Editing History of the Free Worlds League

{{Update Needed|[[First Succession War (sourcebook)]]|[[Shattered Fortress]]}}
[[File:Free Worlds League logo.png|Crest of the Free Worlds League|right|thumb]]

:''This article details the history of the '''''Free Worlds League'''''. For more information, see [[Free Worlds League]].''

===Creation===
The Free Worlds League was a federation that was initially created by three existing nations, the [[Marik Republic]], [[Federation of Oriente]], and [[Regulan Principality]]. Three nations, formed in the wake of the [[Terran Alliance]]'s internal struggles, signed the [[Articles of Unification]] (also known as the Treaty of Marik) in [[2271]], creating the League even before the establishment of the [[Terran Hegemony]]. As influential as [[Detlev Marik]], [[Tomás Allison]], and [[Raju Selaj]], the leaders of their respective nations, were, the League owes just as much to [[George Humphreys]], the man who negotiated between the three leaders.<ref>''Handbook: House Marik'', pp. 11–13: "To the Stars”</ref>

The League's first war occurred in [[2293]] against the [[Stewart Commonality]]. That nation's dictator, [[David Genovese]], refused the League's peaceful entreaties. In September, [[Captain-General of the Free Worlds League|Captain-General]] [[Juliano Marik]] led a force in what came to be known as the [[Stewart War]]. Marik's forces were easily victorious and the League annexed the six-world Commonality. This marked the first time the League Parliament named a Captain-General to lead military forces in battle. As proscribed by the League constitution, Marik returned control of the [[Free Worlds League Military]] to Parliament at the end of the war.<ref>''House Marik (The Free Worlds League)'', p. 11</ref><ref>''Handbook: House Marik'', p. 13: "First Blood”</ref><ref name=POC>''Field Manual: Free Worlds League'', pp. 6–7: "Politics of Command”</ref>

===Early Years===
In [[2306]], the League signed the [[Ryerson Accord]], which brought the nation into direct conflict with the [[Sarna Supremacy]] as allies of the [[Capellan Hegemony]]. Parliament elected [[Danak Selaj]] Captain-General. Selaj was a failure. By the end of the 2300s, the position of Captain-General all but belonged to [[House Marik]], who had been granted the right of first refusal.<ref name>''House Marik (The Free Worlds League)'', p. 13</ref><ref>''Handbook: House Marik'', pp. 17, 82: "Timeline: Ancient History" and "Captains-General in History"</ref>

In the 2360s, Captain-General [[Allan Marik]] undertook a series of military campaigns that added a number of Capellan planets to the Free Worlds League. In [[2367]], the five Capellan nations united under [[House Liao]] as the [[Capellan Confederation]]. [[Chancellor]] [[Kurnath Liao]] attacked the League in [[2398]] with [[Andurien]] as the focus of his offensive. The six-year struggle marking the beginning of the [[Age of War]].<ref>''Handbook: House Marik'', p. 17: "Timeline: Ancient History"</ref>

===Age of War===
While the [[twenty-fourth century]] marked a new era in the history of the [[Inner Sphere]], it also marked a transfer of power in the League. Allan Marik was replaced by his son [[Peter Marik (24th c.)|Peter Marik]] as Captain-General. Peter was appointed in [[2396]] as many in Parliament feared such a conflict was imminent. Peter immediately went to the Andurien front and prosecuted an incredible campaign, despite the fact that larger realms with larger military forces meant ever-bloodier battles. After a defeat on [[Kwamashu]] in [[2401]] gave [[Hered Selaj]] room to angle for the Captain-Generalcy himself, Peter went directly for [[Sian]], the Capellan capital, and earned a victory there. Chancellor [[Aleisha Liao]] sued for peace in [[2404]].<ref>''House Marik (The Free Worlds League)'', pp. 14–15: "The Andurien Crisis"</ref><ref>''Handbook: House Marik'', p. 15</ref>

Peter Marik returned to [[Atreus (FWL)|Atreus]] a victor and a hero. He continued to prosecute military actions against the Capellans and [[Lyran Commonwealth]], unfazed by Parliament's ratification of the [[Ares Convention]] in [[2412]]. Parliament began reining Peter in, first with an oversight committee in [[2413]], then with the passage of the [[War Powers Act]] in [[2418]]. When the Lyrans attacked again in [[2420]], Peter refused to serve as Captain-General with the War Powers Act in effect. Unwilling to repeal the law, Parliament appointed one of Peter's subordinates, [[Joseph Stewart]], Captain-General. Stewart was a disaster and the League was fortunate the Lyrans were distracted by the [[Draconis Combine]]. Stewart's failure did wonders for Peter's popularity, as many Members of Parliament became convinced that only a Marik could effectively serve as Captain-General.<ref>''House Marik (The Free Worlds League)'', pp. 15–16</ref><ref>''Handbook: House Marik'', p. 18: "The Age of War"</ref>

