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*On September 3, 1685, he issued a general pardon to all military personnel and officials who had fought for Titus on the day of Bosworthian Fields, with certain exceptions. Among those pardoned were the Earl of Malaria Prime, who was permitted to retire to his estates in the Malarian Provinces. He would die at Suri on April 28, 1689, aged forty. One of the exceptions was Thomasius Howardis, son of the late Duke of Norfolkius; he was imprisoned at the Fortress of Baureux in September 1685, and would remain there for the next three years. The Howardis family also forfeit their titles and estates. Two days later, Neuchrus, as part of his efforts to secure his hold on the throne, declared himself Emperor retroactively by right of conquest from August 21, 1685, the day before the Battle of Bosworthian Fields. By doing so, he annulled any official authority which Titus had on that day, imposed a sentence of excommunication against the late Emperor, and absolved his subjects and his government from bearing any responsibility for Titus actions at Bosworthian Fields.
Titus remains, moreover, were dumped into the Pit of Traitors on Jadia and were denied an Almitian burial, serving as another indicator of his illegitimate status. |
*On September 3, 1685, he issued a general pardon to all military personnel and officials who had fought for Titus on the day of Bosworthian Fields, with certain exceptions. Among those pardoned were the Earl of Malaria Prime, who was permitted to retire to his estates in the Malarian Provinces. He would die at Suri on April 28, 1689, aged forty. One of the exceptions was Thomasius Howardis, son of the late Duke of Norfolkius; he was imprisoned at the Fortress of Baureux in September 1685, and would remain there for the next three years. The Howardis family also forfeit their titles and estates. Two days later, Neuchrus, as part of his efforts to secure his hold on the throne, declared himself Emperor retroactively by right of conquest from August 21, 1685, the day before the Battle of Bosworthian Fields. By doing so, he annulled any official authority which Titus had on that day, imposed a sentence of excommunication against the late Emperor, and absolved his subjects and his government from bearing any responsibility for Titus actions at Bosworthian Fields.
Titus remains, moreover, were dumped into the Pit of Traitors on Jadia and were denied an Almitian burial, serving as another indicator of his illegitimate status. |
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*On September 11, the Emperor formally repealed Titus regulations concerning navigation, communications, and finances, relaxing censorship of the media and earning the support of his new subjects. This was followed on September 18 with the repeal of Titus Regius, and the repeal of all excommunication sentences and penalties imposed by Titus in accordance with that statute. Furthermore, he temporarily increased the donative to the Praetorian Guards, lifted some of the more onerous regulations imposed on the Imperial Military, and reconfirmed the militarys leave privileges, earning the loyalty of military personnel throughout the realms. Then on September 21, 1685, with these preliminary measures taken, Emperor Neuchrus began his progress to Laurasia Prime. Conducting a tour through the Central Core, Eastern Core Worlds, and Purse Region, he arrived on his capital world (October 13, 1685), to the acclaim of his subjects. Preparations were already underway for his coronation, which took place at New Westphalian Cathedral (October 30, 1685).
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*On September 11, the Emperor formally repealed Titus regulations concerning navigation, communications, and finances, relaxing censorship of the media and earning the support of his new subjects. This was followed on September 18 with the repeal of Titus Regius, and the repeal of all excommunication sentences and penalties imposed by Titus in accordance with that statute. Furthermore, he temporarily increased the donative to the Praetorian Guards, lifted some of the more onerous regulations imposed on the Imperial Military, and reconfirmed the militarys leave privileges, earning the loyalty of military personnel throughout the realms. Then on September 21, 1685, with these preliminary measures taken, Emperor Neuchrus began his progress to Laurasia Prime. Conducting a tour through the Central Core, Eastern Core Worlds, and Purse Region, he arrived on his capital world (October 13, 1685), to the acclaim of his subjects. Preparations were already underway for his coronation, which took place at New Westphalian Cathedral (October 30, 1685). |
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? | *Neuchrus, then twenty-eight years old, crowned himself Emperor with much ceremonial. Chief Procurator Thomasius Boucherius presided over the ceremony for the last time.
At the ceremony, the new Emperor, symbolically conveying his intention to reform and restore the Imperial State, appeared clean-shaven. He thus became the first Emperor in 168 years, since Antigonus I, to not have facial hair. As mentioned earlier in the timeline, Lysimachus I had revived the custom of facial hair among prominent Laurasian men, which had been prevalent during the Third Laurasian Period, and which he had admired. Seleucus the Victor, in his drive to mold Laurasia in his own image, had thoroughly rejected the custom. And now, Neuchrus - who sought to tie himself closely to the Empires founder, and believed that he was continuing the work he had begun - had turned back the clock. By the manifesto of November 17, 1685, he restored the Seleucid prohibitions on facial hair, requiring all empowered personages within the Laurasian Empire - a category which included the nobility, clergy, governmental officials, and military personnel - to shave off all facial hair and to adhere to strict facial grooming practices. Financial and legal penalties were proscribed for those personages who did not comply. |
+ | *Neuchrus, then twenty-eight years old, crowned himself Emperor with much ceremonial.
Chief Procurator Thomasius Boucherius presided over the ceremony for the last time. At the ceremony, the new Emperor, symbolically conveying his intention to reform and restore the Imperial State, appeared clean-shaven. He thus became the first Emperor in 168 years, since Antigonus I, to not have facial hair. As mentioned earlier in the timeline, Lysimachus I had revived the custom of facial hair among prominent Laurasian men, which had been prevalent during the Third Laurasian Period, and which he had admired. Seleucus the Victor, in his drive to mold Laurasia in his own image, had thoroughly rejected the custom. And now, Neuchrus - who sought to tie himself closely to the Empires founder, and believed that he was continuing the work he had begun - had turned back the clock. By the manifesto of November 17, 1685, he restored the Seleucid prohibitions on facial hair, requiring all empowered personages within the Laurasian Empire - a category which included the nobility, clergy, governmental officials, and military personnel - to shave off all facial hair and to adhere to strict facial grooming practices. Financial and legal penalties were proscribed for those personages who did not comply.
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+ | *Laurasian male commoners were not required to shave off their facial hair, but were strongly encouraged to do so and received a bonus, of 5% of their annual net income, from the Imperial Laurasian Government if they did. This particular innovation, minor though it seemed to be, served as a clear signal of Neuchrus intentions. Despite some initial resistance to his orders, compliance was quick and widespread, and by 1689, it would be estimated that only 35% of Laurasian men still possessed facial hair. By 1750, the percentage of Laurasian men possessing facial hair had declined further, to only 15%. Neuchrus restoration of the Seleucid facial hair ban also brought Laurasia in line with the grooming trends and norms of other powers of intergalactic civilization. By the late seventeenth century, with the exception of the Marasharite Empire and its vassals (where Marasharite Sultanism, the dominant religion, regarded facial hair as a marker of divine favor and virility), men in most states were clean shaven, and facial hair was generally regarded as smacking of barbarism. Thus, Neuchrus - by reestablishing the Seleucid precedents - sought to make clear that Laurasia was in all respects, culturally as well as militarily and diplomatically, a power to be reckoned with throughout intergalactic civilization.
These precedents would remain in force throughout the eighteenth century. |
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*But Neuchrus also focused his attention, in these early months of his reign, upon rewarding those who had aided his rise to the Laurasian throne. On November 3, 1685, in an elaborate ceremony at Quencilvanian Palace, Verus was created 1st Earl of Oxfadia, and named to the Imperial General Headquarters, with the rank of Lieutenant-General, as a result of his efforts against Emperor Titus. The new 1st Earl of Oxfadia also became Chamberlain of the Imperial Household and Constable of the Fortress of Baureux. The Emperor was already formulating plans for elevating these to Offices of State, among the first of his sweeping governmental reforms. Four days later, Sir Willanius Stanelis became Lord Comptroller of the Imperial Household, and was granted extensive properties and annuities from the Imperial Estates. His brother Lord Thomasius, Neuchrus stepfather, was raised to become Earl of Duana and was granted properties in the Central Core. |
*But Neuchrus also focused his attention, in these early months of his reign, upon rewarding those who had aided his rise to the Laurasian throne. On November 3, 1685, in an elaborate ceremony at Quencilvanian Palace, Verus was created 1st Earl of Oxfadia, and named to the Imperial General Headquarters, with the rank of Lieutenant-General, as a result of his efforts against Emperor Titus.
The new 1st Earl of Oxfadia also became Chamberlain of the Imperial Household and Constable of the Fortress of Baureux. The Emperor was already formulating plans for elevating these to Offices of State, among the first of his sweeping governmental reforms. Four days later, Sir Willanius Stanelis became Lord Comptroller of the Imperial Household, and was granted extensive properties and annuities from the Imperial Estates. His brother Lord Thomasius, Neuchrus stepfather, was raised to become Earl of Duana and was granted properties in the Central Core. |
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*On November 16, 1685, Emperor Neuchrus issued a special manifesto officially proclaiming his mother, Dowager Countess of Tudoria Margarina Beaufatia, a Grand Princess of the Laurasian Empire. In this manifesto, the Emperor mandated that his mother was to enjoy precedence over all other women in the Empire except for his future wife and consort. Moreover, Neuchrus gave his mother direct responsibility for the affairs of the Imperial Household; she became Chief Gentlewoman of the Privy Chamber and Mistress of the Robes, with jurisdiction over the Emperors servants and attendants. Shortly afterwards, Neuchrus elevated his uncle Acillius, who had been restored to the Earldom of Mariana Prime upon his nephews accession, to become 1st Duke of Mariana Prime, and made him the premier (highest) noble of the Empire, granting him precedence over all other members of the Laurasian nobility and gentry.
The Duke was also appointed to the Councils of State and was awarded the Order of St. Honorius the Liberator. On December 2, Neuchrus issued another manifesto by which he again confirmed that any man who swore allegiance to him, regardless of the penalties imposed upon him during the preceding reign, would be secure in their lives, titles, and possessions. |
*On November 16, 1685, Emperor Neuchrus issued a special manifesto officially proclaiming his mother, Dowager Countess of Tudoria Margarina Beaufatia, a Grand Princess of the Laurasian Empire. In this manifesto, the Emperor mandated that his mother was to enjoy precedence over all other women in the Empire except for his future wife and consort. Moreover, Neuchrus gave his mother direct responsibility for the affairs of the Imperial Household; she became Chief Gentlewoman of the Privy Chamber and Mistress of the Robes, with jurisdiction over the Emperors servants and attendants. Shortly afterwards, Neuchrus elevated his uncle Acillius, who had been restored to the Earldom of Mariana Prime upon his nephews accession, to become 1st Duke of Mariana Prime, and made him the premier (highest) noble of the Empire, granting him precedence over all other members of the Laurasian nobility and gentry.
The Duke was also appointed to the Councils of State and was awarded the Order of St. Honorius the Liberator. On December 2, Neuchrus issued another manifesto by which he again confirmed that any man who swore allegiance to him, regardless of the penalties imposed upon him during the preceding reign, would be secure in their lives, titles, and possessions. |
Latest revision as of 00:49, 8 May 2025
This is the second half of the Timeline of the Laurasian Empire. This covers the history of the Empire from 1501 to 1700. For the eighteenth century, see The Eighteenth Century.
