Editing Duchy of Andurien

{{Update Needed|[[House Marik (The Free Worlds League)]]|[[Handbook: House Marik]]|[[Empire Alone]]}}
{{InfoBoxState
| image = Duchy of Andurien logo.png
| Founded = [[Age of War]]<ref name=HHMp66>''Handbook: House Marik'', p. 66</ref>
| Dissolved = 
| capital = [[Andurien]]
| systems = 34 (as of [[3151]])
| population = 
| currency = 
| language = 
| demonym = 
| Head of State = [[Duke of Andurien]]
| cintel = 
| army = [[Andurien Defense Force]] (ADF)
| navy = 
| mintel = 
}}

The '''Duchy of Andurien''' was a member province of [[House Marik|House Marik's]] [[Free Worlds League]] throughout most of its history before becoming an independent nation in [[3079]]. The water-rich Andurien worlds were disputed between the Free Worlds League and [[House Liao|House Liao's]] [[Capellan Confederation]] from early in the [[Age of War]] until the [[First Succession War]] when the region was finally secured by the League.

Under [[House Humphreys]] Andurien was a restive province with a strong anti-Marik bias, which led it to secede from the Free Worlds League in [[3030]] and attempt [[Andurien Secession|an invasion]] of the weakened Capellan Confederation in alliance with the [[Magistracy of Canopus]]. Defeated by [[3039]] and reintegrated back into the League, Andurien gained its independence with the dissolution of the League during the [[Jihad]].

During the mid-[[thirty-second century]] the Duchy strengthened its ties with the Canopians and Capellan Confederation while staunchly refusing to join the resurrected Free Worlds League.

==Fact Sheet==
*Founding Year: Age of War<ref name=HHMp66/>
*Capital (City, World): Jojoken, [[Andurien]]
*National Symbol: a silver eagle, perched atop a purple castle, set against a black field
*Location ([[Terra]] relative): rimward of Terra, anti-spinward of [[Capellan Confederation]], exterior
*Total (Inhabited) Systems: 25
*Estimated Population ([[3130]]): 71,200,000,000
*Government: Hereditary Oligarchy
*Ruler: [[House Humphreys]]
*Dominant Language(s): English (official), Italian, Mandarin
*Dominant Religion(s): Catholicism, Confucianism, Agnostic
*Unit of Currency: Andurien dollar (1 dollar = 0.47 C-bills)<ref name=TtSp74>''Touring the Stars'', p. 74</ref>

==History==
From [[2366]] to [[2369]], the Free Worlds League captured several worlds from the fledgling Capellan Confederation, including [[Andurien]]. A decade of fierce fighting failed to reverse the losses.

===Andurien Wars===
In [[2398]], [[Kurnath Liao]] began the [[First Andurien War]] to reclaim the Andurien systems.

In [[2528]], the depraved Chancellor [[Kalvin Liao]], obsessed with the daughter of Andurien's duke, launched the [[Second Andurien War]]. Following his assassination in [[2530]], his successor ended the war the next year.

===Star League===
[[Terrence Liao]] invaded [[Andurien]] again in [[2551]]. Although militarily unsuccessful, [[Albert Marik]] conceded the Andurien worlds in exchange for Terrence's agreement to join the [[Star League]]. Despite this, Capellan fears that the Andurien worlds would be returned to Marik control persisted, manifesting in the [[Freebooter's War]] during the final years of the [[Reunification War]].<ref>''Handbook: House Liao'', p. 24: "Timeline: The Age of War and Star League"</ref><ref name="H:RWp103">''Historical: Reunification War'', pp. 103–105: "The War At Home: The Freebooter's War"</ref>

===Succession Wars===
In the [[First Succession War]], the [[Free Worlds League]] recaptured the Andurien systems in a [[2789]] campaign. However, Andurien fared well in the Succession Wars: Capellan reverses, forcing them on the defensive and giving them fresher irredentist grievances, prevented another massive invasion.

Andurien's ruler, Dame [[Catherine Humphreys]], forged a covert alliance with Magestrix [[Kyalla Centrella]] of the [[Magistracy of Canopus]]. The conclusion of the [[Fourth Succession War]] in [[3030]], which saw the routed Capellans lose half their territory to the [[Federated Suns]], emboldened them. Andurien declared independence in September, and began a joint invasion with Canopus of the [[Capellan Confederation]], hoping to seize enough planets to make their alliance a significant power. But the Capellans rallied and drove out the invaders. Meanwhile, Andurien's secession had created a backlash in the rest of the League in favor of the Marik rulers, who now moved against Andurien. Centrella cut Humphreys lose to fend for herself, and the Duchy was overrun by [[3040]].

