Editing Rim Worlds Republic

{{InfoBoxState
| image = Rim Worlds Republic logo.png
| Founded = 8 September [[2250]]<ref name=ER:2750p60>''Era Report: 2750'', p. 60</ref>
| Dissolved = [[2775]]<ref name=HLOTv1-p111>''Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 1'', p. 111: "Operation ALMARIC"</ref>
| capital = [[Apollo (system)|Apollo]]
| systems = c. [[2750]], estimated at 248<ref>''Combat Operations'', p. 86</ref> (including small Periphery settlements)
| population = 
| currency = 
| language = 
| demonym = 
| Head of State =
[[First Consul of the Rim Worlds Republic|First Consul]]<br/>([[2250]] – [[2599]])
------
[[President of the Rim Worlds Republic|President]]<br/>([[2599]] – [[2775]])
| cintel = 
| commander     = 
| army = [[Rim Worlds Army]] (RWA)
| navy = 
| mintel = [[AsRoc]]
}}
Within '''[[Periphery|The Rift]]''' at the edge of [[Lyran Commonwealth|Lyran space]] once existed a [[Periphery]] power that brought the end of the [[Star League]].

==Overview==
The '''Rim Worlds Republic''' was born of [[Hector Rowe]] and his 500-plus-strong [[Theban Legion]] at the end of their own [[Terran Exoduses#Second Terran Exodus|Second Exodus]]. Journeying for six years through the [[Dark Nebula]], the men who would create the Republic were anti-[[Terran Alliance|Alliance]] veterans on the run aboard hijacked [[JumpShip]]s and weapons plundered from a [[151st Altairian Fusiliers|slain garrison]], with a limited number of provisions and women they'd taken as slaves. Simply put: [[pirate]]s.

Pirates, albeit, beneath a militant historian undergrad. With the liberty of a small population and a near century outside the Sphere's eye, the Rim Worlds Republic would grow to stretch across the Lyran Commonwealth's border - spanning from the [[Free Worlds League]] to near-direct contact with [[Draconis Combine|Draconis]] space. Born in a twisted mold of Ancient Greek society, over the course of five centuries the Republic would expand from a pirate kingdom into a well-educated and well-armed nation experienced in the art of guile and seduction—diplomacy, by another name—yet in spite of this over a dozen rulers would come to power in a history seemingly defined by a coup d'état before the [[Stefan Amaris|Usurper]] was even born.

Ruled first by the founding [[House Rowe|Rowe family]] and by [[House Amaris]] from [[2463]] onward, the Republic as a whole remained unknown to the [[Inner Sphere]] until [[2339]]. Isolated as they were, however, the Rowes would depose members of their family for multiple generations. [[Maxwell Rowe]] removed his father through vote-backed bribery, and his daughter, [[Arabella Rowe|Arabella]], organized a coup with the ''helot'' labor class.

The actions of [[Gregory Amaris]], [[First Consul of the Rim Worlds Republic|First Consul]] at the birth of the Star League, would invite over a century of court-level chaos in the wake of his consulship.

Assassinations, juntas, and coup after coup would precede the ascension of [[Selanta Amaris]] and follow her passing as relatives rose to power and had their ambitions checked, would act upon those ambitions, or see their aspirations cut short by yet another assassin. [[Tadeo Amaris]] and his military adventurism serve both as an example of political power struggle within the Republic as well as a crucial chunk of the foundation that would set the stage for statecraft devotionist [[Cynthia Amaris]], and ultimately the Usurper himself.

It is then in the [[twenty-eighth century]] that the Republic made its greatest mark, creating the [[Amaris Empire]] and waging nearly a decade and half of war against [[Aleksandr Kerensky]] and the [[Star League Defense Force]]. Suffice to say that the Rim Worlds Republic ceased existing at the end of the [[Star League era]], as was Amaris responsible in orchestrating the fall of [[House Cameron]] and Star League alike. About a hundred Republic worlds would be claimed by the Lyran Commonwealth during the [[Amaris Civil War]], and further remnants within The Rift fractured into [[bandit kingdom]]s, independent systems such as the [[Rim Collection]], or vanished from star charts altogether.

