Imperial Succession Crisis
While the issue of succession to the throne of the Terran Imperium could be seen as a series of crises, they were all the result of actions taken very early in the Imperium. It was, in effect, one continuous crisis which lasted from 2095, until the ascension of Emperor Rauschning in 2265.
Background
When Leon Thomason called the Meeting of Oligarchs that laid the groundwork for the Terran Imperium in 2068, Raphael Gerard and Richard Carruthers agreed to a rotation of their three families on the throne to avoid a permanent consolidation of power. When the Imperium was formed in 2078, Raphael Gerard became Emperor, with Damien Carruthers becoming Prime Minister and Leon Thomason Consul of Internal Affairs. It was agreed that when Emperor Gerard died, Carruthers would assume the throne and Thomason would become the Prime Minister, with Gerard moving back to the Consulship.
Crisis of 2095
Early in 2095, independent journalists uncovered a scheme of corporate and financial kickbacks involving Prime Minister Damien Carruthers. His grandfather and great-grandfather had been involved in similar, but much better concealed schemes as Director of the United Earth Alliance, and he had attempted the same practice with far less skill. It was obvious to all that he would have to resign and face charges of corruption, even the now retired Richard Carruthers and Leon Thomason agreeing.
The matter of replacing him became a matter of much greater contention. Michael Thomason and Richard Carruthers favored replacing him with another member of House Carruthers to maintain the order of succession agreed upon in 2068. Emperor Gerard felt that the issue of corruption was much more deeply seeded and that none of the current members of House Carruthers could be trusted in the position. Leon Thomason proposed a compromise, where Michael Thomason would move up to become Prime Minister, and a member of House Carruthers would assume a Consulship, preferably as Foreign Consul where corruption was far less likely. Richard Carruthers, while not finding the compromise ideal, did accept it as the most realistic, offering to come out of retirement to take the post himself if necessary.
Emperor Gerard insisted that House Carruthers had forfeited their place in the current round of succession and added that the corruption had threatened the public perception of the Imperium itself, and House Gerard in particular. Leon Thomason would argue that it had tarnished House Carruthers, rather than Gerard, but the emperor persisted. Ultimately sixteen-year-old Hugo Gerard would be named Prime Minister and House Carruthers removed from the current order of succession. Michael Thomason would point out that by having a Gerard Prime Minister, the situation created the very consolidation of power that the agreement of 2068 had tried to avoid. As a form of compromise, Emperor Gerard asked Leon Thomason to come out of retirement and assume the role of Acting Prime Minister and to train Hugo Gerard in his new position.
Richard Carruthers would agree to the compromise on the condition that it was made clear that House Carruthers would now follow House Thomason to the throne. Documents would be produced and signed under the imperial seal confirming this, and the crisis seemed to have passed.
Succession of 2102
When Emperor Gerard died in 2102, Hugo Gerard stepped up to assume the throne and Michael Thomason became Prime Minister. However, Michael’s son Robert remained Deputy Consul for Internal Affairs, suggesting that as House Carruthers had been completely removed from administration in the preceding years that they would need someone experienced to assist them. All three Houses agreed to this, with House Carruthers offering appreciation for House Thomason’s support.
When Michael Thomason retired as Prime Minister in 2110, Emperor Gerard II did not appoint Robert Thomason Prime Minister. He instead appointed his son Lucien Gerard, who all agreed was more familiar with the current situation, having sat in on numerous meetings to prepare him to assume the post of Foreign Consul in the future. Robert Thomason would step forward as Deputy Prime Minister, with the understanding that the order of succession was being maintained.
Succession of 2124
When Emperor Gerard II died in 2124, it was found that he had secretly named Lucien Gerard as his heir. Lucien Gerard would support this, pointing out that the agreement of 2068 had stated that the Prime Minister would become the new emperor, not the deputy. He would instead propose that Robert Thomason assume a position as essentially assistant emperor, managing all the imperial duties relating to internal affairs which he was, in fact, far more qualified to oversee. Thomason would stand on principle, holding to both the agreement of 2068 and the compromise of 2095, insisting that it was now the time of House Thomason to take the throne.
