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Chronology
of Jerry Pournelle's Future History
Timeline
of the CoDominium and the Empire of Man
By Larry King (Larry@chronology.org)
A few quick notes:
Other mercenary units, including the Cossack Adventurers and the Cameron Highlanders, are later absorbed into the CD Armed Services. [FL 206]
The CoDominium rules dozens of worlds but rests on an unstable alliance back on Earth. The Soviet Union and the United States retain approximately their twentieth-century structures, but with a much greater level of corruption. The CD's military force continues to ruthlessly enforce world peace.
In the USA, the Republican and Democratic parties have fused into the "Unity Party" which espouses the CD platform. American society has become a two-caste system: the productive, educated, and privileged "taxpayers" hand out benefits (but not real power) to the welfare-dependent "Citizens".
The political situation in the USSR is chaotic. The Communist Party continues to be the upper-class, but now devoid of any ideology – dogmatic Marxism exists only in Western universities. It is unclear whether the symbols of pre-1917 Russia are ever in vogue. Around 2040 (during Lermontov's youth) the military briefly rules the USSR (At some point the East Prussian city of Kaliningrad returns to its German name of Koenigsberg: why?) It is likely that St Ekaterina is founded by involuntary Russian colonists, but this is not stated. It should be noted that there is no explicit mention of voluntary Soviet colonists on any planet! [FL 215; GTS 71.]
In countries other than the USA and the USSR, the CoDominium is resented but not resisted. It does manage to prevent the use of nuclear weapons almost completely – although Bakersfield is nuked by a militant group and Seattle is held ransom by nuclear-equipped criminals. [FL 230; PS 320.]
The CD itself is governed by the Grand Senate located underground on the moon (Luna). The Fleet – the CD Space Navy and Marines – has complete control of nuclear weapons and space weapons, and effective veto power over all human military actions. The Fleet includes:
The Grand Admiral of the Fleet commands from the moon and worries about the preservation of the human race and the safety of the colony worlds. Meanwhile, most Grand Senators angle to maximize their profits from the colonies.
- the Navy: an armada of Alderson Drive space cruisers and smaller ships,
- the Fleet Marines: prestigious upper-class fighting units,
- the Garrison Marines: police-style riot suppressors stationed on the colonies,
- the Line Marines: rugged low-class fighters preserving the Foreign Legion military traditions.
By 2050, there are over 40 human colonies (not counting fuel stops and asteroid mines). Many human colonies now have limited self-government, but all remain subject to CD rule. Voluntary emigration levels off as the hardships of frontier life become more well-known. Some ethnic and separatist groups are "encouraged" to emigrate: this includes Eskimos, Inuits, Black Separatists, Mormons from the USA, and Finns and Russian Nationalists from the USSR. And after 2040, forced emigration of convicts and "undesirables" eventually reaches 15 million persons per year. Only a handful of colonies become truly pleasant places to live (usually those planets which were settled and subsidized by parent nations on Earth). [FL 302; PS 2; WWCD 111.]
A tremendous increase in nationalism in all countries. Outside the USA and the USSR, this involves outright hatred of CoDominium. In the USA and the USSR, this means a revival of the 20th Century rivalry and demands that the superpower alliance be dissolved. The American and Soviet governments continue to support the CD, but compromise with nationalists by slashing the CD budget repeatedly.
The Unity Party, formed by the merger of the Democratic and Republican parties, has ruled the USA for many decades, and its loyalists are convinced that only the CD stands between mankind and nuclear war. But its power is waning; President Lipscomb maintains his power through blatantly dishonest methods. The "Green" environmentalists have lost much of their power [GTS 51]. The welfare-dependent "Citizens" are freely supplied with the Tanith-grown drug "borloi" to keep them passive. Peace is no longer a novelty. New political factions begin to grow:
The situation in the USA seems typical: very few true democracies still exist on Earth. [PS 83.]
- the Patriot Party, led by Harmon, demands an end to the CD and a strong stance against the USSR.
