Lein Empire

The Lein Dynasty was a dynasty of the Empire, of that civilisation which was anciently known as the Yesan, preceded by the Har Dynasty and succeeded by the Yech Dynasty. It was ruled by the family of the same name, and ruled for around 500 years (depending on the definition of the ending of the dynasty, since it split into two at its end); founded by Lein Durun berHikas, it had either 20 or 21 Emperors in all (again, depending on definition). See Genealogy of the Lein Emperors.

The Lein Dynasty was the fourth unified dynasty of the Yesan, and in terms of historical impact one of the greatest ever. During the dynasty the Empire more than doubled in area, and extended military and political control over four continents, to the extent of carving up entire continents into properly-defined states, all of which were them placed under the protection and suzerainty of the Imperial Court. Meanwhile, artistically the Lein was also a golden age, with new styles of sculpting, painting and other graphic arts imported from all over the world, while poetry evolved from the old, relatively rigid style of the 'ode' to the new 'song' and 'assertion' forms.

Beginnings

The founding of the Lein Dynasty had its roots in the corruption and terror which occupied the last decades of the Har Dynasty. During the reign of the last two Har Emperors, the country was slipping into ever-greater chaos; while many families, granted Imperial Approvals to monopolise trade in certain regions and to pay the taxes to the government, were rapidly growing into political powers of their own right, the princes, families of the imperial consorts (the Outer Kin) and the officials were being engaged in bitter factional infighting in the power centre.

At the same time, a series of agricultural crises and famines in the last decade of Har rule resulted in great hardship in the southern regions, which since time immemorial had been the economic power base of the Har Emperors; huge movements of population were at first held back, then slaughtered by the army, and before long these impoverished peasants began to fight back. A series of large agrarian revolts shook the South, while in the north tensions were also running high as officials stopped receiving salaries (all money going towards the war effort) and the Thridan people from the northern border ceaselessly building up large camps as though preparing to invade the Empire on a massive scale.

It was into this political mess that Lein Durun berHikas, the founder of the Dynasty, plunged with a small army of his own. He first claimed that he would capture the provincial capital of Kurad Province, the large city of Alemos, in order to fortify against the outer enemy and to return peace to the inner lands - an ostensibly pro-Imperial message which earned him the support of officials still loyal to the old regime. By the time he reached Alemos his ranks had swelled tenfold to more than 80,000 men, and the city surrendered without a fight, starting the Lein Founding War as Lein Durun's army fought both the peasant uprisings and, eventually, the very same government it had allied with against those peasant uprisings. Four years later, aged 40, Lein Durun captured the capital city of Meiron and was crowned in Ansagin Palace as the First Emperor of the Lein Dynasty.

Preceded by: Har Dynasty

Lein Dynasty -40 – 518 or 526

Succeeded by: Yech Dynasty