==History==
===Origins===
In [[2237]], in the midst of the [[Outer Reaches Rebellion]], Hector Rowe, an undergraduate student studying classics and history at the University of Thebes, [[Alexandria (LC)|Alexandria]], volunteered to join Reinfield's Third Alexandrian Militia in an attempt to defend his school. Shortly afterwards, [[Terran Alliance]] forces (the [[Fourteenth Alliance Special Combat Battalion|Fourteenth]] and [[Twenty-ninth Alliance Special Combat Battalion]]s) invaded Alexandria, killing 3000+ Alexandrians. Alliance forces retreated off-world in [[2238]].<ref name=H:MPSp12>''Handbook: Major Periphery States'', p. 12: "War is Hell: The Rim Worlds Republic"</ref>

After the end of the rebellion, Rowe started a quasi-political club among veterans of the war that quickly became a paramilitary force, calling themselves the Theban Legion. In [[2244]], the group hijacked a flotilla of JumpShips belonging to the [[Skye Freight and Goods]] company and travelled to an isolated Terran Alliance garrison world, [[Lucianca]], home to the [[151st Altairian Fusiliers]]. Rowe and his guerrillas infiltrated the Fusiliers, assassinated the commanding officers, and staged mock trials against the unit—invariably executing each soldier through torture. Rowe was forced to flee, however, when one of the hijacked JumpShips escaped.<ref name=TPp15>''The Periphery'', p. 15: "Birth of the Rim Worlds Republic"</ref><ref name=H:MPSp14>''Handbook: Major Periphery States'', p. 14: "The Lucianca Incident"</ref>

Rowe and the remaining assailants blackmailed the remaining JumpShips and departed for the Periphery, eventually arriving at the Dark Nebula. Along the way, Rowe raided small colonies and outposts, taking slaves, livestock, parts, and food. After six years on the run, Rowe came across a habitable world beyond the Dark Nebula and founded [[Apollo (system)|Apollo]] and the Rim Worlds Republic on 8 September [[2250]]. Hector Rowe ruled for more than fifty years until his son, Maxwell Rowe, deposed him and became First Consul in [[2305]] via a bribed vote of no confidence. Hector Rowe would commit suicide within the following months.<ref name=TPp15-16>''The Periphery'', pp. 15–16</ref><ref name=HRWp13-15>''Historical: Reunification War'', pp. 13, 15: "Rim Worlds Republic"</ref>

===Expansion===
Rather than use great force, the Rim Worlds Republic expanded by guile and seduction. When Maxwell Rowe discovered refugee colonies on his border in [[2334]], the Republic used trade agreements, as well as shared ventures to improve education and infrastructure, to ingratiate the Republic with its neighbors. Such agreements did not halt Republican colonization efforts, and by [[2338]], the Republic had settled the worlds of [[Icar]], [[Persistence]], [[Winfield (LC)|Winfield]], [[Derf]], [[Götterdämmerung (system)|Götterdämmerung]], [[Lackhove]], and [[Golandrinas]].<ref name=TPp18>''The Periphery'', p. 18: "From Rim to Tamar"</ref>

A chance hostile encounter with the [[Tamar Pact]] in [[2339]] turned the attentions of the Republic towards the Inner Sphere. Realizing the extremely tenuous situation, Maxwell journeyed to the Tamar Pact to meet its leader, [[Kevin Tamar]]. The two leaders were relieved to pen a nonaggression treaty, and the Republic was free to secure its future—under the rule of Maxwell's daughter, [[Arabella Rowe|Arabella]]. During Maxwell's diplomatic mission, Arabella had organized the ''helot'' labor class and staged a coup d'état. Without a home to return to, Maxwell departed unexplored parts of the Periphery and was never heard from again.<ref name=TPp18-19>''The Periphery'', pp. 18–19</ref>

Under Arabella's reign, the Rim Worlds Republic focused public efforts on education and infrastructure, especially in aid of the Helot class. Arabella also realized naval assets might induce panic among her neighbors, so she focused on building a large, defensive army. Arabella's reforms paid dividends; the Rim Worlds Republic was transformed from a feudal barbarian state with Roman trappings into a nation with a surplus of skilled labor, comparable with Enlightenment-era France. During this period, the Republic also colonized the worlds of [[Barcelona]], [[Black Earth]], [[Beta VII]], and [[Malibu]].<ref name=TPp19>''The Periphery'', p. 19: "Mishka's Diplomacy"</ref>

