Duchy of Tamarind-Abbey

The Duchy of Tamarind was orginally a province of the Free Worlds League. It seceded from the League during the Word of Blake Jihad, and would later combine with the Abbey District to form the Duchy of Tamarind-Abbey, an independent state.

Succession Wars
Originally composed of four worlds, the Succession Wars were brutal to the Duchy of Tamarind, and by the end of the Third Succession War, much of its industrial strength had been destroyed and its people were impoverished. Around 3013, valuable radioactive minerals were found in the Kosciusko system that led to a minor renaissance for the province. In addition, the Duchy's considerable voting bloc in the League's Parliament led to their political support being sought. As of 3025, the Duchy controlled a respectable twelve votes, and consistently sided with the government.

Reversal of Fortune
In 3032, the corrupt and inefficient government of Otho Korituk, Prime Minister of Tamarind, was dissolved and succeeded by the leadership of Duchess Therese Marik, the estranged daughter of Captain-General Janos Marik. Therese was very popular with the people of Tamarind, and had never expressed a desire for her father's throne. Despite her problematic relationship with her father, Therese enjoyed a good rapport with her brother Thomas Marik, who would become Captain-General in 3036. The following years were good ones for both the Duchy and the Brett-Mariks. Teresa's husband, Jeremy Brett, would be named Marshal of the Tamarind Military District, commanding nearly a quarter of the League's military. Tamarind's industries would recover and it became a mecca of the fine arts, exporting expensive works throughout the League.

Jihad
With the failure of the Star League at the Fourth Whitting Conference and the dawn of the Word of Blake's Jihad in late 3067, war soon spread throughout the Inner Sphere. When General Helen Thrall of the Sirian Lancers was assassinated on December 24, supposedly at the hands of Lyran Alliance operatives, Sirian radicals retaliated against the Alliance by sending the FWLS Percival, the 2nd Sirian Lancers and a flotilla of DropShips against the district capital of Skye. Stymied in the efforts to invade the planet on the ground, the Free Worlds fleet instead bombarded Skye from orbit, inflicting massive damage and casualties against both defending forces and civilians. Duke Robert Kelswa-Steiner retaliated by declaring war against the League, in cooperation with the Bolan Province. The Lyran invasion, codenamed Operation Überschatten, was initially overwhelmingly successful. They achieved complete surprise over the League forces, and with Thomas Marik still in transit back to Atreus from Tharkad and favoring a diplomatic response, the FWLM was unable to coordinate itself.

It fell to Marshal Brett to rally the League's military, initiating Operation Broken Fist to not only recover worlds lost due to Lyran aggression, but also to strike into Alliance territory, making the Lyrans pay for their invasion. Though limited in troop reserves, Brett's call to action galvanized the forces he could call upon, and made him a hero amongst the people. Brett also began hiring mercenary units such as the Langendorf Lancers and O'Gordon's Rifles to join in his counter-offense. In the following months, Brett's forces would return many worlds to the Eagle's banner, beginning with Colfax and McAffe. These counter-strikes effectively destroyed the 4th and 11th Lyran Regulars and the mercenary Gabhardt's Carabineers, all this helping to stall the Lyrans' momentum. By the end of July 3068, Cascade, Gallatin and Ideyld would be liberated, shattering the 1st Skye Jaegers and forcing them to retreat along with the Skye Guards. The third wave of strikes in September also included attacks across the Lyran border. League worlds retaken included Preston, Rexburg, Pingree, Sheridan, Thermopolis, Togwotee and Megrez. Meanwhile, Thomas Marik and the LCCC would soon bolster Brett's counter-assault, driving the Lyrans back across the border, and invading several Lyran worlds.

By mid-September, League forces had seized Alchiba, Milton, Phecda, Wyatt, Timbiqui, Poulsbo, Dixie and Arcadia from the Lyrans, throwing Kelswa-Steiner's supply lines into chaos. One most notable event took place on Giausar, where the 1st Knights of the Inner Sphere, the 20th Marik Militia and the mercenary company Pico's Pathfinders quickly destroyed the Wilde Turkeys mercenary unit. The mercenary One-Eyed Jacks and the planetary militia rallied, however, crushing the Pathfinders and striking the 20th Militia hard. Near the height of the campaign, the Knights unexpectedly withdrew, recalled to Atreus by the Captain-General and leaving the Militia to fend for itself. Jeremy Brett's forces would ultimately prevail, however, forcing the Lyran mercenaries to retreat. The battle was termed a bloodbath, with severe damage to supply caches and contaminated water supplies. This recall would also apply to the 2nd Knights of the Inner Sphere, who had only just landed as part of a taskforce attacking Cavanaugh II. The recall of the Knights, and several other units, came just as Brett's offensive into Lyran space was gaining ground. Despite the loss of support from those elite troops, Brett's forces would soon Cavanaugh II as well as Loric, Ford, Khon Kaen and Penobscot. Though Brett's forces were weakened by these departures, by mid-October, 3068, League forces had struck at Syrma and Zebebelgenubi.