Peter Marik was assassinated in [[2422]]. The Lyrans invaded in [[2427]] and Parliament asked [[Terrence Marik (25th c.)|Terrence Marik]] to lead the defense, and he refused. When more League worlds were lost, Parliament repealed the War Powers Act. As soon as Terrence was notified, he took over as Captain-General, took control of the FWLM, and blunted the Lyran advance. Terrence's younger brother [[Peter Marik (25th c.)|Peter]] succeeded him in [[2440]] and led an offensive against the Lyrans. Parliament passed the [[Liberation Act]] in [[2448]], which allowed citizens of conquered planets to become full League citizens. This stanched the flow of refugees leaving newly conquered League systems and the economy flourished. Peter retired in [[2452]] with the League at the height of its power.<ref>''House Marik (The Free Worlds League)'', p. 16</ref><ref>''Handbook: House Marik'', pp. 18–19</ref>

Peter was succeeded by [[Geralk Marik]], who became known as "the Bloodthirsty" due to tactics he used against the Lyrans. In [[2459]], Geralk personally led the invasion of [[Loric]]. In [[Battle of Loric|that battle]] the [[LCAF]] deployed [[BattleMech]]s for the first time. A mere company of 'Mechs turned the tide against Marik's conventional forces and Geralk himself was killed when a 'Mech stepped on him. The Lyrans tried to press their technological advantage, but did not have enough BattleMechs to do more than blunt the League invasion.<ref>''House Marik (The Free Worlds League)'', p. 16</ref><ref>''Handbook: House Marik'', pp. 19 & 21: "Paradigm Shift"</ref><ref>''Handbook: House Steiner'', p. 20</ref>

The nineteen-year-old [[Simone Marik]] succeeded her father as Captain-General. She focused the League's attention on technological innovation and improving education with an eye toward enhancing the nation's long-term economic situation. Simone was ousted by Parliament in [[2475]] due to her disastrous foreign relations, especially with respect to the [[Capellan Confederation]], which culminated in Chancellor [[Jasmine Liao]] rejecting an offer to jointly attack the [[Terran Hegemony]] in exchange for [[Andurien]] and the surrounding systems. Simone's insane brother [[Carlos Marik|Carlos]] became Captain-General and planned an attack aimed at conquering [[Terra]]. The Hegemony discovered this plot and launched a raid that decimated the naval task force in the [[Oriente]] system. A third sibling, [[Brion Marik|Brion]], seized power with backing from Parliament and House Marik, and Carlos went into exile in the [[Magistracy of Canopus]]. The new Captain-General quickly negotiated a peace settlement with Director-General [[Theodore Cameron (26th c.)|Theodore Cameron]].<ref>''House Marik (The Free Worlds League)'', p. 17</ref><ref>''Handbook: House Marik'', p. 21</ref>

===Star League===
[[Albert Marik]] succeeded his father in [[2511]]. In [[2528]] the League again went to war with the Capellans over Andurien. In [[2531]], Director-General [[Ian Cameron]] abruptly invited Albert and [[Mica Liao]] to [[New Delos]] to negotiate the end of the [[Second Andurien War]]. The [[Treaty of New Delos]] surprisingly ended not only the war, but various border disputes that had gone on for years. This was followed by the five-year [[Third Andurien War]], which began in [[2551]]. To conclude that war, Albert Marik willingly gave [[Terrence Liao]] control over [[Andurien]] in exchange for Liao joining an alliance with the League and Terran Hegemony in what would become the [[Star League]], which would unite all of humanity under its banner. For that sacrifice, Ian Cameron agreed to only recognize a Marik Captain-General as the representative of the Free Worlds League. This gave the Captain-General purely political power for the first time and forced the League to make the position permanent. Over the coming years, Ian Cameron and Albert Marik negotiated, cajoled, bribed, and manipulated the [[Lyran Commonwealth]], [[Federated Suns]], and [[Draconis Combine]] into joining the Star League.<ref>''House Marik (The Free Worlds League)'', pp. 17–18</ref><ref>''Handbook: House Marik'', pp. 21–22</ref>

