Difference between revisions of "First Lord of the Star League"

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The First Lord of the Star League is the head of all aspects of the Star League, both political and military. Originally a hereditary post belonging to the eldest scion of the Cameron family, the position of First Lord later became an elected position during the Second Star League.  
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The '''First Lord''' was the title for the head of state of the original [[Star League]] and the [[Second Star League]], both interstellar alliances of all the [[Inner Sphere]].
  
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==  Authority ==
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== First Star League ==
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The '''First Lord of the Star League''' had numerous powers that made them "first among equals" compared to the leaders of the other Great Houses, among which three were considered the most important. First was the ability to call on the [[Star League Defense Force]]; though war could not technically be declared without the [[Star_League#High_Council|High Council]]'s approval, loopholes within the Accords (and the soldiers' willingness) allowed the First Lord to essentially give any order for "defensive" purposes.  Second was the ability to shut down any exchange or mint, or any company dealing in inter-realm trade, at will.  Third was the ability to withhold advanced [[Terran Hegemony]] technology from the other realms, a ploy often used in exchange for certain favors.<ref name=SL99>''The Star League'', p. 99</ref>
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The First Lord however was not the Commander-in-Chief of the SLDF; that role was filled by the [[Commanding General]], who was nominated by the First Lord but required approval from the other Council Lords.<ref>''The Star League'', p. 112</ref>
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During the first Star League the position of First Lord was a hereditary position held by [[House Cameron]].  However, [[Stefan Amaris]] was able to gain the confidence of the last First Lord, [[Richard Cameron]], and in a dastardly plot killed him and wiped out the entire extended Cameron family.  After his defeat in the [[Amaris Civil War]] and the [[Operation Exodus|exodus]] of the SLDF, none of the other Council Lords could agree on who should assume the position of First Lord.  This led directly to the [[Succession Wars (History)|Succession Wars]].
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{| class="wikitable"
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|-
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! scope="col" width="150" style="background: #dedede;" | Name
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! scope="col" width="150" style="background: #dedede;" | Reign
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! scope="col" style="background: #dedede;" | Descent
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|-
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| colspan="3" style="background: #efefef;" | '''First Lord of the Star League, 2571 - 2765'''
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|-
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| [[Ian Cameron]]||[[2571]] - [[2602]]||
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|-
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| [[Nicholas Cameron]]||[[2602]] - [[2649]]||Son of [[Ian Cameron|Ian]]
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|-
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| [[Michael Cameron II]]||[[2649]] - [[2690]]||Grandson of [[Nicholas Cameron|Nicholas]]
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|-
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| [[Jonathan Cameron]]||[[2690]] - [[2738]]||Son of [[Michael Cameron II|Michael]]
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|-
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| [[Simon Cameron]]||[[2738]] - [[2751]]||Son of [[Jonathan Cameron|Jonathan]]
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|-
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| [[Richard Cameron II|Richard Cameron]]||[[2751]] - [[2765]]||Son of [[Simon Cameron|Simon]]
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|}
 
   
 
   
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The First Lord during the First Star League period had full power to authorize any venture, whether military or political, that he wanted. This is most telling in the case of the Reunification War, when First Lord Cameron authorized the reconquest of the Periphery nations back into the Star League's authority. The Star Lord also was the traditional commander-in-chief of the SLDF, or Star League Defense Force, which acted as a galactic police force to prevent any outbreaks of conflict amongst what would later become the Successor States.  
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== Second Star League ==
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The position of First Lord was resurrected with the creation of the [[Second Star League]].  Faced with the continued threat of invasion by the [[Clans]], the various powers of the Inner Sphere banded together to recreate the old alliance and present a united front to the Clan menace.  Rather than a hereditary position, the First Lord would be chosen at a tri-annual [[Whitting Conference]], either by lot or by a vote of two-thirds of the Council Lords, and that no one who had already served as First Lord could do so again until all others had already done so.<ref name=GC18>''Grave Covenant'', ch. 18</ref>  Afterwards, the Constitution was amended prior to the [[Second Whitting Conference]] so that a simple majority vote of the Council could choose the next First Lord, with the [[ComStar]] representative casting the deciding vote in case of a tie.<ref name=PoH24>''Prince of Havoc'', ch. 24</ref>
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By design, the First Lord of the new Star League was a largely ceremonial role with very little power.<ref name=GC18/>  The First Lord did have the right to chose the [[Commanding General]] of the [[Second Star League Defense Force]], which could only be overturned by a two-thirds vote of the Council, and could deploy a limited number of [[Second Star League Defense Force|SLDF]] troops without needing the Council's authorization.<ref>''Field Manual: ComStar'', p. 75</ref>
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The position came to an end at the [[Fourth Whitting Conference]] when the [[Capellan Confederation]], [[Lyran Alliance]] and [[Federated Suns]] all signaled their intention to leave the second Star League.  First Lord [[Christian Månsdottir]] saw no solution but to call a vote of no-confidence, hoping the measure would be defeated and that this show of unity would persuade the dissenting members to change their minds.  However the measure was passed, formally dissolving the second Star League and with it the position of First Lord once again became void.
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{| class="wikitable"
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|-
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! scope="col" width="150" style="background: #dedede;" | Name
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! scope="col" width="150" style="background: #dedede;" | Reign
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! scope="col" width="175" style="background: #dedede;" | Realm
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|-
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| colspan="3" style="background: #efefef;" | '''First Lord of the second Star League, 3058 - 3067'''
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|-
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| [[Sun-Tzu Liao]]||[[3058]] - [[3061]]||[[Capellan Confederation]]
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|-
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| [[Theodore Kurita (31st c.)|Theodore Kurita]]||[[3061]] - [[3064]]||[[Draconis Combine]]
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|-
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| [[Christian Månsdottir]]||[[3064]] - [[3067]]||[[Free Rasalhague Republic]]
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|}
  
