Editing Aleisha Liao

{{InfoBoxCharacter
| image               = Aleisha-liao.jpg
| caption             = Aleisha Liao
| name                = Aleisha Liao
| birthdate           = [[2372]]<ref name="HL(TLC)FT">''House Liao (The Capellan Confederation)'', foldout (pp. 163–164 in PDF): "The Capellan Confederation's Line of Succession and Partial Liao Family Tree"</ref>
| died                = 20 December [[2415]]<ref name="HL(TCC)p31"/>
| othernames          = 
| affiliation         = [[House Liao]]
| profession          = [[Chancellor of the Capellan Confederation|Chancellor]]<ref name="HL(TCC)p31"/><br>[[Duchess of Liao]]<ref name="HL(TLC)FT"/>
| parents             = [[Kurnath Liao]] (father)<ref name="HL(TCC)p31"/>
| siblings            = [[Ardan Liao]]
| spouse              = 
| children            = 
}}
'''Aleisha Liao''' was the third<ref name="HB:HLp18">''Handbook: House Liao'', pp. 18–19: "Aleisha and Ares"</ref> Chancellor to rule the Capellan Confederation and the first female Chancellor.<ref name="HL(TCC)p31"/>

==History==
Aleisha Liao was the daughter of Kurnath Liao,<ref name="HL(TCC)p31"/><ref name="HB:HLp18"/> Chancellor of the Capellan Confederation, and became Chancellor herself after her father's death in [[2399]].<ref name="HL(TCC)p31"/> Aleisha was the first woman to serve as Chancellor, and surprised some by proving to be more strong-willed and independent than predicted<ref name="HL(TCC)p31"/> although she appeared much less power-mad than her father had been.<ref name="HB:HLp18"/> During her reign Aleisha returned some of the rights and privileges that previous Chancelllors had taken to the House of Scions, while also working to increase the power of the Prefectorate, reducing the influence of the military. Having achieved her goal of decreasing the military's influence, she then worked methodically to reduce the power of the Prefectorate in turn, when it suited her purpose,<ref name="HL(TCC)p31">''House Liao (The Capellan Confederation)'', p. 31: "The Ares Conventions"</ref> delicately playing the House of Scions and the Prefectorate off against each other while maintaining control herself and using the military as a lever when required.<ref name="HB:HLp18"/>

Much to the surprise of the military, Aleisha negotiated a peace with the [[Free Worlds League]], rather than escalating the [[First Andurien War]]; Aleisha signed the Andurien Conventions with the League, ending the conflict in [[2404]], with the provisos that the League would govern the Andurien worlds for a period of ten years, at the end of which the citizens of those worlds would vote to determine whether they wished to remain in the League or join the Confederation.<ref name="HL(TCC)p31"/>

In [[2412]] a series of battles in the [[Tintavel]] system caused a horrific loss of life, with more than one hundred thousand civilians dying as a result of the conflict.<ref name="HB:HLp18"/> The massive loss of life on Tintavel shocked and horrified Aleisha; in response to the news, she began to strike out against the rising tide of militarism in the [[Inner Sphere]].<ref name="HL(TCC)p31"/> Through aggressive diplomacy<ref name="HB:HLp18"/> she began conducting grueling and exhausting negotiations with each of the various powers of the Inner Sphere, leading to a conference of delegates held on the world of [[Ares (system)|Ares]] to discuss ways of limiting the destructiveness of modern warfare and, more importantly, the loss of civilian life that went alongside it.<ref name="HL(TCC)p31"/><ref name="HB:HLp18"/>

Aleisha's conference brought about the drafting of a remarkable piece of legislation known as the [[Ares Conventions]],<ref name="HL(TCC)p31"/><ref name="HB:HLp18"/> which were adopted by most nations. Under the terms of the Conventions warfare was limited in terms of the destruction that could legally be caused, but at the same time would become a legitimate means of settling disputes<ref name="HL(TCC)p31"/> and a more frequent<ref name="HL(TCC)p31"/><ref name="HB:HLp18"/> - if more ceremonial - occurrence for the remainder of the [[Age of War]]. The signing of the Conventions symbolized the growing interstellar influence of the Confederation and Aleisha was remembered by history as the person who most altered the shape and substance of warfare during the Age of War.<ref name="HL(TCC)p31"/>

===Death===
Aleisha died on the 20 December [[2415]] of natural causes, and her state funeral was held on the planet [[Ingersoll]]; her funeral was attended by some three million people, more than the population of Ingersoll at the time, and her birthday became a national holiday within the Confederation.<ref name="HL(TCC)p31"/>

==Titles and Positions==
{{S-start}}
{{S-bef|before=[[Kurnath Liao]]}}
{{S-title|title=[[Chancellor of the Capellan Confederation]]|years=[[2399]] - [[2415]]}}
{{S-aft|after=[[Arden Baxter]]}}
{{S-bef|before=[[Kurnath Liao]]}}
{{S-title|title=[[Duchess of Liao]]|years=[[2399]] - [[2415]]}}
{{S-aft|after=[[Arden Baxter]]}}
{{S-end}}

==References==
<references/>

==Bibliography==
* ''[[Handbook: House Liao]]''
* ''[[House Liao (The Capellan Confederation)]]''


[[Category: Capellan Confederation Characters|Liao, Aleisha]]