- the Freedom Party, led by Bertram, aims to end corruption and attracts many young idealists.
- the Liberation Party, led by Millington, wants to abolish the Citizen/Taxpayer division. This is a radical left-wing party with ties to violent Marxists. It is outlawed sometime between 2082 and 2093. [FL 223; PM 34, 156; "Dark Hole" 20.]
In the USSR, anti-CD sentiment takes two main forms. One is the revival of hard-line Communism, led by Kaslov. The other is the Pamyat movement, which advocates a return to pre-Soviet Russian nationalism. [FL 213; WWCD 300.]
CoDominium Space is now 200 light-years in maximum diameter and contains 70 inhabited worlds. [These numbers are given on FL 297. GTS 248 counts "more than 100" human colonies, while PS 2 counts "more than 130" and the Mote prologue claims "200" by the end of the century. And New Washington is 320 light-years from Earth, per FL 432.] But as the CD weakens, it abandons worlds far from Earth or minor in economic value. It maintains Tanith and Fulson's World as common destinations for exiled convicts, and Haven as the main dumping ground for "undesirables" of every sort.
Science on Earth remains at a standstill (except for medical science, which develops sophisticated regeneration techniques). The main scientific marvels of this century are the Alderson Drive and advanced materials such as Nemourlon. However, scientific reserach is being quiely revived on Meiji, Xanadu, and Sparta. [GTS 97, 316, 335; PS 40. For technical details on the Drive, see "Building the Mote in God's Eye" 125-128 and "Dark Hole" 23-25. Despite Horvath's statement in the prologue to Mote, the Langston Field does not seem to exist in the 21st Century.]
The strongest planets are becoming independent and establishing their own spheres of influence. Planets which possess their own space navies include Xanadu (by 2082), Danube (by 2082), Friedland (by 2087), Meiji (between 2081 and 2087), Dayan (by 2094), and Frystaat (by 2094). Covenant and Churchill may have small fleets as well. These planets are all quite rich and have populations as high as 50 million. [FL 229, 351; PM 143; GTS 20, 55-56, 102, 299.] Many national wars begin to break out on the individual worlds, but the CoDominium still manages to prevent interplanetary wars of conquest.
Unable to use their military for off-planet conquests, some of the worlds (Friedland, Covenant, Xanadu) begin hiring out their national armies as mercenary bands to serve on other planets. This trains their soldiers and raises substantial revenue [FL 348]. As this practice proves successful, truly independent mercenary units begin to appear as well. Through the early 2080's, the badly-enforced "Anti-Mercenary Codes" forbid such groups. Eventually the CD permits mercenary bands but requires the Fleet to enforce the "Laws of War". The Fleet is scrupulous in enforcing these conduct codes, especially in the case of atrocities against CD personnel or Earth corporations. As a result, the successful mercenary groups – the Nouveau Légion Étrangère, Moolman's Commandos, the Katanga Gendarmerie – tend to pride themselves on their precision and on their care in distinguishing combatants from civilians. [FL 205-209, 335-336.] As Earth moves towards nuclear war and the colonies move toward interstellar anarchy, Senator Martin Grant, CIA Director John Grant Sr., Admiral Sergei Lermontov, Dr. Caldwell Whitlock, the Blaine family, and the Leontin family meet to discuss whether the CD is doomed and what might follow its demise. They contact King Alexander Collins of Sparta to discuss possibilities. ["Dark Hole" 20; GTS 21; PS 73.]
After
the campaign, Owensford and Barton join Falkenberg's Legion, which
has a recruiter on Thurstone.
[Note: It never stated that Falkenberg's Legion is involved in
the civil war. It is equally possible that they have recruiters on
many planets, or that they are on Thurstone to purchase rifles from
the city of New Aberdeen. It is stated that the Legion was involved
in some military action in one of the nations of Thurstone during
the next decade. GTS 11; PM 170.]
