian raiding expedition against Simmons comes to an abortive end in the Battle of Pulliva, which results in a victory for Laurasian troops under General Lacius.

1736

 * January 1-The year 1736, the 36th year of the eighteenth century, commences with the Laurasian Empire, having ended its involvement in the War of the Dejanik Succession, now at war with the Marasharite Empire and Haynsian Despotate. In his New Year's proclamation, Emperor Antigonus expressed his hope that the Marasharites would be expelled from the confines of the Caladarian Galaxy and that the Haynsian Despotate would be eliminated as a threat to the Laurasian Empire. Domestically, however, the Emperor's life is not as stable. Antigonus was by now dying for a male heir, and he had come to despise his second wife, Empress Consort Anna Boleyenia, for failing to provide him one. The Empress Consort was pregnant (her last), but Antigonus had doubts that the pregnancy would be carried to term. The Empress herself threw her hopes on this pregnancy, and prayed constantly to Almitis for her to deliver a healthy son.
 * January 5-A Laurasian task fleet under the command of General Lacius storms the Marasharite stronghold of Raku-ga in the Tof Borderlands, which had eight hundred years earlier been a major stronghold for the Tof Hordes. For this victory, Lacius is congratulated by Emperor Antigonus in a imperial manifesto.
 * January 7-Former Empress Consort Katharina of Shenandoah, who in her last years was known as the Dowager Grand Princess of the Laurasian Empire to all but herself and her loyal servants, dies at the age of fifty in her private quarters at the Transmarta Family Estate. On her deathbed, she cursed her former husband Antigonus, and predicted that his second wife, "Mistress Anna Boleyenia", would not long survive her. The last six years of Katharina's life had witnessed a rapid decline in her health, and she was sent into severe depression by her husband's annulment of their marriage and his bastardization of their daughter, now the Lady Didymeia. Katharina had never acknowledged the divorce, and until her death, still considered herself to be the legimitate Empress Consort. She was in a sorry state, however, for her allowance had been cut by the Emperor (on the urging of Chancellor Crownapoulos and Chief Procurator Cranmerius), and most of her servants had been dismissed from her service by the Imperial Chancellory. Katharina's daughter, Didymeia, forbidden to see her mother, was utterly devastated when she learned of her mother's death.
 * January 8-Emperor Antigonus III and Empress Consort Anna Boleyenia, who were then at Marian Palace on Ietas, were formally informed of the death of Katharina of Shenandoah. The Emperor Antigonus was overjoyed at his ex-wife's death, and issued a imperial proclamation to his subjects, calling for public displays of joy throughout the Empire. The Empress Consort, on her part, publicly celebrated the death of Katharina of Shenandoah, which had removed one who she had dislodged from union with her husband. In private, however, Anna knew that Katharina's death left Antigonus free, and that he would face no opposition in casting her aside and taking another wife. By this point, the Empress Consort has learned of her husband's affair with the Lady Theodora Seymouris, and she is utterly devastated. Nevertheless, she continues to pray for a successful and fruitful conclusion to her pregnancy. Emperor Antigonus, on his part, forbids the Imperial Court to mourn the death of Katharina of Shenandoah and commands his subjects not to offer prayers for her soul, although he does permit for a private funeral for Katharina on Shenandoah.
 * January 14-Ba'dai and Styris V, the two chief Marasharite strongholds in the Tof Borderlands, are stormed by the troops of General Lacius. Marasharite High General Al-Tarik, who was ailing by this point and had lost much of his mental capability, is unable to dislodge the Laurasians from their new-won positions.
 * January 19-Field-Marshal Munnich repels a Haynsian expedition against Brimonia and storms the Marasharite arsenal on Cusia.
 * January 24-Emperor Antigonus III suffers a major concussion in a shockball accident at the Sport Court of the Quencilvanian Palace, and as a result, is knocked unconscious for two days. His doctors feared at one point that he would slip into a coma. Empress Consort Anna Boleyenia is devastated when she learns of her husband's predicament, with fatal consequences for her.
 * January 29-
 * The funeral of former Empress Consort Katharina of Shenandoah occurs in Shena City, and she is interned at Pelavian Monastery. The Emperor Antigonus refuses to issue his condolences for the occasion of the funeral, and specifically commands the officiating clergy to only refer to Katharina in their eulogy as Dowager Princess, and not as a Empress Consort. He also forbids his daughter, the Lady Didymeia, to attend the funeral and commands for her to remain in her private quarters for the next two months. Didymeia is devastated by her father's command, and she will never forgive him for depriving her of the chance to pay her final respects to her mother.
 * On the very same day of Katharina of Shenandoah's funeral on Shenandoah, Empress Consort Anna Boleyenia suffers her final miscarriage at Sinclair Castle on Janesia. It was discovered that the child she was carrying had been male. The Emperor Antigonus, who was still recovering from his shockball accident five days earlier, is sent into a fit of anger and rage upon hearing of his wife's miscarriage. Declaring to all around him that he knew that his wife was a adulteress and a slut, the Emperor stated that their miscarriage was the "final blow to our relationship". Empress Consort Anna, learning of her husband's words, is sent into a depressive mood and refuses to emerge from her private quarters. By now, Chancellor Crownapoulos, once a major ally of hers, had turned against her. He aligned himself with the Seymouris family, Chief Procurator Cranmerius, and others within the Imperial Court who now sought Anna Boleyenia's head. The Empress Consort, always unpopular, was now hated with a passion by many in the Laurasian Empire.
 * February 6-Donna is stormed by forces of the Laurasian Empire under the command of General Lacius, terminating Haynsian operations into the Hypasian Provinces. Lacius proceeds to strengthen the defenses of this new conquest and to prepare for an offensive move against Billy.
 * February 13-Rumors begin to circulate among the foreign ambassadors and courtiers at the Imperial Court about the future of Empress Consort Anna Boleyenia and of the Emperor's Mistress, Lady Theodora Seymouris.
 * February 24-The Battle of Sappho takes place between Laurasian and Marasharite forces at the outskirts of the Muggal Cluster. The result is a decisive Laurasian victory.
 * February 29-The Latrican outpost of Cantella is stormed by a Laurasian starfighter squadron.
 * March 4-Emperor Antigonus III commands Chancellor Crownapoulos to begin assembling false accusations against Empress Consort Anna Boleyenia, her brother Georgius, and other courtiers in the Imperial Household. He was now determined to rid himself of his second wife and to marry Theodora Seymouris.
 * March 17-Teller is stormed by General Lacius, inflicting a severe defeat upon Marasharite forces.
 * March 25-The Emperor Antigonus sends a letter and gifts to his mistress, the Lady Theodora Seymouris. Theodora responds by expressing her hopes of marriage to the Emperor, and declaring that she will only have sexual relations with him as his "lawful consort and wife". She demanded that the Emperor deal with his "heinous wife" as soon as possible and that he move to end their marriage.
 * April 4-Field Marshal Munnich divides the Laurasian forces along the Galactic Frontier Route and in the Tof Borderlands into two smaller armadas. The main force, under Munnich's personal command, was to assault the Northern Reaches and the outskirts of Haynsian territory in the Angelina Spiral, while the smaller force under the command of General Lacius would secure Billy, Latrice, and the remaining strongholds of the Muggal Cluster. Munnich was determined to subdue all Marasharite territory in the Galactic Borderlands and to finally penetrate the homeland territories of the Haynsian Despotate, which had, ever since initial Laurasian encounters with the Haynsians two centuries earlier, remained beyond the reach of Laurasian forces.
 * April 14-The Lady Theodora's brother, Edwardis Seymouris, and his wife, are moved into new quarters in the Quencilvanian Palace, near those of the Emperor Antigonus himself. A secret passageway connects the Seymouris Quarters with the Emperor's personal chambers, allowing for him to visit Theodora undetected.
 * April 17-Tessy and Kerch are stormed by the forces of Field Marshal Burkhard von Munnich. Laurasian troops now blockade the Marasharite strongholds of Bucharina and Marson.
 * April 22-The Emperor Antigonus and his wife Empress Consort Anna Boleyenia have a bitter argument in their personal bedchambers at the Quencilvanian Palace. Anna accuses him of infidelities and of making too many demands of her, while Antigonus insists that she is responsible for their failure to have a son. The argument ultimately results in the Emperor suspending his wife's courtly allowance and reducing the number of servants at her disposal. He now seeks to have as little to do with her as possible until he can finalize his plans for terminating their marriage.
 * April 27-Bucharina is conquered by the Laurasian Empire. Marson will continue to resist Laurasian units until its final capture on May 15.
 * April 30-Markis Smeatonius, one of the pages of the Imperial Household, is arrested on the orders of the Emperor Antigonus. He is charged with treason, adultery, and conspiracy against the Imperial Government. Smeatonius will be tortured by the Governing Senate, and forced into a confession of guilt, alleging that he had sexual intercourse with the Empress Consort Anna.
 * May 1-
 * The Emperor Antigonus III finally strikes against his second wife, Empress Consort Anna Boleyenia. On April 30, Chancellor Crownapoulos had completed his report about the Empress Consort's alleged personal indiscretions and affairs, and had presented it to the Emperor. Antigonus believed that he now had grounds to move against his wife and to formally depose her from her position. The Empress is arrested in her quarters at the Old Royal Palace by guardsmen led by Chancellor Crownapoulos himself, and is informed that the Emperor regretted their having ever married. Anna protests her innocence, but she is ignored, and on the orders of the Emperor, committed to the Fortress of Baureux. She is permitted only a few of her servants, and is forbidden to have any contact with the outside world. The Empress Anna will never see her husband again, and she will only leave the Fortress of Baureux once (for her trial at the Quencilvanian Palace) during the last weeks of her life. During the late hours of this day, Sir Ptolemy Hycrani is arrested on Maschinga and is accused of adultery, high treason, and conspiracy against the Imperial Government.
 * Field Marshal Munnich inflicts a decisive defeat on Haynsian-Marasharite forces in the Battle of Merevop, along the northern edges of the Galactic Barrier, thereby allowing the Laurasian military forces access to the Haynsian Slave Highway for the first time ever. Laurasian forces spend the next fourteen days isolating or subduing Haynsian military outposts along the route, as they advance to the Angelina Spiral, which no Laurasian force has ever reached before.
 * May 2-The Empress Consort's brother, Georgius Boleyenia, Viscount Rachalanford, is arrested on Ipsus V by the orders of the Emperor Antigonus, on charges of treason, adultery, and incest. He will be committed to the Fortress of Baureux two days later.
 * May 4-Sir Demetrius Westonius and Sir Albus Brethon, who had both been servants in the household of the Empress Consort Anna Boleyenia, are arrested in Celestine City, Calaxis I, Laurasia Prime.
 * May 5-Sir Thomasius Wyatta, a family friend of the Boleyenias and the Howardises, and father of Thomasius Wyatta the Younger, is arrested on Tyndaris. He is accused of treason, conspiracy, and adultery with the Empress Consort. Also arrested is Sir Richardius Pagius, who had served under the Empress Consort's Chamberlain and was one of the courtly officers responsible for the financial affairs of the Empress's household.
 * May 6-Empress Consort Anna Boleyenia, from her prison cell at the Fortress of Baureux, writes her last letter to her husband, Emperor Antigonus III. In this letter, the Empress Consort fervently asserted her innocence, pleaded her husband to "look into his heart", and declared that the charges laid against her were "false and emanated from the doings of the anti-Almitis". The Empress Consort claimed that it was not her fault they had no sons, and expressed her hope that their marriage would survive this "ordeal". Antigonus, when he read the letter, was enraged by its contents. The Emperor thereafter commanded that the Empress Consort be deprived of writing materials, and he forbade her to make any further request of him again. He also forbade his wife from seeing their daughter, Grand Princess Aurelia (barely three years old at the time).
 * May 12-Emperor Antigonus III issues a imperial manifesto providing for the establishment of a "Special Court of Justice", comprised of the Imperial Privy Council, Governing Senate, and Holy Synod, in order to try his wife, the Empress Consort Anna Boleyenia, and the other men arrested on the charges of treason, incest, adultery, and conspiracy against the Imperial Government. The Emperor mandates that the trial of the Empress Consort is to begin in three day's time, and is to be held in the Public Senatorial Chambers of the Quencilvanian Palace. He wished for all of his subjects to hear the charges against his wife and to witness judgment being passed upon her.
 * May 13-The trial of Hycrani, Smeatonius, Westonis, Brethon, and Pagius is conducted at the Public Senatorial Chambers of the Quencilvanian Palace. Of the five men who were tried by the Special Court, only Smeatonius (who had been tortured) admitted to having sexual intercourse with the Empress Consort. The other four firmly maintained their innocence. There was no hope for them however, owing to the nature of the judicial system of the Laurasian Empire and the autocratic will of the Emperor. The following day, May 14, all five men will be convicted on all charges laid against them and condemned to death by the Special Court. The court assigned them a sentence of death by firing squad; the Emperor, when signing the execution warrant, changed the method of execution to one by solar incineration, and mandated that their executions were to take place at the Fortress of Baureux on May 17.
 * May 15-
 * In the Public Senatorial Chambers of the Quencilvanian Palace in Christiania, Laurasia Prime, the trial of Empress Consort Anna Boleyenia, which was considered by some to be the "Trial of the Century", is held. The Empress Consort's brother, Viscount Georgius Boleyenia, was also tried in the Public Senatorial Chambers on the same day as his sister. The Empress Consort's own uncle, the Duke of Norfolkius, in his capacity as Lord Treasurer, was one of the commissioners of the court sitting in judgment on her. Chancellor Crownapoulos and Lord Audelius (Procurator-General of the Governing Senate) presented the case for the Imperial Government, and made a devastating attack on the Empress Consort's virtues and her loyalty to her imperial husband. Crownapoulos denounced the Empress Consort as the "greatest whore in the realms of the Laurasian Empire" and presented his report on the Empress's infidelities, asserting that she had been despoiled of her virginity before even commencing her relationship with Emperor Antigonus. The Chancellor even alleged that she and her brother had always held a "secret passion" for each other, and that this unnatural relationship was one of the reasons for the failure of her pregnancies. The Empress Consort, who was permitted no defense counsel (as was Laurasian judicial custom for high-ranking cases of state), defended herself in a calm and dignified manner, denying all of the charges against her. She declared the evidence was false and that she had remained loyal to her husband throughout their marriage. Her brother denied all charges against him and criticized the Special Court for being willing to listen to the Chancellor's evidence. Despite the eloquent defense conducted by the Boleyenia siblings, the verdict was not in doubt: after just two hours of deliberation, following the closing of their pleas, they were both pronounced guilty on all charges. The Duke of Norfolkius himself announced the court's verdict concerning his niece and nephew. The Empress Consort begged for mercy from her uncle, and asked him to look at his conscience. He, however refused.
 * On the same day of the trial of Empress Consort Anna Boleyenia and her brother Viscount Boleyenia, the Laurasian forces of Field-Marshal Bukhard von Munnich stormed the defenses of Perekop, a major Haynsian stronghold at the termination of the Haynsian Slave Highway. Perekop had boasted a garrison of 600,000 Haynsian troopers and 100,000 Marasharite Guards, and was known for its elaborate shield generators, minefield defenses, and ionization disruption cannons. The Laurasian force, however, was well-organized and well-equipped, and Munnich exploited weaknesses in Haynsian strategic dispositions to gain a decisive victory. Perekop was occupied by the Laurasian Empire, and for the first time ever in the 2,779 years since the Laurasians had first ranged into space, a Laurasian military force entered the satellite galaxy of the Angelina Spiral. Munnich, however, was unable to bring his foe to battle, as most now fled to the strongholds of the Brigoff Stellar Nebula. Nevertheless, he had established a foothold for Laurasian forces in the Angelina Spiral, and was now bringing reinforcements up the Haynsian Slave Highway for offensives into the Haynsian Homeland Territories.
 * May 16-Emperor Antigonus III signs the death warrant of his wife, Empress Consort Anna Boleyenia, and her brother, Viscount Georgius. He commanded that the Viscount be executed along with his wife's other "paramours" the following day, by solar incineration, and that the Empress Consort herself should be executed on May 19, by means of a firing squad. On the same day that the Emperor signed the death warrant, Chief Procurator of the Holy Synod Thomasius Cranmerius heard the Empress Consort's final confession. Although the Chief Procurator had sat on the Special Court which decided her fate, and had conspired with Crownapoulos to bring about the Empress's downfall, he nevertheless had some sympathy for her plight. The Chief Procurator also heard the final confession of Viscount Boleyenia and of the other condemned men.
 * May 17-
 * Viscount Georgius Boleyenia of Rachnalaford, Sir Ptolemy Hycrani, Sir Demetrius Westonius, Sir Albus Brethon, Sir Richardius Pagius, and Markis Smeatonius are executed by solar incineration at the Fortress of Baureux. By command of the Emperor Antigonus, the Holy Synod passed a sentence of condemnation upon them, denying them burial at a Almitian cathedral or edifice. Their bodies were instead to be interred at the Prison Crypt of the Fortress of Baureux. Chief Procurator Cranmerius had managed to convince the Emperor from applying the full sentence of excommunication on them, which would have denied them any Almitian burial and would have left them to the fate of being dumped in the Pit of Traitors. Antigonus also issued a imperial manifesto confiscating the properties and wealth of the accused men, depriving their families of all honors and grants which had been conferred by the Imperial Court, and commanding for all references at the Court to these men to be eliminated.
 * The Holy Synod pronounces the marriage of Antigonus III and Anna Boleyenia to be null and void; it is now formally revoked. The Emperor therefore deprived Anna Boleyenia of her title as Empress Consort, of her noble position as Marchioness of Elvestia, and of all honors and favors which had been conferred upon her. The Emperor also deprived Sir Thomasius Boleyenia of the Earldom of Redia, banished him and his wife from the Imperial Court, and revoked all grants and loans which had been made to the Boleyenia family.
 * May 19-The execution of former Empress Consort Anna Boleyenia at the Tower Grounds of the Fortress of Baureux, five months after the death of the woman she had displaced, Katharina of Shenandoah. 1736 thus marked the first time in the history of the Laurasian Empire that two Empresses Consort died in the same year. To the last, Anna was defiant, asserting her innocence in her final address to the crowds. Some 150,000 people witnessed the Empress Consort's execution, including dignitaries and officials of the Laurasian Empire. Among the official witnesses to the Empress's execution were Antigonus Lutheranis, Duke of Conservan and Reoyania (Antigonus III's illegitimate son), Chancellor Crownapoulos, the Emperor's friend Carolus Brandeis, Duke of Sufforia, and the Governor of Laurasia Prime. The Empress Consort's body was then interred in the Prison Crypt, alongside those of the condemned men; it was to remain there for the next twenty-two years, until the ascension of Anna's daughter Aurelia the Great in November 1758.
 * May 20-Emperor Antigonus III is formally engaged to the Lady Theodora Seymouris, who had been moved into the official quarters of the Empress Consort and had been granted rights of precedence above all other women at the Imperial Court.
 * May 30-
 * Just eleven days after the death of his second wife Anna Boleyenia, Emperor Antigonus III formally marries his mistress, the Lady Theodora Seymouris, at the Westphalian Cathedral on Laurasia Prime. Sir Damasias Seymouris, the Lady's father, gives the bride away to her imperial husband. The Emperor, on this date also, issues an imperial manifesto, commanding for his subjects to celebrate the marriage and the execution of the "adulteress Anna Boleyenia." It is forbidden for any of his subjects to refer to Anna Boleyenia as Empress-Consort, and all honors which had been conferred upon others by the deceased Empress Consort were revoked. Most of Anna's ladies-in-waiting and servants were dismissed from the imperial service and either fined or commanded to return to their parents' households. Emperor Antigonus also announced to the Imperial Privy Council that he planned on revising the procedures of succession once again, to take account of his wife's death and condemnation. This spells ominously for Grand Princess Aurelia, who has not yet been formally declared a bastard, and who remains heiress apparent to the Imperial throne.
 * General Lacius storms the Marasharite stronghold of Ung, after a blockade which had lasted for six days. Al-Tarik, who had failed to halt the Laurasian offensives in the Muggal Cluster or Field-Marshal Munnich's ambitious push to the Angelina Spiral, is dismissed by Emperor Sassas III from his command position and recalled in disgrace to Marasharita.
 * June 2-General Lacius launches a major siege of Karlong, one of the most important Marasharite military arsenals in the Muggal Cluster. Karlong had been refortified by the Emperor Sassas III, and now boasted one of the largest military garrisons in the Marasharite Empire. Initial Laurasian attacks on the star system fail to make much headway, but events will soon turn rapidly into Laurasian favor.
 * June 4-Theodora Seymouris is formally proclaimed Empress Consort by Emperor Antigonus III. The Emperor begins to make plans for her coronation as Empress Consort, but these plans will never proceed beyond the initial stages. This partly due to Antigonus's concern for the Laurasian-Marasharite War, and also because of his wish to wait for the birth of a male heir before honoring and rewarding his new wife. Anna Boleyenia's coronation as Empress Consort was thus the last for an imperial spouse within the eighteenth century.
 * June 6-The power generators for Karlong's shield defenses suffer a catastrophic reactor failure, rendering the planetary shields useless and leaving the world exposed to a frontal assault by Laurasian troops. General Lacius quickly takes advantage of the opportunity thus granted, and the Laurasian forces quickly storm the orbital defenses of the Karlong star system. Malik-Tarik, the commander of the Karlong garrison, will surrender two days later, in order to avoid the bombardment of the planet's settlements by Laurasian warships. Karlong will become General Lacius's chief operational headquarters, as he plans the siege and conquest of Imegina, the capital of the Marasharite holdings in the Caladarian Galaxy.
 * June 13-Emperor Antigonus III promulgates the Second Antigonid Statute of the Imperial Succession, which is merely a revised version of the First Antigonid Statute. By the terms of this statute, the Emperor declares both of his daughters, Didymeia and Aurelia, to be bastards. Aurelia is therefore deprived of the title of Grand Princess, reduced to the rank of "Lady", and removed from her position as heiress apparent, exactly the same as had happened to Didymeia three years earlier. The Second Antigonid Statute provides that the Emperor's legitimate children by his "wife, the honorable Imperial Consort and Majesty Theodora Seymouris" would be the heirs to his throne. Neither Didymeia or Aurelia would be eligible to ascend to the imperial throne, by "reason of their gender, for it is known that women are incapable of ruling these dominions." It is now forbidden for any to acknowledge either of the two Ladies as heiress apparent, or to refer to them by the title of Grand Princess. The penalty for such crimes is imprisonment and confiscation of all property.
 * June 22-The Lady Didymeia is forced by Chancellor Crownapoulos and the Imperial Privy Council to sign another declaration acknowledging her illegitimate status, the annulment of her parent's marriage, and the religious reforms which had been implemented by the Emperor. The declaration is immediately announced by the Privy Council in a manifesto to the subjects of the Laurasian Empire, an action approved by the Emperor, and it is enshrined in Imperial law. She will regret this action for the rest of her life, and upon ascending to the throne in 1753, will have this declaration expunged and revoked.
 * July 1-Death of the former Marasharite Emperor Ahmad III at the Topacian Palace on Marsrr.
 * July 6-At the insistence of Empress Consort Theodora Seymouris, the Lady Didymeia meets with her father, Antigonus III, for the first time since the annulment of his marriage with her mother three years earlier. The meeting is strained, and Antigonus ultimately banishes his daughter from his sight for four months. He rebukes his wife Theodora for arranging the meeting; this proves to be their only argument.
 * July 13-Field-Marshal Munnich, having received reinforcements from the Laurasian forces in the Outer Borderlands, finally advances from Perekop. He storms the Haynsian arsenal of Bajday and proceeds to harry Haynsian military outposts along the Brigoff Stellar Nebula.
 * July 17-General Lacius conquers the Marasharite military arsenal of Kumong.
 * July 22-
 * A Haynsian fleet is defeated by Field-Marshal Munnich in the Battle of Baina, allowing Laurasian military forces access to the Brigoff Stellar Nebula.
 * On the same day of the Battle of Baina, Emperor Antigonus III's illegitimate son, Antigonus Lutheranis, Duke of Conservan and Reoyania, dies at the Old Royal Palace in Christiania. He was only seventeen years old. The Duke of Conservan had contracted the dreaded Meledian syndrome, which had wasted his body and had resisted the efforts of his doctors to contain its symptoms. At his deathbed is the Duke's mother, Demetria Lutheranis (who had been created Baroness of Osama by her ex-lover, the Emperor Antigonus III, in 1734), and his wife, Duchess Marcia Howardis. The Emperor, who was at Darcia at the time of his son's death, was utterly devastated by his loss. Antigonus was once again contemplating the possibility of revoking his son's bastardy and naming him his heir apparent, but was prevented from moving forward with this by his son's untimely death. Emperor Antigonus orders the Imperial Court to mourn his death for two months and has bells toiled at the religious edifices of the Laurasian Empire, in order to honor his son's soul.
 * July 29-Haynsian Despot Qaplan-Empi II Karany, who had failed to prevent the advance of Field-Marshal Burkhard von Munnich's forces into the territory of the Haynsian Despotate, was formally notified at Doros that his suzerain, the Marasharite Emperor Sassas III, had formally deprived him of the Haynsian throne for the third and last time. Qaplan-Empi was considered a traitor and ineffective in the eyes of the Marasharite Court of Topacia, and he now fled to exile at Talinin in the Dejanican Duchy of Northania. He was succeeded as Despot by Ferrah II Karany, the grandson of Jay IX Karany. Ferrah, however, is destined to hold the throne only for a short time.
 * August 4-The funeral of the Duke Antigonus Lutheranis at the Westphalian Cathedral. By the command of his father, the Emperor Antigonus III, he will be interred in the Noble Crypt. Lutheranis's mother, the Baroness Demetria of Osama, would die in Christiania on January 12, 1740, at the age of 42.
 * August 8-September 10-The forces of the Laurasian Empire under Field-Marshal Munnich harry the strongholds of the Brigoff Stellar Nebula.
 * September 19-The Imperial Statute for the Administration of the Monasteries is promulgated by Emperor Antigonus III. The Statute was drafted by Chief Procurator Cranmerius and Chancellor Crownapoulos, determined to reform the administrative practices of the Almitian Church and to solidify the control of the Imperial Government over ecclesiastical properties. The Statute re-imposes the age limits of Seleucus the Victor, mandating that only Laurasian men over the age of fifty and women over the age of sixty could enter a monastery. Monasteries were now deprived of direct administration over their estates, which was now to be handled by the Imperial Commission of Ecclesiastical Economy. All clergy and officials of the Church estates were to receive salaries provided for by the Imperial Government, and were forbidden to use any tithes or offerings made by local congregations for their own personal purposes. A special mandate was also made for monasteries to sell or repurpose at least 20% of the lands in their possession by the middle of the century; all star systems previously allocated to religious purposes were now re-designated "normal status", and were to be open to colonization by subjects of the Empire, in accordance with Imperial laws. The Statute for the Administration of the Monasteries arouses much opposition on many worlds throughout the Empire, but especially in the Katian and Arian Provinces.
 * October 1-On Alsora, in response to the limitations now imposed on Chiweth Abbey, riots break out against the Imperial authorities. The rioters, fervent members of the Almitian conclave of Alsora, protest the Emperor's religious measures; denounce his treatment of his deceased wife, Katharina of Shenandoah; and demand that the autonomy and financial privileges of all Church estates be restored to their prior status. The Alsoran Riots, as they will become known, spread to Lomanis and Isoter's Shaft within days, and will flare in full force against the Imperial Laurasian Government until the end of October, 1736.
 * October 3-Outbreak of the Uprising of Grace in Almitis on Falloria Major. Robertius Askius, an notary public for the Chancellory of Falloria Major, and one of the most prominent members of the congregation of St. Mary's Cathederal on Falloria, immediately takes command of the protesters and other forces demanding for the Emperor's revocation of his military reforms. Askius and his followers soon seize control of Ladavras, Falloria's capital city, and send messages to the garrisons of Tarravania, Chilsia, and Darsis, urging those worlds to revolt against the "unnatural policies" of the Imperial Laurasian Government.
 * October 5-Falloria Minor joins the Uprising of Grace, and the Imperial garrison on that world becomes the backbone of Askius's forces.
 * October 7-Antigonus III issues an imperial manifesto denouncing the Uprising of Grace, labeling Askius and his leading followers as traitors, and commanding for all appropriate measures to be taken against the Uprising. The Emperor commands the Duke of Norfolkius, who had not commanded a Laurasian military force since the end of the Laurasian-Franconian War of 1723-1725, to assume command of the Imperial militia units and garrisons assembled against Askius and his forces. On the same day that this manifesto is issued, Augis II and Tifelium both declare their support for Askius.
 * October 12-Askius and his leading contenders draft a Proclamation of Intentions. The notary and rebel leader asserts that he bears no ill-will against the Emperor or the Imperial Government, and that he was a loyal subject of the Laurasian Empire. He stated that he and his followers only wished for the restoration of the traditional administrative practices and finances of the Almitian Church, and for the Emperor to dismiss evil ministers such as Crownapoulos and Cranmerius. Askius declared that he was willing to negotiate with the forces of the Duke of Norfolkius, and that he would lay down arms immediately if his pleas were heard by the Emperor and the Privy Council.
 * October 16-Emperor Antigonus III, wishing to end the Uprising of Grace as soon as possible, and using methods of devious manipulation, authorizes the Duke of Norfolkius to offer a general pardon to Askius and his followers, and to agree to parley with them, if they immediately surrendered their military arms. Askius, trusting in the Emperor's promises, returns control of Falloria Major, Falloria Minor, Augis II, and Tifelium to the Imperial Laurasian Government's representatives.
 * October 22-Field Marshal Munnich and his forces retreated to Merevop, as the arrival of substantial Marasharite reinforcements in the Angelina Spiral make the Laurasian position there untenable. Laurasian forces were also constrained by the length and the difficulties involved with the supply routes; by unfamiliarity with the star systems and stellar regions of the Angelina Spiral; and by the constant harrying of Haynsian war parties, who struck from secret holdouts unbeknowest to the Laurasian Command. Although Munnich retreated from the Angelina Spiral at this juncture, this did not mean the termination of Laurasian campaigns against the Haynsian Despotate, for the Imperial Privy Council had authorized a renewed offensive, to take place in the following year. Munnich and his men had nevertheless inflicted severe damage on the Haynsian Despotate, having captured or ransacked five hundred Haynsian outposts and strongholds, recovered €950 trillion dataries worth of industrial equipment, agricultural goods, and raw materials, and liberated some fifteen million Haynsian slaves, including 100,000 Laurasian colonists who had been seized in the two decades before the outbreak of the Third Laurasian-Marasharite War.
 * November 4-The Emperor Antigonus III, who was determined to see for himself the man who had led the Uprising of Grace, and was pursuing his plans of deception and dissimulation against the rebel forces, invited Robertius Askius to the Imperial Court. Askius, believing that he could present the petitions of his followers to the Emperor directly, and that Antigonus would be sympathetic to his intentions, accepted the invitation and declared his fervent wish to "see His Imperial Majesty".
 * November 12-General Lacius repelled a Marasharite raiding force in the Battle of Jimmie.
 * November 16-Field-Marshal Munnich and General Lacius held a conference of military strategy at Bucharina, making preparations for the offensives against Imegina and the Angelina Spiral which are to be renewed the following year.
 * December 4-Robertius Askius arrives at the Palace of Placenta on Darcia, which had become one of the Emperor's most favored residences. "Received" by Chancellor Crownapoulos and Chief Procurator Cranmerius, Askius was then presented to the Emperor in the Presence Chambers. Antigonus greeted him warmly and declared that he was a loyal subject, pointing out the errors of false men in the Imperial Government and serving the Lord Almitis with faith and good-will. Askius will be a guest of the Imperial Court until the commencement of the new year.
 * December 14-General Lacius stormed the Marasharite arsenals on Tokyang, Makyang, and Ra'dai, consolidating Laurasian dominion over the Tof Borderlands.