While not openly claiming the throne himself to avoid charges of treason, he would continue to protest both publicly and in the Convention of Houses that the succession was illegitimate. As he was attacking the order of succession signed by Gerard II, he was not openly attacking the current emperor, and numerous lawsuits and charges by both sides would hold that Thomason was acting legally. The courts would also hold to the letter of the law, agreeing that it was the Prime Minister which became emperor in the order of succession. Neither Robert Thomason nor Lucien Gerard would back down from their positions.
First Imperial War
When Robert Thomason died in 2136, Gerard III assumed the crisis would end. Instead, House Thomason declared war on House Gerard, the fleet of House Thomason attacking the assets of House Gerard. Initially unsure how to react, Gerard consulted his allied houses in the Convention of Houses. They agreed that as House Thomason was attacking only the assets and forces of House Gerard and not Imperial property itself, it was an attack on only House Gerard and should not be considered treason.
House Thomason would be meticulously careful during the conflict, limiting their attacks to only ships and property of House Gerard, even when forces of other houses were present. House Gerard would not be so careful however, the difference in tactics and overall strategy tipping the balance in the Convention of Houses more in favor of House Thomason as the war progressed.
When the Legate of House Thomason to the Convention of Houses was assassinated in 2138, the Convention immediately assumed House Gerard was responsible. House Thomason would refuse to directly name a suspect, but instead escalated the conflict by occupying Gerard owned worlds rather than simply raiding them.
Succession of 2140
Emperor Gerard III would die in 2140 with the matter of his own succession and the Imperial War left unresolved. Gerard IV would ascend the throne, and immediately called for negotiations with House Thomason. They would agree to end the conflict, without a return of any property and the naming of Aaron Thomason as Prime Minister and official heir to the throne.
While this settled the matter between Houses Gerard and Thomason, it reopened the case with House Carruthers. Alexander Carruthers would loudly object to the compromise, as well as the legitimacy of Gerard IV. Holding firmly to the compromise of 2095, Carruthers insisted that the reign of Gerard III legally belonged to House Thomason, that by the agreed upon order of succession it now legally belonged to House Carruthers.
Carruthers would continue to stand defiantly on this position, refusing to attend imperial functions or participate in government. While he would privately refer to Gerard IV as “the usurper” or “the false emperor,” he carefully maintained the public perception Robert Thomason had in 2124.
Coup of 2158
Carruthers was simply biding his time and building support among the other Houses. He would finally act in 2158, seizing the throne while Gerard IV was taking a vacation on Tranquillitatis. Returning immediately, Gerard found that Carruthers was holding his entire family hostage, and threatening to execute them if he did not abdicate. Chillingly, Prime Minister Aaron Thomason was standing by his side, prepared with the imperial seal to sign the declaration. Gerard was forced to agree, abdicating the throne and unwillingly officiating Alexander’s enthronement ceremony.
Carruthers would continue to hold all male members of House Gerard hostage on estates scattered throughout his holdings to ensure the now deposed emperor continued cooperating. Aaron Thomason would remain as Prime Minister under Emperor Alexander.
Succession of 2161
Emperor Alexander would unexpectedly die of a heart attack in 2161, and Aaron Thomason supported the succession of Howard Carruthers as Alexander II. When the deposed Gerard IV asked his allied houses to protest that it was now the turn of House Gerard, following the compromise of 2095, he would suddenly find himself the victim of an attempted poisoning. Investigations would show that the poison had been carefully calculated to not be lethal, and taking the hint, Gerard would openly abandon his own claim to the throne and support Alexander II.
While House Gerard would blame Alexander II for the attempt, it was in fact Prime Minister Aaron Thomason who ordered it. Through their repeated violations of the agreed upon order of succession, Thomason believed that House Gerard had permanently forfeited their rights to the throne. Additionally, he found both Alexander and Howard Carruthers to be far more progressive and leaning towards liberalization than House Gerard had proven to be.
Alexander II would gradually free the hostages of House Gerard a few at a time as Gerard continued to cooperate. Aaron Thomason would retire in 2172, supporting the appointment of Samuel Carruthers as Prime Minister and heir. Samuel Carruthers would have an undisputed succession as Alexander III, as would Alexander IV following his unexpected death in an industrial accident while inspecting the new imperial flagship.