July
to Nov: PRINCE OF MERCENARIES, Ch 5-6. (Silent Leges 3-4.)
Tanith, spring and early summer: Working the fields.
Late
in year:
New Washington: After two years, the war for independence
from Franklin is going well. Then Franklin hires mercenaries from
Friedland and Covenant; New Washington's rebellion is crushed in three
weeks. Franklin begins a blockade of New Washington and contemplates
further conquests. The remaining Washington rebels decide to contact
Falkenberg's Legion for help.
[FL 349-351]
Nov:
Sparta: King Alexander has second thoughts about
his plans for Lermontov and Falkenberg. Prince Lysander leaves for
Tanith (five month journey). [PM 97]
Feb
to early April: PRINCE OF MERCENARIES, Ch 7. (Silent Leges 5.)
Tanith, late summer to harvest: Working the fields.
Mid-April:
PRINCE OF MERCENARIES, Ch 1-2, 8.
Tanith: Lysander arrives. He meets Ursula Gordon,
Gov. Blaine, and Col. Falkenberg.
Late
April to Early May: PRINCE OF MERCENARIES, Ch 9-10. (Silent Leges 6-7.)
Tanith, autumn: Fuller in Free State for ten days.
Raid.
Mid-May:
PRINCE OF MERCENARIES, Ch 11, 14(end), 15-20.
Tanith, autumn: Parties, plans, and scouting.
Falkenberg receives a request for aid from New Washington and sends
a reply.
[PM 174, 195]
Late
May: PRINCE OF MERCENARIES, Ch 21-28.
Tanith, autumn: Campaign against rebel planters.
Early
June:
Tanith: Barton's Bastards absorbed into Falkenberg's
Mercenary Legion, bringing its size to around 4400 soldiers.
[GTS 11]
June:
FALKENBERG'S LEGION, Part 2, Ch 12. (Mercenary 12.)
Luna: Lermontov and Martin Grant learn of Tanith
campaign.
July:
New Washington: Falkenberg's reply received. Howard
Bannister heads for Tanith (4 month journey) while Glenda Ruth Horton
organizes ranchers.
c.
July: GO TELL THE SPARTANS
One pp. 22-28.
Earth: Senator Bronson and Geoffrey Niles lay
plans.
July:
GO TELL THE SPARTANS One pp.
8-12, 14-21; Two pp. 38-47.
Tanith: Peter Owensford promoted to Major, commanding
5th Battalion of Falkenberg's Legion. The batallion departs for Sparta
(5 month journey).
c.
Oct: GO TELL THE SPARTANS
One pp. 12-14, 28-34; Two pp. 47-53.
Sparta: Skilly Thibodeau leads the Helot terrorist
group. (Around this time, Melissa von Alderheim has an altercation
with Dion Croser and Skilly.) [PS 175-6]
Nov
or Dec: FALKENBERG'S LEGION, Part 2, Ch 13-14. (Mercenary
13-14.)
Tanith: Bannister arrives and hires remaining
four battalions of Falkenberg's Legion. They depart for New Washington
(4 month journey).
["Mercenary" gives the year as "2093", but this date was deleted
when the story was reprinted in "Falkenberg's Legion". See Falkenberg Ambiguities.]
Late
Dec: GO TELL THE SPARTANS
Three; Four pp. 69-88.
Sparta: 5th Brigade arrives on Sparta. First progress
report sent to Falkenberg. [PS 129]
Feb:
GO TELL THE SPARTANS Five.
Sparta, autumn: Riot in the Spartosky.
Before
March:
Earth: Vice-Admiral Townsend, grandson of Sen.
Bronson, continues to undermine Adm. Lermontov's plans. John Grant
Sr. dies. Capt. John Grant Jr., commanding CDSN Intrepid, heads
for New Washington (timing unknown, but it's after he learns of his
father's death.) Unity Party election prospects look grim. Whitlock
prepares to leave Earth permanently.
[FL 429; PS 65]
c.