1737

 * January 2-A secret conference is opened between delegations of the Laurasian and Austarlian Empires on Bilirasi, the homeworld of the Ecreutians, who had been such formidable enemies to the Stellar Kingdom of Laurasia in the fifth century AH. Chancellor Crownapoulos was the head of the Laurasian delegation to this conference, while Austarlian interests were represented by Prince Ferdinand of Auxburgh. The Austarlian Emperor Char'vak V was ambitious, and determined to extend Austarlian territory in the Amulak Spiral at the expense of the Marasharites. Char'vak believed that a military alliance with the Laurasian Empire, which had gained a succession of victories over the Marasharites and their Haynsian vassals, would allow him to accomplish these goals. The conference will continue for the next two months and will ultimately yield its results in a treaty of alliance.
 * January 13-Clackimaris (Falloria Major), which had been one of the centers of the Uprising of Grace the previous year before, is again embroiled by a violent outbreak of rioting and dissent against the Imperial Laurasian Government. Even though Askius and his leading followers had submitted to the Imperial Government in return for promises to halt the religious reforms of the Almitian Church, there were still many at the rebel worlds who believed that the Emperor would not follow upon his promises and that urgent action was needed to maintain the autonomy and independence of the Church. Consequently, many of the subjects of Clackimaris engaged in civil dissent against the imperial authorities.
 * January 16-Aroest, which was one of the most unstable worlds in the Laurasian Purse Region, erupted in revolt against the government garrison. The Governor of Aroest, Sir Leo Basiilicus, was captured and executed in a gruesome fashion by the rioting citizens in Aroest's capital city, Gudall. Aroest soon declared its allegiance to the ideals of the prior Uprising of Grace and denounced Emperor Antigonus as a "heretic and agent of the anti-Almitis."
 * January 22-Emperor Antigonus III, enraged by the denouncements of the rebels on Aroest, and of the outbreak of renewed civil unrest on Clackimaris, issued an imperial proclamation to the subjects of the Laurasian Empire, declaring that rebellion against "our lawful authority" was illegal and that all rebels would be punished swiftly. The Emperor now declared that it was beneath him to negotiate with rebels, and that all those who had been involved in the Uprising of Grace would be punished without the slightest mercy.
 * January 26-Askius, who had returned to Clackimaris, once again raised the banner of rebellion against the Imperial Laurasian Government. Declaring the Emperor to have been unfaithful to his promises, Askius called for a "Crusade of conscientious, Almitis-fearing Laurasians" to restore order and traditionalist values to the Almitian Church, and to rid the Empire of those who would seek its ruin.
 * January 28-Dearton's Gateway defected to the rebel forces of Robertius Askius.
 * February 3-Emperor Antigonus III issued an imperial manifesto denouncing Askius and his followers once again as being traitors, and commanding for all measures to be taken against them. The Duke of Norfolkius is now commanded to crush this new uprising by force.
 * February 5-Askius and his forces manage to defeat a government force in the Battle of Aeoleon, securing the military supplies and equipment of that arsenal for their own purposes. Askius has by now begun issuing manifestos to the people of the Laurasian Empire, urging them to fight for the preservation of traditional religious values and to resist the autocratic regime of imperial officials.
 * February 12-The Duke of Norfolkius destroys a rebel force in the Battle of Cumbria, and manages to retain government control over Janesia, the Cron Drift, and Apathama Vixius.
 * February 14-Osama and Little Mexicana defected to the renewed Uprising of Grace forces; this is the greatest extent of territory which will be controlled by Askius and his followers.
 * February 18-Askius and his chief armada are lured into a trap in the red-giant system of Mer Pollarium by the Duke of Norfolkius. The resulting Battle of Mer Pollarium ends in a decisive victory for the government forces of the Laurasian Empire. Most of the rebel forces are captured or destroyed, with the armor and equipment which had been seized from Aeoleon being recovered by government troops. Askius himself barely evades capture.
 * February 25-Tarravamoa is reconquered by the government forces of the Duke of Norfolkius.
 * March 4-6-A rebel expedition against the military installations and arsenals in the Cron Drift ends in failure, with the destruction of fifty rebel vessels and the capture of another sixty.
 * March 9-Maroni is reconquered by the Duke of Norfolkius from the rebel forces.
 * March 14-The Treaty of Bilirasi is signed by the Laurasian Empire and the Holy Austarlian Empire. This treaty results in the formation of a formal military and diplomatic alliance between the two governments, directed against the "savages of the Marasharite Empire." Neither power is to make peace with the Marasharites without consulting the other, and both are obliged to provide the other financial and military assistance as is necessary for the successful conclusion of the campaigns against the Marasharites. The Austarlians agree to recognize Laurasian rights to the Muggal Cluster, Tof Borderlands, Northern Reaches, and Angelina Spiral; the Imperial Laurasian Government, on its part, acknowledges the Austarlian right to acquire the Marasharitan provinces of Lower Olthenia and Belgravia in the Amulak Spiral.
 * March 17-The Treaty of Bilirasi is ratified by Emperor Antigonus III; it will be ratified by Emperor Char'vak V on March 26.
 * March 23-The Duke of Norfolkius crushes a rebel offensive fleet in the Battle of Westmoria; this proves to be the last operation launched by the forces of the Uprising of Grace.
 * March 26-Dearton's Gateway surrendered to a government fleet, depriving Askius of one of his chief strongholds.
 * April 3-Askius and his leading lieutenants are betrayed at Maragovope, a minor Laurasian mining colony five-light years north of Clackimaris, by some of the colonists, who had been lured by the bounty offered by the Duke of Norfolkius four days earlier. The bounty, of €200 million dataries, was for anyone who would reveal the location of, or betray, Askius and his chief supporters. The mining colonists, whose greed for money overshadowed their moral considerations, eagerly took advantage of the opportunity. Askius was handed over into the hands of the Governor of Abay, who had been placed under the command of the Lord Treasurer for the duration of the crisis.
 * April 8-Clackimaris, having been deprived of its leader, and realizing the futility of continuing the revolt, surrenders to the government forces of the Duke of Norfolkius. With this, the Uprising of Grace had finally been suppressed by the Laurasian Empire. Nearly a million individuals had been killed in the fighting, while another three million had been seriously wounded or had went missing. The Uprising itself had demonstrated traditionalist Laurasian attitudes about religious values and religious organization, as well as opposition to the centralizing policies of the Emperor Antigonus and his leading ministers. Norfolkius, acting on instructions issued to him by Chancellor Crownapoulos and the Imperial Privy Council, declared martial law in all of the star systems (one hundred in all) which had been affected by the Uprising of Grace. Troops were quartered in businesses and private residences; a strict curfew imposed in all settlements; and surveillance over the actions of every individual. Property was searched by imperial authorities, and all documents or objects considered threatening to the interests of the Empire were impounded. It was forbidden to speak ill of the Emperor or his household, and any who had "comforted or provided financial assistance" to rebels were to be imprisoned or fined for their offenses.
 * April 5-Robertius Askius and his twenty leading followers, who had, in the previous year, been honored guests at the Imperial Court, were trundled to the Post Settlement Prison of Hepudermia as captured felons. The Emperor Antigonus ordered for Askius and his followers to bear insulting placards, with the words "Here is a Traitor: a Fiend, a Heretic, and Infidel." Askius was denied the use of writing materials, and he was placed in solitary confinement. His pleas for mercy to the Emperor availed him nothing, and he now declared himself willing to die as a saint in the service of Almitis.
 * April 12-General Lacius was now assigned by Field-Marshal Munnich to lead the renewed offensives into the Angelina Spiral. Lacius, having assembled his units at Adrianne, Simmons, Keeley, Natalie, Tiona, Bucharina, Marson, Tessa, Karlong, Ung, Kumong, and other strongholds in occupied Marasharite and borderland Laurasian territories, advanced to Merevop and fortified that star system against Haynsian raiding parties.
 * April 16-General Lacius defeated a Haynsian expeditionary force in the Battle of Outpost AI-101.
 * May 4-Death of Ferdinand Kettler, the Duke of Tesmanian Northania in the Dejanik Commonwealth, who had ruled since 1730. He was 81 years old and left behind no children. The death of Duke Kettler thereby brings an end to the Kettler Dynasty of Northania, which had governed the Dejanik vassal state for 176 years (since 1561).
 * May 5-Field-Marshal Munnich conquered Billy and Latrice, consolidating firmly the Laurasian grip over the Marasharite territories in the Galactic Borderlands.
 * May 17-At the Judicial Chambers of the Lycian Winter Palace in Christiania, Robertius Askius is tried by the Governing Senate on charges of treason, heresy, conspiracy, and "dissent against the authority of His Imperial Majesty." Askius, permitted no defense counsel of his own, defended himself vigorously. Falling to his knees before the Senate, Askius declared that he was determined to only preserve the morals and practices of his ancestors, that he spoke for the subjects of the Laurasian Empire, and that their grievances were aroused by the corruption, greed, and oppressiveness of officials (alluding to, but not directly referring to, Chancellor Crownapoulos and Chief Procurator Cranmerius). Askius said that he wished for the Senate to see for reason, and for the Emperor to repent and reverse his earlier religious measures. Procurator-General Audalius, presenting the case for the Imperial Government, seized upon Askius's statements as evidence that he was a traitor. He declared that Askius and his followers deserved no mercy, and that the Emperor was justified in revoking his "promises" to the leaders of the Uprising of Grace. The verdict was not in doubt, and after one hour of deliberations, the Senate convicted Askius on all charges and sentenced him to death. Because Askius was a commoner, he was not permitted the right of petition for life to the Emperor, and was given as his execution sentence the full horrors of a traitor's death: beheading, drawing, quartering, and live incineration. The Emperor Antigonus III signed the death warrant hours after it was issued, but commanded that Askius was to be trundled through the Purse Region, displayed to the subjects of the Laurasian Empire as a traitor, and that his execution would take place on Clackimaris, the central world of his uprising.
 * May 19-Robertius Askius, now a condemned felon earmarked for death, is transported from Laurasia Prime to begin his humiliating journey through the worlds of the Laurasian Purse Region. He will be trundled ultimately to nearly five hundred star systems during the course of the next month, all the while wearing the placard denouncing him as a traitor and a heretic. Askius is also bound in chains, and he is made to bear a Cross, engraved with the sayings of the Anti-Almitis and condemnations of followers of that Lord by the Supreme Prophet Paul of Almitis.
 * May 22-On Clackimaris, nearly forty thousand rebels, who had participated in the Uprising of Grace, are executed at official Imperial prisons and armories in the star system. They had been condemned to death by the Duke of Norfolkius and the Imperial Courts for their part in the uprising, and were not spared by the Emperor or the Governing Senate. Over the course of the next four months, 150,000 rebels will be executed by imperial authorities in forty different star systems for their role in the Uprising of Grace.
 * May 27-In a proclamation from the Quencilvanian Palace in Christiania, Laurasia Prime, Emperor Antigonus III announces to the subjects of the Laurasian Empire that his wife, Empress Consort Theodora Seymouris, is pregnant with their first child. The Emperor, in his proclamation, reminds his subjects of the failure of Katharina of Shenandoah and Anna Boleyenia to bear him a male heir, and that "both of those women were whores and sluts, defiling themselves with other male personages and violating the laws of the Lord Almitis". He expressed his wish that the child in Theodora's womb was a son, and commanded all of his subjects to pray for her a safe, and fruitful, delivery. On the Emperor's command, a Te Deum was sung at the Westphalian Cathederal, in order to offer up blessings from the Laurasian Imperial Court for the Empress Consort's pregnancy. The Emperor and Empress, Chief Procurator Cranmerius, Chancellor Crownapoulos, Procurator-General Audelius, and prominent members of the Imperial Court attended this ceremony.
 * June 4-The siege of Imegina by the forces of the Laurasian Empire under the command of Field-Marshal Munnich commences. Munnich installed stockades and offensive minefields around the outskirts of the Imegina star system, suppressed all supply lines to the Marasharite garrison, and placed his starfighter squadrons at strategic points, blockading Marasharite patrol units and military stations. The garrison of Imegina is the largest remaining Marasharite garrison in the Caladarian Galaxy, and one of the largest and best-equipped in the Marasharite Empire. The forces besieging it, however, are well-organized, well-equipped, and enjoy a supremacy in both numbers and morale. The siege of Imegina, however, will drag on for over a month.
 * June 11-The Council of the Duchy of Northania, in accordance with the Treaty of Riga and Lowenwolde's Treaty, elected Ernestia Bironia, a prominent Northanian nobleman, as the next Duke of Northania. Bironia's claims had been supported by the Imperial Laurasian Government. Emperor Antigonus III had expressed his support for the candidate and had authorized the distribution of bribes by the Laurasian Ambassador to the Dejanik Court, Sir Archimedes Rasna, in order to secure Bironia's election. Bironia will be confirmed as the new Duke of Northania by King Vorrus II and the Dejanican Diet on June 29.
 * June 14-General Lacius obtained a victory in the Battle of the Upper Dial, permitting Laurasian units renewed access to the outskirts of the Angelina Spiral.
 * June 28-Robertius Askius was finally returned to Clackimaris after his "tour of a traitor" through the Laurasian Purse Region. The Duke of Norfolkius, who still remained on the world to oversee the imprisonment and execution of those who had been involved in the Uprising of Grace, and who was supervising the reimposition of centralized Laurasian authority in rebel star systems, commanded for Askius to be imprisoned at the Leadah Tower in Agrimma until the Emperor had dispatched the command for the death warrant to be carried out. Askius continued to declare that he did not fear death.
 * July 4-Austarlian Emperor Char'vak V announced the terms of the Treaty of Bilirasi and issued a declaration of war against the Marasharite Empire. The Austarlian Emperor believed that the Laurasian forces would continue to distract the Marasharite Government, and that Austarlia could therefore make gains at Marasharite expense. In this, Char'vak was to be proven mistaken. Austarlian military forces had declined, in terms of quality, technological advancement, and military effectiveness, during the course of his reign, and were no longer as formidable as they had been at the beginning of the century. The Austarlian Treasury was in a budget deficit, and Char'vak had expended all of his diplomatic resources in securing recognition of his Pragmatic Sanction from other inter-galactic powers. These weaknesses will quickly reveal themselves in the Austarlian theater of conflict with the Marasharites.
 * July 7-General Lacius stormed Perekop once again, and Laurasian forces regained that foothold in the Angelian Spiral.
 * July 12-Robertius Askius is finally executed by hanging, drawing, quartering, and incineration at the Leadah Tower on Clackimaris. The previous day, Emperor Antigonus III had finally authorized for the death warrant of Askius to be carried into effect, and commanded the Duke of Norfolkius to make Askius's execution very public, so that subjects of the Empire would know the consequences for treason. Askius, to the last, asserted his innocence, and declared his willingness to die for the "true faith" of the Almitian Church. Eventually, by the manifesto of January 5, 1754, he would be pardoned by Empress Didymeia I, who declared him a "true defender of the Faith of Almitis."
 * July 15-General Lacius obtained a crushing victory over the Haynsians in the Battle of Palymer. As a result of this battle, the Laurasian Empire secures control of the Brigonid Star Nebula, giving it firm control of a territory in the Angelina Spiral. Lacius captured Haynsian troopers and military equipment, and sent these back to the Caladarian Galaxy as spoils of war.
 * July 22-The Siege of Imegina finally ends with victory for the Laurasian Empire. Laurasian forces breach the world's shield generators and quickly overrun the surface. The Marasharite garrison is overpowered and destroyed by the troops of Field-Marshal Munnich, and the world is now occupied by Laurasian forces for the second time within the eighteenth century. Field-Marshal Munnich established his chief operational headquarters on Imegina, but ordered for the planet's inhabitants (mostly Torfians, Tofs, and Amelianians) to be treated with commendable leniency.
 * July 29-The Haynsian military arsenal of Karasubusar is conquered by the forces of the Laurasian Empire under General Lacius. Lacius now plans for operations against Bachkisiray and Backlava, the two most important systems in the Haynsian Despotate besides the capital star system of Haynes itself.
 * August 4-The Battle of Banja Luka is fought between the Marasharite and Austarlian Empires in the Amulak Cloud. The Austarlian forces are commanded by Prince Joseth of Saxe-Hildenburgen, while the Marasharite forces were commanded by General Hemulgoku Asri. The result is a decisive Marasharite victory, as Prince Joseth proved to be an incompetent military commander who was unable to attack Marasharite military formations in battle effectively. Banja Luka, previously a Austarlian military base, was now secured by the Marasharites, who planned for offensives to reconquer the lost provinces of Olthenia and Belsuia, which had been conceded to the Austarlian Empire nineteen years earlier.
 * August 11-Field-Marshal Munnich destroyed the last Marasharite force in the Muggal Cluster in the Battle of Stary.
 * August 24-The Holy Synod of the Laurasian Empire, under the leadership of Chief Procurator Thomasius Cranmerius, published the Doctrines of an Almitian Man, one of the central reformation documents of the reign of Antigonus the Extravagant. The Doctrines consisted of fifty articles, outlining the Church's position on moral and ethical issues of concern, in regards to the conduct of behavior, the administration of households, and of services and sacraments offered by the Almitian Church. Emperor Antigonus III will ratify the Doctrines on September 4, and command for all Laurasian subjects of the Church to abide by its mandates.
 * September 4-Little Boravia, a Haynsian intelligence outpost, is overrun by General Lacius. Lacius goes on to shatter Haynsian positions at Semrnapoval, Semafpol, and Infirampol over the course of the next two months. Laurasian forces seize much booty in these campaigns.
 * September 14-Empress Consort Theodora Seymouris enters confinement at the Maternity Quarters of the Palace of Placenta on Darcia. The Empress Consort, attended by the imperial physicians and the best midwives in the Laurasian Empire, is now eagerly anticipating the birth of her son. Emperor Antigonus will arrive at the Palace of Placenta on September 22. He issues another proclamation to the Laurasian people, declaring that the Empire would soon have a proper male heir.
 * October 12-In the Maternity Quarters at the Palace of Placenta on Darcia, Empress Consort Theodora Seymouris goes into labor and gives birth to a healthy son. The Emperor Antigonus, who had been in his private quarters anxiously awaiting the news about his wife's childbirth, was overjoyed and exhilarated when he learned that the Empress Consort had given birth to his son. Antigonus expressed his utmost thanks to the Lord Almitis and commanded for all of his household servants to join him in celebrating his son's birth. The joyous Emperor Antigonus and his wife, Empress Consort Theodora, both celebrated the birth of their son, who was named Demetrius. Demetrius, now the heir apparent of the Laurasian Empire, was considered by many to be a blessing from Almitis. Massive festivals and celebrations are held throughout the Empire to commemorate the Grand Prince's birth, and Chief Procurator Cranmerius presided over a service of goodwill and thanks in the Chapel of the Palace of Placenta. Bells were toiled at all Almitian cathedrals, and proclamations issued by the Imperial Government, delivering the good news of the Grand Prince's birth to the people of the Laurasian Empire.
 * October 15-The christening of Grand Prince Demetrius, heir apparent to the Laurasian Empire and the long-awaited son of the Emperor Antigonus III, is held at the Chapel of the Palace of Placenta on Darcia. By the Emperor's explicit command, his daughters, the Ladies Didymeia and Aurelia, were made to participate as servants in the chirstening ceremony. The Lady Didymeia became one of the Grand Prince's godparents, while the Lady Aurelia carried the chrism. The Garter King of Arms affirmed the proclamation of Demetrius as Grand Prince and ordered all to express their joy for him.
 * October 24-Empress Consort Theodora Seymouris died from complications of the Marsian fever in her private quarters at the Palace of Placenta on Darcia. This was the same disease which had struck down Empress Consort Aurelia Zemakala, mother of Antigonus III, thirty-four years earlier. Empress Theodora had appeared healthy after the birth of her son, Grand Prince Demetrius, but this was only a deception, for the Empress's immune system was being ravaged by the fever, as a result of an infection during childbirth. The Emperor Antigonus was devastated when he learned of his wife's death, and ordered his court into a period of mourning. Theodora, was, perhaps, the only one of Antigonus's wives whom he truly loved (because she had given birth to his son and heir apparent), and he would hold fond memories of her in his heart for the remainder of his life.
 * November 4-Funeral of Empress Consort Theodora Seymouris at the Westphalian Cathederal in Christiania, Laurasia Prime. Chief Procurator Cranmerius presided over the funeral, and the Lady Didymeia acted as the chief mourner for the noblewomen and ladies of the Laurasian Empire. Emperor Antigonus was too shaken by his wife's death to attend her funeral, shutting himself up in his personal quarters at the Quencilvanian Palace. He will remain in such a state for the next two months, and will command all courtiers to mourn Theodora's death until the commencement of the new year.
 * November 14-Marasharite Emperor Sassas III, blaming Ferrah II Karany for the failure of the Haynsian military forces in the face of the renewed military offensives of the Laurasian Empire across the Upper Dial, formally deposed him from the Haynsian throne. Ferrah was now succeeded as Despot by his relative, the Admiral-Commander of Theodoros Jay, who assumed the Haynsian throne as Jay X Karany. The course of the following two years would see the tide begin to shift more in favor of the Haynsian Despotate, as Jay proved himself to be a more effective and competent military commander than his immediate predecessors.
 * November 16-Battle of Tirana between the Austarlian and Marasharite Empires results in an stalemate between the forces of the two Empires.
 * December 4-General Lacius repelled a Marasharite offensive against Donna and Teller in the Battle of Dejan.

1738

 * January 9-An Austarlian offensive against the Marasharite stronghold of Ragusa is repelled by Marasharite forces in the Battle of Ivill.
 * January 22-General Lacius defeats a Marasharite expedition launched from Ochania against the Muggal Cluster in the Battle of Lavtria.
 * February 9-The Emperor Antigonus III, under the influence of Chancellor Crownapoulos and Chief Procurator Cranmerius, authorized the official publication of the Revised Edition of the Almitian Scriptures, which had been originally published by Willanius Tyndalis a decade earlier. Tyndalis himself had died at Denver on October 19, 1736, and his protege, Miletus Covetaldia, took charge of the movement pushing for a revision of the Almitian Bible. Covetdalia had been appointed to a review commission by the Holy Synod in March, 1737, and had since then worked with the Commission and the Synod to produce a new and revised edition of the official church liturgy. The New Almitian Scriptures, as they will become known, will have much influence upon further reformist movements and will provide the Almitian Church with an updated curriculum for study, reflection, and meditation.
 * February 12-Marasharite General Malal-bek inflicted a crushing defeat upon Austarlian forces in the Battle of the Lower Pazak, occupying the Austarlian stronghold of Pest.
 * February 18-Field Marshal Munnich, at his operational headquarters on Imegina, drafted plans for a further Laurasian push into the Haynsian Despotate. General Lacius occupied the strongholds of the Brigonid Stellar Nebula and was preparing for offensive moves against Haynes, Balaclava, and the Lower Angelian Strongholds. Munnich believed that a final decisive push against the Haynsians would compel the Marasharite Emperor Sassas III to begin peace negotiations with the Imperial Laurasian Government.
 * March 4-The future Empress Consort, the Lady Katharina Howardis, begins her affair with Julius Dereanius, one of the pages of the household of her step-grandmother and caretaker, the Dowager Duchess of Norfolkius. Katharina's affair with Dereanius will eventually escalate to the point of the two engaging in sexual intercourse, and it will eventually be brought up by Chief Procurator Cranmerius and others to bring about her downfall.
 * March 13-General Lacius began his advance from Semafpol and Semnrapoval, storming Haynsian bases on Chalaa, Larger Borlavia, and Isis. The Laurasians seize agricultural goods, industrial equipment, mining tools, and 500,000 Haynsian captives as a result of this offensive and move deeper into Haynsian territory.
 * March 17-Death at Talinin, in the Dejanican Duchy of Northania, of the former Haynsian Despot Qaplan-Empi I Karany.
 * March 19-Emperor Antigonus III dispatches an expeditionary force under the command of General Mithridates Berevia in order to provide assistance to the hard-pressed Austarlians in the Amulak Spiral. This is in accord with the provisions of the Treaty of Bilirasi between the governments of the two Empires.
 * March 27-General Mithridates Berevia manages to defeat Malal-bek's chief subordinate, Shazzar-Iffur, in the Battle of Guinan. Guinan is a Austarlian stronghold located in the outskirts of the Amulak Spiral.
 * April 2-A Laurasian expeditionary force dispatched by General Lacius to storm Haynsian positions at the Comets of Lasar is defeated by Haynsian detachments in the Battle of Donetsk.
 * April 3-Death of Lady Aurelia Howardis, formally Countess of Redia and the mother of the Empress Consort Anna Boleyenia, Viscount Georgius Boleyenia of Ralanchaford, and the Lady Antonia Boleyenia. Following the execution of her two younger children, the former Countess had retreated with her husband to the Boleyenia Family Estate on Fulcania. Lady Aurelia's death received little notice at the Imperial Court.
 * April 17-Field Marshal Munnich repels a Marasharite counteroffensive against Bucharina, Marson, and Tessa, maintaining the Laurasian hold over that region in the Galactic Borderlands.
 * April 26-Field Marshal Munnich, who had established a secondary operational headquarters on Belkadan, gained permission from the Emperor Antigonus and the Imperial Privy Council to launch a strike against Marasharite territories in the Great Tesmanian Cloud, which had thus far remained out of the reach of Laurasian forces. Munnich convinced the Emperor and his ministers, especially a reluctant Chancellor Crownapoulos, that an offensive against Ochania, Bender, and Acostemen would inflict severe damage upon Marasharite territorial defenses and compel Sassas III into suing for peace. Antigonus, confident that a Laurasian strike into the Great Tesmanian Cloud would demonstrate the military prowess and offensive abilities of the Laurasian Empire, and that it would hasten the war to an end, approved Munnich's proposed strike two days later.
 * May 2-Field Marshal Munnich began to assemble military squadrons at Belkadan, Simmons, Adrianne, Bucharia, Tessa, Marson, the Galactic Barrier Outposts, Keeley, Natalie, Nandia, Calrissian, Varta, and other Laurasian strongholds in the Galactic and Outer Borderlands, in anticipation of his offensive against the Marasharite forces in the Great Tesmanian Cloud.
 * May 17-Battle of Conkura between the Marasharites of General Malal-bek and a combined Laurasian-Austarlian force under the command of General Mithridates Berevia. The battle proves to be inconclusive, and the Laurasians fail to reconquer Austarlian strongholds in the Pazak Cluster from the Marasharites.
 * June 12-
 * Field-Marshal Munnich, at the head of an Laurasian Armada, comprised of some 1,200 major warships, 5,000 smaller vessels, and a corps of 1.5 million troopers of the Imperial Laurasian Army, launched an offensive into the Marasharite territories of the Great Tesmanian Cloud. Defeating a Marasharite patrol force in the Battle of Wallachia, Munnich was able to begin threatening the supply lines of Ochania and to move troops in the direction of Jassy and Izmail.
 * On the same day of the Battle of Wallachia in the Great Tesmanian Cloud, King Jamsius V of Scottria marries Mariana of Guise, the daughter of the Franconian Duke of Guise. Their marriage had been formally arranged in January, 1738, by the Scottrian and Franconian Governments. Franjak I of Franconia, who had grown increasingly suspicious of Laurasian ambitions, and eager to secure for his kingdom an reliable ally, had taken the leading part in negotiating the marriage of Jamsius and Mariana. Jamsius would not be the most loyal husband, and would continue his infidelities, which had already resulted in the birth of several bastards. Emperor Antigonus III is alarmed by the marriage of Jamsius and Mariana, believing (rightly) that it was a sign of renewed Scottrian hostility with the Laurasian Empire.
 * June 16-19-Battle of Dubrovinik between the Marasharite and Austarlian Empires, resulting in the fall of that stronghold to Marasharite forces under the command of General Malal-bek.
 * June 22-Laurasian offensive against Ochio-Rios, an outpost world of Ochania, defeated by the Marasharites of General Talman Marik.
 * June 29-General Lacius fails to storm the Haynsian arsenal of Clure.
 * August 6-Marasharite Emperor Sassas III, who wished to turn his attentions to the Haxon Confederacy, and who believed that the victories of his generals against the Austarlians would counterbalance the losses in the Angelina Spiral and Galactic Borderlands to the Laurasian Empire, sent a request for peace negotiations to the Laurasian and Austarlian Courts. Austarlian Emperor Char'vak V, who sought to extract himself from this war which had resulted in humiliating losses for his government and the drain of his finances, accepted the Marasharite offer almost immediately. Emperor Antigonus III, however, weighing the possibility of further campaigns in the Angelina Spiral and Great Tesmanian Cloud, proved to be more reluctant. He consulted extensively with Chancellor Crownapoulos and the Imperial Privy Council about what course of action he should take.
 * August 12-Emperor Antigonus III, after several days of consultation and meditation, decided to accept the Marasharite offer for peace negotiations. The Emperor commanded Field-Marshal Munnich to halt all further military operations, and a ceasefire was called to terminate active war hostilities.
 * August 24-Delegations from the Laurasian Empire, Marasharite Empire, and Austarlian Empire convened at Nemirov, a Marasharite stronghold eight-light years north of the Austarlian Pazak Cluster. This world was chosen due to its easy accessibility to the Laurasians (who had to travel from the Caladarian Galaxy to the Amulak Spiral), and its pleasant features. Sir Laconius Varae, Baron Merldson, the Laurasian Ambassador to the Austarlian Court, represented Laurasian interests at the conference.
 * September 2-A Laurasian demand for the secession of the Muggal Cluster, Tof Borderlands, and Northern Reaches to the authority of the Laurasian Empire, the independence and disarmament of the Haynsian Despotate, and rights of Laurasian military access to the territories of the Great Tesmanian Cloud, is rejected by the Marasharites. The Marasharites also prove reluctant to terminate hostilities with their Austarlian adversaries on the basis of the status quo ante bellum.
 * October 19-The peace conference at Nemirov collapses amid the continuing disagreements of the three delegations, and in particular, Marasharite rejection of Laurasian territorial and military demands. Emperor Antigonus III issues a proclamation to his subjects announcing the collapse of the conference and that Laurasian forces must continue to fight in order to force an end to the war.
 * November 5-The Ceasefire of Nemirov expires, and hostilities recommence among the warring powers. General Lacius now plans a renewed offensive against Clure, and storms the Marasharite arsenal at Takrman IV.
 * November 11-Field-Marshal Munnich suffers a humiliating defeat in the Battle of Alexandrok, resulting in the termination of Laurasian offensives against Ochania, Jassy, and Izmail.
 * November 24-The Marasharites launch a daring counteroffensive to Houston and Tyson, harrying the outskirts of those major Laurasian star systems in the Dasian Heartland Provinces. Field-Marshal Munnich is forced to divert units to strengthen the defenses of Karakorum, Sernapasia, the Oirat Complex, Syr-Daria, Vandross, and Theodore, among other strongholds.
 * December 3-The Second Battle of Clure between the forces of the Laurasian Empire and the Haynsian Despotate (supported by Marasharite detachments), results in a decisive Haynsian victory. The Haynsian Despot, Jay X, captures a number of Antigonus-class corvettes and Theodora-class dreadnoughts, humiliating the Imperial Laurasian Government. As a result of the Second Battle of Clure, General Lacius is forced to abandon Takrman IV and to halt plans for offensives against Bakhirisiray and Balaclava.
 * December 11-Death of Andrea Gritti, Doge of the Haxonian Confederacy. He was eighty-three years old at the time of his death. Gritti is succeeded as Doge by Pietro Lando, previously Captain General of the Haxonian High Guard. Lando was sixty-one years old at his accession to the Haxonian throne.
 * December 14-The Austarlians are defeated in the Battle of Lura, and are forced to abandon the stronghold of Moesia.

1739

 * January 22-Ernestia Bironia, who had been elected by the Council of the Duchy of Northania to succeed Ferdinand Kettler, is formally invested as Duke of Northania at Mitau, the capital system of the Northanian territories. Bironia, however, is destined for only a short reign over the Duchy of Northania.
 * February 3-Haynsian Despot Jay X defeated General Lacius in the Battle of Caldwell, and as a result, the Laurasian Empire is forced to abandon its conquests at Semafpol, Semnrapoval, and Infirampol. Lacius, however, retains Laurasian control of the Brigonid Stellar Nebula.
 * February 11-Negotiations begin between King Franjak I of Franconia and Emperor Char'va I of Spamalka concerning the relationship of the Franconian and Spamalkan Empires with the Laurasian Empire of Emperor Antigonus III. Both Franjak and Char'va, so recently bitter enemies, were far more concerned about Laurasian ambitions in the Great Tesmanian Cloud, Caladarian Galactic Borderlands, and Angelina Spiral. They believed that it would only be a matter of time before Emperor Antigonus would turn his attention to the Amulak Spiral itself, and seek to acquire territories for the Laurasian Empire at the expense of the Haxons, Pruthians, and Austarlians. Char'va believed that Antigonus would eventually become his enemy, and that it was necessary to take precautionary measures in case a war broke out.
 * February 15-Johavar of Denver, the father of Annaliese of Denver, and one of the most prominent alien noblemen in the Laurasian Empire, dies in the Ducal Palace of Denver. Johavar is succeeded to the Dukedom of Denver by his eldest son, 23-year old Willar, the younger brother of the Lady Annaliese. Willar is determined to assert his family's position at the Imperial Laurasian Court and to acquire more honor and prestige for his household generally among the ranks of the Laurasian nobility and gentry.
 * February 22-Battle of Dumrovia results in the occupation by Marasharite forces of that stronghold. Emperor Char'vak V's plea to the Imperial Laurasian Government for the reassignment of General Lacius to the Amulak Spiral is met with delays by Chancellor Crownapoulos, who claimed that the Laurasians needed to maintain their position in the Angelina Spiral against the "Haynsian mongrels".
 * March 3-Field-Marshal Munnich is forced to retreat from the Great Tesmanian Cloud after a Marasharite victory in the Battle of the Bug Mist. As a result of this retreat, his prestige and position of favor with the Emperor Antigonus has weakened considerably, and many in the Imperial Court are beginning to secretly conspire for his removal.
 * March 12-Death of the disgraced ex-Earl of Redia, Sir Thomasius Boleyenia, father of the late Empress Consort Anna Boleyenia and her siblings Georgius and Antonia Boleyenia. Boleyenia had resided at Fulcania since his disgrace three years earlier, and was never able to fully recuperate from the disastrous collapse in his fortunes. His death is received with little fanfare at the Imperial Court, similar to the death of his wife, Lady Aurelia Howardis, the previous year.
 * March 14-In a session of the Imperial Privy Council at the Grand Palace of Way'tosk, Chancellor Crownapoulos suggests to Emperor Antigonus that he find himself a new wife, who could give birth to another male heir and could ensure the continuance of the Neuchrian Dynasty. Crownapoulos reminded the Emperor that Grand Prince Demetrius, who had been adored by his imperial father and provided with a household far larger than those of his half-sisters, could sicken and die, and that a backup heir was needed. Antigonus, himself desiring another female companion, and wishing to have more sons, eventually agrees to Crownapoulos's suggestion.
 * March 29-General Lacius repels a Haynsian offensive against Perekop in the pitched Battle of Yulia.
 * April 6-Chancellor Crownapoulos, acting on the command of the Emperor, orders the Imperial Ministry of the Chancellory to begin conducting a search, among the nobility and gentry of the Empire, for a possible bride for "His Imperial Majesty". The Ministry of the Chancellory looks at the registers of all noble and princely ladies in the Empire; the Chancellor also ordered that non-Laurasian brides be sought for as well.
 * April 17-Willar of Denver is formally confirmed as Duke of Denver in a ceremony on Decapolia Major by the Emperor Antigonus III, returning from his journey to the Millian Provinces. Willar learns of the search efforts of the Ministry of the Chancellory and conceives the idea of presenting his sister Annaliese as a potential bride for the Emperor.
 * April 24-The Marasharite Empire reconquers Merekop in a surprise offensive, breaching the Laurasian outposts of the Galactic Barrier. Field-Marshal Munnich, growing ever more fearful of his security and position of favor with the Emperor, and wishing to conclude the war with some territorial gain for the Laurasian Empire, drafts plans for a renewed offensive into the Great Tesmanian Cloud.
 * May 5-Duke Willar of Denver writes a formal letter of intentions to the Imperial Privy Council, offering his sister Annaliese, the Lady of Denver, as a potential bride for the Emperor Antigonus.
 * May 14-Chancellor Crownapoulos closes the search process for an imperial bride and reviews the Letter of Intentions written by Duke Willar. Crownapoulos, aware of the wealth and influence of the Clevian family, and believing that Annaliese (known for her subordinate attitude and humility) would be the perfect bride for the Emperor, decides that Annaliese will be considered a final option for the Emperor.
 * May 29-General Lacius repels a Haynsian offensive against Kerlop and Savachany, maintaining Laurasian control of the Haynsian Slave Highway.
 * June 3-Marasharite units reconquer Kerch and Marson, driving a wedge into the Northern Reaches.
 * June 17-Hansius Holbienus is dispatched by the Imperial Privy Council to Denver, in order to prepare official photographs and portraits of the Lady Annaliese of Denver and her family, for the use of the Emperor. Holbienus will complete his mission by July 5.
 * July 11-Field-Marshal Munnich, bypassing Marasharite units in the Northern Reaches, launches a swing offensive into the Great Tesmanian Cloud. He storms Focsani and Stalkisvik within five days.
 * July 22-23-The Battle of Grocka occurs in the Austarlian Homeland Territories, resulting in the annihilation of a Austarlian-Laurasian force by the Marasharite units of General Ivaz Mehmet. The way is now opened to a Marasharite siege of Austarlia Minor. Laurasian efforts to reinforce the Austarlians in the Amulak Spiral have ended in failure.
 * August 2-The Siege of Austarlia Minor by the forces of Marasharite General Ivaz Mehmet commences. Emperor Char'vak V, who has raised taxes on his subjects fourfold since the commencement of the war, and has tried in vain to reorganize the Austarlian military forces, sends another plea for assistance to the Imperial Laurasian Government. Field-Marshal Munnich, however, is unwilling to divert any military units from his campaigns in the Great Tesmanian Cloud, and he also needs to keep the Marasharites limited to the Northern Reaches.
 * August 28-Field Marshal Munnich launched a surprise offensive against the Marasharite military arsenal and headquarters of Stavuchany. He landed a diversionary blow to the Marasharite right flank, then massed troops on its left and smashed through the formations of the Marasharite force, capturing the Marasharite encampment, artillery, military supplies, 400,000 Marasharite troops, and the Marasharite Khotyn Asteroid Base. This battle will finally convince Emperor Sassas III to seriously pursue negotiations with the Laurasian Empire.
 * September 4-The Siege of Austarlia Minor ends when the Austarlian garrison of the star system is overwhelmed by the forces of General Ivaz Mehmet. Ivaz Mehmet has the world ransacked; Marasharite units now control nearly half of the Austarlian territories, and this will provide for a balance in negotiations with the Laurasian Empire.
 * September 12-Austarlian Emperor Char'vak V, who felt betrayed by the Laurasian lack of assistance to him in the Amulak Spiral, and whose dominions were being pushed to the breaking-point by the Marasharite forces, sent a request for peace negotiations to the Marasharite High Council. Sassas III accepted this peace request on September 14.
 * September 16-Armistice proclaimed between the forces of the Austarlian and Marasharite Empires. Laurasian protests at this unilateral Austarlian action, in violation of the Treaty of Bilirasi, are ignored by the Austarlian Bureau of Foreign Affairs.
 * September 30-The Treaty of Belgravia is signed by delegations of the Marasharite and Austarlian Empires, terminating the theater of operations in the Amulak Spiral. By the terms of this humiliating agreement, which severely damaged the Austarlian Empire’s prestige, Austarlian Emperor Char'vak V conceded the Pazak Cluster, the Banat of Temesvar, Olthenia, Belusia, and Banja Luka to the authority of the Marasharites, thereby surrendering not only the Austarlian gains of the Treaty of Passerwritz, which had been made twenty-one years earlier, but also acquisitions from the Great Marasharite War made by his father. In return, Sassas III restored Austarlia Minor and other Austarlian-occupied territories to the authority of the Austarlian Empire, and agreed to the withdrawal of Marasharite military forces from Austarlian territory in the next two years. Emperor Antigonus III, hearing of the Treaty of Belgravia, commands the Imperial Ministry of Foreign Affairs to begin preparing an armistice request to the Marasharite Government.
 * October 4-The Haynsians reconquer Brioffia, forcing General Lacius to retreat towards Perekop and the Mists of the Angelina Spiral. By now, Haynsian forces have recovered most of the territories lost to the Laurasian Empire, and are once again preparing raiding expeditions against Laurasian territory.
 * October 7-The Imperial Laurasian Government sends a armistice request to the Marasharite High Council. Sassas III, overjoyed by his victories over the Austarlian Empire, and knowing that the Laurasians were war-weary, decided to accept the armistice request. The Armistice of Jassy will be signed on October 10.
 * October 14-Negotiations between delegations of the Laurasian and Marasharite Empires, as well as the Haynsian Despotate, commence at Nis, a Marasharite base two-thousand light years west of Jassy. Field-Marshal Munnich heads the Laurasian delegation to the peace conference, while the Marasharite General Malal-bek represents Marasharite and Haynsian interests. Chancellor Crownapoulos, who had drafted the instructions for the Laurasian delegation, was compelled to drop Laurasian demands for the disarmament of the Haynsian Despotate and annexation of all Marasharite territories in the Galactic Borderlands, particularly as Marasharite units had been massed for a series of counteroffensives against the Galactic Frontier Route, Muggal Cluster, and Tof Borderlands.
 * October 29-After fifteen days of arduous negotiations, the Treaty of Nis is signed by the Laurasian Empire, Marasharite Empire, and Haynsian Despotate, thereby bringing an end to the Third Laurasian-Marasharite War of the eighteenth century. By the terms of the Treaty of Nis, the Imperial Laurasian Government agreed to acknowledge Marasharite acquisitions in the Great Amulak Spiral, and the termination of the Treaty of Bilirasi with the Austarlian Empire. As regards to territorial matters, the Marasharites agreed to the concession of Billy, Donna, Latrice, Teller, Ba'dai, and the Tof Borderlands to the authority of the Laurasian Empire. The Laurasian rule of Kia, Carly, Billy Gasis, Pelaski, and the Galactic Frontier Route is confirmed, and Laurasian subjects are to be able to reside or travel in those regions without "harassment or threat to their livelihoods". In return, however, the Laurasian Empire agreed not to install any military garrisons at Billy, Donna, and Latrice for a period of twelve years; to restore the Muggal Cluster, Northern Reaches, and Haynsian Slave Highway to the authority of the Marasharite Empire; and to abandon any claims to territory in the Great Tesmanian Cloud. The Imperial Laurasian Government was obliged to compensate the Haynsian Despotate for all damages inflicted in Haynsian territory, although Jay X swore to terminate Haynsian raids against Laurasian territory and to permit the Laurasian Empire to keep all slaves, prisoners, and spoils of war captured in the military campaigns. All military prisoners of war, however, were to be released immediately. Laurasia was not to be permitted rights of transit to the Angelina Spiral, and its subjects in Haynsian territory were to oblige by Haynsian laws and regulations. All Laurasian military units in the restored territories were to withdraw back to Laurasian dominions by the end of 1740. Although the Laurasians had failed to destroy the Haynsian Despotate or seize all Marasharite territory in the Galactic Borderlands, the Third Laurasian-Marasharite War did result in territorial gains for the Laurasian Empire. The Tofs, Billians, Donnians, and Latricans were now under the authority of the Imperial Laurasian Government.
 * November 11-The Treaty of Nis is ratified by Emperor Antigonus III. It will be ratified by Marasharite Emperor Sassas III and Haynsian Despot Jay X on November 16.
 * November 14-The Imperial Privy Council come to the agreement that the Lady Annaliese of Denver should become the next wife and Empress Consort of Antigonus III. The Emperor Antigonus himself, having seen the photographic collection prepared by Master-Artist Holbienus, and determined to procure for himself a bride as soon as possible, will announce his approval of the Council's selection on November 17.
 * November 22-Duke Willar of Denver is formally informed by the Imperial Court that the Emperor has formally selected his sister, Annaliese of Denver, to be his next bride. Annaliese is now commanded to put all of her affairs in order and to be ready for departure from Denver by the end of December.
 * December 14-Field-Marshal Munnich returns to Laurasia Prime, having overseen the withdrawal of Laurasian units from the Great Tesmanian Cloud. Munnich will be received by the Emperor and the Imperial Court coldly. Antigonus, who had once planned to confer upon Munnich the Order of St. Honorius the Liberator, is greatly disappointed in his commander, believing that he had let the Imperial Government and the subjects of the Laurasian Empire down.
 * December 27-The Lady Annaliese of Denver and her personal household depart from Denver, having set all of their affairs into order. Duke Willar of Denver, unable to escort his sister to Laurasia Prime due to pressing obligations, nevertheless wishes her well.
 * December 30-The entourage of Annaliese of Denver arrives at the Second Station of Callista in orbit of Laurasia Prime, and is immediately lodged there. The Emperor himself, who was at Darcia at the time with his son and the Imperial Court, now makes preparations for returning to his capital system, to receive his fiancee.