Revolution of 2215
Alexander IV would not be as deft of an administrator as his predecessors, largely due to his short, two-year tenure as Prime Minister. He would repeatedly raise taxes on the Imperial Houses, intending to build a financial reserve in the Treasury to weather future economic downturns. On his third attempt to raise taxes, the Convention of Houses would protest and depose him as emperor. A nervous Convention of Houses would have the former emperor illegally executed without charge. As added insurance against reprisals, they would order the execution of the entire main branch of House Carruthers, leaving the secondary branch that had been exclusively involved in running their corporations intact.
The Convention would then carefully examine the agreed order of succession under the compromise of 2095, as it had been referenced by all three houses during their disputes. They would offer the throne to House Gerard, who would refuse to take it with a strong and hostile Convention of Houses. They would instead point out that House Thomason had never held the throne, and that they would give up their current place in the order of succession to allow the election of Johnathan Thomason as emperor. Thomason would assume the throne as Traian, taking advantage of the current popular trend towards Roman names and acknowledging that the Imperium was loosely based on the Roman Principate.
Assassination of 2217
Traian would be assassinated in 2217 by a lone assassin with no connection to any Imperial House. The Convention of Houses would find that as he was assassinated, the order of succession should remain with House Thomason. Vincent Thomason would refuse to accept but agreed to remain as Prime Minister. House Gerard, fearing yet another overthrow, would again decline. Maximian Carruthers would be elected emperor by the Convention of Houses, agreeing to keep Vincent Thomason as Prime Minister.
Emperor Maximian would later have Thomason executed on trumped up charges of treason, breaking the long alliance between Thomason and Carruthers, and inadvertently creating a new Gerard/Thomason alliance. Maximian would commit suicide in 2235 as he developed dementia, allowing Maximian II to assume the throne.
Coup of 2241
Finding that the Convention of Houses was now shifting in favor of the new Gerard/Thomason alliance, Jean Gerard leads a House Gerard strike team into the Imperial Palace and forces Maximian II to abdicate at gunpoint. He agrees to go into voluntary exile, allowing for the ascension of Gerard V.
Coup of 2249
Incensed at the overthrow of his family, Claudius Carruthers orchestrates the bloody execution of Gerard V. Citing the revolution of 2215 by the Convention of Houses as a precedent, and the Convention’s intention to place a Gerard on the throne at that time, Claudius orders the execution of virtually the entirety of House Gerard. He further announces that it is the time of House Carruthers in the order of succession, which it would be had Gerard V died of natural causes.
Second Imperial War
Theodore Gerard, having been exiled by his own family for defying them and marrying Natalia Thomason, was now the head of House Gerard by virtue of being the oldest member still alive or not in custody. Reluctant to defy Claudius, he would not officially authorize the forces of House Gerard to attack House Carruthers. His orders for them to stop were transparently halfhearted, using phrases such as “disengage if practicable,” or “avoid further confrontation where strategic interests are not involved.”
Claudius, responding to any slight with the full power at his disposal, threw the entire Imperial fleet at House Gerard. Remaining officially uninvolved, House Thomason provides logistical support to House Gerard, in many cases simply repainting ships in House Gerard livery and sending them in support. This, along with the reported sale of Centadi to House Gerard made it virtually impossible for Claudius to finish off House Gerard.
Coup of 2257
Incensed by Claudius’ use of the Imperial Fleet against the forces of House Gerard, an alliance of minor Houses would form and overthrow the emperor. While executing the emperor, House Thomason would intervene to spare the lives of Claudia and Tiberius Carruthers, now the only surviving members of House Carruthers.
It would take ten months for the Convention of Houses to choose a new emperor. In agreeing with House Thomason that technically Claudius was correct in his assertion that he was in the legitimate place in the order of succession, the Convention of Houses opted for Theodore Gerard as a compromise. This was aided by the fact that Theodore was at this point eighty-three years old, so his time on the throne was likely to be short. He did have an eleven-year-old son in Constantius, who as the son of both House Gerard and House Thomason could potentially help end the succession crisis. The Convention and public at large were not aware that Constantius was the son of their daughter Constanta and Xavier Thomason. Theodore and Natalia had raised him as their son, and even Constanta treated him more as a brother than as her child.
In electing Theodore as emperor, the Convention of Houses was, in fact, electing Constantius, with Theodore as regent. This was made clear by a largely symbolic vote in the Convention to elect Constantius, which was objected to by House Thomason on grounds of his age alone. The Convention then moved to elect Theodore instead, who would take the throne as Theodosius IV, citing the Byzantine emperors in his choice of throne name.
