five bucks
Knight at Arms
I decided to write down a timeline of major events in the M&B series' lore, for those few of us who are interested.
In parts of the game's timeline with no events described, I've made some up based on real history, following the same formula Taleworlds does of remixing names and events from real history.
This doubles as a fan story as well a reference to the real lore for others to use-- green text is only used for "canon" names and events stated in the in-game encyclopedia, written in developer blogs, or said by NPCs in Warrider/Warband/Bannerlord.
* 1000 BE (Before Empire): The subcontinent which will later be called Calradia is inhabited by many different tribes. In most of the west dwell the Battanian clans. In the south and east are the Palaics; the Dryatic Palaics and Laconians live in the very center, and the Ialoics live in the southwest. In the north are the Vakkens and proto-Sturgians. Outside of mainland Calradia, across the northern sea is snowy Jumne, home to the Nordic, proto-Vlandian, and proto-Swadian peoples. In the east, across the Great Lake, are the steppes of the Devseg plateau where the Iltanlar live. In the south, on the other side of the Perassic Sea, is the Nahasa Desert, divided into two halves by the River Damar. Jawwal nomads roam the whole Nahasa. The western Nahasa is colonized by the Kannics, who control a seafaring merchant republic with its capital at Quyaz; while the eastern Nahasa is home to the ancient and powerful Temetian Kingdom, whose citizens have thickly populated the Jarjara Escarpment for thousands of years. Further to the southeast are the proto-Aserans and the Darshi, who live in vast empires ruled by Shahs and Padishahs. Finally, over the western ocean are the islands of Balion, inhabited by tribes related to the Battanians. Palaics and Battanians build great trading towns across the continent. The tribes of the Lycarean region fight a long war with the Palaics of the Kuqa region ending in the destruction of the great seaside city of Ancient Kuqa, which will be known as the Kuqan War, and survive in exaggerated epic poetry.
* 900s BE: According to Nahasan myth, Queen Eshora imprisons evil jinn in caves around Quasira with a magical seal. Devseg myths also say that King Ahhak the Snake-King ruled Odohk at this time.
* 750s BE: The legendary figure Calradios is said to have led his tribe northward, from an unknown location, to live in the hill country between the southern sea and the Battanian forest. He establishes the city of Rhotae on a hill between two rivers. His tribe will later be named after him: the Calradoi.
* 600s BE: Swadic tribes begin to migrate across the north sea from their homeland of Jumne in small numbers, and inhabit the areas of Rovalatys (Rovalt) and Ostican. The legendary warrior Horsa is said to have planted his spear on the beach of the village which would become Horsger.
* 550s BE: The enormous Darshian Empire conquers the Temetian Kingdom, ending its millennia of sovereignty. Its Darshi-speaking people spread throughout the western Nahasa; in Hubyar, the cruel King Thuran establishes a hunting lodge that later grows into a town.
* 500s BE: Asera, the patriarch of many Darshi clans, slays King Thuran in vengeance for the enslavement of his family. Asera will become the namesake of the many people descended from him- the Aserai.
* 450s BE: The hero Echerion slays the tyrant Cypegos, ending the Calradic monarchy. The freed Calradoi form a government based on popular assembly with representative senators, known as the Calradic Republic. Cypegos' allies among the nearby Jalmarii tribes wage small-scale wars against the new Republic for decades.
* 400s BE: According to legend, Queen Glanys marries five Battanian High Kings, bestowing sovreignty on them each. Her seven sons are later killed by the Battanian hero Ochlaigan. The Republic manages to defeat the Jalmarii, and capture their first inland territory: the city-state of Jalmarys. Padishah Hoshtar of the Darshian Empire builds the fortress of Akkalat during an attempt to conquer the Devseg plateau.
* 350s BE: Alixenus the Great, famous leader and renowned tactician, is born. Once grown he inherits his father's small Ialoic kingdom, and in a shockingly rapid series of campaigns, defeats the largest empire of the day (the Darshian Empire) and conquers enough of its former territory to build an empire which stretches from Poros and around the Perassic coast to Razih, Quasira, Husn Fulq, and even further beyond to the far-off lands of Lokti.
* 300s BE: After Alixenus accidentally breaks his neck in a drunken brawl and dies, his empire shatters as rapidly as it was built. The Republic establishes their first colony on the shores of the Perassic, Ortysia. This is followed a decade later by annexing the Calradic settlement of Iltarica (later Zeonica).
* 250s BE: Calradians sail from Ortysia and establish their first colony outside the Perassic region, at Charasea (Charas). It becomes a regional capital of their new territories in the West. In the following decades, the colonies of Paravenos (name originally "Parzeonerea", meaning "City of He Who Rules By Heaven's Will") and Jaculan are also established.
* 200s BE: The Kannic War occurs, as the Calradians at Ortysia contest the Kannic city of Quyaz for control of the Perassic Sea. The war lasts on and off over decades, with the Calradians eventually capturing Quyaz itself, and holding it intermittently over the centuries. The Calradians also first record contact with the tribes who will come to be known as Sturgians and Vakkens living in the northeast. Relations are initially friendly.
* 150s BE: As a result of the Kannic Wars, the Republic now controls the Western Perassic sea trade, and has a well-developed military which seeks new targets. In the west, Galend is conquered and a town called Velucum (later known as Sargot) is founded, while Lageta is taken from its Palaic owners by an act of treachery. In the north, the eccentric long-haired military genius Sarapios takes the city of Epicrotea from the Battanians. In the eastern Palaic territory, Amitatys falls to the Republic as an earthquake fortuitously destroys its walls, and Poros surrenders soon after.
* 100s BE: Lycaron peacefully negotiates an alliance with the Republic and is eventually annexed. Saneopa is conquered by the Calradians. The region of Diathma is next to fall, as the Dryatics who inhabit the area die fighting the Republican legionaries to the very last man; a city is founded where they died. The Republic's Nahasan territory expands from Quyaz to Sanala.
* 50s BE: The Laconians of Argoron willingly integrate into the Republic, seeing them as a protector against the more warlike Palaics. Phycaon, largest of the Palaic cities, initially led a strong coalition of Palaic city-states in resistance; but later surrendered, seeing the Republic's expansion as inevitable.