1740

 * January 1-The year 1740 commenced with the Laurasian Empire once again at peace, with the Third Laurasian-Marasharite War having ended. The Imperial Laurasian Government, on the command of the Emperor Antigonus, had ordered all Laurasian subjects to celebrate the new year with much vigor, to honor the victories of Laurasian forces over the Marasharite Empire and Haynsian Despotate. Despite this, however, the Emperor Antigonus was far from pleased about the war's outcome, and believed that Field-Marshal Munnich and General Lacius had failed to obtain all of the territory which could have been the possession of the Empire. Antigonus, however, was not eager at the present time for another war with the Marasharites, and in fact, was now concerned more about his own martial affairs. On the first day of the New Year, the Emperor and his personal entourage arrived in the outskirts of the Laurasia Prime star system from Darcia. On his command, however, the garrison of Laurasia Prime was not officially notified of his arrival, and Chancellor Crownapoulos was commanded to ensure that the Emperor's presence in the Laurasia Prime star system would remain unknown to the Empire's population. Antigonus now embarked at the Second Station of Callista, determined to see his fiancee, Annaliese of Denver. The Lady of Denver had not been informed either about the Emperor's arrival, and thus, the visit was meant as a surprise. Antigonus disguised himself, and entered with his courtiers into the Lady's allotted bedchambers. Annaliese, however, failed to discern the Emperor's face through the disguise. The meeting was not successful, for although Antigonus revealed his true identity to her thereafter (which resulted in her dropping to her knees and paying him the proper respects), he was disappointed that she could not recognize him in disguise. He also thought that Annaliese was boring, uneducated, and unattractive. He was already put off.
 * January 3-Official visit of the Emperor Antigonus III to Annaliese of Denver at the Second Station of Callista, after the Emperor's presence had been formally acknowledged by the garrison and authorities of Laurasia Prime. The Emperor began to express his doubts about the marriage to Chief Procurator Cranmerius and Chancellor Crownapoulos, but nevertheless decided to proceed forth with the marriage ceremony.
 * January 6-The marriage of Emperor Antigonus III and the Lady Annaliese of Denver is conducted at the Westphalian Cathedral in Christiania, Laurasia Prime. The ceremony is presided over by Chief Procurator Cranmerius. Although the Emperor did not love his new wife, and believed that the marriage had been a mistake, he nevertheless treated her with great respect in public and ensured that the marriage festivities at the Imperial Court were grand. Annaliese was formally proclaimed Empress Consort, although no plans were made for her eventual coronation (Antigonus had no intention of crowning her as Empress Consort). He does not consummate their marriage on the wedding night, admitting this directly to Chancellor Crownapoulos five days after the wedding.
 * January 14-The Haynsian Despot Jay X Karany, whose health had been in decline since the end of the Third Laurasian-Marasharite War, died at the Khan's Martial Palace on Bahkchisiray of complications from a attack of Vremiaes paralysis. His death was widely mourned throughout the Haynsian Despotate, for he was viewed by many of his Haynsian subjects as the man responsible for turning back the "onslaught" of the Laurasian Empire. Marasharite Emperor Sassas III elevated the youngest son of Jay IX Karany, Nathaliet II, to the Haynsian throne.
 * January 25-Birth of Sir Christopheus Hattonius, future Minister of Justice and Procurator-General of the Laurasian Empire, and one of the leading figures and favorites of the reign of Empress Aurelia the Great. He is born in Chancellor City, Katherine, the son of Sir Willanius Hattonius of Holdenby, Oxia Vixius (died 1746) and his wife Cleopatra Hayndsia (died 1781), the daughter of Lysimachus Hayndisa of Ralina Vixius.
 * February 12-Empress Consort Annaliese of Denver admits to her lady-in-waiting, the Countess of Reoyania, that the Emperor had not consummated their marriage, but that he was nevertheless a "kind and endearing" husband. The Countess of Reoyania warns her imperial mistress that if the Emperor has not expressed any interest in her at this stage, than the marriage would be terminated.
 * March 19-The Lady Katharina Howardis is appointed a lady-in-waiting in the household of Empress Consort Annaliese of Denver. This position as Lady-in-Waiting for the nineteen-year old woman had been secured for her by her uncle, the ambitious Duke of Norfolkius. Norfolkius and his faction at the Imperial Court were determined to gain the predominant influence over the Emperor Antigonus, and to bring about the downfall of Chancellor Crownapoulos, who had dominated the affairs of the Imperial Laurasian Government for nearly eight years. Norfolkius believed that Annaliese of Denver would not long remain Empress Consort, and he hoped that his own niece would displace her. Katharina's affair with Julius Dereanius remains unknown to him; he believes that his niece is still a virgin.
 * April 6-The Lady Katharina Howardis, serving as one of the ladies-in-waiting of Empress Consort Annaliese of Denver, catches the attention of the Emperor Antigonus III for the first time. Unlike Annaliese, Katharina is beautiful, vivacious, intelligent, and energetic. Antigonus was entranced by her love for life, her understanding of the rituals of the Imperial Court, and her youthfulness, which to him suggested that she would be capable of bearing many children. The Emperor therefore begins to court Katharina, sending her gifts and declaring his love for her. Annaliese has no idea of what is going on, and believes that her husband is still loyal to her.
 * April 17-Sir Thomasius Crownapoulos, the Chancellor of the Laurasian Empire, is formally created Earl of Estatius by his imperial master, the Emperor Antigonus III. The investiture ceremony takes place at the Diplomatic Palace in Christiania. Crownapoulos is appointed Imperial Privy Seal, making him one of the Six Officers of State of the Imperial Household. Officially, Crownapoulos was elevated to noble rank because of his "successful" arrangement of the Emperor's marriage with Annaliese of Denver, his hard-work in years of government service, and his ability to execute his master's policies. In reality, however, Antigonus believed that this marriage with Annaliese of Denver was his Chancellor's fault, and that Crownapoulos had failed to obtain advantages for the Laurasian Empire in the Third Laurasian-Marasharite War. The elevation of Crownapoulos is therefore, partially an effort by the Emperor to deceive everyone in the Imperial Court as to his true intentions.
 * April 24-The Lady Katharina Howardis is granted an annuity by the Emperor Antigonus III, a sign of his increasing favor towards her.
 * May 31-Death of Pruthian Autocratic Emperor A'rua II, who had ruled since 1713. A'rua II is succeeded by his 28-year old son Pru'a, who becomes Pru'a IX of Pruthia. The new Pruthian Emperor is handsome, energetic, ambitious, and intelligent, determined to assert the position of Pruthia in the Amulak Spiral and to limit the power of Spamalka and Austarlia. Pru'a IX was also interested in improving diplomatic relations with the Laurasian Empire, and fostering contacts with Franconia, the Haxon Confederacy, and other powers. He was determined to maintain Pruthian influence in the affairs of the Dejanik Commonwealth, but in cooperation with the Imperial Laurasian Government. He will be one of the longest-reigning sovereigns of the century, destined to rule for forty-six years (until 1786).
 * June 10-At a session of the Imperial Privy Council in the Private Council Chambers of the Quencilvanian Palace, Chancellor Crownapoulos is arrested on the orders of the Emperor Antigonus III. Antigonus was by now firmly determined to annul his marriage with Annaliese of Denver, and to remove Crownapoulos, whom he blamed for the marriage and for Laurasian reverses in the Third Laurasian-Marasharite War. Crownapoulos is imprisoned at the Fortress of Baureux. On June 12, he will write a letter to the Emperor, declaring his innocence and begging for mercy. Antigonus, however, refuses to heed his pleas.
 * June 19-The Emperor Antigonus III issues an imperial manifesto depriving Thomasius Crownapoulos of the Earldom of Estatius, barely two months after his investiture as Earl. Crownapoulos is at this date dismissed from his position of Chancellor, deprived of all honors and grants conferred upon him by the Imperial Government, and formally denounced as a traitor to the Imperial State.
 * June 24-Empress Consort Annaliese of Denver is commanded by the Emperor Antigonus III to depart from the Imperial Court on Laurasia Prime and to retire to her hereditary residences on Denver. Antigonus claims that this is for "reasons of security", and that the Empress Consort would be more comfortable on her home world. Everyone knew the real reason, however.
 * June 29-The Emperor Antigonus III, bypassing the normal judicial proceedings of the Governing Senate (as was his right by his autocratic authority), issued a imperial writ of attainder against the former Chancellor and Earl of Estatius, Thomasius Crownapoulos. In the bill of attainder, Crownapoulos was accused of les-majeste, treason, heresy, and corruption. The Emperor declared to his subjects that the former Chancellor had been "sowing discord in the Imperial Household", that he was secretly in favor of persons such as the late Bishop Fisherius and Sir Thomasius Morius (who had opposed the Emperor's religious measures), and that he had contrived the marriage of the Emperor with the Lady of Denver out of "spite for His Imperial Majesty". Therefore, Antigonus asserted, Crownapoulos did not deserve a trial, and consequently should be immediately brought to justice. The bill of attainder therefore condemned the former Chancellor to death and commanded that his execution would be deferred until after the annulment of the Emperor's marriage with the Lady Annaliese of Denver. On the same day as the Imperial Act of Attainder, Sir Eumenes Diadones, Baronet Diadones of Charasia, who had been the Minister of Energy and Planetary Resources since 1734, and had also served as Vice-President of the Imperial Privy Council, was appointed Chancellor of the Laurasian Empire and President of the Privy Council, replacing Crownapoulos in those positions. Diadones will retain his post for the remainder of the Emperor Antigonus's reign.
 * July 6-The Empress Consort Annaliese of Denver was formally informed by the Imperial Privy Council and Holy Synod of her husband's decision to reconsider their marriage. She is asked if they ever consummated their marriage. Annaliese, realizing that Antigonus did not want to be married to her any longer, and knowing the dangers of opposition, dutifully replied that the marriage had not been consummated. This gives Chief Procurator Cranmerius the justification he needs to move forward with an annulment.
 * July 9-The Holy Synod, under the direction of Chief Procurator Thomasius Cranmerius, declares the marriage of Emperor Antigonus III and the Lady Annaliese of Denver to be null and void. Annaliese is therefore deprived of the title of Empress Consort. However, the Emperor Antigonus decides to be generous to his now ex-wife. She is granted the honorary title and rank of "The Empress's Sister", with precedence above all other women at the Imperial Court with the exception of any future spouse whom the Emperor may marry. She is also created Baroness of Denver, given a lifetime Imperial pension of €1.9 billion a year, and awarded five mansions from the Imperial Estates, including Heverian Castle on Fulcania, once one of the chief residences of the Empress Consort Anna Boleyenia. Annaliese is then allowed back to the Imperial Court as a guest aristocrat.
 * July 13-The Emperor Antigonus III and the Lady Katharina Howardis, once one of the primary ladies-in-waiting of the household of Annaliese of Denver, were formally engaged to be married. The Privy Council, in its proclamation to the subjects of the Laurasian Empire about the annulment of the marriage with Annaliese of Denver and the Emperor's new engagement, declared that the "hand of Almitis" had showed the Emperor the light, and that he was now on the path to obtaining a truly fulfilling and fruitful marriage.
 * July 28-
 * At the Palace of Placenta on Darcia, the Emperor Antigonus III is married to his fiancee, the Lady Katharina Howardis, just nineteen days after the annulment of his prior marriage with the Baroness Annaliese of Denver. The Lady Katharina was, according to official accounts, "adorned in the most exquisite costumes" and for her youthful age, managed to conduct herself with decorum. The Duke of Norfolkius, who had become uncle-in-law to the Emperor Antigonus for the second time, gave the bride away to her imperial husband. The Baroness Annaliese of Denver herself, as well as the Ladies Didymeia and Aurelia, Grand Prince Demetrius, Procurator-General Audalius, Chief Procurator Cranmerius, and the Emperor's good friend the Duke of Sufforia were among those personages present at the ceremony. The ceremonies for the marriage were lavish. Largesse was distributed to crowds in star systems throughout the Empire; an official imperial proclamation enjoined all to celebrate the marriage and to wish for its success in yielding more children to continue the Neuchrian Dynasty; and a three-day public holiday was proclaimed. Antigonus was 49 years old at the time of this wedding, and had by this point clearly lost the athleticism and physical attributes which had been so endearing earlier in the reign. The Emperor's vanity, however, ensured that official imperial accounts would continue to praise his merits. Katharina would be formally proclaimed Empress Consort on August 4.
 * On the very same day of Antigonus III's marriage with Katharina Howardis, former Chancellor and Earl of Estatius, Thomasius Crownapoulos, was executed at the Fortress of Baureux. Crownapoulos conducted himself in a dignified and calm manner, and to the last, proclaimed his innocence. He declared, in the traditional speech offered to the witnesses of the execution, that he had remained a loyal and hard-working servant for His Imperial Majesty; that he was dedicated to reform of the Almitian Church; and that he had sought to strike against the Emperor's enemies without mercy. Crownapoulos was, by command of the Emperor, spared the full horrors of a traitor's death, and his body was buried at the Prison Crypt of the Fortress of Baureux. His execution, however, went virtually unnoticed in the festivities surrounding the Emperor's new marriage.
 * August 2-The Emperor Antigonus III commanded the Holy Synod to suppress the Imperial Shrines to the Saints, whom he considered unnecessary for the purposes of the Imperial State and detracting from "the duties of loyal subjects". Chief Procurator Cranmerius will oversee the dismantling of fifteen thousand shrines and pilgrimage houses throughout the Laurasian Empire during the next two years.
 * August 9-October 12-The Emperor Antigonus III and his new wife, Empress Consort Katharina Howardis (who at 19 was the youngest of the Emperor's wives), embark on a tour throughout the Laurasian Purse Region, both to commeorate the state of peace which the Laurasian Empire then resided in and to also present the new Empress Consort to her subjects. Over this period of time, the imperial couple will visit Caladaria, Darcia, Ralina Vixius, Oxia Vixius, the Cron Drift, Apathama Vixius, Augis V, Vetta, Aquilionia, Volta, Lusculum, Katie, Arias, Manil, the Station of Dosch, Janesia, Maroni, Dearton's Gateway, Aeoleon, Americana, Charasia, Katherine, Osama, Little Mexicana, Australasia, Rebecca, Metallasia, the Andrianian Cluster, Mercedes, Constantine I, and numerous other imperial strongholds.
 * October 20-Death of the Austarlian Emperor Char'vak V, who was 55 years old and had ruled since 1711. Char'vak, who had been the ally of the Laurasian Empire in the Third Laurasian-Marasharite War, considered himself to be betrayed by the Laurasian inability (and slow pace) in providing assistance to him against the Marasharites invading his dominions. At the time of his death, the hereditary dominions of the Austarlian Empire were financially and militarily exhausted. The Austarlian Treasury was virtually bankrupt, due to the Emperor's lavish courtly expenses and the Austarlian involvement in the Dejanik and Marasharite wars. Rebellion and civil dissent flared in the Austarlian dominions against the Emperor's government; the Austarlian Emperor had ignored the advice of Prince Eugene of Savoria to replenish his treasury and reorganize his military forces. He had squandered all of his diplomatic and financial resources on securing the succession for his daughter, Mar'va Tarvania. With Char'vak dead, his daughter, inexperienced in cares of state and pregnant with her first son (Joseth II, who would be born in March 1741), ascended to the Austarlian throne. She was twenty-three years old at the time of her ascension. The Austarlian Empress would soon be hard-pressed to defend her hereditary possessions, as the eyes of her contemporary, Pru'a IX, who was so recently established on his throne, alighted on her province of Silania, which had been disputed between the Austarlians and Pruthians for more than a century.
 * October 29-Birth of Sir Franconius Dracius, Fleet Admiral of the Laurasian Empire and one of the most prominent naval commanders in Laurasian history. He is the son of Sir Athanasius Dracius (died 1785), a minor agriculturalist and small goods businessman on Goodman, and his wife Mariana Ethalaria (died 1794). Dracius was born at his father's homestead in the Northern District of Goodman.
 * November 5-Duke Ernestia Bironia of Northania, who had been installed as Duke with the support of the Imperial Laurasian Government the previous year, is deposed from his position by those very same Laurasian patrons. Bironia had conspired with noble and governmental circles within his Duchy which were opposed to the influence and patronage of the Laurasian Imperial Court in his territories, and the dominions of the Dejanik Commonwealth. Emperor Antigonus III had learned of Bironia's machinations and had commanded the Imperial Intelligence Agency to stir up a palace coup against the wayward Duke. Under the influence of Laurasian bribes, the Dejanican Diet will condemn Bironia to life exile on Yaraslania in March 1741. The position of Duke of Northania will remain vacant for the next several months.
 * December 4-Death of Sir Willanius Sandys, Lord Sandys of the Cron Drift and Imperial High Chamberlain of the Laurasian Empire (since 1730). The Emperor Antigonus III, who had considered Sandys to be a loyal and efficient subordinate, did not immediately appoint a successor to the position. The Chamberlainship, in fact, remained vacant for the next three years.
 * December 16-Pruthian Emperor Pru'a IX, determined to extend the power and influence of his dominions, and believing that Mar'va Tarvania was weak and would not be able to halt his advance, launched an invasion of Austarlian Silania, instigating the War of the Austarlian Succession. This conflict will drag on for eight years (to 1748) and will ultimately result in the acquisition of Silania by the Pruthian Empire.
 * December 22-Emperor Antigonus III, in a diplomatic proclamation from the Quencilvanian Palace, announced his neutrality in the War of the Austarlian Succession. He was determined not to get the Laurasian Empire involved in this dispute between Austarlia and Pruthia, for he wished to focus his attention on internal matters and on absorbing territories conquered from the Marasharites into the Laurasian governmental structure.

1741

 * January 7-King Jamsius V of Scottria held the first in a series of consultations with his advisers on the Scottrian Council of State and in the Scottrian Estates, concerning the possibility of an offensive war against the Laurasian Empire. Laurasia and Scottria had remained at peace during the preceding twenty-seven years, primarily due to the influence of the Scottrian Queen-Dowager Constantia, the elder sister of the Laurasian Emperor Antigonus III. Jamsius V had refrained from war until this point and had focused his attention on domestic matters, in particular with financial, court, and religious reforms. The King of Scottria, however, like his namesake father, was ambitious, and believed that it was the right of the Scottrian civilization to regain territory which had been lost to the Laurasian Empire. Jamsius will gradually edge further and further towards the idea of war, despite his mother's efforts to persuade him otherwise.
 * February 17-The Earl of Anguia, the Scottrian Governor of the Districts of Rasdalla, and one of the chief proponents for a stable and peaceful relationship with the Imperial Laurasian Government, was formally dismissed from his post by command of King Jamsius V. Jamsius was by now determined to instigate war to recover the Western Hypasian Strongholds and the Rogerian Cluster from the authority of the Laurasian Empire.
 * February 22-King Jamsius V granted his official authorization for the war plan which had been prepared by the War Council of Scottria. This plan envisioned the reconquest of the Rogerian Cluster and Western Hypasia from the Laurasian Empire; the dismantling of Laurasian garrisons at Arachosia Prime, Ompus Septimia, Neustron, Sassi-ruuk, Ivanna, Nicole, Redia, Sejucia, and other strongholds in the Southern Galactic Borderlands and Wild Marshes; and the restoration, by the Imperial Laurasian Government, of all tributes exacted from the Scottrian State as a result of the disastrous war of 1713-14. Jamsius even harbored hopes of engineering rebellion in the Core Worlds against Emperor Antigonus III, and promoting the interests of the Traditionalist faction, which sponsored the rights of the Lady Didymeia to succeed her father to the Laurasian throne.
 * March 6-King Jamsius V appointed General Roan O'Nell as Governor of the Districts of Rasdalla and Supreme Commander of Scottrian forces in the Caladarian Galaxy, in preparation for the military campaigns against the Laurasian Empire. O'Nell will arrive at Rasdalla Major on March 14 and will begin preparations for assembling military forces, in anticipation of the offensives into Laurasian territory.
 * March 12-The Imperial Intelligence Agency, which had maintained its agents at the Scottrian Court on Ediania, and was provided information by Queen-Dowager Constantia, alerted Chancellor Diadones and the Imperial Privy Council of Scottrian war plans. Diadones and Field-Marshal Munnich informed their master, the Emperor Antigonus III, that war was on the horizon. Antigonus, who knew that Jamsius was eager for glory in battle, and who had expected that the King of Scottria would be motivated to war, authorized the Imperial General Headquarters to send instructions to Laurasian border units in the Barsar Regions and Rogerian Cluster.
 * March 22-Scottrian troops begin to deploy at the border fortresses of Vilmanstrand and Frederickshamm, located seven light-years to the west of the Laurasian-Scottrian Borderland Territories, intersecting the western outskirts of the Rogerian Cluster. Governor O'Nell appointed Baronet Rob McRoy of Testhulburne as Fleet Admiral of the Scottrian 1st and 2nd Armadas, and charged him with overseeing the preparations at the Border Strongholds.
 * March 29-Although General Lacius's favor with the Emperor Antigonus III had weakened considerably, due to the reverses suffered in the latter stages of the Third Laurasian-Marasharite War, he is nevertheless commanded by the Emperor to take charge of Laurasian forces in the Borderland Territories and to prepare for a preemptive strike into Scottrian territory. Lacius will arrive at Roger Major on April 4 and will oversee the mobilization of the task fleets of the Rogerian Cluster.
 * April 3-The Empress Consort Katharina Howardis, who had not yet become pregnant by her imperial husband, and who, barely out of her teens, was still vain and foolish, began involving herself in secret meetings with Sir Thomasius Culpeperi, with whom she had considered as a possible husband during her time as a lady-in-waiting to the Empress Annaliese of Denver. Culpeperi, who served as Groom of the Emperor's Chamber, and was considered one of the most talented and handsome courtiers of the Imperial Household, thrived upon the Empress's attentions. Their meetings will be arranged by Lady Rachanlaford, the widow of Georgius Boleyenia, who served in the household of the Empress Consort. It will eventually be alleged that the two engaged in sexual intercourse with each other. The Emperor Antigonus III is at this point unaware of his wife's infidelities.
 * April 10-Battle of Molliwitz in the Amulak Spiral results in a decisive victory for Pruthian Emperor Pru'a IX, maintaining his gains in Silania against Austarlian forces of the Empress Mar'va Tarvania.
 * May 5-The Imperial Ministry of Space and Transportation, under the direction of Minister Cliethus Marsonius, sponsors the exploration of the Rikkid Mist, on the edge of the Wild Marshes, by Rebeccan Admiral Vitus Bering and his colonization corps. The Rikkid Mist, which was a dense stellar cluster, had been discovered by Laurasian probes in 1649, but had not yet been penetrated by a civilized force.
 * May 20-An epidemic of Merellian fever broke out at the Scottrian garrisons on Cania, Patricia I, Rasdalla Minor, Kathy, Vilmanstrand, Frederickshamm, and Devily. This epidemic will continue for the next month and will result in the deaths of some two million civilians and nearly 1.5 million Scottrian Army personnel. Among the victims of this epidemic will be Admiral Mccroy of Testhulburne, who died on June 6. The Scottrian forces are weakened as a result of the epidemic, and King Jamsius is forced to divert funds from the Scottrian Treasury in order to contain the outbreak of the epidemic. The Laurasian Ministries of Transportation and Commerce, on the explicit instructions of the Emperor Antigonus III, impose a quarantine in the Borderland Territories and suspend all Laurasian transit to the Scottrian dominions. Antigonus orders General Lacius to take precautions from preventing an epidemic outbreak among his forces, and the Emperor expresses his hope to the Privy Council that the Laurasian Empire would now have the upper hand in the conflict.
 * June 27-Louis Ernestia of Brunbilla is installed as the new Duke of Northania, after initiatives made on the part of the Imperial Laurasian Government in his favor. Duke Louis, however, is destined to remain in control of his dukedom only until December 6, 1741, when he will be deposed, again on account of Laurasian actions at the Dejanik Court. From December 1741 to November 1758, the Duchy of Northania will be ruled by the Ducal Council, in the absence of a Duke.
 * June 30-Emperor Antigonus III and his wife, the Empress Consort Katharina Howardis, embark on their formal royal progress, this time to the northern dominions of the Laurasian Empire. The Emperor Antigonus wished that this royal tour would demonstrate the Empire's strength and internal prosperity; he also wished to display his Empress-Consort to more of his imperial subjects, and to enjoy himself by examining many of the star systems under his rule. The progress will continue for the next three months. Massanay, Sassanay, Cibourney, Dennis, Rastaborn, Shannon, Rebecca, Martina Mccasia, Blackria, Nezbit, Mariah, Briannia, Nystadia, Vardar, Gdov, Alemeda, the Belts of Barton, Leopoldia, Frederickslandia, Big Twinny, Wendy, Michael, Deanna, Coen, Istantius, Sair, Roxuli, Abraham, Alexandria, Laronn, Sheryl, Methausalah, Xilania Major, Nandia, Calrissian, Varta, the worlds of the Galactic Frontier Route, Norah, Simmons, Keeley, Natalie, and Adrianne will be among the star systems visited by the Imperial Court during this progress. Katharina, however, continued her indiscretions with Culpeperi and with Dereanius, who was now one of the courtiers of His Imperial Majesty's entourage. Chancellor Diadones supervised government affairs on Laurasia Prime during the Emperor's absence, in cooperation with the Imperial Privy Council.
 * July 3-Governor-General O'Nell was ordered by King Jamsius V back to Ediania, in order to provide updates to the Estates and Privy Council about the situation of Scottrian forces in the Galactic Borderlands, and to receive his final instructions for offensives into Laurasian territory. The Imperial Intelligence Agency alerts the Imperial General Headquarters of this, and Field-Marshal Munnich obtains the Emperor's final permission for a preemptive strike into Scottrian dominions. Munnich orders General Lacius to assemble his units for a move against Vilmanstrand and Frederickshamm, and that such an offensive would be launched by the end of the month.
 * July 20-To the utter surprise of King Jamsius V, Governor-General O'Nell, and the Scottrian people in general, Emperor Antigonus III, then at the Palace of Sultans on Istantius, issued a declaration of war against the Celestial Kingdom of Scottria. In his declaration, the Laurasian Emperor alleged that the Scottrians had been engaged in undermining "lawful agreements and treaties with the Laurasian Empire" and that his move was meant to preserve an equilibrium of affairs in the Caladarian Galaxy. Upon the Laurasian declaration of war, General Lacius and his forces, comprised of units which had been conscripted from throughout the Empire, advanced swiftly into Scottrian territory. Lacius, advancing from Vyborg (which had been colonized on the orders of the Imperial Laurasian Government in 1726), destroyed Scottrian outposts in the Berwick Barrier, and advanced towards Vilmanstrand.
 * July 29-August 5-Battle of Vilmanstrand between the forces of the Laurasian Empire and Celestial Kingdom of Scottria. The Laurasian forces of General Lacius, utilizing a nearly fourfold supremacy in numbers, inflicted a crushing defeat on the Scottrian garrison, which was commanded by General Montogomery Guiness. Vilmanstrand was occupied by the Laurasian Empire, and the military arsenal which had been constructed by Governor-General O'Nell was now redirected to Laurasian purposes. General Rian B'reilly, who was the Subordinate Governor of Rasdalla, was blamed by the King of Scottria for the loss of Vilmanstrand, and would be court-martialled and dismissed from his position on August 11.
 * August 14-Governor-General O'Nell arrived at Frederickshamm, having been dispatched by the King of Scottria for defensive operations against Laurasian forces. General Lacius had stormed Scottrian outposts on Ladoga, Onega, and Ranieda, and was preparing for a general offensive against Patricia I and Devily. O'Nell, over the course of the next several days, attempts to organize a counteroffensive by Scottrian forces against Vyborg, seeking to outflank the Laurasian garrison now implanted on Vilmanstrand. His effort, however, will come to a ruinous end in the Battle of Spurra (August 22).
 * August 27-Emperor Antigonus III, his wife Empress Consort Katharina Howardis, and the Imperial Court viewed an official procession of Laurasian troops and artillery on Abraham, an occasion which was recorded in the Imperial Annals and received much notice from the subjects of the Empire. In the late hours of this day, in an action which would spell bad for her in the future, the Empress Consort appointed her lover, Sir Julius Dereanius, as the chief secretary of her personal household. Dereanius and the Empress Consort had resumed their sexual relationship, although the former was unaware of Katharina's concurrent affair with Sir Thomasius Culpeperi. Rumors will begin to circulate among the ladies of the Imperial Household as to why the Empress appointed this handsome young man as her personal secretary.
 * September 22-General Lacius repelled a Scottrian force in the Battle of Sjorina and began to set up stockades along the High Route, which connected Vilmanstrand to Frederickshamm.
 * September 29-October 4-The Battle of the Bereoyeze Asteroids results in a decisive victory for the forces of the Laurasian Empire under General Lacius.
 * October 18-At the Methven Castle on Perevia, the Queen-Dowager of Scottria and Grand Princess of the Laurasian Empire, Constantia, the last surviving sibling of the Emperor Antigonus III, died at the age of 51. Constantia, who had tried in vain to maintain Laurasian influence at the court of her son King Jamsius V, and who had been devastated by her brother's declaration of war against her son, had seen a collapse in her health during the immediate preceding months. The Queen-Dowager had gradually lost her will to live and had accepted the embrace of her spiritual father, the Lord Almitis. King Jamsius ordered for a three-month period of mourning for his mother and commanded all of his subjects to "bear no malice against her on account of her race and origin". The Emperor Antigonus, when informed of his sister's death, was emotionally shaken. He also proclaimed a three-month period of mourning at the Imperial Court, ordered for a ceremony of honor to be conducted at all major Imperial residences, and commanded the Privy Council to begin drafting an truce offer to the Scottrian Court.
 * October 21-John Lascellius, Professor of Theology at the University of Laurasia Prime, learned of the indiscretions of the Empress Consort Katharina Howardis by means of his sister, Messalina Lascellius, who had been a member of the household of the Dowager Duchess of Norfolkius. Messalina had witnessed Katharina, when she was not yet Empress Consort, sending a letter of love to Culpeperi several years earlier. Lascellius, who considered adultery and pre-martial sexual relations to be sinful, wrote a letter to Chief Procurator Cranmerius, informing him of his wife's revelations. Cranmerius decides at this juncture to launch a private inquiry into the matter. The progress of the Imperial Court had ended on October 3, and the Household was once again back at the Quencilvanian Palace. Cranmerius could therefore proceed with the minimum of friction or difficulty.
 * October 27-Chief Procurator Cranmerius's private inquiry into the affairs of the Empress Consort Katharina Howardis conclude, as he learns of the rumors circulating about her relationships with Culpeperi and Dereanius, and also obtains confirmation from anonymous ladies-in-waiting of the Empress Consort's personal "meetings" with Culpeperi. Cranmerius informs Chancellor Diadones and the Duke of Norfolkius of the Empress Consort's infidelities. The Duke of Norfolkius, who had believed his niece a virgin, is devastated, and is determined to now bring about her downfall, if only to maintain his own position in the favor of the Emperor.
 * November 1-The Emperor Antigonus III is informed of the Empress Consort's infidelity by Chief Procurator Cranmerius and Chancellor Diadones, in a routine audience with him concerning the business transactions of the Privy Council. Antigonus is enraged when he learns that his "precious" young wife has betrayed him, and attributes the lack of a pregnancy to Katharina's "adultery and whoredom". The Emperor now commands for the Privy Council to conduct its own inquiry of the Empress Consort's personal affairs, and for Cranmerius himself, along with the Chancellor and a delegation of Privy and Synoptic Councilors, to interrogate the Empress Consort in her private chambers in six day's time. The Empress Consort, by his command, remains in ignorance of the inquiry and of the impending interrogation.
 * November 7-Empress Consort Katharina Howardis is formally interrogated by Chief Procurator Cranmerius, Chancellor Diadones, and a delegation of members of the Privy Council and Holy Synod. Cranmerius informs Katharina of his personal inquiry and of the ongoing official inquiry which had been ordered for by the Emperor himself. He tells Katharina that her adultery and betrayal of the Emperor's trust was "an act of extreme folly and of treason", and that she could not expect mercy from His Imperial Majesty if the rumors were proven valid. Katharina, knowing that the game was up, and that her life and position were now in danger, begged for mercy before Cranmerius and the delegation, admitting that she had indeed betrayed the Emperor's trust. Katharina, however, asserted that Dereanius had raped her before the marriage, and that he was blackmailing her into resuming sexual relations with him. She claimed that she had appointed him as her Personal Secretary in order to prevent him from "slandering her reputation". When Cranmerius brought up Culpeperi, however, the Empress Consort was at a loss for words. On the orders of the Emperor, Katharina was commanded to remain in her personal chambers, and all objects with which she could commit suicide were removed by the Valedictorian Guards.
 * November 12-Emperor Antigonus III orders for his wife, Empress Consort Katharina Howardis, to be formally arrested and imprisoned at the Post Settlement of Hepudermia. Cranmerius himself led the Guards who arrested the Empress Consort. The Duke of Norfolkius, who had betrayed one niece (Anna Boleyenia) now betrayed this one, as he, summoned to an audience with the Emperor, denied any knowledge of Katharina's affairs and declared that "His Majesty was right in ordering the actions against her person". Katharina herself was utterly shaken, and she had to be dragged out from her chambers to the prison transport.
 * November 16-The official inquiry into the infidelities of the Empress Consort Katharina Howardis concludes, confirming the rumors circulating about her and providing evidence of her previous dealings with both Dereanius and Culpeperi. The Emperor Antigonus III is sent into a further rage of anger, and he issues an official proclamation to the Imperial Court, announcing the inquiries about his wife's behavior and that she had been arrested.
 * November 19-Sir Julius Dereanius and Sir Thomasius Culpeperi were arrested on the orders of the Imperial Privy Council and formally imprisoned at the Fortress of Baureux. They were charged with treason, adultery, lese-majestie, and "conspiracy against the Imperial Government".
 * November 22-The Holy Synod and Chief Procurator Cranmerius, acting on the direct command of the Emperor Antigonus, officially declared the marriage of Antigonus and Katharina Howardis to be null and void. Katharina was now stripped of her title as Empress Consort; deprived of all honors and grants which had been conferred upon her; and reduced to the rank of Lady. The Emperor orders for the continuation of her imprisonment at the Post Settlement of Hepudermia, but she is now formally deprived of her household and reduced to the status and privileges of any other prisoner.
 * December 2-The Emperor Antigonus orders for the arrest and detainment of the Lady Katharina Howardis's relatives, with the exception of the Duke of Norfolkius. The Dowager Duchess of Norfolkius are among those who are arrested and held at the Old Royal Palace, Post Settlement of Hepudermia, Secret Prison of Ipsus V, and Monastery of Windowia Photis. Antigonus, in a imperial manifesto, accused the Howarids family of "abetting their treasonous girl's activities" and ordered for the Governing Senate to begin preparations for confiscating all Howardis estates and property.
 * December 6-Sir Julius Dereanius and Sir Thomasius Culpeperi were tried and formally convicted by the Governing Senate on all of the charges laid against them. The Emperor Antigonus signed their death warrant almost immediately, and commanded that their execution was to take place at Tynburnian Stockards in the Cron Drift, in four days' time.
 * December 10-At the Tynburnian Stockards in the Cron Drift, Sir Julius Dereanius and Sir Thomasius Culpeperi are executed. Culpeperi, who was of higher rank than Dereanius, was executed by firing squad, while Dereanius was hanged, drawn, quartered, and incinerated. The Holy Synod had excommunicated both men, and they were therefore denied an Almitian burial. Both were dumped into the Yard of Traitors at Tynburnian Stockards on the command of the Emperor Antigonus. He also issued an imperial manifesto depriving the relatives of the condemned men of all estates, grants, and titles which they possessed; denouncing them for the actions of "their sons", and forbidding them to ever set foot on Laurasia Prime again. The Lady Katharina Howardis herself remains imprisoned at the Post Settlement of Hepudermia.
 * December 19-The Truce of Alkadaid is signed by the Laurasian Empire and Celestial Kingdom of Scottria, ordering for the suspension of all military hostilities until July 1742. General Lacius was instrumental in negotiating this truce.