The Regency
In 2261, finding that Theodosius was showing signs of either dementia or Alzheimer’s, Empress Natalia requests the appointment of Constantius as Prince Regent, in addition to his just assumed post as Prime Minister. While initially reluctant to appoint such responsibility to an inexperienced sixteen-year-old, the Convention would ultimately agree after questioning him and finding him well informed and intelligent. Constantius would serve as both Prime Minister and Prince Regent until the death of Theodosius in 2265.
Coup of 2265
Constantius agreed that the conflict between the three Imperial Houses would never be resolved peacefully. Immediately following the Monsos War, he would invite both Claudia and Tiberius Carruthers to the palace. He would find Claudia both intelligent and charming, creating the possibility of a union of all three houses. Tiberius, now fifteen, recognized that Constantius looked far more like a Thomason than a Gerard, and made a point of referring to the emperor as Constantius Thomason. Constantius for his part acknowledged that House Gerard had treated House Carruthers poorly in the past and had not kept to their agreements. However, House Thomason had abandoned their claim to the order of succession in favor of Constantius and had openly declared that they considered him the legitimate heir of both Gerard and Thomason houses. This technically placed him as the head of both Houses, and he informed Tiberius that he would treat him as the head of House Thomason would. Constantius would ultimately be the only Gerard Tiberius treated with even a modicum of respect.
Admiral Black of Fleet Special Operations would convince Constantius that the existence of the Imperial Houses at all represented a hindrance to the strength of the Imperium. They were an economic drain, slowed development, and created trade and travel restrictions simply by existing. Constantius would come to agree that the table had to be swept clean, and that it could not be a gradual transformation. It had to be an immediate, drastic change, and was not something a member of an Imperial House could do. Such change had to come from outside the established power structure.
As a result, a well-organized coup was launched, removing Constantius from power and forcing him into exile on Remus (the same world Claudia and Tiberius Carruthers were exiled to). Fleet Admiral Otto Rauschning of Fleet Special Operations would assume the throne and implement the plan for the dissolution of all Imperial Houses agreed on by Constantius and Admiral Black. Each House was permitted to keep one estate and their titles but had to hand over all other holdings and military forces to the Imperium. All special privileges to the Houses were revoked, the Convention of Houses dissolved, and henceforth there would only be one imperial family.
Background
When Leon Thomason called the Meeting of Oligarchs that laid the groundwork for the Terran Imperium in 2068, Raphael Gerard and Richard Carruthers agreed to a rotation of their three families on the throne to avoid a permanent consolidation of power. When the Imperium was formed in 2078, Raphael Gerard became Emperor, with Damien Carruthers becoming Prime Minister and Leon Thomason Consul of Internal Affairs. It was agreed that when Emperor Gerard died, Carruthers would assume the throne and Thomason would become the Prime Minister, with Gerard moving back to the Consulship.
Crisis of 2095
Early in 2095, independent journalists uncovered a scheme of corporate and financial kickbacks involving Prime Minister Damien Carruthers. His grandfather and great-grandfather had been involved in similar, but much better concealed schemes as Director of the United Earth Alliance, and he had attempted the same practice with far less skill. It was obvious to all that he would have to resign and face charges of corruption, even the now retired Richard Carruthers and Leon Thomason agreeing.
The matter of replacing him became a matter of much greater contention. Michael Thomason and Richard Carruthers favored replacing him with another member of House Carruthers to maintain the order of succession agreed upon in 2068. Emperor Gerard felt that the issue of corruption was much more deeply seeded and that none of the current members of House Carruthers could be trusted in the position. Leon Thomason proposed a compromise, where Michael Thomason would move up to become Prime Minister, and a member of House Carruthers would assume a Consulship, preferably as Foreign Consul where corruption was far less likely. Richard Carruthers, while not finding the compromise ideal, did accept it as the most realistic, offering to come out of retirement to take the post himself if necessary.
Emperor Gerard insisted that House Carruthers had forfeited their place in the current round of succession and added that the corruption had threatened the public perception of the Imperium itself, and House Gerard in particular. Leon Thomason would argue that it had tarnished House Carruthers, rather than Gerard, but the emperor persisted. Ultimately sixteen-year-old Hugo Gerard would be named Prime Minister and House Carruthers removed from the current order of succession. Michael Thomason would point out that by having a Gerard Prime Minister, the situation created the very consolidation of power that the agreement of 2068 had tried to avoid. As a form of compromise, Emperor Gerard asked Leon Thomason to come out of retirement and assume the role of Acting Prime Minister and to train Hugo Gerard in his new position.