16th century (1501-1600)
The sixteenth century commenced on January 1, 1501, and ended on December 31, 1600, of the Hyperdrive Era system.
1501
- 1501, the 1st and opening year of the sixteenth century, was greeted with much celebration on Laurasia Prime, and joy throughout the Empires dominions. By the beginning of the sixteenth century, the Empires dominions spanned from Upper Angelica in the Wild Marshes to Nikki Lowell, Newman Victoria, and the northern reaches of the Kimanian Trade Run in the southeast (including Khagia, Dumbgwita, Beverly Hereidu, and the Ashlgothian Borderlands Territories). The preceding century had seen the Laurasian subjugation of all of the powers involved in the Great Briannian War, and the Empires territorial expansion across the Middle Territories, into the Wild Marshes, and to the southwestern Barsar Regions.
The subjugation of Lower Melorkia (1410); Solidarita (1412); Meredita (1417); Ashlgothia (1421); Polonia-Donguaria (1434); Beatrice (1440); Temperance and Waytosk (1443-46); Hypasia (1443-84); the Kingdom of the Merlites (1474); the Hookiee Confederacy (1490); and Jageronia (1499), along with the acquisition of territories from Anastasia, Kimania, the Abbathian Dynasty, the Kingdom of Melanie Major, and most importantly of all, the Neo-Venasian Consortium (which was a vassal state to the Empire from 1422) had immeasurably strengthened Laurasias position of power and influence within the Caladarian Galaxy.
- Yet Emperor Antigonus was confronted with the challenge of now securing the Empires frontiers, and of vanquishing rivals in the Outer Borderlands. In particular, the Celestial Dynasty of Kimania continued to be an irritant to the Empire. The continued Laurasian subsidies to the Court of Kimania (valued at more than $1.2 trillion Laurasian denarii per annum), the provision of Laurasian technological specialists, advisors, military mercenaries, and agents, and the special transit privileges granted to Kimanian merchants, corporations, and starhoppers in the Ashlgothian Borderland Territories all provoked the Emperor.
He was also agitated by raids, launched by freebooters and pirates operating from within Kimanian territory (such as the Zyggerian Pirates), directed against Brooke, Allison, Emily Deuistiania, Matthew, West, Mirohassani, Imma, Emma, Kathryn, and Baiteman, among other worlds in those regions.
- Thus the Emperor, as early as November 1499, had begun preparing for renewed military conflict with the Kimanians to the south. In September 1500, he commanded the Imperial General Headquarters to formalize these plans of action, and to present him with a coordinated strategy. The Headquarters proceeded quickly to their work, and on December 22, 1500, Emperor Antigonus had been presented with their memorandums, at the Palace of the Greats on Americana. From this, the Emperor sought to gauge the opinions of his subjects and to rally the Empires subjects to support his war efforts. It was on January 15, 1501, that the Governing Senate formally accorded, in a proclamation from the Imperial Court, its support for the Emperors objectives. The Emperor of Laurasia, with this manifesto of support in his hands, moved swiftly to Jennings, establishing his military headquarters there, and in February 1501, issued an ultimatum to Decabolio Shogun, demanding that he renegotiate treaty arrangements with the Empire and restrain all pirate expeditions into the Borderlands Territories.
The Shogun of Kimania, who was still possessed of the same arrogance as previously, and who did not believe that the Laurasians would be able to conduct a successful military campaign along the Kimanian Trade Run, refused. Thus it was, on March 7, 1501, that the Emperor of Laurasia issued a declaration against the Celestial Dynasty.
- Laurasian units, already assembled at the chief strongholds of the Lower Melorkian Provinces and Ashlgothian Borderlands Territories, launched a series of swift offensives into Kimanian territory. Tolbiac on the Kimanian Trade Run became the site of an early Laurasian victory (March 19, 1501); by the end of March 1501, Laurasian units had stormed Shell, Earl, and Sandra, thereby inflicting a series of humiliating defeats upon overstretched Kimanian border garrisons. Kimanian counteroffensives against Cox, Henderson, Banks, Breha, and Constipex failed (April 1501), and on May 2, 1501, Dorothea was besieged by Emperor Antigonus forces. The Siege of Dorothea lasted for ten days, and despite the efforts of the Kimanian Prince of Hutsia Minor, Dim-Sew, the world fell into Laurasian possession. From this vantage point, Emperor Antigonus secured Millard, Leseur, and Lange (May 5-19, 1501), and on May 22, blunted a Kimanian counteroffensive against Narra, Christopher, and Gilestis.
Nanking was captured (May 25, 1501), and on May 28, General Dim-Sew suffered another defeat in the Battle of Allen.
- Harrison, Novina, Preena, and Jarman now fell into Laurasian hands (June 1501), and by that point, the Imperial Laurasian Navy was launching raiding expeditions into the Hutsite Reaches and against Drea, Duana, Abshire, Riley, and Strongstine. Orion III was isolated from June 7, 1501, but did not fall to Laurasian Major-General Sir Lucius Quietus (1449-1518), until July 7. On that same day, the Battle of Offshora resulted in another victory for the Laurasian Empire; Goni and Reading were now under serious threat from Laurasian forces. Leos Redoubt was sacked on July 14, 1501, and Gardiner was seized two days later. Dominguez, Susan, and Plath were occupied by the Empires forces in August 1501. By that point, Decabolio Shogun, who had in vain strengthened the defenses of Rolle, Bookman, Chobania, and Messalina, now sought to move against the Laurasians, and to thereby regain the advantage. Launching a surprise offensive from Kimanis Mooria, the Shogun stormed Erevan (August 19, 1501), and destroyed the Laurasian military repository on Turcmenchay; from here, Gilestis and Christopher were besieged by Kimanian units.
- On September 4, 1501, Igdir and Nahikchevan were both seized by Kimanian forces. Emperor Antigonus, reacting vigorously to this threat, now determined to lure his Kimanian rival to the outskirts of Woolestone, and to thereby deal a decisive below to his forces. This strategy worked, and after a route of pursuit through Winehouse, Shell, Dumbgwita, Khagia, and Les Mans, the Kimanians were lured to Tapae, site of that first Laurasian victory in 1488 (September 11, 1501). The Second Battle of Tapae, as it was called, resulted in a decisive victory for the Laurasians; more than 350,000 personnel of the Kimanian Celestial Navy died in the confrontation, and Decabolio Shogun was forced to halt his offensive. Erevan and Igdir were both recovered on September 15; Nahikchevan on September 19.
- Turccmenchay would be back in Laurasian hands by the end of the September, and on October 9, Gilestis and Christopher were both relieved. Kimanian clashes with Laurasian units at Echimadzin, Gilan, Ganja, Qobi-Karabakh, and Hinds Prime accomplished nothing; on October 14, 1501, Bookman was besieged and conquered by Emperor Antigonus. Rolle followed on October 22, and on October 25, 1501, the Battle of Nelson resulted in a decisive victory for General Quietus.
Acone and Plath were in Laurasian hands by the end of November 1501; then on December 4, 1501, the Battle of Hutsia Minor resulted in another victory for the Emperor. As a result of this victory, Kelly, Caleb, and Dodson, Kimanian colonies in the outskirts of the Hutsite Reaches, were occupied. By the end of 1501, Emperor Antigonus forces were geared for further advances into Jarjanica and against the lower Kimanian Trade Run.
1502
- 1502, the 2nd year of the sixteenth century, witnessed the conclusion of the First Antigonid War of Kimania, though tensions continued to persist between the two states afterwards. The early months of 1502 saw a continuation of the string of Laurasian successes from the previous year. Wallace, Security, and Polk were occupied by Laurasian units (January 7-15, 1502), and on January 22, 1502, Emperor Antigonus won the Battle of Hutsia Major, thereby occupying that major stronghold. Drea, Duana, and Melvin subsequently fell into Laurasian hands (February 1502), and the Laurasian hold of Preena, Novina, and Nelson was consolidated after decisive confrontations with Kimanian units at Leroy, Jones, Ward, and Derby during that same month. By March 1502, Decabolio Shogun had resolved upon a renewed counteroffensive into Laurasian territory, directed against the Ashlgothian Borderlands Territories.
- Seeking to bypass the Armenian Provinces, the Shogun sought to bring retribution to the Laurasian realms for Emperor Antigonus attacks against him. This string of counteroffensives commenced on March 8, 1502, with a Kimanian move against Earl; the stronghold fell into Kimanian possession. Khagia, Tolbiac, and Dumbgwita were blockaded by Kimanian units; afterwards, on March 17, 1502, Kristin fell victim to a Kimanian assault. This world, whose units had been moved out in anticipation of further offensives into the Barsar Regions, proved no match to the Kimanians, and surrendered two days later. Hefner, Brooke One, West, and Jennings were secured (March 18-April 9, 1502); on April 12, 1502, the Battle of Celestina ended in another victory for General Xi Jiaoping (1448-1505), who had become the Shoguns new operational commander-in-chief. Tahon, Bryce, and Peterslie then fell into Kimanian hands, and by the beginning of May 1502, Nandia and India were both threatened. The Kimanians had now overextended themselves, and Emperor Antigonus struck back in a decisive manner. On May 19, 1502, he repelled a Kimanian move against Warren in the Battle of Jeopardy; Page, Ellen, and Winfrey became the sites of Laurasian counter-assaults against Kimanian raiding expeditions.
- On June 1, 1502, the Emperor won the Battle of Nicopolis, handing General Jiaoping a decisive defeat and forcing the Kimanian evacuation of Nick, Brad, Dragosh, and Hefner. Brooke One was recovered on June 8, and on June 11, 1502, the Battle of Louis ended in another victory for Emperor Antigonus. By the end of June 1502, Kimanian moves into the Borderlands Provinces had come to a halt. Strongstine was conquered by General Quietus (July 8, 1502), handing a serious blow to the Kimanians. Knight, Vithian, and Olapia saw further Kimanian humiliations, and Jennings was recovered by the Laurasian Empire (July 17, 1502). Tanning and Abshire fell, and on August 9, 1502, Shell and Tolbiac were relieved. Then on August 24, 1502, the Battle of Adamclisi, fought near the outskirts of Armenia Minor, resulted in a decisive victory for the Emperor of Laurasia; Tahon, Bryce, and Peterslie were recovered, and the Kimanians suffered a reverse at Tyler. Decabolio Shogun, whose treasury was being drained by the conflict, and who saw Kimanias own defenses menaced by Emperor Antigonus forces, now decided to reach a peace with the Emperor.
- The offer was made on September 4, 1502; Emperor Antigonus accepted in short order, and on October 9, 1502, the Treaty of Istria was concluded.
