Editing Stephan Marik

{{InfoBoxCharacter
| image               = 
| caption             = 
| name                = Stephan Marik
| birthdate           = [[2933]]<ref name=HM:FWLft>''House Marik (The Free Worlds League)'', foldout (p. 171 in PDF): "The Captains-General Line of Succession and Partial Marik Family Tree"</ref>
| died                = August [[2991]]<ref name=HB:HMp44>''Handbook: House Marik'', p. 44</ref><ref name=HM:FWLft/>
| affiliation         = [[House Marik]]
| profession          = [[Captain-General of the Free Worlds League|Captain-General]]
| parents             = [[Thaddeus Marik (30th c.)|Thaddeus Marik II]] (father)<ref name=HM:FWLft/>
| siblings            = 
| spouse              = 
| children            = [[Janos Marik|Janos]]<ref name=HM:FWLft/><br/>[[Anton Marik|Anton]]<ref name=HM:FWLft/><br/>[[Sylvia Marik|Sylvia]]<ref name=HM:FWLft/>
}}
'''Stephan Marik''' was [[Captain-General of the Free Worlds League|Captain-General]] of the [[Free Worlds League]] and father of [[Janos Marik]], who succeeded him.<ref>''Handbook: House Marik'', p. 92: "Captains-General in History"</ref>

==History==
===Captain-General===
Stephan became Captain-General quite suddenly in [[2963]] when his father, [[Thaddeus Marik (30th c.)|Thaddeus Marik]], drowned while swimming on [[Conakry]]. He inherited a realm that was in a constant stalemate. Every victory on one front was followed by a loss on another.<ref>''House Marik (The Free Worlds League)'', p. 43</ref>

When his son Janos Marik enlisted in the [[Atrean Hussars]], Stephan gave him as present a [[Rifleman]]. Some people made morbid jokes about how the present was a indirect way to geting rid of his son, as the 'Mech was famous for his vulnerability. As then the two were estranged, this accusation may have part of truth. However, Janos accepted the 'mech and used for the rest of his career, with great success.<ref>''BattleTech: Legends'', pp. 51</ref>

What followed was a string of setbacks, beginning with the failed conquest of the planet [[Loric]] in the [[Lyran Commonwealth]], and then the loss of [[Wasat]] to the [[Capellan Confederation]] and later [[Callison]] to the Lyrans. Mired in a deep political conflict with Parliament, there are indications Stephan actively undermined the defense of worlds under attack as a form of retribution for Parliament's undermining his failed military efforts. By [[2990]], however, matters were becoming critical, and he was forced to accept Parliament's restrictions in return for the continued use of regional troops. By then, however, he was personally weakened.<ref>''House Marik (The Free Worlds League)'', p. ??{{cn}}</ref>

===Setbacks and Death===
With acrimony between Stephan and Parliament freezing funding to both the [[FWLM]] and [[SAFE]] for many years, following the [[LCAF]]'s highly successful [[Deep Raid of 2987]] a desperate Stephan recognized that to receive the funding vital to strike back he would finally have to swallow his pride and accept further concessions and limitations upon the post of Captain-General. After Stephan agreed to [[Replevin Doctrine|Special Resolution 512]], giving the provinces a share of spoils of captured territories, and Special Resolution 523, giving Parliament greater say in military dispositions, Parliament quickly loosened the purse strings.<ref name="HHM-44">''Handbook: House Marik'', p. 44: "Third Succession War"</ref><ref name=HM-46>''House Marik (The Free Worlds League)'', pp. 46–47: "Concession to Parliament"</ref>

In [[2988]], a plot was revealed that sought to replace the current system of Parliament with a military junta, with Stephan's son and heir, Janos Marik, as the new Captain-General. Janos, however, refused to cooperate and revealed the conspiracy. SAFE failed to track them down, however. Nevertheless, these and other signs of popular unrest took their toll on Stephan, and he withdrew from public life, finally dying of cancer in August [[2991]].<ref>''House Marik (The Free Worlds League)'', p. 44</ref>

==Titles and Positions==
{{s-start}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Thaddeus Marik (30th c.)|Thaddeus Marik]]}}
{{s-title|title=Captain-General of the [[Free Worlds League]]|years=[[2963]]-[[2991]]}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Janos Marik]]}}
{{s-end}}

==References==
<references />

==Bibliography==
* ''[[BattleTech: Legends]]'' (sourcebook)
* ''[[Handbook: House Marik]]'' (sourcebook)
* ''[[House Marik (The Free Worlds League)]]'' (sourcebook)


[[Category:Free Worlds League Characters|Marik, Stephan]]
[[Category:Captains-General|Marik, Stephan]]