March: GO TELL THE SPARTANS
Six - Eight.
Sparta, late autumn: Dion Croser elected to Sparta
Senate. King Alexander's Own Regiment formed.
April:
GO TELL THE SPARTANS Nine.
Sparta, autumn/winter: Ursula undercover.
[Dates from GTS 205, 256.]
April:
FALKENBERG'S LEGION, Part 2, Ch 15. (Mercenary 15.)
New Washington: Falkenberg's Legion lands. Allansport
secured. Falkenberg receives Owensford's 12/94 progress report, and
sends his own (which is apparently garbled in transmission, confusing
Allansport with Astoria).
[PS 129-131]
May?:
FALKENBERG'S LEGION, Part 2, Ch 16-21. (Mercenary
16-21.)
New Washington: Battle for Astoria. Falkenberg
sends another progress report. Campaigns in the north. Return to Allansport.
[In the text, there is no reason to suppose the gap between the
first securing of Allansport and the battle for Astoria is much more
than the three day sea journey (FL 366). But Karantov claims this
communique is "somewhat more recent" than the first one (PS 151).
Oddly, Falkenberg seems to have mentioned Glenda Ruth Horton in the
message (PS 374).]
June:
? FALKENBERG'S LEGION, Part 2, Ch 22. (Mercenary 22.)
New Washington: John Grant Jr. arrives in the
CDSN Intrepid.
July:
GO TELL THE SPARTANS Ten -
Fourteen.
Sparta, mid-winter: "Battle of the Dales".
[PS 96 shows this is not the very end of winter; PS 7, 14 show
that it is two months prior to spring. Spartan seasons last an average
of 4.75 months.]
Late
July: GO TELL THE SPARTANS Fifteen.
Sparta, winter: Hal Slater speaks of the need
for Empire.
Between
July and Nov:
New Washington: Franklin grants independence to
New Washington. John Christian Falkenberg III appointed Protector
of New Washington. He sends message to Sergei Lermontov (possibly
via John Grant Jr.?). [PS 374]
August:
Sparta, late winter: Follow-up campaigns in the
Dales. Ursula elopes to Friedland. Around this time, Jason Freedman
dies; David Freedman becomes King.
[PS 37, 66, 96]
Sept:
PRINCE OF SPARTA One; Two
pp. 30-37.
Sparta, early spring: Mopping-up operations.
[PS 14, 24]
Oct:
PRINCE OF SPARTA Two pp.38-48;
Three pp. 50-54.
Sparta, early spring: Croser plans referendum.
Oct
or Nov: PRINCE OF SPARTA Three pp. 54-61; Four.
Sparta, spring: Whitlock arrives from Earth. Referendum
begun. Four companies of ex-Helots sent to New Washington.
[Note that Whitlock's comments about New Washington on PS 87 must
refer to the parts of that planet already sympathetic to the rebels,
since PS 129 makes it clear that there is as yet no news of Falkenberg's
campaigns. Also, there is insufficient time for the Helot troops to
reach New Washington before the end of "Prince of Sparta", much less
send a message back to Owensford. Presumably his comments are in error
or refer to their training on Sparta. PS 66, 301.]
Nov
or Dec: PRINCE OF SPARTA Five.
Sparta, spring: Lysander at Colchis Gap.
Jan
and Feb:
Earth: Major budget crisis in USA. Political crisis
in USSR. First mutiny breaks out in a CD warship. By February, probably
more mutinies, confusion, disinformation. Admiral Lermontov receives
Falkenberg's Summer '95 report.
[PS 261, 304]
Late
Feb or Early March:
Luna: Senator Bronson makes speech decrying terrorism
on Sparta.
[Dated 17 May 2094 on PS 126, but this contradicts date of council
meeting. See Falkenberg Ambiguities.]
Early
March: PRINCE OF SPARTA Seven pp.169-177.
Sparta, early summer : Referendum complete.
[Voting did not quite take "half a year", as Croser boasts on PS
170.]