* 45 BE: Portix Scinius Kaisar is born to an influential Calradic patrician family. He later serves as an officer during the Republic's capture of Qasira and earns distinction, retiring to become a Senator at the age of 31. The Republic, in a two-pronged assault, also forces Razih, Hubyar and Husn Fulq to pay tribute.
* 12 BE: The Battanian Wars begin, an extremely bloody and hard-fought series of battles which result in a large Calradic army being wiped out, along with most of its generals.
* 10 BE: The Battanians reach the point of besieging Charas. In a panic, the Senate grants the powers of Imperator (among Calradians, a title meaning supreme command over the Calradian armed forces, also including emergency powers over government) to the Senator with the most military experience remaining among them, Scinius Kaisar.
* 6 BE: With considerable skill of generalship, and exploiting the Battanians' fractious nature, Scinius manages to ruthlessly defeat the Battanians in three years. His armies even conquer more territory around the Llyn Modris (later known as Ocs Hall). Proclaimed Savior of Calradia, Scinius is so popular with the military that they still refer to him as Imperator past the legal limits on the title, sparking anger in the Senate.
* ~5 BE: The power of the Republic is split between two men: Scinius has the support of the military, and his great rival, Vontus Lagetus, commands a powerful Senate faction. Scinius is accused by supporters of Vontus of seeking the kingship of all Calradia. Following a failed assassination attempt on Kaisar during a Senate meeting, he and his military allies declare war on the forces of Vontus and the bulk of the Senate. War breaks out all across the Empire.
* 0 AE (After Empire): After a long war, Scinius Kaisar marches his troops into Rhotae, and defeats the senatorial coalition in a climactic battle; Vontus throws himself on his sword. The remainder of the Senate are intimidated by Scinius into changing the law to make him Imperator Perpetuo - creating the position of Emperor for Life, which all Calradic rulers after him will use. While Scinius does not explicitly declare himself king, this is the de facto moment when the Calradic Empire is created, and the year will be used as a marker by future Calradian historians. Onira, Razih and Husn Fulq, after many years of maintaining independence, are also seized by the new Empire, completing its encirclement of the entire Perassic Sea. The Calradic Empire will dominate the continent for 500 years, and will be remembered long after it is destroyed.
* 50s AE: The small town of Vostrum is built up into a city-state by the breakaway Calradian mercenary lord Archacos, who styles himself god-king. His dynasty lasts a few generations before being crushed by the Empire. Syronea is also founded around this time, and the Empire launches an invasion of Balion across the western sea, which results in part of it being conquered, colonized and Calradicized.
* 100s: The Empire purchases territory in Chaikand, and establishes client states in the surrounding area; it also temporarily captures Pen Cannoc, but is then pushed back. Myzea is convinced to peacefully join the Empire by Senator Litos, who later attempts to establish the city as a soverign entity modelled on the old Republic, but is defeated. The famous physician Galerian lives and writes treatises on medicine.
* 150s: Through military conquest and a series of client states, the Calradic Empire reaches its greatest extent: furthest north, their newly founded colony of Varnovapol; furthest south, Askar, furthest east, Chaikand, and to the west is Galend. Across the western sea, even Balion is partially colonized. Only the Battanian and Sturgian towns, Rovalt, Ostican, Hubyar, and most of the towns past Chaikand remain free.
* 200s: The Jalmaryan general Carsos stages a coup to seize control of the south and east of the Empire from Emperor Petronnes and declare himself Emperor, beginning the Calradian Anarchy. Petronnes retains control of much of the north and west, and moves his court to the western regional capital in Charasea (Charas), although the Senate continues to be based in Rhotae. The war between Petronnes and Carsos continues for several years.
* 250s: A second, larger wave of Swadic barbarians migrates over the sea from Jumne to settle in coastal Imperial territories without permission. The Empire, strained by civil strife, lacks the capability to prevent this. The weakened Carsosian and Petronnian halves of the Empire agree to peace, ruling each of their halves jointly in a system called the Diarchy. The western regional capital is moved from Charasea (Charas) to Paravenos (Pravend).
* 300s: Emperor Danicus abolishes the Diarchy, and reunites both halves of the Empire under his rule. Following the civil wars and barbarian migrations, the western half of the Empire is weakened, so Danicus moves the capital to a strategically useful trading port in the Calsea region, renaming it Danustica. The Imperial powerbase shifts towards the East, though Paravenos remains the western regional capital. Rhotae's influence dwindles.
* 350s: The Empire is holding together with great difficulty, at war with "barbarians" on multiple fronts: Khuzaits, the Darshi shahs and padishahs, Battanians, Swadians, and Aserai. With native soldiers stretched too thinly, a policy is began of hiring some barbarians as mercenaries to fight other barbarians. The Empire permanently withdraws from its castrum at Askar as it lacks troops for the garrison; it is claimed by the Aserai. Balion's colonies are abandoned by the Empire's legions.
* 400s: Wilund the Bold, a Swadic warlord, is contracted by the Empire for mercenary work in the Nahasa and Devseg regions. When his contract ends and the Empire is unwilling to pay him, he leads his army in rebellion against their employers, successfully sacking the city of Rhotae. The Empire decides to pacify the situation by paying Wilund and his followers with western land grants, and they settle and grow their numbers further. Wilund, or Valandion as he is known in Calradic, becomes the namesake for his tribe- the Vlandians, a sub-group of the Swadians.
* 450s: The Scourge Horde, an ancestor of the Khuzaits, rampages along the center of the continent through to the western territory of the Empire, and is narrowly defeated near Velucum in a hard-fought battle. However, this victory is Phyrric: Velucum (later known as Sargot) is left in ruins after being razed and many Imperial forces are lost, leading to a near-total breakdown in authority in the West. In the Nahasa, the weakened Empire also loses control of Quyaz, Sanala, and Qasira to barbarian marauders.
* 500s: By this time, the territories of the western coast are mostly populated by Vlandians, who assimilate the Battanians and Calradians, establish their own petty kingdoms, and barely even pretend to be ruled by the Empire. The "Old Senate" of Rhotae is now little more than a local government council; the New Senate is located in Saneopa to be closer to the Emperor.
* 550s: The Empire experiences a restoration period, as a succession of "good" emperors manage to reconquer Sanala and Qasira, and re-establish Imperial authority in Paravenos, Charasea, Jaculan, and Galend.
