Editing Chaos March

{{Update Needed|[[Handbook: Major Periphery States]]|[[Chaos March (sourcebook)]]}}
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The '''Chaos March''' was a region of small states and independent worlds that existed from October [[3057]] until c. [[3070]]. Formerly the [[Sarna March]] of the [[Federated Commonwealth]] these historically [[Capellan Confederation|Capellan]] worlds became an interstellar "no man's land" after [[Operation GUERRERO]], leading to neighboring powers and local interests competing for influence in the area. By the early 3070s the Chaos March had effectively ceased to exist as all of its worlds had been annexed by the Capellan Confederation or the [[Word of Blake]]. 

==Overview==
The [[Fourth Succession War]] resulted in the transfer of many worlds formerly belonging to the Capellan Confederation and Free Worlds League to the control of the nascent [[Federated Commonwealth]]. These worlds were organized within the [[Federated Commonwealth]] as the [[Sarna March]].

In [[3057]], Chancellor [[Sun-Tzu Liao]] and Captain-General [[Thomas Marik]] launched a strike at the [[Federated Commonwealth]] in retribution for [[Victor Steiner-Davion]]'s [[Operation GEMINI]]. Dubbed [[Operation GUERRERO]] it was accelerated with Thomas Marik's calculation that [[Katherine Steiner-Davion]] would secede the Lyran half of the [[Federated Commonwealth]] and negotiate a separate settlement with Marik that allowed him to achieve his objective. Katherine ordered home all traditional Lyran units to within the Lyran state's pre–Fourth War borders, leaving many worlds bereft of defenses. Because of the secession, the rump Commonwealth lacked the [[JumpShips]] necessary to reinforce the Sarna March. With the League's pullout, however, the Capellans lacked the military force to secure the worlds that the Commonwealth had all but abandoned. 

Prior to the offensive, Capellan terrorists had stirred up old Capellan loyalties among the populace, as well as masterminding many terrorist attacks targeting the infrastructure of these systems. In the absence of national militaries, many local governors (and other concerned interests) seized the initiative to restore order. On the worlds where this restoration was successful, most governments were resentful of the apparent lack of interest by the [[Great Houses]], and set up their own nations. Some of these minor powers became influential enough to become multi-world nation-states. The constantly shifting web of alliances, as well as the rapid rise and fall of planetary-level governments led observers to dub this area of instability the Chaos March.

Over time, both the [[Capellan Confederation]] and the [[Federated Commonwealth]] were able to exert more influence and military pressure on the worlds of the Chaos March, leading to its shrinkage. Though both would become distracted (the Capellans by the war with the [[St. Ives Compact]] and the Commonwealth by the [[Clans]]), many worlds of the Chaos March had been reclaimed by one of the [[Great Houses]]. When the [[FedCom Civil War]] broke out in [[3062]], some Chaos March worlds were caught in the middle. Indeed, Duke [[George Hasek II|George Hasek]] was tired of the Capellans constantly bullying the small nations, so he undertook a campaign to "liberate" some of them. 

The face of the Chaos March changed forever when the owners of [[Terra]], the [[Word of Blake]] announced the formation of the [[Word of Blake Protectorate]] in [[3066]]. The Protectorate was composed of several former Chaos March worlds who were bribed or otherwise coerced into joining the Blakist state. The [[Word of Blake|Word of Blake's]] [[Jihad]] that started in [[3067]], forced several other worlds into the Protectorate, including some that had rejoined the recently-renamed [[Federated Suns]]. By 3069, the entire Chaos March had been absorbed by the Blakist Protectorate.

The [[Jihad]] engulfed the [[Inner Sphere]] until [[Devlin Stone]] was able to organize an effective military coalition force to defeat the Blakist. Stone then claimed many planets near [[Terra]] as part of his new nation, the [[Republic of the Sphere]]. All of the worlds of the former Chaos March became a part of the Republic in [[3081]].

==States==
The Chaos March included the following minor powers and regions:
*[[Disputed Territories]]
*[[Duchy of Small]]
*[[Styk Commonality]]
*[[Sarna Supremacy]]
*[[Saiph Triumvirate]]
*[[Sirian Holds]]
*[[Terracap Confederation]]
*[[Word of Blake Protectorate]]

<gallery>
file:map-chaos-march-3058.png|former Sarna after Operation Guerrero
file:Map-cc-border-3058.png|territory gains by Capellan Conferderation
file:Map-cc-border-3067.png|border expansion until end of 3067
</gallery>

==References==
<references/>

==Bibliography==
* ''[[Chaos March (sourcebook)|Chaos March]]''
* ''[[Field Manual: Updates]]''
* ''[[Handbook: House Liao]]''
* ''[[Shattered Sphere]]''

[[Category:Universe Regions]]
[[Category:Articles with no sources]]