Upon Arabella's death in [[2376]], she was succeeded by her son, [[Michael Durant]]. Durant was a boastful, gluttonous, lecherous man, but he understood his nation's strengths and weaknesses. Michael negotiated trade agreements with the [[Draconis Combine]], the [[Terran Hegemony]], the Lyran Commonwealth and the [[Free Worlds League]], trading labor for technology and recognition. Michael also maintained a steady rate of Periphery exploration and colonization.<ref name=TPp19/> He was succeeded by his sister, [[Heather Durant|Heather]], upon his death, around the year [[2400]].<ref name=TPp21>''The Periphery'', p. 21: "The First Amaris"</ref>

[[Heather Durant]] maintained a careful policy of Republican neutrality, but profiteered from the Lyran–[[House Kurita|Kuritan]] conflict beginning in [[2407]]. Although the Republic refused to back either faction, the Republic opened its borders to intelligence operatives of both sides. Establishing the Republican intelligence service, the [[AsRoc]], the Republic increased its influence, its territory, and its military through exchanges of information and special operatives. When [[BattleMech]]s were introduced to warfare in the mid-[[twenty-fifth century]], Durant offered the [[Great Houses]] use of their uninhabited Periphery holdings for a price, so they could practice and perfect battlefield tactics away from prying eyes.<ref name=TPp21/>

===The Amaris Line===
During investigations of an attempted poisoning of [[Director-General of the Terran Hegemony|Director-General]] [[Jacob Cameron]] in [[2448]], Terran Hegemony intelligence operative [[Terens Amaris]] discovered a link (real or fabricated) between the plot and both Draconis Combine and Republican covert operatives. Terens's husband, [[David Wong]], had just been promoted to ambassador to the Rim Worlds Republic, so Terens, her husband and two adopted children (both Wongs) traveled to Apollo. There, Terens met and befriended Heather Durant.  Both Terens and her husband were granted dual Republican and Terran citizenship, and both were granted titles within the Republic. Terens and Heather also became lovers, and in [[2459]], was designated heir apparent to the Rim Worlds Republic. Terens mothered more children with Ambassador Wong, the start of the Amaris line. In [[2463]], Heather passed away, making Terens Amaris ruler of the Rim Worlds Republic. Dual citizenship and Terens's marriage to Terran Ambassador Wong allowed the Republic quick entry into the confidences of the Terran court.<ref name=TPp21/>

The Amaris line struggled with identity due to its dual citizenship. [[Gregory Amaris]], First Consul of the Republic at the birth of the Star League, ruled the Republic as a Hegemony protectorate. Republican citizen uprisings in response to high taxes and foreign occupation, especially the occupation of Efrimal Long maximum security (political) prison in [[2573]], led Gregory to impose martial law and issue the [[Universal Act of Loyalty]], an oath all Republican citizens were obliged to take.<ref name=HRW-127>''Historical: Reunification War'', p. 127: "Efrimal Long"</ref><ref name=TPp24>''The Periphery'', p. 24: "Rebellion in the Rim"</ref> The Rim Worlds Republic went into open revolt, necessitating invasion by the Star League during the [[Reunification War]], after Gregory endorsed the [[Pollux Proclamation]] and issued the [[Manchester Directive]], both in [[2575]].<ref name=HRW-130>''Historical: Reunification War'', p. 130</ref>

{{Main|Reunification War}}

===Territorial State===
The arrogant leadership of Gregory Amaris came to an end through assassination in [[2599]]. The assassins, a junta run by Admiral [[Hakim Wbika]], installed [[Richard Amaris]] as the new President of the Republic.<ref name=HRW-164>''Historical: Reunification War'', p. 164: "Rim Worlds"</ref> Sowing antagonism within the junta, Richard was able to break the junta in [[2604]] when General [[Samuel Macao]] started shouting at Wbika—the signal for the palace guard to purge the junta members, with President Richard killing Wbika and Macao himself.<ref name=TPp45-46>''The Periphery'', pp. 45–46: "Palace Coup"</ref>