Richard Carruthers would agree to the compromise on the condition that it was made clear that House Carruthers would now follow House Thomason to the throne. Documents would be produced and signed under the imperial seal confirming this, and the crisis seemed to have passed.
Succession of 2102
When Emperor Gerard died in 2102, Hugo Gerard stepped up to assume the throne and Michael Thomason became Prime Minister. However, Michael’s son Robert remained Deputy Consul for Internal Affairs, suggesting that as House Carruthers had been completely removed from administration in the preceding years that they would need someone experienced to assist them. All three Houses agreed to this, with House Carruthers offering appreciation for House Thomason’s support.
When Michael Thomason retired as Prime Minister in 2110, Emperor Gerard II did not appoint Robert Thomason Prime Minister. He instead appointed his son Lucien Gerard, who all agreed was more familiar with the current situation, having sat in on numerous meetings to prepare him to assume the post of Foreign Consul in the future. Robert Thomason would step forward as Deputy Prime Minister, with the understanding that the order of succession was being maintained.
Succession of 2124
When Emperor Gerard II died in 2124, it was found that he had secretly named Lucien Gerard as his heir. Lucien Gerard would support this, pointing out that the agreement of 2068 had stated that the Prime Minister would become the new emperor, not the deputy. He would instead propose that Robert Thomason assume a position as essentially assistant emperor, managing all the imperial duties relating to internal affairs which he was, in fact, far more qualified to oversee. Thomason would stand on principle, holding to both the agreement of 2068 and the compromise of 2095, insisting that it was now the time of House Thomason to take the throne.
While not openly claiming the throne himself to avoid charges of treason, he would continue to protest both publicly and in the Convention of Houses that the succession was illegitimate. As he was attacking the order of succession signed by Gerard II, he was not openly attacking the current emperor, and numerous lawsuits and charges by both sides would hold that Thomason was acting legally. The courts would also hold to the letter of the law, agreeing that it was the Prime Minister which became emperor in the order of succession. Neither Robert Thomason nor Lucien Gerard would back down from their positions.
First Imperial War
When Robert Thomason died in 2136, Gerard III assumed the crisis would end. Instead, House Thomason declared war on House Gerard, the fleet of House Thomason attacking the assets of House Gerard. Initially unsure how to react, Gerard consulted his allied houses in the Convention of Houses. They agreed that as House Thomason was attacking only the assets and forces of House Gerard and not Imperial property itself, it was an attack on only House Gerard and should not be considered treason.
House Thomason would be meticulously careful during the conflict, limiting their attacks to only ships and property of House Gerard, even when forces of other houses were present. House Gerard would not be so careful however, the difference in tactics and overall strategy tipping the balance in the Convention of Houses more in favor of House Thomason as the war progressed.
When the Legate of House Thomason to the Convention of Houses was assassinated in 2138, the Convention immediately assumed House Gerard was responsible. House Thomason would refuse to directly name a suspect, but instead escalated the conflict by occupying Gerard owned worlds rather than simply raiding them.
Succession of 2140
Emperor Gerard III would die in 2140 with the matter of his own succession and the Imperial War left unresolved. Gerard IV would ascend the throne, and immediately called for negotiations with House Thomason. They would agree to end the conflict, without a return of any property and the naming of Aaron Thomason as Prime Minister and official heir to the throne.
While this settled the matter between Houses Gerard and Thomason, it reopened the case with House Carruthers. Alexander Carruthers would loudly object to the compromise, as well as the legitimacy of Gerard IV. Holding firmly to the compromise of 2095, Carruthers insisted that the reign of Gerard III legally belonged to House Thomason, that by the agreed upon order of succession it now legally belonged to House Carruthers.
Carruthers would continue to stand defiantly on this position, refusing to attend imperial functions or participate in government. While he would privately refer to Gerard IV as “the usurper” or “the false emperor,” he carefully maintained the public perception Robert Thomason had in 2124.