===The Jihad===
On the 25th of April 3075 [[Naomi Centrella-Liao]] visited Andurien as an envoy of both the Magistracy of Canopus and the Capellan Confederation. The tense visit involved both reminders of the shared history between [[Canopus]], Andurien and [[House Liao]], but also some pointed warnings against the Duchy of Andurien pursuing "ambitions of the past." The visit was ultimately successful, with Naomi leaving Andurien on the 1st of May with a signed nonaggression pact covering all three states.<ref name="JHS:Tp16">''Jihad Hot Spots: Terra'', p. 16: "Timeline of the Jihad"</ref><ref name="J:FRp54">''Jihad: Final Reckoning'', p. 54: "The Jihad In Review"</ref>

The Duchy of Andurien soon found itself defending [[Magestrix]] Centrella-Liao; on the 7th of February [[3076]] a Word of Blake force struck at Naomi's [[JumpShip]] in the [[Furud]] system as she traveled back to [[Sian]] after the liberation of [[Canopus]]. The Blakist attack was thwarted by aerospace forces from the Duchy.<ref name="JHS:Tp20">''Jihad Hot Spots: Terra'', p. 20: "Timeline of the Jihad"</ref><ref name="J:FRp55">''Jihad: Final Reckoning'', p. 55: "The Jihad In Review"</ref>

The Duchy of Andurien signed another treaty on the 10th of March 3076, this time with the tiny three-world state known as the [[Mosiro Archipelago]]. The mutual defense pact between the two states saw the [[Third Andurien Rangers]] take up garrison positions on the three worlds of the Archipelago.<ref name="J:FRp55"/><ref name="JHS:Tp21">''Jihad Hot Spots: Terra'', p. 21: "Timeline of the Jihad"</ref> Then, on the 13th of December [[3080]], the Duchy of Andurien expanded on the nonaggression treaty held with the Magistracy and the Confederation by signing a trade pact with both, a move the three realms intended to normalize relations between them.<ref name="J:FRp61">''Jihad: Final Reckoning'', p. 61: "The Jihad In Review"</ref> The trade pact signed by the three nations was significant for the Duchy of Andurien in that the Magistracy and the Confederation effectively acknowledged the Duchy to be a sovereign state in its own right, distinct from the dissolved Free Worlds League. This was significant for the Magistracy and particularly the Confederation as well, given the strained relations between the Confederation and both the [[Principality of Regulus]] and [[Duchy of Oriente]], other powerful former provinces of the League that viewed the Confederation with suspicion.<ref name="J:FRp25+">''Jihad: Final Reckoning'', pp. 25–26: "Historic Trade Pact Normalizes Relations for Andurien, Canopus, Sian"</ref>

By the closing stages of the Jihad in [[3079]] the armed forces of the Duchy of Andurien had expanded to four brigades of [[Andurien Rangers]], the First through Fourth. Three of these brigades were built around units defected in part or en masse from the FWLM, with the First through Third Andurien Rangers forming from the former [[First Free Worlds Legionnaires]], [[Fifth Free Worlds Legionnaires]] and [[Ninth Free Worlds Legionnaires]] respectively. The newest of the Rangers brigades had formed from the graduating classes drawn from the [[Legionary Training Academy|Humphreys Training Academy]],<ref name="FR:FWLMp12">''Field Report: FWLM'', p. 12: "Duchy of Andurien"</ref> the Duchy having reclaimed the [[Legionary Training Academy]] and returned it to its former name.<ref name="FR:FWLMp5">''Field Report: FWLM'', p. 5: "Academies and Command Centers"</ref>

The rapid expansion of the Andurien Rangers was due in large part to the revelation that [[Captain-General of the Free Worlds League|Captain-General]] [[Thomas Halas|Thomas Marik]] was a doppelgänger, although whereas the Fifth Free Worlds Legionnaires had found this cause enough to defect as a regiment and pledge personal loyalty to Dame [[Dalma Humphreys]], it had taken the personal intervention of Dame Humphreys in [[3076]] to persuade most of the Ninth Free Worlds Legionnaires to defect to the Duchy rather than imploding as a result of internal conflict and factionalization.<ref name="FR:FWLMp12"/>

The Andurien Rangers had adopted a combined arms approach, making use of the excellent conventional assets and often mixing [[BattleMech]]s, [[Combat Vehicles|armor]] and infantry at a company level; this was in part to make use of the conventional assets available to the Duchy, which were close to the top of the line, but also a reflection of the difficulty the Duchy faced in obtaining advanced BattleMechs. The Rangers were relying heavily on the production of [[RetroTech]] 'Mechs from [[Lopez]] to replace equipment losses, but had managed to secure the borders of the Duchy and repel attacks from various directions.<ref name="FR:FWLMp12"/> Replacement equipment issues were not only limited to problems replacing advanced BattleMechs, however; the Duchy was also lacked significant [[battle armor]] and [[aerospace fighter|aerospace]] production, relying on trade to acquire enough new equipment to replace losses. The lack of production facilities for these capabilities wasn't preventing the Duchy from seriously considering expanding the training program offered by the Humphreys Training Academy to include training in these areas, however.<ref name="FR:FWLMp5"/>