Richard died in [[2619]], leaving the Republic to his daughter Amanda. Before Amanda could institute sweeping political reforms and hold open elections, she was assassinated in [[2620]] in a botched coup attempt by her cousin [[Willard Amaris]]. Amanda's brother, [[Jeffrey Amaris]], held office only long enough to institute free elections and abdicate to Amanda's baby daughter, Selanta Amaris. Before her nineteenth birthday, Selanta's government was run by a trio of "Protectors": [[Jimmy Siever]], [[Honor Chan]], and [[George Wong]], though Wong died and was replaced by [[Jonofra Marcus]] within months of taking the position. When each of them plotted to remain in power, now-President Selanta averted any issues by gifting them with [[Magistracy of Canopus|Canopian]], [[Terran Hegemony|Terran]], and [[Free Worlds League|Atrean]] ambassadorships.<ref name=TPp47>''The Periphery'', p. 47: "Amaris Politics"</ref>

Selanta also proved her cunning with her handling of her cousin, Tadeo Amaris. Stricken with incurable cancer, Selanta ruled from her sickbed, allowing her cousin Tadeo to rule as regent in a smooth transition of government. Tadeo built up the [[Rim Worlds Army]] significantly in a very short time, but in doing so postured himself against the Lyran Commonwealth. At the behest of [[Archon of the Lyran Commonwealth|Archon]] [[Sarah Steiner-Dinesen]], the Star League held massive military games along the Republican border in early [[2651]], forcing Tadeo to scale back his forces. In response, Selanta secretly informed the [[Star League High Council]] Tadeo did not have the authority to practice his military adventurism. The incident broke domestic faith in Tadeo, making it impossible for Tadeo to stage a coup while at the same time strengthening the Republic's military.<ref name=TPp47/><ref name=ER2750-26>''Era Report: 2750'', p. 26: "Honeymoon"</ref>

When Selanta died of cancer in [[2687]], the Republic faced its bloodiest transition. Selanta's successor, her son [[Bertram Amaris]], was killed moments before taking the oath of office by his cousin, [[Gregor Siever]]. Gregor's brother, [[Carl Siever]], in shock at the events unfolding before him, found himself also attacked. Carl was able to defend himself and kill his brother, losing the use of an arm in the process. Carl was a paranoid man and, not harboring any political ambition, abdicated for his grandniece Cynthia Amaris, who was the granddaughter of Selanta. Cynthia devoted herself to statecraft and didn't marry until after the age of forty. Her marriage to Inner Sphere industrialist [[Stefan Gorienko]] appeared to be one of necessity; Cynthia desired an heir in order to prevent another bloody succession. Stefan Amaris was born in [[2717]].<ref name=TPp50>''The Periphery'', p. 50: "The Crucial Year"</ref>

===Amaris Civil War===
{{Main|Amaris Civil War}}

Though it is arguable if House Amaris had been preparing for a coup for generations, the Rim Worlds Republic sat poised for just such an endeavor around [[2750]]. The Republic maintained a sizable army with a gigantic reserve, a well educated/trained population, and a large defense industry. Republicans had even penetrated every level of Star League administration. Stefan Amaris seized his opportunity. He chose to foster a close relationship with the young, naïve, and selfish Richard Cameron, First Lord of the Star League. Under the tutelage of the Terran courtiers, including President Amaris, Cameron became paranoid and megalomaniacal, and pushed away his regent, "Protector" Aleksandr Kerensky.

By [[2762]], when Cameron came of age, Stefan Amaris was already a confidant. Cameron began by disbanding the Star League High Council in [[2762]], ruling the Human Sphere unilaterally. He then issued the [[Taxation Edict of 2763]], a steep increase in taxes from throughout the realm but especially upon the Periphery. As the tax increase was a clear infraction on the [[Reunification Treaties]], the Periphery governments quickly became militarized and prepared for another Inner Sphere invasion.