1742

 * January 21-The Emperor Antigonus III promulgated the Statute of Martial Fidelity. By the terms of this statute, all women who were engaged to be married, whether they be of the nobility or gentry, or of common stock, were now obliged to provide information to their husband about any prior relationships which they may have been involved in; documentation concerning any previous marriages, if they had been married before; and proof that they would not "defile their honor" during their relationship with their husband-to-be. The Statute declared it to be treason for any female member of the Imperial Household to engage in adulterous relationships while married to a lawful husband; any future Empress Consort would be obliged by the provisions of this Statute, and was liable to execution if she did not prove faithful to her husband. The enactment of this statute was the Emperor's direct reaction to what had transpired between him and his ex-wife, former Empress Consort Katharina Howardis.
 * February 7-The Emperor Antigonus III, bypassing the normal judicial proceedings of the Governing Senate, issued an imperial writ of attainder against the Lady Katharina Howardis and her former Chief Lady-in-Waiting, the Viscountess Ralanchaford, who had been imprisoned alongside her for her complicity in the meetings between the Empress Consort and Culpeperi. In the Act of Attainder, the Emperor declared that a trial "by the normal processes of the Governing Senate" was not necessary, and that the crimes of his wife and her "compatriot" deserved punishment directly from his hands. Antigonus now commanded for Katharina and Viscountess Ralanchford to be moved from the Post Settlement of Hepudermia to the Fortress of Baureux in three day's time, and for the execution of both women to take place on February 13.
 * February 10-Former Empress Consort Katharina Howardis and Viscountess Ralanchaford arrive at the Fortress of Baureux, three days before their planned execution. On February 12, Katharina will make her final confession to Chief Procurator Cranmerius.
 * February 13-The former Empress Consort, Lady Katharina Howardis, and Atila Boleyenia, Viscountess Ralancaford and widow of the Viscount Georgius Boleyenia, are executed at the Tower Grounds of the Fortress of Baureux. Katharina had spent the night before the execution in prayer and practicing for the travail that was to come. However, she was overtaken by a surge of nervousness at the execution stand, and had a look of paleness and fear on her face. The former Empress Consort had to be helped onto the execution rampart by the officers in attendance. In the traditional speech to the crowds, Katharina described the punishment as "worthy and just", declaring that she had sinned in the eyes of the Lord Almitis by engaging in affairs with men "beneath her rank and position". She admitted that Dereanius had not raped or blackmailed her, and that she had conducted her relationship with him "on her own initiative". She asked for mercy for her family and prayers for her soul. Viscount Ralancaford, on her part, admitted her complicity in arranging the Empress's infidelities, and expressed her hope that the Lord Almitis would pardon her in the afterlife. Katharina and Atila were then both executed by firing squad, with a single barrage being all that was required to bring them to their deaths. The Emperor Antigonus had spared them from the full horrors of a traitor's death and had refrained from commanding the Synod to impose a sentence of excommunication on them. Instead, by his command, they would be buried at the Prison Crypt of the Fortress of Baureux.
 * February 26-Emperor Antigonus III, deciding to heed his former wife's last plea in her speech of departure, ordered for the release of all members of the Howardis family who had been detained by his command. The Emperor decided not to deprive the Howardis family of their properties and titles, and he commanded for the elderly Dowager Duchess, whose health had deteriorated during the imprisonment, to be treated by the Imperial Court with much decency and respect. Antigonus, however, had now developed a bitter distrust of the Duke of Norfolkius, and commanded the Lord Treasurer never to appear before him at the Imperial Court, unless it was for an official audience of the Privy Council. Norfolkius retired to his estate on Meaganian, seeking to avoid His Majesty's wrath.
 * March 5-General Lacius, on the direct command of the Emperor Antigonus III, reneged on the Truce of Alkadaid which he had negotiated with the Scottrian Government barely four months earlier. The Emperor Antigonus believed that conditions were ideal for a general Laurasian offensive into Scottrian territories, and he now commanded General Lacius to move his units with all haste. Lacius now began to advance against the Vilmanstrand Approaches, which still barred a Laurasian push to Frederickshamm.
 * March 5-Battle of Dreckel resulted in the storming of that Scottrian colony by units of the Laurasian Empire under the command of Brigadier-General Sir Achilles Plausius.
 * March 16-21-Battle of the Vilmanstrand Approaches between the forces of the Laurasian Empire under the command of General Lacius, and those of the Celestial Kingdom of Scottria commanded by Governor-General O'Nell. The battle was particularly hard fought, as Lacius attempted to penetrate the formations of the Scottrian fleet. O'Nell proved to be a talented foe, and he launched numerous actions against the rear of the Laurasian forces, forcing the diversion of corvettes and starfighters in order to maintain his position. Lacius ultimately managed to secure a Pyrrhic victory, but the severe losses which O'Nell had managed to inflict upon the Laurasian forces resulted in Lacius temporarily suspending an offensive against Frederickshamm.
 * March 29-Laurasian couriers of Brigadier-General Sir Achilles Plausius stormed Scottrian bases on Crusher-VII, Wheaton, and McFadden, resulting in the Laurasians managing to consolidate their position at the Vilmanstrand Approaches.
 * April 3-Laurasian units, under the command of Briannian General Wolmendar Lowendal, fail to storm the Scottrian arsenal on Brisios.
 * April 13-Governor-General O'Nell, assembling his military units at Frederickshamm, Devily, Patricia I, McKellen, Frasier, Janeway, and Barching, began to make plans for another counteroffensive against Vyborg and Vilmanstrand. His goal was to dislodge the Laurasian units from those star systems, secure control of the Vilmanstrand Approaches, and threaten the Borderland Territories. This would be the precursor to a Scottrian offensive into the Rogerian Cluster, in pursuit of the ultimate war aims of King Jamsius V and the Scottrian Government. The Imperial Intelligence Agency, however, will catch wind of Scottrian war plans by April 29.
 * April 27-The Scottrian Government announced that Queen-Consort Mariana of Guise is pregnant with King Jamsius's third child. Both of their sons (Jamsius, Duke of Rothesay, and Robert Stewart, Duke of Tillae) had died in April 1741, and since then, the royal couple had made great effort in order to secure another heir. The announcement of the Queen-Consort's pregnancy is made in the midst of the ongoing Scottrian-Laurasian War, the second of the eighteenth century.
 * May 5-Governor-General O'Nell orders the personnel of the units which he had assembled to prepare for an offensive against Laurasian positions in the Galactic Borderlands by June 1742. King Jamsius V of Scottria, however, who had received communiques from the subordinate commanders of the Scottrian forces, and who wished to build up Scottrian defensive capabilities, commanded O'Nell, on May 11, to await the arrival of naval reinforcements under the command of Admiral Dian Pafadurr.
 * May 21-Field-Marshal Munnich presents his proposal for Laurasian offensives into Rasdallan and Canite territory of the Celestial Kingdom of Scottria, before a session of the Imperial Privy Council. The Emperor Antigonus, who for one of the only times in his reign, attended the Council meeting personally, granted his official authorization for these planned offensives. Munnich envisioned the capture of Frederickshamm, the Rasdallan strongholds, and the Canite Worlds. He believed that once these territories were under Laurasian possession, Kalbacha would be isolated and Jamsius V would be compelled to come to terms.
 * June 1-The 5th Scottrian Fleet under the command of Admiral Dian Pafadurr arrives at Rasdalla Minor. Pafadurr, who is not placed under the overall command of Governor-General O'Nell, is commanded by the Scottrian Council of State to ensure the security of Scottrian territories in the Galactic Borderlands and to prepare for counteroffensives into the Rogerian Cluster. To that end, Pafadurr and his fleet proceed to Aspo, a Scottrian base located in the Borderland Territories. They will arrive there on June 6.
 * June 3-A galley fleet, commanded by Scottrian Admiral Joah Vagrill, joins the 5th Scottrian Fleet of Admiral Dian Pafadurr at Aspo. The ships of Vagrill's fleet include 50 corvettes, a corps of 2,000 Edithian-class starfighters, and 100 couriers. Admiral Pafadurr plans on utilizing these warships to inflict severe damage upon Laurasian positions at the Vilmanstrand Approaches, and to bypass Laurasian units in the Berwick Barrier. However, a Laurasian fleet, comprised of 500 major warships and 4,000 support vessels, and under the command of Vice-Admiral Vevanthius Levashius, is also active, operating from its chief headquarters at Stunria. Levashius is supported by a Laurasian galley force under the command of Commodore Zadthanius Meservius. Both fleets are under the overall command of General Lacius, who directed Laurasian operations from his headquarters on Vilmanstrand.
 * June 5-Governor-General O'Nell holds a council of war at his headquarters on Frederickshamm, in an attempt to reconquer the Bereoyeze Asteroids from Laurasian forces. Admirals Vagrill and Pafadurr, however, who believe that such an offensive would be doomed to failure, and seeking to retain their influence over operations of war, manage to successfully block the Governor-General's plans.
 * June 13-The Imperial Laurasian Forces, under the command of General Lacius, launched a general offensive into the territories of the Celestial Kingdom of Scottria. Lacius took advantage of the dilatory actions of the Scottrian forces in order to make a decisive push into Scottrian territory. Lacius defeated Admiral Vagrill in the Battle of Memathon, and continued the Laurasian advance towards Frederickshamm.
 * June 14-Scottrian counteroffensive launched by Admiral Pafadurr against Vyborg is blunted by the units of Vice-Admiral Levashius in the Battle of Estre.
 * June 16-McKellen and Janeway are stormed by the units of the Laurasian Empire under the command of Vice-Admiral Levashius and Commodore Meservius.
 * June 19-General Lacius stormed the Scottrian arsenal on McFadden and sent harrying expeditions against the Scottrian defensive outposts around Frederickshamm.
 * June 22-The Battle of Fraiser results in a decisive victory for the Laurasians under the command of Vice-Admiral Levashius. The stronghold is occupied by Laurasian units.
 * June 25-Governor-General O'Nell, who sought to maintain the integrity of his units, and who was aware of the advance of General Lacius and his forces, ordered for his formations to withdraw from the defensive stockades around the Frederickshamm star system. General Lacius and his units now seized control of the defensive outposts, and planned for a siege in order to compel Frederickshamm into surrender.
 * June 28-Governor-General O'Nell, seeking to preserve his forces for a future confrontation with General Lacius, ordered for Frederickshamm to be abandoned to the advancing Laurasian units of General Lacius. Frederickshamm was therefore occupied by the Laurasian Empire, and Lacius now established his new operational headquarters in the star system. The abandonment of Frederickshamm was considered shameful at the Scottrian Court, and King Jamsius V was now planning to take direct command of his forces in battle against the Laurasian Empire.
 * July 3-Devily was conquered by the Laurasian Empire after a brief battle between Laurasian and Scottrian forces.
 * July 6-August 1-Siege of Barching by the forces of the Laurasian Empire. Vice-Admiral Levashius commanded the Laurasian offensive, but he was resisted by the Scottrian garrison under the command of Admiral Vagrill. Scottrian starfighter squadrons constantly harried the Laurasian positions, and Scottrian strikes against McKellen, McFadden, and Wheaton disoriented the Laurasian units. Levashius, however, was ultimately able to bring his advantages (supremacy in numbers, better organization, and effective use of weaponry) in order to break down and to crush the Scottrian resistance. Barching was now occupied by the Laurasian Empire, and Admiral Vagrill himself became a prisoner of war. By the command of Levashius, however, he was treated with commendable leniency.
 * July 7-12-Governor-General O'Nell and General Lacius engaged in a game of cat and mouse along the Frederickshamm Loop and the Metallasian Trade Highway, as the Scottrian forces attempted to keep their distance ahead of the Laurasians. Skirmishes between Laurasian and Scoutrian corvette units occurred at Condraxat, Morley, and the Asteroids of Tion, resulting in severe losses for the forces of both sides, but in no change in the strategic dispositions. Admiral Pafadurr, on his part, maintained his chief offensive armada at Hango and Pellinge, which therefore hampered the provision of intelligence and supplies to the forces under Governor-General O'Nell's command. This proved beneficial to the Laurasians, as General Lacius planned for offensives against Patricia I, the Riverite Asteroid Belt, Partsia, Kania, and Kathy Minor.
 * July 15-The Battle of Bristain occurs between the Laurasian Empire and the Celestial Kingdom of Scottria at Noonan's Star, resulting in a decisive victory for the Laurasian forces under the command of Vice-Admiral Levashius. Levashius stormed the Scottrian outposts on Peggy, Littleton, and Marlton, and blockaded Scottrian supply lines to Kania.
 * July 22-The Skirmish of Sasha VI between the forces of Governor-General O'Nell and General Lacius results in a strategic victory for the Laurasian Empire. The Scottrian garrison of Sasha VI is compelled into surrender, and this major Rasdallan stronghold is occupied by Imperial Laurasian forces. Lacius ordered for the world's inhabitants to be treated with commendable leniency.
 * July 24-Admiral Pafadurr, seeking to withdraw his units back to Patricia I and the Riverite Asteroid Belt, and to blunt a further Laurasian advance into the Rasdallan Home Territories, began to dismantle and transport away the military arms, equipment, industrial goods, and agricultural stores at Hango and Pellinge. General Lacius, however, catches wind of the Scottrian tactical withdrawal, and dispatches starfighter squadrons under the command of Commodore Meservius to harry Scottrian transports. The Laurasians capture a Scottrian convoy near Demorne and manage to disrupt the Scottrian transfer of supplies to Patricia I.
 * July 28-Hango and Pellinge are occupied by the Laurasian Empire, in the aftermath of the ill-fated Scottrian withdrawal. Pafadurr, who had failed to transport all of the supplies and arms stored in those star systems, and who had lost numerous transports and corvettes to Laurasian attacks, was recalled by an indignant King Jamsius V and Council of State. Jamsius now appointed Grande Gordon, Earl of Kathy, as the new commander of Scottrian naval forces in the Rasdallan Districts. The Earl of Kathy now began to prepare a methodical strategy of defense against Laurasian offensives.
 * August 3-6-The Battle of the Riverite Asteroid Belt results in a victory for the Laurasian Empire. Commodore Meservius and Vice-Admiral Levashius storm the Scottrian naval headquarters on Troy and confiscate a large number of Scottrian supplies and armor. The Earl of Kathy, however, repels Laurasian reconnaissance expeditions against Rasdalla, Kathy, and Patricia.
 * August 11-Governor-General O'Nell arrives at Rasdalla Minor and establishes his command headquarters here, having managed to evade Laurasian pursuit units under the command of General Lacius. Lacius, however, had now penetrated deep into the Rasdallan Territories, and he had seized control of the garrisons of Councilen, Medina, and Alaska, thereby cutting off most supply lines to Rasdalla Minor. By August 13, Laurasian starfighter squadrons will have isolated monitoring outposts at the outskirts of the Rasdalla Minor star system, and Lacius will begin to install stockades to prevent travel into or out of the star system.
 * August 14-Wheaton and McFadden are raided by the units of the Earl of Kathy, who managed to disrupt the Laurasian strategic position at the Riverite Asteroid Belt. General Lacius was forced to divert units in order to maintain Laurasian supply lines, and the Scottrian Earl was ultimately driven back.
 * August 19-Governor-General O'Nell is summoned by King Jamsius V, to proceed immediately back to Ediania for an inquiry into his actions. The King of Scottria was humiliated by O'Nell's losses, and believed that the advance of the Laurasian forces should have been repelled easily. O'Nell is now disgraced in the eyes of his Scottrian peers, and Laurasian forces now hold a bridgehead in the Rasdallan Territories.
 * August 24-
 * Rasdalla Minor, under the command of Garrison General Jean Louis Bouquet (a Franconian mercenary in the service of the Scottrian Government), surrendered to the forces of the Laurasian Empire under General Petevuius Lacius. According to the terms of the capitulation agreement, all Scottrian officers and personnel of the garrison would be permitted either to leave the service of the Scottrian Armed Forces or to return, unmolested, to Scottrian territories in the Angelina Spiral. All military armor, weapons, equipment, and agricultural supplies were to be turned over into the hands of the Laurasians; Rasdalla Minor was to acknowledge martial law and the authority of General Lacius as Military Governor; and no resistance was to be posed to the Laurasian strategic position in the Rasdalla Minor star system. General Lacius now established his new command headquarters here.
 * On the same day that Rasdalla Minor surrendered to the Laurasian Empire, Scottrian forces under the command of the Earl of Kathy obtained a victory over the armada under the command of Vice-Admiral Levashius, in the Battle of Haddon Rig. Haddon Rig was a minor Scottrian colony located eight light years to the west of the Riverite Asteroid Belt. Levashius had been massing forces for an offensive against Patricia I and Kania; the victory which the Earl of Kathy obtained here inflicted severe losses on Laurasian offensive corps, and resulted in the Laurasian High Command being forced to put plans for this offensive on hold. Lacius, having established the Laurasian position at Rasdalla Minor, now had to divert more units to shore up the position of Levashius, and was forced to put his plans for offensives against Kathy on temporary hold.
 * August 27-Wheaton, McFadden, and McKellen are briefly reconquered by the forces of the Earl of Kathy.
 * August 29-General Lacius defeated a Scottrian starfighter squadron in the Skirmish of Moore.
 * September 3-5-The Earl of Kathy's counteroffensive against Barching and Partsia, both of whom were occupied by Laurasian forces, ended in failure in the Battle of Kelso, a confrontation in which Vice-Admiral Levashius managed to redeem his reputation. The earlier momentum which Scottrian forces had briefly obtained therefore dissipates, even though Laurasian troops are still prevented from assaulting Patricia I and Kathy.
 * September 12-The Scottrian arsenal at Aland is stormed by Laurasian naval forces.
 * September 23-Kathy Minor was stormed by General Lacius, who managed to drive the Earl of Kathy back to his operational headquarters on Kathy Major.
 * October 1-Vice-Admiral Levashius reconquers Wheaton, McFadden, and McKellen for the Laurasian Empire.
 * October 5-Laurasian troops storm Helingsia, a major Scottrian stronghold five light years east of Hidemnia Sauria.
 * October 11-17-The Battle of Patricia I takes place between the Laurasian Empire and Celestial Kingdom of Scottria, as General Lacius was finally able to overcome the Earl of Kathy's defensive positions and to lay this major Rasdallan world under siege. The Earl of Kathy nevertheless posed fierce resistance to the Laurasian forces, and Scottrian starfighter squadrons harried Laurasian supply lines ceaselessly. Repeated Scottrian counteroffensives against Frederickshamm, Vyborg, Hango, Noonan's Star, Pellinge, Frasier, Devily, and Janeway ended in failure, and on October 17, Laurasian troops finally breached Patricia I's shield defenses. The world was overrun by the Laurasian forces, and most of the Scottrian garrison was killed or captured. The Earl of Kathy was forced to retreat, and Kathy itself now came under a serious Laurasian threat.
 * October 31-King Jamsius V of Scottria, seeking to emulate his father Jamsius IV, and irritated at the continuing Scottrian losses to Laurasian forces, assumed direct command of the Scottrian armed forces, relegating the Earl of Kathy to a subordinate role. Jamsius joined with the Scottrian Army at Lauder, located in the Caladarian Galactic Barrier, and made preparations to advance against Laurasian positions at the Riverite Asteroid Belt, Rasdalla Minor, and Frasier.
 * November 2-King Jamsius V of Scottria defeated the Laurasian General Lacius in the Battle of Euther, preventing Laurasian units from advancing to Kania. Scottrian troops briefly stormed Laurasian outposts on Malgay, Sisko, and O'Brian, driving Laurasian troops back to the vicinty of Rasdalla Minor, Hango, and Pelenge.
 * November 6-A counteroffensive by Laurasian forces against Euther and Malgay ended in failure at the Battle of Tweed.
 * November 11-Laurasian troops managed to storm Sockoth, advancing ever closer to the outskirts of Kathy.
 * November 14-King Jamsius V of Scottria was forced to return to Ediania in response to the outbreak of the Taxation Uprising, which protested the exactions of Scottrian government officials from the populations of the Scottrian Homeland Territories. The King of Scottria, not trusting in the capabilities of the Earl of Kathy, instead entrusted command of Scottrian forces in the Galactic Borderlands to Robert, Lord Axwell of Shrandia, commanding him to employ "all available measures" in order to blunt and hamper the Laurasian advance.
 * November 18-General Lacius finally managed to storm Euther, in the face of King Jamsius's return to Ediania. Laurasian troops now penetrated to Rasdalla Major and the outskirts of Cane, sacking or blockading numerous Scottrian outposts, garrisons, and stations.
 * November 22-Lord Axwell of Shrandia and his 1,000-warship armada, seeking to disorient Laurasian supply lines and to strike a blow against the Empire directly, employ the use of the Canite Rapid Transit Route in order to penetrate to Solway, a Laurasian colony-world located in the Borderland Territories. Lord Axwell believed that such a bold strike into Laurasian territory, bypassing the Laurasian garrisons in the Rasdallan Territories, would strike at the Laurasian strategy and would force General Lacius to terminate his operations in the Galactic Barrier.
 * November 24-Laurasian forces under the command of Sir Thomasius Wortonius, Commander-in-Chief of the Borderland Territories, and the third ranking subordinate of General Lacius, intercept the Scottrian armada of Lord Axwell of Shrandia at the outskirts of Solway. General Lacius had been alerted to the Scottrian advance, and the Imperial General Headquarters had ordered for Laurasian units to be deployed in the vicinity of the border, in case of a Scottrian attack. This strategy worked brilliantly, as the larger and more effectively organized Laurasians inflicted a decisive defeat upon Lord Axwell. Axwell's chief subordinate in battle, Oliver La'Caman, and the Earls of Casilis and Glencarin were killed in battle, while Axwell himself was captured by Laurasian starfighter units. Nearly 700 Scottrian vessels were destroyed or captured in the Battle of Solway, which was a decisive victory for the Laurasian Empire. Wortonius received a formal congrualation from the Emperor Antigonus III, who in a proclamation to his subjects five days after the battle, would enjoin them to celebrate its results.
 * November 26-King Jamsius V of Scottria, having learned of the devastating Scottrian defeat in the Battle of Solway, commanded his subjects to lament the Scottrian losses and to offer up prayers for the souls of the Scottrian troops who had laid down their lives in battle against the Laurasians. The King of Scottria himself begins to enter a rapid decline in health, and a bout of depression, as the Scottrian worlds in the Galactic Borderlands were now falling like dominoes before the forces of the Laurasian Empire.
 * November 29-Malgay and Sisko are recovered by Laurasian units dispatched by General Lacius.
 * December 3-Kania is finally conquered by the Laurasian Empire; most of the world's garrison is slain in battle.
 * December 6-King Jamsius V of Scottria, then at Falkanian Palace in the Fifan District, falls deathly ill. The King suffers from a high fever and from other symptoms of disease. The royal physicians of the King's Household are baffled by his disease, and are at a loss to explain what he was suffering from. Jamsius's health declined ever further, and the King of Scottria was soon slipping in and out of consciousness. He realized that he did not have long to live.
 * December 8-At Linthigalian Palace on Lithiglow, the Scottrian Queen Consort Mariana of Guise gives birth to a daughter, the only legitimate surviving child of King Jamsius V of Scottria. The girl, who appeared to be a healthy and vigorous babe, was named Mariana after her mother. At the time of her birth, however, her father, King Jamsius V, who was only 30 years old, was on his death bed. Jamsius, in delirium at Falkanian Palace, was informed of his daughter's birth, which had occurred in a star system two thousand light-years away. Hearing of this, the dying King of Scottria ruefully exclaimed that, "It came with a lass, and it will go with a lass!" This was a direct reference to the marriage of Marjorent Bruce, daughter of Scottrian King Robert the Bruce, to Walter Stewart, High Steward of the Celestial Kingdom of Scottria (an event which had taken place in 1515). The crown of Scottria had come to his family through a woman, and it would pass from his family through a woman. Jamsius's prophecy would turn out to be ominous, for just thirty-seven years after his death, after the deposition of his daughter, Scottria would lose its independence to the very Laurasian Empire now seizing its territories by force in the Galactic Borderlands.
 * December 14-Just six days after the birth of Princess Mariana, her father, King Jamsius V of Scottria, succumbed to his illness and died. He was aged only 30 at the time of his death, but had nevertheless ruled for 29 years, since 1713. Mariana, who was only six days old, was formally proclaimed Queen Regnant of Scottria, the first and only female monarch of Scottria in its 500-year history as an independent kingdom. Emperor Antigonus III, who had learned of first Mariana's birth, and then her quick succession to the throne upon her father's untimely death, declared to the Imperial Privy Council that "this was a great opportunity for the Laurasian Empire". Antigonus began to envision the marriage of his son, Grand Prince Demetrius, with the new Queen Mariana, and believed that by such means, he could secure the ultimate absorption of the Celestial Kingdom of Scottria into the Laurasian Empire. For the time being, however, his immediate focus was on the military campaigns in the Galactic Borderlands.
 * December 22-Funeral of King Jamsius V on Ediania. At this date, the Scottrian King's will is formally announced, and the Earl of Arran, one of the most prominent nobles in the Scottrian Court, was formally appointed Regent of the Celestial Kingdom of Scottria. Arran will hold this position for the next twelve years, but will be resisted during the early part of his tenure by the Archpriest Beatonius of Ediania, one of the leading religious officers of Scottria.
 * December 27-Kathy Major capitulated to the forces of General Lacius.

1743

 * January 7-The Battle of Hidemnia Sauria results in a decisive victory for the forces of the Laurasian Empire under the command of General Lacius. Hidemnia Sauria is occupied by Laurasian forces, and the strongholds of the Cane Cluster are now exposed to further Laurasian assaults.
 * January 12-17-Scottrian counteroffensive, led by the forces of the Earl of Kathy, fails to drive Laurasian units from Patricia I, Partsia, and the Riverite Asteroid Belt.
 * January 24-Vice-Admiral Levashius destroys a Scottrian convoy at Ella.
 * February 1-The Necessary Doctrine and Erudition for Any Almitian Man is formally published by the Holy Synod of the Laurasian Empire under the direction of Chief Procurator Thomasius Cranmerius. This work of official theology was written by the Emperor Antigonus III himself, and was a revision of his earlier work, The Institutions of the Almitian Man. The Emperor, who had continued to sponsor the reformation of the administrative practices and liturgy of the Almitian Church, and who delighted in explaining and expounding policies of state to his subjects, declared in this work that "all men under the name of Almitis have a duty towards him and towards their lawful sovereign." Antigonus claimed that his policies were only to the greater glory of Almitis, and that it was necessary for all men to adhere to the standards which he set. This work will become a major justification for the further religious reforms which will be enacted during the reign of Antigonus's son, Demetrius II.
 * February 4-Emperor Antigonus III, who wished to conclude the Laurasian-Scottrian War, and to bring about the engagement of his son Grand Prince Demetrius with Queen Mariana of Scottria, commanded the Imperial Ministry of Foreign Affairs to send an armistice request to the Scottrian Government. Field-Marshal Munnich, who believed that further territorial gains could be made in the Galactic Borderlands, protested this move. The Emperor, however, overrode his objections.
 * February 8-General Lacius defeated a Scottrian expeditionary force in the Battle of Hikura, inflicting severe damage upon Scottrian positions.
 * February 13-General Lacius, acting on the commands of Minister of Foreign Affairs Sir Rudomentus Sadielus, made a formal armistice offer to the Scottrian Government. Regent Arran, who was ambitious and believed that the Scottrian State would prosper if it co-existed peacefully with the larger and more powerful Laurasian Empire, decided to accept the armistice offer. A truce will be signed on Hildakis on February 15.
 * February 6-The Baroness Katharina Latimerius (nee Parsius), wife of John Nevilius, 3rd Baron Latimerius, became a lady-in-waiting and governess in the household of the Lady Didymeia. Katharina's mother, Melinda Parsius, had been a close friend and attendant of Empress Consort Katharina of Shenandoah, Didymeia's mother, and the Baroness herself was on friendly terms with the Lady Didymeia. Latimerius, who was in her second marriage, thereby becomes one of the ladies of the Imperial Court, and in this position, will catch the notice of the Emperor Antigonus III.
 * February 16-The Emperor Antigonus III notices the Baroness Katharina Latimerius in the household of his daughter, the Lady Didymeia. The Emperor was now attracted by Katharina's beauty, intelligence, and "martial fidelity", as he considered it. He wished for a wife who was intelligent enough, but nevertheless utterly faithful to him and would not question his will or directives. The Emperor begins to contemplate the idea of Baroness Latimerius becoming his sixth wife, upon the death, fast approaching, of her ill and elderly husband.
 * March 2-John Nevilius, 3rd Baron Latimerius, the second husband of Lady Katharina Parsius, and one of the most respected courtiers of the Laurasian Empire, died in his personal bedchambers at the Quencilvanian Palace in Christiania, Laurasia Prime. Latimerius was accompanied at his bedside by his wife, the Baroness Katharina Parsius, his son and successor, John Nevilius the Younger, and the servants of his personal household, among other personages. The Emperor Antigonus, out of respect for the grieving widow and her family, ordered all at the Imperial Court to mourn the death of Baron Latimerius, and issued a manifesto to the subjects of the Laurasian Empire praising the nobleman's merits and years of service to the Imperial Laurasian Government. Latimerius's death, however, will leave the Emperor free to make his martial advances towards Katharina Parsius.
 * March 9-Funeral of the Baron Latimerius at St. Paul's Cathedral in the Religious Quadrant of Christiania. The Emperor Antigonus III and Chief Procurator Cranmerius were among the leading personages present at the funeral. Antigonus expressed his condolences to Baroness Latimerius and in his funeral eulogy, declared that "never a more saintly man, dedicated to the service of his Lord and of his sovereign, hath lived within these dominions." In his will, Latimerius bequeathed his wife Katharina a number of properties, and entrusted the welfare of his daughter Scribonia to her. Katharina Parsius thereby became one of the wealthiest noblewomen in the Laurasian Empire.
 * March 17-A diplomatic conference between the representatives of the Laurasian Empire and Celestial Kingdom of Scottria convenes at the Old Royal Palace in Christiania, Laurasia Prime. The Emperor Antigonus III had proposed to the Regent Arran that negotiations be conducted on Laurasia Prime, and Arran had accepted. Chancellor Diadones served as the chief plenipotentiary for the Imperial Laurasian Government and as the official host of the conference. Minister of Foreign Affairs Sir Rudomentus Sadielus; Stephanius Gardinerius, Archbishop of Winchestrius; the Duke of Norfolkius; Thomasius Wirdilus, Bishop of Jadia; Procurator-General Audelius; and the Lords St. Johnasius (the future Lord Treasurer Winchestrius) and Gagius were the other Laurasian representatives at the treaty conference. The Scottrian chief pleniopotentiary was the Earl of Glencairn. The other members of the Scottrian delegation included Go'age Douglas of Pitterenich; Adam Otterburn; William St. Hamilton; and Lord Jamsius Delamarth of Behavris. In the opening speech at the conference, Chancellor Diadones declared that it was the intention and hope of his master, the Emperor Antigonus, to establish "cordial relations" between the Laurasian and Scottrian realms, and that this could be effectively secured by the marriage of Grand Prince Demetrius with Queen Mariana. The conference will drag on for the next four months, as the two delegations wrangle over the terms of the peace agreement and over the Laurasian proposal of marriage.
 * April 6-Emperor Antigonus III declares his intention to the Imperial Privy Council to procure for himself another wife and consort, one who will be more loyal and who would not betray him in the same manner as had Katharina of Shenandoah, Anna Boleyenia, and Katharina Howardis. The Emperor had decided that the Baroness Dowager of Latimerius, Lady Katharina Parsius, should become his new bride, and that she would make a worthy consort for the Imperial Court. He knew that there was little realistic hope of their having any children; for his health and physical condition had deteriorated considerably. Nearing fifty-two, the Emperor was overweight, suffered from numerous physical ailments, and had a short temper. He knew that he was incapable of sexual relations, and that there would be no further children of his blood. Antigonus therefore wished for a wife who would comfort him, be subordinate to him, and be at his side when he approached his end.
 * April 25-The Emperor Antigonus begins to send letters of affection and gifts to the Baroness Katharina Parsius. The Emperor declared to the Baroness that while he was aware of her emotional predicament, in the aftermath of her husband's death, that he himself would prove to be a worthy new husband for her, and that she would be honored by being elevated in status in the Imperial Court. Katharina was at first hesitant, knowing of the Emperor's reputation, his harsh and autocratic manner, and the fates of his previous wives. She did not wish to become another victim, and in fact had fallen in love with Sir Thomasius Seymouris, the brother of the late Empress Consort Theodora Seymouris, and one of the Emperor's favorites. Over time, however, Katharina will become convinced that it is the will of Almitis that she marry the Emperor Antigonus.
 * June 6-The Baroness Katharina Parsius finally submits to the entreaties of the Emperor Antigonus, and declares her willingness to become his new wife. Antigonus, who is overjoyed at the Baroness's decision, and believing that he had found the perfect consort for his waning years, declared to the Imperial Privy Council that the Imperial Household would once again be graced with the presence of an Empress Consort.
 * June 14-The engagement of the Emperor Antigonus III with the Dowager Baroness of Latimerius, Lady Katharina Parsius, is formally announced in a manifesto issued by the Imperial Privy Council. Chief Procurator Cranmerius declared his blessings for the marriage, and the date of the ceremony was set for July 12.
 * June 19-Death at Hawtharnia City, Apathama Vixius, of Lady Antonia Boleyenia, the former mistress of the Emperor Antigonus III and older sister of the late Empress Consort Anna Boleyenia and the Viscount Georgius Boleyenia of Ralanchaford. Antonia herself had been in disgrace at the Imperial Court following her marriage to Brigadier-General Sir Willanius Staffordius, the distant cousin of the late Duke of Americana, in 1734. Antonia had, however, received a pension from the Emperor during the last four years of her life, and was financially comfortable when she died.
 * July 1-After four months of arduous negotiations between the Laurasian and Scottrian delegations at the Old Royal Palace, the Treaty of Christiania is signed by the Laurasian Empire and Celestial Kingdom of Scottria. The treaty was comprised of two chapters: the first concerned the conclusion of peace between Laurasia and Scottria, as well as matters relating to territorial dispositions, financial matters, and prisoners/spoils of war; the second concerned the engagement of the Grand Prince Demetrius with Scottrian Queen Mariana. As a result of the terms of this treaty, the Laurasian Empire acquired Vilmanstrand, Frederickshamm, Patricia I, Barching, Devily, the Riverite Asteroid Belt, Partsia, Kania, the Vilmanstrand Approaches, Frasier, McKellen, McFadden, Wheaton, Frasier, Janeway, Sasha VI, the Berwick Barrier, Rasdalla Minor, and Kathy Minor, thereby extending its jurisdiction over a sect of the formerly Scottrian Galactic Borderlands. Rasdalla Major, Kathy Major, and the Galactic Barrier outposts were restored to the authority of the Celestial Kingdom of Scottria, although Laurasian units would be permitted to occupy Onasi for a period of three years, as surety for the peace arrangement. All prisoners of war were to be exchanged immediately, although the Laurasian Government would be permitted to keep all of the weapons, military equipment, and supplies captured during the conflict. Diplomatic and economic relations were restored between the two realms; the Laurasian Empire obtained the status of "most favored nation", thereby granting its merchants exemption from Scottrian tariffs and the right to trade and to transport goods in all Scottrian star systems. The Imperial Laurasian Government also gained the right to protect Almitian conclaves in Scottrian territory, and to monitor the actions of Laurasian nationals in transit through, or residing within Scottrian realms. In return, Emperor Antigonus pledged not to make any further territorial demands and to defend Scottrian realms from a foreign aggressor. As regards to the marriage pact, it was agreed that Demetrius and Mariana would be formally engaged at the age of ten, and that Mariana would reside at the Imperial Court on Laurasia Prime until the time of her marriage. Demetrius was to become King-Consort of Scottria, as Mariana would become Empress-Consort of Laurasia upon the Grand Prince's ascension to the Laurasian throne. Their eldest child was therefore to become heir apparent to both realms, although the Celestial Kingdom of Scottria was explicitly confirmed in its independence, retaining its own government, currency, diplomatic affairs, and military forces. If no children were born of the marriage, the personal union was to be dissolved.
 * July 4-The Treaty of Christiania is ratified by the Emperor Antigonus III, who was confident that the personal union which would be established Laurasia and Scottria would eventually result in the annexation of the Celestial Kingdom of Scottria by the Laurasian Empire.
 * July 7-The Scottrian Regent Arran and the Council of State, acting in the name of Queen Mariana I of Scottria, ratified the Treaty of Christiania. Arran declared that the Scottrian Estates would formally review and certify the Treaty in December, and that Mariana would be "in pledge" for marriage to Grand Prince Demetrius.
 * July 12-At Hampsonian Palace on Denver, the Emperor Antigonus III and the Lady Katharina Parsius, Dowager Baroness of Latimerius, are married. In a ceremony presided over by Chief Procurator Cranmerius, the aging Emperor declared that his new wife would prove a faithful and loyal consort, who would be at his side in his waning years. Among those in attendance at the wedding are Chancellor Diadones, Procurator-General Audelius, the Duke of Norfolkius, the ailing Duke of Sufforia, the Ladies Didymeia and Aurelia, Grand Prince Demetrius, Sir Thomasius Seymouris, and the new Baron Latimerius. Katharina impressed all at the ceremony with her dignity and bearing, and pledged herself to be a faithful wife to "His gracious Imperial Majesty". A three-day public holiday is proclaimed; largesse distributed to crowds in star systems throughout the Empire; and an official imperial proclamation of celebration issued. Katharina will be formally proclaimed Empress Consort on July 16. This is the sixth and last marriage of Antigonus III the Extravagant.
 * July 14-On the urging of his new wife, Empress Consort Katharina Parsius, the Emperor Antigonus III promulgated the Third Antigonid Statute of the Succession to the Throne of the Laurasian Empire, the final such measure of his reign. The Third Antigonid Law declared that "whilst the rule of the female gender is not the most desirable in the eyes of the Lord Almitis, it is nevertheless far from being an abomination, and may under certain circumstances be necessary and proper for the stability and prosperity of the realms of this Empire." Although Salic law had been formally repealed by Antigonus's father, the Emperor Neuchrus the Reformer, in 1687, there was nevertheless still the adversity to the prospect of a female ruler, which Antigonus himself shared. In this statute, however, Antigonus declared that "after legitimate male heirs, the female line may be vested with rule." Consequently, he restored both of his daughters, the Ladies Didymeia and Aurelia, to the line of succession. Grand Prince Demetrius was still heir apparent to the throne, and it was specified that the two Ladies were placed after Demetrius, any potential children of his, and potential children of the Emperor by the Empress Consort Katharina Parsius. Their illegitimacy was not lifted however, and it was declared that the measures taken were "out of necessity for the cares of the Imperial State." Nevertheless, the promulgation of the Third Antigonid Statute revealed that the Emperor Antigonus was willing to acknowledge the possibility of his daughters ascending to the imperial throne, and it was a step in the eventual renewal of his relationship with his daughters, as encouraged by the Empress Consort herself. The Third Antigonid Statute would remain in effect as the law of succession for the Laurasian Empire until 1803, when it was superseded by the Lysimachian Statutes of Succession.
 * July 22-The Haynsian Despot Nathaliet II Karany is deposed from the Haynsian throne by Marasharite Emperor Sassas III. Nathaliet II had, during the course of his three-year reign, been engaged in secret correspondence with the courts of Franconia, the Haxonian Confederacy, and the Vendragian Confederacy concerning a possible tripartite alliance against the Laurasian and Austarlian Empires. His intrigues had been in violation of his terms of vassalage towards the Marasharite Court, and of the Treaty of Nis which had been signed to end the Third Laurasian-Marasharite War. Sassas was not willing to embroil his dominions in war as a result of a vassal-state's intrigues. Nathaliet was now succeeded to the Haynsian throne by the Kalga Jay, who assumed the throne as Jay XI Karany.
 * July 27-The Earl of Lennaxia, acting on the orders of the Regent Arran, escorted the infant Queen Mariana and her mother, Queen-Dowager Mariana of Guise, to Stirling, officially for their "safety". The Archpriest Beatonius of Ediania was once again stirring dissent against Arran's administration, and had established himself at the head of the Anti-Laurasian Faction at the Scottrian Court. Beatonius sought to terminate the Treaty of Christiania, recover territories in the Galactic Borderlands lost to the Laurasian Empire, and align Scottria with Franconia. He envisioned a Franconian marriage for Queen Mariana.
 * August 4-At the Pillory of Traitors on Ediania, former Governor-General Roan O'Nell is executed for "treason, conspiracy, and tactical incompetence". O'Nell had been blamed for the reverses suffered by the Scottrian forces in the Galactic Borderlands, and Archpriest Beatonius, managing to assert his position on this matter, had convinced the Council of State to arraign O'Nell on charges of military incompetence. O'Nell had been sentenced to death on June 20, and the Regent Arran, seekng a scapegoat to blame for Scottrian military failures, approved the former Governor-General's death warrant. O'Nell died bravely, refusing to believe that he had not performed to the utmost in his military service.
 * September 9-At the Chapel of Stirling Castle, Mariana I, who was only nine months old, is crowned Queen Regnant of Scottria. The coronation is presided over by the Regent Arran, who declared to the assembled nobles present that Scottria, now with a matrimonial alliance with the Laurasian Empire, was entering a new phase of prosperity and internal strength. Mariana was held by her namesake mother as the formal blessings of reign were pronounced over her. Sir Ptolemy Yraudnius, the newly-appointed Laurasian Ambassador to the Celestial Court of Scottria, presented his master's congratulations at the ceremony and expressed his hope that Mariana's marriage with Demetrius would yield results for both Laurasia and Scottria. The anti-Laurasian Archpriest Beatonius, however, continued to gain influence and supporters within the ranks of the Scottrian Estates, and was now planning to hamper Arran's plans of matrimonial alliance with the Laurasian Empire.
 * September 25-Anti-Laurasian sentiments in the Celestial Kingdom of Scottria were inflamed by a serious diplomatic incident between the Laurasian Empire and the Celestial Kingdom of Scottria. The Regent Arran, succumbing to the demands of Archpriest Beatonius and his supporters on the Council of State, authorized a Scottrian commercial expedition to Marasharite Ochania and the Duchy of Northania. The Regent also granted a license to the Corporate Alliance of Firth, conferring on them permission to conduct a trade mission to Franconia in the Amulak Spiral. The Emperor Antigonus, who believed that Scottrian trade should only be in conjunction with the interests of the Laurasian Empire, and feared the ties which could develop between Scottria and Franconia, ordered for the arrest and detainment of 500 Franconian merchants at Roger Major. The Regent Arran was enraged at this action, and demanded that the Laurasian Empire provide security for all merchants traveling from Scottrian space. Antigonus, on his part, would claim his actions were directed against "rogues" and that he wished to prevent the menance of piracy from emerging and disturbing the peace in the Caladarian Galaxy. Archpriest Beatonius would point to this incident as an example of Laurasian hostility.
 * October 27-Sir Hansius Holbienus, who had been granted a Knighthood of the Imperial House by the Emperor Antigonus in March 1741, and was now the Head of the Chamber of the Artisans and Vice-Imperial Steward of the Imperial Household, died at the age of 45. Holbienus had contracted Soplaies disease during a visit to Mercedes and entered a rapid decline in health. Holbienus's death is greeted with sincere mourning by many of his patrons at the Imperial Court, not least of them being the Emperor Antigonus himself. The Emperor would stage a lavish funeral for Holbienus on November 16 at St. Paul's Cathedral, and would command for his family to be compensated from the coffers of the Imperial Treasury.
 * November 29-The Scottrian Council of Estates convenes at Stirling Castle on the summons of Regent Arran. They are convened in order to formally condone the Treaty of Christiania which had been signed with the Laurasian Empire several months earlier. Arran, himself, however, has become largely opposed to the marriage arrangements of the Treaty of Christiania; he also held bitter memories of the Emperor Antigonus's violation of Scottrian trade rights two months earlier. Archpriest Beatonius, on his part, commanded a majority of supporters in the Estates, and was already planning on the rejection of the Treaty. Mariana of Guise, who favored closer ties with her home-country of Franconia, lent her support to the anti-Laurasian faction.
 * December 11-On the formal advice of Regent Arran, the Scottrian Estates formally rejected the Treaty of Christiania, declaring that its arrangements were "biased in the favor of the Laurasian Emperor" and that it would result in the loss of Scottrian independence. The Estates protested Laurasian interference in Scottrian affairs and the violation of Scottrian commerce by the Emperor and his government. It was declared that peace could only be made if the Laurasian Empire, without hesitation, restored all conquered territory (portions of Rasdalla and Cania) in the Galactic Borderlands back to its previous Scottrian rulers. The Emperor Antigonus was enraged when he learned of the Estates' decision, and commanded Chief Procurator Cranmerius to condemn the "perfidy" of the religious officials of the Scottrian State.
 * December 20-The Scottrian Estates and Regent Arran issued a formal declaration of war against the Laurasian Empire, barely six months after the end of the Rasdallan War of 1741-43. The War of the Rough Wooing had commenced, and was to continue intermittently for the remainder of the decade. The Scottrians, however, are weakened and disoriented from the earlier conflict, and Laurasian units in the newly-conquered Rasdallan regions have not yet fully demobilized. The Emperor Antigonus commands General Lacius and Field-Marshal Munnich to draft plans for renewed offensives into Scottrian territory, and he placed all Laurasian forces on formal military alert. He also issued a official manifesto of war to his subjects, declaring that he was determined to maintain the tranquility of affairs in the Caladarian Galaxy and that he would assert the marriage between Mariana and Demetrius, by force if necessary.
 * December 21-The Lord St. Johansius is appointed to become Imperial High Chamberlain of the Laurasian Empire by Emperor Antigonus III, succeeding the late Lord Sandys in the position. Johansius will hold the position for the next two years.
 * December 23-A Scottrian offensive, led by the Earl of Kathy, against the Riverite Asteroid Belt and Barching comes to ruin in the Battle of Dehner.
 * December 28-General Lacius, from his operational headquarters on Rasdalla Minor, sends a task force which storms the Scottrian military arsenals at Marcus and Cedric, in the outskirts of the Galactic Barrier.