====Reunification War====
{{Main|Reunification War}}
Ian Cameron made the [[Pollux Proclamation]] in [[2575]], signaling his intent for the Star League to rule over all of humankind, one way or another. The realms of the [[Periphery]]&mdash;the [[Taurian Concordat]], [[Magistracy of Canopus]], [[Rim Worlds Republic]], and [[Outworlds Alliance]]&mdash;refused the Star League's peaceful entreaties to join, preferring their own, hard-fought independence. The Star League and armies of its member nations launched a coordinated assault in [[2576]] known as the Reunification War. Captain-General [[Marion Marik]], who had succeeded her father a few years prior, led the assault into Canopus. The technologically and numerically inferior Periphery realm had little hope, but fought tenaciously in defense of their homeland. Marik all but abandoned the Free Worlds League to Parliament and threw herself into the campaign. She ensured that Canopians were treated with respect and that the dictates of the [[Ares Conventions]] were followed. Her forces captured [[Canopus]] in [[2584]] and the entire Magistracy was secured by [[2588]].<ref>''House Marik (The Free Worlds League)'', p. 19</ref><ref>''Handbook: House Marik'', pp. 22–23: "The Star League Era"</ref>

[[Melissa Humphreys]] was appointed as the military governor of the Magistracy. She took to her work with a genuine passion. At her urging, the League invested heavily in rebuilding Canopian industry. Canopian self-rule was restored in [[2604]].<ref>''House Marik (The Free Worlds League)'', p. 19: "Military Occupation"</ref><ref name=HBHMBacklash>''Handbook: House Marik'', pp. 23 & 26: "Backlash"</ref>

====Recession====
The Magistracy's new factories were superior to the League's aging infrastructure and Leaguers began buying Canopian goods. This hurt the League's economy, but the tipping point was the introduction of a Star League currency in [[2623]]. The ten-year recession became the focus of Parliament. The longer the recession went, the more radical the remedies proposed became, and the more MPs began to sign on to them. Led by the Regulans, MPs advocated for protectionism, or even pulling out of the Star League. The League did not fully recover until the late 2640s, when new exploration and settlement of previously uninhabitable planets spurred economic growth.<ref>''House Marik (The Free Worlds League)'', p. 20: "Economic Crisis"</ref><ref name=HBHMBacklash />

====The Scourge of Death====
Extremism was not limited to Parliament. A number of acts of terrorism occurred in the 2660s, though most groups were poorly organized and easily broken up. One exception was the Scourge of Death. The Scourge's first terrorist act was the exploding of a bomb at the main starport in Atreus in [[2667]]. The organization's crowning achievement was the assassination of Captain-General [[Terrence Marik (27th c.)|Terrence Marik]] at a family estate on [[Marik]] in [[2678]]. The bomb blast killed almost all of the members of the Marik family. Only [[Gerald Marik I|Gerald Marik]], a cousin to Terrence, survived, coming back from the brink of death with the help of bionic implants.<ref name=HM2022>''House Marik (The Free Worlds League)'', pp. 20, 22: "The Scourge of Death"</ref><ref name=HBHM26>''Handbook: House Marik'', p. 26: "The Scourge of Death"</ref>

As Captain-General, Gerald focused on eradicating the Scourge of Death. The Marik Militia and SAFE were given free rein to do what they needed. Civil liberties were ignored, the [[Magistracy of Canopus]] was raided, and Marik allies were angered. The Scourge's base of operations was destroyed, but a raid on [[Westover]] uncovered shocking evidence; the leaders of the Scourge were the Selaj family.<ref name=HM2022 /><ref name=HBHM26 />

The Free Worlds League was headed for civil war. On 1 October [[2679]], Gerald convened a military tribunal that convicted the three leaders of the Selaj family ''in absentia''. Their sentence was death. As the Regulan forces dug in, Gerald succeeded in convincing the leaders of the Star League not to participate in an internal Free Worlds matter. Gerald led the Marik forces into the Principality in December 2679. A number of Regulan troops did not wish to defend their leaders, so they defected. Marik had won by January [[2680]]. [[D'mir Selaj]] committed suicide rather than be captured, but [[Puraj Selaj|Puraj]] and [[Rajneesh Selaj|Rajneesh]] escaped into Canopus.<ref>''House Marik (The Free Worlds League)'', p. 22: "On the Trail of the Scourge"</ref><ref>''Handbook: House Marik'', pp. 26–27: "The Scourge of Death"</ref> Gerald appointed the Schenk family as the new rulers of Regulus.<ref>''House Marik (The Free Worlds League)'', p. 24</ref>

Gerald remained paranoid, believing every setback to be part of a conspiracy. He maintained the heightened security and increased the budget of SAFE. It became a common belief in the Free Worlds that Gerald's paranoia was a result of his use of bionics, leading to a League-wide stigma against bionic implants.<ref>''House Marik (The Free Worlds League)'', p. 23</ref><ref>''Handbook: House Marik'', p. 27: "Descent"</ref>