Peaceful relations were thus restored between the Laurasian Empire and the Celestial Dynasty of Kimania. The Orion Cluster (with Dorothea, Lange, Leseur, Orion III), Millard, Filorean, and Reading were acquired by Laurasia. The Shogun of Kimania agreed to return all Laurasian fugitives, captives, and prisoners of war, and all subsidy arrangements with the Imperial Treasury were formally terminated. Moreover, the Shogun promised not to conclude any treaties without first obtaining the consent of the Emperor of Laurasia. The Treaty of Istria was ratified by Emperor Antigonus on October 14 and by Decabolio Shogun on November 3. The Emperor of Laurasia thus returned to Laurasia Prime in triumph (November 11, 1502). Festivities were staged at Laurasia Prime, and throughout the Empire, to celebrate the victories which he had obtained. Moreover, Chief Procurator of the Holy Synod Antiochus Wincheslia (1445-1513), presiding over a benediction service at Old Westphalian Cathedral, offered his thanks to the Lord Almitis and his agents on behalf of the Laurasian people. Yet Decabolio Shogun was not completely quiescent, and war would once again break out, leading to Kimanias final destruction and its incorporation into the Laurasian Empire.
1503
- 1503, the 3rd year of the sixteenth century, saw the Laurasian Empires dominions returning to a state of peace, following the conclusion of the First Antigonid-Kimanian War. In his New Years proclamation, Antigonus I touted his achievements, asserting, as Laurasian sovereigns had before, and would after him, that the Lord Almitis, as well as the spirits of our noble ancestors, would look upon them with favor, and that under his leadership, the Laurasian State had prospered. And indeed, the Emperor was able to credibly claim that he had done much already to advance the Empires geopolitical position, to maintain the stability and prosperity of its economy, and to defeat the threat posed to its territories by its enemies. In March 1503, he was to order for the erection of a stele at the Casta Praetoria, to be inscribed with scenes of Laurasian sailors and soldiers in pursuit of their duties, and with the Jageronians and Kimanians depicted kneeling in might before the Emperor. Yet as mentioned above, Decabolio Shogun remained dissatisfied with the terms of the Treaty of Istria, and was determined to regain the Orion Cluster, to avenge the humiliations inflicted upon his Dynasty by the Laurasians, and to assert the power of his species at the earliest opportunity.
- Beginning in June 1503, the Shogun would once more begin to harbor fugitives and deserters from justice at the hands of the Imperial Laurasian Government. He openly proclaimed that by doing so, he was playing his part in preserving galactic tranquility and that he would not allow anyone admitted into his realms, to commit any future crimes or offenses against other states. Decabolio Shogun even went as far to order for the establishment of colonies at Dylan, Tauskino, and Takei, in the vicinity of Kimanis Mooria, at which any fugitives or deserters in Kimanian territory could make their residences and pursue their occupations, as they desired. Emperor Antigonus, who was angered by these moves, nevertheless did not wish to resume war at this juncture, and bided his time. More provocative on the part of Decabolio Shogun was the support he provided to renegade pirate and slaver organizations, who conducted operations into the territory of not just Laurasia, but also of the Great Kingdom of Lesia and the Huntite Caliphate.
- Chief among these organizations were the Izygian League of Skold and the Zyggerian Pirates, which had originated in the fifteenth century and had gradually expanded, in terms of the number of their adherents, as well as in terms of the numbers of bases and starships which they controlled.
From August 1503 to July 1504, numerous star systems in the Borderlands Territories, including Emma, Tahon, Bryce, Peterslie, and Kathryn would be harried by the Izygians and Zyggerians, inflicting more than $5 quadrillion denarii worth of damage, capturing or killing some over 60 million sentients, and disrupting trade, as well as communications, into the affected star systems. In response to these moves, Emperor Antigonus would order for the establishment of new Laurasian operational outposts at April, Soraya, and Abigail (October 1503), and on November 7, he reorganized the Imperial General Headquarters, establishing a new Border Survelliance Office to draft all plans for the actions and responses undertaken by Laurasian forces facing Kimania. In December 1503, Antigonus issued a series of memorandums to the General Headquarters, ordering them to take all necessary measures to disrupt the League and Pirates, and outlining the measures to be taken with regards to captured pirate leaders and their associates. 1503 ended on this note, with tensions again building to war.
1504
- 1504, the 4th year of the sixteenth century, commenced with tensions again building up between the Laurasian Empire and the Celestial Dynasty of Kimania.
As mentioned above, Emperor Antigonus I had begun to take measures in response to the Izygian League of Skold and the Zyggerian Pirates, promoted as they were by the Emperors intractable enemy, Decabolio Shogun. Yet Antigonus was now to confront a more direct challenge to his authority. Decabolio Shogun felt that he could gain an advantage over the Laurasians by sponsoring the assassination of the Emperor himself. Such a move, the Shogun reckoned, would paralyze the Imperial Laurasian Government, provoke rebellion and possibly even civil war within the Laurasian Empire, and allow him to reclaim the territories which Kimania had lost to Laurasia over the preceding century.
- The Coeles brothers were now the beneficiaries of Decabolio Shoguns generosity. These brothers, Pomponius (1471-1504) and Tacitus (1475-1504), were both Praetorian Guards, who had served in the Emperors personal bodyguard during his campaigns against Jageronia and Kimania, and were thus intimately aware of Antigonus daily habits, as well as possessing knowledge of the servants in the Imperial Household. They were now provided with two doses of the notorious Rhylitte poison, which was procured by the Zyggerian Pirates, and given to them in a secret rendezvous at Larkin (February 17, 1504).
The intention was for them to slip this into the Emperors personal food pantry, in his bedchambers at Quencilvanian Palace, so that he would at once be exposed to it, take ill, and die. On March 2, the brothers arrived back at Laurasia Prime, but before they could carry out their scheme, they were arrested.
- Antigonus, who remained ever skeptical of Decabolio Shoguns motives, and who kept a vigorous watch over the Guards, had been informed, by both the Guards and the Imperial Intelligence Agency, of this Kimanian scheme. On the Emperors orders, the Coeles brothers were incarcerated at the High Tower of Christiania. They were vigorously interrogated and subjected to torture. While on the rack, Tacitus Coeles admitted to his schemes with Decabolio Shogun, and provided the details. Antigonus, informed of their confession, was enraged by this. He told his close friend and trusted subordinate, Plinius Caecilius (1461-1513), better known as Pliny the Younger (who was to eventually become Imperial Governor of Shenandoah), that the Kimanian perfidy will not remain unpunished and that the Lord Almitis had saved him from ruin. The two brothers were subsequently placed on trial before the Governing Senate (March 22, 1504), on charges of treason, conspiracy, and lèse-majesté.
Convicted on these charges, they were subsequently executed at the High Tower of Christiania (April 7, 1504). This execution was attended by more than 150,000 persons.
- Following the execution of the Coeles brothers, Emperor Antigonus commanded for a strict surveillance to be placed on the activities of the Kimanian Ambassador to the Court of Laurasia Prime, Xi-Chai (1445-1507). In September 1504, the Emperor ordered for rearmament to commence. He imposed a new recruit levy, of 1 per 60,000 male Laurasian subjects, expanded the Laurasian military academies on Caladaria, Darsis, Darcia, and Aeoleon, and on October 18, issued new instructions to the Imperial General Headquarters, regarding new offensives against the Celestial Dynasty. Antigonus diverted vast sums to the production of starships, vehicles, arms, shield generators, munitions, and supplies, and he ordered for the construction of three new Imperial Fleets at the shipyards of Chancia, Katherine, Gordasis, Elizabeth, Tanaria, Blackria, and Martina Mccasia. Decabolio Shogun, knowing that the game was up, also renewed preparations for his military forces. He attempted to deceive the Imperial Laurasian Government by sending false communiques across the Galactic Holonet, concerning Kimanian strategic dispositions and forces.
Antigonus did not fall for these ploys, as the Imperial Intelligence Agency had implanted its own agents at the Court of Kimania and was closely monitoring the Shoguns actions. In December 1504, Antigonus departed from Laurasia Prime and quickly proceeded to Melorkia Major, to take command of the planned offensives. 1504 ended with war again on the horizon.
1505
- 1505, the 5th year of the sixteenth century, began with the Laurasian Empire and the Celestial Dynasty of Kimania once again headed to war. Emperor Antigonus, who had successful deflected the Coele assassination conspiracy against him the previous year, sponsored by Decabolio Shogun, was determined to finish what he had started: the elimination of Kimania as an independent state, and the incorporation of its remaining territories into the Laurasian Empire. To obtain this goal, Antigonus took a series of more measured steps. Thus it was, on January 7, 1505, that the Emperor issued an ultimatum to the Kimanians, demanding that the Shogun disavow all ties to rebels within the Empires realms; that Kimania concede the Hutsite Regions to Laurasia; and that all Kimanian military forces be disarmed. Decabolio Shogun refused to adhere to these conditions, and in February 1505, staged a ceremony on Ryaa II, eight light-years to the north of Kimania, in which he disavowed all treaties signed with the Laurasian power.
- Emperor Antigonus interpreted this as a declaration of war, and on March 18, 1505, he issued the formal proclamation. The Emperor, who had moved from Melorkia Major to Woolestone on February 14, moved swiftly. Repelling Kimanian moves against Caitlin, Moore, Hardwicke, and Hedemark (March 19-27, 1505), and securing the defenses of Breha, Antigonus proceeded into the Jarjanican Provinces. Betty, Sexton, and Schlumeister fell into Laurasian hands (April 1505), and on May 2, 1505, the Battle of White ended in a victory for Emperor Antigonus and General Quietus. Four days later, Hamilton and Ury were both stormed by Laurasian units; subsequently, on May 21, 1505, the Battle of Darrin ended in another crushing victory over the Kimanians. General Xi Jiaoping was killed in that confrontation. Harrison and Novina were in Laurasian hands by the end of June 1505; in spite of the failure of a Laurasian raiding expedition against Security (June 27-July 1, 1505), the Empires forces nevertheless generally advanced forwards.
- The Battle of Madison (July 7, 1505), witnessed another victory for Emperor Antigonus; then on July 18, 1505, he destroyed the Kimanian forces of General Hideki Tojo (1441-1506) in the Battle of Plath.
Tojo was himself captured, and was imprisoned at Cholodio, where he died on April 18, 1506, aged sixty-five. Plath fell into Laurasian possession; Skold, Jarman, and Allen had all been secured by September 1505. On October 5, 1505, the Battle of Preena resulted in another victory for Laurasian arms; that world, along with Nelson, Novina, Harrison, Polk, and Rogers, all fell swiftly into Laurasian hands, virtually completing the subjugation of the Jarjanican Provinces. Everett, McCloskey, and McDivitt were stormed, allowing for the Laurasians to attack, and to conquer, Hutsia Minor (October 27, 1505). Abshire, Drea, and Duana were besieged and conquered in November 1505, Riley followed on December 7, and by December 17, Chobania, Goni, Hutsia Minor, and Strongstine were all in Laurasian hands. Gardiner and Leos Redoubt were taken on Ascentmas Day 1505; Samantha, Messalina, and Offshora were under siege by the Imperial Laurasian Navy as 1505 ended.
