Factions
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The Battletech universe is a diverse place, spanning more than a millenium of history and several thousand light years of space. From the nation states of the 20th century up to the Republic of the Sphere of the 32nd century, Battletech spans myriads of places and trillions of people. Interstellar, succession and civil wars, fragmentation and infighting gave birth to countless factions, of which most are noted below.
Contents
Regions of Space
Inner Sphere
The Inner Sphere is the heart of the Battletech Universe. Centered around Terra, it stretches across roughly 500 light years in all directions. The most consolidated of all interstellar regions, the Inner Sphere is dominated by five Great Houses: Davion, Liao, Marik, Steiner, and Kurita.
Periphery
Deep Periphery
Clan Space
Historical Factions
Early Spaceflight
Factions during the Early Spaceflight Era | ||
---|---|---|
Western Alliance | Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere | Terran Alliance |
First Exodus
After the success of the Deimos Project, the era of the First Exodus was one of rapid expansion and colonisation - both sanctioned settlers and dissidents fleeing the increasingly repressive Terran Alliance had established 600 known colonies by 2235. The Outer Reaches Rebellion ended the First Exodus, as the Terran Alliance completely withdrew from its colonies. [1]
Factions during the First Exodus | |
---|---|
Inner Sphere | Deep Periphery |
Terran Alliance | Alfirk |
Tikonov Union | |
Chesterton Trade League |
Second Exodus
Due to the power vacuum of the Alliance's withdrawal, chaos and warfare broke out. Many colony worlds were no longer sustainable or subject to prolonged conflicts, their inhabitants again took to the stars, spreading even beyond the settlement boundary of the First Exodus. Meanwhile, the first true interstellar states formed, fought and absorbed each other until the Inner Sphere consolidated into an armed standoff between the six Great Houses.[2]
Factions during the Second Exodus | |||
---|---|---|---|
Inner Sphere (Major) | Inner Sphere (Minor) | Periphery | Deep Periphery |
Capellan Confederation | Capellan Hegemony | Illyrian Palatinate | Alfirk |
Draconis Combine | Federation of Oriente | Rim Worlds Republic | |
Federated Suns | Federation of Skye | Taurian Concordat | |
Free Worlds League | Ingersol Concordium | ||
Lyran Commonwealth | Marik Republic | ||
Terran Hegemony | Muskegon Empire | ||
Principality of Rasalhague | |||
Protectorate of Donegal | |||
Regulan Principality | |||
Sarna Supremacy | |||
St. Ives Mercantile League | |||
Stewart Commonality | |||
Tamar Pact | |||
Terran Alliance | |||
Tikonov Grand Union | |||
United Hindu Collective |
Age of War
The Age of War began in 2398, when the Houses Liao and Marik fought over Andurien. Initial savagery was eventually followed by the ratification of the Ares Convention, a set of guidelines which made war much less brutal, but also a near constant occurrence. Thanks to the Terran Hegemony's Strategy of Aggressive Peacemaking, the Age of War ended with the signation of the Star League treaties by the six Great Houses.[3]
Factions during the Age of War | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Inner Sphere (Major) | Periphery | Deep Periphery | ||
Capellan Confederation | Illyrian Palatinate | Alfirk | ||
Draconis Combine | Magistracy of Canopus | JàrnFòlk | ||
Federated Suns | Outworlds Alliance | Nueva Castile | ||
Free Worlds League | Rim Worlds Republic | |||
Lyran Commonwealth | Taurian Concordat | |||
Terran Hegemony | Tortuga Dominions |
Star League Era
Formally unifying the Member States of the Inner Sphere in 2751 and officially subjugating the Territorial States of the Periphery in 2597, the Star League Era was one of overt peace and hidden wars. Later called a Golden Age by many, the Star League allowed for peace, prosperty, and significant technology progress. Weakened by a string of bad rulers, hidden wars, and unrest in the Territorial States, the Star League eventually collapsed after the Amaris Civil War.[4]
Factions during the Star League Era | ||
---|---|---|
Inner Sphere | Periphery | Deep Periphery |
Capellan Confederation | Circinus Federation | Alfirk |
Draconis Combine | Illyrian Palatinate | JàrnFòlk |
Federated Suns | Magistracy of Canopus | Nueva Castile |
Free Worlds League | Outworlds Alliance | |
Lyran Commonwealth | Rim Worlds Republic | |
Star League | Taurian Concordat | |
Terran Hegemony | Tortuga Dominions |
Golden Century