[[Elise Marik]] succeeded her father in [[2703]]. She was every bit as ruthless and paranoid as her father. Elise's purges were even worse. Her brother [[Oliver Marik|Oliver]] initially attempted to oppose her in Parliament, but went into exile in the [[Terran Hegemony]]. Parliament had had enough in [[2728]] and dissolved the position of Captain-General. Elise led troops against Parliament and dissolved the body. That was the last straw for Oliver, who returned to lead a rebellion. The rebels captured Elise in [[2730]], but her son [[Bertram Marik|Bertram]] took over as military commander. Bertram liberated his mother in February [[2734]], though her imprisonment had left her mentally unstable and unfit for leadership. Though Bertram was still ambitious, he reached out to Oliver and his son [[Boris Marik|Boris]].<ref>''House Marik (The Free Worlds League)'', pp. 23–24</ref><ref>''Handbook: House Marik'', pp. 27 & 29</ref>

The two sides reached a peace. The [[Treaty of Verona]] was signed on 20 May 2734. Bertram became Captain-General, though he restored Parliament and rolled back many of the changes Elise and Gerald introduced. Oliver and Boris surrendered. Oliver was executed, and Boris was killed during an escape attempt.<ref>''House Marik (The Free Worlds League)'', p. 24</ref><ref>''Handbook: House Marik'', p. 29</ref>

====Fall of the Star League====
Bertram Marik had a quiet reign, though the same cannot be said of his successors. His son [[Ewan Marik|Ewan]] was a boor and a lush who repeatedly insulted his fellow Council Lords, resulting in poor diplomatic relations. Ewan's son [[Kenyon Marik|Kenyon]] was a better ruler, but he had a personal vendetta against [[Aleksandr Kerensky]], the Commanding General of the [[Star League Defense Force]] and Regent for [[Richard Cameron II|Richard Cameron]]. When the [[Territorial States]] rebelled, the Free Worlds did nothing. When [[Stefan Amaris]] launched [[Amaris Coup|a coup]], the Free Worlds did not recognize Amaris as the rightful [[First Lord]], but Marik refused to let Kerensky use Free Worlds systems as staging grounds for the Terran Hegemony's civil war.<ref>''House Marik (The Free Worlds League)'', pp. 26–27</ref><ref>''Handbook: House Marik'', pp. 29–30</ref>

The Council Lords stripped Kerensky of his commission and appointed [[Jerome Blake]] to rebuild the shattered communications network. Blake subsequently founded [[ComStar]]. Each Council Lord returned to his or her capital and declared themselves First Lord. Kerensky took most of the SLDF and went into exile beyond the Inner Sphere. The groundwork had been laid for a new era of warfare.<ref>''House Marik (The Free Worlds League)'', p. 28</ref><ref name=HBHM30>''Handbook: House Marik'', p. 30: "Endgame"</ref>

Kenyon used the looming crisis to convince Parliament to pass laws that gave him more power. The most famous and far-reaching was [[Resolution 288]]. Passed on 19 December [[2784]], Resolution 288 gave the Captain-General incredible power, including the right to convene and dismiss Parliament at will, the ability to appoint his or her successor, and sole direction of the FWLM.<ref name=HBHM30 /><ref>''Handbook: House Marik'', p. 81: "Resolution 288: Key Points"</ref>

===First Succession War===
The [[First Succession War]] began in the Free Worlds League when the [[Lyran Commonwealth]] launched an invasion of [[Bolan]] in [[2785]]. Kenyon Marik ordered the use of nuclear weapons during that battle. When the Lyrans responded in kind, he declared that the Lyran use of weapons of mass destruction abrogated the [[Ares Conventions]] and he was free to do the same, a precedent in which the other House Lords followed suit. Through the initial stages of the war, the League focused on claiming former Hegemony worlds and defending against the Lyrans. Kenyon ordered his troops to target infrastructure, believing that he could win by denying his enemy the ability to create weapons of war. Again, his peers copied this strategy.<ref>''Handbook: House Marik'', pp. 30–31: "First Succession War"</ref><ref>''House Marik (The Free Worlds League)'', p. 28</ref>

By November 2787, the Lyrans were distracted by war with the Kuritas, and the former Terran planets were occupied. Kenyon seized that moment to turn the FWLM against the [[Capellan Confederation]]. Though there were setbacks and raids with the Lyrans, the League was able to seize many systems from the Capellans, including the Andurien worlds. The offensive was stalled in [[2793]] because of a successful Capellan raid. Following that, the FWLM paused to consolidate their gains.<ref>''House Marik (The Free Worlds League)'', p. 29</ref><ref>''Handbook: House Marik'', pp. 31–32</ref>