* 600s: Lady Zeona rules the Empire as regent for her son. The town of Iltarica is renamed Zeonica in her honor.
* 650s: The gains of the good emperors in the south are quickly reversed: Razih is conquered by the Aserai, and not long after is followed by Qasira and Sanala. Yachios (Iyakis), however, remains independent.
* 700s: Imperial influence in the seas fades, leaving a void. It is filled by the Nords, who begin to spread outside their ancestral homelands of Jumne to raid and trade along the Calradic coastlines, even as far as Aserai lands and Balion (which they colonize).
* 750s: Nords land in the vicinity of Balgard and demand tribute from the local Vakken and Sturgian tribes, who form an alliance and defeat them. Afterward, the spoils of the battle cause the tribes to bicker; another Nord known as Gundar offers to help divide the loot of his dead countrymen fairly, and the pleased tribes eventually elect him as a leader. His Gundaroving descendants will later rule the Principality of Sturgia.
* 800s: Other Nord tribesmen sail over to Sturgia as merchants or mercenaries, and begin to intermarry into the Sturgian population and establish settlements. The Iltanlar, mountain-dwelling cousins of the Khuzaits, descend to the plains to create the settlement of Baltakhand.
* 850s: The Empire loses Husn Fulq to the Aserai, but the strong defences of Danustica "hold the line" against further Aserai incursions into Empire territory.
* 900s: An interregnum period occurs in the Empire. Vlandian warlord Osrac-Iron Arm, great-grandfather of Derthert, takes advantage of the lack of leadership to overwhelm the remaining Imperial garrisons and conquer the cities of Baravenos (Pravend), Galend, Charasea (Charas), and Jaculan. The disorganized Empire is forced to acknowledge him as a king in order to secure peace. In this way, the Kingdom of Vlandia is founded, and the far West is forever lost to the Empire.
* 950s: The Vlandian warlord Oca conquers the Llyn Modris valley, pushing its Calradicized Battanian inhabitants inland. The town of Ocs Hall is founded there and named after him. The Massa - a tribe allied with Vlandia, who joined the invasion - also found a town named Sargot, on top of the ruins of the Calradian town of Velucum.
* ~980: Sturgia's boyars officially unite into a Principality in order to present a united front against the Empire.
* ~994: Emperor Darusos, the saintly but ineffective teenage emperor, is toppled by one of his own generals. A cult (the Embers of the Flame) springs up around the concept of his reincarnation.
* 1020s: "Two generations ago," the rising of a distant conquerer to the East forces the Khuzait clans to move into territory of the Empire. The leadership of Khan Urkhun forms them into a confederacy which quickly conquers Odokh, Akkalat, Ortongard, and the Imperial protectorate of Chaikand.
* 1034: The fortress of Iyakis, once known as Yachios, is no longer able to maintain independence; it finally defects from the Empire and joins the Aserai.
* 1044: Khan Urkhun's forces reach north and capture Baltakhand and Makeb. A Vlandian baron sends an invasion force to Balion, and conquers the Nords there, creating his own petty kingdom. As a result, Balion's culture will be similar to Swadia's 200 years later.
* 1077: Battle of Pendraic, involving the Calradic Empire, Khuzaits and Aserai on one side; and the Vlandians, Sturgians and Khuzaits on the other. Results in the death of Emperor Neretzes, followed by the election of his trusted subordinate Senator Arenicos to the position of Emperor of Calradia.
*~1083: Emperor Arenicos is assassinated, and the Calradian Civil War begins, with three influential Calradians and their supporters each separately claiming the rulership of the Empire: Princeps Lucon with support from the Senate in the North, Basileia Rhagaea with support from the aristocracy in the southeast, and Dominus Garios with support from the military in the West.
* 1084 AE (Bannerlord).
*1090s: Sturgian scholars adopt a new writing system, based on Late Calradic. The Empire referred to Sturgians as "Vaegars" (a corruption of an old Sturgic word for their Nord nobility), and so Sturgia becomes known as the Kingdom of Vaegirs. Omor begins to be called Khudan, and Varcheg is transliterated as Rivacheg. Garios names a town after himself on the western Perassic island, Garoia (later known as Geroia).
* 1100s: Garios dies in battle, and the Western Empire- at war on five fronts- is quickly annihilated. The Aserai conquer Ortysia (which they call Ahmerrad), and Jalmarys (renamed Bariyye). Vlandia takes Geroia, Zeonica, Amitatys, Lageta, and Rhotae. Many former citizens of Rhotae leave the wartorn town and move to the southwest of Vlandia in large numbers; these people will become known as "Rho"doks.
* 1110s: The Kingdom of Battania, weakened by infighting, loses Pen Cannoc to Vlandia (which is renamed Suno) and Seonon and Marunath to the Vaegirs (which become Livonar and Maravia).
* 1120s: Rhodoks - who have strong Calradic heritage - influence the pronunciation of southern Swadian town names; Galend becomes Yalen, Jaculan becomes Jelkala, and Sargot reverts to the ancient Calradic name for the region, Veluca (Velucum).
* 1130s: The Vlandian Dey Meroc line is killed off by assassins. A distant relative named Larec becomes king. He is ethnically Swadian rather than Vlandian, so the kingdom becomes known as the Kingdom of Swadians. The Vlandian ruling counts of Rhotae, Amitatys, Zeonica, and Geroia break away from Swadia to form the Republic of Geroia. Swadian language undergoes a consonant shift; "Pravend" is now pronounced "Praven", and "Ocs Hall" is "Uxkhal".
* 1140s: The Aserai Sultanate pushes into Swadian territory, conquering Charas, which they pronounce as "Shariz". However, the sultanate now reaches outside the Sultan's control. The Banu Sarran clan successfully secedes, seizing Shariz, Ahmerrad, Bariyye, and Quyaz to form a new kingdom, the Sarranid Sultanate. No longer able to claim rule of all Aserai people, the old kingdom is called the Dabarah Emirate.
* 1150s: The Kingdom of Swadia burns Car Banseth to the ground, and conquers the final Battanian holdout at Dunglanys, which is renamed Dhirim. The Kingdom of Battania is completely destroyed; its culture is stamped out, its people either forced to assimilate into Swadic culture or resort to forest banditry. The Fiannas' skill with the longbow, however, is passed on to the Vaegirs who took over Seonon and Marunath.