By [[3079]] the Duchy was looking to take advantage of opportunities to expand into the core-ward regions of the former League, having secured borders with the Magistracy and the Capellan Confederation as a result of the nonaggression pacts signed previously; the mutual defense pact reached with the Mosiro Archipelago led to speculation that the Archipelago would soon be annexed by the Duchy.<ref name="FR:FWLMp12"/> The Duchy of Andurien was maintaining its independence at this point, refusing to align with any of the other major regional factions such as the Duchy of Oriente, the [[Marik Commonwealth]], the Principality of Regulus or with the remaining [[Word of Blake|Blakists]], and was likely hoping that the reclamation of the [[Word of Blake Protectorate]] by coalition forces would distract the attention of the Capellan Confederation in the near future.<ref name="FR:FWLMp4">''Field Report: FWLM'', p. 4: "Goals of the State(s)"</ref>

In the early [[3080]]s the Duchy of Andurien was operating some of the loosest export restrictions on military technology of any state, hoping to turn a profit by selling the output from military industries within the Duchy. As a result the products of the [[Andurien AeroTech]] facilities that survived the Jihad were soon being exported well beyond the boundaries of the former Free Worlds League.<ref name="J:FRp93">''Jihad: Final Reckoning'', p. 93: "Duchy of Andurien"</ref>

===Dark Age===
Andurien was focused on retaining its independence after the breakup of the League. They accomplished this through a combination of alliances of convenience and military buildup, but Andurien felt its alliance with the [[Regulan Fiefs]] was no longer sufficient to resist the military, economic and political pressure on them to rejoin. In a surprise to the rest of the former League, Duke [[Ari Humphreys]] married Magestrix [[Ilsa Centrella-Liao]] in 3137. In [[3141]], Andurien, the Capellans and Canopians began joint military strikes against the League during a summit between Andurien and the Free Worlds League.<ref name="FM:3145p112">''Field Manual: 3145'', p. 112: "Andurien Defense Force"</ref><ref name="FM:3145p98">''Field Manual: 3145'', p. 98: "Black Sheep"</ref>

In 3146, Regulus proposed that Andurien and its allies coordinate a series of strikes against League targets. The plan, called Operation TRIUMVIR, called for Regulus and Canopus to strike first and for Andurien's forces to take advantage in the shift of defensive footing. Andurien's first strikes on [[Kwamashu]], [[El Giza]] and [[Mosiro]] were successful, and Andurien chose to hold those worlds and watch for a response. The League later forced the ADF off Kwashamu, but Andurien held the others. As the offensive sputtered out, [[Lester Cameron-Jones]] blamed Andurien for its failure to draw a larger FWLM response, souring relationships between the two ex-League states.<ref name="SFp21">''Shattered Fortress'', pp. 21–22: "Tragedy and Triumph"</ref>

The next offensive move from the ADF came in [[3148]], and against a new adversary: Regulus. In [[Operation REBOUND]] the ADF moved to seize eleven unaligned worlds between their border and the Regulan Fiefs, unintentionally aiding a plan from the FWLM to invade and annex the Regulan Fiefs to avenge the murder of Captain-General Jessica Marik. Seeing the force brought to bear against their former ally, Andurien chose not to continue with their annexation campaign.<ref name="SFp53">''Shattered Fortress'', p. 53: "A Campaign of Vengeance"</ref><ref name=S8OR>''Shrapnel #8'': "SAFE Quarterly Threat Assessment"</ref>

==Notes==
Its people resent being treated as a prize by these larger powers and would prefer independence. The slogan, "Andurien for Anduriens," expressed this sentiment.

==Historical Duchy of Andurien Map {Gallery)==
<gallery>
File:Duchy of Andurien 2571.jpg|Duchy of Andurien in 2571 after the Age of War
File:Duchy of Andurien 2822.jpg|Duchy of Andurien in 2822 after the First Succession War
File:Duchy of Andurien 2864.jpg|Duchy of Andurien in 2864 after the Second Succession War
File:Duchy of Andurien 3025.jpg|Duchy of Andurien from 3025 to 3067
File:Duchy of Andurien 3085.jpg|Duchy of Andurien in 3085 after the Jihad
File:Duchy of Andurien in February 3104.jpg|Duchy of Andurien in 3104 during the Victoria War
File:Duchy of Andurien in 3135.jpg|Duchy of Andurien in 3135 after the Blackout
File:Duchy of Andurien in 3145.jpg|Duchy of Andurien in 3145 after war with Oriente Protectorate
File:Duchy of Andurien in 3151.jpg|Duchy of Andurien in 3151
</gallery>

==References==
<references />

==Bibliography==
* ''[[Jihad: Final Reckoning]]''
* ''[[Jihad Hot Spots: Terra]]''


[[Category:Free Worlds League Regions]]
[[Category:Nation States]]
[[Category:Noble Landholds]]
[[Category:Duchy of Andurien Related Categories]]