March:
Earth and Luna: Grand Senate dissolved. New elections
look unlikely. Rump Senate meets and orders Admiral Lermontov's arrest;
Lermontov sends final message. Vice-Admiral Townsend (or General Nguyen?)
orders arrest of Falkenberg's troops on Sparta.
[PS 321, 351, 365, 374. Forrest is wrong to interpret this as the
"breakup of the CoDominium".]
March:
PRINCE OF SPARTA Eight - Ten.
Sparta, early summer (but still snow in the mountains):
Incident at the Stora Mine.
April:
PRINCE OF SPARTA Eleven - Thirteen.
Sparta, summer: Meeting of CD officers. Spartan
Senate meets (17 April). Attack on Helot base.
[PS 274, 284, 287]
May:
PRINCE OF SPARTA Fourteen
- Eighteen.
Sparta, summer: Battle of Sparta City.
"Exodus
of the Fleet": the former CD Navy abandons Earth and seeks a new home.
Russian elements of the Fleet choose St Ekaterina as the home for
their dependents.
(Date given in timelines, but exact details are unclear. GTS 299
and PS 72, 97, 377-8 suggest that interstellar war would probably
follow the collapse of the CD, but it's not clear if this happens
before 2111. Mote 179 suggests that the war might not have started
right away.
(This must be the same Lysander as before; he is probably also the "Lysander the Great" of Hand 58, 96. If so, it's unclear what new title or position he is given in this year. Perhaps at this point the dual monarchy of Sparta is abolished; perhaps this refers to his new position as monarch of two planets. Date given in timelines; also see GTS 3-4.)
Earth's Great Patriotic Wars of 2103 are brief but devastating. After this point, Earth will never again be a major player in interstellar politics, and for the next thousand years no human planet will ever approach the population of 20th or 21st Century Earth (Mote 245).
The extent of the damage is unclear. WWIII 9 claims this ends all life on Earth, but that can't be correct. WWI 65, 227 refer to the "virtual depopulation of Earth", which seems to be the case. There certainly were a lot of nuclear weapons in use. Mote 275 and WWIV 146 both describe a nuclear war; the latter speaks of the nuclear winter and the "years without summers" which followed. Entire regions become uninhabitable (Afghanistan is annihilated, per WWIII 37), but some areas are spared (including Jamaica and the Tyrolean Alps, per Mote 254, 275.
The loss of Earth devastates those colonies which are not self-sufficient. 75% of Haven's population dies, and the inhabitants of the orbital station Ayesha flee to Haven and found the undersea city of Castalia (WWBF 1; WWIV 32, 185-8).
Among the surviving human worlds this is a period of war and interstellar anarchy. The "Spartan Hegemony" manages to protect Sparta from major damage, but is unable to completely protect St Ekaterina; the Russian planet is badly hurt during the Formation Wars (Mote 179).
There are other small empires besides the Spartan Hegemony. The "Republic of Frystaat" controls a small dominion; it later joins the Spartan Hegemony as a semi-autonomous member, and its "Jarnsveld's Jaegers" become the Hegemony's irregular shock troops (WWI 227-8). The "Falkenberg Protectorate" – presumably based on New Washington – is almost certainly allied with Sparta, but remains somewhat separate for a while. Tanith is part of the Falkenberg Protectorate, and is thus shielded from major damage during the Formation Wars (WWII 166).
By the year 2250, the Spartan Hegemony controls all of human space. (WWI 121 refers to "wars with the Outies in the early days of the Empire", but presumably that refers to the pre-2250 period.)
This era sees the revival of aristocracy. The Spartan royal family is at the head of this, but the names Blaine, Barton, and (surprisingly!) Townsend also become marks of nobility. (But despite John Christian Falkenberg III's comments about founding a dynasty, there will be no "Falkenbergs" mentioned in later stories; nor Grants, nor Lermontovs..... nor Bronsons.) The nobility are quite popular in this early era, probably due to their willingness to lead from the front rather than from the rear, and also due to their perceived concern for their subjects. Nine centuries later (Hand 75), Lysander II will be remembered for tearing down the old CD prison in Sparta City and turning it into a park for his people.