* 1160s: Swadia's territory has grown far too large to govern easily. The nobles impose harsh taxes to fund extravagant feasts and new castles, causing resentment among the culturally distinct Rhodok population in the south. This eventually boils over into a massive peasant rebellion in the town of Jelkala (known historically for rebellions), demanding a republic for the Rhodoks like their Calradian ancestors had. This inspires the people of Veluca and Lageta to rise up also, beginning "the wars from the hills", a fight for Rhodok independence.
* 1170s: The Rhodok independence wars continue, and the Rhodoks liberate Yalen. A veteran soldier named Grunwalder teaches the Rhodoks to resist the Swadian cavalry using pike formations and crossbowmen. His theories are used at a battle near Veluca, where he is killed, but his fellow Rhodoks defeat the Swadians in a large battle which ends the war. In his memory, Grunwalder Castle is built where he fell.
* 1180s: For a short time, the Rhodoks have the citizens' republic they fought for; but a chieftain holding a fortress at the Culmarr mountain pass uses its vital location to control Yalen and Veluca's food trade, styling himself "Count" and, when he gains enough riches and power, "King of the Rhodoks". So the Kingdom of Rhodoks is formed from Yalen, Jelkala, Veluca, and Lageta, and henceforth has an elective monarchy. The Vaegirs take control of Epicrotea from the Northern Empire, renaming it Epigard.
* 1190s: From lowly origins, a man named Antaran, son of Ashdab, becomes king of Dabarah. As the Vaegirs holding the center of the continent encourages trade, traders build up three riverside settlements into full towns: the Vaegir ports of Curaw and Reyvadin, and the independent city-state of Zendar. The aqueduct systems the Calradian Empire built fall into disrepair, and as a result, the south of Calradia becomes increasingly desertified.
* 1200s: The enormous armies of the Great Horde, travelling from the far East, invade the Khuzait Khanate's territory. The Khuzaits attempt to face them in battle, but are routed; the ruling Urkhunait clan is destroyed to the last man. Barthai of the Khergit clan takes power as the new Khan (renaming the confederacy to the Khergit Khanate). To escape the Great Horde, the Khergit people pack up their tents, abandon their semi-nomadic towns, and migrate into the Vaegir and Northern Empire lands.
* 1210s: The Khergits initially move into Amprela, Myzea and Syronea, but are forced to go further when the Horde arrives there too. The Northern Empire, already weak from rebellions and decades of war, is quickly overran by the Khergits, who occupy its whole territory. The Khergits' new Khanate includes the towns of Halmar (Maravia/Marunath), Ichamur (Epigard/Epicrotea), Narra (Livonar/Seonon), Tulga (Diathma), and Huzoga (Saneopa). The South Empire, now the sole remaining fragment of the Calradian Empire, proclaims itself the "Calrad Empire"; but this is a hollow victory, as its territory is barely worthy of the name, and it clings to existence on the edge of Calradia.
* 1220s: The fourth great migration begins from Jumne. A Nord thane named Gundig Hairy-Breeks sails over the north sea with his armies to claim a supposed birthright over all of Calradia (in actuality, the Emperor only promised the Nords a small coastal area for their ships). Despite this, his armies still conquer Reyvl from the Vaegirs, which is renamed Wercheg. Gundig is later killed at the end of three failed attempts to besiege the Rock of Rivacheg. Alayen's father is present for the first battle (Alayen is presumably around 30-40, dating this battle to the 1220s at the earliest).
* 1230s: Various other Nord thanes make the same claim as Gundig, and continue to land in the north in droves, conquering Rovalt (naming the city Tihr after the Swadian Tihr clan who defects to join the Nords) and Ostican (renamed Aldelen), and founding the town of Sargoth on a defensible promontory. King Hakrim the Old unites the fiefs of Wercheg, Tihr, Sargoth, and Aldelen into the new Kingdom of Nords.
* 1240s: The Sarranid Sultanate builds a new city between Shariz and Ahmerrad called Durquba to facilitate trade. Despite a valiant defense, Zendar is tragically destroyed by river pirates. The Great Horde invades the northeastern lands of the Vaegirs- capturing Sibir, Varnovapol and Tyal - and also invades the southeastern lands of the Dabarah - capturing Husn Fulq and Razih. The Dabarah deal the Horde its first ever serious defeat at the Battle of Asmait by exploiting the mountainous terrain.
* 1250s: Thankfully for Calradia, the Great Horde fragments into two sub-khanates which war with each other for control; although the Horde still threatens Calradia, it loses much of its unified force. The following kingdoms rule in and around Calradia: Kingdom of Swadia with the fiefs of Praven, Suno, Uxkhal, and Dhirim. Khergit Khanate with the fiefs of Halmar, Narra, Ichamur, Tulga, and Huzoga. Kingdom of Nords with the fiefs of Aldelen, Tihr, Sargoth and Wercheg. Kingdom of Rhodoks with the fiefs of Lageta, Veluca, Jelkala and Yalen. Sarranid Sultanate with the fiefs of Shariz, Durquba, Ahmerrad, Barriye and Quyaz. Kingdom of Vaegirs with the fiefs of Reyvadin, Curaw, Rivacheg, Khudan and Balgard. Kingdom of Geroia with the fiefs of Geroia, Rhotae, Amitat and Zenica. Calrad Empire with the fiefs of Poros, Danustica, Vostrum, Onira and Lycaron. Emirate of Dabarah with the fiefs of Hubyar, Iyakis, Qasira, Askar and Sanala. Devseg Khanate with the fiefs of Razih, Husn Fulq, Odokh, Akkalat, Syronea, Myzea, and Chaikand. Iltanlar Khanate with the fiefs of Varnovapol, Sibir, Tyal, Baltakhand, Makeb, Amprela, and Ortongard.
* 1257 AE (Warband).
Bannerlord is assumed to retcon everything that came before it. As such, information from older games in the Mount & Blade series is used to fill in gaps where it does not conflict with Bannerlord's "canon". I tried to fit Warband's town locations into the changed geography of the Bannerlord map. Bannerlord lore also contradicts itself in a few places (eg: when and where the Calradoi actually founded their empire/republic and how long it lasted), so in some cases I've picked one version over another.
