ComStar Historical Archives

Largest and most influential of the precursor states to the Capellan Confederation, the Capellan Hegemony was in existence from 2270-2310. It succeeded the Capellan Republic and Capellan Co-Prosperity Sphere, and was in turn supplanted by the Capellan Commonality. The Hegemony government was essentially identical to that of the previous Republic; the name change was to signify the political union of Capella with its Co-Prosperity Sphere companions (Ares, Bandora and Kurragin) and all other worlds within ten light-years of Capella. The Hegemony eventually came to control a wide swath of additional worlds, including Anaheim, Asuncion, Brusett, Highspire, Homestead, Nihal, St. Andre, Zion, and even Wernke.

Ostensibly the Hegemony was a republic organized along Platonic lines, governed by a Senate (the Agoropolis). After the shift from Republic to Hegemony, however, the continued dominance of Capella reduced the meaningful representation of the other Hegemony worlds. This, coupled with economic trends which enriched the Aris line while discouraging potential rivals from entering into politics, created a de facto Aris plutocracy over the course of the Hegemony's brief existence.

The Hegemony was quite successful for a number of years; its political, economic and military might was largely unrivaled by its neighbors. Brief conflicts in the 2270s resulted in territorial gains against the St. Ives Mercantile League and the Ingersoll Concordium, and the Hegemony went on to encourage the arts, education, and personal freedoms to a surprising degree. Ultimately, these achievements were short-lived. The Capella-centric politics of the Hegemony encouraged reliance on the Deimosis, a nascent secret police that would eventually become the Maskirovka. When the Hegemony declared war on the Sarna Supremacy in 2305, the Hegemony, despite its size, was unable to both draw up adequate troops from its scattered worlds and simultaneously defend those worlds; the anticipated short, victorious war became a much longer and bloodier conflict. This conflict necessitated draconian emergency measures, which ultimately led to the secession of Arboris in 2309. At this point the Liao dynasty interceded and granted protection to the world, and savaged the fleet intended to recapture the world.

The end of the Hegemony was now inevitable. Her failure to prevent the secession of one of her worlds resulted in the Free Worlds League withdrawing support for the war against Sarna, which was necessary to a Capellan victory. The Hegemony had little choice but to secure peace, which they did at the end of 2309 in a settlement arbitrated by the Tikonov Grand Union. This settlement commanded an end to the Hegemony and the establishment of a more representative government; this outcome was furthered by the suicide of Prime Magnate Paula Aris and the effective end of the Aris plutocracy. This new government was that of the Capellan Commonality. Ironically, though the Commonality restored much of the political representation lost during the Hegemony period, it was viewed as a puppet government installed by victorious foreigners, and despised.

• Sources Used:
• Field Manual: Capellan Confederation;
• House Liao (The Capellan Confederation);
• Inner Sphere