2146 Graf Martin, backed by the Sigmarite Church, invades the League of Ostermark under the pretext of restoring the heir of the Steinhardt family to the throne. The Otillian Empire of Talabecland also invades, as does an alliance of the Empire of Middenland and the Kislev town of Rahkov. Graf Martin is killed, the Stirland army is driven back, and the aged Grand Theogonist dies of disappointment.
2147 The Otillians and Middenlanders continue to fight over Ostermark. The Bechafen Purge, a mass-execution of suspected followers of Sigmar, leads to a popular rebellion against both Otillian and Middenlander rule.
2148 Emperor Severin I of Middenland dies of old age, and the Middenland nobles return home to determine his successor. Talabecland reaches an agreement with the Kislevites and the Ostermark rebels at the Diet of Bechafen. Ostermark becomes an independant state under the control of the restored Steinhardt dynasty, but retains strong links to the Otillian Empire. A key part of the agreement is the toleration of the Cult of Sigmar. The Tzarina of Kislev arranges for her son, Kniaz Makari of Rahkov, to marry the young Gräfin Helena of Ostermark, thus ending the border skirmishes between Ostermark and Kislev. Ar-Ulric Waldemar resigns his office and disappears.
After several years in command of the army Giacomo Lomellini fights an army of ratmen to the north of Tobaro. The army is routed with little loss and largely written off as mutant beastmen.
2150 The Western Elves return to the Old World, founding a trading post in Marienburg. The elves sign an exclusive trading contract with the city, increasing its wealth enormously.
2151 Graf Erik of Stirland attempts another invasion of Ostermark, but fails spectacularly. Herzog Adalbert Richter, formerly the commander of the Middenland forces in Ostermark, seizes the throne of Middenland.
2152 The Ottilian Empire attacks Middenland, making substantial territorial gains.
2153 Stirland, in a state of total economic collapse, withdraws its troops from Ostermark forever. Nordland, incensed by the vast tax increases instituted by the tyrannous Emperor Adalbert IV, end their alliance with the Empire of Middenland. Middenland respond by invading the province.
The Doge of Tobaro dies. Giacomo Lomellini succeeds to the throne with near unanimous noble and public support.
2156 Nordland is on the brink of collapse due to the continuing war with Middenland. The Elector Count is killed at the siege of Salzenmund, and his Runefang (orignally that of Drakwald) is send to Middenheim.
2157 Assassination of Emperor Adalbert IV. Civil war in the Empire of Middenland causes a withdrawal from Nordland.
2158 The civil war in Middenland ends with the ascension of a new Emperor. The Nordland conquest is renewed, and Salzenmund falls.
2160 The Otillian Empire and their Kislevite allies send a large army to support the beleagered Nordland forces. Salzenmund is retaken.
2163 Gräfin Helena and Kniaz Makari finally produce an heir to the throne of Ostermark.
2165 Middenland drives back the border with Talabecland. The Cult of Sigmar is banned throughout the Empire of Middenland as fanatical Ulricanism becomes more and more common.
2169 Hochland, previously an ally, is annexed by the Empire of Middenland.
Nearly twenty years after his first encounter, Doge Giacomo fights a second battle against the ratmen. He becomes convinced that they are the same creatures that took control of Tobaro five hundred years earlier.
2172 Middenland invades Ostland.
2175 Ostland formally becomes a part of the Empire of Middenland.
2179 At the age of twelve, Leo di Lucci is found dead, having apparently accidentally drowned in a puddle during a summer retreat.
2183 Laurence di Lucci perishes whilst inspecting the latest addition to the palace battlements. Laurence falls after moving closer to look at a newly carved rock in his image. He plummets from the side as the ornamental carving and rock face gives way under his rather substantial bulk.
Lucian di Lucci apparently slips on the edge of a grave whilst attending the funeral of his brother Laurence. Unfortunately he lands on several upturned shovels, impaling himself.
2184 Andronikos I becomes Despot of the Reman Empire.
2187 Emperor Phillip III of Marienburg marries the daughter of Joachim II Sigmarus, the Grand Count of Averland.
Lucas di Lucci, the eldest of the di Lucci males, is killed by a falling sword during an outdoor feast celebrating a summer of largely rain free days.
