This article or section is in a state of significant expansion or restructuring. You are welcome to assist in its construction by editing it as well. If this article or section has not been edited in several days, please remove this template. If you are the editor who added this template and you are actively editing, please be sure to replace this template with {{in use}} during the active editing session. Click on the link for template parameters to use.
This article was last edited by Dirk Bastion(talk | contribs) 13 years ago. (Updatetimer)
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.
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.
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]
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]
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]
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]
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]