1744

 * January 6-Secret negotiations commence at Celia between delegations from the Laurasian and Spamalkan Empires. The 1739 alliance between Char'va I of Spamalka and Franjak I of Franconia had soured, and was degenerating back into renewed conflict between the two powers. Char'va was therefore determined to obtain for himself other allies, and had decided to renew the military alliance with the Laurasian Empire. Emperor Antigonus, on his part, was eager for an alliance with Spamalka. The Franconian ties to Scottria, and the ambitions of Archpriest Beatonius for a Franconian marriage to be made for Queen Mariana, motivated Antigonus's decision to foster ties with Franconia's bitterest enemy. Antigonus had made the first offer, and the Spamalkan Emperor had accepted. Chancellor Diadones and Chief Procurator Cranmerius served as the chief plenipotentiaries of the Laurasian delegation, and as the official hosts of the conference. Emperor Char'va was represented by Fernsio Benedact, the Duke of Cadiza, who had served him well in diplomatic missions to Pruthia, Austarlia, and the Haxon Confederacy. Negotiations will continue for the next two months, and ultimately usher in a military alliance.
 * January 12-General Peteveius Lacius, in recognition of his achievements in the War of the Dejanik Succession, Third Laurasian-Marasharite War, and Rasdallan War, is promoted to the rank of Field-Marshal of the Imperial Laurasian Army by Emperor Antigonus III. The Emperor declared, in his proclamation of elevation, that Lacius had redeemed himself in the eyes of Almitis and that he was a loyal, effective military commander, determined to further the interests of his master. Lacius thereby obtained equal rank with Field-Marshal Munnich, but officially remained a subordinate to him within the command structure of the Laurasian Military. The newly created Field-Marshal Lacius was now making plans for a major offensive against Rasdalla Major and Kathy.
 * January 15-19-The Morlay Confrontations, as the forces of the Earl of Kathy attempt to block a further Laurasian advance towards that stronghold. Field Marshal Lacius, however, employing the superior mobility and the reconnaissance skills of his units, managed to push Scottrian units back. The Laurasians destroyed Scottrian outposts on Chang, Strathclyde, and Barhilde, paving the way to a siege of Kathy Major.
 * January 19-Birth of the future King of Franconia, Franjak II (1759-60). He is the first son of Franconian Dauphin Hensios and his wife, Catharina de’Medici. Named for his grandfather, Franjak’s birth came after his parents had already been married for over a decade. From his earliest years, however, he does not possess the most durable health.
 * January 22-February 1-The Siege of Kathy Major by the forces of the Laurasian Empire under the command of Field-Marshal Peteveius Lacius. The Laurasian units disrupted Scottrian minefields, isolated the flow of supplies and agricultural goods to the Kathy star system, and repelled frontal assaults by Scottrian defensive garrisons. The Earl of Kathy's attempted counteroffensives against Barching, Frasier, and Janeway ended in failure, as the Laurasian garrisons of those star systems repelled all Scottrian assaults. Kathy Major, whose inhabitants simmered in dissent against the Scottrian Government, and which could not survive long without interstellar commerce, capitulated to Laurasian forces on February 1.
 * February 7-Fleet Admiral Levashius (who had also been promoted by the Emperor as a reward for his military victories in the Rasdallan War), began to advance into the Scottrian Kalbachan Provinces. Levashius stormed the Kalbachan colonies of David-nay, Krasowia, and Vicara, weakening Scottrian supply lines and paving the way for Laurasian offensives into the Kalbachan Homeland Territories.
 * February 12-Cane capitulated to the Laurasian Empire after General Lacius's crushing victory in the Battle of Mortio.
 * February 19-A counteroffensive by the Earl of Kathy against McKellen and the Vilmanstrand Approaches was blunted by Laurasian units in the Battle of Northup.
 * February 22-The Battle of Jakarta occurs between the Laurasian Empire and the Celestial Kingdom of Scottria. Jakarta was one of the chief Scottrian strongholds in the Galactic Borderlands, boasting a garrison of 1.3 million personnel and some of the most advanced shield generators in the Caladarian Galaxy. This was the world where Kublai Khan's attempt to conquer Rasdalla had been blunted by the forces of the Mapurhait Dynasty in July 893. The Scottrian commander of the forces of Jakarta, the Count of Anslie, was determined to repel further Laurasian incursions and believed that he would bring Laurasian ambitions to ruin in this star system. His opponent however, Field-Marshal Lacius, had deployed his units in a triangular formation, and taken advantage of information supplied to him by probes in order to detect weaknesses in Jakarta's orbital defenses. In the ensuing battle, supremacy in numbers, organization, and tactics proved key to the Laurasian victory. Laurasian ion-disruptors paralyzed many of the Scottrian assault ships, while automated corvettes rushed through the defensive lines and disrupted the mines. Lacius then ordered for a hook maneuver against Jakarta's further side, and Anslie's position was breached by Laurasian starfighter squadrons. Jakarta's shield generators then exploded, allowing for Laurasian units to land quickly on the planet. Anslie himself was captured, and Jakarta fell into the possession of the Laurasian Empire.
 * February 24-Laurasian units storm Kuris.
 * March 4-The Battle of Hidemnia Sauria results in a decisive victory for the forces of the Laurasian Empire.
 * March 17-21-The defenses of Rasdalla Major are overwhelmed by a Laurasian expeditionary force, dispatched by Field-Marshal Lacius in order to gain control of that vital star system. Rasdalla Major was occupied by the Laurasian Empire, which now had a stranglehold on the Rasdallan Homeland Territories.
 * March 24-A Scottrian attempt to reconquer Patricia I is repulsed by Laurasian forces in the Battle of Barra.
 * March 25-After over two and a half months of negotiations, the Treaty of Celia is signed by the Laurasian Empire and the Holy Spamalkan Empire. By the terms of this treaty, a secret military and diplomatic alliance was concluded between the Emperors Antigonus III and Char'va I. The two sovereigns agreed to cooperate in all military campaigns conducted in Franconian territory. Char'va promised to compensate the Imperial Laurasian Government for military expenses, and to permit Laurasian units to use Spamalkan military bases at Dunkirka, Graveline's Mist, and Antwerp as bases of operation against the Franconians. The Emperor Antigonus, on his part, agreed to acknowledge Spamalkan rule of the Duchy of Milania, in the farther regions of the Crone Galaxy; to make no peace with the Franconians without consulting his ally; and to grant Spamalkan units rights of military access in the Galactic Barrier regions. The Laurasian Empire was to issue a declaration of war against the Stellar Kingdom of Franconia by June 1744, and to launch its military units in a two-pronged offensive into Franconian realms, in cooperation with the Spamalkans.
 * March 27-The Treaty of Celia is ratified by the Laurasian Emperor Antigonus III. It will be ratified by Emperor Char'va I on April 2.
 * April 4-Fleet Admiral Levashius destroys a Scottrian defensive fleet in the Battle of Iosta, and occupies that stronghold for the Laurasian Empire. From Iosta, Laurasian units will devastate the Kalbachan colonies of Ash-nay, Ashuria, and Chardwaice, inflicting severe damage on Scottrian tactical positions and terrifying the Kalbachan inhabitants of the central Galactic Borderlands.
 * April 17-Austarlis is stormed by Field-Marshal Lacius, driving the Scottrian units of the Earl of Kathy back to the Galactic Barrier. By now, all of the strongholds of the Cane Cluster have capitulated to the authority of the Laurasian Empire.
 * April 22-Edwardis Seymouris, the Earl of Heuthros, and elder brother of the deceased Empress Consort Theodora Seymouris, is appointed by the Emperor Antigonus III as one of the chief commanders of the Laurasian forces arrayed against the Celestial Kingdom of Scottria. Although the Earl of Heuthros was placed under the overall command of Field-Marshal Lacius, he was permitted to direct Laurasian tactical operations in the field and to threaten Scottrian positions in the Angelina Spiral directly. The Earl of Heuthros, who had petitioned the Emperor for months in order to obtain a military command, will prove to be an effective and competent military commander. He will arrive at Rasdalla Minor on April 30 and take command of his forces.
 * April 26-The Kalbachan industrial colony-world of Gwynne is seized by the Laurasian Empire.
 * April 29-The Laurasian forces under the command of the Earl of Heuthros and his chief subordinate, Viscount Liscilus, begin their advance from the Galactic Barrier regions into the Angelina Spiral. The Earl of Kathy was now isolated at Waxefield in the Galactic Barrier, and he would be blockaded there by the units of Field-Marshal Lacius. Lacius had given his permission for a daring expedition into the Scottrian Homeland Territories, even though Scottrian forces still held Kalbachan and Rasdallan territory in the Galactic Borderlands. The Earl of Heuthros and his units brushed aside Scottrian resistance, capturing 50 relay outposts on their way to the Angelina Spiral.
 * May 4-For the first time ever, a Laurasian military force penetrates the Scottrian Homeland Territories, as the Earl of Heuthros breaches Scottrian barrier defenses at Raindburgh and Morvay. The Laurasians swiftly subdued those outposts and captured a number of Scottrian warships, alongside military supplies, armor, and mineral goods. Establishing Morvay as his command headquarters, the Earl of Heuthros will now plan for an ambitious march to Ediania. Queen Mariana and the Scottrian Court remained safe at Stirling, which remained beyond the range of Laurasian forces (at a distance of eight thousand light years from Morvay).
 * May 9-Gadweria and Goriance were stormed by Fleet Admiral Levashius, whose units were inching ever closer to Kalbacha Minor.
 * May 12-The Earl of Heuthros begins his advance towards Ediania. The Imperial Privy Council had granted its formal approval to this expedition, and the Emperor Antigonus, on his part, wished to demonstrate the reach of the Laurasian Empire. Field Marshal Munnich's military reforms were now bearing their true fruit, as Laurasian forces had obtained a succession of victories in battle with the Dejaniks, Marasharites, and Scottrians over the preceding eleven years. Heuthros will storm St. Mynetta, a major Scottrian shipyard colony at the juncture of the Timlar Cluster, and will seize Scottrian transports for use in landings at Ediania.
 * May 16-Fleet Admiral Levashius destroys the Scottrian communications outpost on Richel V.
 * May 19-The Earl of Heuthros and his military forces storm the Scottrian base at Granthon, capturing the majority of the Scottrian garrison and driving a wedge into the heart of the Scottrian Capital Region. The Emperor Antigonus, at this date also, drafts a proclamation, which is to be issued upon the capture of Ediania by Laurasian units. The proclamation will denounce Archpriest Beatonius and claim that his "evil influence" had clouded the mind of the Regent Arran. It will also boast Laurasian accomplishments in battle over the Scottrians.
 * May 22-An attempt by the Earl of Kathy to break out from Waxefield is ended by Field-Marshal Munnich in the pitched Battle of Castlia.
 * May 26-The Laurasian Empire's military forces occupied Leith, that major Scottrian stronghold and outpost of Ediania. Laurasian units were now penetrating to Ediania's outskirts, and the Earl of Heuthros repelled all Scottrian counteroffensives launched against his positions.
 * May 28-Thomasius Writohelesius, 1st Earl of Southerton, is appointed by the Emperor Antigonus III as the new Procurator-General of the Governing Senate. He thereby replaced Lord Audelius, who had fallen out of favor with his imperial master and whose reputation had been tarnished within the Imperial Court. The Earl of Southerton is known for his fierce loyalty to the Emperor and the Neuchrian Dynasty; his determination to maintain political and civil stability within the Laurasian dominions; and his willingness to employ the Senate to ruthlessly punish all enemies of the Imperial State.
 * June 2-The troops of the Earl of Heuthros breach the Edianian outpost of Canongate, and penetrate into the Ediania star system. The Earl, whose instructions were to thoroughly ravage the star system and to ransack all Heuthrian government treasures, ordered for his men to lay waste to all properties whom they chanced upon, and to bear away goods for storage on the fleet transports. Ediania Spacedock managed to repel a Laurasian frontal assault, but Laurasian starfighters and corvettes blasted away Scottrian positions on Kingshorne and Holyrood, sacking the treasures of those worlds which included many artifacts from the Scotrrian Crown Estate.
 * June 4-Laurasian units penetrate Ediania's shield defenses and land on the world. The Earl of Heuthros, himself commanding the frontal offensive, storms the Governmental and Religious Districts. Laurasian troops destroy and ransack all structures which they encounter. The Holyroodian Abbey of Ediania and the Celestial Palace of the Scottrian Kings are among the structures looted by the Laurasian troops. The Earl, however, commands that no brutality is to be employed against the civilians of Heuthros directly, and lays a harsh injunction against rape and violent murder by the Laurasian troops. Nevertheless, despite these injunctions, Ediania will be in ruins by the time the Laurasian plunder expedition ends four days later. The proclamation of the Emperor Antigonus, denouncing Archpriest Beatonius and boasting about Laurasian achievements, will be issued on Ediania on June 7.
 * June 15-Obliging by the provisions of the Treaty of Celia, the Emperor Antigonus III issued a formal declaration of war against the Stellar Kingdom of Franconia from the Quencilvanian Palace in Christiania, Laurasia Prime. In his declaration of war, Antigonus claimed that Franjak had "constantly attempted to stir up dissent against the authority of my government" and that he was opposed to the maintenance of peace among all sovereign nations. Therefore, the Emperor declared, peace needed to be re-imposed by force. Laurasian units, already assembled at Dunkirka, Graveline's Mist, and Antwerp, begin to launch expeditions against Franconian border outposts.
 * June 29-Laurasian units under the Earl of Heuthros begin their retreat from the Scottrian Homeland Territories, but continue to inflict damage upon Scottrian positions during their retreat. It will be claimed by the Imperial Laurasian Government that Laurasian units had stormed or ransacked the defenses of 3,000 Scottrian outposts and colonies; taken 35 million Scottrian personnel as prisoners of war; and recovered nearly a quadmillion dataries worth of goods, equipment, and military supplies. The Scottrian Homeland Territories are desolated from the Laurasian offensives, and the Regent Arran is now firmly determined never to have any matrimonial alliance with the Laurasian Empire henceforth.
 * July 6-The Emperor Antigonus III, in a formal announcement to the Imperial Privy Council, declared his intention to take personal command of Laurasian military forces in the Amulak Spiral, which were ranged against the Franconians. This decision startled many in the Imperial Court and throughout the Laurasian Empire. Antigonus was now fifty-three years old; he was overweight and physically ailing; and he had not commanded a military campaign in three decades. Nevertheless, the Emperor was determined to gain final glory for himself in battle against the Franconians, for whom he nursed a special detest. Reminiscent of what had occurred thirty-one years earlier, when Antigonus had embarked on his first campaign against Franconia, the Emperor announced that Empress Consort Katharina Parsius would serve as Lady Protectoress of the Laurasian Empire during his absence. The Privy Council, Governing Senate, and Holy Synod were to assume the duties of a Regency Council, assisting the Empress Consort until her husband would return from the military campaigns.
 * July 15-The Earl of Heuthros and his units arrive back in the Caladarian Galaxy from their incursions in the Angelina Spiral.
 * July 22-August 11-Kalbacha Minor is besieged by the forces of the Laurasian Empire under the command of Fleet Admiral Levashius and the Earl of Heuthros. The siege required the combined efforts of the two military commanders, for Kalbacha Minor possessed a sizable military garrison and a talented military commander in the firm of Lord Charles Go'soth. Several frontal assaults by Laurasian troops were repelled, and Levashius was forced to bring in substantial reinforcements of corvettes, starfighters, and ion disruptors in order to break Scottrian defensive positions. Ultimately, however, Kalbacha Minor capitulated to the Laurasian forces, and the stronghold now became Levashius's new operational headquarters. Laurasian units began to isolate supply lines to Kalbacha Major.
 * August 3-The Emperor Antigonus III departs from Laurasia Prime, in order to take command of the military forces. Empress Consort Katharina formally becomes Lady Protectoress of the Laurasian Empire at this point. Katharina will prove to be a vigorous and energetic Lady Protectoress. She handled finances and the affairs of the Imperial Court with great vigor; supervised military conscription and supply efforts; and cooperated with the Privy Council in order to supervise internal matters of state and to maintain a watch over Laurasian campaigns against Scottria. The Empress Consort will earn the respect of many throughout the Empire for her wise governance during this time.
 * August 13-Breuteuil, a major Franconian stronghold, is stormed by the Duke of Norfolkius, who was commanding Laurasian military forces in battle for the last time in his career. The Emperor Antigonus will arrive at Breuteuil on August 23, and assume personal command of his forces in the Amulak Spiral.
 * August 16-September 18-Bolougone, a major Franconian shipyard and military outpost, is besieged by the forces of the Laurasian Empire under the personal command of the Emperor Antigonus III. The Franconian units of the Duke of Tourre resisted the Laurasian offensives fiercely, and Antigonus launched several frontal assaults against the Franconian positions that were repelled. Ultimately, however, the Emperor reorganized his military units and stormed Boulogone's orbital defenses, with Laurasian warships bombarding the planet from above. Desperation increased on Bolougone, isolated from its supply routes. Finally, on September 18, the Duke of Torre surrendered to the Emperor, and Bolougone was occupied by the Laurasian Empire.
 * August 22-Field-Marshal Lacius launched a frontal offensive against Waxefield, determined to finally capture the Earl of Kathy and to bring the whole of the Scottrian Galactic Barrier regions under the control of the Laurasian Empire. The Earl of Kathy, however, managed to repel this first Laurasian assault. Lacius is forced to intensify the blockade of Waxefield and to divert units for a second offensive against the Scottrian stronghold.
 * August 29-The last Scottrian enclave in Rasdallan territory is conquered by the Laurasian Empire in the Battle of Gunrahia. Alaska and Medina are firmly in the possession of Laurasian military units.
 * September 24-29-The Second Battle of Waxefield, as the forces of Field-Marshal Lacius launch a series of frontal offensives against the positions of the Earl of Kathy. The Earl of Kathy again proved his skill in battle, repelling Laurasian assaults and inflicting severe damage upon the Laurasian force. However, Field-Marshal Lacius enjoyed supremacy in numbers, and the technological superiority of the Laurasian warships ultimately proved decisive. Waxefield was finally stormed by the Laurasian Empire, and the Earl of Kathy himself was captured. Lacius, with the typical Laurasian respect for enemies who had fought bravely and well, ordered for the Earl to be treated with the utmost respect.
 * September 25-The Pruthian Emperor A’rua III the Lazy (1786-1797), is born at the Sradtschloss Palace on Berliania III in the Pruthian Empire. He is the eldest son of Prince Augustus William of Pruthia (younger brother of Pru’a IX, his uncle) and Princess Louise Amalie of Brunswick-Luneburg.
 * October 4-Field-Marshal Lacius conquered Zerba, the last remaining Scottrian outpost in the Galactic Barrier.
 * October 16-The Emperor Antigonus III, having secured Boulougone from the Franconians, began to make preparations for an offensive against Abrmandia. Spamalkan Emperor Char'va I, however, sent a request to his ally, for him to immediately proceed to an offensive against Parsi, the Franconian capital world. Antigonus declared that he would conteplate on this; in reality, he had no intention of overextending his supply lines.
 * October 22-24-The Battle of the Iswill results in a victory for the forces of Fleet Admiral Levashius. The outskirts of Kalbacha Major are now being constantly harried by Laurasian starfighter squadrons.
 * October 29-Emperor Antigonus III sends a responsive communique back to his ally, the Emperor Char'va I, who was then at the Spamalkan outpost of Helevire. In this communique, Antigonus claimed that the conquest of Abrmandia would yield results for the Allied Coalition, and that an assault against Parni would prove rash and foolish. Consequently, the Laurasian forces would not advance in that direction. Char'va, whose treasury was drained by the conflict (particularly from his obligations to the Laurasian Government), began to contemplate making an armistice offer to his enemy, King Franjak I.
 * November 6-Emperor Antigonus III obtained a victory over Franconian units in the Skirmish of Xello.
 * November 15-The Holy Spamalkan Emperor Char'va I, in violation of the Treaty of Celia, sent a offer for a military armistice to King Franjak I of Franconia. Franjak, who wished to turn all of his military resources to the Laurasian threat, will accept the armistice offer on November 19; the Armistice of Medium will be signed by the representatives of the two monarchs on November 24.
 * November 29-December 4-Laurasian forces conquered the Franconian colonies on Guersney, Jersey, and Yorthia; this marks the farthest extent of the Laurasian campaigns into Franconian territory.
 * December 7-The Siege of Kalbacha Major commences when Field-Marshal Lacius destroyed the Scottrian outpost on Vervia. Laurasian units isolated all supply lines to the star system, prevented Scottrian ships from providing support to the garrison of Kalbacha Major, and harried Kalbachan orbital defenses. The Siege will continue for the next three months.
 * December 13-A peace conference opens at Marsielles between the Holy Spalmakan Empire and the Stellar Kingdom of Franconia. Chancellor Diadones, acting on the instructions of Emperor Antigonus, sends a formal protest to the Spamalkan Court, demanding their adherence to the arrangements of the Treaty of Celia. Char'va I, however, ignores the Laurasian protest and orders his ambassadors to proceed with the peace negotiations.
 * December 11-Laurasian starfighter squadrons, commanded by Willanius Eure, 1st Baron Eure, begin to harry the Scottrian outposts of the Lower Angelina Spiral. The Regent Arran, however, has begun to muster his forces in order to pose a more effective barrier against Laurasian incursions.

1745

 * January 11-The Laurasian forces of General Willanius Eure, Baron Eure, obtain a victory over Scottrian border forces in the Battle of Patrollia, storming that Scottrian military arsenal and giving them a vantage point in the Scottrian territories of the Angelina Spiral. Regent Arran, determined to maintain the integrity of the Scottrian realms, and to repel the threat posed by the Laurasian Empire, began to contemplate extraordinary measures in order to raise and maintain support for the Scottrian war effort.
 * January 24-Fleet Admiral Levashius captures a Kalbachan convoy in the Mountevar Pulsar, preventing the provision of military supplies and armor to the beleaguered garrison of Kalbacha Major.
 * January 29-Laurasian units storm Erith, a Scottrian military stronghold about eighty light-years north of Patrollia.
 * February 2-The Regent Arran, in an effort to maintain the integrity of the Scottrian military forces, and to revive the war effort against the Laurasian forces who were now launching incursions once again into the Scottrian Homeland Territories, reconciled himself with his long-time rival for political power and influence, Archilain Douglain of Lernax, the Earl of Angus (second husband of the now-deceased Queen-Dowager of Scottria, the Laurasian Grand Princess Constantia). Angus's estates on Melrose and Lernax had been plundered by Laurasian troops under the command of Sir Craterus Eure, Baron Eure's younger brother, and the Emperor Antigonus III was already beginning to contemplate plans of confiscating the estates of Scottrian nobles in conquered star systems and allotting them to loyal nobles such as the Eure brothers. Angus was therefore determined to maintain his own position and the independence of Scottria. He and his younger brother, George Douglain of Pitendreich, would be formally pardoned by the Scottrian Estates on February 6.
 * February 11-Archilain Douglain, the Earl of Angus, is formally appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Scottrian Armies by the Regent Arran and the Estates of State, charged with repelling Laurasian offensives and securing the Homeland Territories for the authority of the Scottrian Government. Appointing his younger brother George as his chief subordinate commander, the Earl of Angus assembled his units at Jexburgh, one of the most ancient Scottrian colonies.
 * February 16-Baron Eure and his forces begin their advance to Jexburgh, determined to storm that major stronghold, which would provide Laurasian forces a vantage-point from which to storm the outposts of the Highlands Military Highway, one of the chief routes in the Celestial Kingdom of Scottria. The Earl of Angus, however, has reconnaissance units who keep him informed of Laurasian movements, and he has strengthened the forces under his command. The Earl of Rothes and his younger brother, the Master of Rothes, had both been placed under his command, bringing in substantial reinforcements and a number of Specialist Guards. Sir Walter Scott of Beuxuluch, who had also suffered from Laurasian depredations, pledged his services to the Earl of Angus.
 * February 21-Baron Eure storms the minor Scottrian stronghold of Branxholme, but units under the command of Sir Walter Scott continue to screen the Laurasian advance and to harry Laurasian troop transports, striking and inflicting heavy casualties before retreating again.
 * February 27-The Battle of Ancrum Moor takes place between the forces of the Laurasian Empire and the Celestial Kingdom of Scottria. The battle opened when Sir Walter Scott launched a feint attack against the Laurasian encampment at Gershit's Moon, retreating towards the Palace Asteroids of Ancrum Moor. Much of the Laurasian force, commanded by Sir Craterus Eure, followed in pursuit, but as they reached the outskirts of the Palatial Households and chashed through the fields, they found that the main Scottrian force was hidden in the Veils of Ancrum, poised for attack. The Scottrians therefore had the element of surprise, and with their corvettes, soon launched a frontal charge which drove the Laurasians back in disarray. The superior Scottrian corvettes were employed effectively by the Earl of Angus, and most of the Laurasian units were soon destroyed or forced to disperse. Baron Eure tried in vain to muster his forces back to formation, but Angus's forces pressed too hard, and the Laurasian General was forced to order a strategic retreat from the star system. In the final retreat, Scottrian corvettes and starfighters continued to harry the Laurasian warships, and Sir Craterus himself was killed. The Baron was devastated but could not order his units to retrieve the body. The Laurasians then escaped into hyperspace. The Battle of Ancrum Moor was therefore a crushing victory for the Celestial Kingdom of Scottria. Out of the Laurasian force of 200 warships, 90 had been destroyed and 50 captured by the Scottrian units. 500,000 personnel of the Imperial Laurasian Navy were now prisoners of the Scottrians.
 * March 1-The Regent Arran visited the battlefield site of Ancrum Moor, congratulating the Earl of Angus and Lord George Douglain for their victory over the "Laurasian mongrels". It was during his visit that the body of Sir Craterus Eure was discovered floating in the vaccum of space. On the command of the Regent, Eure's body was lifted out of the space vacuum, placed in a coffin, and treated with "the utmost honor and care". The Scottrians, like the Laurasians, had a respect for defeated adversaries who had been worthy in battle.
 * March 4-The Emperor Antigonus III, enraged by the loss at the Battle of Ancrum Moor, dispatched a communique from his headquarters on Bolougone, commanding for the arrest of the Baron Eure and his dismissal from his post of command by Field-Marshal Lacius. This order was communicated to Lacius by Empress Consort Katharina Parsius and the Imperial Privy Council, who themselves expressed their outrage at the humiliating Laurasian loss. Eure was placed into custody by troops under the command of Captain Nicephorus Bramson, and was dispatched back to confinement at the Laurasian operational headquarters of Rasdalla Minor.
 * March 7-Scottrian units under the command of Sir Walter Scott reconquered Branxholm and Erith from the now isolated Laurasian military garrisons.
 * March 12-The Treaty of Beveria is signed by the Holy Spamalkan Empire and the Stellar Kingdom of Franconia, thereby terminating Spamalkan involvement in the Franconian War. The Treaty restored peace between Spamalka and Franconia on the basis of the status quo ante bellum; provided for the exchange of all prisoners of war between the two governments; and obliged Char'va to withdraw all Spamalkan military units from Franconian territory by the end of 1745. Emperor Antigonus was enraged when he learned of the Treaty of Beveria. In a manifesto to the subjects of the Laurasian Empire, Empress Consort Katharina (in her capacity as Lady Protectores) would declare that the Spamalkans had violated the most solemn military arrangements and that they were not a worthy ally.
 * March 19-The Emperor Antigonus, whose offensives in Franconian territory had been blunted, and who wished to turn his attention back to the affairs of the Imperial Laurasian Government, announced that he would be departing back to the Caladarian Galaxy by the end of April 1745. The Duke of Norfolkius was re-designated supreme commander of Laurasian forces in Franconian space by the Emperor, who commanded for him to maintain Laurasian territorial gains and to repel all Franconian offensives against Laurasian strategic positions. Empress Consort Katharina began making preparations for a formal ceremony of welcome on Laurasia Prime.
 * March 27-The last Laurasian units in the Scottrian Homeland Territories are defeated by Sir Walter Scott in the Battle of Aoforth, forcing Field-Marshal Lacius to temporarily suspend all further expeditions by Laurasian forces into the Angelina Spiral. Instead, the Laurasian Field-Marshal now intensified the siege efforts of Kalbacha Major.
 * April 6-Fleet Admiral Levashius stormed the Kalbachan outpost of Benson, capturing Scottrian intelligence files and most of the Scottrian garrison. By this point, Laurasian forces have overrun virtually all Scottrian territory in the Caladarian Galaxy, with the exception of the besieged Kalbacha Major, Palaris III, and Zannah, among other minor Kalbachan outposts and garrisons.
 * April 14-The Emperor Antigonus III officially departed from the Laurasian command headquarters on Bolougone, beginning his journey back to the Caladarian Galaxy. The Emperor's armada will be compelled to repel raids by Franconian screening expeditions during its route of progress out of the Amulak Spiral.
 * April 15-The Duke of Norfolkius repels a Franconian offensive under the Duke of Couter against the minor outpost of Jean-Paul.
 * April 22-The Emperor Antigonus III and his official entourage arrive back at the Quencilvanian Palace in Christiania, Laurasia Prime. Having reached the outskirts of the Dasian Heartland on April 19, the Emperor and his armada were therefore relieved of defensive measures against Franconian expeditions. The Emperor's official arrival back at Laurasia Prime is a massive ceremony, having been arranged by the Empress Consort Katharina Parsius, Chancellor Diadones, Chief Procurator Cranmerius, the Governor of Laurasia Prime, and the Mayor of Christiania with much care. Crowds of subjects praised the Emperor's prowess in battle and his successful return from the theater of war. A five-day public holiday was proclaimed, and all subjects were enjoined to commemorate the victories which the Empire had achieved over its foreign adversaries.
 * May 6-The defenses of Kalbacha Major were finally breached by the forces of the Laurasian Empire under the command of Field-Marshal Lacius. Laurasian units landed on Kalbacha Major's surface and swiftly occupied the chief government structures, including the Great Palace of Kalbacha, which had served as the Scottrian administrative headquarters for the Kalbachan Districts over the preceding five centuries. The Scottrian commander of the garrison of Kalbacha Major, Malagan Rouglain of Pinkitt, was treated with commendable leniency on the orders of Field-Marshal Lacius. He would eventually be dispatched to the Post Settlement of Hepudermia as a formal prisoner of state on May 19. The fall of Kalbacha Major, which had never before been occupied by Laurasian military units, is a major event in galactic history. It marks yet another stage in the ascent of the Laurasian Empire, already 423 years old, to the status of sole galactic power. Pockets of resistance by Scottrian troops against the newly-established Laurasian garrison, however, will continue until September 1745.
 * May 11-The Lord St. Johansius resigns as Imperial High Chamberlain, having been appointed as Minister of the Imperial Chancellory and Assistant to the Procurator-General of the Governing Senate by Emperor Antigonus III. The position will remain vacant for a year.
 * May 14-Palaris III is occupied by a Laurasian offensive force under the command of Fleet Admiral Levashius. Laurasian units have by now suppressed supply lines to Zannah, the last remaining Scottrian stronghold of importance in the Caladarian Galaxy.
 * May 16-21-A Scottrian counteroffensive, launched by Lord George Douglain, against Patricia I, Barching, Devily, and the Riverite Asteroid Belt, is repelled by Laurasian frontier units under the command of Field Marshal Lacius's chief subordinate, General Antiochus Devreshius.
 * May 24-The Battle of Zannah, the last major confrontation within the confines of the Caladarian Galaxy between the Laurasian Empire and Celestial Kingdom of Scottria, occurs. Field-Marshal Lacius and Fleet Admiral Levashius served as the joint commanders of the Laurasian force, while the garrison of Zannah was commanded by Lieutenant-General Haiymon McCroy. Unlike Ancrum Moor, the Scottrian units did not hold the element of surprise, and the battle resulted in a victory for the Laurasian Empire. Zannah's shield defenses were easily breached by Laurasian units, and the world was occupied by the Laurasian Empire.
 * June 4-9-Laurasian units conquered the last remaining Scottrian garrisons in the Galactic Borderlands, including Palaris I, Bane, and Cognus. The greater bulk of the southern and central Galactic Borderlands are now under the rule of the Laurasian Empire.
 * July 19-The Battle of Portsuthia occurs between Laurasian and Franconian forces near the outskirts of Breuteuil, in the Amulak Spiral. The Duke of Norfolkius commanded the defense of the Laurasian garrison in the occupied star system, while his enemy, the Duke of Couter, commanded the Franconian assault forces. The battle ultimately resulted in a strategic victory for the Laurasian Empire, although the Emperor Antigonus's favorite warship, the dreadnought HIMS Octavia, was destroyed by the Franconians in battle.
 * July 24-Death of the Haxonian Doge Pietro Lando, who was sixty-eight years old at the time of his death. Lando is succeeded as Doge by the Haxonian Senator and Vice-President of the Haxonian High Council, Franceseco Donato, who was aged seventy at the time that he became Doge.
 * August 22-At Guildfadian Hall on Sufforia, the Emperor Antigonus III's close friend, Carolus Brandeis, 1st Duke of Sufforia, died at the age of 61. At his deathbed, the Duke of Sufforia was attended by his wife, Katharina Willoughby, Duchess of Sufforia, and by other members of the extended Brandeis family, including all of his children. The Emperor Antigonus, in a rare show of sadness, burst into tears when he was officially informed that the Duke of Sufforia had died. The ailing Emperor declared that all of his contemporaries had been stripped from him, and that the Lord Almitis would soon be summoning him to his death. Antigonus ordered the Imperial Court into three weeks of mourning for the Duke of Sufforia and issued a manifesto lamenting the death of "such a loyal and effective nobleman". Sufforia will be granted a state funeral by the Emperor, which will be conducted at St. Georgius's Chapel at the Palace of Placenta on Darcia, on September 2.
 * September 14-The Duke of Norfolkius, who had grown war-weary, and desired to return to the conduct of the affairs of his estates in the Caladarian Galaxy, was recalled by the Emperor Antigonus III from his command in the Amulak Spiral. Norfolkius will be replaced as Commander of Laurasian forces in Franconian space by the Earl of Sourania, who will assume his post on September 25.
 * October 6-The Battle of Outbound Point is fought between the Laurasian and Scottrian armies in the Galactic Void. The battle resulted in a strategic stalemate, although the Laurasian units of Field Marshal Lacius prevented a Scottrian advance to the Galactic Barrier.
 * October 29-The Empress Consort Katharina Parsius, already renowned at the Imperial Court for her intelligence and her insight into matters of learning, published her first work, Meditations on Almitis. In this work, the Empress Consort declared that all Laurasians could gain true salvation by turning to the service of Almitis and that only believers of Almitis would obtain their reward in the afterlife. The Emperor Antigonus will praise his wife's work in a imperial proclamation and will command the Holy Synod to provide it as standard issue to the congregations of the Almitian Council.
 * November 6-17-The Battle of Boulogone occurs in the Amulak Spiral, as the military forces of King Franjak I attempt to dislodge the Laurasian garrison from that major stronghold. Laurasian forces were now placed under siege, in the same predicament which they had laid their enemies under so often. The Earl of Sourania proved his ability as a calculating and willing commander, for he managed to maintain high morale among the Laurasian forces and to repel all Franconian frontal assaults. Ultimately, on November 17, Franjak will abandon his assault.
 * December 5-Field-Marshal Lacius repels a Scottrian expedition against Hidemnia Sauria and Waxefield.

1746

 * January 25-King Franjak I of Franconia, determined to hasten to an end to the long conflict between the Serene Kingdom of Franconia and the Laurasian Empire, and to inflict a blow upon his enemy, the Emperor Antigonus III, in his own dominions, authorized the assembly of a Franconian expeditionary force under the command of Grand Admiral Claude d'Annebault, one of the chief officers of the Franconian Navy. Annebault was to assemble his units at the Franconian strongholds of Arne, Walmer, and Dreux, and was to launch an invasion of the Burglais Arm, within the confines of the Caladarian Galaxy. Franjak believed that with his own territories threatened, Antigonus would have no choice but to sue for peace.
 * February 3-The Imperial Intelligence Agency caught wind of the machinations by King Franjak I and the Franconian Government for their planned expedition against the Burglais Arm. The Emperor Antigonus and the Imperial Privy Council were informed immediately. Antigonus was alarmed at threat which the Franconians could now poise to the Caladarian Galaxy directly. In reaction to the intelligence information provided to him, the Emperor commanded for the defenses of the chief strongholds of the Burglais Arm to be strengthened; for all Laurasian subjects in those territories to be alerted about the possible Franconian threat; and for all effort to be made by Laurasian forces in Franconian space to prevent a Franconian counteroffensive. John Dudley, Viscount Lisle, was appointed by the Emperor on February 7 as the commander of Laurasian garrisons in the Burglais Arm. Coronadia, Edmundia, English Star, Jacobs I, Scanlan, Theodore, the strongholds of the Corporate Sector, Mackenzia Major, Taraning, Ian, and other worlds were now under red alert.
 * February 11-The Battle of the Solent between the forces of the Laurasian Empire and the Serene Kingdom of Franconia. The Earl of Sourania attempted to block the route of advance of Admiral d'Annebault, determined to keep Franconian forces bottled up within the confines of the Amulak Spiral. The battle ultimately resulted in a strategic victory for the Franconians, who managed to continue their advance to the Caladarian Galaxy.
 * February 16-A Franconian effort to storm the Laurasian outpost on Jersey is blunted by the Earl of Sourania in the Battle of the Lizard.
 * February 24-The Franconian units under the command of Admiral Claude d'Annebault reached the outskirts of the Caladarian Galaxy. The Franconians, however, were immediatedly confronted with the resistance of the forces of Viscount Lisle. Over the next four days, a series of confrontations would be fought at Seaford, Beacheria, and Wight, as Franconian units attempted to penetrate Laurasian border defenses.
 * March 4-17-The Siege of Garner by the forces of the Serene Kingdom of Franconia, under the command of Admiral Claude d'Annebault. Garner was one of the chief strongholds of the Corporate Sector, being important to the Imperial Laurasian Government for its economic institutes, currency reserves, and strategic position in the outskirts of the Outer Borderlands. The Franconians desired this world so as to have a bridgehead within the Caladarian Galaxy. They attempted to storm Laurasian outposts at Bonchurch and Whitcliff, but this effort was blunted by units under the command of Sir Draco Morlais. Ultimately, the superior organization of the Laurasian garrison, the virtually non-existent Franconian supply lines, and the encroachments of Laurasian units under the command of Viscount Lisle forced Admiral d'Annebault to withdraw from the siege on March 17.
 * March 24-The Franconian Expeditionary Force begins its retreat to the Amulak Spiral, as the Franconian Admiral d'Annebault realized that the Franconian effort to storm into the Burglais Arm was doomed to failure. The Franconians are harried along their entire route of retreat by starfighter squadrons dispatched by Viscount Lisle. Franjak, whose treasury was exhausted by the conflict, and who wished to turn his attention back to internal affairs within his realms, was beginning to contemplate a military truce with the Imperial Laurasian Government.
 * April 2-The Emperor Antigonus III commands the Earl of Heuthros to begin preparations for departure to the Amulak Spiral, apparently to take command of the Laurasian forces there from the Earl of Southania. In private, however, the Laurasian Emperor was beginning to realize that the Laurasian Empire would not make any gains at Franconian expense, and that the territorial acquisitions in the Galactic Borderlands were sufficient. He also desired for peace, and wished to end his reign in tranquility and co-existence with the Empire's neighbors. Antigonus begins contemplating a peace offer towards the Franconian and Scottrian Governments.
 * April 17-Chancellor Diadones, acting on the command of the Emperor and the Imperial Privy Council, dispatched an armistice offer to the Franconian Court. Franjak I, who had been preparing to order his own government officials to extend an armistice offer, and eager to end this conflict harming the integrity and peace of his dominions, accepted the Laurasian offer on April 22. The Armistice of Vohlberg will be signed by the Earl of Southania and Admiral d'Annebault, on behalf of their governments, on April 24, terminating all military hostilities between the two realms until a peace conference can be convened.
 * May 14-Delegations from the Laurasian Empire and Serene Kingdom of Franconia convene at Ardres, a Franconian colony-world in the outskirts of the Amulak Cloud, for a peace conference in order to bring the hostilities between Laurasia and Franconia to an end by peace treaty. Viscount Lisle, who had arisen to much favor with the Emperor and gained his own faction of supporters at the Imperial Court, acted as the chief representative of the Laurasian delegation. The other Laurasian plenipotentiaries were Craterus Pagentia, 1st Baron Pagentia (later to become one of the chief ministers of the Imperial Laurasian Government during the reign of the Empress Didymeia) and Sir Nicholas Wortton. King Franjak, on his part, appointed Admiral d'Annebault, Pierre Ramon, and Gulliame Bochtetel as the Franconian plenipotentiaries to the peace conference; Admiral d'Annebault acted as the formal host of the conference. Negotiations will continue for nearly a month before the two delegations manage to strike an agreement.
 * May 26-In Christiania, Laurasia Prime, Anna Asklewia was arrested on the orders of the Judicial Chamber of Christiania, on charges of heresy, conspiracy, and "dissent against the Imperial Government". Anna had gained the notice of the Imperial authorities of Laurasia Prime due to her sermons concerning morals, the administrative organization of the Almitian Church, and faith in the works of the Lord Almitis. Her teachings were considered to be threatening by many of the Traditionalists at the Imperial Court. This included such prominent figures as Archbishop Stephanius Gardinerius of Winchestrius, Archbishop Edwardis Bonneris of Christiania, the Duke of Norfolkius, Procurator-General Writholesius, and Chancellor Diadones, among other such notables. Anna will be tortured on the command of the Privy Council during the course of the next month and roundly condemned by Writholesius and other Privy Councilors for her teachings.
 * May 29-At St. Andrews Castle on Fife, the ardently anti-Laurasian Archpriest of Ediania, David Beatonius, is murdered by Jamsius Kirclady of Grange and John Leslie of Parkhill, who had been recruited by the Imperial Intelligence Agency for this mission of assassination within the Scottrian realms. Both men despised the wealth and influence wielded by the Archpriest and his faction; and both believed that peaceful relations with the Laurasian Empire was within the interests of the Scottrian species. Beatonius's body is dismembered by his murderers, who then publicly proclaimed to the subjects of the Celestial Kingdom of Scottria as to the deed which they had accomplished. The death of Beatonius was secretly welcomed by the Regent Arran, for it removed a major rival to his position of power. It, however, also enraged the anger of many Scottrians, who believed that the actions of the Laurasian Government were directly to blame for the Archpriest's death. Arran, however, had begun to contemplate making peace with the Laurasian Empire, so as to rebuild Scottrian military forces and foster closer ties with Franconia.
 * June 7-The Treaty of Ardres was signed by the Laurasian Empire and the Serene Kingdom of Franconia, after nearly a month of negotiations. It was Viscount Lisle and Baron Pagentia who were ultimately instrumental in securing the terms of peace from the Franconian Government. By the terms of the Treaty of Ardres, all military hostilities between the Laurasian and Franconian realms were to cease. All prisoners of war were to be released immediately, and the Imperial Laurasian Government promised to restore all plunder and spoils of war which had been seized by Laurasian troops in the Franconian dominions. As regards to territorial matters, the status quo ante bellum was to prevail, with one exception. Boulougne was to be occupied by the Laurasian Empire's forces for a period of eight years (until 1754), as compensation to the Emperor Antigonus for the expenses he had lavished upon his military campaigns. Laurasian laws were to prevail at Boulougne while it was occupied by the Laurasian Army; Franconian subjects were to oblige by the "rule of nations"; and Franconia would not be permitted to station military garrisons within a ten-light year radius of Boulougne. All other Laurasian garrisons and forces in Franconian space, however, were to be withdrawn by the end of 1746. Full diplomatic and economic relations were to be restored between the two governments, and rights of free transit were guaranteed for the subjects of each government traveling in the territories of the other.
 * June 11-The Treaty of Ardres is ratified by Emperor Antigonus III. It will be ratified by King Franjak I on June 16.
 * June 24-The Regent Arran finally settled on a decision of making peace with the Laurasian Empire, and therefore sent a request for an armistice to Field-Marshal Lacius. Lacius, acting on the permission of the Imperial Privy Council, approved the armistice request. The Armistice of McFadden will be signed by Laurasian and Scottrian officers on June 30.
 * July 4-Procurator-General Writholesius and Archbishop Gardinerius, who were both opposed to the Empress Consort Katharina Parsius on account of her religious beliefs, and who sought to maintain the interests of the Traditionalist faction at the Imperial Court, ordered the Ministry of the Imperial Chancellory to begin an investigation of the Empress Consort's financial affairs and the condition of her properties. This was in preparation for charges of treason, heresy, and adultery which would be brought up against the Empress. Both were confident that the Emperor would agree to condemning his wife; he was in a irritable mood at the time, for his health was continuing to decline, and the Empress's religious views were disturbing her husband, who believed that she should be subordinate to his authority and his viewpoints.
 * July 16-Having been convicted on all charges laid against her by the Governing Senate, Anna Askewia is executed by solar incineration at the Fortress of Baureux in Christiania, Laurasia Prime. Procurator-General Writholesius, who had taken a prominent part in the proceedings against her, and believed that he was suppressing religious dissent against the authority of the Imperial Laurasian Government, presided over the execution. Askewia was excommunicated by the Holy Synod and her body was dumped into the Pit of Traitors on Jadia.
 * July 24-Delegations from the Laurasian Empire and Celestial Kingdom of Scottria convene at Kinsgley, a Scottrian commercial stronghold in the outskirts of the Scottrian Commerical Territories. The Earl of Angus, the Earl of Rothes, Sir Walter Scott, and Lord George Douglain were the Scottrian plenipotentiaries to the conference, while the interests of the Emperor Antigonus III and the Imperial Laurasian Government were represented by Field-Marshal Lacius, Baron Pagentia, the Earl of Heuthros, and Baron Eure. Negotiations will continue for over a month, as the two delegations wrangle over the terms of the peace settlement. The Laurasians, controlling all Scottrian territory in the Galactic Borderlands, held the position of advantage.
 * August 1-The Emperor Antigonus is confined to his private chambers within the Quencilvanian Palace. His wife, Empress Consort Katharina Parsius, begins to nurse him personally. As she treated the Emperor, she began to lecture him on matters of religion, which was a mistake. The Emperor was in no mood to be lectured by his wife, and he considered it to be heresy. The Emperor now gave his authorization for an arrest warrant against the Empress Consort to be prepared; it would be placed in his official chambers two days later.
 * August 4-Empress Consort Katharina Parsius learned of the arrest warrant which had been drafted against her by Procurator-General Witholesius and Archbishop Gardinerius, who were eager to remove her from her position at the Imperial Court. Steeling herself, the Empress Consort immediately headed to the Emperor's personal chambers. There, he promptly began to discuss religion with her, contradicting many of her reformist viewpoints. Katharina, realizing that the Emperor was testing her, agreed with everything he said, declaring that she was only a woman and that he, the Emperor, had been raised by the Lord Almitis to supreme judgment above all of his subjects. This appeal to Antigonus's vanity was not enough, however, and he demanded his wife's loyalty. Katharina submitted even further, stating she had only discussed with him about matters of religion in order to "learn" from him and to distract his mind from his illness. Antigonus was pleased, and declaring her a loyal and faithful wife, promptly dropped all ideas of proceeding against her. Katharina had escaped. The following day, Procurator-General Wirtholesius and a detachment of guards arrived to arrest Katharina while she was in the Emperor's presence. The Emperor, however, personally beat them over their heads and ordered them away. He had Katharina's arrest warrant destroyed. Wirtholesius and Archbishop Gardinerius were displeased at their failure to dislodge the Empress Consort from her position.
 * September 2-The Treaty of Kinsgley is signed by the Laurasian Empire and Celestial Kingdom of Scottria, bringing an end to the Antigonid War of the Rough Wooing. By the terms of the treaty, the Laurasian Empire acquired all remaining Scottrian territories in the Galactic Borderlands. This included Rasdalla Major, Kathy Major, Homi, the Galactic Barrier regions, Kalbacha Minor, Kalbacha Major, Seeben, Sherry, Zannah, Palaris III, Gwynne, Godweria, Goriance, and Waxefield. All spoils of war captured by Laurasian troops during the war were to be retained by the Imperial Laurasian Government, though prisoners of war were to be released immediately. Provision was made for the return of the body of Sir Craterus Eure to the Eure family. As regards to the previous marriage contract between Queen Mariana and Grand Prince Demetrius, it was declared that the Scottrian Estates had the right to further deliberate the matter, and that the Imperial Government would undertake only to press for a possible marriage in a "peaceable, non-aggressive manner". Full diplomatic and economic relations were reestablished between the two realms. The Treaty of Kinsgley will be ratified by Emperor Antigonus III on September 6 and by Regent Arran (with the Scottrian Estates and in the name of Queen Mariana) on September 10. Peace will manage to hold between Laurasia and Scottria for a year.
 * September 19-Antigonus Fitzalleria, Earl of Americana (who had succeeded his father to the Earldom upon his death on January 23, 1744), is appointed as Imperial High Chamberlain by the Emperor Antigonus III. Americana, who is destined to become a prominent figure during the reigns of Demetrius II and Didymeia I, will hold the position for the next four years.
 * October 9-The Emperor Antigonus III suffers a minor stroke at the Royal Quarters of the Second Station of Callista. Throughout 1746, the Emperor's health, which had been in decline ever since his shockball accident in January 1736, had weakened even further. Antigonus was now well over three hundred pounds, being far in excess of normal body weight. He had surpassed Demetrius I, the Fat (1399-1416), as the most obese sovereign in Laurasian history. He suffered from high blood pressure, panic attacks and bouts of irrationality, and an ailment of the legs, which caused him much pain. Despite the antibiotics and the other treatments proscribed to him by the doctors of the Imperial Household, the Emperor's condition remained pitiable. This was also caused in part by his enormous diet, for he had refused to moderate his eating habits, even with the onset of illness. The Empress Consort Katharina Parsius continued to nurse her husband during this time, remaining loyally by his bedside for the next two months.
 * December 12-The Earl of Heuthros and Procurator-General Wirtholesius, who were now obtaining the predominant position of influence in the Imperial Laurasian Government, and who wished to rid the Imperial Court of their rivals, successfully prevailed upon the ailing, and ever more paranoid, Emperor Antigonus to move against the Duke of Norfolkius and his son Antigonus Howardis, Earl of Soria. The Emperor had grown suspicious of the Howardis family, and had never fully forgiven the Duke of Norfolkius for the failures of his marriages with Anna Boleyenia and Katharina Howardis. It seemed logical to him that the Duke of Norfolkius would be engaged in conspiracy against his person, and that he would seek to obtain the predominant influence in the Laurasian Empire upon his death. By the orders of the Emperor, both Norfolkius and Soria were arrested at the Howardis Quarters in the Diplomatic Palace, bound in chains, and imprisoned at the Fortress of Baureux. Norfolkius was in utter terror for his life, and prayed constantly to Almitis that a miracle would spare him from a gruesome fate.
 * December 15-The Empress Consort Katharina Parsius is ordered to retire to the Palace of Placenta on Darcia, along with the Ladies Didymeia and Aurelia, officially in order to conduct Ascentmas celebrations. In reality, the Emperor Antigonus knew that his death was fast approaching, and he did not wish for his family members to be present in his last, agonizing moments. The last Ascentmas of the reign of Antigonus III would pass with the Emperor confined to his private bedchambers, and continuing to suffer panic attacks at intervals.

