Ignatius O'Reilly
Ignatius O'Reilly | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Personal | |
| Born | 3108[1][2] |
| Affiliation | House O'Reilly |
| Career | |
| Title(s) | Caesar |
| Profession | Noble |
| Family | |
| Parents | Lucian O'Reilly (father)[1] |
| Spouse | Adrijana Vouk[1] |
| Children | Six[1] |
Ignatius O'Reilly was the eighth ruler of the Marian Hegemony.
History
Following the death of both his grandfather and father on Logan Prime, he began negotiations that ended with the recognition of Lothian independence, and Ignatius declared the planet forever free of Marian threat upon his ascension to the throne in 3128.[1]
At least initially, Ignatius supported cultural ties with unaffiliated worlds, unlike previous Caesars intent on conquest. He encouraged free trade and gave recharge station access to any unclaimed world that maintained a Marian-style democracy, attempting to increase the Marian sphere of influence.[3]
True Power and Loss
While his predecessors had long been preoccupied with the conquest of the Illyrian Palatinate and Lothian League, and dealt with decades-long insurgencies as a result, Ignatius did not support unaffiliated territorial expansion, instead ordering the MHAF to partake in intense raids along the Inner Sphere border with the Free Worlds League and the Magistracy of Canopus.[3] Ceasar Ignatius turned to the former Free Worlds League and Duchy of Tamarind-Abbey,[2] the new Tamarind Military District. From April to October 3046, Marian forces captured several League worlds, including Gibraltar.[4][5]
Though he desired to conquer deep into the Inner Sphere proper, beyond the Periphery, these dreams turned out to be too ambitious. Throughout 3149, Marian Hegemony forces carried out raids in reconstituted Free Worlds League areas but in 3150 had turned to the Rim Commonality worlds of Campoleone, Astrokaszy, and Thraxa, and then began an invasion of the Magistry of Canopus. After a few weeks, MHAF forces were turned back and a retaliatory invasion cost the Hegemony the worlds of Islington and Ballalaba. Fontaine Marik then responded in kind as the raids against his worlds had slowed and allowed him to gather his forces. Though League support for his offense waned in the face of Wolf Empire and Republic of the Sphere concerns, Marik led a counter-assault and the loss of Illyria in November 3150 as Prefect Mohamed Kilgore abandoned the Tamarind-Abbey conquests and returned to Illyria, only to be killed and lose the world.[4] Kilgore's death was said to have affected Caesar O'Reilly deeply, even moreso than his wife's death a year later. For years, Imperator Kesi Aldrich was unwilling to approach the subject of another campaign outside of raids on the Rim Commonality, given the desertions and losses suffered against Marik.[6]
Marriage and Children
O'Reilly met his wife in 3129 when she was a Rim Commonality noblewoman visiting the Marian Hegemony to petition for an end to what were believed to be Marian-backed pirate attacks. Upon meeting both fell in love and marriage followed within months.[1] Once married, Adrijana used her family's commercial ties to support Marian businesses abroad, including helping Marian Arms Incorporated sell 'Mechs to planetary governments.[7]
Ignatius' relationship with the ten-year-senior Adrijana was difficult, running into opposition from both families and disputes between the two lovers. They often spent months apart, but by 3145, they had six children.[1] Lady Adrijana was found dead on 9 September 3151, and while the Caesar was quietly suspected, he did openly mourn his wife and offer a bounty for her killer.[2]
Personality and Traits
Caesar Ignatius was prone to wild swings in judgment and personality. He had been described as variously cruel and kind to those around him, with fits of whimsy and complex relationships with both his subjects and his inner circle. Following the failure of his nation's attacks on the Tamarind-Abbey worlds, his outbursts and punishments on those around him grew more frequent and intense.[1][2]
Gallery
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 Era Report: 3145, pp. 112–113: "Ignatius O'Reilly"
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Empire Alone, p. 103: "Ignatius O'Reilly"
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Field Manual: 3145, pp. 184–185: "Marian Hegemony"
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Shattered Fortress, pp. 87–90: "The Marian Problem"
- ↑ Shattered Fortress, p. 99: "Timeline of Events"
- ↑ Empire Alone, p. 94: "Marian Hegemony"
- ↑ Technical Readout: Irregulars, p. 44: "Centurion MilitiaMech"