The Taxation Edict of [[2763]] caused the Crisis required to move the SLDF and Kerensky away from the Terran Hegemony. The vacuum left by the SLDF deployment was compensated by the deployment of the Rim Worlds Army. By December [[2765]], Amaris was ready. He presented The First Lord with a ceremonial, jewel-encrusted laser pistol in the Star League High Council chamber, Unity City, Terra, and then shot the First Lord in the head. Stefan Amaris proclaimed himself First Lord of the Star League.

Amaris ordered Kerensky to maintain operations against the [[Taurian Concordat]], which he refused. Both sides then requested aid, which was flatly refused by each Territorial State and each Inner Sphere State, thus starting the Amaris Civil War. Kerensky began his operations by conquering the Rim Worlds Republic, led by Stefan's regent, the patriotic [[Mohammed Selim]], an unambitious administrator Stefan could trust. Kerensky took the Rim Worlds capital of Apollo in [[2769]].

After cutting away Amaris' base of support, Kerensky began a campaign to liberate the Terran Hegemony in [[2772]]. By [[2779]], the outcome of the war was a foregone conclusion, and on 30 September 2779, Stefan Amaris was taken captive by the SLDF after Kerensky himself personally knocked down the palace doors in Unity City in his ''Orion''.

Stefan Amaris and his accomplices were held humanely until evidence was found confirming their atrocities. Amaris was then executed by firing squad, with the order coming from Kerensky himself. The fighting against Amaris was so bitter that everyone wanted revenge, and those connected with the Rim Worlds government were in most cases prosecuted for war crimes.<ref name=TPp57>''The Periphery'', p. 57</ref> Kerensky's troops slaughtered everyone that bore the name Amaris, though overlooked maternal cousins with surnames such as [[House Wong (Rim Worlds Republic)|Wong]], [[House Siever|Siever]], [[House Marcus|Marcus]], and [[House Chan|Chan]].<ref name=HDTFSp56>''House Davion (The Federated Suns)'', p. 56: "Amaris' Legacy"</ref>

===Death of the Republic===
{{Main|Republic-Commonwealth War}}

Despite the end of House Amaris, the Rim Worlds Republic might have endured. However, the loss of the core of the Republic to annexation by the Lyran Commonwealth, as well as the power vacuum left by the death of the Amaris family and the Republican military, meant the remaining independent worlds—well more than a hundred systems—were left to fend for themselves. Several bandit kingdoms arose in the vacuum of the collapse of the Republic, financed by privateering and ''de facto'' mercenary deals (both the Lyran Commonwealth and the Draconis Combine hired pirates to raid one another); the rest persisted as Periphery independents or simply disappeared.<ref name=FSWp99>''First Succession War'', p. 99: "The Lyran Invasion"</ref> Centuries later, some of these worlds coalesced into proto-states such as the [[Rim Collection]], the micro-states found regions like [[The Barrens]] as well as the [[Chainelane Isles]], or pirate kingdoms such as the [[Rim Territories]] though others would remain active as independent worlds.

==Society==
When Hector Rowe founded the Rim Worlds Republic, Apollo possessed an extremely small population - only Rowe's militants and slaves taken prisoner during Rowe's flight were present. Rowe dealt with this situation with pragmatism. Anyone with technical skill was allowed to practice their trade, and female slaves could gain social status by marriage. Everyone else was consigned to mundane labor. In spite of the small population, Apollo thrived. Commerce was also conducted in a most pragmatic manner - goods, services, and slaves were the currency of the Republic. Hector Rowe's granddaughter, Arabella, would later emancipate the Republic's slaves altogether.<ref name=HRW-15>''Historical: Reunification War'', p. 15: "Rim Worlds Republic"</ref>

The strife of the Inner Sphere's Exodus era quickly alleviated the population problem. The Republic expanded as a flood of immigrants sought refuge. In [[2376]], the Stewart, Brannigan, Sterling, and MacGregor clans joined the Republic and settled [[Somerset]], near the Dark Nebula. Skilled refugees (artisans and technicians) of the [[Rasalhague Principality]], fleeing the brutality of Coordinator [[Shiro Kurita]] of the Draconis Combine, settled the cold worlds of [[Steelton]], [[Toland]], [[Wotan]], and [[Bensinger]]. Refugees from the [[Sarna Supremacy]] and the [[Capellan Hegemony]] also sought refuge within the Republic, settling the worlds of [[Star's End]], [[Anywhere]], and [[Erewhon]]. With the origins of many worlds a result of refugee immigration, the Republic developed a fiercely independent attitude towards the Inner Sphere.<ref name=TPp16-18>''The Periphery'', pp. 16–18</ref>