1506
- 1506, the 6th year of the sixteenth century, witnessed the conclusion of the Seventh Laurasian-Kimanian War, and the final subjection of the Celestial Dynasty of Kimania to the authority of the Laurasian Empire. In January 1506, Emperor Antigonus, advancing from Armenia Major with the 22nd and 23rd Imperial Fleets, proceeded to complete the conquest of the Hutsite Regions and Lower Barsar Regions.
The Battle of Perlman (January 7, 1506), ended in a decisive victory for the Emperor of Laurasia. Messalina, which was now buckling under Laurasian pressure, capitulated on January 18; McLean, Hugill, and Dolores followed on January 22, thereby completing the encirclement of Offshora. Kimanian counteroffensives against Goni, Breha, Narra, and Reading availed nothing; Offshora was seized on February 18, 1506. By the end of February 1506, Laurasian units had also secured Hutsia Major and Drea. Duana was stormed on March 4, 1506; then on March 17, Samantha finally fell into the Empires possession. From hence, the Emperor of Laurasia inflicted decisive defeats upon Kimanian units at Damien, Cooley, and DeLourencio (March 22-April 9, 1506). On May 5, 1506, the Battle of Sergio was waged, ending in a decisive victory for the Laurasians. The Emperors forces, having effectively secured the Lower Barsar Regions, now pushed with all deliberate speed to Kimania and Kimanis Mooria. Emperor Antigonus now organized his units into three columns. The first, comprised of the 29th Imperial Fleet and the 30th Imperial Army, followed the Cema, Tebisis, and Shanghai Lanes to Tibiscium, located eight light years to the southwest of Rolle (which had been seized in December 1505).
From hence, they passed through the Kimanian colonies of Valea Certnei, Hateg, and Valea Streiluiui.
- These units, commanded by General Sir Meleagus Sporus (1459-1533), destroyed the Kimanian fortifications on Costesi, Bildaru, and Piatra Rosie. The second column, comprised of the 23d Imperial Fleet and the 31st Imperial Army, and commanded by General Quietus, seized Bookman and crossed to Sucidava. It approached the Jin Colonies, linking with the first column at Tara Hategugui (June 1, 1506). The combined forces seized the Suiranu Approaches, meeting fierce but sporadic resistance from the Kimanian garrisons of those systems. The third column, led by the Emperor himself, advanced through Muntenia, passed through the Kimanian systems of Bran, Bratocea, and Oituz, and destroyed Cumdivavia and Augstua Starbases, near Kimanis Mooria. Then, on July 2, 1506, the combined forces of the Laurasian Empire converged on Kimania and commenced their siege.
- Laurasian units blockaded Kimanis Mooria and destroyed the Kimanian fortifications of Derangy, Morangy, and Zirdava, thereby denying Decabolio Shogun reinforcements. The Siege of Kimania lasted for over two months, and was particularly fierce, as Decabolios forces ceaselessly harried the lines of the Imperial Laurasian Navy.
The Emperor of Laurasia had to lay a series of minefields around Kimania, to vigorously reorganize his offensive units, and to employ his turbocannon to bombard Kimanias defenses. Finally, on September 9, 1506, Kimania succumbed to the Laurasian Empire. Laurasian troops quickly overran Bejing and the other major cities of Kimania, securing the Celestial Palace of Kimania and the other major landmarks. Decabolio Shogun himself, along with his court and remaining retainers, fled on his personal starfighter, but made it only as far as Kodaisay, where he was forced to commit suicide (September 20, 1506).
- On September 22, Kodaisay fell into Laurasian hands, and Decabolio Shoguns corpse was discovered by Colonel Sir Tiberius Claudius Maximus (1467-1545); he severed the Shoguns head with his vibroblade, and presented it to the Emperor himself. For this, Maximus would be promoted to the rank of Brigadier-General and in June 1507, be created the 1st Laurasian Earl of Kimanis Mooria. Emperor Antigonus, on October 5, 1506, formally proclaimed the annexation of the Celestial Dynasty of Kimanias remaining territories into the Laurasian Empire. He returned to Laurasia Prime in triumph (November 1, 1506), bringing with him $11 quadrillion denarii worth of goods, more than three million Kimanian prisoners of war, and over two hundred Kimanian warships of the Celestial Navy.
Decabalio Shoguns head had a prominent place in the triumph, conducted through the two Calaxies, Hepudermia, Jadia, and into the city of Christiania. The Chief Procurator presided over a Te Deum service at St. Katherines Cathedral, and much praise was lavished upon the Emperor; in January 1507, the Governing Senate and Holy Synod would confer upon him the title Kimanius Maximus. The Emperor, over the remaining decade of his reign, pursued a systematic policy of resettlement in the Barsar Regions, importing Laurasians and other subjects from throughout the Empire; consolidating Laurasian rule over those regions; and engaging in numerous construction projects, to consolidate the Laurasian political and military position there.
- His conquest of Kimania therefore meant that Laurasia now held virtually all of the territories once held by the Illkhanid Empire, which had disintegrated and collapsed in the mid tenth century, some six hundred years earlier. His campaigns benefited the Empire by the recovery of fugitives of justice; the seizure of the Kimanian Treasury and of the vast estates of the Kimanian Shoguns; and control over the prosperous Kimanian mineral and spice mines. The Zyggerian and Izygian Pirates would be exterminated by coordinated Laurasian expeditions in the Wild Marshes between 1507 and 1513, culminating in the Laurasian victory at Moigrad in the Hutsite Reaches.
Decabolio Shoguns remains would be interred in the Imperial Mausoleum, on the Emperors orders, in 1509.
- In 1756, on the orders of Empress Didymeia, they would be removed back to Kimania, and interred in the Great Imperial Mausoleum, alongside the remains of other Kimanian Shoguns and Kings. Emperor Antigonus, to commemorate his victories over Kimania, would commission Apollodorus of Dramis (1462-1539), in 1509, to construct Antigonus Column in Christiania, both as a propaganda piece and a public monument; the Column would be dedicated in 1513, with a gold statue to the Lord Almitis on the top. In December 1787, this would be replaced with a gold statue of Emperor Antigonus himself, erected by Empress Aurelia the Great (as part of her efforts to drum Laurasian spirit for the ongoing wars with Spamalka and Marasharita).
- Besides the destruction of the Celestial Dynasty of Kimania, 1506 was also marked by an act of territorial expansion for the Laurasian Empire in another theater: the final annexation of the Neo-Venasian Consortium, last of the contending states of the Great Briannian War. On June 9, 1506, Queen Mother Tethria III, the last in an ancient line which stretched all the way back to Konduchra, founder of the Consortium, in the 7th century BH, died on Venasia Prime.
She was forty-eight years old at the time of her death, and had reigned for thirty-five years. Her heiress apparent was her daughter, Princess Amayia (1477-1565), but, in accordance with the terms of the Treaty of Venasia Prime, she had to be confirmed as Queen Mother by the Emperor of Laurasia. Emperor Antigonus, who did not share any of the vainities of Caligula or Vespasian (which had led them to permit for the Consortiums continued existence), and firmly convinced that the persistence of the Consortium was illogical and a burden upon the Imperial Laurasian Government, decided to take swift action.
- On June 22, the Emperor issued a formal decree of annexation from Oituz in the Barsar Regions, denying recognition to Amayia as Queen Mother and ordering for the direct incorporation of the Neo-Venasian Consortium into the Laurasian Empire. This came 350 years after Queen Mother Kennatha I had overthrown the Venasian Khanate and restored the independence of her species. Laurasian troops occupied Venasia Prime, Hapes, Venasia Secondary, and the other chief strongholds of the Venasian Cluster with little opposition, and the Cluster was absorbed into the normal administrative system of the Empire.
As for Princess Amayia, she was granted an imperial pension by Emperor Antigonus, given the official rank of Dowager of Venasia, and allowed to retain all of her hereditary estates in the Venasian Cluster. She resided quietly in the Cluster, making routine visits to the Imperial Court on Laurasia Prime, until her death on November 15, 1565, at Hannis, aged eighty-eight.
1507
- 1507, the 7th year of the sixteenth century, commenced with the Laurasian Empire restored to peace in the aftermath of the Sixth Kimanian War (or the Second Antigonid-Kimanian War, as it was also known). In his New Years proclamation to his subjects (January 1, 1507), Antigonus exulted that Laurasia was now relieved of a neighbor who has, for more than a century, produced nothing but discord and war for us, and asserted that the Caladarian Galaxy as a whole was now more stable and wholesome due to the Celestial Dynastys disappearance. The Emperor now turned his attention once again to internal reform, to the provision of popular amusements, and to conciliation with the Imperial Almitian Church. In March 1507, Antigonus began a major reconstruction of the Circus Maximus in Christiania, which was already the Empires largest and best appointed circuit for track racing, theatrical spectacles and games, and public processions on the grandest possible scale.
- This reconstruction, which proceeded in stages until its completion in April 1508, would ultimately cost the Imperial Treasury more than $200 trillion denarii. The Circus Maximus now had capacity to seat over one million individuals, while its lofty, elevated imperial viewing box was rebuilt among the seating tiers. This was to enable spectators to see their Emperor also enjoying the games. By such a move, Antigonus hoped to build a closer relationship with his subjects and in doing so, to reduce the possibility of rebellion or dissent against the Imperial Laurasian Government.
- Antigonus also focused his attention on the expansion of the Imperial Holonet. He ordered for a new production studio to be constructed in the city of Christiania (July 13, 1507), supplementing the already extant Imperial Holonet Communications Center, and had secondary production studios constructed on worlds farther afield in the Empire, ranging from Shenandoah and Vickis to Malaria Prime. The new Antigonid Production Headquarters, in Christiania, would eventually be dedicated on January 14, 1509. The Holonet, moreover, saw a significant expansion in terms of the programming that it offered, the actors and producers which it employed, and the news coverage that it rendered.
Through all of these means, Antigonus sought to improve the dissemination of information and propaganda throughout his realms, while also providing his subjects with newer and more innovative forms of personal entertainment, in an interactive or streamed context. In August 1507, Antigonus embarked on a tour through the Laurasian Purse Region and Clancian Provinces, which lasted for over two months. He subsequently returned to Laurasia Prime again (November 8, 1507), and on November 13, received the first ever Hungarian envoy dispatched to the Laurasian Empire from the Great Amulak Spiral, Jan Hundani (1449-1518), at Quencilvanian Palace. 1507 ended with the Empires dominions still residing in general peace.
1508
- Throughout 1508, the 8th year of the sixteenth century, peace and tranquility continued to predominate in the Laurasian Empires territories. Emperor Antigonus, who basked in the praise of his subjects and in the due regard for his military and diplomatic prowess, given to him both within and outside of the Empire, decided, in February 1508, to devalue the Laurasian currency. By the decrees of February 27, March 9, and April 17, 1508, the Emperor ordered for a reduction in the silver content of the denarii, which was now lowered from 93.