2189 Duke Azzone seizes control of Miragliano in a brilliantly-orchestrated plot.
Doge Giacomo's sanity begins to slip. The standing army is ordered to march to a village to protect it from imaginary enemies.
2190 The Otillian Emperor declares an end to the persecution of Sigmarites throughout his empire. The move is met by widespread rebellion among the Ulrican clergy and the more devout nobles, and huge numbers leave the Otillian Empire to settle in Middenland.
The Proxy-Elector of Wissenland, Baron Titus, borrows heavily from the merchant families of Marienburg to finance his campaign to become Emperor of Middenland. On his ascension to the throne he takes the name Titus-Artur in honour of the city's legendary founder.
The deeply unpopular Lionel di Lucci accuses his brother Leonard of conspiring against him and planning his murder. An angry mob subsequently murders Lionel for daring to impugn the honour of their favourite son.
2191 Andronikos is deposed by his uncle. Travelling to the north, he offers his sister Duccia in marriage to Emperor Titus-Artur of Middenland in exchange for military aid.
2192 Andronikos returns to Remas with his army of Middenlanders, and reclaims his throne.
2197 The Volkers of Stirland are deposed. The Electorship passes to the von Huttens. The Grand Theogonist presents the Imperial crown to the Grand Prince of Reikland (even though he technically lacks the authority to do so). This new ‘Sigmarite Empire’ includes Reikland, Altdorf, Nuln, Wissenland and Stirland.
Otillian Emperor Marius V marries the Grand Duchess of Nordland.
Lex di Lucci has a terrible accident. Whilst out hunting his horse is seen to spontaneously explode, killing the rider and several of his most influential companions.
2198 The Empire of Middenland defeats the army of the Norse Chieftain Thialfi Swiftaxe. The Norse agree to accept the Emperor as overlord. Titus-Artur is poisoned by a jealous rival, but survives.
Across The Empire, harvests fail. The Sigmarite Empire overruns the western part of Talabecland, but the emperor dies in a freak accident. The Grand Theogonist Fulmar offers the crown to the thirteen year old Hermann, and arranges the boy's marriage to Grand Countess Rosina von Orsbeck of Wissenland.
2199 Poor harvests lead to widespread starvation across The Empire. Marienburg forges a trade pact with Averland, Estalia and the major Tilean city-states, allowing it to control the importation of supplies to The Empire. The ships of the Marienburg Alliance, aided by those of the Western Elves, blockade the Nordland and Kislevite coast. Nordland and Kislev, backed by the Otillian Empire, form the League of Free Traders. Their aim is to break the blockade and provide food for their starving populations.
2200 Once again, the harvests fail. Heavy snowfall blocks the mountain passes, and the situation is now critical. Marienburg continues to increase the price of all imported food. The dwarfs of Barak Varr join the League of Free Traders, dispatching their iron-clad warships to the Sea of Claws. The Emperor of Middenland issues an ultimatum to Marienburg, as does the Sigmarite Emperor.
2201 The King of Bretonnia declares an errantry war to rid the land of orcs and goblins. The call is answered by almost every knight, although the Duke of L‘Anguille remains behind, sending only a small part of his army to join the cause. The Sigmarite Emperor strikes a deal with the Duke: L’Anguille is offered lucrative trading rights in return for the aid of its fleet in the conquest of Marienburg. The Empire of Middenland, the Sigmarite Empire and the League of Free Traders all declare war on Marienburg.
The war is short but extremely brutal. Eventually, Marienburg falls and is divided up by the various invaders. The high elves abandon the city, Emperor Phillip III of Marienburg abdicates, and the Marienburg Alliance is dissolved. The Imperial throne of Marienburg is claimed by Joachim II Sigmarus of Averland, though his rule is nominal.
Titus-Artur of Middenland and the Grand Theogonist are both killed in palace revolts. The arch-lectors of Nuln and Altdorf both claim the position of Grand Theogonist, and each excommunicates the other. Titus-Artur's wife Duccia forces the Middenland Electors to declare her empress. Hochland and Ostland declare independence from the Empire of Middenland, forming the Northern League in close partnership with the surviving merchant families of Marienburg. Empress Duccia recognises the League and makes peace.
Leonard II di Lucci comes to power in Luccini at the age of thirty, following the death of his father Alfonso. The previous prince died in his sleep: his unfortunate habit of hugging pillows may have contributed to his death.
Pietro Tiepolo is elected as pirate prince of Sartosa.