Coup of 2158
Carruthers was simply biding his time and building support among the other Houses. He would finally act in 2158, seizing the throne while Gerard IV was taking a vacation on Tranquillitatis. Returning immediately, Gerard found that Carruthers was holding his entire family hostage, and threatening to execute them if he did not abdicate. Chillingly, Prime Minister Aaron Thomason was standing by his side, prepared with the imperial seal to sign the declaration. Gerard was forced to agree, abdicating the throne and unwillingly officiating Alexander’s enthronement ceremony.
Carruthers would continue to hold all male members of House Gerard hostage on estates scattered throughout his holdings to ensure the now deposed emperor continued cooperating. Aaron Thomason would remain as Prime Minister under Emperor Alexander.
Succession of 2161
Emperor Alexander would unexpectedly die of a heart attack in 2161, and Aaron Thomason supported the succession of Howard Carruthers as Alexander II. When the deposed Gerard IV asked his allied houses to protest that it was now the turn of House Gerard, following the compromise of 2095, he would suddenly find himself the victim of an attempted poisoning. Investigations would show that the poison had been carefully calculated to not be lethal, and taking the hint, Gerard would openly abandon his own claim to the throne and support Alexander II.
While House Gerard would blame Alexander II for the attempt, it was in fact Prime Minister Aaron Thomason who ordered it. Through their repeated violations of the agreed upon order of succession, Thomason believed that House Gerard had permanently forfeited their rights to the throne. Additionally, he found both Alexander and Howard Carruthers to be far more progressive and leaning towards liberalization than House Gerard had proven to be.
Alexander II would gradually free the hostages of House Gerard a few at a time as Gerard continued to cooperate. Aaron Thomason would retire in 2172, supporting the appointment of Samuel Carruthers as Prime Minister and heir. Samuel Carruthers would have an undisputed succession as Alexander III, as would Alexander IV following his unexpected death in an industrial accident while inspecting the new imperial flagship.
Revolution of 2215
Alexander IV would not be as deft of an administrator as his predecessors, largely due to his short, two-year tenure as Prime Minister. He would repeatedly raise taxes on the Imperial Houses, intending to build a financial reserve in the Treasury to weather future economic downturns. On his third attempt to raise taxes, the Convention of Houses would protest and depose him as emperor. A nervous Convention of Houses would have the former emperor illegally executed without charge. As added insurance against reprisals, they would order the execution of the entire main branch of House Carruthers, leaving the secondary branch that had been exclusively involved in running their corporations intact.
The Convention would then carefully examine the agreed order of succession under the compromise of 2095, as it had been referenced by all three houses during their disputes. They would offer the throne to House Gerard, who would refuse to take it with a strong and hostile Convention of Houses. They would instead point out that House Thomason had never held the throne, and that they would give up their current place in the order of succession to allow the election of Johnathan Thomason as emperor. Thomason would assume the throne as Traian, taking advantage of the current popular trend towards Roman names and acknowledging that the Imperium was loosely based on the Roman Principate.
Assassination of 2217
Traian would be assassinated in 2217 by a lone assassin with no connection to any Imperial House. The Convention of Houses would find that as he was assassinated, the order of succession should remain with House Thomason. Vincent Thomason would refuse to accept but agreed to remain as Prime Minister. House Gerard, fearing yet another overthrow, would again decline. Maximian Carruthers would be elected emperor by the Convention of Houses, agreeing to keep Vincent Thomason as Prime Minister.
Emperor Maximian would later have Thomason executed on trumped up charges of treason, breaking the long alliance between Thomason and Carruthers, and inadvertently creating a new Gerard/Thomason alliance. Maximian would commit suicide in 2235 as he developed dementia, allowing Maximian II to assume the throne.
Coup of 2241
Finding that the Convention of Houses was now shifting in favor of the new Gerard/Thomason alliance, Jean Gerard leads a House Gerard strike team into the Imperial Palace and forces Maximian II to abdicate at gunpoint. He agrees to go into voluntary exile, allowing for the ascension of Gerard V.
Coup of 2249
Incensed at the overthrow of his family, Claudius Carruthers orchestrates the bloody execution of Gerard V. Citing the revolution of 2215 by the Convention of Houses as a precedent, and the Convention’s intention to place a Gerard on the throne at that time, Claudius orders the execution of virtually the entirety of House Gerard. He further announces that it is the time of House Carruthers in the order of succession, which it would be had Gerard V died of natural causes.