On October 25, 3068, the Word of Blake attacked Atreus by unleashing a massive chemical attack, killing most of the League's Parliament and much of the First Knights of the Inner Sphere. Simultaneously, the Blakists reveal that the Thomas Marik who had served as Captain-General had been put in place years before by ComStar. The Word then floods the HPG Networks with "white noise", crippling communications throughout the Sphere. Surprisingly, most of the extended Marik family including Therese and Jeremy Brett, threw their public support behind the Captain-General, calling on their people to support federal authorities. By mid-November, 3068, Operation Broken Fist was still ongoing, but Brett's forces suffered a major setback when the FWLS Sardis and its entire battle group went rogue, leaving their post in the Tamarind system and departing for space unknown. By late November, Syrma was under counter-attack by the Lyrans, forcing the 1st Free Worlds Guards to withdraw. Zebebelgenubi was also retaken by the Skye forces.

In April 3069, facing a lack of support from Atreus and acknowledging the dangers now posed by the Word of Blake, Brett formally commanded Free Worlds forces to withdraw to their pre-war borders. In August 3069, Thomas Marik was removed from power in a coupe that left Corinne Marik as the Captain-General on Atreus, supported by the Word of Blake. In late October 3069, Brett made a formal offer of a cease-fire to the Lyran Alliance, citing Blakist activity and the interests of peace. Due to Blakist interference, the message was not received for over a month. The offer was accepted by the Duke of Bolan. By the end of December, the League's withdrawal from Alliance worlds was complete.

Independence
In January 3070, in covert communications between Therese, Jeremy and Alys Rousset-Marik, Therese expressed a desire to declare herself Captain-General while Alys indicated her support. Even after the cease-fire with the Lyrans, the Duchy of Tamarind and Marshal Brett continued to be a major employer of mercenaries in the Inner Sphere, facing pressure from the Word of Blake Protectorate, the Marik Commonwealth and elements within the Alliance. In February 3071, the Principality of Regulus pulled the 2nd Regulan Hussars from Brett's command over his protests to use them in operations against the Duchy of Oriente.

On October 7, 3071, Marshal Jeremy Brett met with an old adversary, Richard Steiner, who had been Margrave of the Lyran Alliance's Cavanaugh II Theater until he fled on suspicion of war crimes during the FedCom Civil War. Steiner had suddenly appeared on Tamarind, seeking an audience and claiming to have information regarding the Word of Blake's plans for Tamarind. Despite a thorough scan, Brett's aides did not detect that explosives had been grafted to Steiner's skeletal structure, nor were able to learn that Word of Blake had, at some point, captured and brainwashed Steiner. After shaking Brett's hand and declaring "Blake's Vengeance be done!", Steiner detonated the explosives, killing Brett, himself and the Marshal's aides.

In response, Therese Brett-Marik would formally declare the Duchy of Tamarind independent of the pro-Blake Marik Commonwealth on the 19th of November 3071, arguably representing the last nail in the coffin for the once-mighty Free Worlds League. She further named Photon Brett-Marik as his father's successor as Marshal of Tamarind. While not formally declaring war on the Commonwealth, she made clear any further Blakist attacks would be met with force. In time, Therese would send her other son, Reginald Brett-Marik, to act as an emissary to Devlin Stone's coalition against the Blakists.

In 3075, the Circinus Federation (supported by the Word of Blake) began attacking the border worlds of the collapsing Free Worlds League, conquering Poulsbo and Khon Kaen. The Duchy responded by expanding its borders, as many worlds were eager for protection against so many potential mutual enemies. The Duchy then undertook a a joint offensive with Lyran forces to repel the invaders. As part of the Tamarind task force, Photon Brett-Marik's 2nd Free Worlds Guards deployed a battalion flying the colors of the 2nd Fusiliers of Oriente. In heavy fighting that saw the loss of the detachment from the Guards among other casualties, the Periphery pirates were repelled.

Although the Duchy were willing participants in Devlin Stone's coalition against the Blakists, even providing the 13th and 31st Marik Militia, the questionable leadership of Alys Rousset-Marik combined with further attacks by the Buena Archonette of the Lyran Alliance compelled them to withdraw on the eve of the attack on Terra. Among other things, this soured relations between the Duchy and Alys Rousset-Marik. In January 3078, with the tenuous alliance between the Duchy and the Lyran Alliance had fallen in tatters, Therese Marik sent a letter to the new Lyran Archon, Adam Steiner, imploring him to stop the attacks by the forces in the Buena Archonette. Later that same year, the Abbey District would formally incorporate itself into the Duchy for mutual protection. On the 1st of December 3078, having already declared itself independent of the Marik Commonwealth, the Duchy of Tamarind formally declared itself independent of the Free Worlds League.

Despite their impressive showing overall, by the conclusion of the Jihad, the Duchy's military found itself defending from multiple enemies with an inadequate force. Indeed, by 3079, the Duchy had grown to 27 worlds, making it a significant player in post-Jihad politics, albeit one with enemies on nearly all sides. Some nearby, most notably only one of three of the Southwest Trinity worlds, still maintained their independence, however.

