First Succession War

The First Succession War was a conflict of unparalleled brutality and horror that raged across the Inner Sphere from 2787 until 2831. At the beginning of the conflict, humanity was at the apex of its technical achievements. At the cessation of hostilities in 2831, 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 2787, 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 Once Kerensky and the Star League forces had withdrawn from the Inner Sphere, the Successor Lords were quick to come to blows.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, 2787, Minoru Kurita 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 only thirty-four years, but was a horrific and brutal affair. The Successor Lords used every means at their disposal to assail their enemies. The Ares Conventions went largely ignored during the conflict and hundreds of millions of civilians lost their lives. Also targeted were industrial and technological facilities, including a significant number of faster-than-light (FTL) ship-building plants.

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.

Cessation and Aftermath

The war ended more from exhaustion than any significant peace deals. Each of the houses had depleted its resources in fighting the conflict and needed time to recover before launching additional attacks. 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.