The FWLM did not do as well on the Lyran front. An assault on [[Hesperus II]] in [[2794]] failed to land ground troops. Following that battle, the League offensives slowed down considerably. The Lyrans conquered the Bolan Thumb in [[2811]], though they suffered heavy losses.<ref>''House Marik (The Free Worlds League)'', p. 29: "Father and Son"</ref><ref>''Handbook: House Marik'', p. 32</ref>

On 16 May [[2821]], the League signed a peace treaty with the Lyran Commonwealth. A similar document was signed with the Capellans in November of that year. The armistices did not reflect a desire for peace between the belligerents; rather, they had beaten themselves almost to oblivion and need a respite to recover so that they could war again.<ref>''House Marik (The Free Worlds League)'', p. 30: "The Second Succession War</ref><ref>''Handbook: House Marik'', p. 35: "Timeline: First Succession War"</ref>

The war devastated the League's infrastructure. Whole planets were abandoned or forgotten. Captain-General [[Charles Marik (29th c.)|Charles Marik]] ordered scientists and engineers to work on military concerns, forgoing reconstruction of civilian infrastructure. The Marik attempted to return SAFE to its former glory because he believed that the intelligence service would be important for the next conflict. He also sought to glean information about enemy troop movements from his sister [[Jeanette Marik|Jeanette]], who had joined [[ComStar]].<ref>''House Marik (The Free Worlds League)'', p. 31</ref><ref>''Handbook: House Marik'', p. 36</ref>

===Second Succession War===
Charles Marik used the information he was getting from ComStar in [[2830]]. In response to Lyran troop movements, he declared war on the Commonwealth, marking the League's entry into the [[Second Succession War]]. The League and Commonwealth traded worlds and continued the total war mentality from the previous conflict. In time, Charles began to suspect that his enemies were receiving similar intelligence from ComStar.<ref>''House Marik (The Free Worlds League)'', p. 32</ref><ref>''Handbook: House Marik'', p. 36</ref>

Charles hatched a plot to gain evidence that ComStar was leaking information to other nations. Codenamed Operation Cookie Jar, Charles had the Marshall of Oriente send a false message that a Star League cache had been found on [[Cursa]]. A Capellan force invaded the system in March [[2837]], only a few months after the message was sent. Marik's response was to destroy the station orbiting [[Oriente]], killing all the ComStar personnel inside, including his sister Jeanette. Several hours later, on 19 March, ComStar declared a communications interdiction, refusing to send interstellar messages. The League's military preparation suffered catastrophically and SAFE began a shadow war with ComStar [[ROM]]. The League was attacked by all four other [[Successor States]] and lost a number of systems to the Lyrans and Capellans. When Parliament blocked funding for the FWLM, Charles was forced to acquiesce to ComStar.<ref>''House Marik (The Free Worlds League)'', pp. 32–33: "At War with ComStar"</ref><ref>''Handbook: House Marik'', p. 36</ref>

Though communications were restored on 9 November [[2838]], Charles still had problems with Parliament. Accomplishing little on the capital and faced with severe morale problems, Charles took to the front lines on [[Irian]] in [[2842]]. About the same time, Marik's allies in Parliament succeeded in passing appropriations for the FWLM. The Captain-General held out until reinforcements arrived, a symbol of the League's war efforts everywhere. The war cost the life of [[Harlan Allison]], however. The last Allison Duke of Oriente died fighting on [[New Delos]] in [[2845]]. Parliament appointed [[Blair Halas]] as his successor. Though the appointment was meant to drive a wedge between Marik and Oriente, Charles and Blair quickly became allies. By [[2860]], the League had recovered most of the worlds they lost to the Capellans. In [[2863]], the Second Succession War ended.<ref>''House Marik (The Free Worlds League)'', pp. 34–35</ref><ref>''Handbook: House Marik'', pp. 36–37</ref>

===Third Succession War===
The Free Worlds League entered the [[Third Succession War]] in [[2869]] with the invasion of the [[Isle of Skye]]. Though the invasion was successful, the Lyran counterattack was also a success. The use of troops from the [[Duchy of Andurien]] to garrison the Skye worlds, and their subsequent defeats, turned the Humphreys family against the Mariks, specifically Captain-General [[Marie Marik]]. The Third War was characterized by a tacit return to the Ares Conventions because technology and factories and even clean water had become too important to destroy.<ref>''House Marik (The Free Worlds League)'', pp. 37–38</ref><ref>''Handbook: House Marik'', p. 40</ref>