1747

 * January 1-The year 1747 commenced with the Laurasian Empire in a state of peace, internally and with its neighbors. The Laurasian-Franconian War of 1744-46 was now firmly at an end, and the two powers would not go to war with one another again for another decade. The Antigonid War of the Rough Wooing had also ended, although tensions simmered between Laurasia and Scottria, and the Imperial Laurasian Government still nursed hopes of a Scottrian marriage for the Grand Prince Demetrius. The Emperor Antigonus, in his last New Year's proclamation to his subjects, declared that the dynasty of his father was "firmly secured" and the dominions of the Laurasian race were truly blessed by the Lord Almitis. The Laurasian Empire had long since recovered from the travails of the Crisis of the Seventeenth Century, and had extended its rule through more territories in the Caladarian Galaxy. The health of the Emperor, himself, however, took a turn for the worse in early January 1747, and on January 5, he would officially be moved to the Hospital Quarters of the Quencilvanian Palace. On his direct command, however, the Empress Consort Katharina, his daughters, his son, and the imperial public were not informed of this.
 * January 6-The Emperor Antigonus III granted his official approval to his final will and testament, which would provide for the deposition of matters regarding the Imperial Government and Imperial Household upon his death.
 * January 10-Empress Consort Katharina Parsius returned to Laurasia Prime after her time at the Palace of Placenta with the Emperor Antigonus's daughters. The Empress Consort, however, is refused permission by the Privy Council to see her husband Emperor Antigonus, and she is not told that the Emperor has now been formally confined in the Medical Quarters of the Quencilvanian Palace. Katharina, however, is able to realize that her husband is dying, and that he wished for peace in his last moments. She was saddened at his physical condition, but also opportunistic, for when her husband died, she would finally be able to chart her own destiny and marry her true love, Sir Thomasius Seymouris.
 * January 12-Under interrogation by Chancellor Diadones, Procurator-General Writholesius, and Chief Procurator Cranmerius, the Duke of Norfolkius admitted that he had "committed treason against the authority of His Majesty" and that he continued to adhere to the traditionalist morals of the earlier Laurasian Church. His son, the Earl of Soria, was also compelled into making similar admissions. Norfolkius, hoping for mercy from the Emperor, offered all of his estates and properties to the Emperor, with only the pious hope that he would be set free from confinement. The dying Emperor, however, is far from a mood of mercy.
 * January 14-The Emperor Antigonus III grants his assent to an Imperial Act of Attainder against the Duke of Norfolkius and his son, Antigonus Howardis, Earl of Soria. In the Act of Attainder, father and son were accused of treason, corruption, les-majestie, heresy, and conspiracy against the Imperial Government. It was alleged that Norfolkius had arranged the Emperor's marriages with Anna Boleyenia and Katharina Howardis, and that he knew that both of his nieces were "whores who had forsaken their virginity in order to obtain personal pleasure." The Act of Attainder stated that Norfolkius was greedy for wealth and estates, and that he had duped the Emperor continually over the preceding years. His son, the Earl of Soria, was denounced as a supporter of Traditionalist values and of rebels such as Askius. He was also accused of engaging in adultery with the ladies of the Imperial Household, and of threatening the position of the Empress Consort Katharina Parsius through his indiscretions. The Emperor therefore sentenced both men to death by firing squad, denying them the right to a trial before the Governing Senate. It was claimed that their sentences needed to be imposed without these unnecessary judicial proceedings. The date of the execution of the Earl of Soria was set for January 19; that of his elderly father, for January 28.
 * January 19-At the Public Square of the Fortress of Baureux, Antigonus Howardis, the Earl of Soria, is executed by firing squad, on the basis of the Act of Attainder which had been imposed against him by the dying Emperor Antigonus III. In his final speech to the crowds assembled to witness his execution, the Earl of Soria firmly asserted his innocence and declared that "His most gracious Majesty" was misled by the advise of evil ministers within the government (alluding to, but not directly referencing, Chancellor Diadones, the Earl of Heuthros, and Procurator-General Wirtholesius). The Earl's body was interred at the Prison Crypt of the Fortress. The Duke of Norfolkius, himself awaiting death in his prison cell, was sent into a wailing fit when he informed of his son's execution. An imperial manifesto, issued shortly after Soria's execution, confiscated all estates of the Howardis family, deprived his father of the Dukedom of Norfolkius, and imposed a sentence of condemnation upon those connected to the Duke.
 * January 26-The Emperor Antigonus III suffers his final stroke in the Hospital Quarters of the Quencilvanian Palace. Lingering between unconsciousness and awareness, the Emperor mumbled "Monks! Monks! Monks!" under his breath and lamented the fact that the Lord Almitis had not blessed him with many sons, in order to continue the Neuchrian Dynasty. Chancellor Diadones, the Earl of Heuthros, and Procurator-General Wirtholesius were now in eager anticipation of the Emperor's death, and began to make preparations for the ascension of his son and the proclamation of the imperial will.
 * January 27-Death of Grand Duke Dmitri I of Masacavania, who had ruled since 1733. Dmitri is succeeded to the Masacavanian throne by his twenty-year old son, who became Ivan IV of Masacavania. Ivan will be the Grand Duke responsible for opening diplomatic relations with the Laurasian Empire a decade later.
 * January 28-On this day, January 28, 1747, Antigonus III the Extravagant, Emperor and Autocrat of All the Laurasians since 1709, son of Neuchrus I the Reformer, and second monarch of the Neuchrian Dynasty, died at the age of 55. He had reigned for nearly thirty-eight years, at that time the third-longest reign in Laurasian history after those of Honorius the Terrible and Seleucus the Victor. At the time of Antigonus III's death, the Laurasian Empire was a far stronger state, militarily and economically, then it had been at the commencement of his reign. The wise financial policies of the Emperor's ministers, such as Cardinal Wolesius and Chancellor Crownapoulos, had resulted in the quadrupling of Laurasian revenues, a budget surplus of €200 trillion dataries, and the stabilization of inflation rates at the very acceptable rate of 4%. Unemployment was 3.5%; the wealth of the nobility had increased fourfold; and the wages of commoners had risen by 500 percent. The Imperial Court now possessed more than ten thousand residences throughout the Caladarian Galaxy, and the Emperor's real wealth had increased tenfold. The Laurasian military, thanks to the reforms of Field-Marshal Munnich, was far more efficient. Conscription rates had risen by 50 percent; the Cadet Corps improved professionalism in the officer corps of the Armed Forces; and the strategies of the Military Command were now more streamlined and realistic. There were now 50,000 major military garrisons throughout the Empire, and fortifications existed at the Galactic Frontier Route, Dasian Heartland, Galactic Barrier, and Hutsite Reaches. The mobility and flexibility of Laurasian assault forces had been vastly improved. The Emperor's religious reforms had cleared much waste and corruption from the Church, and were in the process of aligning Laurasians closer back into the faith. These very policies, however, would arouse much dissent in the Empire's realms in the years to come. The Earl of Heuthros and the Imperial Privy Council agreed to keep the news of the Emperor's death shielded from the public, until a smooth succession could be ensured. The Earl of Heuthros himself departed swiftly from Laurasia Prime for Darcia, arriving there seven hours after the Emperor's death. He brought Demetrius to Caladaria, where the Lady Aurelia resided at her household. There, he informed the Emperor's two younger children that their father was dead, and announced to them the terms of the Emperor's final testament. He saluted the nine-year old Demetrius as his Emperor and made preparations to bring him back to Laurasia Prime. Lady Didymeia would be informed of her father's death on January 29, as would former Empress Consort Annaliese of Denver and most importantly, the Empress Consort Katharina Parsius herself. As a result of Antigonus's death, the execution of the ex-Duke of Norfolkius, which would have taken place this day, is delayed, and the Privy Council commands for Howardis to be kept imprisoned at the Fortress of Baureux on an indefinite basis. It did not wish to open the new reign with the shedding of blood.
 * January 31-The news of the Emperor Antigonus III's death is formally announced to the Imperial Court and the subjects of the Laurasian Empire by Procurator-General Wirtholesius, who issued a imperial manifesto on the effect in consultation with the Privy Council, Governing Senate, and Holy Synod. Grand Prince Demetrius was now formally and publicly proclaimed Emperor and Autocrat of All the Laurasians. At just nine years old, however, he would not exercise the actual authority. Until the terms of the Emperor's will could be formally declared and put into effect, the three bodies of state assumed duties of governance and the guardianship of the new Emperor. On this date, the Earl of Heuthros brought the new Emperor Demetrius II and his sister, the Lady Aurelia, back to the Imperial Court on Laurasia Prime. Demetrius was lodged at the Fortress of Baureux, according to custom, and the formal announcement of his ascension was delivered to crowds and officials throughout the Empire. At this date, now Empress-Dowager Katharina Parsius vacated her consort quarters in the Quencilvanian Palace and retreated to her family estates on Kendalia. On February 1, the Emperor will receive the formal oath of allegiance from the assembled nobility and gentry of the Laurasian Empire. Condolences on the death of the Emperor Antigonus will be issued by Franjak I of Franconia, Vorrus II of Dejanica, Regent Arran of Scottria, Sassas III of the Marasharite Empire, Jay XI of the Haynsian Despotate, Mar'va Tarvania of Austarlia and her co-ruler Francios I (elevated to his position in August 1745), Pru'a IX of Pruthia, and Char'va I of Spamalka, among other rulers.
 * February 4-The terms of the Emperor Antigonus III's will are formally announced by the Imperial Chancellory. In his will, the Emperor Antigonus had designated the Imperial Privy Council, Governing Senate, Holy Synod, and sixteen prominent nobles of the Imperial Court as executors, who were to act as the Regency Council of the Laurasian Empire and govern the Empire's affairs until Demetrius obtained the age of eighteen. The Regency Council was to be assisted by twelve assessors of the Imperial Chancellory, who could be called upon by the Council at any time. The will provided annual allowances for the Ladies Didymeia and Aurelia, as well as the Empress-Dowager Katharina Parsius. In fact, Antigonus had stipulated that Katharina should continue to be treated as if he were still alive, meaning she would continue to possess all of the privileges and honors of a normal Empress Consort. Katharina was to remain the highest-ranking woman in the Laurasian Empire until Demetrius himself married. Even then, she would still hold precedence over the Baroness Annaliese of Denver and over the Ladies Didymeia and Aurelia. Annaliese, on her part, was confirmed in her allowances and granted the new title of "The Emperor's Step-Aunt", in relation to her position towards the new Emperor Demetrius. When the will was announced, the Earl of Heuthros and his supporters on the now newly-constituted Regency Council were displeased. Heuthros believed it was his right to become Lord Protector of the Laurasian Empire and Chair of the Regency Council. This will soon usher in a unilateral revision of the will's provisions by the Regency Council.
 * February 11-The Regency Council, justifying this new course of action on the basis of its grant of authority in the Imperial Testament of Antigonus III, formally proclaimed Edwardis Seymouris, Earl of Heuthros, as Lord Protector of the Laurasian Empire and Governor of the Emperor's Person. Seymouris is also elevated to the rank of Duke of Volta and is granted properties from the Imperial Estate. Acting to consolidate his position of power, the new Lord Protector distributed titles and honors to many of his supporters within the Imperial Court. Among those to be so honored is Viscount Lisle, who will be created Earl of Sarah on February 27.
 * February 16-The state funeral of the Emperor Antigonus III is conducted at the Westphalian Cathedral. The Lord Protector Seymouris presided over the funeral ceremony, and led the massive procession of noblemen and noblewomen who prayed for the Emperor's soul. Among those personages who paid their respects to the Emperor were Chancellor Diadones, Chief Procurator Cranmerius (who delivered the eulogy and conducted the burial), Procurator-General Writholesius, Empress-Dowager Katharina Parsius, former Empress Consort Annaliese of Denver, Lady Didymeia, Lady Aurelia, Sir Thomasius Seymouris, Field-Marshal Lacius, Field-Marshal Munnich, Fleet Admiral Levashius, Archbishop Gardinerius, Baron Pagentia, Franconia Brandeis (Duchess of Sufforia), the Earl of Heuthros, the Earl of Sarah, Lord St. Johnasius, and all of the members of the Imperial Privy Council, Governing Senate, and Holy Synod, alongside the chief courtiers of the Imperial Court and ambassadors from the foreign courts of the Laurasian Empire's neighboring states. The young Emperor Demetrius II was escorted to the funeral by the Valedictorian Guards, and was present for his father's burial. As had been provided for in the Emperor's testament, he was buried alongside his third wife, Demetrius's mother Theodora Seymouris.
 * February 20-The coronation of Emperor Demetrius II "the Boy Emperor", the second coronation of the eighteenth century, was conducted at the Westphalian Cathedral, just four days after the funeral and burial of his father Antigonus III. Because of the Emperor's youthfulness, the ceremonies for the coronation were considerably shortened, so as "not to tire the Emperor's young body or to impose too much exertion upon the courtiers of the Imperial Court." Demetrius was too young to crown himself with the Great Imperial Crown of the Laurasian Empire; nor could his head manage the weight of the ultimate symbol of sovereignty. Therefore, the crown was raised over the nine-year old Emperor's head by Chief Procurator Cranmerius, who intoned blessings for the new sovereign, and the Smaller Imperial Crown was touched briefly on his head. Ultimately, Demetrius bore a manageable coronet. Lord Protector Seymouris presided over the festivities of the coronation ceremony, and per the instructions in the Emperor's last testament, ensured that the coronation festivities were grand.
 * March 4-The Lord Protector Seymouris, Duke of Volta, secures letters patent from the Emperor Demetrius II. The letters patent grant him the almost monarchial right to appoint and dismiss the members of the Privy Council, Holy Synod, and Governing Senate at will, and to consult them only when he pleased. The Emperor Demetrius, when he would assume the reins of autocratic authority upon obtaining his majority, was to be assured the right to do the same, and any appointments which the Lord Protector made during the Regency could then be revoked at the Emperor's pleasure. Having secured this further authorization of authority from the young Emperor, Seymouris proceeded to govern the Laurasian Empire by proclamation, employing the Regency Council to merely rubber-stamp his measures after they had already been enacted.
 * March 7-Baronet Diadones of Charasia, who desired to retire to his private estates on Charasia, and to relieve himself of the responsibilities of government, formally resigned as Chancellor of the Laurasian Empire. Lord Protector Seymouris thereafter assumed the title and position of Chancellor himself, declaring that it was only logical that the Chancellorship was held by the same person who effectively governed the Empire's affairs in the name of the young Emperor. Procurator-General Wirtholesius, however, is alarmed by the Lord Protector's move, and begins to air his dissent with his policies within the ranks of the Imperial Court. Seymouris is enraged at this and moves swiftly to remove Wirtholesius from his position as Procurator-General.
 * March 16-Thomasius Wirtholesius, 1st Earl of Southerton (he had obtained that rank on February 17), is formally dismissed as Procurator-General of the Governing Senate by Lord Protector Seymouris. In his proclamation of dismissal, Seymouris claimed that Wirtholesius was "not the most reliable official in the service of His Imperial Majesty" and that the Procurator-General himself had begged leave from his duties. Everyone at the Imperial Court, however, knew that the Lord Protector had taken action against a political rival, and some suspected that he had compelled Diadones into resigning his post (which was untrue). Wirtholesius is also dismissed from the Imperial Privy Council and his post as Minister of Agriculture. Out of favor with the Imperial Court, he retires to his estates on Southerton, which had been so recently awarded to him by the Imperial Chancellory. The Lord St. Johansius (the future Marquess of Winchestrius and Lord Treasurer of the Laurasian Empire), was appointed as interim Procurator General. On March 27, the Lord Protector will designate long-serving Governing Senator, the Baron Ricomedus Richius, as the new Procurator-General of the Governing Senate.
 * March 31-Death of King Franjak I of Franconia, contemporary and great adversary of Laurasian Emperor Antigonus III and Spamalkan Emperor Char'va I. He was 52 years old and had ruled for thirty-two years since his ascension in January 1715. The death of Franjak came just two months after the death of the Emperor Antigonus III, and the closeness in time was considered by many within the realms of the Laurasian Empire as a divine coincidence of Almitis. Franjak had enjoyed far more robust health than his Laurasian counterpart, and had only been stricken down with illness during the last weeks of his life. He is now succeeded to the Franconian throne by his eldest son and heir apparent, Hensios II, whose birthday was the day of his father's death. Hensios II will rule to 1759 and become a adversary of the Laurasian Empress Didymeia I. Franjak had been senior monarch for the last two months of his reign, and was now succeeded in this status by his living arch-enemy, Spamalkan Emperor Char'va I. Char'va will remain senior monarch for nearly nine years.
 * April 5-Continuing his accumulation of the offices of state, Lord Protector Edwardis Seymouris, Duke of Volta, named himself as the Imperial Lord Treasurer of the Laurasian Empire. He therefore succeeds the disgraced Duke of Norfolkius in that Office of State.
 * April 12-Empress-Dowager Katharina Parsius resumes her relationship with Sir Thomasius Seymouris, the younger brother of the Lord Protector. Ever since the death of Emperor Antigonus, she and Seymouris had exchanged love letters, and she eager to have a husband of her own choosing. Seymouris, on his part, was ambitious and believed that marriage with Katharina would further enhance his own position. He also held a genuine love for the Empress-Dowager, and had since before her marriage with Antigonus III. The Empress-Dowager and the Knight, however, keep their relationship secret from the knowledge of the Lord Protector and the Imperial Court.
 * May 4-At the Parsius Family Estate on Kendalia, Empress-Dowager Katharina Parsius and her true love, Sir Thomasius Seymouris, are secretly married. The Ladies Aurelia and Minerva Greysius were among the few who were in attendance at the ceremony. The Empress-Dowager and her new husband knew that their union could not be publicly celebrated, and that the Lord Protector and others on the Regency Council would certainly be opposed to their union. She was determined, however, to follow her instincts, and knew that ultimately the Lord Protector would not dare to lift a finger against her. The marriage will be kept a secret from the Lord Protector, the Emperor, and the Imperial Court for the next several months.
 * May 5-The Holy Austarlian Emperor Lea’dus II (1790-1792), the younger brother and successor of Joseth II, is born on Vienna in the Holy Austarlian Empire. He is the third son of Empress Mar’va Tarvania and her husband-consort, Fransios I.
 * May 16-The Regent Arran, acting on the initiative of the Scottrian Estates, and responding to the clamors of the Scottrian population, formally condemned the murderers of Archpriest Beatonius for their "vile action" and demanded for them to be brought to justice. The murderers of the Archpriest Beatonius, however, were one step ahead of the Regent, and knew that they were doomed to torture and capture at the hands of the Scottrian authorities. Therefore, Jamsius Kirclady of Grange, John Leslie of Parkhill, Master Henry Balnaves, and Captain John Borthwick, mustering their supporters, who were opposed to the Regent's government, seized control of the garrison of Fife, the very world where they had murdered the Archpriest, and garrisoned St. Andrew's Castle. The Castilians, as they became known, received a secret letter of support from the Laurasian Ambassador to the Scottrian Court, Sir Ambrosius Melinia.
 * May 19-The Scottrian Estates reaffirmed its earlier declaration of condemnation against the murderers of the Archpriest Beatonius and decreed that none within the Scottrian dominions should provide those "rebellious gentlemen" any financial or military support. Despite the declaration, the Castilians were able to consolidate their grip over the Fife star system and to begin plundering surrounding Scottrian garrisons and outposts, seizing supplies, equipment, and military armor for their own purposes. Jamsius Kirclady, acknowledged as the general and supreme commander of the Castillian forces, continued to hold secret parleys with Ambassador Ambrosius over the possibility of military and financial aid for his men.
 * May 24-The Regency Council held a secret session within the Private Chambers of the Quencilvanian Palace, in order to discuss matters concerning affairs in the Scottrian realms. Ambassador Ambrosius had continued to send his reports to the Lord Protector and his ministers, concerning the disturbances in the Scottrian realms and the resistance of the Castilians to the regime of the Regent Arran. Lord Protector Seymouris, upon receiving these reports, believed that encouraging the Castilians would help to weaken the Scottrian Government and could ultimately pave the way to a Laurasian invasion of the Homeland Territories. His views prevailed, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was now commanded to begin providing military supplies and equipment to the Castilians of Fife. The Imperial Intelligence Agency made efforts to ensure that the Scottrian Court remained unaware of Laurasian machinations.
 * June 1-The Regent Arran began to make preparations to storm and reconquer Fife by force, and to uproot the Castilians who were established there. In accordance with this, the Regent had secured a financial levy from the Scottrian Estates. He also commanded all Scottrian nobles, monasteries, and estates to provide a allotment to the Scottrian Military Forces; forbade subjects from traveling in the vicinity of Fife; and assembled military units at Lithilgow, Stirling, Ediania, Holyrood, Ancrum Moor, and other strongholds in order to begin the subjugation of the Castilian forces.
 * June 11-The Regent Arran, along with members of the Scottrian Council of State, departs from Ediania in order to take command of siege preparations at Fife. He and his forces arrive at Fife by the middle of the day. Immediately, the Regent's interdictors began to lay minefields at the outskirt of the Fife system, in order to disrupt supply lines and harry the forward positions of the Castilian forces. The garrison of Fife, however, lays counter-fields, in order to repel the government mines and to secure their positions at Fife's outskirts. The rebel ploy works and Arran is forced to reorganize his assault squadrons.
 * June 14-Scottrian warships, acting on the instructions of the Regent Arran, blockade and begin to bombard the rebel outpost of Halahide. Admiral John Borthwick commanded the Scottrian effort to storm this major rebel garrison. The defenders, however, manage to employ surface-to-space rockets in order to severely damage many of the Scottrian assault vessels; Borthwick himself is killed when the bridge of his warship is struck by a rebel missile. Many of these missiles had been provided to the rebels by the Laurasian Ministry of Defense, as Arran was soon to discover.
 * June 26-Acting on the orders of Field-Marshal Munnich and the Lord Protector Seymouris, a Laurasian commercial convoy under the command of Admiral Demtraus Elmes and Andrew Dudleis is ordered to re-provision the Castilians of Leith. The Imperial Laurasian Government believes this decision is justified by the terms of the Treaty of Kinsgley, which had guaranteed the right of Laurasian merchants and navigators to free trade and docking throughout the Scottrian realms. The Regent Arran, however, is alarmed, and finally realizes that it has been the Laurasians stirring up rebel dissent against his government. He therefore commands the Earl of Angus, who had assumed command of Scottrian naval forces, to deny the convoy admission and to ensure that no freighters reached the Fife star system. Angus obliges by his orders, and Admiral Elmes is forced to turn back. Lord Protector Seymouris is enraged and begins contemplating a renewed war against the Celestial Kingdom of Scottria, both to force the marriage of Queen Mariana with Emperor Demetrius, and to provide direct support to the Castilians in their struggle with government authorities.
 * July 2-The Regent Arran, who was drawing ever further towards the idea of a Franconian alliance, such as had been supported by his great-rival Archpriest Beatonius, commenced secret negotiations with the Franconian Government, now under the direction of King Hensios II. Hensios himself was determined to exert Franconian influence beyond the Amulak Spiral, and to contain the power and influence of the Laurasian Empire. The King of Franconia was also eager to secure a bride for his eldest son and heir apparent, Franjak. Negotiations proceed swiftly between the Franconian and Scottrian Governments, as Arran requested for financial aid and a Franconian mercenary force in order to suppress the Castilians.
 * July 11-After just nine days of negotiations, the Treaty of Berethre was signed by the Celestial Kingdom of Scottria and the Serene Kingdom of Franconia. By the terms of this treaty, King Hensios II of Franconia agreed to provide a Franconian mercenary force, under the command of Admiral Leone Strazzi, in order to dislodge and defeat the Castilians of Fife. The King of Franconia also agreed to provide financial aid to the Scottrian Government; to acknowledge Scottrian rights to territorial integrity in the Angelina Spiral; and to make diplomatic protestations, on behalf of the Regent Arran and his government, to the Imperial Court on Laurasia Prime. Arran, on his part, confirmed the privileges of trade possessed by Franconian merchants; agreed to pose the matter of a Franconian marriage for Queen Mariana to the Estates; and to not conclude any agreement without first consulting the Franconians. He also agreed to provide for the military expenses of the mercenary force while they conducted their operations in Franconian territory. The Regent Arran will ratify the Treaty of Fife on July 13, and King Hensios II will follow on July 16.
 * July 22-The mercenary force promised by Hensios II in the Treaty of Berethre is dispatched by the Franconian Government to the Celestial Kingdom of Scottria. Admiral Strazzi, who had served in the Franconian Navy during the Spamalkan-Franconian Wars of the 1730s and 1740s, and had also lent his services to the Marasharite Empire, Haxon Confederacy, and Autocratic Pruthian Empire, asserted his firm command over the Franconian mercenary force. The Lord Protector Seymouris was informed at this date by the Imperial Intelligence Agency of the dispatch of the expeditionary force. Alarmed at the prospect of Franconian influence in the Scottrian realms, he began to draft plans for a preemptive war against the Regent Arran's regime.
 * July 24-The Franconian Mercenary Force of Admiral Leone Strazzi arrives at the outskirts of Fife, and immediatedly takes command of the blockade efforts. Franconian ships sweep the rebel minefields, bombard the defenses of Halahide and the Fifan Asteroid Belt, and firmly suppress all supply lines to the rebel garrisons. Jamsius Kirclady of Grange, who was still opposed to making peace with the Regent Arran, and believed that his cause was just, continued to direct defensive measures against the besiegers.
 * August 7-Sir Thomasius Seymouris, believing that his marriage with Empress-Dowager Katharina Parsius was secure, and confident that his marriage with the Empress-Dowager would improve the fortunes of the Seymouris family, decided to reveal the union to his brother, Lord Protector Seymouris. Seymouris, who had somewhat of a distrust for his younger brother, and believed that it was within his rights, as the eldest sibling, to govern the affairs of the Seymouris family, was alarmed. The Lord Protector immediately informed the Emperor Demetrius II and the Imperial Privy Council of the marriage; the Emperor was very much displeased about this union. News of the marriage quickly spread throughout the Imperial Court, and soon, personages such as Chief Procurator Cranmerius and the Lady Didymeia were aware of the marriage. Didymeia, like her brother, was incensed, believing that Seymouris was not worthy enough for her stepmother.
 * August 12-The Imperial Privy Council, acting on the orders of the Lord Protector Seymouris, censured and reprimanded his younger brother, Sir Thomasius Seymouris, for having contracted his marriage with the Empress-Consort Katharina Parsius. Seymouris, alarmed at his brother's reaction, and wishing to avoid the possible consequences of imprisonment and confiscation of all honors and properties, wrote a plea for assistance to the Lady Didymeia. He asked for the Emperor's half-sister to intervene on his behalf, and to alleviate the wrath of the Privy Council. Didymeia, however, became furious at his forwardness and tasteless actions, and refused to assist him. She even went as far as to advise her half-sister, Lady Aurelia, not to interact with Empress-Dowager Katharina any further.
 * August 16-Admiral Strazzi, whose units had worn down the resistance of the Castilians, and who had advanced beyond the Fife Asteroid Belt, began a bombardment of Fife's shield generators. Although the Castilians had taken measures to secure their control of St. Andrew's Castle, and continued to inflict losses upon the Franconian squadrons, they were now overwhelmed by superior Franconian firepower, offensive capabilities, and tactical coordination. Within six hours, the shield defenses of Fife, not geared to withstand a long orbital bombardment, were breached, and Franconian troops now landed on the planetary surface. Strazzi's forces quickly overwhelmed the beleaguered and tired defenders, and by the early hours of August 17, St. Andrew's Castle will be secured by the Franconians.
 * August 18-The leaders of the Castilians, including Jamsius Kirclady of Grange, John Leslie of Parkhill, Master Henry Balnaves, and Captain John Borthwick, were captured by Franconian troopers of General Hensios Brathios. With their capture, the final pockets of resistance by the Castilians in the Fife system were suppressed. Regent Arran, who had returned to Ediania, and was supervising reconstruction efforts on the capital star system, in the wake of the Laurasian offensive of 1744, was exuberant over this victory. He sent his congratulations to Admiral Strazzi, and in a proclamation (issued in the name of Queen Mariana), declared to the Scottrian people that a "center of rebellion and dissent against our lawful authority has been suppressed". On the Regent's orders, the rebel leaders are bound in chains and placed on a prison transport. All officers and personnel of the Castilian garrison are either imprisoned, executed, or branded as traitors with electric irons. The news of the fall of Fife alarms the Imperial Laurasian Government, and pushes Lord Protector Seymouris to further action.
 * August 20-The Lord Protector Seymouris, although his anger with his younger brother Sir Thomasius Seymouris did not abate, decided to approve his brother's marriage with Empress-Dowager Katharina Parsius. He did this on the persuasion of Katharina's ally and friend, Chief Procurator Cranmerius, who convinced him that continuing disputes over the matter would only result in further strain for the Imperial Court. It would also distract from "more pressing" matters. In this, Cranmerius was referring to the continuation of Antigonus III's religious reforms and also to the matter of resuming war with the Celestial Kingdom of Scottria. Despite this, however, the marriage of Sir Thomasius Seymouris and Katharina Parsius will never be fully accepted by the Lady Didymeia, the Lord Protector, or the Regency Council. Didymeia, however, repairs her relationship with the Empress-Dowager, and apologizes for her earlier demands.
 * August 23-In a session of the Regency Council, the Lord Protector Seymouris declared his intention to "avenge" the Castilians of Fife and to ensure the security of the Laurasian Empire's dominions by instigating renewed war with the Celestial Kingdom of Scottria. Seymouris declared that the renewed Laurasian military campaigns would be directed towards limiting Franconian influence at the Scottrian Court; securing the engagement of Queen Mariana with Emperor Demetrius; and forcing Arran to compensate those who had been affected by his suppression of the Castilians. Seymouris also wished for the mercenaries of Admiral Strazzi to be withdrawn, and for Laurasian commercial privileges to be ensured by the Scottrian Government. Field-Marshal Munnich, who had himself been created Duke of Almastead on July 29, supported the Lord Protector's initiative, and declared that Laurasian military forces would be more than capable of conducting the military offensives. Ultimately, the Regency Council expressed its support for the Lord Protector's plans.
 * August 25-The Scottrian Ambassador to the Imperial Court, Adam Otterburn, is summoned to an audience before the Emperor Demetrius II and the Lord Protector Seymouris. In this audience, Seymouris declared that the actions of the Regent Arran, against the Castilians, and his ties with Franconia were hampering the relationship between Laurasia and Scottria. Seymouris made demands for protection of Laurasian commerce, the engagement of Mariana and Demetrius, and the withdrawal of the Franconian expeditionary force. Otterburn attempted to evade the Lord Protector, pointing to the terms of the Treaty of Kingsley and declaring that his master, the Regent, only wished for peace between the two realms. Seymouris, who did not desire this response, dismissed Otterburn angrily from the audience. Otterburn, whose agents had informed him of the war plans being made by the Lord Protector, sent a communique to Arran and the Scottrian Estates, warning them of the test to come. Arran begins to increase conscription and orders Admiral Strazzi to remain on stand-by for further military operations.
 * September 3-The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, acting on the command of the Lord Protector Seymouris, recalled Sir Ambrosius Melinia, the Laurasian Ambassador to the Scottrian Court, from Ediania. Seymouris also commanded Scotrrian Ambassador Otterburn to depart from Laurasia Prime and to return to the Scottrian dominions. All were now in daily anticipation of the resumption of military hostilities between the Laurasian Empire and the Celestial Kingdom of Scottria.
 * September 6-Lord Protector Seymouris, acting in the name of the Emperor Demetrius II and on behalf of the Imperial Privy Council, issued an official declaration of war against the Celestial Kingdom of Scottria from the Quencilvanian Palace on Laurasia Prime. The Demetrid War of the Rough Wooing, the last effort by the Laurasian Empire to secure a personal union with Scottria, had therefore commenced. Laurasian forces, assembled at the strongholds of the Galactic Borderlands, were under the command of the aged Field-Marshal Lacius once again, commanding a military offensive for the last time in his career. Seymouris, himself, however, was eager for further military glory in combat with the Scottrian forces, and was now making preparations for his departure from Laurasia Prime to Rasdalla Minor, in order to assume direct command of the Laurasian military units.
 * September 10-The Battle of the Upper Void takes place between the forces of the Laurasian Empire (under General Lacius) and those of the Celestial Kingdom of Scottria (under Lord George Douglain). It ultimately results in a victory for the Laurasian Empire, as Lacius disrupted the formations of the Scottrian fleet and was able to capture or impound a number of Scottrian warships. The Imperial Laurasian Navy is now poised for an advance into the Scottrian Homeland Territories.
 * September 14-Lord Protector Seymouris, seeking glory for himself, and to escape from the confines of Laurasia Prime, formally announced his decision to take supreme command of Laurasian military forces in combat with the Scottrians. He ordered Field-Marshal Lacius to maintain Laurasian positions in the Galactic Void and to launch harrying expeditions against Scottrian positions in the outskirts of the Angelina Spiral. Seymouris, however, also ordered him to abstain from direct offensives into the Angelina Spiral until he himself had made his arrival.
 * September 15-19-A counteroffensive by the Scottrian units of Lord George Douglain, aiming to storm Janeway, Onasi, and Frasier, is blunted by a Laurasian armada in the Battle of Reid.
 * September 22-Lord Protector Seymouris, having made arrangements for the security of the Emperor Demetrius and the administrative duties of the Regency Council, formally departed from Laurasia Prime with his entourage. The Lord Protector traveled on one of the fastest vessels in the Laurasian Empire, the HIMS Octavian, which served as the flagship of the Laurasia Prime Defensive Fleet. He arrived at Rasdalla Minor by the end of the day and formally took command of the offensives against the Celestial Kingdom of Scottria. Field-Marshal Lacius begged leave to return to his estates on Alemeda; the Lord Protector, realizing that Lacius was old and worn-down, would grant him this permission on September 26.
 * September 24-The forces of the Lord Protector Seymouris begin their advance into the Scottrian Homeland Territories. Seymouris's force was comprised of 150 major warships, 4,000 support vessels, and a squadron of 5,000 Neuchrus-class starfighters, among the most advanced assault craft then employed by any of the inter-galactic powers at that time. Seymouris's force also possessed 500 transports, carrying nearly two million personnel and officers of the Imperial Laurasian Army, and was supplemented by a fleet of Arachosian and Dasian conscripts. The transports and corvettes were commanded by Lord Greysius of Willonia, and the naval forces by the Earl of Sarah, Lord Dacre of Gitlandia, and the Lord Protector himself. Seymouris gradually advanced along the outskirts of the Angelina Spiral, in order to keep in contact with his supply lines. Scottrian Border Reivers harassed the Laurasian force during its route of progress, but they could impose no major check on their advance.
 * September 26-Sir Thomasius Whartonius and the dissident Scottrian Earl of Lennaxia commanded a smaller Laurasian expeditionary force of fifty warships and 1,000 support vessels in a diversionary invasion in the Scottrian Highland Districts. They storm the Scottrian outposts of Castlemilk and Annan, capturing a larger number of Scottrian personnel, military supplies, and equipment. Annan, in particular, was ravaged by the Laurasians, and suffered so much damage so as to ensure that the Scottrian Government could not employ it as a military outpost again.
 * September 28-The forces of the Earl of Arran are deployed south of Ediania. Arran had amassed these military units in order to oppose the advance of the Laurasians under Lord Protector Seymouris. This force was comprised mainly of mobile couriers and pike-fighters with contingents of Highland-class frigates. Arran also possessed a large number of turbocannons and ion disruptors, but they were not as mobile or powerful as those possessed by the Laurasians. His force also included a corps of corvettes and couriers under the command of the unreliable Earl of Home. Nevertheless, the Regent occupies the Asteroids of the Askian Belt in order to bar Seymouris's progress. Scottrian convoys were chained together at the Forks of Mail in order to protect his left flank, and the Outpost of Klevie was on his right flank.
 * September 29-The Scottrian outpost of Falaside is occupied by the forces of the Lord Protector Seymouris. Lord Dacre of Gitlandia proved instrumental in the seizure of this stronghold by Laurasian units. In an outdated gesture of chivalry, and aiming to obtain honor for himself in the eyes of the Scottrian people, the Earl of Home and some of his mobile corvette units charged close to the Laurasian encampment at Falaside and challenged a equal number of Laurasian corvettes to engage in combat with them. With Seymouris's reluctant approval, Lord Greysius (who had taken command of Falaside from Lord Dacre), accepted the challenge and engaged the Scottrian corvettes with 300 heavily armored Laurasian corvettes. The Scottrians, who were outgunned and badly at a disadvantage in terms of organization and armor, were soundly defeated by the Laurasians and pursued west for eight light-years. This action costs Arran much of his mobile offensive corps.
 * September 30-Lord Protector Seymouris sends a detachment of freighters and destroyers under Lord Dacre to occupy the Inversek Comets, which flanked the Scottrian strategic position. During this time, the Lord Protector received two more anachronistic challenges from Arran. One request was for Seymouris and Arran to settle the dispute by personal combat; the other was for twenty champions from each side to decide the matter. Seymouris rejected both requests.
 * October 2-During the early hours of this day, Seymouris advanced his main offensive force to the detachment at Inversek. He found that Arran had moved his forces across the Askian Belt and were advancing rapidly to meet him. Arran, who knew that he was outmatched in terms of artillery and weaponry, was attempting to force close combat with the Laurasian armada before the turbocannon could be charged and deployed for action. His left wing, however, was attacked by Laurasian starfighters, throwing them into disorder, and pressing those units into Arran's own divisions in the central positions of his offensive. On the other flank, Seymouris deployed his corvettes, most of whom were still intact after the engagements of Falaside, in order to delay the Scottrian advance. The Scottrian pike-fighters, however, drove the Laurasian corvettes away and inflicted heavy casualties upon their ranks; Lord Greysius himself was wounded in the confrontation. The Scottrian army, however, now stalled and under heavy fire on three sides, from Laurasian starfighters, artillery, barges, and ion disruptor units, to which they could not reply. They now began to disperse, attempting to escape into hyperspace from the battlefield. When the Scottrian formations began to break, the Laurasian corvettes, having reassembled, rejoined the battle and followed a vanguard of Laurasian cruisers under the command of Sir Demetrius Langravia. Most of the Scottrian warships were trapped by the corvettes and destroyers, and thousands of Scottrian military personnel were killed in battle. Arran's forces were annihilated, and the Laurasian Empire had gained a decisive victory. The Battle of Cleughia, as it became known, now permitted Laurasian units to swarm into the southern territories of Scottria.
 * October 9-Raindburgh and Morvay are stormed by the forces of Lord Dacre of Gitlandia, inflicting serious damage upon Scottrian supply lines in the Outskirt Districts and providing Laurasian units a more direct juncture into the Homeland Territories. Scottrian garrisons on McAleese, Cleese, and Vergesee are stormed by Laurasian starfighter squadrons during the next four days.
 * October 14-Lord Protector Seymouris destroyed a Scottrian convoy in the Battle of Muir, and as a result cut off the supply lines to Fife.
 * October 21-Fearing for the safety of Queen Mariana, the Regent Arran, whose reputation at the Scottrian Court had suffered as a result of his humiliating loss to the Laurasian Empire, ordered for the Queen, her mother, and the Royal Household to be lodged at Inchamolone Priory, located ten thousand light years to the north of Ediania, and in the Borderland Territories with the Haynsian Despotate. Arran declared that the Queen and her household could not be permitted to come in danger from the Laurasian offensives. The move will be made on October 24.
 * October 22-November 6-Broughty, a major Scottrian stronghold five-light years to the east of Ediania, is besieged by the forces of the Laurasian Empire under the command of Lord Protector Seymouris. Lord George Douglain attempted to lead the defense of Broughty, employing his corvettes and pike-fighters to some effect against the Laurasian units. Laurasian supremacy in numbers and tactical organization, however, proved to be too overwhelming, and on November 6, the stronghold capitulated to Lord Protector Seymouris. From this new outpost, Laurasian units sent by the Lord Protector harried Scottrian colonies at Albright, Albemaine, and Glasgow, inflicting severe damage upon the Scottrian economy.
 * November 12-Empress-Dowager Katharina Parsius, who was firmly established with her husband Sir Thomasius Seymouris on Kendalia, published her second work, Lamentations of a Sinner in Almitis. She was assisted in her efforts by Chief Procurator Cranmerius, with whom she shared much commonality in religious views. The Empress-Dowager declared that any true believer in Almitis will not shriek from admitting guilt, and that Almitis was forgiving of those who begged for his mercy and abstained from "lewd and inappropriate behavior". This work further expounded the Reformist theories which were now in the ascendancy in the Almitian Church. It proved to be a critical and commercial success; even Lord Protector Seymouris, who had so recently denounced the Empress-Dowager's marriage to his brother, sent a message from his command headquarters at Broughty in the Angelina Spiral, praising her merits. The Holy Synod would proclaim this book part of its official liturgy on January 5, 1749. The Emperor Demetrius II also praised the work and conferred a monetary reward upon his stepmother for having published it.
 * November 16-The Battle of Derith took place between Laurasian units under the command of Lord Greysius (who had recovered from his earlier injuries) and the Franconian mercenaries of Admiral Strazzi. This battle occurred as a result of the Laurasian effort to storm Firth and to consolidate their position in the vicinity of Ediania. The battle resulted in a tactical victory for the Laurasian forces, but Strazzi was able to temporarily blunt further Laurasian moves in the direction of Firth.
 * December 2-Angus and Branxholme are occupied by the forces of the Laurasian Empire, in an operation led by Lords Dacre and Greysius.
 * December 16-Lord Protector Seymouris repelled a Scottrian counteroffensive, launched by the Earl of Angus, in the Battle of Misseldon.