By the time of Stefan Amaris, politics in the Republic had come to revolve heavily around secret societies. The [[Krypteia]] had for generations served as the Republic's secret police, but also something of an old boys club. One could not rise to a position of power or authority within the Republic without membership in and approval by this institution.<ref name=HLOTv1-p54>''Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 1'', p. 54: "The Terror"</ref> The [[Rift Republican Army]] on the other hand served as the main domestic opposition to the Amaris dynasty, and though it had been driven underground following the [[Reunification War]], the Krypteia had failed to eradicate it.<ref name=HLOTv1-p109>''Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 1'', p. 54: "Any Port in a Storm"</ref>

The great weakness of the Rim Worlds Republic was the lack of natural resources, especially compared with the resource heavy colonies settled in the Taurian Concordat. However, immigration and the reforms of Arabella Rowe gave the Republic a surplus of skilled, inexpensive labor with a moderate standard of living, a resource the Republic utilized to the utmost.<ref name=TPp19/> Combined with the close political ties fostered with the Terran Hegemony, the Republic ultimately became the most powerful Periphery realm in existence.

==Maps==
===Rim Worlds Republic===
<gallery>
Image:Rwr_-_2571.png.jpg|Rim Worlds Republic in [[2571]] 
Image:Rwr_-_2750.png.jpg|Rim Worlds Republic in [[2750]] 
File:Rim Worlds Republic - 2767.jpg|Rim Worlds Republic in [[2767]]
Image:Rwr - first sw.jpg|Rim Worlds Republic conquered by LCAF.
</gallery>

===Provinces===
<gallery>
File:Rim_Worlds_Republic_-_Apollo_Province_2571.png|Apollo Province, 2571
File:Rim_Worlds_Republic_-_Finmark_Province_2571.png|Finmark Province, 2571
File:Rim_Worlds_Republic_-_Timbuktu_Province_2571.png|Timbuktu Province, 2571
</gallery>
<gallery>
File:Rim_Worlds_Republic_-_Apollo_Province_2750.png|Apollo Province, 2750
File:Rim_Worlds_Republic_-_Finmark_Province_2750.png|Finmark Province, 2750
File:Rim_Worlds_Republic_-_Timbuktu_Province_2750.png|Timbuktu Province, 2750
File:Rim_Worlds_Republic_-_Erdvynn_Province_2750.png|Erdvynn Province, 2750
</gallery>

==Notes==
* Though some BattleTech sources such as ''[[The Periphery (sourcebook)|The Periphery]]'' (p. 21) and ''[[Experimental Technical Readout: Primitives, Volume 1]]'' (p. 15) mentioned the [[AsRoc]] as being involved in [[Operation PROMETHEUS]], [[InMediaRes Productions, LLC|Catalyst]] later retconned their involvement entirely, stating that despite what may have been said, the RWR had no involvement, and that the Lyrans carried out the operation on their own.<ref>The original thread was found in [http://bg.battletech.com/forums/ask-the-writers/asroc-loki-operations/ this thread] on the forums, and a copy of the text from the two relevant posts is found on this article's talk page</ref>

==References==
<references />

==Bibliography==
{{div col|colwidth=25em}}
* ''[[Era Report: 2750]]''
* ''[[Explorer Corps (sourcebook)|Explorer Corps]]''
* ''[[Field Report 2765: Periphery]]''
* ''[[Handbook: Major Periphery States]]''
* ''[[Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 1]]''
* ''[[Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 2]]''
* ''[[Historical: Reunification War]]''
* ''[[The Periphery (sourcebook)|The Periphery]]''
* ''[[The Periphery, 2nd Edition (sourcebook)|The Periphery, 2nd Edition]]''
* ''[[The Star League]]''
* ''[[Technical Readout: 3075]]''
{{div col end}}


[[Category:Nation States|Rim Worlds Republic]]
[[Category:Rim Worlds Republic]]