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During the Second Star League, partially owing to the absence of a dedicated SLDF and the provision that the post had to be elected, the position of First Lord had little real power over the Successor States. The position was usually used as a prestige posting, or to give credulence to a hostile invasion of a foreign country, such as when Sun-Tzu Liao in his position of First Lord ordered "peacekeepers" into the St. Ives Compact.
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==References==
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<references />
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==Bibliography==
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* ''[[Grave Covenant]]''
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* ''[[Field Manual: ComStar]]''
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* ''[[Prince of Havoc]]''
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* ''[[The Star League]]''
  
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Most notably, the First Lord of the Second Star League proved incapable of preventing member-nations from leaving it after the conclusion of the FedCom Civil War. When the second Star League folded, the position of First Lord once again became defunct, and was not revived during the Republic of the Sphere's extant period.
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[[Category:Titles and Positions]]

Revision as of 09:44, 25 December 2018

The First Lord was the title for the head of state of the original Star League and the Second Star League, both interstellar alliances of all the Inner Sphere.

First Star League

The First Lord of the Star League had numerous powers that made them "first among equals" compared to the leaders of the other Great Houses, among which three were considered the most important. First was the ability to call on the Star League Defense Force; though war could not technically be declared without the High Council's approval, loopholes within the Accords (and the soldiers' willingness) allowed the First Lord to essentially give any order for "defensive" purposes. Second was the ability to shut down any exchange or mint, or any company dealing in inter-realm trade, at will. Third was the ability to withhold advanced Terran Hegemony technology from the other realms, a ploy often used in exchange for certain favors.[1]

The First Lord however was not the Commander-in-Chief of the SLDF; that role was filled by the Commanding General, who was nominated by the First Lord but required approval from the other Council Lords.[2]

During the first Star League the position of First Lord was a hereditary position held by House Cameron. However, Stefan Amaris was able to gain the confidence of the last First Lord, Richard Cameron, and in a dastardly plot killed him and wiped out the entire extended Cameron family. After his defeat in the Amaris Civil War and the exodus of the SLDF, none of the other Council Lords could agree on who should assume the position of First Lord. This led directly to the Succession Wars.

Name Reign Descent
First Lord of the Star League, 2571 - 2765
Ian Cameron 2571 - 2602
Nicholas Cameron 2602 - 2649 Son of Ian
Michael Cameron II 2649 - 2690 Grandson of Nicholas
Jonathan Cameron 2690 - 2738 Son of Michael
Simon Cameron 2738 - 2751 Son of Jonathan
Richard Cameron 2751 - 2765 Son of Simon

Second Star League

The position of First Lord was resurrected with the creation of the Second Star League. Faced with the continued threat of invasion by the Clans, the various powers of the Inner Sphere banded together to recreate the old alliance and present a united front to the Clan menace. Rather than a hereditary position, the First Lord would be chosen at a tri-annual Whitting Conference, either by lot or by a vote of two-thirds of the Council Lords, and that no one who had already served as First Lord could do so again until all others had already done so.[3] Afterwards, the Constitution was amended prior to the Second Whitting Conference so that a simple majority vote of the Council could choose the next First Lord, with the ComStar representative casting the deciding vote in case of a tie.[4]

By design, the First Lord of the new Star League was a largely ceremonial role with very little power.[3] The First Lord did have the right to chose the Commanding General of the Second Star League Defense Force, which could only be overturned by a two-thirds vote of the Council, and could deploy a limited number of SLDF troops without needing the Council's authorization.[5]

The position came to an end at the Fourth Whitting Conference when the Capellan Confederation, Lyran Alliance and Federated Suns all signaled their intention to leave the second Star League. First Lord Christian Månsdottir saw no solution but to call a vote of no-confidence, hoping the measure would be defeated and that this show of unity would persuade the dissenting members to change their minds. However the measure was passed, formally dissolving the second Star League and with it the position of First Lord once again became void.

Name Reign Realm
First Lord of the second Star League, 3058 - 3067
Sun-Tzu Liao 3058 - 3061 Capellan Confederation
Theodore Kurita 3061 - 3064 Draconis Combine
Christian Månsdottir 3064 - 3067 Free Rasalhague Republic

References

  1. ↑ The Star League, p. 99
  2. ↑ The Star League, p. 112
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Grave Covenant, ch. 18
  4. ↑ Prince of Havoc, ch. 24
  5. ↑ Field Manual: ComStar, p. 75

Bibliography

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