The League signed the [[Concord of Kapteyn]] on 13 October [[3022]], which entered the nation into an alliance with the Capellans and the [[Draconis Combine]] in response to the signing of the [[Federated Commonwealth Alliance Document]]. The Third War did not so much end as it ground to a halt around [[3025]]. The League has gained a number of worlds from both the Lyrans and Capellans.<ref>''Handbook: House Marik'', p. 42, 46–47</ref>

====Anton's Revolt====
[[Janos Marik]] became the Captain-General on 2 September [[2991]]. At his side during his inaugural address was his brother, [[Anton Marik]].<ref>''House Marik (The Free Worlds League)'', p. 47</ref> Janos promoted Anton to the rank of general in [[2991]].<ref>''House Marik (The Free Worlds League)'', p. 49</ref> In January [[3002]] he put his brother in charge of the Capellan front.<ref>''House Marik (The Free Worlds League)'', p. 52</ref><ref>''Field Manual: Free Worlds League'', p. 8</ref>

Anton became increasingly dissatisfied with his brother's tenure and coveted the Captain-Generalcy for himself. With backing from Capellan [[Chancellor]] [[Maximilian Liao]] and [[ComStar]], Anton declared himself Captain-General on 22 May [[3014]]. Anton grossly overestimated his support within the Free Worlds League, however. Not only did Anton garner very little support, Janos surprisingly received military aid from the [[Principality of Regulus]] and the [[Sirian Concordance]]. Anton's most powerful support came from Liao, in the form of [[Wolf's Dragoons]]. [[Jaime Wolf]] and Anton had a disagreement about strategy in February [[3015]]. Wolf refused Anton's orders and departed to deal with a Loyalist offensive. As the mercenary [[DropShip]] took off, Anton ordered the Dragoons' dependents executed for treason. Upon hearing of this, the Dragoons turned around and marched on [[New Delos]]. After a three-day fight, [[Natasha Kerensky]]'s [[Black Widow Company]] killed Anton Marik. Six weeks later, the rebellion was over.<ref>''House Marik (The Free Worlds League)'', pp. 54–55</ref><ref>''Handbook: House Marik'', pp. 45–46: "Anton's Revolt"</ref><ref>''Field Manual: Free Worlds League'', p. 9</ref>

===Fourth Succession War===
In [[3028]], Prince [[Hanse Davion]] and Archon [[Katrina Steiner]] launched a joint military operation that became known as the [[Fourth Succession War]]. The main targets were the [[Draconis Combine]] and [[Capellan Confederation]], Marik's erstwhile allies in the Concord of Kapteyn. Though reluctant to do so, Janos ordered the FWLM into action. Operation Dagger was a poorly planned offensive against the Lyrans with no objective other than assisting the Combine.<ref name=HBHM46>''Handbook: House Marik'', p. 46: "Fourth Succession War and Bloody Andurien"</ref>

The League unexpectedly found itself under assault from the [[Tikonov Free Republic]]. The surprise assault threatened supply lines. Coupled with the threat of the [[Federated Suns]]' advance, Marik ordered a general withdrawal from a number of worlds near [[Terra]].<ref name=HBHM46 /><ref name=FMFWL9>''Field Manual: Free Worlds League'', p. 9: "Crisis and Renaissance"</ref>

===Andurien Crisis===
{{Main|Andurien Secession}}
In September [[3030]], the [[Duchy of Andurien]] seceded from the League. The breakaway duchy allied with the [[Magistracy of Canopus]] and started a war with the badly weakened Capellan Confederation. Janos had Parliament push though the [[Internal Emergency Act]], which took away the rights of the provinces, except for Regulus and Oriente. Later that year, Janos suffered a stroke. His son [[Duggan Marik|Duggan]] and nephew [[Duncan Marik|Duncan]] struggled for ''de facto'' control of the League until [[Thomas Marik]] returned from his service to ComStar to take over.<ref>''Handbook: House Marik'', p. 49</ref><ref name=FMFWL9 /><ref>''Historical: Brush Wars'', p. 45: "The Internal Emergency Act of 3030"</ref>

