Editing History of the Star League

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[[Image:Star League Logo.png|right|thumb|Crest of the Star League]]

===Founding===
The first treaties of the Star League were penned by the [[Terran Hegemony]], the [[Capellan Confederation]], and the [[Free Worlds League]] in [[2556]].  Following these initial treaties, the [[Lyran Commonwealth]] ([[2558]]), the [[Federated Suns]] ([[2567]]), and finally the [[Draconis Combine]] ([[2569]]) also signed.  The Star League was officially born with the July 9, [[2571]] signing of the Star League Accords by [[Ian Cameron]] and the five house lords.

In one of his first acts, [[First Lord]] [[Ian Cameron]] appointed his wife, [[Shandra Noruff-Cameron]] as Chief of Staff and Commander-in-Chief of the yet-unformed [[Star League Defense Force|Star League Defense Force]].  Dividing the [[Star League Defense Force|SLDF]] up into six Military Regions, the capitals being [[Asta]], [[Altair]], [[Fomalhaut]], [[Procyon]], [[Sirius]] and [[Rigil Kentarus]], each region stood between a Member State and [[Terra]] itself.  Shandra assured each region would have few troops from a bordering Member State to prevent insurrection, and assigned loyal Hegemony divisions as the core of each region's command structure.  The SLDF also maintained another 4 military command structures, one based on Terra, two reserve divisions, and an elite, rapid response division known as the [[Star Guards]].

===Reunification War===
During Ian's reign, efforts were made to bring the [[Periphery]] into the League.  Through the various bloody battles in the [[Reunification War]], a ceasefire was reached with the [[Outworlds Alliance]] in [[2585]], the [[Magistracy of Canopus]] was defeated in [[2588]], the insurrection in the [[Rim Worlds Republic]] was extinguished in [[2596]], and the [[Taurian Concordat]] was finally defeated in [[2596]].  Each Periphery realm in turn was forced through a reconstruction (at the cost of the conquered realm), and some worlds (particularly Taurian worlds) were annexed by neighboring Member States.  Upon completion of reconstruction, each Periphery realm was made a nonvoting [[Territorial State]].  Though these territorial states held little external sway, each was allowed to enact Star League laws as it saw fit; usually all Star League laws passed through little more than a legislative rubberstamp.

===Zenith===
In [[2600]], Lady [[Shandra Noruff-Cameron]] died, followed two years later by Lord Ian.  Ian's son [[Nicholas Cameron|Nicholas]] was then declared leader of the Star League.  During Nicholas' reign, the League narrowly averted a war with an unbalanced [[Leonard Kurita]] and the [[Draconis Combine]], avoided when the shamed [[Kurita]] family assassinated the Coordinator.  Another feature of Nicholas' reign was a string of important technological breakthroughs, the most significant of which include the [[hyperpulse generator]], new water purification procedures, medical advances, and neural-dimensional computer technology, all leading to rapid expansion of the Star League.  Marrying [[Lydia Petersen]], Duchess of [[Bryant]] earlier, in [[2598]], their son [[Joseph Cameron (27th c.)|Joseph]] was born two years later.  Joseph would be killed in a training accident in [[2641]]. In [[2646]], [[Nicholas Cameron]] designated [[Michael Cameron II|Michael Cameron]], Joseph's son, as his successor, who assumed power in [[2649]] upon Nicholas' death.

Michael's reign was characterized by incidents with the [[Rim Worlds Republic]] and [[House Kurita]], with the [[Draconis Combine]] encouraging independent [[MechWarrior (pilot)|MechWarriors]] to engage [[Star League Defense Force|SLDF]] forces in self-proclaimed 'duels' in the [[First Hidden War]].  On October 13, [[2690]], Michael retired after he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, and [[Jonathan Cameron]], his oldest son, was designated his replacement.

During his reign, Jonathan engaged in a buildup of [[Star League Defense Force|SLDF]] forces.  First Lord Jonathan declared that [[Star League Defense Force Royal Divisions|Royal]] units would receive new technology first, with house units receiving it as hand-me-downs many years later, and saw to the construction of [[Space Defense System]]s in major Hegemony systems, composed of drone WarShips, computer-run spaceports, and huge ground-based laser and missile emplacements designed to mop up any remaining invaders.  Jonathan faced renewed cries of discontent in the [[Periphery]] and a second political crisis from the [[Draconis Combine]], when [[House Kurita]] launched the [[Second Hidden War]] against [[House Davion]] over the question of Kurita succession to the Davion throne.  Unstable and unable to rule, Jonathan consulted his sister, [[Jocasta Cameron]], more and more often, with Jocasta in effect becoming the de facto leader of the Star League.  The appearance of five crack Star League divisions shocked both sides of the Second Hidden War into agreeing to a ceasefire, and the issue was resolved in Davion's favor.  In [[2738]], [[Jonathan Cameron]] died of a stroke, and [[Jocasta Cameron | Mother Jocasta]] handed over the Star League to Jonathan's son, [[Simon Cameron|Simon]].