5% to 89.0%, with the actual silver weight dropping from 3.04 grams to 2.88 grams. This devaulation, coupled with the massive influx in hard currency caused by the conquest of Kimania, the development of new mines and refineries throughout the Empires territories, and the seizure of the Kimanian Reserves, enabled for Antigonus to greatly expand the production of coinage, to levels comparable to, and surpassing, the production levels which had been witnessed during Seleucus the Victors reign.
- Moreover, Antigonus ordered for all imperial coins and bills produced prior to the reign of Antiochus III to be withdrawn from circulation. In June 1508, he proscribed new penalties for counterfeiting, ordered the Imperial Treasury to confiscate and destroy all unauthorized coinage, and initiated a program, by which subjects in possession of outdated or useless currency, could trade their coins and bills, with authorized credit unions, banks, and depositories, and receive new currency issue in due order. As a result of these measures, confidence in the denarii increased, and the Laurasian Denarius, by the end of Antigonus reign, became the most valued currency within the Caladarian Galaxy.
- Emperor Antigonus followed this up by promulgating the Community Laws (September 1508), which expanded and reorganized the Laurasian public welfare system.
The Laws regulated obligations and terms of welfare provision for all lower-income subjects within the Empire, introducing means testing and a sliding scale to measure the extent and form of benefits which these subjects could receive. The Laws, moreover, provided a fixed account for all local welfare, healthcare, and social services providers, agencies, and coordinators in the Empire to utilize, and established a basic standard of employment, which lower-income subjects would be obliged to meet to retain their benefits. Exempted from this standard were elderly, disabled, or mentally incompetent subjects, who were, moreover, to be preferred with regards to the benefits that they received. On October 22, 1508, Antigonus followed up the promulgation of the Laws by ordering for the creation, in the College of Health and Sentient Services, of the Charitable Collections Agency, which became responsible for coordinating the activities of all charities and nonprofits in the Empire, providing them with the funding necessary to meet their missions, and exercising oversight over them. In December 1508, he engaged in a extraordinary gesture at Quencilvanian Palace, bequeathing more than 200,000 of his orphaned subjects with a scholarship to any university, college, or academy of their choice in the Empire, and ensuring their adoption by dependents of the Empires nobility and gentry.
1509
- Into 1509, the 9th year of the sixteenth century, the beneficial measures of Antigonus I continued. On January 14, 1509, the Emperor commenced his Kimanian Games, which were held in honor of the Conquest of Kimania, and were meant to serve as a further reward to his subjects on Laurasia Prime. The Games lasted for over four months, until their conclusion with a grand parade through the City of Christiania (May 17, 1509). They involved more than 10,000 athletes, physical performers, artists, musicians, and scholars from throughout the Empire, and also involved tens of thousands of wild animals, vehicles, and the like. Antigonus careful management of these public spectacles led the orator Sir Antiochus Fronto (1449-1515), to congratulate him in a communique (June 13, 1509), for paying equal attention to public entertainments and more serious issues, acknowledging that neglect of more serious measures can cause greater damage, but neglect of amusements greater discontent. State-funded public entertainments helped to maintain contentment among the populace, while the more serious matters of welfare, healthcare, and education, as represented by the Community Laws, aimed to satisfy individuals.
- The other significant measure, undertaken by Emperor Antigonus in this year, was the issuance of his General Edict of Toleration (August 17, 1509). In doing so, the Emperor followed upon the precedents which had been established by his predecessors, regarding religious freedom for Laurasias subjects, and for those who immigrated to and made their habitation within the Empire. And they would be precedents which would be followed by most of his successors, most notably Aurelia the Great, who was to base her All Faiths Toleration Edict of 1774 upon the Antigonid Edict. By the terms of this edict, Antigonus established a policy of moderation and prudence towards religious minoriites and alien sects within the Empire. He forbade the Holy Synod and the Governing Senate, as well as the Councils of Imperial Secretaries and Civil Service, from trampling upon the rights, in particular, of Dasian Cultists, the Arachosian Orders, or the Briannian Congregations. In October 1509, moreover, Antigonus issued the first of many reconfirmations of the privileges of the Venasian Matrons, including their rights to polygamous and same-sex marriage (among their circles), and including them under the privileges of the General Edict of Toleration.
This was to be another custom followed by his successors. In a communique of December 18, 1509, to his friend Caecilius, Antigonus stated that we must not punish any man for following his conscience, except for instances in which his conscience jeopardizes his duties or loyalty towards us.
1510
- 1510, the 10th year of the sixteenth century, opened with the Laurasian Empire of Antigonus I in the midst of one of the most extended periods of peace and prosperity in its history. The Emperor focused his attention, even more so than previously, on to renewed construction projects. He further expanded upon his reputation as a vigorous builder, and in doing so, established an example that, like his policies of religious toleration, were to be adhered to by most of his successors. Antigonus initiated, in March 1510, the construction of the Antigonid Trade Exchange in Christiania, Laurasia Prime. This was intended to replace the Seleucid Trade Exchange, which Seleucus the Victor had built between 1303 and 1311, and which, by the early sixteenth century, was considered by many to be outdated. As with most of his other projects, the Emperor relied upon his trusted architect Apollodorus of Dramis, who, as noted above, was the main actor in the construction of Antigonus Column.
- Apollodorus now conceived a grand new scheme for the Exchange, intending to build it across a land area of eight square miles. The Exchange was to be dominated by a Central Market, to extend 4,000 feet into the air, and to consist of nearly four hundred levels. Around this Central Market, would be eight secondary markets, each of which was to extend at least 1,000 feet upwards, and consist of at least one hundred levels each. It was to have room enough to host at least 50,000 individual businesses and 100,000 smaller vendors, and was to have its own spaceport, internal turbolift system, and communications network. The Antigonid Trade Exchange, which would be formally dedicated on April 18, 1512, was to remain the central trade exchange on Laurasia Prime until the dedication of the Galactic Exchange of the Laurasian Empire in 1770.
- Aside from this, Antigonus also focused his attention on the expansion of the Empires educational system. He founded new Imperial Universities at Strongstine, Chobania, Samantha, Messalina, Reading, Kimania, Kimanis Mooria, and Breha (decree of July 17, 1510). Moreover, the Emperor created a centralized Imperial Scholarships Office, under his personal direction, to award deserving students from throughout the Empire, of non-noble or non-gentry backgrounds, and to supervise all private scholarships and grants in Laurasia.
The Emperor lowered tuition rates, and in the manifesto of August 28, 1510, forgave student loan debt for 25% of the Empires holders of such debt. Further remissions of debt would be conferred in 1513, 1515, and 1517. In addition to this, Antigonus provided financial grants and vouchers for the establishment and/or expansion of private charter schools, religious schools, and college preparatory academies, and he issued a decree, on November 9, 1510, lifting all remaining restrictions imposed upon the entry of the sons of common laborers and unskilled workers into the Empires military academies. This now opened the door for them to advance through the commissioned ranks in the Imperial Laurasian Military.
1511
- 1511, the 11th year of the sixteenth century, also passed with no dissent or discord transpiring within Laurasia. Antigonus I, in February 1511, initiated yet another construction project: the expansion of the Diplomatic Palace. As the Laurasian Empires foreign relations with the powers of the Great Amulak Spiral intensified and widened (to be described later in the timeline), Antigonus realized that foreign embassies to Laurasia Prime required additional accommodation. Moreover, he saw the Palaces expansion as a opportunity to showcase the resources and wealth which he, as absolute master of a galactic Empire, commanded.
The Emperor, again enlisting the services of Apollodorus of Dramis (who was already at work supervising the construction of the Antigonid Trade Exchange and the Forum of Apollodorus), embarked on the construction of the new Palatia Imperium, which was intended to provide quarters to the staff and servants of the Empires foreign emissaries, to serve as a reception house for such emissaries, and to connect the Diplomatic Palace with Quencilvanian Palace.
- In addition to the Palatia Imperium, Antigonus also ordered for the Palaces security systems to be redesigned and enhanced, with the addition of new admissions stations, security cameras, locking mechanisms, and surveillance consoles. In July 1511, he also erected a special Athletic Court, intended to provide a wholesome and welcoming atmosphere for foreign dignitaries, and he also had new Noble Quarters erected in the lower levels of the Palace. A labor force of more than 500,000 workers was conscripted to execute these designs, and they were to continue in their work for more than two years, until the renovations were completed in August 1513.
- Antigonus also sought to broaden the Empires system of starbases, supply depots, garrisons, outposts, and hyperspace terminals.
This would serve to strengthen communications, trade, and common travel, and would be of benefit to both the Imperial Laurasian Military (which needed to have rapid access to galactic regions, in cases of rebellion or war) and to the Emperors subjects. Already, in June 1510, he had begun the construction of Cholidria Starbase near Acabania. Comprised of over 55,000 dockspaces, oriented around a central structure, Cholidria Starbase represented a new milestone in Laurasian architectural achievement. It would be finished in September 1511. More than 15,000 other starbases like it would be constructed during the remainder of the Emperors reign, and into the reign of Lysimachus I. Antigonus reconstructed the Station of Dosch (beginning in May 1511), expanded the Neuron Plantita Station (beginning in August 1511), and on October 7, 1511, dedicated the Booms of Martina Mccasia, which became one of the largest and most complex, asteroid-based starbase complexes in the Empire. Antigonus also ordered for the construction of eighty new hyperspace terminals, ranging from Laurasia and Courdina V, to Waytosk, Boydaria, and Temperance in the Millian Provinces, down to Melorkia Major, Roastafaria Major, and westwards to Ashlgothia Major, Greg, Larkin, and Pressburg.
The terminals began construction in November 1511 and would be completed by his death in August 1517.
1512
- 1512, the 12th year of the sixteenth century, saw the culmination of some of Emperor Antigonus architectural projects. The completion of the Antigonid Trade Exchange in April 1512, has already been highlighted above. Two other notable structures reached their fruition in this year: the Forum of Antigonus and the Baths of Antigonus, both located in Christiania, Laurasia Prime. The Forum of Antigonus was formally dedicated on January 1, 1512, and was to be among the last of the major Imperial Forums completed prior to the eighteenth century. Encompassing an area of ten square miles, the Forum was built around Antigonus Column, and included a variety of public and private structures, including theaters, banks, restaurants, museums, galleries, and shops, among other attractions. The Forum cost over $300 trillion denarii to build, and like much else during Antigonus reign of an architectural nature, was the brainchild of Apollodorus of Dramis. For this specific accomplishment, Apollodorus would be made 1st Baronet Apollodorus of Dramis on June 18, 1512, marking a significant elevation for a man who had been born into very humble circumstances, at the lowest rungs of Laurasian society.