The FWLM went into action in [[3034]]. Thomas directed the loyal elements of the FWLM to cut the duchy off from their allies. Thomas' success was almost cut short by a bomb blast on 1 June [[3035]]. The bomb killed Janos and Duggan Marik and was believed to have killed Thomas as well. Duncan, having been responsible for the explosion, was unscathed. He declared that Andurien was to blame and took the reins of power. He prosecuted a more direct campaign than Thomas did and led from the front, though the fighting was tough against the seasoned and entrenched [[Defenders of Andurien]]. The reemergence of Thomas Marik on 5 December [[3036]] seemed a godsend to Parliament. Duncan was stripped of his title and Thomas became Captain-General. Duncan remained at the front, attempting to regain the leadership of House Marik with a victory, but died in battle on [[Xanthe III]] on 4 February [[3037]]. Thomas used his popularity to push the [[Addendum to the Incorporation]] through Parliament. This new law gave him new powers, including a veto over Parliament. The League completed the conquest of Andurien in [[3040]].<ref>''Handbook: House Marik'', pp. 49–50</ref><ref>''Field Manual: Free Worlds League'', pp. 9–10</ref>

Unknown to almost everybody, the man who became Captain-General was not really Thomas Marik. ComStar had instituted an elaborate ploy and substituted a double for the real Thomas Marik.<ref>''Masters and Minions: The StarCorps Dossiers'', p. 66: "The Serpents Within"</ref>

===Eagle Rising===
The League had little participation in the [[War of 3039]] because of the Andurien Crisis, though they did raid the [[Federated Commonwealth]] and [[Capellan Confederation]].<ref>''Handbook: House Marik'', p. 50</ref><ref>''Historical: War of 3039'', pp. 63, 120–122</ref>

The [[Clan Invasion]] had no direct impact on the League. Instead, the Free Worlds League was able to benefit from it tremendously. Thomas Marik struck a deal to supply the [[Federated Commonwealth]], [[Draconis Combine]], and [[Free Rasalhague Republic]] with [[Field Refit Kit]]s, Star League-era military hardware. In return, Thomas' son [[Joshua Marik|Joshua]] began undergoing treatment for his leukemia at the [[New Avalon Institute of Science]]. The League's military industrial complex expanded rapidly, and the war-ravaged nations bought whatever they could, even after the [[3052]] [[Truce of Tukayyid]]. In 3052, Thomas betrothed his illegitimate daughter [[Isis Marik]] to [[Sun-Tzu Liao]], the heir apparent of the Capellan Confederation.<ref>''Handbook: House Marik'', pp. 50 & 52</ref><ref>''Field Manual: Free Worlds League'', pp. 10–11: "The Clan War and its Aftermath"</ref>

3052 also saw a schism within [[ComStar]]. The new [[Primus of ComStar|Primus]] instituted reforms aimed at demystifying the order, but many strenuously objected. A former member of ComStar, Thomas granted the exiles who were calling themselves the [[Word of Blake]] a home on [[Gibson]].<ref>''Handbook: House Marik'', p. 52</ref>

In [[3057]], Thomas Marik learned that Joshua was dead and had been replaced by a body double on the orders of [[Archon-Prince]] [[Victor Steiner-Davion]]. Thomas ordered a retributive strike in conjunction with the Capellans. The goal of [[Operation Guerrero]] was to reclaim the worlds lost in the Fourth Succession War. The League's task was made considerably easier by [[Katherine Steiner-Davion]]. After Thomas went public with Victor's perfidy, Katherine launched her bid for power and seceded the Lyran half of the Federated Commonwealth. Eager to be seen as a peacemaker, Katherine ceded Thomas the worlds his father had given up to hers twenty-five years prior. Thomas declared victory and stopped his invasion, leaving Sun-Tzu Liao in the lurch. Liao was unable to complete the conquest he had begun, leaving a number of worlds without a Great House suzerain. This region of space came to be known as the [[Chaos March]].<ref>''Handbook: House Marik'', pp. 52–53</ref><ref>''Field Manual: Free Worlds League'', p. 11: "Operation Guerrero"</ref>

Following the [[Jade Falcon Incursion (3058)|Battle of Coventry]], Inner Sphere leaders met on [[Tharkad]] for the [[Whitting Conference]]. At that conference, the heads of state decided that they needed something drastic to effectively combat the Clans; they resurrected the [[Star League]]. The Captain-General contributed troops to eradicate [[Clan Smoke Jaguar]] in [[Operation Bulldog]] and [[Task Force Serpent]].<ref name=HBHM53>''Handbook: House Marik'', p. 53</ref>

The League largely stayed out of the [[FedCom Civil War]]. Thomas' sister [[Kristen Marik|Kristen]] was killed while commanding [[The Krushers|her mercenary unit]]. One of her daughters, [[Alys Rousset-Marik]], survived. In [[3067]], Alys proposed repealing Resolution 288 to Parliament. The Great Debate occupied Parliament for much of the year, but no repeal was made.<ref name=HBHM53 /><ref>''Field Manual: Updates'', pp. 143–144: "The Great Debate"</ref>