In parts of the game's timeline with no events described, I've made some up based on real history, following the same formula Taleworlds does of remixing names and events from real history.
This doubles as a fan story as well a reference to the real lore for others to use-- green text is only used for "canon" names and events stated in the in-game encyclopedia, written in developer blogs, or said by NPCs in Warrider/Warband/Bannerlord.
* 1000 BE (Before Empire): The subcontinent which will later be called Calradia is inhabited by many different tribes. In most of the west dwell the Battanian clans. In the south and east are the Palaics; the Dryatic Palaics and Laconians live in the very center, and the Ialoics live in the southwest. In the north are the Vakkens and proto-Sturgians. Outside of mainland Calradia, across the northern sea is snowy Jumne, home to the Nordic, proto-Vlandian, and proto-Swadian peoples. In the east, across the Great Lake, are the steppes of the Devseg plateau where the Iltanlar live. In the south, on the other side of the Perassic Sea, is the Nahasa Desert, divided into two halves by the River Damar. Jawwal nomads roam the whole Nahasa. The western Nahasa is colonized by the Kannics, who control a seafaring merchant republic with its capital at Quyaz; while the eastern Nahasa is home to the ancient and powerful Temetian Kingdom, whose citizens have thickly populated the Jarjara Escarpment for thousands of years. Further to the southeast are the proto-Aserans and the Darshi, who live in vast empires ruled by Shahs and Padishahs. Finally, over the western ocean are the islands of Balion, inhabited by tribes related to the Battanians. Palaics and Battanians build great trading towns across the continent. The tribes of the Lycarean region fight a long war with the Palaics of the Kuqa region ending in the destruction of the great seaside city of Ancient Kuqa, which will be known as the Kuqan War, and survive in exaggerated epic poetry.
* 900s BE: According to Nahasan myth, Queen Eshora imprisons evil jinn in caves around Quasira with a magical seal. Devseg myths also say that King Ahhak the Snake-King ruled Odohk at this time.
* 750s BE: The legendary figure Calradios is said to have led his tribe northward, from an unknown location, to live in the hill country between the southern sea and the Battanian forest. He establishes the city of Rhotae on a hill between two rivers. His tribe will later be named after him: the Calradoi.
* 600s BE: Swadic tribes begin to migrate across the north sea from their homeland of Jumne in small numbers, and inhabit the areas of Rovalatys (Rovalt) and Ostican. The legendary warrior Horsa is said to have planted his spear on the beach of the village which would become Horsger.
* 550s BE: The enormous Darshian Empire conquers the Temetian Kingdom, ending its millennia of sovereignty. Its Darshi-speaking people spread throughout the western Nahasa; in Hubyar, the cruel King Thuran establishes a hunting lodge that later grows into a town.
* 500s BE: Asera, the patriarch of many Darshi clans, slays King Thuran in vengeance for the enslavement of his family. Asera will become the namesake of the many people descended from him- the Aserai.
* 450s BE: The hero Echerion slays the tyrant Cypegos, ending the Calradic monarchy. The freed Calradoi form a government based on popular assembly with representative senators, known as the Calradic Republic. Cypegos' allies among the nearby Jalmarii tribes wage small-scale wars against the new Republic for decades.
* 400s BE: According to legend, Queen Glanys marries five Battanian High Kings, bestowing sovreignty on them each. Her seven sons are later killed by the Battanian hero Ochlaigan. The Republic manages to defeat the Jalmarii, and capture their first inland territory: the city-state of Jalmarys. Padishah Hoshtar of the Darshian Empire builds the fortress of Akkalat during an attempt to conquer the Devseg plateau.
* 350s BE: Alixenus the Great, famous leader and renowned tactician, is born. Once grown he inherits his father's small Ialoic kingdom, and in a shockingly rapid series of campaigns, defeats the largest empire of the day (the Darshian Empire) and conquers enough of its former territory to build an empire which stretches from Poros and around the Perassic coast to Razih, Quasira, Husn Fulq, and even further beyond to the far-off lands of Lokti.
* 300s BE: After Alixenus accidentally breaks his neck in a drunken brawl and dies, his empire shatters as rapidly as it was built. The Republic establishes their first colony on the shores of the Perassic, Ortysia. This is followed a decade later by annexing the Calradic settlement of Iltarica (later Zeonica).
* 250s BE: Calradians sail from Ortysia and establish their first colony outside the Perassic region, at Charasea (Charas). It becomes a regional capital of their new territories in the West. In the following decades, the colonies of Paravenos (name originally "Parzeonerea", meaning "City of He Who Rules By Heaven's Will") and Jaculan are also established.
* 200s BE: The Kannic War occurs, as the Calradians at Ortysia contest the Kannic city of Quyaz for control of the Perassic Sea. The war lasts on and off over decades, with the Calradians eventually capturing Quyaz itself, and holding it intermittently over the centuries. The Calradians also first record contact with the tribes who will come to be known as Sturgians and Vakkens living in the northeast. Relations are initially friendly.
* 150s BE: As a result of the Kannic Wars, the Republic now controls the Western Perassic sea trade, and has a well-developed military which seeks new targets. In the west, Galend is conquered and a town called Velucum (later known as Sargot) is founded, while Lageta is taken from its Palaic owners by an act of treachery. In the north, the eccentric long-haired military genius Sarapios takes the city of Epicrotea from the Battanians. In the eastern Palaic territory, Amitatys falls to the Republic as an earthquake fortuitously destroys its walls, and Poros surrenders soon after.
* 100s BE: Lycaron peacefully negotiates an alliance with the Republic and is eventually annexed. Saneopa is conquered by the Calradians. The region of Diathma is next to fall, as the Dryatics who inhabit the area die fighting the Republican legionaries to the very last man; a city is founded where they died. The Republic's Nahasan territory expands from Quyaz to Sanala.
* 50s BE: The Laconians of Argoron willingly integrate into the Republic, seeing them as a protector against the more warlike Palaics. Phycaon, largest of the Palaic cities, initially led a strong coalition of Palaic city-states in resistance; but later surrendered, seeing the Republic's expansion as inevitable.