- The Baths of Antigonus, dedicated on April 4, 1512, had been built in conjunction with the Forum. Consisting of four interconnected structures, the Baths served as another public amenity for the inhabitants of Christiania. The Baths were surrounded by a grassy area on three of its sides, and enclosed by a perimeter wall, broken only by a single gate, which constituted the public entrance. The main chambers were arranged in a sequence along a central axis from northeast to southwest, and flanked on either side by a network of rooms and open courts which were strictly symmetrical with each other. These chambers included the apodyterium (dressing room), frigidarium (cool room), tepidarium (warm room), calidarium (hot room), laconicum (hottest room), and lavandium (bathing and shampooing room), along with a cold plunge pool (frigus immergite piscinam), saunas (saunae), and hot & cold showers (calidum et frigidum imbres). Aside from these bathing chambers, the Baths also incorporated its own gymnasiums (both indoors and outdoors) and athletic facilities, along with libraries, restrooms, gardens, scenic walkways, cafes, and dine-in restaurants, with both indoor and outdoor dining options.
And as was typical for Laurasian Baths, nudity was required throughout the entire complex, and for every activity and setting. This was a requirement enforced by the Baths employees, who were known as monitors - and were themselves subject to the requirement.
- The Laurasians placed a heavy emphasis on cleanliness and hygiene, and public bathing was a means through which these virtues could be expressed. This had been true from as far back as the First Laurasian Space Age, and coupled with this was a considerable cultural tolerance among Laurasians - a species that, in many respects, were deeply religious and governed by norms that emphasized morality and proper conduct - for recreational nudity among large, organized gatherings, whether public or private, in designated locations or at designated events. The Laurasians felt that nudity in such contexts enabled everyone to relax, to gain mental clarity, and to garner a better appreciation for themselves. Moreover, the Baths were one arena in which Laurasians of both genders were equal, as they freely mixed with one another and enjoyed the amenities therein, and they were free of charge, being financed by imperial municipal and business taxes.
Thus, Laurasians of all classes and statuses were able to take advantage of them. Antigonus Baths would provide the basic outline adhered to by later Imperial Baths.
- 1512 was also dominated by the Emperors further expansion of the galactic hyperroute system within his realms. In addition to constructing new starbases, garrisons, and terminals, as noted above, Antigonus sought to expand the routes linking them, and to create new ones. This would further link the Empires star systems together, and by extension, the Galaxys star systems. Antigonus chartered, in August 1512, the Roxuli-Abraham Way, connecting these two important star systems in the northern territories of Laurasias dominions. Following upon the Roxuli-Abraham Way would be the Dennis Trace, the Via Antigonia (connecting Narra with the Lower Kimanian Trade Run), and the Lower Angelican Military Highway, whose roots actually dated to as far back as 1309, and which would be fully completed by 1516. All total, more than 175,000 light years of hyperroute would be charted during the Emperors reign.
- Moreover, between 1506 and 1513, more than 10,000 new star systems were colonized in the Ashlgothian Borderlands Territories, the Melorkian Provinces, and the Barsar Regions, with millions of Laurasian and Core colonists, along with colonists from the Wild Marshes and from the Middle Territories, populating these star systems.
Antigonus, building upon this, also sought to encourage population growth, offering financial incentives to families who had more children. This included the creation of an Earned Income Tax Credit for families with at least one child, a financial bonus for families that had at least two children, and the extension of interest-free loans for the acquisition or establishment of new habitats and businesses for families with children. He also provided generous parental leave privileges (up to two months for Laurasian fathers and eight months for Laurasian mothers) to working and middle-class Laurasians, instigated a significant expansion of the Empires childcare and preschool educational programs, and sponsored the development of new technologies and fertility treatments that would enable Laurasian couples to procreate and deliver children naturally and in greater numbers, with a reduced need for surrogates or for emergency delivery methods such as caesearan sections.
- His policies on this front would be generally successful, as birth rates within the Empire would rise substantially during the latter years of his reign, along with marriage rates. By 1516, nearly 90% of adult Laurasians, aged eighteen and older, would be married or betrothed, and nearly 80% would have at least one biological child.
These numbers would remain fairly stable for decades after Antigonus death, and despite experiencing a relapse during the Crisis of the Seventeenth Century, would resume an upwards trajectory during the reign of Neuchrus the Reformer. This revival would be such, that by 1750, 97% of adult Laurasians over the age of eighteen would be married or betrothed, and over 90% would have at least one biological child. In some ways, this was an ironic move on the Emperors part, for he and his wife, Empress Consort Pompeia Plotina (1456-1522), whom he had married in 1474, never had any children of their own.
1513
- As 1513, the 13th year of the sixteenth century, opened, Emperor Antigonus had decided to embark upon his last military campaign: against the Huntite Caliphate. Ever since his accession to the throne in 1498, the Emperor had dreamed of conquering this state, of extending Laurasian jurisdiction over the eastern Outer Borderlands, and strengthening his Empires contacts into the Galactic Void. He sought to thereby continue the intensification of Laurasian ties with the powers of the satellite galaxies and the Great Amulak Spiral, a policy pursued from as far back as the reign of Seleucus I.
Moreover, Antigonus desired control of Hunt Major, Jasonia, and Samarkand, those worlds which had been the capitals of numerous previous empires in galactic history. From 1511, therefore, he had engaged in vigorous preparations for possible military campaigns.
- He issued new command instructions to the Imperial General Headquarters; imposed a new levy upon all tax contributions to the Imperial Estates; and commanded the officials of the Millian Provinces to provide all possible support for the military forces. Military spending underwent an upwards trajectory. By 1512, more than $400 quadrillion denarii was being spent on the Imperial Laurasian Military. The Emperor also implemented a new Code of Discipline in 1510, seeking to strengthen the cohesiveness of his chief units, and he expanded the Praetorian Guards, constructing for them a new barracks compound on Laura. Imperial units assembled at major strongholds in the Millian and Robertian Provinces; the garrisons of Robert, Meris, Wakedia, Meredita, Iego, Jeanne, Brenda, Dickinson, Shephard, Walters, Beharis, Hasselbeck, Predosur, and Hoohshikk all became hives of activity. Thus, by 1513, the Emperor of Laurasia was ready to make his strike.
Events in the Kingdom of Melanie now provided a justification for war.
- Ever since the conclusion of the Treaty of Elijahana in 1463, the Laurasian Empire and Huntite Caliphate had shared a protectorate over Melanie Major; all kings of Melanie were appointed by the Huntite Caliphs, and invested by the Laurasian Emperors. In succession, there had been Tiridates (r. 1453-59, 1463-88) and Sanatruk (r. 1488-1510), both of whom had remained friendly with the Empire, had hired Laurasian mercenaries, and assured passage privileges for Laurasian merchants. Both had been invested by Laurasian Emperors; Tiridates by Antiochus III, and Sanatruk by Antiochus IV. Yet following the death of Sanatruk in July 1510, Huntite Caliph Vologravia I (r. 1509-16, d. 1529), intervened in Melanies affairs, and now installed the Huntite Prince Partamasir (1484-1514), who was the son of Vologravias brother, Pacoria II (r. 1478-1505). He did this without consulting the Imperial Laurasian Government. Emperor Antigonus was enraged by this, and had begun his mobilization efforts.
- Yet it was not until March 1513 before he was ready to act. On March 19, 1513, in a proclamation from Quencilvanian Palace, the Emperor declared that Huntite intervention into the affairs of Melanie was an unforgivable crime, and that it needed to be redressed.
In April 1513, the Emperor proceeded from Laurasia Prime to Deborah, and from thence to Nottingham. But it was not until June 2, 1513, before he launched his forces into Melanite territory, aiming to depose Partamasir. Artashat and Arahahat, both of whom had been colonized by the Melanites during the fifteenth century, fell swiftly into the Emperors possession (June 8-14, 1513).
- On June 22, 1513, the Battle of Pailbirth ended in a decisive victory for the Emperor of Laurasia; from thence, he captured Melania Minor, Ararat, and Tagankaeret, thereby inflicting humiliating losses upon Melanite forces. By the end of July 1513, Laurasian units had also secured Florania, Endaker, and Katharnovich, thereby depriving the Melanites of their sole footholds on the Kimanian Trade Run. Finally, on August 12, 1513, Melanie Major itself fell under siege by the Empires forces. The Siege of Melanie Major lasted for over a month, but on September 19, 1513, the world fell into Laurasian possession. King Partamasir himself now fled to Pusarat, but was captured there by the Laurasians (September 25, 1513).
- He was, on October 7, 1513, forced by the Emperor of Laurasia to abdicate the Melanite throne.
Partamasir would be dispatched to live at Melarnaria, where he would die just over a year later, on November 19, 1514, aged only forty. Then on November 17, 1513, Antigonus, pursuing his ultimate goals against the Huntite Caliphate, announced the direct annexation of the Kingdom of Melanie Major into the Laurasian Empire. This action alarmed and angered Huntite Caliph Vologravia, who now believed that preemptive action had to be taken. Assembling his units at Vickis, Uris, Choir, Samarkand, and the Skatha Cluster, Vologravia issued a ultimatum on December 9, 1513, demanding for Laurasian withdrawal from Melanie and the restoration of Partamasir to the Melanite throne. The Emperor of Laurasia refused, and instead strengthened the newly-installed garrison of Melanie Major. Thus it was, on December 21, 1513, that Vologravia issued a declaration of war, commencing the Antigonid War of Hunt.
1514
- 1514, the 14th year of the sixteenth century, witnessed the initial campaigns of Emperor Antigonus I into the Huntite Caliphate. The Huntite declaration of war, caused by the Laurasian invasion of Melanie Major and the annexation of that kingdom, nevertheless came to the advantage of the Emperor of Laurasia.
Laurasian units, who had as previously described already been geared for war, in the Robertian and Millian Provinces, now quickly took the advantage. Emperor Antigonus now executed a series of offensives in the vicinity of Hoohshikk, and towards Samarkand, determined to secure his position in those regions. He besieged and captured the Huntite outposts of Juno, Ball, and Lucille (January 1514), thereby preventing any Huntite moves into Melanie Major. From this, Cameron-Bure, Patton, Rehnquist, and Dolly were secured (March 1514), and the Emperors forces now penetrated into the outskirts of the Skatha Cluster.
- Caliph Vologravia, who was surprised by this series of initial Laurasian successes, now strengthened the garrisons of Akmaaar, Jabul, Negro, and Gargonia, thereby seeking in vain to halt the Laurasian advance. He placed the garrisons of these star systems under the command of Prince Osroes (1475-1514), who had long advocated for preemptive action against the Laurasians. For a time, Osroes actually managed to gain a series of victories over Emperor Antigonus forces. He defeated General Sir Neuchrus Thramanius (1455-1518) in the Battle of Schriver (April 1, 1514), and from there, overran Nottingham, Majoria Schall, and Boydaria, thereby driving a wedge into the Millian Provinces.
He recovered Lucille (April 22, 1514), and humiliated the Emperors advance squadrons at Farley (April 28-May 2).
- A Laurasian move against Claithbourne and Timurs Star failed in the Battle of Lucrilla (May 1, 1514), and on May 9, Pailbirth fell to Huntite units. Cameron-Bure and Patton were stormed in May 1514. Emperor Antigonus, pursuing a similar strategy to that in the Sixth and Seventh Kimanian Wars, allowed for the Huntites to overextend their supply lines. On June 2, 1514, he launched a decisive counteroffensive from Cagasania, blunting the Huntites in the Battle of Nicholas. Prince Osroes was killed by Praetorian Guards towards the conclusion of that battle. From thence, Antigonus cleared Huntite units from Cameron-Bure, Patton, and Nottingham. It was not until July 2, 1514, before Majoria Schall fell back into Laurasian hands, and not until July 11 that Boydaria did so.
