Protectorate of Donegal

The Protectorate of Donegal was an early pre-Age of War Inner Sphere interstellar power. It served as a proto-state to the future Lyran Commonwealth. It existed from 2313 to 2341 before merging with that nascent state.

History & Description
The nation was founded by Seth Marsden in 2313, who had used his interstellar commerce company known as Donegal Freights and Goods to help forge political ties with neighboring worlds.

The nation was strong in raw resources, but weak in industry due to the youth of the colonized worlds surrounding its capital of Donegal.

After the formation of Terran Hegemony, the Protectorate signed a defense pact with them. This enabled the Protectorate to embarked on ambitious exploration and expansion plans, which ultimately helped to double the size of the realm.

By 2330s, many interstellar nations had were merging, forming stronger unions. Donegal's neighboring nations, Tamar Pact and Federation of Skye, were under pressures of their own. The Pact worried about the warlike Draconis Combine and the Federation was using up its natural resources. Tamar Pact's leader Kevin Tamar called for a meeting on his world of Arcturus, with Leader Robert Marsden and the Federation's President Thomas McQuiston. There, in 2341, they chose to merge and form the Lyran Commonwealth.

After the accession of Archon Robert Marsden, the Protectorate of Donegal became the District of Donegal, a region of the Lyran nation. However, it retained its original name as the Age of War concluded.

Leaders

 * Seth Marsden (2313 - 2342)
 * Simon Marsden (2342 - ????)
 * Robert Marsden (???? - 2375) (From 2341 title of leader become Archon)