1748

 * January 22-February 2-The Siege of Haddington by the forces of the Laurasian Empire under the command of the Lord Protector Seymouris. Haddington was an important Scottrian stronghold, located fifty light years to the northeast of Ediania. Here, the Regent Arran and the Scottrian Estates had ordered the deposit of 200 corvettes, military arms, and intelligence files. Seymouris believed that the conquest of this stronghold would permit Laurasian forces to begin to threaten the outskirts of Ediania directly, and to send expeditions against Lithiglow and Forthfield, Scottrian military bases which could hamper Laurasian control in the territories of the Angelina Spiral. The garrison of Haddington was commanded by the Earl of Picta, who served as Secretary of State for Home Affairs on the Scottrian Council of State and was responsible for the defense of the approaches to Edingta. He posed a fierce resistance to the Lord Protector's forces, receiving reinforcements from Ediania and Mansia, and launched several attacks against the frontal formations of the Laurasian force. Ultimately, however, Laurasian supremacy in numbers and firepower told, and on February 2, Haddington capitulated. The Earl of Picta himself was captured, but was treated by Lord Protector Seymouris with much leniency.
 * February 4-On the orders of the Regent Arran, who was alarmed by the continuing Laurasian advances in the Homeland Territories, Queen Mariana (who was now five years old), her mother Queen-Dowager Mariana of Guise, and the Royal Household were moved from Inchamolone Priory to Dumbaline, which boasted one of the largest military fortresses in the Celestial Kingdom of Scottria. Dumbaline Castle was equipped with advanced repulsive shield generators, turbocannons, and targeting craft, which would provide it aerial and land protection against possible offensives. The Castle was also comfortable and deemed in quality condition for the Queen and her household. It was even further out of the range of Laurasian forces, being located nearly 12,000 light-years away from Ediania, at the very northern outskirts of Scottrian territory bordering the Haynsian Despotate.
 * February 15-The Scottrian Regent Arran, desperate to have the Laurasian threat to the Scottrian realms terminated, and wishing to provide security for Queen Mariana, sent a secret offer for a second round of negotiations to the Franconian government of King Hensios II. In his communique, the Regent of Scottria declared that the "Laurasian mongrels" continued to harry and threaten the security of the Scottrian realms, and that unless if they were contained, then they would pose a more grievous threat to Franconian interests in the Amulak Spiral than ever before. Consequently, Arran requested for a new treaty to be drafted, and for a formal military and economic alliance between the Celestial Kingdom of Scottria and the Serene Kingdom of Franconia. He also proposed that Mariana could marry a Franconian prince, and that this would spare her from a union with the Emperor Demetrius II, who was under the control of his "vile" uncle. Hensios II, upon receiving the offer, declares he will consult with the Estates-General before making his final decision.
 * February 22-The Scottrian colonies on Dundee and Basinger are occupied by the forces of the Earl of Sarah, acting on the operational directives of Lord Protector Seymouris.
 * February 29-Sir Thomasius Seymouris, who desired for a higher position within the Imperial State, sent a communique to his brother, Lord Protector Seymouris, who was overseeing the Laurasian military campaigns in the Angelina Spiral. In this communique, Seymouris claimed as the uncle of the Emperor, he held every right to be a member of the Regency Council and to take charge of his nephew's education. Sir Thomasius asserted that he had always remained loyal towards his brother, and that he could "assist" him by presiding over affairs at the Imperial Court during his absence. Seymouris also requested for an increase in his allowance and for elevation to the peerage as Earl of Kendalia, in right of his wife, the Empress-Dowager. The Lord Protector, when he receives this communique, is alarmed, and sends a command to the Ministry of the Imperial Chancellory and the Court of Internal Investigations, ordering them to keep a strict surveillance over the activities of his younger brother.
 * March 14-The Empress-Dowager Katharina Parsius, who was months away from her thirty-sixth birthday, and who had no children from any of her previous three marriages, became pregnant for the first time, after having sexual relations with her husband, Sir Thomasius Seymouris. The news of the Empress-Dowager's pregnancy will be formally announced by the couple to the Imperial Court and the subjects of the Laurasian Empire on March 17. It shocked many among the nobility, especially the ladies-in-waiting, among whom rumors had circulated that the Empress-Dowager was incapable of bearing children. This, however, put paid to the rumors. Katharina and Thomasius were confident that the child she was carrying in her womb was a son; Sir Thomasius, in particular, believed that the birth of a son would consolidate his position of influence at the Imperial Court and give him a lever in relations with his brother the Lord Protector. Lord Protector Seymouris sent his congratulations by communique to the couple, but in private, was alarmed and shocked that Katharina had become pregnant.
 * March 29-Death of the Haynsian Despot Jay XI Karany, who had ruled since 1743. From the beginning of his reign, Jay had earned favor with his Marasharite superiors and widespread acclaim throughout the Haynsian Despotate. The Despot had adhered to the terms of the Treaty of Nis, abandoning his predecessor's schemes with foreign courts directed against the Laurasian and Austarlian Empires. He had become known as the "hard" Despot, due to his political tact and his ability to keep the various factions within the Haynsian Court and Elite Guards under his firm oversight. Jay was now succeeded as Despot by his cousin Arbai Karany, the son of Neal IV Karany.
 * April 5-Sir Avitus Berowes, Commodore of the 5th Laurasian Mobile Offensive Corps, and one of the chief subordinate officers under the command of the Lord Greysius, was commanded to construct a military outpost and communications citadel for Laurasian forces at Lewder, which had been stormed by Laurasian units on March 29. Seymouris wished to gather intelligence about the strategic depositions of the Scottrian forces and to crack Scottrian intelligence codes. The outpost will be constructed largely by specialized construction robots and a taskforce of Army personnel, and will be completed on April 24.
 * May 4-On Pari, the Estates-General of the Serene Kingdom of Franconia officially announced its support for a marriage alliance with the Celestial Kingdom of Franconia. Simon de Jouneville, Speaker of the First Estate, and one of the most prominent personages in Franconia, delivered the Estates' verdict to the King personally, announcing that the Franconian subjects considered it expedient for the power and influence of the "overbearing" Laurasian Empire to be strictly curtailed. Hensios now had the official basis which he needed to proceed further in negotiations with the Franconian Government. He now formally approved Arran's offer for negotiations and designated Marville as the site of negotiations between the Scottrian and Franconian governments.
 * May 6-The Empress-Dowager Katharina Parsius sends her stepdaughter, the Lady Aurelia, away from her household on Kendalia. Aurelia, who is fourteen and a half years old, is instead told to reside at the household of Sir Antonius Dennis on Chesham's Star. Over the past several months, the Empress-Dowager's husband, Sir Thomasius Seymouris, had developed an infatuation for the Lady. Seymouris, a romantic swashbuckler, and ambitious as ever, had begun to pay more and more attention to the Lady Aurelia. He whispered declarations of love in her ear, engaged in "romps" with her, and entered her bedchambers at night, sometimes wearing nothing but a nightgown. These indiscretions in the household awakened Aurelia's sexuality for the first time in her life, but it also alarmed her and made her feel uncomfortable. Rumors had begun to filter out from the Empress-Dowager's household to the Imperial Court, and some were even alleging that the Lady Aurelia had already given her virginity to Sir Thomasius (which was untrue). Nevertheless, the rumors alarmed the Empress-Dowager, and determined to preserve both her marriage and Aurelia's honor, she had sent her stepdaughter away. Aurelia would never see Katharina Parsius again, but would remember her fondly, and continued to correspond with her up until her death.
 * May 11-Leithia Redoubt was stormed by Laurasian military units under the direction of the Lord Greysius, who was now pressing to the outskirts of Leith. Counteroffensives launched by the Earl of Angus against Basinger, Richardson, and Dourif, in an attempt to dislodge Laurasian positions and disrupt the Imperial supply lines, are blunted during the course of the next several days.
 * May 14-Negotiations between the Celestial Kingdom of Scottria and the Serene Kingdom of Franconia, over the terms of a military and economic alliance against the Laurasian Empire, commenced at Marville. Claude d'Annebault, Simon de Jouneville, and the Duke of Torre were the plenipotentiaries of the Franconian delegation, with d'Annebault serving as the host of the conference. Regent Arran, on his part, had designated the Earl of Shetland, Lord George Douglain, and Sir Walter Scott as the Scottrian representatives to the conference. On the first day of the conference, acting on instructions from King Hensios, d'Annebault declared that his master desired for a marriage between his eldest son, the Dauphin Franjak, and Queen Mariana of Scottria. Arran, who was informed by the Earl of Shetland (serving as the chief Scottrian plenipotentiary) of the declaration made by d'Annebault, was able to easily convince Queen-Dowager Mariana of Guise to the proposal. He promised to pose the matter before the Scottrian Estates in a few days' time.
 * May 21-The Scottrian Estates, summoned by the Regent Arran in order to respond to the Franconian proposal of marriage, declared its support for the matter. In its proclamation, the Estates asserted that the "security and person of the Queen Mariana" was the utmost concern of the Scottrian people, and that a marriage between her and the heir-apparent of a "reliable and trustworthy" state would reap benefits for the Celestial Kingdom of Scottria. Therefore, it authorized the Regent Arran to accept the offer, and granted him the prerogative to decide the terms by which Mariana's marriage to Dauphin Franjak would be conducted. Arran, upon receiving the declaration of the Estates, immediately approved the marriage proposal posed by d'Annebault and commanded the Earl of Shetland to begin arranging the terms of marriage with him.
 * June 4-The Treaty of Marville is signed by the delegations of the Celestial Kingdom of Scottria and the Serene Kingdom of Franconia. By the terms of this treaty, a formal military and economic alliance is established between Scotrria and Franconia. King Hensios II of Franconia agreed to expand the number of Franconian mercenaries in Scottrian military force and to assign a naval taskforce, under the command of a experienced and reliable Franconian naval officer, to reconquer Haddington, Lewder, Branxholme, and other lost strongholds from their Laurasian garrisons. The Franconian King also pledged to compensate the Scottrian Government for all military expenses and to assume the burden of providing for and arming all mercenaries. In return, the Scottrian Government confirmed Franconian commercial and transit privileges in Scottrian territory; reaffirmed the commitment to make no treaty adverse to Franconian interests; and finally, pledged Queen Mariana in marriage to the Dauphin Franjak of Fraconia. The marriage was to take place in eleven years' time, once Mariana and Franjak had both obtained suitable maturity. However, in order to provide for the security of the Scottrian Queen, so that she would remain beyond the reach of grasping Laurasian forces, she and her household would live in Franconia, with her education and care becoming the responsibility of her future father-in-law. Arran and the Council of State would continue to govern the Scottrian realms in her name, and her mother, Queen Mariana of Guise, would ensure that the position of her daughter at the Scottrian Court was unmolested. Franconia promised to take responsibility for escorting Mariana and her entourage from the Amulak Spiral. The Treaty of Marville will be ratified by King Hensios II on June 11, while the Regent Arran will confer it preliminary approval, pending its certification by the Scottrian Estates. The treaty's military arrangements, however, take effect immediately.
 * June 9-The Battle of Musselburgh is fought between the forces of the Laurasian Empire and the Celestial Kingdom of Scottria. Lord Greysius commanded the Laurasian forces, while the Scottrian forces were commanded by Lord Charles Mccoy of Duxurh. The battle ultimately resulted in victory for the Laurasian Empire, as McCoy was compelled to abandon the Scottrian stronghold of Musselburgh. On the orders of the Lord Greysius, Musselburgh's military defenses were dismantled by the Laurasian troops, while its settlements were laid waste and its official treasury seized. It now became a operational outpost for Laurasian military forces.
 * June 12-Dunbar is seized by the forces of the Laurasian Empire under the command of Lord Dacre of Gitlandia. As had happened to Musselburgh, Dunbar is ravaged by the Laurasian troops and stripped of its defensive outposts.
 * June 14-Obliging by the provisions of the Treaty of Marville, the Franconian Naval Expeditionary Corps, under the command of the Franconian officers Paul de Thermes, Andre de Montalembert, and Henri Cleuten, departed from Calasia, in the Amulak Spiral. The Naval Expeditionary Corps was comprised of 400,000 Franconian Royal Army personnel on 50 transports, three 500-starfighter squadrons, and 40 warships, ten of which were Duplais-class star dreadnoughts, which matched the size of the largest destroyers of the Imperial Laurasian Navy. The Naval Corps will arrive at Dunbarth two days later, with the Regent Arran himself greeting the Franconian commanders.
 * June 18-The Imperial Intelligence Agency officially informs Lord Protector Seymouris of the Treaty of Marville, and that the Naval Expeditionary Corps had been pledged by the Franconian Government to the employment of the Scottrian Regent Arran. Seymouris was enraged when he learned that Arran had negotiated the engagement of Queen Mariana with the Franconian Dauphin Franjak; this put paid to Laurasian plans for a marriage between the Scottrian Queen and the Emperor Demetrius II. The Lord Protector was now convinced that Hensios II had contrived a conspiracy against Laurasian interests in the Angelina Spiral, and that it was necessary for Ediania to be occupied, so that the Scottrians would submit to Laurasian viewpoints. For reasons unknown to his peers, however, the Lord Protector refrains from issuing a declaration of war against Franconia directly. He believes that Laurasian campaigns in Scottria will be sufficient to limit Franconian influence. Hensios II of Franconia, on his part, does not issue a declaration of war either, although he advises Laurasian subjects against traveling in his territories. Laurasia and Franconia, however, were in a de facto state of war, even though their respective ambassadors continued to reside and work at the courts of the two powers.
 * June 22-The Franconian Naval Expeditionary Corps, now under the overall command of the Regent Arran, but still retaining tactical autonomy, deploys its units near Haddington. The Lord Greysius, supported by Sir Aurelius Wilfa and Commodore Balbinus Palmeris, had supervised the strengthening of Haddington's orbital defenses and its shield generators. He had done so under the direct orders of the Lord Protector Seymouris himself. The Laurasians were determined to make the siege of Haddington as costly for the Scottrians and Franconians as possible, and to block a renewed push by Scottrian units in the Scottrian Homeland Territories. For the time being, the Expeditionary Corps refrains from assaulting the outskirts of Haddington, as Lord Dacre and the Earl of Sarah continued to harry Scottrian colonies in the vicinity of Ediania.
 * July 3-The Siege of Haddington, by the combined Scottrian-Franconian forces under the overall command of the Regent Arran and Lord Methven, formally commenced. For once, the Scottrians enjoyed a numerical supremacy, as many of Haddington's units had been redeployed by Lord Greysius to other theaters. The Lord Protector Seymouris himself had already begun making plans to return to the Caladarian Galaxy proper, and had retreated to his headquarters on Muxholm, in the outskirts of the Angelina Spiral. Nevertheless, Sir Aurelius Wilfa, who was now the chief commander of operations for the garrison of Haddington, was determined to resist all Scottrian offensives. Scottrian Lord Methven was obliged to bring turbocannon from Moore and Kelly to the Haven of Aberlady, in order to begin bombarding the outer defensive outposts of Haddington. The Scottrian turbocannon proved to be effective and began to inflict damage upon Laurasian positions. Methven will make a report about the progress of the siege to Queen-Dowager Mariana of Guise on July 5.
 * July 7-The Scottrian Estates, assembled at Dunkeld, formally ratified the Treaty of Marville which had been signed between Scottria and Franconia a month earlier. The Regent Arran, having secured the consent of the elected representatives of the subjects of the Scottrian Realm for his planned marriage alliance with Franconia, now commanded the Royal Household to begin coordinating preparations with the Franconian Court, for the departure of Queen Mariana for the Amulak Spiral.
 * July 9-Queen-Dowager Mariana of Guise, determined to observe the progress of the Siege of Haddington herself, and wishing to obtain a understanding of tactical dispositions, visited the outskirts of Haddington with her personal entourage, defying instructions from the Regent Arran to remain at Dumbaline. Her entourage, however, comes in the range of the Laurasian artillery, however, and sixteen of her forty-five escort warships were destroyed or damaged by Laurasian defensive fire. The Queen-Dowager was terrified for her life and immediately withdrew back to Dumbaline, earning a verbal reprimand from Arran for having defied his instructions. By this point, Laurasian units under the command of Lord Dacre were preparing a counteroffensive against Franconian positions at Aberlady and Tyneglady.
 * July 16-Admiral Paul de Thermes, highest-ranking Franconian officer in the Expeditionary Corps, launched a frontal offensive against Laurasian positions at Haddington Rig with a detachment of Scottrian corvettes and starfighters. The Lord Greysius, however, had been alerted by his reconnaissance units of Scottrian advances, and employing the still-superior Laurasian artillery, successfully hurled the Franconians and Scottrians back. De Thermes himself was wounded during this confrontation, and was forced to retire to the Hospital Quarters of Leith in order to recuperate from his injuries.
 * July 19-Realizing that the forces besieging Haddington needed to be reorganized, and having little faith in the capabilities of the Scottrian units, Commodore Andre de Montalembert ordered for all Franconian turbocannons and stealth-fighters to be withdrawn from the outskirts of Haddington. The Regent Arran, learning of this Franconian move, attempted to countermand Montalembert's orders. Montalembert, however, bluntly informed the Regent that an earlier decisive assault against Haddington, before the Laurasians had time to entrench, would have been the best action, and that he could not risk losing all of his artillery by continuing to besiege Haddington in such an ineffective manner. Arran reluctantly capitulated, and permitted Montalembert to remove the Franconian artillery from Aberlady and Tyneglady.
 * July 25-Scottrian Lord Methven, imitating the actions of his compatriot and co-commander Commodore Montalembert, ordered for the withdrawal of Scottrian turbocannon and ion disruptors from the Siege of Harrington. He now moved Scottrian artillery to Ediania and Leith, in order to fortify the defensive garrisons of those star systems against possible Laurasian offensives. Montalembert, however, maintained Franconian offensive units in their positions around the outskirts of Haddington and continued to engage in skirmishes with the Laurasian garrison.
 * August 7-Queen Mariana of Scottria, now almost six years old, and her royal household were formally escorted from Dumbarton by a Franconian fleet under the command of Nicolas de Villeganon, who had been dispatched from Breuteuil by King Hensios II on August 2. The King of Franconia had commanded Admiral de Villeganon to ensure that the safety of the child Scottrian Queen and her entourage was secure, and that the route of progress taken from the Angelina Spiral was as swift and effective as possible. Haynsian Despot Neal III, who had ascended to the Haynsian despotate four months earlier, and who was an ardent anti-Laurasian, offered to provide escort units in the Galactic Void, so that Mariana and her entourage would not be menaced by Laurasian forces stationed at the Galactic Frontier Route and in the northern Outer Borderlands. Admiral de Villeganon accepted, and with Haynsian assistance, the Franconian escort fleet made much progress in their journey back to the Amulak Spiral. Lord Protector Seymouris was enraged, but he dared not risk a renewed war with the Marasharite Empire and Haynsian Despotate, which would not prove beneficial to Laurasian efforts in the Angelina Spiral.
 * August 23-Laurasian units under the command of the Earl of Hannis, who had been assigned by the Imperial General Staff to military command in the Angelina Spiral, arrived at Haddington in order to relieve the star system of its blockading force. The Lord Dacre, who had been planning on relieving the garrison of Haddington, had instead been commanded by the Lord Protector Seymouris to occupy the Scottrian garrisons of Grange and Parkhill (both worlds would capitulate to Laurasian forces on September 9). Commodore Montalembert, realizing that his forces were outnumbered, and that they were now the ones under siege, prudently decided to withdraw from Haddington. Lord Greysius was now relieved from his post by the Earl of Hannis, and allowed to retire back to the Caladarian Galaxy. The failure of the Siege of Haddington disheartened many within the Scottrian realms, but Regent Arran was determined not to make any peace with the Laurasian Empire until all lost Scottrian territory had been recovered.
 * August 30-In her personal bedchambers at Parsius Family Estate on Kendalia, the Empress-Dowager Katharina Parsius went into labor, which lasted for six hours, and gave birth to a healthy daughter, her only child, the Lady Didymeia Seymouris. She was named after the Empress-Dowager's elder stepdaughter, the Lady Didymeia. Despite the child's gender, both of her parents were overjoyed at her birth. The Emperor Demetrius II, upon hearing of the birth, expressed his joy for his stepmother, and with the assistance of Chief Procurator Cranmerius, composed an official letter of congratulations to the new parents. The Lady Didymeia herself expressed her happiness and joy for her stepmother, and asked to become the girl's godmother. Katharina accepted, and her daughter's christening date was set for September 9. However, the Empress-Dowager's health entered a severe decline from the early hours of September 1.
 * September 5-On September 5, 1748, Empress-Dowager Katharina Parsius, the sixth and last wife and consort of the Emperor Antigonus III the Extravagant, died at the age of thirty-six. The Empress-Dowager expired at the Maclevian Hospital of Curthey City, Kendalia. As has been noted above, the Empress-Dowager's health had entered a severe decline on September 1; two days later, the doctors of her household discovered that she had contracted the dreaded bane of diseases, Marsian fever. This was the same disease which had killed the Emperor Antigonus's third wife and consort, Theodora Seymouris, mother of Demetrius II. Katharina's death, coming only one year and seven months after the death of Antigonus III, therefore left Annaliese of Denver as the last surviving of the Emperor's wives. The news of the Empress-Dowager's death alarmed and shocked many throughout the Laurasian Empire. Demetrius II burst into tears when he learned that his beloved stepmother had died of Marsian fever. It pained the Emperor even more to know that his own mother, whom he never knew, had died from the same disease after giving birth to him. The Ladies Didymeia and Aurelia were both devastated when they were informed of their stepmother's death. Didymeia bewailed her stepmother and declared her to have been the "most virtuous woman to have lived, save my own mother." Aurelia, on her part, wrote in her journal that the death of Katharina "has left a deep wound in my heart." Chief Procurator Cranmerius offered prayers for her soul, and the Regency Council ordered the Imperial Court into four weeks of mourning for the Empress-Dowager. Lord Protector Seymouris, on his part, sent his condolences to his brother and issued a proclamation praising Katharina as a "faithful wife, an intelligent woman, and a kind personage."
 * September 11-Queen Mariana of Scottria and her entourage, escorted by the Franconian Admiral Nicolas de Villeganon, arrived at Roscoff in the Franconian Duchy of Brittany, and were formally greeted by King Hensios II, his wife and consort, the formidable Catheria d'Medici, and the Franconian Court. Mariana, who had been instructed by her governess as to proper manners, bowed humbly before the King and Queen Consort, and declared her happiness to be able to reside at his court. The King of Franconia declared that Admiral de Villeganon would be rewarded for successfully escorting Mariana away from the Angelina Spiral, and that there was no time to waste in seeing to Mariana's welfare and education. The vast Franconian entourage, comprised of the Franconian Household and Mariana's Scottrian Household, will begin a slow progress to Pari, arriving there on October 4. News of Mariana's arrival in the Amulak Spiral, however, sends the Regency Council on Laurasia Prime into a flurry of debate about the consequences of her looming marriage with the Dauphin Franjak.
 * September 22-The state funeral of Empress-Dowager Katharina Parsius was conducted at St. Sudelius's Chapel in Curthey City, Kendalia. Sir Thomasius Seymouris acted as the chief mourner at his wife's funeral, and according to eyewitness accounts, acted as if he were devastated by his wife's death. The Emperor Demetrius II, escorted by his tutor Johanius Chekius and by Chief Procurator Cranmerius, attended the funeral. The Ladies Didymeia and Aurelia, Baroness Annaliese of Denver, and the members of the Regency Council were among the many personages in attendance at the Empress-Dowager's funeral. Lord Protector Seymouris, still constrained by his duties of conducting the military operations in the Angelina Spiral, sent his eulogy for the funeral by hologram. Katharina is interred at the Tomb of Venerable Ones in St. Sudelius's Chapel, next to the bodies of her parents.
 * October 4-19-The Battle of Bunblarlin is fought between the Laurasian Empire's forces under the command of the Lords Seymouris and Dacre, and the Celestial Kingdom of Scottria's forces, under the command of Franconian Commodore Montalembert. The Franconian Expeditionary Corps had sought to dislodge the Laurasians from their positions at Glasgow and Lithurvia, and to begin driving Laurasian formations from the outskirts of Leith. The battle ultimately resulted in a stalemate, and Seymouris was able to maintain Laurasian supply lines. Montalembert, however, succeeded in ruining Laurasian plans for an offensive against Leith.
 * October 26-Aberlady is raided by Franconian units under General Henri Cleutin. Lord Seymouris is forced to strengthen the defenses of that outpost, which had been reconquered by Laurasian forces following the Franconian withdrawal from the Siege of Haddington.
 * November 19-Lord Protector Seymouris, who had grown weary of the military campaigns in the Angelina Spiral, and declaring that his presence was needed on Laurasia Prime, officially announced that he would be departing back to the Caladarian Galaxy proper before the end of the year. Seymouris asserted that unless if he himself were monitoring affairs on Laurasia Prime, that the unity of the Empire's government could be threatened and that rouges would arise to threaten the Emperor Demetrius's position. In reality, however, Seymouris wished to halt the intrigues of those at the Imperial Court who were already seeking his deposition as Lord Protector.
 * December 6-A second raid against Aberlady by the Franconian Expeditionary Corps, this time directed by Commodore Montalembert himself, is repelled by Laurasian units in the Battle of Abernathy.
 * December 13-Lord Protector Seymouris departed from the Laurasian command headquarters on Branxholm, having designated the Lord Greysius as the new supreme commander of Laurasian forces in the Celestial Kingdom of Scottria. This was because the Earl of Sarah had departed from the Angelina Spiral on November 24, and had himself returned to his estates in the Laurasian Empire. Seymouris's force will be harried by Scottrian pikefighter squadrons, but he will ultimately reach the Galactic Barrier on December 19. Seymouris will arrive back at Laurasia Prime by December 23.