- Darrow, Christin, and Caitlin Allioh became the scenes of confrontation between Laurasian and Huntite units (July 15-22, 1514). On August 1, 1514, Gargonia was blockaded by the Emperors forces; its fall on August 12 humiliated the Huntite Caliph. Negro fell into Laurasian hands (August 24, 1514), followed by Horne (August 29, 1514), and then Jodie (September 3, 1514).
Laurasian expeditions were now penetrating into the Mauryan Provinces, storming Huntite garrisons on Little Maurya, Amira, Ashanti, and Dovani (September 1514); the Battle of Allavaha (October 1, 1514), ended in another victory for the Emperors forces. Then on October 8, Legate-General Sir Lucius Quietus advanced from Araxes to Gilhan and Choir; he subsequently defeated the Huntites in the Battle of Malatia, and thence stormed Gilhan (October 19, 1514).
- Timurs Star was blockaded by a Laurasian expeditionary fleet, and fell on November 5, 1514, dealing a severe blow to the Huntites. Then on November 11, 1514, the Emperor, after seizing London and Alexa, advanced upon Jasonia, once the capital of the Huntite Khanate, Rudorita, and Halegothica. After four days, the Empires forces reached the outskirts of that star system, and imposed a comprehensive blockade. The Siege of Jasonia lasted until December 9, 1514, when, after a failed counteroffensive by Caliph Vologravia, the world finally fell into the Laurasian Emperors possession. Emperor Antigonus himself, attended by his courtiers and his military commanders, surveyed the conquered star system. He visited the Great Palace of the Khans and the Palace of King Theodoric the Great (who had been dead for 288 years), viewing the great Halegothican Kings crypt, and the crypts of the Huntite Khans.
The Emperor also basked in the acclaim of many on Jasonia, who considered him a liberator from the despotism of the Huntite state. Three hundred and thirty-eight years had passed since the fall of the Huntite Khanate, and its core was now in Laurasian hands.
1515
- 1515, the 15th year of the sixteenth century, saw the continuation of Laurasian offensives into the Huntite Caliphate. Emperor Antigonus, who had now secured Jasonia, the former capital of the Huntite Khanate, and had ended Huntite moves into the Middle Territories, now decided to direct the thrust of his military forces from the Robertian Provinces, intent upon subduing the Northern Huntite Provinces and the remaining Huntite strongholds in the outskirts of the Middle Territories. For this operation, he had moved swiftly from Jasonia to Roastafaria Minor, leaving General Quietus in charge of maintaining the security of that stronghold, and thence to Hasselbeck. The goal of the Emperors new offensive was to drive towards and seize Samarkand, and to thereby deprive the Huntites of their hold of the Skatha Cluster. The Emperors new offensive commenced on January 11, 1515, with his seizure of Qora, a Huntite base on the Rebeccan Galactic Trade Route.
From Qora, the Emperors forces subdued Bagavan, Doridunk, and Bolan (January 17-29, 1515), thereby securing Hasselbeck, Walters, and Beharis from Huntite moves.
- He now proceeded directly to Goldberg, which blocked a Laurasian advance towards Leah and Lorna. Goldberg was placed under siege beginning on February 7, 1515; the Siege of Goldberg lasted for nearly two months, as the garrison of that star system, under the command of General Tyries (1457-1516), proved to be a formidable obstacle for the Imperial Laurasian Navy. Successive Laurasian assaults against the worlds defenses were blunted, and the Emperor was forced to call for reinforcements from Beharis, Shephard, Walters, Temperance, and Robert in order to maintain the offensive. Ultimately, Goldberg fell (April 1, 1515), by which time Laurasian units had already conquered Whoppi, Ber Bachmann, and Zachary. Leah followed in short order (April 12, 1515), and on April 21, 1515, Emperor Antigonus won a decisive victory in the Battle of Smoot, capturing Huntite Prince Sopraies (1459-1521) in battle.
- From Smoot, he secured Hill, Yeh, and Bergeman (May 1515). Garnett fell into Laurasian hands on May 23, 1515, but Lorna proved to be more difficult; it required a siege of nearly a month before Lorna surrendered on July 2, 1515.
By the end of July 1515, Uris and Vickis had also been stormed by Laurasian units, while the Laurasian hold over Choir had been consolidated. Beginning in May 1515, General Quietus moved from Majoria Schall, Boydaria, Shenandoah, and Melanie Major, performing a successful pincer maneuver against Morsia, Clathbourne, and Hunt Minor. By the end of August 1515, all of these strongholds were in Laurasian hands; Jabul and Akamaar had capitulated to General Quietus; and Gedrosia Max was under siege.
- Emperor Antigonus and General Quietus came together to complete the siege of Gedrosia Max; its fall on October 6, 1515, capped the Laurasian successes of that year. Timurs Star and the Skatha Cluster, including the bases of Root, Philipsen, Mitch, and Dalton, were secured in November 1515. Then on December 2, 1515, after capturing Maurya Major, Emperor Antigonus proceeded to Sheldonia and there received the submission of King Abgaros II of Upper Morsia (r. 1509-25), the Huntite Caliphates chief vassal, who ruled over Sheldonia, Gabriella, Outer Maurya, and the Eastern Wild Marshes. Abgaros recognized the Emperor of Laurasia as his suzerain, and pledged his absolute support to him in further military offensives against the Huntite Caliphate.
The Emperor of Laurasia now established his winter headquarters on Winslet (December 14, 1515), and sent a flood of communiques back to the Senate and Synod on Laurasia Prime, declaring his victories to his subjects.
1516
- 1516, the 16th year of the sixteenth century, opened with Antigonus Huntite War proceeding further. After having relaxed at his headquarters on Winslet, the Emperor renewed, in January 1516, his military campaigns against the Huntite Caliphate, with the view of subduing the Huntite Home Region and completing the subjugation of that state to the authority of the Laurasian Empire. The results of the ensuing military campaign almost completely backfired on the Emperor and did much damage to his more ambitious plans. The 23rd Imperial Fleet, operating from Lorna, re-captured Jabul and Akamaar (January 19-22, 1516), which had been briefly recovered by the Huntites at the end of December 1515. Huntite ties to the Skatha Star Cluster were sundered. Adiabene and Adenystrae, which had originally been colonized during the reign of Theodoric the Great three centuries earlier, were both stormed by Laurasian troops (February 1516). Emperor Antigonus himself advanced from Dura, sweeping through Ozogardana, Hunt Minor, and Gargonia (February-March 1516).
At Hunt Minor, the Emperors troops would erect a triumphal arch in his honor, commemorating his recent victories over the Huntites. He then captured Estella and Gedrosia Minor (April 1-9, 1516), and besieged the defenses of Hunt Major. Then on April 12, 1516, the Emperor of Laurasia received the submission of Athambelus Cerdarsies (1463-1526), the Laurasian Governor of Samarkand. The conquest of Samarkand finally brought this jewel into Laurasian possession, 511 years after the death of Timur the Devastator himself. Antigonus, who was enthused by this major achievement, conducted a triumphal procession through the streets of Timurs City; had turbocannon fired as a tribute by his fleets in the outskirts of the star system; and on April 19, ordered for a statue of himself to be erected at the Dasian Market. Four days later, the Emperor stormed Charax, and this system, capital of the Huntite Principality of Charax, and one of the Caliphates leading economic entrepots, fell into Laurasian possession.
- Then on May 1, 1516, Emperor Antigonus sent the Senate and the Synod an official communique, along with Huntite military armor, goods, and other spoils of war. Brimming with confidence and glee, the Emperor haughtily declared in his communique that the war was coming to a close.
Furthermore, he bemoaned that he was too old to go on any further and emulate the conquests of Sargon the Conqueror, Devlet-Giray, Genghis Khan, and Timur the Devastator. Coinage, from February 1516, was struck by the Imperial Treasury to commemorate the Emperors victories. One gold solidus depicted the Emperor on the obverse; on the reverse, he was shown, garbed in military armor, standing over the standards of Upper Morsia, Melanie, and the Huntite Caliphate. However, as the Emperor departed (May 5, 1516), to command the final siege of Hunt Major, a sudden outburst of Huntite resistance, led by Sandgruthia (1477-1516), a nephew of the Huntite Caliph, imperiled the Laurasian hold on Hunt Minor and the regions of the Skatha Cluster. Sandgruthia reconquered Timurs Star, Hunt Minor, Uris, Vickis, Adiabene, and Udall (May-June 1516), penetrating through Laurasian command positions. Antigonus ordered General Quietus to advance against the Huntite bases in the Skatha Cluster, while General Appius Santra (1475-1516, formerly Governor of Waytosk), was dispatched to subdue Grummans Star, Northop, Clarise, and Jodie. General Quietus was successful, recovering the strongholds mentioned above from Sandgruthia by August 3, 1516.
General Santra was not so lucky, and he was ambushed and killed at Rolle (August 11, 1516), by Huntite starfighter detachments.
- Emperor Antigonus, rousing again, took command of a military force assembled against Sandgruthia, with General Quietus, along with Procurator-General Sir Marcus Erucius Clarus, 1st Baron Clarus of Samarkand (1463-1525) and Captain-General Sir Tiberius Julianus, 1st Baron Julianus of Jasonia (1470-1546) as his subordinates. Departing from the outskirts of Hunt Major on August 20, 1516, he defeated Sandgruthia in the pitched Battle of Jodie (September 1, 1516): the Huntite Prince himself died in the confrontation. Hunt Major was finally stormed by the Laurasian forces (September 25, 1516). The Emperor conducted a victorious triumph into the star system and proceeded to business. Vologravia I, who had been captured towards the end of the siege, was formally deposed as Caliph of Hunt; the Emperor of Laurasia installed his son Parthamapsies (r. 1516-18) as Caliph, and compelled him to take an oath of allegiance and vassalage to him (October 1516). The Emperors forces completed the conquest of Jodie, Northrop, Clarise, and Grummans Star (November 1516), completing the subjugation of the Gedrosian and Jasonian Districts.
But Hatra, a Huntite stronghold located five thousand light years to the east of Hunt Major, defied the Laurasians.
- Antigonus moved against the stronghold on December 1, 1516, and himself directed the siege efforts, but in spite of this, Hatra remained unoccupied. The Emperor, who had planned to launch campaigns against the Mellorite and Neo-Anastasian Empires, now found his military forces dealing with multiple pressures. Huntite units, operating in the vicinity of the Caroline Asteroid Belt, continued to harry the Laurasian garrisons around Hunt Major, and the Hasbranian Rebellion had erupted in the Zennethian Provinces. Zennethia, Nosauria, Zutagia, Zesia, Denver, Jared, Galich Major, Volodmoria, Dorris, Anthony, Frogglesworth, Rupert, Watson, and other strongholds were ravaged by a series of revolts against the imperial authorities of those star systems. The Hasbranian Rebellion was to last from November 1516 to November 1518, and would result in the Emperor being forced to strengthen the garrisons of the southern Core Worlds, to contend with the troubles. Disturbances in the Millian Provinces, Carina, Seejay Prime, and the Constantine Cluster also concerned the Emperor.