2202 Tensions between the five most powerful Tilean states escalate as each blames the others for the collapse of the Marienburg Alliance. Remas, Miragliano, Sartosa and Luccini hire vast armies of mercenaries. Tobaro fortifies its harbour but takes no other action. The states come to the brink of war, but stop short of making an actual declaration. Bored mercenary troops engage in acts of piracy and pillage all over Tilea.
Orc pirates begin to gather along the Badlands coast while the attention of the Barak Varr dwarfs remains focused on Marienburg. The dwarfs deliver a huge bill for their services during the war to the ruling council of Nordland. Unable to pay, Nordland is forced to become a dominion of the Otillian Empire, and the League of Free Traders is dissolved.
The young Emperor Hermann of Altdorf announces the end of Sigmarite control of the law courts. The Duke of L’Anguille renounces his alliance with the Sigmarite Empire, claiming that he has been cheated by them.
2203 The Reman Despot and the Duke of Miragliano are both murdered. The four mercenary companies - the Golden Company, the Cerulean League, the Vermillion Legion, and the Tyrian Guild - renounce their respective contracts due to unpaid fees. Tilea is now in deadly danger from the four restless armies. The Imperial factions, exhausted by the war but in dire need of new sources of revenue, send their own task forces to Tilea to obtain what profit they can from the impending war.
The Mercenary War is over by winter of the same year, ending in a lengthy series of peace talks. The Prince of Sartosa, the King of Luccini and the Duchess of Miragliano are all killed during the war, and the undead monster Mordini is destroyed in a duel by the warrior-priest Hans von Knoblauch. Remas, Luccini and the Vermillion Legion declare a new Reman-Luccinian Empire, but most of Tilea remains under the control of the Cerulean League. Isaac von Siegfriedshof is appointed regent of Miragliano until the young duke comes of age. The Tyrian Guild and the Golden Company establish minor states at the southern edge of Tilea and in the Border Princes.
2204 Marienburg negotiates lucrative trade agreements with the various Tilean states. The city begins to recover from the devastation caused in the war three years earlier.
The Doge of Tobaro dies of extreme old age. His nephew is elected to replace him, and fortunately shows no sign of the insanity his father was afflicted with. Under his leadership Tobaro grows in influence.
The city of Luccini descends into civil war as the various leading families contend (inconclusively) for the throne. The late King Leonard’s niece, his last surviving relative, flees to relative safety in Tobaro.
2205 Tensions between the major powers in the Cerulean League escalate, and it collapses into an array of hostile principalities. Many mercenary leaders travel north to seek employment in The Empire.
The Year of Five Kings in Luccini. Each new ruler is brutally assassinated by his replacement shortly after his coronation. King Ranoldi, the last of the five, is impaled by an angry mob on his own elaborate sceptre. The Republic of Luccini is formed in the winter when the noble families agree that enough is enough.
2206 In spring the Republic of Luccini becomes a Kingdom once again. After only two months the entire senate is put to the sword by the newly formed republican guard. Guard-General Alfonso proclaims himself king, loots the city, and dissolves the relationship with Remas.
2207 The Reman Despot's heart fails while he is engaged with prostitutes in his island villa. Empress Duccia of Middenland, the Despot's sister, illegally assumes the throne of Remas. The Despot's daughter Irene is banished to a Shallyan convent after attempting to claim the throne herself. While there she begins work on her famous history, ‘The Nikephoriad‘.
With Remas and Middenland now firmly under her control, Empress Duccia becomes increasingly belligerent and autocratic. From this point on, her rule is referred to by historians as ‘The Long Tyranny.’
2208 The ruling council of Marienburg buy back the some of the lands around the city that were lost during the war of 2201. The city's elf quarter is finally restored.
2210 Massimiliano Pelavicino reaches maturity and becomes Duke of Miragliano.
2211 War breaks out in the Sigmarite Empire between Reyneke of Altdorf and Echard of Nuln, the rival Grand Theogonists. Emperor Hermann announces his support for Reyneke, but does not provide him with any troops.
The Empire of Middenland declares war on the Northern League. The Empire of Averland and Marienburg declares war on Middenland in support of the League. The Otillian Empire remains officially neutral, but secretly lends support to the Middenland armies.
