Successor States
Sarna News
The Successor States (named as such due to their being the "Successors" of the Star League) are the major military powers of the Inner Sphere, each governed by one of the Great Houses and with its own customs and culture. After House Cameron was wiped out in the Star League Civil War, the five remaining Great Houses spent the next several centuries fighting each other to determine who would succeed as the next First Lord. By the 31st century the Successor States found themselves bloodied and no closer to their original goal when the Clans invaded. For a brief period of time they set aside their differences to face this new threat, eventually forming a Second Star League to beat back the invaders. This peace was only temporary though, and with the dissolution of the second Star League the Successor States have continued their struggle for dominance into the 32nd century.
Contents
The Great Houses of the Successor States
House Davion
House Davion has ruled the Federated Suns since the nation's founding in 2317 by Lucien Davion, Prime Minister of New Avalon, who negotiated a mutual defense and assistance agreement with several nearby star systems. From their capital of New Avalon, House Davion led the Federated Suns to become one of the largest and most militarily powerful states in the Inner Sphere. The Federated Sun traditionally sees itself as the champion of freedom, democracy, and human rights, especially compared to its authoritarian neighbors, although the reality is not so clear-cut. Additionally, the state's economic growth was uneven, with a small number of overdeveloped worlds making up for the larger number of underdeveloped ones. To counteract this deficiency and recover lostech, the pursuit of scientific knowledge was strongly encouraged by Davion leadership, and the New Avalon Institute of Science quickly became the premier research and development center of the 31st century.[1][2][3]
For a brief period of time the Federated Suns joined with the Lyran Commonwealth to form the Federated Commonwealth, a massive super-state spanning the length of the Inner Sphere. There was internal resistance to this merger of the two realms, particularly in the Lyran half, which bore the brunt of the Clan offensive. In 3057 the Lyran worlds seceded from the alliance, splitting FedCom in two and creating the Chaos March.[2][3] The split was made permanent after the FedCom Civil War.
Notable Personalities
House Kurita
Strongly influenced by Japanese culture.
Capital world: Luthien.
The Free Rasalhague Republic (FRR) was once part of the Draconis Combine.
In the BattleTech universe, House Kurita is the ruling family of the fearsome Draconis Combine. The only Great House that proclaims unabashedly its right to rule all of the Inner Sphere, House Kurita has dominated the Draconis Combine since its founding in 2319. Its progenitor was Shiro Kurita, the first Coordinator of the Draconis Combine. The current Lord of House Kurita is Coordinator Theodore Kurita, who succeeded his father Takashi Kurita in 3054. House Kurita has had a long history of antagonism with and aggression against its neighbors. Though its official symbol is the serpentine Chinese dragon, humorist Homer Kellogi thought the octopus a more appropriate symbol, since House Kurita's tentacles are everywhere. Though driven by an archaic sense of honor spelled out in the Dictum Honorium, House Kurita is not above using subterfuge and guile to further its goals.
A massive tome comprising many volumes, the Dictum Honorium would require several lifetimes to master. It spells out in fine detail the code of conduct for all citizens of the Draconis Combine, from the Coordinator to his Samurai to the lowest Unproductive. Due to its length and general impenetrability, few manage to read more than a few pages, and the Dictum has little actual effect on daily life. Several passages, such as the special rules allowing the taking (instead of summary execution) of prisoners of war valuable to military intelligence and ransom are kept secret from the public.
Common Nicknames: Kuritan
Pejoratives: Drac, Draco, Snake
Notable Personalities
House Liao
Strongly influenced by Chinese, Russian, and Scottish culture.
Capital world: Sian
The Capellan Confederation has long been considered the underdogs of the Inner Sphere, known for mentally unstable leaders that are often violently oppressive towards their own people and great military losses in each succession war leading them to a shadow of their former size.
However, in more recent years, the Capellan Confederation has strengthened incredibly under the leadership of Sun-Tzu Liao. Often manipulative but the best leader the empire has seen in years, the Confederation has a strong alliance with the Free Worlds League, resulting in rapid technological increase, as well a social reformation among the people (known as Xin Sheng) restoring their pride. This culminated in the Confederation re-taking a pocket of territory on the Davion border known as the St. Ives Compact which revolted with Federated Commonwealth help in the 4th Succession War, during Sun-Tzu's grandfather's rule.
More recently the Confederation has gained strong alliances with both major Periphery factions on its borders, giving it access to the rear guard of both the Free Worlds League and Federated Commonwealth (Federated Suns in the post civil war era), as well as strong but technologically inferior military allies. This leaves the Confederation as one of the strongest factions in the post-civil war classic period.
Notable Personalities
House Marik
The Free Worlds League, the oldest of all Successor States, was long ruled by House Marik as a matter of custom rather than decree. Founded in 2271 after the collapse of the Terran Alliance, the League was an open, multicultural state, consisting of many great and small realms loosely joined together. It was also the only one to lay claim to being (on paper at least) a true democracy, with Parliament meeting on Atreus. This same openness also left the state politically fragile and frequently riven with instability; the League fought against itself throughout its history almost as much as it did the neighboring Lyran and Capellan nations. House Marik relied heavily on free trade and technological advancement to keep pace with its rivals.[4][5]
The Free Worlds League was untouched by the Clan invasion, allowing it to become the industrial base to supply the other Successor States in fending off the invaders. The League underwent an economic growth that made quickly made it one of the richest Successor States. However, during the ComStar Schism House Marik chose to side with the Word of Blake.[6] The dire result of this alliance was the Free Worlds League's destruction during the Jihad, though efforts to reform the League during the 32nd century have taken place.
Notable Personalities
House Steiner
The Lyran Commonwealth, largely under the leadership of House Steiner, has long been considered the Inner Sphere's greatest economic power. Formed in 2340 from the combination of several smaller defense pacts, its original capital was on Arcturus before moving to Tharkad, where it came under the stewardship of the Steiner family and gained its Germanic trappings. With many resource-rich worlds, shrewd business acumen and a strong industrial base, the Lyran Commonwealth prospered even during the worst of times: in spite of the destruction of the Succession Wars, overall industrial output and average standard of living exceeded that of any other Successor State. This vast wealth helped the Lyran state weather any military reversals - especially self-inflicted ones - by quickly replacing their materiel losses.[7][8]
In the early part of the 31st century, the Lyran Commonwealth joined in a personal union with the Federated Suns to form the Federated Commonwealth, a vast super-state spanning the length of the Inner Sphere. Resistance to this merger was strong within the Lyran state, and both its economy and territorial integrity suffered heavily during the Clan invasion. Katherine Steiner-Davion successfully engineered the succession of the Lyran worlds from the FedCom alliance in 3057, forming the Lyran Alliance in its place.[2]
Notable Personalities
References
- ↑ House Davion (The Federated Suns), p. 4
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Classic BattleTech RPG, p. 166
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 MechWarrior: Second Edition, p. 115
- ↑ House Marik (The Free Worlds League, p. 6, 8
- ↑ MechWarrior: Second Edition, p. 124
- ↑ Classic BattleTech RPG, p. 167
- ↑ House Steiner (The Lyran Commonwealth), p. 8
- ↑ MechWarrior: Second Edition, p. 115-116