1517
- By the beginning of 1517, the 17th year of the sixteenth century, Antigonus I, who had been exhausted by the military campaigns against the Huntite Caliphate, and the outbreak of rebellion within some regions of the Empire, had decided to make his leave from the theater of conflict.
In January 1517, the Emperor fainted while overseeing the siege efforts of Hatra, and this convinced him that it was imperative to withdraw from active participation in the military campaigns within Hunt as soon as possible. He retired to Jasonia, and there attempted to take treatments at the planetary spas. By March 1517, his condition had shown no signs of improvement, and the Emperor sought to return to Laurasia Prime. On April 7, 1517, he departed from Jasonia, and proceeded slowly to the Kimanian Trade Run, passing through Clarise, Jodie, Northrop, Horne, Nikki Lowell, Newman Victoria, Filorean, Constipex, Millard, Cox, Banks, and Henderson. By the time he reached Kimania, he was exhausted, and experienced a further fainting spell in his personal bedchambers. The Emperor consulted his personal physicians. On May 18, 1517, they informed him that he had developed the terminal Sorones disorder, which affected the brain, heart, lungs, and liver.
- No cure for this disease existed at the time (and would not exist until the eighteenth century). Emperor Antigonus was disheartened, and realizing that his health would not permit him to make the full journey back to Laurasia Prime, decided to make a detour.
He now proceeded to Leos Redoubt, determined to die on this world renowned for its resorts and its beautiful countryside. The Emperors decline had at first been shielded from his subjects, but it was now made plain by the Governing Senate, in a proclamation from the Imperial Court (June 1517). A bronze bust of Antigonus, dedicated on June 5, 1517 at the Ankaran Gallery of Art on Ruttum (which had been founded in 1471 by Emperor Vespasian), clearly showed him as aged and emaciated. Once at Leos Redoubt, Antigonus physical decline accelerated.
- On August 2, he took the Last Rites and delivered his final address to his troops from his chambers. He was attended by his wife, Empress Consort Plotina. It was on August 7, 1517, at the Loredian Castle on Leos Redoubt, that Antigonus I, the Conqueror, one of the most successful military campaigners in Laurasian history, and one of the Empires greatest rulers, died, aged 63. The Emperors reputation, already legendary by the time of his death, would survive unblemished for centuries thereafter. In the eighteenth century, he would be praised by all of the major historians. Following his death, the Senate would, until the time of Neuchrus I, hail every new Emperor with the hope that they would be as wise as Seleucus [I] and as successful as Antigonus.
Yet to the moment of his death, the Emperor had never publicly named a successor.
- His widow, Empress Dowager Pompeia Plotina, convinced the Senate, Synod, and the Empires subjects that her husband had named Legate-General Sir Lysimachus Hadrianus, 1st Duke of Colombia, as his successor on his death bed. General Hadrianus was the Emperors cousin, and he, like his cousin, was popular with the military and Guards. His service in the Kimanian Wars had demonstrated his commitment and dedication to the Empire, and he had distinguished himself as Quaestor of the Imperial Treasury (1509-11), Praetor of Laurasia Prime (1514-17), and commander of Quencilvanian Palace Control. Thus, his accession was unchallenged, and hours after Antigonus death, he was proclaimed Emperor as Lysimachus I. The new Emperor Lysimachus, then on Hunt Major, moved to immediately consolidate his position. In September 1517, he dismissed General Quietus from his position of command in the Huntite Provinces. He followed this by issuing a series of proclamations to the Imperial Court, announcing his intention to govern with prudence and to adhere to the dictates of the Imperial Almitian Church.
- The Emperor also rewarded his supporters such as the Praetorian Prefect of Laurasia Prime, Sir Publicus Attianus (1473-1519), who had served as Prefect since 1514.
In October 1517, an incident occurred which blemished the Emperors standing with the Governing Senate. Attianus, who claimed to be acting on behalf of the new Emperor, ordered for Quietus, who had returned to Laurasia Prime, and twenty other Senators to be arrested and imprisoned at the Post Settlement of Hepudermia. Among these Senators included Sir Gaius Nigrania (1461-1517), who was the father of Lady Avidia Nigrania (1504-59), the mother of Antigonus IIs future co-Emperor Lucius Verus (r. 1561-69). Then on November 9, 1517, following extensive interrogation by the Prefect and his officials, Quietus and his accomplices were attainted, publicly humiliated, and executed at the High Tower of Christiania.
- Afterwards, Attianus appeared before the Councils of State, and read out documents, purportedly signed by Emperor Antigonus, formally recognizing Lysimachus as his heir. The two bodies were cowed, while Emperor Lysimachus, who expressed his regrets over the deaths of Quietus and the others, nevertheless affirmed the Prefects acts. Thus, the Emperors reputation and relationship with the Senate were irredeemably damaged, and for the remainder of his reign, he would keep a strict and rigorous watch over them.
Lysimachus would become particularly dependent upon the Agency of State Security (Vadimonti), which had been established under Antigonus three years earlier. This Agency would eventually become one of the most despised institutions in Laurasian history. The Emperor would employ the Agencys informers, known as the frumentarii, to discreetly investigate and monitor persons of high social standing, including Senators, Collegial Secretaries, clerics, and even his close friends. Lysimachus would gradually expand the Agencys powers, funding, and size over the course of his reign. With his power consolidated, Lysimachus would subsequently focus his attention on three tasks: completing the suppression of the Hasbranian Rebellion, seizing Hatra, and formally eliminating the Huntite Caliphate. As for Emperor Antigonus, his body was brought back to Laurasia Prime, and he was, on November 17, 1517, formally interred at the Imperial Mausoleum in Old Westphalian Cathedral.
- His wife, Empress Dowager Pompeia Plotina, was formally confirmed in all of her dower rights and estates by Lysimachus. The Empress Dowager commanded considerable respect and affection throughout the Empire. She continued to remain active at the Imperial Court, and was a patron of numerous religious, educational, and charitable establishments.
Lysimachus - who owed a debt of gratitude to Pompeia for helping to secure his accession to the throne - listened to her counsel and maintained a lively correspondence with her. The most notable exchange between them would occur in July 1521, during the Emperors progress to the Solidaritan Provinces. While he was at Istantius, he received a communique from Empress Dowager Pompeia, urging him to intervene on behalf of Sir Popillius Theotimus (1468-1543), who had been served as the acting Chancellor of the University of Rebecca since February of that year. Theotimus was one of the most renowned advocates of Epicueran thought within the Empire. Epicurus Sadaria (318-90), the founder of this school of philosophy, had taught the principles of serene calm, managed hedonism, and the absence of divine wrath, emphasizing that individuals should live in the way that is most joyous and pleasurable to them.
- Theotimus had further elaborated upon these themes in his works On Nature and Cosmos (1509), On the Soul of Morality (1512), and On Friendship, Society, and Politics (1518). His theories, however, were controversial, and there were many within the University of Rebecca who opposed them. But Pompeia, who saw the value in his arguments, became one of his most ardent patrons, and she encouraged the Emperor to appoint Theotimus as the permanent Chancellor of the University.
Lysimachus concurred with this argument - himself appreciating the value of Theotimus contributions - and authorized the philosophers appointment. Theotimus would hold the post until his death at Nezbit on August 17, 1543. This proved to be Pompeias last significant contribution to Laurasian society. Her health entered a severe decline in October 1521, and she was admitted to St. Diogenes Hospital in Osraninpolis, Laurasia Prime, in January 1522. She was diagnosed with lateral sclerosis. Pompeia Plotina died in Osraninpolis on July 27, 1522. She was given a lavish state funeral on the Emperors orders, and was interred at Old Westphalian Cathedral with her husband, Antigonus I. In 1523, Lysimachus would construct the Basilica of Pompeia on Timberline, her homeworld, in her honor.
1518
- 1518, the 18th year of the sixteenth century, was marked by two major events: the final fall of Hatra, and the consequent elimination of the remnants of the Huntite Caliphate, and the suppression of the Hasbranian Rebellion. To Emperor Lysimachus, the first of these goals was undoubtedly the most important. In January 1518, the Emperor established his command headquarters on Ber Bachman, and from thence reorganized the forces then in place around Hatra.
He now designated Legate-General Clarus as the supreme commander of Laurasian forces in that star system. Moreover, the Emperor brought in substantial reinforcements from Leah, Lorna, Garnett, Meredith, Iego, Jeanne, Abuza, Abrianna, Brenda, and Dickinson, comprised primarily of the 40th and 41st Imperial Armies; he was determined to leave nothing to chance. Hatras defenses, which had already begun to wilter, now collapsed under this renewed Laurasian onslaught. The Commander of the Garrison of Hatra, the Huntite Prince Mugguthia (1472-1529), found that he could not effectively oppose the Imperial Laurasian Navy.
- On February 7, 1518, Hatras defenses were finally breached by the forces of the Laurasian Empire; within four days, the stronghold had been occupied. Prince Mugguthia himself managed to escape, and now attempted to lead a resistance against Laurasian units. He sacked the newly installed Laurasian garrison of Amida (February 9, 1518); penetrated to the outskirts of Negro (February 12-17); and on February 22, breached the defenses of Zachary, inflicting severe damage upon Laurasian positions in that star system. The Battle of Doug (February 27-March 1, 1518), also was another victory for these erstwhile Huntite forces.
Emperor Lysimachus himself now brought this string of counteroffensives to an end. On March 7, 1518, he lured Mugguthia and his units to Nasala, located two hundred light years to the northeast of the Caroline Asteroid Belt. The ensuing Battle of Nasala resulted in a decisive victory for Laurasian forces, and more than 375,000 Huntite troops died in the confrontation. Prestley and Natazdha became the sites of further confrontations between Laurasian and Huntite forces (March 1518).
- Finally, on April 2, 1518, Mugguthia was defeated and captured by the Emperor of Laurasias forces at Lura. Bound in chains, he was presented to the Emperor personally. Lysimachus, impressed by Mugguthias bravery, decided to spare his life. Mugguthia, who would be allowed to retain the title of Hereditary Prince of Hatra, was able to retire to Hunt Major. There, he would become an early ally of the Imperial Laurasian Government, thereby ingratiating himself with his new masters. This allegiance would prove to be shallow. Lysimachus now turned to the task of eliminating the remnants of the Huntite Caliphate. On April 17, the Emperor moved to Hunt Major with his forces, and effected a landing upon the planetary surface.
Huntite Caliph Parthamapsies, who had been installed on the throne less than two years before, was quickly apprehended.
- Subsequently, on May 5, 1518, the Emperor compelled the Caliph to abdicate, and, before an assembly of the Huntite Baklar (Hereditary Council), announced the formal ann
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