For over three and a half centuries, the Empire of Man rules hundreds of human planets and prevents the outbreak of interstellar war. There are a few minor local wars and rebellions, but the Marines mostly function as planetary police (timelines; WWI 58). The period from 2250 to 2603 is perhaps the longest and most widespread peace in human history.
The exact size of the Empire is not stated. It contains "hundreds of planets" (WWII 35); moreover, since the revived Empire in the early 31st Century does not seem to be settling new planets, we can assume that the First Empire is at least as large as the Second, which is around 1000 light-years in diameter and contains over 400 (and possibly as many as a thousand) human worlds (Mote prologue, 458; Hand 73, 83).
Not much is known about the government of the First Empire, though it may be similar to that of the Second. The Emperor is a descendant of the Collins Kings of Sparta. There is an Imperial Parliament and an Imperial Senate; the latter, at least, does not have representatives from every planet. The armed forces are held in respect, and veterans are given land grants on various planets (KDS 54; WWI 61, 122; WWIII 61, 319).
Despite its Spartan origins, the Empire of Man still retains a number of the characteristics of the CoDominium. Newly-settled planets are divided into American and Russian "spheres of influence", which may merely refer to different internal governmental systems. And unpleasant planets – including Haven – are still used as penal colonies for criminals or other transportees. (These points are only mentioned on WWBV 17 and Hand 138, and this could possibly be an error.) The Imperial standard has an illustration of a Phoenix, but there is no mention of the Eagle-Hammer-Sickle of the CoDominium and the Second Empire (WWIII 319).
The Imperial Orthodox Church – a state-sponsored Christian church – is the official religion of the Empire. However, this fact is only mentioned twice ("Motelight" 122 and WWIV 138), so it is possible that the Church is not as central to the First Empire as it will be to the Second. This church may be the same as the reunified Christian Church led by Pope John XXVI in the 2020's (PM 143), and it's possible that it was the influence of St Ekaterina that led to its official status – Sparta's libertarian bent makes it unlikely that the idea of a state religion came from there! Presumably the Church has its home at the city of New Rome on Sparta (as this seems to be the home of the Church in the Second Empire, per Mote 415). However, there is certainly religious freedom in the Empire, and some planets are almost devoid of Church members (Dayan, Levant, Covenant, and Sauron, for example). In any event, centuries of peaceful commerce and migration causes the cultures of many planets to blend together (WWI 84).
Science reaches a peak early in the First Empire; by 2350 knowledge of physics reaches a plateau (WWI 83, 85). The Langston Field is discovered accidentally, sometime between 2100 and 2640; by the 2600's entire cities can be covered with Langston Fields (WWII 20, 61; Mote 227; see "Building the Mote in God's Eye" 130 for technical details). Spaceships power their Alderson Drives with deuterium fusion. There are tethers connecting connecting small planets to space stations in geosynchronous orbits which can be used to transfer fuel or personnel. Biology is understood well enough that a computer can design a vaccine and an antidotes for a virus once its genetic structure is read. Other engineering marvels include mono-filament cables, direct-conversion units which draw their power from "the heat in water", guns which can generate contained fusion reactions, food conversion machines, and nearly-indestructible windshields and fabrics. (KDS 245; Mote 28, 468; WWI 66, 82; WWII 171; WWIV 2, 96, 147.)
As interstellar
law breaks down, the war becomes three-sided. In addition to the loyal
"Imperials" and the Sauron-led "Secessionists", a royal pretender
leads a "Claimant" faction.
[WWI 57, 68, 74, 78, 228; 59, 83, 87. The Claimants appear before
the First Battle Off Makassar, which is either 2623 or 2637.]
It is probably around this time that Makassar, a sparsely-settled recreation world, is fortified for war. [KDS 64]