The Middenland invasion force is defeated at Gruyden by a League army under the Grand Baron of Hochland and the Grand Prince of Ostland, though the prince is killed during the battle. The Middenlanders withdraw to Krudenwald, where they remain until reinforcements reach them in the new year.
2212 Grand Duke Conradin, Elector Count of Middenland, forms a coalition of leading noblemen opposing the war with the Northern League and the Empire of Averland and Marienburg. The coalition withdraw their armies from the field and sign a cease-fire agreement with the League Council and Emperor Joachim. Empress Duccia outlaws Conradin and grants his title to her second cousin, Ludwig von Rusdorf.
General Achatius von Tiefen recaptures Calden from the Marienburgers, and defends it against a succession of assaults.
Reyneke’s army defeats that of Echard at the Battle of the Wagon, south of Wurtbad. Echard is executed, but Reyneke returns to Altdorf to find the gates closed against him. Emperor Hermann accuses Reyneke of heresy and demands his immediate surrender. After a brief siege, the Grand Theogonist withdraws his army to Grunburg.
2213 Emperor Joachim II Sigmarus of Averland and Marienburg dies after a brief illness. With his death Marienburg withdraws from the war with Middenland, the ruling council declaring a distant cousin of the deposed Phillip III as the new Emperor of Marienburg. The new Grand Count of Averland, a young favourite of Emperor Hermann, gives his allegiance to the Sigmarite Empire.
Empress Duccia sends the new Elector Count of Middenland to deal with Conradin's rebel coalition. The Elector is defeated at Eldagsen and Suderberg, and withdraws to Delberz.
Titus, son of Empress Duccia and the late Titus-Artur, comes of age and inherits the Barony of Delberz.
Wolfenburg falls to the Middenland forces under Grand Marshal Otto von Plauen. The city's walls are dismantled and its leading citizens are publicly and horribly executed.
2214 Emperor Hermann takes Grunburg and executes Reyneke. The lectors of the Church of Sigmar vote to confer supreme spiritual authority on the emperor instead of electing a new Grand Theogonist.
Baron Titus assumes command of the anti-coalition forces, capturing Suderberg, Eldagsen and Kutenholz before storming Caroburg. Grand Duke Conradin and his followers are executed. Titus is named 'Augustus' by his men.
Tobaro defeats Luccini in a grand naval battle, fought over Tobaro's refusal to hand over the last remaining Di Lucci and her young child. Luccini is forced to pay a humiliating amount of gold in reparation.
The Northern League surrenders unconditionally to the Empire of Middenland. Middenland cedes part of the League's northernmost territory to the Otillian Empire in payment for the Otillia's support. The empress also sells a part of eastern Ostland to the city of Kislev. Otto von Plauen is named Elector Count of Ostland, and Achatius von Tiefen becomes Elector Count of Hochland.
In late winter King Alfonso of Luccini tries to invade and settle the badlands to regain face after his defeat by Tobaro. Several victories against the confused and scattered orc tribes provoke a large and devastating counter-strike. The King's army returns badly mauled and the city is bankrupted. Marienburg merchant families bail out the crown in return for horrific interest rates and future land rights.
2215 Emperor Hermann’s wife dies without providing him with an heir. The emperor re-marries, but it is rumoured that he has little interest in women. His frequent visits to Grand Count Albrecht in Averheim are the source of considerable scandal.
Empress Duccia substantially revises the Empire of Middenland's electoral system. The old system of 'proxy-electors' is swept away, and the title of Elector Count is abolished. Her son Titus Augustus is expected to be named as official successor in recognition for his victory over the rebels, but the empress refuses to do so.
The Norse finally renounce their fealty to the Empire of Middenland. Now lacking a coastline and a fleet, Empress Duccia is unable to prevent them.
2216 Empress Duccia negotiates with Marienburg to provide transport for a punitive expedition to Norsca. The deal falls through when the merchant assembly demand excessive payment. The Empress contacts the Otillia instead, hoping to use the Nordland fleet. The Otillia is receptive, but the negotiations continue into the new year. All the while, the nobles of Middenland hire increasing numbers of mercenary soldiers.
2217 The Long Tyranny ends with the death of Empress Duccia in a boating accident on the River Reik. The Ar-Ulric declares that an election will be held in midwinter. Immediately, the greatest lords of Middenland gather their armies and announce their intentions to ascend to the wolf-throne of Ulric.