* 45 BE: Portix Scinius Kaisar is born to an influential Calradic patrician family. He later serves as an officer during the Republic's capture of Qasira and earns distinction, retiring to become a Senator at the age of 31. The Republic, in a two-pronged assault, also forces Razih, Hubyar and Husn Fulq to pay tribute.
* 12 BE: The Battanian Wars begin, an extremely bloody and hard-fought series of battles which result in a large Calradic army being wiped out, along with most of its generals.
* 10 BE: The Battanians reach the point of besieging Charas. In a panic, the Senate grants the powers of Imperator (among Calradians, a title meaning supreme command over the Calradian armed forces, also including emergency powers over government) to the Senator with the most military experience remaining among them, Scinius Kaisar.
* 6 BE: With considerable skill of generalship, and exploiting the Battanians' fractious nature, Scinius manages to ruthlessly defeat the Battanians in three years. His armies even conquer more territory around the Llyn Modris (later known as Ocs Hall). Proclaimed Savior of Calradia, Scinius is so popular with the military that they still refer to him as Imperator past the legal limits on the title, sparking anger in the Senate.
* ~5 BE: The power of the Republic is split between two men: Scinius has the support of the military, and his great rival, Vontus Lagetus, commands a powerful Senate faction. Scinius is accused by supporters of Vontus of seeking the kingship of all Calradia. Following a failed assassination attempt on Kaisar during a Senate meeting, he and his military allies declare war on the forces of Vontus and the bulk of the Senate. War breaks out all across the Empire.
* 0 AE (After Empire): After a long war, Scinius Kaisar marches his troops into Rhotae, and defeats the senatorial coalition in a climactic battle; Vontus throws himself on his sword. The remainder of the Senate are intimidated by Scinius into changing the law to make him Imperator Perpetuo - creating the position of Emperor for Life, which all Calradic rulers after him will use. While Scinius does not explicitly declare himself king, this is the de facto moment when the Calradic Empire is created, and the year will be used as a marker by future Calradian historians. Onira, Razih and Husn Fulq, after many years of maintaining independence, are also seized by the new Empire, completing its encirclement of the entire Perassic Sea. The Calradic Empire will dominate the continent for 500 years, and will be remembered long after it is destroyed.
* 50s AE: The small town of Vostrum is built up into a city-state by the breakaway Calradian mercenary lord Archacos, who styles himself god-king. His dynasty lasts a few generations before being crushed by the Empire. Syronea is also founded around this time, and the Empire launches an invasion of Balion across the western sea, which results in part of it being conquered, colonized and Calradicized.
* 100s: The Empire purchases territory in Chaikand, and establishes client states in the surrounding area; it also temporarily captures Pen Cannoc, but is then pushed back. Myzea is convinced to peacefully join the Empire by Senator Litos, who later attempts to establish the city as a soverign entity modelled on the old Republic, but is defeated. The famous physician Galerian lives and writes treatises on medicine.
* 150s: Through military conquest and a series of client states, the Calradic Empire reaches its greatest extent: furthest north, their newly founded colony of Varnovapol; furthest south, Askar, furthest east, Chaikand, and to the west is Galend. Across the western sea, even Balion is partially colonized. Only the Battanian and Sturgian towns, Rovalt, Ostican, Hubyar, and most of the towns past Chaikand remain free.
* 200s: The Jalmaryan general Carsos stages a coup to seize control of the south and east of the Empire from Emperor Petronnes and declare himself Emperor, beginning the Calradian Anarchy. Petronnes retains control of much of the north and west, and moves his court to the western regional capital in Charasea (Charas), although the Senate continues to be based in Rhotae. The war between Petronnes and Carsos continues for several years.
* 250s: A second, larger wave of Swadic barbarians migrates over the sea from Jumne to settle in coastal Imperial territories without permission. The Empire, strained by civil strife, lacks the capability to prevent this. The weakened Carsosian and Petronnian halves of the Empire agree to peace, ruling each of their halves jointly in a system called the Diarchy. The western regional capital is moved from Charasea (Charas) to Paravenos (Pravend).
* 300s: Emperor Danicus abolishes the Diarchy, and reunites both halves of the Empire under his rule. Following the civil wars and barbarian migrations, the western half of the Empire is weakened, so Danicus moves the capital to a strategically useful trading port in the Calsea region, renaming it Danustica. The Imperial powerbase shifts towards the East, though Paravenos remains the western regional capital. Rhotae's influence dwindles.
* 350s: The Empire is holding together with great difficulty, at war with "barbarians" on multiple fronts: Khuzaits, the Darshi shahs and padishahs, Battanians, Swadians, and Aserai. With native soldiers stretched too thinly, a policy is began of hiring some barbarians as mercenaries to fight other barbarians. The Empire permanently withdraws from its castrum at Askar as it lacks troops for the garrison; it is claimed by the Aserai. Balion's colonies are abandoned by the Empire's legions.
* 400s: Wilund the Bold, a Swadic warlord, is contracted by the Empire for mercenary work in the Nahasa and Devseg regions. When his contract ends and the Empire is unwilling to pay him, he leads his army in rebellion against their employers, successfully sacking the city of Rhotae. The Empire decides to pacify the situation by paying Wilund and his followers with western land grants, and they settle and grow their numbers further. Wilund, or Valandion as he is known in Calradic, becomes the namesake for his tribe- the Vlandians, a sub-group of the Swadians.
* 450s: The Scourge Horde, an ancestor of the Khuzaits, rampages along the center of the continent through to the western territory of the Empire, and is narrowly defeated near Velucum in a hard-fought battle. However, this victory is Phyrric: Velucum (later known as Sargot) is left in ruins after being razed and many Imperial forces are lost, leading to a near-total breakdown in authority in the West. In the Nahasa, the weakened Empire also loses control of Quyaz, Sanala, and Qasira to barbarian marauders.
* 500s: By this time, the territories of the western coast are mostly populated by Vlandians, who assimilate the Battanians and Calradians, establish their own petty kingdoms, and barely even pretend to be ruled by the Empire. The "Old Senate" of Rhotae is now little more than a local government council; the New Senate is located in Saneopa to be closer to the Emperor.
* 550s: The Empire experiences a restoration period, as a succession of "good" emperors manage to reconquer Sanala and Qasira, and re-establish Imperial authority in Paravenos, Charasea, Jaculan, and Galend.