After the fall of the Star League, Operation Exodus of the Star League Defense Forces led them into the Kerensky cluster, where they settled down. After falling into civil war and a second Operation Exodus, the remaining loyalist SLDF forces reorganised themselves into the Clans and retook the war-stricken worlds. The Golden Century was the following period filled with unprecedented growth, technological progress, and a maturation of each Clan's individual self identity. [5]
Factions during the Golden Century | |||
---|---|---|---|
Crusader Clans | Warden Clans | Abolished Clans | |
Clan Blood Spirit | Clan Cloud Cobra | Clan Burrock | |
Clan Fire Mandrill | Clan Coyote | Clan Mongoose | |
Clan Hell's Horses | Clan Ghost Bear | Clan Widowmaker | |
Clan Ice Hellion | Clan Goliath Scorpion | Clan Wolverine | |
Clan Jade Falcon | Clan Nova Cat | ||
Clan Smoke Jaguar | Clan Sea Fox | ||
Clan Star Adder | Clan Snow Raven | ||
Clan Steel Viper | |||
Clan Wolf |
Succession Wars
After the collapse of the Star League and the exodus of the SLDF, the five remaining Great Houses - after dividing the remaining Terran Hegemony among each other - began a series of brutal wars to claim the position of First Lord. The first two Succession Wars, apocalyptic conflicts encompassing the entire Inner Sphere, brought technological knowledge down to levels last seen on pre-spaceflight Terra, and only the establishment of ComStar on independant Terra prevented a total collapse of interstellar communication. The Third Succession War became an endless downward grind, led by neo-feudalistic Mechwarrior families and covertly helped along by the increasingly corrupt ComStar. It was only the Fourth Succession War that brought a fragile peace and a new status quo to the Inner Sphere - the victorious powers of the Federated Commonwealth (at the time merely an alliance between Federated Suns and Lyran Commonwealth) against the Concord of Kapteyn of Free Worlds League, Capellan Confederation, and Draconis Combine.[6]
Factions during the Succession Wars | |||
---|---|---|---|
Inner Sphere (Major) | Inner Sphere (Minor) | Periphery | Deep Periphery |
Capellan Confederation | Duchy of Andurien | Circinus Federation | Alfirk |
ComStar | Free Rasalhague Republic | Elysian Fields | Chainelane Isles |
Draconis Combine | St. Ives Compact | Greater Valkyrate | JàrnFòlk |
Federated Suns | Tikonov Free Republic | Illyrian Palatinate | Hanseatic League |
Free Worlds League | Lothian League | Nueva Castile | |
Lyran Commonwealth | Magistracy of Canopus | Umayyad Caliphate | |
Marian Hegemony | |||
Oberon Confederation | |||
Rim Collection | |||
Taurian Concordat |
Clan Invasion
After almost 3 centuries in exile, the Clans returned to the Inner Sphere in a coordinated drive towards Terra until losing a trial on the planet Tukayyid, agreeing to a 15 year long truce. With the Clan threat temporarily eliminated, the Great Houses went back to fighting each other - the barely established Federated Commonwealth broke apart again, the Word of Blake led an Exodus out of ComStar, and an entire region of space descended into anarchy. When the hastily established Second Star League managed to destroy Clan Smoke Jaguar during the Refusal War, the Clan invasion was finally over, but the problems in the Inner Sphere were only beginning to escalate.[7]
Factions during the Clan Invasion | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Inner Sphere (Major) | Inner Sphere (Minor) | Periphery | Deep Periphery | Invading Clans |
Capellan Confederation | Arc-Royal Defense Cordon | Circinus Federation | Alfirk | Clan Diamond Shark |
ComStar | Clan Wolf-in-Exile | Illyrian Palatinate | Chainelane Isles | Clan Ghost Bear |
Draconis Combine | Duchy of Small | Lothian League | Hanseatic League | Clan Jade Falcon |
Federated Commonwealth | Free Rasalhague Republic | Magistracy of Canopus | JàrnFòlk | Clan Nova Cat |
Free Worlds League | Saiph Triumvirate | Marian Hegemony | Nueva Castile | Clan Smoke Jaguar |
Lyran Alliance | Sarna Supremacy | Rim Collection | Umayyad Caliphate | Clan Steel Viper |
Second Star League | St. Ives Compact | Taurian Concordat | Clan Wolf | |
Word of Blake | Sirian Holds | |||
Styk Commonality | ||||
Terracap Confederation |
Civil War Era
Jihad
Dark Age
Mercenaries
Modern mercenaries have their root in the chaos of the Second Exodus, when they were commonly used in the hundreds of border conflicts between the emerging statelets. In use during the hidden wars of the Star League members, mercenary units began to multiply in numbers and power since the beginning of the Succession Wars. Even in later eras, mercenaries retain their prominent role in military conflicts.[8]
Others
Other notable factions | |||
---|---|---|---|
Philosophies | Corporations | Conspiracies | ??? |
Far Lookers | Irian Technologies | Davion Warrior Cabal | |
Inheritors | |||
One Star Faith |