With the growing discontent in the [[Periphery]] and worried that [[Periphery]] forces could soon rival that of the Regular Army, First Lord Simon instructed that more fortresses be built in and along the [[Periphery]] border.  The only [[Periphery]] kingdom apparently supporting the Star League was the [[Rim Worlds Republic]], the high praise and show of admiration from the [[House Amaris|Amaris family]], rulers of the Republic, only making some observers skeptical, aggravated by the hidden Rim World forces bringing its power two to three times above the allowed numbers.

===Waning Years===
Angered by the lag in the Star League forcing a ceasefire between the [[Federated Suns]] and [[Draconis Combine]], [[Richard Davion]] slowly withdrew its cooperation from Simon's reign, as Houses [[Federated Suns|Davion]] and [[Kurita]] drifted further and further from participation in the Star League.  Finally, in [[2751]], [[Simon Cameron]] died, his peace initiatives a failure, leaving his eight-year-old son, [[Richard Cameron II]] the only successor. The five Lords convened on [[Terra]] and appointed General [[Aleksandr Kerensky]], commanding officer of the [[Star League Defense Force]] as Richard's Regent and Protector.

===The Amaris Coup===
[[Stefan Amaris]], ruler of the [[Rim Worlds Republic]], slowly began working his way in as a "friend" of the young Richard, poisoning the young First Lord Richard's thoughts.  When the Council Lords imposed a series of heavy taxes on the [[Periphery]] worlds, heavy fighting broke out, drawing in more of the [[Star League Defense Force|SLDF]] forces, the new tax money being redirected to help the house Lords build up their own forces.  Richard now saw Amaris as his closest friend and confidant, and Amaris took advantage of this, convincing Richard to remove all [[Star League Defense Force|SLDF]] forces from the [[Rim Worlds Republic]] and ordered all [[Star League Defense Force|SLDF]] bases and fortresses be turned over to the [[Rim Worlds Republic]].  After attempts to strip bases of technology, some managed to fall into Republic hands.

[[Stefan Amaris]] continued to expand his influence on Richard, as the Houses started skirmishing on the verge of Richard's majority.  In an act of revenge for slights cooked up by Amaris, Richard ordered all House armed forces to be disbanded. Angered by this, the Lords protested, and when convinced by Kerensky on the illegality of the action, Richard rescinded his previous order.

Convinced by Amaris that Kerensky and the House Lords were against him, Richard became even more embittered.  When the [[Periphery]] again exploded in violence, with Amaris as its chief architect.  As more and more of the [[Star League Defense Force|SLDF]] forces were required to fight the war in the [[Periphery]], Amaris offered the service of [[Rim Worlds Republic|Rim Worlds]] forces to help defend the [[Terran Hegemony]].  Under objections, Amaris' offer was accepted.

As discrepancies showed up, with many more [[Rim Worlds Republic|Rim Worlds]] forces seeming to arrive than planned, [[House Kurita]] unsuccessfully requested that joint action be taken against the Republic.  As more and more bases were placed under Republic control, [[Stefan Amaris]] proceeded to [[Terra]] and assassinated Richard and all remaining members of the Cameron family, taking power of the Star League, removing any trace of the Star League he could.

Involved with fighting in the [[Periphery]], Kerensky regrouped and quickly took the [[Rim Worlds Republic]].  After some rest, Kerensky divided his forces up into three groups, one to travel through each of the accommodating houses toward the Hegemony.  As time wore on, Kerensky's forces had only captured eleven worlds and were contesting another ten, while losing 30 divisions and 40 major WarShips.  As Amaris forces withdrew to regroup, Kerensky advanced further, finally capturing the worlds nearest [[Terra]].

On January 23, [[2777]], soldiers on eight worlds moved towards [[Terra]] and finally captured the planet after a bloody battle and over 100 million total dead, on September of [[2779]].  Amaris and his family were executed soon after Kerensky heard of the fate of [[Richard Cameron II|Richard Cameron]] and his family.

===Dissolution===
A year later, on October 10, [[2780]], the Council Lords gathered and stripped Kerensky of his title of Protector, refusing an offer by [[Aaron DeChavilier|General DeChavilier]] to help overthrow the House Lords.  Ten months later, the Lords had still not reached a decision on a successor for the position of [[First Lord]], each claiming the position for him or herself, the Council being dissolved by the Lords on August 12, [[2781]].  As the spirit of the Star League began eroding, Kerensky gathered 80 percent of the [[Star League Defense Force|SLDF]] forces, and they jumped out of the [[Inner Sphere]], not to be seen again for nearly 270 years, completing the collapse of the Star League. The collapse caused the Succession Wars.

==References==
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==Bibliography==

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