* 600s: Lady Zeona rules the Empire as regent for her son. The town of Iltarica is renamed Zeonica in her honor.
* 650s: The gains of the good emperors in the south are quickly reversed: Razih is conquered by the Aserai, and not long after is followed by Qasira and Sanala. Yachios (Iyakis), however, remains independent.
* 700s: Imperial influence in the seas fades, leaving a void. It is filled by the Nords, who begin to spread outside their ancestral homelands of Jumne to raid and trade along the Calradic coastlines, even as far as Aserai lands and Balion (which they colonize).
* 750s: Nords land in the vicinity of Balgard and demand tribute from the local Vakken and Sturgian tribes, who form an alliance and defeat them. Afterward, the spoils of the battle cause the tribes to bicker; another Nord known as Gundar offers to help divide the loot of his dead countrymen fairly, and the pleased tribes eventually elect him as a leader. His Gundaroving descendants will later rule the Principality of Sturgia.
* 800s: Other Nord tribesmen sail over to Sturgia as merchants or mercenaries, and begin to intermarry into the Sturgian population and establish settlements. The Iltanlar, mountain-dwelling cousins of the Khuzaits, descend to the plains to create the settlement of Baltakhand.
* 850s: The Empire loses Husn Fulq to the Aserai, but the strong defences of Danustica "hold the line" against further Aserai incursions into Empire territory.
* 900s: An interregnum period occurs in the Empire. Vlandian warlord Osrac-Iron Arm, great-grandfather of Derthert, takes advantage of the lack of leadership to overwhelm the remaining Imperial garrisons and conquer the cities of Baravenos (Pravend), Galend, Charasea (Charas), and Jaculan. The disorganized Empire is forced to acknowledge him as a king in order to secure peace. In this way, the Kingdom of Vlandia is founded, and the far West is forever lost to the Empire.
* 950s: The Vlandian warlord Oca conquers the Llyn Modris valley, pushing its Calradicized Battanian inhabitants inland. The town of Ocs Hall is founded there and named after him. The Massa - a tribe allied with Vlandia, who joined the invasion - also found a town named Sargot, on top of the ruins of the Calradian town of Velucum.
* ~980: Sturgia's boyars officially unite into a Principality in order to present a united front against the Empire.
* ~994: Emperor Darusos, the saintly but ineffective teenage emperor, is toppled by one of his own generals. A cult (the Embers of the Flame) springs up around the concept of his reincarnation.
* 1020s: "Two generations ago," the rising of a distant conquerer to the East forces the Khuzait clans to move into territory of the Empire. The leadership of Khan Urkhun forms them into a confederacy which quickly conquers Odokh, Akkalat, Ortongard, and the Imperial protectorate of Chaikand.
* 1034: The fortress of Iyakis, once known as Yachios, is no longer able to maintain independence; it finally defects from the Empire and joins the Aserai.
* 1044: Khan Urkhun's forces reach north and capture Baltakhand and Makeb. A Vlandian baron sends an invasion force to Balion, and conquers the Nords there, creating his own petty kingdom. As a result, Balion's culture will be similar to Swadia's 200 years later.
* 1077: Battle of Pendraic, involving the Calradic Empire, Khuzaits and Aserai on one side; and the Vlandians, Sturgians and Khuzaits on the other. Results in the death of Emperor Neretzes, followed by the election of his trusted subordinate Senator Arenicos to the position of Emperor of Calradia.
*~1083: Emperor Arenicos is assassinated, and the Calradian Civil War begins, with three influential Calradians and their supporters each separately claiming the rulership of the Empire: Princeps Lucon with support from the Senate in the North, Basileia Rhagaea with support from the aristocracy in the southeast, and Dominus Garios with support from the military in the West.
* 1084 AE (Bannerlord).
*1090s: Sturgian scholars adopt a new writing system, based on Late Calradic. The Empire referred to Sturgians as "Vaegars" (a corruption of an old Sturgic word for their Nord nobility), and so Sturgia becomes known as the Kingdom of Vaegirs. Omor begins to be called Khudan, and Varcheg is transliterated as Rivacheg. Garios names a town after himself on the western Perassic island, Garoia (later known as Geroia).
* 1100s: Garios dies in battle, and the Western Empire- at war on five fronts- is quickly annihilated. The Aserai conquer Ortysia (which they call Ahmerrad), and Jalmarys (renamed Bariyye). Vlandia takes Geroia, Zeonica, Amitatys, Lageta, and Rhotae. Many former citizens of Rhotae leave the wartorn town and move to the southwest of Vlandia in large numbers; these people will become known as "Rho"doks.
* 1110s: The Kingdom of Battania, weakened by infighting, loses Pen Cannoc to Vlandia (which is renamed Suno) and Seonon and Marunath to the Vaegirs (which become Livonar and Maravia).
* 1120s: Rhodoks - who have strong Calradic heritage - influence the pronunciation of southern Swadian town names; Galend becomes Yalen, Jaculan becomes Jelkala, and Sargot reverts to the ancient Calradic name for the region, Veluca (Velucum).
* 1130s: The Vlandian Dey Meroc line is killed off by assassins. A distant relative named Larec becomes king. He is ethnically Swadian rather than Vlandian, so the kingdom becomes known as the Kingdom of Swadians. The Vlandian ruling counts of Rhotae, Amitatys, Zeonica, and Geroia break away from Swadia to form the Republic of Geroia. Swadian language undergoes a consonant shift; "Pravend" is now pronounced "Praven", and "Ocs Hall" is "Uxkhal".
* 1140s: The Aserai Sultanate pushes into Swadian territory, conquering Charas, which they pronounce as "Shariz". However, the sultanate now reaches outside the Sultan's control. The Banu Sarran clan successfully secedes, seizing Shariz, Ahmerrad, Bariyye, and Quyaz to form a new kingdom, the Sarranid Sultanate. No longer able to claim rule of all Aserai people, the old kingdom is called the Dabarah Emirate.
* 1150s: The Kingdom of Swadia burns Car Banseth to the ground, and conquers the final Battanian holdout at Dunglanys, which is renamed Dhirim. The Kingdom of Battania is completely destroyed; its culture is stamped out, its people either forced to assimilate into Swadic culture or resort to forest banditry. The Fiannas' skill with the longbow, however, is passed on to the Vaegirs who took over Seonon and Marunath.