Second Imperial War
Theodore Gerard, having been exiled by his own family for defying them and marrying Natalia Thomason, was now the head of House Gerard by virtue of being the oldest member still alive or not in custody. Reluctant to defy Claudius, he would not officially authorize the forces of House Gerard to attack House Carruthers. His orders for them to stop were transparently halfhearted, using phrases such as “disengage if practicable,” or “avoid further confrontation where strategic interests are not involved.”
Claudius, responding to any slight with the full power at his disposal, threw the entire Imperial fleet at House Gerard. Remaining officially uninvolved, House Thomason provides logistical support to House Gerard, in many cases simply repainting ships in House Gerard livery and sending them in support. This, along with the reported sale of Centadi to House Gerard made it virtually impossible for Claudius to finish off House Gerard.
Coup of 2257
Incensed by Claudius’ use of the Imperial Fleet against the forces of House Gerard, an alliance of minor Houses would form and overthrow the emperor. While executing the emperor, House Thomason would intervene to spare the lives of Claudia and Tiberius Carruthers, now the only surviving members of House Carruthers.
It would take ten months for the Convention of Houses to choose a new emperor. In agreeing with House Thomason that technically Claudius was correct in his assertion that he was in the legitimate place in the order of succession, the Convention of Houses opted for Theodore Gerard as a compromise. This was aided by the fact that Theodore was at this point eighty-three years old, so his time on the throne was likely to be short. He did have an eleven-year-old son in Constantius, who as the son of both House Gerard and House Thomason could potentially help end the succession crisis. The Convention and public at large were not aware that Constantius was the son of their daughter Constanta and Xavier Thomason. Theodore and Natalia had raised him as their son, and even Constanta treated him more as a brother than as her child.
In electing Theodore as emperor, the Convention of Houses was, in fact, electing Constantius, with Theodore as regent. This was made clear by a largely symbolic vote in the Convention to elect Constantius, which was objected to by House Thomason on grounds of his age alone. The Convention then moved to elect Theodore instead, who would take the throne as Theodosius IV, citing the Byzantine emperors in his choice of throne name.
The Regency
In 2261, finding that Theodosius was showing signs of either dementia or Alzheimer’s, Empress Natalia requests the appointment of Constantius as Prince Regent, in addition to his just assumed post as Prime Minister. While initially reluctant to appoint such responsibility to an inexperienced sixteen-year-old, the Convention would ultimately agree after questioning him and finding him well informed and intelligent. Constantius would serve as both Prime Minister and Prince Regent until the death of Theodosius in 2265.
Coup of 2265
Constantius agreed that the conflict between the three Imperial Houses would never be resolved peacefully. Immediately following the Monsos War, he would invite both Claudia and Tiberius Carruthers to the palace. He would find Claudia both intelligent and charming, creating the possibility of a union of all three houses. Tiberius, now fifteen, recognized that Constantius looked far more like a Thomason than a Gerard, and made a point of referring to the emperor as Constantius Thomason. Constantius for his part acknowledged that House Gerard had treated House Carruthers poorly in the past and had not kept to their agreements. However, House Thomason had abandoned their claim to the order of succession in favor of Constantius and had openly declared that they considered him the legitimate heir of both Gerard and Thomason houses. This technically placed him as the head of both Houses, and he informed Tiberius that he would treat him as the head of House Thomason would. Constantius would ultimately be the only Gerard Tiberius treated with even a modicum of respect.
Admiral Black of Fleet Special Operations would convince Constantius that the existence of the Imperial Houses at all represented a hindrance to the strength of the Imperium. They were an economic drain, slowed development, and created trade and travel restrictions simply by existing. Constantius would come to agree that the table had to be swept clean, and that it could not be a gradual transformation. It had to be an immediate, drastic change, and was not something a member of an Imperial House could do. Such change had to come from outside the established power structure.
As a result, a well-organized coup was launched, removing Constantius from power and forcing him into exile on Remus (the same world Claudia and Tiberius Carruthers were exiled to). Fleet Admiral Otto Rauschning of Fleet Special Operations would assume the throne and implement the plan for the dissolution of all Imperial Houses agreed on by Constantius and Admiral Black. Each House was permitted to keep one estate and their titles but had to hand over all other holdings and military forces to the Imperium. All special privileges to the Houses were revoked, the Convention of Houses dissolved, and henceforth there would only be one imperial family.
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