After the Jihad
In the wake of the Jihad the de facto military for the Duchy was the former Tamarind Theatre Command, and the various units within the Duchy continued to function as if they were a theatre command, including keeping the same FWLM uniforms in use. The military lacked the unifying purpose that some other League successor militaries possessed, though; many of the troops and units wtihin the Duchy were expatriates from areas like the Marik Commonwealth. Many of those who stayed in the Duchy did so because they felt betrayed by Corinne Marik, or out of loyalty to House Brett, or simply because the Duchy was the major buffer between the Lyran Alliance and the interior worlds of the former League.

In the 3080s the Duchy found itself embroiled in a legal and economic tangle with Brooks Incorporated of Irian. A manufacturer within the Duchy, Maxwell Planetary Defense Consortium (MPDC), had been producing a version of the Thumper Artillery Vehicle since the later years of the Jihad. The Duchy government had given the MPDC a production contract as a means of growing the Duchy's military defense industry, despite the Duchy's lack of experience in such matters. The production had been rife with problems... and the design was also based on Brooks Inc. intellectual property rights. As the Inner Sphere began to return to normal, Brooks Inc. found out about the MPDC vehicle, and immediately filed a civil suit with the Duchy government.

When MPDC and the Duchy of Tamarind rejected the initial suit on grounds of national security, Brooks Inc. used their substantial interstellar economic pull to embargo MPDC sales to other states in the region. Following swift negotiations on all parts, the matter was finally resolved with a token cash payment for royalties to Brooks Inc, recognition of the licensing for the Thumper, and government-furnished construction of plants within the Duchy of Tamarind to produce the chassis and ECM components for the Thumper. In exchange, Brooks Inc used their expertise to assist in the construction of the various plants within Duchy space, and began line production of the new Thumper vehicle from their plants on Irian from 3089. Whether the costs for building the factories came directly from the Duchy or from breach of contract penalties against MPDC is unknown.

In 3092, the Marian Hegemony seized three former League border worlds. In response, the Duchy sought to expand to better defend their borders.

The Dark Age
By the Dark Age era, the Duchy was ruled by Duke Fontaine Marik, a descendant of Therese Brett-Marik. He ruled jointly with his wife, Karli Marik, until her death in 3134.

In May of 3137, the Lyran Commonwealth Armed Forces launched Operation Hammerfall, a military campaign against former League states which struck the Duchy, neighboring independent worlds and the Commonwealth at the same time. Not prepared for such an attack, the Duchy suffered numerous losses to Lyran invaders. With the Duchy cut nearly in half by November, Trillian Steiner was sent by Archon Melissa Steiner to confront Fontaine to convince him sign a treaty on the Commonwealth's terms, thus ending the invasion of the Duchy. Fontaine refused and struck back with military force, forcing Trillian and her aide to go into hiding during the conflict.

On November 29th, Lyran reinforcements from the Broken Swords Battalion arrived, under the command of Hauptmann Roderick Frost. In response, Duke Marik accused her of not to negotiating in good faith. Duke sent forces to seize Lyran Consulate and order her arrested. However, she would again escape capture with her aide. The Lyran battalion fought a running battle over the course of several weeks against the world's defending 1st Tamarind Regulars. When the Third Lyran Regulars arrived and linked up with the battered Broken Swords, they were able to overwhelm the Tamarind defenders. The Lyran forces captured Tamarind, although they failed to capture Duke Fontaine.

Later, Duke Fontaine ordered his Grand Vizier, Sha Renkin, to negotiate an armistice to end the bloodshed, but not ending the war. He then began a campaign to re-take portions of his Duchy back, with the aide of Christopher Halas-Huges Marik.

By 3139, the Duchy had joined with Jessica Marik (daughter of the impostor Thomas Marik) under the flag of a new Free Worlds League, although the Duchy's capital had been relocated to Gibraltar, and only 17 worlds remained.

Several time forces of the Duchy raided Mundrabilla, an independent world that was once part of the Free Worlds League.

3079

 * Founding Year: 3071 (as an independent power)
 * Capital (City, World): Zanzibar, Tamarind
 * Total (Inhabited) Systems: 27 (3079)
 * Ruler: Duchess Therese Marik (3079)

3130

 * Founding Year: 3078 (as the Duchy of Tamarind-Abbey)
 * Capital (City, World): Zanzibar, Tamarind
 * National Symbol: An abstract purple eagle, with five-pointed stars in each wing, being clutched at the tail by a human hand, set against a green field. The eagle’s claws are each holding cornstalks.
 * Location (Terra relative): Antispinward of Terra, exterior
 * Total (Inhabited) Systems: 26
 * Estimated Population (3130): 75,000,000,000
 * Government: Military Governorship
 * Ruler: Duke Fontaine Marik (3130)
 * Dominant Language(s): English (official), Spanish
 * Dominant Religion(s): Christianity (Catholicism), Judaism
 * Unit of Currency: Peso (1 peso = 0.48 C-Bills)