* 1160s: Swadia's territory has grown far too large to govern easily. The nobles impose harsh taxes to fund extravagant feasts and new castles, causing resentment among the culturally distinct Rhodok population in the south. This eventually boils over into a massive peasant rebellion in the town of Jelkala (known historically for rebellions), demanding a republic for the Rhodoks like their Calradian ancestors had. This inspires the people of Veluca and Lageta to rise up also, beginning "the wars from the hills", a fight for Rhodok independence.
* 1170s: The Rhodok independence wars continue, and the Rhodoks liberate Yalen. A veteran soldier named Grunwalder teaches the Rhodoks to resist the Swadian cavalry using pike formations and crossbowmen. His theories are used at a battle near Veluca, where he is killed, but his fellow Rhodoks defeat the Swadians in a large battle which ends the war. In his memory, Grunwalder Castle is built where he fell.
* 1180s: For a short time, the Rhodoks have the citizens' republic they fought for; but a chieftain holding a fortress at the Culmarr mountain pass uses its vital location to control Yalen and Veluca's food trade, styling himself "Count" and, when he gains enough riches and power, "King of the Rhodoks". So the Kingdom of Rhodoks is formed from Yalen, Jelkala, Veluca, and Lageta, and henceforth has an elective monarchy. The Vaegirs take control of Epicrotea from the Northern Empire, renaming it Epigard.
* 1190s: From lowly origins, a man named Antaran, son of Ashdab, becomes king of Dabarah. As the Vaegirs holding the center of the continent encourages trade, traders build up three riverside settlements into full towns: the Vaegir ports of Curaw and Reyvadin, and the independent city-state of Zendar. The aqueduct systems the Calradian Empire built fall into disrepair, and as a result, the south of Calradia becomes increasingly desertified.
* 1200s: The enormous armies of the Great Horde, travelling from the far East, invade the Khuzait Khanate's territory. The Khuzaits attempt to face them in battle, but are routed; the ruling Urkhunait clan is destroyed to the last man. Barthai of the Khergit clan takes power as the new Khan (renaming the confederacy to the Khergit Khanate). To escape the Great Horde, the Khergit people pack up their tents, abandon their semi-nomadic towns, and migrate into the Vaegir and Northern Empire lands.
* 1210s: The Khergits initially move into Amprela, Myzea and Syronea, but are forced to go further when the Horde arrives there too. The Northern Empire, already weak from rebellions and decades of war, is quickly overran by the Khergits, who occupy its whole territory. The Khergits' new Khanate includes the towns of Halmar (Maravia/Marunath), Ichamur (Epigard/Epicrotea), Narra (Livonar/Seonon), Tulga (Diathma), and Huzoga (Saneopa). The South Empire, now the sole remaining fragment of the Calradian Empire, proclaims itself the "Calrad Empire"; but this is a hollow victory, as its territory is barely worthy of the name, and it clings to existence on the edge of Calradia.
* 1220s: The fourth great migration begins from Jumne. A Nord thane named Gundig Hairy-Breeks sails over the north sea with his armies to claim a supposed birthright over all of Calradia (in actuality, the Emperor only promised the Nords a small coastal area for their ships). Despite this, his armies still conquer Reyvl from the Vaegirs, which is renamed Wercheg. Gundig is later killed at the end of three failed attempts to besiege the Rock of Rivacheg. Alayen's father is present for the first battle (Alayen is presumably around 30-40, dating this battle to the 1220s at the earliest).
* 1230s: Various other Nord thanes make the same claim as Gundig, and continue to land in the north in droves, conquering Rovalt (naming the city Tihr after the Swadian Tihr clan who defects to join the Nords) and Ostican (renamed Aldelen), and founding the town of Sargoth on a defensible promontory. King Hakrim the Old unites the fiefs of Wercheg, Tihr, Sargoth, and Aldelen into the new Kingdom of Nords.
* 1240s: The Sarranid Sultanate builds a new city between Shariz and Ahmerrad called Durquba to facilitate trade. Despite a valiant defense, Zendar is tragically destroyed by river pirates. The Great Horde invades the northeastern lands of the Vaegirs- capturing Sibir, Varnovapol and Tyal - and also invades the southeastern lands of the Dabarah - capturing Husn Fulq and Razih. The Dabarah deal the Horde its first ever serious defeat at the Battle of Asmait by exploiting the mountainous terrain.
* 1250s: Thankfully for Calradia, the Great Horde fragments into two sub-khanates which war with each other for control; although the Horde still threatens Calradia, it loses much of its unified force. The following kingdoms rule in and around Calradia: Kingdom of Swadia with the fiefs of Praven, Suno, Uxkhal, and Dhirim. Khergit Khanate with the fiefs of Halmar, Narra, Ichamur, Tulga, and Huzoga. Kingdom of Nords with the fiefs of Aldelen, Tihr, Sargoth and Wercheg. Kingdom of Rhodoks with the fiefs of Lageta, Veluca, Jelkala and Yalen. Sarranid Sultanate with the fiefs of Shariz, Durquba, Ahmerrad, Barriye and Quyaz. Kingdom of Vaegirs with the fiefs of Reyvadin, Curaw, Rivacheg, Khudan and Balgard. Kingdom of Geroia with the fiefs of Geroia, Rhotae, Amitat and Zenica. Calrad Empire with the fiefs of Poros, Danustica, Vostrum, Onira and Lycaron. Emirate of Dabarah with the fiefs of Hubyar, Iyakis, Qasira, Askar and Sanala. Devseg Khanate with the fiefs of Razih, Husn Fulq, Odokh, Akkalat, Syronea, Myzea, and Chaikand. Iltanlar Khanate with the fiefs of Varnovapol, Sibir, Tyal, Baltakhand, Makeb, Amprela, and Ortongard.
* 1257 AE (Warband).
Bannerlord is assumed to retcon everything that came before it. As such, information from older games in the Mount & Blade series is used to fill in gaps where it does not conflict with Bannerlord's "canon". I tried to fit Warband's town locations into the changed geography of the Bannerlord map. Bannerlord lore also contradicts itself in a few places (eg: when and where the Calradoi actually founded their empire/republic and how long it lasted), so in some cases I've picked one version over another.
Last edited:
