First Succession War

The First Succession War was a conflict of unparalleled brutality and horror that raged across the Inner Sphere from 2786 until 2821. At the beginning of the conflict, humanity was at the apex of its technical achievements. At the cessation of hostilities in 2821, the Inner Sphere was slipping rapidly into a technological abyss.

Beginning of the War

Following the Exodus of General Aleksandr Kerensky and three-quarters of the Star League Defense Forces in November of 2784, the Successor Lords braced for war. They had been building up their household forces since the regency of First Lord Richard Cameron (2751-2762). Once Kerensky and the Star League forces had withdrawn from the Inner Sphere, the Successor Lords were quick to come to blows. In December, 2786, Minoru Kurita, Coordinator of the Draconis Combine, declared himself the new First Lord of the Star League. The other house leaders quickly followed suit and within months the Inner Sphere was plunged into conflict.

War

The war lasted thirty-four years and was a horrific and brutal affair. The Ares Conventions went largely ignored during the conflict and hundreds of millions of civilians lost their lives. The Successor Lords used every means at their disposal to assail their enemies, including biological, chemical, and nuclear weapons. By 2788, the war had progressed primarily to quick raids behind enemy lines to cripple industrial or technical targets. Some forces, in particular those of the Lyran Commonwealth, were ill-equipped to carry out these kinds of attacks and paid heavy prices.

Hardest hit were planets that relied upon water purification technology to make them habitable. Many of these facilities became military targets and residents of these planets needed to import water or locate elsewhere. Unfortunately for many, trade was seriously disrupted during this period and water ships were few and far between. By the end of the war, water-rich planets were as valuable as they had been at the beginning of humanity's expansion to the stars.

[2783] The Federated Suns takes the former Terran Hedgemony world of Towne with no opposition [May 2785] BATTLE OF BOLAN- After claiming herself as the new First Lord, Jennifer Steiner orders a surprise attack on the Free Worlds League world of Bolan [May 2785-2800] Capellan Confederation troops led by Ariana’s Grenadiers and Justine’s Cuirassiers take Terra Firma, Capolla, Carver V, Keid, Bryant, Epsilon Indi, Epsilon Eridani, Fletcher and Hsien, all former Terran Hedgemony worlds with little or no opposition [Aug 2785] BONE-NORMAN RAID- ‘Bandits’, in actuality, the Draconis Combine-supplied Azami BattleMech Battalion, raids Bone-Norman and threatens to raid other Lyran Commonwealth border worlds. The Commonwealth turns its attention away from the Combine, focusing more on the Periphery. Its estimated Kurita employed some 20 units of ‘bandits’ to harass Steiner and Davion space [2785] TOWNE DEBACLE-Raiders from the Capellan Confederation and Draconis Combine both attempt to take Towne for its storehouses and heavy industry. The Defending 56th Avalon Hussars and 123rd Aerospace Interceptor Wing could have easily repulsed the attackers, but inter-branch rivalry between 56th’s MechWarriors and 123rd’s fighter pilots hampered efforts to coordinate a defense. Major Wilkins of 56th wanted to take on the Kuritans, while Major Donner of the 123rd demanded a Capellan-focused counterattack. Before retreating, both raider groups were able to make off with a few hundred tons of loot [2785] TOWNE ASSAULT- Seeing a weakness within the AFFS, the Draconis Combine mounted a major attack involving the 5th Dieron Regulars, supported by seven regiments of infantry and areospace wings. Local loyalties and complex bureaucracy slowed all rescue efforts. By the time JumpShips arrived, the troops of the 56th and 123rd were killed in action or at the mercy of the DCMS [2785] ALDERBARAN RAID- AeroSpace Fighters of the 13th Marik Militia make a successful attack on Capellan JumpShip docks around Alderbaran [2785] In the scramble for arms during the outbreak of 1st Succession War, the Lyran Commonwealth made a grab for the Bowie Industries plant on Dell. The plant produced CHP-W5s at full capacity until a Kuritan raid destroyed facility

Cessation of Hostilities

The war ended more from exhaustion than any significant peace deals. The Lyran Commonwealth and the Free Worlds League signed the Peace Accord of Bella I, ending the conflict between the two houses, but it was announced without the pomp or flourish typically expected. Other peace deals, including an offer by Ilsa Liao, Chancellor of the Capellan Confederation, were rejected or not even proffered. The Federated Suns could never agree to a deal with the Draconis Combine after the atrocity of Kentares IV, but feared invading traditional Kurita space. Once they had reclaimed most of their initial losses, the Davion high command decided to stop. The other fronts simply ground to a halt.

House Losses

Each of the houses had depleted its resources in fighting the conflict and needed time to recover before launching additional attacks. Some gained resources, others lost, but all lost technology and scientific reserves. Industrial output had slowed significantly and trade was almost non-existent.

Capellan Confederation

While the Confederation gained handsomely at the beginning of the war, particularly toward Terra, it later lost large swaths of territory in thrusts from the Federated Suns and the Free Worlds League. The first Capellan attacks were aided by the capture of some Free Worlds League code books, which allowed the Capellans the element of surprise. As the war dragged on, however, the Capellan forces failed to capture more code books and the Marik forces were better prepared. While the front with the Federated Suns solidified slightly, the border with the Free Worlds League was dismantled by the superior Marik forces.

In 2808, the Chancellor of the Capellan Confederation, Ilsa Liao, renounced her predecessor's claim as First Lordship and offered her support for Prince Paul Davion's claim if the Federated Suns would cede the Chesterton region to the Confederation in perpetuity. Paul Davion instead ordered two units to seize the Capellan worlds of Ulan Batar and Farwell. Why the Prince took this action is still a matter of speculation, but his refusal delayed peace between the two houses for another thirteen years.

Draconis Combine

The Draconis Combine claimed victory at the end of the war, primarily because they had gained territory. In all, the Combine claimed nineteen worlds from the Lyran Commonwealth and six from the Federated Suns. However, it had lost sixty percent of its manufacturing capacity in the Dieron military district. Coordinator Jinjiro Kurita was less than pleased with the performance of the military, however, and demoted many of those who had failed in their duties. Politicians were also removed from their posts and despite the temptation he felt, Jinjiro only executed a handful of officers and politicians.

Federated Suns

Like the other houses, the Federated Suns lost much of its shipbuilding capacity. Much of its industrial capacity had been lost due to damage to water purification plants. Estimates placed the number of casualties at over one billion, mostly civilian. This number just included direct war casualties, not those who died as a result of famine, disease, or other reasons.

Free Worlds League

The League made substantial gains in the war, mostly at the expense of the Capellan Confederation. Following Kerensky's departure, the Star League technology-rich worlds surrounding Terra became a primary target for the Mariks. As part of that thrust, Confederation worlds were seized in the process. It was joked that because of the success of the League's forces that the Marik at the time (Kenyon Marik) would throw darts at a wall map of the Inner Sphere to select his next targets. The League did suffer the same technological and scientific disruptions that affected the other houses, but to a much smaller degree. The success against the Capellans and the inability of the Lyran Commonwealth to effectively attack his holdings left the League with more of the Star League materiel than their rivals.

Lyran Commonwealth

The Commonwealth paid a heavy price during the war, losing more than thirty worlds, including Nox, Juniper, and Alula Australis. It also lost twelve full regiments of the Lyran Commonwealth Armed Forces and most of the the remaining 110 regiments had suffered heavy losses. In fact, only three regiments could muster more than sixty percent of their pre-war force. The navy had been completely decimated as well with the LCS Invincible remaining as only major Lyran warship.

Aftermath

The period following the end of the major operations was uneasy at best. Leaders quickly recognized the need to protect their scientific and technological assets. The calm only lasted for nine years before the Inner Sphere was once again engulfed in conflict - the Second Succession War.