1749

 * January 15-The Imperial Statute of Uniformity, which had been drafted by Chief Procurator Cranmerius and the Holy Synod, is promulgated by Lord Protector Seymouris and the Regency Council on the behalf of the Emperor Demetrius II. The statute codified all of the religious laws and regulations which had been passed since 1729, deprived the clergy of their right to interpret the regulations implemented by the Emperor and the Holy Synod on religious matters, and declared Laurasian to be the sole language of the liturgy. The same Statute authorized the Chief Procurator to decide on matters relating to religious festivals and services, and to devise new rules and regulations for the same. The Statute also abolished clerical celibacy, permitting the clergy of the Almitian Church to marry, the first time that privilege had been granted to them since the 7th century BH. This measure, one of the chief initiatives of the followers of Reformed Almitism, will arouse the opposition of many throughout the Laurasian Empire. This will range from subjects in the Malarian Provinces to the Lady Didymeia herself, who remained a strict Traditionalist Almitian.
 * January 16-During the early morning hours of January 16, 1749, Sir Thomasius Seymouris (who had been created Baron Seymouris of Kendalia in October 1748), the recently widowed husband of the Empress-Dowager Katharina, and younger brother of the Lord Protector Seymouris, burst into the personal bedchambers of the Emperor Demetrius II at the Quencilvanian Palace. Despite pleas and offers of reward from his brother, Seymouris had continued to intrigue, in order to advance his own position of influence and secure marriage with the Lady Aurelia, with whom he was infatuated. Seymouris believed that a direct appeal to the young Emperor personally would override the influence of his brother and allow him to obtain that position at the Imperial Court which he had long craved. In this, Seymouris was to be proven grievously mistaken. Seymouris, upon entering the bedchambers, stirred up noise in the household, as he had awoken one of the Emperor's pet spaniels. Seeking to silence the noise, he had foolishly discharged his blaster, killing the dog. Demetrius was stirred from his bed and surprised to see his uncle in his quarters. Seymouris attempted to make his plea before the Emperor, but the eleven-year old sovereign refused to listen, and soon summoned the Valedictorian Guards to his assistance. The Guards arrested Seymouris on the Emperor's orders and took him away from the bedchambers. Lord Protector Seymouris sent orders for his younger brother to be imprisoned at the Fortress of Baureux, while charges of treason, conspiracy, and corruption were prepared against him. This incident, which had taken place in the dark, was interpreted in the most menacing light by the Lord Protector and the Regency Council. Moreover, the Lord Protector had learned of the rumors circulating about his brother's indiscretions with the Lady Aurelia, and was determined to assert authority over the Imperial Family.
 * January 18-The Imperial Privy Council, acting on the orders of the Lord Protector Seymouris, dispatched delegations of investigators and Agents of the Imperial Household in order to question those who had been associated with Sir Thomasius Seymouris. Among the individuals now to be questioned were the Lady Minerva Greysius, the members of the Parsius household on Kendalia, and the Lady Aurelia herself, along with her governess, Katharina "Kat" Ashleius. The first round of interrogations of the Lady Aurelia, conducted at this stage by Procurator-General Richius and Archbishop Ridilus of Terell, was to prove the preliminary to a long series of questioning, which was to last for weeks. Seymouris and the rest of the Regency Council were convinced that Aurelia had been engaged in sexual relations with the younger Seymouris, and that she had defiled her honor during her time in the household of the late Empress-Dowager. Aurelia, however, was to become engaged in a game of wits with her questioners, proving to be a master of logic, defiance, and shrewdness. Ultimately, the Privy Council will not be able to prove her relationship with Sir Thomasius (if there was any) and the Lord Protector would be compelled to step down.
 * February 6-The Lord Greysius defeated a Scottrian force under the command of Sir Walter Scott in the Battle of Anuklaird, maintaining the Laurasian positions at Dunbar and Haddington.
 * February 22-Sir Thomasius Seymouris was formally arraigned by the Governing Senate on charges of treason, conspiracy, corruption, and "ill intent against the person of His Imperial Majesty". The Privy Council, which had continued to investigate the associates and servants of Seymouris, had discovered that he was engaged in conspiracies to marry the Lady Aurelia, arrange the union of the Emperor Demetrius with the Lady Minerva Greysius, and displace his brother as Lord Protector of the Laurasian Empire. Seymouris, himself under interrogation at the Fortress of Baureux, had continued to deny all the allegations against him and refused to cooperate with the interrogators in answering questions concerning the rumors which circulated about him.
 * February 26-March 14-The Battle of Jexburgh was waged between the forces of the Laurasian Empire, under the command of the Lord Greysius, and the Celestial Kingdom of Scottria, under the command of General Henri Cleutin. Jexburgh was vital to the Laurasian strategy of subduing the Homeland Territories, and its capture could weaken the supply lines of the Franconian Expeditionary Corps. Cleutin, however, had strengthened the world's defenses and employed his units effectively against Laurasian squadrons. The battle ultimately ended in victory for the Franconians, and Greysius was forced to put all plans for offensives against Leith and Ediania on permanent hold.
 * March 25-At the Senatorial Palace in Christiania, Laurasia Prime, Sir Thomasius Seymouris is tried and convicted on all thirty-three charges laid against him by the Governing Senate. The Senate condemned Seymouris to death by firing squad; this sentence was confirmed by his brother, Lord Protector Seymouris, who signed the death warrant two hours after it was issued. Sir Thomasius, when informed of the sentence against him, showed no remorse and declared that his actions had only been directed towards the maintenance of "tranquility and stability" in the Imperial Household. Seymouris's execution was scheduled for March 30 at the Fortress of Baureux. The Lord Protector, however, not wishing for his brother's betrayal to be publicly broadcast to the Laurasian people, commanded for it to take place in the Private Execution Chambers of the Fortress.
 * March 30-At the Private Execution Chambers of the Fortress of Baureux, Sir Thomasius Seymouris is executed by firing squad. The news of his execution spread quickly throughout the Imperial Court. Many believed that Seymouris deserved to be executed, and that his rashness would have doomed the Laurasian Empire. The Lady Aurelia herself, who was still under interrogation by the Privy Council as regards her relationship to Seymouris, showed no emotion when hearing of Seymouris's death. She declared that "This day died a man of much wit but very little judgment" and asserted her innocence in any dealings with him. Seymouris was condemned by the Holy Synod, and was therefore interred at the Prison Crypt of the Fortress of Baureux. All of his properties and estates were confiscated by Lord Protector Seymouris, leaving the Lady Didymeia Seymouris, who was seven months old at the time of her father's death, a destitute orphan. Didymeia, however, was taken in by the Dowager Duchess of Sufforia, Katharina Willoughby, who had been one of Empress-Dowager Katharina Parsius's closest friends. Her predicament would soon arouse the concern of the Imperial Court and of the Ladies Aurelia and Didymeia.
 * April 4-Glasgow is reconquered by the Celestial Kingdom of Scottria. Commodore Montalembert and General Cleutin inflicted a humiliating defeat upon the forces of the Lord Greysius and forced him to terminate raiding expeditions in the Farther Homeland Territories.
 * April 26-The Second Battle of Bunblarin results in a victory for the Scottrian forces under the command of Commodore Montalembert. Bunblarin is reoccupied by the Celestial Kingdom of Scottria, contributing to the further weakening of the Laurasian military position in the Angelina Spiral.
 * May 20-Chief Procurator Thomasius Seymouris, acting under the mandates of the Imperial Statute of Uniformity, and having worked with a commission of clerics and laymen for months, officially announced the publication of the Common Prayer Book of the Almitian Church of the Laurasian Empire. The Prayer Book, which was the first such Laurasian theological treatise to be published in nearly three centuries, provided for a uniform liturgy and service roll for the Almitian Church. The Prayer Book provided the sermons and procedures for such church services as the Daily Offices, readings for Sundays and Holy Days, the Communion Service, Public Baptism, Confirmation, Matrimony, The Visitation of the Sick, Burial, and the Ordinal. The Prayer Book maintained the form of the rites of consecration and communion, but for the first time, congregation parishioners were permitted to partake of the Holy Bread in both forms, but only on occasions of extreme importance. The Chief Procurator's work of simplification and revision of Church dogma was also applied to the Daily Offices, now reduced to the routines of Morning and Evening Prayer. All non-Scripture readings were dispensed with, and the curricula of readings was reduced from eight canonical hours to two. Readings were to come strictly from the text of the Revised Almitian Scriptures, and the priest would not be permitted to offer interpretations of the Scriptures in contravention to official doctrine. The implementation of the Prayer Book aroused the dissent of the Malarians and Malarian Laurasians, among the most Traditionalist members of the Almitian Church.
 * May 24-27-Musselburgh is reconquered by the Franconian forces under the command of General Paul de Thermes. The Lord Dacre is compelled to destroy Laurasian military supplies and armor in order to prevent these from falling into Franconian hands. Laurasian military efforts in the Angelina Spiral were hampered by the Lord Protector's own distractions and his concern on domestic affairs, the over-extension of Laurasian supply lines, and by the superior capabilities of the Franconian Expeditionary Corps commanders.
 * June 3-The Bishop of Malarian Timsies, Archaleus Memenius, had been commanded by the Holy Synod to employ the Prayer Book of the Almitian Church in his sermons and to enforce the procedures of the Statute of Uniformity among his congregations. Memenius followed the Synod's instructions to the letter, but found that his parishioners were not so willing to submit to the dictates of the Imperial Government. Callimachus Dunsey, one of the most influential members of the Almitian congregation of St. Semensey's Cathederal on Timsies, aroused the congregation in opposition to the directives of the Bishop of Timsies. Dunsey and the other leaders of the congregation demanded that Memenius oblige by the traditional services of the Church, and that he not disgrace "the House of Almitis" by using the order of service prepared by "corrupt and heretical officials". Memenius, however, refused, and Dunsey now declared that he no longer considered him to be the legitimate Bishop of Timsies.
 * June 6-Bishop Memenius of Timsies, alarmed by the opposition to his authority posed by the congregation of the world, and seeking to follow the directives of the Imperial Government, persuaded Governor Alcaeus Mevius of Timsies to compel the congregation to obedience by force. Governor Mevius dispatched troops to St. Semensey's Cathederal and to Dunsey's private residence, Cavarian Estate. A altercation then ensued between Dunsey's followers and the Governor's troops. Ultimately, the congregation managed to prevail over the troops and forced them to withdraw from their strongholds. Dunsey, now proclaiming himself the rightful servant of Almitis, and the protector of the Traditionalist liberties of the subjects of the Laurasian Empire, issued a declaration of rebellion. Over the course of the next three days, the officials and garrison of Timsies would defect to Dunsey and his forces; Bishop Memenius and Governor Mevius would both be arrested and imprisoned at the High Tower of Devonia (a prison and official armory which had been constructed by the Laurasian authorities of Timsies forty years earlier).
 * June 12-The Lord Protector Seymouris and the Regency Council, which had convened for a special session at Androvia Palace on Charasia, were officially informed by the Magnus of the Malarian Provinces, Sir Peithon Vevrasia, of the disturbances on Timsies and that there was much dissent against the religious reforms which had been introduced by the Holy Synod. The Lord Protector, determined to demonstrate his authority and the reach of the Imperial Laurasian Government, commanded Magnus Vervasia to take immediate measures to secure Odika, White, and Ularia against possible rebel offensives and to take action against any who may contemplate revolting in favor of Traditionalist Almitism.
 * June 14-The rebel forces of Timsies, under the direction of their leader Callimachus Dunsey, decided to march to Odika in order to present their complaints to Magnus Vervasia personally, and to announce, to the Imperial Laurasian Government and the subjects of the Laurasian Empire, their complaints about the religious reforms. Vervasia, however, was determined to have none of it. He issued a manifesto denouncing Dunsey and his followers as traitors; declaring that they would not have the right to present their demands before an official of the Empire "created by the will of Almitis"; and commanded all loyal subjects in the Malarian Provinces to resist the appeals of Dunsey. The Magnate's directives, however, would fall on deaf ears. The inhabitants of Ularia and White, in particular, began to stir up in their support for Dunsey.
 * June 17-At Bodmin, a Laurasian resort colony which had been established under the patronage of the Second Duke of Norfolkius in 1717, Mayor and Chief Administrator Antigonus Bracius declared his support for the rebel forces of Callimachus Dunsey. Bracius, who himself harbored Traditionalist sentiments, declared that he could not in his conscience condone the enforcement of the Common Prayer Book. Bracius now offered Bodmin's military supplies and extensive financial reserves to Dunsey and his forces. Dunsey also received the support of two prominent merchants, Sir Acacius Arundellis of Helland and John Winslgar of Tegarrick. Arundellis, in particular, was to become one of the chief commanders of the rebel forces.
 * June 19-The Battle of Inckeith was fought between the forces of the Laurasian Empire under the command of the Lord Greysius and those of the Celestial Kingdom of Scotttria under the command of Commodore Montalembert. Inckeith, which had been colonized by the Scottrians as far back as the fifth century AH, had been seized by the Laurasian forces in November 1747, and had become one of their main military assembly bases. Its reconquest would permit Commodore Montalembert to storm Branxholme and Erith and to begin the process of finally driving all Laurasian units out of the Homeland Territories. The battle was particularly hard fought, and the Laurasians inflicted severe damage upon Scottrian warships with their superior turbocannon. Ultimately, however, Montalembert secured a victory, and Inckeith was reconquered by the Scottrians. The Lord Greysius was now largely disgraced in the eyes of the Imperial Court. Lord Protector Seymouris had begun contemplating sending the ailing Field-Marshal Lacius back into action for one last time, but was ultimately dissuaded from this step.
 * June 22-The commoners of Ularia, provoked by taxation and the religious changes imposed by officials of the Imperial Laurasian Government, erupted in full-scale rebellion. Sir Acacius Arunellis, who had been recognized by Dunsey as his chief operational commander on June 21, encouraged the outburst of anti-governmental dissent on Ularia. Under the leadership of Nicephorus Imposius, the congregations of Ularia soon captured and imprisoned the Bishop of Ularia, Peithon Yemengeven, and proclaimed the restoration of the Traditionalist services at all Almitian cathedrals on the world. The gentry and elites of Ularia now sought to withdraw into the strongholds of St. Michael's Mount, located in the Ularian High Plains. They were soon besieged by the rebels however, and ultimately would be compelled into surrender on June 26. Sir Richardius Grenvillius, one of the leading Laurasian knights of Ularia, found refuge in the ruins of Tremarton Armory; deserted by many of his followers however, he would be enticed by Imposius and then imprisoned in the Common Gaol of Ularia. Ularia will be firmly under the control of rebel forces by June 24.
 * June 27-White, under the leadership of the Merchants of the Consortium of Byron, defected to the rebel forces of Callimachus Dunsey and Sir Acacius Arunellis. The defection of White alarmed Magate Vervasia, who strengthened the fortifications of Odika and made preparations to expand the garrisons at Welch, Johnald, the Jar Asteroid Belt, Terell, Almastead, Kangley, Meehan, and other strongholds in the Malarian Provinces.
 * June 29-The Lord Greysius, who had suffered reverses in action against the Franconian Expeditionary Corps, and who wished to redeem himself, requested for a recall to the Caladarian Galaxy. Lord Protector Seymouris, who was ashamed of the losses in the Angelina Spiral, but nevertheless considered Greysius to be a loyal friend and associate, approved his return request. Greysius will depart from his command headquarters on Haddington and arrive back in the Galactic Borderlands by July 4.
 * July 6-In Kantana City, Teth, in the heart of one of the most prosperous and important worlds in the Laurasian Empire, Demetrius Webbus, who served as Vicar of the Laurasian Cathederal of St. Barbenius, began to encourage the congregations of Teth to resist the religious changes which were imposed upon them by the Chief Procurator Cranmerius and the Holy Synod, and to continue to adhere to their Traditional religious values and practices. Webbus's sermons begin to arouse the population of Teth in dissent against the Laurasian Empire; rates of crime and religious nonconformity will rise drastically over the following days.
 * July 11-The rebel forces of Callimachus Dunsey and Sir Acacius Aruellis finally arrived at the outskirts of Odika, having been diverted by the defection of Ularia and White to their cause. Dunsey sent a request to Governor Telemachus Machunrionos of Odika, offering him a position of command among the rebel forces and "great honors from the bounty of Almitis" if he joined their cause. Governor Machurionos, however, who was loyal to the Magnus Vervasia, and who believed that the rebels were doomed to failure, refused to comply. Dunsey, therefore, decided to subdue Odika by force and to establish that world as his chief operational headquarters, for further offensive moves against governmental garrison. Rebel forces cut off supply routes to the star system and imposed a blockade of its outskirts; the Rebel Siege of Odika had commenced.
 * July 14-Sir Galerius Caranius and his brother, Sir Seleucus Caranius, both of whom were the subordinate commanders of Johnald and among the most prominent personages in the Malarian Provinces, were authorized by the Magnus Vervasia to command military operations against the military units under the command of Arunellis. The two Caranius brothers assembled military units and supplies at Johnald, Welch, Terell, Timaslan, and Ettlemen, determined to crush the rebel forces.
 * July 16-Sir Acacius Arunellia stormed the government garrison of Evans and conquered the stronghold, which now became a major financial reserve and military outpost for the rebel forces. By this point, many were referring to the disturbances in the Malarian Provinces as the Traditionalist or Prayer Book Rebellion.
 * July 22-Tensions which had been boiling over in Kantana City finally erupted into full-scale rebellion against the government authorities of that world. Webbus had continued to conduct his sermons at religious cathedrals and edifices across the planet, denouncing the religious reforms of the Chief Procurator Cranmerius and declaring that those who were within the Imperial Laurasian Government were "traitors and agents of the anti-Almitis". This had finally aroused the notice of government authorities, and on July 20, Webbus was arrested and imprisoned at Melvine Tower, one of the largest prisons in Kantana City. His arrest, however, drove the Traditionalist inhabitants of Kantana City to action. Two days later, rioting broke out throughout the city. Surging crowds destroyed property, looted all of the arsenals and blaster armories, and butchered any police officer or garrison trooper whom they chanced upon. They soon stormed Melvine Tower, in conjunction with a prison uprising there, and freed Webbus from his cell. Webbus now proclaimed himself leader of the rebel forces and began sending messages to other Tethian cities, urging them to rise up. By July 27, much of the Teth star system will be engulfed in anarchy.
 * July 24-The Lord Greysius of Willonia, who had arrived back at Laurasia Prime two days earlier, was appointed by Lord Protector Seymouris to take the field against the rebel forces of Timsies in the Malarian Provinces. The Lord Protector had decided to give his friend and comrade another command, believing that the suppression of this rebellion would prove a far easier task for him than waging war against the Scottrians. He was to be proven correct in this guess. Greysius will arrive at Welch on July 26.
 * July 28-The Battle of Fenway Garrison took place between the government forces of the Laurasian Empire, under the command of the Lord Greysius of Willonia, and the rebel forces of Timsies, under the command of Sir Acacius Arunellia. Willonia's forces, comprised of 500 starfighters, 20 major warships, and a corps of transports, had operated from the Laurasian colony of Hointon and were beginning their march to Odika, in order to relieve that star system of the rebel blockade. It was Arunellia who had decided to attempt to block the advance of government forces at Fenway Garrison, a minor spaceport located about twelve light-years to the east of Odika. The Battle, despite the technological and numerical advantages enjoyed by the government forces, proved indecisive, and Arunellia managed to maintain rebel positions at the outskirts of Odika for the time being. Willonia returned briefly to Hointon in order to reorganize his forces and to receive reinforcements from the garrisons of the Maluyta Nebula.
 * August 2-The government forces of the Lord Greysius of Willonia were reinforced by 50 corvettes and 30 Antigonus-class frigates at Hointon; Greysius was therefore able to resume his advance against Odika. Bypassing Fenway Garrison, which had been seized by the rebel troops, he advanced to Woodenburthy Drifts. The Drifts, a ring of asteroids about eight light-years to the east of Odika, had been home to a Stellar Drift Research Outpost of the University of Malaria Prime from 1619 to 1654. The outpost had been abandoned by the University of Malaria in the latter year, due to the loss of interest by the University Board of Regents in studying the Drifts, and it had since been used as a layover port by merchants, government officials, and starhoppers. Arunellis, hearing of the advance of government forces to Woodenburthy Drifts, decided to launch an offensive against their positions.
 * August 4-The Battle of Woodenburthy Drifts occurred between the forces of Lord Greysius of Willonia and Sir Acacius Arunellia. Despite Arunellia's efforts to harry and disrupt the government formations, the battle resulted in a victory for the Imperial Laurasian Government. Arunellia and his units, having suffered heavy casualties, were forced to retreat.
 * August 5-The Battle of Cryst St. Didymeia, fought just one day after the Battle of the Woodenburthy Drifts, occurred as Arunellia's retreating forces were assaulted by government squadrons under the command of Rear-Admiral Sir Willanius Furjure. A ferocious battle ensued, as Arunellia directed his starfighters and corvettes to harry government positions, and as interdictors were engaged in efforts to preventing rebel spaceships from jumping into hyperspace. Ultimately, the battle resulted in victory for the government forces, and nearly half of the rebel corvettes were recaptured by Eurjure. The following day, some 40,000 rebel personnel would be summarily condemned and executed by solar incineration on the orders of Lord Greysius at Clyst Heath, a neighboring sister world of Cryst St. Didymeia (both worlds had been originally colonized by a consortium of Laurasian settlers in 1604, abandoned in 1657, and then recolonized in 1683, the second time by a government-sponsored expedition).
 * August 8-On Teth, the forces of Demetrius Webbus managed to secure control of the Tethian Palace of Kings, cementing their dominance within the star system. Many in the Regency Council were now criticizing the desultory response of the Lord Protector, who was distracted by affairs at the Imperial Court and worried about the intrigues of rival factions. Field-Marshal Munnich had pressed for his assignment to the star system, in order to suppress the rebellion, but had been refused. Many at the Imperial Court now began to believe that Seymouris was incompetent, and that his removal was necessary for the restoration of order to the Imperial Government.
 * August 12-The Battle of Clyst Heath occurred between the government forces of Lord Greysius and the rebel forces of Sir Arunellia. Arunellia had been enraged by the execution of rebel personnel at the world six days earlier, and was determined to dislodge Greysius from his most recently-won position. The rebel forces attacked with great ferocity; Lord Greysius himself was later to comment that the fighting was even more fierce than that which had marked his confrontations with the Scottrians. During the course of the battle, some 40,000 military personnel, of both the military and government forces, died. Ultimately, however, the superior discipline and organization of the government forces won the day, and Arunellia was handed a decisive defeat. Government forces now advanced rapidly to Odika, determined to finally relieve the world of its rebel blockade.
 * August 16-Odika was finally relieved by the government forces of the Laurasian Empire under the command of Lord Greysius. John Winsglar of Tegarrick, who had commanded the rebel units besieging Odika, was captured by Laurasian starfighters. On the orders of Lord Greysius, he was bound in chains and imprisoned at Demonthe Complex in Riverapolis, Odika. The other officers of the rebel forces which had besieged Odika were either imprisoned or executed after immediate condemnation by the Laurasian General for their participation in the rebellion. On the same day as Odika was finally relieved, the Ministry of Regional Administration issued a proclamation from the Quencilvanian Palace, ordering for the confiscation of the estates of all who had been involved in the uprisings. Winsglar's properties were now awarded to the Caranius brothers, who had proven instrumental in the suppression of the uprising.
 * August 22-Arunellia, determined to make a last stand against government forces, began to assemble his remaining units at Samplaford Courtnay. The Lord Greysius, previously under the impression that Arunellia's forces had been driven to the breaking point, was forced to now divert his units for battle at Samplaford Courtnay. His forces were strengthened, however, by the arrival of a corps of frigates under the command of Provost Marshal Sir Antonius Kingstis. Lord Greysius and Sir Galerius Caranius now commanded the offensive against the rebel forces of Arunellia, and despite fierce resistance, overcame the rebel positions. Nearly half of the rebel units were destroyed or captured; some, however, such as Arunellia himself, managed to flee from the field of battle. He will be captured, however, at Glaunceston on August 27; on September 2, on the orders of Lord Protector Seymouris, both Arunellia and Winsglar would be placed on a prison transport and brought to the Fortress of Baureux on Laurasia Prime.
 * August 25-Ulara and White, realizing that the game was up, both surrendered to the government forces of Lord Greysius. Greysius and his units now marched to the outskirts of Timsies, determined to subdue that star system where the forces of the Prayer Book Rebellion had first arisen. Dunsey, the instigator of the rebellion, now took command of the garrison of Timsies and was determined not to surrender to the Imperial Laurasian Government easily.
 * August 26-September 9-The Siege of Timsies by the government forces of the Laurasian Empire under the command of Lord Greysius. Government forces suppressed all supply lines to the star system and were forced to employ harsh measures against rebel positions. Ultimately, however, Greysius was able to storm the world. Dunsey, true to his word, refused to surrender, and was killed in battle by troops of the Imperial Marines. Timsies was reconquered by the Laurasian Empire, and a spate of arrests, imprisonments, and executions now ensued, as the Magnus Vervasia and Lord Greysius sought to reimpose Laurasian authority in the star system.
 * August 29-Contrath, the last remaining rebel stronghold, surrenders to the forces of Lord Greysius. The Prayer Book Rebellion, also known as Dunsey's Rebellion, was finally brought to an end. Chief Procurator Cranmerius and the Holy Synod excommunicated Dunsey, Winsglar, and Arunellia; issued sentences of condemnation against all who had condoned the uprising; and praised the Lord Protector for having taken measures against the uprising. On the orders of the Regency Council, martial law was declared in the former rebel systems, and was to be maintained in those regions for over a year. Over the next six months, nearly 200,000 individuals at Timsies, Ulara, and White would be condemned to death for having participated in or provided support to the rebellion.
 * September 2-Lord Protector Seymouris immediately reassigned Lord Greysius to suppress the Disturbances of Teth, as the resistance of the followers of Webbus had become known. Greysius traveled swiftly across the Central Core and took command of government units at Hannah and Ruthania the following day.
 * September 5-The Battle of Enslath, the sole confrontation between the government fores of the Laurasian Empire under the command of Lord Greysius, and the Tethian rebel forces of Demetrius Webbus, resulted in a crushing victory for the Laurasian Government. Governmental forces did not lose any starships, and most of the rebel fleet was either captured or destroyed. Webbus himself was captured by Laurasian starfighters, and was placed in chains on the orders of the Lord Greysius. Greysius's forces now advanced swiftly into the outskirts of the Teth star system; Teth surrendered before the end of the day.
 * September 7-Martial law was officially declared on Teth, in the aftermath of the swift suppression of the Disturbances of Teth by Lord Greysius. Greysius, acting on the orders of the Regency Council, ordered for the arrest, interrogation, and condemnation of the leading officers and instigators of the Disturbances. Over the next two months, some 50,000 individuals will be condemned to death for their participation in the uprising, while the properties of 200,000 others would be confiscated and a strict curfew imposed upon the movements of all inhabitants of Teth. The curfew would remain in place until November 1751.
 * September 19-The Lord Dacre of Gitlandia, acting on the orders of the Imperial General Headquarters, ordered for all Laurasian units to be withdrawn from Haddington. By now, the defensiveness of that stronghold had become untenable, as the Franconian Expeditionary Corps had successfully reduced all Laurasian garrisons in the Homeland Territories. The Laurasian people now clamored for an end to the desultory military campaigning in the Angelina Spiral, and many blamed Lord Protector Seymouris for the failure of the operations, declaring that the Scottrians could have easily been defeated, if only all military resources had been thrown in the effort. The Earl of Arran and his squadrons occupied Haddington shortly after the Laurasian withdrawal, and in a proclamation to the Scottrian people, issued in the name of Queen Mariana, the Earl boasted that the Laurasians were cowards, incapable of maintaining their military gains. Laurasian troops, however, continued to occupy the Scottrian Borderland Territories and held a large number of Scottrian prisoners of war.
 * September 22-At Alysaborian Stockards, in orbit of Teth, Demetrius Webbus was executed by hanging, drawing, quartering, and solar incineration. Denied a trial in the normal judicial system, he had been condemned to death by Lord Greysius on September 20; this sentence had been confirmed by the Governing Senate, which had authorized for Webbus to suffer the full horrors of a traitor's death. To the end, Webbus declared that his uprising had been directed against the exactions of "corrupt" officials and that he had wished to preserve the Traditionalist values of the Almitian Church.
 * October 1-Lord Protector Seymouris, realizing that his rule was now under a severe threat, decided to make a tactical withdrawal from Laurasia Prime with the person of the Emperor Demetrius. He issued a proclamation from the Quencilvanian Palace, declaring that he had only intended to rule the Laurasian dominions "in good stead" and that his military campaigns had been pursued in the hopes of extending the Laurasian Empire's territory and prestige. Immediately after issuing this proclamation, the Lord Protector took possession of the Emperor's person and withdrew to the fortified Palace of Placenta on Darcia. The Regency Council, which was now under the influence of the Earl of Sarah, now began to draft preparations for the Lord Protector's removal.
 * October 9-The Regency Council published the results of an official investigation into the activities of Lord Protector Seymouris. The investigative documents had been drafted by Procurator-General Richius of the Governing Senate, the Earl of Sarah, and Chief Procurator Cranmerius (who had turned against the Lord Protector). In the investigative report, it was declared that Seymouris had wasted the revenues of the Imperial Treasury, schemed to extend his family's position and influence at the expense of the Emperor's well-being, and had been irresponsible as to the cares of government. It pointed out the failures and the inept manner of conduct of the military campaigns in the Angelina Spiral; the outbreak of rebellions and civil dissent against the authority of the Imperial Laurasian Government; and the declines which had occurred in the labor, stock exchange, and agricultural markets. Therefore, Seymouris could not be trusted any longer with the reins of state. The Council asserted that his authority as Lord Protector came from that body, not the Emperor Antigonus III's will, and that therefore, he was subject to removal by them. Seymouris, at the Palace of Placenta, received word of the Council's proclamations, and was utterly distraught.
 * October 11-The Regency Council, asserting once again its authority over the affairs of the Laurasian Empire, officially ordered for the arrest of Lord Protector Seymouris. The body also commanded for the Emperor Demetrius II to be brought back to the Quencilvanian Palace on Laurasia Prime. Seymouris had lost the support of his earlier favorites at the Imperial Court, and no one on Darcia was willing to assist him retain his position. Realizing these facts, the Lord Protector therefore surrendered to the Valedictorian Guards dispatched to place him into custody. By the end of the day, he had been imprisoned at the Fortress of Baureux, while the Emperor Demetrius had returned to Laurasia Prime with his imperial entourage. The Earl of Sarah, whose ambitions increased daily, was now in the position to formally displace Seymouris as Lord Protector.
 * October 26-Sir Acacius Arunella and John Winslgar of Tegarrick were formally convicted by the Governing Senate of the Laurasian Empire on charges of treason, heresy, and "dissent against the Imperial Government". The Senate condemned both men to death, assigning them the full penalties of a traitor's death. Arunellia made a plea to the Regency Council for mercy, but on the urging of the Earl of Sarah, his petition was rejected, and the Council confirmed the sentence of execution which had been passed by the Senate. The execution of Arunella and Winsglar was scheduled to take place at the Fortress of Baureux on November 5.
 * November 3-The Regency Council formally deprived Edwardis Seymouris, Duke of Volta, of his positions as Lord Protector of the Laurasian Empire, President of the Privy Council, Lord Treasurer of the Imperial Household, and Governor of the Emperor's Person. Seymouris, however, was not deprived of either the Dukedom of Volta or his family estates; this was the doing of the Earl of Sarah, who still held sympathy for his former patron and associate. Seymouris, however, was to remain imprisoned at the Fortress of Baureux, and he was not permitted to see any visitors or to employ writing materials.
 * November 5-The execution of Sir Acacius Arunella and John Winsglar of Tegarrick takes place at the Public Grounds of the Fortress of Baureux in Christiania, Laurasia Prime. To the end, both Arunelia and Winsglar declared that their uprising had only been meant to preserve the customs of their ancestors, and protested the manner in which they were treated by the Laurasian Government. The Holy Synod had excommunicated both men, and on the orders of Procurator-General Richius, their bodies were deposited at the Pit of Traitors on Jadia.
 * November 6-At Tifenlium, a local festival became the cause of the third, and final uprising, of the year 1749 against the authorities of the Laurasian Empire. Every year, in Tifenlium's capital city of Wydominia, the Festival of Joy in Almitis was held; this was an annual tradition which had first commenced in 105 BH, and had continued without interruption for the preceding 1,854 years. The citizens of Wydominia, however, also honored the cult of St. Thomasius Becketius, that Chief Procurator of the Holy Synod who had dared to oppose the religious policies of the Emperor Anticohus I the Great and had been assassinated on December 22, 1370 at Hepudermia. The Shrine of Becketius at Charasia, which had been established on the orders of the Emperor Tiberius in 1420 in Becketius's honor, had been destroyed on the orders of the Emperor Antigonus III on February 15, 1738, having been one of the chief shrines of the Almitian Church for 318 years. Antigonus had also outlawed the cult of Becketius and ordered for his subjects to denounce him as a traitor and betrayer of his sovereign lord. In many star systems throughout the Laurasian Empire, however, the Emperor's command had been ignored, and many had continued to venerate Becketius as a saint. The authorities of Tifenlium intervened on this occasion, however, and ordered the Festival organizers to remove the celebrations for Becketius from their festivities. They complied, but this aroused the anger of many of the inhabitants of Wydominia.
 * November 8-A group of enraged citizens of Wydominia descended upon the property of the CEO of Wydominian Artistry, Sir John Flemendis, determined to ransack all of his properties and to inflict damage upon his residence. Flemendis, however, was able to bribe the mob to instead sack the home of his neighbor and adversary, Craterus Kettius. Kettius, who was 57 years old at the time, was the Chairman of Kettian Foodstuffs, one of the chief agricultural firms of Tifenlium. His family had been engaged in the agricultural goods and processing business since the reign of Arasces II the Patient in the early twelfth century, and had long since been established as among the prominent citizens of Tifenlium. The son of Sir Thomasius and Messalina Kettius, Craterus harbored Traditionalist sentiments and a distaste for the authority of the Imperial Government. He was now able to convince the rioters of his good intentions, and was able to recruit them to his cause. Joined in his efforts by his elder brother Willanius, Kettius now led the mobs in ransacking the properties of Flemendis. Flemendis was enraged and immediately appealed to the authorities of Tifenlium in order to suppress "this outbreak of violence".
 * November 9-Kettius, employing monetary bribes from his resources, was able to secure the support of Mayor Athanasius Cleos of Wydominia. Cleos, who harbored Traditionalist sentiments, and wished to preserve the Festival of St. Thomasius Becketius from changes by government officials, ordered all of the police and judicial forces of Wydominia to assist Kettius. By the end of the day, Kettius had also secured the support of Governor Marcus Aurelius of Tifenlium; the rebel forces were now being amplified by defectors from government garrisons at Lomarr, Anorr Minor, and Isolder's Shaft, and news of the uprising now spread throughout the Empire. The Regency Council was utterly alarmed by this latest outbreak of violence and defiance within the Empire's territories.
 * November 10-Kettius and his followers seized control of the outpost-world of Bowthropia, and were now approached by the Praetor of Tiflenium, Sir Eusebius Wyndhatia, who orders them to disperse. The response was negative, however, and the Praetor of Tiflenium, who had only been escorted by a honor guard, was forced to withdraw back to his operational headquarters on Lomanis. Shortly afterwards, the rebel forces of Tiflenium were approached by the Governor of Lomanis, who met a similar response. The following night, Kettius and his units would storm Anorr Manor and then cross the Mists of Hellesdon in order to establish a new operational headquarters at the minor colony-world of Draytonia.
 * November 12-The rebel forces of Craterus Kettius, having moved yet again, established a new operational headquarters, this time at Marvulum, which was located five light years to the northeast of Draytonia. This was to remain their chief base of operations against government forces for the next six and a half weeks. Kettius established his headquarters in St. Michael's Citadel, which was the central government headquarters of Marvulum. Mount Soria, which had lain vacant since the Earl of Soria's execution in January 1747, was also located on Marvulum and would be used by the rebel forces in order to imprison captives of war. Kettius and his followers, who had now constituted themselves in an administrative council, began to hold meetings at St. Michael's Citadel, issuing warrants to obtain provisions and arms and to arrest members of the Laurasian gentry and merchant elites who resided in the vicinity of Marvulum. Over the next four days, the camp of Marvulum would be strengthened by the arrival of recruits and mercenaries from Sentinum, Alanium, Luseulum, Volterra, Alicia, and Taurasia, among other Laurasian colonies.
 * November 16-Craterus Kettius, Mayor Athanasius Cleos of Wydominia, Tifenlium, and Governor Thomasius Coddius of Draytonia signed the Kettian Greviances and sent it by holographic communique to the Regency Council. The grievances were comprised of twenty-nine demands and would come to be viewed by historians of the Laurasian Empire in the latter part of the century, such as Viscount Haley, Gibbeneous, and Lady Vassalina, as being little more than a shopping list of demands. The grievances, however, also articulated the complaints that many Laurasians held about the actions of their government, demonstrating a desire to limit the power and influence of the wealthy elites, constrain rapid economic change, prevent the exploitation of planetary resources by "rapacious" imperial officials and corporations, and retain the Traditionalist morals of the Almitian Church. The rebels also protested the Imperial Edict for the Punishment of Vagabonds, promulgated by Lord Protector Seymouris June 22, 1747, which had provided for harsh penalties for those who refused to find employment after five consecutive months of welfare assistance from Imperial authorities. Kettius and his followers wished to provide for a reorganization of the welfare system and the relaxation of the harsh demands made of the unemployed by imperial authorities. The Earl of Sarah, when he received the Grievances, declared that they were the doing of "traitors and heretics in league with the anti-Almitis".
 * November 21-The truce which had been established between the rebel forces of Kettius and the government authorities of Lomanis expired, as on the orders of the Regency Council, Lomanis Herald Bartholomew Brastis, who had arrived at Lomanis from Laurasia Prime, went with planetary officials to Marvulum, proclaimed the gathering there to be a rebellion, and offered pardon to any who immediately surrendered their arms to the imperial authorities. Kettius rejected the offer, declaring he had no need of a pardon because he had not committed treason. Harold Brastis lacked the forces to arrest and disperse the rebel camp, and was therefore compelled to return to Lomanis with Governor Sevbraius. Kettius and his followers were now officially rebels; the authorities therefore began to lay minefields in the outskirts of the Lomanis star system and strengthened the planetary defenses. Kettius now faced a decision. He could submit to the demands of the imperial authorities, or he could renew his assaults by attacking Lomanis. He decided on the latter course, and during the late hours of November 21, rebel artillery positioned at Outpost Survis III opened fire. The bombardment and the response from the turbocannon outposts of Lomanis lasted through the closing hours of the day.
 * November 22-During the early hours of November 22, which was morning on Lomanis, Kettius withdrew his artillery. The planetary defenders had repositioned their turbocannons and were also preparing to charge their torpedo batteries. The rebels now feared that their frontal forces would be decimated. Under a flag of truce, rebel forces demanded access to Lomanis; this demand was refused by Governor Sevbraius. Kettius artillery, which was moved to the Marvulum Straits, opened another barrage against the defenses of Lomanis. The turbocannons of Lomanis, unable to strike the Straits, had now lost their purpose. Kettius then ordered a general offensive against the positions of Lomanis, and despite the efforts of Governor Sevbraius, the rebels overwhelmed the outer defenses. Herald Brastis sent one last demand to Kettius that he retreat, but the rebel leader refused. Soon, a Traditionalist sympathizer in the Planetary Garrison sabotaged Lomanis's shield generators, permitting Kettius and his troops to land on the world. Lomanis City was quickly overrun, and both the Herald and the Governor were forced to flee. Lomanis, which had a population of 50 million, was now in the possession of the Kettian Rebellion.
 * November 25-The Earl of Sarah, alarmed by the advances of the rebel forces, and acting on the orders of the Regency Council, dispatched the late Empress-Dowager Katharina Parsius's younger brother, the Marquess of Venusia, to Lomanis in order to quell the Kettian Rebellion. Because Lomanis was less than two thousand light years away from Laurasia Prime, it took virtually no time for the Marquess and his forces, which included elite Briannian Shock Troopers, to advance to Lomanis. As he approached the outskirts of the star system, he sent forward his herald to demand the surrender of the world. The Deputy Governor of Lomanis, Augustine Stewardis, responded to the herald's demands. Having managed to escape the grasp of the rebel forces, Stewardis conveyed that the rebels had retreated back to Marvulum and the Marvulum Straits. Kettius had already seen how difficult it was to defend Lomanis, with its shield generators and orbital defense outposts, and had decided to allow Venusia's milita force to defend the planet while he again laid siege to it.
 * November 31-The Imperial Army made defensive preparations and began to patrol the outskirts of Lomanis. Around midnight of this day, the planetary alarm system began to rang out, awakening Venusia, who had retired to his personal bedchambers on his flagship, the HIMS Stravutis. It appeared that dozens of rebel warships were using their superior knowledge of the Lomanis Stellar Drifts in order to launch hit-and-run attacks against the government forces. Lord Shervefield, who was the subordinate commander of the government forces, suggested constructing ramparts along the eastern edge of the star system, which was open to attack, and warned that rebel units could advance from the Marvulum Straits with ease.
 * December 1-By the early morning hours of December 1, the ramparts had been strengthened by the deployment of cruisers and corvettes, and Shervefield, who had overseen the re deployments, had retired to his personal bedchambers in order to take his breakfast. Some minutes later, Venusia received information that the rebels wished to discuss surrender and that some were gathering at the relay outpost of Northopria. Shervefield went with Herald Brastis, who was now under the command of the Marquess of Venusia, in order to discuss this apparent good turn of events with the rebels. On arrival at Northopria, however, Shrevefield found no rebels at all. It had been a diversionary tactic by Kettius, who had sent out communication relays to the Lomanis Outposts suggesting a parley. The main rebel force had begun to advance across the Marvulum Straits during Shervefield's absence. Venusia's main force was stationed around Lomanis itself. As the attack developed, he began dispatching starfighters and cruisers into a growing and vicious naval confrontation which developed along the eastern straits of the star system. Shervefield, having returned from Northopria, led his squadrons in an offensive against rebel positions at Catahlis III, the outermost moon of Lomanis. Rebel forces repelled his offensive however, and as he was retreating, his starfighter was destroyed by torpedoes launched from the surface of Catahlis III. Shervefield died instantly, and his body was disintegrated into stray atoms. Venusia was now forced to order a retreat, for the death of Shrevefield, his chief subordinate commander, had sent his forces into disarray. The retreat did not stop until the remnants of the Imperial Army of Lomanis had reached Cabravnia, some thirty light-years to the east of Lomanis. Lomanis was once again reoccupied by rebel forces. The Earl of Sarah and Procurator-General Richius, among others, blamed Venusia for the failures.
 * December 9-The Earl of Sarah, determined to employ his already proven military command skills again in battle, this time against the Kettian Rebellion, managed to secure the commission of command from the Regency Council for this expedition. The Earl realized that success against the Kettian forces would give him a strong leverage at the Imperial Court, and would finally allow him to carry his plans of becoming Lord Protector into action.
 * December 21-The forces of the Earl of Sarah, comprised of the 9th and 15th Imperial Regiments, departed from Laurasia Prime in order to suppress the Kettian Rebellion. Including Briannian Shock Troopers, Arachosian Elite Guards, and a detachment of Valedictorian Guards, this was one of the strongest forces to be assembled by the Imperial Laurasian Government for suppressing a domestic rebellion. Sarah, who had already proven his worth in the wars with the Marasharites, Franconians, and Scottrians, was considered by many at the Imperial Court to be the right general for suppressing the rebellion. Kettius, however, retained the support of his followers. By December 23, Sarah's forces will have reconquered Anorr Minor and Draytonia from rebel garrisons.
 * December 24-The Earl of Sarah launched a general offensive against the rebel positions at Lomanis. Attacking St. Stephen's Relay and the Lomanian moon of Bezeus, the government forces began to recapture operational outposts from the rebel units. Kettius commanded his units to retreat across the star system and from the surface of Lomanis, ordering for all residences and centers of financial, educational, and commercial importance to be ransacked and destroyed. The rebel units, engaged in a spate of looting and plunder on Lomanis and at Lomanis's moons, therefore attempted to halt the advance of Sarah's forces. Indeed, rebel units managed to seize a convoy of government transports at Catahlis III, and Sarah was forced to divert his units there, which resulted in a bitter confrontation lasting for almost four hours, with severe casualties for both sides. By the late hours of December 24, rebel units were landing on Lomanis again, and were beginning to attack command positions of government forces in Lomanis City. Sarah was now finding himself in the same predicament as Venusia, boxed in the star system by the rebel units.
 * December 25-Ascentmas Day was celebrated in most Laurasian worlds throughout the Purse Region, and at Laurasian enclaves throughout the rest of the Laurasian Empire. The Emperor Demetrius II himself, assisted by Chief Procurator Cranmerius and the Baroness Annaliese of Denver, presided over the festivities at the Imperial Court. Every Laurasian world celebrated, with the exceptions of Lomanis and Maruvulum. During the early hours of this most celebrated Almitian holiday, the rebel units again changed tactics. Their artillery bombarded the orbital outposts of Northopria, and soon seized the northern continents of Lomamis. Sarah launched a renewed ground offensive, and eventually regained control of the Northern Continents. Rebel units, however, continued to bombard Lomanis and the orbital outposts day and night.
 * December 26-Arachosian and Dasian conscript reinforcements, dispatched by Field-Marshal Munnich (still restrained by the Regency Council from conducting military campaigns in the field), arrived at Lomanis. With these reinforcements and conscripts from the planetary population, Sarah now had a force so formidable that he could no longer linger in efforts to retain Lomanis. Kettius and his followers were aware of this, and by the latter hours of the day, had moved out from Marvulum in preparation for a direct confrontation with the government forces.
 * December 27-The Battle of Dussindale was fought between the government forces of the Laurasian Empire under the command of the Earl of Sarah, and the rebel forces of Craterus Kettius. Dussindale was a outpost-world of Lomanis, located about two light-years from the Marvulum Straits. Government forces brought their supremacy in numbers, their tactical discipline, and their superior organization to bear, and now inflicted a crushing defeat upon the rebel armada. Nearly half of the rebel personnel who fought in the battle were killed, and of fifty rebel warships, 35 were destroyed. Another 13 were captured, with only three vessels managing to flee. Sarah's forces, on the other hand, lost only two couriers, out of a total force of 150 warships. Sarah now imposed martial law on Lomanis and issued an official proclamation to the inhabitants of the affected regions, declaring that all who had cooperated with the rebels would be punished, and those who aided the imperial authorities would be assisted.
 * December 28-The rebel leader Craterus Kettius and his elder brother, Willanius Kettius, who had managed to escape from Dussindale on one of the three vessels which had evaded government forces, were intercepted and captured by a starfighter squadron near the minor colony of Swavlum, located about two light-years to the north of Lomanis. Swavlum had been colonized by the Verbetnhian Colonization Consortium of Rebecca in 1695, and had a population of only about 40,000 colonists, mostly centered in its capital city of Lowington. Nevertheless, the Kettius brothers were, on the orders of the Regency Council, dispatched to the Fortress of Baureux on Laurasia Prime, in order to await trial for treason. They will arrive there during the middle hours of December 29. Sarah, on his part, ordered for 15,000 rebels to be condemned and executed by solar incineration at Lomanis, Dussindale, and Northopria for their part in the uprising. Over the next two months, a further 100,000 individuals would be condemned to death by the Regional Court of Lomanis for their part in the uprising and would be executed.
 * December 31-Marvulum and Tiflenium, the original center of the uprising, both surrendered to government forces under the command of the Earl of Sarah. With the capture of these star systems, the Kettian Rebellion had finally been completely suppressed. It also came just in time for New Year's celebrations at the Imperial Court and throughout the Caladarian Galaxy.