Throughout the 3060s, the Free Worlds League Navy grew rapidly. The League poured money into developing [[WarShip]]s with the technical assistance of Word of Blake. By 3067, the League had one of the largest WarShip fleets of any power, Inner Sphere or Clan.<ref>''Field Manual: Updates'', p. 144: "Ships of the FWL"</ref>

===Jihad===
The schism between [[ComStar]] and the [[Word of Blake]] would strongly affect the League, and ultimately destroy it. The Whitting Conference of [[3067]] resulted in the dissolution of the reborn Star League, just as Word of Blake was slated for full membership. The Blakists began attacking Inner Sphere powers as punishment. Eventually, the [[Jihad]] would engulf all of humanity. Over the decades, the Word had infiltrated and subverted a number of Free Worlds leaders, military units, and naval assets.<ref name=EFAR>''Touring the Stars'': "Volume XXXV: Epitaph for a Realm"</ref>

Blakist manipulation resulted in two provinces of the [[Lyran Alliance]] invading the League. Marshall [[Jeremy Brett]] was able to force the Lyrans off League worlds, but the Captain-General recalled troops loyal to him to Atreus. On 25 October [[3068]], the Blakists launched a coordinated assault on Atreus. A chemical attack killed most MPs and members of the [[First Knights of the Inner Sphere]], a naval battle took place in orbit between pro-Marik and pro-Word forces, and the Blakists revealed the sitting Captain-General to be an impostor.<ref>''Masters and Minions: The StarCorps Dossiers'', p. 66: "The Serpents Within"</ref><ref>''Jihad Hot Spots: 3070'', pp. 18–20: "Timeline of the Jihad"</ref>

Members of House Marik, including [[Therese Marik]] and [[Alys Rousset-Marik]], initially supported the false Thomas, but League worlds defected to the [[Word of Blake Protectorate]]. Additionally, Prince [[Kirc Cameron-Jones]] of Regulus declared "Thomas" unfit and staked his claim to the position of Captain-General. In August [[3069]], [[Paul Marik (31st c.)|Paul Marik]] (brother of the real Thomas and a Word sympathizer) launched a coup, deposed "Thomas" and installed his daughter [[Corinne Marik]] as Captain-General. The false Thomas relocated to [[Oriente]] and refused to relinquish the title. On 19 November [[3071]], following the assassination of her husband Jeremy Brett, Therese Marik declared the [[Duchy of Tamarind]] independent and called herself its Captain-General.<ref>''Masters and Minions: The StarCorps Dossiers'', pp. 66–67</ref><ref>''Jihad Hot Spots: 3076'', p. 20: "Timeline of the Jihad"</ref>

The disparate forces of the Free Worlds League and the Inner Sphere were able to defeat the Word of Blake, but the League was torn apart into several competing states; namely the [[Regulan Fiefs]], the [[Marik-Stewart Commonwealth]], the [[Duchy of Tamarind-Abbey]], [[Duchy of Andurien]], [[Rim Commonality]], and the [[Oriente Protectorate]].<ref name=EFAR />

Unable to reach a compromise, the rulers of these realms tried to reunite the League under their own leadership. Their disputes inevitably led to conflicts, in which these states fought each other savagely. During this period of turmoil, the [[Lyran Commonwealth]], taking advantage of the whole mess, successfully conquered a large portion of the former League's coreward border.

===Resurrection===
[[Jessica Marik]], daughter and heir of the false Thomas Marik, finally managed to successfully reunite the Free Worlds League. She reinforced her claim to House Marik's legacy by marrying [[Thaddeus Marik]], scion of the line of Alys Rousset-Marik, and largely succeeded in her reformation plan, being proclaimed Captain-General of the reformed Free Worlds League on July 3, 3139.

The reformed league listed two new positions: a [[Warden-General]] to handle military affairs and a [[Minister-General]] to handle domestic affairs of the people.<ref>''To Ride the Chimera'', p. 314</ref>

==References==
<references/>

==Bibliography==
* ''[[Field Manual: Free Worlds League]]''
* ''[[Field Manual: Updates]]''
* ''[[Handbook: House Marik]]''
* ''[[Historical: Brush Wars]]''
* ''[[Historical: War of 3039]]''
* ''[[House Marik (The Free Worlds League)]]''
* ''[[Jihad Hot Spots: 3070]]''
* ''[[Jihad Hot Spots: 3076]]''
* ''[[Masters and Minions: The StarCorps Dossiers]]''
* ''[[To Ride the Chimera]]''
* ''[[Touring the Stars]]''

[[Category:History|Free Worlds League, History of]]